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Guide to Fort Lauderdale Vegan Restaurants, Vegetarian Restaurants, Natural Foods, & Health Food Stores.

954-533-7507

Now Open: Mon-Sat 11:00am-9:00pm, Sun 11:00am-3:00pm

Its organic menu features gluten-free options with juices, smoothies, salads, soups, wraps, grain bowls, veggie burgers, and gluten-free baked goods. Has outdoor seating. Wheelchair accessible. Accepts credit cards. Moderate.

954-615-1431

Tue-Sun 5:30pm-10:00pm

Upscale vegan dining restaurant serving spirits from around the globe and creative contemporary vegetarian cuisine. Exotic interior decor with wall fountain. Accepts credit cards. Expensive.

954-668-4034

Vegan food company created by a registered dietician. Offers daily delivery as well as events catering. Its food truck attends area farmer's markets and at pop-up locations. Check webpage for latest locations or to order food. Accepts credit cards. Inexpensive.

954-937-8546

Now Open: Mon-Fri 10:00am-6:00pm, Sat-Sun 9:00am-5:00pm

Smoothie and juice counter at Marando Farms since 2014. Offers sometimes a cooked soup plus lunch food. Accepts credit cards. Moderate.

954-400-5028

Serves meat, veg options available. Fast food chain where you could customize your order (tacos, burritos, bowls) and request no cheese/dairy. Some of its locations offer a soyfrito filling that's made from soy protein. Be sure to ask for plant based protein. Open daily. Accepts credit cards. Inexpensive.

954-541-5443

Now Open: Mon-Fri 9:00am-6:00pm, Sat 9:00am-4:00pm

Serves meat, veg options available. Natural food, juices, and smoothies cafe. Also a market area selling fresh fruit and vegetables, vitamin and protein supplements, baby food, dry goods, and refrigerated items. Wheelchair accessible. Accepts credit cards. Inexpensive.

954-763-3344

Now Open: Tue-Sat 8:00am-5:00pm

Serves meat, veg options available. Fully gluten-free eatery and juicery in the city's yachting district. Offers internationally inspired dishes with a modern healthy spin. Wheelchair accessible. Accepts credit cards. Moderate.

954-338-5651

Now Open: Mon-Sat 8:00am-6:00pm

Serves meat, veg options available. Juicery and kitchen. Vegan items include soup, salads, grain bowls, smoothies and fresh cold pressed juices. Cozy atmosphere with music playing. Free Wi-Fi. Wheelchair accessible. Accepts credit cards. Moderate.

954-630-1351

Now Open: Mon-Sun 7:00am-10:00pm

Serves meat, veg options available. At this beachside Mediterranean kitchen and grill, the owner makes effort to cater to vegans and vegetarians and has created a separate vegan menu which features a veggie burger, veggie platters, and veggie wraps. Choices include house-made hummus, lentil soup, a platter of eggplant, avocado, hummus, olives, and cucumber. Casual with free Wi-Fi. Confirmed open, Oct 2014. Has outdoor seating. Wheelchair accessible. Accepts credit cards. Inexpensive.

954-358-5353

Serves meat, veg options available. Part of chain pizza restaurant franchise. Has vegan pizza using Follow Your Heart brand of vegan cheese, gluten free crust, and multi grain crust. Pizza is shaped long instead of round. Some organic ingredients used. Accepts credit cards. Moderate.

954-771-7111

Serves meat, veg options available. Part of buffet-style salad bar chain restaurant. Features a large salad bar plus soups, breads, pizza, and desserts. Open daily. Inexpensive.

954-463-4900

Serves meat, veg options available. Has vegan options on the lunch and dinner menus which are clearly marked on menu, but not on website. Specializes in craft beer. Has outdoor seating. Accepts credit cards. Moderate.

954-938-4473

Serves meat, veg options available. Mexican food and bar. While menu is primarily meat-based, there is a small vegetarian section of which 3 dishes are labeled vegan. Moderate.

954-565-7423

Now Open: Mon-Sun 8:00am-10:00pm

Large supermarket chain, has deli, vitamins, and health foods.

954-491-4464

Organic bakery located in a pink gingerbread house-like building. A wide variety of breads including sweet and savory items. Some breads contain honey, so check the menu for ingredients. Accepts credit cards.

954-850-2433

Private chef and catering by a vegan chef, Amber Marie.

