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...your life
as viewed by Omar Khayyam...
THIS is life eternal. This, all that youth will give to you. It is the season for wine, roses and drunken friends. Be happy for this moment. THIS MOMENT...is your life.
Namaste, PJ
THIS is life eternal. This, all that youth will give to you. It is the season for wine, roses and drunken friends. Be happy for this moment. THIS MOMENT...is your life.
Namaste, PJ
Three Filters
...not sure if this is true, but it's a good little lesson nonetheless. --PJ
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued.
"Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't know if it's true or not.Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?" This is why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem. Friend, use this triple filter each time you hear loose talk about any of your near and dear friends.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued.
"Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't know if it's true or not.Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?" This is why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem. Friend, use this triple filter each time you hear loose talk about any of your near and dear friends.
Wisdom from Ken McLeod
STOP READING FOR A MOMENT....
Stop reading for a moment, and imagine that you are going to die in one minute. The last things you are going to experience are reading these postings, sitting in this room, wearing the clothes you are wearing, thinking and feeling what you are thinking and feeling right now. This is it. This is the end of your life. You have no time to do anything about it. You have no time to write a note or make a phone call. Your life is over. You will die in one minute. All you can do is experience what is, right now.
This is a very simple exercise, but it is quite profound. It brings you into presence very quickly. The projects of the six realms subside. (In Buddhism, there are said to be six realms of existences--heavens, hells, human, hungry spirits, animals, and fighting gods). You stop fighting, you stop needing, you stop being concerned with physical comfort, you stop wanting, you stop achieving, and you stop maintaining. Enlightenment, attainment, realization all become meaningless. You are just present. This is one way to cut the web of existence. Be absolute about this point.
Namaste ---PJ
Stop reading for a moment, and imagine that you are going to die in one minute. The last things you are going to experience are reading these postings, sitting in this room, wearing the clothes you are wearing, thinking and feeling what you are thinking and feeling right now. This is it. This is the end of your life. You have no time to do anything about it. You have no time to write a note or make a phone call. Your life is over. You will die in one minute. All you can do is experience what is, right now.
This is a very simple exercise, but it is quite profound. It brings you into presence very quickly. The projects of the six realms subside. (In Buddhism, there are said to be six realms of existences--heavens, hells, human, hungry spirits, animals, and fighting gods). You stop fighting, you stop needing, you stop being concerned with physical comfort, you stop wanting, you stop achieving, and you stop maintaining. Enlightenment, attainment, realization all become meaningless. You are just present. This is one way to cut the web of existence. Be absolute about this point.
Namaste ---PJ
Wisdom from Many....
....inspiring, deep and true. ---Namaste, PJ
No Other Life But This by Henry David Thoreau
In eternity, there is indeed something true and sublime. But all these times and places and occasions are now and here. God himself culminates in the present moment, and well never be more divine in the lapse of all the ages.
Take time by the forelock. Now or never. You must live in the present, launch yourself on every weave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this, or the like of this.
I wish to live ever as to derive my satisfactions and inspirations from the commonest events, every-day phenomena, so that when my senses hourly perceive, my daily walk, the conversation of my neighbors, may inspire me, and I may dream of no heaven but that which lies about me.
No Other Life But This by Henry David Thoreau
In eternity, there is indeed something true and sublime. But all these times and places and occasions are now and here. God himself culminates in the present moment, and well never be more divine in the lapse of all the ages.
Take time by the forelock. Now or never. You must live in the present, launch yourself on every weave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this, or the like of this.
I wish to live ever as to derive my satisfactions and inspirations from the commonest events, every-day phenomena, so that when my senses hourly perceive, my daily walk, the conversation of my neighbors, may inspire me, and I may dream of no heaven but that which lies about me.
Direct Contact
I found this quite enlightening...hope you do as well: --PJ
Direct Contact by Shinzen Young
When sufficient mindfulness and equanimity are brought to bear on ordinary experience, we arrive at purification and insight. And, as a result of the purification and insight, our intrinsic happiness, our true birthright and spiritual reality, gets uncovered and we discover that what we thought was the world of phenomena--the world of time, space, and matter--turns out to really be a world of spiritual energy, and that we are in direct contact with it moment by moment. Because, when the senses become purified, when the inner conflicts--at all levels--have been broken up, the flow of these ordinary senses turns into a prayer, a mantra, a sacred song, and we find that, just by living our life, we are in moment by moment contact with the Source.
Direct Contact by Shinzen Young
When sufficient mindfulness and equanimity are brought to bear on ordinary experience, we arrive at purification and insight. And, as a result of the purification and insight, our intrinsic happiness, our true birthright and spiritual reality, gets uncovered and we discover that what we thought was the world of phenomena--the world of time, space, and matter--turns out to really be a world of spiritual energy, and that we are in direct contact with it moment by moment. Because, when the senses become purified, when the inner conflicts--at all levels--have been broken up, the flow of these ordinary senses turns into a prayer, a mantra, a sacred song, and we find that, just by living our life, we are in moment by moment contact with the Source.
A Question...
...here I am again, asking a question when my path takes a zag when i am taking zig...if we learn from our past how can we stay in the present moment? Are we not to mull over the past in order to deal with the present? And yet mulling over the past creates a, in this case, sadness yet, as I think about the past I remember how I had to deal with pain...
this make any sense? if we are always to be in the mind-present, isn't it OK to remember how we dealt with things in the past?
Thanks! --PJ
this make any sense? if we are always to be in the mind-present, isn't it OK to remember how we dealt with things in the past?
Thanks! --PJ
video...
Sorry, I posted the video and now I am seeing that it is not playing...dunno if it's my comp or eons...but I hope you have a chance to listen to it.
Namaste, PJ
Namaste, PJ
