dharmatalks

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. – Buddha Sakyamuni

The physical or phenomenal world does not become spiritual, but the spiritual can be physically expressed and experienced. Our spiritual essence or conception is referred to in Buddhist philosophy as sunyata — “suchness” or “emptiness” — the “inexpressible” quality, many have chosen to conceptualise as various forms of “divinity,” in an attempt to quantify and understand that which cannot be quantified or grasped.

The Great Teachers all understood this. When Rabbi Jesus was asked about how one could be “born” into “God’s” kingdom, he replied:

“No one has ever ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, the Truly Human One, which is in heaven.”  (cf: John 3:13)

In other words, we must consciously “give birth” to the physical expression of our spiritual nature — as a potentiality waiting to be actualised. That is the purpose of the Middle Way, taught by Buddha, and the Way of the Christ: to engender a “new life” in which the adherent or sojourner achieves a state of harmony between the conscious “knowing” and the subjective “feeling”.

The spiritual aspect of each of us must be brought into conscious, objective, actual existence in order to live a life of harmony and fulfillment. This is the birth that occurred in the mythical story of Jesus’ Incarnation, and can occur for each of us. It is the birth that occurred in the mythos of the Bodhi tree for Buddha Sakyamuni, and it is available to each of us.

We are physical expressions of pure spirituality. There is no “us” or “them” — only diverse expressions, which shift and change with our perspective and awareness.

Life’s secrets are revealed from within, not person to person. Intuition is not learned. Inspiration is not borrowed. Spiritual awareness forms within, like a pearl. A pearl of wisdom starts as a nagging question, a worrisome thought or minor irritation that is worked into a thing of value and beauty. Your pearl of wisdom provides you with inner guidance.

As November draws to a close, for millions of self-described followers of the Way of the Christ, and especially for adherents of the institutionalised Christian churches that are loosely based on that tradition, the season of Advent begins — a tradition of preparing oneself for the birth of the Anointed One in a cave, according to the legends.

For all of us, it can be a time of recalling the potential for spiritual “reawakening” or “rebirth”… as the ancient legend points to the potential for the indwelling anointed one to be born in the still, small space of our hearts… in obscurity… only to grow up conscious of our Oneness with the Sacred… and of our potential to transform the world and our lives… with compassion for others, service and care for the marginalised, and equanimity toward all of life.

Namasté!

gurudas

Internationally respected, life coach and teacher, Lama Gurudas Sunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, O.C., M.Sc.) is a Buddhist and Franciscan contemplative, and author of the popular book, “The Dharma of Compassion – One Monk’s Reflections on the Teachings of the Enlightened and Anointed Ones”. He is best known for his on-going contributions to helping people unlock the power of their own minds — teaching them how to apply that power to create strong, loving relationships, make more money, and live more meaningful, prosperous, health and satisfying lives.

You can join his primary social network and interact with him directly by visiting:
http://www.betternetworker.com/referral/7777cb42

Copyright ©2008, Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

A dear friend of mine has been going through some very difficult and frustrating times lately. She’s an incredibly warm, patient and generous person, and someone who is on a very clear, serious spiritual path. Still, she is dealing with family members and other individuals, in an arduous and drawn-out process that is taking a toll on her.

Her situation stimulated me to consider how important it is for us to always guard ourselves against developing expectations of others — something I have had to work on constantly myself.

Expectations always give rise to suffering.

Whenever I allow myself to place expectations on another person or situation, I am setting myself up for disappointment. More importantly, however, when I place expectations on someone or something, I create a mental barrier, which often prevents me from being aware of what the person or experience actually are bringing to me in that moment.

I might expect that someone who has followed this teaching and does well for themselves financially, could help us to build a social justice centre. But if those expectations create a barrier that makes me feel that if I don’t get what I expect out of the relationship, I should discount any value that might be present there, my lack of receptivity will give rise to suffering. What’s more, I might miss the possibility that what that person brings to the teaching is a chance for me to be present to their needs, without expectations… which could be something that individual never experienced in their lives.

We must take care not to “pre-conceive” how something or someone should “appear”, in order to be of value. Every moment and every experience is of value to us. Our task ought to be to learn to be truly present to the moment, and to let go of preconceptions, expectations and the grasping for what we think ought to occur.

