HAPPY NEW YEAR

Quotation from Venerable Tripitika Master Hsuan Hua, founder of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas located in Talmage, California. 🙏 "The affairs of the world are impermanent; don't be attached to them. In dreamlike samadhi, one is free and at ease. Roaming playfully with spiritual powers, One accords with changes and transformations, In stillness, contemplate all things; How their glory fades by itself."

Aditya Hridaya Stotra in Sanskrit

Devanagari IAST ॥ आदित्यहृदयम् ॥ .. ādityahṛdayam .. ततो युद्धपरिश्रान्तं समरे चिन्तया स्थितम् । tato yuddhapariśrāntaṃ samare cintayā sthitam . रावणं चाग्रतो दृष्ट्वा युद्धाय समुपस्थितम् ॥ १ ॥ rāvaṇaṃ cāgrato dṛṣṭvā yuddhāya samupasthitam .. 1 .. दैवतैश्च समागम्य द्रष्टुमभ्यागतो रणम् । daivataiśca samāgamya draṣṭumabhyāgato raṇam . उपागम्याब्रवीद्राममगस्त्यो भगवान् ऋषिः ॥ २ ॥ upāgamyābravīdrāmamagastyo bhagavān ṛṣiḥ .. 2 .. राम राम महाबाहो शृणु गुह्यं सनातनम् । rāma rāma mahābāho śṛṇu guhyaṃ sanātanam . येन सर्वानरीन् वत्स समरे विजयिष्यसि ॥ ३ ॥ yena sarvānarīn vatsa samare vijayiṣyasi .. 3 .. आदित्यहृदयं पुण्यं सर्वशत्रुविनाशनम् । ādityahṛdayaṃ puṇyaṃ sarvaśatruvināśanam . जयावहं जपेन्नित्यम् अक्षय्यं परमं शिवम् ॥ ४ ॥ jayāvahaṃ japennityam akṣayyaṃ paramaṃ śivam .. 4 .. सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्यं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् । sarvamaṅgalamāṅgalyaṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśanam . चिन्ताशोकप्रशमनम् आयुर्वर्धनमुत्तमम् ॥ ५ ॥ cintāśokapraśamanam āyurvardhanamuttamam .. 5 .. रश्मिमंतं समुद्यन्तं देवासुरनमस्कृतम् । raśmimaṃtaṃ samudyantaṃ devāsuranamaskṛtam . पूजयस्व विवस्वन्तं भास्करं भुवनेश्वरम् ॥ ६ ॥ pūjayasva vivasvantaṃ bhāskaraṃ bhuvaneśvaram .. 6 .. सर्वदेवात्मको ह्येष तेजस्वी रश्मिभावनः । sarvadevātmako hyeṣa tejasvī raśmibhāvanaḥ . एष देवासुरगणाँल्लोकान् पाति गभस्तिभिः ॥ ७ ॥ eṣa devāsuragaṇām̐llokān pāti gabhastibhiḥ .. 7 .. एष ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च शिवः स्कन्दः प्रजापतिः । eṣa brahmā ca viṣṇuśca śivaḥ skandaḥ prajāpatiḥ . महेन्द्रो धनदः कालो यमः सोमो ह्यपां पतिः ॥ ८ ॥ mahendro dhanadaḥ kālo yamaḥ somo hyapāṃ patiḥ .. 