My Thoughts on "Inception"

I am not the biggest lover of sci-fi movies but themes that question "reality" as we know it like those of the Matrix, intrigue me. This movie was far from disappointing, full of action, mystery and a twisting plot in 2 hours and 45 minutes I never once found myself bored. The take home message for me was that life is very much like a dream only lacking sophistication and creativity. Life is what we choose to make of it, be it joyful or painful, ultimately it is our choice.

My Thoughts on "When The Heart Waits" by Sue Monk Kidd

Author Sue Monk Kidd takes us on a journey of the heart in her book "When the Heart Waits." She illustrates delightfully the importance of waiting, emphasizing that stillness is the most sacred position in life. Her journey through what can be described as a midlife crisis is sprinkled with beautiful moments of enlightenment. She embraces the moments of struggle and bliss understanding that there is no final destination. Life is a constant transition. I love Kidd's eloquent illustrations and appropriate use of metaphors. I feel as if I am in her memory experiencing the journey with her. This book is riddled with quotes from great authors and revolutionaries like Thoreau, Eliot, Jung and Merton. It is as if you are reading 50 books in one. Divided into short sub-chapters, each story holds a common theme, "acceptance." It is not until the experience is totally accepted that the lesson can be learned and the traveler can progress onward.

Kid explains the process of waiting in three distinct phases. They are separation, transformation and emergence. She illustrates these in detail describing the life of a butterfly from the caterpillar that separates itself from the rest by cocooning, to the transformation that takes place in the cocoon and finally the emergence of the butterfly as a new creature. Each phase has its purpose and is necessary for a total change or transformation to be experienced.

Here are a few quotes I found inspirational:

- "When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has found."

- "The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it." - Eugene Petersen

- "Our wounds become the womb." - Julian of Norwich (Transformation hinges on our ability to turn our pain (the tomb) into a fertile place where life is birthed (the womb).

- "Live our questions instead of suppressing them."

- "The person who suffers needs to stay with it, must not be a waster of sorrows." "the more still, more patient and more open we are when we are sad, so much the deeper and so much the more unswervingly does the new go into us, so much the better do we make it ours, so much the more will it be our destiny." Rilke

- "When busy people suddenly become still-when they begin to not only be human do-ings but human be-ings, people around them can get aggravated."

- "Now is the only place you really have, it is the only place where you and life intersect."

My Thoughts on "Even the Stars Look Lonesome" by Maya Angelou

WOW! I will be honest and admit I am embarrassed that this is the first Angelou book I have read. I am sure we have all hear or read a poem or two, but "Even the Stars Look Lonesome" was the first book of hers I have read. To express my gratitude and appreciation for her writing style, I will tell you that I purchased the book from a vendor at a festival. During some down time I began to read it and after just 8 pages I went back to the vendor and bought another Angelou book to pacify me when I finished this one. I learned very quickly how insufficient my vocabulary is, her words seem to make love to each other tenderly and then birth the most amazing mental pictures I have ever experienced. A true page turner, this book is a collection of short stories about her life experiences. The topics range from her marriages, loves, career and friendships. A truly awesome illustration of her life lessons.

My Thoughts on "Ramayana At A Glance" by Keshavadas

"The greatest story ever written on true love, happy marriage, and dharma..."

I understand this book to be the equivalent of the Bible in Indian religion. It is said peace and abundant life is obtained just by reading the pages. The story is an exciting tale of Sri Rama (God incarnate and the perfect man) and Sita (Goddess incarnate and the perfect woman). The books of Ramayana tell the story of Rama's loss of power and status due to the betrayal of his step mother. He is excommunicated for 14 years during which time his father (the king) dies and his younger brother is installed on the thrown.

Rama having supreme strength and power was sent to earth to destroy demons and restore dharma. His very presence evokes peace and love in his followers. Where ever he is, prosperity and peace follow. While Rama is exiled a demon kidnaps his beloved wife, the earth mother, Sita. Rama elicits help from monkeys, who were actually millions of angels sent to earth by the creator Brahma to prepare the world for Rama's arrival. The most powerful of the monkeys, Hanuman - my favorite character, was able to leap across seven seas, destroy demons and find the location of the Goddess Sita. A battle ensues against her captors where Lord Rama is victorious and peace and order are restored across the earth.

Truly an awesome story filled with parables and metaphors that illustrate the path to dharma. I became engrossed in the characters, the demon with 10 heads, the beautiful goddess and the godlike monkeys. Each book displays in simple language the most basic qualities necessary for a pure and happy life; love, loyalty, forgiveness, trust, obedience and faith. This is truly an epic tale with characters as lovable as Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist. What more can you ask for?

