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Investing - Ultimate Guide to Retirement - Money Magazine ...

Of all the precious metals, gold is the most popular as an investment.[1] Investors generally buy gold as a way of diversifying risk, especially through the use of futures contracts and derivatives. The gold market is subject to speculation and volatility as are other markets. Compared to other precious metals used for investment, gold has the most effective safe haven and hedging properties across a number of countries.[2]

Gold has been used throughout history as money and has been a relative standard for currency equivalents specific to economic regions or countries, until recent times. Many European countries implemented gold standards in the latter part of the 19th century until these were temporarily suspended in the financial crises involving World War I.[3] After World War II, the Bretton Woods system pegged the United States dollar to gold at a rate of US$35 per troy ounce. The system existed until the 1971 Nixon Shock, when the US unilaterally suspended the direct convertibility of the United States dollar to gold and made the transition to a fiat currency system. The last currency to be divorced from gold was the Swiss Franc in 2000.[citation needed].

Since 1919 the most common benchmark for the price of gold has been the London gold fixing, a twice-daily telephone meeting of representatives from five bullion-trading firms of the London bullion market. Furthermore, gold is traded continuously throughout the world based on the intra-day spot price, derived from over-the-counter gold-trading markets around the world (code "XAU"). The following table sets out the gold price versus various assets and key statistics at five-year intervals.[4]

Like most commodities, the price of gold is driven by supply and demand, including speculative demand. However, unlike most other commodities, saving and disposal play larger roles in affecting its price than its consumption. Most of the gold ever mined still exists in accessible form, such as bullion and mass-produced jewelry, with little value over its fine weight so it is nearly as liquid as bullion, and can come back onto the gold market.[11][12] At the end of 2006, it was estimated that all the gold ever mined totalled 158,000 tonnes (156,000 long tons; 174,000 short tons).[13] The investor Warren Buffett has said that the total amount of gold in the world that is above ground could fit into a cube with sides of just 20 metres (66ft)[14] (which is roughly consistent with 158,000 tonnes based on a specific gravity of 19.3). However, estimates for the amount of gold that exists today vary significantly and some have suggested the cube could be a lot smaller or larger.[by whom?]

Given the huge quantity of gold stored above ground compared to the annual production, the price of gold is mainly affected by changes in sentiment, which affects market supply and demand equally, rather than on changes in annual production.[15] According to the World Gold Council, annual mine production of gold over the last few years has been close to 2,500 tonnes.[16] About 2,000 tonnes goes into jewelry or industrial/dental production, and around 500 tonnes goes to retail investors and exchange-traded gold funds.[16]

Central banks and the International Monetary Fund play an important role in the gold price. At the end of 2004, central banks and official organizations held 19% of all above-ground gold as official gold reserves.[17] The ten-year Washington Agreement on Gold (WAG), which dates from September 1999, limited gold sales by its members (Europe, United States, Japan, Australia, the Bank for International Settlements and the International Monetary Fund) to less than 500 tonnes a year.[18] In 2009, this agreement was extended for a further five years, but with a smaller annual sales limit of 400 tonnes.[19] European central banks, such as the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank, have been key sellers of gold over this period.[20]

Although central banks do not generally announce gold purchases in advance, some, such as Russia, have expressed interest in growing their gold reserves again as of late 2005.[21] In early 2006, China, which only holds 1.3% of its reserves in gold,[22] announced that it was looking for ways to improve the returns on its official reserves. Some bulls hope that this signals that China might reposition more of its holdings into gold, in line with other central banks. Chinese investors began pursuing investment in gold as an alternative to investment in the Euro after the beginning of the Eurozone crisis in 2011. China has since become the worlds top gold consumer as of 2013.[23]

It is generally accepted that the price of gold is closely related to interest rates. As interest rates rise, the general tendency is for the gold price, which earns no interest, to fall, and vice versa. As a result, the gold price can be closely correlated to central banks[clarification needed] via their monetary policy decisions on interest rates. For example, if market signals indicate the possibility of prolonged inflation, central banks may decide to raise interest rates, which could reduce the price of gold. But this does not always happen: after the European Central Bank raised its interest rate slightly on April 7, 2011, for the first time since 2008,[24] the price of gold drove higher, and hit a new high one day later.[25] Similarly, in August 2011 when interest rates in India were at their highest in two years, the gold prices peaked as well.[26]

The price of gold can be influenced by a number of macroeconomic variables.[27] Such variables include the price of oil, the use of quantitative easing, currency exchange rate movements and returns on equity markets.[27]

Gold, like all precious metals, may be used as a hedge against inflation, deflation or currency devaluation. As Joe Foster, portfolio manager of the New York-based Van Eck International Gold Fund, explained in September 2010:

The currencies of all the major countries are under severe pressure because of massive government deficits. The more money that is pumped into these economies the printing of money basically then the less valuable the currencies become.[30]

Deutsche Bank's view of the point at which gold prices can be considered close to fair value (on 10 October 2014)[31]

Jewelry consistently accounts for over two-thirds of annual gold demand. India is the largest consumer in volume terms, accounting for 27% of demand in 2009, followed by China and the USA.[32]

Industrial, dental and medical uses account for around 12% of gold demand. Gold has high thermal and electrical conductivity properties, along with a high resistance to corrosion and bacterial colonization. Jewelry and industrial demand have fluctuated over the past few years due to the steady expansion in emerging markets of middle classes aspiring to Western lifestyles, offset by the financial crisis of 20072010.[33]

In recent years the recycling of second-hand jewelry has become a multibillion-dollar industry. The term "Cash for Gold" refers to offers of cash for selling old, broken, or mismatched gold jewelry to local and online gold buyers. There are many websites that offer these services.

However, there are many companies that have been caught taking advantage of their customers, paying a fraction of what the gold or silver is really worth, leading to distrust in many companies.[34]

When dollars were fully convertible into gold via the gold standard, both were regarded as money. However, most people preferred to carry around paper banknotes rather than the somewhat heavier and less divisible gold coins. If people feared their bank would fail, a bank run might result. This happened in the USA during the Great Depression of the 1930s, leading President Roosevelt to impose a national emergency and issue Executive Order 6102 outlawing the "hoarding" of gold by US citizens. There was only one prosecution under the order, and in that case the order was ruled invalid by federal judge John M. Woolsey, on the technical grounds that the order was signed by the President, not the Secretary of the Treasury as required.[35]

The most traditional way of investing in gold is by buying bullion gold bars. In some countries, like Canada, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, these can easily be bought or sold at the major banks. Alternatively, there are bullion dealers that provide the same service. Bars are available in various sizes. For example, in Europe, Good Delivery bars are approximately 400 troy ounces (12kg).[36] 1 kilogram (32ozt) are also popular, although many other weights exist, such as the 10oz, 1oz, 10g, 100g, 1kg, 1Tael, and 1Tola.

Bars generally carry lower price premiums than gold bullion coins. However larger bars carry an increased risk of forgery due to their less stringent parameters for appearance. While bullion coins can be easily weighed and measured against known values to confirm their veracity, most bars cannot, and gold buyers often have bars re-assayed. Larger bars also have a greater volume in which to create a partial forgery using a tungsten-filled cavity, which may not be revealed by an assay. Tungsten is ideal for this purpose because it is much less expensive than gold, but has the same density (19.3 g/cm).

Good delivery bars that are held within the London bullion market (LBMA) system each have a verifiable chain of custody, beginning with the refiner and assayer, and continuing through storage in LBMA recognized vaults. Bars within the LBMA system can be bought and sold easily. If a bar is removed from the vaults and stored outside of the chain of integrity, for example stored at home or in a private vault, it will have to be re-assayed before it can be returned to the LBMA chain. This process is described under the LBMA's "Good Delivery Rules".[37]

The LBMA "traceable chain of custody" includes refiners as well as vaults. Both have to meet their strict guidelines. Bullion products from these trusted refiners are traded at face value by LBMA members without assay testing. By buying bullion from an LBMA member dealer and storing it in an LBMA recognized vault, customers avoid the need of re-assaying or the inconvenience in time and expense it would cost.[38] However this is not 100% sure, for example, Venezuela moved its gold because of the political risk for them, and as the past shows, even in countries considered as democratic and stable, for example in the USA in the 1930s gold was seized by the government and legal moving was banned.[39]

Efforts to combat gold bar counterfeiting include kinebars which employ a unique holographic technology and are manufactured by the Argor-Heraeus refinery in Switzerland.

Gold coins are a common way of owning gold. Bullion coins are priced according to their fine weight, plus a small premium based on supply and demand (as opposed to numismatic gold coins, which are priced mainly by supply and demand based on rarity and condition).

The sizes of bullion coins range from one-tenth of an ounce to two ounces, with the one-ounce size being most popular and readily available.[40]

The Krugerrand is the most widely held gold bullion coin, with 46million troy ounces (1,400 tonnes) in circulation. Other common gold bullion coins include the Australian Gold Nugget (Kangaroo), Austrian Philharmoniker (Philharmonic), Austrian 100 Corona, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, Chinese Gold Panda, Malaysian Kijang Emas, French Napoleon or Louis d'Or, Mexican Gold 50 Peso, British Sovereign, American Gold Eagle, and American Buffalo.