954-243-7180

Sun 9:00am-2:00pm

Outdoor farmers market with vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetable, culinary herbs, tropical plants, orchids, prepared foods, and more.

954-713-6118

Now Open: Mon-Fri 9:30am-8:00pm, Sat 9:30am-5:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-6:00pm

A unique concept wellness center with a kitchen where gourmet, raw, organic, vegan food is prepared as part of client's treatment - menu changes weekly. Kitchen is called Eat, Heal and Thrive. Also has a retail store with products for clients. Has signature green juices and 21 day life change nutritional detox program. Health coach and holistic physician on site. Treatments include energy psychology, organic facial treatments, nutripuncture and many more holistic offerings. Accepts credit cards.

Once-a-month update on the latest veg related news, global restaurant and travel highlights, plus giveaways!

Voted "Best Vegetarian Restaurant Guide" on the Internet, this is the place to find good vegan restaurants & healthy food! HappyCow was created to assist in making healthy vegetarian food available to all wherever possible. These Fort Lauderdale vegetarian and vegan restaurant listings are primarily from you, the users, and some maybe arbitrary, outdated, or incomplete. If you are a local to Fort Lauderdale, FL and know of any places (vegetarian restaurants Fort Lauderdale) that are not included here please add them. HappyCow and its creators claim no responsibility for any information that might be inaccurate in any way.

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Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants, Healthy, Organic, Fort ...

The tenth anniversary edition of this landmark cookbook, with more than 325,000 copies in print, includes a new introduction from Deborah Madison, Americas leading authority on vegetarian cooking.

What Julia Child is to French cooking, Deborah Madison is to vegetarian cookinga demystifier and definitive guide to the subject. After her many years as a teacher and writer, she realized that there was no comprehensive primer for vegetarian cooking, no single book that taught vegetarians basic cooking techniques, how to combine ingredients, and how to present vegetarian dishes with style. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone teaches readers how to build flavor into vegetable dishes, how to develop vegetable stocks, and how to choose, care for, and cook the many vegetables available to cooks today. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is in every way Deborah Madisons magnum opus, featuring 1,400 recipes suitable for committed vegetarians, vegans (in most cases), and everyone else who loves good food. For nonvegetarians, the recipes can be served alongside meat, fish, or fowl and incorporated into a truly contemporary style of eating that emphasizes vegetables and fruits for health and well-being.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is the most comprehensive vegetarian cookbook ever published. The recipes, which range from appetizers to desserts, are colorful and imaginative as well as familiar and comforting. Madison introduces readers to innovative main course salads; warm and cold soups; vegetable braises and cobblers; golden-crusted gratins; Italian favorites like pasta, polenta, pizza, and risotto; savory tarts and galettes; grilled sandwiches and quesadillas; and creative dishes using grains and heirloom beans. At the heart of the book is the A-to-Z vegetable chapter, which describes the unique personalities of readily available vegetables, the sauces and seasonings that best complement them, and the simplest ways to prepare them. Becoming a Cook teaches cooking basics, from holding a knife to planning a menu, and Foundations of Flavor discusses how to use sauces, herbs, spices, oils, and vinegars to add flavor and character to meatless dishes. In each chapter, the recipes range from those suitable for everyday dining to dishes for special occasions. And through it all, Madison presents a philosophy of cooking that is both practical and inspiring.

Despite its focus on meatless cooking, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is not just for vegetariansit's for everyone interested in learning how to cook vegetables creatively, healthfully, and passionately. The recipes are remarkably straightforward, using easy-to-find ingredients in inspiring combinations. Some are simple, others more complex, but all are written with an eye toward the seasonality of produce. Madison's joyful and free-spirited approach to cooking will send you into the kitchen with confidence and enthusiasm. Whether you are a kitchen novice or an experienced cook, this wonderful cookbook has something for everyone.

See the article here:
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone: Deborah Madison ...

Special News! Dalai Lama to visit Birmingham in 2014

Wonderful news! His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be visiting Birmingham in 2014. For the full story, please check the Birmingham News article here:

Dalai Lama set to make pilgrimage to Birmingham in 2014

Book study and practice on Tuesday November 26 is cancelled. Also, the Introduction to Buddhism class on Sunday, December 1 is cancelled (but we will have Sadhana Practice at 2pm).

