by Michael Mamas | Tuesday, July 1, 2014 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
Someone recently asked me to write something about devotion. It would be easy enough to put down some soft and lovely words about waves of love and beauty. They would be true and inspiring. However, there is something here that, though delicate and easily misunderstood, reveals an exquisite aspect of devotion if it can be conveyed.
Let’s start by acknowledging that throughout history, people have been devoted to many different things, not all of them laudable. Extremists in the world today are highly devoted to their cause. It seems that extremists would agree with most anything we say about devotion. We could say devotion comes from deep within. They would agree. We could say devotion satisfies and fulfills not only the heart, but also the mind. They would agree. We could say it is the result of wisdom and discernment. They would agree. We could say to look to the wise, the ancient masters, for direction. They would agree. It seems fanatics and devotees have all too much in common.
As Socrates said, the only true knowing is that you know nothing. Yet everyone longs. Stripped away from the superficialities of what you think you long for, we all long for the same one thing. Call it fulfillment; call it God; call it what you will. But what is true devotion? It is the pursuit of that longing. We are like iron filings around a magnet or moths around a candle flame. We long. We are drawn toward… It does not stop. We are eternally devoted.
Real devotion has its beauty, not in the concrete, but in the abstract. Just as all things in our solar system are drawn toward the Sun, all things gravitate back to Oneness. As you get closer, the pull is stronger. You come to know the nature of what pulls you more and more clearly as you get closer and closer to it. Your inner experience of that which pulls you along the way is, in and of itself, called “devotion”.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Thursday, June 26, 2014 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
Many of you have heard the story… God created the world. People entered the world, looked around and just wanted to return to God in Heaven and so they did. God was disappointed. No one wanted to enjoy his creation. Therefore he created a key to life so no one could return to Heaven without it. But where to hide it? If on the highest mountain, people would climb up and get it. If at the bottom of the ocean, they would get down there and get it. Then He got an idea that delighted him. He would hide it at the last place anyone would look… in the depth of their being. The idea worked and the world became quite populated.
Though you may have heard the story, you still probably look outside of yourself for fulfillment. It is fine to enjoy life and prosper, but what are you psychologically and emotionally invested in? Or (dare I say?) addicted to? Where do you look for safety, satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment? Your money? A creamier ice cream? An ideal relationship? Family and friends? One sort of boon or another? Or maybe the inside story on the topic of your choosing?
And people wonder why they are not happy.
What are you waiting for? Come on…
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Friday, June 6, 2014 | Meditation, Spirituality |
1. Why am I going to sleep on meditation?
There are many forms of meditation. Assuming you are doing what I consider to be a proper meditation, sleep coming in meditation is actually a good thing. Some people think meditation is done for the experiences you may have in meditation. That is actually not correct. Meditation is done to purify the physiology from stresses and strains. When the physiology is purifying at a rapid rate, sleep comes. That is a good thing. You are purifying a great deal!
2. When self-realization is the way life should be, why is it not not? Why the fear of next?
It is the stresses and strains in the nervous system that prevent self-realization. Chronic fear is one possible symptom of stresses and strains in the nervous system.
3. When I realized that the tree outside my office building and me are same, Why can’t I stay in that state permanently? It’s just happened to be a wonderful view outside the wall and then I was pulled back to the thought process again…
The stresses and strains can be compared to a herd of elephants. When they are all asleep, you can have glimpses of higher states of consciousness. But they are usually awake.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Monday, April 28, 2014 | Favorites, Spirituality |
Certainly, there is a place for political correctness. But why is there so much focus upon it today?
We live in ‘The Era of Things’. There are endless incredible things to capture your attention… computer gadgets, amazing cars, beautiful homes, and even limitless perspectives… social views… political stances and dogmas.
Awaken to the level of Vedanta… where no ‘things’ exist… where no ‘things’ matter. Matter is of the relative. Awaken to that which dwells beyond matter.
