To Parents Everywhere

by | Thursday, September 8, 2011 | Relationship, Spirituality | 1 comment

It has been said that there is no stronger force in the universe than a mother’s love for her children.

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Certainly we all have aspirations for our children.  Understandably, those aspirations are an expression of our own relationship with life and the world.  My life has not been exempt from that.  I recall as a young man, the difficulty my parents had with my decision to pursue a spiritual life.  Their well-intended world view revolved around more traditional and money oriented pursuits.  Their idea was to get a college education, get a good job/profession, get a house, a wife, kids, and live a traditional life until death.

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The only problem was that was their calling, not mine.  I was compelled to follow a spiritual path.  Interestingly enough, that direction, for me, ultimately lead to a rather traditional lifestyle in many regards.  My wife and I have two lovely children, a nice home, and a traditional lifestyle, while embracing and living true to our own inner truths.

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As opposed to attempting to overly control our family member’s lives on the surface, we would do better to look to the depth.  Who are they?  How true do they live to laudable core values?  Raising children is no easy thing.  As a parent, I too am extremely committed to doing right by my children.  I have deep concern that as they grow, their lives will be good and healthy.

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If one of my children chose a spiritual path, I would have many reservations.  Cults certainly do exist and are most worrisome in this regard.  I would want to know, beyond question, that my child was not going to be indoctrinated into such thinking. If my child chose a spiritual path, I would make it my business to look into the teaching they were following.

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There have been a number of individuals that, upon discovering that their spouse had interest in my teachings, took the time to personally explore them also.  I have a great deal of respect for that.  Such an approach brings the family members closer together enabling them to evaluate things as a team.

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In contrast, an immediate knee jerk reaction of opposition only divides the family.  I am sorry to say that is what happened in my family, when as a young man, I chose the spiritual path.  The years have proven that those concerns and that reaction were unfounded and damaging to our family unit.

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I’ve noticed that sometimes when a family member chooses to go on a spiritual path, their relatives think of it as a life commitment.  The truth is, more often than not, it’s a life-enriching sabbatical.  Life’s journey is not a straight line. You move in one direction for a period of time and then shift. Yet life is constructed of that series of shifts. We would do well to reflectively support a family member in the building of his or her own life.

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Love is not always an easy thing.  It becomes entwined with our own personal fears, biases, and limitations.  To deal with all that can be most demanding of time and energy.  Yet is has been said that if you do not have the time to do something properly, where are you going to find the time to go back and correct the results of a poor approach?

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I encourage you to take the time to do your very best.  I pray that I too will devote myself sufficiently to raising my children wisely, as they grow into independent adulthood.  Like love, life is not always easy.  May we all do our best to approach it wisely.

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Ultimately, perhaps the best we can do for our children is to model nobility and wisdom within our own behavior.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Relationship with…

by | Wednesday, September 7, 2011 | Relationship

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The state is made for man, not man for the state. And in this respect science resembles the state.  – Einstein

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This quote says very nicely something that I have often talked about but never felt like I conveyed it to the degree I would have liked.

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Life is all about people.  Mentality entrenches humanity into a corresponding reality.

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There are an infinite number of realities.  Realities are born of relationship.

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By changing global mentality, we can change reality.

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There is no limit to the potential this affords.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Fun

by | Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Relationship | 5 comments

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“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” – Dale Carnegie

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It is simple enough, and even on face value the truth in it is clear.

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However, we could talk about ‘fun’ here and what it means to different people…  as there is of course a personal component to it.

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For me, something has to have real meaning or deeper significance to really be ‘fun.’   It has to be something I deeply believe in.  It has to be of value.

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Saving the world, for example. Now that is fun!

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I am not particularly fond of traveling, but if it has a purpose… a mission, well now, that makes it great fun.

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I am no good at small talk, but I love people.  For me, to have fun with others means to share a purpose.  To sit around and chat to me feels like a waste of time.  To be shoulder-to-shoulder doing something of real value together, like building an enlightened city, is fun and something I never tire of.

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Some may feel that I am not very social or available and I imagine that is true if it means small talk.  On the other hand, if I see a purpose or a real value to what we are doing together, I am right there for however long it takes.

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There is no absolute value here that I am trying to impose upon others.  I am just sharing a bit about myself.

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Thanks for listening.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

What’s the best thing you have ever done?

by | Saturday, April 23, 2011 | Personal Growth, Relationship | 7 comments

Driving my daughter home from school the other day, she asked me a lovley question: “What is the best thing you ever did when you were a kid?”

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I can not remember what I said, but I do remember very well where my mind went…  namely, “kindness.”  I thought of acts of kindness that I did as a kid.

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This inspired reflection.

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As an adult, it is the same.  Smart, clever, profound…. they all fall far short of simple kindness.

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It made me realize that all I do with the school, Mount Soma, the temple, etc. are inspired by kindness.

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To help our world, to help humanity:  these things all blossom from the seed of kindness… the best thing you can ever do.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

To those who have never met me in the physical…

by | Saturday, April 9, 2011 | Mount Soma, Relationship | 5 comments

This website is designed especially for you.

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Distance and finance are no barrier to our relationship.  The transcendent lies beyond space, time and the material.

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Within the transcendent, you and I are eternally one.

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I will do all I can to assist you in your journey through life.