8 .. पितरो वसवः साध्या ह्यश्विनौ मरुतो मनुः । pitaro vasavaḥ sādhyā hyaśvinau maruto manuḥ . वायुर्वह्निः प्रजाप्राण ऋतुकर्ता प्रभाकरः ॥ ९ ॥ vāyurvahniḥ prajāprāṇa ṛtukartā prabhākaraḥ .. 9 .. आदित्यः सविता सूर्यः खगः पूषा गभस्तिमान् । ādityaḥ savitā sūryaḥ khagaḥ pūṣā gabhastimān . सुवर्णसदृशो भानुर्हिरण्यरेता दिवाकरः ॥ १० ॥ suvarṇasadṛśo bhānurhiraṇyaretā divākaraḥ .. 10 .. हरिदश्वः सहस्रार्चिः सप्तसप्तिर्मरीचिमान् । haridaśvaḥ sahasrārciḥ saptasaptirmarīcimān . तिमिरोन्मथनः शम्भुस्त्वष्टा मार्ताण्ड अंशुमान् ॥ ११ ॥ timironmathanaḥ śambhustvaṣṭā mārtāṇḍa aṃśumān .. 11 .. हिरण्यगर्भः शिशिरस्तपनो भास्करो रविः । hiraṇyagarbhaḥ śiśirastapano bhāskaro raviḥ . अग्निगर्भोऽदितेः पुत्रः शङ्खः शिशिरनाशनः ॥ १२ ॥ agnigarbho'diteḥ putraḥ śaṅkhaḥ śiśiranāśanaḥ .. 12 .. व्योमनाथस्तमोभेदी ऋग्यजुःसामपारगः । vyomanāthastamobhedī ṛgyajuḥsāmapāragaḥ . घनवृष्टिरपां मित्रो विन्ध्यवीथीप्लवङ्गमः ॥ १३ ॥ ghanavṛṣṭirapāṃ mitro vindhyavīthīplavaṅgamaḥ .. 13 .. आतपी मण्डली मृत्युः पिङ्गलः सर्वतापनः । ātapī maṇḍalī mṛtyuḥ piṅgalaḥ sarvatāpanaḥ . कविर्विश्वो महातेजाः रक्तः सर्वभवोद्भवः ॥ १४ ॥ kavirviśvo mahātejāḥ raktaḥ sarvabhavodbhavaḥ .. 14 .. नक्षत्रग्रहताराणामधिपो विश्वभावनः । nakṣatragrahatārāṇāmadhipo viśvabhāvanaḥ . तेजसामपि तेजस्वी द्वादशात्मन् नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ १५ ॥ tejasāmapi tejasvī dvādaśātman namo'stu te .. 15 .. नमः पूर्वाय गिरये पश्चिमायाद्रये नमः । namaḥ pūrvāya giraye paścimāyādraye namaḥ . ज्योतिर्गणानां पतये दिनाधिपतये नमः ॥ १६ ॥ jyotirgaṇānāṃ pataye dinādhipataye namaḥ .. 16 .. जयाय जयभद्राय हर्यश्वाय नमो नमः । jayāya jayabhadrāya haryaśvāya namo namaḥ . नमो नमः सहस्रांशो आदित्याय नमो नमः ॥ १७ ॥ namo namaḥ sahasrāṃśo ādityāya namo namaḥ .. 17 .. नम उग्राय वीराय सारङ्गाय नमो नमः । nama ugrāya vīrāya sāraṅgāya namo namaḥ . नमः पद्मप्रबोधाय मार्ताण्डाय नमो नमः ॥ १८ ॥ namaḥ padmaprabodhāya mārtāṇḍāya namo namaḥ .. 18 .. ब्रह्मेशानाच्युतेशाय सूर्यायादित्यवर्चसे । brahmeśānācyuteśāya sūryāyādityavarcase . भास्वते सर्वभक्षाय रौद्राय वपुषे नमः ॥ १९ ॥ bhāsvate sarvabhakṣāya raudrāya vapuṣe namaḥ .. 19 .. तमोघ्नाय हिमघ्नाय शत्रुघ्नायामितात्मने । tamoghnāya himaghnāya śatrughnāyāmitātmane . कृतघ्नघ्नाय देवाय ज्योतिषां पतये नमः ॥ २० ॥ kṛtaghnaghnāya devāya jyotiṣāṃ pataye namaḥ .. 