Do not lose yourself to things. Your relationship with things… with all things… defines the quality of your life. Resting into your Self is the gateway to a healthy relationship with all that is. Fulfillment with anything starts from inside of you. Attitude matters. But more significant than attitude is the state of your being. Culture your self. Proper meditation is the engine that best propels you. Proper discernment provides the wings upon which you fly.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Saturday, April 26, 2014 | Favorites, Spirituality |
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Everyone has those moments.
Imagine a warm, quiet, summer’s Sunday afternoon. Perhaps you decide to take a moment… a moment to rest… to lie on your bed as a gentle breeze moves through the window’s sheer curtains.
Once settled in you notice… a robin’s song echoes from a backyard tree… the faint hum of a neighbor’s lawn mower… the distant murmur of children at play. Then it happens – a subtle, but palpable, shift in your being and in the space all around you.
Time stands still. An eternal quiet holds you. The moment is exquisite.
When will it next be noticed?
Perhaps while you sit under a favorite tree; or while lounging on the porch with a morning cup of tea; or while taking an evening stroll through the neighborhood…
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Saturday, April 19, 2014 | Spirituality, World View |
German media executive, Dopfner, says that the oligopolic power of the tech and social media elite is unconstrained and unchecked. He says that business leaders around the world are so intimidated by Google’s political and economic power that they fear to confront Google and that Google is currently an unstoppable force in the world. The economic, political and social media giants are so powerful that they are viewed as a new sort of virtual ‘nation’ overtaking the world. Their influence over how and what people throughout the world think is remarkable.
Clearly such a powerful force could be used for good or otherwise. The issue is that the ones controlling those companies are the ones that determine what is good and what is not. How all of this unfolds is, of course, yet to be seen. But certainly the world is changing rapidly. Global communication has reached levels never before imagined.
What lies at the depth of every individual is Divinity. Everyone in their essence is One with all that is… infinitely harmonious, life supporting, and coherent. It is our task to free humanity from the stresses and strains that prevent individuals from living that fullness of life. As that emerges, the family of humanity will benefit from greater levels of communication. Until that emerges the effects of such power is in question.
The Age of Enlightenment is emerging. It is ours to bring it forth as quickly as possible.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Thursday, April 17, 2014 | Spirituality |
Just returning home from class in San Francisco, I received the following lovely note from one of the students in attendance:
I can’t stop thinking about last weekend. It was so amazing to me, they all are, but this one took my breath away. I want to say something then I will shut up. It is so humbling to be around someone who’s only agenda is to show us god, with no ulterior motive. The fact that it brings you joy to see others evolve is almost a miracle in itself.
What I learned this weekend is intuition, wisdom, and things of that nature are good to have, but they pale in comparison to perceiving what is.
Thank you!
“To perceive what is” …. yes, that is so precious and rare. It was inspired by something I heard an Irish priest say about what a prophet is… not a soothsayer, but one who sees things as they are and says what he sees.
Also, in San Francisco I was asked about management of a business… and how I manage the school. Sitting and reflecting, making lists of bullet points and more specifically making a list of the people I needed to contact on a given day were aspects of what I said. I forgot to mention my use of acronyms or series of letters. I use them for my daily ‘to do list’ as well as a grocery list. The last one was bbbtm. Just accomplish each letters meaning and the day is done.
Now just today when I told the ashram people back at Mount Soma about this, two interesting insights came up.
Firstly, this method is consistent with the nature of existence. Everything starts in seed form. Just a bullet point, or even a letter from an acronym is enough. All else emerges from that. Also, it all starts with silence… sitting and reflecting. Also, life is all about people. Also, start with being, resting into your being. From there comes a deep merging with the issue at hand. Then a knowing naturally arises. From the knowing, the doing… what to do… arises. Too commonly, people try to start with ‘what should I do?” That is upside down.
