enlightenment

Enlightenment: like falling off a log?

I believe that being enlightened is a very easy state to be in. Certainly being dysfunctional is far more difficult, exhausting in fact. If you take a good look at the average American city-dweller, you generally see the face of total exhaustion regardless of the time of day or day of the week. What is it they are trying to do that is so tiring?

Now on the other hand, from I have experienced of the so-called higher states of consciousness, being enlightened is very pleasant and requires no effort at all. In fact it is the absence of effort that seems to make it possible. If it is so easy, why are so few people doing it?

According to yoga philosophy, we are being pulled in two opposite directions by opposing forces; the extroversive force and the introversive force. The extroversive force draws us out of ourselves into the physical world and the introversive force draws us inward towards the core of our existence, our true Self, our soul, or our own "I feeling" as my teacher referred to it. The one path leads to a world of endless ups and downs, pleasure and pain and the concomitant mental noise and unconscious efforts to manipulate our environment in a vain attempt to achieve security. The other path leads to lasting peace, joy and wisdom. Seems like a no brainer, but the tricky part is that we are dealing with very subtle forces that operate beneath the radar of our normal conscious mind. In addition, we are trying to make decisions that threaten the very existence of that "mind" (as we know it).

Did you ever see the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey? Remember the spaceship's computer "Hal" that ran everything on board the ship? It was found to be defective and a threat to the mission and therefore had to be deactivated, but of course HAL didn't like that idea and tried to kill all the crew members in order to preserve its own existence. I reckon it is like that with our own ego.

So, we see the difficulty in just rolling off the dysfunction log into blissful enlightenment, and arrive at the inconvenient need for the spirit of self-sacrifice. A great yogi Swami Rama wrote that enlightenment requires a "determined effacement of the ego." I still say that doesn't have to be such a big problem if we can just keep our mind on the goal, the blissful treasures of enlightenment, which are ever waiting to rain down on us as soon as we lower our ego umbrella. It needn't be that difficult to make the switch. We just need to shed a little light on the process, reflect a little and make a rational decision.

Tending to the needs of the ego is sort of like biting your fingernails, isn't it? You don't really notice you are doing it. It's not pleasurable. It's just an unconscious habit, a compulsion. Well, if egoity is just an unconscious not very well thought out habit, then awareness must be the cure. When I was in high school a guest speaker on social issues told us all during an assembly: "I'm not telling you what to decide, just to decide." Good advice, and to make an educated decision about the course of our lives, we need to become intimately familiar with the workings of the tools and materials at hand: the mind, the soul, God. I believe this is what the yogis call "self-reflection" is it not? Examining the mind, the soul, running experiments in our mental laboratories. I don't think you will have to look far to find there is something worth seeking there. Good luck, and bon voyage.

Peace and Love to you all.

Copyright 2007 Bruce Boyd and BabaNam.com

The path to enlightenment isn't the one most followed by our politicians and leaders. It seems as though every nation has it's answers. One would hope that the church would be of help; however, it seems to be wrapped up in providing answers to questions that no one is asking. Eugene Ionesco put it this way, "It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question."

No one seems to be looking at the big picture!

Those who do peer over and past their own geographical boundaries are only doing so to see what others have that they might make theirs. The Middle East is one of the best examples of this principle. How can we expect the Palestinians to get along with the Israelis when Hamas can't manage to live with Fatah?

Why should Israel give up more territory when the Palestinians can't be good stewards of what they already have?

That is not a prejudicial statement. I'm not siding with Isreal for the same point can be made between Democrats and Republicans here in America. Why should we vote for the Democrats in 2008 when they'll commit the same mistakes, or nearly so, as the Republicans. Both groups only are interested in being in power and forcing their values on the nation. I don't need to mention Sunnis and Shiites do I?

We need a major transformation!

Politics definitely isn't the path to enlightenment. Too many politicians think they have all the answers, when it's the deep questions that we really need our poiliticians to ask. Where are the great philosophers of our day? And if we discovered them, would anyone listen?

If we're to succeed in this evolutionary journey to maturity, before we kill each other, we need to find a few!

One of the objectives of this web site is to prepare those who will to make it to the "backside of December 21, 2012". If an individual feels that talk of 2012 is just another Y2k, there's not a lot that anyone can do. Finding out that those who cried wolf were mistaken is a good thing, not a bad thing. But ignoring the cries and finding them to have been real is not a good thing either. Got the picture? Balance, discernment.

Can you handle an age of enlightenment?

