As entrepreneurs we are often times faced with a  deluge of bad news, when it rains it pours, the road seems endless and it appears as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel.  Self doubt and pessimistic thoughts infringe upon the mind.

I remind myself of what Gautum Buddhha (Siddhartha) had said to his disciples:

“It’s always darkest before the dawn”

STAY THE COURSE

BE POSITIVE

“One must be strong;one must know;one must dare;and one must keep silent.”-Samurai proverb

By Michelle Lou V. Samson

PAMPANGA, PHILIPPINES (11/10/2009) – “Buddha has no divinity whatsoever in his person.” Bro. Eliseo Soriano exposed.

The host of the 29-year running religious radio-TV program Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) explained in Ang Dating Daan Bible Exposition the difference between Buddha and God. The question came from a Buddhist, Chinese national in Hong Kong.

The Bible exposition that time was attended in eight places in Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore, and in the Philippines, Bukidnon, Batangas, Tacloban City, Pasay City, Orani, Bataan and Apalit, Pampanga. This takes effect thru 5-hour live video streaming of question-and-answer activity via satellite and internet. Every Tuesday the exposition starts from 7PM in the Philippines.

Bro. Eli, presiding minister of the Members Church of God International (MCGI) was able to converse through the Filipino church worker assigned in Hong Kong who interpreted the language.

Bro. Eli who was propagating the words of God in America hoped that the guests would not be offended as he frankly answered that Buddha was not God. He was a human being.

Bro. Eli explained, “We cannot compare him (Buddha) to God. Why? (It is) because God is incomparable. He is very much different to human being. Let us read the book of Isaiah 55:8-9:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Bro. Eli continued, “Buddha has no divinity, whatsoever in his person. In fact, he died because of; I hope you will not be offended, brother. He died because he ate poisonous mushrooms. He loves to eat. He always eats. (Do)You see the bodega of Buddha? (Do)You see the stomach of Buddha?”

A picture of Buddha was flashed on the screen to prove the Truthcaster’s statement.

He described, “It’s protruding! It is very big because he loves to eat. And he died because of eating.”

Bro. Eli proved that Buddha is not God by citing the information from 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica,

The Buddha died after eating poisonous mushrooms served him by accident and escaped the cycle of rebirth; his body was cremated, and stupas were built over his relics.

“So Buddha is not divine. He is not God because he died. And I’m sorry to say. He died because of his being a very great eater and you can see it in his stomach. He has a protruding stomach. He is portrayed in so many statues that were made in regarding the person of Buddha with a protruding stomach! He has no self-control. So you cannot compare this person to God. He does not even have self-control. He does not even practice self-control. He loves to eat. He is greedy. That’s why he died of his being a lover of eating. He even ate poisonous mushrooms.” Bro. Eli cleared.

“I do not want to speak to offend the Buddhist people. But the word Buddha means the enlightened one. Buddha means the enlightened one. But I do not believe that Siddhartha Gautama who was called Buddha is enlightened because of the sayings of Buddha, I know that he is not speaking the truth, of the sayings of Buddha. I have some of them. When I studied the sayings of Buddha, they are not the truth. He is not really enlightened. The fact that he is greedy he always loves to eat. And he died of eating proves that he is not enlightened.” Bro. Eli elucidated.

Bro. Eli would like to answer if the inquirer had any follow up question. The inquirer replied three Thank you! instead.

Another question came from a catholic, Filipina citizen in Hong Kong. She asked why a person could not be contented with what he has.

While it is true that there are people who are not contented, Bro. Eli conformed that there are people who are contented in every situation they are in. Bro. Eli referred to people like Apostle Paul who knew both how to be abased and how to abound. People like Apostle Paul are content because they have trust to the promise of God, that God would never leave nor forsake the contented man.

Bro. Eli incited the audience to be content of having just food and raiment. Ambition and greed in the hearts of people are the reasons why they can never be contented, Bro. Eli divulged from I Timothy 6: 9-10,

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Bro. Eli annotated that the greed would cause addiction. He expounded that there were people who have a million of money, and wanted it to multiply into millions and billions that they no longer knew how to spend.  But still even if they were dying, they were still starving for more wealth through taking advantages to people and did not learn how to help people.

The Earth has enough for man’s need but not enough for man’s greed.

As according to a proverb that justifies Bro. Eli’s explanation about the greediness of people.

There are people who kill for many treasures, gold, jewels, lusts and money, the reason why Apostle Paul warned the Christians to take heed to themselves. The addiction that Bro. Eli explicated was called avaricia or avarice. Avarice means insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth; the reason why people could not be content.

