tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385039419949355272024-02-20T01:12:21.405-08:00Where the Rivers MeetThe spiritual musings of Trevor HallRampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-30797247090533385682013-03-30T00:30:00.002-07:002013-03-30T00:30:45.406-07:00The Song of Spotless Water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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From Moon to Moon</div>
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Rampriya sang the Song of Spotless Water</div>
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Within the heart the Lord of Snow beholds the Blissful Swan</div>
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A demon's mouth</div>
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It filled with arrows</div>
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I heard it from the crow</div>
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That mountain where no poison enters</div>
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He sits with banyan tree</div>
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Rivers Three</div>
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They form the Throne</div>
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The waves His wealth and riches</div>
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Rampriya says</div>
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Sing the Name and you may see </div>
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That God who came as Man</div>
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Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-85789898205901232422013-03-30T00:18:00.001-07:002013-03-30T00:18:43.954-07:00The Name Alone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mqTmsad6VzcH-LjGeFkwRXeUQR3Ve5Jr5uOi8C_GPkjBPMcjSGk7OmdasmdIQXzpbtxyh8USIvR0KDqBba5g9GI6jh4ANieNx39nZVqZ3hU3D_aXar5vIE8hEYyCy64SdDxxXIvXb5Q/s1600/IMG_2740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mqTmsad6VzcH-LjGeFkwRXeUQR3Ve5Jr5uOi8C_GPkjBPMcjSGk7OmdasmdIQXzpbtxyh8USIvR0KDqBba5g9GI6jh4ANieNx39nZVqZ3hU3D_aXar5vIE8hEYyCy64SdDxxXIvXb5Q/s320/IMG_2740.JPG" width="240" /></a>How can I turn my gaze?<br />
Rampriya has gone too far<br />
The chords of the heart he has tied<br />
To that Ever Blissful One<br />
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Give up this useless counting<br />
Of planets and of stars<br />
For him that one is Mother<br />
The Name Alone<br />
His Constant Friend</div>
Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-7283300368176319162013-03-30T00:13:00.000-07:002013-03-30T00:13:02.665-07:00Kings and Beggars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This morning, on the river, I watched houses burning</div>
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And the smoke kissed the mountains</div>
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And drew pictures in the sky</div>
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Two friends met upon the winds</div>
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One laughing and one in tears</div>
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Trying to break the silence</div>
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I wonder if He heard</div>
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Am I mad to love this city?</div>
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Where ashes fall on flowers</div>
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Where Gods come roam like deer</div>
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Rampriya says</div>
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Seek this place before you die</div>
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Where Kings and Beggars now are same</div>
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Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-4714394608019126822012-09-20T15:08:00.000-07:002012-09-20T15:08:35.686-07:00All is His <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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He Who has given you what you possess in this world — wealth, distinction, youth - appeal to Him for his own sake. You cannot? Why? You will have to! Verily, man can do all things. Who can say what He will give to whom and through what? Everything is His, entirely His. What did you bring with you at birth? Were you not empty-handed? And all you have acquired — is it yours, really? All is His and whatever happens is His Will. Endeavour to maintain this attitude. Saying: ‘It is mine’ you grasp at everything— this is the way to court sorrow. Call out to Him because all is His. To yearn thus for Him is real prayer. All that the world can yield — what is its worth? Have you not discerned down the years the inevitable course of events? In His store-house, where there are riches, relations, the vigour of youth, there are also old age, death, disease and poverty. You will have to experience them all. In this world there is no room for undisturbed ease; don’t you see that there is distress at every step? Does it not dawn on you even now to whom you belong? This serious illness of yours, is anyone suffering it for you? Can anyone even share it? Why all these worries?</div>
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All is His; all is He <b>; </b>to leave everything to Him must be your sole endeavour. Invoke His Name, meditate on Him; ever abide in the remembrance of Him. Not praying for anything that is of this world, strive to abandon yourself without reserve to Him. In Him no want of any kind exists, no pain, no agony — in Him is all attainment, the summit of fulfillment, rest, repose, tranquility...</div>
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<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 15.866666793823242px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It is characteristic of human life that it cannot continuously be either full of happiness or full of misery. Just as your good luck has not been lasting, do you imagine this evil fortune will never end? For the present try to gird yourself with patience and fortitude and wend your way with complete trust in God. It is the Will of the Almighty that prevails. Be intent under all circumstances to keep the thought of Him as your constant companion.</span></div>
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Sri Anandaymayi Ma</div>
