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Articles from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock | Selfgrowth.com
- A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Forest Monk (Evening) - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockEvenings are a blessed relief in Thailand; warm, but without the smothering heat of the day that gratefully surrenders to the night’s relative coolness. If I wasn’t in my solitary hut meditating in the evenings, I would be in the main hall at dusk chanting along with the other monks, or maybe ...
Views: 1446(1 vote) - Being in the Right Place at the Right Time - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe are coming to the end of an era. Beginning 35,000 years ago when we were savages, we have evolved because of numerous shifts in consciousness to where we are now. This present level of consciousness is characterized by a disregard of our planet, a disdain of other's problems, an unhealthy ...
Views: 829(1 vote) - Buddhism: From The Top, Down - by Submitted on May 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockInterest in Buddhism usually begins with either the philosophy or psychology of Buddhism. Or maybe the esoteric nature of Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, or Buddhist wisdom. But the morality aspects of Buddhism are typically overlooked and frankly considered dull and boring. Keep in mind, ...
Views: 1042(1 vote) - Christianity Declining in Texas - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2010 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockUSA TODAY reports that "Despite population growth and immigration adding nearly 50 million more adults, almost all denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS data was released in 1990. The 2008 results, released today, April 25th, are based on 54,000 interviews with a margin of error of ...
Views: 1360(1 vote) - Images of Life - by Submitted on Aug 28, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockImages. . . . What are images? None of our religions asks us to look into images, which would be a shift of consciousness. Instead, our religions reinforce our images. So, what are images, and why do we create them? More importantly, why do we then use images to direct our lives, instead of ...
Views: 766(1 vote) - Looking in All the Wrong Places - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockJust about everything we actively do is on the conscious level. While this is happening on the surface, our body and all its organs are subconsciously being given instructions and messages so that they can function. Not only the body, but the mind is working subconsciously as well, as it filters ...
Views: 789(1 vote) - Meditation - What's the Point? - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2009 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSitting quietly, doing nothing, what a waste of valuable time, right? You could be on the computer or cell phone talking with friends, or doing something really productive or fun. Why sit quietly? In life, two things separate successful people from ordinary people: creativity and energy. ...
Views: 1536(2 votes) - Personal Transformation – What’s Really Involved? - by Submitted on Jan 04, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockJust as a fire is built by lighting small twigs so that they can in turn ignite the larger branches, we make the world a better place by changing ourselves first. This change, this transformation, must be mental, because all things begin with the mind, and mind is none other than our thoughts ...
Views: 996(1 vote) - Spiraling Toward Oblivion - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2009 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockHave you noticed, as you get older, that the months have turned into weeks, and the years into months? Time passes relentlessly, and as we look back on all the things that we have done, where is the significance? I was watching the white tailed deer that frequent our meditation center here in ...
Views: 1523(1 vote) - Test Your Faith (Take the Quiz) - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockScore your answers as follows: Strongly agree -- 1 Agree -- 2 Disagree -- 3 Strongly disagree -- 4 At the end of the quiz, add up your score and check the results. Good luck! 1. My God is the only true God. 2. I would defend my religion to the death. 3. Only my faith insures salvation; ...
Views: 3700(1 vote) - The Obama Phenomena - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockCapitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of capital. Our rewards are in direct proportion to our efforts - no free lunch here. If you are energetic and intelligent, connected and educated, you should do fine. If not, you could easily end up living on the streets. This system ...
Views: 818(1 vote) - The Rich Man and the Beggar - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockHave you ever tried to change yourself? Tough, huh? But sometimes we have no choice. Once in a while, during a lifetime, we get a good look at what we are, and when we see what we are, we become so disturbed that a change can't be avoided. It's actually the seeing that creates the change. It's ...
Views: 1773(1 vote) - When We’re Not In The Moment - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockI was lying on the floor of my little hut in Thailand suffering from one of the many tropical fevers to which I seemed to succumb, and I saw, for the first time in my life, that nothing truly mattered. I found myself directly in the moment. Given the fact that as a Buddhist forest monk I was not ...
Views: 770(1 vote) - Why $100.00 Probably Won’t Make the World a Better Place - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIf you are a normal person, you will serve your family and your country by trying to do what's right. This necessarily involves ambition and goals while you try to solve your problems in life. As you settle into your career, whatever it turns out to be, your government in turn tries to equalize ...
Views: 755(1 vote) - Silent Prayer: Part 3 - How to Pray Silently - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2009 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhile we are praying silently, we are going to let go of all the baggage we carry on our shoulders regarding the past and future. When thoughts of the past come up, whether it be who we are, what we have accomplished, what titles we have earned, our childhood, our relatives, our relationships, ...
Views: 1678(4 votes) - Making Smaller Footprints - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2009 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockOn my way up the mountain carrying some roofing materials I stopped to catch my breath, and as I unconsciously gazed at a scrub cedar tree that I had trimmed a month before to make the trail, an insight popped up. They happen at random like this, and seldom have anything to do with the thinking ...