My Thoughts on "Creativity" by Osho

"Unleashing the Forces Within"

Osho starts by encouraging the reader to prepare their canvas. He speaks of the 3 C's, consciousness which is being, compassion which is feeling and creativity which is action. He goes on to explain the difference between activity and action. Action is purposeful with intent and power, while activity is ordinary, mundane and uninspired. Osho warns of a life full of activity and empty of action, a life with no purpose. It is suggested that we act in harmony with nature, and in harmony with what comes most natural for us. The five obstacles which block this harmony and ultimately creativity are:

-Self Consciousness (Ego, Id, personality)
-Perfectionism (The ultimate effort to be just like everyone else)
-Intellect (Knowledge, intelligence, book learning over nature learning)
-Belief (Systematic conditioning)
-The Fame Game (Uncover the reasons for your actions)

We have a tendency to get caught up on one or all of these obstacles and ultimately loose sight of our inner creation. Osho gives us four keys to help.
They are:

-Become a Child Again (Restore your innocence and trust)
-Be Ready to Learn (Empty yourself so you can be filled)
-Find Nirvana in the Ordinary (Live in the present moment)
-Be a Dreamer (Break free from the ordinary)

We must strive as human beings to uncover our natural creative energy and release our gifts upon the world. Osho inspires us to break free from the ordinary and do something strange even crazy, but ultimately "real", every day. A few quotes and stories that inspired me:

"A foolish man comes to you and says you are very intelligent, you can look intelligent only to a foolish man. If he is more intelligent than you of course you will not look intelligent to him. So a foolish man comes and certifies your intelligence and you are very happy....What type of intelligence is this that has to be certified by foolish people?"

"Being respected by idiots you have to behave according to their manners, their expectations. To be respected by this sick humanity you have to be sicker than they are. Then they will respect you. But what will you gain? You will loose your soul and gain nothing."

"Your mind is full of memory; you can repeat; you can reproduce. That's what your examinations are-a person is thought to be very intelligent if he can vomit all that has been thrown into him. First he has to be forced to swallow, go on swallowing, and then in the examination papers, vomit. If you can vomit efficiently, you are intelligent. If you can vomit exactly that which has been given to you, you are intelligent.

Now this is something to be understood: you can vomit the same thing only if you have not digested it. If you have digested it you cannot vomit the same thing."

-That is creativity!

My Thoughts on "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter"

This book was recommended to me by an extraordinary woman, my mother. I feel lead to admit that the subtitle caused me to shelf the book for a few months before cracking the cover. I had never read a feminist book before and in my ignorance only images of lesbian women burning their bras came to mind. But as I matured, the idea of a Sacred Feminine intrigued me. The author Sue Monk Kidd, has quickly become one of my favorite fiction writers, she also authored "The Secrete Life of Bees". Her imagery and use of quotes and myths help to make her experiences come alive. I joined the author on her journey of demystifying the feminine experience and understanding why our culture has chosen to rob us of the feminine divine. She illustrates beautifully the ancient myths and biblical characters that equalized the godly contributions women have made throughout history. Kidd so eloquently displays the disservice we have brought to humanity by cloaking the sacred feminine and holding so tightly to patriarchal traditions.

She listed numerous examples in her roles as daughter, sister, mother, wife and parishioner; where she chose to accept second class citizenship rather than expose her personal truths. Personally, I had never really given much thought to the many subtle ways women have allowed themselves to be discounted and removed from society and history.

There are many quotes and stories in this book that resonate with me, but one I will carry with me always. "Re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency, not only in words, but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes, and in every motion and joint of your body." Walt Whitman

My Thoughts on "Awakening the Buddhist Heart"

In this book Lama Surya Das explores the power of mindfulness in achieving bodhicitta (enlightenment). This approach differs slightly from that of Osho and the Dalai Lama in that their focus was on achieving mindlessness or emptiness. Das eludes to this as the primary goal but focuses on mindfulness or awareness of present as the path to emptiness. He explores different meditations to assist in achieving mindfulness and discusses the positive attributes attained through self awareness. The most meaningful to me was the Tronglen practice of giving and receiving. Through meditation it encourages visualization that you are absorbing negative energy and releasing light and positive energy. The thought behind this is to bring consciousness to the qualities in both negative and positive energy that bring wisdom. It is practiced to train the mind to accept the good and bad as equal, for both assist in our spiritual journey. In practicing this technique it is believed that compassion and empathy is developed for all of mankind's suffering and our ego is diminished through lack of judgement in distinguishing good from bad.

Das also discusses the "37 Practices of a Bodhisattva" (an enlightened one), he gained from Thogme` Zangpo a Tibetan bodhisattva. These meditations bring awareness to our mind and how it relates to our relationships, our reactions, our environment and ourselves. The 37th practice stresses the interconnectedness of everything, man and all of nature. It reminds us that our practices are not only to benefit ourselves but to ultimately positively impact everything around us.

One quote I found especially inspiring:

"When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, we can see and listen deeply, and the fruits are always understanding, acceptance, love and the desire to relieve suffering and bring joy. . . . To me, mindfulness is very much like the Holy Spirit. Both are agents of healing. When you have mindfulness, you have love and understanding, you see more deeply, and you can heal the wounds in your own mind. The Buddha was called the King of Healers. In the Bible, when someone touches Christ, he or she is healed. It is not just touching a cloth that brings about a miracle. When you touch deep understanding and love, you are healed."
- Thich Nhat Hanh from his book "Living Buddha, Loving Christ"