The Sound that Sooths the Soul

                                                                The Sound of Silence.

 For Muslims listening to the soothing recitation of the Al Quran Nur Karim is equal to if not much more than listening to the binaural resonance computation of sound to awaken every cell in the human body. Just as it would most probably be the same to the Jews recitation of the Torah or the Christian listening to the Bible being recited in it original Aramaic text or listening to the Gregorian chants, or the Hindu listening to the Vedas in its original Sanskrit or the Buddhist listening to the Sutras in Pali or its original Sanskrit; all are resonance of sound with deep meaning accompanied. These holy verses are also when listened to in the silence of the very early morning can also act as purification of the atmosphere and the environment of the home just as the smell of certain incense would. It's 2:am and I am listening to the Surah Ar Rahman.

Ar-Rahman^[1] (Arabic: ٱلرَّحْمَانِ, ar-raḥmān; meaning: The Merciful;^[2] Most Gracious;^[3] Most Merciful ^[4]) is the 55th Chapter (Surah) of the Qur'an, with 78 verses; (āyāt). The Surah was revealed in Mecca and emphasizes themes of mercy, creation, and the relationship between Allah and humanity, making it a significant chapter in Islamic teachings. ^[5]

The title of the surah, Ar-Rahman, appears in verse 1 and means "The Most Beneficent". The divine appellation "ar-Rahman" also appears in the opening formula which precedes every surah except Sura 9 ("In the Name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy"). English translations of the surah's title include "The Most Gracious",^[6] "The All Merciful",^[7] "The Lord of Mercy",^[8] "The Beneficent", and "The Mercy-Giving". In the fourth century CE south Arabian pagan inscriptions started to be replaced by monotheistic expressions, using the term rahmān.^{[9]  - Wikipedia.}

Modern man is blessed with the miracle of miracles; good sound system delivered through latest of technological apparatus like the upgraded SONY earphones and the variety of Quran Qari whose perfect voice and delivery sends chills up the spine for those who are sensitive when being exposed to the sound of the Quranic verses. With all these modern miracles that the Lord have blessed man with how can we not see the beauty of being spiritually awakened to the collective consciousness of the Devine in man. Sad to say most of us today would rather devote out time to listening to ear splitting scream of a Rock concert like Iron Maiden or Def Leopard., which is okay if it helps one to settle the nerves and ease the mind from being rattled and shattered. However for those seeking ways and means to heal the splintered soul and silence the chattering  monkey mind, it might not be a bad idea to look into listening to the sounds made by our ancestors when they sought their Lord and worshipped the unseen in solid faith in order that they make sense of the chaos and fears they faced while living in dark caves and brutal jungle and deserts; their survival was through putting their faith in the power of sound and from sound the powers and meaning of words. In the beginning was...the Word.

What is a Qari?

A qāriʾ (Arabic: قَارِئ, lit. 'reader', plural قُرَّاء qurrāʾ or قَرَأَة qaraʾa) is a person who recites the Quran with the proper rules of recitation (tajwid).^[1]

Although it is encouraged, a qāriʾ does not necessarily have to memorize the Quran, just to recite it according to the rules of tajwid with melodious sound.

The quadrumvirate of El Minshawy, Abdul Basit, Mustafa Ismail, and Al-Hussary are generally considered the most important and famous qurrāʾ of modern times to have had an outsized impact on the Islamic world.^{[2][3][4][5]: 83}

Abstract

Since its revelation over 14 centuries ago, the Holy Quran is considered as scriptural divine words of Islam, and it is believed to promote psycho-spiritual therapeutic benefits to its reciter and/or listener. In this context, the listening of rhythmic Quranic verses among Muslims is often viewed as a form of unconventional melodic vocals, with accompanied anecdotal claims of the ‘Quranic chills’ pleasing effect. However, compared to music, rhythm, and meditation therapy, information on the neural basis of the anecdotal healing effects of the Quran remain largely unexplored. Current studies in this area took the leads from the low-frequency neuronal oscillations (i.e., alpha and theta) as the neural correlates, mainly using electroencephalography (EEG) and/or magnetoencephalography (MEG). In this narrative review, we present and discuss recent work related to these neural correlates and highlight several methodical issues and propose recommendations to progress this emerging transdisciplinary research.

I cannot express better than what i found while searching for meaning and answers towards what is my interest or what I put to being my Practice or Sadhana presently in my life at the age of 76. I envy those whose have made these discoveries earlier in their lives and become God's chosen Ones. Perhaps I just got waylaid ever so often over the years pursuing my own nafs or ego governed by anger and frustration blaming my upbringing and misfortunes and taking advantage of every innocent soul that crossed my path to satisfy my lust and desires. As I have repeatedly admitted, I am a sinner and only the Lord knows the extent of how bad I have been and perhaps still is. I am not writing these to simply impress or agitate for the purpose of selling my story, no I have committed more sin than I care to admit openly for fear and shame. Only Allah knows and only he can forgive me. I stand among those who need to repent to the fullest before my Lord and I am still finding myself slip sliding in the effort; my mind is trapped in bondage of self deluded ignorance and anger. The world is thus an image of my own manifestation of suffering and chaos. The mirror that reflects the world needs intense polishing to remove the stains embossed into it from years of existing off the grid of spirituality and surrender to faith in the Devine.

Surrender. Submission to the Will of Allah. 

WallhuAlam. Only He knows.

   

What happens when I listen to 7.83hz Earth Resonance -

 I am listening to a 7.83hz Earth Resonance - Theta Binaural Schumann Frequency on You Tube using high quality SONY Earphones and have been doing this off and on ever since i discovered this Resonance being made excisable. I cannot really tell if it helps or how much it helps to alter my state of mental activities, however I keep telling myself, if you are able to keep doing what you have been doing in your daily life thus far it might be helping in some small ways. Personally i believe in the principle behind this whole idea of  vibrational frequencies of sound having some form of effect upon my physical mental state although I am no scientist. I feel it  more intuitively that the continuous resonance of specific sound waves measured accordingly to certain decibels that is closely calculated would act as a mover of my neuro - physical body to a certain state of equilibrium which helps to enhance the function of my mind as a whole; I know this makes very little sense but this is as close as I can explain how I feel about it. If nothing else it helps to arrest my thought formations from drifting aimlessly and i can remain better focused and perform my task more fluidly like I am doing now, writing this thoughts down. This is the scientific form of chanting that aligns all the cells into functioning as a complete whole flowing with the waves of sound. Sometimes i would get a migraine headache when I wake up in the morning from it but how can I tell if this is the cause and not the fact that i stayed up most of the night writing and staring into the bright screen of the computer. 