Some more of the questions inquired were about the definite purpose for the death of Christ, the gates of hell, the gift of tongue, the same sex relationship, how to respect an irresponsible and violent father, the reason why god created humankind, the reason why grudge still remains despite our decision of forgiveness to those who committed sins to us, what will happen to a cruel person when he dies but has not heard the doctrines of God, the salvation of God- if it was already found, etc.

Twenty-eight people of different religions such as Assembly of God, Baptist Church, Born Again Christian, Buddhism, Catholic Church, El Shadai, Free Methodist Church, Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jesus is Lord Church and Pentecostal inquired Bro. Eli about spiritual problems that their pastors could not answer.

To share the truth discovered in the Bible by the only sensible preacher of our time, as dubbed to Bro. Eli, is the goal of Ang Dating Daan Bible Exposition.

Bro. Eli emphasized in his introduction that he answers and preaches the gospel as frankly as he can. He does not use flowery words to convince or to convert people to join the Members Church of God International (MCGI) where he is the presiding minister. He believes that he only has to read the bible and the rest would be God’s work.

The Ang Dating Daan Bible Expositions make Bro. Eli one of the most queried men in the world, answering different questions on the spot directly from the bible. He is also known as an unbeatable debater for 45 years of his service now.

Call on God, but row away from the rocks. — Indian Proverb

Proverb By Rachel E. Foster

Just something to think about as we go head-first into the holiday season.

H/t to the Keep Calm Gallery.

Another beautiful day to be thankful for!

Today I am grateful for health and life… For the infinite love of and for my incredible Twin Flame husband and our two boys… For a nature hike filled with hills and trees, gentle breezes and lilting steps… For peaceful time alone in the house (a precious commodity!), spent cooking with so much appreciation for the life force of the food, and time to eat together… For the opportunity to help people through my work and to prosper in doing so… For a warm home and even-warmer heart.

What are YOU thankful for right now? (comments welcome)

Thanksgiving may be over for 51 weeks more but every day that ends in Y is a day of blessings! MondaY, TuesdaY…

I invite you to share your thankful, heart-full reflections in comments on this site, as well as your own practices of gratitude. For example, my husband does gratitude journaling daily, listing what he is grateful for. I, too, journal with Spirit daily and always sign my love letters to the Source of All Good things “TYG” – Thank you, God! As a family, we give thanks with each and every meal and bless the food that it may turn into energy to fulfill our life purpose and be God’s hands here on Earth. I also take gratitude walks, create gratitude books with my children, and strive to live life as one Great Full praise for Creator and all of Creation. See my earlier entries for 5 Great Ways to Be More Great Full.

I don’t claim to be 100% “there yet” (if there is such a thing), but most people who know me say I am one of the happiest, most positive people they have ever met, and I certainly feel good, so I must be doing something right! I know that Life is a work in progress and that we can choose to feel grateful, to feel peaceful, to live in our hearts, moment by moment…

A Gift of Gratitude and Peace for You

So here, as my gift to you today, is a new, consciousness-enhancing meditation that will help you bring your awareness to the present moment and all of its delights, as well as calm, center, connect with the divine within and around you, and open your heart. Inspired by both Buddhist and yogic meditation methods, yet timeless and universal, this practice can transform your life – and your perception OF your life, which is at least as important, since the outer reflects the inner. The Breath of Gratitude Meditation is a simple yet profoundly powerful practice that will enhance your appreciation of life, the Universe and everything – instantly! Try it for free on my blog and see how much heartfulness and gratefulness (great fullness) you can allow yourself to feel.

Here is how you do the meditation, which, by the way, is portable, requires no props, altars, other people, special places, or resources of any kind, because you already, always, all ways, have ALL you need, within you and around you, right here, right now:

Sit peacefully, placing your hands over your heart chakra, that place where you feel strong emotions, in the center of your chest. You will know it’s the right spot when you feel an inner shift, like an “Ahhhhhhh” just by gently touching yourself there, like you are cradling yourself with love.

With your focus on your breath, begin to breathe IN something you are thankful for, anything that you appreciate right now. It could relate to your past, your present or even your future. With each breath OUT, send out gratitude to the Universe (God).

You are essentially experiencing a stream of heart consciousness that will change and flow with each breath as you maintain a focus on receiving blessings (inhaling) and sending out love and gratitude (exhaling).

For example, my  Breath of Gratitude stream of heart consciousness went something like this, i.e. these were my thoughts and feelings accompanying my breaths:

Breathing in peace. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in beauty. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in joy. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in my husband. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in food. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in my oldest child. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in my youngest child. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in a good home. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in a beautiful Thanksgiving this year. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in music. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in laughter. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in breath itself. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in friends. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in my dog. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in a new computer (coming soon!). Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in work I love. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in life. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in this moment. Breathing out gratitude.

