99.99 per cent

When I was born in 1895, reality was everything you could see, smell, touch and hear. The world was thought to be absolutely self-evident. When I was three years old, the electron was discovered. That was the first invisible. It didn't get in any of the newspapers; (nobody thought that would be important!) Today 99.99 percent of everything that affects our lives cannot be detected by human senses. We live in a world of invisibles. The fact that humanity does not understand nature is the prime reason for humanity's failure to exercise its option to attain universally sustainable physical success on this planet I am confident that humanity's survival depends on all our willingness to comprehend feelingly the way nature works."
Buckminster Fuller

Dine(Navajo) Blessing Request

"Bless those who challenge us to grow, to stretch, to move beyond the knowable,to come back home to our elemental and essential nature. Bless those who challenge us for they remind us of doors we have closed and doors we have yet to open. They are big medicine teachers for us."

Millennium closure

Humans are in the midst of a millennium closure. In the next millennium we will shift from the cause and effect pattern recognition paradigms to understanding “how the universe works” in acausal, symmetrical, and synchronous and cognitive terms. Earth People will lead the way because Earth People understand divination; which taps subatomic underpinnings without inevitable illusions, and Earth People provide myths, rituals and secret societies to assist in re-membering the whole picture. Yet, what lies behind us and what lies before us are insignificant compared to what lies within us. What lies within each of us is the awareness of very profound knowledge, which the Holy Ones use in their divinations.

First photographs

The first photographs of the Earth taken from outer space by a satellite, showing the whole blue orb with spirals and whorls of cloud, was a great landmark for human consciousness. We now know that we live in a system that is enclosed in a certain way; that has its limits, and that we are interdependent with it. -Stewart Brand-

Never allow despair ...

"Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lay defeat and death. To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never to allow despair to have the last word."
Nelson Mandela

Religious denial

The content of scientific theories itself offers no moral foundation for the personal conduct of life. This does not excuse religions from denying the validity of values in scientific theories.

Great Ideas

"Great ideas...come into the world as gently as doves...if we listen attentively, we shall hear, amid the uproar...a faint flutter of wings, the gentle stirring of life and hope. Some say that this hope lies in a nation; others, in a man. I believe rather that it is awakened, revived, nourished by millions of solitary individuals whose deeds and works every day negate... the crudest implications of history. As a result there shines forth fleetingly the ever threatened truth that each and every one of us,
on the foundation of our own sufferings and joys, builds for all."
-- Albert Camus

Simplicity, patience, compassion

Some say that my teaching is nonsense. Others call it lofty but impractical. But to those who have looked inside themselves, this nonsense makes perfect sense. And to those who put it into practice, this loftiness has roots that go deep. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are our greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, we return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, we accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward ourselves, we reconcile all beings in the world.
Lao Tse

Inner Science

"The unhappiness and suffering that we experience arise through our inability to control our own minds,and the happiness that we wish to achieve will only be achieved by learning to control our minds. Physics has provided the basis for the design of the fission and fusion bombs, biology -- germ warfare, chemistry -- nerve gas. And all of them have helped bring us to the brink of doom. But they still do not provide keys to ultimate power. If we do destroy ourselves, it will be the minds of human beings,
the unhealthy emotions of individuals, the fear, the hate, the jealousy and the greed of individuals that will trigger these horrors. . . . Obviously these emotions can only be controlled, reshaped and rechanneled by each individual with techniques developed from a comprehensive, precise and effective Inner Science. For this reason, the Inner Scientist focuses on the language of "mind", and on its understanding and control. As the world knows, our outer sciences display an admirable determination to deal with each problem in a rigorous, rational and technically exacting manner. We can apply this same determination to a renewed study of the intangibles of the mind, even the religious territory of the spirit and soul. If we do so with fearless persistence, then there is absolutely no question that we can succeed in triumphing over the great danger of global holocaust. We can use Inner Science to educate each individual to understand ourselves, to control our negative emotions and distorted notions, and to cultivate our highest potentials of love and wisdom. And we can keep improving our Outer Sciences to better understand, control and beautify the environment for the greater benefit of all beings. There is an enormous amount of work to be done. Let us begin it here and now."
The Dalai Lama at Harvard

Water is life

Wow. You NEED to watch this trailer!

http://www.tappedthemovie.com

The Art of Peace

"The art of peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the art of peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter."
-Uyeshiba Sensai, founder of Aikido

Intolerance is a mask

Intolerance is the mask covering up the entertainment of secret doubts as to the trueness of one's belief.

things fall apart ...

