Friday, June 26, 2009
AS CLOSE AS HE CAN GET TO GOD
The few seconds it takes for the home page to come up seems an eternity. His heart pounds in anticipation. And then seeing no mail from her, he feels the weight of the world come down on his back, taking his breath, coming to rest in the aching hollow in the middle of his chest. He is completely consumed. A meditation on pain. It is as close as he can get to God.
Monday, June 22, 2009
ELMER GENTRY IS A FRUAD
Elmer Gentry is the blind leading the blind. Elmer Gentry is a man who gets himself worked up on his own hype, and with a certainty born of enthusiasm, sells that hype to others. He wants you to believe he has a personal relationship with God, and he wants you to pay to hear about it.
Elmer Gentry does his business in a converted gas station, or in the building that used to be the local minudo shop. His message is simple: Keep smiling, and keep telling yourself the shit in the world is roses by disguise. "Bite negativity off by the head," he says, "think Bliss."
Elmer Gentry encourages you to play the "smorgasbord game," taking a little of this and a little of that; a little Christianity, a little Zen, a little Yoga, a lot like chicken soup. Elmer Gentry wants to sell you spirituality without God. Spirituality without commitment. Spirituality that does not challenge your closely held ideas. He wants you to believe "everything is good." Elmer Gentry suffers from delusional hubris. Elmer Gentry is a fraud.
Elmer Gentry preys upon the weak and battered. He preys upon people who are marginalized, subaltern, on the fringe. He prays upon those that have been abused or exploited. He preys upon those that cannot contend with the dualities, and he sells them the idea that the polarities of the universe can be neutralized. He says that happiness is natural or God like, and saddness is a pervertion, proof certain that you have not found God. He says that your problem is your attitude.
Elmer Gentry preaches detachement from emotions. This is very cruel because it puts you at odds with your feelings. Emotions come and go all by themselves. This is a natural process resulting from the conflict between the conscious mind and the subconsious mind. The conscious mind sees the future through the present, and the subconsious mind sees the future through the past. Emotions are the subconscious and the conscious trying to reach a balance. Just watch them come and go. Be the observer and nothing more. Your breath is the proof that you are living, not your emotions. If you don't like the way you feel, wait for a while and you will have new feelings.
If you have the strength and the courage to sit quietly and watch the thoughts and emotions come and go, without hitching a ride on those thoughts, then you are meditating. Every time you meditate you experience Bliss. It may be fleeting but it is there, and more importantly it is cumulative. It is like charging your psychic battery with Bliss.
Take a look at this essay about science and meditation, taken from CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/dailydose/11/19/brain.meditation/index.html .
Yogi Bir Singh Khalsa
Elmer Gentry does his business in a converted gas station, or in the building that used to be the local minudo shop. His message is simple: Keep smiling, and keep telling yourself the shit in the world is roses by disguise. "Bite negativity off by the head," he says, "think Bliss."
Elmer Gentry encourages you to play the "smorgasbord game," taking a little of this and a little of that; a little Christianity, a little Zen, a little Yoga, a lot like chicken soup. Elmer Gentry wants to sell you spirituality without God. Spirituality without commitment. Spirituality that does not challenge your closely held ideas. He wants you to believe "everything is good." Elmer Gentry suffers from delusional hubris. Elmer Gentry is a fraud.
Elmer Gentry preys upon the weak and battered. He preys upon people who are marginalized, subaltern, on the fringe. He prays upon those that have been abused or exploited. He preys upon those that cannot contend with the dualities, and he sells them the idea that the polarities of the universe can be neutralized. He says that happiness is natural or God like, and saddness is a pervertion, proof certain that you have not found God. He says that your problem is your attitude.
Elmer Gentry preaches detachement from emotions. This is very cruel because it puts you at odds with your feelings. Emotions come and go all by themselves. This is a natural process resulting from the conflict between the conscious mind and the subconsious mind. The conscious mind sees the future through the present, and the subconsious mind sees the future through the past. Emotions are the subconscious and the conscious trying to reach a balance. Just watch them come and go. Be the observer and nothing more. Your breath is the proof that you are living, not your emotions. If you don't like the way you feel, wait for a while and you will have new feelings.
If you have the strength and the courage to sit quietly and watch the thoughts and emotions come and go, without hitching a ride on those thoughts, then you are meditating. Every time you meditate you experience Bliss. It may be fleeting but it is there, and more importantly it is cumulative. It is like charging your psychic battery with Bliss.
Take a look at this essay about science and meditation, taken from CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/dailydose/11/19/brain.meditation/index.html .
Yogi Bir Singh Khalsa
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
ARE YOU A "MAKE THINGS HAPPEN" PERSON
Before I heard Him say anything I heard things that He had said, like, "It is your birthright to be healthy and happy and holy." I went for that. The idea that Yoga could make me healthy, happy, and holy. I went for it because I believed it was a way for me to make things happen. I was very wrong about that.
