I reazd this in the Mandala Ashram newsletter, and thought that I'd share it with you all.

THE HARVEST PRAYER

(Anonymous 17th Century Sermon)

Please be gentle with yourself and others.

We are all children of chance,

And none can say why some fields blossom

While others lay brown beneath the harvest sun.

Take hope that your season will come.

Share the joy of those whose season is at hand.

Care for those around you.

Look past your differences.

Their dreams are no less than yours,

Their choices in life no more easily made.

And give.

Give in any way you can.

Give in every way you can.

Give whatever you possess.

Give from your heart.

To give is to love.

To withhold is to wither.

Care less for the size of your harvest

than for how it is shared,

And your life will have meaning

And your heart will have peace.

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thank you...just what I needed to hear.

Peace, Julie

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-- And none can say why some fields blossom/While others lay brown beneath the harvest sun./Take hope that your season will come./ Share the joy of those whose season is at hand.
Wow, that part particularly resonates with me. This is such a major challenge of life--not to feel bad when someone seems to be having it all and having everything go their way when things aren't going yours.. and to truly be happy for others.

Thank you for this!

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You visiting Mandala ashram this year Phil ?

Ishwara

x

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Beautiful!.

Thanks, Phil!.

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Many of us spend our whole lives
Running from feeling
With the mistaken belief
That you cannot bear the pain.
But you have already borne the pain.
What you have not done
Is feel all you are beyond that pain.

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"Here is the secret of inspiration. Tell yourself that thousands of people, not very intelligent and certainly no more intelligent than the rest of us, have mastered problems as difficult as those that now baffle you."

---William Feather
 

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From yoga International Magazine.  "One meeting, one life." Each moment is unique.  Each moment is a one-in-a-lifetime event. 

When I read this it stuck with me.  I try to mentally take pictures of those precious moments in my life such as watching my kids play and hearing their laughter.  I try to make more of an effort to embrace each moment as precious and be thankful for it.

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Noone can go back and make a brand new start,

Anyone can start form now and make a brand new ending..

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain

But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way..

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Be gentle with yourself and others, we are all children of chance....

Thank you Phil,

that is a beautiful prayer.

We all need to have more tolerance with ourselves and especially with others.

Tolerance(def):  1. The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others  2. the capacity of enduring hardship or inconvenience without complaint  3. forbearing or lenient treatment

(Tolerance is a good mantra for enduring a challenging posture)

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 "Let the beauty we love be who we are." -APK 

Blissings, Ani 

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"The way you speak to others can offer them joy, happiness, self-confidence, hope, trust, and enlightenment. Mindful speaking is a deep practice."

 - Thich Nhat Hanh

Blissings, Ani 

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 "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." - Henry David Thoreau 

Blissings, Ani 

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Mindful speaking, also goes for typing since we all communicate via computer these days.  How else could I have had conversations and influence to and from people around the world?  Ani, the Mindful Speaking post is like a shot of good medicine I need. 

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Thank you Phil G,Tania M,Ashya H,Nadia N and Ani K,

You made my day,I'm inspired and the thoughts brought a smile on my face.What inspired me most is the poem the''Harvest Prayer''.It's always good to give from the heart,to give with love,without hesitation.And beauty comes from within,always love yourself first,then you can love others and can you give love to others.I'll keep your inspiring thoughts close to my heart.

Love and Peace!Winefred M.

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"Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Mahatma Gandhi

Blissings, Ani 

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  "Love does not measure, it just gives." - Mother Teresa

  Blissings, Ani 

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Hi Phil G

That inspiring piece of writing was fantastic. It has given me hope that things can work out.

Ellie

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 "If a wo/man should travel far along the mystic road, s/he must learn to be with God/dess intensely, in stillness." 

- Aldous Huxley 

Blissings, Ani 

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Sandra TY! 

"Commitment is the face of character." - APK

Blissings, Ani 

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"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."

- Carl Jung 

Blissings, Ani 

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Thank - you Phil for sharing The Harvest Prayer and others for sharing their inspiring thoughts. I will surely come back to this discussion thread

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"If you give your life as a wholehearted response to love, then love will wholeheartedly respond to you." - Marianne Williamson 

Blissings, Ani 

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THE HARVEST PRAYER

(Anonymous 17th Century Sermon)

"That  was good prayer "

THANKS LOT!!

I HAVE ONE SINGLE  POINT TO REFOCUS ABT YOUR 17TH CENTURY GREAT DRAFT

WE ALL REALY LOOKING  21ST CENTURY

LOVE ....HOPE... TRUTH....