This process of withdrawal of projections, as Jung calls it, is the foundation for the practice of Living Zen. We mindfully and deliberately choose not to run away from life, and allow each experience and expression to wash over us, just as the waves wash over a shell along the shore. Each wave, we know, will eventually recede. Some waves might move us further along; others might set us back a bit. From time to time, a wave may dislodge us from the sand, and seem to toss us about, but in the end, we’ll come to rest again along the shore… perhaps a different shore altogether… but rest, nonetheless.

Namasté!

Internationally respected, life coach and teacher, Lama Gurudas Sunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, O.C., M.Sc.) is a Buddhist and Franciscan contemplative, and author of the popular book, “The Dharma of Compassion – One Monk’s Reflections on the Teachings of the Enlightened and Anointed Ones”. He is best known for his on-going contributions to helping people unlock the power of their own minds — teaching them how to apply that power to create strong, loving relationships, make more money, and live more meaningful, prosperous, health and satisfying lives.

You can join his primary social network and interact with him directly by visiting:
http://www.betternetworker.com/referral/7777cb42

Copyright ©2008, Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

“The flute of the Infinite is played without ceasing and its sound is love.” ~ Kabir

There is a poignant scene in the Broadway play, RENT, in which a young man addresses the HIV/AIDS support group, of which he is a part, stating that he finds their reliance on positive affirmations “suspect”, telling them that his t-cell count dropped that month, and that he is filled with regret about that. The moderator asks him how he is feeling right that moment, and the man responds that he “feels good… better than he has all year”. The moderator then asks the young man why invest himself in so much fear then?

It seems to be part of the human condition to imagine ourselves like a small child, separated from our mother. Because so many of the religious narratives of the world speak of a personal god or goddess, which is separate and distinct from us, we develop a mistaken belief that we are separated from the Ground of Being.

As a result, we live our lives in a self-imposed exile — a state of chaos and disharmony. This way of living gives rise to our becoming caught up in a fragmented, dualistic and delusional existence. The Sanskrit word for this cyclic and deluded existence is samsara.

The great teachers all understood the error of such a belief system, and while their teaching was often lost on their intended students, we are fortunate that oral tradition and later written transcription of these oral traditions have preserved enough of the original messages for us to glean their essential truth.

Buddha Sakyamuni understood that there was no distinction of the self from the Self… no separation between the soul and the Soul. Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) prayed that his disciples “might be one, even as he and the Source were one.” And the great poet and mystic, Kabir, best captured this Truth, when he wrote:

“The ocean and its waves are one surf;
where is the difference between the river and its waves?

When the wave rises, it is the water;
and when it falls,
it is again the same water.
…where is the distinction?

Because it has been names as wave,
shall it no longer be considered as water?”

In the book, A Course in Miracles, and in my book, The Dharma of Compassion, we talk about developing an awareness that “whatever is not love is fear.” At first, this might be somewhat confusing to the student of dharma, who perceives this approach to be somewhat dualistic. Yet we begin to understand that, at a deeper level, the word “fear” is simply an expression used to describe any phenomena that are not consistent with our true nature (love). Just as darkness is used to describe the apparent absence of light, we use fear to describe the apparent absence of love.

Notice that I said “apparent absence,” because in the case of darkness, there can still be imperceptible light present. Similarly, while we may not perceive the presence of love in a situation, we can be certain that since it is the only impermanent truth, it pervades and penetrates every moment, every condition, every phenomenon.

Physical pain challenges almost every waking moment of my day. And the combination of physical pain and the resultant manifestations of neurological dis-ease have impacted many other areas of my experience — from financial implications to emotional and practical implications. But these experiences don’t invalidate the truth of my nature — that I am love and light, expressing itself in and through the cloud of causation that we call “phenomena.” And because I am conscious of that, the experience of “suffering” never enters the equation.

When I had the fortune of living in the monastic enclosure, I volunteered to tend to the large gardens in both monastic compounds. For me, the act of mindfully tending a garden is analogous to our spiritual practice itself. A gardener must vigilantly protect the garden from being overtaken by bugs, weeds, and other pests. The ground must be constantly “worked” to keep the soil aerated, and water, nutrients and proper exposure to the sunlight must be maintained. Similarly, unless we are constantly mindful of our thoughts, actions and “nurturing,” the fertile soil of our minds, in which the dharma can take root, will be overtaken by the bugs of uncontrolled passions, the weeds of negativity, and the clouds that obscure the light of wisdom, leaving a dry, parched environment, scorched and devoid of anything of value.