Coins may be purchased from a variety of dealers both large and small. Fake gold coins are common and are usually made of gold-plated lead.[citation needed]

Gold rounds look exactly like gold coins but they have no currency value.[41][42] They range in similar sizes as gold coins and come in 0.05 troy ounce all the way up to 1 troy ounce. Unlike gold coins, gold rounds have no additional metals added to them for durability purposes and do not have to be made by a government mint, which allows the gold rounds to have a lower overhead price as compared to gold coins. On the other hand, gold rounds are not as collectible as gold coins.

Gold exchange-traded products may include exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), and closed-end funds (CEFs), which are traded like shares on the major stock exchanges. The first gold ETF, Gold Bullion Securities (ticker symbol "GOLD"), was launched in March 2003 on the Australian Stock Exchange, and originally represented exactly 0.1 troy ounces (3.1g) of gold. As of November 2010, SPDR Gold Shares is the second-largest exchange-traded fund in the world by market capitalization.[43]

Gold Exchange-traded products (ETPs) represent an easy way to gain exposure to the gold price, without the inconvenience of storing physical bars. However exchange-traded gold instruments, even those that hold physical gold for the benefit of the investor, carry risks beyond those inherent in the precious metal itself. For example, the most popular gold ETP (GLD) has been widely criticized, and even compared with mortgage-backed securities, due to features of its complex structure.[44][45][46][47][48]

Typically a small commission is charged for trading in gold ETPs and a small annual storage fee is charged. The annual expenses of the fund such as storage, insurance, and management fees are charged by selling a small amount of gold represented by each certificate, so the amount of gold in each certificate will gradually decline over time.

Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are investment companies that are legally classified as open-end companies or unit investment trusts (UITs), but that differ from traditional open-end companies and UITs.[49] The main differences are that ETFs do not sell directly to investors and they issue their shares in what are called "Creation Units" (large blocks such as blocks of 50,000 shares). Also, the Creation Units may not be purchased with cash but a basket of securities that mirrors the ETF's portfolio. Usually, the Creation Units are split up and re-sold on a secondary market.

ETF shares can be sold in basically two ways. The investors can sell the individual shares to other investors, or they can sell the Creation Units back to the ETF. In addition, ETFs generally redeem Creation Units by giving investors the securities that comprise the portfolio instead of cash. Because of the limited redeemability of ETF shares, ETFs are not considered to be and may not call themselves mutual funds.[49]

Gold certificates allow gold investors to avoid the risks and costs associated with the transfer and storage of physical bullion (such as theft, large bid-offer spread, and metallurgical assay costs) by taking on a different set of risks and costs associated with the certificate itself (such as commissions, storage fees, and various types of credit risk).

Banks may issue gold certificates for gold that is allocated (fully reserved) or unallocated (pooled). Unallocated gold certificates are a form of fractional reserve banking and do not guarantee an equal exchange for metal in the event of a run on the issuing bank's gold on deposit. Allocated gold certificates should be correlated with specific numbered bars, although it is difficult to determine whether a bank is improperly allocating a single bar to more than one party.[50]

The first paper bank notes were gold certificates. They were first issued in the 17th century when they were used by goldsmiths in England and the Netherlands for customers who kept deposits of gold bullion in their vault for safe-keeping. Two centuries later, the gold certificates began being issued in the United States when the US Treasury issued such certificates that could be exchanged for gold. The United States Government first authorized the use of the gold certificates in 1863. On April 5, 1933 the US Government restricted the private gold ownership in the United States and therefore, the gold certificates stopped circulating as money (this restriction was reversed on January 1, 1975). Nowadays, gold certificates are still issued by gold pool programs in Australia and the United States, as well as by banks in Germany, Switzerland and Vietnam.[51]

Many types of gold "accounts" are available. Different accounts impose varying types of intermediation between the client and their gold. One of the most important differences between accounts is whether the gold is held on an allocated (fully reserved) or unallocated (pooled) basis. Unallocated gold accounts are a form of fractional reserve banking and do not guarantee an equal exchange for metal in the event of a run on the issuer's gold on deposit. Another major difference is the strength of the account holder's claim on the gold, in the event that the account administrator faces gold-denominated liabilities (due to a short or naked short position in gold for example), asset forfeiture, or bankruptcy.

Many banks offer gold accounts where gold can be instantly bought or sold just like any foreign currency on a fractional reserve basis.[citation needed]Swiss banks offer similar service on a fully allocated basis. Pool accounts, such as those offered by some providers, facilitate highly liquid but unallocated claims on gold owned by the company. Digital gold currency systems operate like pool accounts and additionally allow the direct transfer of fungible gold between members of the service. Other operators, by contrast, allows clients to create a bailment on allocated (non-fungible) gold, which becomes the legal property of the buyer.

Other platforms provide a marketplace where physical gold is allocated to the buyer at the point of sale, and becomes their legal property.[citation needed] These providers are merely custodians of client bullion, which does not appear on their balance sheet.

Typically, bullion banks only deal in quantities of 1000 ounces or more in either allocated or unallocated accounts. For private investors, vaulted gold offers private individuals to obtain ownership in professionally vaulted gold starting from minimum investment requirements of several thousand U.S.-dollars or denominations as low as one gram.

Derivatives, such as gold forwards, futures and options, currently trade on various exchanges around the world and over-the-counter (OTC) directly in the private market. In the U.S., gold futures are primarily traded on the New York Commodities Exchange (COMEX) and Euronext.liffe. In India, gold futures are traded on the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) and Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).[52]

As of 2009 holders of COMEX gold futures have experienced problems taking delivery of their metal. Along with chronic delivery delays, some investors have received delivery of bars not matching their contract in serial number and weight. The delays cannot be easily explained by slow warehouse movements, as the daily reports of these movements show little activity. Because of these problems, there are concerns that COMEX may not have the gold inventory to back its existing warehouse receipts.[53]

Outside the US, a number of firms provide trading on the price of gold via contract for differences (CFDs) or allow spread bets on the price of gold.

Instead of buying gold itself, investors can buy the companies that produce the gold as shares in gold mining companies. If the gold price rises, the profits of the gold mining company could be expected to rise and the worth of the company will rise and presumably the share price will also rise. However, there are many factors to take into account and it is not always the case that a share price will rise when the gold price increases. Mines are commercial enterprises and subject to problems such as flooding, subsidence and structural failure, as well as mismanagement, negative publicity, nationalization, theft and corruption. Such factors can lower the share prices of mining companies.

The price of gold bullion is volatile, but unhedged gold shares and funds are regarded as even higher risk and even more volatile. This additional volatility is due to the inherent leverage in the mining sector. For example, if one owns a share in a gold mine where the costs of production are $300 per ounce and the price of gold is $600, the mine's profit margin will be $300. A 10% increase in the gold price to $660 per ounce will push that margin up to $360, which represents a 20% increase in the mine's profitability, and possibly a 20% increase in the share price. Furthermore, at higher prices, more ounces of gold become economically viable to mine, enabling companies to add to their production. Conversely, share movements also amplify falls in the gold price. For example, a 10% fall in the gold price to $540 will decrease that margin to $240, which represents a 20% fall in the mine's profitability, and possibly a 20% decrease in the share price.

To reduce this volatility, some gold mining companies hedge the gold price up to 18 months in advance. This provides the mining company and investors with less exposure to short-term gold price fluctuations, but reduces returns when the gold price is rising.

Investors using fundamental analysis analyze the macroeconomic situation, which includes international economic indicators, such as GDP growth rates, inflation, interest rates, productivity and energy prices. They would also analyze the yearly global gold supply versus demand.

The performance of gold bullion is often compared to stocks as different investment vehicles. Gold is regarded by some as a store of value (without growth) whereas stocks are regarded as a return on value (i.e., growth from anticipated real price increase plus dividends). Stocks and bonds perform best in a stable political climate with strong property rights and little turmoil. The attached graph shows the value of Dow Jones Industrial Average divided by the price of an ounce of gold. Since 1800, stocks have consistently gained value in comparison to gold in part because of the stability of the American political system.[54] This appreciation has been cyclical with long periods of stock outperformance followed by long periods of gold outperformance. The Dow Industrials bottomed out a ratio of 1:1 with gold during 1980 (the end of the 1970s bear market) and proceeded to post gains throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[55] The gold price peak of 1980 also coincided with the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan and the threat of the global expansion of communism. The ratio peaked on January 14, 2000 a value of 41.3 and has fallen sharply since.

One argument follows that in the long-term, gold's high volatility when compared to stocks and bonds, means that gold does not hold its value compared to stocks and bonds:[56]

Bullish investors may choose to leverage their position by borrowing money against their existing assets and then purchasing gold on account with the loaned funds. Leverage is also an integral part of buying gold derivatives and unhedged gold mining company shares (see gold mining companies). Leverage or derivatives may increase investment gains but also increases the corresponding risk of capital loss if/when the trend reverses.