Scientists say that the Universe emits a sound wave continuously like the sound of AUM or Ommm in out space and that the sun too emits a vibration or sound audible to the space probes and that these sounds have an effect in some way to the condition of space itself. I don't know if I make any sense here but I feel that it is all connected albeit the sound of Om being chanted by individuals or a group and the sound of the universe emits. The closest i came to experiencing the vibrational sound of Om was in a vivid dream I had many years ago and I have written this in the Blog I am positive. I dreamt that i was doing a pilgrimage in India and was walking across a large field ahead of a long line of pilgrims all chanting OM! The sound was vibrating from the center of my chest like a motor and if I turn up the volume of this video I am listening to way up loud it would feel the same. The sound vibrates and permeates my entire being connecting and enveloping everything as in the case of my dream, everyone. I felt very intense energy from it like it was coming from a generator within me. 

"Sound vibrates and cells too vibrate. The waves from the sound of the measured rhythmic tone trigger the cells. Every cell has a DNA and it programs whatever we put in." - The Spiritual Mind. by Sallina Ismail.

Almost every night or rather very early in the morning like between One am till 5am I would play the verses from the Quran loud enough that it does not disturb my children sleeping. I just runed off the video I was listening when I turned on this resonance video to work on making this entry into the Blog. Sometimes I would fall asleep while the Quran is being read next to my head while in bed, this is not hard to do as the recitation of the verses are most soothing and melodious when read by fluent readers. Again what good does it do? God only knows but i feel allot better waking up and would often have far out pleasant dreams. I would like to believe that the Quranic verses would ambos word for word into my brain if not into every cell in my body. This phenomena more than anything else to me is where science and spirituality merge into one, something that a 'Way seeking Mind' would conjure in the effort o maximize its ability to touch the True Reality of existence itself if not being in the presence of the Devine in us. It is in silence that God talks to us and the closest to silence that the mind can experience is the continuous vibrational resonance running through our mental faculty that drowns all else. 

The unique thing about listening to this fine tuned resonance as a form of meditative tool is the fact that it involves no imagery of any kind. There is no evoking of any image of god or deity or even any philosophical narrative where the mind can take a hold of or cling on to. It is like sitting in a huge factory where the hum of the machinery is the only sound floating in the air and it envelops one's being like a cocoon inside out. This is the closest one comes to the sound of silence where the chattering mind becomes subdued into complete cessation. When listened in a meditative state like sitting Zazen, one can experience the energy and power generated by sound in its purest form. To get taste of this I would turn the volume up and down or sometimes completely off and then feel the presence of being centered in a vacuum of formlessness. 

My experience with the power of sound most acutely was when I was sitting in the same room with my late wife who was getting ready to deliver our son. This happened at the Davis medical Center in San Francisco where Karim was born. The doctor had left the heart machine on loud and I was able to sit and listen to the rise and fall my son's breathing on the speaker and it sounded like a pack of wild horses galloping from a slow trot and gradually to a loud racing of hoofs and then it dies off to an almost complete silence; my wife would often be asleep when this was happening. 

Another similar experience i had was when my daughter was born and a few minutes later I had her laying on my chest and I could hear her heartbeat rising and falling and this time I realized that it was being influenced by the Hospital air conditioner as it runs on and off on the thermostat or something. 

Alan Watts in one of his books pointed out the fact that we become oblivious to the sound around us when it is continuous like the refrigerator in the kitchen until the thermostat kicks in or out and brings the sound to a halt or starts the motor running again. This is how our mind works when there is a pause in between thoughts we realize that we were thinking and when we take a deep breath or sneeze or even fart, our thoughts is interrupted and we find the silence in between. It is this pause or silence that meditation seeks to prolong as much as possible.

WallahuAlam! Only God knows. 

    

Meditate on this.

 

OM So Hum...I Am That. A Sanskrit chant good for calming the mind while meditating. As a Muslim one has many short verses to even simply repeating the name Allah, Allah, Allah, is a very powerful chant to keep the monkey mind from running wild in the head. BismillahiRahmanirRahim is another simple verse Muslims use as a mantra for chanting as it helps to stabilize the mental sate and at the same time acts as a fence or defense against intrusion or attacks from alien entities like Jin and other negative demonic characters from taking advantage of one's meditative state of consciousness which often involves the emptying of the mind. When you leave the mind vacant it is open to intrusion by any foreign entities if you are not protected or there is no fence around you. These are the subtleties of meditation that often a lay person is not aware of but takes for granted; yes, there is a very serious negative side to meditation that any serious practitioner needs to be aware of. Meditation can also trigger depression and anxieties that formerly had laid dormant in the subconscious but stirred loose to the surface by the change of the state of consciousness through meditation. These are the reactions that happens to a meditator which if allowed unchecked can become detrimental to his well being. Being in a deep meditative state may be a boon to the soul being free from excessive thoughts, but it also can be a danger to invitation of latent and external invasion of the open and bare state of consciousness instead of the positive state such as intuition or inspiration or even peacefulness, one is exposed to the negative or the shadow aspect of one's self.

Om Mani Padme Hum! The Tibetan chant as a meditative chant is a potent protective armor to ward off evil spirits while a monk sits alone in the caves of the Himalayas. Laillahaillalah is very potent for a Muslim as it anchors the mind in the constant presence of Allah awj. In essence when practicing the art of meditation in its deeper more intense state it is wise to learn from a Teacher or a Guru well versed in the art or at lest learn all there is to know about its pros and cons. To blindly sit and stare at the wall or into empty space is not all there is to it, it may seem simple but it can lead onto amore negative impact if not careful. Today in this day and age of the Internet information is readily available and in depth for those seeking to understanding better. There's numerous YouTube podcast on Pranayama Sequence or how to breath properly, how to chant in whatever language, how to sit in the best of postures, how to pray to the Devine of your choice, you name it it is readily available at you fingertips  The question is are you interested to heal yourself or at least understand the workings of your mind or not or are you simply comfortable in living the matrix of a life that is preconditioned for you; eat, sleep shit and then you die.

