The Flower 

By Pastor John R. Ramsey 

For some time I have had a person provide me with a rose boutonniere to pin on the lapel of my suit every Sunday. Because I always got a flower on Sunday morning, I really did not think much of it. It was a nice gesture that I appreciated, but it became routine. One Sunday, however, what I considered ordinary became very special. 

As I was leaving the Sunday service a young man approached me. He walked right up to me and said, "Sir, what are you going to do with your flower?" At first, I did not know what he was talking about, but then I understood.

I said, "Do you mean this?" as I pointed to the rose pinned to my coat. 

He said, "Yes sir. I would like it if you are just going to throw it away." At this point I smiled and gladly told him that he could have my flower, casually asking him what he was going to do with it. The little boy, who was probably less than 10 years old, looked up at me and said, "Sir, I'm going to give it to my granny. My mother and father got divorced last year. I was living with my mother, but when she married again, she wanted me to live with my father. I lived with him for a while, but he said I could not stay, so he sent me to live with my grandmother. She is so good to me. She cooks for me and takes care of me. She has been so good to me that I want to give that pretty flower to her for loving me."

When the little boy finished I could hardly speak. My eyes filled with tears and I knew I had been touched in the depths of my soul. I reached up and unpinned my flower. With the flower in my hand, I looked at the boy and said, "Son, that is the nicest thing I have ever heard, but you can't have this flower because it's not enough. If you'll look in front of the pulpit, you'll see a big bouquet of flowers. Different families buy them for the church each week. Please take those flowers to your granny because she deserves the very best."

If I hadn't been touched enough already, he made one last statement and I will always cherish it. He said, "What a wonderful day! I asked for one flower but got a beautiful bouquet." 

Dreams Lost and Found

By Kate Brausen 

When I was a very young girl, my mother took me to see Swan Lake. It was our maiden voyage into what would become a shared, lifelong tradition. I'd never seen ballet before, and afterward, all I could dream of was becoming a ballerina. A prima ballerina, of course, with an internationally-renowned company, the kind of company where the mere mention of the name brings looks of wonder to people's faces. I hadn't the slightest idea of what kind of lifestyle this would require, nor did I care. I only knew, with a child's unwavering certainty, that I had to be part of the vibrancy and passion we saw there on the stage, part of this beauty that had the power to move even grown-ups to tears. 

Though I loved school throughout my early years and was particularly fond of reading and writing, I was equally inclined toward athletics. I eagerly looked forward to playground recesses when, flying past my playmates in foot races or swinging energetically across the monkey bars, I would imagine myself in tights and leotard, time and space in my grasp as I soared effortlessly through the air in some achingly beautiful pas de deux.

My father, a self-made businessman who had enormous faith in what he saw as the unlimited potential of each of his children, had drilled into my brothers and me from early on the belief that we each could achieve any and all of our dreams, as long as we kept them firmly in our sights. I believed with all my heart that he was right and spent part of every day seeing the reality of my becoming a ballerina in my mind.

When, in about the fifth grade, I began tripping over my own feet more and more frequently, the sublime childhood assumption that everything will always remain the same prevented me, at first, from realizing that something might be wrong. But when my older brother, who had been experiencing similar problems, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, it was a short path to follow that I had it, as well. Even so, the fact that muscular dystrophy can be a slow-moving disease, caused my initial symptoms to be minor enough that, with the enviable ignorance of youth, the possibility that it would completely change my dream never occurred to me.

It wasn't until my middle school years, when my legs looked undeveloped, different somehow, from other girls in their first stockings, and my first grown-up pumps had to be replaced with orthopedic shoes, followed by leg braces, that I finally became conscious of some hard facts.

At that time, my parents' property had a huge old oak tree in a secluded corner that I'd always loved climbing. I'd sit up there and daydream, as young teen girls are want to do, fantasizing about this or that or camping out for a good long cry when things were particularly melodramatic. It was the automatic choice for me to run to at a time like this, but at the same time, it was becoming more difficult to do so. I went there anyway, though, clumsily hoisting myself up to hide among the branches, trying desperately to will away all fears.

One of my most powerful fears, of course, was that the day would soon come when I would no longer be physically able to perform the simple act of climbing a favorite tree - clearly, the ballet was out of the question. While I didn't want to face it, I rarely thought about anything else. On one particularly tough day, I went to my hideout straight off the school bus, book pack on my back and all. I was especially miserable that day. I'd tripped, again, and had a spectacular fall at school, this time right in front of the boy I'd had a secret crush on during the last year. Though those classmates that witnessed my disgrace had not laughed, had been kind, even, all I could think about was that this was my fate for the rest of my life.

