Mira Prabhu's Blog, page 39
September 2, 2016
Female Portrait Paintings
Could not resist sharing this with all of you….as a child I used to draw face portraits but I wasn’t very good…now this artwork is fabulous and unusual. Thanks, Alk3r!
Krisztiàn Tejfel is a Hungarian painter and photographer. He mostly paints women’s portrait, often leaving his creations with the look of a “work unfinished”. He is educated in traditional painting and began exploring digital painting a few years ago. His female portraits are characterised by their melancholic look with a pinch of surrealism.
September 1, 2016
Everything Happens For The Best
As a wild teenager intent on finding a way out of angst, I read a reassuring eastern tale of wisdom…here’s my impromptu version of it:
A great King had a favorite Minister upon whose sage advice he strongly relied. One day while fencing the monarch happened to slice off his little finger. He complained about the throbbing pain to the Minister—who replied that the King should learn to accept that everything happens for the best. The King flew into a mighty rage. “Oh, so everything happens for the best, does it?” he shrieked. “Well then, let’s put you into a stinking dungeon and see how you feel about that!”
Hurt by his friend’s callous attitude, and seeking distraction from his physical pain, the King summoned his guardsmen and took off to hunt in the forest. He shot furiously ahead on his magnificent charger—so far ahead that when evening came he found himself alone in unfamiliar jungle. He yelled for help until his royal throat was sore, to no avail. Finally he made himself a bed of leaves and laid down to rest.
In the middle of the night, he smelt the rank fur of a beast and woke in terror to find a lioness hovering over his body. She sniffed all the way down his body as the monarch lay paralyzed with terror, wondering when she would begin to tear him from limb to limb. But when the beast came to his little finger, which was bloody and festering since the bandage had fallen off in his mad race, she turned her nose up in disgust and stalked off. The King scrambled up the tree and shivered there until dawn broke before charging back to the Palace.
Ordering his guards to bring the Minister to him, the King then spilled every detail of the miracle he had experienced. “You’re right, my friend,” he admitted. “Everything does happen for the best. The Queen of the Jungle didn’t want to pollute herself with bad meat, you see, so had I not sliced off that bit of finger, I’d be in her belly right now .” A gleam leaped into the royal eye. “But tell me, wise one,” he said, “how does this maxim apply to the fact that you had an awful night?”
“Well, your Majesty,” said the Minister, “had I been with you, I would have ridden by your side as usual. We would have gotten lost together and fallen asleep beside each other. The lioness would have rejected you, but she’d have taken me off to feast upon, because I have no wounds. You see? Everything does happen for the best.”
Whereupon the King plastered his friend’s face with wet royal kisses and all was once again well in that glittering Palace.
* * * * * *
While many might disagree with this seemingly naïve statement—that everything happens for the best—to me it is a mystical truth that has helped me move forward. To the eastern philosopher, this lifetime is but one of an infinite series of lives we have lived in myriad forms—so even that which does not make sense to us right now, has its roots in the past.
Seekers of freedom eventually learn that only surrender to a higher power (to followers of Advaita, this would be the Self) can lead us out of the bewildering maze of relative reality. Gradually one learns to take all that comes with equanimity, for having plunged deep into both relative and absolute investigation, we are aware that, witnessed by the omniscient eye, everything does happen for the best.
My life has been a tumultuous one: the death of many beloveds, intense emotional and physical suffering, financial loss, and being misunderstood by those baffled by my unusual path. But here I AM, intent on becoming fully the light that I AM—so for me, yes, everything has happened for the best.
Greetings from mighty Arunachala, Shiva in the form of a mountain, whose promise is to help the committed seeker to destroy the limiting cage of I, me and mine, so we can know ourselves as the radiant Self!
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Authentic Pictures of Daily Life in Egypt
Daily life in Egypt…gorgeous images here…thank you, Alk3r!
About Egypt, we mostly know the landmarks and the glorious past, but what do we know about today’s people? These photographs were shot in different places, in Alexandria, Cairo or Nuba, Ahmed Gaber shows us his country from his point of view.
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August 30, 2016
Amazing Female Portraits
Ciro Galluccio is a talented self-taught photographer, retoucher and UI/Web designer from Naples, who currently based in Rome, Italy. Ciro studied Graphic Design at RUFA, Rome University Of Fine Arts and Visual Communications at Birmingham City University. He shoots amazing fine art and beauty portraits…thank you for sharing, Alk3r!
Ciro Galluccio is a talented self-taught photographer, retoucher and UI/Web designer from Naples, who currently based in Rome, Italy. Ciro studied Graphic Design at RUFA, Rome University Of Fine Arts and Visual Communications at Birmingham City University.