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If there are any questions or comments you have that may help this site serve to you better, please click comments below and let me know.

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I am here for you.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Your Valentine

by | Monday, February 14, 2011 | Relationship

Numerous legends of Saint Valentine abound. One says that, while imprisoned, Saint Valentine signed a letter to his love  (the jailers daughter!), ‘Your Valentine”.

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Another tells of his performance of marriages in defiance of the Roman Emperor who felt young men made better soldiers when not married.

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I find it intriguing that these and other legends of Valentine’s Day revolve around the theme of love overcoming obstacles.

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All relationships have obstacles.  That is the nature of life.

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Valentine’s Day is well named.  It is the day we celebrate our eternal dedication to the purity of love we all feel deep within us for our Valentines.

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It appropriately covers the full range of loving relationships, from a candy Valentine heart for a friend to our love for the one we hold most dear.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Tradition

by | Friday, January 14, 2011 | Relationship, Spirituality

Tradition in life is a supportive thing.  It gives time tested direction and parameters to life.  It is the means through which cultures culture the individuals within society.

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Yet like all things, tradition has it’s pros and cons.  For example, I have seen many couples try to force their relationship to conform to strictly traditional patterns.  Interestingly enough, I have noticed that those who have succeeded in doing so are sometimes resented.  I think the reason for that is two-fold.

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Firstly, some who may have on the surface rejected the limitations imposed by tradition at the same time hold those values deeper within, ingrained from childhood.   From that place of inner conditioning, ‘successful’ relationships act as a barometer – a glaring example of how they have fallen short of the ideal.

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Secondly, there is a sense that the uniqueness of the individuals in such a strictly traditional relationship has been compromised, stifled, and limited.

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This certainly creates a slippery slope.  When does conformity to tradition feed life?  When does it limit?  When does breaking away from such guidelines support or limit.  These are not easy questions to answer.  As with all things, a wise response requires reflection, inner exploration, self honesty, etc.

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Couples would do well to hold their relationship up to the light of both possibilities.  How does strict tradition feed their relationship; how does it limit?  It is a matter of discovering your true natures, and your relationship of that with cultural values.  It is not black and white.  It is not a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to society’s norms.  Rebelliousness, impulsiveness, fear, self judgment, resentment, etc. are all obstacles to such exploration. They are aspects that too would require exploration.

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All this does not just apply to spousal relationships.  It applies to your relationship with everything: God, your children, friends, relatives, your job, your health, on and on. For example, Ananda Maya Ma diverged from her cultural norms to be a woman spiritual leader in a society where only men were permitted that status.

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I am not encouraging rebellion here.  Nor am I encouraging a blind allegiance to a belief system.  As in all of life, truth dwells within you.  I offer this as an invitation to wisely and carefully explore the world you have created for yourself. Let it serve as a catalyst to the facilitation of your own evolution and happiness, and through you, the expansion of happiness of your spouse, loved ones, and the entire world.

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It all begins with you.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

God/Wound Exercise

by | Monday, November 29, 2010 | Relationship, Spirituality | 1 comment

This exercise is taken from the Unconditioned Spirit Workbook.  It will help you see the divinity in yourself and others.  It’s fun and you can easily do it throughout the day—in line at the bank, the grocery store, at the airport or anyplace where you can watch people and you have some time to spare.

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  1. Feel into your physical body.  How does it feel?  Allow yourself to rest in your body.

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  1. Now feel more deeply into yourself, into what some may call the soul.  Feel into the part that is exquisite, of pure intent, and divine.   Allow that part to well up and permeate your being.  Fully innocent.

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  1. Look at others and feel that part of them that is exquisite, of pure intent, and divine.  Fully innocent.  See it in their faces, their eyes, and how they hold their body.

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  1. Now feel your sadness and your fears, your frustration and disappointment.   Feel how it has affected your body—tight, weary, or agitated.  Feel into this aspect of yourself that may be referred to as the wound.

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  1. Look at others and see their sadness and their fears, their frustration and disappointment.  See how it has affected their body—tight, weary, or agitated.  Feel into this aspect of them that may be referred to as the wound.  See it in their faces and their eyes and how they hold their body.

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  1. Now go back to feeling your divinity—the part that is exquisite, of pure intent, and fully innocent.  And now look at others.  See the divinity in them.

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  1. Notice that you can shift back and forth at will between seeing your and others’ divinity and seeing everyone’s wound.

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Your conditioning determines your perspective.  What you see in others is more about you, than about them.  Adhering to any one perspective is limiting.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

You are an Inkblot

by | Sunday, November 21, 2010 | Relationship, Spirituality | 2 comments

Perception is more about projection than most can imagine.

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Think of inkblots.  In the same inkblot, some see an angel while others see a monster.  Yet it is the same inkblot.

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Remarkably, many inkblot world views are realities.  One such reality is Newtonian science.  It works.  Others (though out of mainstream popularity) include yin/yang theory, five-element theory, and the nine graha theory.

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This does not imply that all world views are realities.  Some are simply incorrect, i.e. not consistent with how the world actually works.

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Remember that humility is the flip side of wisdom.  Have a humble relationship with your perceptions.  Remembering that you live in an inkblot world can help.

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Are you perceiving or projecting?  Is there really any difference?  In the depth of their hearts, the wise know that perception and projection are one.

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Truth is an inkblot.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.