Views: 1600(2 votes) - Locating God - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2009 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockHello, God? Are you there? HellOOoo. Are you listening? I know; you have a gazillion other things to do and billions of people to keep happy just here on earth, let alone all the people on all the planets around all the billions of stars in just our small galaxy. And then how about the ...
Views: 1660(1 vote) - Why Doesn't God Come Down and Just Say Hello? - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2009 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWell. Why doesn't he, or she? I guess that's the first problem, one of gender. The Bible is gender blind, I mean Adam has all of his ribs but somehow his wife was created out of one of them instead of out of the earth from which Adam was created. And another question, If Adam and Eve had three ...
Views: 1536(1 vote) - . . . and Other Things We’ll Never Understand - by Submitted on Jan 16, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockCounting as fast as you can, at ten counts per second, for twenty-four hours a day and for twelve months, would only get you to less than one third of a billion. A billion is a big number. The universe is estimated to be about 16 billion years old. Carbon dating pegs the earth at about 4.5 ...
Views: 1025 - . A Monk's Secret to Sleeping Better - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAs with all advice, always check with your health care practitioner before embarking on any regimen, especially one that you haven’t tried before. Everybody’s body is different. Having said that, I would like to introduce you to the secrets I discovered about sleep while living as Buddhist monk ...
Views: 806 - 12 Metaphysical Questions And Answers - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockQ. Does God exist? A. If there is a god, he, she, or it, or neither he, she, nor it, would not exist. A god could never be caught within the fabric of existence as we are. A god is Reality, unborn, uncreated, undying, and therefore could not exist, and therefore since we exist, we cannot be ...
Views: 1872 - 2012 A.D. - The End? - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockI was talking to some friends the other day who just returned to Florida. They have a home down here as well as one in Philadelphia, and when I asked why they came back so early, they said that they just had to get away from their relatives! They went on to tell me about their daughters tragic ...
Views: 825 - A Clever Valentine’s Day Gift - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockYou know the routine; picking out that special card with just the right verses, and then that special gift - an upscale box of candy, some flowers, maybe a nice ring, a new car, or some tickets for a cruise. According to Wikipedia, The historical background of Valentine's day seems to go back ...
Views: 1309 - A Flower - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockHave you ever considered the flower? It doesn’t live long, but while it does, it displays itself so beautifully. It doesn’t concern itself with tomorrow, or yesterday; only this one precious moment is important as it unfolds its petals. It positions itself so that it doesn’t crowd the other ...
Views: 786 - A Glimpse of Eternity - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSometimes we can catch a fleeting glimpse of eternity in a wood, where the pungent odor of wet pine and a timeless stillness calms our troubled minds, for just a while. Or in a wondrous sunset, where we lose the burden of ourselves, for a precious moment. Or when something happens so suddenly ...
Views: 1183 - A Good Deed Never Goes Unpunished! - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockPerforming any deed, good or bad, has repercussions. A bad deed obviously sets us up for a load of bad karma and bad luck. But how could a good deed, that sets us up for good karma, punish us? The punishment comes from the illusion that someone performed the deed. When we perform a deed from a ...
Views: 1121 - A Little Mid-Forties Depression? - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhen we hit our mid-forties, our bodies stop fooling around and become serious about disintegrating! It can seem at times as if we age 20 years in the span of one or two years, which can be quite a shock if we have been so caught up with life that we haven't noticed the subtle, almost invisible ...
Views: 2053 - A Million Ways to Find God (Part 1 of 1,000,000) - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockOne good way to find God is to lose yourself! Which is easier said than done, because in order to lose yourself, you must first discover what your "self" is! Once that discovery is made, then you can decide which is more important; yourself... or God? Assuming that you decide God is far more ...
Views: 729 - A Million Ways to Find God (Part 1 of 1,000,000) - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockOne good way to find God is to lose yourself! Which is easier said than done, because in order to lose yourself, you must first discover what your "self" is! Once that discovery is made, then you can decide which is more important; yourself... or God? Assuming that you decide God is far more ...
Views: 744 - A Million Ways to Find God (Part 1 of 1,000,000) - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockOne good way to find God is to lose yourself! Which is easier said than done, because in order to lose yourself, you must first discover what your "self" is! Once that discovery is made, then you can decide which is more important; yourself... or God? Assuming that you decide God is far more ...
Views: 770 - A Question Of Values - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockValues could be defined as beliefs in which we have an emotional investment. If we study the values of rural areas throughout the world, we see that a pastoral, agricultural life naturally propagates ethics and ideals that create harmony between people, such as thrift, honesty, quietness, ...
Views: 1110 - A Step beyond Positive Thinking - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockA positive attitude is a great benefit. With a positive outlook, we can psychologically reap the advantages of happiness without relying on necessarily positive results. Even if things fall apart, our positive outlook regarding how good things will be in the future keeps us satisfied. For ...
Views: 895 - A Tear Drops - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockShe finds herself at a McDonald's late one night, sipping black coffee from a plastic cup. The place is empty, except for a small night crew, half asleep. She finishes her coffee and looks around, and realizes that no longer is there anywhere to go. She waves to a worker cleaning the floor, ...