Some of the economic mechanics of gold have been compared to those of cryptocurrencies. For example, they are both scarce, fungible and do not come attached to debt. Nick Szabo created a digital currency call "bit gold" that mimicked some features of gold.[57]

Some cryptocurrencies and services are backed by gold.[58]

Gold maintains a special position in the market with many tax regimes. For example, in the European Union the trading of recognised gold coins and bullion products are free of VAT. Silver and other precious metals or commodities do not have the same allowance. Other taxes such as capital gains tax may also apply for individuals depending on their tax residency. U.S. citizens may be taxed on their gold profits at 15, 23, 28 or 35 percent, depending on the investment vehicle used.[59]

Gold attracts a fair share of fraudulent activity. Some of the most common to be aware of are:

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Gold as an investment - Wikipedia

Buddhism in Japan has been practiced since its official introduction in 552 CE according to the Nihon Shoki[1] from Baekje, Korea, by Buddhist monks.[2][3]Buddhism has had a major influence on the development of Japanese society and remains an influential aspect of the culture to this day.[4]

In modern times, Japan's most popular schools of Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism and Zen. As of 2008, approximately 34% of the Japanese identify as Buddhists and the number has been growing since the 1980s, in terms of membership in organized religion. However, in terms of practice, 75% practice some form of Buddhism (compared with 90% practicing Shinto, thus most Japanese practice both religion to some extent (Shinbutsu-shg)).[5] About 60% of the Japanese have a Butsudan (Buddhist shrine) in their homes.[6]

The arrival of Buddhism in China is ultimately a consequence of the first contacts between China and Central Asia, where Buddhism had spread from the Indian subcontinent. These contacts occurred with the opening of the Silk Road in the 2nd century BCE, following the travels of Zhang Qian between 138 and 126 BCE. These contacts culminated with the official introduction of Buddhism in China in 67 CE. Historians generally agree that by the middle of the 1st century, the religion had penetrated to areas north of the Huai River in China.[7]

According to the Book of Liang, which was written in 635, five Buddhist monks from Gandhara traveled to Japan in 467. At the time, they referred to Japan as Fusang (Chinese: ; Japanese pronunciation: Fus), the name of a mythological country to the extreme east beyond the sea:[8]

Fusang is located to the east of China, 20,000 li (1,500 kilometers) east of the state of Da Han [, "China"] (itself east of the state of Wa in modern Kansai region, Japan). (...) In former times, the people of Fusang knew nothing of the Buddhist religion, but in the second year of Da Ming of the Song Dynasty (467), five monks from Kipin [Kabul region of Gandhara] travelled by ship to Fusang. They propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings, and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a result the customs of Fusang changed.

Although there are records of Buddhist monks from China coming to Japan before the Asuka Period, the "official" introduction of Buddhism to Japan is dated to 552 in Nihon Shoki[9] when King Seong of Baekje (, now western Korea) sent a mission to the Emperor Kinmei that included Buddhist monks or nuns together with an image of Buddha and a number of sutras to introduce Buddhism.[3][10] The powerful Soga clan played a key role in the early spread of Buddhism in the country. Initial uptake of the new faith was slow, and Buddhism only started to spread some years later when Empress Suiko openly encouraged the acceptance of Buddhism among all Japanese people.

According to legend, in Japan in 552, there was an attempt to destroy a tooth relic, one of the first of Buddhas to arrive in the country; it was hit by a hammer into an anvil; the hammer and anvil were destroyed but the tooth was not.[11] On January 15, 593, Soga no Umako ordered relics of Buddha deposited inside the foundation stone under the pillar of a pagoda at Asuka-dera.[12]

In 607, in order to obtain copies of sutras, an imperial envoy was dispatched to Sui China. As time progressed and the number of Buddhist clergy increased, the offices of Sj (archbishop) and Szu (bishop) were created. By 627, there were 46 Buddhist temples, 816 Buddhist priests, and 569 Buddhist nuns in Japan.

The initial period saw the six great Chinese schools, called Nanto Rokush (, lit. the Six Nara Sects) in Japanese, introduced to the Japanese archipelago:

These schools centered around the ancient capitals of Asuka and Nara, where great temples such as the Asuka-dera and Tdai-ji were erected respectively. These were not exclusive schools, and temples were apt to have scholars versed in several of the schools. It has been suggested that they can best be thought of as "study groups". The Buddhism of these periods, known as the Asuka period and Nara period was not a practical religion, being more the domain of learned priests whose official function was to pray for the peace and prosperity of the state and imperial house. This kind of Buddhism had little to offer the illiterate and uneducated masses, and led to the growth of "peoples priests" who were not ordained and had no formal Buddhist training. Their practice was a combination of Buddhist and Daoist elements and the incorporation of shamanistic features of indigenous practices. Some of these figures became immensely popular, and were a source of criticism towards the sophisticated academic and bureaucratic Buddhism of the capital.

The Late Nara period saw the introduction of Tangmi (Esoteric Buddhism, Japanese mikky) to Japan from China by Kkai and Saich, who founded Shingon Buddhism and the Tendai school, respectively.

During the Heian period the capital was shifted from Nara to Kyoto. Monasteries became centers of powers, even establishing armies of Shei, warrior-monks.

Shinto and Buddhism became the dominant religions, maintaining a balance until the Meiji-restoration.

The Kamakura period was a period of crises in which the control of the country moved from the imperial aristocracy to the samurai. In 1185 the Kamakura shogunate was established at Kamakura.

This period saw the introduction of the two schools that had perhaps the greatest impact on the country: the schools of Pure Land Buddhism, promulgated by evangelists such as Genshin and articulated by monks such as Hnen, which emphasize salvation through faith in Amitbha and remain the largest Buddhist sect in Japan (and throughout Asia); and Zen, promulgated by monks such as Eisai and Dgen, which emphasize liberation through the insight of meditation, which were equally rapidly adopted by the upper classes and had a profound impact on the culture of Japan.

Additionally, it was during the Kamakura period that the influential monk Nichiren began teaching devotion to the Lotus Sutra. Eventually, his disciples formed their own school of Nichiren Buddhism, which includes various sects that have their own interpretations of Nichiren's teachings. Nichiren Buddhism established the foundation of Japanese Buddhism in the thirteenth century. The school is known for its sociopolitical activism and looks to reform society through faith.[16]

In the Muromachi period, Zen, particularly the Rinzai school, obtained the help of the Ashikaga shogunate and the Emperor of Japan, and accomplished considerable development.

After the Sengoku period of war, Japan was re-united in the AzuchiMomoyama period. This decreased the power of Buddhism, which had become a strong political and military force in Japan. Neo-Confucianism and Shinto gained influence at the expense of Buddhism, which came under strict state control.[17] Japan closed itself off to the rest of the world. The only traders to be allowed were Dutchmen admitted to the island of Dejima.

New doctrines and methods were not to be introduced, nor were new temples and schools. The only exception was the baku lineage, which was introduced in the 17th century during the Edo period by Ingen, a Chinese monk. Ingen had been a member of the Linji school, the Chinese equivalent of Rinzai, which had developed separately from the Japanese branch for hundreds of years. Thus, when Ingen journeyed to Japan following the fall of the Ming dynasty to the Manchu people, his teachings were seen as a separate school. The baku school was named after Mount Huangbo (Chinese: ; pinyin: Hungb shn; Japanese pronunciation: baku shan), which had been Ingen's home in China. Also notable during the period was the publication of an exceptionally high quality reprint of the Ming-era Tripiaka by Tetsugen Doko, a renowned master of the baku school.[17]

With the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the new government adopted a strong anti-Buddhist attitude, and a movement to eradicate Buddhism and bring Shinto to ascendancy arose throughout the country due to the strong connections of Buddhism to the Shoguns.

During the Meiji period (18681912), after a coup in 1868, Japan abandoned its feudal system and opened up to Western modernism. Shinto became the state religion. Within the Buddhist establishment the Western world was seen as a threat as well as a challenge to stand up to.[19][20] Buddhist institutions had a simple choice: adapt or perish. Rinzai and Soto Zen chose to adapt, trying to modernize Zen in accord with Western insights, while simultaneously maintaining a Japanese identity. Other schools, and Buddhism in general, simply saw their influence wane. The edict of April 1872 ended the status of the buddhist precepts as state law and allowed monks to marry and to eat meat.[21] This "codification of a secularized lifestyle for the monk coupled with the revival of the emperor system and development of State Shinto were fundamental in desacralizing Buddhism and pushing it to the margins of society".[22]

Japanese identity was being articulated in Nihonjinron, the "Japanese uniqueness theory". A broad range of subjects was taken as typical of Japanese culture. D. T. Suzuki contributed to the Nihonjinron by taking Zen as the distinctive token of Asian spirituality, showing its unique character in the Japanese culture.[23]Nichirenism was one particular expression of Japanese Buddhist nationalism.

During World War II, almost all Buddhists temples strongly supported Japan's militarization.[24][25][26][27][28][29] In contrast, a few individuals such as Ichikawa Haku,[30] and Gir Senoo were targeted, and the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai, a Nichiren lay believers' organization, was ultimately banned by military authorities. During the 1940s, "leaders of both Honmon Hokkeshu and Sokka Gakkai were imprisoned for their defiance of wartime government religious policy, which mandated display of reverence for state Shinto."[31][32][33]

Post World War II, there was a high demand for Buddhist priests who glorified fallen soldiers, and gave funerals and posthumous names, causing a strong revival.[34][citation needed] However, due to secularization and materialism, Buddhism and religion in general, continued to decline.[need quotation to verify]

Japan has seen a growth in post war movements of lay believers of Buddhism[citation needed] and a decline in traditional Buddhism in the 20th century, with roughly 100 Buddhist organizations disappearing every year.[35][36] As of 2008 approximately 34% of the Japanese identify as "Buddhists" and the number has been growing since the 1980s, as Buddhists were 27% in 1984.

