no.7
January 9, 2011 Responsibility:
Our Burden...or Our Freedom?
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Greetings!
For many years, whenever I heard the word "responsibility," I had a visceral feeling of something heavy, something that was a burden! And yet in spite of this, there was a voice inside of me that said, "It is important to take responsibility for your life. Otherwise you will have to give it to others ... and then you are REALLY SCREWED!"
Thus my journey began, to understand what responsibility REALLY meant!
In this issue of the newsletter we will share some insights that may give a different feeling, a different understanding of what "responsibility" is. It may help open the door to more personal freedom, instead of creating more personal burden!
We hope you find the contents of value.
With love
Subhan
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Quotes of the Moment:  | Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else. ~Ivern Ball
The great thought, the great concern, the great anxiety of men is to restrict, as much as possible, the limits of their own responsibility. ~Giosué Borsi
We have the Bill of Rights. What we need is a Bill of Responsibilities. ~Bill Maher
Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame. ~Erica Jong
When you blame others, you give up your power to change. ~Author Unknown
The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny. ~Albert Ellis
Duty is what one expects from others. ~Oscar Wilde
You are not responsible for the programming you picked up in childhood. However, as an adult, you are one hundred percent responsible for fixing it. ~Ken Keyes, Jr.
God has entrusted me with myself. ~Epictetus
We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until... we have stopped saying "It got lost," and say "I lost it." ~Sidney J. Harris
Freedom can never be a burden. The moment you accept total responsibility, you become free to be whatever your nature demands, to be whatever your nature deserves. And only when you fulfill your destiny -- alone -- finding your path, risking everything for the search, then life is no more just vegetating. Then life is a song, a dance, a deep ecstasy. Osho
The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs. ~Joan Didion
The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it. Lou Holtz
Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off. Colin Powell
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. Jim Rohn
"The reason people blame things on the previous generation is that there's only one other choice. Doug Larson
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A Quick Glance at Upcoming Events.... (For details, check out our Web calendar, by clicking HERE. | Events, Workshops, & Classes: January - February - March
Special Events
*January 22nd (Saturday) 10am - 11pm!
A Day of Meditation and Celebration!
(For those of you who appreciate Osho's contribution to the world, it is also a celebration
of his life and the 21st anniversary
of his leaving the earth!)
Schedule: Dynamic at 10am; Brunch, at 11:30am; Nadabrahma at 1pm; Kundalini at 3:15pm; Potluck at 5:30pm; Satsang with live music and an Osho video at 8pm; and then dancing and connecting until 11pm!
All [including Brunch] for $25.
Or come for one or more meditations @ $8 each.
*January 31st-February 6th [8pm each night]. One Week of Darkness Meditation - an Ancient Essene practice! Each night, the meditation in absolute darkness goes deeper! This is an experience NOT TO BE MISSED! Come join us, Monday thru Sunday.
*March 25th - 27th Awakening of Love (an Introduction to the Path of Love Experience). [To see the details click here.]
Workshops
*January 28th - 30th Finding the Work You Love, Finding the Life You Love Workshop.
[At The World of Meditation].
Throughout the weekend, you will move through four explorations: How can I discover what fulfills me? How do I translate what I enjoy into real marketplace opportunities? What are the obstacles that stop me from taking steps to pursue my ideas and dreams? And how do I deal with these obstacles? For more information, click here; to register, call 206-772-8897: or write us at info@findingtheworkyoulove.com; Fee: $150.
See below for MORE information!
*February 12th Journey to the Heart - Valentine's Saturday Workshop; 11am - 5pm. A perfect way to usher in Valentine's Day with Heart Meditations. Fee: $45. Held at World of Meditation - Offered through NSCC. To register (206) 527 - 3705; or online - click here.
