The Art of Ajan Chalermchai Kositpipat

Hukamnama

 saarag mehalaa 5 ||
har har sa(n)th janaa kee jeevan ||
bikhai ras bhog a(n)mrith sukh saagar raam naam ras peevan ||1|| rehaao ||
sa(n)chan raam naam dhhan rathanaa man than bheethar seevan ||
har ra(n)g raa(n)g bheae man laalaa raam naam ras kheevan ||1||
jio meenaa jal sio ourajhaano raam naam sa(n)g leevan ||
naanak sa(n)th chaathrik kee niaaee har boo(n)dh paan sukh thheevan ||2||68||91|


Saarang, Fifth Mehla:
The Lord, Har, Har, is the life of the humble Saints.
 Instead of enjoying corrupt pleasures, they drink in the Ambrosial Essence of the Name of the Lord, the Ocean of Peace. ||1||Pause||
They gather up the priceless wealth of the Lord’s Name, and weave it into the fabric of their mind and body.
Imbued with the Lord’s Love, their minds are dyed in the deep crimson color of devotional love; they are intoxicated with the sublime essence of the Lord’s Name. ||1||
As the fish is immersed in water, they are absorbed in the Lord’s Name.
O Nanak, the Saints are like the rainbirds; they are comforted, drinking in the drops of the Lord’s Name. ||2||68||91|

Biking Zen…and the Art of Orange Pearl

For our 33rd wedding anniversary my husband bought me a beautiful orange bicycle. Now I must say I LOVE this bike!! It is an Electra Townie 7 speed. I ride to town, around town, downtown, on the path, on the street, up the hill, over the hill, around the hill. Needless to say I ride my bike!! These days I begrudge having to start up the car and drive anywhere. I find myself recalculating time frames to allow for biking time to and from whatever is scheduled for the day. Sahaj and I bike down to the coffee stand on the weekends. He gets his coffee and I get my chai. It is a lovely time together, sitting at the table outside in the early morning sunlight and visiting about our week, our thoughts, the garden; we discuss the economy, green living, family and how our lives and perspectives have shifted in our fifites. (We both are enjoying our 50’s).

 

Library books, DVDs, produce etc. get loaded into the bike packs and it is over the river and through the woods (well not really, more like across the street and down into the canyon), which brings me to my favorite part of any given bike ride…the canyon. There is this beautiful dry canyon which runs through our town. Several years back they created a path. There is 3 miles (and still more to come) of trail to ride, walk, run, stroller, roller blade. Everyday, every time…this canyon path is bliss. In the summer, in the morning, it is cool and quiet. Lizards scamper, rock chucks whistle, hawks soar, beetles scurry. No worries. No worries. I make sure no matter where I am biking or whatever errands need to be run I in the end make the final leg of my ride down on the canyon path. Just me and my orange pearl bike cruisin’ the canyon trail, packs filled with books to read, fruit to eat and delightful simplicity.

garden ~ time splendor

Clusters of Lilies…

 scenting my front yard.

 

Golden Delicious Apples

 

Blackberries in the morning sun, plump and jewel-like ripening on the vines

 

Cucumbers trellising

 

Lavender scents and busy busy bees

 

The Scents of Central Oregon Summer

Summertime has come around again and the air is rich with the scents of sage, juniper, sand and lava rocks. I say it again, as it bears repeating, the scent of Central Oregon in the summer is pure bliss. It stops me in my tracks just to inhale long and deep and proclaim “Thank You, Thank You…Thank YOU! It is unlike anything I have ever smelt as the juniper sap runs sweet and pitchy in the heat of the long hot days. At my home this scent mixes with the flowerings of my yard adding the perfume of lilies, honeysuckle, roses, lavender and jasmine. 

 

Summer here is a boon season. The winters in the High Desert are long, cold and gray. The sky, landscape and terrain become monochromatic shades within shades. The scents of winter are sharp upon the senses with smells of wood smoke and cold temperatures. When spring awakens and summer blooms life moves in a swirling kaleidoscope of colors, activities and gatherings invoking all the senses to merge with the abundance of the season. In the towns, the mountains, lakes, rivers, neighborhoods, parks we play filling ourselves up to the brim with sunshine and the overflowing abundance of summer, to be stored as essential nutrients through the winter sustaining us until the crocus emerge from the cold ground with the promise of the return of the season. 

 

I delight in the summer months with its juicy fruits, leisurely bike rides, garden o’ plenty, warm nights and its invitation to come and play. Leave the wash, the vacuuming and the worries of the day, papers upon the desk and bosses voice on the answering machine. Pick it up another day. I have flowers to pick before I head to the concert in the park, sipping limeade as dusk softly descends revealing the sparkling starlight in the midnight blue sky of a summer night.

Maya Angelo ~ Nubian Queen ~ Every Woman Should Have…Every Woman Should Know…

MAYA ANGELOU’S BEST POEM EVER

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
Enough money within her control to move out
And rent a place of her own even if she never wants
To or needs to…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
Something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her
Dreams wants to see her in an hour…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
A youth she’s content to leave behind…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
A past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
Retelling it in her old age…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black
Lace bra…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
One friend who always makes her laugh… And one who
Lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone
Else in her family…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a
Recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
A feeling of control over her destiny…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
How to fall in love without losing herself…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
How to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship …

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
When to try harder… And when to walk away…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
That she can’t change the length of her calves,
The width of her hips, or the nature of her parents…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
That her childhood may not have been perfect…but its
Over…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
What she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
How to live alone… Even if she doesn’t like it…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
Whom she can trust, whom she can’t, and why she shouldn’t
Take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
Where to go… Be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
Or a charming inn in the woods…
When her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
A month…and a year…

MAYA ANGELOU

Calling of The Brothers

MISSING PERSON ~ HILARY SULLIVAN

Hilary Sullivan

DOB: 1944-May-16

Hilary Sullivan was last seen in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver BC on the morning of May 11, 2008. At that time, she left her home in the 4100 blk. W. 12 Ave. Hilary has not been in touch with family or friends since then and they are concerned for her well being.

Hilary is described as a W/F, 5’8, 185, lbs, collar length silver hair, blue eyes and wears glasses.

If seen please stay with her and contact the Vancouver Police Dept at 604-717-3535

Eat, Pray, Love

“…if you sit down with the pure intention to meditate, whatever happens next is none of your business. So why are you judging your experience?”

 

“Just as there exists in writing a literal truth and a poetic truth, there also exists in a human being a literal anatomy and a poetic anatomy. One you can see; one you cannot.  One is made of bones, teeth and flesh; the other is made of energy and memory and faith. But they are both equally true.”

 

“…the rules of transcendence insist that you will not advance even one inch closer to divinity as long as you cling to even one last seductive thread of blame. As smoking is to the lungs, so is resentment to the soul; even one puff of it is bad for you…”

 

Excerpts from the book: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 

may my heart always be open to little… (19)

By e.e. cummings

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it’s sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there’s never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile