Astralboobaby

Greetings fellow earthlings.

Today, i would like to talk about yet another important subject: "the importance of appreciating and feeling another person".

I have experienced a new revelation about the nature of todays world: "we have forgotten to FEEL each other"

People, we need to see, feel and appreciate each other more often. Because if we dont....we will all be discouraged from our own inner light and inner beauty (=spiritual death). We will loose ourselves in a vacuum. Perhaps that is a big contributor to todays apathy and feeling of meaninglessness in the world?

Even though many of you (myself included) are a source of appreciation to ourselves, and a source of encouragement unto ourselves, we still cant deny the need for us to be encouraged and seen by other souls. I mean, isnt that the meaning of life?... To see each other? To FEEL each other ...think about it...

Appreciation is a feedback mechanism that drives us, pulls us, motivates us.....reflects us. If that source of supply of appreciation is not regularly there, we will fade away and wake up feeling : What is the need of doing anything anymore? Why not just lie in the bed for ever? Noone is out there seeing me anyway,...so why continue with anything?

There is a spiritual danger involved in a culture that lacks appreciation. A big part of this is also that we have a culture that is collectivist (we have been programmed to appreciate parts of the collective). We have not been encouraged to see and appreciate the individual. So this is a cultural problem as well.

Ther is also a STRESS FACTOR involved in the lack of appreciation of each other. We are so stressed that we dont have the time and energy to see and appreciate each other. Many people may appreciate and see whta I do....but they just dont have the time, energy and ability to express what they truly are feeling appreciate-wise.

So this is a cultural problem as well ( lack of time, energy and dedication to appreciate).

The third thing i would like to say is: SELF ABSORBTION. When we are so absorbed in what we are doing , we also forget to take a deep breathe and to appreciate the work of another.

We must have a balance between self absorbtion, and seeing, feeling / appreciating another person for his or her unique strenghts and talens and contributions to the world.

Seeing another, is seeing God. Because everyone is a unique expression of Gods glory .....

Ask yourself this question: "how often do i think about a person, or several persons in my life...and feel uniquely for that person? How often do you FEEL for a particular person in your life?

Just some thoughts....

It is time for us to SEE and FEEL each other....othervise we will Fade away ....and we will loose ourselves....we will stop believing in ourselves....

My skype is: adam.damani (feel free to add me)....

The day we forget to appreciate,that is the day we have lost our souls....

Appreciation is the highest language of LOVE. Those who are able to appreciate, are able to LOVE

I'm finally having an opinion on what's going on and of course there are fingers being pointed at me about how my views are eccentric or crazy. 

That's okay though! I would have allowed this to hurt or damage me in the past, but I accept it with open arms.

I am not ashamed for questioning what is going on in the world, and I am not ashamed of my views. It's okay to question why these bombings are happening around the same time as CISPA, and how it could just all be a practice of martial law. Also, it's okay to differ in thinking so.

There is not set right or wrong as we all have different walks and different perspectives, but I will NO LONGER be ashamed. I am free of the critical eye, as I see myself from within.

I love you all. 

-IncarnatedElemental07

Hello everyone,

As I'm sure most of you know, there have been bombings going on in the Boston area. This doesn't exclude all the atrocities that go on in the world everyday, but I live in Boston..so this is becoming a bigger reality for me right now.

While I do think that this is something bigger than the bombers themselves; I will not go into that right now.

I am asking for all of you to please meditate and envision the world in peace, and with light around it. Please bring forth the light that we all have inside ourselves in order to cancel out this negativity and fear. 

I myself have been a bit shaken up by this, and I am very empathetic so I'm getting all kinds of emotions which are swaying me either way.

However, I felt the need to express this to this community, and I appreciate it.

If anyone has any insights or something they would like to add to this. Feel free to.

Also, please spread this around.

Thank you.

The Pali term dukkha is central to many buddhist teachings. A lot of issues arise when this term is translated as "suffering" because dukkha occurs in many different contexts. Buddhaghosa's works suggest that dukkha can actually be separated into three distinct categories: ordinary suffering (this is what you experience when you get sick, bump your knee, etc.), suffering produced by change (disappoinment with the conclusion of a positive experience) and suffering by conditioned states (this is the one I want to talk about).

