Moments of Awareness

Monday Night at Morton's - 12/20/03 - Page 1 of 3  [page is defunct]

"The person who is willing to ..." -John Marks Templeton The person who is [...] - John Marks Templeton

Promoting your own honor - August 20, 2004 He who promotes his own honor at the expense of his neighbor's has no portion in the world to come. - Judah b. Hanina, Genesis Rabbah Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,'edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc. 8/20/04 Deuteronomy 19:14-20:9 You shall not move your countryman's landmarks, set up by previous generations, in the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. A single witness may not validate against a person any guilt or blame for any offense that may be committed; a case can be valid only on the testimony of two witnesses or more. If a man appears against another to testify maliciously and gives false testimony against him, the two parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests or magistrates in authority at the time, and the magistrates shall make a thorough investigati...

You Think You Are the Body My Child,  Because you think you are the body, For a long time you have been bound. [...] -Ashtavakra 14-15 From "The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita," by Thomas Byrom, 1990. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston. www.shambhala.com. Copyright (c) 2003 Beliefnet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Children of Adam Children of Adam! Distribute your surplus wealth in the name of Allah; it will earn you more merit. Do not [...] -The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Umamah Hadith translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed. Copyright 1999. All rights reserved. Used with permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York. Copyright (c) 2003 Beliefnet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Neither from Itself nor from Another Neither from itself nor from another,  Nor from both, Nor without a cause, Does anything whatever, anywhere arise. -Nagarjuna, Mulamadhyamaka-Karika From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. Copyright (c) 2003 Beliefnet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Postdates pregnancy in an indigent population: the financial burden. So apparently it's only economically rewarding for the medical community to perform early (and frequent) ultrasounds and inductions on people with insurance or independent wealth, which only matters when it comes to the argument given by those who feel these procedures are necessary for a baby's well-being that these interventions are for the sake of the children. Don't the children of indigents count?

From: Jenna Subject:  Thomas Moore on learning to trust again.... Learning to Trust Again Identifying yourself as 'the victim' in a previous relationship can hold you back. BY:   Thomas Moore Dear Thomas, I was recently divorced after a 22-year marriage. I feel I tried everything to make my marriage work and I have been hurt very badly. I would like nothing more than to [...]

Job 2:1-13 - August 20, 2004 8/20/04 Job 2:1-13 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to Satan, "Whence have you come?" Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power; only spare his life." So Satan went forth from the p...

Carpe Diem Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. - Dennis Wholey Carpe Diem Every morning and throughout the day, remind yourself that you're lucky to be alive. Remember routinely how important it is to enjoy your life, and to maintain your health. God has given you a great gift of life, and it's up to you to make the most of it by eating really healthy, high quality foods in peaceful, joyful moderation. You also need to use the life you've been given by participating in life 100%. Be active today: physically and mentally. Challenge yourself to some high-energy physical fun and movement - push yourself just a little, and see how good it'll make you feel. Challenge yourself mentally - read a book, do a crossword puzzle, try to solve a tricky equation or problem. You're here on the Earth, alive and kicking, so seize ...

"Love, and do ..." -Saint Augustine Love, and do [...] - Saint Augustine

War's true meaning - August 19, 2004 The six days of war must receive their ultimate meaning from the seventh day, which is peace and celebration. - Abraham Joshua Heschel 8/19/04 Deuteronomy 18:14-19:13 Those nations that you are about to dispossess do indeed resort to soothsayers and augurs; to you, however, the Lord your God has not assigned the like. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from among your own people, like myself; him you shall heed. This is just what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb, on the day of the Assembly, saying, "Let me not hear the voice of the Lord my God any longer or see this wondrous fire any more, lest I die." Whereupon the Lord said to me, "They have done well in speaking thus. I will raise up a prophet for them from among their own people, like yourself: I will put My words in his mouth and he will speak to them all that I command him; and if anybody fails to heed the words he sp...

What Freedom Is Freedom is that triumphant state of consciousness that is beyond the influence of desire. The mind ceases to [...] -The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:15-16 From "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali," translated by Alistair Shearer. Reprinted with permission from Bell Tower, a member of the Crown Publishing Group. Copyright (c) 2003 Beliefnet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your Lord is One God I say that I am mortal, as you are. It has been revealed to me that your Lord is one God. Let all those who hope to meet their Lord, do what is right, and worship only him.  -Qu'ran, Al-Kahf, Surah 18:110 From "366 Readings From Islam," translated by Robert Van der Weyer. Copyright 2000. All rights reserved. Used with permission of John Hunt Publishing, United Kingdom. Copyright (c) 2003 Beliefnet , Inc. All rights reserved.

Do Not Just Memorize Sayings Do not just memorize sayings, recite words, and discuss Zen and the way based on books. The Zen way is [...] -Chien-ju From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com . Copyright (c) 2003 Beliefnet, Inc. All rights reserved.

When God answers our prayers, it might be at someone else's expense.

Twisted Physics: How Black Holes Spout Off