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Greetings and Namaste!
Who doesn't want peace?
Who truly wants to do what is necessary to abide in
peace?
It's not a mystery how to do this. The Way has
been known for thousands of years.
Will you follow the way right now, this day, this week,
this month, this year?
What will you choose,
moment by moment?
By sacrifice life is made
sacred. What are your willing to sacrifice for this
sacred peace?
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Calming The Fearful Mind
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Peace is made of Peace
In the Fall of 2003, I offered a public talk at the Library
of Congress and a weekend retreat for U. S.
Congress members to help them build an inner
island of peace and stability to better face the
demands of political life. I shared how we can create
more time to be present for ourselves, to release the
tension in our bodies and minds and touch the
wonders of life within and around us. In the retreat,
Congress members practiced sitting peacefully
together, walking mindfully and eating meals with
mindfulness and gratitude. They saw that the
practice of mindfulness is a concrete expression of
our peace, stability, and freedom. Peace is made of
peace. Peace is a living substance we build our lives
with. It is not only made of discussions and treaties.
To infuse our world with peace we must walk in
peace, speak with peace, and listen with peace. If we
do this, we will be able to bring more joy into our daily
lives, relate better to our family members, and use our
insight, compassion, and understanding to better
serve our community, and be able to heal the wounds
that divide our nation and the world. (p.63)
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The Way To Peace
Take refuge in your breath,
Let go of the mind and rest in the breath.
Like the very dearest of friends,
Your breath has accompanied you
through all the pains,
sorrows and
joys
of your life.
Take refuge in your breath,
With loving attention follow its every movement,
Unravel the mystery of where the breath
finds repose.
Listen with rapt attention to your dear friend,
The breath has been speaking to you
since you
were born,
Discover the mantra it whispers to you
continuously
Affirming the infinitude of your Being,
HAMSA is the ground on which this mad dance
of existence pounds
on...
Unravel the mystery of where mantra arises,
and where it
dissolves.
Abide in Stillness -
the refuge of the
breath,
the source of
mantra,
the womb of all,
where form and
emptiness embrace,
where Truth alone is
revealed.
where Love dissolves
the illusion
of
differences.
Kalidas
(The Sanskrit
mantra Hamsa means "I Am" and is said to
reverberate with every breath whether we are aware of
it or not)
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Upcoming Programs
Anam Cara Foundation, Bedford, NY
Friday, August 21st-
SHYAMDAS
Afternoon workshop (4:00-6:00) and evening
kirtan program (7:30-9)
with Shyamdas
For decades Shyamdas,
originally from Connecticut, has been living the
practices and teachings of the devotional path of
Bhakti yoga under the direction of his guru in India and
bringing these ancient Vedic and yogic teachings back
to the West through his offerings
of kirtans and workshops on the sublime bhava - the
infinite creative awareness of the One - that arises like
the sweet fragrance of a flower when our practices
blossom into fullness. Cultivation of that bhava,
through practices, devotional chants, contemplations
and
meditations is the gift he offers to those attending his
enlivening experiential workshops. Give yourself the
sublime gift of immersion in these practices for just a
couple of hours and you will be ever thankful!
Thurs. July
23rd, Sat. Aug. 29th- 7:30pm
Monthly Kirtan
Night!
With Satya, Ma and
Kalidas. Join us in this ancient and
ecstatic practice
of chanting the names of the Divine.
Everyone is
welcome!
Meditation
Group
Every Tuesday
Evening:
Starts promptly at 7:30pm at our center at
the Anam Cara Foundation in Bedford, NY.
All are
welcome!
Directions
are on the Anam Cara website. If you wonder
whether the group is being held on a
particular
Tuesday evening there will always be a
message stating if it is cancelled on
that
night on 914-234-4800.
For more information please visit our Events page (click here)
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Thank you all
for your notes of appreciation for our
newsletter.
Everyone has
the heart to be a true friend of the soul, an
Anam
Cara. By embodying that ideal ourselves we
may serve to help
another to find love and compassion within
themselves.
Our highest nature is always
manifest in
relationship - to all other beings, to the
environment, in relation to our own body and
mind. Becoming mindful of the quality of our
relationships
allows us to learn where the light shines and
where it
needs to shine more. The ideal of Anam
Cara is to
continuously endeaver to expand the depth
and the
inclusiveness of the loving kindness we bring
into
every relationship, every moment, every breath.
If
you have any
suggestions, comments or sharings, for our
newsletter please don't
hesitate to e-mail me and I'll do my best to
respond.
The Anam Cara
Foundation is a 501
(C) 3,
non-profit
educational organization dedicated to
teaching
meditative practices. Our non-
denominational
programs are open to all. There are free
meditation
instructions and downloadable audio files of
guided
meditations on our website.
Thank
you for
the many ways you have shown
support for The Anam Cara
Foundation. Because
of
your gifts we can offer free programs and
instruction to
thousands of people. If you would like to
make a
tax deductible donation please send it to
address
listed below.
I look forward to welcoming you
in person to our programs.
With
all my
appreciation and love,
I thank you all.
May all beings realize complete freedom from suffering and may all our actions reflect only wisdom, compassion, patience and loving kindness.
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