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Sunday Intro to Buddhism Class will be cancelled on November 3rd and 10th. Thanks!

Please join us this Sunday, September 29, at 2pm for tea and cookies instead of our regular Sadhana practice. Please feel free to bring a small dessert or beverage for everyone to enjoy!

The Intro to Buddhism Class will still be held at 1pm. Please come for class and stick around for tea and cookies!

The Introduction to Buddhism Class for this Sunday, September 15 is cancelled. Sadhana practice will still be held at 2pm.

The Introduction to Buddhism Class and Sadhana Practice for this Sunday, September 1 is cancelled. We will resume our regular schedule on Tuesday, September 3rd. Have a good holiday!

Happy 78th Birthday to His Holiness the Dalai Lama!!

Come join us on Saturday, July 6 at 12:30pm for a vegetarian pot luck to celebrate His Holiness's birthday. Please bring any veggie dish, drink or dessert you'd like. Remember to come to our new location, 3224 Green Valley Road.

We are very honored to have Ken McLeod, the author of Wake Up To Your Life, join us this Sunday, May 5th, for a Question and Answer session. We read and discussed this book at length on our Tuesday Book Study, so this is a fantastic opportunity to ask the author any questions you may have.

He will be joining us at 2pm, right after the 1pm Intro to Buddhism class. Please join us for this special occasion!

A couple schedule changes for the next week or so:

Our normal schedule resumes Tuesday February 19.

Please check back for news about the Tibetan New Year!

Here's the Holiday Schedule for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Buddhism for Beginners class on Sundays at 1pm will not meet until January, but we will still have Sadhana Practice at 2pm on Sundays, except where noted below. Tuesday night services and Book Study will meet throughout all of December, with the exception of Christmas and New Years Day.

Our normal schedule resumes Sunday January 6.

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

A couple schedule changes for the next week or so:

Our normal schedule resumes Sunday November 11.

We will also be posting our holiday schedule soon, so please check back.

The 1pm class and 2pm Sadhana Practice on Sunday August 5 is cancelled. Normal schedule will resume on Tuesday, August 8th.

Please note the following cancellations to our regular schedule.

We will resume our normal schedule on Sunday August 5.

We are starting to study a new book, How Things Exist: Teachings on Emptiness, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, during our Tuesday night Book Study. We are very excited to read this book, so we hope you will join us!

Come join us on Sunday, June 8th at 1pm to celebrate the 77th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama! Bring your favorite vegetarian dish and a smile!

We will not have Class or practice on Sunday, May 27. Happy Memorial Day!

We will not have Class or practice on Sunday, April 8. Happy Easter!

Our Tuesday Book Study just finished Wake Up To You Life, by Ken McLeod, and will begin studying His Holiness the Dalai Lama's book Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists, next week. Please join us as we work through this great book.

The Introduction to Buddhism Class that meets on Sunday will begin using Buddhism for Beginners, by Thubten Chodron, on this Sunday January 22nd. We invite everyone to join us!

We will not be meeting on Sunday, December 25th or Sunday, January 1st. We will still meet on Tuesday, December 27th, and the regular schedule will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

The Intro to Buddhism class and Sadhana Practice on Sunday November 13 is cancelled. We will resume regular schedule on Tuesday, November 15. Thanks!

The Intro to Buddhism class and Sadhana practice on Sunday October 23 is cancelled. Also, Book study and Prayer Services on Tuesday, October 25 are cancelled. We will resume our regular schedule on Sunday, October 30.

After a summer of activity, Losel Maitri has resumed the regular schedule of Book Study and Services on Tuesday nights, and the Intro to Buddhism class and Chenresig Sadhana on Sunday afternoons. We wish everyone a great start to the school year, and will see you soon!

Please see our modified schedule below for July 2011. Due to the July 4th holiday weekend and Lama Deshek attending the Kalachakra in Washington DC, a few of our regular meeting dates are cancelled:

Our regular schedule will resume on Tuesday, July 19 with Book study at 6pm and Services starting at 7pm.

Also, please wish His Holiness the Dalai Lama a happy birthday on July 6. He will be turning 76 years young!

Happy Tibetan New Year 2138!

We are going to celebrate the Tibetan New Year on Sunday, March 6th with a Potluck meal! Please come to the center at 1pm and bring your favorite vegetarian dish. We want to celebrate the New Year of the Rabbit with you, so we hope everyone is able to come.

