Afraid of the Light

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson

Mandukya Upanisad - Commentary by Sridharan

According to Mandukya Upanisad, the fourth state of consciousness is the ultimate goal. It is also often called "Thoughtless Awareness", in Sanskrit "Turiya". Turiya is silence. Silence is not absence of sound. SILENCE IS THE AWARENESS OF THE CONTENT AND ILLUMINATOR OF THE ABSENCE OF SOUND.

Thoughtless awareness is paradoxical  in the sense that how can one be aware without thoughts? Vedanta (Upanisad) says that thoughtless is to be understood as destruction of impurities of the mind and not total destruction of mind.

It is brought out lucidly in the Upanishads that neither absence of thoughts is liberation (freedom) nor presence of thoughts is bondage. One should aim for fearlessness, detachment and purity of mind for enjoying the fourth state of consciousness.

Fourth state is living in the present. When one is capable of dropping all projections, memories and experiences, one experiences the fourth state. Talking or writing about Turiya is simple, but to make sure no thought enters the mind without permission (!) is a monumental task. Do you agree?

                                                             - Sridharan

Just This, Just That

Words are maps of reality and dreams
Words are not reality, not dreams
Better to stop now
Sit, walk around and breathe
Later, come back to the words
For words are the work of the world
Perhaps, the world would not exit without words
For, indeed, the "world" is a story we tell each other
Take away the story
What do you have left over
Just this, just that.
Engaging directly what is
Like a new born

Of Words

Of words, we don't need many.
Just a phrase, a sound,
can be enough
to suggest reality.

Instructions

Now, read the poem backwards.

Upside Down

Lost Generation

"I am part of a lost generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world
I realize this may be a shock but
“Happiness comes from within.”
is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy.”
So in 30 years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope."

- Jonathan Reed

Moving

I practice love, I
learn compassion again
I remember
it is who I am

Moving, always moving
I rest in my heart
I let my mind drop into
my chest and
sweet release
washes me pure