20 .. तप्तचामीकराभाय वह्नये विश्वकर्मणे । taptacāmīkarābhāya vahnaye viśvakarmaṇe . नमस्तमोऽभिनिघ्नाय रुचये लोकसाक्षिणे ॥ २१ ॥ namastamo'bhinighnāya rucaye lokasākṣiṇe .. 21 .. नाशयत्येष वै भूतं तदेव सृजति प्रभुः । nāśayatyeṣa vai bhūtaṃ tadeva sṛjati prabhuḥ . पायत्येष तपत्येष वर्षत्येष गभस्तिभिः ॥ २२ ॥ pāyatyeṣa tapatyeṣa varṣatyeṣa gabhastibhiḥ .. 22 .. एष सुप्तेषु जागर्ति भूतेषु परिनिष्ठितः । eṣa supteṣu jāgarti bhūteṣu pariniṣṭhitaḥ . एष एवाग्निहोत्रं च फलं चैवाग्निहोत्रिणाम् ॥ २३ ॥ eṣa evāgnihotraṃ ca phalaṃ caivāgnihotriṇām .. 23 .. वेदाश्च क्रतवश्चैव क्रतूनां फलमेव च । vedāśca kṛtavaścaiva kṛtūnāṃ phalameva ca . यानि कृत्यानि लोकेषु सर्व एष रविः प्रभुः ॥ २४ ॥ yāni kṛtyāni lokeṣu sarva eṣa raviḥ prabhuḥ .. 24 .. ॥ फलश्रुतिः ॥ .. phalaśrutiḥ .. एनमापत्सु कृच्छ्रेषु कान्तारेषु भयेषु च । enamāpatsu kṛcchreṣu kāntāreṣu bhayeṣu ca . कीर्तयन् पुरुषः कश्चिन्नावसीदति राघव ॥ २५ ॥ kīrtayan puruṣaḥ kaścinnāvasīdati rāghava .. 25 .. पूजयस्वैनमेकाग्रो देवदेवं जगत्पतिम् । pūjayasvainamekāgro devadevaṃ jagatpatim . एतत् त्रिगुणितं जप्त्वा युद्धेषु विजयिष्यसि ॥ २६ ॥ etat triguṇitaṃ japtvā yuddheṣu vijayiṣyasi .. 26 .. अस्मिन् क्षणे महाबाहो रावणं त्वं वधिष्यसि । asmin kṣaṇe mahābāho rāvaṇaṃ tvaṃ vadhiṣyasi . एवमुक्त्वा तदागस्त्यो जगाम च यथागतम् ॥ २७ ॥ evamuktvā tadāgastyo jagāma ca yathāgatam .. 27 .. एतच्छ्रुत्वा महातेजा नष्टशोकोऽभवत्तदा । etacchrutvā mahātejā naṣṭaśoko'bhavattadā . धारयामास सुप्रीतो राघवः प्रयतात्मवान् ॥ २८ ॥ dhārayāmāsa suprīto rāghavaḥ prayatātmavān .. 28 .. आदित्यं प्रेक्ष्य जप्त्वा तु परं हर्षमवाप्तवान् । ādityaṃ prekṣya japtvā tu paraṃ harṣamavāptavān . त्रिराचम्य शुचिर्भूत्वा धनुरादाय वीर्यवान् ॥ २९ ॥ trirācamya śucirbhūtvā dhanurādāya vīryavān .. 29 .. रावणं प्रेक्ष्य हृष्टात्मा युद्धाय समुपागमत् । rāvaṇaṃ prekṣya hṛṣṭātmā yuddhāya samupāgamat . सर्वयत्नेन महता वधे तस्य धृतोऽभवत् ॥ ३० ॥ sarvayatnena mahatā vadhe tasya dhṛto'bhavat .. 30 .. अथ रविरवदन्निरीक्ष्य रामं atha raviravadannirīkṣya rāmaṃ मुदितमनाः परमं प्रहृष्यमाणः । muditamanāḥ paramaṃ prahṛṣyamāṇaḥ . निशिचरपतिसंक्षयं विदित्वा niśicarapatisaṃkṣayaṃ viditvā सुरगणमध्यगतो वचस्त्वरेति ॥ ३१ ॥ suragaṇamadhyagato vacastvareti .. 31 .. ॥ इति आदित्यहृदयम् मन्त्रस्य ॥ .. iti ādityahṛdayam mantrasya ..

