The DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance

Thursday 31st Of March 2005

"Truth will go anywhere to rescue anyone.

You need only be ready to come back home.

It makes no difference how long or far you have wandered.

Since Truth does not fear what you fear, it can seek and find you in the deepest jungle, and guide you back to where youreally belong.

"....VERNON HOWARD

The DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance

Wednesday 30th Of March 2005 "

A chief cause of unhappiness is what I call MENTAL MOVIES. Mental movies are a misuse of the imagination. You know how it goes. You have a painful experience with someone, then runit over and over in your mind. You visualize what you said, what he did, how you both felt. As awful as it is, you feel compelled to repeat the film day and night. It is as if you were locked inside a theater playing a horror movie.

To break out be aware that you ARE running a mental movie. Be conscious of its mechanical hold on your mind. Then, by deliberate choice, break it off. Shake your head and break it off. Now, at this instant, take a quick look. Where is your pain? It is not there. It has disappeared. You have now accomplished something great. You have proved that you CAN snap the film and its tyrannical pain. You are free and you are free RIGHT NOW.

Try the above method for yourself. Even though you succeed at first for just a split second, you have succeeded completely! Now realizing that small success is possible, you can advance to great success!"....VERNON HOWARD

The DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance

"Starting today begin to observe yourself in action. Whether you conduct business, or work in the home, or talk with a neighbor,whatever you do, watch yourself doing it. Alert self-observation is your first technique for self-awakening.

Here is a specific example. Right now, as you are reading this, notice your physical self. What is the position of your hands?Are your muscles unnecessarily tense? Be aware of the expression on your face. See everything possible about your physical self.

At the start, it is easier to become aware of physical items, but proceed from the outer to the inner. Observe the thoughts that pass through your mind when watching the news on television. Be consciousof the emotions you feel when criticized by someone.

Neither condemn nor approve ANYTHING you see in yourself. Just casually and impartially watch whatever is there. Reveal yourself to yourself. This self-knowledge is power for self-change."

....VERNON HOWARD

The DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance

"Now we come to an extremely important idea to grasp.
No one really fears the exterior world. You are not really afraid of domineering people or unexpected events or alarming news. Not at all.

YOU FEAR YOUROWN WEAKNESS IN HANDLING THE DAILY WORLD.

You feel at the mercy of everything, helpless like a butterfly caught in a storm.

Always remember this. It can start to change everything.
If you were inwardly stronger than the exterior crisis would you tremble before it? Never.

Does a tiger fear a rabbit? Inner power is the tiger that roams confidentlyaround the human jungle fearing nothing."

....VERNON HOWARD

DALY GURU

Wednesday 23rd Of March 2005

"Q: How can I create the desire to be free?

A: You do not need to create it; you already have it. As a matter of fact, you cannot escape it no matter what you do.Your part is to awaken to it, become increasingly aware ofits call, and to answer that call with a mounting YES."

....VERNON HOWARD

DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance

Sunday 20th Of March 2005

"There is only one basic cause of human frustration-and one cure.

A feeling of human frustration arises when unnecessary desires are blocked.

There it is. Just ten words.

Understand them deeply and your life will flow as freely as a mountain brook."

....VERNON HOWARD

DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance 18th Of March 2005

"For a healthy day, use this exercise.

Interrupt your mind several times each day to ask, "Where was I a moment ago?"

You will be appalled to see how often you were wandering in dangerous places, both mentally and emotionally.

Maybe you were in storm of anger or in a jungle of despair.

This insight urges you to stay in quiet places where you are in control of yourself.

Self-command means you don't bother to notice whether society pelts you with rocks or flowers."

....VERNON HOWARD

DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance 18th Of March 2005

Friday 18th Of March 2005

"For a healthy day, use this exercise. Interrupt your mind several times each day to ask, "Where was I a moment ago?"

You will be appalled to see how often you were wandering in dangerous places, both mentally and emotionally. Maybe you were in storm of anger or in a jungle of despair.

This insight urges you to stay in quiet places where you are in control of yourself.

Self-command means you don't bother to notice whether society pelts you with rocks or flowers."

....VERNON HOWARD

The DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance

Wednesday 16th

Of March 2005 "What I'm about to tell you is so important, please write it down:

Seek insight into your self, not happiness."

