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Duncan's Daily Thought

5-April-2004 Faith: Taking the risk of being vulnerable.  
4-April-2004 There is a fine line between a groove and a rut. John Page (my dear friend)
3-April-2004

Awareness of your feelings
enables your to have conscious and appropriate boundaries.

Conscious and appropriate boundaries
enable you to feel safe.

The feeling of safety
enables you to be vulnerable.

Vulnerability enables you to feel love
Love is God.

 

27-March-2004

Not 2, not 0, but 1  
26-March-2004 Let it be. By letting ourselves just be, we find that we can let the whole of creation just be.
3-March-2004

We are beings with a will-ing-ness in the pull of the good.

John Bradshaw speaking about the will in a talk entitled "Return to Virtue: An Ancient Key to Developing Emotional Intelligence"
25-February-2004

Friends are everywhere,
friends care for you.
When you fall they help you.
Thats how I love my friends.

When you are in the park,
your friends ask you to play.
You run and skip and have fun.
Thats why they want to be with you.

But when I fall over,
crying and sad,
they come to you and say
"are you ok?"
Thats how I love my friends.

"How I love my friends", by Molly Higgs, at age 7.
24-February-2004 The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him. Ralph Waldo Emerson
23-February-2004

Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his Bliss and Light,
then everything shall be given unto thee.
Allah Hoo, Allah Hoo Aaah
Allah Hoo Aah, Allah, Allah Hoo Aah
Allah Hoo Aah, Allah, Allah Hoo Aah

And thou needn't seek without,
thy holy Self,
for the whole great kindgom of God,
is contained within thee.
Allah Hoo Aah, Allah, Allah Hoo Aah
Allah Hoo Aah, Allah, Allah Hoo Aah

"Seek first within" - modified from a classic hymn.
22-February-2004 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Jesus (maybe)
21-February-2004 Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional Buddhist saying (not sure of source)
20-February-2004

Up there is infinite, pure white light, down here there is not.
Up there is indescribable bliss, down here there is not.
Up there is no concept of separateness, down here there is.
Up there is no body, down here there is.
Up there is no creation, down here there is..
Up there is no up nor down, down here there is.
Why choose down?

Comparison between god beyond creation, in the unmanifested form and the creation.
17-February-2004 A Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step Lau Tzu. One of Barry Vissell's favorite quotes
24-August-2003 Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. Carl Jung
19-August-2003 Life is all about holding on and letting go. John Bradshaw
10-August-2003 Just then a stocky young man in a khaki bush jacket jostled through the crowd, and when he was directly in front ofGandhi, he fired three shots into the Mahatma at point blank range. The Mahatma's hands folded in friendly greeting, descended slowly. 'He Ram (Oh Rama).' he murmered, and sighed softly as the frail body slumped to the ground. The Assasination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
26-June-2003 If one follows, would one be wisest to follow:
  • a priest?
  • a scripture?
  • a master?
If one is a disciple, would one be wisest to build ones faith upon the solid rock of:
  • another disciple?
  • another disciple's own realization?
  • one's own realization?
Inspired by Matthew 16:15-20. Applicable to all religions.
18-June-2003 The part of you that's part of me,
will never die, will never leave.
Lyrics from a song by Sizpence None The Richer
12-June-2003 Find your authentic swing, Bhagavance
11-June-2003 What do you really want? Unconditional Love?
As ye give, so shall ye receive.
As ye receive, so shall ye give.
Free choice, risk, courage.
10-June-2003 Baptism is just an outward ceremony which symbolizes a profound and changing inner spiritual event.

Most people need to be cleansed of sin inwardly many times, before they fully and continuously realize that they are the pristine Soul, made in the image of God. At which point, they are perfect, as their Father in heaven is perfect.

They will then drink forever more from the grail of ever existing, ever conscious, ever new Bliss.

