Sacred Symbol of Awakening ~ Lotus Flower

A student asked who's explanation on the Lotus Flower is correct? It's a good question since there's literally hundreds of articles on it. I feel everyone is allowed to express there feelings on anything; and I don't want to be the policeman on who's right, who's wrong. I believe everyone has their worth to chime in. 

One pithy answer from my early Ordained Buddhist Mentor is that the Lotus Flower is an important symbol in Buddhism, as it represents the process of awakening. The Lotus Flower beginning as a seed, it becomes secured in the sticky muck of a pond or dead end water body, and grows from that environment to blossom into this beautiful radiant flower. 

As a sacred symbol of awakening it represents the purity of our awakened body/mind, which in order to manifest itself, has to spring from the muck of normal existence. The Buddhist Religion in many forms has depicted this in their sacred art. The Lotus Flower/Lotus Blossom  is often depicted in the hands of various Icon's or shown as a platform seat on which they sit.  There are countless Buddhist documents, Recitation Practice's, short Mantra's (vocalization as a form of meditation), Mudra's (hand symbols) and Lotus Meditations using tantric imagery, and schools named after the Lotus Flower. Properly understood it for sure came from the Buddhist and has merged into many other systems of spirituality and health.

 Lotus Flower Invocation 

The purity of heaven, purity of earth; purity within and without; purity of my sense organs. Our mind being pure, there is no impurity in any pollution. Our sense organs of our body are pure, I am one with spirits of heaven and earth. Just as the awakened one has taught us the teaching of the Lotus Flower is like the shadow that accompanies form, if what we and what we do are pure, then all our personal request will be fulfilled and our happiness and longevity will be limitless. I am now endowed with the most revered and supreme sacred treasured teaching, my body/mind is pure like a beautiful Lotus Flower which transformed out of the emotional mud of the world.    

GWA

   

                                       

Transformation Benefits of Chanting Practice (updated 7/15/2018)

I have been receiving many emails in the past weeks about "Healing Sounds", and Chanting practice of late. So I thought it would be timely to write a quick entry on it and what I think.

My experience with Chanting began with my first Teacher when I was 13; it was in the form of Morning and Evening Ritual Hommage practice of the Japanese Buddhist  Religion I still follow to this day. As time went on more liturgies and empowerment and practice came into play. A serious practice of Zen Meditation was always present, in which I was required to study the history and the many components of it. The Heart Sutra is one of many popular ones that many learn (image above).    

When I was a teenager I had many health issues and could hardly breathe, focus and function. Which cause myself many personal problems. I found this practice of chanting to be very beneficial to my health and works on many levels. Different sounds vibrate different spiritual centers, invigorating the body and releasing trapped energy. Repeated chanting promotes our physical, mental and spiritual activities, providing positive adaptability to any environment and to deal with the stresses of life.

Scientific research in East Asia and the West has showed evidence that these type of breath control practice are not only a textbook perfect form of healing meditation, but also reverse oxygen deficiency (hypoxia), increase blood saturation and bio electric components of the overall body. In the future the "big buzz" will be how transformation exercises reverse hypoxia and in controlling effects of Cancer. This is my opinion although.   

As the years have ticked on and with many mentors have learned many practices in this area. I still practice many sound resonation practice's and traditional liturgies to this day. These East Asian liturgies have been used for thousands of years because the effects of repeated chanting are very beneficial. You don't have to be a Buddhist, Taoist or a Hindu to benefit from chanting. If you practice it seriously one will find that it helps to develop breathing control, focuses the mind and makes everything better. Just do it for a week or more and see if you feel better!

Pearls of Wisdom Notes: Ling Yan ( 言霊) rough English meaning  "Spiritual Words/Phrases of Empowerment" is a common belief in the traditional schools of practice. Mantras and Healing Sounds Systems are ubiquitous and a melting pot of village practice, culture, belief and imported dialects by neighboring country's. The tangible mystical powers reside within the sacred liturgy itself and come alive when invoked and dutifully followed. In the last 70 years hybrid "Qigong" has adopted it into it's culture and really is a endless list.  The Ling Yan Concept "Spiritual Words of Empowerment", use Mudra (hand symbolism), Mantra (vocalization) and internal image (creative visualization) focusing as well.

The Ling Yan common teaching is that these sacred scripts have a tangible and intrinsic power capable of affecting Body, Mind and Spirit's. Through activation practice one develops various levels of empowerment and stages of awareness. The different levels of power are revealed through health, moving meditation and even while doing everyday life. The mentor teachers responsibility is to introduce the teaching and the rest lies on unshakable faith of the devotee to the path. This can be universal as well in other spirtual systems that use Chanting or sounds systems to empower themselves for connection to the source or a higher level of awareness. ~G. W. Abersold     

       

GWA

Be the Light that Illuminates the Way ©

 When we come into the world, as we mature one can be mislead by culture, trends and technology. If we live our lives for what the outer world pushes onto oneself and don't cultivate our own life - we truly become likened to "animal herd mentality".  Then we have loss the real meaning of our life.

Personal worth and experience  is truly seldom recognized and appreciated in our society. The world at times seems to reward people that are popular, greedy and of poor character. It has been a problem since the beginning of time and will continue. It's important to avoid these pitfalls of our existence and follow truly people and things that have great integrity and tangible value. Find the true mentors of whatever you are into to help you along the way, but you must do the personal growth and work. They cannot do it for you.

As you live your life, if we long to be what Society of the World wants you to be, our life will be empty, no matter what you believe that you have achieved. We must examine deeply into our own life. For it's not hard to realize that true power does not come from outside or around you; but from our own personal skill development.

It takes much patience to filter the people, events and things out that really have true meaning. If you don't learn this you will forever chasing your tail of "chaos". The sages of old have taught our natural integrity, contentment and clarity is our foundation of true happiness and of everything we seek in life is found with our personal path. This truly is the "gold" that is worth investing time into for personal achievement. 

Spirituality and Pathways are not about graduating, or mastering. It's all about being better than yesterday; learning "how to be less wrong" and living a life of hope and upright character. All the Sages teach a life of service - help the "down and trodden" and be the light in many's life. A lesson taught that some follow but many abandon once they get deluded by greed and hubris. 

When you are around people think of the north star and bigger dipper a never ceasing sparkling source of energy to uplift anyone. This in a sense you are not alone. Just do a silent countdown of  1-2-2-4-5...okay now "lets sparkle and make a difference"!

The only true thing in life we own is our personal experience, integrity and how we carry ourself. Where ever you are today is from your own navigating; stop blaming your parents or others it is on you. Do some real personal work and change what you don't like. Everyone deserves a fresh start give yourself that start today.

Look in life to to cultivate oneself this is the foundation of true happiness. Learn how to be the architect of your own blue print in life; for this is worth achieving.  Learn how to harness the power of self through life. Only you can do it.

GWA