Joy to the world.....

Happy Holidays!

I hope all of you have a rich and joyous celebration with your family and friends during this special time of the year. As we pass into the New Year, it is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, be present in the moment, and be open to new horizons in the future (warrior II), keep your gaze forward, and be very aware of your past, and remember, present is the only thing you can change.

As you reflect, remember all the gifts that life has brought you over the past year, and also know that the challenges that you have encountered are opportunities to grow and go deeper into your true nature. Yoga can be a guide in your life as it has for me to find that perspective and know that there IS a cosmic plan.

We are all the life's longing for itself . The nature of the universe is to help us to become complete, and to help us reach our highest self. So enjoy every moment of your life, remember, it is a privilege to be alive.

I honor the light within you,

Faranak

Continual Quest for THE TRUTH....

Humankind has been on a quest for truth since time immemorial. Countless individuals have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of this ideal. Many have lived that ideal. But today the quest for truth has become more important than ever before. Humankind stands at a critical juncture in its evolution, a moment which will determine our very survival as a species. The precious Earth on which we live is daily being stripped of resources; technologies that define our modern way of life threaten also to drive us to extinction; religions that promise a better way of life instead lead people to kill one another; and the system dynamics behind it all are so complex that escape seems all but impossible. Yet what if humankind applied collective intelligence and synergistic application of great minds working together on the problems of our time? What is the common denominator, the logical place to begin the conversation? Truth. For if we could arrive at a better understanding of truth, many other things would fall into place. There is only one "truth".

Relative Truth

"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true."

-- Buddha

Relative or conventional truth (samvṛtisatya) defines our perception of reality. While competing interpretations of truth are without number, people can arrive at an agreement of truth -- what is true or real -- through empirical observation and common sense. Yet this level of truth is still limited by the state of mind that apprehends it. Animals perceive one level of truth, humans another level, and enlightened beings yet another.

Ultimate Truth

"The characteristic of ultimate truth is the actuality of being free from
the formulations of subject and object. It transcends conceptualization."

-- Klong chen rab 'byams pa

Ultimate truth (paramārthasatya) is realized by means of pure awareness. Because realization of this level of truth entails an understandiing of the very nature of being, which is beyond personal self or projections of reality, it serves as the basis for enlightened activity. Realization of ultimate truth does not then adhere only to the transcendent, as the practice of compassion includes real engagement in the world in order to help others...