War is declared!!!...

By Vichara


Love declares war! As of 3:14am today the United Forces of Love have declared war on the world and the elements of Evil, Apathy and Intolerance. In literally thousands of geographic areas of the world the Forces of Love have risen up. Tired and frustrated with the persecution these battalions of love and respect have taken up positions in every city, town, village, hamlet and hidden geographic zone. You will not be able to see them as they wear no uniform, carry no weapons and are not made up of any one sex, religion or belief system. They have been undercover but because of their name being manipulated and co-opted by the many devious cells of deceit. They have risen up to take back the world and restore the balance. There will be no bullets, no bombs, no fists, no screaming and no devastation. Instead these forces are moving with stealth-like manner and will stop until their mission is complete. They could be standing right next to you and you may not know it. They may be that person with the quiet smile or the glint in their eye. In fact you may be one of them! Rise up and join the Forces of Love! Do one act of love today and join us to take over….THE WORLD!!!!!!

Free photo contest...

By Vichara


I was informed that the month of April is National Grilled Cheese month.  Really? Seriously folks is that for real?  I mean has it come to this where we celebrate a dairy product melted into slices of greasy bread for a whole month. That's it my friends I have had it!  While it's always important to retain and propagate levity in our lives on a daily basis I think I want to propose a new calendar of monthly celebrations hopefully one that some of you will agree with and join with me in celebrating.  My first thought was of making every month International Compassion month but I figured people would get bored and be less compassionate.  So here it goes.  January - Forgiveness month because at the start of the new year everyone needs to forgive each other for the past year's transgressions.  February Love month, I mean they have already made all of Valentine cards so why not.  March - Patience month, for some the winter months of drag on too long and need a break. Give each other some more patience while the season is changing.  April - Wisdom month, since it's spring and planting season why not take it one step further and plant seeds of wisdom in each other's garden so we can gain more mutual understanding. May - well why don't we make that International Compassion month, with all the turmoil currently happening in the world we all need a little more compassion.  June - well what do you think? If you are up to it send your comments here of what you think June should be and the rest of the year.  If your suggestion is picked I will send you one of my photos like you see on this site free anywhere in the world.  Send your suggestions along and don't forget your address.  So come on world let's do better than grilled cheese month!

Too much information...

By Vichara


How much is too much?  We are plugged in, hooked up, cable ready, streamed in high-definition wirelessly connected in our own 3-D world.  We are vampires for information sometimes it seems regardless of the quality of the content.  It sometimes seems we continue this voracious appetite perhaps because we are lonely and feel that unless we are connected we are not part of this world.  I read that the world is now produced more information in 48 hours than it did through all human history to the year 2003.  All that in 48 hours but again how much of it is quality information and how much of it is just white noise to soothe our loneliness?  My friends it is OK to unplug.  Besides being silent is not a bad thing in fact our bodies are wired to use being silent as a useful tool in our spiritual development.  Being silent is not the absence of sound but silence can bring one in contact with the divine, with our divine nature.  Let me tell you that is a whole lot better than the simple stupid shenanigans of some wanna-be celebrity.  I know this may cause stress with some of you but why not try to unplug, shutdown and be silent for a little while today who knows you might need an old friend...yourself.

The Rafflesia...

By Vichara


I know that this will sound naive and simplistic but life is just not fair.  With the vast number of things the world has to offer to see, hear, taste and touch it is a shame that these physical vessels that we are given are so frail that they break down and die too soon.  I see someone like my own grandfather that lost his wife and was given so many more years of existence but without his partner.  My sister who gave so much but was only given 43 years to experience this world.  Then there are the countless children brought into this world and only given a brief moment before they are taken away.  I know it is all part of the so-called circle of life but considering the previously mentioned vast number of things to experience that it would be fair for all of us to live to be at least 100 years.  In Malaysia there grows what is considered the world's largest flower.  The Rafflesia flower can grow 30 inches in diameter but this stunning miracle of nature is only located in is part of the world and only lasts for a few days.  All that beauty for such a short time.  Could you imagine how much more you could garner with more time.  The shear volumes of knowledge and wisdom accumulated and shared.  See if you might agree these flowers of life we are all given should have more than just a few days then we are granted on this planet.

Designing your life...

By Vichara


When you are designing your life it helps to have a greater vision with an end point in mind.  I was told this many, many years ago. I stressed and obsessed about this and was deeply concerned that I had no idea how to design anything in life.  I thought books may be the key and so I dove into various pools of thought.  Sure I got wet with the words printed on the pages but I must admit that there was times I felt I was drowning.  There were others suggesting various faiths and that their faith would hold the key for me.  Sure all of them were inspiring in their own way but I was not inspired by the dogmatics and conditions that were part of these faiths.  Was I being difficult?  Probably, but if your search and your journey are important to you are you willing to settle for anything less than the path that inspires you?  I would think not.  I believe that if you stoke the engine of your life with C.L.R (compassion, love and respect) it will propel you with enough energy down this path to any end point you may envision for yourself.  One thing...don't forget to look out the windows and to the scenery along the way.