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Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-534781121794580302012-08-01T14:23:00.000-07:002012-08-01T14:23:53.723-07:00Sri Rama's Birth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The gracious Lord, who is compassionate to the lowly and the benefactor of Kausalya, appeared. The thought of His marvellous form, which stole the heart of sages, filled the mother with joy. His body was dark as a cloud, the delight of all eyes; in His four arms He bore His characteristic emblems (a conch-shell, a discus, a club, and a lotus). Adorned with jewels and a garland of sylvan flowers and endowed with large eyes, the Slayer of the demon Khara was an ocean of beauty. Joining both her palms the mother said, "O infinite Lord, how can I praise You! The Vedas as well as the Puranas declare you as transcending Maya, beyond attributes, above knowledge and beyond all measure. He who is sung by the Vedas and holy men as an ocean of mercy and bliss and the repository of all virtues, the same Lord of Lakshmi, the lover of His devotees, has revealed Himself for my good. The Vedas proclaim that every pore of Your body contains multitudes of universes brought forth by Maya. That such a Lord stayed in my womb - this amusing story staggers the mind of even men of wisdom." When the revelation came upon the mother, the Lord smiled; He would perform many a sportive act. Therefore He exhorted her by telling her the charming account of her previous birth so that she might love Him as her own child. The mother's mind was changed; she spoke again, "Give up this superhuman form and indulge in childish sports, which are so dear to a mother's heart; the joy that comes from such sports is unequalled in every way." Hearing these words the all-wise Lord of immortals became an infant and began to cry. Those who sing this lay, says Tulsidasa, attain to the abode of Sri Hari and never fall into the well of mundane existence. <div>
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-Sri Ramacaritamanasa : Balakanda 191 Verses 1-4</div>
</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-54129915355842291062012-07-21T15:17:00.002-07:002012-07-21T15:17:35.433-07:00The Churning Sea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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To rise in the morning<br />
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And greet a gift that will never turn to stone</div>
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In the midst of a churning sea</div>
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We call to a home</div>
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The words that are spoken turn to ash</div>
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And it is with this ash that Rampriya anoints his heart and mind</div>
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Soothing the pains of separation</div>
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Like Himalayan snow on fire</div>
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Mother knows all things</div>
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The field, flower, and seed<br />
The thought, word, and deed<br />
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We've already been there before<br />
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Rampriya Says<br />
There is nothing more to say </div>
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</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-88766439237141168892012-07-16T20:39:00.000-07:002012-07-16T20:40:25.651-07:00New Orleans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There is an echo of colors<br />
That weaves through the streets of horns and drums<br />
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Sits on her tongue like a mantra<br />
Steadily repeating<br />
<br />
Remain still and you can hear it<br />
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Carriage wheels and hurricanes<br />
Cafes and shops with cool french names<br />
<br />
Listen as fortune tellers gather round the square<br />
Spilling destiny upon the passer by<br />
Tarot cards giving glimpses of the sky<br />
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Only she knows what passes on her streets<br />
The rest remains hidden like a song<br />
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From block to block<br />
You can travel through the seasons<br />
See the world in 300 yards<br />
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Strangers like long lost friends sayin',<br />
"Hey brethren, where you been? Why you stray so far?"<br />
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Wisdom speaks through a drunken man...<br />
"Close your eyes and that's the end.<br />
All we got is this.<br />
Hey wish man<br />
What's your wish?"<br />
<br />
At 10 at night<br />
It's about 88 degrees<br />
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As I wipe my brow and thank God for New Orleans</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-7475949279472685962012-05-19T02:56:00.000-07:002012-05-19T02:56:13.924-07:00Come Near the Water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Lake was unknown to him</div>
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But in the heart of hearts</div>
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It is known to all</div>
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The story of bows and arrows</div>
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And forests of Great Legend</div>
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Now he can't keep away</div>
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Now he prays to drown</div>
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While his dreams are filled with golden horses</div>
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Of sacred words and unheard songs</div>
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<br /></div>
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Sri Ramachandra's glories are inexhaustible</div>
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Rampriya says</div>
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Come near the water</div>
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<br /></div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-18408027811985597892012-05-19T00:27:00.000-07:002012-05-19T00:29:38.942-07:00The Glories of Prayag<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At dawn the Lord of Raghus performed His morning duties and then the Lord proceeded further and visited Prayaga, the king of holy places. This king has Truth for his minister, Piety for his beloved consort and a beneficent friend like Bindumadhava (the Deity presiding over Prayaga). His treasury is replete with the four prizes of human life, while the sacred region surrounding the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna marks his most beautiful dominion. The holy Prayaga represents his inaccessible, strong and lovely fortress that no enemy has ever dreamt of possessing. All the sacred spots are his chosen and valiant warriors, who are staunch in battle and capable of crushing the host of sins. The confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna constitutes his exquisite throne, while the immortal banyan tree (known by the name of Aksayavata) represents his royal umbrella, which captivates the heart even of sages. The waves of the Ganga and Yamuna constitute his chowries, whose very sight destroys sorrow and want.<br />
