The Serene Way

“Societal choices, more often than not, are the result of expediency, statistical fallacy, sentiment, political or media pressure, or personal prejudice and vested interest.”

David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.

Power vs. Force

I received a comment after posting a blog titled ‘Acceptance, Compassion & Tolerance Out of Anger & Resentment”, which was the catalyst for this entry.

“I (Also) Noticed On The Front Page Of Your Website That You Are Selling SHEEP SKIN Mats! That Is Not AHIMSA And It Certainly Is Not Peaceful And Serene For The Sweet Innocent Slaughtered SHEEP! :/ ~::~”

Why use meditation mats that are made from sweet innocent loving slaughtered sheep??? That is bloody bad karma and just mean. It is ahimsa for me to point this out to you. Why seek to make money from industries of horrid cruelty?You are a spiritually intelligent being. You seek to embody goodness and loving-kindness towards all beings…I believe. To do so we must wake up from participating in cruelty towards other beings… right? We must have an empathetic loving awakened conscience of loving-kindness towards ALL Life as Divine Spirit.

In order to fully discuss this position, let’s look at a definition of ahimsa. Wikipedia describes ahimsa as follows: “the principle of non-violence can or should be applied to different life forms…”

This resource (Wikipedia) continues, “Jains go out of their way so as not to hurt even small insects and other minuscule animals and make considerable efforts not to injure plants in everyday life as far as possible. In accordance to this policy, eating of some foods, whose cultivation harms small insects and worms, as well as agriculture itself, is to be abstained from.”

Research and information gathered from texts such as ‘The Gospel According to Rama Krishna’, books by Swami Vivekananda, and other volumes of spiritual writings state that ahimsa—a yama of Yoga— is the practice of non-violence or harmlessness in action, word, thought, deed or emotion. All we do creates a karmic affect, no matter its desired intention.

It is evident that this ‘practice’ has different meanings and applications depending on the environmental/cultural experience and religious belief of the individual. There are levels of adherence to this practice. This is true for all ideologies; it is the depth of conviction to the belief, whether individual or group, that plays a fundamental role in their actions and reactions. We need look no further than organized religion to see how extremes in the attachment to dogma have created tension and segregation, leading to struggle, suppression and war.

Traditionally, meditation was performed on natural animal skin such as tiger or deer, as I have seen in pictures of gurus and swamis. This provided a softer cushion for a more comfortable way to maintain a meditative posture; it also created a synergy with the meditative process by providing a deeper, natural connection to earth energies, thereby intensifying the benefits of meditation. I have not read that these pelts materialized out of cosmic energy; the animals’ lives did end in some manner.

Historically speaking and according to evolutionary theory, man was a hunter-gatherer. Being of aboriginal heritage—Native Canadian M’ic M’aq—my family’s heritage and culture dictated that whenever an animal is taken for food, all parts of that animal are used in order to honour a manifestation of gratitude for that which the earth provides. As a child, I remember that after the moose hunt (which my extended family continues) the meat was canned or frozen, the antlers were used for the handles of eating utensils, and the hide for leather garments, snowshoes and various ties and bindings. All was treated as a gift from Mother Earth and what She provided for our sustenance.

The sheep in question are from my brother’s farm. He has a small flock, and his intention is to use the entire animal, in keeping with his cultural heritage, in order to provide for his family. The sheep run free in the pastures on 108 acres, eating grass and natural feed. They are tended with love and kindness. They are protected from coyotes by dogs, donkeys and a llama provided by my brother and his family. His wife is the ‘at home’ veterinarian who provides the occasional antibiotic to ensure the sheep’s health, and is doula or mid-wife during lambing season. In the winter, lambs that are born too small or too many at a time for a single ewe to care for are taken into the house, dried with towels, and bottle-fed—one of the great experiences I have had the pleasure to participate in.