I'd been crying hard, and I wanted a little moment to myself before going into the kitchen and letting Mom see my tear-streaked face. Desperate to calm down, I grabbed my notebook out of my backpack and started writing a poem about the feelings I was experiencing. We'd been studying haiku that semester in class, and I was taken by the simple purity of words that could bring forth strong images with a great economy.

The writing calmed me, setting free the harmful thoughts that had had me in their grip such a short time ago. Having achieved this relatively tranquil state, I decided to try another poem describing my agonizing fears of physical deterioration. Once again, it worked; it was as though the simple act of writing set free the demons that seemed to have taken up permanent residency, allowing me to step outside those thoughts and see them in a different, more detached perspective.

The next afternoon, I went straight to my tree, wanting to see if what had worked once would work again. As soon as I'd climbed to my perch, however, it seemed that all I could focus on was the fact that this hideaway was physically slipping out of my grasp. As if to hang onto the mental imagery of these moments, I began listing every detail I could think of, describing the rough bark against my back, the creaking sound of heavy limbs swaying in the breeze, the dappled afternoon sun splaying across my hands as it worked its way through rustling leaves. I wanted to capture the feel of it, somehow, to commit these things I would miss to some fail-safe, retrievable memory bank. By writing it all down, I felt I'd be able to keep these feelings close to my heart always, regardless of whether my memory or my body failed me.

What began that long-ago afternoon was to become a lifelong love affair with words, both spoken and written. I realized, as early as that first time I sat in my wooded perch and began to record, that the power of those words would help me remember the things I'd been lucky enough to experience and to keep them safe within me for as long as I needed it. It was much later when I realized that those same words would help me let go, help me put one well-lived experience behind me so that I might move on to something new and equally important.

Now, that I'm well beyond those youthful years and a full-time freelance writer, it seems that those long-ago afternoons will always stand out in my memory. The act of writing always takes me back to that initial, willful act of faith, a way to look, touch, and savor all life's moments while they are happening, to make each of them count and not to take any of them for granted. It is a prayer, of sorts, that continues to help me attain and conquer my life without, in the end, being conquered by it. When I put thought on paper today, whether it be for a particularly compelling piece of fiction or a more mundane news piece, there is always the memory of that first thrill of capturing each moment as it happens, of knowing that, no matter how far distant it becomes in memory, the simple act of writing will keep it forever safe, forever authentic.

Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. - Erich Fromm.

Let men have light, let them be pure and spiritually strong and educated, then alone will misery cease in the world, not before. - Swami Vivekananda.

Arise, awake, sleep no more; within each of you, there is the power to remove all wants and all miseries. Believe this, and that power will be multiplied. - Swami Vivekananda.

If you really want to judge the character of a man, look not at his great performances. Every fool may become a hero at one time or another. Watch a man do his most common actions; those are indeed the things which will tell you the real character of a great man. - Swami Vivekananda.

The Day the Lillies Bloomed 

By Jane Eppinga 

A statue of a young fighter pilot stands in front of the old capitol building in Phoenix, Arizona. His name was Frank Luke, Jr., and his tour of duty in World War I was brief but spectacular. Downing eighteen enemy aircraft in less than a month, he became one of only four fighter pilots awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in that war. 

But there's more to the Frank Luke story than brave deeds in the skies above France. A most unusual event is recorded in the family Bible. It took place six thousand miles from the war, back home at Frank's parents' house in Phoenix, Arizona.

In September 1917, at age twenty, Frank was a handsome, happy-go-lucky lad. Fascinated by the new flying machines as a teenager, he joined the army and was accepted into flight training. At the end of his training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and given a fourteen-day leave. He went to Phoenix to be with his family one last time before going off to war.

One day during the leave, Frank was heading off to pal around with some old classmates. On his way out the door, his mother, Tillie, stopped him. She laid a hand on his arm and said, "Frank, dear, I've been meaning to ask you to plant some lily bulbs for me. The weather's so perfect for it today. Would you mind terribly?"

Tillie was known for her sweet and amiable nature, and Frank was happy to oblige her. He took the bag of bulbs and spent some time alone in the front yard before leaving to find his friends. Just a few days later, he shipped out to join the war in France.

Frank's tour of duty was uneventful until September 1918. During that month he came to specialize in the destruction of German observation balloons, as well as other enemy aircraft. In a seventeen-day period, Frank broke every record for downing enemy aircraft. Dubbed the "Balloon Buster," he destroyed one after another, sometimes with his partner and sometimes on his own. On one astounding mission, he shot down three planes and two balloons in just ten minutes. Altogether, in those few days, Frank accounted for fourteen balloons and four German planes. He was christened the American "Ace of Aces" of his day.

