THE SITUATION

 In Washington,
DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold
January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for
about 45 minutes.  During that time, approximately 2,000 people went
through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes,
a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace
and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his
schedule.  

About 4 minutes later:  
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in
the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 

 At 6 minutes: 
 A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his
watch and started to walk again. 

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along
hurriedly.  The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother
pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time.
This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without
exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and
listened for a short while.  About 20 gave money but continued to walk at
their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour: He
finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded.
 There was no recognition at all.

 No one knew this,
but the violinist was 

 Joshua Bell, 

 one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most
intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
 Two days before, Joshua 

 Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats
averaged $200 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

 This is a true story.  Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C.
Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social
experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. 

This experiment raised
several questions:  

   *In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?  

      *If so, do we stop to appreciate it?  

      *Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? 

One possible
conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen
to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music
ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .  

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life? 

Your name is not you.  It is ink on paper and ink on paper

cannot say I am Richard.

Your mind is not you as it is only a collection of unpredictable, whimsical, often irrational thoughts, impressions and memories.  So when the mind says I am Richard, it is a conditioned response programmed into the brain by my parents early on in life, an impression which dies and dissolves into nothingness when the body dies.

The body is not you as it is a DNA programmed food body made from food and sustained by food.  It too cannot say I am Richard.  It ages, grows, decays, dies and rots becoming food for the worms or the crematorium.

Then how does anything ever happen?  I sense that Source Energy sends a thought, an input to the brain, the brain reacts and based on its DNA programming and environmental, parental, peer group, etc. conditioning it creates a mental, emotional or physical action, an output, which in turn creates a consequence according to karmic law. 

Considering the foregone conclusions it would appear that we are all pre-programmed, free will is questionable, there is no you, nor me implying that thinking is happening, talking is happening, eating is happening, driving is happening, smelling is happening, hearing is happening, reading is happening, writing is happening, feeling is happening, etc., but there is no Richard, no doer thereof.

The Absolute is Eternal and unchangeable.  The mind-body concept is temporal and changeable.  Based on these findings it is impossible to be my name, body or mind.

For the first time in my spiritual quest I realize that Self Realization cannot be forecasted or found as it is something that has never been lost, but rather there is something to be deeply understood intuitively, immediately. 

It appears that some people get Self Realization spontaneously for no apparent reason; others get with a lot of hard work, others never get it no matter how hard they work. 

I think that when a particular stage is reached, the table is set appropriately and the ground is fittingly prepared there comes about an appropriate change spontaneously from within.

Thus, according to these deductions and my interpretation of the core teachings of Advaita Yoga the sadhana is simple:  Hold the conviction you are not your name, nor your mind, nor your body understanding that thinking is happening, walking is happening, eating is happening, etc. and there is no doer, no Richard, thereof.

Intellectual understanding was my first step.  Apperception is needed now to stop my moving in a circle, like the dog chasing its tail.

End

Note:  This work is learned from and interpreted from the teachings of Ramana Maharishi, Sri Nisagardatta and Ramesh Balsekar as it is understood by the author.

Dr. Masaru Emoto’s Healing Prayer for the Gulf:

"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living
creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings.

To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton, coral,
algae, and all living creatures . . .

I am sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you. 
I love you. "

http://www.worldgratitude.com/join.html

Surrender to Love. Trust, accept, let go of fear and resistance. Thank you family for the beautiful reflections, inspirations, rememberances and teachings. "We are an old family, we are a new family, we are the same family, stonger than before. And we honor you and inpower you to be who you are."

Reflections after a wonderful ceremony with close friends, old family and new family.  We are all everything and nothing at the same time.  We are all so beautiful and valuable in our true beings, outside of our stories, outside of our imaginings, inside of our hearts.  We are all different and we are all the same, shadow and light, duality seeking unity.  Love, respect and graditude from my heart to yours. 

I think with my mind, I am not my mind, it is but one part of me. 

I manifest my thoughts into the physical world through my words.  May I speak my truth for myself and others.  Using my words to communicate compassion, clarity and understanding.

I follow my heart as my compass, guided by my intentions, being clear in my actions.  I treat others as I desire to be treated.  I surrender to love and acceptance.

Namaste

Remember ones self.

Through practice, through dedication, through intention, through acceptance, through surrender.  Through changing the automated self, the programed actions, responses, we remember the self, we become present.  The cord of the violin makes sound when tension and friction are applied.  The skin of the drum makes sound as a reaction to force, to being hit.  We are able to so fluidly move through space from the forces of gravity and friction, these limits, these restricitons, these binding forces allow for beauty and freedom to be exressed. 

Through surrendering the ego, through surrendering the past and future thought, we become present.  In true presence, remembering ones self, we achieve a state of grace.

Day one:  East, wind, opening the front body

Flow, control, balance, surrender

What an incredible first day of this exploration.  Everything unflods as it needs to.  I was reminded that over a month ago I had said, "It would be nice if we could just have this retreat here, between Raices and the new farm land."  And so it is!  Teaching and asana practice in the morning focusing on backbends, opening the front body and continuing the exploration of the five elements through the two traditions.  A beautifuly instructed aukward yet flowing practice, intended to bring the attention back to the self, through the senses, to "remember your self".  Followed by divine nourishing food and then an intense and very real afternoon and evening of tending the sacred fire, entering the inipi (sweatlodge) and communing with mother nature in the womb.  May all our prayers be hear.

To All My Relations

Aho!

Sabor de Amor now open for divine nourishment!



Thank you all for an incredible opening night, there was so much love, joy and gratitude and we shine it all right back at you.  Create your reality!


Come visit for wonderful organic love infused nourishment from around the world.

This Wednesday we will be showing the Woody Allen film, Match Point, (La Provocacion) in its original English with Spanish subtitles.  The film will begin at 9pm and we will be serving our delicious organic pizza and salad with some other specials.  No cost of entry.
On Thursday we will have a full dinner menu with open mike starting at 8:30.  Come share your songs, stories, poems and a bit of yourself with us.  Sign up will start at 6pm. 
On Friday we will have a new exotic dinner menu with live music from a local returning band, La Leyenda.  This highly skilled three piece group will be playing prehispanic, flamenco, latin, boleros and more

Operating hours:
8am to 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday
10am to 3pm, Sunday: Brunch
6pm to 12am Wednesday: Pizza and Film night
6pm to 12am Thursday: Open Mike @ 8:30pm
6pm to 1am Friday: Live Music (This week LA LEYENDA:  Prehispanic, Flamenco, Boleros, latino and more)

Look forward to seeing you soon!  We love you!

See the website for more information: http://raicesybrazos.com/sabor-de-amor/

Will post picts soon… love, blessings and gratitude to all you beautiful souls!