What is the human condition? Is it to love, to hurt, to feel? Are we born into sin or are we born as Gods? Were we made in error, or were we not made at all? We are born into something, there is no doubt about that, but what is it exactly?

Is the world a dream that we simply cannot wake from? Are we here to learn something from each other…from God? Are we here to learn to love?

Maybe we are the dreams of our fathers and we simply play out the story. Maybe we are the only way that God can feel. Maybe we are lost…

Just when I think I know it all, I find that am overwhelmed to the point where I know nothing at all. It is easy to get caught up in science or faith, but really how great is our perspective with such a limited faculty of understanding?

I don’t claim to have any answers, but I certainly have a lot of questions. I feel something when I travel down this road, I’m certain of that. I often don’t know where I am going or where I belong, but there is something that calls me there. Do you hear it?

We often get caught up in the excitement of our surroundings, forgetting we are on a journey home. Who among us feels at home here?

The pain and suffering in this place is tremendous, but I also enjoy the feel of it. I enjoy feeling inspired or hopeful. I enjoy being in love, so much that I am hopelessly out of control of my own experience. We’re all drunk on the sensual experience, but we’ve got to sober up.

Maybe this is a dream, but we’ve still got to wake up. The journey doesn’t end on its own.

If you liked this quasi poem/ramble, then please consider sharing below. You can also read similar posts on my poetry page: Padma’s Words.

Reclaim Your Mind

We live in a world where we are required to perform hundreds of tasks by hundreds of people on a routine basis. We have work responsibilities, family responsibilities, social responsibilities, and personal responsibilities. We have overburdened ourselves so much that it is no surprise we have turned to multitasking as a way out of this mess. The only problem with multitasking, is that the task lists never ends and we find ourselves shouldering more and more of a burden.

Mindfulness

Through the process of never ending multitasking, we find our minds become fragmented and child-like, unable to focus on anything for long periods of time. We can feel the changes in our psychology, and yet we find ourselves fascinated by it and addicted to it, we simply can not stop.

We need to reclaim our lives again in order to make ourselves whole. We cannot live fulfilled lives, let alone follow our dharma, if we are constantly distracted by the chaos of ordinary life. What I propose is that we concentrate on returning to a life of mindfulness and learn to harness our potential by living each moment as a whole, rather than a segregated part.

One of my favorite spiritual books of all time is a book called Be Here Now by Ram Dass. In the narrative portion of this book, Ram talks of a young man he meant in India that constantly reminded him to stay in the present and remember that “now is all there is.”

I think this is an incredibly valuable lesson that we could all benefit from. Here are some ways to implement this in your life:

• Do one thing at a time. Only multitask if you must. Distractions are Samsara’s way to keep you from the truth.
• Pay attention to your actions and contemplate why you do what you do.
• Pretend that everything you see, hear, and do is brand new to you. Don’t get caught in a routine.
• Don’t worry about the past, and try not to think about the future. Be present in the moment of “now.” Remember that the future will come with its own intentions, whether you like it or not.
• Spend time in meditation to train your mind to behave. This will make your practice of mindfulness much easier.

Being mindful of our actions can help us repair our minds to a state where we are capable of being in tune with what God intends for us. If we are distracted and out of tune with our dharma, then their is no way for us to follow our path. A life of distraction can only lead to our own destruction, either physically, mentally, or both. Find a way to take your mind back and make it whole, your destiny depends on it.

Tags: dharma, meditation, mindfulness

The Dharma Foundation

I’ve been a Buddhist/Christian/Sufi/Tao/Zen Disciple for probably 10 years now. I can’t really say what drew me to spirituality other than a deep unshakable calling inside of my very being. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel the compulsion towards a higher force and I can’t recall a time that I could explain it properly to anyone else. Live the Dharma is something I gave a lot of thought into before going live, but in the end I realized that it was time to try and explain my calling to others.

Now that I have been writing here for several months, I’ve come to realize two things.

1. Although I have been writing about topics I find important, I have not been writing about the true nature of my purpose here. Maybe I was afraid there wouldn’t be any interest, but for some reason I have been skirting the heavy issues and slowly inching towards defining that purpose rather than simply coming out with it.
2. There is a second calling that has worked its way into the mix, and I feel so strong of an urge to make it manifest, that no amount of procrastination can keep it from happening.

It may sound as if I am talking in riddles here, so I’ll simply come out with it. I am going to begin the process of moving towards topics that are both more refined and more intense rather than the feel good topics I have been covering lately. The truth is that life is much too important to take lightly and I don’t believe we humans have the luxury of being superficial in our quests for truth.