Casella Waste calls Penobscot Nation "activist group". Says landfill's leachate treated before discharge into Penobscot River

As printed in the Bangor Daily News  11/22/2020

Landfill and leachate 

By Toni M. King, Casella Waste Systems

 An activist group is claiming that leachate from the state-owned landfill in Old Town is discharged — untreated — into the Penobscot River. This is absolutely false.

 “Leachate” is liquid that passes through solid waste in a landfill. Liquid in waste and rainwater that passes through waste is captured within the landfill, conveyed to a secure tank and transported offsite to a treatment plant. 

 The state-owned landfill is highly engineered with double liners, leak detection systems and a sophisticated liquid conveyance system. It contracts with the Old Town mill for treatment and disposal of its leachate, as required by law. 

 The Department of Environmental Protection carefully regulates every step in this process. It limits concentrations in discharges and requires monitoring for a range of parameters. The state-owned landfill and the Old Town Mill are fully compliant with these requirements. 

 The DEP recently reviewed the landfill’s operations relative to future leachate disposal. It concluded that all applicable licensing criteria for proposed waste discharge were met and the discharge won’t lower the quality of the Penobscot River. 

 There are five licensed wastewater treatment plants north of Old Town discharging to the Penobscot River. There are 11 more discharging further downstream. The amount attributable to the state-owned landfill – all of it treated – is 1/100,000th of the total. 

Wastewater and leachate are collected and treated to ensure the safety of our environment. Disposal from the state-owned landfill is compliant with state law, and a miniscule portion of the overall discharges permitted to the river. 

 Toni M. King 

 Region Engineer 

 Casella Waste Systems

Beat Poem

 Beat Poem

Sitting on the porch
Sipping coffee
Lightly cool today

Craig Louis Stehr
25.X.`20

Definition of the Immortal Atman, (Self Realization Fellowship, Encinitas, CA)

 Atman is the Supreme Self that is immortal and ever-changeless. As the creation and manifestation of God, all beings are and will always be the immortal atman. Although the consciousness of ego may bring the soul to spiritual heights as well as depths of delusion, human beings may choose to realize their true nature as atman.  To draw an analogy, the immortal atman countenances the vortices of delusion just as a person standing on a riverbank appraises the whirls and eddies in the river. 

The pure consciousness of the atman remains untouched by what the ego sees or experiences.  For example, although a person may bear a heavy burden of past karma, the person remains at his center the divine atman. The spark of divinity within him will make him want to correct his past wrongs; it will also make him grateful for the opportunity to pay off past karma as quickly or slowly as pleases him. 

The immortal atman may be seen in all the symbols of the universe. Although the universe is vast, it is inferior to the majestic soul because the universe is an outward symbol of the inner world. For example, the stars and the planets are manifestations of divine consciousness, which may be discovered and experienced in the Supreme Self. The moon, as a symbol of human ego, merely reflects the light of divine Spirit. 

The Daily Dao Reading for June 12th

Look, and it can't be seen.
Listen, and it can't be heard.
Reach, and it can't be grasped.

Above, it isn't bright.
Below, it isn't dark.
Seamless, unnamable,
it returns to the realm of nothing.
Form that includes all forms,
image without an image,
subtle, beyond all conception.

Approach it and there is no beginning;
follow it and there is no end.
You can't know it, but you can be it,
at ease in your own life.
Just realize where you come from:
this is the essence of wisdom.

DailyTao.org displays a new chapter of the Tao Te Ching everyday, for your enjoyment and enlightenment.

Translation by Stephen Mitchell, used with permission.

Dailytao.org © Copyright 2003-2020 Glen D Sanford. All Rights Reserved.

The Daily Dao Reading for June 8th

Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child's?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from your own mind
and thus understand all things?

Giving birth and nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue.

DailyTao.org displays a new chapter of the Tao Te Ching everyday, for your enjoyment and enlightenment.

Translation by Stephen Mitchell, used with permission.

Dailytao.org © Copyright 2003-2020 Glen D Sanford. All Rights Reserved.

Atma Shatkam

 >>> en,wikipedia.org/wiki/Atma_Shatkam <<<

OM

Sivananda Daily Readings

Sivananda Daily Readings:  Realise Thy True Nature First, learn to know yourself, the true value of your own character. Then alone you will be able to serve hum...

