Personal Development

The Sacred

April 15, 2016 by kalani

mindfulness, spirituality, kalanii das, evolve, health — Artwork by Cameron Grey

Not until a person dissolves can he or she know what union is. There is a descent into emptiness. A lie will not change to truth with just talking about it. - Rumi

Some people will tell you that there are places on this earth that are more sacred than others. These words may lead us to believe that there are also some people who are more special or sacred than others. These beliefs often lead to valuations based in personal preferences, experiences, and which can lead to feelings of low self-worth. “This place is not special.” “I am not special.” “I need to be more like the special people.”

The truth is, if the universe is indeed a sacred body, then every aspect and expression contained within it is also sacred. The spirit of creation does not play favorites and equally supports the whale as it does the minnow.

It’s true that some places on the earth are more highly valued by people, likely for their natural beauty, unusual features, or historical uses, but these values are all placed upon lands by people. While there’s nothing wrong with making a pilgrimage to a place that one believes holds some key to spiritual enlightenment, it’s also true that enlightenment can come at anytime, and in any place, on earth. What can be achieved in one place, can be achieved in all places.

Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of believing that you need to travel from home in order to fulfill your spiritual destiny. Each of us can make tremendous progress where we are right now. Your entire life is contained with in the present moment. There is no other time. Anything that you can do, you can do now.

Where does one place end and another begin? Naming a place does not separate it from the continuum that is the earth. You are not contained within your city, state or country.

You are not bound by the borders of man.

You do not exist on the earth.

You are the earth.

Everything in the universe is the universe.

You are also the universe – and the power of the universe runs through you.

Look back throughout the history of mankind and you will clearly see that anyone, from any place, and of any economic or social status, is capable of great wisdom, spiritual grounding, grace, and love. Don’t, for a second, believe that you have a deficit when it comes to achieving a deeply fulfilling life.

Some may tell you that you need to travel to an exotic location or that you must wear certain types of clothing, sing or chant certain songs, make specific utterances, and position your body in specific ways, all so that you may ascend the spiritual ladder.

Participating in ritual often helps us feel more grounded, like we belong to something greater than ourselves. We search endlessly for answers, keys, and hidden secrets to enlightenment. When will we realize that everything we need, every bit of information, is available to us in this moment-in this place. It is when we stop the fervent search for something outside of ourselves that we come to a place of true contentment.

You may be an elderly person or a child. You may be rich or poor. You may feel strong or weak. No matter what labels you or others placed upon you, no matter what circumstances surround you, and no matter what you believe about the world, know that where you are you are right now is as sacred a place as atop the highest mountain. Know that the keys to your spiritual life are held in no one’s hands but your own. Contentment is not granted to us by others. It is your birthright.

Let a child be your teacher. Experience the joys of life by observing nature. Trust and follow your intuition. Most people are too distracted with their own suffering to be your guide. If someone tries to convince you that this life is some form of torture, wish them well, then prove them otherwise.

Anger

April 7, 2016 by kalani

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

We don’t actually become angry from a state of non-anger. We allow circumstances to show how angry we are. Since none of us will ever be able to control what happens in our lives, or how other people will behave, the only way we can be certain to feel less anger in our lives is to have less anger in our hearts.

“At the moment you become angry, you tend to believe that another person has created your misery. You blame him or her for all your suffering. But by looking deeply, you may realize that the seed of anger in you is the main cause of your suffering. Many other people, confronted with the same situation, would not get angry like you. They hear the same words, they see the same situation, and yet they are able to stay calm and not be carried away. Why do you get angry so easily? You may get angry very easily because your seed of anger is too strong. And because you have not practiced the methods for taking good care of your anger, the seed of anger has been watered too often in the past.

All of us have a seed of anger in the depth of our consciousness. But in some of us that seed of anger is bigger than our other seeds– Like love or compassion. The seed of anger may be bigger because we have not practiced in the past. When we begin to cultivate the energy of mindfulness, a First insight we have is that the main cause of our suffering, of our misery, is not the other person – it is the seed of anger in us. Then we will stop blaming the other person for causing all our suffering. We realize she or he is only a secondary cause.”

– THICK NHAT HANH, from the book, ANGER - Wisdom for cooling the flames

Too often, when words or actions spark and up swelling of anger, we are quick to look outside of ourselves for the cause. We may blame a life situation, such as a flat tire, an injury caused by an accident, or an unmet expectation for our own performance, such as not earning as much as we had hoped or not having a certain number of friends. But more often than not, we turn our attention towards those around us and lay the blame for our anger on others, even those we hold close.

Without realizing it, we jump to the conclusion that other people, often through very ordinary acts, can control our emotions, as if we were puppets dangling from strings attached to their evil fingers.

What most people fail to recognize, is that their anger rests inside, like a reservoir waiting to be tapped. Those who have a great deal of anger will find that it is expressed more easily and more often then those who have cared for and released their anger through conscious practice.

The more anger you have, the more anger you show.