Views: 954 - Affairs of the Heart, and the Ending of Sorrow - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhen we think of heart, we think of our emotions. In the context of this article, however, heart means the summation of all that we are; our emotions, our thoughts, our bodies, and our minds – and the affairs of life that we all share. Affairs of the heart always begin with a solitary ...
Views: 691 - Affirmations — What Are They? - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock"I am the greatest!" If we repeat this affirmation to ourselves enough times, we will begin to believe it. Then we will begin to act out "Being the greatest," and soon, in our mind, we will be. It doesn't matter what we repeat, it's the repeating that counts, sort of an internal brainwashing. ...
Views: 738 - An Article About Nothing - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThis article is about nothing. Therefore, after you read it, you won't know anything more than you did before reading it; it will be a total waste of your time because I have nothing to say. I mean, what can be said about mountains so high that the snow never leaves their peaks, and as we gaze ...
Views: 702 - Anger Mismanagement - by Submitted on Dec 30, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe will never succeed at changing ourselves by trying to change ourselves directly. We must do it indirectly. By indirectly means merely watching our anger instead of trying to rid ourselves of it, because attempts to aggressively change ourselves into something we wish ourselves to be results ...
Views: 1119 - Are We Really Hiding Behind Our Religions? - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe Catholic Church is losing folks. A recent survey reveals that 6 out of 10 Catholics feel that they are out of touch with Catholic views. Much of this might result from the pedophile cases and views on contraception and illegal immigration, but I have a hunch that this is merely the course of ...
Views: 4410 - Are You On The Right Path? - by Submitted on Jul 07, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockHow can you tell if you are on the right path? There are telltale signs, but before they can be acknowledged, a determination must be made regarding your purpose for treading a path in the first place. Most people don't tread a path through the woods. Instead, they prefer to wander about at ...
Views: 730 - Aspirations - by Submitted on Jul 16, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe way we live is key to describing what we are, which can be quite different from our lofty ideals of what we are. And if we consider what we should be, what the loftiest ideal for a human being would be, perhaps what Thomas Kelly suggests (as off the wall as it appears) is the answer: "The ...
Views: 588 - Attraction -- Be Careful! - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockResearch has revealed that the part of our brain that is stimulated when we are in love is not the emotional centers as once thought, but the part of the brain that controls physical lust. In other words, being in love has everything to do with sex and little to do with love. Emotionally, after ...
Views: 603 - Being Born Again is a Good Beginning! - by Submitted on Jan 03, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockBeing born again is a great start, but if you are finally ready to complete this "work in progress," here are seven areas to monitor: · Is there any lingering ill-will toward others that may not agree with you? · Are you self-righteous? (I'm right; you're wrong!) · ...
Views: 866 - Buddhists - What Do They Believe? - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockGrowing up in the Catholic tradition, I believe that I can understand some of the feelings that Christians, Muslims, and Jews might have about people who don't believe in a creator God! And Buddhists are guilty! I wouldn't be surprised if they think that Buddhists have a one-way ticket to hell ...
Views: 1151 - Build an Ego in Just Three Days - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockDay One: The best-built egos are ones that are well designed, so the first step is to acquire a great set of plans. These are available at any convenient party in the neighborhood. Just mingle around and you will see all kinds of egos being built right there before your eyes, and all you will ...
Views: 1790 - Calculate Your Candidate Based on the Issues — - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThis is fun! Just score each issue, add up your score, and see who's your man . . . or woman! It is important, really important I feel, to not only do our civic duty and responsibly research who matches up to our particular preferences, but to make sure and vote. As Thomas Jefferson once said, ...
Views: 659 - Can We Save Our Democracy? - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2009 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe are a democratic people who believe in democracy, which means equality, due process, freedom, privacy, consent and dissent, toleration, and the common good. We believe in it so adamantly that we advocate it for the world. This is because in the past, democracy has worked well for our country. ...
Views: 807 - Christian Meditation - Why It's Becoming Popular - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWalk into any busy Zen center and you will more than likely find Christians practicing meditation. Many famous Christians, including Thomas Merton; Trappist monk, poet, writer and social activist, recommended meditation as a means of directly communicating with God. Whatever we can do to calm ...
Views: 1029 - Christian Meditation — Phase Two - by Submitted on Dec 31, 2007 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockContemporary Christians are discovering the deeper aspects of meditation. Previously, many Christians who have experimented with meditation misunderstood the real benefits of meditation by mistakenly believing that meditation is simply a relaxation technique, or a way to think about and worship ...
Views: 819 - Climbing Mountains Of Mist - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe create mountains for ourselves to climb. We trust that over the next peak will be our final salvation, our complete happiness, that for which we have been searching. But as we climb our mountains of mist, we find only more mountains, more mist. Our mountains are made of mist because we ...
Views: 721 - Compromise Or War — You Decide - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe compromise every day. With every moment, with every thought. Should I do this or that? Should I go here or there? If we didn't compromise, we would not consider choices, and if we didn't consider choices, then we would be less than animals, and we wouldn't survive. Making compromises reflects ...
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