Still, around 90% of Japanese funerals are conducted according to Buddhist rites.[37] "In 1963 Tamamuro Taijo coined the term Funeral Buddhism that came to be used to describe traditional Buddhism in Japan as the religion engaged in funerary rites and removed from the spiritual needs of people".[38]

Contrary to the ritualistic practice of traditional Buddhism, a revived modern form of Nichiren Buddhism led by lay believers Soka Gakkai grew rapidly in the chaos of post war Japan [33] from about 3000 members in 1951 to over 8 million members in 2000,[39] and has established schools, colleges and a university, as well as cultural institutions.[40] A study about the reason for the growth in lay believers and increased engagement in society attributes the cause to Nichiren teachings of social responsibility: In the tradition of Nichiren Buddhism, however, we find the Lotus Sutra linked to a view of social responsibility that is distinctive.[41] According to an academic study, lay believers of Buddhism offer an alternative view of Japan where their form of Buddhism would form the religious foundation of a peaceful and psychologically and materially enriched society [42]

In the post-Meiji, pre-WWII period, there were officially 13 schools and 56 branches (ja:) of traditional Buddhism (i.e., those not established in modern times). The official schools included three from the Nara period, two from the Heian period (Tendai and Shingon), four Pure Land schools, three Zen schools (Rinzai, St and Obaku), and Nichiren. During the war, this was halved to 28 branches, but the law enforcing this was repealed following the end of the war, allowing former branches to return. Further, since then, many groups have split off from existing branches.[citation needed]

625: Introduced into Japan. The Tattvasiddhi school (, Jjitsu-sh) (formerly known as the *Styasiddhi) is considered to be an offshoot of the Bahurutya, an Indian Sautrntika school of Nikaya Buddhism; however, the Tattvasiddhi's position was also close to that of the Sthavira nikya. They were distinguished by a rejection of abhidharma as not being the words of the Buddha. It was introduced to Japan as Jjitsu in 625 by the monk Ekwan of Goryeo. In Japan, it was classified as one of the three approaches of East Asian Mdhyamaka instead of a separate lineage. East Asian Mdhyamaka (, Sanron-sh) was one of the six Nara sects (, Nanto Rokush).

654: Dsh introduces East Asian Yogcra (, Hoss). Yogcra is based on an early Indian philosophy by masters such as Vasubandhu. Practices of this lineage are also known as "consciousness-only" since they teach that all phenomena are phenomena of the mind. The East Asian Yogcra school of Buddhism was founded by Xuanzang (, Jp. Genj) in China c. 630 and introduced to Japan in 654 by Dsh, who had travelled to China to study under him.[45] The Discourse on the Theory of Consciousness-Only (, Jyuishiki-ron) is an important text for the Hoss school.

This school was transmitted to Japan in the 7th century. Literally: Three-Discourse School; a Madhyamaka school which developed in China based on two discourses by Nagarjuna and one by Aryadeva. Madhyamaka is one of the two most important Mahayana philosophies, and reemphasizes the original Buddhist teachings that phenomena are neither truly existent or absolutely non-existent, but are characterized by impermanence and insubstantiality.

736: Bodhisena introduces the Kegon (Huayan or Avatasaka) school to Japan. The Kegon school was founded by Dushun (, Dojun) c. 600 and was introduced to Japan by the Indian monk Bodhisena in 736. The Avatamsaka Sutra (Kegon-ky ) is the central text for the Kegon school. The Shin'yaku Kegonky Ongi Shiki is an early Japanese annotation of this stra.

753: Jianzhen (Chinese: ) introduces the Rissh (Ritsu or vinaya school) to Japan. Founded by Doxun (, Jp. Dosen), China, c. 650First Introduction to Japan: Jianzhen, 753. The Ritsu school specialized in the Vinaya (the monastic rules in the Tripitaka). They used the Dharmagupta version of the vinaya which is known in Japanese as Shibunritsu ()

The Kusha-sh () was one of the six schools of Buddhism introduced to Japan during the Asuka and Nara periods. Along with the Tattvasiddhi school (Jjitsu-sh) and the Rissh, it is a school of Nikaya Buddhism, which is sometimes derisively known to Mahayana Buddhism as "the Hinayana".

A Sarvastivada school,[47] Kusha-sh focussed on abhidharma analysis based on the "Commentary on the Abhidharmakoabhaya" () by the fourth-century Gandharan philosopher Vasubandhu. The school takes its name from that authoritative text.

807: Saich introduces the Tendai (Tiantai) school to Japan. Known as Tiantai () in China, the Tendai school was founded by Zhiyi (, Jp Chigi) in China, c. 550. In 804 Saich () traveled to China to study at the Tiantai teachings, at Mount Tiantai. However, before his return he also studied, and was initiated into, the practice of the Vajrayana, with emphasis on the Mahavairocana Sutra. The primary text of Tiantai is Lotus Sutra (Hokke-ky ), but when Saich established his school in Japan he incorporated the study and practice of Vajrayana as well.

816: Kkai founds Shingon Buddhism (, Shingon-sh). One of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan today and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, it originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra. Known in Chinese as the Tangmi, these esoteric teachings would flourish in Japan under the auspices of a Buddhist monk named Kkai (), who traveled to Tang China in 804 as part of the same expedition as Saich. In the capital he studied Tangmi and Sanskrit and received initiation from Huiguo. On returning to Japan, Kkai eventually managed to establish Shingon as a school in its own right. Kkai received two lineages of teachingone based on the Mahavairocana Tantra (, Dainichiky) and the other based on the Vajrasekhara Sutra (, Kongchky).

The word "Shingon" is the Japanese pronunciation of Zhnyn "True Words",[48] which in turn is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word "mantra".[49]

1175: Hnen introduces Pure Land Buddhism to Japan.

Jdo-sh was founded by Hnen (), 1175Japanese name: , "Pure Land"Major Influences: Chinese Jingtu Zong ( "Pure Land school"), TendaiDoctrine: NianfoPrimary Text: Longer Sukhvatvyha Stra (Muryju-ky )

Jdo Shinsh was founded by Shinran (), 1224Japanese name: , "True Pure Land"Major Influences: Jdo-sh, TendaiDoctrine: nembutsu no shinjin ("nianfo of true entrusting", that is, saying nianfo is a declaration of faith in Amida's salvation plan for the individual rather than a plan for salvation.)Primary Text: Longer Sukhvatvyha Stra (Muryju-ky )

Ji-sh was founded by Ippen (), 1270Japanese name: or , "Time"Major Influences: Jdo-shDoctrine: NembutsuPrimary Text:

The Yz-Nembutsu school was founded by Rynin (), 1117Japanese name: Doctrine: sokushitsu j (,)Primary Text: Avatamsaka Sutra (Kegon-ky )Lotus Sutra (Hokke-ky )

Several variants of Zen's practice and experiential wisdom () were separately brought to Japan. Note that Zen influences are identifiable earlier in Japanese Buddhism, esp. cross-fertilization with Hosso and Kegon, but the independent schools were formed quite late.

1191: Eisai introduces the Rinzai school to Japan. Founder: Linji Yixuan (), China, c. 850Chinese name: Linji school (), named after founderFirst Introduction to Japan: Eisai (), 1191Major Influences: East Asian Yogcra, KegonDoctrine: zazen (, "sitting meditation"), especially kan (, "public matter") practicePrimary Texts: Transcendental Wisdom Sutras aka Prajnaparamita (), incl. Heart Sutra

1227: Dgen introduces the St (Caodong school) to Japan. Founders: Caoshan (, Jp. Sosan) and Dongshan Liangjie (, Jp. Tosan), China, c. 850Chinese name: Caodong (), named after its foundersFirst Introduction to Japan: Dgen (), 1227Major Influences: Tendai, East Asian Yogcra, KegonDoctrine: zazen (, "sitting meditation"), especially shikantazaPrimary Texts: Transcendental Wisdom Sutras aka Prajnaparamita (), incl. Heart Sutra

1654: Ingen introduces the baku (Huangbo) school to Japan.Founder: Ingen (), Japan, 1654Japanese name: , named for the mountain where the founder had lived in ChinaMajor Influences: Rinzai schoolDoctrine: kyzen-itchi (, "Unity of Sutras and Zen")Primary Texts: Transcendental Wisdom Sutras aka Prajnaparamita (), incl. Heart Sutra

The Fuke-sh was founded by Puhua ()First introduction to Japan: Shinchin Kakushin (), 1254Major Influences: Rinzai schoolAbolished: 1871

1253: Nichiren (: "Sun-Lotus") expounds his teachings. Nichiren Buddhism split into several denominations after the death of Nichiren in 1282. The Nichiren Fuju-fuse-ha sub-sect of Nichiren Buddhism was abolished in 1669 and legalised again in 1876.Today's Nichiren Buddhism is represented by traditional-oriented schools such as Honmon Butsury-sh, Nichiren-sh and Nichiren Shsh and more recent movements like the Soka Gakkai, Rissh Ksei Kai, Reiykai and Nipponzan-Myhji-Daisanga. See Nichiren Buddhism for a more complete list.

Major Influences: TendaiPrimary Texts: Lotus Sutra (: Myh Renge Ky; abbrev. : Hokke-ky), treatises and letters by Nichiren.Mantra: Nam(u) Myh Renge Ky ()

Japanese culture maintained an uneasy relation to Buddhist culture. While the Chinese culture was admired, Buddhism was also regarded as a strange influence.