Back in Phoenix, the family read about Frank's brave exploits in the newspapers. Then, on September 29, his mother stepped into the front yard to find an amazing sight. The lilies that Frank had planted on leave had suddenly burst into bloom – strangely out of season in September. But that wasn't all. Once-blooming, it was clear that they formed the cross-like shape of a World War I airplane! Frank was crazy about airplanes and also a devout Catholic, so his intention could have been either.

The family members gathered and exclaimed at the sight, saying those lilies should have bloomed in June, not September! And, how like Frank it was to have planted them in some special way. Word of the marvel spread. A newspaper photographer came to the house and that week the Sunday paper ran a photo of Tillie standing beside the cross of lilies.

But, from the first moment she saw them, Tillie's response to the flowers was one of sorrow. She brushed away tears, certain that something must be wrong with Frank.

On November 25, two weeks after the Armistice ended World War I, Tillie's fears were realized. The family received notification from the Red Cross that Frank was missing in action. They would learn much later that Frank had single-handedly shot down three German observation balloons on his last mission. He was wounded in flight and managed to land without crashing in Murvaux. But his wounds were severe, and he died later that day.

Frank Luke, Jr., had made his final heroic flight on September 29 – the day the lilies bloomed.

God is love; His plan for creation can be rooted only in love. Does not that simple thought, rather than erudite reasonings, offer solace to the human heart? Every saint who has penetrated to the core of reality has testified that a divine universal plan exists and that is beautiful and full of joy. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves 
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine. 
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

The hall of learning is but a long and often winding corridor with many doors. Before we open any door we must have the courage to face the inevitable failures of good intentions, to accept such failures without emotional intemperance, without any self-condemnation, without remorse and despair; always sustaining our consciousness in tranquility throughout success and failure.

The moment we admit in true humility our ignorance, we allow ourselves to be transported into the hall of learning, where our souls will find the blossoms of life. But beware that we do not limit our growth through intellectual conceit.

May the holy ones, whose pupils and whose servers we aspire to be, show us the light we seek and give us the strong aid of their wisdom and compassion. There is a peace which passeth understanding, it lives and moves in those who know the self as one; may that peace brood over us, the power uplift us until we stand where the one initiator is invoked. Until we see his star shine forth, may the peace and blessings of the holy ones pour forth over us all.

If we can understand the invisible, we can do the impossible.

Love has to become an impersonal flame by becoming universal.

Without love, there is no unfoldment. Because love belongs to the life of the Spirit, to the real self. Without love all search is vain.

The Soul is immortal and its future is the future of a thing whose growth and splendor have no limit.

Speak each word, perform each action, face each situation before and inner altar where you kneel in uttermost adoration and self-surrender, under the seal and sign of your highest self.

Lord Maitreya is the present world teacher reaching out to all of humanity for us to realize our higher self, through love, wisdom, and service.

He has taken the vow of the Bodhisattva, whose ultimate task lies in overseeing the spiritual awakening of humanity and stimulating the awareness of our oneness with the creative source of all life.

True freedom only awakens in the unconditioned mind.

There is neither reason to act, nor action to take. How then, O my friend, would I speak about victory or defeat? And there is nothing to venerate. So how would I speak about knowledge? - Avadhuta Gita.

All comes from me. All is in me. All disappears in me. This consciousness is reality. - A sloka of Mahahari.

Who are you to meddle with the world? Look after yourself first. Do you know yourself? Do you know what you really want? How can you know what the world needs when you are blind to your own true needs? First set yourself right. - Sri Ramana Maharishi.

Don't depend on death to liberate you from your imperfections. You are exactly the same after death as your were before. Nothing changes; you only give up your body. If you are a thief or a liar or a cheater before death, you don't become an angel merely by dying. If such were possible, then let us all go and jump in the ocean now and become angels at once! Whatever you have made of yourself thus far, so will you be hereafter. And when you reincarnate, you will bring that same nature with you. To change, you have to make the effort. This world is the place to do it. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

It is actually the will which maintains our youth and vigor. The body should not dictate its needs to the soul. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

The proximity of happiness is as close as one's own Self; it isn't even a matter of attaining, but only of lifting the soul-shrouding veil of ignorance. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Whatever I do, I do with the greatest love that I have in me. Try this and you will see that you do not become fatigued at all. Love is one of the greatest stimulants to the will. Under the influence of love, the will can do almost anything. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

The greatest sin is to call yourself a sinner. You are a child of God. Though gold could be covered with mud for centuries, it remains gold. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

As long as you are making the effort, God will never let you down! - Paramahansa Yogananda.