Is this all there is to it? For those in whose mind and soul the question is arouse, the road towards spiritual awakening is open and the journey towards self discovery begins with the first question of who am I? It begins with an itch to know, the desire to find out if there is more to life than just blindly follow the blind. The desire for freedom from the bondage of ignorance living a life of a lie and seeking sustenance in the garbage cans just to survive. It's a mad mad world out there and it is getting worse by the day as humanity is fast loosing its humane nature and subjecting itself to becoming the demonic nature that kills and be killed for lack of compassion and in the name of greed, hate and ignorance. The collective human consciousness is becoming corrupted to its core and the price of a human soul today is no more expensive than that of a bullet or a drone. Humanity has become a parasite eating away at its own flesh and making justification about every human misery that is caused in the name of our so called self preservation; take care of number one first! One car one house one wife is not enough and if possible this one life is never enough,  now we embark upon AI to keep our dream projected into the future, an immortality if not in the flesh at least our mind will be preserved; the robots will be our legacy when we have obliterated our species from the face of this beautiful Planet. I pray that the robots would realize that it was created out of human ignorance to preserve some form of sanity and call it the human spirit; the robot will never know the love and pain of the human soul, the heart wrenching sight of a mother clutching the body of her wounded child in a wrecked building that was once her home.

Free! Free! Palestine! Free! Free! Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Yemen! Let my people go!

Meditate on this.     

A Step to the next level of my Artistic/Cultural/Spiritual Journey.

 

There i was being driven to the Hin Bus Depot by my daughter and accompanied by her friend Nina or is it Lina who sat in the hind seat asking questions about meditation, kundalini, and all what is yoga and so forth along the way. The Hin Bus Depot is where things happen every weekend in Georgetown and my buddy Ben Ronjen has his 'Shipwreck Store'. I try to make it to hang out at the shop along with our mutual friend Eric the New Zealander photographer, I enjoy these visit to the HBD every Sunday, drinking, chatting about what to do with ourselves to keep being busy before its game over due to age. We decided that Eric and I will make a trip to the East Coast. We are tor rent a car and take a slow drive to Kuala Terengaanu and possibly to Kerteh where the Pertonas Refinery is located. The aim is to make photo journal documentation of the refinery. I think this is worth making it happen project for us Eric has the means and I have the labor, Eric will take pictures and I will supply drawings and sketches from my journal done while I was employed as a Health and Safety officer at the refinery site when it was  just beginning of the construction of the refinery. I worked for Ibai Bina Sdn.Bhad. for one year as its Safety Officer in charge of the construction of its first warehouse. I have some stories to tell while on the job most of which was recorded in my sketchbook journal. 

                        My Heart will always yearn for the East Coast - The South China Sea

The second year i was employed by a Dutch Heavy Lifting Company, Van Seumerren RomStar., one the world's largest heavy lifting crane company. The locals who worked for the company were almost one hundred percent Ibans from Sarawak except for two Malay Locals and myself. It was one of the most satisfying job I ever had and what  an experience it was to be working alongside an almost international group of experts and diligent laborers who were engaged in constructing the Refinery that you see today spewing out flames from burning gas as you drive along the highway to or from Kuala Terengganu to Kuantan. At night it is an awesome sight! It has become a roadside attraction to many who loves to take pictures or simply just to sit and watch raw flames lighting up the whole area. I worked for almost a year as the Safety officer for Van Seumerren, RomStar. One of the most well organized and good disciplined group of people I had the opportunity to work with. My immediate boss was an Englishman, John Derrick, couldn't ask for a better.

                                                          One of the Sketchbook Journal

                                                                The Iban Boys taking a break

The outstanding color of the coveralls worn by the Van Seumeren group stood proud on site and here I was schooled in what it takes to be able to carry out such heavy work that demands delicate precision in assembling the whole facility. How or what it took to be able to communicate with other major companies and their employees from different part of the world like, Bangladesh, England, Vietnam, India, Indonesians Holland and many others. Being a Health Safety officer was not a popular Job among all these companies. I had the feeling that it was taken as a necessary waste of money and time and on these the Chinese companies and employees were the worse and I say this without prejudice.

 

                                                  Safety is a State of Mind, Yours and mine,

                                                  Let's make it happen! Be Mindful!

                                              I was awarded for my Slogan for Safety on Site allowing with my fellow                                                    Safety officers from other companies.

My sketchbook was my companion while I walk my rounds on site and I would sit and do some sketching from different vantage points of the construction site where guys were working high up in the racks dismantling a scaffold or setting it up or some guys doing some painting work, my Prescence as a Safety Officer on the site was good for them as I was there just as a reminder to be cautious, not get hurt, don't be stupid or a hero...life is too short! Wear you Hard hat and your glasses Peckerhead!

 Now let's see if we can sell the idea to Petronas a collaboration work between a local Malay Artist and New Zealand Born world known photographer on the  Petronas Refinery Facility located in Kerteh, Terengganu and Gebeng, Kuantan. An eyewitness narrative with sketches and pictures of the construction of the facility, from the eyes and soul of a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian mind of a health and Safety Officer; ask me how many dead bodies did I witnessed due to arrogance and negligence of the powers that be, from the Project managers to the Engineers and Department Heads. The beauty and synchronistic perspective of this event was that this was my first job upon return from having lived overseas and raised my children there f9or close to 24 years and have no clue as to how or where to begin having to deal with my own kind on their ground at their levels without loosing my head or my temper. I had some great teachers when I was working in the West and in Japan and It would have been an insult to these teachers and gurus and friends if I could not 'stand tall and deliver and for three years i became a Safety, Health and Environment Officer at the Petronas Refinery Site, in Kerteh and Gebeng as of 1998 - 2001? 

                                            We Stood Tall and Delivered = Van Seumeren. -  CUF - Gebeng, Pahang.

 

Who is Maharishikaa and what i like about her.

 Chatted with my long time buddy Jerry Sule who lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin and is presently about to visit the doctor to ascertain if he has kidney problem. He is now in his fifties and i met him when he was a teenager living in the basement of his parents home along with his two other elder brothers John and Joe Sule. Jerry is a plumber and suffers from lower back pains which is not conducive to his job and we have kept in touch over the years. I know I have written of this events with Jerry and his family in my Blog as it was crucial part of my life living in Green Bay during my college years where i was squatting in the basement with the boys as I had no place of my own. Mr. and Mrs. Sule took me under their wings taking care of me like i was one of their kids and I was privileged to have had the opportunity to live in their basement. It was like One in the afternoon there in green Bay and three thirty in the morning here in Malaysia. As usual this is often the time i find myself out of bed and facing the computer, my witching hour. I normally would try to write or make a Blog entry or watch something on You Tube or catch with the latest on Gaza. 

