Inferno

Expectations..
always begin
as a little spark
ready to flare
in a wildfire ...

patience ..
a stream of
heavenly waters
to keep this
inferno in check....

[ Dipti : 02/25/2008 ]

Chief Seattle's letter to President

On my post "Colors of the Wind" logged on Feb 18th , Brother Maithri commented that

' I have always loved this song.
The lyrics are based on Chief Seattle's letter to the president, .... google it if you have a moment... its words always move me deeply,"

I am glad that I took his advise and searched on "Chief Seattle's letter to President" on net. Although the text and speech itself might be controversial but the contents of this letter are so deep and soul touching.It was mentioned that it was one of the finest environments text ever written..

How can you buy the sky?
How can you own the rain and the wind?
My father said to me,
I know the sap that courses through the trees,
as I know the blood that flows through my veins.
We are part of the earth as it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters.
The bear, the deer, the great eagle,
these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the meadows, the ponies,
all belong to the same family.
The voice of my ancestors said to me,
The shining water
that moves in the streams and rivers is not simply water
but the blood of your grandfather's grandfather.
Each ghostly reflection
in the clear waters of the lakes
tells memories in the life of our people.
The water's murmur is the life
of your great-great-grandmother.
The rivers are our brothers.
They quench our thirst.
They carry our canoes
and feed our children.
You must give to the rivers
the kindness you would give any brother.
The voice of my grandfather said to me:
The air is precious.
It shares its spirit with all the life it supports.
The wind that gave me my first breath
also receives my last sigh.
You must keep the land and air apart and sacred
as a place where one can go
to taste the wind
that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.
The voice of my grandmother said to me:
Teach your children what you have been taught.
The earth is our mother.
What befalls the earth
befalls all the sons and daughters of the earth.
Hear my voice and the voice of my ancestors,
Chief Seattle said.
The destiny of our people is a mystery to us.
What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered?
The wild horses tamed?
What will happen when the secret corners of the forest
are heavy with the scent of many men?
When the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires?
Where will the eagle be?
And what will happen
when we say good-bye to the swift pony and the hunt?
It will be the end of living, and the beginning of survival.
This we know:
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.
We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat.
If we sell our land, care for it as we have cared for it.
Hold in your mind the memory of the land
as it is when you receive it.
Preserve the land and the air
and the rivers for your children's children
and love it as we have loved it.

[http://home.att.net/~berliner-Ultrasonics/rel-phil.html]

More on Chief Seattle and his letter at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Seattle
http://www.barefootsworld.net/seattle.html
http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/ejournal/wslibrry.htm

Who is at my door?

Somebody sent this beautiful translation of Rumi's poetry .. absolutely loved it..

He said, "Who is at my door?"
I said, "Your humble servant."
He said, "What business do you have?"
I said, "To greet you, 0 Lord."


He said, "How long will you journey on?"
I said, "Until you stop me."
He said, "How long will you boil in the fire?"
I said, "Until I am pure.


"This is my oath of love.
For the sake of love
I gave up wealth and position."


He said, "You have pleaded your case
but you have no witness."
I said, "My tears are my witness;
the pallor of my face is my proof.'
He said, "Your witness has no credibility;
your eyes are too wet to see."
I said, "By the splendor of your justice
my eyes are clear and faultless."


He said, "What do you seek?"
I said, "To have you as my constant friend."
He said, "What do you want from me?"
I said, "Your abundant grace."


He said, "Who was your companion on the 'ourney?
I said, "The thought of you, 0 King."
He said, "What called you here?"
I said, "The fragrance of your wine."


He said, "What brings you the most fulfillment?"
I said, "The company of the Emperor."
He said, "What do you find there?"
I said, "A hundred miracles."
He said, "Why is the palace deserted?"
I said, "They all fear the thief."
He said, "Who is the thief?"
I said, "The one who keeps me from -you.


He said, "Where is there safety?"
I said, "In service and renunciation."
He said, "What is there to renounce?"
I said, "The hope of salvation."


He said, "Where is there calamity?"
I said, "In the presence of your love."
He said, "How do you benefit from this life?"
I said, "By keeping true to myself


Now it is time for silence.
If I told you about His true essence
You would fly from your self and be gone,
and neither door nor roof could hold you back!

[Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved, Jonathan Star
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997]

Colors of the Wind

Lyrics of "colors of the wind" by Vanessa Williams

You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or have the Eagle tell where he's been?
Can you sing with all the voices of the moutnain
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind

How high will the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind

You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind

--Vanessa Williams

Many Lives ..Many Masters

My sister recommended a book to me "Many Lives Many masters" by Dr Brian Weiss . I feel that being a physician herself I guess she is partial to physician writers ..

The subject of the book is "Reincarnation", a controversial topic ... but I enjoy reading on a variety of topics ..I got the book from library yesterday..could not put it down till late last night .. almost done reading it..

In his first book, Many Lives, Many Masters, Dr Weiss vividly describes the insights of a young patient named Catherine. She came to important realizations (under hyponetic therapy by the Author) about the circumstances of her life today and the intricate thread of previous beings within her experience.

Some excerpts from the book:

"I know that there is a reason for everything, Perhaps at the moment that an event occurs we have neither the insight nor the foresight to comprehend the reason, but with time and patience it will come to light"

Our task is to learn, to become God-like through knowledge. We know so little. By knowledge we approach God, and then we can rest.

“I have been to different planes at different times. Each one is a level of higher consciousness. What plane we go to depends on how far we’ve progressed…"

That we must share our knowledge with other people. That we all have abilities far beyond what we use. Some of us find this out sooner than others. That you should check your vices before you come to this point. If you do not, you carry them over with you to another life.

Only we can rid ourselves of the bad habits that we accumulate when we are in physical state. The Masters cannot do that for us. If you choose to fight and not rid yourself, then you will carry them over into another life. And only when you decide that you are strong enough to master the external problems, then you will no longer have them in your next life.

We are given intuitive powers we should follow and not try to resist. Those who resist will meet with danger. We are not sent back from each plane with equal powers. Some of us possess powers greater than others, because they have been accrued from other times. Thus people are not all created equal, But eventually we will reach a point where we will all be equal.

In case you want to read the first chapter of the book ..Please click here..

The subject broaches the topic of "Collective Unconsciousness" , a term coined by Carl Jung

Also a parallel concept that i found intresting was on "Akashik Records"

I also did find out intresting , conflicting viewpoints about the subject of reincarnation on the net

http://www.thewaytotruth.org/resurrection/reincarnation.html

http://www.geocities.com/richard_holmes/reincarnation/faq.htm

Happy Reading :-) !!!

Nanak Ji

Guru Nanak Dev Ji (15th April 1469 – 7 May 1539) has given a beautiful summary of his teachings in one of his hymns as follows:—

Love the saints of every faith:
Put away thy pride.
Remember the essence of religion
Is humility and sympathy,
Not fine clothes,
Not the Yogi’s garb and ashes,
Not the blowing of the horns,
Not the shaven head,
Not long prayers,
Not recitations and torturings,
Not the ascetic way,
But a life of goodness and purity,
Amid the world’s temptations.

Nanak Ji is also wrote the mool (central) mantra in Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib Ji :

"Ek Onkaar Satnam Karta Purkh Nirbhau Nirvair, Akaal murat Ajuni Sabhang Gur Parsad"

"There is only one God, His Name is true, He is the Creator, He is without fear, He is without enmity, He is timeless and without form, He is beyond birth and death, the enlighted one , He can be known by the master's Grace".
The Granth Sahib

[Excerpted from:http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/]
[Image Courtsey:http://www.sikhcouncilusa.org]

Echo...

Marlene Dietrich:

I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognizably wiser than oneself.

Reminded me of this famous Sheyr from Ghalib ...

Daikhna taqreer ki lazzat keh jo us nay kaha
MaiN ne yeh jaana keh goya ye bhi meray dil maiN hai....

Wisdom of Life

Ella Wheeler Wilcox:
The truest greatness lies in being kind, the truest wisdom in a happy mind.

Andre Gide:
Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.

Helen Keller:
I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace

Happiness

Had heard somewhere ..

Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you ....