Continuous Integrated Awareness

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

I was immensely lucky recently in seeing the wonderful Professor Anil Kumar speak at an event in Portishead near Bristol. I’d seen him speak before on two occasions during visits to Prashanthi Nilayam. For the uninitiated, the good professor was Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s personal translator for 20 years before Baba took Mahasamadhi on 24 April 2011. He travels the world giving talks and discourses in his amazingly funny and animated style, touching the hearts of millions in the process. It was indeed an incredible blessing to have Anil Kumar in the UK, and having been unable to attend other events that he participated in, I was not going to miss out on the Portishead “gig”. He is a very humble man and always displays the most incredible humility, but to put things in context, if it had been a Christian event it would have been the equivalent of having John The Baptist as guest speaker.

The theme of the talk was what the professor referred to as CIA or Continuous Integrated Awareness; meaning always being in touch with the inner Divinity. In other words living our lives in the world without actually being a part of the worldly illusion (transcending the physical whilst acting out the game of life). He spoke of how Swami was consistently (constantly) in this state of being, and raised a chuckle when he stated that the average spiritual aspirant was either inconsistently constant or constantly inconsistent. He spoke of the times when Baba’s human form suffered broken bones (the professor pointed to both hips and an arm), but even with broken bones Baba always had a smile on his face; never complaining, because he was in a state of continuous integrated awareness. Of course those whose lives Sai Baba has embraced will be aware that whenever Swami “suffered” any physical illness or defect it was usually because he took on the karma of his devotees and not because he himself was ill or injured. One thing I know from experience is that once Divine Mother Sai comes into your life he is there for ever, and it is no surprise to me that he would give grace to those who earned it by taking on their karma..

As expected, during the question and answer session people wanted to know about the professor’s personal experiences with Swami; especially those involving his wit and tricks. The audience was not disappointed as the professor shared a number of hilarious anecdotes with them. But the one that stood out for me, and one that I will share here, not only illustrates Baba’s amazing humour, but once again it demonstrates how he really did, and still does, know literally everything. Now before I start I will just say that I do not remember all the minute detail, so some of the finer points may be slightly inaccurate. However, I do remember the gist of the story and I’m sure you will find it crystal clear.

It concerns a time when Professor Kumar was working at Baba’s Brindavan Campus at Whitefield near Bangalore. Because, by his own admission, the professor’s cooking skills do not extend beyond instant coffee, his wife had given him a pressure cooker to take with him; she had also written some instructions that she put inside the cooker. Baba had been visiting the campus, but on this particular day he was due to return to Prashanthi Nilayam. As Swami’s bags were being packed and other members of staff and students were making ready to bid him farewell, the professor decided to prepare a quick meal in the pressure cooker before joining them. he took out the instructions and read “put vegetables and dhal in cooker, close lid and wait for 15 minutes until you hear the whistle” (or similar words to that effect). He waited 15 minutes and there was no whistle. Half an hour passed; no whistle. 45 minutes passed and still there was no whistle. The professor was starting to panic now because he was in danger of missing Swami, so he abandoned his cooking plans and raced over to where Baba was with the other staff and students. When he arrived, looking decidedly flustered, Baba said to him “how’s your cooking”? Before the embarrassed professor could stutter out an answer Baba said “waiting for the whistle were we”? By now the professor was cringing, but just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse Baba said “it always helps if you put water in the pot”!

Don’t you just love him!

Hell-Fire And Damnation Part Two

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

Here at last, after many months, is my follow up post to Hell-Fire And Damnation. I’m sure that some of you won’t even remember the purpose of these posts; it’s been so long since the original, so I will give a quick recap. My aim is to demonstrate that the scriptures, even though they have been written in a way that strikes fear into the average person, are not that fearful at all. Far from it, in fact; it’s just that they were written in the language of the day and contain a great depth of symbolism. Now, before I go any further I will add that I am of the opinion that the scriptures, especially the Bible, have been altered over the centuries by unscrupulous religious leaders and are now only a shadow of what they were meant to represent. I also think that it’s pretty obvious that only the most tunnel-vision Christians would not agree with that statement.

