“Ghosts appear most often where ignorance and falsehood reside.” ~ from Hindu Puranas written between 3000 BC and 1500 BC
A Swami at the Vedanta Temple helps us interpret this sutra. He tells us: “If you translate ‘ghost’ to mean ‘past life’ ..you get Ghosts appear where there is difficulty letting go of the past. When this occurs, memories come back to haunt ..and the struggle blocks the appreciation of present and possible futures. You see, blockage (clinging to the past) is ignorance.”
Oh Lord Ganesha!
You are the Trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa.
You are Indra. You are fire and air. You are the sun and the moon.
You are Brahman. You are the three worlds earth, space, and heaven.
You are Om. Without color, expression, or form, nor attributes to divide
Let me out / Let me in / I'm giving up / not giving in / I gave you everything I could give / But if you go so easily / Go on, get out, set me free
Classical conditioning, the power of connection between unrelated stimuli, like the sound of a bell and the smell of food ..can activate the salivary glands. Images of celebrities can activate areas of the brain responsible for receptivity and delight ..boosting the value of the products they endorse. While working at a foundation, awarding grants to research on developmental disorders, I was tasked to determine if there was any merit to the claim that Scientology can cure dyslexia. Turns out Tom Cruise was endorsing them and diverting funds, donated by the Hollywood movie industry, away from the Foundation and toward Scientology.
Psychologists say we often blame things on the most sensational events in recent memory. Vivid as they may be ..they are often suspect. Many people believe that the police framed OJ Simpson for the murder of his wife. After he was acquitted, jury members said things like “..reminded me of how the cops pulled-over and harassed my cousin Charlie.” A high school student shoots and kills his teacher and another student ..and people say “..have you seen the computer games kids play these days?” Our neighbor’s teenage daughter is committed to a mental institution and my sister goes “..no wonder, you should have seen how OCD her mother was.” I have to agree with Psychologists ..real life is not so easy to explain. Violent computer games don’t necessarily escalate into high school shootings. A brutal cop at a traffic stop is not the same as a police conspiracy. And I don’t think there’s any evidence that strict child rearing practices cause insanity ..although my sister says the neighbor drove her crazy as well.
See I'm not afraid no more / I'm not afraid no more / To turn you away no more / Turn you away no more / To turn you away, to turn you away
Buddha teaches that the nature of life is change and that the cause of suffering is clinging to the past and not accepting change.
Joe clings to the image of the good sonThe father clings to the image of his grown daughter when she was just nineThe mother clings to the illusion that the daughter is still alive ..unable to grasp the reality of her death.The lover clings to the illusion that her boyfriend, missing in action for 3 years, will walk through the door.
Each one, unable to acknowledge change ..keeps the others stuck ..until Joe publicly drops the ‘good son’ illusion ..allowing the others to let go of theirs.
Tantra yoga has the power to enhance and sustain well being. It releases a hormone called ‘oxytocin’ ..often referred to as the “bonding hormone”. Oxytocin plays a role in the development of intimacy. Over time it serves to deepen the commitment felt between practitioners [ Tantra Yoga ]