You must not let your life run in the ordinary way; do something that nobody else has done, something that will dazzle the world. Show that God's creative principle works in you. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Don't yearn for human love; it will vanish. Behind human love is the spiritual love of God. Seek that. Don't pray for home or for money or for love or for friendship. Don't pray for anything in this world. Enjoy only what the Lord gives to you. All else leads to delusion. Man has come on earth solely to learn to know God; he is here for no other reason. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Be afraid of nothing. Hating none, giving love to all, feeling the love of God, seeing His presence in everyone and having but one desire - for His constant presence in the temple of your consciousness - that is the way to live in this world. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

I came for a special dispensation - the interpretation of the scriptures and giving Kriya Yoga, the key to Heaven. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Freedom means the power to act by soul guidance, obeying the soul brings liberation. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Try to remember and concentrate on all the beautiful and positive qualities of your life and do not affirm your deficiencies. The greatest enemy of yourself is yourself. You are alone responsible if you cannot get out of the ruts you have made. You must make a firm determination to do so. No one keeps you tied to destiny but yourself. The example of great men should make you begin to disbelieve that your destiny is fixed. They became great by changing their attitude. You can do the same. Usually those who have achieved great things in life have also had great failures. But they refused to be downed by them. Those who have achieved, won many battles and lost others, but they did not give in to a negative "destiny". - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Karma is best worked out by meeting pleasantly every test that comes and accepting courageously any hardships your tests impose. Meditation is an important factor in overcoming karma. Every time you meditate, your karma decreases, for at that time your energy is focused in the brain and burns up the old brain cells. After very deep meditation, you will find yourself becoming freer inside. Meditate deeply and you will erase all fears and gain the unshakable consciousness of soul freedom. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Seven Signs of Progress in Meditation (from an article by Paramahansa Yogananda)

• An increasing peacefulness during meditation.

• A conscious inner experience of calmness in meditation metamorphosing into increasing bliss.

• A deepening of one's understanding and finding answers to one's questions through the calm intuitive stare of inner perception.

• An increasing mental and physical efficiency in one's daily life.

• Love for meditation and desire to hold on to the peace and joy of meditative state in preference to attraction to anything in the world.

• An expanding consciousness of loving all with unconditional love that one feels towards his own dearest loved ones.

• Actual contact with God and worshiping Him as ever new bliss felt in meditation and in His omnipresent manifestations within and beyond all creation. 

Read a little. Meditate more. Think of God all the time. - Paramahansa Yogananda.

Divine love is without condition, without boundary, without change. Sri Sri Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri.

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced or cried aloud.

Under the bludgeoning of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

(Source: Invictus by W. E. Henley)

The greater a man has become, the fiercer ordeal he has had to pass through. - S. Vivekananda.

We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet. - S. Vivekananda.

We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us. - Rumi.

By forgiveness the universe is held together. - The Mahabharata.

When the pain of ignorance is tearing you, a master arrives. - Anonymous.

When the lotus opens, the bees come of their own accord to seek the honey; so let the lotus of your character be full-blown and the results will follow. - S. Vivekananda.

A teacher and his student were walking from one village to another, when they suddenly heard a roar behind them. Turning their gaze in the direction of the roar, they saw a big tiger following them.

The first thing the student wanted to do was to run away, but since he has been studying and practicing self-discipline, he was able to halt himself from running, and wait to see what his teacher would do.

"What shall we do Master?" Asked the student.

The teacher looked at the student and answered in a calm voice:

"There are several options. We can fill our minds with paralyzing fear so that we cannot move, and let the tiger do with us whatever pleases it. We can faint. We can run away, but then it will run after us. We can fight with it, but physically it is stronger than us."

"We can pray to God to save us. We can choose to influence the tiger with the power of our mind, if our concentration is strong enough. We can send it love. We can also concentrate and meditate on our inner power, and on the fact that we are one with the entire universe, including the tiger, and in this way influence its soul."

"Which option do you choose?"

"You are the Master. You tell me what to do. We don't have much time." The student responded.

The master turned his gaze fearlessly towards the tiger, emptied his mind from all thoughts, and entered a deep state of meditation. In his consciousness, he embraced everything in the universe, including the tiger. In this state the consciousness of the teacher became one with consciousness of the tiger.

Meanwhile the student started to shiver with fear, as the tiger was already quite close, ready to make a leap at them. He was amazed at how his teacher could stay so calm and detached in the face of danger.

Meanwhile the teacher continued to meditate without fear. After a little while, the tiger gradually lowered its head and tail and went away.

The student asked his teacher in astonishment, "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just cleared all thoughts from my mind and united myself in spirit with the tiger. We became united in peace on the spiritual level. The tiger sensed the inner calmness, peace, and unity and felt no threat or need to express violence, and so walked away."

"When the mind is silent and calm, its peace is automatically transmitted to everything and everyone around, influencing them deeply", concluded the teacher.

My heart holds every form with deep awe and acceptance,

My heart contains a pasture for my dear friends and foes,

My heart dances with God's love,

I follow the path of love and divine perception,

I have no stone in my hand or heart,

For I am sweet as nectar and a bed of roses.