Take for example the following passage from Matthew XII : 36 & 37:

But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned – Jesus Christ

That is quite a scary statement, especially if you are not aware of the symbolism contained therein, and you take it literally. There is also the little matter of the fact that Jesus spoke in parables more often than not when he was addressing the masses. So, I would like to offer an interpretation that will not turn the reader into a nervous wreck.

If you examine the statement carefully it seems to be a reference to the laws of karma and cause and effect and a reminder that even the things we say are subject to these very precise natural laws. We know that creation moves in continuous cycles, and we also know that we are responsible for our own actions. So, it stands to reason that even the things we say will one day bear fruit; and that fruit will either be positive or negative depending on what our intentions were at the time. There is no such thing as the “day of judgement” where we will all have to stand in front of an old man with a long white beard and either be given passage into heaven or cast into the fires of hell. “Day of judgement” in this context (and to put it in layman’s terms) is the day when our actions, be they spoken or otherwise, come back to bite us on the legs. It will be the point in time when, in accordance with the laws of karma and cause and effect, our actions (or words) will have gone through their natural cycle and ended up back at their place of origination.

So, we can conclude by saying that Christ, in his loving nature, was simply saying “hey peeps, watch what you say because as sure as eggs is eggs your words will come back to haunt you”. Simples!

Thought For The Day #151

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks – Plutarch

Looked After In Every Way

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

I really do feel truly blessed. I recently wrote about my physical-self being looked after in my post I will protect you like the eyelids protect the eyes. Well it seems that even my possessions are looked after in the same way too.

I returned from my trip to Wales at some time after 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night. As Monday was free I decided to make a lazy day of it. At some stage during the late morning there was a knock at my door; it was my neighbour with a rather strange look on his face. He was holding something in his hand that looked unbelievably familiar. I noticed that it was my car keys, and as I began to wonder what they were doing in his hand, he explained that he had seen them dangling from the driver’s door of my car. Oh!

Not only had I left my car unlocked in the street for the best part of 13 hours, but I had also left the keys in the door for all to see. Needless to say, I thanked him profusely. The thing is…… it wasn’t the first time I’ve done this. Yes, I must confess that I’ve left my car unlocked with the keys in full view on no less than four occasions now, and this is the second time I’ve left it overnight with the keys dangling from the driver’s door.

I really don’t know why I am so lucky…. but I’m not complaining!

“I Will Protect You Like The Eyelids Protect The Eyes”

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

It’s quite common when Sai Baba groups meet up for events etc. that people bring their unwanted spiritual books and Baba-related items so that others may reap the benefits from them. Normally, the books and photos etc. are placed on a table near the entrance to the hall and anyone can browse and help themselves. A few years back I availed myself of a few of someone else’s unwanted books and on opening one of them I was amazed to find a photo copy of an A4 sheet of paper with the most incredible words of wisdom from Swami; the original had been hand-written very professionally in a lovely calligraphic style. On reading the words it was apparent that they were tailor-made especially for me, but specifically, the second paragraph contained the most beautiful and striking statement; “I will protect you like the eyelids protect the eyes”. I found this to be true on Monday 6 August 2012.

I had been agonizing over recording a CD of mantra chanting. Nothing wrong with that, but considering that the finished product would be available for sale, it somehow didn’t feel right; a bit like a Christian taking stuff from the Bible and putting it out on Amazon for personal gain. But I knew that my intentions were good, for reasons not relevant to this post, and I also asked a few friends who confirmed that I should go ahead with it. So I made arrangements to use DB Studios in Stroud, Gloucestershire here in the UK. I arranged a recording session with my friend Chris, who is a partner in the studios, for mid-day on Monday 6 August.

Stroud is about ten miles from where I live in Tetbury and I set of at about 11:30 a.m. in great anticipation. I’d decided on the mantras I was going to record and during the course of the drive to the studios I went through them. The main reason for this was so that my throat would be warmed up sufficiently for the recording. I quite often chant whilst driving, but not to this extent.

