ilie cioara -the silence of the mind

Recently on  facebook.com/silencebook  was posted the following quote by Osho:

“Unless a person decides that ‘Whatever the cost, I want just to be myself. Condemned, unaccepted, losing respectability – everything is okay but I cannot pretend anymore to be somebody else’…

“This decision and this declaration – this declaration of freedom, freedom from the weight of the crowd – gives birth to your natural being, to your individuality. Then you don`t need any mask. Then you can be simply yourself, just as you are. And the moment you can be just as you are, there is tremendous peace that passeth understanding.”

I  like Osho’s way; he had a brilliant mind and often said to take off the mask and return to the original self,  and Ilie Cioara reminds me of Osho.

Ilie Cioara deeply affected the writer of the article I read, and the energy he felt came through in the article, and that prompted me to want to know more about the enlightened Romanian mystic called Ilie Cioara.

 He was born in 1916 and died in 2004. He lived at a time in Eastern Europe when the secret police was everywhere, hence, no freedom. And so Ilie Cioara was mostly in complete isolation for twenty years, occupied with his own way of seeking enlightenment – twenty years by himself – exploring, searching, meditating, discovering.

Petrica Verdes whose life was completely changed by the mystic, was the translator of his books.  He has much to say at batgap.com/petrica-verdes-ilie-cioara

I’ve taken passages about Ilie Cioara from the THE SEER, SHARING SPIRITUAL AWAKENING to the truth of who we really are, a very interesting website by Peter and Pearl Sumner at peterspearls.com.au/cioara.htm :

“If I had to sum his teaching in one sentence, it would be: when the mind is silent our inner divinity is revealed.

“Witnessing our thoughts is a practice that can be done in any circumstances, throughout our waking hours, 7 days a week. Remembering not to give energy to the mind, knowing that when the mind is resting, a higher energy takes over, and it guides us through flashes of intuitive understanding.

“From the moment you wake up in the morning, until you fall asleep at night, realize you’re not the mind. Just witness it. Whatever you do, whichever the circumstance. You get up, go to the bathroom to brush your teeth — this witnessing continues. You get dressed to go to work, witnessing is there, in the background. You get in the car and start driving, you keep on witnessing.” And this:

” . . . Until the age of 55, when Ilie awakened spiritually, he hadn’t written a single page, and never tried to be a teacher. Because he lived in almost complete isolation, his words have a freshness and a direct simplicity, devoid of any spiritual jargon. Ilie felt the impulse to share his experience and insights using short verses which could give the reader a taste of no-mind. The verses were followed by prose explanations (see example below).
“Most of these writings had to be hidden in the apartment of a friend, until 1990, when the iron curtain fell, so as not to be confiscated by the communist authorities. They describe the practice of ‘Self-knowing’ using all-encompassing Attention. Like Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti etc, his is a simple message of discovering our inner divine nature through the silence of the mind.”

The Silence of the Mind was the first of Ilie Cioara’s books published by o-books.com to read some of the comments on this site is to get a glimpse of the way the book affects its readers.

With the world needing a balance, ourselves included, it’s helpful to understand that, no matter the situation, we human beings are resilient beyond anything we can imagine. The enlightened Romanian mystic, among others, proved this to be true.

 

It was a lovely, sunny day in Cuenca today. I hope the same for you wherever you are.

“we all bruise too easily”

After reading this I thought you might want to also, so I copied and pasted and here it is.

By Mark Gilbert
consciousbridge.com

“There’s an old line in the Simon and Garfunkel song that goes “I bruise you, you bruise me, we all bruise too easily”. How true! Of course we’re not talking about physical bruises per se, but more about mental bruises.
It seems that more and more people seem to care less about the destructive power of their words. Social discourse seems more concerned about making our point even if it ruffles others’ feathers. Sometimes it looks like we even like ruffling the feathers.
On the other hand, it seems like people are waiting to get bruised. It’s like we’re sitting around waiting for someone to say something that upsets us or we disagree with so we can fire back our verbal rockets.
The interactions of people on TV and on the Internet all too often follow an ever upward escalating course of bruising, being bruised, and bruising back. How can we stop this cycle?
One, it starts with each and every one of us becoming responsible for our words and actions. Each of us individually must set an intention to be, in the words of Don Miguel Ruiz, “impeccable with our words”. That is, we choose wisely our words so that they both communicate our meaning while maintaining our relationships. We can say what we need to say while being mindful of how it’s going to be received. We can choose to be kind in our language always. We can choose not to bruise others.
Two, we can toughen our skin and not be bruised so easily by the words of others. Again as Don Miguel Ruiz says, “don’t take things personally”. Someone else can state an opinion that’s different from you and they’re voicing that opinion takes nothing away from you. You can choose to disagree verbally or not. If you do choose to state your opinion, then again be impeccable with your words… communicate your meaning while maintaining your relationship.
Third, by you not bruising others and not allowing others to bruise you, you become a model for others and how they can break the cycle of negativity. By beginning with yourself, you expand your sphere of influence. By everyone taking responsibility to be impeccable with their words and to not take things personally, we can change the direction of social discourse to a positive direction.”
Mark

