Tag Archives: Stillness

Gita, Quotes - 2010

Gita: The Joy Within

September 5, 2010 Manu Leave a comment

2.55 When a man surrenders all desires that come to the heart and by the grace of God finds the joy of God, then his soul has indeed found peace. – The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2)

let it be

If there’s one mantra that works most of the time it is ‘Let it be’. The directive above allows us to find peace. Desires may not be bad, however they do keep us from discovering peace, now.

the joy of God

When we surrender desires; the desire to do something, be something or acquire something, our thoughts can begin to settle down. Our minds slowly become still. God and his joy can be experienced when that stillness is discovered. Try it, just 5 minutes morn & eve, you won’t be disappointed…

Daily Affirmation: Today I let be.

Recommendation: The Bhagavad Gita (Penguin Classics) by Juan Mascaro

Articles, Quotes - 2010

Self vs. Success

August 18, 2010 Manu Leave a comment

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. – Maya Angelou

all about us

Success is all about us. It’s about how we perceive our inherent value and the world outside us. If our general outlook is negative or critical, how can we not be critical of self? How can happiness (and success), then, have any chance of finding us?

like yourself

At the end of the day, literally and figuratively, if we’re not happy in our own skin, not happy with our selves, we’re not successful. Let’s grab success by its horns by appreciating what we are, what we have, what we do!

Daily Affirmation: Today I like myself, no strike that, I love myself!

Recommendation: A Return to Love – by Marianne Williamson

Articles, Quotes - 2010, Stillness

Deep Peace

August 12, 2010 Manu Leave a comment

The person should look for peace within and not depend on it in any other place. There are no waves in the depths of the ocean, it is still and unbroken.- The Buddha

within, it is

The concept isn’t rocket science but how many of us truly believe it, know it or accept it? Peace does come from within even if the object of interaction is outside us. It’s the interpretation of our experiences that allows us to be happy, sad or indifferent. The event is generally out there; our reaction to it comes from within. We choose constantly, it’s up to us.

below the surface

Our normal consciousness inhabits the stormy seas of the thoughts that we continuously manufacture. This storm is at the surface. Just as a scuba diver can descend below the choppy waters to enjoy the prevailing deep calm under the surface, so too can a practitioner of Stillness.

Daily Affirmation: Today I operate from the calm inside me.

Recommendation: True Meditation by Adyashanti

Quotes - 2010

No Try, No Dodo!

August 4, 2010 Manu Leave a comment

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try. – Master Yoda

no try

When we use the term ‘try’ we’re really sending a signal to our own sub-conscious and to the Universe that we don’t really mean it. Paying attention to our words (and refrains) helps pinpoint our hidden assumptions and attitudes. Watch our thoughts, we must!

no dodo

Doing is great of course, but we live in a culture where we do more than we should, we’re constantly doing, so much so that we’re in danger of becoming Dodos. Balance is essential. Let’s do what really needs to be done and no more, making time for reflection, strategy, thinking and meditation.

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM efficient with my precious time!

Recommendation: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Quotes - 2010, Stillness

This Moment

July 28, 2010 Manu Leave a comment

Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. – Eckhart Tolle

this is it

Now, the present moment is all there is. This doesn’t mean that we live in the current moment forever, it just means that whenever we aren’t planning for the future or reminiscing about pleasant past memories, we ought to notice what goes on … in the present moment.

deepen the experience

There are at least two ways to deepen the experience of the ‘Now’ moment.

Through meditation or better still via Stillness. There can be a difference between the two. Stillness is just being still and observing whatever’s going on. It’s the essence of Zen Buddhism.
Through a mechanism that reminds us to focus our full attention on what goes on around us and even inside us. Are we irritated because we have a headache or are tired? Attention on the breath, are we breathing deeply or in a shallow way? What are we seeing? The depth of the blue in the sky, the shape of one particular cloud or the direction in which the clouds are sailing. The aromas wafting by or the sound of a child nearby. Using all our senses, we live fully, in the holiness and beauty of the present moment.

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM with me.

Recommendation: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Quotes - 2010, Stillness

Impatient?

July 26, 2010 Manu Leave a comment

Grave danger you are in. Impatient you are. – Master Yoda

impatient, we are

Continuing the Star Wars theme! Impatient we are, just about everything in our lives. Isn’t that true? I want my iPhone, I want that toy, I want you to …, I want that …, right now!! This is a tendency we all struggle with.

time for everything, there is

There is indeed a time for everything. In fact this reminds me of another quote:

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished – Lao-Tzu

Read this one at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC if I remember correctly. The quote speaks for itself. Enjoy slowing down, breathing easy, and deep, inhale life, notice things just as they are, enjoy life.

Daily Affirmation: Today I move at nature’s pace.

Recommendation: Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness by Jon Kabat-zinn

Articles, Quotes - 2010

Master Yoda, Am I?

July 25, 2010 Manu Leave a comment

Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power. – Seneca

star wars

My son and I finished watching the 6 movies that make up the dual Star Wars trilogies this week! The son and the father now talk just like Master Yoda in the movie! The Jedi Masters in Star Wars are the self-less crusaders who uphold the true values of a Universe, underpinned by the good side of ‘The Force’. We are all like the Jedi.

comes from inside, power does

Our power, our peace, our wisdom and our path forward all come from deep inside us. Self-mastery is the way to all this goodness. Step by step, one experience after another, we move forward. What is your next step toward Jedi-Hood?

Today’s Affirmation: Today I AM a Jedi Master!

Recommendation: Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

Namaste Now!