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Virtuous and holy saints wait upon this king and attain all that they desire; while the Vedas and Puranas are the rhapsodists who recount his stainless virtues.<br />
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Who can describe the glory of Prayaga, a lion as it were for the herd of elephants in the shape of sins? The Chief of Raghu's race, who is an ocean of bliss, was filled with delight to see this glorious king of holy places. With His own gracious lips He told Sita, Laksmana and His friend (Guha) the greatness of Prayaga. Making obeisance to this holy place He cast a look round the groves and gardens and expatiated on its glory with the utmost devotion. In this way He arrived at and saw the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, the very thought of which bestows choice blessings. After bathing in the confluence He gladly adored Lord Shiva and worshipped the deities presiding over the holy Prayaga according to the prescribed ritual. The Lord then called on Bharadvaja; and the sage clasped Him to his bosom as He fell prostrate before Him. The joy that the sage felt within his heart cannot be described in words; it looked as if he had found the bliss of oneness with Brahma incarnate.<br />
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The chief of sages, Bharadvaja, invoked his blessing on the Lord. He felt great joy in his heart to perceive that God had as it were set before him in visible form the reward of all his virtues.<br />
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-Sri Ramacaritamanasa, Ayodhya Kanda 104-106</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-29843564550443015052012-05-06T21:06:00.000-07:002012-05-06T21:07:13.499-07:00The Storm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZxHSP2rrNtqw5GukZfVVGYpHwT91Bxt6Uk_MMFuIKkslg_NC3KvzHYCj1DRVrGBVjk3VBVssTZThpuigihPLRB18thgvnUmIOwdjkGMAs8F1Ovn1HQdw1dSHcJCVp2sEjtCjL9U_9mg/s1600/383162_242998415772351_100001865844783_609668_9337106_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZxHSP2rrNtqw5GukZfVVGYpHwT91Bxt6Uk_MMFuIKkslg_NC3KvzHYCj1DRVrGBVjk3VBVssTZThpuigihPLRB18thgvnUmIOwdjkGMAs8F1Ovn1HQdw1dSHcJCVp2sEjtCjL9U_9mg/s200/383162_242998415772351_100001865844783_609668_9337106_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>Early in the morning</div>
I rise and greet the storm<br />
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Roads we thought that we would travel<br />
are now too hard to pass<br />
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The Dance of Mother guides our destiny<br />
in thunder and in sun<br />
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A stranger becomes your closest friend<br />
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Rampriya says<br />
Be still and watch the rain</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-87525167834893298512012-05-01T12:01:00.000-07:002012-05-01T12:02:18.142-07:00Remember This at All Times : Words of Sri Anandamayi Ma<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>In honor of Sri Ma's Birthday ...</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">If anything is to be had </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">— </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">whatsoever, in whatever way </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">— </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">it must be had of Him alone. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">Man’s bounden duty as a human being is to seek refuge at His Feet. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">Days glide on; already you have let so many go by; anchored in patience endeavour to pass the few remaining.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">Every moment belongs to God; Endeavour to keep your mind dedicated to His Feet. God, the Ocean -of Mercy, who ever blesses the world, pours out His grace at all times. It is incumbent on man to consider everything that happens to be for the best: ‘For the best’ denoting what is most helpful towards the realization of the Divine, the realization of the fullness of Bliss.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The ceaseless, never-ending current of divine Mercy and Compassion ever flows forth; in that current one should bathe.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">Let His Name be ever with you; imperceptibly, relentlessly time is creeping away. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">At all times, endeavour to sustain the contemplation of God and the flow of His Name. By virtue of his Name all disease becomes ease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is desire that causes sorrow; but the will to realize God is itself felicity. Be certain that He will cleanse and comfort you and take you into His arms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sorrow comes in order to lead you to happiness. At all times hold him in remembrance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The sense of want arises spontaneously </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">—</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">it is the Divine that awakens it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> To lose all is to gain all. He is merciful and compassionate. Whatever He does at any moment is all-beneficent, though certainly painful at times. When He manifests Himself as all-loss, there is hope that He </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">may</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> also manifest Himself as all-gain. To pine for the One Who helps towards the light of Truth is salutary, for it kindles the awareness of Truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Verily, He is everywhere at all times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The endeavour to awaken to his real nature is man’s duty as a human being.