“Spend five minutes complaining,” my guru once said, “and you have just wasted five minutes. If you continue to complain, it won’t be long until they haul you out to a desert, and there let you choke on the dust of your own regret.”

When we stop complaining, running from pain, worrying about what might happen, we find the stillness and silence in which we begin to hear the sound of the Infinite flute.

Namast

We often talk about the path of non-attachment — a central concept found in the Perennialist teachings of Buddha Sakyamuni and Rav Yeshua (Jesus the Nazarene). In order to actually release our attachments, it is helpful to understand what causes them.

In general terms, attachment arises from grasping. There are four types of grasping: grasping after opinion, grasping after sensory pleasure, grasping after rule and rite, and grasping after the theory of “self”. In even more general terms, we can say that grasping after those things we imagine to bring us happiness, and grasping to avoid those things we perceive as causing us pain are the foundational conditions, which give rise to attachments.

Grasping After Opinion

How many times have we found ourselves at odds with someone or some group, because they differ strongly in opinion from us?

Now I am not suggesting that having a personal opinion, even a strong personal opinion, is wrong. In fact, I believe that our opinions add to the experience of personal growth and development. But we must guard ourselves against becoming attached to them.

When we recognise an opinion as an opinion, it’s difficult to be attached, because we see that thought or idea as a perception based observation. In a world that is not static, our perception is bound to shift and change, and as it does, our opinions (should) change as well.

Some years back, while I was still serving as the exarch and metropolitan archbishop of the autocephalous Franciscan communities in North America, a transcript of my weekly sermon was published, in which I stated my personal and theological opinion that the traditions of “virgin birth” and “immaculate conception”, “stigmata” and “resurrection” were concepts that could not rationally be considered as literal fact, and were simply part of the cultural and religious mythos of a primitive mindset from which the institutional Church developed. One of the men I ordained to become bishop-protector of the Canadian Provinces — a brilliant and well-educated, former Roman-Catholic priest — was apparently of the opinion that such mythos and legends, along with the Medieval and Tridentine prescriptions for liturgical prayer, ought to be considered as literal fact. He felt strongly enough about it to separate himself from our community, and start his own sect.

For some time, I am quite certain that he and his disciples (who were comprised of individuals we dismissed from our community for various reasons) allowed their opinions to engender feelings of disgust and disdain for me. But these were genuinely compassionate and kind people, most of whom are very well-educated and intelligent. They began to recognise that opinions are just that, and so there has remained a subtle undercurrent of compassion and loving-kindness there, even if it was not spoken of. And in the past few weeks, several of them, including that one particular bishop, have been in contact with me, expressing and demonstrating their concern and compassion, prayers and support during a time of difficult physical health challenges.

If there is someone with whom you have not spoken, because they “are stupid” or “don’t get it”, please consider the possibility that they simply perceive things from a different “angle” and that there is no “right” or “wrong” opinion.

Grasping After Sensory Pleasure

Human sexuality, listening to music, eating your favourite foods… none of these things are, in and of themselves, “dangerous” or “bad”. But once again, if we imagine that our happiness will come from owning a certain CD, attending a specific concert, dining at our favourite Indian restaurant, or a night of unbridled passion with someone(s), then we are setting ourselves up for disappointment, and we are grasping.

We must understand that everything we need for complete happiness already exists within us. Happiness is our nature, or as Joseph Smith noted, “…is the object and design of our existence.” (Unfortunately, his followers missed that point entirely, and chose to spend tens of thousands of dollars diminishing the civil rights of others, so that their self-imposed religious values could be codified into law, under Prop 8).

It is unnecessary to give any sexual activity, music, food, bubble bath or anything else up, if it give you pleasure and harms no one. It is necessary, however, to be mindful. An occasional soak in a hot bath of warm Dead Sea salts can be healthful and invigorating. Spending $20-$30/month on spa treatments might be attachment however, particularly if we spent money that could have been used to help someone we know in need. It’s all about balance and awareness… and knowing that nothing will bring us lasting happiness, except letting go of it all.