In between Tetbury and Stroud is the small market town of Nailsworth and the road out of Nailsworth connects direct to Stroud; a distance of about 4 miles. For the first couple of miles there are a number of industrial units and showrooms at various intervals on the right hand side. One such showroom sells pine bedroom and garden furniture and is about two miles along the road. I had just started my second rendition of the mantra Om Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate when I just happened to notice a red car waiting to pull out from the pine showroom onto the main road. It all happened so quickly but at the same time it seemed like slow motion. It was as if the driver deliberately waited for me to pass that point before pulling out; but in truth I doubt that he or she even noticed me.

I didn’t even have time to hit the horn but managed to swerve the car to the left and avoid a collision. Luckily there was room for me to do that. Had the road been more narrow I may not have been able to. Of course the whole event took me by surprise, and I won’t say what words were coming out of my mouth at this point, but they were not mantras. However, I knew that once again The Avatar was at play and I very soon had a big smile on my face as I resumed chanting. It just goes to show that when you are engaged in God’s work, Divine Spirit will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the work gets done. This was also further proof for me that my intention to record a mantra CD had received the highest approval.

The recording session went well too and I hope to have the finished product available sometime in October.

For your interest, there is a you tube link below to the mantra Om Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate. It’s truly beautiful and I hope you enjoy it.

A Right Cockney Barrel Of Monkeys!

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

I love that expression, “a right cockney barrel of monkeys”. For the uninitiated it refers to a can of worms or something complex and baffling. I heard it for the first time on the Fast Show when they were doing a spoof of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

I thought it would make a good title for a blog post as I’m going to write about a dream/experience I had a few mornings ago that left me scratching my head.

Quite often my dreams take me back to periods in my life that were quite significant for me in terms of learning and life experience etc. So quite often I am dreaming away when I suddenly realize I’m either back in the army, working for NAAFI or working for the Royal Mail. Each time I know I’m there but the surroundings are completely alien; but I suppose that’s dreams for you! Anyway, the other morning I had a really strange one. I was back working for NAAFI, but for some reason, I was living in a military style dormitory. I had been away somewhere and when I came back someone had taken my bed space. But not only that, the dormitory had grown and had become a huge web of dormitories all lumped together. Also, the individual dormitories had grown bigger and had loads and loads of beds all shoved up against each other.

My bed space had been taken by a very tall Indian man. He was so tall he must have been twice my size, and I was looking up at him asking him if he knew where my things where. He acted as if he didn’t want to acknowledge me; just looking at me and looking away again with a kind of subtle contempt. I remember saying something like “hey, I don’t want the bed back, I just want to know where my things are”. It was at this point that things got interesting. I woke up but continued to lay in bed with my eyes closed.

All of a sudden (as happens from time to time in these situations) my brow chakra became illuminated and I could see a larger than life character right there within my third eye. The best description I could give is that he reminded me of a throw back from a sixties soft-rock band, such as CSN&Y, who reform 100 years later and look old up on stage. They still have long flowing hair but it’s all grey. He looked as though he was driving a truck whilst singing or chatting away to himself. What was strange was that his body language suggested that he was indeed behind the wheel of a truck, but I could see no steering wheel and no cab. Suddenly I felt something being placed in my hand; and this left me in a bit of a predicament. It felt oval-shaped, like a bar of soap, but if my feelings were correct and I was having an astral experience, I didn’t want to try to move or open my eyes because I knew I would simply be back in my body and it would be all over. But, on the other hand, because of the way I was lying, and where my hand was situated, I wasn’t able to use my inner vision either in order to see exactly what it was. It was quite amazing really; there I was laying in bed holding something oval-shaped that had simply been placed in my hand. By now my friend had disappeared from my brow chakra and before you could say “right cockney barrel of monkeys” it was all over.

The object didn’t actually feel like soap but that is what sprang to mind because of the shape. Having said that there is something else that is oval-shaped and is spiritually very significant; a lingham! Linghams are significant because they are symbolic of the eternal indwelling spirit that has no beginning and no end; hence the oval shape. When Sai Baba was still in his body he would materialize Linga on Maha Shivaratri; a very auspicious and important day in the Hindu calendar. They would form in his stomach from the metals naturally present within his body and he would bring them up and out of his mouth. Some of the Linga were very large in comparison to his tiny frame. He would also sometimes materialize them from thin air (see video below).