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Abide by your duty. To live in the home that he has created for himself is surely fitting for a householder. Do not, however, neglect the search for your real Home. Only when this is found has one truly come home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">To remain calm<b> </b>and at peace under all circumstances is man’s duty. To form a bad opinion of a person just because one has heard some gossip about him is wrong. Hostility, condemnation, abusive language, ill-feeling and so forth, even if kept concealed within one’s mind, will and must fall back on oneself. Nobody should ever harm himself by harbouring such thoughts feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">No matter what work has to be done at any time, try to give your full attention to it and do it thoroughly. Under all circumstances rely upon God. Verily, He is all-pervading and therefore</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">can be found everywhere. With your whole being invoke the Lord of Life.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">Whether it pleases you or not you will have to make the Eternal your constant companion just like a remedy that has got to be taken. Without loving God you will not get anywhere. Remember this at all times.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-32256559719341465082012-04-15T00:27:00.000-07:002012-04-15T00:27:15.651-07:00How the Thunderbird Came to Be<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWouGVbq26-pWkfygmAzjeJRKANxC6aXyzdpEUtp4kIO3BunhmLYuaBNM-AYf7YKuB6kvrsa1iUE8f11jXX2KzL6L2lALd2QBLDmsi1epDfZ7YJMw_FNYJU7OP29I_UQEUhSgTWXa2Eg/s1600/keith_s_Thunderbird.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWouGVbq26-pWkfygmAzjeJRKANxC6aXyzdpEUtp4kIO3BunhmLYuaBNM-AYf7YKuB6kvrsa1iUE8f11jXX2KzL6L2lALd2QBLDmsi1epDfZ7YJMw_FNYJU7OP29I_UQEUhSgTWXa2Eg/s320/keith_s_Thunderbird.jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Once there was a big hawk, the biggest hawk that had ever lived on earth. This hawk was so big that his wings darkened two lodges when he flew over the village. Luckily for the people, this hawk was good and kindly toward all those who were around him.<br />
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Besides being big, this hawk was also very powerful. He could sing a special song and all of the hawks from all over the territory would come to counsel with him. He could sing another that would catch any rain clouds that were in the vicinity and bring them in toward him. It was even said that he had a song that would make mice and rabbits jump up into his talons when he circled low over the earth. He was a very powerful hawk.<br />
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This hawk was so powerful that the Thunder Beings one time decided to give him a special song that he could sing that would draw them to him. They told him that to sing that song correctly he first had to build a circular lodge large enough for himself and all of the other animals he wanted to invite to hear the song. They told him that he had to make a circular altar of a special kind and put particular things from the mineral, the plant and the animal kingdoms on it. They told him that he had to give thanks to the Great Spirit before he sang this song and that he had to feel gratitude to the Thunderers for sharing their power with him.<br />
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One summer he decided to sing this song, so he did as the Thunderers had told him. He invited some hawks, an eagle, two ravens, a vulture and an osprey to come into the lodge with him. They accepted, and when the song was done and the Thunderers had come, they all left the lodge knowing that they had been given special power form having heard the song.<br />
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Big Hawk had gathered remarkable powers to him, and now a touch of his wings could heal his friends from even the gravest wounds. All of the power that he had became too much for Big Hawk, and, instead of remembering to give thanks every morning to the Great Spirit, he began to get huffed up and to go around singing, "I am the most powerful hawk of them all. I am great Kaik Kaik Kaik."<br />
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The Great Spirit looked at the hawk and was patient, hoping that he would remember. But he did not. He just got more and more huffed up.<br />
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The next summer he decided that, once again, he would sing the song of the Thunder Beings so he could get even more power. He decided that he was so powerful he didn't have to bother building the lodge or making the preparations he had been told to make. He didn't even bother to give thanks to the Great Spirit or to the Thunderers. This time he invited all of the birds and animals who would come to witness his power.<br />
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He began to sing his song just sitting in his nest in the biggest tree around, and he preened himself and huffed himself up more as the Thunderers approached. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out from one of the clouds and burst into a ball of flame just as it touched the tip of Big Hawk's wing. Just as suddenly, the ball of flame and the hawk disappeared before any of the other animals were hurt. All those who had been there looked around, not believing their eyes.<br />
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Big Hawk found himself up in the sky talking with the Great Spirit.<br />
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"Big Hawk," said the Great Spirit, "you have become too arrogant. You forget to give your thanks. You forget the ceremonies that you have been given. You forget the real source of your power. Since you have insulted the Thunder Beings by misusing the gift that they gave to you, you will now become their servant. You will still be a big handsome bird, but you'll no longer be able to call the thunder. Now they will call you. Whenever the Thunderers go out to do their work, you will go with them. So you don't get too huffed up from people seeing you, you will always be hidden partly behind the clouds. You'll appear to some as a strange cloud formation. You'll appear to others as a fiery shape created by the lightning. Only those with very clear sight will see you as you are, as the bird of fire, the Thunderbird. Go now, and serve those you have hurt until you learn the pleasure that can come from serving and from remembering your place in the universe."<br />
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And so the Thunderbird came to the people.<br />
<br />