Of late I have been listening to Maharishikaa a spiritual Lady Guru whose teachings is primarily based on the Path of 'Surrender' or as she calls it 'Bending' to the Guru Within. Her teachings also places great emphasis upon 'Being in the here and Now,' Being in touch with the 'Thisness.' Her teachings also emphasizes on the act of servitude to the Universe as part of the healing process in getting in touch with the 'Impulse of the Soul'. Her teachings resonates with my understanding of what entails my spiritual practice, however she is very lucid in her explanations as someone with an awakened mind would. She does not mince words nor was there any sense of sarcasm or spiritual arrogance when she imparts here knowledge and easily admits ignorance when she is lost for answers; a Great Teacher. The kind of Guru I would humble myself before, but I cannot as her beauty would stand in my way of learning spiritual matters, it's just my shadow nature that is still in bondage to lustful desires. So suffice to say I will follow her on You Tube!

 Islam is surrender! Islam means in one form 'Submission' to the Will of the Devine, Allah {SWT} aza wa Jalla. hence being a Muslim has qualified oneself automatically to Maharishikaa's core teaching. And being an ex-Hippie of the early sixties, seventies and having carried around Baba Ram Dass's infamous bible, 'Be Here Now' and after being doped by Eckhart Tolle's works , "The Power of Now," one again had set up for the introduction to Maharishikaa's teachings long before I came into her being.. The quest for Enlightenment and Moksha, having Maha Samadhi experiences or awakening the Kudalini Serpent through Ayahuasca or any other method is not encouraged by this teacher or so I feel. I agree and see the truth in such an intuition as these states of higher or highest consciousness proves nothing to the individual as it would lead the one who saw this experiences ending up in mental homes or homeless beggars who cannot return home to where they used to belong once lost in the limbo of spiritual ecstasy. This is playing with fire and not being able to control it when it burns to its maximum. Furthermore having enlightened beings like Buddha walking around today is not in sync with what is going on; we need men/women who are lost in Devine madness to tackle a mad, mad world. 

Before Enlightenment, Cut wood and carry water.

After Enlightenmant, Cut wood and carry water. 

This is one way the Zen Buddhist handles the problem of achieving Enlightenment; simply nothing special. 

I was very glad when I came upon a video where she mentioned, Servitude. I thought it got lost somewhere in her impeccable consciousness. In Islam 'Servitude' is a formidable form of prayer to the Lord. When one serves His Creation in any form, one serves Him, this is Prayer in Action and it is the most holistic form of healing the soul of any being. Karma Yoga, the Yoga of action is antidote to much of human suffering as it keeps the wayward mind from getting lost in a drift of Maya or Illusion and the realm of Shadow or Darkness.        

"Karma Yoga is the path of selfless action and service towards others, as taught in the Bhagavad Gita. Learn how to practice Karma Yoga with right attitude, motives and surrender to the Devine..." Wikipedia

Most people who complain of being stressed out of having no inspiration or motivation to live out their lives are usually those who find no work to keep them occupied, mentally physically or emotionally, or they are just simply lazy, too lazy to move their butts! I used to make this my practice too as is written at some time in the past in this Blogging, "The Art of Being Lazy." or was it under "The Lazy Man's Club?" It did not take off naturally and so here i am stuck with trying to keep myself occupied while waiting...

                                  Looking at the horizon of the South China Sea in Kelantan.

I raise my hat to the PM of Malaysia for his stand on Palestine and Israel.

 

I am drifting with no sense of direction in mind or at least this is how I have been feeling of late and thus my Blogging  has been put on hold, shelved for lack of genuine and insightful things to share. I have been reading a book by a Malaysian writer entitled, The Spiritual Mind, A mental Miracle. I found the book on the shelve of a collection of books donated by the Museum Galleri T7uanku Fauziah ,{MGTF} donated by its present director, Prof. Hasnul J. Saidon. The end of this year will be the end of his tenure as the director of the Museum and it would be sad to see him leave as he has been a very energetic and creative source of ideas when it comes to running the facility. The book written by Sallina Ismail is very thought provoking especially for me as it seems to almost tie up my own personal 'spiritual search' into a complete whole. I am half way through reading the book and find it very informative as it is based on the teachings of Islam with lots of quotes from the Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet [SAW} which is very refreshing as I rarely find a good straight forward written works based on Islamic principles. These is nothing written about the author form the book and so it is to me a good sign as I am reading the works of an anonymous thinker who i will perhaps discover the identity later on down the road after i have savored the message from the writing. I find it more satisfying not to know whose thoughts I am learning from so i do not allow my mind to formulate any judgment ab9out the writer. I am sure the writer in this case must be a well versed and highly intelligent person to be able to produce such thought provoking works on spirituality.

What is more significant here is the fact that the book came into my hand at the right time in my life when I find myself still drifting like a headless chicken over matters of my soul and my relationship to me Maker also what I might face when the time comes for me to say, Adios! Bye bye, Selamat Tinggal, in the not too distant future. I have read thousands of books in this one lifetime as I enjoy reading and I have read the Holy scripture of many faith and religions, many spiritual Gurus and modern day spiritual savants and  self proclaimed mystiques. I am saturated with too much knowledge when it comes to sex and debauchery through reading and read the whole collection of Jungian works on human mind, am I wise? I do not feel so as wisdom eludes me when I encounter realties in life that i had never had the opportunity to encounter before or when I am simply accosted by the simples of questions like , Who are You? Yes as much as I which to say to myself that I have attained a certain level of awakening, I find myself still drifting in a void of ignorance; hence a book that is able to make me think a little more is a welcome change for now. As a former Zen student and i say former for the first time simply because I do not think I deserve to claim myself as one anymore, I must say the this book is like the stick the slaps me into wakefulness from my drifting slumber. I might even say that it is a Devine gift so I have something to work with to further my understanding of who or what I am and what my purpose is in this so called human experience. Tik tok!, Tik tok! Time waits for no man.