9-June-2003 Put Love first and all the practical stuff will fall out. Put the practical stuff first and Love will not result.
8-June-2003 Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is within and that it is like a mustard seed.
Saint Teresa of Avila talked about watering her garden.
In joy!
7-June-2003 By immersion in Christ*
You'll be inwardly cleansed
Then you will love God** perfectly
In your "enemies" and "friends"
This poem came to me while writing an email to a friend today.
* Christ meaning Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Light, and so on.
** God meaning the only thing that really exists.
31-May-2003 My "beliefs" allow for your "beliefs" Inspired by and almost a quote of a friend of mine.
23-May-2003 The sum of the rates of energy transfer into a confluence point from all sources is always equal to the sum of the rates of energy transfer out of that confluence point to all drains (allowing for finite storage). That is, the net accumulation of energy at any confluence point is always finite and usually zero (unless that confluence point has some capacity for storage). This is due to the law of conservation of energy. Kirchoff's Current Law
22-May-2003 Where do we go? nobody knows.
Don't ever say you're on your way down.
God gave you style and gave you grace,
And put a smile upon your face.
Lyrics from "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" by Coldplay
21-May-2003 Religion is all bunk. Thomas A. Edison
20-May-2003 The rate of transfer of energy from one location to another is proportional to the difference in energy between the two locations and inversely proportional to the amount of obstruction to energy transfer between the two locations. Ohm's Law
17-May-2003 To all those who received Him (Christ Consciousness, which manifests in flesh as one of his Awakened Sons), to them he gave the power (in inverse proportion to their resistance) to become the sons of God.
16-May-2003 The Light of Christ (Consciousness) comes to wash away the worldly sins. Look up and watch for Him to come again, so that you may be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect.
12-May-2003 Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction. Albert Einstein
8-May-2003 By realization that one is not that which is fearful, fear ceases.
By realization that one is not that which suffers, suffering ceases.
By realization that one is not that which hates, hatred ceases.
By realization that one is not that which is jealous, jealousy ceases.
By realization that one is not that which breathes, breathing ceases.
By realization that one is not that which pulses, pulsing ceases.

"Verily, I protest by our rejoicing which I have in Christ, I die daily."

Corinthians 15:31. "our rejoicing" is the correct translation; not, as usually given, "your rejoicing." St. Paul was referring to the omnipresence of the Christ Consciousness.

Reference to Corithians and comment on translation from "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramhansa Yogananda, published by Crystal Clarity Publishers.
2-May-2003 Happiness is making a bouquet of those flowers within reach. Goddard
1-May-2003 Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mohandas Gandhi
29-Apr-2003 If you hold onto the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you. From "Going Somewhere Soon" by Brian Andreas
25-Apr-2003 Choose a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life. Confucius
24-Apr-2003 What you are looking for is who is looking. Saint Francis
23-Apr-2003 To empty one's mind of all thought and refill the void with a spirit greater than oneself is to extend the mind into a realm not accessible by conventional processes of reason. Edward Hill, The Language of Drawing, 1966
19-Apr-2003 So you've got a job and some money, and you've got your family and friends and you can learn more stuff and acquire more and do more thrilling things. Then you'll get old and your body will start to fail and your friends and family will pass on and eventually you will too.

so, what is the point? Very good, now you're asking the really big questions.

the Father of all fathers
the Mother of all mothers
the Friend of all friends
the Lover of all lovers
the Son of all sons
the Daughter of all daughters
the Taste of all tastes
the Smell of all smells
the Touch of all touches
the Love of all loves
the Thrill of all thrills
the Joy of all joys
the Power of all powers
the Acquisition of all Acquistions
the Light of all lights
the Truth of all truths
the Acceptance of all acceptances
the Honor of all honors
the Success of all successes
the Sound (Aum, Amen, Amin) of all sounds
the Contentment of all contentments
the Satisfaction of all satisfactions
the Beauty of all beauties
the Being of all beings
the Body of all bodies
the Thought of all thoughts
the Awareness of all awarenesses
the Perfection of all perfections
the Objective of all objectives
the Point of all points

... is within you.

Inspired by my Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda.
18-Apr-2003 "The master approached me comfortingly. 'Here, touch my flesh,' he said. 'I am living, as always. Do not lament; am I not with you forever?'"

From the lips of these three great disciples, a story of wondrous truth has emerged: At the morning hour of ten, on the day after the body of Lahiri Mahasaya had been consigned to the flames, the resurrected master, in a real but transfigured body, appeared before three disciples, each one in a different city.