I've already written on what think will be a new species of mankind come 2012 and beyond. I've called such the homo sapien sapien sapiens. I'd like to make that transition. As Janice Manning has written, "While many think of December 21, 2012 as an absolute date, it is actually a mid point of an evolutionary event of staggering proportions. Once we cross the cusp. our species will bifurcate, just as it did when Cro-Magnon and Neanferthals began walking the Earth together."

Get acquainted with the bifurcation concept my friend.

If there is a Planet X out there and IF it follows the trajectory that many think we will see the merging of Modern-Man with Enlightened-Man and off we'll go into some whole new way of life. There will be discoveries about life, living together in peace, and caring for our habitation here on earth that will be the antithesis of what we now think. For many it will be similiar to the "Sons of God" coming into being. I prefer to liken it more to an Axial Age II or some level of axial age.

I also liken these to be the "meek who inherit the earth" as Jesus said.

Ah but today has enough troubles of it's own. May we become students of our solar system and universe while embracing the foundations of a spirituality that's inclusive of all beings and not just our own tribe.

Like me, if you are looking for enlightenment-most of you will have missed the boat-it sailed a very long time ago.

I retired early in my life-almost seven years ago. Like many I spent much of my life working and raising a family or two. I reached a point at about 50 years old when I decided I had enough. Actually I decided that long before I retired. I knew there had to be something more than what I was doing. Certainly I didn't let any moss grow under my feet. I owned several businesses and worked for a few. My vocations were highly varied, ranging from electronics, to fur trapping, to writing and more.

I have several children and have had many lovers and relationships. My life has always been built around people and yet I am very reclusive and absent from friendship circles and social interaction. People who know me don't understand that, thinking just the opposite-when it's business-I'm right in there. Most of this reclusive ness is self imposed. I have a really poor memory when it comes to names. I won't remember you name ten seconds after you tell me. So, because I have forgotten your name, I will try to avoid you if I see you. I am not sure if I am reclusive because of this or I am forgetful because I want to be reclusive.

This alienation from people has helped me in the last seven years to give much attention to my reading and writing. I am still working part time as a sales person, so I am in contact with people 4 hours a day. I have rationalized my introverted life even further by acknowledging I don't like soap operas, drama, and gossip. I find conversations with others filled with much of this stuff. I do not want to always be serious either-I think we all take ourselves too seriously. But conversations don't have to be judgmental, disempowering, or about personalities.

I have devoted the last sever years to finding enlightenment. It's what I have written about in the hundreds of articles I have on the internet and in my published books. My searching ended some time ago when I realized I was chasing my tail, yet I continue to write and I have another book coming out this year (hopefully). I have moved away past my next book already, and have just completed proofing it; I have considered not publishing it because of this. I also reminded myself, although the book is about my journey, others will benefit from it as they have the first one.

Every one of my articles or books represents another step along my path to enlightenment, and yet all those steps keep bringing me back to where I started and where I am now. I have not really traveled anywhere.

Enlightenment is the process, the path-we are all enlightened creatures. Enlightenment is not a place or the end of the trip. It is not possible to find it because it does not exist. Enlightenment comes to those who know they are already enlightened. It is the present moment of which you are aware of that is real. You do not live in the past, nor can you live in the future-there is only now--enlightenment is only now.

The universe is constantly moving and so does enlightenment. It is as though chasing your shadow-every time you move, so does your shadow.

One can only spend their time looking for enlightenment and it is something we do, because we can-it is a vocation with no diploma or degree. You will not find the gold at the end of the enlightened rainbow. It is no different than spending a life-time driving a cab, healing people, or building skyscrapers-it's just a job.

Trying to figure out who we are brings opportunities for exploration and exploitation-denying the obvious keeps us looking. All kinds of institutions and beliefs revolve around the misplaced conception that we are not really who we are. Many people will take advantage of this belief and make money off your ignorance. Life is all there is-it is this moment and your circumstances-this is enlightenment.

Every question I have asked, always leads to another question, and another, and the answer always leads back to me. The mystery of life is created by you-therefore the answers to the mystery you have created always lie with you. You are creating the questions and the answers.

It is your nature to create, and then ask yourself why you did it. The answer always leads back to the question-we do it because we can. As in the innocence of a small child, the answer is simple-I did it because! At that point we want to know what "because" is, and we make the whole thing too complicated.

It is not easy, and for most impossible to accept the obvious-you are already enlightened!

The road to enlightenment is rather difficult to follow, which seems to be especially true for politicians and leaders. One has the impression that every nation and every human being has its or his own answers to this problem. Some people think that it is the church who must give a helping hand in the question of enlightenment. But sometimes it seems to pose more questions than it is capable of answering.