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August 29, 2016
Sunshine On Your Head
Often the mundane world with its crashing concerns and alarms overpowers us – and we forget that our world is still so very beautiful…in truth, we are all Natural Mystics! Thank you for this, Adele, and Debbie Kaye, for pointing me to you…
Unable to sleep I was in the kitchen at 4.45am. Nighmare right? Well…yes and no. If I had stayed in bed tossing and turning I would have missed the most wonderful, magical morning.
I`d made a coffee, let Dante dog out for a pee and stood at the back door in awe.
Pigeons cooing, fledgling robins pipping, crows cawing, sparrows flitting and high above the swallows flew. This was their time, before the belching smoke and roar of the tin dragons came, before the loud voices of human interruption. Their time when the magic still swirled around in the air.
I am blessed in so many ways. My beautiful wife Becca, my daughter Tara, a survivor of life, our gorgeous, sensitive dog Dante and this view from my back door.
August 26, 2016
I am no coward, O Krishna,” Arjuna muttered in despair…
Almost twenty years ago, my Manhattan-based literary agent planted in my consciousness the seed of a contemporary novel—and so began to flower the saga of a brilliant and rebellious Indian girl who grows up in 60s south India, and, against all odds, metamorphoses into a Spiritual Warrior when she is forced to go into mortal combat against a ruthless serial killer.
I wrote Krishna’s Counsel in bits and pieces as I traversed the globe, seeking the perfect womb within which to complete my creative and spiritual work. I put the seal on this second novel in the shadow of the sacred hill Arunachala, symbol of the pure consciousness which is the substratum of our true nature.
Thanks to our impulsive foray into Kindle Scout, you have all heard way too much about this “Mystical Novel of Obsession & Illumination”; if I had the sorcery to turn back the clock, I might have done things differently—and yet, as Lord Krishna himself might inform us with a twinkle in his divine eye, nothing is an accident and all events have far deeper purpose than we can conceive of at the time they happen.
Anyway, Krishna’s Counsel is finally making her international debut…and except for the print edition (POD) which will become available on Amazon.com on SEPTEMBER 3, 2016, all the e-book versions are ready for pre-order. Oh, and for those of you who enjoyed my first novel, Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India, or would like to read it now, please know that I decided to give her a final polish…and now Whip too is frolicking out in this mad, mad world, garbed in resplendent attire.
My dream to create THE MOKSHA TRILOGY (three novels with a common theme of enlightenment or moksha) is now two-thirds complete—and for this miracle, I owe much to several beta readers, editors, a host of well-wishers, and to one who wishes to remain anonymous, but without whose constant aid I could not do what I do.
Mishi Bellamy, a brilliant artist and delightful friend, has designed all three covers for the Moksha Trilogy and, yes, they are exquisite! https://miraprabhu.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/a-trilogy-of-light-mishi-bellamy-artiste-extraordinaire/…;
Another friend, Atul Mehta, has enthusiastically converted quotes from Krishna’s Counsel into lovely memes….please enjoy the first few of many!
Here are some links I hope you will look into:
Krishna’s Counsel on Amazon.com – getbook.at/KcOnAmzn
Krishna’s Counsel on all eBook stores – books2read.com/miraprabhu-kc
Whip of the Wild God on Amazon.com – getbook.at/WwgOnAmzn
Whip of the Wild God on all eBook stores – books2read.com/miraprabhu-wwg
www.facebook.com/mira.prabhu (personal page)
www.facebook.com/MiraPrabhuWhipOfTheWildGodEtcetera (creative work)
And my blog for lovers of eastern philosophy: miraprabhu.wordpress.com
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August 25, 2016
Piece By Piece (For All Those Who Struggle)
Read this…Richard Ankers describes briefly but oh so vividly a man contemplating suicide…which reminds me of what a psychiatrist friend told me long ago in DC – that every human, at some point or another, considers ending it all…and that contemplating this final act (of revenge against life and living) is not uncommon. His words shocked me at the time, but today I believe pain and angst have a brilliant function….which is to make us even more alive – IF we don’t succumb to that deadly dark inner voice that pushes us towards self-destruction. No, we are not alone in our darkest urges. Indeed, our number is legion. Thank you, Richard Ankers, and Wallace Peach for leading me to your work…
Piece By Piece (For All Those Who Struggle)
I hang over the barrier staring at the white-tipped water so far below. Whether capped in froth or an army of gulls who flex their wings upon it, the muddied waters rage towards the sea. The whole experience gives me vertigo; I don’t like heights, never have. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t even approach the flimsy, caged divide between an obliterating fall and the bridge I stand on, but today is not one of those days.
