The year was 1852 in an old Kentucky cottage. Annie was a servant working as a nanny to Mrs. Stevens' young infant. Annie was actually an African slave; but as long as Annie did not cross the master-slavery boundary, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens treated her kindly.
Annie was a gifted a musician. Mrs. Stevens gave her a banjo that Annie often played the banjo and sang lullabies to Mrs. Stevens' infant girl. Annie worked very hard tending all household chores. But as long as the Stevens treated her kindly, Annie was very content with her life.
There was an economic recession in Kentucky as Mr. Stevens went through grave economic hardship. As the Stevens' debt mounted, the Stevens had to sell their last possessions, the African slaves including Annie to a new master in Louisiana who had a sugar plantation.
The Stevens told Annie about this in a summer night. The masters of sugar can plantation were often notoriously ruthless. The slaves often worked in a very harsh conditions enduring all the abuse of white masters.
Sadly, Annie sang the following song, which is known today as the old Kentucky Hume. The lyrics is:
he sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home.
'Tis summer, the darkies are gay,
The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright.
By 'n by hard times comes a-knocking at the door,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.
Weep no more my lady, oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the old Kentucky home far away.
They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!
p.s. The lyrics and music were actually written by Stephan Foster, a great American composer. The tune was from African-American. The song was an anti-slavery song portraying the inhuman part of the slavery in America before the Civil War.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Amazing Grace
John Newton was a notorious ruthless slave captain. He owned a ship that shipped slaves from west Africa to America for profit. He had no God; and he yielded to no one.
While he was sailing the same slave-trade route to America in 1748, his ship encountered a violent storm so violent that he thought that was the end of his life and everything.
During the storm, he heard a soothing voice came from some of his African slaves, a native tune for West African people. Hurriedly, on the back of an envelop, he scrambled the following words:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
When the storm was over, he sailed back to West Africa and released all his slaves. He later became a strong advocate of anti-slavery in America.
Here is the photo of John Newton.
While he was sailing the same slave-trade route to America in 1748, his ship encountered a violent storm so violent that he thought that was the end of his life and everything.
During the storm, he heard a soothing voice came from some of his African slaves, a native tune for West African people. Hurriedly, on the back of an envelop, he scrambled the following words:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
When the storm was over, he sailed back to West Africa and released all his slaves. He later became a strong advocate of anti-slavery in America.
Here is the photo of John Newton.
Monday, August 24, 2015
When I have no judgement, I see everyone with kindness
The following message is taken from one of the teaching sessions of Oprah and Deepak 21 days Manifest Grace through Gratitude. This session is about why we should not be judgmental against another human being.
Intrinsic connection between gratitude and compassion. Compassion is about knowing that you are human, I am human; we are all connected with similarity outweigh the difference. When we judge another human being, we deny the connection that tie us all. If we refrain from judgement, we become a conduit for peace and happiness.
There is a hidden link between gratitude and compassion. When we feed kindness in our heart, we are compassionate. This has been taught both by Jesus and Buddha. However, for most of us, compassion seems to be impossible when we are judgmental or someone had committed evil deeds. Judgement is fueled by sense of rightfulness. Our ego enjoy the judgement to the fullest. It is like nothing is better than the feeling that we are the in the right. The problem with the judgement is that if we are in the right, then we put someone else in the wrong. Judgement provides a powerful sense of separation. On the other side of the gulf, the person we judge against, they will also be judging us as harshly as we do to him. Being thankful is the opposite of being judgmental. When we are thankful for something or for someone, we cannot be judgmental at the same time. This part has a great healing power. So, next time, if we have to be judgmental against someone, always find reasons to be thankful for that person is in your life. Getting down the judgmental chair, it completely shift our attitude. Instead of condemning, try to help the person, and offer forgiveness. In the absence of judgement, there is nothing to resent. Grudging begins to lose ground. When we forgive, our awareness becomes more inclusive that opens up the door of compassion linking every human being together with empathy. This shared empathy deepens our humanity. When we stop judging someone else, we stop judging ourselves. If we get to that state, we are then in the state of grace and awakening.
Intrinsic connection between gratitude and compassion. Compassion is about knowing that you are human, I am human; we are all connected with similarity outweigh the difference. When we judge another human being, we deny the connection that tie us all. If we refrain from judgement, we become a conduit for peace and happiness.
