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Issue #1388 - Monday, March 31, 2003 - Editor: Jerry
"Where were you when the page
was blank?"
- Truman Capote
a gain
morning.
i awake
to a kiss of light
bestowed
by a golden sun
on earths turning face.
a new day.
a new blank page
to inscribe a personal story.
the fables echo through the night
and embed deep
into the psyche
again
clouding memory
of That glorious
empty page.
-mary
Vicki Woodyard NDS
Enlightenment In A Can
I am thinking of marketing a new product, called
Enlightenment -In- A Can.
Wherever you have a bald spot in your consciousness, you just
reach in and
spray this product on. Once it is on, it stays on for eight
hours. During this
period, you can appear on talk shows telling people the secret of
life.
Yes, you can tell Oprah's
audience how it is.
You can sign tee shirts at bookstores everywhere, claiming that
your book is
in the galley stages. You can pass out mantras by the
bucketload. But at the
end of the eight-hour period, you will turn back into an
unenlightened one.
You must drive the freeway without divine guidance, take out the
trash and
balance the checkbook all by yourself. Real life returns.
(This insures a return
trip to the can.)
I will also have focus groups for this spray-on
enlightenment. They should be
able to tell me what the median age is for the product.....I am
thinking
forty-ish or fifty-ish....Visa Card-ish. You know the
type. They favor shorts
and sandals and carefully sculpted bodies.
I will remind them that their enlightenment will wear off in
eight hours
unless they get another fix. Making tapes of how to spray
the product on
seems mandatory. We love instructional materials, don't we?
I will show
them that slowly rotating the can covers every inch of bare
consciousness.
They will have an inner astroturf of truth....guaranteed.
This could be a heady business. If you are interested,
there will probably be a
franchising opportunity. Let's work together on this. With
your money and my
enlightenment, say it with me...."Together We Can."
Vicki Woodyard
http://www.bobwoodyard.com
Kathy Rabold
from SufiMystic
'NOT THIS, NOT THIS',
BUT 'THIS IS THAT'
122. The body, organs, Pranas, Manas, egoism, etc., all
modifications,
the sense-objects, pleasure, and the rest, the gross elements
such as
the ether, in fact, the whole universe, up to the
Undifferentiated--
all this the non-Self.
123. From Mahat down to the gross body everything is the
effect of Maya.
These and Maya itself know thou to be the non-Self, and therefore
unreal
like the mirage in a desert.
124. Now I am going to tell thee of the real nature of the
Supreme Self,
realizing which man is freed from bondage and attains liberation.
125. There is some Absolute Entity, the eternal substratum
of the
consciousness of egoism, the witness of the three states, and
distinct
from the five sheaths or coverings :
126. Which Knows everything that happens in the waking
state, in dream,
and in profound sleep ; which is aware of the presence or
absence of the
mind and its functions : and which is the backround of the notion
of egoism.
This is That.
127. Which Itself sees all, but which no one beholds, which
illumines
the intellect etc., but which they cannot illumine. This is
That.
128. By which this universe is pervaded, but which
nothing pervades,
which shining, all this shines as its reflection, This is That.
131. This is the innermost Self, the Primeval Purusha,
whose Essence
is the constant realization of Infinite Bliss, which is ever the
same,
yet reflecting through the different mental modifications, and
commanded by which the organs and Pranas perform their functions.
134. It is neither born nor dies, It neither grows nor
decays, nor does It
undergo any change, being eternal. It does not cease to
exist even when
this body is destroyed, like the sky in a jar when it is broken,
for
It is independent.
135. The Supreme Self, different from the Prakriti and its
modifications,
of the Essence of Pure Knowledge, and Absolute, directly
manifests this entire gross and subtle universe, in the waking
and other states, as the substratum of the persistent sense
of egoism, and maifests Itself as the Witness of the buddhi,
the determinative faculty. ~ ~ ~
Adi Sankara (A.D. 788-820) was one of the greatest
philosophers of India.
The above is from his Crest-jewel of Discrimination, the
IVEKACADAMUNI.
Adi Sankaracharya was a Knower of Brahman who put forth: Brahman
alone is real, the universe unreal, and the individual soul is
none other than the Universal Soul.
If Sri Sankaracharya's philosophy appeals to you, you are More
than welcome to join Him.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SRISANKARACHARYA
Andy
from Being One
The Lighter Side of the
War
In the midst of all this misery, here are humorous takes on the
war
and our Administration's handling of it.
Excerpts from American Late Night TV SHOWS
"President Bush announced tonight that he believes in
democracy and
that democracy can exist in Iraq. They can have a strong economy,
they can have a good health care plan, and they can have a free
and
fair voting. Iraq? We can't even get this in Florida."
-Jay Leno
"President Bush has said that he does not need approval from
the UN
to wage war, and I'm thinking, well, hell, he didn't need the
approval of the American voters to become president,
either." -David
Letterman
"We have it. The smoking gun. The evidence. The potential
weapon of
mass destruction we have been looking for as our pretext of
invading
Iraq. There's just one problem - it's in North Korea." -Jon
Stewart
"Well, it looks like we've moved a step closer to war. Not
with Iraq.