Through love all that is bitter will be sweet,

Through love all that is copper will be gold,

Through love all dregs will become wine, 

Through love all pain will turn to medicine.

The truth is you are nobody. You are nothing. Yet you are everything. How can you be nobody and everything? Because, You're not one thing. Notice when I stop talking, how quiet it becomes, in your mind. This is the state I am referring to, the state in between thoughts, when there is nothing going on, in that second, in that moment, when the mind is totally quiet, the thoughts are not moving any longer. This is your true self, in that moment in between thoughts. Stay in that moment. Learn to put yourself in that state, whether you are in the market place or you are in a temple, wherever you are, learn to be still. It makes no difference what is going on around you. It makes no difference what other people are doing. You be still. When you are still, then there's peace. When you are still, there is happiness. Most of us have been taught that to be happy we have to receive something good. We have to have something nice happen to us to be happy, otherwise we are miserable. Yet the truth is, happiness is your very nature, unalloyed happiness, eternal happiness. You have to go way beyond thoughts, way beyond reasoning, way beyond anything and everything you have ever understood, to be consciousness, to understand consciousness. In order to do this, everything you believe must be dropped. Everything you have been led to understand must be transcended. Everything that you can think about has to go. Your ideas of right and wrong, good and bad, up and down, frontwards and sideways, all these things have to be totally transcended, totally removed from your thinking patterns.

"Will it be possible to see our image in a mirror completely covered with dust? Wipe away the dust particles and clean the mirror, then look and definitely you will see. Our true face is God. Clean away the impurities of the mind through spiritual practices and it will be revealed to you" - Amma.

Take the case of great yogis like Swami Vivekananda. They did not work for themselves but the amount of work which that man did until the age of 39 when he passed away, 100 people cannot do in 100 years. How did he do that? His inner energy that takes over; one becomes very resourceful in the selfless action one is doing. So one does not become foolish by doing yoga or meditation.

My mother said to me, “If you are a soldier, you will become a General. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.” Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso. - Pablo Picasso.

Questioner: I have so much to do. I just cannot afford to keep my mind quiet. 

Nisargadatta Maharaj: It is because of your illusion that you are the doer. In reality, things are done to you, not by you. - from 'I Am That', Chapter 93.

If the idea that everything is destined suffocates you, then it is better for you to take full responsibility for your actions. If the idea of free will and taking full responsibility suffocates you, then it is better for you to let go and surrender to the unfolding play and flow of this life. Tune into what feels right, for that is presently the right attitude and understanding for you. It may or may not match what the so-called wise ones have to say. It is best to honor your truth and let others honor theirs. - Nithya Shanti.

Do not dwell in the past or worry about the future. Do not have expectations. Indulging in thoughts of making vast money; receiving abundant love, getting recognition and honor for a lifetime of work... if you think you will be happy when some of these dreams come true, you are chasing a mirage. Be happy as you are now and enjoy peace.

Buddha was once threatened with death by a bandit called Angulimal. "Then be good enough to fulfill my dying wish," said Buddha. "Cut off the branch of that tree." One slash of the sword, and it was done! "What now?" asked the bandit. Put it back again," said Buddha. The bandit laughed. "You must be crazy to think anyone can do that." "On the contrary, it is you who are crazy to think that you are mighty because you can wound and destroy. That is the task of children. The mighty know how to create and heal".

"On the screen, you sometimes see a huge ocean with endless waves; that disappears. Another time, you see fire spreading all around; that too disappears. The screen is there on both occasions. Did the screen get wet with the water or did it get burned by the fire? Nothing affected the screen. In the same way, the things that happen during the wakeful, dream and sleep states do not affect you at all; you remain your own Self" - Ramana Maharishi.

An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruits near a tree and told the kids that whoever got there first wins the sweet fruits. When he told them to run, they all took each other’s hands and ran together, then all sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them, why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself, they said: ''Ubuntu, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?'' 'Ubuntu' in the Xhosa culture means: "I am, because we are".

To mankind all over the world, Christmas Day is celebrated as the birthday of the great prophet, Jesus Christ. It is celebrated with the exchanging of gifts, big family gatherings, use of lights and candles, songs, and special Christmas Day church services where one can take Communion with Jesus, in the form of bread and wine (representing the body and blood of Jesus). As interesting, meaningful, and gratifying as these celebrations may be, they are nonetheless ritualistic practices that do not capture the true meaning of Christmas. In the same way, worldwide, spirituality is celebrated in the form of many rituals. Although these celebrations appear to be different on the surface, they are essentially all the same. If we can understand any one celebration, we can understand all celebrations.