I suppose I will never truly know what it was that was placed in my hand. I would like to think it was a lingham. But then again the whole episode could have been nothing more than a right cockney barrel of monkeys!

When The Avatar Comes Calling Part Two

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

It’s now five days since loving Swami, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, paid me a visit and I’ve had plenty of time to reflect and try to understand the purpose of it all. Reflecting now over, I would like to share my thoughts with you.

There was three things in my wondrous Sai dream that stood out for me and conveyed a personal message. Firstly, why would Swami initially be laying down on a bed asleep? I’m sure that most devotees know that Baba never slept, so why would he show himself as being asleep? Having contemplated this the following interpretation came to me. Sai always used to tell us that he was in our hearts and there was no need to travel to him. Also, this entire experience took place on an inner level, so it was Baba’s way of showing me that he IS most certainly within me. But what about the sleep thing? Well, it’s also kind of common knowledge that the planet is going through a huge shift at the moment; a shift that is instigating an awakening of the human race. It’s also true that God resides in us all, not just a select few. So the fact that Swami showed himself asleep and then awake within me is symbolic of my own personal awakening at this time; an awakening to a greater understanding.

Secondly, I said to Swami “I have been missing you” which is not an expression that I would normally use. However, I HAVE actually been missing him, but not in the way that you would normally associate with a phrase like that. My recent post “Why Does Anger Exist?” (see link below) explains that I have been struggling with my energy levels for some time now. Well, unfortunately, this has interfered with my spiritual practice and I have strayed slightly from the path. So, in that sense, I had most certainly been missing Sai. In my frustration I had been missing his teachings in the sense of not taking them in.

https://richardfholmes.org/2012/07/17/why-does-anger-exist/

Finally, there was the business of Swami speaking and me not being able to understand the sounds that were coming from his mouth (apart from that one sentence “try not to worry so much”). I described these sounds as being like jumbled noises coming from a radio. Having also contemplated on this I feel that Baba was indeed giving me invaluable spiritual guidance, but he was communicating with me on a much deeper level than I was able to comprehend. The whole experience could be likened to an astral type experience, hence I was able to hear sounds although not with any clarity. I am convinced that his guidance penetrated much deeper within me, in order than I may call on it in the future. On a purely physical level I doubt that I would have been able to hear anything at all.

Sai Love to All!

When The Avatar Comes Calling

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

I had an amazing experience this morning that ended at approximately 06.40. It was so amazing, in fact, that as I sit here typing a little over four hours later, I am still trying to get my head around the whole business. I have had Sai dreams before, but I can honestly say that this experience was on a par with the time Sri Sathya Sai Baba plucked me from my physical body and carried me away on an astral journey back in December 2006.

Strangely enough some details of the dream are very vague, especially the early stages. But the main content remains very vivid in my mind. Because of the vagaries of the early part of the dream I will start this account by relating what my heart is telling me occurred. I was in a room that seemed quite small and I cannot remember the decor, but I must have been craving for Swami’s presence. I vaguely remember calling out for him and then being raised up fairly high off the floor and finding myself facing a picture of him that was on one of the walls. I became very excited about seeing Baba and even though the picture looked a bit un-Baba-like it was most definitely the God-man; with his orange robe and shock of black fuzzy hair. His face was kind of different but his eyes were so real. I do remember talking to him in a very enthusiastic way, when I look back now it was as though somewhere within me, at a very deep level, I knew he was coming. but within seconds my experience was over.