With France and Germany. How did we screw that one up?" -Jay
Leno
"As we head to war with Iraq, President Bush wants to make
one thing
clear: This war is not about oil, it's about gasoline." -Jay
Leno
"In California, 50 women protested the impending war with
Iraq by
lying on the ground naked and spelling out the word peace. Right
idea, wrong president." -Jay Leno
"In a speech earlier today President Bush said if Iraq gets
rid of
Saddam Hussein, he will help the Iraqi people with food,
medicine,
supplies, housing, education - anything that's needed. Isn't that
amazing? He finally comes up with a domestic agenda - and
it's for
Iraq. Maybe we could bring that here if it works out." -Jay
Leno
"President Bush said this Iraq situation looks like 'the
rerun of a
bad movie.' Well sure, there's a Bush in the White House, the
economy's going to hell, we're going to war over oil. I've
seen this
movie, haven't I?" -Jay Leno
"CNN said that after the war, there is a plan to divide Iraq
into
three parts ... regular, premium and unleaded." -Jay Leno
"Iraq began destroying those missiles they don't have over
the
weekend. See, President Bush may be the smartest military
president
in history. First, he gets Iraq to destroy all of their own
weapons.
Then he declares war." -Jay Leno
"The Pentagon still has not given a name to the Iraqi war.
Somehow 'Operation Re-elect Bush' doesn't seem to be
popular." -Jay
Leno
"President Bush spent last night calling world leaders to
support the
war with Iraq and it is sad when the most powerful man on earth
is
yelling, I know you're there, pick up, pick up." -Craig
Kilborn
Su Gandolf
NDS
Party of One: The Loners Manifesto
by Anneli Rufus
A selection of things that came up during a call-in radio show http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/03312003
with the author:
--shopping (alone) has a meditative quality
--being alone offers a sense of luxury
--theres a continuum of loner-dom
--we (loners) have less tolerance for others than other people do, and I dont think thats a
bad thing
--theres pressure (for women) to join with others, be sociable
--a loner is alone by choice, not outcast
--loners need love just like anyone else;
--two loners together make an ideal match
--loners used to be portrayed more favorably in popular culture (the rugged
individualist), now loner is a slur
--thank god for email
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=2-1569245134-0
Publisher Comments:
"The Buddha. Rene Descartes. Emily Dickinson. Greta
Garbo. Bobby Fischer. J. D. Salinger: Loners, allalong with
as many as 25 percent of the worlds population. Loners keep
to themselves, and like it that way. Yet in the press, in films,
in folklore, and nearly everywhere one looks, loners are tagged
as losers and psychopaths, perverts and pity cases, ogres and mad
bombers, elitists and wicked witches. Too often, loners buy into
those messages and strive to change, making themselves miserable
in the process by hiding their true natureand hiding from
it..."
~ ~ ~
Have you ever not known what
you want to do, but were happy doing nothing?
And people close to you are nicely urging you to do something?
Or not so nicely?
But you were happy and there was nothing to do?
No one needing your attention and nothing hard to do or to bear?
And all there is are these adjustments that some call
committments, callings, non-doings, but you know them as
adjustments?
And as you're making adjustments, you know you're like a pitcher
in the bullpen
Waiting to be called in to pitch?
Or waiting to be born?
Have you ever felt distant from what's on CNN
And close to reality television?
Have you watched things happen and really have to strain to see
them happen?
Like, for example, just about anything?
Are you exactly the same while dreaming and while awake?
And isn't the comfort world burning
In a dish
And the dish hot
And on your lap
And with a little adjustment
You remain cool
Knowing the iceberg
Is on its way
To meet it?
--jk
Yosy
from Nasrudin
Nasrudin attended a city counsel meeting opened to the public, in which financial activities, past and future, were discussed. after hearing the reports, nasrudin addressed the counsel. "ladies and gentlemen," he said, "last year you brought this city to the edge of abyss. but this year's plans are a big step forward!"
Inventurer
Live Journal
http://www.livejournal.com/community/market4healers/
Hi Everyone,
I started this community in response to the many questions that I
get about how to be successful in the personal development and
holistic healing business. I co-own a Massage School and also an
Instiute of holistic healing. I have over 30 years experience in
the field and have studied most of the healing modalities out
there.
I and am happy to answer your questions about how you can become
successfully "self-employed" in this business or the
many other avenues for success that are available in this field.
I have made my living doing everything from different kinds of
individual sessions (massage and many others) to workshops,
seminars, retreats and teaching. I currently devote all my time
to executive coaching, teaching several different modalites of
bodywork (massage and other healing work) along with writing and
mentoring.
I am very open to the input of resources and suggestions of
others in the field and vision this community as a free exchange
of ideas and support.
Looking forward to getting to know everyone who participates here
... http://www.livejournal.com/community/market4healers/