Secondly, I am simply tired of suffering. I am not referring to my own personal sufferings, because for those I am grateful because they lead me on my journey to freedom from them. However, the suffering of the world is tremendously painful for me to watch. Animals suffer in labs and food factories. Children suffer through abuse and neglect. Men and women suffer through rape and violence. Every day thousands of people are needlessly taken from their families through cruel acts of murder or even accidental acts of killing. War devastates much of the world and families have to bury their children due to ill-placed bombs. In the place I reside currently, I see children as young as 3 years old digging through trash trying to find something to eat; orphaned by the war. Everywhere I look I see suffering…and I cannot bear it. For far too long we humans have been the cause, not the answer.

I have decided to devote my life to pursuing the path of the Bodhisattva as much as I can while still maintaining my familial obligations. I realize that those two goals don’t necessarily mesh well, but I can’t exactly help others if I cannot help my family and self first. After all, that is part of the process right?

Secondly, and really the entire purpose of this post…I am starting a foundation to help do my part to end suffering and I am going to need your help. The foundation will be called: The Dharma Foundation and its message will be “We Want to Stop the Suffering.” I am dedicating this foundation to preventing suffering through campaigns and charity work to spread good will and faith to the world, while also helping to minimize suffering for those that may find themselves in need.

The world needs messages of hope and faith. People need to know that there are people that care about them and that they don’t have to suffer alone. We can help to prevent the suffering of animals, children, and adults. We can help the weak, the poor, the hungry, and the lost. There are many organizations doing this already, but I believe that we can do it better and with more mercy and compassion than ever before. I will soon be sending out a press release to announce this project in more detail and I ask your support in helping get the message out. I also ask for the help of any of you willing to offer services in the way of web or graphic design for this project. I cannot pay you, but you will receive full credit in as many ways as possible. This simply cannot be a solo effort, I cannot go in alone. Together we can all make a difference, and I hope you will be with me. I want to stop the suffering.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts…

Padma

Tags: charity, dharma, dharma foundation, suffering

In the last two parts of the series, I talked about eyeing the world with innocence, and keeping hope alive. In the final installment of this series, I’d like to talk about keeping your dreams alive. Now, nowhere in the manual of life does it have to say that you have to reach for the stars. However, I’m betting that when you were a child you had a great many dreams about what you expected out of life. Now if you compare the dreams of your childhood or teenage years and with your life now, I am betting that the two are a little out of sync. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed or that you’ve given up, but it does mean that one of two things happened:

1. Your dreams have changed     …or
2. You lost them somewhere along the way.

If your dreams have changed, then there is nothing wrong with re-evaluating what you want out of life. The key is to make sure you don’t forget that part of the process. If you dreamed about being a therapist and later thought you’d rather travel the world and be a missionary, then it is important to note that change in philosophy. I highly suggest keeping a journal for things like this. I keep a notebook within arms reach at all times, and in this notebook I chronicle everything I want to be. I write down reminders for action as well as reminders of who I was and what I am.

I’m not suggesting we strive to achieve meaningless physical goods, but that you simply keep track of who you are. It is so easy to get caught up in the grind and struggle of everyday life that sometimes we forget where we were headed. This is especially important when it comes to spirituality. If I want to meditate or keep a certain mindset it can be very difficult without a reminder at times. What I’m trying to say is that it is easy to get off track and eventually we get caught in the current and lose ourselves in the process. Rather than letting this happen to you, spend some time figuring out what makes you happy and what kind of life you’d like to live. If you aren’t actively living, then you are going to get pushed in a direction you may not want to go.

Now, if you don’t fall into category one and simply lost your dreams in the process then it is important that you recover them immediately. Whether they were forced out of you by working a 9-5, you gave up on them, or you simply pushed them into your subconscious you need to get back to the dreaming self you were as a child. The most recognizable symptom I notice when it comes to someone leaving their dreams behind is that they have also lost their imagination. Maybe you feel guilty going against the grain, or maybe you just haven’t spent time relaxing and letting your imagination go wild…but I am betting that you could use the relief gained from going on an imagination trip.

I really enjoy mind mapping for something like this, although a blank sheet of paper will do just as well. Start by writing down what sort of things you would like to have in your life on a daily basis. Maybe its more yoga, maybe learning a musical instrument, or maybe learning another language. Anything is possible. I know this sounds like a typical self-help exercise, but bear with me just a moment.

