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

As stated in Part I of this discussion concerning Ahimsa, Wikipedia states, “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.”

It has been written that a butterfly fluttering its wings can be the catalyst for a hurricane on the opposite side of the ocean. Every action has a reaction; it is only from our singular standpoint that we judge it to be right or wrong. The following response illustrates how our choices have this effect.

“The Very Humans That The Sweet Precious Innocent Animal Grows To Trust And Love With All Their Beautiful Innocent Hearts As Family… These Very Humans Turn Around And Mercilessly Slaughter Them In Bloody Murder ??? Such Humans Are Diabolical Demons. Humans Were Not Created To Eat Meat! ALL Beings And ALL Creatures Were Vegans And Never Harmed Any Living Being ~ Until The Human Species Fell Into The Demonic Behaviour Of Murder Blood~Lust And Greed. MANY Animal And Bird Species Are Still Entirely Vegan. Some Animal Species Biology Changed To Require Flesh Foods Due To Horrible Low Vibrational Change And Karmic Sufferings That Humans Evoked Upon Mother Earth.

GOOD Humans Are Vowing To Live Their Original Divine Blueprint. There Are Many Millions Of Organic Vegan Humans Now Upon Mother Earth ~ Living Loving~Kindness AHIMSA! ~~~ Looking Upon Sister And Brother Animals As A *Food Chain* Is Evil And Diabolical ~ Barbaric! Such Humans Are FAR Below ALL Animals And Creatures In Spiritual Evolution! Tim… We Do Not Share Resonating Vibes Nor Spiritual Ideals About What Is GOODNESS. SEE Who My Friends Are ~ They Are Organic Vegans For *Animal Liberation!* Absolute LOVING~KINDNESS!

(Final closing has been edited from this discourse)

The animals, including sheep and cows, that grow to love and trust have been bred to domesticity, in accordance with society’s need for providing for its members. We have indeed made them what they are, for the purpose of our physical sustenance. Whether there are more or fewer meat-eaters is debatable. Even chickens will eat their own, although we automatically envision them pecking at the ground eating seed. Chickens, roaming free upon the range, eat everything from seeds to worms and insects. I don’t believe this qualifies them as vegan. Animals existed long before humans made their appearance upon the earth; they have evolved according to their individual natures, as have we.

“All that you see is the manifestation of God’s Power. No one can do anything without this Power. … God exists in all beings as the All-pervasive Power; but the manifestation of His Power are different in different beings”

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

There is a food chain, whether physical or energetic in form. In most instances it is the larger animal that consumes the smaller (although there are exceptions to every rule), and they, in turn, are consumed by the earth so that herbivores have healthy plant material to consume. A small fish is consumed by a larger fish, which is then consumed by a still larger fish, until the largest dies and is returned to the ocean floor, where it nourishes and supports other organisms that feed the smallest fish, which is consumed by a larger fish, and so on. This is the cycle of life. That which lives, dies, and is returned to the earth. In terms of physicality, this return to the earth remains a form of energy and matter that continues to support the lives that follow; it is the food chain in utter simplicity. In the simple food chain the entire object is returned to the fold of universal balance, complete in its makeup of matter.

In the simple food chain, all matter is returned to the earth, providing the substance to continue the cycle of life. Commercial farming methods provide only three main minerals—nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium—to replenish the soil. We have seen a 50% reduction in the nutritional value of our food over the past 50 years, and it continues to decline. With this knowledge, are we treating others with kindness in continuing this practice? In the end, are we not massacring humankind? We cannot remove one part of the chain and not expect it to have an adverse effect upon our lives or the life of the planet.

Commercial farming has also fostered overuse of pesticides and insecticides to protect produce. The animals necessary for soil viability—worms and insects—are destroyed. This has also created many health issues; these chemicals are environmental toxins, which are carcinogenic. The main ingredient in these pesticides and insecticides is petroleum-based—a synthetic compound. We are therefore not only getting less nutritional value from our produce, we are also affecting and changing our innate cellular structure.

Not only do we use petroleum as a means to ‘protect’ produce, it is used to operate machinery in the fields and move the produce to central markets, where more petroleum is used in the transport delivery system. Petroleum is used to heat the store where we buy the produce, and then again to get us to the store and back home, where more petroleum and energy is used to keep the produce fresh or frozen. In moving away from small-scale, natural and organic farming, we are indeed killing our selves with pollution from factories, commercial farms, and the use of gas-powered vehicles. This is not what I consider a cycle that promotes or protects life; it is a sure road to its total demise.