My stomach has dropped away to be replaced by a granite rock. The thing churns because it knows what I contemplate — jump says the voice, jump — and I might. As The updrafts chill my face and a car speeds from left to right leaving another knot twisting in my gut, I want to do it. I so want to do it. Just to see how it…
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August 24, 2016
Roadmap to enlightenment: a (fairly) comprehensive guide to spiritual practices
I confess I did not read this whole article due to a time crunch, and also because I am more than satisfied with Ramana Maharshi’s Direct Path of Atma-Vichara, and this phase of my life is meant for intense practice…but I did read enough to want to share this with all of you. There are so many humans on our planet right now craving a sure path to freedom (‘moksha’ (Sanskrit) is defined by Ramana as freedom from the desire and fear that plagues every one of us and blocks us from knowing that we are the radiant Self) – and so many false teachings and gurus. At the very outset, we need to create some sort of blueprint of what we are getting into here, for the path to the Spiritual Heart can be narrow and thorny if we do not properly arm ourselves for the inward journey. This is really why I am reblogging Tom Das’s thoughtful and caring post….because we are all on different levels of consciousness/seeking and some of us need solid guidance. Once the inner guru awakens with a roar, of course, all manner of blessings shower upon us and we flower like the Cosmic Lotus that is our own Self….thanks, Tom Das, and thank you “Nothing” for guiding me here….Om Arunachala!
This is one of the most important posts I have written – it condenses years of spiritual seeking which has involved exploring dozens of spiritual teachings, reading hundreds of books and texts from spiritual teachers and spiritual traditions across the world, undergoing all sorts of spiritual practices and meditations over the years, entering samadhi’s and experiencing visions of infinite oneness, and a genuine realisation of the Freedom-that-already-is.
The aim of the post is to guide you to a Freedom beyond words, but also stay concise. For all those people who have asked me: ‘That’s all very well but how do I actually become enlightened? How can we free ourselves from suffering? What do we do?’, this is for you, and others like you.
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August 23, 2016
Smorgasbord Health – Middle-Age Spread..Not always down to what you eat!
Sally Cronin speaks here on a subject that most women (especially those past middle-age) consider vitally important…contrary to what some might think, it is not just what we eat that makes us heavy or sluggish…stress and other emotional factors weigh in too…and if we are not looking at the Whole Picture, then we are doing ourselves a great disservice. Without a healthy body, it is far from easy to give of our best, and everyone suffers, not just us….thanks for a great post, Sally!
Smorgasbord - Variety is the spice of life
I know that the mantra is supposed to be ‘love your body whatever its shape‘ and people ‘tut, tut’ when you complain about your various bits and pieces that seem to distort your image…… but you know what….it can be a real pain at times. It is particularly frustrating when you are doing everything right.. eating, exercising, drinking plenty of green tea and only having one digestive with your coffee!!
This is me 22 years ago at age 41 on holiday in America and weighing in at 300 lbs. I would go on to add another 30lbs over the next few months until I was size 32. To put things into perspective… I am 5ft 11inches so the overall impression was huge. Along with this excess weight came several health problems which led to me studying not just nutrition but also a deep interest in psychology and anatomy. I…
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Thoughts Change But Not You ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi
One of the most moving of the thousands of stories told about Ramana Maharshi’s wisdom (for me) is his encounter with Ganapati Muni, a great scholar whose learning had not led him to the peace he craved…Ramana broke his silence to tell Ganapati that he must return to the root of his thinking and that then peace would come. He was guiding the Muni to his Self, which is the blissful substratum of all that is manifest, and that, for me, is the ultimate answer to all the suffering we experience in the relative realm. My own deeper quest took off when I encountered what is known as the Two Great Truths: https://miraprabhu.wordpress.com/…/two-great-truths-absolu…/ In truth, as long as we are attached to mind and body, we must deal with the relative realm, but simultaneously be aware that below the changing realm of the relative lies the unchanging and blissful Infinite that Ramana Maharshi and other great sages constantly pointed us toward…thank you for a great post, Harsh Luthar!
Photo art from John Wassenberg’s fb page.
Sri Ramana Maharshi says in Talk 524 (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi), “You must exist in order that you may think. You may think these thoughts or other thoughts. The thoughts change but not you. Let go the passing thoughts and hold on to the unchanging Self. The thoughts form your bondage. If they are given up, there is release. The bondage is not external.”
Devotee says: But it is not easy to remain without thinking.
Sri Ramana replies: You need not cease thinking. Only think of the root of the thoughts; seek it and find it. The Self shines by itself. When that is found the thoughts cease of their own accord. That is freedom from bondage (Talk 524).
Bhagavan Ramana teaches that any thing that appears and disappears is not you. That which remains always, is you. The Advaitic system…
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