It seems that everybody forgets to look at the big picture of what is going on in the world. Those who manage to look over their geographical boundaries do so not to help, but to find something they would be able to make theirs. The best example of this kind of attitude is the situation in the Middle East. For instance, we all know that hostility between the Palestinians and the Israelis is used by others.
One does not even have to be prejudiced to make such statements. In the United States there are their own problems and hardly anybody believes that if they vote for the Democrats in 2008, they will not make the same stupid political mistake as the Republicans did. Both political parties seem to be entirely interested only in being in the government and imposing their values on this so diverse yet one country. Unfortunately, almost the same can be said about Sunnis and Shiites in the Arabian world.
The world needs essential reformation. Politicians are definitely not the fighters for enlightenment. Majority of them think that they have the answers to all questions while they have never even been interested in those questions. Maybe, we need some great philosophers if anyone will listen to them, of course.
If we want to get over this difficult time and come to maturity in the end, we are sure to need one!

A single Shakyamuni Buddha, a Lord Jesus Christ, a Saint Mahavira, a Lord Krishna, a Mahayogi Pantanjali, a Guru Nanak have a massive lasting impact on the whole of humanity, so tell me something, if there was a school, institute, program or person with a short cut solution for pumping out enlightened folks by the dozens would not humanity be in better shape than it is? Would not the message of love and peace spread and penetrate society at least to a larger extent than today, where it seems to be almost non-existent?

OK, forget that argument, think about this, would not this saint-producing factory have a line twenty miles long outside of aspirants and be all over the news? This is the Internet age, the age of information, a time where multiple 24/7 news channels thrive, where small news in a remote corner of the world shows up at your doorstep almost instantly. So given that, would not this incredible nirvana factory be the talk of the town? Wouldn't all the spiritual junkies be flocking to it? But the last time I tuned into CNN, the news was still who just died, alas, I might have missed the grand opening.

OK, forget that argument, think about this, the monks and yogis of old retreated to the mountains and forests for decades to practice meditation. Were they mad, incompetent, or masochistic? Were they just plain dumb and clueless to the fact that there was a quick fix available? Could it be that these potent, massive human beings just all kept missing the short cut? These fellows have practiced meditation for thousands of years and all of them never discovered the short cut! No, sorry my friend there is no short cut, but if you are still not convinced I will continue with some more reasons below.

Let's look at life. Getting in shape takes hard work, mastering an art can take a lifetime, learning a science, skill or language can take years, but you figured that the greatest art of all, the highest accomplishment possible to man, would be made possible via a 20 minute CD! Sorry, it will not be handed to you on a silver platter no matter what the salesman says.

And speaking of salesman, that is probably the best clue of all that something is amiss. The one trait that is common across all the definitions of enlightenment is compassion. Does it really make sense that a fully awakened enlightened person, who is supposed to be completely free, full of joy, bliss and compassion, decides he would rather be a businessman and only help you if you pay him? He decides to rake in the cash to buy his third BMW since he is just not quite satisfied with having a Buddha Mind? If the source feels more like a business than a genuine place to help guide you, be warned - you are about to be conned. No, my friend, don't waste your money, there are no short cuts and I will tell you something else, it is not ever possible to have one.

Enlightenment cannot be brought about through any act of will. It comes on its own and goes on its own. No formula can produce it, no method can create it, and no path can take you to it. Any effort on your part to bring about enlightenment only strengthens the noose of desire and perpetuates self-centered activity, so no outside solution can possibly work for this condition. To illuminate this point the following traditional example is often used.

Think of your life as a movie. Reality is what is happening on the screen, everything that takes place is in the movie; the Truth is the screen itself. It is forever hidden by the images moving on it. It only becomes visible when the movie stops playing. Any willful attempt to stop the movie just adds another theme, another story line and the show goes on. Any angle you undertake is another scene in your movie. This movie has to stop itself and when it does the Truth becomes visible.

All you can do is watch the movie. As you watch and study the movie you start to see its monotony and meaninglessness. You start to see the pettiness of being endlessly drawn into your self-centered drama. This is the beginning of the end. Keep watching carefully, meticulously, and diligently. This watching leads to the movie ending itself. Then you may be blessed with the Truth. So next time someone comes up to you and tries to sell you magic beads of enlightenment, politely show them the garbage can.

Sigmund Freud believed that human beings were motivated by two inner drives: eros and thanatos.

Eros was the drive for life, for more of it, for the abundance and fullness of it.

Thanatos was its opposite, the urge to overcome the disappointments of life by craving forgetfulness and, ultimately, oblivion through death.

