How Do We Wake Up?
I started this blog over a year ago. I'm well past 100 posts.
Each time I write, I think about what it will take for us—for all of us—to awaken to our true nature. To our innate goodness and unlimited potential. To live with love and compassion for ourselves and others. What a world it would be, if only we could ...
One of my favorite resources is a site which supports my belief that mass awakening is at hand. By its simple message, "We are one," it invites me to continually look inward at what I am personally doing to help shift our planetary consciousness.
It asks me, 'What are you doing to stay awake? What are you doing to support the awakening of others.'
It does this through short, thought-provoking films and conversations on those films. The site is The Global Oneness Project.
This short film features a woman I admire, whose biography, Cave in the Snow, touched me deeply—Ven. Tenzin Palmo. A Buddhist nun, she lived in a cave in solitary retreat for 12 years. She ponders, wonders, just like I do: What will it take for us to wake up?
I invite you to take just 3 minutes and watch this film, because I really want to know what you think. Here's the link: http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/wakingup
Do you think it is really possible for all of us to wake up?
And, if so, what will it take to make this happen?
And, if so, what will it take to make this happen?
I welcome your thoughts ...
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BIG P.S. This weekend I am in Grand Rapids, MI, keynoting and presenting a workshop at a fabulous women's conference. Please join me there. It's so affordable!!! Here are the juicy details.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
"Stages: Women Growing in Mind, Body, and Spirit"
The 2nd Fountain Street Church Women’s Conference
Keynote, "Being Peace," by Janice Lynne Lundy, popular speaker and author of Your Truest Self: Embracing the Woman You are Meant to Be. 30 workshops throughout the day allow participants to explore diverse areas of interests, including: spirituality, creative arts, yoga, feng shui, digital photography, sexuality, health, and more.
Jan will also be presenting an afternoon workshop, "Sniffing Out Joy."
Her books will be available for purchase throughout the day.
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $15 per person; $10 for students (age 13-college). Registration includes featured speaker, all workshops, lunch, and parking. Scholarships are available.
Location: Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. N.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Register: Visit www.fountainstreet.org. Click on "2nd Annual Women's Conference," download Registration Forum, and send in with payment. Questions? Call (616) 459-8386.
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22 comments:
Jan,
Thanks so much for leading me to the video. She sure speaks the Truth. I think that greed and aggression comes from fear...fear of not having enough, not being enough and not doing enough.
There is no fear when we live in the present moment. So the more we do that the sooner we will awaken. Do I think it's possible? A big YES!
I think more and more of us are doing just that and every day we invite others by blogging like we do! Thanks again...I love the flags in the wind!
Hi Jan!
Incredible video! I bookmarked that spot - what a truly rich blessing. Thank you SO much for sharing this! Wow - I love how she made the pop sound with the "big bang" at the end.
Hopefully - and I DO have hope - a big bang is not necessary! I have called this country "The United States of Greed" many times and try to pull away from that material abundance thinking into a peaceful enclave of spiritual abundance. I wonder, as she did, what we have done (in the name of "progress" or whatever) to this planet and each other.
Very moving and thought-provoking. Your blog is one of the "richest" content out there - I can't say enough about it - thank you!!!!
Wishing I could attend your seminar! Maybe someday.......
hugs
suzen
Greed is not a cause of suffering but rather a SYMPTOM of suffering.
I think we have to switch our thinking on that.
People act out of greed because they feel so utterly empty and unloved.
I believe this starts with the fact that most of us experience some type of abuse -- whether neglect or outright ABUSE -- as children, and so for the remainder of our lives will attempt -- often in futile ways -- to make up for that.
Add to that the concepts of karma and rebirth and you have all these open woundeds walking around with no skill for healing themselves because they are, perhaps, "first timers" or very "young souls."
That sounds very pessimistic but it's not supposed to.