During the Kamakura (11851333) and Muromachi (13361573) Buddhism, or the Buddhist institutions, had a great influence on Japanese society. Buddhist institutions were used by the shogunate to control the country. During the Edo (16001868) this power was constricted, to be followed by persecutions at the beginning of the Meiji-restoration (18681912). Buddhist temples played a major administrative role during the Edo period, through the Danka or terauke system. In this, Japanese citizens were required to register at their local Buddhist temples and obtain a certification (terauke), which became necessary to function in society. At first, this system was put into place to suppress Christianity, but over time it took on the larger role of census and population control.

In Japan, Buddhist art started to develop as the country converted to Buddhism in 548. Some tiles from the Asuka period (shown above), the first period following the conversion of the country to Buddhism, display a strikingly classical style, with ample Hellenistic dress and realistically rendered body shape characteristic of Greco-Buddhist art.

Buddhist art became extremely varied in its expression. Many elements of Greco-Buddhist art remain to this day however, such as the Hercules inspiration behind the Nio guardian deities in front of Japanese Buddhist temples, or representations of the Buddha reminiscent of Greek art such as the Buddha in Kamakura.[b]

Various other Greco-Buddhist artistic influences can be found in the Japanese Buddhist pantheon, the most striking being that of the Japanese wind god Fjin. In consistency with Greek iconography for the wind god Boreas, the Japanese wind god holds above his head with his two hands a draping or "wind bag" in the same general attitude.[c] The abundance of hair has been kept in the Japanese rendering, as well as exaggerated facial features.

Another Buddhist deity, Shukongshin, one of the wrath-filled protector deities of Buddhist temples in Japan, is also an interesting case of transmission of the image of the famous Greek god Heracles to East Asia along the Silk Road. Heracles was used in Greco-Buddhist art to represent Vajrapani, the protector of the Buddha, and his representation was then used in China and Japan to depict the protector gods of Buddhist temples.[d]

The artistic inspiration from Greek floral scrolls is found quite literally in the decoration of Japanese roof tiles, one of the only remaining element of wooden architecture throughout centuries. The clearest ones are from the 7th century Nara temple building tiles, some of them exactly depicting vines and grapes. These motifs have evolved towards more symbolic representations, but essentially remain to this day in many Japanese traditional buildings.[e]

Soga no Umako built Hk-ji, the first temple in Japan, between 588 to 596. It was later renamed as Asuka-dera for Asuka, the name of the capital where it was located. Unlike early Shinto shrines, early Buddhist temples were highly ornamental and strictly symmetrical. The early Heian period (9th10th century) saw an evolution of style based on the mikky sects Tendai and Shingon Buddhism. The Daibutsuy style and the Zenshy style emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century.

Although its date and practices vary region to region, the Bon Festival is celebrated primarily in Japan and in communities with large Japanese diaspora communities. It is believed that the spirits of the dead return to earth for three days and visit the family shrines or graves. It is customary to clean the graves and to hold family reunions.

More:
Buddhism in Japan - Wikipedia

Hi Bedros-

My name is Adriel Yapana, and I'm an independent personal trainer.

As soon as I got your "Close Clients" video, I watched everything from beginning to end, absorbed the recommended strategies and took plenty of notes. I especially liked the included diagrams and the mentoring group brainstorm segment which was most helpful for me in formulating my own sales communication, I realized where I needed to work on myself, both verbal and written, and also the best use of my time with the prospect.

I like to choose the right tools to get the job done right and in this product, I've learned the right closing tools and how to use them. It's a must for every trainer.

To make a long story short, I recently got back in an environment where I have to close my own personal training packages. Unlike before where I was sent clients sold on a training package already and all I had to do was train them. I had to teach myself how to create my own leads and close my own clients.

Let me tell you, I studied and honed my skills the first week and the second week, I applied the strategies to my prospects.

Well, I revived my business the moment I used my new closing skills... I closed 2 big package programs: one a 12-month commitment of 5 sessions a week and the other, a 6-months package of multiple sessions a week. The skills I've learned from this product made an impact on my income instantly and I'm loving it!

As fitness professionals, we all get trained with these educational, sometimes mandatory fitness certifications to change bodies. This video should be a must for everyone who wants to get certified in "closing bodies," that is, your prospects!

Thanks again Bedros!

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Close Clients

We are delighted with your interest in Luther Village. Planned as a residential community for active people 55 years of age and older, Luther Village was designed to allow individuals to live graciously with maximum independence along with available services throughout their retirement years.

Luther Village was established in residential Arlington Heights in 1990 by the Shaw Company. It has the distinction of being the first full-equity ownership retirement community in the Midwest. Residents of Luther Village own shares in The Luther Village Owners Corporation and enjoy the financial advantages that go along with owning shares in a co-op. Another benefit to residents of Luther Village is the comfort and convenience of having a highly respected and well recognized health care provider on the same campus, The Lutheran Home. Residents of Luther Village have first priority access to The Lutheran Home for re-hab and their health care needs.

The community is designed to provide active seniors with services and amenities that increase their independence and freedom. A la carte services are available for laundry, housekeeping and handyman services. There are also a wide range of services and social activities that are available to each resident, including snow removal, landscaping, fitness center with an indoor pool, classes, entertainment, off-campus trips and so much more. Visit our Choice of Services page for a complete list.

The campus offers 55 acres of mature landscaping with walking paths surrounding lovely ponds. There is also a fishing pier, raised-bed gardens, and a cozy Summer House for entertaining and special outdoor activities.

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Luther Village | In the heart of Arlington Heights

Right now our investment editors have identified unique investment opportunities that are flying under the radar of mainstream financial analysts. They are investment ideas that could make you rich, protect your wealth or both. And they are available exclusively to Money Morning subscribers.

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With the approaching new year, it is important to take a step back and make sure we are prepared personally for what lies ahead in by making a 2018 to-do-list.

Are you on the right path to achieve personal as well as professional success this coming year? Here are a few things that you should do before 2018 or by the end of January. Read more

How is fear holding you back?

When I ask this question at my seminars or in my consulting work, common answers I get are lack of funding, I dont have the education, my background, or even Im not sure of the next step to take.What Ive discovered, however, is that while all of these may be factors that can impact success, they are not the deciding or underlying factor. Read more

The fear of rejection and failure is the single greatest obstacle to success in adult life. Taken to its extreme, we become totally preoccupied with not making a mistake, with seeking approval for security above all other considerations. Read more

The subconscious mind something that has a huge effect on every action, but is constantly overlooked.

Instead, the focus is often on our conscious mind, which contains the critical thought function of our brains. The subconscious is the powerful layer underneath. It encompasses the awareness of all things the conscious mind cannot recognize.

Read more

Strong relationships with others are vital components of a healthy and happy life. Those that are able to build connections with other people tend to lead longer and richer lives.

Those that cannot maintain relationships are more likely to experience loneliness or depression. The effects of both are detrimental to the health of both the mind and body. If you experience difficulty connecting with others, there is a way to build stronger relationships. Whether that be at work or in your personal life, the formula is the same.

Read more

Simply put, successful people are goal-setters. Goal-setting applies to every area of our lives. We set goals for our careers, relationships, families, finances, etc. Our ultimate goals, however, set the course for our lives. The ultimate goals define the direction that we go in.

Unfortunately, some people never achieve their ultimate goals in life. They limit their self-confidence and they limit themselves.

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Every single person has the ability to achieve success. Unfortunately, there are success myths out there that define what success should look like.

The truth is, success looks different for each person. Whether it be in life, relationships, career or all of the above, what does it look like for you?

I have identified the 5 most common success myths that may be limiting you from living your dream life.

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What scares you? Learning how to overcome fears of failure can be challenging for everyone.

Fortunately, all fears are learned. No one is born with fears. Fears can therefore, be unlearned by practicing self-discipline repeatedly with regard to fear until it goes away.

The most common fears that we experience, which often sabotage all hope for success, are the fear of failure, poverty, and loss of money. Read more

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Personal Success | Brian Tracy's Self Improvement ...

Noticias de Sri Nabadwip Dham al 13 de Diciembre del 2017

Bajo la gua de Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj he preparado este reporte para los sinceros devotos alrededor del mundo que estn ansiosos de noticias sobre la situacin de nuestro Math en Sri Nabadwip Dham.Versin en espaol

Dear Devotees and Friends, under the guidance of Srila Acharya Maharaj I have prepared this brief report on the current situation in Sri Nabadwip Dham. Read Report

World-renowned Bhakti Yoga instructors, Srila B.P. Janardan Maharaj and Vishakha Devi Dasi, will be at Wave Street Studios for a discussion on Bhakti, devotion, and its relation to Yoga and food.

We would be honored to have your kind association at our Ishta Goshti this Monday evening in Soquel.

Srila Ashram Maharaj is in Kolkata now and I have spoken to him several times and under his guidance have prepared this brief report on the current situation. Read English version

Please join us in celebrating the appearance of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Maths President Sevaite Acharya, Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj on Thursday, September 21st, 2017 at 11 am in Santa Cruz and 6 pm in San Jose.

Srila Ashram Maharaj se encuentra ahora en Kolkata y bajo su gua he preparado este breve reporte acerca de la presente situacin.Versin en espaol

Cultivating gratitude in all aspects of our lives leads to improved health, relationships, success in our endeavors, and overall fulfillment. But how do we feel it when things are difficult? Is it possible to feel grateful for the unexpected, for adversity, for the dualities of gain and loss, pleasure and pain, success and failure? With practice and an adjustment of our outlook, we can proceed on this dynamic path of Bhakti Yoga that enables us to appreciate everything we encounter in life, with a positive and progressive outlook, as coming for our ultimate benefit.