- Excerpt from The Medicine Wheel : Earth Astrology by Sun Bear and Wabun</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-23437555661337799102012-03-27T08:53:00.000-07:002012-03-27T08:53:30.666-07:00Chapter of the Forest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDqjXH6pGLn4XnJXPGzfKkGCJxELin7ai8Z5FR_0uSWJjPBi5Y7ADJNd6kQCS1wDVhSaW61HdpLXF2iE7ytO_uEvbmOZu3PIR9ZSiiJFOdKrC-YT1_TJydMZxM-EJg_hf6tSHGXRyOkU/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDqjXH6pGLn4XnJXPGzfKkGCJxELin7ai8Z5FR_0uSWJjPBi5Y7ADJNd6kQCS1wDVhSaW61HdpLXF2iE7ytO_uEvbmOZu3PIR9ZSiiJFOdKrC-YT1_TJydMZxM-EJg_hf6tSHGXRyOkU/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Listen Friend</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rampriya is in bliss</div><div style="text-align: center;">Wandering a sacred wood</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">How long has he been removed?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Only Mother knows</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Simple Lord perspires</div><div style="text-align: center;">It is there Rampriya bathes his cloth</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Narmada the Stainless</div><div style="text-align: center;">Narmada the Sacred</div><div style="text-align: center;">Narmada the Call of Home</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Put down what you are carrying</div><div style="text-align: center;">And behold Her Timeless Song</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">No more useless books</div><div style="text-align: center;">No more empty words</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rampriya learns from wind and rain</div></div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-90463215235575681142012-03-26T19:29:00.000-07:002012-03-26T19:29:36.108-07:00400 Clouds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsfa1zZX1iAy7agDH7NNGSFJorM2o_ARfoy4rn699ukVK6luxZZjwNkDO-IEskS5ssHTIijnR5qmwOiNXHaHwAm9canz1R4gEu7jOYGaPHJyBgsd4qmJDhNn-4xhG7_PZhUp0R7FNXbQ/s1600/6455254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsfa1zZX1iAy7agDH7NNGSFJorM2o_ARfoy4rn699ukVK6luxZZjwNkDO-IEskS5ssHTIijnR5qmwOiNXHaHwAm9canz1R4gEu7jOYGaPHJyBgsd4qmJDhNn-4xhG7_PZhUp0R7FNXbQ/s400/6455254.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rampriya has heard of the 3 cities</div><div style="text-align: center;">But who can tell him of the 4th?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Beyond what is Beyond</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Land of 400 Clouds...</div></div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-83257833917818224072012-02-18T22:05:00.000-08:002012-02-18T22:05:34.080-08:00A Flower Maker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzuFQHRlTZ1R1auYlKJatXagexe55zr0yImGf0bBilm16BBgsnn7dXZEWqvQ33RH3XD0_FjxulFAtP-PqKyHesLCyH8zysnwIqdv5IkB4IgkGAIPciCpStKU1xJ2SXB0inR6iwypCOWM/s1600/6700117013_b9b3aae327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzuFQHRlTZ1R1auYlKJatXagexe55zr0yImGf0bBilm16BBgsnn7dXZEWqvQ33RH3XD0_FjxulFAtP-PqKyHesLCyH8zysnwIqdv5IkB4IgkGAIPciCpStKU1xJ2SXB0inR6iwypCOWM/s400/6700117013_b9b3aae327.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
A bird once told Rampriya<br />
<br />
There's a Flower Maker in your house<br />
Who strings her garlands on the breath<br />
Adoring a hidden man<br />
<br />
When fire, sun, and moon go black<br />
Her flowers light one's vision<br />
And in that garden<br />
He beholds all things<br />
<br />
In Vain<br />
Rampriya tries to catch that bird<br />
So he can learn directions<br />
<br />
But one must laugh at his attempt<br />
To need a map of his own house</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-43187071696808557992011-11-14T21:42:00.000-08:002011-11-14T21:42:27.615-08:00Bird<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YD_VIh1I6t7gAXCcOSUrILo-eeTlGOJxSzOCuf-oOlh-m5WRmHR23tT7kAQiEvNWl4mMKG5Xgc5uXEsFxz16rzn040zjJrL5sZ0ahq5NHKHKoOixPoXV5qdgJlmGKzpf25YwjKZiKt8/s1600/409237-bigthumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YD_VIh1I6t7gAXCcOSUrILo-eeTlGOJxSzOCuf-oOlh-m5WRmHR23tT7kAQiEvNWl4mMKG5Xgc5uXEsFxz16rzn040zjJrL5sZ0ahq5NHKHKoOixPoXV5qdgJlmGKzpf25YwjKZiKt8/s320/409237-bigthumbnail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Words desperately try and reach around that feeling which is sacred</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Who can understand?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not even my own mind.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The pain of silence falls away when one surrenders and sleeps in the forest of stars...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rampriya Says</div><div style="text-align: center;">Wisdom is a lone bird </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-77714846402275126142011-09-15T19:56:00.000-07:002011-09-15T19:56:01.376-07:00Reading from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna P. 94<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Another day the Master was seated on the small couch in his room, with his usual beaming countenance. M. arrived with Kalikrishna, who did not know where his friend M. was taking him. He had only been told : "If you want to see a grog-shop, then come with me. You will see a huge jar of wine there." M. related this to Sri Ramakrishna, who laughed about it. The Master said: "The bliss of worship and communion with God is the true wine, the wine of ecstatic love. The goal of human life is to love God. Bhakti is the one essential thing. To know God through jnana and reasoning is extremely difficult."<br />
<br />
The Master sang:<br />
<br />
"Who is there that can understand what Mother Kali is?<br />
Even the six darsanas are powerless to reveal Her..."<br />
<br />
The Master said, again: "The one goal of life is to cultivate love for God, the love that the milkmaids, the milkmen, and the cowherd boys of Vrindavan felt for Krishna. When Krishna went away to Mathura, the cowherds roamed about weeping bitterly because of their separation from Him."<br />
<br />
Saying this the Master sang, with eyes turned upward:<br />
<br />
"Just now I saw a youthful cowherd<br />
With a young calf in his arms;<br />
There he stood, by one hand holding<br />
The branch of a young tree.<br />
"Where are You, Brother Kanai?" he cried;<br />
But "Kanai" scarcely could he utter;<br />
"Ka" was as much as he could say.<br />
He cried, "Where are You, Brother?"<br />
And his eyes were filled with tears."<br />
<br />
When M. heard this song of the Master's, laden with love, his eyes were moist with tears. </div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-54015517769154523052011-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:002011-07-15T20:51:23.464-07:00Nectar from the Guru's Lips ...These words of our Beloved Gurudev Swami Omananda Saraswati were recorded at the Holy Triveni Sangam in Prayag, Allahabad over the course of the month of Magh (Jan/Feb). Jai Guru Dev ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWEMDvcVcWXOZ63jFFT6KznYt-XvkrJ7UHllvOBYZv_GCK3mX3BO3kMYwZ_TxX9WcR_RXQDFu0oGhiZipSKX0Phz3MFQTKNRunK9yBV0M7r5RiGm5B4nGiX4glHVApvEUJfanppy3E6g/s1600/omananda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWEMDvcVcWXOZ63jFFT6KznYt-XvkrJ7UHllvOBYZv_GCK3mX3BO3kMYwZ_TxX9WcR_RXQDFu0oGhiZipSKX0Phz3MFQTKNRunK9yBV0M7r5RiGm5B4nGiX4glHVApvEUJfanppy3E6g/s320/omananda.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">If you want to love everyone, </div><div style="text-align: center;">You must the love the One who is everywhere. <br />