I’m confident that if you just engage your imagination as often as you can, you will find yourself seeing things in a different way. You will start to release yourself from the bonds that keep you down and you will start dreaming again. This dreaming is what will allow you to focus on the path that leads you to your dharma and to start walking it with confidence. Everyone’s journey is unique…we have to drive our own train to freedom!

Dreaming allows you to feel ok going against the grain. Dreaming keeps you young at heart and your imagination on fire! Dreaming teaches you that this world is not what it seems, its up to you to get there!

So in the end, I’m asking you to look beyond the ignorance and try to see the world for what it really is…a beautiful and unlimited masterpiece! Find hope in your world and pass it around to those that need it most. And don’t forget to bring that little child inside when you venture throughout the world. He/She wants to stroll right along side you and help you keep the innocence alive.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this series as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. I’m looking forward to your comments and hope you share your journey with me as much as I have mine with you. Until next time…

Padma

Tags: child, dharma, dream, dreams, Hope, innocence, life, live the dharma, spirituality

In Part 1 of this series, I wrote about seeing the world for what it truly is, which is full of magic and wonder. In this part, I’d like to move on to the topic of hope. I believe that there is far too little hope remaining in the world and for the world. Our culture, particularly in the West, has become one of constant crisis and criticism. The media reminds me of Chicken Little, always claiming that “they sky is falling.” Less informed people follow this lead and the cycle perpetuates itself into a frenzy of chaos and fearmongering.

What I believe is necessary, now more than ever, is for those of us that refuse to fall prey to this trap to bring an era of hope to the world. When we were children, we had hopes and dreams to achieve amazing things. We were so full of hope that our imagination was the only barrier to what we would be able to accomplish. Look into a child’s eyes and you can see this hope as a glimmer of innocence. Lucky for them, they don’t know what they don’t know and as long as the innocence remains they continue to have stars in their eyes.

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Tags: dharma, dreams, energy, Hope, leader

How To Be A Child At Heart

When we were children, we were not afraid of much. Maybe the dark or a bully down the street frightened us, but for the most part the only things we really thought about were wondering how things are, our hopes, and our dreams.

The wonders of the universe:

Although I remember a little bit of my own youth, I am best reminded of it when talking to my children. As little ones, we didn’t understand how anything worked and so we were fascinated by it. There was a certain magic to the world that could only be seen through a child’s eyes. The clouds were amazing, insects were spectacular, and things such as the ocean just blew us away.

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Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and besides being extremely impressed wih the quality of the writing itself, I am fascinated with the character of Howard Roark. If you haven’t read the book (I highly recommend it), Howard Roark is a man defined by his integrity. In this instance, integrity is defined as the standing by one’s beliefs regardless of the consequences. In the book, Roark’s integrity costs him his career, his love, and his friends but earns him the respect of friends and enemies in the process.

It seems to me, that there is far to little of this in our world. Although I cannot brag about my flawless integrity, I really try to stand by my beliefs the best that I can. Too many people live without belief so much as that they are willing to accept every little nudge towards a belief made for them. The media defines beliefs in such a way that I cannot tell where the truth is anymore and most people don’t know who to trust. We feed lies to ourselves and others in such a selfish way that it is hard not to believe we haven’t corrupted our souls.

Sometimes when I ponder the future of humanity and our current course, it looks like a trainwreck waiting to happen. It almost feels like we are all walking around with question marks over our heads pretending that we know what is going on but really feeling like a mess.

It is my belief that a lack of integrity has left humankind open to ignorance and as a result is lost. It is difficult to risk our lives for out beliefs, but we have to remember that we are all on the road towards death regardless, and if we keep our heads in the sand or convince ourselves otherwise the end will not be as peaceful as we like to imagine.

Again, I’m not trying to preach because I am not perfect at all, but the momentum of one person can carry an entire era.  We need more people to fight against the current and to help redirect it. Howard Roark believed in following his instinct and his path at great costs. I believe in truth, hope, and passion. What do you believe in?

Tags: Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Fountainhead, Howard Roark, Movements, Objectivism, People, Philosophy

Image by J.A.L.E.X

Are We Living in a Dreamworld?

My son asked me a few months ago (he was 5 at the time) if we were really in a dream and if life was real. At the time, I was blown away by the question and struggled to even formulate a token response. Instead, I simply said, “I don’t know.”

The question has since bothered me night and day because it is one I’ve asked myself, although far later in life than my son did. In an attempt to shelter myself from uncertainty, I am guessing that I simply disposed of the question in the back of my head. The catch with that sort of thing is that eventually the question will return, more nagging and burning than ever.

