The Heart of the Matter
March 31, 2012
Every Event Is Global

Confused lady funny.jpg

All
events
with
Prem
Rawat
are
global.
They
are
open
to
everyone.
Here
are
the
next ones
in South America.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:21 PM | Comments (0)

March 29, 2012
Prem Rawat Speaking in Argentina

Here is a wonderful music video invitation, in Spanish, announcing Prem Rawat's upcoming events in La Plata, Argentina (near Buenos Aires) on April 6th and 7th. Music by Eduardo del Signore. Video produced by Stuart Hoffman. Enjoy!

Click here to request an invitation to the events

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:36 AM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2012
May I Stay Here Forever

reclining-buddha-nidhi-khosla.jpg

May I stay here forever in this perfect place of peace with you -- the sacred space between in breath and out, timeless moment before the need for anything has risen, Buddha enjoying his late afternoon nap with no one around to extract any meaning from it. First, there is a breath. Then, there is a second. This is how I begin my long walk with you by the water's edge, cool white sand beneath both our feet.

Painting

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2012
Now is the Moment

MQancient-faces2wW.jpg

Such a great paradox:
All we have is now,
but now
is also eternal,
forever, always.
The past is gone,
tomorrow never comes.
It is always
this moment.
This breath.
A true Master knows
how to help others
fully
enter into the now
and enjoy it.

Quote: Prem Rawat
Design: Birger Pohl
More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:50 PM | Comments (0)

March 22, 2012
The Feeling for the Day

Mquote---Feeling.jpg

Quote: Prem Rawat
Graphics: Birger Pohl

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)

Finding Something in Nothing

100 billion galaxies? And you're worried about gaining five pounds?

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:51 PM | Comments (1)

March 21, 2012
Four Words of Inspiration

QuotesHOTM16aW.jpg

Quote: Prem Rawat
Graphics: Birger Pohl

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:14 PM | Comments (1)

March 20, 2012
WOPG Links en Espanol

south_america.png

What follows are a selection of links on the Words of Peace Global website for you to consider forwarding to your friends who speak Spanish and may be interested in learning more about Prem Rawat's message of peace. These links would be especially timely for any friends of yours who live in South America -- since Prem Rawat will be speaking, in April, at public events in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.

Si quiere saber mas acerca del mensaje de paz de Prem Rawat, hay muchas maneras de hacerlo en el sitio Web de Palabras de Paz Global.

Simplemente haga "clic" en los links que figuran abajo y que sean de su interes para explorar.

Y si ya sabe que desea solicitar una invitacion para escuchar a Prem Rawat hablar en Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Peru o Ecuador, lo unico que debe hacer es clickear ese link.

click.jpg

EVENTOS CONFIRMADOS EN SUDAMERICA: informacion sobre como solicitar una invitacion a uno de los eventos en los que hablara Prem Rawat en el mes de abril.

ACERCA DE PREM RAWAT: algunas citas de Prem Rawat y una breve biografia de su vida.

PALABRAS DE PAZ GLOBAL: una explicacion de que es "Palabras de Paz Global", y un video corto de Prem Rawat.

VIDEO CLIPS CORTOS: video clips descargables, de 1 a 3 minutos de duracion, de charlas de Prem Rawat.

AUDIO CLIPS CORTOS
: audio clips descargables, de 1 a 3 minutos de duracion.

VIDEOS Y AUDIOS MAS LARGOS
: extractos de las charlas de Prem Rawat, de 15 a 70 minutos de duracion.

PUBLICACIONES: revista "ADI" y otras publicaciones, que pueden ser vistas antes de su publicacion, leidas "online" o compradas.

VIDEOS ESPECIALES: siete videos (y audios) de Prem Rawat manteniendo charlas interactivas con el publico, o hablando en eventos unicos en ambientes especiales.

HORARIOS DE TV DE PALABRAS DE PAZ GLOBAL: un listado de los canales de Latinoamerica en los que se trasmiten los eventos de Palabra de Paz Global.

