SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 229

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Continuing with the 12 styles of the Mandala process, we are exploring the style of the Body.  

+ May we be mindful through our Breathing.

This is the fifth of Edward Bastian’s 7 steps ofInterSpiritual Meditation

+ Breathing teaches you everything you need to know –right under your nose.

-- Gay Hendrix

This is the quote in The Mystic Hours by Wayne Teasdale for Day 251

+ Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

 -- Thich Nhat Hanh

+ Think of your body as a musical instrument, a wind instrument. Your breath, accordingly, is the wind through the instrument. As such, it is the single most important aspect of yoga technique. Traditionally considered the primary carrier of prana – life force – your breathing originates deep inside you, radiates outward and then inward, providing a gentle and steady rhythm for movement, stretch and release. Sometimes you will breathe softly, other times with vigor, but the breathing itself will always be a central and governing focus. Proper breathing brings the poses to life, inspires every subtle shift and movement in every yoga posture, and can help center your awareness in your conscious experience of the now.

-- Erich Schiffmann

This is the opening paragraph of The Wind Through The Instrument, a chapter from Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann

+ Breathing techniques are an important part of the practice of Yoga. Way back in the beginning of this exploration I highlighted the teaching of a great Yoga teacher, Erich Schiffmann.   Unfortunately the links to a chapter in his book, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness on stillness which I put in SE post 6 and SE post 7 no longer work but you can read his great quotes in those posts.  He has a wonderful chapter on Breathing in that book which is available online at a different website than the one I had found years ago.  I will have to go through my website and edit quite a few links.

+ We explored the Journey of the Body practices of solitude, devotion and holiness in SE posts 105 to 160. 

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213.  They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:

·         SevenSteps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes)

·         15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process

·         2 hour lecture & conversation

+ Spirituality & Practice offers abundant resources on the practice of Being Present and a 12s Gallery on Being Present

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 205

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ The great lesson from the true mystics . . . is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's back yard.

-- Abraham H. Maslow in Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences

+ The mysticism of everyday life is the deepest mysticism of all.

-- Jurgen Moltmann

+ The Mystic naturally feels, intuits, communes with or otherwise experiences the mysteries of the numinous that lie beyond the boundaries of ordinary human perception.

-- Edward Bastian in Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process

+ These are not contradictory statements.  When we realize our true identity, we do move beyond “ordinary human perception.”  It happens in ordinary time and place but it is different.  It is miraculous, mysterious and marvelous.  It is always available right here, right now.  We really are in heaven and the challenge is to know it, day after day, moment after moment, breath after breath. Every day is a splendid opportunity to experience “the deepest mysticism of all.”

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 150

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

Shiva The Cosmic Dancer

+

Gracious One, play.

The universe is an empty shell

Wherein your mind frolics infinitely.

+ Maybe you need a context for this wonderful wisdom from the Hindu wisdom tradition.  It is #110 out of 112 meditation techniques offered in the ancient Indian text Vigyan Bhairav Tantra where Devi Asks:

O Shiva, what is your reality?

What is this wonder-filled universe?

What constitutes seed?

Who centers the universal wheel?

What is this life beyond form pervading forms?

+ When you go to this text at http://home.primusonline.com.au/peony/112_meditations.htm you will find an emphasis on breath awareness right from the start.  Here are the first 8:

1.

Radiant One, this experience may dawn between two breaths.

After breath comes in (down)

and just before turning up (out) - the beneficence.

2.

As breath turns from down to up,

and again as breath curves up to down -

through both these turns,

realize.

3.

Or, whenever in-breath and out-breath fuse,

at this instant touch the energy-less,

energy-filled center.

4.

Or, when breath is all out (up) and stopped of itself,

or all in (down) and stopped -

in such universal pause, one's small self vanishes.

This is difficult only for the impure.

5.

Attention between Eyebrows,

let mind be before thought.

Let form fill with breath essence

to the top of the head

and there shower as light.

6.

When in worldly activities, keep attention between two breaths,

and so practicing, in a few days be born anew.

7.

With intangible breath in center of forehead,

as this reaches the heart at the moment of sleep,

have direction over dreams and over death itself.

8.

With utmost devotion,

center on the two junctions of breath

and know the knower.

+ Our holy breath which keeps us alive here on earth is also the great connecting link to our eternal life, our heavenly life, our greater life.  We all too often think of heaven as a realm we can only access after we die but the truth is that we can access it right now, right here, at this time, at all times, all the time.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 149

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again. -- Thich Nhat Hanh

+ Each and every breath is special, wonderful, holy, fantastic, fascinating.  Holiness is the goal of the Journey of the Body.  Our breathing is the holy connection between body and soul, between earth and heaven.  We are inspired, made holy, with each and every breath.  The more we can pay attention to each holy breath, the more we realize we are heavenly.  This is the truth, right now, right here.  Enjoy this holy moment, this holy, healing, heavenly breath.  This is the Spirit flowing through us and all creation.  It is miraculous, mysterious and marvelous.  We are indeed intimately, intricately, infinitely connected by a matrix of unconditional, unlimited, uniting Love which is miraculous, mysterious and marvelous.  

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS --21

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF STILLNESS

+ A couple of quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh:

Smile,

breathe,

and go slowly.

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

+ In the Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation, mindfulness is connected to our breathing. Dr. Edward Bastian, the founder of The Spiritual Paths Institute, is the creator of the 7 steps, wants us to realize that mindfulness is done in the context of a focused and integrated spiritual practice.  Here are the seven steps:

1 - May we be happy and healthy

2 – May we be grateful

3 – May we be transformed

4 – May we be loving and compassionate

5 – May we be mindful through our breathing

6 – May we be wise through meditation

7 – May we be in service to all

Ed has done a video where he leads us through these 7 steps with the sound of ocean waves in the background.

Hindus and Buddhists have long taught the importance of connecting mindfulness to breathing. Breath awareness is the great opening to deeper and deeper mindfulness as you can see in the 112 techniques of meditation from the ancient Indian text, Vigyan Bhairav Tantra.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html