August 2010 Archives

Curious mysteries and paradoxes abound in our lives ... That which is always here ... yet it remains elusive ... the inescapable here and now yet its puzzling non-acceptance ... this simple moment holds the key yet searching goes on for years ... the key is in each of our hands yet we go to others for answers ... we don’t have to really do anything to solve the greatest mystery yet most remain convinced that something must be done ... So today, I invite you to reflect upon the empty feeling that is full beyond measure ...

Download Nirmala: The Door to Eternity | Pop-up Viewer

Here's the text of the original poem:

who would have guessed

this empty feeling in my chest

is the door to eternity

who could have known

this longing

is what I longed for

how is it possible

thoughts of freedom

only hide freedom

why don’t I care

about answers

when questions never end

who would have guessed

this empty feeling in my chest

could be so full

This poem is from Gifts with No Giver, a love affair with truth, Poems by Nirmala. This book is available for free download from Nirmala's website: endless-satsang.com. Nirmala also offers several of his other books for free download from his website.

And, as usual, the emphases and the repetitions are mine.

RumiTime is your podcasting channel for mystical poetry readings  from Rumi, Kabir, Nirmala, Hafez (Hafiz), and others.

You are listening to JoyChats ... your podcasting channel for  ... explorations in Consciousness, ... Silence, ... Self Realization, ... Self Discovery, ... The Mystery ...

Spiritual nourishment seems to be a fundamental human need.  It doesn't matter where this nourishment comes from ... what form it takes ...  it is provided for by every culture or mythology ... for example, the Chinese Oracle, I Ching, talks about two such wells of nourishment: an external well like the I Ching and an internal well which "must be our own good character."

 Download Spiritual Nourishment, I Ching, & Our True Nature | Pop-up Viewer

I Ching, is an invaluable and impeccable ... external source of wisdom and advice. It serves this purpose .. eminently ... and has done so for thousands of years. Of course, I Ching has most certainly served as a wise counsel for us over the years. We use it on a regular basis to remind us of the "proper principles." One can develop a deeply meaningful and highly personal relationship with this Oracle if it is followed and used sincerely and honestly. This task may be easy for some and difficult for others but it is certainly doable.

The paradoxical Mystery of That which is Always here ... what a puzzling lack of accepting the inescapable here and now ... this simple moment holds the key yet is seemingly so elusive that we have eons of searching.

And yet in the simple and absolute accepting of this moment what a gift is revealed. So here is poem by Nirmala on the Mystery ...

 Here's the text of the original poem:

the mystery

of this simple moment

can not be spoken

yet all of history

occurred to arrive here

the mystery

of the endless terrain of self

can not be mapped out

countless new frontiers

are born with every breath

the mystery

of awakening

can not be achieved

all that is needed

is to notice inner eyes that never close

the mystery

of sweet undying love

can not be understood

the heart already knows

what the mind can only long for

the mysteries

always remain

untouched by worried thought

ready to welcome us home

when we abandon our dreams

Nirmala's simple yet exquisitely profound words indeed welcome us home! As usual, the emphases and repetitions are my literary liberties.

This poem is from Gifts with No Giver, a love affair with truth, Poems by Nirmala. This book is available for free download from Nirmala's website: endless-satsang.com. Nirmala also offers several of his other books for free download from his website.

RumiTime is your podcasting channel for mystical poetry readings  from Rumi, Kabir, Nirmala, Hafez (Hafiz), and others.

You may also enjoy our other channel: JoyChats re dialogs and monologues in Consciousness, Self Discovery, Silence, The Mystery. 

This episode is a continuation of the theme in my July 23rd podcast titled Obama Accomplishments, Political Hypocrisy, and Social Denial.

Download Obscene Election Spending & Misunderstood Tax Cuts | Pop-up Viewer

Last week, Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for CA Governor, added another $13M into her campaign coffers so now her total personal investment is at $104M. For non-presidential campaigns this number is approaching the record, of $108M, set by Michael Bloomberg for his 3rd successful bid for the New York city Mayor.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling re Citizens United vs FEC, the election spending floodgates are now open and fully sanctioned by our legal system and society. Karl Rove and some other Republican groups are expected to pour in $300M into the 2010 midterm elections (see Update below the table).

Imagine what $400M can do for education ... or health care ... or  small business assistance?

This Rumi gem is from "A Garden Beyond Paradise, The Mystical Poetry of Rumi, Translated by Jonathan Star and Shahram Shiva."

Download Alchemist of My Soul | Pop-up Viewer

And as usual, I have taken some literary liberties and have not read the entire poem plus there is a slight modification at the end.

You are listening to JoyChats ... your podcasting channel for  ... explorations in Consciousness, ... Silence, ... Self Realization, ... Self Discovery, ... The Mystery.

" ... When every hope is gone, "when helpers fail and comforts flee," I experience that help arrives somehow, from I know not where. Supplication, worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the acts of eating, drinking, sitting, or walking. It is no exaggeration to say that they {thoughts of God} alone are real, all else is unreal. ..."

That is a quote from Gandhi.

Download Gandhi, Trust, & Moray | Pop-up Viewer

Gandhi's words are, of course, profoundly true ... They also remind me of the Sufi zikr "La Illaha Il Allahu" which means "There is no reality but God; There is only God." 

Mikey Weinstein's fight to identify and expose the attempted Christianization of the US military is now famous. From handing out Christian propaganda to bombing victims in Baghdad to terrorizing Muslim soldiers at Fort Hood, to discovering Christian messages engraved on rifle scopes supplied to our soldiers by a factory in Michigan, Weinstein has led the fight to keep federal tax dollars and federal power from coming to the aid of religion.

Mikey Weinstein is founder of Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

 Download Craig Barnes: Mikey Weinstein | Pop-up Viewer

This show series is offered courtesy of KSFR, Santa Fe's Public Radio Station (@101.1FM). Craig's show airs on KSFR every Sat at 9AM MST and is streamed live on www.KSFR.org. His full bio is available at our Guest Bios page.

The seemingly elusive accepting of the undeniable here and now ... the mystery of That which is Always here ... so enjoy Nirmala’s invitation of resting into the endless now!

 Download Nirmala: The Endless Now | Pop-up Viewer

Mike Loftin, executive director of Homewise in Santa Fe, New Mexico, describes the significance to employment, taxes, school stability, and the quality of life in a community that offers affordable housing. Under Loftin's direction Homewise has become one of the leading innovators in the nation providing new subsidies to encourage local buying and counseling so that potential home buyers become credit worthy. Forget subprime loans; train people to buy what they can afford and to save to be able to do it.

Download Craig Barnes: Mike Loftin | Pop-up Viewer

This show series is offered courtesy of KSFR, Santa Fe's Public Radio Station (@101.1FM). Craig's show airs on KSFR every Sat at 9AM MST and is streamed live on www.KSFR.org. His full bio is available at our Guest Bios page.

You are listening to JoyChats ... your podcasting channel for  ... explorations in Consciousness, ... Silence, ... Self Realization, ... Self Discovery, ... The Mystery.

Enlightenment is a big topic ... I normally hesitate using the word ... or even defining it because it is easy to get caught in the definitions debate of why what how etc ... nonetheless let's explore a little ...