Soul awakens as things seem to fall apart and the soul would have us each find our path in life even as the world around becomes more troubled. The soul is the light inside the dark, the hidden quintessence secretly holding things together inside each of us and within the world.
Michael Meade

All concepts

"All concepts setting boundaries to what we term the self are arbitrary. In the systems view, we consist of and are sustained by interweaving currents of matter, energy, and information that flow through us interconnecting us with our environment and other beings. Yet, we are accustomed to identifying ourselves only with that small arc of the flow-through that is lit, like the narrow beam of a flashlight, by our individual subjective awareness. But we don't have to so limit our self-perceptions... It is as plausible to align our identity with the larger pattern, interexistent with all beings, as to break off one segment of the process and build our borders there."
Joanna Macy

Transformation

"Transformation really means a change in the way you see the world - and a shift in how you see yourself. It is not simply a change in your point of view, but rather a whole different perception of what is possible. It is the capacity to expand your world view so that you can appreciate different perspectives, so that you can hold multiple perspectives simultaneously. You are not just moving around from one point of view to another, you are really expanding your awareness to encompass more possibilities. Transformation implies a change in the sense of self."
- Frances Vaughn

Fear, defense, misfortune

There is no greater illusion than fear, no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself, no greater misfortune than having an enemy.

The Great Way

"The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised. Make the smallest distinction, however and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. If we wish to see the truth then hold no opinions for or against anything. To set up what we like against what we dislike is the disease of the mind. When the deep meaning of things is not understood the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail. The Way is perfect like vast space where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess. Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject that we do not see the true nature of things. Live neither in the entanglements of outer things, nor in inner feelings of emptiness. Be serene in the oneness of things and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves. When we try to stop activity to achieve passivity our very effort fills us with activity. As long as we remain in one extreme or the other we will never know Oneness."
-- Opening verse of Sengstan's classic "Verses on the Faith Mind"

Three Stages

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident Having said that, let me repeat this: After your death you will be what you were before your birth.."
Arthur Schopenhauer

Welcome All Things

The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance. They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting ice. Shapable as a block of wood. Receptive as a valley. Clear as a glass of water. It is good to have the patience to wait till mud settles and the water is clear. It is beneficial to remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself. Not seeking, not expecting; but present, we can welcome all things.

Change

Speaking for myself, my awareness of change and uncertainty came through my studies in biology, and just from growing older. That awareness of the continuous change called life led me to very ancient spiritual traditions, because our present Western mindset has forgotten that life is change. Instead, it promises us relief from uncertainty and the ability to control everything. It's like a 300-year-old case of mistaken identity: we actually thought that we could take over life and remake it according to our own needs.
Margaret Wheatley

My consciousness catapulted out of my body ...

My consciousness catapulted out of my body. I had the feeling that my consciousness had no boundaries anymore, and I had become the totality of existence. The idea that consciousness somehow mysteriously emerges from matter didn't make sense to me anymore. It was easier to imagine that consciousness could create the experience of the material universe by an infinitely complex orchestration.
Stanislav Grof

Altered States

An altered state of consciousness is simply one where the observer is not separate from the observed, that there is no naming of "things," and there is the recognition that All Is One.; that there is consciousness and language in all things. Shamanism, then, is the use of altered states of consciousness for the purpose of healing. Generally speaking, it involves traveling to other realms and making contact with Spirit helpers. Even modern physics acknowledges the interconnectedness of all life. It does not restrict itself to a linear model anymore. Quantum concepts are more in harmony with the shamanic view than with Newtonian physics.
Leslie Gray

Security

Security is mostly a superstition, it does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men (and women) as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
Helen Keller

Unlimited information

The individual human mind is like a computer terminal connected to a giant data base. The data base is human consciousness itself, of which our own cognizance is merely an individual expression, but with it's roots in the common consciousness of all mankind. This data base is the realm of genius; because to be human is to participate in the data base, everyone, by virtue of his birth, has access to genius. The unlimited information contained in the data base has now been shown to be readily available to anyone in a few seconds, at any time and in any place. This is indeed an astonishing discovery, bearing the power to change lives, both individually and collectively , to a degree never yet anticipated.

Seen mythically

Seen mythically, this world continues to be a locus of mystery, and life remains an act of wonder in which some risk attends each breath and the necessity of love trumps all theories.

Small Boat - Great Mountain

"The Buddha is that which is awake, that which knows, so taking refuge in the Buddha is taking refuge in the awareness of the mind. The Buddha arises from the Dharma. The Buddha is an attribute, and 'knowing' is also an attribute of that fundamental reality. The Dharma is the ultimate object, the way things are. Its characteristic is emptiness (i.e. emptiness in the sense of 'empty of a separate self' and therefore inter-connected with all things.") The Buddha is the ultimate subject, that which knows, that which is awake. So when the ultimate subject knows the ultimate object, when the mind that knows is aware of the way things are, what comes forth is Sangha, compassionate action. Sangha intrinsically flows forth from that quality. When there's awareness of the way things are, then compassionate skillful means naturally arise and flow from that. The three refuges, as you can see, are all interwoven.
-- Amaro Bhikku in his brilliant little book Small Boat, Great Mountain

Quanta

Once a measurement is done, the measured system becomes entangled with both the physicist who measured it and a huge number of other particles, some of which are photons flying away towards the other end of the universe; in order to prove that the wave function did not collapse one would have to bring all these particles back and measure them again, together with the system that was measured originally. This is completely impractical, but even if one could theoretically do this, it would destroy any evidence that the original measurement took place (including the physicist's memory.)
(From Wikipedia explanation of quantum physics ... )

Commenncement

We are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on Earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, we are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades. If you look at the science about what is happening on Earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this Earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.