Even synthetic fibres made from acrylics, such as faux fur or fleece, are petroleum-based products: the production, transportation and use of this material continues to pollute the earth from which our sustenance and life is received. How can we consider this Ahimsa, when even natural fibres are bleached and chemically altered, increasing the harm to our selves, animals, and the ecology of the entire planet?

The very act of breathing is necessary and beneficial for humans, yet bacteria and viruses are destroyed within the physical system. As we exhale we add to the carbon dioxide within the atmosphere, currently regarded as the primary cause of greenhouse gases and global warming.

In spiritual pursuits it is recommended that vegetarianism be followed, and in doing so it is with more ease that self-realization or Samadhi is attained. But Narendra, better known as Swami Vivekananda, in his complete works suggests that each individual follow that which is conditioned by their unique nature. On his travels, he ate what he was given, and in his epistles he wrote that he looked forward to meals more in keeping with his cultural background.

In my own attempt at vegetarianism, I discovered that I have sensitivities to some plant foods that provide necessary nutrients. My change of diet was a factor in serious health issues. So, I considered my genetic predispositions and returned to my cultural heritage in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We live upon this earth, and no matter what we consume we are part of the continuing cycle of creation and destruction; one does not exist without the other. It is only from our individual perspective that we judge one to be a higher vibration than another.

It is with respect that I consume food, with full awareness that I, too, on a Path to Light, will return to the earth, providing the necessary support for the continuation of cycles within the infinite balance that is universal energy.

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved

www.TheSereneWay.com

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

 

PART III

 

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

 

 

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…

P.:  you do know that the originals were written for adults oftentimes?

Tim W.:  we are children…with active minds…we

P.:  oh…I love that…

P.:  yes we are all children…

Tim W.:  we lose that aspect of our selves

Tim W.:  the most important this is to play…enjoy all that we do

P.:  I tell my students that I am almost as young as them when they ask my age…

Tim W.:  find that within and you find truth

Tim W.:  I say I’m as old as my shoe size and will stay that way

P.:  perhaps this truth is why I enjoy beeing with children so much…

Tim W.:  society makes us think we have to act in a certain manner…at least children are authentic

P.:  lol…I haven’t tried that one

P.:  yes, children are gems in the universe

Tim W.:  yes, and we forget that this is part of who we are

P.:  so many do forget Tim, but I’m with you..play is important

P.:  and think about it…young children learn through their play…

P.:  adults do too…

P.:  how we interact with our environment can give us varied experiences, yes?

Tim W.:  exactly…laughter is the greatest way to get someone to remember something

Tim W.:  absolutely

Tim W.:  make it fun

Tim W.:  why make it any other way when it causes pain

Tim W.:  enjoy…be…totally

P.:  yes! and Tim?

P.:  you’re welcome to come to my classroom anytime…smiles… we do have lots of fun

Tim W.:  hahahaha….that’s too sweet@!!

P.:  shhh…just don’t tell the grownups

Tim W.:  they wouldn’t understand…though they should!!

P.:  lol…

Tim W.:  see you have this wonderful circumstance to see how to be…real…total..authentic…look to the children and you can find it in them…the let it all go…you only have to do the same

Tim W.:  all lovely creatures of creation

P.:  its funny you say that because I am most at peace when i am with them

P.:  I forget myself in a sense…I know you’ll understand that statement

P.:  if i could carry that over…sigh

P.:  animals are…

Tim W.:  then you only have to bring that with you…in this sense taking your work home is a good thing…hahaha

P.:  I see them, watch them and try to learn from their existence…

Tim W.:  you can…it is in your mind…if it is in your mind…quiet the merry go round and bring it to that point

Tim W.:  that is all they do, exist!

P.:  yes, i think meditation is beginning to help me with that…

Tim W.:  we put all the other stuff on them and ourselves..expectations, cultural taboos, etc

P.:  yes, you understand my meaning about animals

P.:  to be as they are…

Tim W.:  find what works for you…meditation is not just sitting and being silent or stilling the mind…for you when you reach that state in the classroom that is your meditation…the natural way for you

P.:  it is…

P.:  yes?