I'm just thinking...

By Vichara


Like having a sorbet between courses in a fancy restaurant to cleanse our palates, I think we sometimes need a sorbet for the mind. Some way to cleanse the mind, to refresh and get a clearer perspective. Some may be thinking right now – yes it’s called alcohol and drugs…didn’t you? Yes that is the obvious but they are just temporary clouds that just pass by. I’m thinking of some other way. Something that is not so hazardous to health and well-being. Perhaps it is a piece of inspirational literature, some music, a painting, place or just a single photographic image. Maybe it is a combination of a couple things that can be like tumblers in a lock clicking together. I am not sure but I am open to suggestions. Maybe there is a Rosetta Stone that can refresh our perspective. I’m just thinking…

Simple wishes?...

By Vichara


“Les anges punissent en repondant aux prier.” (The gods / angels punish us by answering our prayers) Whenever we would eat too much as kids my dad would say, “your eyes are much bigger than your belly”. Of course when at that early age we would run to the mirror to see if this was true. Confused we would shake our heads and come back for another scoop of ice cream. We get older, we dream, we wish and pray but the grander things we desire have replaced the simple request for an extra scoop of ice cream. We believe that obtaining these grander things that it will change our lives, make it better and be the answer to our prayers. So we push and pray and then either out of he universe being exhausted or clicking of the tumblers you get what you prayed for? But wait this is not exactly what you thought it would be. There is suddenly much more to be responsible for, more people to answer to and more things to deal with than before. You desire less but it’s too late, this is not just an extra scoop of ice cream. Be careful what you wish for. Unless the resolve is there it will be a burden, not a blessing.

A litle exercise...

By Vichara


Here's a little "being cognizant" exercise.  Fill in the blanks in the following sentences as honestly as possible.  I am _____years old and I should be making this much, $_________ at this time in my life.  I should have travelled to_____________ by this time.  I should be happy and ________ .  I should have a degree in___________, I should have seen_________, I should have read__________ by now and I should know_____________ .  

Now take this and if it was printed on paper crumble it up and throw it away.  If it on a screen, delete it.  Yes all of those things that you filled in are important and have relevance but they are part of the could-a, should-a, would-a world.  What is truly important is that which you have right now in your life and be thankful for those things.  It is this appreciation of this "now" which forms the foundation of where and how you will go in your life.  If you don't appreciate all that is in front of you right now how can you even begin to appreciate those things that you want to achieve and experience.  It is wonderful to have as many aspirations as you can gather in your life basket but you also need to be cognizant of what is in your hands, heart and mind right now.  For it is those things that will provide the fodder and steering mechanism to where you want to go and how far you want to go.  

It's what we expect...

By Vichara


This past Saturday my wife and I celebrated the 10th anniversary of our first date.  I thought 10 roses would be a nice thing so I dropped by one of the local florists.  Instead of 10 the gentleman had a deal for 24 which he recommended and I accepted.  But as I stood at the counter while he wrapped them I thought when you come to a shop like his you know that you will get as many flowers as you want and afford without thinking if there will be enough...it's what we expect. When you go to a restaurant there will always be food there...it's what we expect.  The same applies to many things in our clickable always enough western culture...it's what we expect.  We expect everything to be there all of the time without fail because it always seems to be...it's what we expect.  It is interesting that even though we are all quite capable of being compassionate, giving love and helping each other that it is not common that we do.  I guess...it's what we expect.

Spiritual investment...

By Vichara


I was meeting with my spiritual investment counselor the other day and he was suggesting some additional diversification in my portfolio.  Wait, you don't have a spiritual investment counselor?  Everybody should have one but make sure they're a member in good standing and approved by S.I.C.O. (Spiritual Investment Counselor Organization).  You do have to be careful with who you choose as your SICO as their choices for your spiritual path can be sometimes be squed by strange influences or charged by some nefarious motivation.  While yes trying to be respectful if someone however wants you to pray to rotting fruit while chanting "ooga-booga" well...I think you should stay away from that individual.  Ok all kidding aside what this thought is really about is this.  We are sometimes pressured by those spiritual persons in command of their various systems to believe what they believe, pray the prayers that they pray and worship the god that they have fashioned.  While yes it feels good to "belong" and be a part of a spiritual group but you truly need to listen to your own heart for the path that makes sense to you.  If you give it a chance and a voice it will speak to you and guide you.  And if you want to chant ooga-booga and dance around do it with heart, love and compassion.