There is a hidden link between gratitude and compassion. When we feed kindness in our heart, we are compassionate. This has been taught both by Jesus and Buddha. However, for most of us, compassion seems to be impossible when we are judgmental or someone had committed evil deeds. Judgement is fueled by sense of rightfulness. Our ego enjoy the judgement to the fullest. It is like nothing is better than the feeling that we are the in the right. The problem with the judgement is that if we are in the right, then we put someone else in the wrong. Judgement provides a powerful sense of separation. On the other side of the gulf, the person we judge against, they will also be judging us as harshly as we do to him. Being thankful is the opposite of being judgmental. When we are thankful for something or for someone, we cannot be judgmental at the same time. This part has a great healing power. So, next time, if we have to be judgmental against someone, always find reasons to be thankful for that person is in your life. Getting down the judgmental chair, it completely shift our attitude. Instead of condemning, try to help the person, and offer forgiveness. In the absence of judgement, there is nothing to resent. Grudging begins to lose ground. When we forgive, our awareness becomes more inclusive that opens up the door of compassion linking every human being together with empathy. This shared empathy deepens our humanity. When we stop judging someone else, we stop judging ourselves. If we get to that state, we are then in the state of grace and awakening.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Loving with gratitude
The following is a recording message from Oprah and Deepak's "Manifest Grace through Gratitude".
According to Marianne Williamson, there are only 2 emotions in life: love and fear. When we open up love with gratitude, something miraculously happen. Fear starts to melt away. Love is life's great teacher. Through love, we experience joy, acceptance and freedom. Gratitude is not someone receives or responds to us, but rather about how we connect the true expressions of ourselves. When we choose to love everything around us, we send to clear message to the Universe: My love transcends fear, anger, and rejection. I love you even to those who hurts me because they are the persons who really need love most. I thank you for the experience, good or bad, which has shaped me who I am today. Loving fearlessly through gratitude is one of the greatest thing a human being can do.
Grace has been connected to love in every wisdom tradition. Sages and spiritual guides teach us that divine love doesn't have to be deserved. To a modern person, this seems to be unreasonable, because for most of us, we withdraw love when we are displeased. God, or whatever name applied to the 'High Power' seems to love bad people too. This is the central part of grace. The reason is that grace is not a choice. Whether or not, we believe in the Higher Power, grace exists in infinite field of consciousness. It is the supporting principle behind everything in nature. Including our lives. Clearly we can choose to think whatever we like, without nature's support, our body cannot exist for more than a few minutes. Spiritually, this support is called the divine love. We don't have to accept the word or the idea of divine to accept the basic idea here. Love is already a part of our awareness. We can choose to express it or not. To give a little love, or a lot. If we choose to give a lot, something magical happens. We become who we really are. This is one of the most joyful aspect of love, but also the most frightening for most people. We hold back the expression of love for fearing of being rejected, of seeming needy or weak, or exposing us our own insecurity or vulnerability. But nothing stops us from giving thanks to someone sharing our life. This act of gratitude gladdens the heart and awakens the grace in our life. Love is active when it is expressed. Gratitude simplifies love by removing the ego. The mother's love for a child with fearless appreciation of the child is the template for merging love with gratitude. Love is an expression of unity that we share with other people. Love means overcoming the feeling of separation. It brings us for completion that denies to the ego.
According to Marianne Williamson, there are only 2 emotions in life: love and fear. When we open up love with gratitude, something miraculously happen. Fear starts to melt away. Love is life's great teacher. Through love, we experience joy, acceptance and freedom. Gratitude is not someone receives or responds to us, but rather about how we connect the true expressions of ourselves. When we choose to love everything around us, we send to clear message to the Universe: My love transcends fear, anger, and rejection. I love you even to those who hurts me because they are the persons who really need love most. I thank you for the experience, good or bad, which has shaped me who I am today. Loving fearlessly through gratitude is one of the greatest thing a human being can do.
Grace has been connected to love in every wisdom tradition. Sages and spiritual guides teach us that divine love doesn't have to be deserved. To a modern person, this seems to be unreasonable, because for most of us, we withdraw love when we are displeased. God, or whatever name applied to the 'High Power' seems to love bad people too. This is the central part of grace. The reason is that grace is not a choice. Whether or not, we believe in the Higher Power, grace exists in infinite field of consciousness. It is the supporting principle behind everything in nature. Including our lives. Clearly we can choose to think whatever we like, without nature's support, our body cannot exist for more than a few minutes. Spiritually, this support is called the divine love. We don't have to accept the word or the idea of divine to accept the basic idea here. Love is already a part of our awareness. We can choose to express it or not. To give a little love, or a lot. If we choose to give a lot, something magical happens. We become who we really are. This is one of the most joyful aspect of love, but also the most frightening for most people. We hold back the expression of love for fearing of being rejected, of seeming needy or weak, or exposing us our own insecurity or vulnerability. But nothing stops us from giving thanks to someone sharing our life. This act of gratitude gladdens the heart and awakens the grace in our life. Love is active when it is expressed. Gratitude simplifies love by removing the ego. The mother's love for a child with fearless appreciation of the child is the template for merging love with gratitude. Love is an expression of unity that we share with other people. Love means overcoming the feeling of separation. It brings us for completion that denies to the ego.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
The more grateful I am, the more my life is supported
The following is Deepak's words in "Manifest Grace through Gratitude", Day 11 recording message. Enjoy the reading.