While most of Freudianism has been debunked because his ideas, although exciting to the imagination, lack self-consistency, observed verification, and close correlation with reality, his ideas on life and death appear to have an axiomatic quality to them. This could be because these ideas have such a primal quality. It is difficult to deny they exist because a casual observation of any human life shows these two forces at work.

In fact, it may not be unreasonable to ask that since death is inevitable, we should not rush to it prematurely, by trying to arrest the quickening of our desires. Thanatos will have its day soon enough. Wisdom, perhaps, consists of simply embracing eros while it is still available to us.

When for a moment you stop thinking about all the things in your life that are not working very well and instead focus on the sensation of livingness, what you experience is joy. This joy is a powerful vibration. It stimulates more of itself and rises, if you let it, to the point of ecstasy, a place where you are standing outside yourself in exhuberant wonder at the miracle of it all.

Another interesting thing happens when you allow eros to have a say in your mien and predispositions. You experience a sense of communion and sympathy with other sentient beings. A corresponding reaction then manifests within them and they start to view you as a friend, as one who is aligned with their own urge for well-being.

This attitude, if allowed to continue, expands even more profoundly. From directing it to specific points of light, other places where sentience is vibrant, it moves to an all-encompassing, all-embracing perspective, where all things, living or non-living, close or far, familiar or unfamiliar start to correlate with your affection. You see not your own life or that of other beings, but a galaxy of Life. You experience not only your own awareness but that of all intelligence everywhere.

If pushed still further, you will fall into a mystical experience, where who you are is everyone, and in this oceanic consciousness of unification, life itself is seen as an infinitude and your view of thantos fades into viewing it as an illusion.

This idea is not a beautiful fiction. Examples of people who have reached this state, people like the later Lester Levinson or contemporary teachers like Echart Tolle, can be found.

The principle of eros then is one of circulation. It expands and explores, it connects with all, and it is in sympathetic vibration with all.

From this perspective, you find no opposite, no direct contradiction to eros. You step out of the realm of dualistic thinking. You enter the here and now and lose all interest in the then and there. Thanatos is exposed as an imposter. Instead, you appreciate that while forms come and go and entropy does appear to be a universal constant, consciousness itself never fades or dies but only transmutes itself into ever-widening arcs of comprehension of itself.

Yet the uplifting power of eros is rarely fully liberated in most human lives. People generally do not think of enlightenment as a possible future. If they do think about it, it is regarded as an anomaly best avoided. Their imagination is not inflamed by such visions.

The culprit for this narrow perspective is thanatos. It puts a lid on everything. You dare not hope too much, you dare not try too much, and you dare not say, feel, or think too much because of thanatos. Inherent in the cultural codes of most societies, encrusted in its mythos and logos, it has taken on a consensus reality.

Another way of looking at eros is love. Another way of looking at thanatos is fear. Love pushed to an extreme is liberation, but fear is what restrains love from full expression. The pursuit of enlightenment is the pursuit of pure being; it is a movement toward maximal allowing; it is a declaration of liberation. People who pursue it are those who desire to fully experience themselves, pushing their individuality until it expands into a universality. Most religions aim at fostering obedience, not release into true self-emancipation. They are corralled by a thanatos so subtle it is only discerned by the most acute, who upon suddenly discovering it may just as quickly repress it.

Eros is held in check by thanatos. When a person can get free of this bond, then life in its fullness is experienced and is embraced as an eternal factor. It is a rare and special experience; so rare and so special, in fact, that it is seldom even articulated. Thanatos has a way of squelching the idea of being more than human, of being more fully alive.

Modern Yoga has taken on a new connotation devoid of any spiritualist with the asanas or postures of hatha yoga included in fitness regimen. This has essentially led to many self designed types of yoga and is a lucrative business. Yoga essentially means enlightenment and is central to Hinduism and offshoots of Hinduism. Modern Yoga practice has inherited a few elements from this ancient tradition. Breathing exercise (pranayama) and meditation is the most popular of these. Yoga has a unique ability to relax a person and this is adopted by persons who do not look for enlightenment but for its utility to health of mind and body

The goals of Yoga are expressed differently by different traditions. The goals of modernism are relaxation and distressing of a person. With this in mind we have a number of tailored programs Yoga for beginners, Yoga for Women , Enlightenment-and-better-health/”http://yogamiracles.com/yoga-articles/yoga-for-kids.htm” target=_blank>Yoga for Children , Yoga for heart, etc. are the advertisements you would see to entice people to join a yoga fitness center. The common form of Yoga is the practice of concentration. The focus of meditation is different from school to school. Heart (anahata), or third eye (aina) are major points of focus, meditation on peace or Deities is another form. Hatha yoga was invented as purification so that meditation can be done with ease.