Indeed, I take issue with commercial farming and the poor treatment of livestock for the gathering of wealth for the few. The treatment of animals on commercial farms is in truth a manifested aspect of profit and greed. I also take issue with the reckless harvest of animals of the sea for a singular use, such as longline net capture of sharks for the sole purpose of obtaining their fins, which some claim are an aphrodisiac. This materialistic approach has caused many problems. Commercial farms have created the need to regulate society’s food channels. Yet, with a single bacterial outbreak in an industrial processing plant, an entire food network delivers health hazards. Recently, an outbreak of listeriosis in a packaging plant in Canada played havoc on the food channel, resulting in a recall of processed, packaged meat. This past summer tomatoes had to be removed from the shelves due to problems at a processing plant in the United States. Both of these incidents also affected fast food outlets, including the corporate giant MacDonald’s.

I often think that we have formulated a hierarchy based on what we perceive as sentient beings. It is only our current perception that dictates these ideas; they continue to change and develop based on scientific research, which increases our understanding. There are many ‘seekers’ who have taken leave of society to live in renunciation in the wilderness. There, they develop the ability to listen to the wisdom of the tree and the messages upon the wind. There is even mention of those who can live on air alone; they receive sustenance from the energy inherent in everything that is, so highly developed is their connection to the divine source.

A tree is alive—it has a series of capillaries that carry nutrients throughout its body, similar in function and design to the human lymph and digestive systems. Firstly, in terms of the lymph system, it has circulatory vessels without a central pump which regulate defense mechanisms. Secondly, like the digestive system, fluid is moved by a process of contraction called peristalsis. A tree has life, it exists, it is energy. The same can be said of all plants. They react to external stimuli: lower vibrations limit growth, whereas higher energies accelerate it. If you sing to a plant it will respond positively with growth; if you yell at it, so too will it wilt.

Man, in being a form of compressed energy, is in essence the same as a potato, a carrot, an apple or bacteria, only differing in the form of the expression of that energy. Anything we ingest is an aspect of energy, which is necessary for cellular metabolism and the continuance of a physical form. All life forms must absorb energy in order to sustain their life cycle. The process is consistent and paramount for all life—energy, in some form, is assimilated and then expunged to return into the fold of a universal balance.

Our current perspective deems an animal closer to our own existence. It is our own ego-centricity and the rationalization of projecting human characteristics onto other life forms that creates an imposed judgment. Pulling a carrot out of the ground ends the life cycle of that plant, the same as ending the life cycle of any other organism, whether or not we currently consider it to be sentient. If one is sacred, then all is sacred.

On a Path to Light, only when we accept all forms of energy as equal will we truly realize that all life is sacrosanct, and to be accepted as a blessing.

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved

www.TheSereneWay.com

To be continued…

With a further discussion of commercial farming and Ahimsa

I.L.C (Integrative Life Coaching) session conversation

PART II

Identify patterns from your life and how they can be used to your best advantage

Achieve balance between work, home and play

Create personal tools to maintain and enhance a healthy lifestyle

Tim W.:  that is a step in creating the witness

Tim W.:  when we look at things from this ‘detached’ witness we are no longer part of the reaction.

Tim W.:  we can look at is as separate, yet part of who we are

Tim W.:  the patterns are so ingrained and sub or un conscious that we are not able to recognize them in a conscious manner

Tim W.:  all programmed before we are 6 years old

P.:  yet does the reaction change…go away? doesn’t there always have to be a reaction to every action so to speak?

Tim W.:  it may not go away…it will be our first line of defence…but in awareness we have the ability to deal with it inside rather than projecting it onto a person or object

P.:  before 6? I’ve heard that children before the age of six can sometimes remember a past life

Tim W.:  we all have that ability…

Tim W.:  we get to a point around 2 where we don’t remember prior to that

Tim W.:  we can however train the mind to find those chemical and biological patterns to go back further…

Tim W.:  then we can remember invitro and then into past lives…at least according to what I have read and it seems to make some sense to me…anything is possible

P.:  would that bring us to a better awarenes?