Because I also believe in the 100th monkey. That at some point a critical mass of people will be awake and that will just envelope the rest of the world. :)
Hi Jan,
Thank you for sharing this site with us. I agree with everything Ven. Tenzin Palmo said. Greed and aggression are at the root of everything. Rising above this is such a challenge and I've often thought about what can be done. I agree with Tess that greed and aggression are products of fear; I agree that living and embracing the present moement alleviates fears and propagates love and compassion instead. But, I still think life as we know it is one very powerful material "machine" and so in a global sense I don't know how to stop that. I always come back to how change begins with one person, with one step. We must work hard to be awake in our own moments, and so be a light to others. We must share what we know with others and lead others into the light. We must support each other in this light so that we can remain there. And we have to hope that the circle of awakened people just keeps expanding.
Now my mind is buzzing!
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your weekend; your retreat sounds wonderful!
Jan, I loved the video and agree 100%! There can be a shift and I believe SLOWLY we are coming into it. This world is filled with greed, arrogance and selfishness, BUT it's also filled with love, kindness and Hope.
We will get there one day soon, hopefully!
Such wonderful, thought-provoking comments so far. Thank you all!
Tess,
I hope you are right. That as many of us continue to speak up and out—and live the truth of love over fear—we will reach a tipping point.
Focusing on being in the present moment may be the greatest tool of all. There is another video on the site where Tenzin Palmo talks about this. How mindfulness is a major key to make this shift. Here is the link:
http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/tenzinpalmoclip4
SuZen,
Glad it resonated. And thank you, truly! from the bottom of my heart for this compliment. I do try to bring to light topics that are important and "rich" for our spiritual journey.
Sometimes I feel embarrassed to say that I hail from the US because of what you say. We are so focused on greed. That's what seems to have gotten us in the big mess we are in right now. Sigh...
May we all make wiser, kinder choices rooted in our Oneness, interdependence. And we do this choice by choice...each in our own small lives. Thank you for your insights.
Here's another video from the site that might make us think about consumption. I loved it. I wept.
http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/notjustapieceofcloth.
7 minutes long.
A cancer of an open heart. I vow to try and be the latter. I think it's good motivation to find ways to help the world wake up. Still, I find much beauty and peace in gently trying to wake myself up to inspire others silently.
Have a wonderful conference.
Christine,
You are wise to remind us that there are multiple reasons why we "sleepwalk" through life. Often, it is childhood pain that keeps us in slumber. And, yes, as you say, there are layers and layers we do not understand "why things happen" the way they do.
May we all continue to do the good work of self (and, ultimately, eliminating the "small" self) for the greater good of all. I am glad to hear that you remain hopeful. :-)
Jodi,
I agree that it feels as if we are caught up in a giant machine, cogs and cogs awhirl with producing, consumption, buy more, be more. I love what you say about staying awake ourselves and being a light (as best we can) to others. Truly, that is the only way I know how...Thank you for YOUR light. :-)
Hi Jan .. what a wise woman Ven Tenzin Palmo is. Thank you so much for telling us about the video and its message.
The squalor was horrid to look at, and that poor beggar who looked like she was permanently crying - I'd love to do more for life .. this world of ours.
A powerful site - and your post .. "How do we Wake Up?" .. as Tess said .. it is a collective smallness of each and everyone of us .. being us -
thanks Hialry Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
Tabitha,
You are wise to hold both notions in your heart and then to lean toward Hope. May we all. One step at a time...
Mermaid,
Oh, powerful image. A cancer of the heart. May we arrest it in time through LOVE! And, again, such wise words. We simply must make the shift within ourselves, one gesture of compassion at a time. That is the only way I know how to do it so that I may be of some small benefit to others. You, too, I know...Hugs!
Hilary,
Glad this touched your heart, even the difficult parts. Did you pick up that Ven. Palmo was from England? Though I do not believe she has lived there for a long time. Her website is marvelous, by the way. I so enjoy reading about the nunnery she founded.
Anyway, yes, may each one of us do what we can to pave the way toward selflessness and generosity, even if it is a tiny gesture. We are one...
Hi Jan,
Thanks for posting this and the link to that really thought-provoking video. Wow.
I don't know what it would take for all of us to wake up. I'm not sure. Some sort of shift, I suppose. I think of this often... it also seems that the fact we need to wake up, that we are destroying ourselves and creating more worldly suffering becomes starkly apparent to those who remove themselves from society for a while... that it is impossible to miss... it's so evident.
So what does it take for the rest of us, those participating in it, many of whom are blinded to it?