Due to hazardous weather conditions, we will not meet tonight for Book Study or Services. We will continue our regular schedule on Sunday, January 16.

Please note that Lama Deshek will continue working on the Chenresig Sand Mandala at Birmingham Southern starting tomorrow (Wed, Jan 12) through Friday, and will continue through next week. Please come visit if you can!

We are pleased to announce that the Venerable Lama Tenzin Deshek will be constructing the Chenresig Sand Mandala during the month of January at Birmingham Southern College's Durbin Art Gallery.

Over the course of three weeks, Lama Deshek will use multi-colored sand to create a painting depicting the Mandala of Chenresig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Each day, Lama Deshek will spend a few hours working on the painting, and the gallery will be open to the public to watch him construct the mandala as well as view it in progress. Also on display will be a collection of Tibetan Buddhist Thangkas, tapestries depicting Buddhist figures.

On Wednesday, January 5th at 11am, there will be a ceremony to bless the gallery and prepare it for the mandala. Everyone is welcome to attend! After the ceremony, Lama Deshek will begin working on the mandala, which will take approximately 10 days to complete.

After the mandala is completed, it will remain on display until January 27th, when it will be dismantled. More details about the dismantling ceremony will be posted as they become available.

We encourage everyone to visit the Durbin Gallery as much as possible, and we would like to thank Birmingham Southern College for graciously hosting this event.

INFORMATION:

Please check back here often, as we will post more details as they become available.

On Tuesday, December 21st, after our book study, Lama Deshek will offer Refuge, Lay Precepts and Bodhicitta Vows for anyone who wants to make these commitments.

Please see the holiday schedule listed below. We will continue to meet on Tuesdays, but our Sunday schedule will be different. Thank you all for a wonderful year, and many good wishes to you and your families through the holiday season.

Also note that today, December 10th, is the day that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace prize.

Finally, we have a major event coming up soon, so please check the website often, as we will be posting details shortly.

Please note that we will not meet on Sunday October 17th or Tuesday October 19th due to events with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Atlanta. We will resume the regular schedule on Sunday, October 24. Thanks!

We had a wonderful birthday party for His Holiness the Dalai Lama last Tuesday, July 6. We were honored to have a delegation of spiritual and religious persons from Sri Lanka join us, and we hope they continue to have a wonderful visit to the United States. Many thanks to everyone who came and brought delicious treats!!

On Tuesday, July 6 at 6:30pm, we will be celebrating the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by hosting a Party Potluck. Please bring appetizers such as chips, dip, dessert, snacks, sweets, etc., and we look forward to seeing you there!

Our Tuesday book study is now reading Wake Up to Your Life, by Ken McLeod. As always, we will read sections of the book in class and discuss, and we invite everyone to attend!

Happy Tibetan New Year 2137!

We are going to celebrate the Tibetan New Year on Sunday, February 14th with a Potluck meal! Please come to the center at 1pm and bring your favorite vegetarian dish. This is a particularly auspicious occasion this year, as the Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese New Year all fall on the same day. We want to celebrate the New Year with you, so we hope everyone is able to come.

This past week, our Director the Venerable Lama Tenzin Deshek travelled to Atlanta to take his US Citizenship Test. He passed with flying colors, and is now an official Citizen of the United States of America! This is wonderful news, and we hope that everyone will take a moment to congratulate him on his accomplishment!

In other news, we are planning on holding our regular schedule throughout the holidays. We hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable season, and look forward to seeing you all at the center.

After finishing up The Joy of Living last week, the Tuesday Book Study will read through the Sadhana of Chenresig, which is the prayer we recite every Sunday at 2pm. The text is available at the center, so we encourage you to come and study this important practice with us!

Our Tuesday book study is now reading What Makes You Not a Buddhist, by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse. As always, we will read sections of the book in class and discuss, and we invite everyone to attend!

Read the original here:
Welcome to Losel Maitri Tibetan Buddhist Center

Introduction to Meditation and Buddhism Courses

Want to learn to meditate and find out about Buddhism and how you can incorporate Buddhist ethics and practices into your life?

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Opportunites to learn more and meet others practising this path in their lives.

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Download or stream free talks on Buddhism and meditation here >>

Interested in learning to meditate? We have regular sessions with full instruction in the two meditation practices we teach.

