So did we say a prayer today ?

shekhar

For who ? For ourselves. Did we do something, some ritual that affirmed our faith today ? In what ? In ourselves. Our ability to connect with our inner selves. For if we do not, who is this person that is working, loving, talking etc. It’s certainly not you.


It’s an everyday search for me. For that something that can put me in touch with myself. My connection to consciousness. My connection to loving nature.
Of course many people have faith. Which is a wonderful ability. I don’t have blind faith. I am more of a searcher. Questioner. Good, bad ? I don’t know. No value judgements on any faith or the question of faith. Or on myself.
Some people do it with meditation first thing in the morning. I have never been able to do that. I have to connect to something, however small, however little, to loose my sense of individuality. That’s the daily struggle. Against my own exaggarated sense of myself. I am so used to it. I have relied on it for so many years. So tough to let go now. Not that I have never questioned it before. But now, it is really important for me to be truly ‘active’ rather than ‘reactive’, which is what I have done most of my life. And how do I know what that ‘true’ action is ? Unless I am constantly in touch with something larger, more immense, more universal than myself ?
Yes I know. By letting go. By allowing yourself not to be addicted to the result of your action. By allowing chaos to invade your life. Yes, I agree. All of that. I do allow chaos to prevade in my life. I am impeteous (spelling). But then the individual in me fights back hard.
It’s an everyday battle. This battle to let go of one’s addiction to one’s sense of individuality.
Yet, the smallest of things can provoke the sensing of my flowing into something much much larger. Something infinite.
This morning it was my 5 year old daughter waking me up with a loud ‘Peekaboo’ and the tinkling of an early morning laugh.
Sometimes it;s just getting up early enough to watch the first shades of dark blue brush across the sky. Something deeply stirring about that.
Sometimes it’s unexpected gestures of affection that were not sought. Or given so instinctually that you were not aware of them.
Sometimes, it’s writing a poem. But only if the words are coming from somewhere else. As if something is flowing through you, a river of emotion you can physically feel that flows through your being.
But it is always so unexpected. So much that I am constantly aware now. My senses hightened. Waiting for that unexpected moment.
When something deeper will reach out and engulf me, and give my life, and all my actions, however small, a deeper and all encompassing context. On a daily basis.
So say a prayer for me. And for yourself.
Shekhar

2,076 thoughts on “So did we say a prayer today ?”

  1. “Om Aim Hreem Sreem Shivarama Anaghaa Dattaya Namaha”.
    Pujya Sri Swamiji has insisted repeatedly during His New Year message, on the importance of chanting the Raksha Mantra. This chanting should continue until the Dattatreya Jayanti in the year 2009.
    This is a propitious Raksha Mantra, whose incantation enables devotees to experience divine grace and mercy, effortlessly and swiftly. This mantra consists of sixteen syllables in four sections. The first section contains the beejaksharas Om, Aim, Hreem and Sreem. The second section has two Naama mantras, namely, Shiva and Rama. The third section refers to Anaghaa Datta; and the final section comprises of the salutation Namaha, which connotes the offering of respect, devotion and similar emotions. By chanting Namaha, devotees display their total devotion to God
    OM: (A.U.M.) Omkara is formed by the sounds Akara, Ukara and Makara. These sounds constitute the foundation for the formation of the vyaahrutis (pronouncement of mystic words), the verses of the Gayatri mantra, the three Vedas and several other important branches of science. In fact, Om is the first and foremost basis for every sound and every science, and it is the quintessence of the Universe. Om is also known as Pranava. The Om is the progenitor vocabulary of each and every language in the world. Moreover, scholars have accepted that all languages emerged from Om. Accordingly, Om can be termed as the holy repository of sound; and it constitutes the armor of Para Brahma.
    AIM: The seed letter for Saraswati, implies a demonstration of education, wisdom, knowledge, and creativity.
    HREEM: The seed letter refers Durga Devi or Para Sakti. The Omnipotent Divine Mother, who is the provider of necessary power to complete tasks and achieve success in endeavor.
    SREEM: The seed letter refers to Lakshmi, provider of prosperity and everlasting fortune.
    SHIVA: Lord Shiva, for easing problems, and giving peace & prosperity. The true nature in the Form of Lord Shiva is to provide emancipation from worldly bondages; this is known as Moksha
    RAMA: Rama denotes beauty and bliss
    ANAGHAA: She is the consort of Lord Dattatreya (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one form). Agha means sin, sorrow. Those who recognize her to be the energy of Dattatreya, obtain the true vision of the Lord and could transcend all sorrows. In other words, because of her, their sorrows (Agha) disappeared. This was another reason why Dattatreya named her as Anaghaa (one who removes sorrows).
    DATTAAYA NAMAHA: The Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Siva comprise the divine incarnation of Dattatreya. This incarnation of pure embodiment knowledge, The true purport this mantra is the offering of one’s heartfelt obeisance to Lord Dattatreya for emancipation.
    Namaha is derived from Sanskrit verb Na Ma. The derivative form denotes bowing or prostrating respectfully to another person. This act by devotes is construed as a deed of veneration, whereby the devotee displays respect toward his favorite deity.
    Om Aim Hreem Sreem Shivarama Anaghaa Dattaya Namaha