So, what then, is the true meaning of Christmas Day? The answer to this question can be found by understanding the word Christmas, itself. The word Christmas is derived from the two words “Christ” and “mass”. “Christ” represents Christ Consciousness and the word “mass” has two meanings – 1) a congregation of people and 2) massiveness, i.e. high intensity (devotion) with enormous quantity (duration of 5 to 7 hours). The word “day” in “Christmas Day” indicates true wisdom. When we collect the true meaning of “Christ”, “mass” and “day”, then we realize that the celebration of Christmas Day is none other than the celebration of Christ Consciousness in congregation for a longer duration of time, with highest devotion till the attainment of true wisdom within and without. It is nothing but the practice Yoga / Meditation. By repeated practice of Yoga / Meditation, we will eventually experience a state of enlightenment—that is, the realization that the self is none other than Christ Consciousness. Therefore, when the Science of Yoga / Meditation spreads all over the world, only then will we celebrate Christmas Day in its real form. When we practice Yoga / Meditation all over the world, then the celebration of Christmas day will reach to perfection. To show the essential unity of all spiritual practices worldwide, let us take a closer look at what is Christ Consciousness. When we attain the state of Christ consciousness, we perceive seven churches (areas) glowing with seven candles (seven wisdom centers) within the head and spine. The seven wisdom centers are the way to the “Star in the East”. The moment of moments - the resurrection of Jesus within as Christ consciousness! Such is the beauty of the practice Yoga / Meditation, which gives the true concept behind all ritual practices celebrated by people all over the world. Yoga / Meditation gives realization of the presence of one Spirit in manifested and un-manifested form. - Yogi Satyam.

Any thought, idea, imagination, action or concept that increases fear, distance, tension, weakness or frustration is an illusion, false and not real. It is non-existent matter.

Any thought, idea, imagination, action or concept that increases strength, power, fearlessness, and peace is the truth-reality that does exist. - Yogi Satyam.

She is neither an Indian-American nor has she ever visited India . But on Wednesday, she became America ’s first-ever Hindu-American Congresswoman

Meet Tulsi Gabbard, a 31-year-old Democrat, just elected to the US House of Representativ...es from faraway Hawaii . Endorsed by Hawaii-born President Barack Obama, she defeated her Republican rival by a landslide (80.6% to 19.4%).

A practicing Hindu, Gabbard frequently recites from the Bhagavad Gita. So when she takes her oath in January as a newly-elected member, she will do so, placing her hand on a copy of the Hindu scripture. It will be the first of its kind in the history of the 223-year-old House of Representatives and the Hindu-Americans are excited about it.

Born in American Samoa to a Catholic father and a Hindu mother, Gabbard moved to Hawaii with her family when she was two years old. Her parents gave all their five children Hindu names — Bhakti, Jai, Aryan, Tulsi and Vrindavan. Keen to visit India at an early date, Gabbard has pledged to work for closer US-India relations.

“It is clear that there needs to be a closer working relationship between the United States and India ,” she said in recent remarks, quizzing: “How can we have a close relationship if decision-makers in Washington know very little, if anything, about the religious beliefs, values, and practices of India ’s 800 million Hindus?”

Defending her Hindu faith, which came under attack from her Republican rival David Kawika Crowley during the campaign phase, Gabbard believes her faith would be an asset in Congress.“Hopefully the presence in Congress of an American who happens to be Hindu will increase America’s understanding of India as well as India’s understanding of America,” commented Gabbard, who was feted by Indian-Americans at a recent fundraiser in Washington.

Gabbard’s victory was a foregone conclusion from the time she easily defeated her rival Mufi Hannemann in a party primary in August. Hawaii, being a predominantly Democrat territory, few doubted her chances against her Republican rival.

“Hindu-Americans have run America’s major companies and universities, won Nobel prizes and Olympic gold medals, directed blockbuster movies, and even flown into space. But one profession has so far been out of reach: Member of Congress,” wrote the Washington-based Religion News Service, ahead of Gabbard being declared the winner.

Although there have been two Indian-Americans in the US Congress to date, neither of them were Hindu. The first, Dalip Singh Saund, who was elected thrice from California back in the 1950s, was a Sikh. The second, Bobby Jindal, who was elected twice, beginning 2004, had converted to Christianity in his early years.

In 2002, at the age of 21, Gabbard became the youngest person to be elected to Hawaii State House. The very next year, she joined the Hawaii National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a medical operations specialist. Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for her service, she currently serves as a Captain. Between her two deployments to the Middle East, Gabbard served as an aide to long-time US Senator Daniel Akaka.

Gabbard, who fully embraced the Hindu faith as a teenager and follows the Vaishnava path, has said that her faith helped her through her posting in Iraq, where there were daily reminders that she could be killed any time.

“First thing in the morning and the last thing at night, I meditated upon the fact that my essence was spirit, not matter, that I was not my physical body, and that I didn’t need to worry about death because I knew that I would continue to exist and I knew that I would be going to God,” she said.