Suffering by conditioned states, or sankhara-dukkha, is the suffering that one experiences in a life that is unenlightened, not self actualised and therefore not in alignment with truth or dhamma. It is suggested that the "self" with which we so closely identify with in this dense third dimension really doesn't exist, or at least this "self" is not in alignment with our core essence or nature. The buddhists present the idea of anatta or "no-self" and that the "self" is merely an aggregate of the experiences one has throughout life that are stored as memories.

These memories influence our mental formations from which we draw upon to subjectively perceive and react to future experience. The attachment to these ideas of "self" is what causes sankhara-dukkha. A person might deliberately hold on to the meaning that they sourced from these ideas even past the point where they no longer serve them and contribute to expansion. A person can't transcend when they are attached to previous ideas that contradict the new.

We can conclude that "no-self" means that there is no attachment to ideas that define "self". The "no-self" is liable to change at any given moment, "no-self" is willing to be moulded by experience, but not defined by it. We can bring "no-self" into the context of the new paradigm. If there is no past and there is no future, "no-self" (heart) only exists in the now. The "self" (mind) is contained in the past and defines the future. If we wish to transcend this linear timely perception, we must first release our attachment to "self".

I would love to hear your feedback on this. As always, check it with your "no-self" and see if it resonates ;D

Love you guys

The article my inspiration came from to write this post is cited here:

Boyd, James W., “Suffering in Theravada Buddhism”, in Kapil N. Ti Wari, ed., Suffering: Indian Perspectives (Delhi : Motilal Banarsidas, 1986), 148-162.

Hello fam!

I just wanted to quickly say that I sincerely appreciate YOU ALL, especially those of us who so unselfishly and tirelessly continue to commit to keeping the information freely flowing (you know who you are). I see it so clearly; as we continue to keep the information flowing – the energy and vibe of this portal continues growing... Now, having said this; I have not been able to log on and participate in the blogs and forums for the past 2 weeks as I had planned because several family related matters have come up, which requires my service, support and attention. However, I plan on coming in to engage in the open forums and blogs as soon as these concerns and fires that I am dealing with are put out.. Based on our current trajectory, I should be back in full gear by next Monday. I've already contacted in private, those that I needed tand wanted to get a specific message to but I would be remiss if I did not leave a general mesage for everyone... I feel the need to remind us all that although this is a place where we can express ourselves freely, we must be mindful of the sensitivity and level of understanding of one another, when we do express ourselves... As we all know, sometimes we fight with our blood-relatives and like our blood-family members; the cosmic family members may have an occassional fight or disagreement at times, as well. Interestingly enough, I have found that some of our best lessons learned come from those passionate moments of disagreement and conflict. However, let us not project contempt, disrespect and condescension towards one another - such energy and actions borderline maliciousness and that is not in the spirit of what we are about. Always remember that at the end of the day, we should strive towards being kind, courteous and respectful to and for one another, ESPECIALLY when we disagree. This is the intent to which I set forth, for the journey and experience of this portal and we will keep it that way... Last but certainly not least and by special request, I have added ‘Spirituality’ as part of the Forum drop down menu. If there are any other categories not listed under the forum drop down menu that you would like added, please let me know and I will add it.

Thank you all again for all that you do – you are LOVED and APPRECIATED BEYOND MEASURE!

ABB

How to Experience the Heart of God

Written by Jafree Ozwald

www.EnlightenedBeings.com

"A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet." ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

Life is meant to have its twists and wild crazy unpredictable turns. Without the element of mystery and surprise, our lives would be like wading neck deep in an eternal ocean of soft warm milky mud. We are always awaiting the gradual unfolding of our unknown future. Unable to predict the next word, thought or feeling that may come through our body. This great unknown unpredictability is so vast and wide that it recalibrates our entire system with a profound humility. With just one small glance into this vastness, we are taught how to surrender completely and deeply into this present moment. This sweet humility is the first step on the path that will take you directly to the Source of God.