  3. ok,
    i am about 2 embak on a journey dat may very wel cause me 2 not return in the same form i left…sound vague? no worriez 2 me 2.
    yes yes, itz al da wizdom ting, i know everytin 2 notin…lettin go holdin on, al of everyting and notin…not sure wat im even writin here.
    anyway, i jus feel i need 2 do dis. by no meanz am i feelin like im even ready 4 such a journey, mayb im jus makin a big deal outta notin…who knowz, writin dis iz beginnin 2 feel like da ego iz havin som say in dis conversation. oh well, goin on anyway. i waz faced wit som xtraordinary xperience dee other day n im feel a hugh cross between bein a dumbell n bein absolutely stupid, okay derez not much space between da 2, but u get wat i mean rite?
    not feelin as though i am up 2 takin on such a task, yet on da other han, i know if i don’t venture out n face it, i t wil keep comin after me until i do…so yeah, about dat experience las week? well, dat added som sort ov twist 2 dis hole ting bcaus now i hav an added element 2 deal wit if i am faced wit de individual who waz involved in de experience and havin to b on dis journey, wen i need 2 clear my mind, drop all dat dere iz in order 2 open mytself 2 da whole experience, i feel 2 dis point haz been comin my way since….on one han, i am faced wit a sense ov knowin, on da other han…totally scared, dont know watz goin 2 happen, why am i scared and why am i feelin i cud trust totally all at da same time? dis iz puzzlin, how can i be both? how can i know n how can i not know…wat da heck iz dat about?
    i…trust n dont, how does dat work?
    if i dont den i dont, how can dere b a do wen derez a dont?
    if datz wat walkin both pathz iz all about den…it stinkz…i mean it, it stinkz!!!how iz a person suppozed 2 juggle dese kindz ov tingz?
    so i tink it may b best 2 jus get off all da pathz n “be”…but be where, do wat, hmmmm…even dat iz beggin 2 make not 2 much sense either.
    ok…datz soundin silly 2.
    actually, dis hole ting iz soundin insane…
    y did i even bodda 2 rite dis?
    in any case, if i go n never com bak here? know dat i am truly grateful 4 all dis space daat waz allowed ov me 2 use over da years n yearz ov writin n xpressin tautz n such…itz been an absolute joy n pain bein here.
    if i make it bak, i may look bak on dis n laugh, cry, hoo knows.
    all i know iz, wat haz 2 be haz 2 be, whereda we like it or not. we can run, hide, pretend, dream, tink stuff iz real…wat ever, it jus iz goin 2 be wat it waz meant 2 be…
    so after all da ritin n fussin, goin aroun in circles, spinnin, walkin strait linez, ben linez…itz all da same izn’t it?
    so watz da sense in takin anytin serious or not?
    dere we go wit da questionz again…okay, time 2 stop…enough.
    one more ting…
    i love you

  4. i cud finally play drumz wit my left han feelin free wen i play…somtin my dad alwayz talked 2 me about doin…it waz after a soulfren of mine talked 2 me…mus b hiz n er g:)

  11. ~to Claire and her family, venturing in Disneyland, with the knowledge that she can pass on at any moment…still living in the moment and treasuring what “is”
    namaste to Claire…you are a true spirit of strength, courage, compassion, peace, commitment, perserverance and love
    om shanti shanti shanti

  13. ~oda to the planetary system, stars, moons, galaxies…and beyond, all the forces that create~destroy…namaste

  15. “The path to the union with the Self is a lifelong journey that involves every step I walk, every breath I breathe and every thought I think. And every word I speak. Knowing that not a single moment must be wasted. It is a torturous, tough, devastating and exhilarating journey.
    And not one amongst us can say for sure what lies at the end of it,
    Oh, well,
    Shekhar”

  18. need some emotional balance…
    how can love be so painful…is it love if its painful…or is it something else?