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“desiderata a spiritual poem by max ehrmann”

IMG_1915.JPGGo placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

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earthweareone.com

Like this article? Then join the Conversation with many others in EWAO !
By Max Ehrmann

Photo courtesy of Robert S. Donovan

for different reasons, these are the things I’m pondering this week

“To embrace the power of your Spirit, it’s up to you to support rather than attack your Spirit. Remember that Spirit is not an invader, an interloper, or a lesser god to be dismissed and ridiculed. Spirit is the holy essence with all the Divine breath of life that makes consciousness possible. Understanding that is the most intelligent and enlightened discovery you can make in life. To humble yourself to Spirit is to humble your mind to its true master – your Divine nature. In doing so, both mind and Spirit enter into the Sacred marriage of mind and heart, and profound personal peace begins.” – page 68, The Power of Your Spirit: A Guide To Joyful Living by Sonia Choquette”

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“As human beings we are made to surpass ourselves and are truly ourselves only when transcending ourselves.” – Huston Smith

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“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” – Albert Einstein

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“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds.” – Bob Marley

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@paulocoelho: When we least expect it, life tests our courage. Accept the #challenge

@BradWarner: Real cooperation means being true both to yourself and to those with whom you share a purpose. You share a purpose with everybody.

www.soulseeds.com

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It’s Monday! Ready for a fantastic week?
Here’s a tweet for us from www.soulseeds.com as we go along the day creating an outstanding Monday for ourselves and others: FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real
And more: “Fear pretends its protecting you, when actually its preventing you.”

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gratitude

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Thank you to all the authentic spiritual teachers who are trying to get the message out to all of us that gratitude, along with the power of love (for ourselves and all living beings), is something we don’t want to live without. A softly uttered thank you, a loving thank you shout from a hilltop, or dancing to our own movements in our own space to the words of thank you, thank you first thing in the morning and last thing at night guides, guards, protects, directs our day in a way we can’t imagine. Let’s go for it.

Ready for an amazing day? I am.

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“Long will you wander in a wilderness of confusion and distress until you come home . . . to a higher consciousness.” ANO ANO THE SEED by Kristin Zambucka

a gift of words

Through the years I’ve gotten some lovely-to-look-at-notebooks as gifts, and I feel that what’s written on their pages needs to match the notebook’s appearance. I copy words from books, videos, movies, and people doing workshops. I copy the words for different reasons, mostly though because they give an Aha! feeling, and they do that just about every time they’re read. My thinking is that just as we need sustenance for our bodies, we also need it for our minds and spiritual selves. Sometimes in the morning when I’m enjoying a breakfast smoothie made with Dr. Schulze’s SuperFood Plus, I read something at random from one of the notebooks – food for thought in the form of harmony and inspiration. And at night there are those times when they give a feeling of serenity, sometimes security, but not the kind of security we tend to try for in the world.

I’ll gladly share some of the words with you; I think they want to be shared. And I’ll gladly share Dr. Schulze’s website with you too: www.herbdoc.com

“Watching television, seeing everything going on in the world, often leads the small mind to judgment and fear. When you engage this response, you connect yourself to the very energy and dynamics you judge. Far better in such moments is to bless all the Souls and events you witness. Realizing that all people are being called to their curriculum by their Soul will help anyone remember that everything happens for growth – individual and collective.”

“The ego can only survive when we’re in pain. . . . The ego’s friends are guilt, fear, denial and attack. . . . Forgiveness tears down the ego’s walls of separation. . . . The ego cannot survive in the light of loving thoughts.”
– Gabrielle Bernstein in Spirit Junkie: a radical road to discovering self-love and miracles.
www.gabbyb.tv

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“The hopeless desolate individual who has been told that nothing more can be done for him should be reminded that the human mind has vast unexplored territory in which lie tremendous resources for healing. His mind is actually an extension of the Infinite Mind. This is not just a pretty figure of speech; it is actual fact. But man usually has to come to the limit of human resources before he will dare to launch himself upon the illimitable ocean of the Infinite. When he does so, he finds that ‘With God all things are possible.’ ” I’ve had this book since 1991; it’s a keeper.
– Frederick Bailes 1889 – 1070, The Healing Power of Balanced Emotions

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“When all of our intentions and actions in daily life originate from the intuitive wisdom of our hearts; when we feel and act with sincere appreciation, caring and kindness for others; and when we can observe the world around us without the preset judgments of the mind but rather with the compassion in our heart – then we will truly be living from the heart.”
– Sara Childre, Institute of HeartMath, Heart-Based Living Empowers Co-Creation
www.heartmath.org

“Risk taking, trust and serendipity are key ingredients of joy. Without risk, nothing new ever happens. Without trust, fear creeps in, without serendipity, there are no surprises.”
– Rita Golden Gelman, wrote seventy children’s books and Tales of a Female Nomad, Living at Large in the World.
And a delightful book it is! Her website suggests that she’s a nomad in every sense of the word.

