Mantras for Spiritual Healing

I am prolife. I am nonviolent.

This is not a political blog.

Nonviolence, in its real meaning, is to not hurt, harm, or kill any living being. This does not pertain to only humans, but to all forms of life. If we cannot become aware of all living beings, how can we even get close to knowing and realizing soul, merge with the liberated souls, or God?

Prolife REALLY means, a person for the protection of ALL living beings; not just human babies. Our soul uses the body as an instrument to learn and grow spiritually, or to go downwards and continue making mistakes. Our destiny is in our own hands. Any action or crime that collects good or bad karma faces the consequences of universal laws . If we misuse our body or hurt any living being, we will collect karma as a consequence. Karma can also be contributed by intention.

That is why prolife does not mean "anti-abortion" it means anti-violence. How many people truly live by this definition and meaning? Not the guy with the sign in the cartoon, that is sure!

How many people kill themselves with a heart attack each year because of their own high blood pressure, as a result of stress and anger within them? Anger is a form of violence too, and it kills. Many "pro-lifers" (I am using this term loosely that refers to the political/religious activists that believe abortion is wrong/sinful) I am sure are not vegetarian, therefore kill animals for food or leisure, kill bugs, have anger in their hearts, and are judgemental. Is this an example of nonviolence?

The point of this short blog is to show a different angle to "prolife" in its relationship to "nonviolence". You cannot be prolife if you hurt, harm, or kill any single living being, because everything is one and divine. If you harm/kill others, you are doing the same to yourself. If you live nonviolently you are automatically prolife. If you are prolife you are automatically nonviolent. There are no in betweens on this one.

Prolife should be activism for the protection of ALL living beings.

*Cartoon Courtesy of Women 4 Hope

Question to You: What are your thoughts on nonviolence and its relationship to being proLife?

As a spiritual aspirant it is imperative to reflect on your past, in order to grow even more. Since its nearing my first monk birthday, I really have been doing a lot of reflection. Mainly the question that has arisen in me today was: Did I meet my own expectations?

Funny enough, I honestly did not set any concrete goals for myself, because the spiritual path is never concrete. There are no actual "levels to achieve" or "requirements to meet" because every path is so unique. I guess my only expectation was to grow...and I did.

A few days ago, I was preparing to write a speech that I would be delivering on Acharya Shree Yogeesh's Birthday. For several weeks I had been thinking about what to talk about, but found every word to be a limit to such a special soul. When asking myself during meditation what the best thing to do was, I realized to speak about Acharya Shree's highest qualities. I selected Determination because it was appropriate for Siddhayatan, but honestly, I find it very difficult to express myself on how great Acharya Shree is.

For those who have taken the real step to know their true self (soul), the picture on the left, is a reflection of who you are.

The spiritual path, you'll find, is not that easy.

I was taking an evening sunset meditation walk and was contemplating on the gift I gave Acharya Shree today, on his birthday (Aug 28). My gift was surrendering my ego and leaving behind my resistance to authority, essentially a gift of humbleness. By creating the situation of putting my ego and resistance down at his feet, as a gift, I cannot take it back. The gift is truly from my heart. I need to let go.

I just found this quote on a marketing website for a meditation program. So, through laziness meditation is the most enjoyable? Hmm.

It's amazing the marketing terms they use: laziest, enjoyable, ever - all in bold italics (and somehow this catches their audiences attention - well it did catch my attention in away, because I was in awe how far they've gone into their marketing."

The real state of meditation is effortless, because when there is effort from the mind, it causes tension within the body, thus now allowing to you to relax. However, meditation is not a result of laziness. Meditation requires discipline, practice, and the mental efforts to remain awake, conscious, aware, in complete focus and concentation, which then leads to the few moments of effortless relaxation, where meditation might happen.

For long time meditators, some may have experienced glimpses of the soul, or "have seen things" but they go away quickly. So, yes, those few moments can be very breath taking and enjoyable, but to even get to that point you can be lazy? Wow.

Just thought I'd write about how far people go to promote meditation, and earn money from it, and not really telling the truth about it - why? because they probably don't know it themselves.

What are some marketing strategies you have seen to promote spirituality, yoga, meditation, etc.? Why do they work?