Browse published articles attributed to E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock, with full-archive search.
Meditating in 1997 Thailand Janet and I couldn’t stay at Bhavana as a married couple, so a kind nun at the Bhavana Society referred Janet to a friend of hers; a Buddhist nun living in Thailand, thinking that Janet might be interested in going back to Southeast Asia. When Janet got in touch ...
I began as a normal type article, pretty laid back and entertaining, but then, suddenly. I found myself in hell! Well, I can tell you, hell is no place for a nice article like me, and I certainly did nothing to deserve it (hmm). At any rate, there I was, in the middle of Hades, and it was a . . ...
We are the world. You and I. How we treat each other; with respect or hatred, how we work things out together and compromise, this will determine the future of humankind. Can you see this? We are the world. Humankind so far hasn't been doing too well. *"huge numbers of Eastern Orthodox ...
He guided me down the narrow, winding stairs into the bowels of the abysmal cave s where rats ran freely and the stone floors were awash with slime. Coughing and moaning oozed from hidden chambers as we made our way through this hell that could only be described as the most horrendous nightmare ...
For five long years, I did fine by myself in the forest, but when I came upo Maradin and her cottage, everything came apart. It was my first real challenge and I wasn't up to it; I could still be easily duped and victimized by the grand illusions of the world. I was so disheartened that I sat ...
A John was tireless, and continued with his story, "These forest dwellers made another tremendous breakthrough. They discovered ‘kamma,' the part of us that continues after death. What continues after death is rather complicated so I will go slowly. Whenever you act, this act is remembered by ...
The most tenacious fighter wins. This is true in war, politics, religion, and all aspects of human relationship. The times when we don't have to fight, the times when we can live without fighting, we call peace. However, there are those who say that peace is not sustainable because peace creates ...
"What do you mean, ‘mistaken identity?' Was Maradin lying about who she was?" "In an indirect way, yes, she was lying without knowing it. You see; it was not Maradin that you were in love with; the real object of your affection was something deep inside of her cleverly disguised as Maradin. ...
We made our way through a peaceful countryside where we were always given the utmost courtesy and respect from the villagers. There were many days; however, when we didn't run across any villages and were forced to fast (a John was very strict about not picking and eating fruits and coconuts, or ...
The auspicious night finally arrived, accompanied by a brilliant moon playing in a deep, black sky that was busily spewing out its myriad diamonds. A silvery-white glow suffused the entire forest as we made our way to the meadow under this immense canopy of stars, and only the bubbling of a ...
If 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 ...
One 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 ...
Images. . . . 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 ...
My breathing became labored, and as the poison worked its way into my heart, I wished that I had begun my quest when I was much younger, before the wars. I also wished I had paid more attention to the robed man who warned me to sweep the path! When key seekers speak, it is never for ...
The swelling was getting worse. I said to a John as he dressed my wound, "I would like to understand kamma more completely, just in case I don't make it." "Your mind will never comprehend kamma fully, for it is very complicated - its tentacles reach in all directions. Only your heart can ...
Contemplative prayer, the deepest roots of the Christian faith, has remained hidden and secret in the hands of the contemplative saints these many years, and one may wonder why contemplative monks and nuns have practiced these mystical prayers in obscurity. Why do they close themselves off from ...
"Now King, I'll ease your curiosity a bit. Listen closely. The Great Weapons you will master through this inner work are three: A concentrated mind, an investigative mind, and an insightful mind. Concentration is your sword. Investigation is the skill of wielding the sword. Insight is the ...
How many times have you lied in order to ward off loneliness? We can lie by pretending to really care for someone when all we want is a little company, i.e.; "I love you." And when we find someone more interesting, we lie again to end the old relationship, i.e.; "I just want to be friends now, ...
If our spirit has not lived before, from whence did it originate? Where did it come from? If we didn't have the momentum of either a collective or individual spiritual past life to propel us into this one, are we therefore only accidents of nature; random romantic moments between eggs and a ...
I couldn't make out what it was at first, but then to my horror I discovered what was now curled in my robes; a large cobra! This was no imaginary ghost; this was real. I could hardly breathe. I immediately launched into the inner work to keep my body still, but it was impossible to concentrate ...
"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. ...
I have a strange feeling that many times our religions produce the opposite effects than what we assume they should. For example, Buddhism stresses three things; discipline, compassion, and wisdom; and Christian communities stress renunciation of violence, forgiveness, and unconditional love. ...
Just then a villager walked out from behind a tree with the long, heavy blade of a razor sharp coconut cutter loosely hanging in his hand. One of the soldiers laughed and drew his sword. Behind him, two other villagers, a boy and a woman, emerged with their blades, and the other warrior drew ...
One 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 ...
A John began by instructing me to sit cross-legged on the ground, while he stuffed some straw just under the tip of my tailbone, but not too much - he cautioned that too much straw would surely cause my legs to fall sleep. Then he tucked my left heel between my legs and placed my right foot on ...
