December 31, 2011
Don't Go Without, Go Within!

More
The Keys

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:46 AM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2011
What Lens Are You Looking Through?

Thanks to Mac Knowles for the heads up.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:29 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2011
A World of Peace Inside

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The Keys

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:27 PM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2011
Merry i-Christmas!

A light-hearted Christmas story

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:54 AM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2011
Kindness Boomerangs

Whatever path you follow, whatever religion you believe in, whatever your philosophy of life may be, this sweet video is a great reminder for all of us to come from a place of simple kindness. Happy Holidays!

Thanks to Monika Winslow and Shem Cohen for the heads up.
More kindness here

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2011
Who Can Wait Quietly?

Who

can

wait

quietly

while

the

mud

settles?

Lao Tzu

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:33 PM | Comments (2)

You Are the Music

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

December 17, 2011
It's All Within

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:37 PM | Comments (2)

December 16, 2011
Virtual PeaceCards, Real People

Tis the season to let people know
you love them,
or at least like them,
or if not like them,
then at least let them know
you're thinking about them.
We're talking free, baby.
Real love (or like)
communicated virtually,
Send a peacecard today.
See what happens.
Or doesn't happen.
One thing is for sure:
we all need to express our love
a lot more than we do.
Shower the people you love with love,
as James Taylor reminds us.

Source

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2011
The Phoenix of Love

A few weeks ago, my wife and I had a huge fight. A doozy. The Superbowl of all fights. If you're married -- or ever were -- I'm sure you've had at least one of these. Probably more.

You think you're right. They think they're right. You attack, they deflect. They attack, you deflect. You get hopeless and weird. They get hopeless and weird.

And both of you -- self-appointed judges in a supreme court of your own creation -- feel diminished, abused, blamed, hurt, ignored, dissed, damaged, and demonized.

The love? Out the window. And the window? Stuck in a half-closed position.

Whenever I'm embroiled in this kind of dynamic and (hallelujah!) manage to make it out the other side, I get majorly humbled -- all concepts of myself as a conscious, loving, evolved human being completely blown to smithereens.

And yet... no matter how painful the experience, something good always comes out of it. A phoenix rises from the ashes. Like the list below, for example -- my wishes for my dear wife, Evelyne, (the day after) and, by extension, you, me, and all the other 8 billion people on planet Earth.

THE PHOENIX OF LOVE: My Wishes for You

1. Gratitude every day
2. Deep inner peace, especially during tough times
3. Kindness
4. Patience
5. Forgiveness

6. The courage to be yourself
7. Rest and renewal
8. The vision to see God in everyone
9. Letting go of self-righteousness
10. Simplicity and ease

11. The willingess to let go of worry and doubt
12. Allowing yourself to be nurtured
13. More fun
14. Plenty of time to do nothing
15. Spaciousness

16. Heartfelt self-expression
17. Health and vitality
18. Moving through the tasks of your life as if you were a dancer
19. Relating to each person you talk to as if they were the only person on earth at that moment

20. Laughter from your core
21. Appreciation of your family
22. A "live and let live" mindset
23. Waking up each day with gladness
24. Humility
25. The experience of community

26. Full responsibility for your own projections
27. Trust
28. Honoring all of the teachers in your life, past and present
29. Slowing down, going deeper
30. The ability to order a very rich dessert in your favorite restaurant without enrolling someone to share it with you

31. A wi-fi connection whenever you want
32. The end of lower back pain
33. Living the St. Francis Prayer without making a big deal of it
34. Knowing you are loved
35. Good sushi within a five-mile radius

36. Appreciation of other people's "spiritual path" -- with absolutely no judgment
37. Foot massages
38. Fresh air
39. Understanding what Krishna meant when he said: "The world is an illusion, but you have to act as if it's real."
40. Random acts of kindness

41. Nights on the town
42. The ability to be alone, but not lonely

43. Accepting the aging process with dignity and delight
44. Fabulous dinners with friends

45. Nights in front of the fire
46. Having no regrets
47. Cranking up the music
48. Not judging your kids for texting or being on Facebook
49. Seeing the blessing in every challenge that comes your way
50. Loving yourself when you look in the mirror

51. Not having to look in the mirror to love yourself
52. New adventures
53. Endless learning
54. Giving up complaint
55. A dependable plumber

56. Snow angels!
57. Working smarter, not harder
58. Looking up at the stars
59. Never going to bed angry
60. Being happy for other people's successes

61. Realizing you are everything and nothing both at the same time
62. Unconditional love

63. Reframing aging as "becoming an elder" instead of "getting old"
64. Weekends in exotic places
65. Someone else to wash the dishes

66. Enjoying the poetry of Rumi, Kabir, and Hafiz
67. Did I mention foot massages?
68. The commitment to immerse in the projects that most fascinate you
69. Deep listening
70. Longer vacations

71. Reaching out to those less fortunate than you
72. Holding hands with someone you love
73. Taking on an impossible project -- and making it happen
74. Really good chocolate
75. Unforgettable celebrations

76. Going beyond your limiting assumptions
77. The discipline that comes from love, not duty
78. Spontaneous generosity
79. One remote for all your electronics
80. A hot bath on a cold night

81. Wonderful surprises

82. The laughter of children
83. Realizing you have enough
84. Timelessness
85. Understanding this quote: "When you're on the path it's a mile wide, when you're off it, it's razor thin."
86. Giving flowers to absolute strangers

87. A wardrobe you love
88. Resilience
88. Making a clear distinction between longing and desire
89. No fear of death
90. Dancing around the living room for no particular reason
91. Howling at the moon
92. Knowing how to say "no" without being negative

93. Completing what you came here to do
94. Experiencing life as a beautiful play
95. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies
96. Forgiving everyone who has ever wronged you
97. Passion

98. Compassion
99. The peace that passes all understanding
100. Sweet watermelon on a summer day
More

Illustration
Painting
Image
Photo
Photo
Photo
Photo
Photo

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:24 AM | Comments (2)

December 11, 2011
PUPPET-JI: Why Are We Here?

