ashramof1

[ashramof1]

The birds

In an old abandoned ruin of a hotel, there once lived a flock of birds that had forgotten how to fly. They hopped here and there, eking out a living. One day out of a broken skylight in the hotel in swooped a huge eagle. He saw these birds hopping about and said, ” Hey, you are birds. You are supposed to fly. Come, I will teach you”. And so he taught the birds to fly again. The birds soon soared and swiveled in the atrium of the hotel shrieking with joy. They were so happy. They had found their true nature. And so it went for many seasons. Until one day, the eagle lay his massive body down and died. The birds were all very sad. They spoke amongst themselves: What a great eagle he was! How much he taught us! How beautiful he was! How wise he was! We must never forget him or his words of wisdom. And so the birds set about writing down all that the eagle had said in a big golden book so they would never forget his wisdom. And they built a beautiful statue of him so they never forget how magnificent he was. And they built a temple around the statue so that it would be there forever. Everyday, they brought flowers to the temple. They placed fruit at the foot of the statue. They recited his every word. Every morning and evening. They were pleased with their efforts. And slowly but very surely They forgot how to fly.

[ashramof1]

Made friends with a peacock here in the Palani hills, TN, India.

[ashramof1]

Inevitable

When I look back at the stories of my life I find that I had absolutely nothing to do with any of the turning points one fine day the inevitable would show up at the door and make itself at home and that was that

[ashramof1]

I asked God why I was born. And He replied:

It wasn’t personal.

[ashramof1]

There is a force within that gives you life. Seek that!  Rumi

[ashramof1]

‘Your duty is to be; not to be this or that.’

Sri Ramana Maharshi

[ashramof1]

“First we imagine an ego, then defend it, then express it, then fulfil it, then try to get rid of it, then welcome it, then understand it, and finally see that it is non-existent at all times." 

 ~ Rupert Spira ~

[ashramof1]

“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world.” ~Bill Bullard

[ashramof1]

“Remain as the silent witness only. “

Nisargadatta Maharaj

[ashramof1]

Ashramof1

[ashramof1]

Resident peacock heads back to the forest

[ashramof1]

In this moment

Stillness waits

Behind this word

Stillness waits

Behind this thought

Stillness waits

Behind this sorrow

Stillness waits

The Hindu calendar says

A day of Brahma-

One kalpa-

Runs for 4.32 billion years.

And behind that

time chewing

infinity grinding

calendar

Stillness waits

[ashramof1]

Arunachala.

Credit: Unknown

[ashramof1]

[ashramof1]

[ashramof1]

If you want to obtain perfect calmness in your zazen [meditation], you should not be bothered by the various images you find in your mind. Let them come, and let them go. Then they will be under control. But this policy is not so easy. It sounds easy, but it requires some special effort. How to make this kind of effort is the secret of practice. Suppose you are sitting under some extraordinary circumstances. If you try to calm your mind you will be unable to sit, and if you try not to be disturbed, your effort will not be the right effort. The only effort that will help you is to count your breathing, or to concentrate on your inhaling and exhaling. We say concentration, but to concentrate your mind on something is not the true purpose of Zen. The true purpose is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes. This is to put everything under control in its widest sense. Zen practice is to open up our small mind. So concentrating is just an aid to help you realize “big mind,” or the mind that is everything

~ Shunryu Suzuki

[ashramof1]