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Specifically for 18-35s: a group that meets regularly for meditation, discussion and socialising.

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The Buddhist Centre runs on generosity. If you would like to help cover the cost of our work you can pay by credit or debit card if you click here.

Want to feel healthier, fitter, more supple? Come along to our yoga classes all levels of ability welcome.

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We have festivals, concerts and other events at the Buddhist Centre. Click on the link below to see whats coming up.

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Come on a weekend or week-long retreat led by members of the Triratna Buddhist Order.

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Link:
Birmingham Buddhist Centre | meditation and buddhism classes ...

College Station, TX Buddhist Temples - The most mellow and peaceful temples you can find. Check out the Buddhist temples in College Station, TX. Buddhism in College Station, TX

If you are trying to reach nirvana and peace, then College Station, TX's Buddhist temples can help you attain your tranquility. College Station, TX Buddhist temples also can help you to find a way of enlightenment, so shrug off the confusion and uncertainty in life and find inner peace.

Buddhism is a very accepting path in life. We accept people with religious and atheist backgrounds. We can teach you the path to true inner peace and enlightenment -- and no one ever accused a Buddhist of forcing his or her views down someone's throat! If you're looking for a new philosophy, consider Buddhism. Our teachers will calm your raging spirit and show you the way.

College Station, TX Buddhist temples offer a different insight into life and mankind's inner spirit. Find your own path at College Station, TXs Buddhist temples. With over 360 million Buddhism followers in the world, there are bound to be different forms of Buddhism. Local College Station, TX Buddhist temples offer several schools of Buddhism including Mahayana Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Western Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism. Although there are several schools of Buddhism, Buddhist ideology does maintain a sense of commonality. There are also Buddhist seminaries and studies that you can join. If this is of interest to you contact a local College Station, TX Buddhist temple to learn more.

Quite often Buddhism is not viewed as a religion because it does not practice the worshiping of a single god, or a god in a physical form. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching is quite simple, in that nothing is fixed or permanent, change is always possible, and that actions have consequences. If you really think about it, meditation is one way to a peaceful world. Sit, close your eyes, and relax your mind. See? Now if only we could make certain individuals do that...

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Rinzai Zen monks of Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto. MShades/Flickr.com, Creative Commons License

You've heard of Zen. You may have had moments of Zen. But what the bleep is Zen?

The popular idea of Zen is that it's, like, Japanese Dada, with kung fu monks. I regret that the popular idea is a tad romanticized.

The nerdy answer to the question What is Zen? is that Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that emerged in China about 15 centuries ago. In China it is called "Ch'an" Buddhism. Ch'an is the Chinese rendering of the Sanskrit word dhyana, which refers to a mind absorbed in meditation.

"Zen" is the Japanese rendering of Ch'an. Zen is called "Thien" in Vietnam and "Seon" in Korea. In any language, the name could be translated "Meditation Buddhism."

Here I want to provide a bare-bones introduction to Zen. Note that what follows is barely a handshake. I will use the word "Zen" for all schools, just to keep it simple.

This article also assumes you know what Buddhism is. If you aren't sure, read the Introduction to Buddhism.

Zen began to emerge as a distinctive school of Mahayana Buddhism when the Indian sage Bodhidharma (ca. 470-543) taught at the Shaolin Monastery of China. (Yes, it's a real place, and yes, there is a historic connection between kung fu and Zen.) To this day Bodhidharma is called the First Patriarch of Zen.

Bodhidharma's teachings tapped into some developments already in progress, such as the confluence of philosophical Taoism with Buddhism. Taoism so profoundly impacted early Zen that some philosophers and texts are claimed by both religions. The early Mahayana philosophies of Madhyamika (ca.

2nd century CE) and Yogacara (ca. 3rd century CE) also played huge roles in the development of Zen.

Under the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng (638-713), Zen shed most of its vestigial Indian trappings, becoming more Chinese and more, well, Zennish. Some consider Huineng, not Bodhidharma, to be the true father of Zen.

His personality and influence are felt in Zen to this day.

Huineng's tenure was at the beginning of what is still called the Golden Age of Zen. This Golden Age flourished during the same period as China's Tang Dynasty, 618-907. The masters of this Golden Age still speak to us through koans and stories.