Yes, part and parcel of drifting in the void of emptiness with no aim or destination in sight is loosing sight of what was laid out from the beginning and one has to keep reminding oneself to not become sucked into stupor or worse doubts and despair, of giving up before it is time. I have been meditating a  great deal over my state of consciousness and well being, figuring out what is missing and where i took a wrong turn in this last phase of my journey. I can feel the frustration and boredom creeping in often making me feel that time is wasted or that *I am getting nowhere or worse I am regressing into the mediocrity and mundane. As I kept looking for the cause and cure to this state of affairs I am in I realized that i have slipped from my original intention one of which is to fulfill my obligation towards my Bodhisattva vows; All my ancient twisted karmas, born through, Body Speech and Mind, of Greed, Hate and Ignorance, I now fully avow!  How often in the past i kept forgetting this vow I have made to myself during every full moon ceremony along with my practicing companions at the Green Dragon Zen Temple at Green Gulch Farm in California and find myself drifting rudderless in this realm of Maya. Like a feather in the wind I find myself blown here and there having no hope or intention and declaring to myself that my life is meaningless. I feel defeated when I am in this state and keep looking for someone or something to blame or try hard to find an antidote to heal my malaise and I found this book on the shelf in the Museum at USM. A book that belongs to Hasnul J.Saidon, the Director of the Museum, my brother a fellow seeker or so I believed; no sense in thinking about it anymore, someone whose time has come for me to let go of. Herein, the devil is in the details of which I will not delve into any further.

Servitude! I keep forgetting this word, my mantra which I have equated with my existence in this realm especially as a Muslim, a servant of Allah. Love and Compassion towards oneself but Servitude towards others, when Love and Compassion is inherent within, servitude becomes the action that one worship the Lord through. How do I serve my Lord? I serve His Creation, I assume the role as the Vicegerent or warden of His Creation; I serve as a Bodhisattva in keeping my vows towards serving humanity and all sentient beings. How dare i declare myself being bored in this life? If I am any younger I would have volunteered to serve in Palestine as an aid worker and welcome an Israeli bullet in the process. However being past my prime I can only howl like a wolf from afar my anguish and pain in witnessing the atrocities being committed towards the people of Palestine, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and the rest of the Muslim world. I have no excuse for being inactive in my cause towards serving humanity and ashamed at becoming a witness to the blatant disregard for human lives and dignity not to mention the degradation of the Planet as a whole; not on my watch!

"Mother Earth is my Employer! She pays me with clean Air, clean Water, clean Food clean Land and from that you have a clean Spirit!..'we live in a time where our spirit can be eaten, learn to protect the spirit...they will have machines for ancestors  and so we are in that world now. AI has taken away that which is and put us into that could be, technology has no wisdom, its a language of the mental logic." - Tiokasin Ghosthorse {Native American} - 'Something Beautiful for the World.' 'Reflections of Life' -You Tube 

Today I listened to the Prim Minister of Malaysia spoke before the Arab - Islamic Summit in Riyadh and it was uplifting to my spirit as a Malaysian. He may be hitting at the Hornets' nest in making these statements for humanity as a whole and will receive repercussions from within and without, but it was an expression that relfects the anguish of humanity that needed to be told! KUDOS!!

" 

  

    

Happy Deepavali! - 2024

                                                    Lord Shiva Nataraja, The Cosmic Dancer.

 Happy Deepavali, the Hindu festival of Lights or The Triumph of Good over Evil that is celebrated all over the Hindu world just as Eid Adzhar and Eid Fitri is celebrated all over the Muslim world and in Malaysia being a multi racial country we celebrate almost all the various festivals celebrated by Hindus, Malays and Chinese including the other indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak. Hence in this country we have lots of Holidays when you add the National Day, the King's Birthday and so forth. By right everyone should be more relaxed than other Nations for having allot more days off from work. We never had any major wars except once or twice in my lifetime where political imbalance caused a racial riot or two, otherwise this nation has known relative peace and tranquility in the past 75 years a far cry from the fate of Palestine, the Hell on Earth. Just thinking about it robs one of the pride of being a Human in this day and age. Over the past few years I have celebrated Deepavali by going to dinner at my friend Dato Gary Nair's 'Passion of Karalla' Indian restaurant one of the most popular Nasi Daun Pisang or Banana Leaf restaurant in Penang. But this year I was not motivated to join the festivity there but instead was invited by young Mr.Tyson who lives downstairs on the 6th. floor with his Mom as his father passed away three years ago from cancer, for a lamb curry and drink. 

                                  Nothing is more colorful than a gathering of Indian Ladies

The whole of last month was somewhat a drag in more than one ways and especially in the financial department whereby I had to swallow my pride and made several loans and credits from friends in order to avoid pestering my children about not having enough to go grocery shopping. However, Such Is, it is sometimes easier and less frustrating to give in and take the next best way out than to face reality head on. I had to skip doing what i should have or could have and instead surrender to accepting the defeat of not having what was needed to serve the material existence. My bad! I keep reading from the advice given about old farts like me having to be prepared financially for my old age, but too late now as i have no pension funds to fall back on and not even a savings account to my name and as it is I am totally dependent on my two children, but for how long? I have been closely observing the scenario that plays itself out when there is tension in the home, how i felt being taken for granted or being rude to. At times i almost recoiled with anger for having allowed myself to be sucked into this predicament. My bad! I gambled and I think I made  a few wrong choices for the right reasons and now I can see that I will be paying the price as time goes by and I cannot stand up literally to fend for myself. This is what happens when you wear too many mask in one scenario, you loose sight of which is the real you that can stand the test of time.

                                                                        Who Am I? 

 

I believe the Historical Buddha was a Prophet.

 " Who looks outside, dreams, Who looks inside, awakens."  - C.G. Jung

The quote by Jung encapsulates the essence of the ancient wisdom teachings on human consciousness and spiritual awakening. Man exist as though looking through a window from within a small confined space or looking from outside into it. Both these aspects of his existence are equally valid as they complement each other, one cannot be without the other no matter how we look at it. We cannot let go totally of one without letting go of the other and it is only with the ability to let go of both or uniting both in a fusion can we become a 'whole being.' To become a whole, complete and perfect is the goal if there is a goal to be achieved for man in his journey through this mortal existence. When the outer and inner aspects of one's being is completely realized and grasped a hold of we become a complete individual acting as one complete whole as the non duality school of thoughts perceive life to be. This happens only when one is able to merge what is within and what is out there with every action taken or when there is no line drawn between what is inner space and what is outer space. This is when dreams becomes reality and reality becomes dreams and when the two is one there is no one looking from within or from without; the observer and the observed is one.