Now this is the bit that I remember very clearly. I was not happy with my experience being so short, but not in a negative way, and I started calling once again for Baba. I must have been calling with such enthusiasm because all of a sudden Swami was there. He was laying on a bed asleep and I appeared to be looking down at him. I enthused “wake up Swami, wake up!” He opened his eyes and within a split second we were standing face to face. We were so close you could have barely got a cigarette paper in between us. I did something next that under normal circumstances you would never do to an Avatar; I grabbed his right arm with my left hand as we faced each other. It was done in a nice way of course; I was so full of excitement. I said “I’ve been missing you” and “speak to me Swami, speak to me”, but Baba just looked at me deadpan. There was a great feeling of friendship between us that I could feel inside me, and I said to him “what’s up, cat got your tongue?” I seem to remember saying “cat got your tongue” to him again and this time he gave that little Swami half-smile; like a cross between a smirk and an impish grin.

Then he started speaking to me but I could only hear jumbled sounds coming out of his mouth that seemed distant and I was straining to try to understand him. It was almost like a jumbled radio broadcast, but right in the middle of the “noise” I made out the words “try not to worry so much”. The look on his face was the look of a loving father, mother, sister, brother and friend all rolled into one. He was as solid as solid can be and his form reminded me of how he looked back in the 1990’s. There was signs that he was beginning to age but he had this fantastic youthfulness about him. What was really apparent was that the whole experience was just so natural; a bit like making a cup of tea, it was almost as though it was expected that two friends would meet up and share a few moments of pure undiluted love. He was so non-judgemental; accepting me exactly as I am in spite of all my little faults; and the love between us was beyond mere words. Then it was all over…..

I suppose I should now say “and then I woke up”, but it wasn’t quite like that. It’s true to say that when the whole experience began it was most definitely a dream and I was certainly asleep. But as Swami was interacting with me I was wide awake, I simply had my eyes closed; so the whole episode was played out on the inner plane. When Baba had gone I just lay there in bed with my eyes closed; only opening them to look at the clock. When I did look at the clock it said 06.45, so I am guessing that I was laying there for at least five minutes before looking. What I found unusual was that I said to Swami “I have been missing you”. That is not an expression I would normally use; I would normally say something like “I miss you”, I missed you” or “you have been missed”. I believe there are a number of deeper, hidden messages in here for me to unravel, and I may share them in a future post if it seems appropriate.

Finally, there was one particular detail about Baba’s physical form that I will not share because I believe it to be very personal between Swami and I. But the reason for mentioning it is that Swami always works in ways that are very precise and literally everything with him has a meaning of sorts. I believe he gave that tiny bit of detail as a gentle reminder to me not to get attached to the form. I believe he came to me in that way because that is how I relate to him. But at the same time he did not want to divert my attention too far away from the “formless”, so he gave me a little reminder that the physical body will deteriorate over time.

Oh what an experience! How truly blessed I am! Thank you so much Baba!

Jai Sai Ram.

Why Does Anger Exist?

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

I have been thinking lately that it’s about time I attempted a proper blog post, having hardly written at all for months. The reason for this is that I haven’t been firing on all cylinders for quite some time now, and this is why I decided to post my daily “thought for the day” on the blog, because it enabled me to stay in touch with all those who have been good enough to take an interest in my work. I am not overly worried about my lingering bout of extremely low energy because I know there is a good reason for it, and I had my thoughts confirmed by something that someone sent me on social media recently.

As a vast number of people are now aware we are going through a time of great change here within the Earth dimension; everything is shifting as the vibration of the planet is speeding up rapidly. As a result of this many spiritually aware people are now going through an awakening process. However, this process is not without its side-effects. I noticed around two years ago that I was experiencing unusually low energy levels. Me being me, I didn’t bother too much about it, but as it dragged on and on I did mention it to a couple of close friends. One of them said I should go and have a blood test. I tend to try to avoid doctor’s surgeries, but this time I listened to what my friend said and arranged for the test. To cut a long story short the very extensive blood tests revealed that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. My GP said I probably had a mild case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, for which there is no known cure; the cause is also unknown.

Anyway, I’d heard that spiritual people all over the place were experiencing the same thing, and then a few weeks ago somebody sent me something on social media that gave me even more clarification. I received a list of no less than 54 symptoms that spiritually aware people are experiencing at this time due to the shift taking place. I was actually a bit relieved that I could relate to a number of them.

The reason for me telling you this is because lately I have been a writer that hasn’t been doing much writing, so it explains why. Also, it’s good filler for this (very) little blog post “Why Does Anger Exist”.