  22. ~in the Hare Krishna Temple…I danced as though no one was watching…it felt deitylike, like that of the beingness of Radha, dancing for her Lord Krishna…I felt an expression coming through me that was absolute bliss, as though joy was flowing in the cells of this physical body…
    it was Krishna who brought me there, in a whisper…he knew what Radha needed

  26. how do we bond to someone or something…and is there a difference?
    through, spirit, energy, physical beingness…thoughts, destiny, synchronicity, just being…
    why is it more with others than some…but as i write this, some answers come to me
    …that’s just how it is
    thank you universe

  31. My dear friends…
    Who was this man called Jesus?
    Yesterday I was listening to a Christmas Carol sung by Bing Crosby and I found myself turning to my wife and saying, “Imagine the kind of person you must have been to have people still singing about you a couple of millennia later.”
    “Yes,” she agreed. “Pretty special.”
    We all know, of course, that Jesus was the Son of God; that he was Divinity made into Humanity. Yet so, too, are we all. Every human being is Divine; we are all the Daughters and Sons of God. We are all God’s Offspring; God’s Issue. We have all proceeded from The Most High, we are all made up of the Same Stuff, and we are all Singularizations of The Singularity.
    What, then, made Jesus so incredibly different that he stands out among human beings, all of whom are Individuations of the Divine? Could it be that he knew Who He Was?
    Yes, I believe that’s it, and more. He not only knew Who He Was, he acted like it. He embraced it. He reflected it. He demonstrated it. He, quite literally, embodied it.
    Jesus Christ brought into his body, mind, and soul the Divinity that is the natural inheritance of all of us. It wasn’t this way with him all the days of his life. We know, for instance, that he spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, searching, looking, delving deeply into his inner yearning, his inner knowing. Some say it was much longer than 40 days. We have heard of “the lost years of Christ.” We have heard that he spent much time with the Essenses, an esoteric sect seeking the experience of a Higher Way of Being.
    Whatever is true about his journey, it is clear that Jesus challenged himself to step into another version of Who He Was and Who He Intended to Be. He dared to explore the outer limits of what it means to be Human and what it means to be Divine — at the same time. He dared to examine what was “real” and what was not about his day-to-day experience; he dared to drop his “story” — all the stuff he was “making up” in his head — about himself and about others, about why things happen and how things happen and whether things should have happened.
    Jesus dared to drop his Story and to adopt his True Identity.
    Why did Jesus do this? Well, I hypothesize that, like all of us, Jesus felt a natural impulse toward the Divine. Like all of us, Jesus experienced, at the heart of his being, an unexplained sense of Oneness, of Unity, with all things; an undefined but very real inner Awareness that he was more — much more — than he was allowing himself to be…and that there was more to life than he was experiencing — having nothing to do with what was going on outside, and everything to do with what was going on inside, of his Being.
    The result of all this is that Jesus saw the events and occurrences of his life as serving him, rather than viewing himself as serving life. He saw every thought, word, and deed as an act of Self-Definition. He used life as an opportunity to experience himself in a particular way. He chose how he wanted to experience himself in every moment, ahead of time. Then he stepped into the moments of his life, seeing them all as perfectly coordinated outer opportunities to embrace the inner opportunity that awaited him.
    Yet the true miracle of Jesus, in the end, had as much, if not more, to do with his outer world than with his inner world. For when Jesus came from his deep inner sense of Self Within, he placed into his outer world such a demonstration of that, that the world never forgot what it saw.
    In short, Jesus modeled for us what it means to Be Who We Really Are.
    Now, let’s look at how he did so. He began by loving without condition. First, himself. Then, everyone…and everything…else. He saw it all as Perfect. And therefore he saw that nothing needed forgiving, and everything merely yearned to be blessed. Blessing, Jesus came to understand, meant covering everyone and everything with the Energy of Pure Essence — and, by overlaying it, submerging it, in this Energy (which, by the way, he understood emanated from him), transforming everything he encountered, and all those whose lives he touched.
    In this way, Jesus gave people back to themselves. Others, in his presence, had the experience of awakening from a deep sleep; even of being roused from the dead.
    Which brings me to “us.” I experience that many, many human beings are among the Walking Dead. They are dead to Who They Are, dead to what Life is truly about, dead to the miracle that IS Life Itself.
    They are “dead to the world,” having no idea who they are, where they are, why they are where they are, or what they intend to do about any of that. They are sleep-walking, imagining that life is happening TO them, not THROUGH them.
    Many, many human beings do not experience life as a series of decisions, but as a series of dilemmas; not as a series of choices, but as a series of chances. You take your chances, you don’t make your choices.
    Yet I experience that all of the dilemmas I face today are the result of all of the choices I made yesterday. The question is not whether I made those choices, but whether I made them consciously or unconsciously.
    But how can I make my choices consciously if I have no idea who I am, where I am, why I am where I am, and what I am doing here? I can’t. Therefore, I need someone to remind me.
    That’s where you come in. And that’s where Jesus came in.
    Jesus said to everyone, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” He said, “I and the Father are one, and ye are brothers.” He said, “Why are you so amazed? These things, and more, shall you do also.” He remembered his own Divinity — and he spent his life seeking to help us remember ours.
    And that is why we remember him to this day with songs of celebration and words of praise. We remember him because he remembered us. He loved us as if we were Divine — precisely because we are.
    He forgave quickly and easily, because he knew that there was really nothing TO forgive, save our forgetfulness. And he was aware that once WE became aware of how wonderful we all truly are, we would see how wonderful everyone else is, and on that day we would resolve never to do anything unforgiveable again.
    So let us celebrate today, in word and song, the life of this extraordinary being named Jesus. And — as he, himself, would have us do — let us celebrate, as well, the Christ that dwells within us. The part of us that is Buddha, understanding and thus ending suffering. The part of us that us Moses, leading those we love out of the wilderness. The part of us that is Muhammad, the prophet who shares great wisdom about life and how to live it fruitfully and with blessings.
    Let us celebrate the part of us that is Krishna, the part of us that is Baha’u’llah, the part of us that is and remains Forever One with all the saints and sages of all religions and of every belief. Let us, this day, be Jewish and Janist, Buddhist and Brahmin, Muslim and Mormon, Confucian and Christian. Let us, today, be all of it. For that is what it means to be HUMAN.
    And when we are fully human, we will become fully Divine…and THEN, at last, we will create peace of earth, and goodwill to all, everywhere.
    Merry Christmas, everyone. And blessèd be.
    ~Neale Donald Welsh