Grasping After Rule and Rite

Such dogmatic, theocratic, religious and doctrinal arguments that cause separation and marginalisation are never useful. Many of those who regularly listen to my Dharma talks (or read my blogs) agree that such discriminatory measures as Proposition 8 are unspeakable injustices. But if I were to suggest that “any two or more adults ought to have the right to solemnise and legally bind their relationship, in any way they deem appropriate, with the same legal and civil protections, benefits and status under law enjoyed by heterosexual couples today…” some of those same folks (including the gay ones, who got married in Massachusetts or California) would balk. What makes it OK for any “two” people to marry, but wrong if three or four wish to do the same thing?

A cursory look through my blog, and there are countless examples of folks who don’t believe I have any right to call myself a Franciscan or Camaldolese monk, a Buddhist monastic or contemplative, or a spiritual leader. Why? Because their particular rule of life, religious ritual, constitution or theology does not allow for someone who teaches what I teach.

Not only do I strive not to become attached to my own rule of life or any spiritual/religious ritual, but I also strive not to allow others’ grasping at theirs to disturb my peace.

Grasping for a Sense of “Self”

The words “I AM” are used in Judeo-Christian mythos as positive declarations of the Indwelling Presence of the Sacred in all of life. But in our daily lives, most times that we say “I am…” we are investing in an illusion of permanence and separateness that is unhelpful.

Again, it’s all about our awareness. When we realise there is no “real” us versus them, that what the Great Teacher was really saying, when we look at the Aramaic context of the words, is “I am ONE with the Way; I am ONE with the Truth; and I am ONE with Life…”, then it is not problematic to make “I am” statements.

I can say “I am certain that…”, but we must realise that everything we think, including the illusion of “selfhood” is based on a faulty, and ever-changing perception; therefore, we cannot become attached to our thoughts, our sense of self, or our “I am-ness” because tomorrow (or in the next breath) all of that can change.

Realising these basic, foundational causes for attachment, we can begin to look for ways in which we may let go of at least one source of attachment each day… and as we do, our suffering will diminish, and a genuine happiness and peace will become part and parcel of who we are.

Namasté!

Founder and Spiritual Advisor of the Spiritus Project, and Director of the Society for Buddhist Contemplatives, Lama Gurudas Sunyatananda has been leading dharma retreats, teaching, and counseling individuals interested in Buddhist contemplative spirituality since 1979. He is an ordained Buddhist monk, a Franciscan contemplative, and former Eastern Catholic priest and bishop. He holds a dual-doctorate in theological anthropology and Buddhist philosophy, a masters in clinical pastoral counseling and lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Copyright ©2008, Gurudas Sunyatananda – Lojong Ashram, All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

At a time when I find it hard to convey in words the intense pride I feel — not only over the hard-won victory of President-elect Barack Obama, but at the sincere and honourable concession speech by Senator McCain — nothing has captured the emotions and thoughts I feel, quite like this post from my friend, Seth:

Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Martin Luther King Jr. 3 April, 1968

We have finally arrived Rev. King. Thank you for paving the way. I hope that we have made you proud.

“We both recognise that though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation’s reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still have the power to wound,” said McCain, who pledged his support and help for the new president.

Before reading Seth’s poignant post, I was only able to think about Dr. King’s historic speech at the 11th Southern Leadership Conference, in Atlanta, during the summer of 1967, during which he said:

“And so we still have a long, long way to go before we reach the promised land of freedom. Yes, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt, and we have crossed a Red Sea that had for years been hardened by a long and piercing winter of massive resistance, but before we reach the majestic shores of the promised land, there will still be gigantic mountains of opposition ahead and prodigious hilltops of injustice. We still need some Paul Revere of conscience to alert every hamlet and every village of America that revolution is still at hand. Yes, we need a chart; we need a compass; indeed, we need some North Star to guide us into a future shrouded with impenetrable uncertainties… Now, in order to answer the question, ‘Where do we go from here?’ which is our theme, we must first honestly recognise where we are now.”

Wherever we go… let us resolve tonight to go there UNITED, taking back our control and responsibility to become the change we want to see in our world.

Tears are flowing… tears of gratitude and tears of relief… an era of terror and tyranny has ended.

Morning has broken.

Namasté!

