Leave the past behind; leave the future behind; leave the
present behind. You are then ready to go to the other shore.
Never more shall you return to a life that ends in death.
First of all, I would like to wish you and your
family a wonderful New Year. May all you hope and dream of come
true for you. I hope that in some small way, this ezine was
of help and support to you in the year gone by.
Also, to help you make 2004 the best year ever for you, I have
come across a very useful resource called Goals 2004, which is
fully reviewed in this issue. Suffice it to say here that, rather
than waste your time in "new year resolutions" that never happen,
you would do much better to invest your time and energy in
creating some well structured goals for yourself. This resource,
Goals 2004 helps you do that. You can find it at:
http://www.aksworld.com/Resources/Goals2004.htm
In this issue, I include two articles that I hope will help you
in your spiritual and personal growth quest for 2004. The ideas
are simple enough, but the effects upon your life can be
profound.
Regards ,
Asoka Selvarajah
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The whole spiritual life, when honestly examined, boils down to
Awareness. As you study spiritual traditions the world over, this
is the one common factor that occurs over and over again.
A famous dying Zen Master, was besought by her disciples for her
final words of wise teaching to them. She replied "Awareness!".
Those were the only words she would reply, despite repeated
attempts to persuade her to say more. That word, awareness, was
the summary of her entire teaching.
Hence, it is much easier to cut through all the confusion and
contradictions, if you are willing to bear this simple point in
mind. Awareness is at the heart of Enlightenment and ultimately
leads to it. That is why the Buddha and others stressed the
importance of mindfulness practices; being aware of your
breathing, of your eating, of your walking, of everything that
you do at all times.
We are a mystery unto ourselves. We act, and do not know why we
acted as we did. We wish to improve ourselves, and yet cannot
understand the seemingly infinite inertia that holds us firmly in
our habitual places.
The secret to spiritual growth is Awareness - at all times and in
all places. It is through the simplest practices of Awareness
that you can advance; slowly and imperceptibly at times like an
unfolding flower; rapidly and dramatically at others, like a
crashing wave washing away seaweed and debris lying on the
beachside.
The major problem that most of us face is balancing our urge for
inner growth with the practical difficulties of living in modern
society with its myriad demands on our time and energy. Here are
a few ideas to ease that problem:
(1) Remember that there is no division between spiritual life and
mundane existence; that EVERY practical occurrence can be used
as an opport*unity for spiritual and personal growth. Take it on
yourself to see where the personal growth lessons lie in EVERY
daily experience or problem you encounter.
(2) Schedule several brief but regular "time out" sessions in the
day, where you can close your eyes, breath slowly and regularly,
and just center yourself. If you can find a place of silence and
solitude to do so, then so much the better.
(3) Learn to trust yourself and your insights more. Remember that
outer teachers and spiritual traditions exist only to point you
to the ultimate teacher: the Higher Self within. Cultivate
Awareness of your inner prompting and be willing to follow them
more.
(4) Keep a journal of your discoveries. This serves as a powerful
feedback process. No lesson you learn is ever forgotten, and
every lesson feeds back into your awareness.
(5) Remain persistent, determined and encouraged. It is very easy
to become discouraged in personal work and feel you are getting
nowhere. No work on inner growth is ever wasted. Make no
comparisons with others, and have no expectations. Let your
growth proceed as it must... at it's own pace. Each person's
needs are individual, as is the rate of each person's growth. All
that is required is persistence and commitment to heightened
awareness.
Remember that you can cultivate Awareness, and increase
self-understanding in so many situations. Contemplating the
clouds. Watching two work colleagues interact. Inwardly
observing your emotions and reactions in situations and
interactions. Through meditation. By using your journal.
Let your spiritual growth be light and playful; not heavy and
"deep" to the point of being a weight around your neck. You don't
need bells and incense. You don't need "channeled" teachings from
someone else. And you don't need tons of self-help tapes, books
and seminars.
All you need is you, and your willingness to grow and develop. A
teacher can help you greatly (and is even necessary at a certain
stage), and a spiritual tradition can serve to ground you in
established wisdom. However, don't let all this get you down, or
make the whole thing worrisome. There is so much you can do with
the practice of simple Awareness and inner observation.
By simply doing this, you can make so much advancement on the
path to enlightenment and liberation from suffering. Moreover,
the good news is that you can remain in this world; centered and at
peace in the midst of all circumstances, free of fear and inner
suffering.
Awareness. Cultivate it - and let it cultivate you.
Copyright Asoka Selvarajah 2003. All Rights Reserved.
Asoka Selvarajah is a writer on personal growth and
spirituality,
and the author of "The 7 Golden Secrets To Knowing Your
Higher
Self". His work helps people achieve their full
potential, deepen their
understanding of mystical truth,
and discover their soul's purpose. Learn more about his work
If you're scratching your head and looking blank, then you need
to realize that without specific measurable goals, your chance of
achieving your life dreams are virtually zero.
But now, three extremely famous personal development coaches -
Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy and Bob Proctor - have combined their
expertise to create the definitive goals program to help you
create, set and achieve each of your life goals.
