Tag Archives: life

Everything is interconnected – Quotes

15 Feb

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It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied together into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality . . . Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured; this is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Christmas 1967

Peace comes within the souls of men when they realize their oneness with the universe, when they realize it is everywhere, it is within each one of us.  – Black Elk.

All things are connected
like the blood that unites us.
We did not weave the web of life,
We are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
– Chief Seattle

We are awesome beyond all imagining, because we are part of everything that has been, is now and ever will be.  – Maggie Hamilton

But I’ll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you’ll come to understand that you’re connected with everything.  – Alan Watts

A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving.
– Albert Einstein

∞We do not realize often enough that we are dependent on one another; at the simplest material level, we are all interdependent for our daily needs, and in this way we owe a debt to all beings.   – Kalu Rinpoche

∞It is important to understand how much your own happiness is linked to that of others.  There is no individual happiness totally independent of others.     – The 14th Dalai Lama

This is the highest praise, to say you have ubuntu. This is a person who recognises that he exists only because others exist; a person is a person through other persons. When we say you have ubuntu, we mean that you are gentle, you are compassionate, you are hospitable, you want to share, and you care about the welfare of other. This is because my humanity is caught up with your humanity.
– Bishop Tutu.

∞We must understand each other and work in harmony with one another, because it is our responsibility to develop in human beings their natural disposition for peace.
– The 14th Dalai Lama

∞I look at every human being from a more positive angle; I try to look for their positive aspects.  This attitude immediately creates a feeling of affinity, a kind of connectedness.  – The 14th Dalai Lama

∞According to Buddhism, the life of all beings –human, animal, or otherwise –is precious, and all have the same right to happiness.  It is certain that birds, wild animals – all the creatures inhabiting our planet –are our companions.  They are a part of our world, we share it with them.     – The 14th Dalai Lama

∞The friend who is a helpmate,
the friend in happiness and woe,
the friend who gives good counsel, the friend who sympathizes too –
these four as friends the wise behold
and cherish them devotedly
as does a mother her own child.
– Buddha

∞Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.
– James M. Barrie

A human being is part of the whole called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self [ego]. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.  ― Albert Einstein

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
― Martin Luther King, Jr.

Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being.  ― Mahatma Gandhi

 ∞The good man is the friend of all living things.  ― Mahatma Gandhi

∞Friendship is based on the oldest and most intrinsic human awareness that there is more to life than just ourselves.  ― Christopher Hansard

There is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed.   – Daisaku Ikeda

∞True spirituality is to be aware that if we are interdependent with everything and everyone else, even our smallest, least significant thoughts, words and actions has real consequences throughout the universe.
– Sogyal Rinpoche

∞We are her to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.
–Thich Nhat Hahn

Wisdom of the Heart

14 Feb

Non-Duality: What the World Needs Now

14 Feb

Preface

After 40 years of active study and practice of the Buddhist teachings and having written four books on what I call Buddha inspired psychology, I recently found a very insightful perspective that elaborated on what I had learned before. The insight is that the Buddhist teachings are a mysticism, which inherently undercuts any easy attempts at codification. Therefore, union with the divine or emptiness is experienced rather than defined and categorized through limited language. such an emphasis on first-hand experience runs contrary to abstract, ‘positive’ cataphatic theology. this book is the unique and cogent perspective that incorporates the Buddhist teachings as a ‘negative’ apophatic theology.

While there are some scholarly books and research articles on the topic of apophatic theology, very few incorporate the Buddha’s teachings. I hope to show in this book that indeed Buddhist teachings and wisdoms are succinctly integrated into this apophatic spiritual tradition that spans cultures and time. Within the larger scope of the typology of ‘via negative’, the Buddhist teachings of nothingness or emptiness or Sunyata are clearly a part of the apophatic spiritual tradition.

Therefore, this book goes beyond what is usually taught in traditional Buddhist texts. My aim is to make accessible from a modern perspective what the Buddha was universally teaching for those who are on their own spiritual path of personal discovery.

