by Michael Mamas | Wednesday, June 13, 2012 | Favorites, Personal Growth, Spirituality |
Deep inside, you already know everything. Yet, it is shrouded by your conditioning.
You are conditioned, programmed, to believe a certain way and in certain things. Those conditioned impressions are called Samskaras. Though samskaras overshadow the Divine depth of your being, they do not entirely block your connection with it. You still sense it. When you hear truth, it resonates with that depth. Yet however erroneous, the surface (the samskaras) are what you habitually return to, and cling to, for a belief system, safety, familiarity, and comfort. Samkaras are like that old tattered coat, though aged and worn there is just something about it that keeps you coming back.
Life goes on. Truth, time and again, presents itself, resonates with your depth, is aspired to, and then abandoned once again, in the name of that old tattered coat called samskara. With dedication, through reflection, self-honesty, meditation, and the hard knocks of life… slowly, slowly you move in the direction of truth. Yet the path is seldom a straight line. It winds, turns, curves back on it self, freezes, slips, slides, entices, seduces, distracts, is rejected, doubted, feared, loved… on and on. The Guru is there always. Yet the Guru, as the embodiment of that path, is also loved, resented, aspired to, drawn to, feared, hated, rejected, longed for… on and on.
But you keep going. Just as all water necessarily returns to the ocean, in time you overcome your overshadowing samskaras to rest in the depth of your being to become unshakably established in that. Until that tipping point is reached, your allegiance remains to the surface. Truth is just a faint cry from the distance at first, hidden away in a deep, dark, pathless jungle. Evade as you may, it is undeniable in its steadfast presence and haunting allure. The Guru is there always, holding up the beacon that lights the way. While your samskaras are in control, the Guru can be experienced as an annoyance… a thorn in your side. And the rationalizations then abound. After all… he is just a man, right?
He knows full well that, in time, you will awaken to your Truth… the Universal Truth… the Divine that underlies, birthed, and eternally upholds all of life, no matter where you journey, what you choose to believe, or how you are feeling. Like gravity, the Grace of the Guru is eternally present. And in time, you will find Him at the heart of your own being… within you, as you. For in reality, he does not exist on the surface. He is the embodiment of the depth. The One, Universal, Eternal You, Me, all that is.
You will find that One Truth within yourself, just as surely as every drop of rain, in time, returns to the ocean.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Monday, June 11, 2012 | Personal Growth |
One of the greatest joys of my life is that I do so deeply love my students. When the lives of any of them go astray, it causes me great heartache.
Witnessing this, someone sent an email that they left cupcakes on my front porch in the evening to which I emailed back:
“It’s 3 a.m. I just got the cupcake email. They were still on the porch and fine… much needed and appreciated.
Every plant is medicinal (just as it says in the vedic texts).
Sugar, well timed, is no exception.
Thanks, Dr. Mamas”
… very sweet… Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Wednesday, June 6, 2012 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
The following quote, when misunderstood, can lead to a common misbelief:
“The deeper sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” – Kahlil Gibran
An inexpensive stereo system does not reproduce the high and low frequencies well. If you look at a graphic reproduction of the sound pattern, you would see the highs and lows ‘flat line’ or cut off at some point. This can have quite an undesirable effect on the listener.
As you evolve, your ability to feel the full range, the highs and lows, of human emotions expands. You feel more deeply. You do not ‘flat line.’ Flat lining is an intense experience: the lows feel like fingernails scratching a chalkboard… very painful. The highs too are as if unmanageable or intolerable. Though those feelings are intense, they are limited. You have no doubt seen people flat line. Words like intolerable hysteria come to mind. It is as if the psyche crumbles or buckles over.
In contrast, the ability to feel the full range of emotions is a more highly evolved state. The ability to feel deep sorrow does not enable one to feel deep joy. The capacity to feel both develops simultaneously as one evolves. Expansion occurs in all directions simultaneously.
Now at first glance, this may sound undesirable. Who wants to be able to feel more sorrow? However, it is not like that. As you evolve, the cosmic cushion of the depth of your being is more and more fully experienced. That is to say that you awaken to a place deep within your being that remains untouched by sorrow or joy. It is like the tail of a kite that enables you to soar higher without tumbling.