Secondly, I did not create this management approach because I wanted to follow these points that I teach. I do it as a result of living in harmony with nature… with the nature of life. Realizing this came just today in talking with the ashram people. The living it is spontaneous. It is living naturally…. in harmony with nature, my nature, all of nature. First do the Surya Ram meditation to awaken to your true nature. Then work with the point you learn in class and in these blogs to facilitate the process of harmonizing with nature. In time, you will spontaneous live in harmony with nature, your nature. When practiced, these points will help to free you from a programmed mode of function that is unnatural. See?
And on another note, yes…. Madonna did change the world. But she was part of a larger wave that involved a cultural swing… a swing that was not all that in harmony with Mother Nature. That is like swimming against the current of the Divine Flow. And yet they managed to change the world. We work to align with that Divine Flow… swimming with the current. Yet first we must face and overcome the winds of karma that have been set in place.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Sunday, March 30, 2014 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
The following quote is true in all fields of life… politically, philosophically, socially, morally, economically, and so on. The field of spirituality is no exception. Like a reed blowing from side to side in the wind, society swings like a pendulum through varying degrees of perception of truth.
Though all things are rooted in Truth, few see the Truth underlying all things. Yet people cling to their current notions of truth. This is the way of the world.
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” – George Orwell
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Monday, March 17, 2014 | Spirituality |
All of the confusion, superstition and distortions around the notion of God have lead people to deny the existence of God. I do not believe in the distortions, superstitions and confused notions either.
Do you believe in science? Science tells us there is a unified field… one thing out of which all things are born and all things are in their essence. Just assign the name “God” to that one thing. Then, if you do not believe in God, you do not believe in science. Of course, the scientific understanding of the unified field is still in its infancy. As you deepen your understanding of that Unified Field, you will deepen your understanding of God. As a physics and math major in undergraduate school, the son of an electrical engineer, and the brother of a PhD in physics, what I discovered in my rational approach to that understanding opened me to remarkable realizations.
To the rationalists out there, I do not ask you to abandon your rationality. I ask you to use it to investigate that rational sequence for yourself. It may well test your own affinity to dogma, though you may currently not think of it as dogma.
Perhaps you prefer to not even consider this. The choice is yours but the potential is enormous.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Saturday, February 22, 2014 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
Some speak of enlightenment as a state of non-attachment. However, the state of non-attachment is generally misunderstood as an outward state of no material possessions or affinities. That is not correct. Such non-attachment on the surface of life is more a personality trait than an attribute of enlightenment.
There certainly is the state of being where you are eternally awake to that which is the source of all that is… one with all that is. On that level, you need not cling to (be attached to) anything because you are already one with it. You do not desire something when you already have it. However, the surface of your life is still active on the level of duality… separation. On that level, desires still exist.
“Cross realm projection” means taking the laws of nature on one level and trying to project them upon another level where they are simply not valid. That type of error is the source of the notion of no desire or attachment on the surface of life. It is nonsense. Enlightened people still love their families. They still have desires. They are still compelled to act, for example, out of their desire to help others. However, they are also simultaneously awake to the level of their being that is eternally one with everything… non-attached… desire-less.
The Law of Subtraction, in the deepest sense, refers to your depth being overshadowed by less and less. The Sun shines forth more and more as the clouds are subtracted away. On the more relativistic (i.e. more dualistic or superficial) levels of life, the Law of Subtraction means the discarding of unhealthy habits, addictions, lifestyles, etc. Slowly your life is lived more in harmony with your true nature. In so doing joy, happiness, fulfillment etc. are experienced more and more fully. This sort of distinction (between how laws of nature apply differently to the depth and the surface) is critical in many areas of life.
Do not forget the concept of “Cross realm projection.” You will see it come up many times in your life in one form or another. Non-attachment (freedom from desire) is just one example. I invite you to post other examples in your comments to this blog.
Do not forget the Law of Subtraction and how it applies differently to different levels of life.
Do not forget the distinction between non-attachment on the surface as opposed the depth of life.
Do not forget this explanation of desirelessness… what it is and what it is not.
The Sun within is always shining. It need only be revealed to each and every level of your being in a manner unique to each level.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
