Dear Joyce!

 

Thank you very much for stopping by.

I am glad and grateful that you have posted your opinion . Whatever kind of dance we use to enjoy our lifetime, at the end - if not earlier, we can see how short time we had!

I agree with you that many people are just playing roles, as their skin belongs to others, and I am so sorry about them. Playing naked requires a greater effort, but as you said, once - when the time to be paid come - I am sure each of us receive just equal amount that we earn.

"I pray more would look into the mirror at the naked self and promise to do the best for self and others even if it does not pay instantly in personal gain."

 

Thank you Joyce, I hope to see you again!

 

 

What a marvelous lady Judy Woodson you are!

 

Thank you for your contribution. Yes, like a disco ball in the dark! Great compression! A lot of different lights turned on, celebrating nature of human being that allows us to imagine, to think, to say, to wish, to dream, to contribute ...

Looking forward for your come backs, i bless you and embrace you with love of my soul!

Sincerely,

Branka

 

Hello Bruce and Friends

   World wide there are  about 4,200 different religions. In many cases there is a great variance in the teachings and basic beliefs of these many different religions. Each has a central doctrine such as a Bible, Koran, etc,etc. Logic tells me that they cannot all be the only true religion yet within each denomination, there is little confusion about which is the truth.

    Bruce, you have done a fine job of quoting and pasting scripture but I assure you that you have not convinced any members of the other 4,199 different religions that yours is the truest. This is why I do not bother to interpret scripture. If I did, the most likely result would be 4201 different religions. Communion Of Eternity. The scripture that you have pasted here on this forum will be read by perhaps as many as a hundred people and each of them will interpret these in " their own way and their own language". So,what was likely intended to unify could very well end up dividing.

   This is why I separate Religion from Spirituality. Religion for many is based on ones interpretation of the interpretation presented by the author of their particular doctrine. Spirituality is based on ones own interpretation of their personal experience with their creator. There is no division here. There is only the unity between one man and his maker.

 

Branka,
I love what you are doing and your wisdom and depth are astounding. To have to power to bring out such deep and well thought out comments is an artful skill.

The older I get the more I am amazed by the wisdom of our elders, gleaned from life through surviving personal experience.

Some of the smartest people I have ever met, were people who would be perceived as on the bottom of society. I think the closer to the ground you can get both literally and figuratively-the more truth is there to be found.

Branka, I am back!......

Brothers and Sisters,

I am enjoying the wonder of everyone's comments. 

I appreciate Rajaram's point made about Swami's words at a great meeting of the world.  That had to be a fantastic communion of advanced relationships.  I wonder if those attending learned anything to extend greatness into the world.

I must write a little story especially for Branka's new and wonderful forum: 

Once there was this little farming community in a place where the soil was rich, the water was plenty and the sunshine was good.  The first year of this community, one person planted potatoes.  They grew very well and there was plenty.  The community grew and more potatoes were planted.  It became common knowledge how to expertly grow potatoes.  It was good.

One season, a farmer had to travel far away into a foreign land.  In his need for food, he searched for potatoes.  He could not find them and finally realized that the natives were eating something else.  He found this to be in every land that he journeyed.  But all were eating substance different than the other.  He gathered samples and supplies of all these new things and brought them back to the community.

He expanded his land.  He planted many different things and few potatoes.  The community was in shock!  They begin to think of him as an unwise neighbor.  They began to mock him as his unusual looking crops grew in the vast fields.  He was wise.  He understood that they had not seen what he saw in the many lands that he visited.  His potatoes grew just as well as the many other crops.  He worked hard and forgave everyone.

Harvest time came.  Everyone was busy minding their own crops.  They were blessed with a such bounty of plenty.  They decided to have a harvest festival.  Everyone brought their favorite recipes, games, and families.  It was a great gathering.  Everyone was sharing all of their bounty.

During this festival, a great silence began to occur in one place.  The people were starting to line up to receive from this one farmer's family of their bounty.  Each were taking their bowl full of soup and sitting at nearby tables...eating!  "What was so different with this soup?", the elders asked.  They sent for the farmer to bring them a sample of his soup.  He willingly did.

The elders examined the soup.  It was not of the same color.  There were unknown things floating in the soup.  It had an unfamiliar aroma.  The farmer said, "This soup is my gift to this great communion in the celebration of our harvest".  One elder finally, took his spoon and filled it with this tainted potato soup. 

The moment the spoon touched his lips, his eyes widened.  Quickly he refilled his spoon to the astonishment of the other elders.  He ate and ate and did not stop to answer their requests to describe this soup until he was finished.  Finally... he pushed the bowl away and looked at the other elder and farmer.  They looked back in fear that he would fall over dead from the unknown stench of this soup that he quickly had consumed.

The well fed elder finally spoke these words...

"Next time, a little bit more onion and a tad less pepper please".

The moral of this story is:  Everyone has their own recipes for soup and life. 

The moral of this story is:  When we all sit down in communion of our meals, someone will always ask for the salt or pepper no matter what is being served.