Breathing in God. Breathing out gratitude.

and so on….

Of course, the heartful, mindful appreciative awareness you experience will be different from my own. In fact, it will be different from YOUR own because it will be new each time you do this meditation, from minute to minute and day to day.

I did this meditation in silence today with one of my private practice clients for about 10 minutes to begin our session, and we both felt an immediate and deep shift into greater awareness, appreciation and peace. Doing this Breath of Gratitude Meditation will enhance your spiritual path, and facilitate your “gratitude attitude” throughout the day, and throughout your life. As I shared in my earlier blogs, thankfulness is one of the best ways to keep the faucet of blessings open!

Why the placement of the hands over the heart center? Can it be coincidence that EVERY world religion and spiritual path recognizes the importance of this part of the human body and energy field? Did you ever wonder why humans the world over, throughout history (and herstory) pray by placing our hands together, in front of this center? Why, when we feel strong emotions, we place our hands over our chests? The heart contains a form of intelligence and intuition all its own, which is why Native American elders told Carl Jung, “We see why you white people are so unhappy so much of the time. It’s because you make decisions from your heads instead of your hearts.”

In Book 1 of my LoveLife! series, The Radical Self-Love Workbook, and in intuitive healing and coaching sessions, teleseminars and personal growth trainings, I share many more proven, holistic practices for your mind, body, heart and soul that are easy to fit into your busy life, field tested over 15 years in private practice with thousands of people. I have studied meditations all over the world and, in fact, designed and taught a Multicultural Meditation for Busy People program at Kaiser Permanente for years. I have also practiced meditation on a daily basis for 29 years, am an ordained interfaith minister as well as an intuitive life coach, and bring this expertise and personal experience to my teachings, healing and coaching work as well as my writings and, of course, meditation audios.

According to The Institute of Heart Math, a scientific research facility and think tank dedicated to studying and exploring the electromagnetic energy of the heart field and its universal importance for health and happiness, breathing with a focus simultaneously on appreciation and on the heart center (a.k.a. heart chakra or field) is the single most effective practice for increasing joy and inner peace.

So, divine being, enjoy The Breath of Gratitude Meditation!

Enjoy your life!

Many thanks for visiting my blog and for shining your light in this world!

With love,

Sage

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

- Rumi

www.LoveandSpirit.org

www.SoulMatesMatchmaking.com

P.S. Please share what YOU are thankful for, in this infinite moment…and your own tips for living more “great fully” in your comments below. Thanks!

“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names, “

- Chinese proverb

And it comes as no surprise that I hold so much disdain for the excessive political correctness we rampant in our society.

… Right? Here’s Some Tracks I Never Got Around To Posting. Enjoy.

Jew Dew (feat. Tek Of Smiff ‘N Wessun) – “My Block”

Proverb (feat. City G.) – “Stragghouse”

YP – “On My Way”

Kid Sister – “Down Azz Jawn”

Man will stand a long time with mouth open, waiting for roast duck to fly in.

–Chinese proverb

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

“One is Evil -  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

“The other is Good -  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” 

This was sent to me by a friend who always seems to know when I need to be reminded that no matter how much I feed the ” Good “, someone else is just as busy feeding the ” Bad “. I hope you spend time feeding the one that uplifts your friends and family, and not the one which only serves to discourage and disappoint.

“똥 도 약에 쓰려면 없다”

- Korean proverb

Translation: “When you use dog shit as medicine, there isn’t any.”

Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who owned a wheat field.

“Who will help me harvest the wheat?” she asked.

“Not I,” said the dog. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Not I,” said the cow. “I’ve got way too much to do already.”

“Not I,” said the duck. “That’s not on my job description.”

So the little red hen did it herself.

“Who will help me grind the wheat into flour?” she asked.

“Not I,” said the dog. “You’re so much better at that than I am.”

“Not I,” said the cow. “There’s not enough time to show me how.”

“Not I, “ said the duck. “I would probably just mess it up.”

So the little red hen did it herself.
“Who will help me make some bread?” asked the little red hen.

“Not I,” said the dog.  “I’ve got a deadline to meet.”

“Not I,” said the cow. “I’ve got to leave right at 5:00 p.m.”

“Not I,” said the duck.  “You can’t trust me with something that important.”

So the little red hen did it herself.

When all her guests arrived that evening for the farmyard dinner party, the little red hen had nothing ready to serve except the bread.  Now, it was some fine bread – the best anyone had ever tasted – but it was disappointing as a main course nonetheless.  The little red hen had been so caught up doing everything herself that she didn’t have time to get anything else ready.