INTRODUCCION A LAS LLAVES: una descripcion de las Llaves y un video introductorio explicando que son. Dirigido a personas que ya estan familiarizadas con el mensaje de Prem Rawat y desean aprender mas.

TARJETAS DE PAZ: tarjetas digitales que se pueden personalizar y enviar, a modo de invitacion, a todo aquel que desee asistir a uno de los eventos sudamericanos.

EL BLOG
: expresiones (en ingles) de personas que han encontrado el valor que contiene el mensaje de paz de Prem Rawat.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:39 AM | Comments (0)

The Wisdom of Mark Twain

431340_10150602590048460_761478459_9006894_1605642115_n.jpg

More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:20 AM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2012
The Marriage of the Finite and the Infinite

M purple smile.png

Just released song, video, and slide show from Words of Peace Global thanking everyone for their support.

Words of Peace Global

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:26 PM | Comments (0)

Love is the Missing Link

Microsoft-Word---TrustinHeart.jpg

Quote: Prem Rawat
Graphics: Birger Pohl
More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:40 AM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2012
iPhone, Therefore I Am?

19797v1-max-250x250.jpg

I just had a realization. Well, maybe "realization" is too fancy a word. Make that more of an insight. Nah... "insight" sounds just a tad too self-congratulatory.

For want of a better word, let's call my little moment a semi-embarrassing wake up call -- the kind of learning experience I claim is good for me, but I really don't want to have.

It's a moment I've had a hundred times before, but not until two days ago, in Newark Airport, as I was exiting Flight #1140 from LA, did the whole thing really dawn on me.

There I was, merrily walking through Terminal "C", glad to be heading home after a three-day business trip, when I reached into my pocket for my trusty iPhone only to discover it wasn't there.

My iPhone wasn't there! Gone. It was gone. My iPhone was gone!

Gone, as in missing. Gone, as in not in my pocket. Gone, as in WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS MY FREAKING IPHONE with all those apps and appointments and contacts?

200933225513_1178~The-Simpsons-Homer-Scream-Posters.jpg

No, I wasn't in Kansas anymore. Neither was I in New Jersey. I was in a sudden state of panic -- as far away from samadhi as a person could be, Woody Allen on steroids -- my former digital life flashing before my eyes.

Where just a minute ago I was a conscious human being firmly rooted in a deep experience of peace, now I was wildly slapping every pocket I could find like some kind of poster boy for Tourette's Syndrome

This ridiculous outtake from a movie that would never be made took less than five seconds (iPhone having been joyfully located in the outside left pocket of my overcoat), but those five seconds were very revealing -- me (Mr. Been-On-The-Path-For-40-Years) so easily discombobulated by a temporarily missing phone.

Which, I guess, is a good thing -- as it popped, once again, the bubble of my own pitiful self-image -- that shiny golden calf (half decaf, half soy latte) I all-too-often worship at.


The whole thing reminds me of that classic Zen story of the young monk who -- after ten years of deep practice in the mountain monastery -- is invited by his Master to give the morning talk at the local village temple.

The young monk's discourse was impeccable that day, his Master astounded by his protege's ability to quote from the most esoteric of Zen doctrine.

But when the talk was over and it was time for the young monk to begin his long trek back up the mountain, he could not find his sandals.

Apparently, in his excitement at having been selected to speak, he'd forgotten where he put them.

Unsmiling, his Master shot him a glance and pointed to the mountain top.

zen_KyozanJoshuSasakiRoshi.jpg

"Ten more years, young friend. Ten more years."

And that's exactly how long it took the monk to be asked again to give the morning talk at the village temple.

The good news? On that day he remembered exactly where his sandals were.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:04 PM | Comments (1)

March 17, 2012
Beyond the Mask of Words

hugging-top-10-lists.jpg


This is what
all my
late night
writing
has always
been about,
reaching
beyond
the mask of words
and holding you
just long enough
for every poem
ever written
to be
the shoulder
you
lean
on.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:52 PM | Comments (2)

March 15, 2012
Words of Peace Global Links

click.jpg

There are a lot of great resources on the Words of Peace Global website, but not everyone who has visited the site has seen them all.