We are honored to present Sripad Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj and Hari Dayal Das at Divinitree Yoga Studio Saturday April 22 for Sound and Soul Surrender. Come tune to a higher frequency.

Kids camp is quickly approaching from June 24-25th (participating devotees may plan to arrive and set-up camp Friday if they choose) and we are looking forward to having all your association here at the Ashram.

Sripad Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj is back in the USA for a spring-summer traveling sankirtan tour. Here is the schedule as of April 20, 2017 for California, Tijuana, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Sripad Tyagi Maharaj is a very inspiring preacher of Krishna Consciousness. If you have the chance, we hope you will try to get to one of these events.

At the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Govardhan, when they started plowing the gardens with a big tractor, suddenly a very large Giriraj Shila came out of the land! Read the Article

Come enjoy Indias cultural heritage in support of our dear Srila Gurudevs Vaishnava Seva Society this Saturday, March 25th at 3 pm in Los Altos, CA.

Dear respected Vaishnavas, worldwide devotees and friends, It is with great sadness that we are announcing the passing away of our dear friend and senior Vaishnava, Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram. Janardan Maharaj will speak tomorrow at the Sunday program (February 26) in Soquel in remembrance of Yudhmanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram. Please come and join us in honor of our very dear friend.

Happy New Year. Im so excited to start this yearwith a Vyasapuja celebration for ourdear guardian and acharya Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj.Your sweet presence will enhance the devotional atmosphere. I hope you will come on Tuesday, January 31st beginning at 6 pm in Santa Cruz.

We are happy to announce a new project for the Ashram. We will be reprinting the songbooks in time for Sri Gaur Purnima and our goal is to raise $1,000 for this cause. Please join us and sponsor a new songbook.

The following is an interview with Hasyapriya Prabhu, who just spent three weeks in India visiting some of our centers there

Dear Friend of the Ashram,

OnThursday, December 15th at 6pm please join us in either Santa Cruz or San Jose for a beautiful celebration of the Divine Appearance Day of our beloved Srila Gurudev,Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharyya-varyya Astottara-sataSri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

We had a most beautiful and auspicious three day celebration in Chongqing, China for Srila Param Guru Maharajs, Srila Sridhar Maharaj, Vyasa puja! I was completely melted by the sweetness and the earnestness of our devotees there. Under Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikrams guidance, they have created a space for sincere seekers to come and present their questions, honor prasadam and have good association!

Please join us Monday, October 24th, at 6 pm for the Divine Appearance of Srila Guru Maharaj, Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya varya Astottara sata Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. View invitation

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Man is now living in his most critical moment and it is a crisis of immense dimensions. Either he will die or a new man will be rebornIt is going to be a death and resurrection. Unless human consciousness changes totally man cannot survive. As he is right now he is already outdated. During this period there will be every kind of destruction on Earth including natural catastrophes and man manufactured auto-suicidal efforts. In other words there will be floods which have never been known since the time of Noah, along with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and everything else that is possible through nature. The Earth cannot tolerate this type of mankind any longer. There will be wars which are bound to end in nuclear explosions, hence no ordinary Noahs ark is going to save humanity. The Holocaust is not going to be confined to certain places, it is going to be global so no escape will be possible. You can only escape within and thats what I teach. I do not teach worship of God or any other ritual but only a scientific way of coming to your innermost core. (OSHO (1983))

The mother of all travails is unavoidable. There will be famines, plagues, and global disasters, whether seers have used the gift of true providence to forewarn us of signs of the end times, or have conditioned us to make the end times happen. A tribulation is coming, whether it is the end of the world or the birth pangs of a new age. The year 2012 will come and soon be forgotten in as we advance deeper into a century of revolution and upheaval. The 2010s will pass into the Roaring 2020s that will see unprecedented stress brought to bear on human civilization and Earths ecology. There will be wars, global warming and unrest. By the 2020s there will be billions of young people expecting a better future, but they will be disenfranchised by their own excessive numbers. They will see the job market and the worlds resources collapse. The basics for happiness in life will be denied them. They will not enjoy a good education, or a roof over their head. They will be denied food, water and hope. The young will be prime targets for the harangues and hate mongering of not one but dozens of messianic Hitlers preaching an apocalyptic solution.

If only they could catch a ride on a Rapture cloud if there were one. The more practical person might dig a survivalists ditch and wait out the tribulation to come, but escape may not be possible when the whole world is going to feel the pain of this multifaceted travail. If food runs out during a protracted global famine, the survivalists will be the first doomsday moles rooted out of their holes by the desperate who are rooting out the last of the hoarded supplies.

No one will escape.

You may choose to abandon the rising, flooding coastlines of California for a religiously pure and safe area like the desert town of Sedona, Arizona; but rather than drown from rising oceans, you may desiccate when the potable water in that New Age Mecca runs out.

The coming decades of the early 21st century could see all of us writhing under an Internet of historys first global emergency. No region, no nation and no person on Earth will be exempt from the effects of another persons misuse or overuse of the planet. The next 30 years will endure floods not seen in recorded history if not directly from weather, then from rising coastlines.

Prophets foresee earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and even many scientists predict natural disasters of a scope and magnitude never before encountered. It will be as if the earth were rebelling against a humanity that chooses to remain retarded while it waits for the saviors to fix them.

Nostradamus and other seers have predicted a plague of 70 wars across the world, triggered by the breakdown of water and food resources caused by rampant overpopulation. Many of these wars will end in nuclear explosions and the unleashing of biological and chemical-weapon plagues.

Attempts to escape may not only be futile but also result in a missed opportunity. A major theme promoted by more renegade redeemers those mystics who do not toe the mainstream anti-life and pro-afterlife line of the Second Coming Syndrome is that you cannot escape from yourself. No matter how high the Rapture carries you into the clouds, no matter how many Himalayan mountains you pull over your head to escape the disasters, the problem comes along for the ride.

You are the problem.

And you could be the answer.

The answer to averting the tribulations to come may arise out of each individual understanding and transcending the problem he or she has become.

Individual salvation requires something else entirely, a totally new vector. Whole some continue to wait for rescue in the form of a new ark of a New Jerusalem to mother-ship them out of harms way, there are visions that act like irritating flies dancing on the nose of such deliverance dreams, disturbing their reverie. These visions buzz with images of a travail from which theres no escape. They say that the coming disasters will force all people to stand face to face with a heartbreaking and dream-breaking reality: No saints or saviors are coming to save us from ourselves.

We will have to become our own saviors.

One of the renegade mystics, Osho, believes the next Noahs ark needed to save humanity is a Noahs Ark of Consciousness. It is not a UFO mothership of nebulous construction built for one to wait out the seven years of tribulation behind a comets tail. It isnt a cave city for survivalists. It is a hideaway so secret that youd never guess how close it nudges against where you live even at this moment. It hides right behind the source of your existence.

This safe haven is a place that spiritual survivalists retreat to.

It is the ark of consciousness within each of us.

The pathway to this ark can be found by remaining silent and centered exactly in the middle of the cyclone of the coming times.

MEDITATION: Therapy for Madhouse Earth

While watching the changing world outside and the movement of thoughts and emotions within, I become more aware of a presence that doesnt change. It is impossible to define in words what this is, but I do know that it is always the same presence; that when it comes, it is everywhere and nowhere at once; that nothing Im thinking or feeling can connect with it; that it is so still it doesnt exist and so subtle that at times it is too alive to bear.

I remember first encountering this presence as a child. Then I lost touch with it. The losing was a gradual process called growing up. I experienced it as walling up. Gradually Pink Floyds bricks piled up around me, blocking out the limitless view of the innocent and unnamable wonder that a child feels by just being alive. I was taught to hold on to thoughts and possess emotional expectations; in short, I was given recipes for accepted adult behavior. I painfully learned to live in a world where beauty and the art of being alive are pushed lower and lower on lifes laundry list; I was taught to survive in a culture where cars, money, face-saving at all costs, and manipulation of others are the primary values. I had come into the world as a cosmos and it looked like I would leave the world as a spent commodity.

When it got too much, I got pushed to the edge of a nervous breakthrough. There were only two alternatives: rediscover what I had lost, or lose myself.

How can I tell you about this journey inward to find my self again, without tarnishing it with judgments, dialectics, words?

If I ever greet you beyond the veil of these words, we might find a way to share this mystery called meditation. I will not speak of it, I will sing it to you, dance it; we will hug meditation, we will silent meditation. Our sutras will be giggles. Id rather not use words, but this is the Kali Yuga after all an age that uses the least adequate media to express the deepest truths.

With that said, lets stumble ahead in the darkness of print:

I do not yet know who I am but meditation allows me to often see how I am.

Through understanding the hows of my happiness-sadness-love-and-hate, I observe their rough-and-tumble within me with greater distance. Meditation helps me to watch the movement of my thoughts and emotions. I become more a spectator than a participant in stress, pain, and denial. Through meditation I have been able to uncover the root cause of all my misery: The fear of change, and lurking behind that, the ultimate fear the fear of death. Meditation has helped me observe the mechanics of misery and fear.

Theres a Sufi metaphor about identification. Misery doesnt come to us, we unconsciously seek it out and hold on to it, like flinging our arms around a pillar. As we squeeze tighter we yell, Oh, if I only could be rid of this misery and pain!

This misunderstanding is our choice. As American mystic Adi Da Samraj once remarked, we do misery, we do expectation.

Hell is not a place. We do it.

We do predictability.