There as many paths to God as stars in the sky. We can use anything to find that divine connection if our intention is solid and true. The deepest and fastest path however, is the one that touches you with the greatest emotion. The heartache we feel when we lose a lover, a husband, wife, or life partner, can touch us so deeply that it instantly wipes the mind clean from the possessive ego, and we find a Universal love and truth that fills every crack and crevice of our being. If you happen hit rock bottom and feel there is nothing left worth living for in your life, the Source of God is right there, patiently waiting for a moment of your love, awareness and attention.

To find the quickest and deepest doorway to open into the heart of God, simply get in touch with the core wounding and emotional pain you are carrying right now. If you think about it, it truly isn't desirable to have an entire life that is totally absent of emotional pain. We would never fully appreciate the joy, love and great feelings gratitude that spring up out of it when it's gone. This pain inside you will skyrocket you into the heart of the Divine, once you welcome the feeling and not stir or move from its source until it changes. Within even a few minutes of holding onto the raw pure feeling you can find that it morphs, and you are comforted by something much more amazing than you ever could imagine. The divine source begins to breath through you, sweeping through your mind and heart with a love that has no limitations, inhibitions or boundaries.

The Source of God is all around us and breathing through us all the time. We don't always feel into this source of unconditional love, because the mind is making up all sorts of stories about the world, yourself and others that paint images over it. Yet, this source is always inside you, at the very core. To access it takes a willingness to face that which cannot be faced, and feel that which you cannot feel. You must be with those judgments and assumptions you have yet cannot own, and work through those feelings which you absolutely don't want to continue repeating. These are the blocks standing in the way between you and feeling the living breathing heart of God inside you. The limitations in your mind and emotional body are the blocks and stepping stones to find the most divine unconditional love in existence.

Once you welcome and merge with that which you cannot merge with in your life, you can see though the mirage and understand that the greatest possible love was always waiting for you on the other side. If you choose to ignore your pain, or get addicted to staying in it, you'll remain on the same side of the wall you've always been on, and find it gets harder and harder each day to find the courage to go beyond it. If you feel lost in all of this, and simply cannot find anything you cannot merge with, then merge with that "lostness". Until we are fully self realized beings we all have something we cannot be with or face on the inside, and that is what's driving us back home, grounding us deeper into our biggest heart and highest divinity.

"Dive into your heart center. Sit in the silence. Desire self-realization with all your heart, with all your mind, and all your soul. Cry out for God, and you will be with the right people. Everything will take care of itself." - Robert Adams

The heart of God can only be found within you. It is not outside you, or in the heart of anyone else. It is at the very deepest core of your being, which is not limited just to you body. You are not in the body, the body is in you, and the mind is in you. Your being is the home of pure consciousness. It is as small as an atom and as vast as the Universe. When you realize this truth and apply it to every interaction in your life, you'll awaken that spiritual understanding that no matter what occurs you cannot escape from the heart of God. That sacred beating pulse of love is all around you, inside you, breathing you and following you wherever you go.

If you're having a challenging time in life, cannot trust opening up to anything or imagining what this sweet sacred source of unconditional love feels like, then look towards the most unconditionally loving enlightening being you can find. Open your heart to feeling what is in their heart and soul. They simply have realized they are the source of this sacred love and profound freedom, and not hooked by any of the addictive stories that were once coursing through their brain. When you are blessed to meet such a being whether they are physical or ethereal, you may feel they contain more of this sweet sacred heart energy than you. Yet if you look deeper inside yourself, you'll see this love is actually coming from you! Whatever you feel is happening in others is always actually happening in you. You are the source of all experience, so just relax and notice how it is moving through you and showing up in your body. This is the easiest path to find out how to access the most Divine Love in you.

