Draw a Breath, Not a Line
Throughout history, inner-directed people on the so-called "spiritual path", have had a tendency to perceive the world as "maya" -- the fancy sanskrit name for "illusion."
I used to feel this way a lot.
Back in the early days of my adolescent quest for meaning, I had a curious habit of drawing lines in the sand. On one side of the line was the "inner life" -- the place where God lived (or if not lived, at least vacationed). On the other side of the line was "the world." You know -- the laughable detritus of life on planet Earth: relationships, shopping malls, money, politics, ego, organized religion, high school geometry, taxes, Frosted Flakes, and anything I didn't understand, agree with, or like.
Somehow, it made me feel good to draw these lines -- not unlike the way Democrat and Republican spin doctors strut their stuff on CNN after each political debate.
Well... I would like to take this late night blogospheric moment to humbly apologize to all of those whose lives I somehow judged by my habitual line-drawing behavior.
I see things differently now -- kind of like that old Zen story...
Two young monks, one fine day, found themselves existentially arguing over whether it was the wind or the flag that was moving. Unable to agree, they sought the counsel of their teacher.
"Master, oh Master" they asked, "is it the wind or the flag that is moving?"
"Neither," the Master replied. "It's your mind that is moving."
And so, dear friend, if you find yourself judging anyone these days, including yourself, chill. It's a total waste of time -- especially when you could be enjoying the very thing you were born for.
Draw a breath, not a line.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:22 AM | Comments (2)
January 28, 2009VIDEO: Alive (and very, very well)
Thanks to Lucka Koscak, on Facebook, for forwarding this link.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2009Raising the Bar for Teamwork
If you are committed to accomplishing extraordinary results, chances are good that you will need to collaborate with others.
Your ideas and dedication, no matter how wonderful they might be, will never be enough by themselves. It takes a village.
Most people's experience of being on a team is less than ideal, filled with frustration, power struggles, and the belief that it's just not worth the effort.
OK. Those days are over. No matter how disappointing your experience of teamwork may have been in the past, it's never too late to turn things around. And it all begins with AWARENESS -- tuning into what's actually going on with your team.
Intrigued? If so, click here and take Heart of the Matter's online TEAM REALITY CHECK poll. In two weeks, I'll post the results here -- a way to spark new possibilities about what you and the rest of us can do differently to radically increase the effectiveness of our teams.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:39 PM | Comments (6)
January 23, 2009Last Night I Googled Longing
Last night I googled longing. What I found surprised me.
Ninety percent of the images were women: Women dreaming. Women staring out windows. Women brushing their golden hair beneath the full moon.
Oh... and lots of Goddesses, too.
Where were the men?
Hunting buffalo? Watching the Superbowl? Mowing the lawn?
OK. Maybe men don't stare out windows or wait by the door for their wives to return home from war, but surely they are feeling something. Surely, men want more out of life than just a cheeseburger, beer, and tattoo. No?
According to Google (the closest thing we have to tracking the collective unconscious), apparently not.
Are men incapable of longing? Not at all. It's just gotten a bit suppressed, gone underground to the place where even Google's algorithms cannot find it.
The reason?
I'm guessing it has something to do with the male concept of survival. After all... wars, hunting, and politics aren't all that conducive to inspired questings of the heart.
To put it bluntly, most men consider longing a girly thing. A sign of weakness. A minor holiday card invented by Hallmark. Something you express only because it's expected of you.
I suggest we put an end to this madness once and for all.
Longing is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength.
And before I go on, let me make one thing abundantly clear: when I refer to "longing," I am not referring to a poetic kind of "desire" or a beatific "wanting." Not at all. I am referring to the innate human aspiration -- beyond gender -- for something timeless, pure, and unconditional.
Poets write about it, but it has nothing to do with words. Musicians compose about it, but it has nothing to do with notes.
Feeling. That's what it's all about. Deep feeling. The recognition that what we're looking for is also looking for us. What lovers feel after they must take their leave. The artist's pause, inspired by a sudden shift of light.
The ahhhh moment.
And so, dear readers of this blog, as the self-appointed, President (and Chief Hun) of the Longing Liberation Front for Muscle Bound Males, allow me to (Chest Bump! High Five! Shot of Red Eye!) refer you to someone who truly understands the game of life, a fine gentleman who knows that the ones who win are the ones who feel -- the ones who long for something more than what they see with their own two eyes.