So, as a public service to the readers of this blog, what follows is a list of links that will take you to some of these pages.

If you are interested in Prem Rawat's message of peace and have a few minutes to poke around, I invite you to click to your heart's content.

A SELECTION OF WORDS OF PEACE GLOBAL LINKS

CONFIRMED EVENTS: Info about events and how to Request an Invitation.

PEACE CARDS: Digital postcards that can be customized and sent, as invitations, to friends or guests. A creative way to invite someone to an event.

ABOUT PREM RAWAT: A few quotes from Prem Rawat and a brief bio.

ABOUT WORDS OF PEACE GLOBAL: Explanation what WOPG is and a short video of Prem Rawat.

SHORT VIDEO CLIPS: Downloadable 1-3 minute video clips.

SHORT AUDIO CLIPS:
Downloadable 1-3 minute audio clips.

LONGER VIDEOS and AUDIOS: 15-70 minute excerpts of Prem Rawat's talks.

PREMIUM CHANNEL (PPV):
The most recent releases of Prem Rawat's talks at public events.

PUBLICATIONS: ADI Magazine and other publications that can be previewed, read online, or ordered and given to guests.

SPECIAL VIDEOS: Seven videos (and audios) of Prem Rawat hosting interactive sessions with the public or speaking at one-of-a-kind talks in unique settings.

WOPG TV SCHEDULE: A list of TV stations showing Words of Peace Global TV shows.

INTRO TO THE KEYS:
A description of the Keys and an introductory video about what they are. Intended for people who have already been introduced to Prem Rawat's message and are interested in pursuing it.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER: If you want to pitch in and help, there are plenty of opportunities. Find out here.

THE BLOG: Expressions from people who have found value in Prem Rawat's message of peace.

THE E-STORE: Goodies you can buy.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:18 AM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2012
Dance from Within

Microsoft-Word---QuotesHOTM3.jpg

Quote: Prem Rawat
Design: Birger Pohl
More

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

Simply Put

Microsoft-Word---QuotesHOTM2.jpg

Quote: Prem Rawat
Graphics: Birger Pohl
More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2012
The Most Astounding Fact

Astrophysicist, Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, was asked by a reader of TIME magazine, "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?" This is his answer.

Thanks to Jeff Bernard for the heads up

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:59 AM | Comments (2)

March 12, 2012
Rumi and Kabir Bowling

SpaceBowling.jpg

Last year, as I understand it, Rumi was the best selling poet in the United States -- 800+ years after he was alive. Kabir, too, is still being widely read -- as is Hafiz, Gibran, and a host of other ecstatic poets from times gone by. Many people assume these guys must have been praying, meditating, and going on pilgrimages 24/7. I don't think so.

This next piece is an homage to Rumi and Kabir -- my fantasy of how the two of them might have spent an evening, in a bowling alley, knocking back some brewskis, if they were alive today.

By the way, if you are willing, this piece is best read aloud.


RUMI AND KABIR BOWLING

bowling-ball-480.jpg

I have been to the place where Rumi and Kabir are bowling all... night... long. They are rolling perfectly round balls down a perfectly polished alley, laughing at the sound of the pins falling down again and again and again.

Every time they bowl a strike even when they miss which is often, their aim wandering in fabulously random ways around this grand interior space.

Rumi orders a shot of Red Eye,Kabir, a Bud Lite, their clinking of glasses some kind of esoteric temple bell ritual neither of them understand.

rumi_001.jpg

They keep drinking and laughing and drinking again, knocking back the elixir of their late night bowling life and muttering under their barely moving breath about the strangers outside returning home from yet another night shift.

Rumi opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out -- Kabir, long beard flecked with foam, orders a second round and then a third as if the world was on fire.

Suddenly Rumi glances over his left shoulder. More pins fall, this time leaving a perfect 7-10 split, Kabir, knowing he never has to write another poem to prove himself whole, leaps from his chair and hurls himself down the perfectly polished alley, arms outstretched, moving at the speed of lite beer.