Classes *January 18th - March 8th 7pm - 9pm Meditation: From Chatter to Peace of Mind; Meditation simply means a silence which brings serenity to the heart, the mind, and the being. By meditating you can create more relaxation, clarity and self-acceptance, while benefiting your health, relationships and work. Each class will explore different meditation techniques. Beginners and seasoned meditators welcomed! The instructor is a certified meditation facilitator with thirty years experience in teaching meditation worldwide. Bring a mat or large towel and a pillow to class. An 8-week course (Tues.) at North Seattle Community College (NSCC). Item: 7118 7:00pm - 9:00pm; On Campus Location: CC 1254A; Fee: $95.00. To register, call NSCC at (206) 527 - 3705; or register online - click here.
*January 19th - March 9th 7pm - 9pm Finding the Work You Love, Finding the Life You Love - The Class; Throughout the course, you will move through four explorations: How can I discover what fulfills me? How do I translate what I enjoy into real marketplace opportunities? What are the obstacles that stop me from taking steps to pursue my ideas and dreams? And how do I deal with these obstacles? An 8-week course (Weds.) at North Seattle Community College (NSCC). Item: 7122; 7:00pm - 9:00pm; On campus location: CC3457 Fee: $115. To register, call NSCC at (206) 527 - 3705; or register online - click here.
*January 24th - February 14th 7pm - 9pm Four Steps to More Satisfying Relationships; Relationships can be both the most rewarding and the most difficult experiences we have in our lives! They include: family members, friends and acquaintances, lovers and spouses (and ex-spouses too!), children, neighbors, and co-workers and bosses. Each week we will explore the issues and conflicts that arise in relationships and learn how to use effective tools to deal with and resolve them. The facilitator, Subhan Schenker, a certified counselor, has been assisting individuals and couples with relationship issues for over twenty years. A 4-week course on Mondays at North Seattle Community College; Item: 7205; Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm; On Campus Location: ED 2841A; Fee: $65.00. To register, call NSCC at (206) 527 - 3705; or register online - click here.
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Finding the Work You Love,
Finding the Life You Love -
a Weekend Workshop.
January 28th - 30th. | |
Here is what people are saying about
this workshop and Subhan:
 "Subhan's work was not just informative, but life affirming and motivating. The processes we practiced really helped me get to a place of clarity and confidence. By the end of the course, I had decided to go back to school, which I had been unclear of for a while. I am also more willing to take some risks and try new things that I hadn't thought of before in the area of making connections.
I would highly recommend his work for anyone unsure of their choice of work, or what direction they are going in. You will not be disappointed." Nicole Nicolaisen, Seattle, WA.
"I thought the workshop was very helpful for all areas of life not just with one's career. It helps people step outside of their comfort zone to do some self reflecting and identify the real issue that is keeping them from going after their dreams. I have learned to step outside of my fears...." Vonnetta Ewing, recruiting consultant, Washington, D.C.
"To anyone hesitating about taking this class: I've spent the past couple decades of my life searching for a career that best fits me. I've read many career books over the years that did very little to help. As most people know, this is frustrating and being in the wrong career is literally detrimental to your health. After running out of options, I decided on a leap of faith and took the "Finding the Work You Love" class. I accomplished more in one weekend with this class than I did in two decades. The instructor, Subhan, combines career discovering strategies that really work with a life-long multidisciplinary experience that most other instructors or career book writers lack. All of the other participants had similar feelings about the class. People spend their money on many things (many that do little for their REAL benefit), but this is one class that will definitely have its return! I highly recommend to anyone the "Finding the Work You Love" class."
-Jeremy K., Seattle, WA
Join us for the Workshop!
Times: Friday: 7:00pm-10:00 pm; Sat: 9am-7pm; Sun: 9:00am-5pm;
Place: The World of Meditation Center, 9709 46th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98115
The group size is limited.
To register, or for more information, tel: 206-772-8897;
email: info@FindingtheWorkYouLove.com;
Fee: $150 for the whole weekend!
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| Jokes for Your Funny Bone! | Some Things to tickle your fancy!
Teamwork...
Teamwork is essential - it allows you to blame someone else.