"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"*
I Corinthians 15:54-55

From "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramhansa Yogananda. First Edition, published by Crystal Clarity Publishers. Chapter 36: Babaji's Interest in the West, page 333.
17-Apr-2003 The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself. Saint Peter of Alcantara.
16-Apr-2003 Plan like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow. What it says on the back of my money clip.
14-Apr-2003 Be more concerned with understanding others than with being understood by them, and you'll find you always have their support. From "Do It Now!" by J. Donald Walters. Published by Crystal Clarity Publishers. Page 48 (April 12).
10-Apr-2003 Indeed, it may well be said that until a person can express a thought clearly and simply, he hasn't yet fully understood it himself. Swami Kriyananda, Art as a Hidden Message: A Guide to Self-Realization, Chapter Two: The Need for the Arts, page 38, published by Crystal Clarity Publishers.
9-Apr-2003 Tie yourself to the mast my friend
and the storm will end.
From "One Day" by The Verve.
8-Apr-2003 There is fire inside the tree,
flames on knowing kissing me.
From "Moving On" by Sixpence None The Richer.
7-Apr-2003 "There ain't no real truth, there ain't no real light"
Keep on pushin' 'cause I know it's there.
From "Space and Time" by The Verve
26-Mar-2003 So I found hypnosis to be a very interesting experience. All the time you're saying to yourself, "I could do that, but I won't" - which is just another way of saying that you can't. Richard Feynman, "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman", page 68, Chapter: Meeeeeeeeee! Published by W. W. Norton & Company
26-Mar-2003 To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour
William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
22-Mar-2003 Why not spend some time surfing the innernet.
21-Mar-2003 "Lahiri Mahasaya was the greatest yogi I ever knew. He was Divinity Itself in the form of flesh."

If a disciple, I reflected, could materialize an extra fleshy form at will, what miracles indeed could be barred to his master?

"I will tell you how priceless is a guru's help. I used to meditate with another disciple for eight hours every night. We had to work at the railroad office during the day. Finding difficulty in carrying on my clerical duties, I desired to devote my whole time to God. For eight years I persevered, meditating half the night. I had wonderful results; tremendous spiritual perceptions illuminated my mind. But a little veil always remained between me and the Infinite. Even with super-human earnestness, I found the final irrevocable union to be denied me. One evening, I paid a visit to Lahiri Mahasaya and pleaded for his divine intercession. My importunities continued during the entire night.

"'Angelic Guru, my spiritual anguish is such that I can no longer bear my life without meeting the Great Beloved face to face!'

"'What can I do? You must meditate more profoundly.'

"'I am appealing to Thee, O God my Master! I see Thee materialized before me in a physical body; bless me that I may perceive Thee in Thine infinite form!'

"Lahiri Mahasaya extended his hand in a benign gesture. 'You may go now and meditate. I have interceded for you with Brahma.'

"Immeasurably uplifted, I returned home. In meditation that night, the burning Goal of my life was achieved. Now I ceaselessly enjoy the spiritual pension. Never from that day has the Blissful Creator remained hidden from my eyes behind any screen of delusion."

Pranabananda's face was suffused with divine light. The peace of another world entered my heart; all fear had fled.

Swami Pranabananda speaking of Lahiri Mahasaya. From Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda. First Edition pushlished by Crystal Clarity Publishers. Page 27, Chapter 3: The Saint with Two Bodies.
20-Mar-2003 Whether or not one believes in himself as a soul, he is bound by the cosmic law to develop, consciously or unconsciously, his deeper nature. Whatever a person's occupation in life, his consciousness is evolving whenver he is planning something or otherwise using his intelligence creatively. Man evolves through every constructive action he performs.

The trouble with most people is that when they are performing an action, they are thinking about something else. They don't know how to concentrate on what they are doing, when they are doing it. You should learn to think of one thing at a time with all the power of your mind. Your whole attention should be there. Don't drag along. Doing things in a lackadaisical way leads to failure and misery.