THANKS AGAIN

VIJAY.

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THE JOY OF BEING Unhappiness or negativity is a disease on our planet. What pollution is on theouter level is negativity on the inner. It is everywhere, not just in theplaces where people don’t have enough, but even more so where they have morethan enough. Is that surprising? No. The affluent world is even more deeplyidentified with form, more lost in content, more trapped in ego. People believe themselves to be dependant on what happens for their happiness,that is to say, dependant on form. They don’t realize that what happens isthe most unstable thing in the universe. It changes constantly. They look uponthe present moment as either marred by something that has happened andshouldn’t have or as deficient because of something that has not happened butshould have. And so they miss the deeper perfection that is inherent in lifeitself, a perfection that is always already here, that lies beyond what ishappening or not happening, beyond form. Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is deeper than any formand untouched by time. The joy of Being, which is the only true happiness, cannot come to you throughany form, possession, achievement, person, or event – through anything thathappens. That joy cannot COME to you- ever. It emanates from the formlessdimension within you, from consciousness itself and thus is one with who youare. - Eckhart Tolle Journey Through the Light and Back Mellen-Thomas Benedict's - Near Death Experience Mellen-Thomas Benedict Writes: In 1982 I died from terminal cancer. The condition I had was inoperable,and any kind of chemotherapy they could give me would just have made me more of a vegetable. I was given six to eight months to live. I had been an information freak in the1970's, and I had become increasingly despondent over the nuclear crisis, the ecology crisis, and so forth. So, since I did not have a spiritual basis, I began to believe that nature had made a mistake, and that we were probably a cancerous organism on the planet. I saw no way that we could get out from all the problems we had created for ourselves and the planet. I perceived all humans as cancer, and that is what I got. That is what killed me. Be careful what your world view is. It can feed back on you, especially if it is a negative world view. I had a seriously negative one. That is what led me into my death. I tried all sorts of alternative healing methods, but nothing helped. So I determined that this was really just between me and God. I had never really faced God before, or even dealt with God. I was not into any kind of spirituality at the time, but I began a journey into learning about spirituality and alterna¬tive healing. I set out to do all the reading I could and bone up on the subject, because I did not want to be surprised on the other side. So I started reading on various religions and philosophies. They were all very interesting, and gave hope that there was something on the other side. I ended up in hospice care. I remember waking up one morning at home about 4:30 AM, and I just knew that this was it. This was the day I was going to die. So I called a few friends and said goodbye. I woke up my hospice caretaker and told her. I had a private agreement with her that she would leave my dead body alone for six hours, since I had read that all kinds of interesting things happen when you die. I went back to sleep. The next thing I remember is the beginning of a typical near death experience. Suddenly I was fully aware and I was standing up, but my body was in the bed. There was this darkness around me. Being out of my body was even more vivid than ordinary experience. It was so vivid that I could see every room in the house, I could see the top of the house, I could see around the house, I could see under the house. There was this Light shining. I turned toward the Light. The Light was very similar to what many other people have described in their near death experiences. It was so magnificent. It is tangible; you can feel it. It is alluring; you want to go to it like you would want to go to your ideal mother's or father's arms. As I began to move toward the Light, I knew intuitively that if I went to the Light, I would be dead. So as I was moving toward the Light I said, "Please wait a minute, just hold on a second here. I want to think about this; I would like to talk to you before I go." To my surprise, the entire experience halted at that point. You are indeed in control of your near death experience. You are not on a roller coaster ride. So my request was honored and I had some conversations with the Light. The Light kept changing into different figures, like Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, mandalas, archetypal images and signs. I asked the Light, "What is going on here? Please, Light, clarify yourself for me. I really want to know the reality of the situation." I cannot really say the exact words, because it was sort of telepathy. The Light responded. The information transferred to me was that during your near death experience your beliefs shape the kind of feedback you are getting before the Light. If you were a Buddhist or Catholic or Fundamentalist, you get a feedback loop of your own stuff. You have a chance to look at it and examine it, but most people do not. As the Light revealed itself to me, I became aware that what I was really seeing was our higher Self matrix. We all have a higher Self, or an oversoul part of our being. It revealed itself to me in its truest energy form. The only way I can really describe it is that the being of the higher Self is more like a conduit. It did not look like that, but it is a direct connection to the Source that each and every one of us has. We are directly connected to the Source. So the Light was showing me the higher Self matrix. I was not committed to one particular religion. So that is what was being fed back to me during my near death experience. As I asked the Light to keep clearing for me, to keep explaining

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Is there more????  I really loved this post.