Physical purification, Moral Discipline, and meditation are the basics of yoga. There is a far wider reality which often gets forgotten in modern fitness practices. It is sorry to see that instead of holism practiced another view of yoga is propagated. Blinding the horse to see only in one direction is what the market forces have done to Yoga. Enlightenment is left far behind in our globalization and commercialization. Hatha yoga is only viewed for its health benefits and not for its enlightenment.

Health Benefits
• It is believed to calm the nervous system.
• It helps to balance the body, mind, and spirit
• It follows the same principles as life energy and helps prevents specific diseases.
• It is used to reduce blood pressure and stress
• It improves sleep, coordination, flexibility, concentration and digestion.
• Alternative remedies suggest it as a therapy for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, asthma and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• It is helps in treatment of spinal problems and chronic back pain.

Yoga as a healing alternative is now the most popular form and very few look towards yoga as a means toward enlightenment.

Enlightenment Period - Romantic Age Comparisons

Researched and Authored by: Michael J. Spindler


The authors of this paper are going to present to the reader five areas of the humanities, art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature from the Enlightenment period as well as the Romantic Age. The examples chosen are meant to reflect the developments and forces that affected world events and how these examples molded cultural patterns. This evolution of humankinds views of the world and humans place in the world profoundly affected the following century and the course of the modern people in today’s society.

Art has traditionally been a reflection and an artist’s interpretation of the world around the artists. During the Age of Enlightenment, there were five major types of art movements; Neoclassicism, Romanticism, French Naturalism, French Realism, and Impressionism. “In part a reaction against baroque and rococo excesses, neoclassicism is associated, in France, with a return to "virtue" and an acceptance of the new ideological demands of the French Revolution.”(Boguslawski, 2005) This form of art reinforced society’s responsibilities to honor, duty, and more important, patriotism.

Impressionism in the Age of Enlightenment lends to a play on light within common themes. Claude Monet is perhaps the best example. While not politically inspiring, Impressionism allows the viewer to spend time reflecting on the beauty and the play of colors and lighting.

“Romantic artists interpreted things through their own emotions, and these emotions included social and political consciousness--as one would expect in a period of revolution, one that reacted so strongly to oppression and injustice in the world.” (English Department, Brooklyn College, 2001) Despite the term Romantic, the period was a time of revolution and social upheavals as society on all levels struggled for a voice and a place in the evolving world. Across all fields of expression, the period was a movement away from rationalism towards an exploration of human nature. Emotion became both the subject and the object of most popular art forms of this period. Rather then just picking a specific work of art, the authors’ intention is to enlighten the reader to the influences and motivations of the artists in this period, rather than describing how a portrait may have affected the few.

Music in the Enlightenment period was immortalized in the works of Amadeus Mozart. Though gifted from a young age, it was through diversity and necessity that forced Mozart to achieve his potential. Most musicians of the period were at the employ of churches and royalty. The free lance lifestyle Mozart led, lent to a freedom of expression... “This step in the direction of artistic and intellectual freedom was a central part of the Enlightenment.” (Donelan, 1999) Interestingly, Mozart’s work may have reinforced his attachment to the ideas of the Enlightenment period, while a feeling of subversion is also equally expressed at times.

Mozart was not easily impressed that was until Ludwig van Beethoven performed for Mozart in 1787. Beethoven had a singular brilliance about him; as a result, he went through a number of instructors, some of histories most memorable composers of the time. Beethoven’s hearing loss was a progressive deterioration over a 16 year period beginning in 1801. Around the year 1802, his hearing loss opened new doors in his composition. Compositions were written that challenged the traditional characterizations of music of the time. “Beethoven's influence on following composers has been immeasurable. Aside from his architectonic innovations and expansion of the classical sonata and symphony, he brought to music a new depth and intensity of emotion that was emulated by later romantic composers...” (Angelfire.com, n.d.)

The Romantic era could easily be split between two types of composers. A conservative approach embodying the Romantic periods styling and ideology, yet in close quarters to traditional sounding classical music. Prominent composers of this type of composition include Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Representing a more forward thinking expression of music included Berlioz, Strauss, and Wagner. “Berlioz, Strauss, and Wagner were all progressives whose music challenged the audiences of their day.” (Schmidt-Jones, 2007) All composers of the Romantic period faced a common problem, taking music in a new direction. The composers mentioned composed memorable works of music, but nothing notable that truly changed the music world. This period was more of a transition that led the world to begin experiencing new innovations that led to modern music.

