Peace

Kyoto, Japan

How do we find peace in the chaos of the city, the stress of our daily lives, and the turmoil of our thoughts and emotions? How do find peace when our boss tries to undermine us, our health is challenged and we do not have love in our lives?

We cannot find peace if we look for it, because peace is what we are. Peace is what we are. Peace is what we are. All that we have to do is recognize it.

Let's embody peace

Mindfulness

Dinner, Hakone, Japan

Are we paying attention to what we are doing, saying and thinking, or are we acting or reacting in accordance with our conditioning?

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When our attention is on what we are doing, we are in harmony with our inner selves and the universal energy.

When we are listening, are we listening, or thinking about how we want to respond? When we eat, do we eat or think about something else? When we walk, do we walk, or do we think about where we are going or what will happen when we get there? When we speak, do we communicate what we mean to communicate, or do we give a programmed response?When we meditate, do we meditate?

Right now let's turn our attention to what is.

Divinity

Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

God is not religion. Religion is not God. God cannot be understood with words or thought. Thought interferes with our ability to experience the Divine. God can be known, experienced and felt. All we have to do is surrender to it.

Religion is a belief structure built by men around their conception of the teachings of an awakened spiritual master. Religion can bring us closer to spiritual awakening, but religion can also keep us from it.

Religion is not necessary to become spiritually awakened. There is nothing we can do that will keep us from being Divine, because Divine is what we are. We just have to awaken to it.

Let's surrender to our Divinity.

Start Now

Buffalo, Yellowstone National Park

Our intention is to awaken and live in the present moment. We just believe that it will happen sometime in the future. We believe that we do not have time, that we have to first obtain or achieve something or learn something.

We cannot awaken in the future. The future is an illusion. We can only awaken in the present moment. If we wait to become present, it will never happen.

The time to awaken is right now. It is not something that can be postponed. Why not just start now?

Let's awaken now.

Integrity

Pohutukawa Tree, Coromandel, New Zealand

We are not living with integrity when our words or actiions are not consistent with our deeper being. If we feel hesitant, annoyed, frustrated or afraid, we are not in synch with who we are.

When we act in concert with our higher selves, we speak with authority, act with conviction and the energy flows through us.

If we are deciding between two courses of action, we should not try to figure out which we prefer. Thought can only get us so far. If we are still, we will make the right decision that will benefit ourselves and those around us.

Sometimes it is best to not make a decision and see how we feel when we awaken. Often it is the less obvious choice. If our decision brings us peace, makes us feel strong or feels right, we are making the right decision. If we decide based on what we think that other people expect, we are cutting ourselves off from the wisdom that resides within us.

Let's live life with integrity.

Enlightenment

Rangitoto, New Zealand

We believe that achieving enlightenment is impossible. We think that it has only happened a few times in history. Perhaps only Jesus, Buddha and a few gurus in India have achieved it. We believe that it takes years of being cut off from society, practicing meditation or yoga to even see a glimmer of it.

This is not true. The word "enlightenment," like the word "God," is so loaded with beliefs and judgments, that it is almost impossible to see the truth behind the concepts.

All that we have to do is to stop believing that we are what we think we are. We cannot think our way out of our problems, because our thoughts are the problem.

We need to have the courage to turn away from our thoughts, our stale beliefs, our expectations, our judgments and our labels that we use to define ourselves and the rest of the world, and open our eyes to what is.

We do this by bringing our attention to the present moment. It is simple, but it is not easy. It is like a muscle. The more we use it,the easier it becomes. And we will not be alone. The universal energy is waiting for us to awaken and will welcome us with open arms. Life will unfold before us in profound and unexpected ways. We will enmbark on a new adventure.

Millions of us are awakening all over the world. It does not matter what we call it. Enlightenment, awakening, self-realization, living mindfully. Words cannot describe it. It must be experienced to be understood.

Let's wake up to what is.

Life

Sunrise, Hana, Maui

We assume that life is one bad event after another, and that the universe is out to get us. We assume this because of our expectations and assumptions.

The world is a glorious place and life is joyous. We can recognize this by appreciating the simple things. Do we really need an impressive job and car to be happy, or are we actually covering up the fact that we feel inadequate without those things?

Once we stop striving and desiring more, more, more, we can begin to receive pleasure from all that life gives to us. The simple act of breathing and being alive is worthy of celebration. Walking in nature, watching the clouds move across the sky, or looking at the simplicity in which an animal interacts with its environment is joyous. Watching a bird in flight can be exhilarating. If we are thinking too hard about what we have to do tomorrow or worried about how we can afford the things we desire, we will never appreciate such a simple and beautiful thing as a bird flying.

Let's enjoy the simple things in life.