Bang!

kabir_N9xYm_30.jpg

Both pins fall,like... cedars in Lebanon,like...Adam from Grace, like... trees in a forest with no one close enough to hear whether anything has actually happened or not. No one except Red Eye Rumi swiveling in his chair and pointing to the door.

A small man, in a starched white uniform, enters, many keys hanging from his belt.

"Hey, you two! What are you doing here? This place is closed!"

Rumi smiles, tilts his head back and talks into his empty glass now megaphone for the moment.

"I beg to differ, my good man, this place is not closed. It is open! If it were closed we would not be here. Open it is, I say! Wide open! Like the Red Sea, like a window on a summer night, like the eyes of a young man upon seeing the most beautiful woman in the world walk across the room, her body the perfect mix of spirit and flesh. Open, I say, like a book, like the sky, like the heart of one not yet disappointed in the ways of human love. Go about your business, friend, and leave us here, two happy hieroglyphs of love."

bowling.jpg

"We have a perfect game on Lane 23," intones a disembodied voice over the PA system "A perfect game!"

Rumi and Kabir pull over another chair, pour another drink and beckon to the man in the starched white uniform, many keys dangling from his belt.

"Good friend, come closer, come drink with us. Come now! The night is still young."

Illustration

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:03 PM | Comments (3)

March 09, 2012
Seeing (and feeling) the Invisible

Fedex logo.jpg

During the past two years, I've asked more than a thousand people what they see when they look at the FedEx logo. 80% say "letters" or "colors" or "shapes" or "the word "FedEx." The other 20% tell me they see an arrow -- a white arrow.

When I ask the baffled 80% if they see the arrow, most of them shake their heads and shrug. Only when I point to the arrow (in between the second "E" and the "x") do they see it -- a moment that is usually followed by their favorite exclamation of surprise and a chuckle.

This little phenomenon, methinks, is a great metaphor for life.

There's something right in front of us and we just can't seem to see it.

It's been there for a very long time, but for us it doesn't exist. In fact, if someone were to ask us if it existed, our answer would be an emphatic "no" -- not because it doesn't exist, but because we can't see it.

Homer Simpson dumbfounded.gif

This explains a lot of things.

Cognitive psychologists boil it down to just three words: "Motivation affects perception."

In other words, we see what we're primed to see and miss the rest.

Shakespeare had a more poetic way of referring to this phenomenon. He called it "rose-colored glasses."

Think about it.

When you're driving through a town and you're hungry, you see the restaurants. If you're running out of gas, you see the gas stations. If someone close to you is dying, you see the funeral homes.

And so it goes.

Our entire existence becomes a kind of oversized FedEx logo -- full of colors, shapes, and letters -- but all too often we miss the white arrow.

What we need, is a background/foreground shift -- the ability to see what we never knew was there.

Good teachers have a knack for helping their students make this kind of shift. Good coaches, too.

They have, it seems to me, a kind of X-ray vision. They see what their students (or their players) can't see and help them discover it on their own.

Simply put, they know how to prime the experience of truly seeing, truly feeling, and truly enjoying what was formerly inaccessible.

Silencing child in white.jpg

In my experience, this is what my teacher does -- not just for me, but for thousands of people around the world.

And while their description of what he does may differ widely, the twinkle in their eye is universal.

Mystery solved. Peace discovered. Life lived to the fullest.

Also published here
More

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:26 PM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2012
Barcelona is Overflowing!

barcelona1.jpg

In Barcelona, the request for invitations to hear Prem Rawat speak on March 11th was so overwhelming (1,200 more than available seats) that an additional event has just been scheduled for Saturday, March 10th to accommodate the overflow.

Seating priority will be given to two groups: 1) People who requested an invitation to the March 11th event, but were unable to be accommodated and; 2) People who were unable to attend the March 11th event.

Seats are still available for the newly scheduled event -- that is, if you are not already registered for the March 11th event. One event per person, please.

1:17 video of Prem Rawat

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

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!

   Contact me   
© MITCH DITKOFF