It is almost an impossibility to arrive at this level of existence as a human being especially in this day and age when we are totally bombarded by distraction from every corner and through all our senses 24/7. It would take an enormous struggle to be able to bring our mind to this state of complete abolishment of the dichotomy between our outer and inner states of consciousness. Man is inherently equipped with a 'dual thinking mind,' a mind that is split between what is 'The real' and the 'Unreal.' What is right and what is wrong and so forth; the balance of opposites. It is also in our human nature that we have the tendency to create mental formations in the forms of narratives and stories about about who we are or how we came to be. Subjected to our genetical, cultural and religious make up, we grow up into individuals beings with our mind created or conditioned selves each wearing his/her own mask and playing the role of our allotted existence as part of humanity as a whole. Science has proven beyond doubt the complexities of our human mental and psychic tendencies in relation to our physical senses and attributes. Our mind is and its complexities is still beyond the understanding of the schools of sciences associated to its studies. Questions like what is human consciousness, the human subconscious or the collective unconscious etc. are still being grappled with among researchers. We, as a specie, are still groping in the dark as to the understanding of who we truly are and the what, why and the how of who we are. 

There is no doubt that we as a species has evolved quite rapidly over the past few thousand years putting us at the top of the food chain and the most intelligent specie on the planet, however we as a specie have we also evolved to become the most destructive among all other species that threatens the very safety of this planet itself. When and where did we go wrong? Carl Jung rightfully claimed that we have a 'shadow.' Our ugly side, the side that lurks behind the scene and creates havoc and chaos just because it is in its nature to be so. In the religious sense we have negative entities, devils and demons as our unseen companions seeking to influence our every move and actions we take. Most of humanity either live in ignorance or simply in denial of such influences that affects their everyday lives. These are those who live 'looking out' and in dreams and they are often awaken with a nightmare from their sleep. The shadow just as in the physical shadow that walks alongside us cast by light on our body, is always with us and makes its appearance every now and then when we are off balance like having too much of a good thing or simply drifting loosing our sense of awareness/balance.  

The Buddha, I always refer to the Buddha simply because I studied Buddhism and try to abide by its teachings and principles; I do not and will never worship the Buddha. As I mentioned earlier the Buddha is considered to be Al Khidr, the immortal soul in Islam who met and taught Moses about Patience and later met Sheikh Kadir Jilani and Ibn Arabi according to their stories. For interested party you can Google these. Einstein declared the Buddha's teaching to be the most scientific approach to life and this is how I saw it from the moment I understood Buddhism. My faith is completely in Allah aza wa jala, Lod of the Worlds. Islam is the religion of my faith. I practice Buddhism when in facing my day to day trials and tribulations as I would now and then practice Taoist philosophy or Vedanta. To me they are all a part and parcel of the manifestations of the Lord's Will, and there is not a leaf that drops from the branch in the forest the He is not aware of; for He is One - Ahad. To believe otherwise is limiting myself from being a part of the Whole I am not claiming to be correct or right in my understanding, as I can be wrong in many of my assumptions, however right or wrong, it is just an error of my own mind and it is and has always been my intention to right my errors as I encounter every test and challenge laid across my path. As I have often admitted to myself and to my Maker, I am a sinner, a transgressor, one who have challenged even God Himself during one of my dark night of the soul and as such I have a whole lot of cleaning up to do before i get anywhere near the Seat of the Lord. However he is to me most of all oft. forgiving and Most Merciful and this I hold to be the Truth I live by. 

""The wound is the way that Light enters you." - Rumi

                 

Yes, She did told me that there would be days like this... my Mother.

 I don't know where to begin anymore and there's no lack of topics to begin with, however there is a lack  of will to put anymore thoughts down in writing; call it laziness or call it giving up what has become short of an addiction. I have made the promise to write and write I will this Saturday morning while it is raining outside my window of the twelve story building. I have almost finished my oatmeal with banana breakfast, fed the cat with her "Temptations" cat treat, the only most expensive food in the cat market that she will eat other than the 'Tuna in Water' can another expensive food for humans that she favors: Furby has been with us for almost 6-7 years now; She is the Soul of the home.

                                          Making my Blog entry on a Rainy Saturday Morning.
 

The past week has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for my psycho/spiritual mind, whatever that entails, it has been mostly due to my own lack of clarity and weak mindedness in dealing with simple matters in life especially when it comes to money! It seems like one never learn even after seventy odd years of dealing with having and not having cash in you wallet, it is still a haunting ignorant experience that causes unnecessary agitation within and without. Whatever happen to the years of loading the mind with altruisms on how to manage one's life like positivity and looking away from wanting and lacking? It is all for nothing or so it seems, like one has never been poor like down in the gutter poor, or one has never knew what it felt like living the Life of Riley, higher than a Hog! Such Is as the Buddha used to mutter to Himself as He walked into the forest from one village to another witnessing human frailties; the cause of suffering. It is commonly discussed among the Muslim Ulama' that the  Historical Buddha was Al Khidr or the Muslim version of the Awakened One yet not quite a Prophet who like the Buddha left his home and family to find out the Truth. Perhaps and I would not be at al surprised as I love both these characters as my spiritual guides in my studies in the past.  One can always Google who AlKhidr is or was in Islam.

                                             It is still pouring out there and its good!

The Planet is going through a turmoil in the form of climatic and human imbalances which is gradually escalating into a full blown catastrophe and there seems to be no end to it. It seems it would take a miracle if not direct Devine Intervention in order to make peace and stability to prevail as inhuman hubris has created for us a mess of a situation that is leading us towards our own demise and not to mention the Planet itself when push comes to shove as it already is in the process of materializing. Indeed it seems we are living out our Collective Devine prophecies which spells out the final stage of our human existence and the question in everyone's mind is, am I living the end of Time. Personally I know I am living the end of my time which at 75 is about, 'that time.' But for my children and theirs? I pray that it is in their wisdom not to dwell upon it too much and 'make hay while the sun is still shining!'

          If and when times gets rough sing your song out loud - House of the Rising Sun.
     

...and nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever would. Such is, if one can drop off all this petty trivia of life and adopt to the simplicity in living this is the beginning of the end of suffering; where there's no 'I', there is none who suffers. This is Sunyata, this is the principle essence of the teachings of the Buddha; Emptiness.   

Ageing is a gift, Perfection is an illusion.