You can also stop and take a long good look back at your life to recall all the moments where you felt expansive, loved, loving, joy, freedom, happy, or just simply at peace inside. These are all doorways to the Divine. A sweet and pure surrender to the raw feeling inside yourself is the invitation to give to yourself, which will take you to the greatest party happening on the planet...YOU! With a profound state of curiosity and patience, you will dive deeper and deeper inside and eventually reach the most ecstatic feeling of bliss, lightness and unconditional love. You'll reach the most peaceful stillness you have ever found. This is the heart of God. Once you enter this place, you'll rest here as if it was for the first time in your life. While in this resting just know that this experience is at the core of every experience, and will always be available for you at anytime you desire. This will empower you to integrate the connection with everyone in your life and become the greatest possible person you can be.

"You are the Supreme Being, and yet thinking yourself to be separate from it, you strive to become united with it. What is stranger than this?" ~Ramana Maharshi

After i had a kundalini experence, in which It raised to my heart chakra. All week I was thinking now what...what do I do now? how can I move up the scale to enlightment...So I was riding my bike home, and At the same time I was sun gazing like I usually do, that I had to start Back at zero point, and that there was a consequence to all knowledeged recieved no matter what it is. I knew then what I had to do, my questions had been answered, and I started to laugh...

Free yourself from the crowd

The first and most important thing you must do to free yourself from social fear, shame and anxiety, is to make a commitment and decision to free yourself from what other people think about you. You have to make yourself independent of what other people think about you—that is the first and most crucial step towards becoming your own unique person. Once you have completed this step, you are ready to continue on reading this book.

Why be independent of what other people think about you?

Many people will resist the idea of freeing themselves from what other people think of them, because they have been taught that their worth as a human being is given from outside of themselves: from the opinions of the crowd. If the crowd likes you, you think you are worthy. If the crowd doesn’t like you, you think you are unworthy. That is what we have all been made to think.

But what if the crowd wants you to do something that is wrong or evil before they will accept you? Will you still follow the crowd to feel worthy, or will you choose to follow your own truth and do what you think is right—independent of what the crowd thinks about it?

What is more important: to follow your own standards of truth—even if the crowd would turn against you—or to abandon your own truth to be liked by the crowd? That is the question: are you willing to put your own feeling of pride and self-worth in the eyes of others or do you want to put your feeling of pride and self-worth based on how you are following your own standards of truth?

If you base your feeling of pride and self worth in the eyes of others, you are abandoning your own truth to be accepted by an insane crowd; and thus, you are perpetuating the circle of evil.

Let me give you an example to illustrate my point. In nazi germany, you would be disapproved of by the crowd if you didnt kill the jews: It was the norm to kill jews. If your worth was dependent on the crowd at that time, killing innocent jews would be required for you to be worthy in the eyes of others.

Do you see now how putting your feeling of worth in the eyes of the crowd is not a good measure of self worth?

What you need to ask yourself instead is: what is true for me, and use that as a standard of self worth.

THis is chapter 1 of my book "conversations with god - a different messenger"

About Ego & Duality

Enjoy...

God, I have studies spirituality for years now. Yet, it doesn’t seem that is has helped me get any closer to a life of more peace and love that I had hoped. On the contrary, I feel I have become even more judging and intolerant of other people and their choices the more I have studied spirituality. What went wrong?

Like most seekers, you ran upon a spiritual misconception

What misconception?

That some things are spiritual, and other things are unspiritual. You still have not understood that no path is more spiritual than the other. All paths are valid. Unless you have understood this, there can be no hope of finding the peace you say you are looking for in your spiritual search. This is the misconception that has been handed down from generation to generation of misunderstandings of what spirituality is all about—having evolved from the old idea of good and evil, into the new idea of spiritual and unspiritual.

Here comes a great truth:

All paths are spiritual. There are no unspiritual paths.

Do you think I would allow for any unspiritual thing to exist? Let me tell you that if something exists, I must have intended it to exist for a spiritual reason. As long as your limited understanding creates a dual split by calling some things spiritual and other things unspiritual, let me tell you that you will not find the peace you say you are looking for in your spiritual search. You have to be all inclusive; not part exclusive.

So what is the answer?

Non-duality

It is the conscious realization that there has never been a good-bad, spiritual-unspiritual, ego-noego split. It was mans limited understanding that gave rise to this split that has separated man from the oneness and unity of existence. It was mans failure to see that I have created all things for a spiritual reason, that gave rise to this dual split: everything belongs in the bigger picture.