Some ways of purifying the various bodies:

• Physical (Sthuldeha) – Performing Seva (selfless service to the Absolute Truth) with the physical body

• Mental (Manodeha) – Praying and chanting

• Intellectual (Karandeha) – Study of Holy texts and appropriate use of intellect in service to the absolute Truth unto the God Principle

• Ego (Mahakarandeha) – Constantly having an awareness that “I am not doing anything, God is getting everything done through me” and expressing gratitude unto Him.

You are not your body.

Your body is not you. 

You are not the doer. 

You are not the enjoy-er. 

You are pure awareness, 

The witness of all things. 

You are without expectation, 

Free. 

Wherever you go, 

Be happy!

Desire and aversion are of the mind.

For see!

The mind is never yours. 

You are free of its turmoil. 

You are awareness itself, 

Never changing. 

Wherever you go, 

Be happy.

The Self is in all beings, 

And all beings are in the Self. 

Know you are free, 

Free of "I" 

Free of "mine." 

Be happy.

- Ashtavakra Gita (15.4-6).

Essence of The Gita:

Why do you worry without any rhyme or reason? Who are you afraid of? Who can kill you? The soul neither takes birth nor dies.

Whatever happened happened for the best. Whatever is happening is also happening for the best. Whatever will happen, that too will be for the best. Don’t repent over the past. Don’t worry for the future. Present is going on.

What have you lost for which you cry? What did you bring with you which you have lost? What had you produced, which has perished? You didn't bring anything. Whatever you have, you had it from here. Whatever you have given, you have given it only here. Whatever you have taken, you have taken it from him the almighty. Whatever you have rendered, you have rendered to him. You came empty handed & will go the same way. Whatever is yours today was somebody else’s yesterday & will be somebody else’s the day after tomorrow. You are delighted in feeling it as your own. Alas; this happiness is the root cause of your agonies.

Change is the law of the universe. What you understand as death is in reality, the life. You become a millionaire in moments & the next moment you are a pauper. Let the thought about mine-yours, small-big, my own-someone else’s be wiped off your mind. Then everything is yours & you belong to everyone & vice-versa.

Neither the body is yours, nor do you belong to the body. The body is constituted of fire, water, air, earth & ether & it will disappear into these. However the soul is steady. That is what is real & that is what you really are.

You surrender yourself to god. That is the best anchor. One who knows about this anchor is liberated of fears, anxieties, pain, sorrow, etc. forever.

Whatever you are acted upon, continue to dedicate it to god. By doing so you will realize eternal happiness/love/truth of the liberated one.

A wise zen frog was explaining to the younger frogs the balance of nature, "do you see how that fly eats a gnat? Now (with a bite) I eat the fly. It is all part of the great scheme of things." " Isn't it bad to kill in order to live?" asked the thoughtful frog. "It depends..." answered the wise frog just as a snake swallowed the zen frog in one chomp before the frog finished his sentence. "Depends on what?" shouted the students. "Depends on whether you're looking at things from the inside or outside." came the muffled response from inside the snake.

People often ask: How can I make a difference in the world ? I am just one person among billions of others, what could I possibly do that would change anything?

Everyone else should have to change in order for me to make a difference.

Well, here is a story of a man who single-handed moved a mountain!

Please read and share. Inspiration is contagious!

About five decades ago, a landless farmer, Dashrath Manjhi from Gahlor Ghati of Gaya, Bihar decided to take into task the difficulties of his villagers who were almost cut off from the rest of the world by rocky hills, almost making the place impassable.

Around 1959, his wife passed away from illness and lack of immediate medical care when there was no way of taking her to the nearest medical center over the 300 feet high hills. Heartbroken after her death, Manji alone resolved to create a pass so that no one person would have to suffer the fate that his wife did. He sold his goats to purchase chisel, rope and a hammer. This sudden change in his demeanor made him a laughing stock with people who laughed at him, calling him eccentric and crazy.

Unfazed by their remarks, Manji hammered away with consistent determination for 22 years. At the end of his arduous labor, he finally came face to face with his dream: the other side of the hill! He shortened the distance from 70 kilometers to just one kilometer and 16 ft. wide!

Once this task was accomplished, Dashrath Manji became known as the Mountain Man. Sadly, this amazing man breathed his last on August 18, 2007 after fighting cancer at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences and received a proper state burial.

Dashrath Manji, a man who was mocked and ridiculed for his strong will and determination leaves behind a legacy of strong will and determination. We have to be the change we wish to see.

Those who believe in pure love, pause at Tokyo's busy Shibuya station to pay tribute to the statue of Hachiko, an Akita dog.