Tim W.:  that is life’s search

Tim W.:  always within

P.:  I mean an awareness to the truth of all

Tim W.:  I find meditation has been a great tool for this

P.:  I have just started meditation after my accident…it has done so much for me

Tim W.:  that in itself is merely acceptance…we struggle to find reason and we struggle to learn acceptance…that stuggle is struggle not acceptance

P.:  I am a beginner

Tim W.:  we all are…we learn to roll on our tummies before we sit, then crawl, walk then run

P.:  so there does not have to be a reason? we just are, yes?

Tim W.:  start from where we are and move from there…the issue arises that we want the goal immediately…and them mind then says it is impossible

Tim W.:  there does not have to be a reason…all just is

Tim W.:  or neti, neti…not this, not this

Tim W.:  our mind tries to say there are reasons, because that is its function…finding black and white…yet there are many colours and shades

P.:  I have so much to discover…I am only just discovering…I often feel so human in my thinking…smiles

Tim W.:  we have to allow … in that desire we put energy into it and it gets further away…I call it the shopping cart syndrome…we puch the cart and it stays in front of us..only when we let go do we walk

Tim W.:  into it

Tim W.:  we are HUMAN

Tim W.:  so feeling so is a truth

Tim W.:  accept it an be so…we have animal instincts and divine…we are both

Tim W.:  we are all

Tim W.:  all is us

P.:  yes, I think that desire can become a double edged sword in this

Tim W.:  desire again like fear is within the mind

P.:  desire is and fear is…

Tim W.:  we may achieve that desire, but where does that leave us…creating a new desire and the cycle continues

P.:  no?

P.:  sigh…a pattern begins…

Tim W.:  they are manifestations of the mind…they exist there but no where else

Tim W.:  so so they exist…if we make it so yes…if we do not then we only have now, the present, love, bliss and being

P.:  we are all…different parts of a whole

Tim W.:  and the whole is different parts of us

Tim W.:  they are one in the same

P.:  yes i see that now

P.:  the power of now

Tim W.:  refractions of the light…a crystal will refract the colours of the spectrum yet it is from a single light

P.:  a great example Tim

Tim W.:  Eckhart Tolle…power of now…yes

Tim W.:  simple yet the mind keeps us from it.

Tim W.:  depression from thinking about the past

Tim W.:  worry from thinking about the future

P.:  how does one stay on track…

P.:  arrgh

Tim W.:  neither exist except within the mind

P.:  worry destroys

P.:  sounds so peaceful

Tim W.:  on track…we are continually on track

P.:  what will be, will be

Tim W.:  only our judgements on it create the illusion of something different

Tim W.:  yes worry destroys, but it keeps things in check as well…and we come back to good and bad…both and neither

P.:  this may sound strange…but….what does one do with the mind??

Tim W.:  we can try to control it…through awareness…the reactions may still be for a time…but in time with that new patterns are established and then it simply is

Tim W.:  that is what meditation brings us to

P.:  ahhh

Tim W.:  first focus…to keep the mind on track

Tim W.:  then concentration…to keep the mind steady

Tim W.:  then meditation when the mind is stilled

P.:  peace comes with this stillness

Tim W.:  the samadhi…when the soul is now in full awareness

Tim W.:  stillness comes with stillness….peace again is a definition within the mind

P.:  but i have noticed that I am becoming unconsciously aware of things

P.:  after I meditate I mean

Tim W.:  hmmm…unconsciously aware of things…if you are aware then it is in the conscious

P.:  would it be that stillness and peace are one and the same minus the label?