During these years Zen organized itself into five "houses," or five schools. Two of these, called in Japanese the Rinzai and the Soto schools, still exist and remain distinctive from each other.

Zen was transmitted to Vietnam very early, possibly as early as the 7th century. A series of teachers transmitted Zen to Korea during the Golden Age. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), was not the first Zen teacher in Japan, but he was the first to establish a lineage that lives to this day. The West took an interest in Zen after World War II, and now Zen is establishing itself in North America, Europe, and elsewhere.

Bodhidharma's definition:

A special transmission outside the scriptures; No dependence on words and letters; Direct pointing to the mind of man; Seeing into one's nature and attaining Buddhahood.

Zen is sometimes called "the face-to-face transmission of the dharma outside the sutras." Throughout the history of Zen, teachers have transmitted their realization of dharma to students by working with them face-to-face. This makes the lineage of teachers critical. A genuine Zen teacher can trace his or her lineage of teachers back to Bodhidharma, and before that to the historical Buddha, and to those Buddhas before the historical Buddha.

Certainly, large parts of the lineage charts have to be taken on faith. But if anything is treated as sacred in Zen, it's the teachers' lineages. With very few exceptions, calling oneself a "Zen teacher" without having received transmission from another teacher is considered a serious defilement of Zen.

While we're talking about teachers, I should mention Zen masters. In my experience, the phrase "Zen master" is hardly ever heard inside Zen. Popular notions of "Zen master," however smarmy, roughly correspond to what a Zen teacher is. The title "Zen master" in Japanese, "zenji," is only given posthumously. In Zen, living Zen teachers are called "Zen teachers." An especially venerable and beloved teacher is called "roshi," which means "old man." I'm not sure how that works when the teacher is a woman, however. In any event, if you ever run into someone who advertises himself as a "Zen master," be skeptical.

Bodhidharma's definition also says that Zen is not an intellectual discipline you can learn from books. Instead, it's a practice of studying mind and seeing into one's nature. The main tool of this practice is zazen.

Excerpt from:
Zen 101: An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

What Is Conscious Evolution? by Gregory Ellison

"Homo sapiens, the first truly free species, is about to decommission natural selection, the force that made us. ... Soon we must look deep within ourselves and decide what we wish to become." -- Edward O. Wilson Consilience, The Unity of Knowledge

Mankind is on the verge of an evolutionary leap in consciousness, to a whole new way of thinking and being that will put us as far above our present concept of "man" as modern man is above our stone age ancestors.

Until roughly the present time, the forces of evolution have been external to mankind. Whether we think of these forces as essentially physical/biological, or essentially spiritual, in either case we have not consciously directed the course of our own evolution. This is simply where the journey has brought us.

But no more. From this point forward we will consciously participate in the direction of our own evolution. We will become what we choose to become.

There are many things that point to this moment in history as a time of major transformation. Religious and spiritual prophecy from many different traditions point to this period as the "end times" where the old world falls away and the new millennium arises. Astrology recognizes this as the dawning of the "age of Aquarius," a transformation to spiritual awareness, peace and brotherhood.

But we need not rely on myth or revelation to know that we now chart our own destiny: science and technology too inform us that we will soon have the capacity to alter our own genetic code, extend our life expectancy, and expand our capabilities far beyond those nature has bestowed on us. Already we do not need wings to fly above the mountaintops, nor gills to swim the depths of the sea. We can throw our voices around the world at the speed of light, transmute matter to energy in nuclear reactors (and bombs), stroll on the surface of the moon.

We have superseded natural selection. Where once we were at the mercy of our environment, now our environment is at our mercy.

And therein lies the rub: we have become powerful enough to make ourselves extinct, and we stand shuddering at the doorway to this brave new world because we are scared silly that we might do just that!

We have grown in knowledge and power beyond the wildest dreams of our ancestors, but our wisdom has not kept pace. In fact, it might be argued that human wisdom has taken giant steps backward since the astrological, shamanistic and mystical traditions that flowered thousands of years ago!

Our politics today are still based on the model of domination-oriented city-states that characterized the ancient Sumerian empire, our economics are still based on the same model of amassing personal wealth, our interpersonal relationships are still based on possessiveness and ego gratification.

The day of reckoning has come: unparalleled power without the wisdom to balance it is a mortal danger to all life. Unless our collective wisdom makes a quantum leap to match our Godlike power, we can look forward only to global warfare, totalitarian domination, and predatory consumption and waste-production, culminating in ecological suicide. What will we become?