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:32 AM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2011
Singing For Someone Else's Supper

Here's a beautiful song
by Dani and Daya --
an inspired effort
to raise funds
to support TPRF's
extraordinary
Food for People program.
Listen,
enjoy,
download,
give.
And spread the word.

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:36 PM | Comments (1)

December 09, 2011
It's Really Very Simple

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2011
The Purpose of Life

Here's a clue

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)

Questions and Answers with Maharaji

Informative Q&A video of Maharaji (aka Prem Rawat) talking with Indian engineering students. (In Hindi with English subtitles).

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:57 AM | Comments (1)

December 07, 2011
Finding the Miracle

A few years ago I was invited to MC an event at the Shrine Auditorium, in LA, where Maharaji was going to be speaking. While I was totally thrilled to be asked, I was also totally terrified -- convinced I was the wrong choice and would be a huge disappointment.

Doing my best to ignore the sorry state of my mind, I flew to LA, hailed a cab, and made my way to the hall.

Though I was clearly not at my best, I went through the dress rehearsal, reviewed the announcements, said hello to old friends, and figured I'll find my groove after I had time to meditate.

I didn't. It got worse.

People were wishing me well, but I was in a well -- a well on the moon -- and the air was extremely thin.

A few hours passed. I took my seat. I took a breath. I studied the announcements one more time and waited for my cue to go back stage.

The cue finally came and I took my new seat, now in the wings, listening to the sound of the hall filling up with thousands of people waiting to see Maharaji.

The backstage manager, both focused and relaxed and clearly noticing I was neither, explained the event would start in five minutes. I was still, shall we say, not on top of my game -- hoping the building would catch on fire -- anything to get me out of there.

"Two minutes!" the backstage manager announced.

Now I was in BIG trouble. In two minutes I'd be walking the plank and I WAS NOT READY. My eyes were open, but my heart was not.

And then, with 90 seconds to go, two extraordinary things happened that I will never forget.

First, I remembered something Maharaji said years ago -- that human beings had two choices: to go through life gnashing their teeth and waiting for it to be over -- OR saying YES to life and enjoying the moment.

I chose the moment. I said YES. I embraced it all.

The second thing? I heard a few lines of Daya's Find the Miracle being piped into the hall.

Somehow, I found the miracle. I found the place of peace inside me. Everything that had been weighing me down, only seconds before, evaporated in a heartbeat. Poof! Gone! Now, all that was left was a spacious feeling of joy, love, and gratitude. I was home.

"Three, two, one" said the backstage manager, holding his fingers high in the air just in case I didn't hear.

I breathed. I stood. I walked to the podium and began...

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:02 PM | Comments (1)

December 06, 2011
Just in Case You're Interested

For those of you are intrigued by Prem Rawat's message, I'd like to direct your attention to some resources that will give you more of a sense of what it's all about. In a time when too many people are down, deflated, and depressed, this man is showing a simple way to access what's real, joyful, and timeless within the human heart.

A FEW SIMPLE WAYS TO FIND OUT MORE

Words of Peace Global
Special videos
The Keys
Event videos
Mobile apps
Recent news
On the road
TV schedule
Blog
Publications
How to volunteer
Introductory cards
Become a sponsor
Online store

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

December 02, 2011
Tis the Season to Be Giving

The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) has just launched its 10th Anniversary Holiday Campaign in an inspired effort to create more grass roots support for its much needed humanitarian endeavors such as Food for People, the Peace Education Program, and various forms of humanitarian aid. The goal of the Holiday Campaign is a simple one: 100 new donors contributing $10 (or more) per month.

Think about it. That's two capuccinos... or one night at the movies -- not much of a sacrifice, but more than enough to help support people in dire need.

More about TPRF
Want to give?

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:02 PM | Comments (0)

European Parliament Welcomes Back Ambassador of Peace

Against a backdrop of international uncertainty, including riots in many European cities, government change and continued unrest in the Middle East, an audience of institutional representatives and members of the European Parliament joined academics and business people from more than 25 countries to explore the most pressing issues facing Europe and the world today: peace and well-being.

Prem Rawat was the keynote speaker.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:47 PM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2011
I This, I That

You may have an iPhone, iPad, iPod, and iTouch, but do you know who (or what) the "I" really is -- the essence at the center of your life without which you wouldn't be alive to own all this cool technology delivering content at warp speed? Are YOU content? Do you have a way to make the shift from the Information Age to the Golden Age without waiting to be reborn in some imagined future century when life on planet Earth (you think) will be way more evolved than now?

Simply put, it matters far less what apps are on your iPhone than what love is in your heart. At least that's what "I" think. Speaking of which, Rene Descartes had it backwards. It's not "I think therefore I am." It's "I am, therefore I think."

Discover the "I"

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)