Kagyu Nl

Let me tell you a secret. The real reason we have a Guru is for him to scold us, to tell us off, to point out our weaknesses, to tell us ugly things, to tell us things we don't like to hear, to push us to do things we do not want to do, to make us achieve something we did not think we could and to give us something inside that he can perhaps see through experience, divination, dreams and revelations, which we did not know we could do. A real Guru is not someone who praises us, gives us gifts and tells us nice things. It is the person who scolds us, tells us off and tells us what is wrong. We should not fight back or make excuses. We should achieve whatever our teacher tells us to do - no matter how...

Are you sick of hearing about the environment? Do you roll your eyes every time someone declares that we humans are fouling the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat? Do you rate Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" an alarmist film to appease the greenies and scare the rest of us? If you answered yes to any of the above you are neither a narrow-minded conservative nor a boring hackneyed liberal. You belong to the party of the powerless, living in denial because you simply don't know whether to move right, left, forward or stay the course. Despite dire reports from our intrepid astronauts, who see clearly what we cannot, most of us remain in a state of suspended paralysis...

I first visited Nepal in 1997 and have been looking forward to a return trip ever since. It has been a long time coming but I have just spent two weeks in this enchanting country, and it was everything I remembered and more. The purpose of my visit was to research a possible group trip to the lesser visited Bardia National Park in the lowland Terai region, as well as some additional options for trekking - an activity that everyone associates with Nepal. After my overnight Jet Airways flight to Delhi, I connected to my onward flight to Kathmandu and we were soon descending over the Kathmandu valley. As we neared the airport the fertile patchwork quilt of farmland, river beds and rolling foothills...

Recently I was involved in the largest, collective anti-war art exhibit in the United States since before the fall of Saddam Hussein. We actually didn't realize it was so significant until 10 days into the three-week exhibition in Makawao, HI. With over 100 artists participating, more than 209 pieces on display, and a huge room filled with over 600 prayer flags made by Hawaii schoolchildren for the Dalai Lama's visit to the island of Maui, the 4,000 sq. ft. exhibit space quickly became a supercharged container for community gatherings focused on local, as well as global issues. It has become a model for other communities and is now going on the road! Lately, on the most creative and productive...

Jerking frantically, our jeep climbed up a dirt-road that snaked across an alpine slope covered with sparse vegetation. We were on a quest to understand the conservation issues related to the Bactrian camel in the Nubra valley of Ladakh. Soon the Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world, came into view. Prayer flags, hallmark of a high pass in this part of the world, fluttered incessantly on a spur. Once at the top, we staggered around taking pictures of signboards with 'World's Highest Motorable Road (18, 380 ft)' emblazoned on them. The height soon affected us, and we quickly squeezed into the jeep and continued. After a relatively smooth drive on a macadamized road we reached at...

Yoga is an ancient spiritual path. At its essence it means union. There are many different aspects or limbs within the path of yoga. Asana, or the physical aspect of yoga has gained increasing popularity in the North America. Most students who practice yoga to do so at yoga studios, but often devotees desire a space to practice their yoga at home. If you are considering setting up a room for yoga, you do not need to do any major overhauls that will effect the structure or re-sale value of your home. Keep with the simple essence of yoga and you will create a room that suits your needs and won't require major renovations. Much of yogic philosophy is based on balance, simplicity and ease of effort...

http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> Let me tell you, make sure you read all the way to the bottom. I almost deleted this email but I was blessed when I got to the end. READ ONLY IF YOU HAVE TIME FOR GOD God, when I received this e-mail, I thought... I don't have time for this... And, this is really inappropriate during work. Then, I realized that this kind of thinking is... Exactly, what has caused lot of the problems in our world today. We try to keep God in church on Sunday morning... Maybe, Sunday night... And, the unlikely event of a midweek service. We do like to have Him around during sickness... And, of course, at funerals. However, we don't have time, or room, for...