The program is called Goals 2004. Through well thought out and
properly structured tuition, they show you how to create a master
plan for your life, AND how to follow through consistently so
that it becomes a reality.
No more new years resolutions that go nowhere. No more sitting
around wondering where all the time went, and why so little was
achieved.
Now, you really can make that vital life breakthrough that you
always dreamed about. The knowledge from over thirty years of
trial and error in goals research has culminated in the Goals
2004 process. Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn and Bob Proctor have together
helped countless millions of people achieve their goals and
transform their lives. They can do the same for you too.
The system combines written and audio instruction, so that you
learn in two ways. The goal planner itself contains detailed
instructions on how to create your goals, and work with them
until they come true. Plus it includes audio tips and suggestions
from Rohn, Tracy and Proctor.
And best of all, there are several different levels to this
program to ensure that it meets with both your time schedule and
your budget. There is the possibility of teleseminars, unlimited
email support and even personal attention, according to which
option you choose. Hence, there is definitely something right for
YOU in this program.
I would urge you to take a look at Goals 2004 NOW, BEFORE you set
those useless "new year resolutions". Or try to create your very
own goals without knowing how to make them really happen. Instead,
learn how to make a REAL difference to your life in 2004.
If you are like most people, you may be suffering from mental
clutter. This is a mind filled with stuff that does not serve you
and drags you down instead of lifting you up.
While most people are aware of what is meant by physical clutter,
and the negative psychological effects the presence of such
physical junk can have, fewer people are aware of the clutter
contained between their ears. Yet, it is precisely this mental
clutter that can thwart so many of your dreams before they even
have a chance to be born.
Is your mind full of stuff that does not really serve you and
takes you nowhere at all? Or is it clear, targeted and focused?
The difference between these two states of mind is as different
as night and day. Only you can really tell where your mind rests
right now.
What is mental clutter anyway?
It can be many things.... To-do lists you insist on keeping in
your head. Grudges against other people. Mental shortcuts that
don't serve you, such as a tendency to instantly jump to a
negative judgmental way of thinking in the face of any new
challenge. Subtle ways of short-circuiting your energies, such as
thinking of all the things that could go wrong with a potential
new venture, and therefore not even commencing it in the first
place. Habit patterns inherited from people long forgotten that
you nevertheless faithfully follow like one hypnotized.
Moreover, mental clutter also arises from the necessities of
daily living; everyday worries and concerns, holiday and house
plans, too much TV, and a ton of other things that people
unconsciously allow to fill their brains.
The conscious mind can only take so much. Once it is is filled
with garbage, there is little or no room left for the good stuff;
the stuff that really gets you places. That is one major cause
for people remaining exactly where they are in life.
If you ever take time out to examine the contents of your mind,
you will probably be amazed at just how much mental clutter
there is.
What can you do about it?...
(1) Get clear that the clutter is there in the first place.
This means that you must be willing to take a good hard look at
your habitual thinking. What are your thinking habit patterns?
If you continually feel mentally drained, WHY? What is draining
your mental and emotional energy? Where is it being drained off
to?
(2) Identify the mental clutter that is present.
Honest self-examination is the only way. You have to be willing
to take time to examine your internal mental states. What is
your mind full of? Practical preoccupations and fears?
Insecurity? Deep-seated grudges against people and society?
It is different for each person. What is holding you back? Just
as physical clutter cleaning requires you to go about the house
and identify stuff you haven't used for years, that is lying
there and gathering dust, so too does the process of mental
clutter clearing require a similar effort.
Your mental clutter is individual to you, as is your physical
clutter. And by the way, the two are very closely related. If you
want to get some clues on your mental clutter, take a look at
your physical junk!
(3) Take definite steps to reduce and finally eliminate your
mental clutter.
This is easier than it sounds. However, it can be done. Becoming
aware of your clutter is critical, because you cannot remedy
something you do not know exists. Once you are aware of it,
retain that awareness in your mind and watch for the clutter
whenever it comes up.
You may wish to use some sort of meditation or visualization
process to eradicate the mental hang-up. There are many such
available. Also, many of the techniques of Neuro-Linguistic
Programming (NLP) can be very useful in this respect.
This step will definitely take time, as our minds are far more
occupied with junk than we dare admit or imagine. As you chuck
some of it out, more will rise to the surface. In a sense, this
is a never-ending life task...
(4) Continue back to step (1).
In other words, continue to identify the mental garbage and
unhelpful habit patterns. Frankly, just doing a simple process
like this will place you way ahead of the vast majority of the
population, who have little or no idea of the heaps of festering
stuff lying dankly between their ears.
If you can clear your mental clutter, you create space within you
for wonderful things to happen. That is why it is a vital
activity, and one you need to commence today and continue forever
throughout your life.
Remember that the quality of your life begins with the quality of
your thoughts. Make sure that your mental life is the best it can
be. You will surely see the results in your outer life as well.
Copyright 2003. Asoka Selvarajah. All Rights Reserved.
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