Heaven, Hell and God

Once people saw Rabi'a running with a burning branch clasped in one hand a pail of water in the other. Intrigued, one of them asked, “O lady of the afterlife, where are you going and to do what?"

Rabi'a replied, “I am going to set heaven on fire and extinguish the flames of hell so that those who are seeking God can get over these illusions and clearly realise the true goal. With no other motives, fears or hopes they may seek God as today one can hardly find anyone worshipping God without hopping for heaven and the fearing hell!"

Paradise and hell are mere notions for those who have realised God. They are essentials for the purification of action for those who still have not attained the highest state. 

Transcending heaven and hell is to seek God for God's sake alone by those who pine for nothing else than God.

Just for laughs

Aliens?

In July 1947 a suspected UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico. Extra-terrestrial debris marked in alien hieroglyphics and even alien corpses were thought to be recovered. An autopsy was believed to be carried out on the corpse of an alien by U.S. doctors. However, since the 1970s huge controversy has surrounded the Roswell incident. The U.S. military took a firm stance that it was not an alien craft that crashed to Earth but an experimental high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to a classified program named “Mogul” instead. A cover-up to detract the public’s attention of a genuine UFO and alien life in an effort to avoid mass hysteria? Or was it simply the truth that some people do not want to accept?

Source: http://urbantitan.com/10-most-amazing-ufo-stories/

Quote of the week

Dear Crow,
I ask you of only one thing, pick on my flesh carefully.
Don't pick on my eyes, don't pick on my eyes..I die in hope to see My Beloved.
Rockstar

“You know, when it works, love is pretty amazing. It’s not overrated. There’s a reason for all those songs.”

Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby 

Tired of Speaking Sweet

Love wants to reach out and manhandle us,

Break all our teacup talk of God.
If you had the courage and
Could give the Beloved His choice, some nights,
He would just drag you around the room
By your hair,
Ripping from your grip all those toys in the world
That bring you no joy.
Love sometimes gets tired of speaking sweetly
And wants to rip to shreds
All your erroneous notions of truth
That make you fight within yourself, dear one,
And with others,
Causing the world to weep
On too many fine days.
God wants to manhandle us,
Lock us inside of a tiny room with Himself
And practice His dropkick.
The Beloved sometimes wants
To do us a great favor:
Hold us upside down
And shake all the nonsense out.
But when we hear
He is in such a "playful drunken mood"
Most everyone I know
Quickly packs their bags and hightails it
Out of town.

Hafiz

Quote of the week

Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the
neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a newpath only
for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful for not only
what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.

Forty Rules of Love.

“Forgotten how long I’ve been waiting, and as always I’m stuck on the same thing - you and the perfect unfailing love that you may bring me. Know you won’t come for me, but faith knows no reality so I’ll wait an eternity here for you.” 

Gotye

Just for laughs

Source: http://textfromdog.tumblr.com/

Omens no. 11

Never kill a bee, it is as unlucky as breaking a mirror.

Don't hope, Decide!

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people talk about — the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me.

Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.

First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other’s face, I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes and replied softly, “Me, too, Dad!”

Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his son’s face in his hands said, “You’re already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!” They too hugged a most loving, tender hug.

While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half) was squirming excitedly in her mother’s arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, “Hi, baby girl!” as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.

After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, “I’ve saved the best for last!” and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed. “I love you so much!” They stared at each other’s eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands.

For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be. I puzzled about it for a moment then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm’s length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I was invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, “Wow! How long have you two been married?

“Been together fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well then, how long have you been away?” I asked. The man finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile. “Two whole days!”

Two days? I was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he’d been gone for at least several weeks – if not months. I know my expression betrayed me.

I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!”

The man suddenly stopped smiling.

He looked me straight in the eye, and with forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person. He told me, “Don’t hope, friend… decide!” Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”

 Michael D. Hargrove and Bottom Line Underwriters, Inc.

I don't know what else to do except to try to dream of you and wonder if you are dreaming too, wherever you are.
Winnie the Pooh

Use Somebody- Kings of Leon

The wise Donkey

Once upon a time there were two cart-horses. They worked together for many years, pulling the cart of a peasant. Over the years, they often argued with each other, complaining that the other was not keeping to its side, or was going just a little too quickly or just a little too slow.

One day, one of the two horses suddenly died.

The remaining horse was very upset about this.

It realized that in all the time that they had worked together, it had not once told the other horse how much it valued its company and its faithful help in pulling the cart. Now the chance was gone forever.