In this society we place great value on those among us who have the motivation to "make things happen." In the world of the Yogi, this is a scatter-brained notion. The first Koan of the Yogi is how not to force things. Nobody likes a bully. If you want Her she must be coaxed.
In all methods of meditation there comes a point when the Breath, the Breather, and the Mantra become one. These moments are fleeting, but they are very powerful and the affects are cumulative. Two things you have to know. One, you can't make this happen, and two, if you watch for it, it will never happen.
This is as true for life as it is for Yoga, and when this truth becomes integrated with your Sadhana, it will also integrate into your life, and both will be more productive. When you want the Guru to visit you, first offer the invitation, then prepare the house, and then await His arrival. That is Yoga. Satnam
YBSK
In this society we place great value on those among us who have the motivation to "make things happen." In the world of the Yogi, this is a scatter-brained notion. The first Koan of the Yogi is how not to force things. Nobody likes a bully. If you want Her she must be coaxed.
In all methods of meditation there comes a point when the Breath, the Breather, and the Mantra become one. These moments are fleeting, but they are very powerful and the affects are cumulative. Two things you have to know. One, you can't make this happen, and two, if you watch for it, it will never happen.
This is as true for life as it is for Yoga, and when this truth becomes integrated with your Sadhana, it will also integrate into your life, and both will be more productive. When you want the Guru to visit you, first offer the invitation, then prepare the house, and then await His arrival. That is Yoga. Satnam
YBSK
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A YOGA TEACHER
If you are looking for a Yoga Teacher you do not necessarily need a Yoga Master. A Yoga Master is a Yogi that has direct experience of and can contribute to the veracity of the Kriya or Yoga Set he is teaching. But, you do need someone completely versed in some Yoga "Tradition." Yoga is a living technology, nurtured by Yogis, but it is not a freelancing technology. By following a tradition the integraty of the Technology can be assured.
The Teacher and the Student can and routinely are on the journey together. These Kriyas can be taught by someone properly knowledgeable in the Technology itself, as taught by a Yoga Master, and who can distribute that knowledge along with its proper application, but who as yet cannot contribute to the veracity of the Kriya. There must I believe, be some clarity between Teacher and Student as to whether they are making the journey of discovery together or that the Teacher has been there before. Language is the key. Language structures thought. From thought come all of our ideas. Does the Teacher say, "This Kriya is designed to help in such a way. Or does he say, "This kriya will help in such and such a way.
So, keep it simple. Inhale Sat, Exhale Nam. Do it with every breath you can and don't worry about the ones you miss. Sit down someplace. Make it a ceremony. Keep your back straight. Exhale completely before drawing in a breath by pumping your diaphragm gently toward your spine a couple of times. Send the remaining air out your nose in light, little puffs. Your diaphragm will tuck in toward your spine, this is good, this is where you start the inhale.
As you inhale, keep the diaphragm below the lungs and draw the air upward until it reaches the bhronchials. Leave the shoulders relaxed, try not to draw them upward with the breath. Keep your head level or maybe chin down just a little. If you want to hold this breath for a few seconds, hold it high in your lungs. Push your chest up just a little.
Exhale very slowly. Don't hold your breath any longer than will allow you to exhale in a comfortably controlled fashion. When you get to the bottom of the breath pull the diaphragm in toward the spine and gently push out the remaining air. Now observe what the breath wants to do. It might want to stay suspended for a second or two. But if it wants to draw in air let it do so. Negotiate with your breath, don't bully it. Together you can make Music.
Through all of this breathing, keep the Mantra, Sat Nam coordinated in someway with your breath. Find a way to facilitate that coordination. The breath and the Mantra want to talk to one another like a Gospel Chorus in a Baptist church. Inhale Sat, exhale Nam, that's easy. When holding the breath I often break the Mantra down into the four Seed syllables: Sa, Ta, Na, Ma.
Sat Nam
YBSK
The Teacher and the Student can and routinely are on the journey together. These Kriyas can be taught by someone properly knowledgeable in the Technology itself, as taught by a Yoga Master, and who can distribute that knowledge along with its proper application, but who as yet cannot contribute to the veracity of the Kriya. There must I believe, be some clarity between Teacher and Student as to whether they are making the journey of discovery together or that the Teacher has been there before. Language is the key. Language structures thought. From thought come all of our ideas. Does the Teacher say, "This Kriya is designed to help in such a way. Or does he say, "This kriya will help in such and such a way.
So, keep it simple. Inhale Sat, Exhale Nam. Do it with every breath you can and don't worry about the ones you miss. Sit down someplace. Make it a ceremony. Keep your back straight. Exhale completely before drawing in a breath by pumping your diaphragm gently toward your spine a couple of times. Send the remaining air out your nose in light, little puffs. Your diaphragm will tuck in toward your spine, this is good, this is where you start the inhale.
As you inhale, keep the diaphragm below the lungs and draw the air upward until it reaches the bhronchials. Leave the shoulders relaxed, try not to draw them upward with the breath. Keep your head level or maybe chin down just a little. If you want to hold this breath for a few seconds, hold it high in your lungs. Push your chest up just a little.