Wearing a gold or silver medal of your favorite patron saint is a very accepted thing to do in today's world. You can either keep your medal in your wallet, on a bracelet, or around your neck on a chain. People enjoy wearing patron saint medals because it makes them feel closer to that particular saint. Other people's favorite patron saint is just the saint that their parents named them after at birth. Some patron saints tend to be more beloved by the masses than others, and these patron saints tend to have more people wearing their medals because of this. 5.) Saint Patrick - Saint Patrick is one of the most popular patron saint medals to wear mostly due to St. Patrick's Day, which falls on March...

Before we begin with any treatments we must first set up your spa space. Find an area in your home that you can use for your spa. If you have a room or special area that you can designate for this purpose that would be ideal. If not, find a place that you can easily set up and transform for a session. Whatever the area in your home, you want to make it clear that this space is special. Remember CLAFTS when preparing your space 1. C -Clean the respective area. You know the saying, Tidiness is next to Godliness. Clean out the room or area thoroughly. Remove any papers, magazines or any other clutter. Open the windows to let in fresh air even if the air is brisk in the fall or early winter months. 2. L...

Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3 (NASU), "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" and then a couple of verses later (John 3:5 NASU) clarifies his statement when he says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." This passage has greatly troubled people over the years to the extent that many have just come to accept that which is religiously correct (political correctness in the field of the Christian religion) feeling it is a subject that is just a little too deep for them. The real problem lies not in the difficulty of the passage but rather with theologians, scholars...

I bow to the holy feet of the great guru To master the Virtues of loving kindness. I bow down to the great milarepa master of kagyu lineage To master the metta sadhana, I bow to my teacher kirtie and all teachers Who has helped me in spiritual life. May I bow to great dakinis and yoginis Who practice these virtues naturally May I seek blessing of every one' Who have perfected this practice May I seek blessing of any one Who is even trying to practice. May my heart not be affected by people's silliness May my heart be magnanimous. May my heart not be affected by people's selfishness May heart rely on selflessness. May my heart not be affected by people's ignorance May my heart be filled with divine...

"Once upon a time, I dreamed I was a butterfly fluttering hither and thither. Suddenly I awakened, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man." ~ Chang Tzu Many public speakers use the title 'Transformational Speaker', as a way of informing their potential audiences of what they do and how they do it. Apart from having an impressive sounding title that attempts to differentiate Transformational Speakers from both Motivational Speakers and Inspirational Speakers, what is meant by the term 'Transformational Speaker', and how are they different? If we can fairly assume that the task of a...

Dzogchen means "great perfection" and is a meditation practice that helps us to see our true nature, the nature of the Buddha. Many people practice meditation as a way to reach Enlightenment. So, what is Enlightenment? Enlightenment is not something outside of ourselves that we reach. Rather it is something that is already within each and every one of us, however it is hidden under unending desire, aversion, anger, grasping and spiritual ignorance. When we become skillful, when we stop grasping for things and people; when we are loving and compassionate, and when we loose our constant striving for more, our internal Enlightenment or Buddha nature is able to shine forth. Enlightenment, this intrinsic...

Meditations are good; an instructive, helpful little book It is a significant thing in ones life to be a Lay Eucharist Minister. This little book, looking so slight by Beth Maynard, is a guide to the ministry of the Lay Eucharist Minister. There are many sections worth meditation. Here is one that is a little lengthy as a quote, but worthwhile. It has to do with offering or in other words serving eucharist: "...the offering that had been taken, blessed, and broken--you, your ministry--is distributed to the people "What might happen if you were to make that action more explicit in your prayer life? You could ask God to take you and put you to use, to bless more profoundly and break more generously...

Remarkable and still contemporary statement on Ultimate Concern Many years ago, about 35, I was talking on the phone to a friend who told me "God is love." This shocked and surprised me so much that I had to get off the phone. The idea was new to me, a child of atheist parents. Now I find that Paul Tillich in his book, "Dynamics of Faith," writes of the ultimate concern (God) in terms of love. Imagine that I was so unknowing and ignorant, in a way lost, and presently continue in my discoveries of God. And of love. Paul Tillich is someone who will help a reader on the way to know and learn about what God is and who he is to mankind. This includes who he is to the individual man or woman. I have...