On the other hand, flat lining is an overwhelming experience. The Self is overshadowed. Integration breaks down. Irrationality consumes ones being. Be it due to great sorrow or joy, flat lining is an undesirable and limiting state.
It is valuable to note that even Lord Rama, fully established in the Self, fell to his knees and sobbed when he learned his beloved wife, Sita, was kidnapped. The equanimity of the enlightened is not a zombie-like state. Great emotions are felt. Yet the Self, the tail of the kite, is not lost. The emotions soar higher. They do not flat line.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Thursday, May 31, 2012 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
So many do not move forward with their lives because they are afraid of what may lie around the corner. This is why so many attain much less than is their potential. The following quote elegantly says it another way.
“Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.” ~ Paul Saffo
Attaining great things in your life begins with a deep inner feeling… an abstract sense, not a well defined road map.
Set your course beyond the horizon of what is clearly visible, and then go there. Fear of the unknown is the next great hurdle of human evolution. No great artist ever knew exactly what a painting would look like before they finished it.
Why spend your life scrounging for crumbs? Your domain is the universe. Enlightenment is not a notion to be put in a shoebox in your closet to be taken out and marveled over only upon occasion. It is what lies just beyond the horizon. Aspire to that. It is your birthright.
Can you see how the following two quotes relate?
“Generosity with strings is not generosity. It is a deal.” – Marya Mannes
“Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Tuesday, May 22, 2012 | Personal Growth |
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. – Albert Einstein
At times it feels like this quote is only barely the case. My teachings are generally held up to the measuring tape of others indoctrinations. The trick is to look through your education to see what lies beyond it. To do so is to be a visionary.
In this regard, most are far too nearsighted, evaluating the horizon in terms of that which is immediately at hand. This is no disrespect to those who preceded us. In fact, to not look through and beyond is to disrespect the value of what they have given.
Only the live tree bears fruit.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Saturday, May 12, 2012 | Personal Growth |
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Be Selfish, not selfish.
Those are the only two possibilities.
The choice is yours.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Wednesday, May 9, 2012 | Personal Growth, Relationship |
This is an interesting Einstein quote. Does it indicate a certain lack of integration with life? Or is it a profound statement of his understanding of the nature of relative existence?
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects”. – Albert Einstein
Though we may hurt and disappoint one and other from time to time, life is still all about people… personified beings.
Life is rooted in perfection. Every individual is rooted in perfect. Yet like a tree rooted in the stability of Mother Earth, the branches dance with the winds of karma.
Integration means harmony of the depth with the surface. Love people. Do not be confused by the winds of karma. And do not be oblivious to them.
Human evolution means the integration of life.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Monday, April 30, 2012 | Favorites, Personal Growth, Spirituality |
You have a disposition. It is the net of the sum total of the effect your life experiences have had upon you.
It is the tone with which you hold your self, your cells, you psyche, your beliefs.
More than anything else, it determines your life.
Seek to evolve your disposition.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Monday, April 16, 2012 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
With all that is going on in your life and in the world, it can feel like a challenge to remain positive. But positivity is not about the surface. It is about the depth.
What is life’s deepest purpose? What is your deepest relationship with God and how does that determine the course of your life? In fact, how does that determine the course of all of life?
Being positive simply means knowing and remembering the answers to such questions and remaining committed to those answers as the underlying theme and purpose of your life.
Yes, of course, you must tend to the surface. That includes the joy as well as the difficulties. But they must never overshadow your deepest purpose. You are here to evolve… not only yourself, but also all the world.
By holding that in your heart, and living with steadfast commitment to that, you are living a life of positivity. Forward, forward…. be it knee deep in mud, flood, or famine, or basking in the joy of the bright sunshine… do not be distracted.
Positivity means unyielding commitment to the Divinity within you.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Saturday, April 14, 2012 | Mount Soma, Personal Growth |
As a thoughtful being, be more concerned about what you do not do than what you do.
Mount Vishnu at Mount Soma
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