We make prophecy work because we are so damned predictable. Caught in the cycles of time and unconsciousness, we have repeated again and again the behaviors that make it easy for the seers to prophesy us unto doomsday.

The crossroads in time where we find ourselves now demands a spiritual rebellion that can prevent us from doing an apocalypse of doom in all dimensions. The first decades of this new century require that a significant number of people get some distance from themselves to see how they tick.

There is a need for a global awareness of how, from the moment we emerge from the womb, we are programmed from birth onwards to imprint concepts that are totally divorced from our deepest natural understanding of life. Only when there are enough people ready to rebel against this ancient circle of programmed misery and predictability can it be broken.

The spiritual rebels will certainly be in the minority. Most of us are bound to avoid encountering the raw revelation that we actually love our misery and hold its pillar fast to our breasts while we wish and wail for a new age. In the coming decade, billions will discover that misery and fear is all they know. But unlike most people, the spiritual rebels will break out of their prison of conditioning and become the new humanity arising out of the rubble of the old.

The spiritual rebels will not pander to the death cults of current religious thought; they will live this life so fully that heaven will exist inside them, not somewhere in the afterworld. They will escape from their jail-keeper called God. And they will slip from the bonds of national identification to become citizens of the world.

Meditation is the method to uncover all the illusions that keep humanity in bondage. It is the only hope this planet has to avoid the collision course so many seers down the centuries have predicted for us. Every misunderstanding and distortion of truth that has blindly dragged us to the brink of the precipice will have to be jettisoned, if we are not to plunge over the edge at the end of this decade.

This is why the emergence of the new breed, Homo novus the true strangers among us, is viewed with suspicion and fear. The priests or the politicians cannot control these people. They do not pray for happiness, they are happiness. In the midst of a suicidal world, their way of life exposes the death wish society must encounter and transcend if it is to survive.

The spiritual rebels are the soul and spirit of the new Golden Age. And meditation is their new science.

My own journey into meditation and spiritual rebellion began from a nasty experience I had as a seven year old, when I moved to a new school in a new neighborhood.

I was in love with the little girl sitting next to me in my second-grade class. When she was moved to another spot in the classroom, I was brokenhearted. The teacher, like many adults I knew then (and now), liked to hide her fears behind a faade of power. She looked as big as her fear, and when she demanded to know what was the matter with me, I didnt speak in words but in pain, and sobbed into my hands. My expression of naked feeling elicited from kids and teacher alike an immediate wave of hostility and derision. For weeks after that event, I was treated with disgust and fear as some kind of thing.

During an atomic air raid drill for World War III so common in the years following the Cuban Missile Crisis I accidentally bumped into the largest kid in the class while groping in the dark classroom for my place to duck and cover myself.

His immediate reaction was to slug me in the stomach.

Crying, doubled over in agony, I asked him why he hit me. Still a kid and not yet completely formed into the proper masked and label-loving adult, he was struck by the blow of my existential question.

I dont know! he blinked, bewildered. Its what dad told me to do. When youre hit, hit back.

That was my first hard lesson in programming.

It got worse. When he and a gang of kids would chase me off the playground every recess with tetherballs and stones, I had to run my little ass into a nearby storm drain trench. As I huddled there, I was forced to face the reality that people were neither sane nor loving; they only pretended to be. The children would forget about me and wander back to the swings and sandboxes, but I could never forget this heartbreaking truth, heartbreaking because it set me apart from people. It made me aware that I am alone.

But no bitter experience is without its sweetness. Crouching in the trench, chin buried in the pungent grass, with tearful, wide eyes gazing at dancing clouds in a silent sky, I also became aware that Nature did not could not reject me. It was more than a friend, it was a beloved. As I became aware of my aloneness, Nature accepted it. Was it.

After that I could not see fear in Nature, only innocence. There is no judgment in Natures stases and catastrophes. It is unnatural man, divided against the Self, who judges them. There is life, death, violence and peace flowing from animals, earth and plants. They dont judge or feel divisions like we do. The rosebush doesnt compare itself to the lotus and commit suicide. In fact, no animal except man commits suicide or indiscriminately slaughters its own kind. We compare, and throw our minds and hearts into the turmoil of division. This division becomes projected onto all of our relationships with other human beings and with the Earth. As we become more and more split off from our fellow humans and from the planet, we create all the conditions that draw us closer to death personal and global.

The insights of my personal apocalypse made it hard for me to buy into all the ways people suppress the natural within and destroy the ecology of Earth with their fearful greed. A new and tender consciousness arose that at the time had no words. Looking back on it years later, I realized it was then I made the commitment that has forever sabotaged my efforts to embrace life as it is socially presented and commonly accepted. That is why I never succeeded in opera or fit with anyones projections and expectations.

I somehow understood in my child-mind that a truly natural, spiritual person would be as silent as that sky, as playful as those eddying clouds, as rich with the fragrance of wisdom as the grass cushioning my chin. A natural human being, like the grass, could not dictate or push his or her fragrance on others but would simply be unable to contain it.

In the intensity of that terrible moment of rejection, Nature showed me how to sniff out an authentic member of the genus Homo novus. These flowers in humanitys manure field would possess the silence of Nature and an equanimity in the face of Natures two polar complementaries destruction and creation. I would instinctively recognize these members of the new human race by their laughter and celebration uncaused, by the gleam of a second and consciously recognized childhood sparking in their eyes. I would know them if their silent gaze and presence were not disturbed by fame or infamy, riches or poverty, life or death. They would remain inwardly blissful, unaffected by lifes vagaries or any attempts by those outside of their silence to abuse and disturb them. The Homo novus would be happy in a palace or in the dirtiest holding cell. And if sadness on rare occasions came to their doors, they would watch it rather than indulge it, until sadness moved on.

I have spent the last sixteen years traveling around the world in search of such men and women. I have found them. They are my criterion for saying you and I are unnatural. They have also showed me in their unique ways that meditation, the science of self-observation, is the only medicine that can cure the insanity we have become and give us back a future.

I do not ask or expect you to believe me. In fact, there is no point in either believing or debunking what Im saying without a sincere and intimate investigation on your own.

I am satisfied with the ongoing process of my own apocalypse. I have met a few members of the genus Homo novus and their fragrance is meditation.

The words meditation and medicine have the same ancient root. One heals the body, the other the soul. If we look from a more occidental angle, the words meditation and mechanic also have the same roots. If you can watch your entire mental-emotional engine without getting caught in its grinding gears, if you can see it as the dispassionate and watchful mechanic, you will then find ways to fix your engine. It will start working for you rather than disturb your ride through life.

I can thank the apocalypse of meditation for pushing me out of an operatic career. Nine months before I had my nervous breakthrough, I became interested in meditation as a way to relieve stress and refresh my body-mind. But I soon found out that meditation was more than a mere exercise in positive thinking or an exercise in creative visualizations to find new and improved love and abundant money and health. Taking twenty minutes a day to watch my breath turned my outward focus in. This turning in did more than slow the heartbeat and ward off high blood pressure of the upwardly mobile professional I had become. It reminded me of childhoods timeless time when trees fall and nobody is there to hear, when flowers grow with nobody there to see, and feelings flow with nobody there to feel. Through watching the simple witnessing of lifes infinite movements I unearthed the pleasure in paradox.

I rediscovered moments when life became poetry again.

When roots of silence sink where I sit so still soaking earth softly. And deep silence dives in skies caught cavorting behind closed eyes.

Meditation started washing my looking with eternitys twinkle. After a few months of practicing simple Zen exercises of watching the breath, I couldnt understand why something so pleasurable and revitalizing wasnt universally practiced. Then a moment came when the new awareness reached deeper into my unconscious and threw a shattering light on my illusions.

It can happen at any moment. Especially if you watch your breath, if you are still, waiting. Something trips the existential switch and the screen of your personal id soap operas blinks out. A void fills the void, wiggling through a brief crack in the noise of the mind. It is the apocalypse of truth breaking the sliding bolt that locks away all the lies from ones sight. It is a thief in the night, stealth-like and silent, a wave, invisible, undermining ones cliff of solid ego.

In one unguarded moment I became transparent. And though the guard of moments the personality instantly returned, I could not completely forget the voids abiding and spacious sky of silence.

For me, this was and is the threshold of meditation. It is as much a death as a delight. Meditations techniques of self-observation showed me my thoughts were no more mine to possess than a wind racing through empty dreams.

At meditations first penetration, I became aware that this John Hogue was a fiction written by many hands none of them my own. A name, a religion, a country, and finally a personality had been applied like bricks, imprisoning the authentic being my mother and father had brought into the world.

Early on, the label bricks were of soft and pliable mud, easy for a child to break free of, but between the ages of seven and fourteen, the bricks turned into unyielding stone. I had become my own memorial statue while still living.

The child seized these brick labels as greedily as he seized the tit. What else could he do? That child needed the grown-ups, and the grown-ups felt they needed to condition him for the coming life of lies and limitations. The child of silence became a gullible youth who listened to societys learned hypocrites the priests of impossible horizons who, save for the noise of their roaring, have never encountered the things they taught: gods, heavens, and hells.

The youth became imprisoned in adulthoods emotional and psychic castle. At the age of twenty-one, meditations taste of disidentification made John aware that his buddha had atrophied. The Enlightened One reduced to enlightened once. Fear had become his bedmate, denial, the sheets.