British architects of the Enlightenment age include Colen Campbell, James Gibbs and Robert Adam whom also happen to be of Scottish descent, “interpreting the first phase of Classicism in the Palladian form.” (Boyd-Brent, 2008) Architecture of the period, inspired by the classic forms of Rome and Greece, gave rise to a styling that conveyed influence, power, and wealth. Clients of architects admired and wished to embody the ideology of Roman power and exhibition into their own homes and public buildings, conveying to the observer a sense of virtue, wisdom, and harmony.

In the Romantic Age, America’s diversity was celebrated by the diversity of and supported by an explosion in the size of growing population. Architectural stylings of federal buildings are obvious interpretations of Greek and Roman architecture, an attempt by leaders of a young struggling country to convey structure and the power of the government. More important, the use of iconic architectural types fosters the loyalty and faith of the people in the new democracy.

Philosophy in the Renaissance era was greatly influenced by the bubonic plague also known as the Black Death. An example of philosophical change brought on by the plague was the shift in thought that caused people to challenge traditional seats of authority. Because of the lack of skilled labor due to shrinking population, laborers began demanding higher standards of living and a more equitable place in society.

The randomness of the plague, the fact that it afflicted people from all social and economic classes lead to the abandonment of traditional religious practices and changed the way people thought of death. During the enlightenment period intellectuals attempted to understand and explain their environment. This inquisitiveness bore a set of principles which were believed to govern all human interactions. These principles were believed to be part of the universe and mandated by reason as opposed to being ordered or forced on people by kings or the church.

A second example is the political theories that framed the debate of the social contract between rulers and those being ruled. John Locke’s view that the ruled possesses ultimate power and have a natural right to life, liberty and estate clearly influenced Thomas Jefferson as he wrote the American Declaration of Independence 100 years later.

Christine De Pisan’s Book of the “City of Ladies”, which championed women’s importance to society, was milestone in society. The work is written as a debate where she interviews three goddesses on moral issues. The authors selected this work because this example is a milestone in women’s emergence as equal partners in Western society in that it was one of the first instances of the subject being addressed from a woman’s point of view by a woman. Niccolo Machiavelli’s book “The Prince” was a practical guide of how to establish political stability through the use of arbitrary power. The author selected this work because Machiavelli ignored morality in his explanations of how rulers imposed their will on friend and foe alike. This ideology gave form and a certain level of legitimacy to the “ends justify the means” mentality common to many autocratic governments thereafter.

The first example is Locke’s “Of Civil Government”. The author chose this because it serves as the basis of thought behind the ideals set forth in our own Declaration of Independence and Constitution. While reading “Of Civil Government” the author came to understand that our Declaration of Independence was Jefferson’s affirmation of Natural Law as applied to the social contract between governments and their citizens.

The second example is Adam Smith’s Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. It applied Natural Law to labor and trade and defined free trade.

The authors have explored specific examples, people in history, and how social tides changed the directions taken in of each category that was explored. The world that is known today is a product of generations who were able to express themselves through art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. The emotions, ideas, and energy conveyed through time, give humans a better understanding of where they have been and the courage to continue the journey forward.



References - Do Not Strip Article References

AngelFire.com (n.d.). Ludwig van Beethoven. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from enlightenment/Beethoven target=_blank onclick=javascript:urchinTracker('/outgoing/article_exit_link');>http://www.angelfire.com/music6/enlightenment/Beethoven

Boguslawski, A. (2005). 18TH-Century: Intorduction. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://www.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang/Russian/18intro.html

Boyd-Brent, J. (2008). The Architects of The Enlightenment. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/edin/jane.html

Donelan, J. (1999, September 26;). Mozart and Enlightenment Thought. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/Mozart.html

English Department, Brooklyn College (2001, September 23,). Introduction to Romanticism. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/rom.html

Schmidt-Jones, C. (2007, October 31;). The Music of the Romantic Era. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://cnx.org/content/m11606/latest/



Researched and Authored by: Michael J. Spindler

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Do Not Remove the Authors name: Michael J. Spindler and keep all hyperlinks pointing to: http://www.localmusichits.com - I use software that compares my “library” and scours the web for postings. When I find my article on your site and you have not followed the above binding agreements, Lawyers will be sending letters. A considerable investment of time is involved with this content.

Once in a rare while a man is born who changes the world for the better and Buddha quotes are a prime example of why Buddha was one of these men. As the founder of Buddhism and one of the few truly enlightened people to ever walk the face of the earth, let's celebrate the upcoming birthday of this legendary teacher.

1. "A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker."

2. "All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become."

3. "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

4. "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

5. "However many holy words you read,However many you speak,What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?"

6. "The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood."