From Man's Eternal Quest, Paramhansa Yogananda, published by Self-Realization Fellowship
18-Mar-2003 The Lord once told me that no petition made in his name would fail to be heard. Saint Teresa of Avila speaking of Saint Peter of Alcantara. From "The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila, by Herself", published by Penguin Classics.
17-Mar-2003 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God* is within you.
or Brahma, Heavenly Father, Yahweh, Allah, Ra, Zeus or any other name for the unnamable
Luke 17:21
16-Mar-2003 If you want to reach the shelf of peace, you need to stop jumping and stand on the stool of humility.
15-Mar-2003 Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
Frank Sinatra, Fly Me To The Moon
14-Mar-2003 No time for sad lament
A wasted life is bitter spent
So rise into the light
In or out of time
The Verve, This Time
13-Mar-2003 A place for everything, everything in its place. Benjamin Franklin
10-Mar-2003 Our One Father, we are travelling by many true paths unto Thy one abode of Light. Show us the one highway of common realization, where all bypaths of theological beliefs meet. Make us feel that the diverse religions are branches of Thy one tree of truth. Bless us, that we may enjoy the intuition-tested, ripe, luscious fruits of self-knowledge, hanging from all the branches of manifold scriptural teachings. In Thy one temple of silence, we are singing unto Thee a chorus of many-voiced religions. Teach us to chant in harmony our love's many expressions unto Thee, that our melody of souls may rouse Thee to break Thy vows of silence and lift us upon Thy lap of universal understanding and immortality. From Whispers from Eternity - A Book of Answered Prayers, Paramhansa Yogananda, fifth revised edition, 1949, published by Self-Realization Fellowship. p. 59.
6-Mar-2003 Don't your scriptures say that you are gods? John 10:34 edited
5-Mar-2003 Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste. Benjamin Franklin
3-Mar-2003 A loving heart is the truest wisdom. Charles Dickens
28-Feb-2003 Co-operate with the inevitable. From How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie, published by Pocket Books.
26-Feb-2003 (b) I do not feel obliged to believe the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. Galileo Galilei. Provided by Wayne, a colleague at work.
26-Feb-2003 (a) One of the reasons that children do not respect their parents is that their parents are not respectable. Strangers don't know what you are like at home. A child can be like a mirror, showing you what you are really like. Children provide an opportunity for development. An extrapolation from something that Swami Kriyananda mentioned in a talk.
25-Feb-2003 Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. Mahatma Gandhi
21-Feb-2003 It has been my observation that people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln
20-Feb-2003 But focus ye primarily on realizing your Divinity and then as a consequence, all these other desires will be fulfilled, either outwardly or inwardly. An understanding of Matthew 6:33
19-Feb-2003 There is freedom within. There is freedom without. Crowded House, Don't Dream It's Over.
14-Feb-2003 If you follow your conscience, it will guide you to your Guru.
If you follow your Guru, (s)he will guide you to your Self.
13-Feb-2003 Don't say that later will be better, now you're stuck in a moment (and you can't get out of it). U2, Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of.
12-Feb-2003 It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop. Confucious.
11-Feb-2003 Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. Benjamin Franklin
10-Feb-2003 Searching for happiness in the world is like looking for a candle while sitting outside in the sun. Paraphrased (I can't find the page again) from something Paramhansa Yogananda said in The Essence of Self-Realization, Paramhansa Yogananda, published by Crystal Clarity Publishers.
7-Feb-2003 If you want a plant to grow, you mustn't keep digging it up to check it's roots. Pulling on it will also not help it to grow. It needs light and regular watering and feeding. You might also try singing to it once in a while. Inspired by St Teresa of Avila and Paramhansa Yogananda.
6-Feb-2003 Energy and persistence conquer all things. Benjamin Franklin
5-Feb-2003 The state of complete tranquility of the feeling (chitta), attained by yoga meditation, in which the self (ego) perceives itself as the Self (soul) and is content (fixed) in the Self;

The state in which the sense-transcendent immeasurable bliss becomes known to the awakened intuitive intelligence, and in which the yogi remains enthroned, never again to be removed;

The state that, once found, the yogi considers as the treasure beyond all treasures - anchored therein, he is immune to even the mightiest grief;

That state is known as yoga - the pain-free state. The practice of yoga is therefore to be observed resolutely and with a stout heart.