How can someone who shows up late cause another person to become angry? Anger in this case is the product of an unmet expectation, “They should be here by now.” and egocentric judgment. “They don’t respect me enough to show up on-time.” You don’t get angry because someone is not where you are; you simply use that situation as a reason to express the anger you already have. The situation is the trigger that fires the gun. But what if the gun could be emptied?

Trying to reduce your anger by managing what happens in your life is an attempt to control the uncontrollable. Turning yourself into a victim by blaming other people, or life circumstances, for your anger, will likely only add to the reservoir of pain you keep on hand.

The first step in reducing the amount of anger you feel when things don’t go the way you want them to, is to admit that you have anger–and that it is yours to care for.

One way to get to know your own anger is to observe your self talk and listen to the types of stories that you tell yourself–and other people. Listen to your complaints and grievances then trace your words back to the feelings. These feelings are yours and no one else’s. Find the feeling. Let it express. Let it be OK.

Get to know your own anger. Then, do not try to push it away, shove it down, or stomp it out like a fire. Instead, hold it close to your heart and do your best to listen to what it has to say. Treat it like you would an injured friend, with compassion and love. You may find that this practice will diminish the feelings of anger you carry with you.

Over time, when you are experiencing an undesirable situation or an unmet expectation, whether it involves another person or not, you may find that you do not become as angry as you used to. The reason being, there is not as much anger within you as there was previously. There is no bullet in the gun.

Many people who rarely get angry are not in denial or are unaware of their circumstances, they simply do not have the inner anger to let out. Anger plays a smaller role in the way they express themselves.

Your practice includes discovering where you hold your own anger, identifying past traumas, and doing the necessary work to heal those traumas through acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, and love–for yourself and others.

This is something you can do starting right now, no matter where you are–no matter your life situation. Nothing outside of yourself, no person, no situation, can prevent you from doing this work. You may begin making progress right now.

Artwork by Cameron Grey, used with permission
This podcast includes music by Azam Ali, Greg Ellis, and Lynne Redmond, used with permission.

Judge Not

January 31, 2016 by kalani

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

All this talk of purity and impurity –
These are just opinions. Beyond them are the astonishing energies of creation.
Rays of light from a trillion suns you illumine the alter of your sky.
Rolling blue-green oceans sanctify the air you breathe.
In this moment, you are inhaling their blessing.
Who are you to call any of this pure or impure?
Find the center around which everything revolves– stand here and be flooded with joy.
- The Radiance Sutras

Are we separate, or are we part of the great oneness of the universe?

We stand at the alter of the night sky, Often feeling small, insignificant, and separate from all that is. But isn’t the opposite the truth? Are we not also part of, and connected it to that which the Greeks called the Universe? - the One Song.

Is the flowering plant separate from the ground in which it grows? Uproot any plant and you will have the answer. The seed provides the idea and the earth takes on a new form. What we see, label, and categorize as separate, are in reality, part of the same. The seed asks the earth to express itself as the flower. Everything that grows up from the earth IS the earth in a unique expression of celebration.

“I am not a tree!” You say. “I don’t have roots stuck into the earth. I’m an individual. I’m not dependent on the earth like a flower.” When we believe that we are something separate from the source of our being, we turn towards a path of suffering, of feelings of separateness, of insignificance, and powerlessness.

When we admit to ourselves that we are, in fact, part of the Universe, part of the Earth, and nurtured by the same creative Spirit that sways the oceans and illuminates the night sky, then we turn ourselves towards the path of limitless love, feelings of strength, and connectedness.

Rumi once wrote:

“These forms we seem to be are cups floating in an ocean of living consciousness. They fill in sink without leaving an ark of bubbles or a goodbye spray. What we are, is the ocean, too near to see, though we swim in it and drink it in. Don’t be a cup with the dry rim, or someone who rides all night and never knows the horse beneath his thighs, the surging that carries him along.”

Have you ever paused to observe the divine power of creation that flows with in your own body?

What a miracle it is, the Gift of Life–to be animated, expressive, a self-aware expression of the Earth!

Take time to sit and be still enough to experience the sensation of being. Feel the hum of universal energy inside your body. This energy came from a star, traveling millions of miles, nourishing plants and all the creatures of the oceans and the land. You are blessed with life!

Spend time each day in appreciation and gratitude for this life experience. This is your time. Know that you are a unique expression of the earth, nurtured by the same force that drives a tree to grow and flowers to bloom.

Let go–and allow the One Song to be witnessed through the earthly expression you call your life. Your heart is the heart of the universe.

Jesus said, “Judge not, least ye be judged.” The ego judges while the heart loves. The mind tries to solve puzzles, while the soul dances freely. The body experiences sensations. It is up to you, the Observer, to create your life from the inside out. You are everything you need.

Your practice for today and beyond: See yourself and others as unique expressions of the earth, different notes in the same melody of the One Song.

The Crossroads

August 14, 2013 by kalani

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Splash16 Kalani Das explores spirituality, wellness, mindfulness, and the Thoughtfulness Practice in this audio series. In this introduction to the series,"The Crossroads," Kalani talks about the current need for a new perspective on how we use our minds, aimed at improving the lives of individuals, communities, and the world as a whole.

This podcast features music by Azam Ali & Greg Ellis