A friendly reminder...

By Vichara


This is just a friendly reminder – we only have so many hours that we are given in a day, try to make the most of them. We are sometimes in belief that like a game show we are given a “bonus” round or another “life” like I see in video games. We should not be mired in fear. Endeavor to explore a new adventure and appreciate the moments that are given to us. A very dear friend reminded me that “appreciating the moment is not a passive endeavor, at least for those who want to appreciate as many as possible”. Acknowledge the “ticking” but open your heart.

Unplug and just listen...

By Vichara


We are a culture that needs content.  A blank "spot" in our day would frighten so many.  To actually have nothing going on for a space of time would be very unsettling for a great number of you out there.  Perhaps having to face a blank spot would force us to confront what is going on with ourselves and force us to listen to something other than mindless babble emanating from all the devices that we feel we need to plug into everyday.  I was with a few people yesterday, all of them equally equipped with a mobile device.  The entire time I was with them there was constant bleeping and buzzing calling them like the sirens on the rocks from Jason and the Argonauts demanding their attention.  There is this compulsion to be connected and for what, another mundane inane missive?  Yes there are some that are in the need to have such technology with them to address situations that warrant attention but for the most part I would guess that it is not necessary all the time.  I am not a Luddite and afraid of technology.  In fact I wrote this on an iPad and send it to this site wirelessly.  I firmly believe that even though all of this technology is a wonderful thing we need time to unplug, step back and allow the world to unfold without all of the 0's and 1's.  I know this may sound old-school-hippie-dippie but give yourself a break and unplug.  Find a park, a field, a beach, anywhere and let the sound of the world, the sound of reality speak to you...even for a short time.  I think you may like what it has to say to you.

Spring planting...

By Vichara


Where can you go today that is different than yesterday? They say that variety is the spice of life and there are many that believe this to be true and this leads to a fulfilled life. However is there another way we could go today that could allow us to travel great distances without going that far? No I am not advocating shuffling from to your sofa and turning on the travel channel. I am thinking more from thought to realization, interest to passion, curiosity to completion. More than the physical road of adventure and more of the cerebral road of conquest. We all hopefully have many interests but are they’re perhaps one or two these days that are burning embers of interest in your mind? Perhaps with spring here it may create a catalyst to add fuel to the fire and pursue this one interest. We are bundles of dreams and desires. It’s spring! Plant a new seed of interest and help it grow!

The possibilities...

By Vichara


You need to be relentless and courageous with your heart and get off the sofa of complacency.  As sure as the sun will rise in the east and set in the west if there is not full engagement with your heart and the world around you will no doubt have regrets later on.  You may not think so and believe that you are engaged now but if there was even the slightest hint of defense and justification as you read the first sentence here then I would place a good bet that you may not be totally.  Perhaps there is more you can do to open yourselves up to the possibilities.  And what are the "possibilities" you may ask?  A very good question and I'm glad you asked.  The answer is...I don't know!  It's up to you.  Each and every one of you is a complete individual and while there may be similarities with us each one of us has a deeper core that when engaged will light us up like a 10,000 watt bulb.  What will engage you may not engage me but unless you are relentless with your heart and to love and be loved you will may not smash through that barrier and hit the button of engagement that will light that bulb.  So come on, open yourself to those possibilities...wherever and whatever they are.

A new diet...

By Vichara


I'm trying a new diet that I just discovered and so far it seems to be working.  This diet is called "NEED" (Negative Emotional Elimination Diet).  What is does by not ingesting excess pounds of fear, discursive conversation and negativity thrown at us all from areas of the waking hours we are able to free up time and energy to more positive and productive areas and projects.  Now I can hear the collective groan from a number of you reading this and I expect that but here's the thing...I'm not going to ingest that.  No, I am not falling into a Pollyanna naive cave of denial that there is not a glut of negative emotions out there in the world.  Far from that.  I totally accept it but I'm not eating it.  Instead I am looking at the finite hours in the day, taking a stand, making a decision and applying the "NEED" diet.  Instead of wallowing in the excessive calories of contempt, fear, remorse, anxiety, dread and retaliation I will be making a low calorie smoothies of optimism, joy, love, hope and compassion.  Ok, this may be a bit radical and naive for for some so here is my suggestion.  And it is just a suggestion because you do have a choice.  Try a little of the "NEED" diet and see how it goes but I think at the end of the day you will saying I need, "NEED".

Knock, knock?...

By Vichara


Knock, knock? Who’s there? You…you who? The one reading this. No wait there is more of you. There is the laughing you, the thinking you, the sad you, the silly you, the troubled you, the smart you, the leader you, the follower you, the loving you, the angry you. Hey! There are a lot of you! Gather all that is you up because each part is as important as the other. You have been given a new day and a new set of puzzles to figure out. But hey don’t worry we are all in this together. If I get stuck you can help me and if you get stuck I will help you. Now there’s a novel approach to this existence…helping each other out? Psssst, pass it along…it may catch on.