Movies like The Matrix touch upon the subject and music often takes us to a place where we feel dreamy, but still it is difficult to ponder such a thought without becoming very troubled. They say that meditation will teach you that life is a dream of sorts, but one cannot really understand that statement until we reach the mountain top for ourselves. Yes, we all want to get to that mountain top, but what do we do until we get there?

The Riddle

I often imagine that I am living a dream and that this life I am living is simply an imagined construct based on a set of loosely held predispositions and beliefs. If my current dreams are any indication, were we to really be in a dream world, our imaginary world is most likely a gross misrepresentation of the real world we are missing. Laws that exist here probably do not exist in other worlds, at least not in their entirety.

So, an interesting question based on the dream world hypothesis would be, “is everyone else real?” If they are, then are we all dreaming? If they aren’t, then am I living a hallucination? For me, this is the hardest part about the dream world idea, because if the rest of life was not real, then my family, children, and friends would disappear when I woke. Now ask yourself this question: If we had positive evidence that life was a dream and no-one else was real, would you be willing to wake up knowing that you would sacrifice everything you had become and those you have/had loved? Would you even be given the choice? Maybe upon knowing we are dreaming we simply, wake up?

Bringing it Back Home

I know what you are thinking because I am thinking it too. Somehow while hearing this message from my source I’ve stumbled upon a truth of some sort. If meditation and Buddhism/Zen teach us that to climb that mountain we must give up every bit of baggage we carry, then in a way we really do have to give up our current “realities” in order to reach the higher ground. So is that what is stopping us from waking up? Do we purposely stay asleep so that we can continue to live and love our life on Earth? If we have to give up our realities to reach that summit, are we wrong in wanting to just admire the view from below?

I suppose this is where the cycle of death and rebirth nudge us in the direction we must go, but it sounds like a very difficult journey. I’ve dedicated myself to reaching that peak, but I hesitate to do so without my love.

So I ask you, is there a place for love at the top?

Maybe sanity is overrated…

Tags: dreaming, dreamworld, meditation, rebirth, wake up

Hard times force parents to send eldest son to orphanage – CNN.com

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) — Ahri’s chin quivers, and his large dark eyes fill with tears the 11-year-old can’t control.

Holding Eka Jaya, Nuraini leads son Ahri, 11, to the orphanage with dad Joni Lubis and brother Mohammed.

“Be tough. I am sorry you have to go,” his grandmother whispers while hugging him.

His parents are taking Ahri to live in an orphanage. They swear they are not abandoning their son.

“I am not throwing my child away,” says his mother, Nuraini, wiping away tears.

“I just want him to get a proper education. I hope that one day he’ll do something useful for this country and help his brothers, because we are living in poverty.”

The family lives crammed into a home that’s 17 feet by 17 feet in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Jakarta. Nuraini runs a small shop the family opened to try to make ends meet. Ahri’s father, Joni Lubis, collects bottles from the streets, selling them to plastic and glass factories. Watch Ahri say goodbye »

Ahri’s parents make $2 to $3 a day, with about half of that going toward their daily rent. With the increased cost of living, what’s left just isn’t enough to send Ahri to school and to feed him and his two brothers, 3-year-old Mohammed and 7-month-old Eka Jaya.

“I never imagined it would come to this,” Nuraini admits.

But for many Indonesians, it has.

More than 80 percent of children in child care institutions have both their parents, according to the most recent survey conducted in 2006 by the Indonesian government. A recent study by Save the Children, UNICEF and the government says Indonesia — the world’s fourth most populous nation — has more orphanages than any other country.

This year, orphanages are reporting even higher number of parents giving up their children because they can no longer afford to feed them or send them to school.

In the past year, the cost of living increased beyond many people’s reach. In May, a 30 percent fuel hike set off countrywide protests.

Ahri peers intently as his mother signs off custody of him to the orphanage. The other children cram their faces up against the window to see the new arrival. At least half of them at the Putra Utama 1 orphanage have been through this before as well.

“The prices have gone up. [Families] can’t balance their income with the prices,” orphanage staffer Utari says.

“By putting their children here, they are hoping that their children’s education will improve.”

It doesn’t take long for Ahri to make new friends. Soon, he’s stuffing rice into his mouth and chatting with the other boys.

His parents stand against the doorway and watch their son playing soccer. Here at least, there’s enough space to do so.