Plainly and simply anger exists because people get angry; it has no basis of its own and it is unable to sustain itself without the support of humans. Love, on the other hand, exists in its own right and is the basis for everything. In truth, when we get angry we do more damage to ourselves than others. This is because there are always repercussions in accordance with the laws of cause and effect, karma and personal responsibility.

So really it’s quite simple….. anger? Don’t do it!!!!

They Don’t Call Him The Dalai Lama For Nothing

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Author Richard F Holmes

A few days ago I was idly watching a morning current affairs programme when to my pleasant surprise an interview with the Dalai Lama was shown. He had been in the UK, and the good old BBC had recorded an interview that he gave with Andrew Marr. Mr Marr is renowned for taking no prisoners, especially when he is interviewing politicians.

Two things struck me about the Dalai Lama during the course of that brief interview. Firstly, I was really surprised that his command of the English language was not to the standard that I had assumed it would be. Having said that, I don’t speak Tibetan, so we can safely say that his English blows my command of his own Mother Tongue completely out of the water. The other thing was that he didn’t seem to have much of a personality. These are not judgements you understand, but merely observations. I was actually a bit disappointed that I could not imagine myself enjoying witty banter with him over a mug of green tea and a plate of Cadbury’s Chocolate Fingers.

Andrew Marr seemed to be having difficulty understanding him, and although more restrained than normal, he managed to ask His Holiness one very leading question during this all-too-brief interview. Well, I suppose he had to, didn’t he? Otherwise he wouldn’t have been Andrew Marr. Mr Marr asked His Holiness if it was true that he’d enjoyed a very cordial relationship with the late Mau Tse-Tung (or Chairman Mau as he was know), the Chinese Communist revolutionary and founding father of The People’s Republic of China. Mr Marr offered that it seemed rather unusual for the Tibetan leader of the Buddhist religion to be “snuggling” up with the leader of a country that was responsible for inflicting such terrible suffering on his own. I must admit that it certainly was news to me and I also thought it to be strange to say the least. Unruffled, His Holiness simply answered rather enthusiastically in the affirmative, and then went on to share an anecdote with the now rather bewildered looking Mr Marr. He went on to say that the relationship between him and Mau was so good in fact that when, on occasion, they met up for meals, he had food served to him by Mau personally. Not only that, the good Chairman would use his own chopsticks to put food in the Dalai Lama’s bowl. His Holiness went on to say that in his mind he would be privately horrified that the Chairman might also have been serving up some of his germs too. This little anecdote was completely lost on Andrew Marr who greeted the revelation with all the enthusiasm of a turkey waiting for Christmas.

……. And then it was all over. Mr Marr said “thank you” and The Dalai Lama, ever cordial, raised his hands towards him in the namaskar position as they exchanged polite goodbyes.

The whole thing seemed a bit surreal to me, and I actually felt quite disappointed that the holy man was not how I imagined him to be. Not only that, he was also prone to “doing lunch” with a tyrant. Let’s face it, China’s record on human rights, to this day, does leave something to be desired. However, it was either the next day or the day after when I had one of those eureka moments. The penny dropped! How could I have been so blind to have missed what was actually going on right before my eyes. One of the most important and basic fundamental principles of Buddhism is non-judgementalism. The Dalai Lama was simply demonstrating that he was true to his religion and himself. It reminded me a bit of what Gandhi said just prior to India gaining independence. There were those who wanted to go down the terrorist route and were trying to encourage Gandhi to side with them. But even though he had been beaten and unjustly thrown into jail on countless occasions by the British, he said “no, we want the British to leave as our friends”.

What the Dalai Lama did during that interview was actually to demonstrate why some people (him for instance) are spiritual leaders, and others (me for instance) are spiritual aspirants. He of course was, and is, well aware of the plight of his country and its people, caused solely by the actions of the Chinese. But he did not pass judgement on Mau Tse-Tung. Instead, he accepted the friendship of someone he simply saw as another human being. Yes, they don’t call him The Dalai Lama for nothing.

If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding – The Dalai Lama