May I introduce you to Coach Rawat?
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:07 PM | Comments (3)
VIDEO: Family of LoveSweet video/slide show featuring photos from Amaroo and the singing of Alan Thomas.
Thanks to Hakan Lars Holmkvist for creating the video and Sonja Clegg for forwarding it, via Facebook. (PS: I am now on Facebook).
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January 22, 2009VIDEO: Quest for Joy
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January 20, 2009NEW WEBSITE: Man of Peace
If you are looking for a lucid, well-written, visually compelling, online bio of Maharaji, click here.
A team of people from Canada, Japan, and Australia have recently produced the first ever biographical website on Maharaji's work in the world, spanning the last half-century.
The site includes lots of cool photos, testimonials, videos, links to introductory websites, FAQs, press releases, web media, excerpts of Maharaji's talks, and some interesting essays by people enjoying his gift of Knowledge.
If you know anyone wanting to know more about the roots of Maharaji's work in the world, Man of Peace would be a good site to recommend.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2009VIDEO: Real Italian Food
Maharaji in Corleone and Palermo: July, 2008
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:36 PM | Comments (2)
January 12, 2009VIDEO: Get to Know the Peace That Is In the Heart
A rockin' music video (3:39)
Thanks to Matt Miller for forwarding the link
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:24 PM | Comments (3)
This Thirst
There is an aching deep within my heart that cannot be explained. It wakes me in the middle of the night and write these lines -- a kind of fishing in a great sea I cannot find by day.
This escapade is not the search for something new. It is not the need to find. More it is the being moved, my being pulled by an unseen moon, how small birds, when days get cold, make their way across dark skies to the place where they were born -- how a feather falls to earth and a child, finding it, looks up, why dogs pace back and forth before a door as their master turns for home.
Ah, this restlessness, this thirst, this ache, this silent undertow inside that takes me back to the hidden spring where lions come to drink -- and snakes -- why birds sing when they are all alone, and the long ride home on an empty train often feels like an arrival.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:50 PM | Comments (1)
January 10, 2009VIDEO: What Is Maharaji's Role?
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January 08, 2009MOVIE TRAILER: Slumdog Millionaire
Ta da! A first for The Heart of the Matter -- a movie review! (What's next? Recipes?) Slumdog Millionaire is a fabulous movie. Inspiring. Moving. Funny. Deep. Poignant. And original. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll eat popcorn. Love saves the day!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:43 PM | Comments (4)
January 07, 2009The Beauty of What's in Front of You
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds -- then hurried to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year old boy...
His mother tried to rush him, but the boy stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The themes were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: How do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Ouch!
Try not to miss the beauty of life coming your way -- it may be right in front of you. Right now, in fact.
Thanks to Larry Lustbader and Matt Miller for forwarding the link.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2009Two By Rumi
"To the eye is sometimes given a glimpse of vast beauties, a taste of perfection, but only enough to leave the heart impossibly lonely."
"Dragons flying into starlight. This is how true human beings cut the rope and come to me."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:31 PM | Comments (1)
January 02, 2009Bob Dylan On Life, Truth & Being Real
The history of planet Earth is the history of truth telling -- or at least the attempt to do so. Since the very first cave painting, people have been trying to communicate essence, meaning, and the timeless.
The messengers have been many: Masters, saints, philosophers, poets, artists, children, and songwriters just to name a few. Here's a sampling of what Bob Dylan has added to the conversation:
"If you try to be anyone but yourself, you will fail. If you are not true to your own heart, you will fail."
"I was born knowing the Truth. Everybody is. Trouble is, they get it knocked out of them before they can walk."
"Who cares about tomorrow and yesterday? People don't live there. They live now."
"After you go for a certain number of years, you realize, hey, life is kind of short...and you might as well say the way you feel."
"We all want to stop time."
"The highest form of song is prayer."
"I never wanted to be a prophet or savior. Elvis maybe."
(On the start of his career...) "I stood on the highway during a blizzard snowstorm, believing in the mercy of the world and headed east. Didn't have nothing but my guitar and suitcase."
How about YOU? What do YOU have to say?
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:27 PM | Comments (4)