Subject: November 4th — a DEFINING moment in global history!

To our friends and associates, especially in the United States:

After sharing similar ideas with some of our colleagues around the world, I have been inspired to stop what I am doing tonight, to send this to each of you.

It’s almost upon us… November 4th… a most important day in global history… and certainly one of the most singularly defining moments in U.S. history. A time when ALL of us will have the opportunity to be heard!

And no… I am not talking about the race for President of the U.S., although that is an important event in and of itself. Surely, the election is historic, and can dramatically shape many things in the political and social climate of the world… but it is only a PART of the reason November 4th is so important to the WORLD.

Never before have so many put their futures in the hands of so few… and quite often, such an incapable few.

Both candidates have been making incredible promises for more than two years now, and many people are listening with great interest, during these economically uncertain and challenging times. But when the election is over, and the race has been decided, I challenge you to ask yourselves some remarkably important questions:

Starting Wednesday, November 5th…
-    Who’s going to go to work to create your family income?
-    Who’s going to pay your bills?
-    Who’s going to build your business?
-    Who’s going to pay for your children’s education?
-    Who’s going to “bail” you out if you’re upside down?

Obama?  McCain?  Or YOU?

In every life, there are historically defining moments. The question, posed by my colleague, Eric Worre, is, “How will you respond to this one?”

Will you be glued to your television set or computer, watching the minute-by-minute election coverage, or will you TAKE BACK THE CONTROL OF YOUR FUTURE and create your OWN economic stimulus package?

In addition to fulfilling my duty to vote for the next President of the United States, and local elected officials tomorrow, I will be voting for YOU to become the FUTURE LEADER of your OWN economic and personal future.

As for me, once I leave the polls, I will be sitting down at my computer, notebook at the ready, and logging in at: iLearningGlobal.TV, where I will download the proprietary, free WARP video player, and begin watching high-definition video content from some of the TOP names in the personal development, financial training, and other professional coaches and mentors worldwide.

And when evening comes, I will be headed to a free Virtual Business Briefing on the web, to take CONTROL of my personal and financial future, where I will share with those interested and serious enough about doing so, how they can create their very OWN economic stimulus package… one that will last a lifetime… and free them from the tyranny that comes from allowing the “few” to control the “many”.

I hope you will take the time to vote, if you live in the United States. But more than that, I also hope you will accept my challenge, and drop me an email so that you can join us for our 20-minute, no hype, virtual “town hall” presentation on the web, tomorrow evening at 9 PM and 10 PM EST. (Just email: successcoach@prosperityreinvented.com for details and reservations.)

My personal mentor, Jim Rohn always said, “For things to change, YOU’VE got to change. For things to get better, YOU’VE got to get better.”

This is OUR moment!

Create change. Be heard. Take CONTROL!

– Namasté!

Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, O.C., M.Sc.
http://prosperityreinvented.com/invitation

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For more than 27 years, pioneer in the field of entrepreneurism and emerging Internet marketing technologies, Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, has focused on the fundamentals of personal and business development, peak performance, and wealthbuilding in the postmodern marketplace. Recognised as an innovator, and called the “new mentor to the millionaires”, Gianmichael has worked with such notable mentors as Jim Rohn, Lawrence Thompson, Anthony Robbins, Louise L. Hay, Dr. Kennedy Shultz and Dr. Jose Silva.

A noted Buddhist contemplative and teacher, Dr. Salvato has leveraged his achievements, as consistently earning within the top-five percent of Network Marketing professionals worldwide, using that income to fund programs for the homeless, the hungry, sick and marginalised, as well as providing education and support to underprivileged communities for more than 20 years.

Creator of the breakthrough approach Networking Reinvented® and developer of the Prosperity Reinvented® workshop series, and co-founder of the Networking Reinvented® Success Team, Gianmichael has shared his message with 3,400 audiences and more than a million people. He continues to conduct seminars, dharma workshops and business events throughout North and South America, the European Union and the Pac Rim, and resides with his companion and partner, in a quiet, understated historic home in Downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania — the oldest inland city in the United States.

Copyright ©2008, Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.
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Dr. Salvato can be reached at: successcoach@prosperityreinvented.com 
Find out more about his business opportunity by visiting:
http://prosperityreinvented.com/invitation
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