Perseverance

The ability to sit quietly all day tied by your nose.  An inner strength to be examined.

The cauldron of living and perseverance kept in view. 

Thoughts

Everything is perfect and my mind still wants to dredge up the most selfish, judgemental, and disturbing thoughts.  Remarkable. Surrender pile still in place, willing to give up anything/everything, and relentless self examination/blind spot hunting turned on high.  Is there any possibility of these thoughts reducing or shifting?  Three years ago--no.  Today--why not?  How do I need to practice and live in a different way--they aren't useful for living in peace.  Had to ask.  "Part of the clearing process.  They need to arise, so they can be destroyed. Embrace the thoughts. Part of the process.  Most don't examine their thoughts, so they can be released."

Embrace them?  Oh my.  Some are so inappropriate while sitting in a holy place with a Spiritual Master. Nice--a twinge of fear crept in.  Let go of what my mind is doing after how long trying to keep the ego sitting on the couch with hands quietly folded?

Giggle--the mind doesn't want to play unless it can control, distract, disturb, story tell, or convince.  The quiet mind was incredible.  I couldn't even bait it to grab hold with this new game plan of embracing all of it. Check mark and another point of separation delivered to the fire of the surrender pile.

Another stunning new experience followed. Being/Doing/Divine Essence/Action/Service all lined up.  The bar for a possible state while in service/taking action just got moved to a new range.  The lesson plan is so incredible.    

Living Provides The Tests

Year One: I tried to feed the mother dog, the puppies, and arrange for her to be spayed. (I offered to pay too.)

Year Two: I watched a roommate feed the mother dog, the puppies, and was moral support.

Year Three: I watched the mother dog, the puppies, planned to observe only, but leave my heart open. While jogging down the road past the ashram,  I hear a whimpering puppy.  One of the puppies had fallen down the bank from the ashram onto the busy road. She was alone, crying under a bush, and tentative but happy to see someone who might help.  The innocence and relief when I picked her up to carry her back to the ashram was precious.  Do I walk by knowing that the future of the puppy won't make sense either? Maybe it is better if she just gets crushed now?  Is that her destiny?  Choices...  The mother and the other dogs were so happy to see her again.  Animals are so beautiful and unconditional.  It is so easy to drop into their zone and perspective.

Who notices the mother sheep stuck in the mud of the river while we are on the Queensland Sheep Ranch tour?  We were able to track down the ranch hand who went to get her out.  Luckily, her head was still above water.  Her two lambs were waiting for her on the bank.

Haven't seen the cow with the broken leg yet?  Hope she is okay.

Haven't seen any maggot infested street dogs. Probably a nice part of the cooler months.

The list of the animals, the trash, the beggars, the ... are all still here.  I could write a manual on urinating in public.  While traveling in Australia and New Zealand for 6 weeks, I didn't see one person relieving himself (or herself) on the side of the road.. Is this part of the detachment from privacy or the need to detach from privacy?  Nice visuals for awakening the mind, the judgements, the disturbances, and more.  Falling down, standing up, and falling down, and...  Focusing on beauty, but not closing my eyes to the rest.  It appears at your feet anyway.

Inspiration For The New Year

The journey to finding beauty within. The self is the only door.  Happy New Year!


Ted Talk-- very inspiring! Never give up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx8uYIfUvh4&feature=share&list=PLOGi5-fAu8bH1aqR3ZBQ-njyeLtKcSk-T

Simplicity--a sack of vegetables and a wall and you have a store.

And What Teacher Reduces Your Homework?

Walking between two rows of giant, living animals that are sandwiched between two fortress walls, in a narrow walkway... hmmm very cool, but possibly not very sensible.  I like touching the edge.

I had forgotten this part, I try to assign myself homework and Gurudev reduces it.  I was checking in on my approach to living, learning, and the integration of the two.  Lots of head nods, good approach, and yes, while in India it is okay just to focus on going more inward.  How simple.  I don't have to try and ladle from both buckets other than the basics of living.  Wow, how cool is that!  "Just enjoy the process." was the suggestion.  "Don't get confused by the reading and know that each person's path is unique."  Sue's interpretation, "Hands off the steering wheel. Let Go. Why are you trying to hang on?"

How can one not enjoy the inward process?  Living inwardly with animals has always been a source of peace.  It has only been when I tried to figure out the two-legged state of being that pain was initiated.  Of course that led to examining myself as the vehicle for examining others--slippery slope 101!  Sitting in the inward state in the ashram is like you landed in some edgeless pool of exquisite vibration that leaves you catatonic.  You keep wondering how you can drown more fully in it and if you really ever need to return to any outward state.   And this is my only homework assignment?

Gurudev shared his new exercise program (60 minutes a day) and the equipment he uses.  The bar is high for humanity now.  If a 70 plus year old Spiritual Master is incorporating a workout program into his already busy schedule--there are no excuses.  Nice to know with the advent of my personal training certification.

How to urinate while walking your camel.

Exercise, fresh air, unsupervised, working meditation--next job as a street sweeper. 

Miraculous

A view of the temple across the street from my living space.

As the westerner, I am still blown away by the effects of Gurudev's presence.  How can a look, a word, or an action strike your heart so deeply that you cannot think, move, or breath? The fallout part one is the uncontrollable tears. Part two is experiencing life at a new dimension of patience, thoughtfulness, and gratitude. The mind chatter doesn't have a chance.  Finally something from beyond that silences the doubts, the worries, and the separation from true nature.

Baby elephant in training

The unforgettable running path.

Mornings Are The Magic

Noticing that peacocks are not easy to photograph in the wild--unless you catch them warming up in the early morning sun.  Always about timing...

Breakfast line-up

I continue to be amazed at how different India is in the early morning.  Very few cars on the road, people out exercising, animals waking up...  When I first asked Gurudev about coming back to India, I asked if it would be possible to live near nature, since I had been walking through the Pink City everyday. What I am discovering is that it isn't just being near nature, it is the time of the day that one experiences the nature.