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We live in a society where pizza gets to your house before the police.
If God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.
If 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea... does that mean that one enjoys it?
The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
He who smiles in a crisis has found someone to blame.
Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.
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ABOUT THE
WORLD OF MEDITATION...
Here is a wonderful quote about meditation:
What's encouraging about meditation is that even if we shut down, we can no longer shut down in ignorance. We see very clearly that we're closing off. That in itself begins to illuminate the darkness of ignorance.
A further sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it's time to stop struggling and look directly at what's threatening us. Pema Chodron
Join us for meditation whenever you can...at the World of Meditation!!
For more information, call us at 206-772-8897 or write us at: info@worldofmeditation.com.
With love,
Shanti and Subhan
[This newsletter is © 2011 World of Meditation]
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Save 10%
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And CDs at
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Save 10% on any book in stock at the World of Meditation! Plus, get any CD in stock at our wholesale price! The World of Meditation
9709 46th Ave NE,
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206-772-8897
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Be Responsible for Your Life
Osho
This is the first truth to be learned in life: that you are always responsible, nobody else. With that comes great freedom, because with that all alternatives are open. If you think that somebody else is responsible then you are a slave; then nothing is open. Then you have to be what you are. If your life is a tragedy then it has to be a tragedy, because others are responsible; unless they change, nothing can be done about it. You don't have any freedom.
And that is the reason why millions of people live in misery: they think others are creating their misery. Nobody is creating your misery, nobody can create it; and nobody can create your bliss either. It is a totally individual phenomenon. It is just your work upon yourself.
And the strangest thing is: to create misery is difficult and to create bliss is easy, but people always choose the difficult thing, because the difficult thing always gives them an ego-trip. The ego is not interested in easy things; the ego is interested only in difficult things. The more impossible a thing looks, the more attractive it feels for the ego, because the ego feels a challenge, and only through challenge can it conquer, can it prove to the world 'I am somebody special.'
Misery gives you challenge: bliss is very simple. Trees are blissful, birds are blissful. It needs no special talent to be blissful. To be miserable needs talents, one has to be really very, very clever to be miserable.
So the first truth has to sink deep in the heart: 'I am always responsible for whatsoever I am. Bliss or misery, this is my choice. If I have chosen to be miserable, then there is no need to be sad about it; this is my choice and I am doing my thing.' Feel happy that you have succeeded in being miserable! If this is not your choice, drop it immediately, drop all those patterns that create it and start creating new patterns, new doors from where bliss starts flowing.
For example, the person who wants to be miserable has to think in terms of fighting with life; that is his gestalt. He is always fighting. The person who wants to be blissful has to be a non-fighter, surrendered to life, in a kind of let-go. The person who wants to be miserable has to create great ideals, has to make impossible demands upon himself. Then only can you be miserable; otherwise you will not be miserable. You have to be this, you have to be that, and when you cannot be, frustration settles in.
The man who wants to be blissful has no ideals at all, he is a non-idealist; he is a realist. The miserable person is always an idealist. The happy person, the blissful person, is a realist: he lives moment to moment with no ideals. You cannot frustrate him because he has no expectations. The miserable person always condemns himself because he is not rising high enough to fulfill the demands. He is a constant condemner; he lives in self-condemnation. The blissful person is very accepting of himself. He makes no demands. He is relaxed, at ease with himself; he loves himself as he is.
So you have to watch: that which creates misery, drop; and that which brings bliss like a flood, create that space in you. And my whole effort here is to make each of you a song of bliss: not miserable saints, not long faces, but celebrants! I am interested in celebrants, not in saints at all. So let your life become a celebration; and it is up to you! It is possible and it is easy!