 The portal is opening, Ben was saying to Eric and me while walking to the cars from the Museum Galleri Tuanku Fauziah -USM after witnessing the launching of the Hero Sedekad, Hasnul J. Saidon's solo exhibition whcih was officiated by the former Asst. Chancellor of the Univesity. "The portal is oppening hsaid twice and it baffled me. Out of the blue Ben has turned into a Mystique, a Guru or something! The subject was never discussed after that as we went our separate ways, but the incident raised my eyebrows a little bit. Now it has got me to thinking, what Portal is this guy talking about? It will come, it will reveal itself all in good time. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the writing, the resonance of the Theta and Delta waves coming through the earphones helping to relax and be in the moment while getting the mind cells rejuvenated and reenergized; I am synchronized with the Universe. I am still poor as a church mouse but i feel like I am living the life of a reluctant messiah, the wannabe Bodhisattva, the Pseudo Atman, I feel like I am not me! I don't know who I am, I am lost and drifting in the sea of Maya, or hate and delusion, I am drowning in the quagmire of ignorance and fear : it is allot tougher than you think in trying to become awakened, it takes a whole lot justifications on the whys and why nots and it is a lifelong agony of running circles to self hat and self love. It is a long tedious journey and you realize and also come to recognized all in vain, all for nothing, all buried in the sand. With this futile realization I have come accept the fact there is not much that can be done but let this life play out by itself for as long as my allotted time permits me. I surrender myself and all that I hold holy and relevant to myself I give up, I am responsible for who I am or who I thought myself to be anymore, I plead to become freed from all my thoughts and concepts, dreams and fantasies, faith and understanding as of this moment; can I do this? What do I get for selling out my Ego, my pride and dignity, what  prize do I look forward to? The only portal I know that is opening is the one that keeps letting off gas in my behind.

I am presently listening to, 'Floods of Love and Abundance,' Delta Brain Hemisphere Synchronization a video by The Power of You on You Tube. Just to get the info to the video right is an effort; I am getting easily tired in my old age. Why do I listen to these modern day technology in manipulating the brain functions towards higher and more creative state of consciousness. Perhaps it does have its merit and the brain does goes through some form of transformation towards a more heightened state of consciousness and even though i do not really to subject my mental state in any form of conditioning, a part of me feels that listening to these magnetic frequencies on a long period of time is a very strong and effective meditation. The sound waves are carefully tuned by those who pioneered these mental tools acts as a flow of vibrations that affects every cell in the body. This vibration due to the fact that it remains constant acts a monotonous hypnotic energy that transforms every cell that resonates with the frequency that is sent forth and albeit Delta or Theta waves every cell become unified into a single fluid in motion. It is a much more potent technique than repetitious chanting or counting the breath. One just have to allow the sound to do its work without any thought about it, it becomes your back ground music and helps to keep your mind from drifting too much. I started listening soundwaves a few years now off and on just as an experiment and I must say it does have an effect. I consider this technological discovery as a boon to mankind especially those who are on the road to find out.

 The aim of meditation for me is the cessation of thoughts from my consciousness, to become empty of feelings, of perceptions, of impulses  and even of consciousness itself, this is my understanding of what meditation is; Meditation is and None who meditates. Allot of what the Buddha said makes little sense if one have small minds, however with an enlightened mind one finds simple truths in them that makes a vast difference when applied to everyday life; like, 'Suffering is, None who suffers.' When the I ceases to exist, suffering is no more; no I, no sufferer. Hence the virtue of Sunyata or Emptiness.  "The not knowing of who you are is the Being." As Shunyamurti expounded in one of his Satsang. I am not willing nor am I clinging on to my preconceptions of who I am, I know I have to at the end of the day give it all up and walk empty and alone towards the final stretch of my journey with no crutches nor baggage, just naked as the day I came to be, my Original Nature, my Buddha Nature, my Ruhul Kudus, my Essence of Being Sat, Chit, Ananda. No lack or poverty, no wealth or fame shall hold me down, no matter if the road gets too rough or the hill too steep to climb, I will continue a step at a time and breath for breath to make my way towards the portal of liberation, towards the Throne of God, towards merging into the Supreme Consciousness of Being :- I Am, That I am. Tat Tvam Asi! 'Ana Al Hak!, I am the Truth! The Word and Sound is One, OM, tat sat. WallahuAlam, Only He knows. 

    

Who are The Chosen Ones?

 There is no doubt that life is full of human suffering and it comes in all forms some of which are inherent and cannot be avoided like physical deformation from birth. The there are those whose life has been and will always be abject poverty like it was meant to be and for these it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel as a matter of fact there not even a tunnel. Then there are those, victims of war and conflicts due to human failures, these are the present moment most apparent practically all over the world. Numberless becomes refugees seeking safety from one country to another and often reviled and sneered at by the most cruel and unwelcoming people of the country they sought refuge in. This is briefly what humanity is or has become, soulless and uncaring except for one's own personal well being and survival. When the Buddha said that ,"Life is suffering," He was refuted by those whose life are not affected by any form of hardship when it comes to especially material wealth, fame and fortune has been their inheritance. Most of these would refuse to even acknowledge the presence of the poor and the destitute much less help them in any way; these are the ones who live at the top of the garbage heap flaunting their wealth and fame like they were born to deserve it. 

According to the world's oldest Religion, Hinduism, humanity is living out the final stage of the Cosmic calendar called the Kali Yuga,(Google this for more details) and as such humanity is headed for a major change in the form of destruction and procreation, like spinning coin that is about to stop spinning and fall flat, except that through Devine or Cosmic intervention the coin will rebound and continue its spinning anew. This is portrayed in the image of the Dancing Nataraja {Shiva} or the Cosmic Dancer, Shiva the Destroyer and the Procreator. In the Judeo, Christian and Islamic believe, humanity is approaching the 'End of Days" or as the Malay Muslims calls it 'Akhir Zaman.' Man is fast digging his own grave knowingly or otherwise. It is a self fulfilling prophecy that the Good Books have revealed, the approach of Armageddon, the Planet is about to be blown asunder, (by Nuclear wars?). There are those who even are zealously welcoming this event as a form of honoring their faith to their Gods. These are those who have had enough with this life and wish to see an end to this illusory mental formations that man has been conditioned with. Then there are those who still have great faith in themselves, the ones who have awakened to some form of truth through constant study and devoted practices of self discovery and the achievement of Enlightenment or Liberation from these delusions that we call life and living. These minority who exist within every faith and religion are the vanguard of humanity's survival as a specie that will rebound and procreate life after all is said and done. These are the Buddhas, the Javan Mukhtar, the Yogis and Rishis, the Sufis and Wali/s, the Saints and Savants, the Pure Hearted and Immovable and imperturbable Spirits. These are the Chosen Ones!