Tim W.:  in meditation then you are bringing things from the unconscious to the conscious mind so they can be addressed

Tim W.:  absolutely…labels and definitions…peace exists because of its opposite…stillness exists because of its opposite…when in total we are just being

P.:  so, the things that I label important are coming to the surface and I am becoming aware of them

Tim W.:  or things that you are not aware of that are important are coming to the surface…

Tim W.:  six in one half a dozen in the other

P.:  thanks Tim

Tim W.:  if they did not exist in your mind prior…they were not conscious thoughts..they lie beneath…in bringing them to the surface then the waves can be seen and they too become only the ocean

P.:  I’m gathering a better understanding

Tim W.:  it all comes P.

Tim W.:  just like the turtle

Tim W.:  he does in the end win the race…though in reality there is no race only being

P.:  ah…the infamous turtle…

 
Tim W.:  hahahah…there are many parables that we take for granted and pay lip service to, yet there are tremendous simplicities within them

P.:  are they not written for children…hmmm…

To be continued….

Stay tuned…

Part III will be available one week from today!

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All Rights reserved. 

www.TheSereneWay.com

“In every one of us there is the yearning for life, for knowledge, for happiness.”

Swami Yatiswarananda, Meditation & Spiritual Life

Recently I heard, “When one lives with an open heart there is no need for protection.” This is a simple truth; it is on a Path to Light that we develop this ability of detachment from the energy, reactions and actions of others, as well as our self as defined by the ego. There are lessons along the way that assist in reaching this goal, one of which is discernment: ‘the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure’ or ‘the power to distinguish and select what is true’. Now, there’s the rub: what is true and real and how do we distinguish it?

We often look to our external environment to provide knowledge and happiness. Osho, in The Book of Secrets, says, “Whatever society has given can be taken away again…” This simple statement illustrates the transitory nature of possessions and culture as a means to happiness. A culture lasts only as long as it controls its members or holds that influence, in which case we give away our control to an entity other than our selves. When we think of knowledge, we usually think of it as coming from outside our self. In the age of the Internet, there is a particularly muddy situation as information comes at us so rapidly, yet with many caveats. We must consider who is promoting the information, who financed the research, and what is the purpose of disseminating the information. Whether it be possessions, culture or information, discernment is key in order to sift through this endless barrage.

When it comes to culture, the ‘con’ keeps us all believing in regulations and social manners that keep us in control. We can look at the history of organized religions and how they have risen and fallen throughout history. They have used knowledge as their power base, keeping the masses uneducated in order to maintain a façade of stability. To bring this closer to home, we can see the same thing with the current economic turmoil. In this case, the economic culture has brainwashed society into believing that ‘bigger is better’, promoting the worship of the almighty dollar—values monitored on the screens of the global markets. These are ‘cons’ of outrageous proportion that affect society in its entirety.

There are everyday smaller ‘cons’ in each of our lives, which are employed by the egocentric to manipulate and control, though these are not nearly as evident as those of organized religion and global finance.

I was social networking and received a couple of notes from a ‘self-help’ practitioner. The first two were misaddressed and indicated “how may I ‘serve’ you”. The one correctly addressed said, “What do you need me for; you have your own gig”. I cannot comment on the practice of this person or their ability to help others, but I use this incident to illustrate a point: what a person says to your face may not be what they say behind your back. This is not walking the walk or talking the talk; it is this sort of double-face that necessitates discernment.

There are those that see us as ‘marks’, offering the snake oil remedy, the quick fix; again, the ideology that purchase will buy happiness surfaces. At a health and wellness expo I attended, there was a doctor promoting a machine that costs thousands of dollars. We were discussing the science and research behind this product. He made a most interesting statement: “Say anything to get them in and make the sale.” Here, a person of knowledge and apparent cultural status was ‘buying’ into society’s acceptance of information manipulation in order to sustain the economy of greed and excess.

There are unnerving trends in the ‘self-help’ industry (which is what it has become); it is big business. Recently, I have seen seminars and products promoted as ‘recession insurance’ or ‘recession proof’. But in reality there is no insurance against recession. It is only our ability to deal with the repercussions that can be developed. There are those who play against our fears and insecurities for their own self benefit. Again, discernment is necessary in order to have ‘the ability to understand and discriminate between relations’.