Tim W.:  it would seem so from what you have said…

Tim W.:  it is there you feel at one…the best you feel

P.:  it is also different from my meditation….when i am with them…I can just be

P.:  meditation goes through steps

Tim W.:  then you have just reached your own answer

Tim W.:  yes, and those steps are there as a method, if it cannot be attained in another way

 

P.:  so, i need to be with children all the time…grins

Tim W.:  hahahah….that depends on you…too much of a good thing

Tim W.:  lol

P.:  you have just given me a gift Tim…thank you

P.:  moderation, eh?

P.:  nature hikes bring me to me as well…that stillness I mean

Tim W.:  remember just being with them is the same as having the mind calmed in thinking like when you are with them

Tim W.:  there that is another place of meditation for you

P.:  now you have me searching for those moments

Tim W.:  the stillness, peace or whatever you wish to call it can manifest in many different ways…the thing is to bring that with you in all things and be that way in all things

Tim W.:  and you will find them…the too are part of your experience and patterns…being consciously aware of them will bring them into other situations where they bring this sense of just being

P.:  I am learning to let things be…to find that inner place

P.:  to let go of judgement

Tim W.:  you have found that inner place…it is only to remember that it is always there

Tim W.:  when you have that sense of being is there any judgement?

P.:  no need for judgement

Tim W.:  Is there a force to let things be?

P.:  no force

Tim W.:  ahhh…

P.:  things just are and all is okay

P.:  no fear even

Tim W.:  again you have found your answers…they are there…it is to remember just the being at those times…bring those situations to the conscious mind and all else no longer exists

Tim W.:  even fear

Tim W.:  the pratical becomes theory which can be again used in practical application

P.:  hmmm.

Tim W.:  the shift is only in the mind, conscious thought

P.:  thinking of outside influences…

P.:  everything is connected

Tim W.:  are they really outside?

P.:  ha

P.:  thinking same thoughts?

Tim W.:  yes, and yes

Tim W.:  so if you have fear…think of the hike…what happens to the fear…gone - yes?

P.:  yes…

Tim W.:  when you are judging…think of the children (being) what happens to the judgement…gone - yes?

P.:  definitely

Tim W.:  now you are using your own experience to lift your energy and to work through any turmoil that the mind creates…

P.:  I like that, yes, i feel the positive energy in that

Tim W.:  you have found your centre in different places…just bring that to all places that you are

P.:  it is so simple

Tim W.:  only when we are off that centre does the other stuff come about…yet we know the (absolutely) the simplicity of it

Tim W.:  good on ya!

P.:  yes, and…it’s okay to just be

P.:  confession

P.:  ?

Tim W.:  yeppers…we learn there…we exist there…we can experience all

P.:  any situation

P.:  is okay now

Tim W.:  it is all connected it is all part of who we are as emotional, physical and energetic beings

P.:  acceptance of self  of all

Tim W.:  it can be ok if we get to that centre…the mind doesn’t want us to get there because then it doesn’t have control or life

Tim W.:  exactly

P.:  silly…

P.:  emotions….

P.:  experiencing a silly tear…argh

Tim W.:  they are beautiful…they are the colour of our lives…just not to control us

Tim W.:  tears are beautiful, they are water and water is life

Tim W.:  the cleanse, they give life

P.:  water is…a tear is… I am…

P.:  how do i thank you…

|Tim W.:  no more need be said

Tim W.:  for what?

P.:  this conversation

Tim W.:  you have seen yourself

P.:  for being

Tim W.:  hahahah

P.:  smiles

Tim W.:  and that is returned…many fold!!

Tim W.:  we learn from interaction…all is…

P.:  yes, but what has Tim learned from this?

Tim W.:  Tim has connected with another beautiful soul that is on a wonderful journey to light

Tim W.:  we have shared our experience our thoughts and created a connection that is full of light

P.:  as has P…

P.:  reconnected…grins

Tim W.:  he has seen that light comes from shadow and has learned love is and as P. says “I am”

 

P.:  we are

Tim W.:  ONE~

 

 

 

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All Rights reserved. 

www.TheSereneWay.com

 

 

 

 

I.L.C – Part I

I.L.C – Part II

 

 

For more information about I.L.C - Integrative Life Coaching, please feel free to contact Tim at tsw@TheSereneWay.com

 

“Only human beings can change their evil ways, their ups and downs, pitfalls, shortcomings, anger, pride—all their bad qualities. Then they can experience their own divine nature.”

