I am listening

[indigo]

Common Pitfalls in the Beginning
--Author Unknown




The beginning of any activity usually presents the greatest hurdles and so is true of meditation. Questions/comments like "Why am I doing this?", "This is pointless", "I don't need meditation" often plague the mind. But it is very necessary to understand these in the correct way. When one is in a constant habit of satisfying their cravings, one becomes a slave of the mind, running after its every whim. If we tell ourselves to focus on the breath, our mind continues to jump from one place to another and we find it hard to accept the change. Suddenly, we get a craving to adjust things to the original habit pattern of being a slave to the mind and we even try to rationalize our way out. Our minds can be very tricky and provide us with many reasons and excuses just to satisfy our desires, but if one aims to take the reins of one's own mind, he/she will pursue an undisturbed peace; a peace that fosters an unparalleled unity with the rest of the world.

Unknown

[Kymberly]

Great stuff, Annie. Thank you! This is the kick in the butt I needed today. I have let my exercising take the back burner. In the beginning, I was going every day, watching my diet and I was losing weight and feeling better. Now that spring is here, it has become much more important to work in my yard. My actions are like a pendulum at times and I forget to make that balance. :EMODISDisappointed0

[CDawg]

Very Nice.....

[indigo]

Pierrette Gagnon Beaulieu

La Renaissance du Printemps

Plus je vieillis, plus l'arrivée du printemps m'émerveille.
Plus je vieillis, plus je découvre des choses que je ne remarquais jamais avant.
Plus je vieillis, plus je m'aperçois qu'il y a plus de printemps derrière moi, que devant moi.
Plus je vieillis, plus je prend le temps de savourer chaque seconde, chaque minute qui passent.
Plus je vieillis, plus je trouve que la saison de la Renaissance m'apporte de épanouissement et de la réjouissance.
Plus je vieillis, plus je prends soin de mes plantes et de mes fleurs. Et combien j'aime leur parler.
Plus je vieillis, plus j'écoute le chant des oiseaux, qui ont tous une façon particulière de chanter.
Plus je vieillis, plus j'espère revoir plusieurs autres printemps.
Plus je vieillis, plus je constate que je ne pensais pas comme ça étant plus jeune!
Plus je vieillis, plus je remercie le Divin de me faire revoir encore une fois de plus

Rebirth of Spring

The more I age, the more the arrival of spring fills with wonder me.
The more I age, the more I discover things which I never noticed front.
The more I age, the more I realize that more spring ago behind me, that in front of me.
The more I age, the more I takes the time to enjoy each second, each minute which passes.
The more I age, the more I find that the season of the Rebirth brings blooming and rejoicing to me.
The more I age, the more I take care of my plants and my flowers. And how much I like to speak to them.
The more I age, the more I listen to the song of the birds, which have a whole a particular way to sing.
The more I age, the more I hope to re-examine several other springs.
The more I age, the more I note that I did not think like that being younger!
The more I age, the more I thank the Divine one for being made re-examine once again moreover

[CDawg]

I'm really glad that you posted the translation, as my French is tres mal these days.....

:)

Peace,

C

[Chy]

Thank you for these Annie!

[indigo]

The second line translated ought to have read as: the things which I never noticed 'before' not 'front' lol

[TamTam]

Thanks, Annie- so true.............

[indigo]

Spring comes with its flowers, autumn with the moon,
summer with breezes, winter with snow;
when useless things don't stick in the mind,
that is your best season.

(The Light Inside the Dark )

[indigo]

All cravings are the mind seeking salvation or fulfillment in external things and in the future as a substitute for the joy of Being. As long as I am my mind, I am those cravings, those needs, wants, attachments, and aversions, and apart from them there is no "I" except as a mere possibility, an unfulfilled potential, a seed that has not yet sprouted.
Eckhart Tolle - Happiness - Thinking - Spiritual

[Kymberly]

Thanks, Annie!

[indigo]

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.
Maya Angelou

[indigo]

Hope, deceitful as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route.
-- Francois de La Rochefoucauld.

[indigo]

Fear arises through identification with form, whether it be a material possession, a physical body, a social role, a self-image, a thought, or an emotion. It arises through unawareness of the formless inner dimension of consciousness or spirit, which is the essence of who you are. You are trapped in object consciousness, unaware of the dimension of inner space which alone is true freedom.
Eckhart Tolle - Truth - Spiritual - Thinking - Fear - Assets - Emotion - Ego - Freedom

[indigo]

Only Passing Through
--Jack Kornfield






Letting go and moving through life from one change to another brings the maturing of our spiritual being. In the end we discover that to love and let go can be the same thing. Both ways do not seek to possess. Both allow us to tough each moment of this changing life and allow us to be there fully for whatever arises next.

There is an old story of a famous rabbi living in Europe who was visited one day by a man who had traveled by ship from New York to see him. The man came to the great rabbi's dwelling, a large house on a street in a European city, and was directed to the rabbi's room, which was in the attic. He entered to find the master living in a room with a bed, a chair, and a few books. The man had expected much more. After greetings, he asked, "Rabbi, where are your things?" The rabbi asked in return, "Well, where are yours?" His visitor replied, "But, Rabbi, I'm only passing through," and the master answered, "So am I, So am I."

To love fully and live well requires us to recognize that we do not possess or own anything -- our homes, our cars, our loved ones, not even our own body. Spiritual joy and wisdom do not come through possession but rather through our capacity to open, to love more fully, and to move and be free in life.

This is not a lesson to be put off. One great teacher explained it this way: "The trouble with you is that you think you have time." We don't know how much time we have. What would it be like to live with the knowledge that this may be our last year, our last week, our last day? In light of this question, we can choose a path with heart.

--Jack Kornfield, in Path With Heart

[indigo]

Man's destiny was to conquer and rule the world, and this is what he's done.. almost. He hasn't quite made it, and it looks as though this may be his undoing. The problem is that man's conquest of the world has itself devastated the world. And in spite of all the mastery we've attained, we don't have enough mastery to stop devastating the world.. or to repair the devastation we've already wrought.
Daniel Quinn

[indigo]

Maureen Hawkins:
Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of life.