OSHO
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Redefining and Owning "Responsibility"
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I looked up the meaning and synonyms of "responsibility" at thesaurus.com, and found it to mean, among other things: blame, burden, duty, fault, liability, obligation and onus. No wonder we don't want to take "responsibility" for our lives - it's just too HEAVY! However there are many times when I enjoy the feeling of being responsible and it is a light, freeing feeling! So I checked where I often check to find a different perspective - I checked what Osho had to say about the root meaning of the word. What he said turned the word into a work of art. Here is what he said:
"The word "responsibility" has been continuously used in a wrong way. It gives a feeling of burden: you have to do it, it is a duty; if you don't do it you will feel guilty. I want to remind you that the word `responsibility' has none of those connotations. Break the word in two -- response-ability -- and you enter a totally different meaning of the word, in a different direction. Response-ability is not a burden. It is not a duty; it is not something you have to do in spite of yourself. Response-ability simply means spontaneous response. Whatever situation arises, joyously you respond to it, with your totality, with your intensity. And this response will not only change the situation, it will also change you. There are two words to be remembered: one is "reaction" and one is "response-ability." Most people react, they don't respond. Reaction comes from your memory, from your past experiences, from your knowledge; it is always inadequate in a fresh, new situation. And existence is continuously fresh. So if you act according to your past, that is reaction. But that reaction is not going to change the situation, it is not going to change you, and you will be in utter failure. Response is moment-to-moment. It has nothing to do with memory, it has something to do with your awareness. You see the situation with clarity; you are clean, silent, serene. Out of this serenity, spontaneously you act. It is not reaction, it is action. You have never done it before, but the beauty of it is that it will suit the situation, and it will be a joy to you to know that you are capable of being spontaneous. There are very few joys in life greater than spontaneity. Spontaneity means to be in the moment; it means acting out of your awareness, not acting according to your old conditionings. Those days are gone -- those conditions, conceptions are absolutely invalid."
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And, to come full circle with the introduction to this newsletter, I realize how important it is for me to take 100% responsibility for my life. Here is what I wrote a while back:
Take 100% responsibility for your life.
Anything less...and you're screwed.
Take 100% responsibility for what you do and don't do.
Take 100% responsibility for the consequences of your acts.
Take 100% responsibility for your judgments of others and turn them around, seeing how they reflect you.
Take 100% responsibility for your reactions to what others do.
Take 100% responsibility for the misery in your life.
Take 100% responsibility for the joy in your life.
Take 100% responsibility for not doing what you love to do.
Take 100% responsibility for doing what you DON'T enjoy.
Take 100% responsibility for saying "yes" when you feel a "no".
Take 100% responsibility for saying "no" when you feel a "yes".
Take 100% responsibility for not acting on your gut feeling.
Take 100% responsibility for being exactly who you are.
Take 100% responsibility for how you deal with EVERYTHING.
Take 100% responsibility for not taking responsibility.
Take 100% responsibility for your health.
Take 100% responsibility for what is and isn't working in your life.
Take 100% responsibility for who you keep company with.
Take 100% responsibility for the "seeds" you plant in your life and what grows from them.
Take 100% responsibility for all the little things that happen in your life, as well as the big ones.
Take 100% responsibility for what you eat and drink.
Take 100% responsibility for what you see and don't see, hear and don't hear, and feel and don't feel.
Even if you take 99%, that other 1% will run your life by creating blame, resentment, dependence, misery...and perpetual disappointment! So why not go all the way to 100% and experience what happens in your life! It may look impossible, and yet it is the ONLY WAY to be FREE!
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*The Awakening of Love :
An Introductory Weekend to the
Path of Love
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with Satyarthi PeloquinMarch 25th - 27th.
Fri. 7pm - 10pm; Sat. 12 noon - 9pm;
Sun 10pm - 7pm
Awakening of Love
Awakening of Love is a gentle and unique 2-1/2 day workshop designed to shake the dust off your heart and give you a taste of the
Path of Love Workshop, a 7-Day process.
The workshop is about discovering ways to be more authentic and honest, connecting with yourself and others in ways that create trust and joy. We all have a longing for love and to be seen and heard. This work is about awakening
that longing inside of us.