  36. it has been quite the roller coaster ride in the past while…emotions moving like the speed of thought…changing so swiftly it cannot be tracked by humans…why is all that is…is?

  38. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. According to the lunar calendar, when the sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn or from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana, in the month of Poush in mid-January, it commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. The movement of the earth from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti and as the Sun moves into the Capricorn zodiac known as Makar in Hindi, this occasion is named as Makar Sankranti in the Indian context. It is one of the few Hindu Indian festivals which are celebrated on a fixed date i.e. 14th January every year.
    Makar Sankranti, apart from a harvest festival is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture. It is said as the ‘holy phase of transition’. It marks the end of an inauspicious phase which according to the Hindu calendar begins around mid-December. It is believed that any auspicious and sacred ritual can be sanctified in any Hindu family, this day onwards. Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. In other words, Sankranti marks the termination of winter season and beginning of a new harvest or spring season.
    All over the country, Makar Sankranti is observed with great fanfare. However, it is celebrated with distinct names and rituals in different parts of the country. In the states of northern and western India, the festival is celebrated as the Sankranti day with special zeal and fervor. The importance of this day has been signified in the ancient epics like Mahabharata also. So, apart from socio-geographical importance, this day also holds a historical and religious significance. As, it is the festival of Sun God and he is regarded as the symbol divinity and wisdom, the festival also holds an eternal meaning to it.
    Makar Sankranti 2010: 14 January

