Some get it; Some don't

As part of the yoga immersion I'm participating in this week at Yoga Sita, my teacher Susannah Bruder asked us to bring in a writing of Eknath Easwaran to share. This brought me to his website containing his teachings. I can say that I will be sharing his teachings not just with my group this week, but with other spiritual seekers I know. I've just begun to read his stuff but I already appreciate the non-denominational nature of his soul-touching teachings.

He wrote in an essay called "Read Widely":

"The treasures of mysticism can be found in all religions, and we should not confine ourselves to the tradition most familiar to us. No one age, no one people, no one persuasion has any monopoly on spiritual wisdom; the prize is there, and always has been, for any man or woman who cares and dares to look for it. Of course, whichever mystic we turn to, we will meet the same truths, because the mystical experience is everywhere the same. There is only one supreme reality, and there can be only one union with it. But the language, tradition, mode of expression, and cultural flavor will differ. One writes in French, another in Pali. One writes in poetry, another in prose. One speaks of the Mother, another of His Majesty, still another of the Beloved. In this lies the beauty of spiritual literature: on the one hand it reflects the fascinating diversity of life; on the other, the unchanging principles that stand behind that diversity, irrespective of time and place."

But Easwaran also recognizes that it is important to have a specific practice. At the end of that same essay he says:

"We should draw freely on the classics of all great mystical traditions for inspiration, but this should never take the place of reading and rereading the instructions we are trying to follow in our daily lives."

If this touches you as well, go explore the teachings of Eknath Easwaran.


And on the flip side of this crazy world........

Paris Hilton was released from jail today, having fulfilled the terms of her 45-day sentence. I can see that those days of unavoidable reflection has given Ms. Hilton a true understanding of the need to get her priorities straight. The proof of this new outlook???? Well, according to this article on Excite News, soon after she arrived at her grandparent's mansion,

". . . a black Cadillac Escalade arrived carrying balloons and a cake with the words "Welcome Home" in pink frosting. At another [point], a van from Dream Catchers Hair Extensions, Hilton's own company, passed through the gates. Dream Catchers receptionist Crystal Armijo confirmed the heiress was having extensions added to her hair."

Sigh...........