Hachiko was a pup when professor Eisaburo Ueno took him home in 1924. An inseparable bond developed between them. Each day Hachiko would accompany the professor to the station to see him off to work. In the evening when the professor would return, he would find Hachiko waiting expectantly for him!

This routine continued for a year, until one evening when Hachiko watched the train pass by and wondered why his friend did not return. The professor had suffered a stroke and died at work. But Hachiko refused to leave the station and continued to wait at the same spot for 10 long years. Tearful commuters would pat Hachiko and marvel at his devotion.

Finally, when Hachiko died in 1935 at the same station, he did so in love and not in fear and perhaps reincarnated into a higher species.

When perfect love casts out fear, a transfer to a new and more enlightened sphere of existence takes place. Evolution itself is dependent on the love and the endless longing for love is also an inherent desire for the soul to evolve.

Ramana's reply to his mother when she requested that he return home with her, "The ordainer (God) controls the fate of souls in accordance with their destinies. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it. This is certain. The best course, therefore is to remain silent".

Sometimes when we are feeling sad, its important just to feel the sadness. Like a snake shedding its skin, old feelings of remorse, regret, hurt and anger often have to come up in order to be released (disentangled, gently dismissed). On the other side we are a better person, capable of a happier life, who we are when we are no longer burdened by the buried feelings that weighed us down, or the self-defeating patterns that the pain produced.

During a conversation on non-attachment, Bhagavan said, “In this part of the country, one of our ancients wrote, ‘O Lord, thou hast given me a hand to use as a pillow under my head, a cloth to cover my loins, hands wherewith to eat food, what more do I want? This is my great good fortune’! That is the purport of the verse. Is it really possible to say how great a good fortune that is? Even the greatest kings wish for such happiness. There is nothing to equal it. Having experienced both these conditions, I know the difference between this and that. These beds, sofa, and articles around me – all this is bondage.”

“Is not the Buddha an example of this?” asked a devotee. Thereupon Sri Bhagavan began speaking about Buddha. “Yes.” Said Bhagavan, “When the Buddha was in the palace with all possible luxuries in the world, he was still sad. To remove his sadness, his father created more luxuries than ever. But none of them satisfied the Buddha. At midnight he left his wife and child and disappeared. He remained in great austerity for 6 years, realized the Self; and for the welfare of the world became a mendicant (bhikshu). It was only after he became a mendicant that he enjoyed great bliss. Really, what more did he require?”

“In the garb of a mendicant he came to his own city, did he not?” asked a devotee. “Yes, yes,” said Bhagavan. “Having heard that he was coming, his father, Suddhodana, decorated the royal elephant and went out with his whole army to receive him on the main road. But without touching the main road, the Buddha came by side roads and by-lanes; he sent his close associates to the various streets for alms while he himself in the guise of a mendicant went by another way to his father. How could the father know that his son was coming in that guise! Yasodhara (the Buddha’s wife), however, recognized him, made her son prostrate before his father and herself prostrated. After that, the father recognized the Buddha. Suddhodana however, had never expected to see his son in such a state and was very angry and shouted, ‘Shame on you! What is this garb? Does one who should have the greatest of riches come like this? I've had enough of it!’ and with that, he looked furiously at the Buddha. Knowing that his father had not yet got rid of his ignorance, the Buddha too, began to look at his father with even greater intensity. In this war of looks, the father was defeated. He fell at the feet of his son and himself became a mendicant. Only a man with non-attachment can know the power of non-attachment”, said Bhagavan, his voice quivering with emotion."

What are the three marks of a healthy personality? 

• The propensity to see what is good in every person and situation. Starting with your own self and all the good in your life. 
• The ability to quickly let go and forgive others when things do not happen to our liking, starting with yourself. 
• The ability to get along with a wide variety of different people, including all your sub-personalities, all your various faces, moods and mind states.

There was a group of elderly gentlemen in Japan who would meet to exchange news and drink tea. One of their diversions was to search for costly varieties of tea and create new blends. When it was the turn of the oldest member of the group to entertain the others, he served tea with the greatest ceremony, measuring out the leaves from a golden container. Everyone had the highest praise for the tea and demanded to know by what particular combination he had arrived at this exquisite blend. The old man smiled and said, "Gentlemen, the tea that you find so delightful is the one that is made and drunk by the peasants on the farm. The finest things in life are neither costly nor hard to find".

Kasan was asked to officiate at the funeral of a provincial land. He had never met the lords and nobles before, so he was nervous. When the ceremony started, Kasan started sweating. later, when he had returned, he gathered his pupils together. Kasan confessed that he was not yet qualified to be a teacher for he lacked the sameness of being in the world of fame that he possessed in the secluded temple. Then he resigned and became a pupil of another master. Eight years later, he returned to his former pupils, enlightened.