From the Adhyatma Upanishad

In the cave of the body is eternally set the one unborn. The earth is His body. (Though) moving within the earth, the earth knows Him not. The water is His body. (Though) moving within the water, the water knows Him not. The fire is His body. (Though) moving within the fire, the fire knows Him not. The air is His body. (Though) moving within the air, the air knows Him not. The ether is His body. (Though) moving within the ether, the ether knows Him not. The mind is His body. (Though) moving within the mind, the mind knows Him not. The intellect is His body. (Though) moving within the intellect, the intellect knows Him not. The ego is His body. (Though) moving within the ego, the ego knows Him not. The mind-stuff is His body. (Though) moving within the mind-stuff, the mind-stuff knows Him not. The unmanifest is His body. (Though) moving within the unmanifest, the unmanifest knows Him not. The imperishable is His body. (Though) moving within the imperishable, the imperishable knows Him not. The Death is His body. (Though) moving within Death, Death knows Him not. He, then, is the inner-self of all beings, sinless, heaven-born, luminous, the sole Narayana.

What exists?

Beyond all your beliefs and insights about this universe, there lies the indisputable fact that you exist. You exist, whether you believe in a god or not. You exist, whether you believe in evolution or not. You are here, and so am I.

The mind, when confronted with an effect, tries to find a cause. For example, the sun moves across the sky. Is that truly the case? Humans found out that the rotation of the earth on its own axis is the cause of this apparent daily movement.

The human mind is very busy with finding causes. There is one cause, however, that we will never be able to uncover, and that is the fact that something exists now, and that it has existed before the Big Bang.

This “something” is a rudimentary lifeforce or life-energy that periodically bursts forth in the splendor of creation. It simply exists. And that is where the human mind comes to the end of its search for a cause, because it is the cause. Beyond this rudimentary lifeforce there is no other cause. This lifeforce is not the effect of something or someone. It is the cause of everything that flows from it.

It is also within everything that flows from it, sustaining it, molding it, transforming it. This lifeforce is the cause of you and me. It is the cause of all our beliefs and insights, our feelings, hopes, and dreams.

What is the Truth?

Question: What is the truth?

Answer: The truth about what? Life? Death? Dogs? Cats? Food? People? The planet?

Every aspect of life has its own truth. This truth exists independent of our thinking. We may see a certain truth, a certain value in things, but that does not mean that this is the complete truth.

For example: to some people, the milk is what they see as the most important truth about cows. To others, it is the meat they can bring to market and make a living from. Others like the leather and use it as the basis for their livelihoods.

But what is the ultimate, the highest truth of a cow? That is what we must find out. And we must do the same for all other aspects of life. In all our human endeavors, we must always find out what the highest truth is. This includes our jobs, our professions, our families, our aspirations, our dreams and ambitions.

What is the highest truth in all of them? And also, what is our deepest relationship with these aspects of life? How connected are we? How close are we to life? How much of life do we consider to be a part of us?

We must always inquire and never let up on the search.

About Meaning:

I read a short book, called “The Why Café.” Actually, I read the original in German, when the title was “Das Café am Rande der Welt.” This should have been translated as “The Café at the Edge of the World.”

In it, a diner is confronted with three question written on the back of his menu:

1. Why are you here?

2. Are you afraid of death?

3. Are you leading a fulfilled life?

As the author remarks, these are unusual questions and not found on every café’s menu.

To 1: this question refers to one’s purpose in life. Why are you here on earth? What is your mission? What is the plan for you?

To 2: as long as you have not yet found your purpose in life, you will probably fill your life with substitutes, with things that make you use up your time here on earth, but the nearer to death you come, the more you will experience a sense of desperation for not having found your purpose and for perhaps having wasted your life.

To 3: when you find your purpose in life, your higher mission, then you will lead a truly satisfied life. Without this higher purpose, this deeper meaning, your life will be hollow, and you cannot lead a truly fulfilled life. And you will not be able to contribute in a meaningful way to those around you that you love and that love you.

Consciousness wants to express itself:

It pushes to the fore. It wants to understand. It wants to know more about itself. Consciousness wants to know that it feels something. Consciousness wants to recognize itself in the mirror of the mind.

Without the mind, there is no hope of ever knowing anything. The mind is the mirror where the seer can see itself in the seen.

The seer, the act of seeing, and the seen. That seems to be the whole of existence. And yet, there is more, a bit more. And that is the conscious knowing of it all. It’s the knowing. There is no knower, and nothing known. Only knowing. In a state of suspension. A state of reality, of being, of existing, of ever-fulfilling bliss.

The Wind of Life

We all have the wind of life inside of us. We all can use this wind of life to protect the life that has formed on this planet in this vast universe. The potential for life is never not in existence. It exists, because a universal life force exists that is just dying to express itself in as many forms as possible. It jubilantly bursts forth when given the opportunity and the right environment.

We humans are the highest life form on this planet and are therefore the most capable of making sure life is supported as much as it is humanly possible. Within us blows the wind of life and the same wind of life blows through the other living expressions around us.

Reiki Principles

In the practice of Reiki, we follow principles prescribed by the Meiji Emperor.

We use five principles:
> no anger
> no worries
> be appreciative
> be diligent
> be kind

> No anger means to let go of the past and not to be emotionally attached to any of the situations that you have already encountered in your life.
> No worries means to stop worrying about the future and to take your mind out of the many situations that you might encounter in your future life.
> Being appreciative means to be present to your situation at this moment and to fully accept and cherish it right now.
> Being diligent means to honor every moment and everything that you do when you experience it.
> Being kind means to be non-hurtful and supportive in a mild way in order to further all of life’s expressions.

The first two of these principles deal with letting go of the past and the future respectively.

The other three principles deal with the moment in which you live your life. They give you pointers of how to interact with people and things that you come across on your daily journey.