Alive or dead?...

By Vichara


We walk among the dead even though they are breathing, walking and talking. The dead are mired in a self-possessed world where there is very little cognizant value that they give others beyond the perfunctory tasks they perform for the dead. The dead believe they are seeing but their vision is myopic at best and life’s peripheral existence does not even illuminate in their eyes to any great extent. The dead can hear but there is very little that registers other then their voices and maybe some of what the other dead are saying. There is some confusion for the dead when thing don’t go quite the way they want it to go but like an over-stimulated child they drop whatever it was and go on. In their wake the dead leave the debris of unfulfilled promises that they made to others to get what they wanted. The dead see only themselves. The question when you look in the mirror – are you alive or one of the dead?

To all readers around the world...

By Vichara


I am very excited to let you know that tomorrow, April 7th, I will be on a wonderful Internet radio program called "Access Zen" hosted by Gregory Foster. He has read these thoughts that I am lucky to be sending out to all of you and wanted to interview me about these missives and the origins of this blog. I hope you can tune in to the show which starts at 6am (Pacific Coast Time - Los Angeles). Also if you feel compelled and wanted to call in to give your thoughts on my thoughts please call 866-472-5788. I would be very excited to hear from any of you out there that I am fortunate to having reading these musings.

Below is the Internet web link for the show. Go to this site and look for the show "Access Zen" and click in. If you are unable to listen live the show will be archived for listening later. I do hope you can tune in and listen and hopefully call in. I want to thank everyone of you out there, people I know and those I don't know for taking the time to read this blog. I truly appreciate it.

http://www.voiceamericavariety.com

Also...if anyone is interested I am considering compiling these "thoughts" in a daily reading book. Please let me know if this would be something that would be of interest. You can contact me here in the comment section or my email dunkelcraiggie@gmail.com

Again thank you for taking the time to read these thoughts and I hope they are in a small way helpful and ignite something for you.

Craig

Perfection?...

By Vichara


A perfect world does not and cannot exist.  Impermanence will never allow it.  It is not that impermanence is some physical entity, it is a conditional partner in each and every strand of the fabric of life.  Because as soon as it is "born" it all starts to deteriorate and breakdown.  There is no stopping it, there is no taking to it and there is no way to reason with it.  You need to just accept the fact that perfect does not exist.  You can have happiness and things can be absolutely joyous but the moment after it is already a memory predisposed to the impermanent condition that exists.  This is not to paint a dark picture or to bring you down.  Far from that, this is a reminder and encouragement to make the most of each moment.  Make the life you want happen and with that you give birth to other wonderful moments that gather together to get you as near as it can to perfection as you can get.  But that's it and that is as perfect as it will ever get but isn't that worth it? 

Your GPS...

By Vichara


You’re not pedaling fast enough! You’ll never get there like that! You need to keep up, push harder! But to where and from what starting point? Unless there is an understanding, the demarcation point and the desired goal even if it is a scratch, you will never have a clear vision of how to get there. While there is merit with planning and there are advantages in being malleable in the execution I do believe that no matter how you get there and the means you use to get there it is important to be guided by a tracking system of beliefs. A moral GPS that when confronted by a twist or a turn on the road it will safely guide you through the possible difficulties of the life terrain. However remember when you install your moral GPS system make sure that you leave room for “upgrades” that will allow for improvements in guidance from new sources. It is with enhancements that you will surely get “there” guided by the compass of truth.

Spring...

By Vichara


Outside of where I “sit” is a large wisteria that over the years has taken over a corner of the house and has made it’s way to the second floor deck. In the winter months it is spindly, bare and without its hardy green leaves and purple flowers looks sad. During these months I miss the thick foliage that hugs the deck. So when spring comes and it explodes with color I feel once again happy that my green friend is back. Also at this time the wisteria sprouts new vine shoots that quickly establish themselves in the new growth and send out these tentacles that reach for new parts of anywhere that it can hang on to and further the wisteria’s presence. They are like emissaries sent out seeking new ground. Hopefully for all of you with spring gradually making its presence you will feel reawakened and with your heart and mind send out your curious tentacles of adventure to reach out new avenues of thought and understanding through books, video, conversation or some other methodology. Awaken the spring that is in your heart and soul and establish new growth and adventure.

What if?...

By Vichara


“He grants all prayers”. What if it is not some mystical deity that favors our altruistic prayers but the collected energy that resides in us all. When the collective acknowledges and understands the divine spirit that lives in us all, the mere unison of this ignites the mechanism that would open up the path to the fulfillment of these prayers. What if?