All is in the One and One is in the All. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Everything is in maya and maya is in everything.</div><div style="text-align: center;">By observing sexual energy, you can observe subtle energy. </div><div style="text-align: center;">By observing subtle energy, you can observe mental energy. </div><div style="text-align: center;">By observing mental energy, you gain knowledge. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If the world accepts you, but the Mother does not accept you ... it is failure. </div><div style="text-align: center;">If the Mother accepts you, but the world does not accept ... it is success. </div><div style="text-align: center;">If the Mother and the world both accept you ... it is ultimate success. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Your mind is your own individuality,</div><div style="text-align: center;">But behind the mind shines the Supreme Self. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Start early, drive slowly, reach safely. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To believe or not to believe in God,</div><div style="text-align: center;">It is no problem for him. <br />
It is only our problem.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There is only one problem for Almighty Mother. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Because She is everywhere, </div><div style="text-align: center;">She cannot throw you from Her heart. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That Almighty provides if we use properly. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Mother will provide according to quality, qualification, knowledge, and capacity. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">While talking about trying to find a cook for the ashram, Guruji said,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"There are many persons in the world, but we have no link with them.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But Mother has a link with everyone so She will provide accordingly."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you are going to Benares, </div><div style="text-align: center;">It is better to not reach there than to go too fast and crash and die on the way.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Even if you don't worship God,</div><div style="text-align: center;">As soon as you open your eyes ...</div><div style="text-align: center;">Remember God</div><div style="text-align: center;">Awake in God</div><div style="text-align: center;">Live in God</div><div style="text-align: center;">Go to sleep in God</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you pay homage to the earth,</div><div style="text-align: center;">You pay homage to all avatars. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Your happiness is my daksina (payment). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you live a truthful life you will face difficulties,</div><div style="text-align: center;">But your life will be full of peace. </div><div style="text-align: center;">If you live an untruthful life, </div><div style="text-align: center;">It will be easy but you will only face misery. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A blind person has never experienced light. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Therefore, he has never experienced darkness.<br />
How can he ever know what darkness is if he has never experienced light?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">... </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Belief is relief</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">One child has only learned 'A,B,C'. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The father gives a book on philosophy. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The child happily reads but of course doesn't understand. <br />
The father calls him a fool, </div><div style="text-align: center;">But really the father is a fool because the child is working to his full capacity. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We walk over so many stones to worship one stone</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">You are from America. Your mother tongue is english. </div><div style="text-align: center;">You can read so many books and study so much literature,</div><div style="text-align: center;">But can you tell me the meaning of the letter 'D' or 'K'?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Don't react immediately.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Be still and calm.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Watch your mind before making a decision. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Be firm in your inner stance and keep your balance. <br />
If this is done, you can mix with everyone. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Be brave and know that the Guru's Grace is always with you.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Always remember the Mother. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp63Qo0Z27PmPSQKxLJJ2tQ0QSYVdGWvqI50OgvikrQxdVh8wFSmWni91dYoNC9tfoDhmNMEYceFPFAMtYrijuu2pHpJi-BPXj7iahHgypsJEn2XJBBt4_jJEgc4OG13HVbdhujE_OTDM/s1600/sangam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp63Qo0Z27PmPSQKxLJJ2tQ0QSYVdGWvqI50OgvikrQxdVh8wFSmWni91dYoNC9tfoDhmNMEYceFPFAMtYrijuu2pHpJi-BPXj7iahHgypsJEn2XJBBt4_jJEgc4OG13HVbdhujE_OTDM/s400/sangam.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-56463748769672242062011-07-01T09:41:00.000-07:002011-07-01T09:41:21.997-07:00Maa Achen Aar Ami Achi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0uemdOnJ9GyrxBhyphenhyphenD6UljErHox9N__nr9aQ2_ZSlcK9Y7Z2Z_Cij-bqfDKsQ3KAFKqUpjD3G7Ou6FlMbIrTRdH84y5j6rjXfD2egTcCfbzSC5AG4yqFCWUMu0tjuwpZs1NFdQYgAwvc/s1600/Goddess-Tara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0uemdOnJ9GyrxBhyphenhyphenD6UljErHox9N__nr9aQ2_ZSlcK9Y7Z2Z_Cij-bqfDKsQ3KAFKqUpjD3G7Ou6FlMbIrTRdH84y5j6rjXfD2egTcCfbzSC5AG4yqFCWUMu0tjuwpZs1NFdQYgAwvc/s320/Goddess-Tara.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mother is here and I am here, there are not worries.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ma's hands feed and clothe me. She is the one that takes care of me. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After falling into the traps of samsara, I could see only darkness. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Even amidst that darkness Ma spoke to me about the Light, again and again. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">When worldly people came to take me down the wrong path again and again...</div><div style="text-align: center;">From that path Ma took me by the hand and rescued me. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Though I forget Ma, She does not forget me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Where else is there an embodiment of such love? </div><div style="text-align: center;">Ma is mine, and I am Ma's</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