Jadava Christna to disciple Arjuna recorded by Vyasa in the Bhagavad Gita VI:20-23. Translation by Paramhansa Yogananada, "God Talks With Arjuna", published by Self-Realization Fellowship
4-Feb-2003 Calm acceptance of the present provides the firmest foothold with which to make hasty progress.
31-Jan-2003 Always respond to darkness with light. Inspired by Jesus Christ.
27-Jan-2003 Fear blocks Creativity.
Creativity re-unites problems with their solutions.
Let go of fear and feel the flow of Creativity.
Inspired by my Heavenly Father.
24-Jan-2003 Energy has intelligence. Use energy and the answers will come. Inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda.
23-Jan-2003 Be still, and know that I am (God). Psalms 46:10
22-Jan-2003 The only thing you have (for all eternity) is the current moment. But in this moment is everything. Inspired by the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda & Eckhart Tolle
21-Jan-2003 The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it. Ralph Waldo Emerson
17-Jan-2003
Four states
Click on the diagram for a larger version.
Inspired by part of a talk by Paramhansa Yogananda entitled "Be a Smile Millionaire". Published on audio cassette by Self-Realization Fellowship. Augmented with knowledge of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
16-Jan-2003 She travels outside of karma. U2, Grace.
15-Jan-2003 Greatness comes to those who develop a burning desire to achieve high goals. Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, Napoleon Hill & W. Clement Stone, published by Pocket Books, p. 17
13-Jan-2003 The essence of creativity is not the possession of some special talent, it is much more the ability to play. John Cleese
10-Jan-2003 There she goes
There she goes again
Racing through my brain
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains
Sixpence None The Richer, There She Goes.
09-Jan-2003 Pranayama (life force control) - Practice makes perfect Inspired by two lines from chant that Swami Sri Yukteswar liked; "Pranayama be thy religion. Pranayama will give thee salvation.", mentioned by Paramhansa Yogananda in The Essence of Self-Realization, published by Crystal Clarity Publishers.
08-Jan-2003 Without regular deposits of peace in your life account, you will run out of strength, calmness and happiness. You will finally become bankrupt - emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Paramhansa Yogananda. From Man's Eternal Quest, Paramhansa Yogananda, published by Self-Realization Fellowship. p, 314 (in the chapter entitled "The Ten Commandments: Eternal Rules of Happiness")
07-Jan-2003 It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it. Bananarama, It Ain't What You Do.
02-Jan-2003 You can't beat darkness out of a room with a stick. But even if the room has been in darkness for a thousand years, when you bring light into it, the darkness will leave instantly. Paraphrased from a saying of Paramhansa Yogananda.
31-Dec-2002 When you set a goal - aim higher. Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, Napoleon Hill & W. Clement Stone, published by Pocket Books, p. 189
30-Dec-2002 Be a student, not a teacher. Even if you find yourself in the role of teacher, remain a student still, sharing with your friends, simply, fresh insights and discoveries. Do It Now, J. Donald Walters, published by Crystal Clarity Publishing, p. 133
27-Dec-2002 Q: Why so much suffering?
A: What suffers?
When there is no "I", there is no suffering.
Inspired by conversation between Paramhansa Yogananda and Ramana Maharishi mentioned in God Alone: The Life and Letters of a Saint, Sri Gyanamata, published by Self-Realization Fellowship, p. 190
??-???-2002 Blessed are the pure in/of heart. Matthew 5:8
??-???-2002 Yoga chitta vritti nirodha.
Yoga* is the neutralization of the vortices of feeling (in the heart).
* Yoga refers to the goal (the blissful state of I-lessness) as well as the process (yoga meditation) for attaining that goal.
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:2 as translated and interpreted by Paramhansa Yogananda.
??-???-2002 Our natural state is complete immersion in ever existing, ever conscious, ever new bliss during every moment from now until eternity, independant of any external circumstances, favorable or unfavorable. Realizing or re-claiming this state of consciousness is the sole purpose of all things in existence, whether they are aware of it or not.

Humans have evolved sufficiently that they are aware that they are searching for bliss and can seek it wisely. The irony is that the rational mind, which is a stage on the path to the natural state, tends to think that it and its perceptions of the world are all there is.

The mind continually searches for outward circumstances which it thinks will result in coming closer to that bliss. But that bliss is never attainable through outward circumstances, perceived with the mind through the senses. Rational thought is just a stage on the path to the natural state.

Don't get stuck here too long.

Inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda through Swami Kriyananda.
??-???-2002 What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve - with PMA. Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, Napoleon Hill & W. Clement Stone, published by Pocket Books