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From: Care2 Groups: Yoga Journeys Mailing List [yoga_journeys-468314-1273805@groups.care2.com] Sent: 7/22/2008 5:27:37 AM To: vk_gururani@care2.com Subject: [Yoga Journeys] Inspiring thoughts 3:57 PM Is there more???? I really loved this post. hi i m looking more in to this group and also share more n more. have a good day ........i will...draft soon thanks bye vijay 33 messages in this topic | post via the web | start a topic via the web Group Links home | announcements | discussions | host shares | members | email preferences To stop receiving discussion posts from Yoga Journeys, visit: www.care2.com/c2c/groups/unsubscribe/125/21412215 or email to: yoga_journeys-unsubscribe-21412215@groups.care2.com new topic email: yoga_journeys@groups.care2.com owner email: yoga_journeys-owner@groups.care2.com Tania M. Stars Butterflies Care2 Groups Care2 groups offers tools for keeping in touch with those who share your interests including: * host announcements * member discussions * rss content * group shares To learn more go to C2C Groups Popular Groups Native Arts & Cultures (47 members) beauty_of_the_nature (521 members) The Truth about Islam, We are Peace, Love, Beauty and Tolerance (297 members) Small Business Owners (258 members) Recycled Pets (119 members) More Popular Groups » Share, Learn, Connect and Make a Difference with Care2 Groups! www.care2.com/c2c/groups _____ To stop receiving this newsletter, visit: www.care2.com/newsletters/unsub/10333/0/21412215/1b0ae013 or send a blank email message to: ng-u-10333-21412215-6669954-11243396-e295d09a@australia.care2.com Care2.com, Inc. 275 Shoreline Drive, Suite 300 Redwood City, CA 94065 www.care2.com

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Hi, we we we............are as good as any........ one eals. Open up!! Throw your doors and windows open. Let wind and rain and sun come on in. let people enter into you and you enter into peoples lives. That is the only way to become aware of the tremendous mystery of life . Life is not a problem is to take a wrong step .It is a mystery to be lived ,loved experienced . “ Wearing divine garlands and apparel , anointed with celestrial perfumes and ointments, full of all wonders, the limit –less god with faces on all side”. Thanks vijay.

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Dear Sophia  D,

I'm very curious,could you cotinue the story!

I'm inspired,I'l like the story. I there more?

      Love,

           Winefred.

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"God is a friend of silence.  See how nature moves in silence.  We need silence to be able to touch souls."

- Mother Teresa

Blissings, Ani 

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"Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows me to survive, and better than that, to thrive with passion, compassion, and style." - Maya Angelou

Blissings, Ani 

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I've just come across this zen quotation:

In spring, hundreds of flowers,
In summer, refreshing breeze.
In autumn, harvest moon,
In winter, snowflakes accompany you.
If useless things do not hang in your mind,
Every season is a good season.

- Mumon (1183-1260)

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aubF7v-MlMM

Blissings, Ani 

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“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”

- Marianne Williamson

Blissings, Ani 

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"To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to night.To know the pain of too much tenderness.  To be wounded by your own understanding of love; and to bleed willingly and joyfully."

- Kahlil Gibran

Blissings, Ani 

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"Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." - Arundhati Roy

Blissings, Ani 

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"On the long journey of life, faith is the best of companions.  And love is the most keen."  - APK

Blissings, Ani 

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"I am the miracle." - Buddha

Blissings, Ani 

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"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

- Albert Einstein

Blissings, Ani 

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Thank you compassionate hearts opening to the truth, the love of our world today.  Thank you for embracing your world community with a wide open heart.  Our time has arrived.  We are here, now. 

Thank you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1WJlxjxAZE

Blissings, Ani 

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“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” - Buddha

Blissings, Ani 

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"One compassionate word, action, or thought can reduce another person's suffering, and bring him joy.   One word can give comfort and confidence, destroy doubt, help someone avoid a mistake, reconcile a conflict, or open the door to liberation.  One action can save a person's life or help him take advantage of a rare opportunity.  One thought can do the same, because thoughts always lead to words and actions.  Within compassion in our heart, every thought, word and deed can bring about a miracle."  - Thich Nhat Hanh

Blissings, Ani 

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"A laugh is a smile that bursts." - Mary H. Waldrip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7inxdrqK88

Blissings, Ani 

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