Paramahamsa Hariharananda

 

 

In Tibetan Book of the Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche states, “Hatred and anger, when truly recognized, arise with diamond like clarity, free from grasping; this is the ‘mirror like wisdom.” Here is the wonderful imagery of the mirror, a reflection upon the surface. When we are not in front of the mirror there is only the reflective surface; it is only when we stand in front of it that we see a reflection of our physical self. There are many surfaces upon which there are reflections, whether a mirror, a conversation, or words upon a blank piece of paper. Each of these allows us the opportunity for realization and an unfolding of awareness of the self. To that end, when we fight or argue, we are arguing against and with ourselves; the mirror absent of the divine self.

 

Anger and resentment can manifest with righteous indignation. A recent posting, titled “The Secret & Law of Attraction as Fabrications of Greed”, elicited the following response:

 

“I read the article you posted and thoroughly agree with its central precepts. These are concepts that I have felt inwardly to be true for a long time.

 

However, the downfall of the materialism which you mentioned, that the Gnostics and Cathars considered to ruin the souls of men and lead them away from the path of light, can only be achieved by the demise of world Jewry and the final destruction of ‘man-centred’ Judaeo-Christian thinking everywhere.

 

The Jew is the archetype of capitalist man and only stands to gain from a sterile economic worldview. That is why you find them as the the spiritus rectus behind globalisation and the New World Order—the ferment of decomposition of peoples and nations.”

 

In this response we see a concept that singles out a cultural/religious group in order to place blame. To be true to the facts, this group was given, by another religious group, the fiduciary responsibility that these ‘Christians’ were unwilling to shoulder based on the dogma of their belief system. Even then, there was an occlusion from society for those that were given this usury provision. Historically speaking, there has always been a division based on class, economic background and heritage, whether the kings and queens of ancient Egypt, the caste system of India, or the hierarchy of any other society, old or new. The only concern involves the society that creates this segregation and separation and continues to maintain the illusion of elitism.

 

 

A ‘man-centred’ ideology is not limited to Judeo-Christian belief—it is a fact of the world around us, no matter the cultural or religious background. It is this ‘man-centred-ness’ that prohibits forward movement and progress. It matters little what we say ‘against’ current belief systems; it matters little that we ‘point fingers’ or argue and feel resentment towards any group. It is what we can do individually to change our self, our immediate circle of influence in terms of acceptance and tolerance offered with compassion, that is important.

 

The manifestation of anger can result from something as trivial as squeezing a tube of toothpaste from the top. Again, the egocentric person feels resentment when their preferences are seemingly disregarded. This resentment unleashes anger. The tube of toothpaste has no feeling whether it is squeezed from the top or bottom. It is within the self that these emotions are created with various ego-centred rationalizations. These too are illusions of the mind, the distorted reflections of the mind upon the mirror.

 

Anger and resentment are currently observed every day as ‘road rage’. There seems to be a sense of entitlement to space and an inability to have patience (i.e., tolerance, consideration and empathy). The space is not ours, as space itself is an illusion and we are merely here to ‘tend’ to this world and each other. We are integrally connected to all that is around us; cause and effect is a ‘two-way street’—that which is given out is returned.

 

I have seen cars weave in and out of traffic to get to the ‘head of the line’, speeding as if in a race. There is little difference in the minute or two gained, or reaching the next street light before someone else. If we are moving we will get to our destination. In the meantime, if we appreciate all that is around us, we realize acceptance and tolerance.

 

Many times I have been cut off while riding my bicycle in traffic. Luckily, on a bike you can stop pretty quickly, and being out in ‘space’ you are able to breathe. It is within this breathing that we are able to manifest tolerance and compassion, and experience the wonder of the world around us.

 

We can only change our self. We can alter how we react to the mirror in front of us. It is with awareness that we can transmute anger and resentment—whether they stem from economic or cultural factors, religious elitism, or simple daily stressors—into a realization of compassion, tolerance and acceptance on a Path to Light.

 

 

 

 

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved.

www.TheSereneWay.com

‘The Secret’ and ‘The Law of Attraction’ as Fabrications of Greed

 

“The enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look.”

Julius Caesar, 75 B.C.