–I have always been struck by the universal applicability of the Buddha’s teachings, which transcend geographical and temporal constraints. The integration of these teachings with proponents of apophatic theology has only reinforced my belief in their universality. Despite four decades of rigorous research, temple retreats, lectures, and meditation practice, it is only now that I have uncovered this enlightening connection between the Buddha’s teachings and the apophatic traditions. It is my sincere desire to share this newfound insight with my fellow spiritual seekers.

-I have always appreciated that the Buddha taught universal truths that are applicable everywhere and throughout time. Integration of these truths with other teachers of the Apophatic theology has affirmed my belief in this universality of the Buddha’s teachings. Even with my forty years of research studies, attendance of temple retreats with monks and lay lectures and meditation practice, I have only now found this instructive link between the Buddha’s teachings with other teachers of the Apophatic tradition, and I want to share this with my fellow spiritual path voyagers. I believe they will also find it as interesting and illuminating as I have.

The Apophatic emphasis on firsthand experience hence knowledge, stands in stark contrast to abstract, ‘positive’ cataphatic theology. This latest work of mine presents a unique and compelling perspective that positions the Buddha’s teachings firmly within a ‘negative’ apophatic theological framework.

While there are scholarly works and research articles on apophatic theology, very few incorporate the profound teachings of the Buddha. In this book, I aim to demonstrate how Buddha’s wisdom can be seamlessly integrated into this spiritual tradition that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries. Within the broader context of the ‘via negativa’ typology, the Buddhist concepts of nothingness, emptiness, or Sunyata are undeniably intertwined with the apophatic spiritual tradition. It is my sincere desire to share this newfound insight with my fellow spiritual seekers.

Rodger R Ricketts

One Transcends the Subject/Object Duality. Pure Experience.

14 Feb


‘This is what pure experience is: neither the world nor “I” in it other than experience.’ Susan Hamilton


‘The seeing of Truth cannot be dualistic (a ‘thing’ seen). It cannot be seen by a see-er, or via a see-er. There can only be a seeing which itself is Truth.’
Wei Wu Wei


‘The outside world of form-and-name and the inner world of thought and feeling are both no more than the construction of mind, and when the mind ceases, the weaving-out of a world of particulars is stopped. This stopping is called emptiness or no birth, but it is not the wiping out of existence, it is on the contrary viewing it truthfully unhammered by discriminative categories.’
D-T. Suzuki


‘The ‘world’ of experience is not given in experience: it is constructed by thought from the data of sense.’
C.I. Lewis


‘In whatever egotistic terms they think of an object, it becomes that. And therein, verily, lies its falseness, the puerile deceptive phenomenon that it is.’ S N v. 916



‘Bhikkhu, ‘I am’ is a conceiving; ‘I am this’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall not be’ is a conceiving; I shall be possessed of form’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be formless’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be non-percipient’ is a conceiving. Conceiving is a disease, conceiving is a tumour, conceiving is a barb. By overcoming all conceiving, bhikkhu, one is called a sage at peace.’(M.N. 140.31)

The Buddha’s transcendence of the Subject and Object

14 Feb

The Buddha’s transcendence of the Subject and Object

 “…the world is steeped in the notion of duality.It grasps either this end, or the other end. Hard it is for the world to understand the stance of the arahant couched in the cryptic phrase, neither here nor there nor in between the two”.The worldling is accustomed to grasp either this end or the other end.’

Bhikkhu Katukurunde Ñāṇananda

Dualism is only Mental and not Real.

14 Feb

“We experience ourselves and the world as subject and object only through conceptualization and language. This dualism, however, is only mental and not real. Mind produces this subject-object dualism. The subjectivity of our mind affects our perceptions of the world that is held to be objective by natural science.”