The good news is, we are now at a turning point. Mankind is now in the process of shifting our normal state of awareness from an individual/ego point of view to a global/spiritual point of view, and our basic choice is to cooperate with that process and help it along, or to resist it. We can usher in a world transformed by Love and spirit, or see our world mired in the dark extremes of the unbalanced direction we have been heading. We get to choose.

The system of thought that has structured our collective reality until now is hierarchical organization:

This is the familiar "top down" model of organization that we use to structure nearly everything we think about. As you can see, it looks like a corporate organization chart among other things, with the CEO at the top and the workers at the bottom.

This is how we think about everything. It is how we organize scientific knowledge, how we classify library books, and how we organize our sports tournaments! It is also how we structure society, with kings, dictators and presidents at the top, bureacrats and the wealthy "upper class" in the middle, and the "unwashed masses (peasants) at the bottom. It is a "pecking order" view of reality.

There is nothing wrong with hierarchy - it is a mental tool that has served us well in many ways, making scientific progress possible and enabling our rational mastery of many challenges of the material world. But, like the once-useful notions of a flat earth in the center of the universe, it has outlived its usefulness as a model of reality.

The Universe as we are coming to understand it now is not a competition for position in a pecking order, but a harmonious unfolding of creative potential as separate "parts" merge into greater "wholes." The new consciousness sees the world through holistic eyes, as a holarchy rather than a hierarchy. In a holarchy, every element is in direct communication with every other element, but none are "above" or "below" each other. The relationships are not among superiors and subordinates, but rather among essentially equal "parts" and the "whole" that emerges from them.

In a hierarchy, order is imposed from the top down. In a holarchy, order emerges from the bottom up. When a studio producer hires musicians, assigns them parts to play, and hands out musical scores, that's hierarchy. When several musicians get together to jam and they gradually develop a "groove" together, that's holarchy.

Every part is a whole, and every whole is a part. Anything you can think of - a toaster, a galaxy, a supermarket, or your next door neighbor - is a "whole" made up of "parts." At the same time, it is also part of a larger whole, or perhaps many larger wholes. Your next door neighbor, for example, is a part of the human race (or so we hope!) What's more, every whole is similar to every other whole in some respects.

For example, atoms are composed of many sub-atomic particles such as protons and electrons. In turn, each "whole" atom is itself a "part" of a larger whole, such as a molecule. Going up the scale, the molecule is part of a cell, the cell is part of an animal, the animal is part of the living planet, and the planet is part of the solar system. And oddly enough, the electrons circling the nucleus of the atom bear a strange resemblance to the planets circling the Sun!

Every part is a whole, and every whole is a part.

Conscious Evolution is the evolution of consciousness to the next stage of awareness - the "awakening" of the parts to their awareness as a whole. Simply put, we are now living through the birth pains of the planetary mind!

Of course, this is not a new concept - the idea that "we are all ONE" is the fundamental notion of all mystical thought. But until now it has often been seen as a threatening idea, because it implies that we will lose our individual identities while being absorbed into a mystical one-ness with all life. We are afraid to take this leap for the same reason we are afraid to die, even though we "believe" in eternal life. The ego has been all-powerful for a long time, and it likes it that way!

But the new consciousness is showing us that this is an unfounded fear ... wholes emerge from their parts, they do not replace them! A single cell of my body is a living "creature" in itself, but when it joins with other cells to create a "higher" organism (me!) it doesn't lose anything of itself. It still has its own "identity" - its own boundaries, and its own limited consciousness - but to that is added the newly emergent properties of a human being, including my greater range of conscious awareness.

When the transcendant global mind emerges from our individual consciousnesses, we will not "lose" ourselves - instead, we will gain a perspective that puts an end to all war and hatred and the thousand-and-one faces of man's inhumanity to man. Can you imagine the cells of your right hand going to war against the cells of your left hand? Of course not! Nor will I harm my brother when I know in the very core of my being that to harm him is to harm myself.

Having taken the leap of Conscious Evolution, we still look out on the world through the same eyes in the same familiar body. But we know that the "I" who looks out through these eyes is the same "I" who looks out through all eyes. We identify ourselves as something much larger than our individual bodies and egos ... and that makes all the difference!