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www.ritagoldengelman.com

“You rise to a higher level of consciousness by taking your attention away from your present limitations and placing it upon that which you desire to be.” – Neville

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“If we can be still we can fall into a different reality.”
– Anita Moorjani in an interview with Lilou Mace – Life Lessons from Anita Moorjani’s Near Death Experience (NDE) on www.juicylivingtour.com
Give yourself a gift; sit, watch, listen to the entire video. It’s almost certain that the viewer just might come away with a different way of feeling about life, death, and all that’s in between.

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“Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw mud the other saw stars.”

emmet fox

 

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Are you acquainted with Emmet Fox yet? His was a full life, and a spiritual one, and he was dedicated to helping others. www.emmetfox.net And although he died in 1951 he continues to help millions by way of his marvelous books. Why? Well, because he answers many of the same questions many of us ponder at certain intervals in our lives, and he does so in an amazingly straightforward way – a way that’s pretty easy to understand and nice to read. And whether we’re starting on the path in wanting to live a more spiritual life, or have read hundreds of books and attended lots of workshops and retreats, his books have a way of offering what we’re looking for. Of course, as with anything, attention to the subject is important, then again, why would we bother with this kind of a book unless we’re searching for something? Some of our genuine spiritual teachers of today say that Emmet Fox clarified much for them, and that they keep his books close at hand. I believe that somehow through his words he passes on a certain energy, and the only way to feel them is to find a quiet space somewhere and attentively read his words. Right now I feel blessed to be reading Power Through Constructive Thinking. Inside the jacket of the book is this sentence from The New York Times: “Dr. Fox shows that . . . down the ages certain people have attained mastery over their misfortunes and through their own efforts have been able to lead lives of unbroken happiness.”

It was a gorgeous day today. And tonight the streets are crowded still, people are sitting outside tables enjoying a scrumptious looking restaurant meal, some are walking with ice cream, others are listening to the Spinning Leaves concert at Rittenhouse Square Park in Philadelphia. Very nice!

20120830-143443.jpg I hope you’re enjoying too.

greeting cards feel*express*connect at soulebrate.com and at soulcialize.com

How are you today?

As I drank a smoothie this morning which consisted of blending frozen organic wild blueberries, raspberries, and peaches, along with 1tablespoon chia seeds, 1teaspoon turmeric, 1teaspoon Spirulina, 1tablespoon Navitas cocoa powder, a sprinkling of black caraway seeds, a pinch of Stevia, and because I haven’t gotten around to preparing coconut or almond milk, in went 1cup of filtered water, I marveled at the fact that since completing the 21-day CLEAN PROGRAM by Dr. Alejandro Junger, the taste for coffee is non-existent. This from a person who truly enjoyed drinking, and savoring, a wonderfully delicious cup of coffee, either at home, or at a cafe. I’m still asking myself, “What the heck happened?” I’ll just say that life is ever changing and ever fascinating.

And the smoothie? Well, it was tasty, and so feeling energized, I checked out the greeting cards on Tara-jenelle Walsch’s website www.soulebrate.com These greeting cards are “inspired by Byron Katie and Neale Donald Walsch,” and tend to move the spirit. The beauty of the cards help set the pace for a lovely day. The words and the design have it all.

After feasting my eyes on the cards, I decided to check out her video at www.soulcialize.com Now should you decide to watch and listen also, be prepared for words that will possibly hit home, words like, “. . . half of the world was using food, gambling, sex, alcohol, trying to numb out. . . .” and “. . . somewhere along the line we were using our heads more and our hearts less.” and “. . . there’s nothing we have to learn how to do, we need to just be . . . free, open, accessible, available, alive, intentional, connect with our heart, with life, with others, with ourselves.”

Yes, listen to her story and cry with her, and listen to where she is now and be happy for her, and for all of us, and let’s allow ourselves this gift of being truly alive during the time we’re here on Planet Earth.

I hope you enjoy Tara-jenelle Walsch’s words on her video, and then I hope you’ll enjoy a spectacular Saturday.

 

Yes! Magazine

I read last month’s issue of YES! With relish and It helped me to understand what’s going on in the world. I don’t know why I didn’t come across this powerful and practical magazine before last month. YES! writers are well-versed; they tackle the nitty-gritty of today’s very important topics, those that affect all of us, and inform us about issues that are not necessarily aired in quite the same way in the media. YES! readers are given a no nonsense account of how the important issues work, or don’t, on behalf of we the people, and the many ways in which those things that pertain to us are changing due to the creative endeavors of citizens the world over. Knowing what’s actually happening, as opposed to thinking we know, lends power to daily living. www.yesmagazine.org

Check it out, there’s nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain. If you’ve been reading YES! all along, good for you, and next time you discover something of interest, tell us about it;-)

I hope you all had a marvelous weekend.

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