Tag Archives: reality

Black Elk Speaks…Indigenous Spirituality

8 Apr

Quotes of Black Elk who was a prominent Lakota Sioux visionary and healer, that taught about the connection with the sacredness and oneness of life, and the deep, loving, heart-opening spiritual knowledgethat we carry in our hearts, that is crucial for the coming together of all people as one family.

1.The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Wakan-Taka Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace, which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.

2. At the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit. And that center is really everywhere. It is within each of us.

3. Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe, It is everywhere.

4. Any man who is attached to things of this world is one who lives in ignorance and is being consumed by the snakes of his own passions.

5. As you walk upon the sacred earth, treat each step as a prayer.

6. What is Life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

7. All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One.

8. The Great Spirit is everywhere; he hears whatever is in our minds and our hearts, and it is not necessary to speak to Him in a loud voice.

Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux by John G. Neihardt

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Transcending Duality

3 Apr

It was not a state of thinking but a state of living and being. It was pure consciousness. What I call a magnificence state of oneness that transcends duality. Getting me in touch with the parts of me that are eternal, infinite, and encompasses the whole. This was awesome; no longer becoming entrenched in beliefs that lock us into a state of duality and puts us in a constant state of judgment. What we endorse is considered good or positive and what we don’t is not, which also puts us in a position of needing to defend our beliefs. When others don’t agree and when we invest too much of our energy in defense, we become reluctant to let go even when ideas no longer serve us. That’s when our beliefs start to own us instead of the other way around. Having pure awareness, on the other hand, just means realizing what exists and what’s possible without judgments. Awareness doesn’t need defending. It expands with growth and can be all-encompassing, bringing us closer to the state of oneness. This is where miracles take place. In contrast, beliefs only allow what we deem credible while keeping us out of everything else.

Non-duality is a state of pure awareness which has a state of complete suspension of all previous held doctrine and dogma. It was when I was willing to let go, I received what I wanted, truly what was mine. Strongly held ideologies actually work against a person. Needing to operate out of concrete beliefs limits my experience because it keeps me within the realm of only what I know and my knowledge is limited and if I restrict myself to only what I am able to conceive, I’m holding back my potential and what I allow into my life. However, if I can accept that my understanding is incomplete and I’m able to become comfortable with uncertainty, this opens me up to the realm of infinite possibilities. After the non-duality, I am able to know and let go. When I suspend my beliefs as well as disbeliefs, I leave myself open to all possibilities. It also means that when I’m able to experience the most internal clarity and synchronicities, my sense is that the very act of needing certainly is a hindrance to experiencing greater levels of awareness. In contrast the process of letting go and releasing all attachment to any belief or outcome is cathartic and healing.

Anita Moorjani– Dying to be Me

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Experiencing Non-Duality: NDE

2 Apr

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A Finger Pointing to the Moon

1 Apr


One who is enlightened must use conceptual thought and language to teach others about the way to Awakening as the Buddha did. In teaching the Four Noble Truths, language is necessary to converse rationally with others and to make important decisions, as the Buddha did regarding the Buddhist
sangha and giving advice to kings and leaders, but the Truth cannot be known rationally.

Or as story about the nun Wu Jincang said to Hui-neng (638-713 CE), the Sixth Patriarch of the Chan School (better known as the Zen Buddhist School), “I have studied the Mahaparinirvana sutra for many years, yet there are many areas I do not quite understand. Please enlighten me.” His reply puzzled her greatly. “I am illiterate,” he answered; “please read out the characters to me and perhaps I will be able to explain the meaning.” When she said to him, “You cannot even recognize the characters. How are you able then to understand the meaning?” he responded that the truth had nothing to do with words. “The truth and the words are unrelated. The truth can be compared to the bright moon in the sky, and words can be compared to a finger. I can use my finger to point out the moon, but my finger is not the moon, and you don’t need my finger to see the moon, do you?”

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Never Forget That…

1 Apr

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God is No-Thing: An Apophatic Assertion

1 Apr

Publisher’s review of this book

“God is No-Thing; An Apophatic Assertion” by Rodger R Ricketts is an outstanding work on apophaticism and how it relates to various religions or philosophies around the world and across time. At the heart of the discussion is the apophatic nature of “God,” Buddhism as a philosophy, and the clear benefits of an apophatic approach in life, both for the individual and for society. The author backs up his claims and observations about the apophatic way with references to scientific research as well as quotes from celebrated mystic and religious people from across time and from different backgrounds. In addition to providing a large body of proof for the validity and benefits of an apophatic way of knowing God, this book also provides a helpful guide to meditation itself and how to go about it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Buddhism, meditation, apophatic philosophy, and working for the betterment of themselves and humanity

Published 2023

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We are Part of Some Grand Design

1 Apr

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Perfect Harmony

1 Apr

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The human body is a miraculous, self-repairing organism

20 Mar


The human body is a miraculous, self-repairing organism.

Let’s look at a few of the many important reasons that science explains. Homeostasis is how your body regulates your internal systems so they function correctly. Your body works best when its internal environment — including things like temperature or oxygen levels — is just right. Balance is key because too much of even the most essential things can be harmful. In fact, you can’t survive without homeostasis and the processes that drive it.

The body features a brain that can store roughly 2.5 million gigabytes of information and a heart that pumps approximately 2,000 gallons of blood daily and beats over 3 billion times in a normal lifetime. Our blood vessels, if laid end-to-end, could circle the Earth four times, while the nose can distinguish over 1 trillion odor mixtures and the eyes can distinguish roughly 10 million different colors. The Microbiome contains about 35 trillion cells, and microorganisms can outnumber these cells to 39 trillion. Every minute, 300 million body cells die, but that’s really just a small fraction of the total cells we have. We produce 300 billion new cells every day and your body is constantly repairing and rebuilding.

Stardust Component: The atoms in your body are billions of years old, forged in exploding stars. Finding and maintaining the balance of homeostasis takes careful planning, that can make a big difference in your quality of life. The human body is indeed an astounding and sophisticated, interconnected and constantly interacting, both internally and externally, organism and we need to honor this gift with care and love.

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We are Part of the Web of Life

18 Mar

A famous quote regarding this concept is by Chief Seattle: “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect”. This emphasizes human interdependence with nature and responsibility for the ecosystem. 

Here are more quotes highlighting that we are part of the web of life:

  • “Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” — Chief Seattle Xavier University.
  • “We do not weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it.” — Chief Seattle.
  • “We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are a part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.” — Maria Montessori Medium.
  • “Nothing exists in the universe that is separate from anything else. Everything is intrinsically connected, irrevocably interdependent…” — Neale D. Walsch Medium.
  • “The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings…” — Thomas Merton Visible Network Labs.
  • “I am a part of all that I have met.” — Lord Tennyson Visible Network Labs.
  • “We are connected to all life on Earth. We are all part of something larger.

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