An intimate book with prayer and lectio divina as goal For some time now I have owned the title, "Too Deep for Words: Rediscovering Lectio Divina" by Thelma Hall. I have used it for prayer, and I have used it for lectio. The hallmark use I have put the book to is its selections of scripture readings for prayer. This is not to say that the purpose of the book, lectio divina and its prayer form, its reading form of the scriptures is to be ignored. No, the author's writings regarding this method of intimacy with scriptures is worth the time to read. A comfortable book, and by that I mean it is an inviting read, one can enter into the monastic method of prayer. Here, in the introduction, the author...

This poem came to me as a reflection on a prayer: gratitude is its theme. Written this August 2009, Summertime at night, the work takes on the large theme, "Human condition." Because I am a Religion Writer for San Francisco (the website, not the print version of San Francisco's Other daily newspaper), I came to this poem after posting a book review on the same subject: Gratitude. The book is by Brother David Steindl-Rast, titled, "Gratefulness the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness." This poetic work, my poem of last night, reflects also on a prayer that is part of the Evening Prayer service in The Episcopal Church, "Book of Common Prayer." This Monday evening of the same day of the...

There is a tendency to refer to any local Himalayan mountain guide or porter as a 'Sherpa', although they may not strictly belong to the Sherpa ethnic group. In Nepal at least, Sherpas often insist on distinguishing between themselves and general porters as they usually hold positions of greater authority and are more experienced, able mountaineers. If you aim to climb any Himalayan peaks or simply head off for an Everest Base Camp trek, you will see why they are so respected and will doubtless hear tell of their famous predecessors. Here are three such men. Tenzing Norgay Controversially, Norgay may not even have been born a Sherpa. Though he claimed so in an early autobiography, later research has...

If Switzerland in the Alps is called the playground of Europe, then the mighty Himalayas is undoubtedly the Adventure playground of the world. Adventure, simply put, is anything out of the ordinary, anything off the beaten track. In the context of nature it could also be defined as venturing into the great outdoors and wilderness. According to pioneers in Adventure tourism "In undertaking adventure activities, man realises and overcomes his deepest and innate fears and weaknesses. It is a humbling but satisfying experience." Adventure tourism generally is referred to in the context of activities like trekking, climbing, white water sports, wilderness camping and safaris on camel back, in jeeps or in...

-- End Ad Box ---> It has been a decade since Kolkata's “Saint of Gutters”, Mother Teresa went home to God. But Missionaries of Charity, the order established by Mother in 1950, still continues to feel her divine presence around. The moment one enters the premises of Mother's House on AJC Bose Road in central Kolkata, one is overwhelmed by a feeling of warmth, peace and serenity like one has never experienced before. Two days before her tenth death anniversary, the spirit of Mother Teresa rests in peace in a white marble tomb, built in the middle of Mother's House, and is surrounded by devotees, who sit with their heads bowed, paying a silent tribute to the lady who gave up everything to serve the...

A simple conventional answer may be that we pray because our forefathers have been praying and told us to pray, this is exactly as we tell our children to pray. Traditionaly we pray because God has asked us to pray. But for many people who are sincerely searching for a more meaningful answer this may not be satisfactory. First of all God has given us freedom of choice for everything including prayers, so we do not have to pray if we do not want to. Usually we donot pray when we are enjoying the good times, but majority do this when some tragedy strikes or when we reach old age that many of us start praying regularly. For example an airplane full of people is going to crash and in this situation...

getting over problems in your relationship and marriage counseling book plus topics on save marriage from divorce Clearly he held a distorted view of reality resulting in maladapted behaviours which showed unresolved emotional conflicts and instability. He was a person unsure of who he was and where he fitted into the world. Discover proven methods to getting your marriage back on track - Even if you are struggling to communicate with your spouse and are the only one who wants to work on it! Put an end to the stress and anxiety of not knowing what to do to save your troubled marriage >> Click here now >> Engaging in an illicit affair offers an adrenaline high that often times become...