As long as you live with this dual split in your mind, you will inevitably fall judgments upon your surroundings on a conscious and unconscious level.

This automatic judgment of your surroundings then leads you closer and closer to separation, and further and further away from the unity, and oneness, of existence.

This is what has created all the suffering in your life—and in your world at large.

Did I not symbolically advice Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

Before eating from that tree, you had no conception of good and evil. You were in a state of innocence and full unity with existence, and with all that is. You were, symbolically, in the Garden of Eden. For that is the absolute world from where you come, and to where you will return when your dualistic earth life is over. Your life on earth symbolizes Adam and Eves fall from Eden.

Do not condemn this dual split. The dual split was part of my great plan for mankind. I actually wanted Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And you will all symbolically return to the Garden of Eden—you will all return to me.

What? Did you want Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

Yes.

Why?

The experience of duality (as symbolized by the fall of Eden) was your choice and agreement—on an individual and on a collective level—to go through the experience of my absence in you, so that you through the experience of my absence in you, could rediscover the true importance of my presence in you. This was my great plan.

I am love. I am joy. I am freedom. I am truth. I am goodness. I am compassion.

But how could I appreciate or know the full value of me, if I had not gone through the experience of lack of me—through each and every one of you individually, and collectively, as a human species?

Let me explain this in a different way:

If you have never had a moment of true hunger, can you truly appreciate the presence of food?

If you have never explored the idea of war, can you know the true importance and value of peace?

If you have never known suffering, can you learn what compassion is?

If you have never explored the idea of limitation, can you value and appreciate the idea of abundance and freedom?

If you have never experienced a lack of love, can you know the true richness, beauty and value of love?

If you have never experienced the suffering of doing choices that go against your heart, can you find the true inner motivation to do choices that are in alignment with your heart?

Similiarly, if you have never experienced the absence of me in you, can you learn about the true importance of my presence in you? No. My absence shows you the importance of my presence.

Now do you know my plan behind this dual split? Do you know the reason why I allowed Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

I wanted you to have a human experience—to experience the lack of me, so that you could find the importance of me.

If you really want to seek me, you must first leave me.

If you truly want to find the motivation to seek me, you must first explore and experiment with the idea of being away from me—your current human experience.

The more you lack me, the more you want me. And the more you want me, the stronger you will seek me. This is my plan for humanity on an individual and on a collective level—I put you on planet earth in order for you to find the motivation to seek me. The fall from Eden was not a curse; it was a gift. It symbolizes my master plan for humanity. You will all return to Eden.

My own life testifies very much to these truths. The moment in my life where I felt most strongly motivated to seek love, was in the moment of my life when I lacked it the most. I once had a period in my life where I hated everyone and everything, without the slightest resistance. One day I was surprised to notice that my hatred took me to a point of suffering where I couldn’t take it anymore. It became too much. That was when it happened—I surrendered to my heart and bursted in cry. When I finally decided to let go of all that hatred and surrender to my heart, it was such a beautiful and healing experience. The contrast showed me the true importance of love. If it hadn’t been for the period of hatred, if it hadnt been for the contrast, I wouldn’t have come to learn the true beauty and importance of love. Since I was given the opportunity to experience suffering through a lack of love, I got an opportunity to experience the contratst to learn the true importance of love.

In the absence of me, in you, you could re-discover the true appreciation and importance of me, in you. If you have never experienced enough suffering of doing choices that go against your heart, how can you find the true importance and motivation to do choices that are in alignment with your heart? As hunger motivates you to seek food, so too does darkness motivate you to seek the light. Everyone will surrender to their hearts sooner or later. Everyone who leaves me will inevitably come back to me.

Many spiritual people—especially within the so called new age movement—are talking about becoming "free from the ego". I have found this to be one of the greatest barriers for becoming more loving and peaceful. Do you agree?

You have made a good observation. I neither agree nor disagree. But based on my observation of what works and don’t in relation to what it is you say you seek in your spiritual search, it will not work to believe in a misconception of "getting rid of the ego". When you try to "get rid of the ego" as you say, you will only feed it, not transform it. The transformation and purification of what you call the ego can only happen when you fully accept it, and stop fighting against it.