 

 

The pursuit of happiness and peace is caught in, and now churn and grease the wheels of, consumerism, commercialism and materialism. This ultimately makes a mockery of spirituality and the quest for meaning in our lives, and never so dynamically and ubiquitously as both The Secret and the ‘Law of Attraction’. For years we have been hearing and literally ‘buying into’ the promise that we can have all that we want—the good life—through visualization, belief and a modicum of effort. This only serves to intensify desire, leading to greed and a further spiral into the illusion that materialistic gain will give us the security for which we search.

 

Perhaps we can say that the rape and pillage of the earth began with Imperialism. Certainly the Industrial Revolution introduced many benefits. However, when we look closely, we see its empty results: the destruction of our air, our water, our earth. We continue to pass down to future generations the responsibility of repairing what we have been systematically destroying. We have not been able to set an example for these future generations, teaching them how to shoulder responsibility, nor have we demonstrated much more than a single care about them. They see only a continuation of the same actions, of single-minded greed that keeps the current system intact and causes endless cycles of crisis.

 

This repetitive program results in a pattern of fear which is based on illusion, currently manifest as the profit turned in ‘paper’ transactions upon which our ‘free market’ society is based. This programming has become a source of control for the mechanisms of consumerism—its manipulation, calculation and deception. It has been instrumental in separating us from our selves, in giving power to someone or something—an entity—other than our selves.

 

How can the goal of the bigger house, the faster car, the gold, diamonds and pearls fill this emptiness within? The idea of more, more, more and guzzle, guzzle, guzzle can lead only to a repetition of history, where stock markets plummet and fear grips the world. It certainly hasn’t changed in this lifetime; we need look no further than the real estate crash of the ’80s, the dot-com crash of the ’90s, and now a combination of both monetary lending for real estate and commodities crashing today. Trillions of dollars have been said to have been lost on the global markets, and a single country is spending $700 billion to bail out those that continue this repetition of historic pirating.

 

The promise of ‘abundance’ has proliferated like nuclear missiles and weapons of mass destruction. In the end, it creates the same emotional reaction—fear—out of power, control, and an ‘I am better than you’ mentality. These ideas, no matter who discusses or promote them, whether it is Rhonda, Oprah, Jack, Bob or Phil, lead us down the path not only to earthly ruin, but to the ruin of humanity itself. It appears that the last bastion of the self—our soul—is becoming fodder for the markets.

 

Perhaps we are getting what The Secret and ‘The Law of Attraction’ promise, as there is never an action without a reaction.

 

It has been said there is enough for everyone on this earth. These works, which promote the manifestation of our materialistic desires by focusing on our intentions, lead only to a further exhaustion of all non-renewable resources and move us closer to the brink of extinction.

 

“We can have what we want” is the chant and chorus bombarding our senses. Do we need a 5,000 square foot home? Do we need a television for every room in the house? Do we need all those gas guzzling cars? They only serve to suck up limited resources and abuse the fertile soil we need to sustain our selves. We encroach upon the habitat of other animals without concern for their demise, only appreciating their monetary value. We continue to destroy the symbiotic relationship we have with this planet and all that exist upon it for the sake of power, control and materialistic gain.

 

Perhaps the better question is, “What do we need to exist?” No longer do we gather for the long winter. Instead we horde for the sake of hording and feed the illusion that this will give us a sense of identity, our desires creating a self image in a society lost on its path to light. The cycle of abuse perpetrated not only on this planet but upon ourselves has manifested itself in the form of the current economic turmoil—we reap what we have sown.

 

Originally, abundance and attraction were intended to enlighten, to instil a true sense of security and self. They are now being used against us. The plunder has reached into our most basic nature, raping our very souls. The sanctity of self is being prostituted, sold and re-sold as pretence of materializing the divine—an impossiblity, since it is an infinite expression of energy.

 

We continue to take an internal quest and externalize it in the form of materialistic goals, missing the point completely. The secret is not to manifest materialistic desires but to release them.

 

The secret is to know that abundance and wealth in physical terms are illusions. They are transitory; they are ‘no’ thing, not everything.

 

Take the opportunity to release these attachments and create a new world order that will manifest understanding and compassion on our path to light.

 

 

 

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2007

All rights reserved

www.TheSereneWay.com

The Silent Wait

 

 

The storm exists within the infinite sky: clouds ominous and dark billow and swirls toward the eye within, energies evolving through its simple movement whether manifested as light, sound, wind or rain.

 

Between the lightening strike and the crock of thunder’s roll is the silent wait, where the transition of energy is from light to sound then a return to nothing. The non-presence of no thing—the silent wait.