-Author Unknown</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-27934751647455127382011-06-18T10:55:00.000-07:002011-06-18T10:55:46.090-07:00Four Fruits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;">Taking the Name</div><div style="text-align: left;">And wrapping it in clothe</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie95hjXmktqRhzxfFPMasZsP1dLgRGDc7QM3C6gxTo6cir_yIPsNg2ZX2GsHlKiu4E9g-qP2lBsqLGaiHEXiBB3R-iKBr6yMXAqSAyK7zSeQtkICkq-iai8tAiyMs7rJgavKRNAbr6lNU/s1600/810SitaRamexile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie95hjXmktqRhzxfFPMasZsP1dLgRGDc7QM3C6gxTo6cir_yIPsNg2ZX2GsHlKiu4E9g-qP2lBsqLGaiHEXiBB3R-iKBr6yMXAqSAyK7zSeQtkICkq-iai8tAiyMs7rJgavKRNAbr6lNU/s320/810SitaRamexile.jpg" width="320" /></a>Man walked across black water</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Departing to the forest</div><div style="text-align: left;">Father took one last breath</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Woman trapped in stone</div><div style="text-align: left;">Found redemption in His touch</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Many are the stories of the Ever Blissful One</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The One with bow and quiver</div><div style="text-align: left;">Is the One Rampriya follows</div><div style="text-align: left;">Bathing in His glories</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Four Fruits are within reach</div></div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-551156431225077262011-06-07T22:21:00.000-07:002011-06-07T22:22:45.382-07:00From Ayodhya-Kanda Verses 89 - 93<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJVYADgqeOaahaTDChB0BrnKAiQpJ4N1WIPp8ehzbhEvsSiyUJtRJb41zQOLgkCjC0CW1GnhvBK3_X_E98JZd2kE7c5pOBN04VQrNkjWYJafAcVST-dEu1NUekMQ35U__6_LqR246KhA/s1600/sita-rama-forest-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJVYADgqeOaahaTDChB0BrnKAiQpJ4N1WIPp8ehzbhEvsSiyUJtRJb41zQOLgkCjC0CW1GnhvBK3_X_E98JZd2kE7c5pOBN04VQrNkjWYJafAcVST-dEu1NUekMQ35U__6_LqR246KhA/s320/sita-rama-forest-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When Laksmana perceived that his lord had fallen asleep, he rose and asked the minister in soft accents to retire. As for himself he got ready his bow and arrows and sitting at some distance in the posture of a hero he kept watch. Guha called his trusted watchmen and stationed them at different points with great love; while he himself went and took his seat beside Laksmana with a quiver fastened to his waist and an arrow fitted to his bow. When the Nishada Chief (Guha) saw his lord lying on a bed of grass and leaves, he felt great sorrow in his heart due to excess of love; the hair on his body bristled, tears flowed from his eyes and he addressed the following affectionate words to Laksmana:<br />
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<div>"The king's palace is naturally charming; even Indra's residence can hardly stand comparison with it. Its beautiful attics are built of precious gems and are so lovely as though the god of love has constructed them with his own hands. Free from impurities, exceedingly marvelous of design, abounding in exquisite luxuries and scented with the fragrance of flowers, they are furnished with lovely beds and lighted with gems and are full of amenities of every description. Again they are equipped with coverlets and sheets, pillows and cushions of various kinds - all soft, white and charming as the froth of milk. It is in such attics that Sita and Rama used to sleep at night and humbled by their beauty the pride of Rati and her consort, the god of love. Those very Sita and Rama are now lying on a pallet, exhausted and uncovered, a sight one cannot bear to see. The same Lord Rama whom his father and mother, his own family and the people of the city, his good-natured companions, men-servants and maid-servants, all cherished as their own life, sleeps on the ground! Nay, Sita, whose father Janaka is famed throughout the world, whose father and whose spouse is Ramacandra, is lying on the ground! An adverse fate spares none. Do Sita and the Hero of Raghu's race deserve to be exiled to the woods? They rightly say: 'Fate is supreme.' The foolish daughter of Kekaya has wrought a cruel mischief in that she has brought trouble on Sita and the Delighter of Raghu's race at a time of enjoyment. The wicked woman has played the axe in felling the tree of the solar race and plunged the whole universe in woe."</div><br />
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The Nishada chief was sore distressed to see Rama and Sita sleeping on the ground. Laksmana spoke to him sweet and gentle words imbued with the nectar of wisdom, dispassion and devotion:<br />
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"No one is a source of delight or pain to another; everyone reaps the fruit of one's own actions, brother. Union and separation, pleasurable and painful experiences, friends, foes and neutrals - snares of delusion are these. Even so birth and death, prosperity and adversity, destiny and time and all the illusion of the world; lands, houses, wealth, town and family, heaven and hell, and all the phenomena of the world; nay, whatever is seen, heard or thought of with the mind has its root in ignorance: nothing exists in reality. Suppose in a dream a beggar is crowned king or the lord of paradise is reduced to the state of a pauper; on waking, the one does not gain nor does the other lose anything. So must you look upon this world. Reasoning thus be not angry nor blame anyone in vain. Everyone is slumbering in the night of delusion, and while asleep one sees dreams of various kinds. In this night of mundane existence it is Yogis (mystics) alone who keep awake - Yogis who are in quest of the highest truth and remain aloof from the world. A soul should be deemed as having awoke from the night of the world only when he develops an aversion for the enjoyments of the world of sense. It is only when right understanding comes that the error of delusion disappears and then alone one develops love for the feet of Sri Rama, the Lord of Raghus. O friend, the highest spiritual goal is this: to be devoted to the feet of Sri Rama in thought, word and deed. Sri Rama is no other than Brahma (God), the supreme Reality, unknown, imperceptible, beginningless, incomparable, free from all change and beyond all diversity. The Vedas ever speak of Him in negative terms (not this). For the sake of His devotees, Earth, the Brahmanas, cows and gods, the gracious Lord takes the form of a man and performs actions by hearing of which the snares of the world are broken asunder. Realizing this, O friend, shed all infatuation and be devoted to the feet of Sita and the Hero of Raghu's race."<br />