The horse also reflected on all the squabbles they had had. It suddenly understood that it need not have taken offence as easily as it had done, that it need not have borne as many grudges, that it could have been less arrogant, in short, it realized that it had wasted all the energy that had been available for friendship and kindness on unworthy and unnecessary thoughts and emotions.

The horse was ashamed and resolved to lead a different life in future. Whoever its new partner was going to be, things were going to be different.

But time passed, and the horse forgot. One day, it caught itself in exactly the same kind of behavior that it had sworn never to engage in again.

The horse could not understand why it had returned to its old ways.

That evening, in the stable, the horse decided to seek out the peasant's donkey, which had a reputation for wisdom among the animals.

The donkey listened to the horse's story. Eventually, it replied. "It is good that you have noticed what has happened. If you truly want to change, this is possible; but it will, for a long time, cost you your peace of mind. Are you prepared to accept this?"

The horse replied that it definitely did not want to return to its old ways. Anything was better than that.

So the donkey continued, "There is one very simple, and at the same time very hard thing that you have to do. Remember every day that one day, perhaps today, perhaps many years from now, you will die. Remember every day that the horse next to you will die. Remember every day that every other creature you will see, will one day die. Remember that all animals alive today are part of a wave, which will soon break and be lost on the beach forever, to be followed by a new wave, and another, and another. No wave is permanent. The only thing that is permanent is the ocean."

There were tears in the horse's eyes.

The donkey continued, "Only if you remember death will you become strong-willed and alert enough not to postpone love. This is my advice to you, and in following it, perhaps one day you may come to know that which is deathless."

Jasmine Way

Quote of the Week

It’s time to let go. Everything’s gonna be all right. 

Dory (Finding Nemo)

Importance of Janmashtami

5000 years ago on Janamashtmi, The Lord appeared at midnight. This is indeed a historical fact, but it also has a deeper significance. Midnight is the time of maximum darkness and from the moment the Lord appeared the darkness started diminishing. Similarly our heart is dark being afflicted by multiple anxieties and miseries. But in the darkest hour of our life, when we turn to the Lord and He appears in our heart, all the darkness recedes and the light of eternal hope starts streaming in. 

The Lord appeared in a prison cell amidst shackles and then freed His parents . This indicates that all of us  who are shackled by our own material desires can be freed by the Lord who appears in our heart which is like a prison house. 

So the real Janmashtami will take place when the Lord appears in our hearts. Though we do not know it, all of us are actually pining for this Janmashtami to occur. All of us want love, care, protection and happiness and this is what the actual Janmashtami - the appearance of the Lord in our heart -  brings.

Source: http://nitaaiveda.com/Soul_Science_God_Philosophy/Spiritual_Scientist/Volume_01/Significance_of_Janmashtami.htm

He's Coming...

Krsna is born at 11.54pm IST Time on Friday, 10th August

Make All your wishes come true-An Exercise

'Imagination is the true magic carpet' Norman Vincent Peale

This exercise is about using the Law of Attraction by concentrating thought and gratitude to deliver your desires, hopes and dreamsaround.  Write your top ten desires and then write thank you three times before each desire as if you've already received it.  Then ~

Imagine how it will feel when your desires come true and then ask yourself:

What emotions do you feel when you have received your wish?

Who was the first person you told when you received your desire and how did you tell them?

What is the first thing great thing you did when you received your desire, include as much detail as you can in your mind

When you look at what you've written, re-read these sentences and think about how it will feel to achieve your desire,  really emphasising the words thank you while you imagine yourself receiving your desire.

Rhoda Byrne- The Magic

Quote of the Week

Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air,They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. 

Henry David Thoreau

Falling slowly

"I am the bird, I am not the cage."

This world is only a caravanserai

Your real home is where you are going. This world is not your real home. It is only a so-called home. It is just a consolation to call it home.

I have told you the story of a Sufi mystic. One night in Baghdad, the king heard somebody walking on the roof of his palace. He shouted, "Who is there? And what are you doing there?"

The man was not a thief. Without any fear he said, "Don't shout, that may disturb other people's sleep. It is none of your business. I am looking for my camel. My camel is lost and it is time for you to go to sleep."

The king could not believe what kind of madman could be on the roof of a palace searching for his camel. He called the guards and they searched all over the place but could not find the man. And the next day when he was sitting in his court he heard the same voice again; he recognized it.

The king immediately said, "Bring that man in," because he was arguing with the guard in front of the gate that he wanted to stay in the caravanserai.