....VERNON HOWARD

The DAILY GURU...Daily Spiritual Guidance

Tuesday 15th Of March 2005

"As a simple guide, remember that spiritual health consists ofeverything which is conscious, while unhealth is everythingwhich is suppressed into unconscious mental layers. Any at-tempt to make the unconscious conscious is healthy."

....VERNON HOWARD

WEEKEND GURU

Saturday 12th Of March 2005

"Q. I have one of the maladies described in your books, that of a burdensome sense of responsibility, attended by guiltyfeelings that I am not doing my part in life. Can you cure me?

A. The facts can. Your sense of responsibility is false, createdby the illusion that you understand life. The moment you honestlyand clearly see that you don't know what to do, release appears.Illusions create false duties, which create false guilts."

VERNON HOWARD

Sunday 13th Of March 2005

"A mature mind sees long-distance cause and effect. An immature mind sees onlyinstant ego-gratification regardless of the consequences."

- Vernon Howard

DAILY GURU

Thursday 10th Of March 2005

Do you sometimes wonder what is beneath what you call your "I"? Do you go through life without ever thinking what is your real essence, and who you really are? By the term "your inner ", I don't mean your personality, character or who you are socially or financially, because these are labels, descriptions of outer personality or what you do for a living.

You can find this inner I. The truth is that you do not have to search for it. It is not something external to be found. You are this "inner I", but instead of looking inside and finding it, you look at the outside world.

This" inner I" is your consciousness, your awareness of being alive and existing. It exists here and now, and you are constantly aware of it without even knowing. It is your inner essence. Some call it the Spirit. The concept of "inner I" is so simple, yet so difficult to convey in words. We use words to describe everything, but here we have limitations. Words are the products of the mind, but this "I" is above the mind, so how can the mind describe something that is above it?
Your "inner I" is not your character or personality. It is not your behavior or habits. It is not your thoughts, feelings or thoughts, yet it is a very real thing.

DAILY GURU

Saturday 8th Of March 2005 The purpose of meditation is to "unlearn" all the wrong concepts and come to realize who we really are. This realization may be mental at first, until we really KNOW. We are not the physical body, the ego, our thoughts or our feelings, but something else. By delving inside ourselves, into the feeling or sensation, which can be termed as "I am", we come to know ourselves. It is nothing external or new that we get. This feeling of "I am" is always with us. We simply let the mind flow outside, to sense objects, and so "lose" this feeling. It is something that has always been, always is, and will always be. Nothing new is to be gained. This Real "something" is like a bulb of light that is always lit, but is covered by many sheets. What we have to do is to strip away the sheets. These sheets are our thoughts, feelings, ideas, and mental habits. By stripping them away, we see the internal Light. Look inside yourself and try to examine and be conscious of the feeling or sensation you have of yourself. I mean just the feeling that you are alive and existing. Concentrate on what you feel is your essence. This feeling that you are, is actually always with you, no matter what you are doing, or where you are. It is an invariable and continuous factor, but it is clouded by the five senses and by thoughts. It is not something theoretical, metaphorical, or mystical. It is a fact. It is the common experience of everybody. Yet it is ignored because of the outward flow of the senses and the mind. Do not expect trumpets and a red carpet when you become conscious of this feeling, because it is always been there, only at the back of your head.

DAILY GURU

Monday, 7 March 2005

To meditate we need at least some ability to concentrate. It does not mean that without proper training in concentration we will not be able to meditate. Even if concentration is foreign to us, we can start practicing meditation. The practice itself strengthens the powers of concentration. But a prior ability of concentration is a great asset that speeds up our progress.

According to the teaching of the Indian philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, there is no separate self, all is One. It is only illusion, Maya, that clouds our vision. If we accept this premise, then we can say that the Absolute Self, the One, or whatever name you give to Absolute principle, "creates" bodies and looks at its "creations" through the body's eyes. This causes the illusion of many selves. The Absolute may be described as One, homogenous whole, but through illusion, delusion, ignorance, and wrong thinking there is the belief in separation, of multitudes of units.

Everyone is very much engrossed in this illusion. There is " I", "You", "She", "They", etc. We believe in separate selves, and identify with a body, a family, a nation, or a race.