The mission of the Conscious Evolution website is to support this transition, both intellectually and through concrete activities and spiritual practices that aid the emergence of the new consciousness.

The features, articles, and discussions you will find here support this mission in an eclectic way, through traditional approaches like astrology and other spiritual paths, as well as state-of-the art insights drawn from general systems theory, cybernetics and quantum physics. There are many paths up the mountain, but the view from the summit is all the same. Call it cosmic consciousness, enlightenment, union with God ... or call it Love.

Welcome to Conscious Evolution!

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About Conscious Evolution - Linda Goodman Forums

We could all use a little motivation in our lives! Here are 10 powerful personal development quotes to help inspire you into taking more action to get the results that you deserve!

James Allen As a Man Thinketh

Andr Gide Autumn Leaves

T Harv Eker Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Epictetus Enchiridion

Gandhi

Mark Twain

Steve Jobs

Albert Einstein

Oprah Winfrey

Tony Robbins

Do you have some favorite personal development quotes that you would love to share? Leave me a comment below and let me know if one of these quotes inspired you, or if you have a favorite that should be added to this list. I appreciate you for taking time to read this post!

This post was written by a guest blogger on this network, if you would like to write posts on this blog, learn more at KalatuBlog.com

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10 Personal Development Quotes To Motivate You!

The Cincinnati Zen Center was founded in 1994 and is part of the Furnace Mountain Sangha, a world-wide Zen community under the direction of Guiding Teacher Zen Master Dae Gak.

The intention of the CZC is to provide a space and the support of community for those looking directly into the matter of this human life so that all beings may be free of suffering. Membership is not required for participation. In the spirit of Sokei-An, the first Zen teacher in America: All who come are welcome and those who leave are not pursued.

Other local centers affiliated with Furnace Mountain include the Northern Kentucky Zen Center, the Zen Fellowship of Dayton and the Christian Meditation Group at Northern Hills United Methodist Church in Cincinnati. See our Weekly Schedule for details.

The Cincinnati Zen Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organization solely supported by donations, event fees, and the generosity of its participants. See our Membership page for details on ways to contribute.

Thank you for your interest in the CZC and in the Dharma. May your efforts save all beings from suffering.

Myogetsu Osho, Resident Teacher Todd Juengling, Abbot Mark Shores, Vice Abbot

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Cincinnati Zen Center - Ohio Buddhist Meditation Practice Sangha

Sahaja Yoga means spontaneous union from within. It is an enhanced and enjoyable meditative state of awareness where thoughts are slowed down and stopped. At this level, our sense of self broadens and we start to understand the bigger picture of our existence. There is no trance, hypnotism or creative visualization involved.

To achieve this state one only needs the desire to experience it and a vibrational spark from another to awaken an inner energy called Kundalini. As the energy rises, it enlivens the subtle chakra system that controls many aspects of our lives.

In the short term we gain peace and joy from a pleasant meditation. But with longer-term practice, we open ourselves to transformation as negative and destructive energies and influences in our lives are gradually self-exposed and thus easily discarded. Our system becomes cleansed and we evolve into a better state of balance physically, mentally and emotionally.

Sahaja Yoga International

A registered non-profit group under the name of Vishwa Nirmala Dharma, Sahaja Yoga Meditation is active in cities throughout the US and in more then 100 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1970 by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (1923 2011), who was the wife of retired 4-time UN Maritime Secretary General, Sir CP Srivastava. There is not, nor has there ever been a charge for the practice of Sahaja Yoga Meditation. Money cannot buy what has already been created inside. More information maybe found at http://sahajameditation.com/

You can log on anytime to enjoy a free Sahaja Meditation online course at the website, http://www.onlinemeditation.org/

You can join online guided sessions EVERY DAY (Monday Friday) at 8 PM EST at the following link, http://live.sahajameditation.com/stream Here, you will also find the pre-recorded session which will let you meditate any time in case you are unable to attend the live session.

Sahaja Meditation is a unique discovery. Its spontaneous awakening of the internal energy is a precious personal experience. As you meditate, you will notice the positive changes in you and around you. Sahaja practice draws on the great strength of group meditation, which has a more pronounced effect on the practitioner, and we invite you to attend more classes to enjoy growing deeper in your journey of self-discovery.

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Sahaja Meditation in Cincinnati | Free Meditation Instruction ...