Peace and Freedom Newsletter - August 2008
POST: Peace and Freedom Newsletter - August 2008
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Dear Friend,
I'm trusting all is well. Even when life knocks you down, even when times turn hard, I trust that all is well. Read on to see how we all will be ushered through. Peace to you, in all your endeavors, wherever they take you...
~ Azim N. Khamisa
~ Azim N. Khamisa
| Azim's Monthly Musings | |
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Bardo - Growing through Spiritual Transitions
"Disenchantment, whether it is a minor disappointment or a major shock, is the signal that things are moving into transition in our lives." ~ William Bridges, Author We've all been there...in that transitional, introspective state moving from one place to another in life, in what has been known as the "Bardo state." Of late, I have been there, and I'm sure some of you can relate.
Many Blessings,This last month has been a difficult one for me. By the end of 2007, as a result of an extensive travel schedule - 70 venues including Europe and Australia - I had abused my body and had been diagnosed with a pinched nerve in the cervical area of my spine. As a result, I was experiencing excruciating pain to my right forearm and tingling in my right hand. Through referrals, I was seeing a biomechanics healer and a chiropractor once or twice a week. It all worked great: the pain left me a couple of months later and I could travel again, this time to Australia , New York , South Dakota , Atlanta and other venues.  All was well until July 3rd when I received a harsh chiropractic adjustment, which flared up my pinched nerve and blew out my deltoids. This resulted in such excruciating pain (substantially worse than before) that it couldn't be assuaged with two Vicodins and over 1000 mg of Ibuprofen every four hours. As a person who does not like medicating, the psychological aspects taking pills was even harder. I had pain 24/7 and had tremendous difficulty in even falling asleep.In addition to all of this physical pain, I recently experienced the emotional pain of a substantial relationship in my life derailing. After all of this, I found myself, once again, in the Bardo state. In my first book, I described the Bardo state as a transitional state or gap between the completion of one situation and the onset of another, often representing times of hardship, but opportunity for spiritual growth. What has helped is my current practice of meditation (found in the free download from my website), which I had to boost from 2 hours to 3 hours to deal with mychronic back pain and the challenged relationship. Life continues to deal you the hard hits, and it is through the pain - I am convinced - that you find lasting happiness. As Rumi said, "The cure for pain is in the pain."The Bardo is an amazing state in which to be. In the Western world we abhor a Bardo state because we do not like to be in a transitional state, upside down and severely hurting. Yet the Tibetan Buddhist firmly believes that the Bardo state is when we are fully conscious, quite present, with a spirit vibrating at a very high frequency. With such a belief, the Tibetan Buddhists prepare for death (the most supreme of all Bardos) their entire lives. They believe when they die, their spirit is vibrating at such a high frequency that they can step into enlightenment and step out of Samsara, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Sogyal Rinpoche, in the book "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying," notes that the difficulty in life comes from our habit of oscillating from sanity to insanity. He points out life would be easier if we were sane all the time or insane all the time, but what makes it difficult is the continuous swing from insanity to sanity. I was reminded of this in a very visceral way this last month. I am doing better and healing ... knowing that the pain is not a bad thing. Kahlil Gilbran's "The Prophet" talks about a potter who so loves his masterpiece that he wets the clay with his tears and then has to place the finished piece in an 800-degree Fahrenheit oven so the clay can become porcelain and radiate its true beauty. So too, through pain can we too become light and radiate our true blessed beauty. In conclusion, I say that pain is not necessarily "bad" because it expands the faculty to feel joy and discover lasting happiness. I also say that pain forces us to seek the truth and the truth we find in the pain does set us free. As William Wordsworth said,"True knowledge leads to love." So when you feel pain or find yourself in a Bardo state, it is important to embrace it and have faith that the Bardo is the precursor to discovering a whole new being within you - a truth that can lead you to a deeper love. The important thing is to have the faith. As a friend once shared with me,"Faith is an oasis in the soul which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking." Enjoy the remaining days of summer. Azim N. Khamisa |
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| August 10 San Diego Sacred Service / Workshop |
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Azim Appearance San Diego Center for Spiritual Living
 On Sunday, August 10, Azim will be speaking at the 10 a.m. services for the San Diego Center for Spiritual Living. He will follow this with a forgiveness workshop in the afternoon. Location: 1009 G. Street, San Diego, CA 92107.
More Found HERE. |
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TAPESTRY SETS NOW AVAILABLE - NEW DVDs and CDs
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The Compilations Bring the Best of Azim's Talks
A Collage of Inspiration on the Path of Peace TAPESTRY - AUDIO and DVD SERIES
 Collecting his best audios and videos into special packages, watch or listen as Azim delivers the message of peace. For the video series, Azim delivers a keynote address for a large corporation, speaks before young adults at a Juvenile Hall, addresses an International Conference on Peace, and offers an introduction to the story behind TKF. For the audio series, Azim gives a one-on-one interview, delivers a keynote address and talks of his time with the Dalai Lama. For Purchase, click HERE FORGIVENESS BOOKS
Following up Azim's award-winning "From Murder to Forgiveness" published in 1998, the highly anticipated sequel "From Forgiveness to Fulfillment" was published November 2007. This is the exciting next chapter in the evolution of a man not only healing his heart but also helping to heal the wounds of a society. - From Murder to Forgiveness - $19.95 |
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