Like medicines, meditation can be bitter. Initially, it can give you worse pain than the disease itself. Cancer patients would like to escape the only therapies that might possibly save them, but if they chooses to fight for life, painful chemotherapy or radiation will be risked.

After abandoning an operatic career, I began taking risks. I again started asking all those questions children ask and adults avoid. Essential questions: Why am I unhappy? Why do I fear? Who am I?

At first I tried the usual New Age assortment of meditations that heightened psychic powers. After four years of this, I could see auras, read minds, etc. Still, the essential facticity of my being was hidden. While astral traveling I had many fascinating experiences, but they didnt make me any more aware of who was zipping in and out of the astral realms. Who was seeing auras? Who indeed was opening his chakras? Who was reading minds? Who was this mystery that sometimes accurately saw the future?

Whether I am looking at a cup of coffee or seeing my past and future lives, how can any of these experiences be me?

Who, after all, is the watcher?

Frustration led me away from the psychic seeker-sucking game to an exploration of many Eastern techniques of classical meditation such as Yoga and Vipassana which is Buddhas technique of sitting watching the suchness of thoughts and emotions. I also had direct experiences with some new and radical seeds of Eastern meditation set to sprout in the West sometime in the next century.

Over the last decade, I have encountered what in my opinion were many charlatans and also a handful of authentic masters. An account of these spiritual examinations, meditation therapies and teachers would be too vast to describe here. A detailed account will be forthcoming in future books.

Here, on this web page, I can only touch on some of the radically new ideas about meditation that have been introduced in the latter half of this century. For instance, if you fly to the town of Poona, India, just 100 kilometers from the labyrinth city of Mumbai (Bombay), you will encounter the most striking examples of this. Nestled in the town that gave Tantra one of its greatest ancient centers, the birthplace of one of Indias most significant twentieth-century mystics, Meher Baba, is the Ashram (spiritual campus) that used to be known as Osho Commune International and currently goes by the name Osho Meditation Resort.

There you will find the disciples of the late Osho carrying on their masters vision of providing a Club Meditation for the creation of the new humanity. It is a sixty-eight-acre resort of luscious gardens, black granite and marble buildings and pyramids, a strange contrast to the surrounding squalor of a bustling Third World city.

It has undergone many alterations since I first entered its gates back in 1980, when it was known as the Poona Ashram of the notorious sex guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. I had gone there two years prior to my longer stay at the Rajneeshee Ranch in Oregon. While the later experiment allowed me the opportunity to sample social experiments in future living, the Poona Ashram offered me a taste of life at the frontiers of the Human Potential Movement.

In Nostradamus and the Millennium (1987), the first volume of my Nostradamus prophecy trilogy (the second and third volumes are Nostradamus, The New Revelations [1994] and Nostradamus: The Complete Prophecies [1997]), I examined predictions of Nostradamus regarding the loose fellowship of therapists and meditation movements of the last fifty years known as the Human Potential Movement. Nostradamus pegged this movement as the source of tomorrows spiritual rebellion. I was determined to find out what it was all about. Frankly, when I did, it shocked me. Up until I became acquainted with these new therapy movements, I never knew that screaming, pillow beating, or openly exploring my sexuality in a therapy group could be the beginning of treading an authentic spiritual path. When I first heard about the ashram, I was told they practiced the most cathartic meditation technique in the movement. At first it was called Chaotic Meditation; then the name was changed to Dynamic Meditation. I was about to find out what it was, firsthand.

Osho is famous in meditation circles for his controversial claim that we moderns, particularly the Westernized variety, are the most restless and neurotic human who have ever existed. With enough forceful discipline, we may be able to keep our body still, but we cannot still our minds. Vipassana, Yoga, and all the rest of the 112 techniques from the East are made for simpler people of more innocent and less complex times.

Before sitting in silence can happen, the accumulation of stress, anger, and repression packed away behind modern peoples happy-face masks has to be creatively and safely expressed. Osho claimed to have a meditation technique that, if practiced all over the world every morning, could be used as a release valve for all the pent-up collective angers that periodically erupt in a binge of global slaughter what Ive coined as the will to catharsis.

The meditation has five sections and is done to especially composed music by the New Age composer Deuter as conceived by Osho. During the first part, of ten minutes duration, you breathe rapidly, chaotically and deeply through the nose. This is supposed to build up the energy that can help you release the flame of pent-up repressions.

Then, at the sound of a gong, the music changes into waves of sonic wildness. For the second ten minutes you are to undergo catharsis, release emotions, anger, gibberish, fear, rage, madness whatever comes up. You are to dance it, shake it, scream it, sing it, but you are absolutely not allowed to hurt others in the hall.

The third gong brings on a ten-minute hop of heaven-hell. You stop releasing emotions [or stop undergoing catharsis] and reach your arms straight over your head and jump to the pulsing synthesizers and drums. Every time your feet hit the ground you yell Hoo! with all youve got, as if it meant life or death. This is a variation of a Sufi technique designed to bring your energies up out of your sex center and take them through the rest of your body.

At the last hop and Hoo! the pre-recorded voice of Osho yelling Stop! cuts the music like splitting a thunderbolt. You then freeze in place like a statue for fifteen minutes and watch within.

Finally, there is fifteen minutes of dancing and celebrating.

The first three sections are consciously constructed to completely exhaust you. In this way, Oshos techniques are similar to those of George Gurdjieff and the meditation schools of central Asia who believe that man had deeper and deeper layers of energy second winds, if you will that first have to be expended before real meditation can happen. The more total your exhaustion, the deeper the plunge within your being.

Many mystics, past and present, say that only when one reaches a crisis can an authentic spiritual journey begin. A state of extreme urgency is a must. Totality is the ultimate credential. Only when the inner search becomes a life-and-death issue can the tension be brought to the breaking point and send you into an altered state of deep relaxation.

Dynamic Meditation uses the first three sections to prepare you for the state of dispassionate witnessing that is the final preparation for meditation. The rapid breathing brings up the repressed tensions; the catharsis stage then activates a good spiritual vomit; the hopping nearly exhausts you, bringing the body to the limit of its endurance, and then you can fall into an altered state a meditators version of a runners high, so to speak.

My understanding of meditation techniques is that they relax you into witnessing. These techniques themselves, however, are not true meditation, nor are all those so-called spiritual experiences one has through being still and silent. Meditation is not an experience. Meditation is not a thing one does to get something, but it does seem that some preparation for meditation is needed. The silent witnessing of meditation only blossoms from the waiting, the allowing, the parking of the body-mind, the deep relaxation without a goal or expectations, because to have goals and expectations is to be tense.

Back in 1980 when Dynamic Meditation was first described to me, it was enough to stir a volcano of rage and fear underneath my spiritual faade. The night before doing my first Dynamic Mediation was one of the darkest in my life. I experienced the essence behind the terrible words of St. Johns prophecy about people trying to pull the mountains over themselves to escape facing the revelation of truth. That night moments passed like the peeling of skin. I tossed and turned, then ran to the bathroom and saw the puffy face and slit eyes of a man stunned by his own terror.

I never felt so stuck. I could not go back and I did not want to go forward into the unknown that a cathartic meditation would reveal. I writhed about in the damp fishing net of my bed covers in a tropical-fever night, cursing myself, Osho, meditation, and all the mystics that disturb peoples sleep.

I could sense that if I went too far with this meditation experiment I would reach a point when I could no longer return to that deep sleep. I tell you, reader: since my experience of that night I see a terrible revelation about everyone we dont want to wake up. We dont want happiness, we dont want real freedom because to attain it we must confront all that is false in us, chaining us down. To be a meditator is to be mother to the birth of our own inner child. The master or the meditation technique is the midwife. They can help, they can hold your hand, they can indicate what you have to do, but the pain of giving birth to yourself is encountered alone. No one else feels the contractions of your womb like you do.

When 6 a.m. came, I somehow managed to drag myself out under the wide, wall-less dome of the meditation hall. There I mingled with several hundred groggy meditators. We blew our noses and blindfolded ourselves, digging bare feet into the cold cement floor. All braced themselves for the first gong, which would strip the predawn air of its silence with Deuters apocalyptic muzak.

At the sound of the gong, the knotted rubber band of my pent-up terrors released its prop and off went my model-plane personality into the predawn darkness.

By the end of the third stage of dynamic, if I had any ambition for nirvana left, the hopping and hooing was squeezing it to the relaxing point. When the recorded blast of STOP! cut the sweaty air, I froze-fell to the cold floor. For fifteen minutes, I became a stillness floating on the waves of a gasping-for-breath too tired to think, too cleaned by catharsis to be afraid.

What can I say to you about this heap of John Hogue lying on the cement floor? What words can convey the down-down-down, deeper-deeper-deeper he had become for those eternal minutes?

Clear, because nothing obstructs.Soundless, because it has no end of depth.No bottom for the sounding,No surface for the sounder.IT looking without eyes and dying

without death.A cloud of darkness, I gave my self in rains,Letting fall showers of sorrow,Until a burning sky of joy remains.

The delicate notes of the flute heralding the final stage of Dynamic Meditation brought the first awareness of that inner sky to me. Drained limbs made an effort to move, twitching like a fresh corpse. The music caressed more movements out of my still pool of exhaustion until I was able to lift my heavy, blindfolded head. At that moment, I was drowned in an explosion of white light as bracing as a cold mountain stream. The light took me up in its embrace. Where one exhausted man lay a moment before, there appeared a dancing fool.

Read the original post:
Noahs Ark Of Consciousness - HogueProphecy.com

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