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While Laksmana was yet recounting Sri Rama's virtues, the day dawned and the Joy and Delighter of the world woke up. After finishing all purificatory acts Sri Rama, who was all pure and wise, performed His ablutions and sent for some milk of the banyan tree. He as well as His brother then matted the hair on their heads, a sight which filled the eyes of Sumantra with tears. </div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-26737430051083939612011-04-10T00:57:00.000-07:002011-04-10T00:57:25.177-07:00Surrounded By Water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;">O My Mad Mind</div><div style="text-align: center;">The warning was given</div><div style="text-align: center;">But you did not pay heed</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now it seems those sharks have made a permanent home</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">You have grown weak </div><div style="text-align: center;">And weak you know remain</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Surrounded by water</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rampriya is dying of thirst</div><br />
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</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-23316082926395132752011-03-19T11:42:00.000-07:002011-03-19T11:42:12.011-07:00Deep in the Hearts of All . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HBaf35PUnHO1f2yVA41vAEXsqBStOUZLxCH2x4nLxcueMuAOFwUvBz8g2B8Q0flLFA_jy0NyDGT8u1uJqFLMsZgvPU5rCRqQpFsMVJrUQWmaFO__0UmKKb_OrOGr2ttUWF28I-7x8Yk/s1600/yogi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HBaf35PUnHO1f2yVA41vAEXsqBStOUZLxCH2x4nLxcueMuAOFwUvBz8g2B8Q0flLFA_jy0NyDGT8u1uJqFLMsZgvPU5rCRqQpFsMVJrUQWmaFO__0UmKKb_OrOGr2ttUWF28I-7x8Yk/s1600/yogi.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"In the depths of meditation, sages saw within themselves the Lord of Love, who dwells in the heart of every creature. Deep in the hearts of all He dwells, hidden behind the gunas of purity, energy and inertia. He is One. He it is who rules over time, space and causality."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">-Shvetashvatara Upanishad 1:3</span></div></div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-17908639546810630532011-03-05T15:25:00.000-08:002011-03-05T15:25:46.740-08:00Nyahbinghi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj391KlL1q0LUwv_PEvRpz4-9ow2CqU2Sigvgz1Tan34XMI9-U5TPMVDySlETpiMNcsQdqaOAER0_Op3E4vp2OtGykao2Zd8jvswSwhGiIYlzHoBa6tSdOfxkDORlQWAB1h8n5TRIrmYAY/s1600/rastafarielders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj391KlL1q0LUwv_PEvRpz4-9ow2CqU2Sigvgz1Tan34XMI9-U5TPMVDySlETpiMNcsQdqaOAER0_Op3E4vp2OtGykao2Zd8jvswSwhGiIYlzHoBa6tSdOfxkDORlQWAB1h8n5TRIrmYAY/s400/rastafarielders.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><br />
Quoted from "Nyahbinghi: Myth, Ritual and Music" found in the album cover of "The Mystical Revelation of Rastafari : Grounation" -<br />
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The purpose of the Nyahbinghi, also known as an "Issemble" or "Grounation", was described by one Rastafari Elder -<br />
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"...The Nyahbinghi mean to bring universal cooperation, coordination and divine elements for all people, which is of righteous good. And this Nyahbinghi don't mean that it is a plaything, it mean that it is for full universal divine resurrection for all nation which is of righteous element. And that is the protest of Nyabinghito Ian'I and Ian'I continue to work it in the fullness of its activity until peace will come to all nations upon earth in the power of JAH Ras Tafari as the coordinator of us all."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpsJOFsQ-Kb67CZCEKljQID6nQuoPcq8AR8z4SL4F7xJmBvyNeUskECTnrDiS_dDRteo6CkbC9V3yFNKq0EpmWNjpepYutvegKrfl4zNrKenkyG9HWFzkZ3Kmnm9Wv0d0J1DDk4lCt5U/s1600/ras+pidow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpsJOFsQ-Kb67CZCEKljQID6nQuoPcq8AR8z4SL4F7xJmBvyNeUskECTnrDiS_dDRteo6CkbC9V3yFNKq0EpmWNjpepYutvegKrfl4zNrKenkyG9HWFzkZ3Kmnm9Wv0d0J1DDk4lCt5U/s320/ras+pidow.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>Nyahbinghi congregation (grounation) usually lasts from three to seven days during which time "bredrin" and "dawtas" gather to revive the Faith of Rastafari through communal activities such as drumming, chanting of Ises, reasoning, smoking ganja and dancing. The chalice, the Rastafari ganja pipe, passes from bredrin's hand to bredrin's hand around the alter table activating the symbols of earth, air, water and fire, the primal forces of Creation. Through the Word, Sound and Power of the Nyahbinghi, the Faithful are united with the Godhead in mystic telepathy to chant down Babylon, to scourge the Earth of wickedness and restore the natural order of Creation to its original state of perfection. The Nyabinghi Order are the prophets of old. Its members are the resurrected beings of the defenders of the people who have been killed throughout the ages for the love of JAH. The Order has a ceremony with music, dancing and chanting. A trinity of drums, the repeater (akete/kete) which speaks or sings, the <i>fundi </i>which syncopates, and the <i>bass drum </i>which keeps the heartbeat of the music, has evolved as the musical instruments of the Nyabinghi Order. These drums unite the cosmic power of Creation with man and his Creator. Dreadlocks are worn to keep African tradition of priests, seers, prophets and warriors.</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238503941994935527.post-14870897065299044922011-02-13T00:28:00.000-08:002011-02-13T00:28:54.082-08:00The Weaver<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PrGPRXOPO0moJoitTepykKisQwCWiYRgssNhaV_WljFKF1UrOwMCIjRpbedk4k_Mhkk0MZZpF_4aLWDB7YfOMMxUQIQBY_GTl_8V4lwpLbgXDntsMrtuXF9gZAQK5GUN6wszmtFGn7Q/s1600/Kabir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PrGPRXOPO0moJoitTepykKisQwCWiYRgssNhaV_WljFKF1UrOwMCIjRpbedk4k_Mhkk0MZZpF_4aLWDB7YfOMMxUQIQBY_GTl_8V4lwpLbgXDntsMrtuXF9gZAQK5GUN6wszmtFGn7Q/s320/Kabir.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<em>Says Kabir:<br />
Lord, I weave the cloth of Thy Name<br />
The fruitless toil<br />
Of weaving for the world<br />
Has come to an end;<br />
I have attained<br />
The dazzling state of bliss —<br />
Free from fear, free from pain,<br />
I am the weaver, O Lord, of Thy Name;<br />
I weave and reap the profit<br />
Of inner rapport with Thee.<br />
I am the weaver of the Lord’s Name.</em><br />
</div>Rampriya Dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523149019506593483noreply@blogger.com1