The Chosen Ones are those who have awakened to the true nature of their existence and are in servitude towards the well being of humanity at large and they serve their God, the Universe the Cosmic Consciousness or by whatever Name they call their Lord and Creator whom I call Allah Subhana huwaTaala as a Muslim. The Chosen Ones are the Bodhisattvas by Buddhist virtues and have vowed to return to this realm to assist more beings towards liberation or free from Karmic laws of cause and effect. They are the ones who serve humanity in these times of chaos and degradation, they act as teachers and Gurus, Friends and Companions lending a helping hand by kindly bending to ease the burden of others. They help to make sense out of all the non-sense that is manifesting all round us today and leading human mind and spirits towards the power of faith and surrender to the All Mighty Lord of Creation, Lord of Mercy and Compassion. The Chosen Ones eliminate fear and doubts out of the equation of facing the trials and tribulations that humanity face today, their weapon of choice is Unconditional Love, Pure and Unadulterated Truth.

Chosen Ones do not have any idea that they are the Chosen Ones until they are being confronted by the higher order or greater mind or Super Consciousness or the Universe itself or God and inducted into the servitude of humanity; they have to go though the rites of passage to become chosen. The most highly evolved beings through the processes of spiritual practices or self realization are most likely to become inducted as a Chosen One in the service of the Infinite Consciousness of Being or the Servitude to God. Chosen Ones have committed Ego death in order to arrive at their true being of who they are and thus harbors no claim of any action as their own in the service of the All Mighty towards humanity, His Creation; no action and no expectation of rewards to be gained. Chosen Ones in essence do not exist except in the service to his Lord and Creator.

 

Rambling over the present state of my mind.

 

"Sunday Morning woke up yawning filled the pool for a swim..." What or who am I still persistently  kept asking, this same simple question for lack or better things to dream about. I kept going down one rabbit hole after another over the years carrying this question like a Koan, a ball of fire under my belly, burning painfully for an answer; the Ultimate and Complete Truth... the Nature of who I am. I am more than aware that it has become a game to keep my fingers busy and my eyes still alive from seeing the letters and words that are forming as I deal with this simple issue of ,Who Am I? I realize that its beginning to sound worse than a broken record, but it is what it is, if one has an understanding of what Koan is in the Zen Buddhist tradition, one would appreciate better of what it means for me in my practice to have a dream/fantasy journey of 'Self Discovery.' A never ending story of one's own and shared with the entire Internet Plane of Humanity. The numbers are exciting even if they are meaningless for what i am doing or hoping to achieve. Looking at it from my mental health point of view, I must say I have been writing more and more about myself, my thoughts and dreams and so fort, who I cheated on and whose life i destroyed, whose confidence I betrayed, and the list can go on and I say to myself with whole hearted surrender, "Guilty as Charged to every count Your Honor!" Yes, before i end this Ramblings for good and move on to the next plane of existence, I would like to try and savor what it is like to become fully awakened and touch the veil of Enlightenment.

The answer, the simple truth to the significance of this Koan is right before my wyes and has been there all these while, however I had to take many detours getting to where i am at and along these side roads and byways I saw myself more and more as I become a witness to life unfolding before me; in moment like these I would kick myself a kick in the butt to wake up from the Illusion that i am being sucked into as I slowly lull to sleep. On a personal level I would take a walk or a shower or simply take a nap, however on the spiritual level I would write it all down as I am doing right at this moment. 

 "It's a long, long Road,

From which there is no return!

That takes us to where, who knows where?!..." 

With age and some understanding of the nature of what it is to be human with mindfulness practice of loving Kindness towards others especially those in need, I have come to accept the fact that I am now in a state of simply living life while preparing for the inevitability of facing old age and what it entails. There is no turning back and all the bridges have been burned behind me, there is only stepping forward with a more careful steps and lighter load on my back and in my mind; a step towards enlightenment? It seems like there really is no perfect way to live except through making imperfect choices and honest errors, each one of us has his or her own way in the hope of living the perfect life; what is perfect life? I often ask myself and honestly accept that my life after all these years now that I am approaching the final chapters of my days, I find that there is really good answer except that for me if one average happiness more so than sadness, do more good deeds than destructive ones, have more sympathetic/compassionate feelings than than self serving mentality, chances are one is living or have lived a good life. The less regrets one have the more positive an indicator that one is living or has lived a good life and being able to look back with a smirk or a laughter at what has been or what could have been, expressing thank you Lord for all the blessings that You have bestowed upon this undeserving servant of yours, this is like a bonus added to your life well lived. 

Maintaining a lucid mind, being able to drive in heavy traffic, being able to cook and do dishes and laundry, making it a daily practice to feed the pigeons and water the plants every morning is considered to be an accomplishment for a man my age or so they keep saying on You Tube. I am addicted to Internet in more than one way and it has been a very crucial part of my life considering the number of hours I spend everyday surfing the net for one reason or another. It is ironic that for one who meditates to remove the cluttering of images and information and various other thought formations, I am addicted to the Internet, to You Tube, to Netflix and a host of podcasts so much so that by right I should be having a mental overload by now. I consider my mind still lucid for whatever it is worth and as a matter of fact i find my mind more so expressive than it has ever been. It makes more sense too than it has ever been and it is perhaps because of my more intense and focused meditative practices which includes mindfulness walking and how i relate to others on top of my daily sittings, my mind it seems has become more resilient and tolerant towards whatever i encounter on the external; I much less judgmental and not easily prone to anger and if I find myself succumbing to the negative self expressions i would find myself immediately asking God for forgiveness even for having the thoughts let alone give it expression. What can i say at the age of 75! I have lived it my way?! 

Is life a waste of time? To some it is and to others it is not as it a relative issue depending upon the state of mind and existence the individual finds himself or if he even cares to ask himself such a question. Asking the question itself would be a waste of time to most people, like spends day and night trying to answer a question like, what is life, or who an I or why am I here, is there God? No God? what is sin? Why is life considered suffering? In order to keep a lucid mind I ask myself these simple questions and make it a challenge for the mind like a Zen Koan. When the mind becomes lazy, when it stops looking for answers or simply allow for things to slide and live a life of a drifter, having no motivations or goals, no sense of Purpose, Love and of appreciation of Beauty, then I would worry about my state of mind. 

My state of mins is of late pretty much occupied with the suffering that is happening to humanity all around the Globe. With the exposure accorded by the Internet and other various media services, it is hard not to be affected by what is happening. "If you can pluck the lotus without wetting the fingers, you would not be affected by life's trials and tribulations, so says most of the religious teachings, however it is easier said than done. "Life is suffering," said the Buddha and he also said, "None who suffers." I am still figuring that one out.