What you resist, persist. What you accept and embrace with love, transforms.

When you fully embrace and accept your shadow, or what you call the ego, it will not only transform and purify; it will also be able to give you its lessons undisturbed. When you suppress the ego in the false hope of getting rid of it one day, you will not allow yourself to experience the ego (the lack of me) so that you can find the true importance of my presence in you. You have to be away from me to find the motivation to be with me.

Every emotion that stems from the ego is there to help bring more awareness into yourself. Allow yourself to explore the ego without resistance and to learn from it and its emotions. The ego is your teacher on planet earth that I have given you. It is a gift and not a curse. Learn from it. See what it has to teach you about you, and do not hide or run away from it in the false hope that it will one day disappear. You will only delude yourself.

Wow. Say that to those love and light preachers in the new age communities around the world who think that the ego is something you need to suppress in order to one day magically get rid of it. Say that to those who think that it is evil to feel and openly express emotions such as hate, anger or bitterness.

Tell them that you cannot truly appreciate food if you haven't allowed yourself to go through a moment of real hunger.

Tell them that you cannot truly appreciate light, if you have never had a moment of darkness.

Darkness motivates the light.

Tell them that you must lose yourself to find yourself.

Tell them that you cannot appreciate my presence in you, if you have not truly experienced my absence in you.

I will. I happen to find this to be one of the most important things for the new agers of this world to be aware of.

It is. If the parents are overprotecting their children from experiencing true hunger, how can they expect their children to find true inner motivation to seek for food? They will grow up taking food for granted and not be able to, truly, hunger for food. They will never seek it.

This is what I would teach all those love and light preachers out there. You cannot teach about the importance of love if you don’t allow people to familiarize themselves with the lack of it.

Is there not a danger that this argument will be used to give people a good reason to never improve themselves?

I know exactly when you will improve yourself. That is when you have become tired enough of not improving yourself.

I know exactly when you will do choices from the heart. That is when you have suffered enough of doing choices that go against it.

I know exactly when you will choose love. That is when you have suffered enough of choosing hate.

I know exactly when you will forgive. That is when you have suffered enough of living in unforgiveness.

So do not worry. I have given the human soul a self regulating mechanism that won't allow you to go too far in the wrong direction before it will force you to surrender. When you have had enough suffering of doing bad choices, you will all surrender to the right choices once again. This is true on an individual as well as on a collective level.

I can truly say that I am happy that I was allowed to do choices that went against the heart; so that once I finally surrendered to my heart again, I was much more able to appreciate it.

THis is an excerpt from my newcoming book "conversations with god - a different messenger":

Chapter 13 (illusion of control)

God, if you had only one last message to humanity, what would that be?

Surrender.

Let go.

Accept that you have no power.

Accept that you are never in control.

Accept the unknown

Let go of the illusion of control.

What do you mean by "illusion of control"?

Accept that you are never in control over anything—ever. Life is always out of control. Stop controlling the outcome of something you ultimately have no control over.

Can you illustrate what you say with an example?

Let's use the example of a father who is overly worried about his son. He controls every aspect of his sons life. He says: "I will stop worry about my son the day he gets a job, an education and is financially independent".

The day his son finishes his degree and gets a well paid job, he gets involved in a car accident, and dies.

Okay… What is the point?

The point is—the father failed to realize that he ultimately had no control over his son's destiny. He spent all of his life trying to control the outcome of his sons future, just to discover in the end that he never had any control over it: he was living in an illusion of control. He failed to realize that he was not the one ultimately in control over his sons destiny. I was.

Wow…that’s deep. How do we shatter the illusion of control?

The moment you accept your own powerlessness and helplessness against the unpredictability of the universe, that is when you will be free from all suffering.

Is this what psychdelic substances such as LSD and DMT help you with?

Yes. Drugs like LSD and DMT help you to let go of all control, or at least it frees you from the illusion of control. This is what is meant by going insane, by getting out of your mind.