And the guard said, "You will be getting into problems unnecessarily. This is the palace of the king; this is not a caravanserai."

The man said, "I know it is a caravanserai and you are just a guard. Don't bother me. Just let me go in. I want to discuss the matter with the king himself. If I can convince him that this is a caravanserai then I will stay. If he can convince me it is not a caravanserai, then of course I will leave. But I won't listen to you; you are just a guard."

And just at that moment the message came from inside, "Don't stop that man. We are in search of him; bring him in."

The Sufi mystic was called in and the king said, "You seem to be a very strange fellow. I recognize your voice. You were the man on the roof searching for your camel and now you are calling my place, my home, a caravanserai."

The man laughed and said, "You seem to be a man of some understanding. It is possible to talk with you. Yes, it was me who was looking for the camel on the roof of the palace. Don't think that I'm insane. If you can look for blissfulness sitting on a golden throne, if you can look for God while continuously conquering and butchering and burning living human beings, what is wrong in searching for a camel on the roof of the palace? You tell me!

"If I am inconsistent you are also not consistent. And what right have you got to call this place your home, because I have been here before and on the same golden throne I have seen another man sitting. He looked just like you -- a little older."

The king said, "He was my father. Now he's dead." And the mystic said, "I was here even before that and I found another man. He also looked a little bit like you but very old." The king said, "You are right, he was my grandfather." And the mystic said, "What happened to him?" The king said, "He is dead."

And the mystic said, "When are you going to die? They also believed that this is their home. I have argued with your grandfather. Now the poor fellow is in the grave. I have argued with your father; that poor fellow is also in the grave. Now I am arguing with you and someday I will come back again and I will be arguing with your son and you will be in a grave. So what kind of home is this where people go on changing? It is a caravanserai. It is just an overnight stay, and then one has to go."

The king was shocked but was silent. The whole court was silent. The man was right. And the mystic finally said, "If you really want to know where your home is, go to the graveyard where finally you will have to settle, where your grandfather is, where your father is. That is the real place that you can call your home, but not this palace. Here I am going to stay as if it is a caravanserai."

The king was certainly not an ordinary man. He stood up and told the mystic, "Forgive me, I was wrong. You are right. You can stay as long as you want. I am going in search of my real home. This is not my real home." This world is only a caravanserai.

Note - 'caravanserai' is a urdu word and it means a resting place or guest house on the way.

Osho

How to stop the mad mind.

Osho : There is a Sufi story... Junaid was going through the market-place of the town with his disciples. And it was his way to take any situation and use it. A man was dragging his cow by a rope, and Junaid said ’Wait’ to the man, and told his disciples ’Surround this man and the cow. I am going to teach you something.’ The man stopped – Junaid was a famous mystic – and he was also interested in what he was going to teach these disciples and how he was going to use him and the cow. And Junaid asked his disciples ’I ask you one thing: who is bound to whom? Is the cow bound to this man or is this man bound to this cow?’ Of course, the disciples said ’The cow is bound to the man. The man is the master, he is holding the rope, the cow has to follow him wherever he goes. He is the master and the cow is the slave.’ And Junaid said ’Now, see.’ He took out his scissors and cut the rope – and the cow escaped. The man ran after the cow, and Junaid said ’Now look what is happening! Now you see who is the master; the cow is not interested at all in this man – in fact, she is escaping.’ And the man was very angry, he said ’What kind of experiment is this ?’ But Junaid said to his disciples ’And this is the case with your mind. All the nonsense that you are carrying inside is not interested in you. You are interested in it, you are keeping it together somehow – you are becoming mad in keeping it together somehow. But you are interested IN it. The moment you lose interest, the moment you understand the futility of it, it will start disappearing; like the cow it will escape.’ People come to me and ask ’How to stop this mad mind?’ I say ’There is no need to stop, all that is needed is that you become disinterested in it and the rope is cut.’ That is the meaning of sannyas: become disinterested in the mind. That is the meaning of real vairagya, detachment. It has nothing to do with renouncing the world, but it certainly has something to do with cutting the rope to the mind. Just become disinterested in the rubbish and slowly slowly you will see a gap arising. The cloud that used to surround you always is getting farther and farther away and, one day, suddenly it is no more there. And when you are left without mind, that is the state of spiritual perception, that is the state of darshan, that is the state when you can see, you have eyes; otherwise your eyes are so full of smoke you cannot see. "The Sun Rises in the Evening" - Osho