“If my son can adapt, then I am happy,” says Ahri’s father, Joni Lubis. “I can see that it’s calm and peaceful here. That makes me happy. So does the school — my son can be educated.”

It’s all they can hope for: that economic pressures will ease so they won’t have to face such a decision again.

Technorati Tags: dharma, live the dharma, suffering

Tags: dharma, live the dharma, suffering

The Problem

What do you do when you don’t feel you are spending enough spiritual time with yourself or God and yet you have external limitations that are holding you back? An example of this could be that you would like to go on a retreat but have work or family obligations. Maybe you would like to meditate more, but don’t have anywhere to go where you can really find the peace to do so. Maybe you just want to lead a better life, but there are factors in your life that are conflicting with that.

Honestly, I struggle with this often. I have a strong urge to head to the Far East and do some soul searching; maybe find some masters and use their batteries to charge mine. The problem there is that I have a family and I don’t think they would appreciate that. I’d also like to go on a week long retreat in the mountains, but my boss can’t seem to understand the need. Meditation is also an issue in my house because of children, lack of space, and the lack of facilities in the area. So, if my experience is any indicator, I would bet that a majority of people in the modern world experience problems similar to this.

The Question

We know what we need to do and we can sense the drive within ourselves; the call that leads us to living our Dharma, but the question is what do we do about it? Well, I start by saying I don’t have a perfect answer and believe me I have spent years pondering this question. What I’d like to do is make a few recommendations based on my experience and ask you to submit yours via comment or email.

My Thoughts

The truth is that we live in a modern society and our path to so called “success” in this society has driven a wedge between our spiritual life and our social/work life. We have a choice to make, we can either ignore our spiritual side and suffer, we can try to balance them, or we can truly realize what is the most important and devote ourselves to that. It is my belief that the first choice forces us to live in ignorance, the 2nd to live below our full potential, and the last to truly live our Dharma. However, I also believe that there is a progression that must be taken to get there. An honest assessment of what you need and how you can get there is one of the best things you can do to solve this problem.

Something we can do immediately is to make a list of what we really feel called to do, no matter how off the wall or ridiculous it may seem. When we write our thoughts, it tends to help us weed out things that we don’t really want as well as to more clearly define what we need. Once the desires are written down, we can then proceed to break the barriers to accomplishing them.

Secondly, although meditation can be tough in noisy or crowded environments, it can still be accomplished. I recently was talking to a friend of mine about my dilemma, and she recommended that I use the bathroom as a place to meditate. I’d never really thought of that option and to be honest it really made sense. That is one of the only places in my house where I can be left alone and get some peace. Sure, it is tough to spend 30-60 minutes in the bathroom meditating, but once we reach that point maybe we can convince our spouses or children that we are serious about our practice and would like more time alone for that purpose.

In regards to retreats or pilgrimages, what would be wrong with combining the experience with a family vacation? How about telling the boss that in exchange for a few days off, you would come in on the weekends or stay later during the week? And if your job or lifestyle conflicts with the path you feel led to walk, maybe it is time to leave that behind. I can honestly say that there have been many times where I have felt this conflict and for one reason or the other made excuses not to change. Most often, it related to a job or income issue where I was worried about the rug slipping out from under me. In the end, 100% of the time I found that following my path led me to a better place, no matter how much of a change I was making. In fact, the greater the change/loss, the greater the gain I experienced. Therefore, I feel safe in saying that if something is holding you back, make the decision to do it anyway and I bet that the spiritual powers driving you will also help clear the way.

Maybe we’re breaching on the topic of Intention, but I truly believe that if we really set our mind to doing something (which is helped by writing down our thoughts), we can move providence.

This leads me into my last thought before I leave you with some quotes. If we let go and let God show us the way, then we will find that there is always a door open for us to Live our Dharma. Personally, I could do with some more meditation and mindfulness to help me bring this truth home.

So I ask you again, what is stopping you from finding God? Remember, in a 100 years we will all be dead anyway, so why let something get in the way from what really matters?

“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decisions, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“The Creator has not given you a longing to do what you have no ability to do.”
- Orison Swett Marden

“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast;
in the pool where you least expect it…there will be a fish.”
- Ovid

“To change one’s life:
1. Start immediately.
2. Do it flamboyantly.
3. No exceptions.”
- William James

“Don’t limit God’s ability to do by your capacity to receive.”
- Randall D. Worley

“Do not go where the path may lead; go where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”
- André Gide

Be Well…Padma

Tags: dharma, life, live your dharma, peace, spirituality