This is an interesting question, one really worth pondering. Thank you for sharing this.
Cheers,
Miche :)
Jan, you might wish to check out this video..
hugs,
Jen
the future of civilization
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cF4p_pMfcs
Hi Jan .. I did pick up that Ven. is English (was) .. and I must spend some more time 'with her' - to hear her story.
Thanks - & I forgot to say have a good weekend at the womens' conference .. sounds fun. Too far sadly! - one day.
I loved watching this video... It was beautifully done, but also conveyed such a meaningful, moving message. We have such potential, as she pointed out, and yet we squander it (in a sense) by tying ourselves to more and more materialistic things.
Do I think mass awakening is possible? Yes. I think we're on the verge of it now. I think it will be like the 100th monkey, frankly. I know that in my own attempts to live with more awareness, my friends are doing the same. Some have said that I inspired them somehow, and others - when we get together after months apart - have been doing the same spiritual exercises as me, or having the same types of experiences. It's wild, really!
Awesome post, Jan, full of hope in my eyes, because I truly do believe. Keep writing about this, and being who you are. That 100th monkey is coming. (smile)
I feel this shift, this awakening, I totally believe it is happening right NOW...how long will it take to reach completion...for everyone to wake up? Impossible to say...but I find evidence of it daily...through blogs like yours and many others...through the comments and love that people forward to me through e-mail and comments on my blog...through meals people prepare for my family...loads of laundry washed and folded for us...for projects like Cami Walker's 29 Gifts...it's happening right now Jan...I know it is.
Have fun at the conference!
gentle steps,
Laura
Hi Jan,
I definitely think it is possible for society to awaken. We are seeing more and more of that to some degree. As a result of the current economic situation, many people are being forced to re-evaluate their choices. Much of human existence is rooted in the illusion of fear. Love will always triumph over fear. The key is for people to be responsible in how they choose to be in the world. As Gandhi said, "be the change you want to see in the world". So more and more of us just need to BE love.
Miche,
Well I hope just by the fact that we are having this conversation, being awake and aware, that we ARE part of the shift...
Sharmila,
I checked it out. Most interesting! An intriguing man, for sure.
Hilary,
I think you might like her book...
Megan,
I appreciate your hopefulness and I remain steady, along with you, that everything we do these days in a positive vein contributes the the shift. An interesting notion though from a scientist friend of mine--he claimed that the 100th monkey "experiment" has never been duplicated since the original incident. It did make me wonder...
Laura,
Interesting notion that increased compassion and kindness indicates this shift, at least in your experience. Oh, I do hope so. A number of other films on this site attest similarly. Watched a few more last night. Wonderful!
Nadia,
The Gandhi quote is one that I try to live by because I think it incorporates the means of making the shift that we are talking about. It begins, one small act after another. As you say, sourced in Love, rather than fear. May we all be so inclined...
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This has always been one of my favorite parts of the Our Father. To me, it says for us to live the kingdom of God on earth. Heaven on earth (being fully awake) is not just possible, but it's happening everywhere, just as Laura said. I see happy glimpses of heaven all the time - here on this site; in the warm, friendly hellos I exchange with others on my daily walks; in the wonder of a perfect juicy apple; in the tinkling bell-like laughter of my granddaughters in states of pure, emphatic joy! Innate goodness, unlimited potential, love and compassion are everywhere when we seek to see the Divine in all things.
And now I'm off to see the other video links you posted ... Namaste
Hi Jan ..thanks I thought I would enjoy the read too .. anon!
It's on my list .. thanks Hilary
It was Eckhart Tolle's books "The Power of Now" and "The New Earth" that made it clear to me that the only person I can change is myself. As I become more centered and clear about my purpose I add to the positive energy in the universe. Before reading these books it was too easy for me to feel defeated. Now I try to focus on what I can do instead of what I can't change.
What a thought provoking post, and comments! I share Megan's hope, but the video made me a little sad. If Ven. Tanzin Palmo can't tell how we will all awaken, that is surely big! I think it is done moment by moment, collectively living authentically with love and sharing our truths. We do live in a material world, but we do not need to succumb to materialism. When we live in and with love it radiates and touches each person, and when we live authentically and in truth it shows others how possible it is for them.
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