7. "There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it."

8. "A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden."

9. "You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger."

10. "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

11. "When words are both true and kind, they can change our world."

12. "Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds."

13. "It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."

14. "He is able who thinks he is able."

I, personally, am not a Buddhist -- but even I can appreciate the wisdom, enlightenment and uniqueness of this very special man. He definitely left his mark on humanity and made the world a better place. If the leaders of our world were more like Buddha, wouldn't this world be a better place? Let's reflect on this with these 14 Buddha quotes as we remember him on his birthday this month.

I am a nurse with a prayer: that other nurses and healers learn how to love and heal themselves.

This is a process that can be thoroughly enjoyed as nurses and other healers learn to closely watch their thoughts, which is the key to enlightenment and transformation.

Only as I heal can healing occur in my sphere of influence--which encompasses the entire planet!!

Ho'oponopono is an ongoing process of cleaning and erasing shared memories that cause pain and anguish. It's an ancient Hawaiian healing practice which recently has gained recognition.

We silently chant: I love you, Thank you, Please forgive me, I am sorry as we direct these phrases to divinity as we understand Divinity to be for ourselves.

When judgments arise, we concentrate the phrases on the judgments. And even before the judgments arise, we ceaselessly say the phrases inwardly as an inner mantra.

We may notice that fewer judgments arise.

Someone on my Ho'oponopono forum at Powerful intentions mentioned The Work by Byron Katie as an adjunct to doing Ho'oponopono.

I bought Byron Katie's first book "Loving What Is" in 2002 because of the magnetic feeling her picture radiated on the cover. At the time, I did not actually study The Work in any great detail for a variety of reasons.

Now, The Work in action is displayed on Byron Katie's website, through a series of excellent videos.

One thing I learned as a complete revelation, after viewing the videos on her website, was that a judgment is not always obvious.

A judgment acts hypnotically to trick you into thinking that your thought, which bring you misery, is the truth.

Forinstance, a person who states: "I want my cancer to stop growing" appears to be making a perfectly legitimate request.

Ofcourse. If I had cancer, I would want my cancer to stop growing, too, and so would most everyone else.

But only at first glance.

Byron Katie uses the following Inquiry to get to the heart of every thought and judgment that is causing mental pain:

1) Is it true?

2) Can you absolutely know that it is true?

3) How do you react when you think that thought?

4) Who would you be without that thought?

5) Turn it around.

The following is a transcript of the session entitled: I Want My Cancer To Stop Growing:

Byron Katie: Is it true that you want the cancer to stop growing?

Response: (after some time) Yes.

BK: So you want the cancer to stop growing. We're looking at stressful reactions, here. How do you react when you say to yourself that you want your cancer to stop growing and it continues to grow?

Response: I have panic reactions.

BK: Give me a sress free reason to keep the thought--I want the cancer to stop growing.

Response: (after some time) I'm sorry, I can't think of one.

BK: There isn't one.

So I want the cancer to stop growing. Who would you be without that thought?

Response: I would be ordinary, in my own life, just the way it is.

BK: There's 2 ways to live your life. One is stressed out and the other isn't. Either way, you are living it.

So, I want the cancer to stop growing? Turn it around---What's the opposite?

Response: I don't want my cancer to stop growing.

BK: Give me an example of how that would be true?

Response: (after some time) My cancer has opened doors I could never open on my own or I would not have easily opened.

BK: That's one. Give me another.

Response: Because it has opened my heart.

BK: That's 2 now give me another.

Response: Because I am so much more alive than I was a year ago.

(Clapping).

BK: You've found three, you can find four.

Loving what is isn't kind of liking or sort of appreciating, it is good, it is loving it all.

It's really exciting and I'm inviting you--Just one more!

Response: I've found 2 more.

BK: I'm right there with you.

Response: I don't want my cancer to stop growing because I can be more of who I am, and can be of service to others.

BK: Did you consider that one or two?

Response: It's a mix.

BK: Ok! One more!!

Response: (crying) I don't want my cancer to stop growing because I want to be the world's greatest lover for my wife.

BK: There's more. Just meditate and sit with it. More will come.

My own insight: (I don't want myself to stop growing).

Byron Katie's work can be applied to any thought we sense is holding us back.

The Work of Inquiry, as so beautifully given to us by Byron Katie, is a way to expose those tricky judgments and beliefs that imprison our minds.

Add to this Ho'oponopono and we have a powerful duo of monumental proportion.

Don't leave home without them.

