July 28, 2019
THE SAINT FRANCIS PRAYER

If you happen to be feeling overwhelmed at the moment, unappreciated, neglected, ignored, unloved, unsettled, diminished, disappointed, disillusioned, disgruntled, or just plain dissed, the following words from Saint Francis -- spoken over 800 years ago -- may be just what the doctor ordered.

By the way, you don't have to be a saint to get the value. Just a human being.

THE SAINT FRANCIS PRAYER

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light, and
Where there is sorrow, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

TimelessToday

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:13 PM | Comments (5)

July 27, 2019
When the Rain Begins

Beautiful song by Stuart Hoffman. Vocals by Stephan Rivera.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:32 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2019
I Am Not Joking, It Is Serious

Thanks to Susan Gregory for the heads up!

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:30 AM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2019
One Person at a Time

My teacher, Prem Rawat, is a marvelous storyteller. From what I can gather, he tells three kinds of stories: 1) Jokes, which are the shortest kind of story there is; 2) Classic teaching tales that have been told for centuries and; 3) His own, personal accounts of meaningful moments in his life. All three of these story genres pack a wallop. All three, delivered at the right time in the right way, have the potential to uplift, awaken, and inspire.

The following story, which I heard Prem tell years ago, has stayed with me from the moment I heard it. I continue to drink from its fountain, refreshed every time I do. It's a story about his father, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, a great Teacher of his time in India, and a few of his students. PS: Today is the anniversary of his passing in 1966.

In the 1960's, a small group of Shri Hans' students, thrilled at the prospect that he was going to be visiting their village in a few months, made an extraordinary effort to get the word out. They handed out flyers, nailed posters to trees, organized introductory events, and did whatever else it took to alert as many people as possible. These were exciting times for these young devotees, moved as they were by the all-too-rare opportunity to pave the way for their Teacher's imminent arrival and the public event that would follow.

Months passed. They worked around the clock, focused on just one thing -- inviting as many people as possible to hear their Master speak. Then the big day came. Everything was together -- the tickets, the ushers, the seating, the sound, and the music. But much to their surprise, only one person showed up. Just one. Supremely disappointed and experiencing who knows how many other painful emotions, they approached Shri Hans, solemnly, to deliver the bad news.

He just sat there, listening, nodding his head. Then he smiled broadly.

"OK," he said, "Very well! I understand. But do you realize how long this person has waited to hear my message?"

FOR YOUR REFLECTION: One person. That was it. Only one person showed up after months of effort. But the Master was not disappointed. Neither was he sad, upset, or judging anyone for the apparent lack of results. One person was sufficient for him. His was not a numbers game. His was something else. He was not measuring success the way most people do. He was coming from an entirely different place -- one that was filled with love, presence, and gratitude for the opportunity to share his message, even if there was just one person in the audience.

Maybe one day I will understand this. Maybe one day I will actually live this expression of truth. My strategy, historically, has been different. I conceive great goals. I make long lists. I execute a bunch of tasks in service to my great goals and, more often than not, there is a gap between my goals and what happens. Committed to a particular outcome, I usually end up feeling, much like Shri Hans' students, disappointed -- like I could have done better, way better. Like I blew it. Like the outcome I was going for would have manifested if only...

The older I get, the more I realize how flawed this way of thinking is. Having big goals is fine. There's nothing wrong with having big goals. But it's the attachment to my goals when things start getting strange.

While it's been years since I've heard Prem Rawat tell this story, I cannot get it out of my mind. And I don't want to. It's a lesson I need to keep on learning -- going beyond the numbers game and entering into the place where gratitude reigns -- the place where even one person showing up, or none, is not only sufficient, but divine.

Prem's series of Lockdown talks
Excerpted from this book
TimelessToday
PremRawat.com

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:03 AM | Comments (2)

July 12, 2019
Whatever It Takes

Illustration: GapingVoid

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)

July 01, 2019
PREM RAWAT'S PRACTICAL PEACE LIBRARY: Short Videos and Audios

Here it is

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)