Tom Arnold

Thoughts on Love

11 Feb

As Valentine’s Day draws near, it brings with it a gentle reminder of Love—a deep and intricate emotion that has touched hearts throughout history. Thinkers like Plato and Aristotle pondered love’s many forms, defining it as Eros (romantic love), Philia (friendship), Storge (familial love), and Agape (selfless, universal love). These distinctions show us that love is not just one feeling but a rich tapestry of emotions that connect us uniquely, demonstrating how love appears in countless ways and situations.

Eros, with its fiery passion, often inspires us to seek out romantic connections, while Philia helps us cultivate cherished friendships that bolster our well-being. Storge embodies the tender care found within families, which lays the groundwork for who we become and how we act. Lastly, Agape represents the boundless love that compels us to extend kindness to all living beings without expectation. This universal essence of love serves as a testament to why it holds such fascination for humanity—it is ingrained into our existence, influencing every interaction and emotion we encounter.

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, let us honor love’s rich diversity and its incredible ability to unite us in meaningful ways, encouraging us to acknowledge and cherish the many forms it takes within our journeys.

Amen||

VEILED REALITY

11 Feb

VEILED REALiTY…..

‘*There must exist, beyond mere appearances (…) a ‘veiled reality’ that science does not describe but only glimpses uncertainly.’ *B.d’Espagnat

*The objective reality of the universe, if such can be supposed to exist, must forever be unknowable to Man as to Microbe…. We are only aware of that aspect of the universe of which the senses we possess are able to inform us.* Wei Wu Wei ‘

*Somewhat ironically, science, having set out to know the ultimate nature of reality, is discovering that not only is this world beyond any direct experience, it may also be inherently unknowable.’ *P. Russell

*Human thinking can only imagine reality, just as a portrait represents a person. And as a portrait is not “the person” it represents, likewise any theory is not “the reality” it describes. We then must humbly recognize that our minds’ coherence and logic do not necessarily match the consistency of reality. And that also entails that reality does “occur” and that we cannot conclude it is an “illusion of our minds” simply because we cannot make sense of it. *Henri Salles

Consciousness

6 Feb

Consciousness

Without Consciousness

There would be “nothing” at all,

No things and no thoughts

To think them with.

No Worlds

To be Consciousness of,

And no Words for them.

No Earth, Sun, Sea or Sky,

Matter, Energy, Space or Time.

No Bodies or Beings.

No-thing.

Consciousness

Therefore, can belong to

No one, no being and no body.

Nobody “has” or “possesses” Consciousness

No plant, animal or human being.

Yet every body and every being,

Everything thing and every thought,

Every sensation or emotion

IS Consciousness

The Ultimate Truth:

Consciousness is Everything

And Everything is Consciousness

Every landmass, ocean, river and cloud,

Every particle and atom, cell and organism,

Every rock and plant, fish and animal,

Every body in space and time,

Every planet and star,

Every Universe.

To be Consciousness of any reality at all,

Any thought or thing, being or body, self or world,

There needs first of all to be the reality of Consciousness

Yet if every reality also IS Consciousness, then

Consciousness itself is all there is,

The Ultimate Reality.

Source: Peter Wilberg

Omniscient Love—the ‘all-seeing’ eye of Universal Consciousness.

31 Jan

Omniscient Love is unconditional love in its most self-less, objective mode: “A love that is open to and nonjudgmental about all perceptions, cognitions, and intuitions.” It is the ‘enlightened’ state of consciousness sought in the meditative practices entailed in all human disciplines—viz, spiritual, artistic, intellectual, therapeutic, corporal, social, and so forth. As the highest state of love, Omniscient Love is present as an inherent potential in all humans. It embodies our ever-present psychoenergetic interconnection with everyone and everything around us— including the Universe itself, and hence, is the access channel to our highest psychic and spiritual proficiencies.

Bradley RT. Love, Consciousness, Energy, and Matter: The Heart’s Vital Role in Coherence and Creation. Cardiol Vasc Res. 2024; 8(1): 1-25.