The Fourth Dimension

"It is of little consequence to one who has awakened to normal consciousness whether he or she was a king or a beggar in last night’s dream. Likewise, what one is in this world matters little to one who has awakened to the Presence of God."

- Swami Krishnananda  >>> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishnananda_Saraswati <<<

The Root Cause of All Suffering

You are not human beings. You are acting as human beings in this drama of life. Your essential nature is Divinity. Forgetting your real nature and identifying with this human personality is the root cause of all your problems, sorrows and miseries.

- Swami Chidananda

Most crucial message fr. Swami Chidananda/Divine Life Society

In this very time of existence, seek the Eternal. Unfold the divine perfection within you. This is the serious business of life. All other things are secondary. Give top priority to this.

- Swami Chidananda

Dance of Immortality

~Dance of Immortality~

Not identifying with the body

Not identifying with the mind

The nameless formless Dao

Dances without interference

Craig Louis Stehr

25.III.'20

Water Moon Guan Yin Bodhisattva

Tat Tvam Asi

You are deathless Spirit indwelling the body, untouched and totally unaffected even by its dissolution. Whether you are in the body or without the body, your glorious and immutable nature is forever the same.

- Swami Chidananda

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tat_Tvam_Asi

Swami Chidananda on Samadhi

Swami Chidananda on Samadhi

The word “Samadhi” is used to mean trance as a practice, as a technique, being one of the eight Angas of the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali. It is a Sadhana; it is something that is practised. But, quite often, the same word “Samadhi” is also used in the sense of the culmination of Yoga or the ultimate objective or goal of Yoga; then it denotes a state of superconsciousness, a state transcending all mind-activity. Therefore, it will not be wrong to say that in the Yoga Shastra the term as such is used to mean both a practice as well as a state of superconsciousness. As a practice or a technique, it is referred to by various names as Asmita Samadhi, Savitarka Samadhi, Savichara Samadhi and so on. In English sometimes, writers have been in the practice of alluding to these as the lower Samadhis. When the Arurukshu Yogi—a Yogi who has already climbed sufficiently well up on the ladder of Yoga and has reached a very high state—goes on practising Samadhi, diligently and with great exertion, without giving up, without tiring, with sustained zeal, with Vairagya and great regularity, with great tenacity of purpose, for months and years, then he ascends into higher and higher states of Samadhi. The Samadhi in such a high state is referred to as Nirbija Samadhi or Nirvikalpa Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi. When the word “Samadhi” is used in this way to refer to the Nirbija Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi, then it means the superconscious state. They even go so far as to say that it is a state of non-dual consciousness. That is a matter of opinion. When the term “Samadhi” is used to indicate the Savitarka Samadhi or the Savikalpa Samadhi or other lower Samadhis, then it means trance which is a technique and a practice. When one reaches the level of the Asamprajnata Samadhi or the Nirvikalpa or Nirbija Samadhi, sometimes the Yogi goes on practising such a state until he becomes so much established in that state of consciousness that even when he comes back into the waking state, down from the deep inward state, where he is not aware of the body or the time or the surroundings, even when he comes back into the normal state, his awareness continues to be qualified by the same state of non-duality. In other words, he is so much established in that state of spiritual consciousness or awareness that even while he is moving and acting, he still remains in that state of inner awareness, and they call this the state of Sahaja Samadhi. Sahaja means natural. So, in Sahaja Samadhi, the state of non-dual consciousness becomes to the Yogi his natural state, and not a state which he tries hard to reach and then reaches only to come back to the waking state after a while. Rather, the state of non-dual consciousness becomes normal to him. The Yogi thus gets established in Sahaja Avastha. But, the Sahaja Avastha is a rare phenomenon and is itself the fruit of intense practice of the other stages and gradations of Samadhi. It is only after intense practice of Savitarka Samadhi, Savichara Samadhi and Asmita Samadhi and the continued practice of being in a state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi that the Nirvikalpa Samadhi becomes natural to the Yogi, that it becomes continued and unbroken in all the three states, namely, waking, dream and deep sleep. Thus, in the Sahaja Avastha, even in the waking state, even in the midst of activity, the Yogi rests in non-dual consciousness.