Moral of the Story:

Leaders learn how to delegate.  They involve others throughout a project for both the project’s and the team members’ good.  Good leaders challenge their performers to do more than the performers think they can, and good leaders never “chicken out” by doing the whole thing themselves.

 

Ozzy Tour Logo, originally uploaded by Ilan Salviano.

Yesterday has been and gone
Tomorrow will I find the sun
Or will it rain
Everybody’s having fun
Except me, I’m the lonely one
I live in shame

I say goodbye to romance, yeah
Goodbye to friends, I tell you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess that we’ll meet
We’ll meet in the end

I’ve been the king, I’ve been the clown
Now broken wings can’t hold me down
I’m free again
The jester with the broken crown
It won’t be me this time around
To love in vain

I say goodbye to romance, yeah
Goodbye to friends, I tell you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess that we’ll meet
We’ll meet in the end

And I feel the time is right
Although I know that you just might say to me
What’cha gonna do
What’cha gonna do
But I have to take this chance goodbye
To friends and to romance
And to all of you
And to all of you
Come on now

I say goodbye to romance, yeah
Goodbye to friends, I tell you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess that we’ll meet
We’ll meet in the end

And the weather’s looking fine
And I think the sun will shine again
And I feel I’ve cleared my mind
All the past is left behind again

I say goodbye to romance, yeah
Goodbye to friends, I tell you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess that we’ll meet
We’ll meet in the end

“If you want to know the end, look at the beginning”

- African proverb

I was looking for a painting in my files and came across this piece, Time and Tide, from a few years back.  It was a piece, an 18″ by 25″ image on paper, that  I well remember but had lost a few of the details in the creases of my memory.  I had forgotten how well this piece came together and the impact it carried.  Even though it possesses many of my standard elements, such as the red roofs, it feels as though it is a bit of an anomaly.  Maybe that’s why I had to stop over this image and look for a while.

The title, of course, is a reference to the old proverb, time and tide wait for no man, which is basically saying that all men are equal in the eyes of time and nature, that no man has any greater reign than another in those realms.  We are all equally powerless before the passing of time and the movement of nature.  It’s a message that I often see in my work, or at least hope to see.

When I stop to look at pieces from the past, I’m always looking at the differences in the textures and the way I’m handling the colors from what I’m doing currently.  Sometimes I’m able to find something that I really liked in the piece, something I was using that really contributed greatly to the piece, that I was not consciously aware at the time.  It was just part of the process.  For instance, the texture in the open part of the sky in this piece was just done in the way I normally would do that at that point in time.  But as time goes on there are subtle, unthought of  changes in the process that after a time alter the whole feel.  So when I look back what I’m trying to ascertain is how a painting of mine is different and if those differences are things that I might want to revisit. Perhaps I was at a certain juncture then and moved in one direction yet there was another direction available– do I want to step back and try that other direction?

That’s the beauty of art, one can go back in time in a way and for a while defy time and tide….

The proverb “Waste not, want not” came up in class. It’s a fairly common saying that can be used for a variety of situations. It meant that if you use a commodity or resource, such as money or oil, carefully and without extravagance, you will never be in need. In other words, if you conserve something today, you won’t run out of it later. In Japanese the proverb can be translated as ”浪費しなければ不自由することはない；骨身惜しむな無駄惜しめ”. Got it?

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Speak! English Salon/スピーク英会話サロン
http://web.me.com/josephcamcinnis
福岡市中央区大名１－１２－３６

[on BELIEF and ACTION]

It is possible to know one’s beliefs by looking at their actions, but it is impossible to know one’s actions simply by looking at one’s beliefs.

For belief is different than action, and rare is the person who acts according to his or her professed belief.

Humans are mortal, by definition, and know for certain very little about things immortal.

Hypothesis and superstitions, often termed belief, aim to simplify what is supernatural, i.e., what is not of this earth.

One’s beliefs cannot change reality, they cannot explain the past or define the future. At most, a belief may shape the present, and only our actions can agree with our beliefs.

If our actions do not match our beliefs, then it is only the present that we disgrace in the name of the future.

A belief which does not match our actions is but another’s, whose existence is never real enough to call our own. In this light, it is only possible to say that actions exist and beliefs are as only as real as said actions.

The action which differs from belief must relinquish any ties to that belief, for they are separate, they are an ‘other’ unto each other.

A fool professes a belief and guides not his actions to follow. The wise guide their own actions accordingly, and in doing so, set forth a belief which no soul can dispute, as it is backed with action.