THE ANSWER

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

The answer my friends as corny as it sounds is love. Now I am realizing the answers are rather simple, the problem is the implementation. It is so easy to get caught up in our own daily lives. It is important to always take a step back and see am I applying love? It is working across the board when I remember to use Love. From being a father to my professional life. Love is the answer.

God is Love. If you want to know God love everyone and everything with all your heart! If you can achieve that then you will truly know God.

METAPHOR ON OUR DUALITY

I have two sons one is almost 4 years old and the younger one is almost 2. They sometimes fight each other and sometimes they are at peace. I feel this is similar to the spiritual and the mechanical sides of us. Sometimes they fight, sometimes they shine on their own, but when they "play" or "work" together it is a thing of pure beauty.

Mother Teresa

I read an interesting article about Mother Teresa today. It seems she had many doubts about her faith. This came out around the time that she died. I dismissed it because I thought everyone has doubts at some points in their life, but I felt drawn to it for some reason today.

She calls it her "darkness" it was a huge burden for her because she wanted to feel Christ like she did when he originally called her to her ministry, but alas she was not satisfied. Eventually with the counsel of a priest friend she was able to live with the "darkness".

Now some would say why am I writing about this? Or if I am a true Catholic I would push this to the back and not talk about it. I believe this actually will HELP people with doubts. You see Mother Teresa although felt an absence of God STILL KEPT ON GOING WITH HER MISSION! That in itself is a testimony in faith. I believe a lot of people have doubts of the existence of God. I think it is a natural part of spiritual growth to doubt. But we must push forward. Never lose hope or faith in the journey to finding Truth.

I am finding now a days that you don't seek God in the sense of entering an address into a GPS and driving around until you reach your destination. No. You see God is love. Whenever we give love we are seeing God. When we are OPEN to him we see God. When we live in the moment and have gratitude for the small things we are experiencing God.

So ultimately Mother Teresa's doubts actually boosted my faith. If such a loyal servant of God had serious doubts, then there is hope for me/us yet!

Here the article if you are interested:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1655415,00.html

Self Observation

This is a fascinating technique to examine yourself. What you do is simple, but profound. Just step "outside of yourself" and observe your emotions with a nonjudgmental totally unbiased way. Almost as though you are a scientist doing an experiment and noting information to use in a research paper. It has work wonders for me and the improvement of the "inner Jijo"

For example I have been dealing with someone at work that is a contrarian. You know the type you encounter from time to time. He/she always wants to disagree. You say the sky is blue he/she will say, "well not really you see there are clouds in the sky so technically it is white sometimes and when it is getting ready to rain it can turn grey....." ARRRRAAGGGGHHHH!!!!

Now in the scenario above I would have in the past dismissed it as his/her problem, but with self observation I look at myself. Why am I getting so upset about that person. Look deep. I see, I feel he/she is just trying to be difficult. Look deeper. My point is so right how good he/she disagree with me! Look deeper. I want to be right all the time. Look deeper. It hurts my ego when people disagree with me! AHHAAAA!!!!! Now we are getting somewhere. It is that ego again!

Now the trick is with these discoveries is to not judge because I tend to do that a lot. I think oh my goodness why can't I be more humble. The trick is to be AWARE of it. Awareness is everything. There is a saying "the truth shall set you free" I believe "Awareness shall set you free".

On that note I highly recommend Antony DeMelo's book "Awareness" he explains all this much better than I could possible dream of doing.

Try it out. See if self observation works for you. Just be ready to be humbled!

What to do? What to do?

A woman runs naked through the jungle
Carrying her baby trying not to stumble
They were bathing in the river, but when the soilders came
The fear she felt over powered any and all shame

A 10 year old boy holds his baby brother
Recently orphaned now all they have is each other
Their faces in shock it happened so fast
Unable to explain the horrible bomb blast

A peasant farmer feds himself and family pesticide
The only way to escape starvation, suicide
All the debt, failed crop, attempt after attempt
Loan after loan all the bank money spent

What to do? What to do? I ask God's people
But redemption is not located under a church steeple
Free your mind, God taught us to love
Wise as a serpent, humble as a dove

Babysitting Waves

Watching children is like being by the seashore and watching the waves. Everything is peaceful and then CRASH! A temper tantrum. The water recedes and there is peace then CRASH! Someone falls off the couch! Then there is peace. Such is the rhythm of parenthood and babysitting!

...there are times when a tsunami hits, but always remember the water will eventually recede!

More traffic please

Recently I have noticed that traffic is rather light. I have been rejoicing at this, but then I realized something. The jobless rate is at something like 8% which could explain the light traffic. Less jobs less cars going to work. If that is the reason oh Lord please let there be traffic....

Moment Meditation

It is an ere feeling. I feel at this moment, my life is a meditation. All I am doing even the menial tasks have great meaning. It fades away once I get to my job, but I guess I need to be mechanical there. It comes back at home. There is a quite satisfaction in it. I dont' even feel like watching TV! I wish I could always feel like this.

Again egotism gets in the way. You never realize how much ego you have until you are attempting to be humble....