In the moment of grace, we feel safe and worthy. The atmosphere of love is all around us. These 'privileged' moments are beautiful. But if we look through this on the moment, we will see nature is generous and supportive. We are supported all the time because we are unique in the cosmic universe. No one like us has ever existed and we can not be replaced. It takes inner growth to see this truth and own it. Every time we meditate and express gratitude, we move one step closer to this truth. This is not the fulfillment we must postpone. We can live right now with the perspective that Nature is supporting us. Abundance and generosity fills the Nature's Law. The only separation comes from our own imposition through our old conditioning and wrong beliefs. The more we appreciate,the more we realize the extent that Nature has done for us. Feeling unworthy or feel victimized, these are symptoms of constricted awareness. We become 'someone' standing on a river and are able to drink from a symbol. If we realize these symptoms are our current situation, we need to take actions to correct the situation. Meditation and gratitude allow us to correct the situations.
The reason that Nature is generous is because its constant replenishment keeps the lives going and growing. Without this generosity, a rose bud cannot grow into a bloom neither can a human being. Once we are aware of this truth, we can be more generous in our life. Giving isn't a loss anymore; but a passing of gift that is always renewed. Expanding on the inside is reflected on the greater success of the outside. Gratitude links these 2 domains of life, the inner and the outer.
In the moment of grace, we feel safe and worthy. The atmosphere of love is all around us. These 'privileged' moments are beautiful. But if we look through this on the moment, we will see nature is generous and supportive. We are supported all the time because we are unique in the cosmic universe. No one like us has ever existed and we can not be replaced. It takes inner growth to see this truth and own it. Every time we meditate and express gratitude, we move one step closer to this truth. This is not the fulfillment we must postpone. We can live right now with the perspective that Nature is supporting us. Abundance and generosity fills the Nature's Law. The only separation comes from our own imposition through our old conditioning and wrong beliefs. The more we appreciate,the more we realize the extent that Nature has done for us. Feeling unworthy or feel victimized, these are symptoms of constricted awareness. We become 'someone' standing on a river and are able to drink from a symbol. If we realize these symptoms are our current situation, we need to take actions to correct the situation. Meditation and gratitude allow us to correct the situations.
The reason that Nature is generous is because its constant replenishment keeps the lives going and growing. Without this generosity, a rose bud cannot grow into a bloom neither can a human being. Once we are aware of this truth, we can be more generous in our life. Giving isn't a loss anymore; but a passing of gift that is always renewed. Expanding on the inside is reflected on the greater success of the outside. Gratitude links these 2 domains of life, the inner and the outer.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Gratitude flows in every loving relationship
The following messages are from Oprah and Deepak in their "Manifest Grace through Gratitude" Day 10 recording. Enjoy reading it and welcome your comments.
Gratitude expands every relationship. When we feel gratitude at the moment, we cultivate up acceptance and openness to the person we are relating to. We accept everything 'as is'. We connect what really matters. This is the most powerful gift to the person in our life. In this way, we dissolve the difference that separates us from one another, and open a way for deeper connection.
Whatever relationship needs is a touch of grace which is triggered when we show gratitude to the other person. Gratitude is magical as it dissolves differences and removes obstacles. But the magic really comes down to the basic facts: To have a fulfilling relationship, we must relate. There is an unbroken flow between us and the person we are relating to. The things we give and the things we receive are the life of the relationship. Giving is most powerful at the emotional level. If we express gratitude to our partners, our words are metabolized in the brain of both the giver and the receiver that manifest mental and physiological changes on both the giver and the receiver. Think about the difference you would feel when someone is thankful to us in their life. It soothes the heart and dissolves all the grievance and resentment. Relationship flourishes when we are able to offer ourselves to one another with unlimited love,compassion, kindness and understanding. This idea is hard to reach without our expanded awareness. Our own desires and ego needs stands the way. But our true-self knows better. Grace accomplishes what ego cannot. We are not loaded up when we express gratitude. Instead, we are opening up for infinite awareness which can accomplish everything. The reverse is true when we stop giving and receiving, the flow of the grace is constricted. Grace through gratitude can keep this flow to open even when the relationship is constricted. Be grateful here and now; don't indulge in the illusion of the old dream. The real potential is waiting to be awaken. When we allow ourselves to be grateful, we form a bond with our partners that heeds separation. This is how the relationship enable a couple to accomplish any difficult tasks when two are one.
Another story I read from Shamhala Publisher Sampler is about a couple seeking help from a marriage councilor. The councilor advises the couple to do each other a random kindness and express gratitude each time your partner practice kindness. These mutual 'kindness' and 'gratitude' help the couple to save the broken relationship.
Gratitude expands every relationship. When we feel gratitude at the moment, we cultivate up acceptance and openness to the person we are relating to. We accept everything 'as is'. We connect what really matters. This is the most powerful gift to the person in our life. In this way, we dissolve the difference that separates us from one another, and open a way for deeper connection.
Whatever relationship needs is a touch of grace which is triggered when we show gratitude to the other person. Gratitude is magical as it dissolves differences and removes obstacles. But the magic really comes down to the basic facts: To have a fulfilling relationship, we must relate. There is an unbroken flow between us and the person we are relating to. The things we give and the things we receive are the life of the relationship. Giving is most powerful at the emotional level. If we express gratitude to our partners, our words are metabolized in the brain of both the giver and the receiver that manifest mental and physiological changes on both the giver and the receiver. Think about the difference you would feel when someone is thankful to us in their life. It soothes the heart and dissolves all the grievance and resentment. Relationship flourishes when we are able to offer ourselves to one another with unlimited love,compassion, kindness and understanding. This idea is hard to reach without our expanded awareness. Our own desires and ego needs stands the way. But our true-self knows better. Grace accomplishes what ego cannot. We are not loaded up when we express gratitude. Instead, we are opening up for infinite awareness which can accomplish everything. The reverse is true when we stop giving and receiving, the flow of the grace is constricted. Grace through gratitude can keep this flow to open even when the relationship is constricted. Be grateful here and now; don't indulge in the illusion of the old dream. The real potential is waiting to be awaken. When we allow ourselves to be grateful, we form a bond with our partners that heeds separation. This is how the relationship enable a couple to accomplish any difficult tasks when two are one.
Another story I read from Shamhala Publisher Sampler is about a couple seeking help from a marriage councilor. The councilor advises the couple to do each other a random kindness and express gratitude each time your partner practice kindness. These mutual 'kindness' and 'gratitude' help the couple to save the broken relationship.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Being the author of our life story
The following message comes from Chopra in his 21-day manifest grace through gratitude.
Reality is always personal. Every experience is filtered through our own attitude and core values. Our mood also affects how the reality really looks. Our emotion is always responding even they are not visible. Therefore, no two people exists in the same reality. We are unique on how we see the world. The wisdom teaches us everything starts with our own awareness. Therefore, this is the place that we can take control of our personal reality. Are we beautiful, intelligent, creative, loyal? we don't need reassurance from outside sources or other persons. We are the true sources of all the qualities who we really are. Only we can be our own author of our life stories. The unique thing is that we still can change our life story outcomes at any moment; possibilities do not have an expiration date. Everyday is a day for a new world. Even we see the same people everyday, eat the same breakfast and watch the same TV show, it is a different 'self' who does these things. We will never be the person we were yesterday; or the same person we will be tomorrow. Gratitude connects us to today's reality. If the 'self' from our 'thought' is constantly changing, holding the reality to our thought is an illusion. When we let go the illusion, what remains are real which is our true-self. Begin to experience life based on the freshness of every moment. This is how grace constantly renew itself. This is how we become the author of our own life stories.
Reality is always personal. Every experience is filtered through our own attitude and core values. Our mood also affects how the reality really looks. Our emotion is always responding even they are not visible. Therefore, no two people exists in the same reality. We are unique on how we see the world. The wisdom teaches us everything starts with our own awareness. Therefore, this is the place that we can take control of our personal reality. Are we beautiful, intelligent, creative, loyal? we don't need reassurance from outside sources or other persons. We are the true sources of all the qualities who we really are. Only we can be our own author of our life stories. The unique thing is that we still can change our life story outcomes at any moment; possibilities do not have an expiration date. Everyday is a day for a new world. Even we see the same people everyday, eat the same breakfast and watch the same TV show, it is a different 'self' who does these things. We will never be the person we were yesterday; or the same person we will be tomorrow. Gratitude connects us to today's reality. If the 'self' from our 'thought' is constantly changing, holding the reality to our thought is an illusion. When we let go the illusion, what remains are real which is our true-self. Begin to experience life based on the freshness of every moment. This is how grace constantly renew itself. This is how we become the author of our own life stories.
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