Source: THE PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY AND PRACTICE OF YOGA, Chapter 16, Swami Chidananda

Craig Louis Stehr in Honolulu February 21, 2020

Ultimate Wisdom

You think that you are doing the action but it is not so. The supreme actor is the Supreme Being and whatever is being done, is being done through His power. You only have to be the instrument in His hands.

- Swami Chidananda

www.sivanandaonline.org

Ikkyu Quotation

Students, sit earnestly in zazen, and you will realize that everything born in this world is ultimately empty, including oneself and the original face of existence. All things indeed emerge out of emptiness. This original formlessness is “Buddha,” and all other similar terms-Buddha-nature, Buddhahood, Buddha-mind, Awakened One, Patriarch, God—are merely different expressions for the same emptiness. Misunderstand this and you will end up distracted for eons.

- Ikkyu (1394-1481)

Link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ikkyu

One Instant

One instant is eternity;
eternity is the now.
When you see through this one instant,
You see through the one who sees.

Translation by Stephen Mitchell

Wu-men Hui-K'ai (1183-1260) was head monk of
Longxiang monastery during China's Song dynasty.

THE LAST WORD IN CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

The Great Way has no gate;
There are a thousand paths to it.
If you pass through the barrier,
You walk the universe alone.

- Wu-Men (1183–1260)

Muso Soseki Sez...

Free Old Man

His original way
Is plain and simple
Not caught up in things
He preaches the Dharma
At liquor stores
And fish shops
He pays no attention
To sacred rituals
Or secular conversations
Thick white eyebrows
In his old age
Signs of enlightenment.

- Muso Soseki (1275-1351)

Rejecting Existential Pointlessness, and Coming into the Light

Spent the evening attending Honolulu's Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Mass, with the priest enjoining everyone to turn to the Light and no longer live in darkness.  There was an Epiphany Homily by Pope Francis in the church bulletin which stated: "Do we know how to dream, to long for God,...or do we let ourselves be swept along by life, like dry branches before the wind?  The Magi were not content with just getting by, with keeping afloat.  They understood that to truly live, we need a lofty goal and we need to keep looking up."  

       It's another balmy evening on Oahu, with cool trade winds and the palm trees gently swaying, island flowers abloom and the many varieties of birds singing, Polynesian sunsets and the scent of the luau feast is in the air.  Lots of island fruits and vegetables accompany daily meals, with Hawaiian specialties available at the corner markets.  And the coffee is the best.  Endless quantities of Hawaiian brewed beer too.  T-shirts read: "We don't skinny dip.  We chunky dunk!"  And there is the vast Pacific Ocean surrounding Hawaii, which stretches for thousands of miles. 

       The evening news on the big screens at the sports bars at Waikiki Beach keep everyone advised of the intolerable stupidity of politics in Washington, D.C., the fact that nuclear war and global climate destabilization remain poised to destroy all, that America's moral compass has been lost, that social alienation in a capitalist pyramid is now permanent, and ignoring the situation isn't going to work.  And then, it is back to cheeseburgers and surfing videos.  

         If you have realized that we are going to be present for the grand finale of this absurd worldly spectacle, and if you are clear about being centered in your own inner Light to take action from there, then let us organize oursleves while there appears to be time to do so.   We require collective inner guidance and spontaneous action!  Contact me when you believe that we have reached the point of critical mass.  ~Mahalo~

Craig Louis Stehr

January 5th, 2020 Anno Domini

Email: craiglouisstehr@gmail.com

Blog: http://craiglstehr.blogspot.com

Paypal.me/craiglouisstehr

~MIND IS NOTHING BUT THOUGHT~

Mind is nothing but thought. If there is thought, mind is. The moment thought ceases, mind ceases to be.

- Swami Chidananda

Gensei Instructs

My poems, they’re poems too;
Some people even call them hymns.
Poems and hymns are on the whole alike
When you read them you’ve got
To go at it with care,
Slowly, slowly, carefully probing
Don’t rashly assume it’s all simple and easy.
Use poems to learn how to practice the Way
Then you’ll find it a hugely laughable affair!

- Gensei (1623-1668)