Conscious awareness is necessary for discernment. This allows an ease in identifying those factors that require our attention. This is an individual process; that which works for one may not work for another. It is within that we find the answers, the knowledge and truth. It is here that we can tap into those concepts that resonate with our life’s purpose.

Conscious awareness can assist us in penetrating these façades by developing the ability to judge wisely and objectively, thereby revealing authenticity. This action requires an internal search for our own authenticity. When we discover the authentic self, when it is revealed, then whatever bombards our senses can be dealt with in a positive and constructive manner. I have been known to jump in where angels fear to tread. This has led to many wonderful experiences, each one of which I appreciate as a lesson. Some situations are repeated until the lesson has been fully realized. A simple truth evolves from the experience and can be utilized in a practical manner in other situations.

Life is a rollercoaster; without the ups, the downs have no meaning or reality. The reverse is also true: all is defined by its opposite. Upon accepting that life is full of opposites, these opposites lose their power, as they are non-reality, transitory and illusory.

Once there is a conscious awareness of the mind and its machinations, then we can begin the journey to our centre, our heart. There we can manifest a condition of understanding with complete honesty and detachment. This creates trust within our self. Once established, we can see the truth in others—a gift of discernment on a Path to Light.

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved.

www.TheSereneWay.com

World Talk Radio - Amendments to the Food & Drugs Act

Reiki-Radha Rei course details - What will be covered in the online Reiki training sessions?

It could be said that angels can appear in many forms though perhaps all with the intent to protect, guide and inform.

If all is of ‘One energy’ then would not that inner voice or messaging system be considered an angel whether thought, sound or action?

We can live our lives avoiding harm or directed from harms way this is often remarked as an ‘angel on your shoulder’. There are some schools of thought that suggest we have many angels or guides with us throughout this incarnation, though perhaps we are not always conscious of this energy.

I remember one day my first year of university, a cold wet mid-October afternoon for who on the weekend in university gets up in the morning. Of course I was a ‘bit’ hung over and had just finished lunch and was on my way back to residence. I certainly wasn’t dressed for the weather with short and a T-shirt, the drizzle and wind blowing into my face as I crossed the divided parkway separating the cafeteria from my residence. I was on the crosswalk and had made it to the island between the two streams of 90 km/hr traffic where a light pole made its home.

I heard from over my shoulder, “Hold onto the pole, don’t go any further.”

There was no one around as I looked over my shoulder and heard again, “Hold onto the pole.”

I continued my slow jog across the crosswalk sure that one car in the next two lanes had stopped. I didn’t heed the message and blinded by the drizzle and fog, the voice and desire to be warm, continued on my way.

The next thing I hear was “JUMP!!” again this voice out of nowhere.

A car on the inside lane did not stop and I was directly in its path. I got hit with only the thought of jumping in mind.

The next part was told to me as I have no memory of the events. The guys in residence were in the TV room watching a football game. The windows looked directly out onto the parkway and they said it looked like I flew over the car. Was I hit and the impact sent me flying? Or did I jump? Or was I lifted out of the way? At 90 km/hr would I still be here to right this if something had not intervened.

I was out of classes for 2 weeks and my aunt a nurse took me in, watched over me to ensure that I did not have a concussion. She bathed me and tended to the contusions, I still have a slight scar in the shape of the province in which this happened - a reminder of the encounter. To me my aunt was an angel, yet there was this other message that I did not heed which was a protective entity ‘angel’ if you will that was there trying to guide me away from harm.

Angels have appeared to me in dream as well, is this too just an experience in an alternate reality? Who is to say…the experience provided information and understanding, I can only be grateful.

No matter what name or definition you may give, listen to the messages that you receive whether with your eyes, nose, and ears or just exist inside your head and heart. As it is the instrument of reception that defines perception there is usually one that is more dominant for each of us, hone that which is true to your self on your path to light.

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2007  All rights reserved