Awakening of Love is for people who truly want change in their lives.
We work with honest, loving self exposure, supporting you to connect with your true strength and value through unique exercises and meditations.
These days will ignite your passion to realize your true potential and to live with an open heart. From this place of self love and trust, life becomes an invitation into the unknown and anything is possible.
We welcome you to join us on this Awakening adventure.
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Satyarthi Peloquin has been leading training programs for the last 34 years. He is the creator of the internationally known form of Body Therapy, Holistic Pain Healing, a psychosomatic and deep massage method that releases pain at its roots. He is a senior facilitator at the Learning Love Institute and has been leading workshops in Learning Love for the past 10 years
For 10 years he has been a leader in the Path of Love and has been deeply involved with this work for 17 years. He has been trained in Trauma Healing, Co-Dependency, Structural Integration, many forms of bodywork, Family Constellations, Neo Reichian and Hypnosis.
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For more information or to register, call 206-772-8897, or write
info@worldofmeditation.com; Cost: $250.
**************A Message from Subhan:
I participated in this past October's Path of Love Group in Colorado.
It was a life altering experience for me.
If you know me, you know that I do not say that lightly!
Satyarthi, one of the group's main facilitators, will be in Seattle in March, facilitating this wonderful introduction to the week-long Path of Love experience.
Don't miss this opportunity....
Subhan 
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January & February Meditations
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Cost: $8 per meditation (or $5 with a 10 meditation pass with no expiration date, which costs $50)
Mondays: 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Jan. 3rd Nadabrahma Meditation
Jan. 10th Chakra Sounds
Jan. 17thTratak Meditation
Jan. 24th Gourishankar Meditation
Jan. 31st Darkness Meditation Week
Feb. 7th Nataraj (Dance) Meditation
Feb. 14th Valentine's Heart Meditations
Feb. 21st Nadabrahma Meditation
Feb. 28th Osho Audio/Video Discourse
Wednesdays: 5:15pm - 6:15pm Kundalini Meditation
Jan. 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th.
Feb. 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd .
[Also - Feb. 2nd 8:00pm - Darkness Meditation]
Thursdays: 8:00pm - 9:30pm:
Jan. 6th Kundalini Meditation
Jan. 13th No Dimensions Meditation
Jan. 20th Wave Dance Meditation
Jan. 27th No Mind Meditation
Feb. 3rd Darkness Meditation Week
Feb. 10th Chakra Breathing
Feb. 17th Mongolian Tantra Chakra Meditation
Feb. 24th Kundalini Meditation
Saturdays: 10:00am Dynamic Meditation Jan. 8th, 15th , 22nd , [No med. 29th .] Feb. 5th, 12th (9:00am), 19th, 26th. [Also: Feb. 5th 8:00pm - Darkness Meditation] Satsang Meditation with live music Saturday, January 22nd : 5:30pm - 7:30pm Potluck; 8:00pm: Satsang with live music, followed by dancing. [Part of Osho Meditation Celebration Day. See below.] Saturday, February 26th - 6:00pm - 7:30pm Potluck; 8:00pm: Satsang with live music, followed by dancing. Osho Celebration! Jan. 22nd! 10am Dynamic; 11:30 Brunch; 1pm Nadabrahma; 3:15pm Kundalini; 5:30pm potluck; 8pm Satsang. Cost: $25 for whole day including brunch; or $8 per meditation/$7 brunch. (Please bring a vegetarian potluck dish for the satsang.) SPECIAL! Darkness Meditation - Monday, Jan. 31st - Sunday, Feb. 6th 8:00pm One Week of sitting for one hour in Absolute Darkness!
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The World's Best Incense -
from Japan!
|  While living in Japan in the 1990's, we discovered the best incense that we had ever experienced. This company has been making quality incense for over 400 years! We will soon be getting in a shipment of this delightful Japanese incense - in the next two weeks. Most packages are priced at or below $5. Ask us about our incense...and try some to enhance your meditation experience! |
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