  45. In truth, every body is the universe.
    – Mahanirvana tantra
    What an amazing and frightening assertion!
    I am sure that we have all read or heard similar statements
    such as this. It is a popular new age sentiment. Yet have we
    fully and consciously absorbed the ramifications of such a truth?
    Are able to embrace this concept in the depth of our expressions?
    This truth will not only set us free…it will free those of whom
    we relate to in our most intimate moments of life.
    The meaning of personal freedom is responsibility.
    To be our own universe means freedom. To be free is to
    love in an unconditional manner. This can only mean that others…meaning
    everyone…owe us nothing. Even our dearest and most cherished. Nothing.
    Yes…and even our selves. We owe ourselves not a thing.
    Of course we may choose everything and anything. And we may choose to give our all to
    everyone, or to only one, or to no one at all. Yet still we may expect…nothing
    in return. Is this selfish? No…it is truth. And we spend a large amount of time
    feeling put out and believing that the world owes us…something. So we remain unfulfilled. Often bitter.There is never enough. Someone always has more, wants more, and needs more. And we always settle for slightly less.
    We receive less because not because we wish for less. No…we receive less because
    we are simply asking the wrong universe for more. In Tantra pleasure is placed upon our
    own doorsteps. As is pain. We may open the door to either one. Very often both appear
    side- by- side at our front door. We invite one in…and deny the other. Moments later…
    we may switch our invitation.
    The key to the Tantric universe is that both pain and pleasure derive from within.
    We are the universe…and we are the doorways to our very own stars. To believe
    other wise…only invites disappointment and frustration. This is the beginning of
    blame. We have placed conditions upon our universe…and imposed our rules
    upon others. It hardly seems fair.
    In a sexual exchange…. no one has ever “given” another an orgasm.
    Only two universes collide…and one may provide the opening to heavenly
    doors. A flower still blooms in orgasmic beauty without the aid or hindrance
    of a bee in search of pollen. That is responsibility. The bee places no demands
    upon the flower. The flower never blames the bee for lack of pleasure.
    There is harmony in nature.
    We are not so far removed.
    The great Tantric secret…the whispered mystery of nature…is
    relaxation. Relax into pleasure…. breathe into pain.
    We own both. They are the vehicles for our highest transformation.
    We are the flower that blooms in sexual delight. We are the bees in search of
    sweetest nectar. The highest transformation is simply remembering
    who we are. Pain and pleasure help us to remember.
    Yet only if we are relaxed enough to hear their message.
    Breathe…and accept. Relax…. and breathe again.
    Harmony.
    If someone brings us a gift…and this gift bears pain…breathe,
    accept, relax. We may choose to accept this gift…or not.
    If someone offers pleasure. It belongs to them only.
    Breathe, accept, relax. Invite them to your universe.
    Ask to visit theirs. Or simply smile and offer thanks.
    As the universe…we have options after all.
    Eric P McCarty®

  47. The Buddha’s Words on Kindness (Metta Sutta)
    This is what should be done
    By one who is skilled in goodness,
    And who knows the path of peace:
    Let them be able and upright,
    Straightforward and gentle in speech.
    Humble and not conceited,
    Contented and easily satisfied.
    Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
    Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
    Not proud and demanding in nature.
    Let them not do the slightest thing
    That the wise would later reprove.
    Wishing: In gladness and in saftey,
    May all beings be at ease.
    Whatever living beings there may be;
    Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
    The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
    The seen and the unseen,
    Those living near and far away,
    Those born and to-be-born,
    May all beings be at ease!
    Let none deceive another,
    Or despise any being in any state.
    Let none through anger or ill-will
    Wish harm upon another.
    Even as a mother protects with her life
    Her child, her only child,
    So with a boundless heart
    Should one cherish all living beings:
    Radiating kindness over the entire world
    Spreading upwards to the skies,
    And downwards to the depths;
    Outwards and unbounded,
    Freed from hatred and ill-will.
    Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
    Free from drowsiness,
    One should sustain this recollection.
    This is said to be the sublime abiding.
    By not holding to fixed views,
    The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
    Being freed from all sense desires,
    Is not born again into this world.

  49. …a prayer of healing for Noah, that he may have better health, love and peace in his life…om shanti shanti shanti

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