I am a meditator. When I am meditating, I feel no fear, no ambition, no cowardice. I read no books, I have no opinions. I am peaceful. I am a meditator. When I am meditating, I have no questions, no answers, no problems. I feel no anxiety. I am a meditator. When I am meditating, I feel no ...
A John replied, "Your selfless service in helping others during the end times of your sphere has rewarded you with an opportunity to exist without the burden of a body, but still able to enjoy the senses of sight, hearing and thinking. Without deeper understanding however, your return to a ...
I turned around and walked slowly to the stables. Conqueror knew that it was time to once again leave. We just began walking down the mountain when a soldier appeared without warning and raised his crossbow. The great horse saw him before I did and began running as I swung on to Conqueror's ...
I was quiet for a moment so that the man, so self-assured and strong willed and not accustomed to acknowledging the need for help, could reflect on his admissions. I then said, "There are some who must move on, and others who are afraid to move, as our attempted escapes enslave us either way. ...
When we cry for a loved one that has died, either we cry for ourselves or we cry for humanity, never for our loved one. Many will not agree with this, but it is true. The tears are more often than not an expression of our own fear of not having our loved one with us any longer to keep us ...
A good friend of mine, a Methodist, asked his minister if people who didn't believe in Jesus were destined for hell. The minister thought for a moment, and then said, "God is love." This reply is a sign of the shifting landscape of spirituality. The original tenets of religion, that God, or ...
About a dozen or so baby alligators showed up at a pond that Janet and I visit occasionally. Mama alligator kept watch nearby because the pond is also home to some otters, and otters love little alligators! But she allowed her 8 inch long offspring some freedom to enjoy the fall day. When we ...
1 st Minute: Define exactly what it is that is worrying you. Write it down. Worry is simmering fear. In the old days, we would just run like hell when we were scared, but nowadays, we bubble away in our little pots of worry. So, the first thing to do is face what it is that worries us, and ...
Some people get a glimpse of where they are headed just before they die. My sister-in-law did. Terminal with lung cancer, we thought that she had passed away early one morning when she abruptly stopped breathing, but after a few minutes, she woke up! She told us that she had just been in a ...
One of the first things a new Buddhist monk is told by older, more experienced monks is to stop "measuring." No matter how much the new monk thinks that he knows, it will not help him now. It will only prove a hindrance to his meditation and spiritual development. The new monk can either accept ...
As the man slowly walked away, I faced my own future as well, and I entered the subdued and inviting cave; I had a lot of work to do. I was already adept at the Four Material Calms of - applied and sustained concentration, rapture, equanimity and bliss, and equanimity and mindfulness – but I ...
One 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 ...
The first steps are not ones we typically think of; therefore, they can only be understood from a perspective of the deepest understanding of human nature. Having nothing to do with being nice, being compassionate, doing good works or feeding the poor, they involve something more subtle; which ...
When we hit middle age or thereabouts, it's not unusual to begin asking questions such as, "Is this it?" Before that, we are busy with kids, careers, and all the things that, as we become older, begin slipping through our fingers like water - without our even realizing it at times. Whatever we ...
My campaign rained death and destruction upon the realm for fourteen long years. I was a young man when I first led my troops into battle, but now I was a seasoned warrior, feared throughout the land, and although the war had cost me an eye, and countless friends including my general, victory ...
It's never easy when what we have been accustomed to is pulled out from under us. We see the warning signs, perhaps for a long time, but we just don't pay attention to them. Then, one day, when everything suddenly changes, we feel blindsided. We feel abused, hurt and rejected in some way because ...
Scientists say that everything began in the emptiness of space when a pea-sized piece of intensely dense matter and energy exploded into what has become our universe. In the Zen Buddhist religion, it is said, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Emptiness is no other than form, form is no ...
When we begin meditation, we might begin with a mantra, or a word, or perhaps concentration on the breath. We do this to replace the never ending cycle of thoughts and emotions that circle round us day and night. We replace our everyday thoughts with one new thought so that we can break this ...
Have you noticed that more and more people are going through red lights in their rush to compete in this frantic world, and that no cops are there to stop them. We have only a token representation of police to give the impression that we are being protected. It’s an illusion. Many cheat on ...
Ask anyone that's enjoying good luck and engaged in a full, rewarding life how they are doing, and they will more than likely reply that they are having a ball! Their glass is not only half-full, it is overflowing! Then, when I clumsily come along and say that the Buddha proclaimed that we must ...
How 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 ...
. . . And so began a ten-year friendship with this little man and his constant grin, as we wandered the forest together in search of the elusive key. "I know where to find plants and insects to eat," I said, trying to be helpful. A John shook his head in disagreement, "Those who are ...
My first stop was the coliseum where the king's army was training. These were hardened, career soldiers, all experienced in killing and tough as nails. I dismounted and walked deliberately up to the commander of all the forces. He was the strongest and most feared, and he was sharp as well, and ...
We 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 ...
We go to war to defend our religion. It has happened throughout history and is happening now. Once we label ourselves as a Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Jew, we feel that this label must be defended. This is a separation, where those who don't believe as we believe become the enemy, and ...