A Massive Shift Scientists have long known that without proper controls, "We always find what we expect to find." In other words, the scientific community long ago discovered that there is a natural tendency to see only what we expect to see and ignore everything else. Amongst scientists, they have very elaborate systems called 'blinds and double blinds' to make sure this doesn't happen. But amongst the world at large, there's nothing to protect us from seeing whatever it is we think we're going to see, regardless of what's right in front of our noses. For example, if you believe that human beings are born into original sin and are inherently evil, then you're going to see proof of that everywhere...

The first of October will mark Jimmy Carter's 84th birthday and it's time to honor him with some Jimmy Carter quotes. Let these quotes not only kick off Jimmy's birthday celebration, but let them also remind us of a time when the people seemed to be a bit wiser and the world hadn't gone so astray. Whether you're a republican or a democrat, these ten quotes will have you admitting that Jimmy has been right about more than a few things. 1. "War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children." 2. "America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other...

Lessons for Life: How to be Humble Our culture says that humility is a virtue. However, we often fail to apply the concept in our own lives. Some of us look for aggressiveness in our children. We think that it will help them to succeed in life. It also will make you proud when your son scores a touchdown or makes the "All State" debate team. But have you noticed that some of the greatest athletes are humble, that some of the greatest intellects are humble, and that some of the greatest leaders are humble? What! Your culture doesn't say that humility is a virtue? Try this if you are Jewish or Christian: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face...

y necklaces have always been in popular demand since 1980 not only, because it is a symbol of our faith and belief in the religion. It is a popular fashion trend too and in 2010 there will be new trends and these new designs will be in demand primarily in 14 carat gold. These Gold necklaces are available in yellow gold as well as white gold. Many celebrities have been spotted donning rosary charms, to name a few: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Mischa Barton, Abbie Cornish. It is largely predicted that rosary charms would be in a lot more demand in 2010. Following are the predicted trends of rosary in 14 carat gold in the coming year 2010: * Diamond cut rosary necklace: It is going to be the trendiest...

Even as a religious institution, a church manages its own finances-a fact that people usually find a bit awkward. It is because of the widely held belief that religion and money must never go together. But it is hard to imagine how any organization-religious or secular-survives its daily operation without money. Ask any priest or pastor: he would tell you that money is important in practically every activity, project, or event initiated by a church. Managing the funds of a church is quite complicated because money is used in many aspects such as monthly salaries of employees, water and electricity bills, and daily collections. Sometimes, huge donations from generous parish members need to be handled...

p>During my studies with Mr. Jaffrey I was reminded on many an occasion that one's practice (how one acts) is determined by one's philosophy. In matters of health; - If you choose to believe that disease is the result of some 'microscopic life form' invading your organism then you will quite likely search for a saviour in the form of the latest medico/pharmaceutical weapon. - On the other hand, you also could choose to accept the philosophy that the condition of your own body is a direct result of the lifestyle you choose to live. If the condition is one of disease,you can change the condition by changing your lifestyle. This little essay developed from readings taken from Cosmos, Man and Society by...

In my opinion, our beliefs are the single most important gift God gave us. They determine our past, present and future. They are the one thing that holds us back and the one thing that keeps us going. "If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad."~Denis Waitley I for one, had my beliefs so badly tainted as a child that I allowed them to take over my life and eventually I became hostage by the horrid thoughts I had about myself. Our belief about religion, money, family, work and ourselves all affect the person we are today. A friend of mine referred to it as a belief bucket. The truth...

Organizing such group, who are illiterate and are also cheated by the relatively literate people, and who will agree to attack for the sake of Islam is not a very tough job. But those that are literate and also knows the whole Islam and motivating people for terrorist activities are some mismatched persons for my hypothesis. For such people I have some scientific experience. I have seen some people to cheat their office and going for leave happily. At the same time they remain worried that whether their pants cover their hills of legs! In Islam covering hills by trouser is discouraged, but cheating the office who is paying for the leaving is much much more forbidden and discouraged. I found the...