Connections

"When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we are to each other."
Margaret Wheatley

Little saves big

In order for things iin this world to change, people might have to listen to little things, learn to hear again the language of nature and learn to trust the little voice that speaks from within. Listen this way and there’s no need to believe in some great salvation if the divine can be found in nearby aspects of the incarnate world. The notion that little saves big; that a small change can have a huge effect keeps being lost and rediscovered as the waves of time ebb and flow.
(Michael Meade)

Viewing freedoom

"Viewing freedom as intrinsic to our being, we discover that our lives are what we make of them. All options are open, our choices unlimited. When we have knowledge space grants us unbounded opportunity,
and time presents us with infinite possibilities for change."
- Tarthang Tulku

The Master gives himself up to whatever the moment brings. He knows that he is going to die, and her has nothing left to hold on to: no illusions in his mind, no resistances in his body. He doesn't think about his actions; they flow from the core of his being. He holds nothing back from life; therefore he is ready for death, as a man is ready for sleep after a good day's work.
:ao Tse (transs. Stephen Miitchell)

Nervous system

"We don't understand the operations of our minds and hence don't operate them very well. We need to make the nervous system our ally,
instead of our enemy."
Charles Tart

Provide a Context

"It is all a question of story. We are in between stories. The old story, the account of how the world came to be and how we fit into it, is no longer effective. Yet we have not yet learned the new story. Our traditional story of the Universe sustained us for a long period of time. It shaped our emotional attitudes, provided us with life purpose and energized action. It consecrated suffering and integrated knowledge. We awoke in the morning and knew where we were. We could answer the questions of our children. We could identify crime, punish transgressors. Everything was taken care of because the story was there. It did not necessarily make people good, nor did it take away the pains and stupidities of life or make for unfailing warmth in human associations. It did provide a context in which life could function in a meaningful manner."
-Thomas Berry

.... then shall you enter ...

"When you make the two one, and when you make the inner as the outer and the outer as the inner and the above as the below, and when you make the male and female into a single one, then shall you enter the Kingdom."
Jesus in the Gospel of St. Thomas

A Man of Knowledge

"A man of knowledge chooses a path with a heart and follows it and then he looks and rejoices and laughs and then he sees and knows. He knows that his life will be over altogether too soon. He knows that he as well as everybody else is not going anywhere. He knows because he "sees"...a man of knowledge endeavors and sweats and puffs and if one looks at him he is just like any ordinary man, except that the folly of his life is under control." --Don Juan

Shine

"However young, the seeker who sets out upon the way shines bright over the world. But day and night the person who is awake shines in the radiance of the spirit. Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work, with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine."
The Buddha

Transcendence

We humans' are unique in relationship to all other life forms on the planet with our ability control fire, for better or worse. This ability is transcendent. To transcend ourselves distinguishes us from the animal kingdom. Each time we ignite a fire; that is an act of transcendence. Fire (heat and light) is and always will be the familiar mystery.

Love is a temporary madness ...

Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides we have to make a decision. We have to work out whether our roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that we should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being 'in love,' which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Love is the roots that grow towards each other underground, slowly and determined. And when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, we find we are no longer two, but one. One root, One tree, One Love.
> - By Louis de Bernieres, from Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Mining the Human

"The spiritual impact that religious, administrative and corporate colonization has upon indigenous people is like a technological form of mining the energy of the planet. We are forms of that energy. That's the 'being' part of us. The human form is made up of metals, minerals and liquids of earth. All things of the earth have 'being.' We know they can take the bone, flesh and blood out of the earth that is uranium and put it through a mining-refining process and convert its being into a form of energy, and we know they can do it with fossil fuel. And we know that when they do these things it leaves behind poisons and toxins. When the industrial ruling class mine the 'being' part of human through programming the human to believe their obedience. Human beings enter this reality with all this distortion, based upon there being something wrong with them, and fear comes real quickly. Mine the being part of humans, fear is the toxin left behind from that mining. We've been picked apart, we end up as human beings having this tendency to feel powerless. It's everywhere .…this powerlessness feeling is prevalent on this planet. "
John Trudell, Santee Sioux