The Heart of the Matter
April 30, 2015
I Share My Poetry Too Soon

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Painting: Annie Lawrason

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April 28, 2015
The Gift

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April 25, 2015
Something Dramatically Beautiful

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April 21, 2015
Need We Say More?

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Home Sweet Home

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April 18, 2015
The Divine Paradox

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April 15, 2015
A Clean Slate

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When I was small boy, one of my favorite things to do was write and draw on a funky, little plastic tablet called "The Magic Slate". The cool thing about this "writing device" was that, at any time, I could lift up the little plastic sheet I had been writing on and all the markings I had made would immediately disappear, leaving me with a clean slate once again -- a state of mind the poet, Theodore Roethke, once referred to as perpetual beginner.

It was so simple. So easy. The process of getting rid of whatever I had created was guilt free with no regrets. Kids are really good at this. They don't cling to the past as much as adults do. They let go and move on.

In a way, this is one of the benefits I experience from having Prem Rawat as my teacher -- something I was very much reminded of again when I attended his recent talk in Miami.

When I really pay attention to what he is saying and practice what he calls "Knowledge", my slate becomes clean. All those markings, scribblings, and impressions I've been so feverishly making -- many of which merely clutter my experience of life -- vanish in a heartbeat. What I am left with is a fresh beginning, a new day, and a fabulous chance to start all over again.

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April 13, 2015
Prem Rawat Miami Excerpts: 4/12/15

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Bio of Prem Rawat
PremRawat.com
Prem Rawat videos
The Prem Rawat Foundation

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April 10, 2015
Begin with the Children!

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April 06, 2015
Love and Peace are Eternal

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April 02, 2015
Storytelling at Work

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If you would like to receive an email alert when my forthcoming book is published in the Fall, just click this link and write your email address in the space provided. Takes 30 seconds.

Below are a few excerpts from the book, previously published in the Huffington Post.

I'm From Woodstock. Yes, I Am!
Arm Wrestling the CIA
The Afghani Cab Driver


AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

As the story goes, 2,500 years ago, Buddha gave a wordless sermon to his disciples. All he did was hold up a single white flower -- a lotus. That's it. No words. Just a flower. All his disciples were mystified, except, that is, Mahakasyapa, a young monk who immediately smiled, signifying the direct transmission of wisdom from Master to student -- a moment referred to in Buddhist literature as "tathagata", the ineffable nature of suchness.

Something within Mahakasyapa instantly understood the non-verbal essence of what Buddha was communicating. He got it in a flash. No thought was necessary, no analysis, no intellectualization. It was, as if, a veil had lifted and he got to experience something profound that was previously inaccessible to him.

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For want of a better phrase, let's call the young monk's recognition a "moment of truth".

The good news for the rest of us is that a person does not need to be a monk to experience a moment of truth. Nor do all moments of truth need to be "spiritual", historically significant, or worthy of inclusion in future scriptures.

Moments of truth are not only for everyone, but they come in all varieties -- small, medium, and large -- spontaneously occurring, unplanned happenings that have, embedded within them, the potential for great learning, insight, and wisdom. Simply put, a kind of Red Sea parts and a meaningful "lesson" is learned, even if no teacher is present. We all have them, though, like dreams, they are easy to forget, dismiss, or undervalue.

The catalyst for a moment of truth can be anything. For the young monk, it was a flower. For you, who knows? A chocolate bar? A glance from a beggar? Missing a train? A nasty divorce? Getting lost? Being rescued? Almost dying? A dream? A blues song you hear on the radio? It really doesn't matter what, as long as it sparks an inner shift that that moves you beyond old assumptions, habits of mind, and outdated beliefs so you can experience the magic of life in a fresh, new way.

If you deconstruct the stories we tell, you'll soon discover that most of them turn out to be our attempts to give shape to these moments of truth -- our verbal deciphering of a moment, in time (or outside of time) that had great significance for us, even if that moment was invisible to others.

Unspoken, these moments of truth remain hidden, stashed away inside us like buried treasure or unopened love letters. Expressed, especially in the form of story, they uplift, inspire, and empower, pollinating great fields of wisdom -- in yourself, the people you share them with, and the people they share them with. On and on and on it goes, countless moments of truth circulating the planet at the same time, opening minds, opening hearts, and helping awaken us all to a richer, fuller life.

Get an email alert when the book comes out

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Welcome to Mitch Ditkoff's blog about what's really important in this life: Peace, gratitude, love, joy, clarity, and the effort required to wake up and smell the roses. Enjoy!

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