The Kingdom of God

I want to tell you all about the kingdom of God. Ok for those of you that are still reading it is not a lecture in the sense of a conventional lecture. I am not speaking of a world were humans with wings flap around and play the harp. A place were cherubs fly around in ecstasy. No I speak of something totally different.

You see the Kingdom of God is inside all of us! It is all the blessings God has put in us. All the skills, all the emotions (even all the "bad" ones). We are to use these emotions, and skills seek them out and use them. You see our mind, bodies, and souls are like a home were the master is away and the servants (the skills and emotions) have run a muck. We are to be present in our body by being present in the moment, and find and refine all the "servants" to serve God.

The Bible also says "seek our the Kingdom of God and all will be added unto you" my brothers and sisters this is so true. I see it manifesting in my daily life. I can finally say with all faith and respect praise God!

When reading the Bible or any holy text always look for the deeper meaning. The inner development meaning. I did and it is changing my life!

Banzai tree update

There is something almost therapeutic about caring for the Banzai tree. It started with making sure the breakfast bar was not too cluttered. Of course I do not want a hostile environment for my little friend. It goes deeper. Just to look at it gives me a certain peace. It is hard to explain. I love that plant!

My gardener planted a bunch of vegetables for me without asking! So thank God once again we will have fresh vegetables with no effort from us. (Last year my sister in law did all the planting) All I need to do is water them and pluck the fruit.

It is totally a great feeling to care for a garden or a plant. I highly recommend it. Especially the Juniper Banzai (I hope he does not die on me...I hope I hope I hope...)

Trying to see God

I try to see God in everything I do. It is driving me today. I wish I felt like this everyday.

I hear God when I listen to the morning birds sing.
I see God when I see how much my sons have grown.
I feel God's love when my wife cooks me a special dinner.
He is everywhere, he is in me, he is in us.
Close your eyes so you can see. Feel his warm embrace.
God is love, He is hope, He is truth.

AAAAAMEN!!!!!!!!

Left brain right brain

People. We are doing something wrong as a human race when we raise our children. We feed and nurture the left part of the brain which is logic, intellect, mechanical, the money maker. Meanwhile the right side is malnourished and dying. This is the artistic, the abstract, the spiritual side.

Why do we have all these wars, hate, and destruction? Arrested Development had a great song back in the day called "Mr Wendel" and it had a great line, "...y'all spend all this money on these colleges and most of y'all come out confused" We are loading our children's minds with all this ammunition, but they have no idea where to aim the powerful weapon which IS their minds.

I had my three year old meditating. Albeit a simple and extremely short session I was proud that he kept his eyes closed and followed through. This is a three year old folks. If he can do it y'all can. All you need is faith the size of a mustard seed. It is the smallest seed, but it will grow into the tallest tree!

Please, please, spend at least five minutes a day by yourself in silence. It WILL change your life!

New addition

There is a new addition to the Puthiakunnel clan....

No, my wife is not expecting! It is a tiny Banzai tree or Juniper. It is really cool because it is not just the tree, but there is a little man fishing in a gap filled with water. He just caught a little fish which is actually rather symbolic. There are nice rock formation he is sitting on and a type of bird on top of one of the rocks.

There is a lot of care required for the little guy (the juniper not the little man). I am hoping that my skills as a father will translate well. Anyway I will keep you abreast of my progress.

I was laughing to myself, I am becoming like Mr. Miagi from Karate Kid (minus all the crazy KARATE!!!!).

Please don't die little guy please.

Thoughts of Vegetarianism

"Ethically they arrived at the conclusion that man's supremacy over the lower animals meant not that the former should prey upon the latter, but that the higher should protect the lower, and that there should be mutual aid between the two as between man and man. They had also brought out the truth that man eats not for enjoyment but to live."

-Gandhi --- The story of my experiments with Truth.

The above is from some material that Gandhi was reading about being a vegetarian. Not to condemn you for eating meat (I was one of you and may become one of you someday), but man is that deep. We are on this earth and can think critically. If we are to evolve (which I believe is part of what humankind's purpose is in life) we must try to think on a higher plan.

Let me put it this way, when I think of a advance alien civilization I don't think of them as meat eating, war making, materialistic or selfish. No this is not what I think of in an advance society. So if we are to advance we must abandon the above. Since I cannot change the world and I really only (and I say this loosely) have charge of myself, I chose to try and evolve.

(It's funny I thought I had nothing to say today, but this turned out to be a rather long blog........)

Children and Zen (follow up)

I see now that the "First Response Team" must be love not frustration and anger. The only way to achieve that is through complete and total awareness. Live completely and utterly in the present.

I find the biggest obstacle to achieving my spiritual goals is ego. Egotism is holding me back.

BE HUMBLE OR BE READY TO STUMBLE!

Children and Zen

I have been fascinated by Zen masters. In how they are able to quiet the mind. Find the "middle path" the path with not extremes. I am thousands of miles away from that and wonder if I can ever quiet my mind is such a way.

I realized something yesterday ZEN MASTERS DON'T HAVE CHILDREN! Those lovable little rug rats can try your patients far worse that anything else I have encountered! But alas, what to do I see the positive in the situation. If I can keep my mind quiet while babysitting I can pass any type of test on earth I believe.

I joke, but there is some truth in it!