DAILY GURU

Saturday 5th Of March 2005

Meditation relaxes the body, calms the mind, and minimizes tension. After a period of practice, the racing and rushing of thoughts in the mind slow down, not only during meditation, but also in daily life. Happiness increases along the way. Tolerance, love, understanding, inner power and fearlessness increase too. The concentration ability gets sharpened and the mind become stronger, and under control. The ability to enjoy the present moment increases. Criticizing and blaming others ceases, or at least decreases. Practicality, strength, happiness and satisfaction increase.

All meditation techniques are means to the same final target. Most of them are ways to develop concentration, which is the ability to pay attention to one object or subject, and withholding the mind from running around. The final goal of meditation is to reach our real "I", to empty the mind from thoughts, and to be conscious of the residue, which is Pure Awareness. Along the way there are many benefits that have already been mentioned in the previous paragraph.

DAILY GURU

Friday 4th Of March 2005

Imagine yourself standing on the beach, watching the waves rushing to the shore, and then return back to the ocean. Feel the cool, pleasant breeze, and breath in the intoxicating smell of the ocean's water. Tune in to the feeling of calmness that you experience now. Stay with this image and feeling for a while.

It is pleasant, isn't it? It does not matter that this scene is taking place in your imagination and is not real. You have been successful in invoking feelings associated with being on the beach. You were in engaged in some sort of meditation. Was it difficult?

In the last fifty years meditation has become popular, and people are becoming aware of its benefits. Many erroneously believe that it is only a means to relax the body and mind, when actually it is a lot more than this. Life in the West is full of tension and rush, so meditation has become erroneously recognized as a technique for relaxation. Relaxation is very important, but it is only one of the by-products of meditation, and not the end aim.

DAILY GURU

Thursday 3rd Of March 2005

You may ask: " Why do we need to be aware of our consciousness? We have lived our life, and we never thought about it before. Why now?"

We are this consciousness, and therefore we need to know about ourselves. If we own a car, don't we want to know, at least superficially, how to handle it better? If we own a television set, a mobile phone, or some other electrical appliance, don't we want to know how to use it efficiently, and understand, at least a little, how it works?

Most people do not utilize all the possibilities and functions of the appliances they have at home, because they do not know of these possibilities. Do you know and make use of everything your VCR or computer can do?

It is the same with consciousness. The more we know and understand it experimentally, the more conscious we become. We can then utilize its inherent potential and power. Calmness, peace of mind, freedom from worry, inner strength and happiness are some of the by-products of becoming conscious and aware of our consciousness.

DAILY GURU

Wednesday 2nd Of March 2005

Watch your consciousness, the feeling and sensation of being aware and alive, and observe what you feel. I do not mean that you look at the contents of your mind. I mean becoming fully aware and conscious of the sensation of being alive and existing. Some ability of concentration is needed to perform this simple exercise, because the mind with its thoughts will probably try to stand in your way.

This consciousness is not the awareness of the body or of the emotions or thoughts, but it is an awareness of what is beyond, when all these are dropped. By strengthening this awareness you do not cease to be and lose your consciousness. You become more conscious, but in a different way.

What I have just said may sound strange or meaningless, but this is because you may have never thought about your consciousness or tried to be aware of it. This consciousness is our inner being, and there is nothing mysterious or mystical about it. We experience it constantly, but never investigate or try to be consciously and intently aware of it.

This is because the mind and the attention flow outside, and rarely inside.

DAILY GURU

The attainment of serenity of mind, which is actually freedom from the compulsion of incessant thinking, is open for everyone, provided the proper training is taken. Just reading this article you will not bring you peace of mind.
When you understand the value of inner peace, and you have a true desire to succeed, nothing can stand in your way.

Though this is an inner power, the way to its attainment is not different from other tangible goals. Work and persistence are necessary.
Most people are enslaved by their thoughts.
It does not occur to man that he can become free from their grasp.
From the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we fall asleep at night, this chatter of the mind continues incessantly.

The habit of thinking is very deeply ingrained in the human race.
Yet, this habit can be undone. To change or stop a habit we have to act consciously in the opposite direction.
Whatever new skill we develop, we have to work at it until it turns into second nature, and becomes easy to perform.

The same is with mind control.