Exhale very slowly. Don't hold your breath any longer than will allow you to exhale in a comfortably controlled fashion. When you get to the bottom of the breath pull the diaphragm in toward the spine and gently push out the remaining air. Now observe what the breath wants to do. It might want to stay suspended for a second or two. But if it wants to draw in air let it do so. Negotiate with your breath, don't bully it. Together you can make Music.
Through all of this breathing, keep the Mantra, Sat Nam coordinated in someway with your breath. Find a way to facilitate that coordination. The breath and the Mantra want to talk to one another like a Gospel Chorus in a Baptist church. Inhale Sat, exhale Nam, that's easy. When holding the breath I often break the Mantra down into the four Seed syllables: Sa, Ta, Na, Ma.
Sat Nam
YBSK
A GURU NANAK STORY
While camped out at a town during the rainy season, several devotees came Guru Nanak on a regular basis. One of them while on the way to see the Guru, came across a prostitute and was allured by her. Thereafter he would leave home on the pretext of going to see the Guru, but instead visited the prostitute. A few days later his friend who daily came to pay homage to the Guru was pricked by a thorn, while his neighbor, who visited the prostitute, found a gold coin in the street. The incident bewildered the Guru's devotee who came every day religiously. He mentioned it in the morning prayer meeting where Guru Nanak heard it and was amused. He told the Sikh;
"Your friend was destined to come across a treasure but due to his evil ways, it has been reduced to a single coin. While on the account of your past karma you were to have been impaled with a stake, but having reformed yourself, you have been let off with the mere prick of a thorn." (Janamsakhi) * Satnam
*Sikhism Home Page http://www.sikhs.org/guru1.htm
"Your friend was destined to come across a treasure but due to his evil ways, it has been reduced to a single coin. While on the account of your past karma you were to have been impaled with a stake, but having reformed yourself, you have been let off with the mere prick of a thorn." (Janamsakhi) * Satnam
*Sikhism Home Page http://www.sikhs.org/guru1.htm
MORE FROM NANAK ABOUT "ISIMS"
Subsequent to His epiphany, Nanak became silent, he gave up his worldly job, and distributed all of his belongings to the poor. When he finally broke his silence he uttered "There is no Hindu, no Muslim". At that juncture, an angry Muslim said to Nanak, "Perhaps the Hindus were no longer Hindus but the Muslims remain devout to their faith."
Guru Nanak replied, "Let God's grace be the mosque, and devotion the prayer mat. Let the Quran be the good conduct. Let modesty be compassion, good manners fasting, you should be a Muslim the like of this. Let good deeds be your Kaaba and truth be your mentor. Your Kalma be your creed and prayer, God would then vindicate your honour." (Majh)* satnam
*Sikhism Home Page: http://www.sikhs.org/guru1.htm
YBSK
Guru Nanak replied, "Let God's grace be the mosque, and devotion the prayer mat. Let the Quran be the good conduct. Let modesty be compassion, good manners fasting, you should be a Muslim the like of this. Let good deeds be your Kaaba and truth be your mentor. Your Kalma be your creed and prayer, God would then vindicate your honour." (Majh)* satnam
*Sikhism Home Page: http://www.sikhs.org/guru1.htm
YBSK
NANAK AND RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
(Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo)
According to the Hindu custom of His time, at the age of thirteen, after having been completely schooled in the Hindu tradition, Nanak was to receive the "Sacred Thread," that would identify him as a Hindu. At the ceremony, which was attended by family and friends, Nanak refused to take the sacred, Cotton thread from the Priests, offering why way of explanation the following poem:
"Let mercy be the cotton, contentment the thread, Continence the knot and truth the twist. O priest! If you have such a thread, Do give it to me. It'll not wear out, nor get soiled, nor burnt, nor lost. Says Nanak, blessed are those who go about wearing such a thread" (Rag Asa)
Sometimes the Universe demands of us that we take on distinguishing markings, and at other times that we blend. This is a time of blending. Those in the world that are committed to divisiveness on any level are swimming against the Universal current. satnam
YBSK
According to the Hindu custom of His time, at the age of thirteen, after having been completely schooled in the Hindu tradition, Nanak was to receive the "Sacred Thread," that would identify him as a Hindu. At the ceremony, which was attended by family and friends, Nanak refused to take the sacred, Cotton thread from the Priests, offering why way of explanation the following poem:
"Let mercy be the cotton, contentment the thread, Continence the knot and truth the twist. O priest! If you have such a thread, Do give it to me. It'll not wear out, nor get soiled, nor burnt, nor lost. Says Nanak, blessed are those who go about wearing such a thread" (Rag Asa)
Sometimes the Universe demands of us that we take on distinguishing markings, and at other times that we blend. This is a time of blending. Those in the world that are committed to divisiveness on any level are swimming against the Universal current. satnam
YBSK
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