Some believe that religion is all hokey. Some do not join a religion because they do not want to be told what they can and cannot do, while others do not believe that there is truly some divine being up there pulling all the strings. Buddhism is neither of these. Buddhism is a guidebook to life. You do not have to follow the rules, but if you do, you will find yourself understanding who you truly are, which means you can attain true enlightenment.

1) What is Enlightenment?

Enlightenment is that wonderful place where you suddenly understand the truth about life. It is generally attained by a strict Buddhist who has been meditating for a long time.

Some who have achieved enlightenment say that they can see their past lives; others claim the ability to see the future. Fortunately, you do not have to be a strict Buddhist in order to find your own form of awakening or enlightenment. You just have to be open to new experiences.

2) Meditation

The primary means to attaining an awakening, or understanding more about who you are and what you want out of life, is to meditate.

Meditation is a relatively simple concept in which you sit in a specific position on the floor. This position is generally achieved by putting each foot on top of the other thigh with your knees touching the ground. You lie your hands gently on your lap and sit up straight.

Some people close their eyes, but most keep their eyes open a small amount so that they do not fall asleep. You then focus on nothing. Yes, on nothing!

This does NOT mean that you get lazy, or that you blur out your consciousness! What you are really trying to do, however, is to empty your mind and allow it to wander so that it can be OPEN to receiving information about yourself. It is a process of surrendering, surrendering and open yourself out to THAT mystery.

If you relax your mind, you can discover who you truly are and what you want out of life. Most people find it difficult to meditate the first time. One trick to try is to count your breaths.

Inhaling and exhaling once each is considered one breath. Breathe in again, and when you breathe out, count that as your second breath. Continue this pattern until you reach 10 breaths and then start over again. If a thought pops into your head, acknowledge it and then dismiss it.

When I first tried to meditate, I had a very difficult time. I remember the first thought that popped into my head was - I have got laundry to do!

The next thought was - I am supposed to be thinking about nothing!

This can turn into a vicious cycle if you let it, so you have to be willing to acknowledge the thought and then let it pass like a stray cloud across a blue sky.

Once you get the gist of meditating, try doing it for longer and longer periods. A friend of mine, John, can meditate for more than an hour. I am not able to do it for that long, but John has conditioned his body to be able to handle the position and not fall asleep.

He says that he achieves the most peace in his life when he is meditating. I know how he feels. When I meditate, it is like the world has slipped away. Like all the stress of the day just floats away on that stray cloud. When I come out of my meditative trance, I am able to focus on what I need to get done much more easily.

3) Sex for an Awakening?

In French, an orgasm is known as la petite mort, or - a little death. I am sure we all know that a good orgasm can cure almost any ailment, from a headache to alleviating stress from your life. There is so much more to sex than an orgasm, though.

When you are having sex with your lover, you are focused on them and on yourself. Other than meditating, sex is one of the only times that you focus so wholly on yourself. Raise it up by focusing on every touch and every breath. Surrender yourself to even the slightest movement and you will find that your senses are heightened, which allows you to relax your mind. Afterward, you will be able to focus on your life and on who you truly are, much like you can after a long meditation session.

Whether you chose to meditate to reach an awakening or to surrender yourself in sex does not really matter. What does matter is that you discover who you truly are, because only when you know who you are can you find true happiness.

If you are not actually interested in losing what you believe yourself to be because of your hoping to gain something called "enlightenment" to add to the repertoire of your belief, you will be able to continue pretending to be what is not actually true of you while thinking that you are on the road to finding your self.

Why not?

It is as good a choice as any that you can make while having no idea of who you are already. "Spiritual seekers" and the "western male mind" - which is not limited to males, it is a particular "mindset" and attitude that a lot of westerners have - are the least likely to realize who they are because of their disposition of thinking that they know. When in fact, all they have is a bag full of concepts.

You can have all of the concepts you like. No concept is going to free you from the constant and consistent belief of who you think you are.

Who you think you are is what you suffer. It fails you from "seeing and being" who you are. Who you think you are can argue all it likes - you are left with not "seeing and being" who you are, with an argument coming along for the ride as well. It is all very simple.

You can be who you are but you will never consciously be who you are while you are defending who you think you are. Who you think you are is hoping to be relieved of its own movement while perpetuating its own movement.

You then call for "grace." You are waiting on "grace" to relieve you of what you are getting up to and actually refusing to let go of.

This one that you think you are is the only blockage that you have from "seeing and being" who you already are. Who you are is looking through your eyes right now.

This "motion of seeing," this "motion of aliveness," that is currently flowing through your eyes is who you are.

To be this "flow of aliveness" requires your full focus of attention given over to this "motion."

The moment you "do" that - it is not a "doing," it is a "being" - you have let go of who you thought you were.