Based on the article by Toko-Pa-Turner, below is my reflection:
I love the wise Statement of Rumi: "Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment". We are on a journey and we need to keep our mind and heart open to see the bewilderment that unfolds spontaneously without preconceived notions. A mind free from the bondage of preconceived notions shines and helps us see the light. When I face a fog of confusion as I move on the path of life, I face it with clarity, calmness and courage. When I bear witness to what is happening in my life, I do not get attached to and bound by my desires and wishes, by ups and downs in my life.
It is very difficult for me to go through pain of several losses of people in my long life. Bearing witness to such losses in my life has been very helpful to me. Witnessing and accepting what is happening in my life has helped me to remain grounded and centered.
Practicing mindfulness with loving kindness, patience and perseverance has been very helpful to me after a long exile.
Namaste!

I love the way Mark Vandeneijnde shows the integration of Head and Heart. I will quote a couple of statements made by the author:
One to listen and one to talk.
​One to think and one to feel.
One to sense and one to see.
One to Do and one to feel.
This saying reminds me of the Zen Koan: What is the sound of one hand clapping? My response to this Zen question is that we need both hands to make the meaningful sound. They are together. By togetherness of sound and silence, a melody of oneness is created. The greeting Namaste comes to my mind as I am reflecting on this writing. By joining my two hands you and I are becoming one, a Divine Union or Unitive Cosmic Consciousness. Like any new significant learning, realizing the Divine Oneness requires time, patience, and perseverance. With non-judgemental awareness I have been able to integrate both head and heart. Practicing Mindfulness Meditation has been very helpful to me to integrate both aspects of the divide. By holding my hands and touching my heart, I am saying Namaste to all!

Below is my reflection to  Eric Jones' inspiring article:

A long time ago I had read that childhood is the fatherhood of a human being. How I am raised as a 2 to 3 year old child lays the foundation of my adulthood. Seeds of "true self" or authentic self are planted in early childhood. Our "true self" is naturally developed by the unconditional love and positive regard by our parents or care takers. If as children we were raised by adults who were raised in authoritarian ways our adult self will be shaped by such experiences. I was raised by parents who were neither authoritarian or "do as you please"- laissez faire ways. They would let me follow my needs, wishes and passion if that way of behaving did not hurt me and hurt others. This way of being raised by my parents created wholesome balance in my life. There are many examples of narcisstic, self-centered and autocratic leaders in the world we live in. It is very important for us as parents to raise our children in loving, caring and authentic ways. This is a challenging task for us as parents or care takers of our children. Family dynamics is very crucial for the welfare of not only families but for the world at large..

Namaste! 

Based on the article written by J. Krishnamurti, here is my reflection to it:

We need to cultivate and embrace radical thinking to create radical changes in ourselves and in the world we live in. Everyday many of our political leaders are planting the seeds of hatred, violence, divisiveness, and disunity. We are in the self-centered destructive race without awareness of the possibility of causing world wide destruction. Seeds of violence and destruction are planted in our minds. The same way, seeds of peace and construction are also planted in our minds. We need to pay our attention and be mindful of what kinds of thoughts and feelings are going on in our minds. It requires radical thinking to transform our vision to see the truth. Listening to the truth is not easy, especially the truth which may be unpleasant or bitter. We need to keep the window of our mind open to see the light of the truth to dispel the darkness of ignorance, bias or prejudice. As I was growing up my father used to tell me in Sanskrit: Yatha dristy tatha sristy: As is my vision is so is my world. This wise saying has been very helpful to me to walk on the path of Truth and Love which liberates us from ignorance and prejudice. Keeping my mind open and free has helped me to live wisely in the world. It is an inner journey of light and liberty. May we all walk on this path of life mindfully and persistently.

Amen!

The opening statement of this article helps me understand the notion of enlightenment. "Enlightenment is like the moon reflected in the water. The moon does not get wet, nor the water is broken." According to my understanding, when one gets enlightened, he does not get attached to that state of consciousness. There are no clouds of attachment. Enlightenment is like the open and clear sky. Enlightenment is not bound by space and time. It is a pure and free state of consciousness. When we get free from the boundaries of mine and thine, me and you, we experience oneness. Enlightenment frees us from the egotistic and divisive mindset. An enlightened being is a member of the universal family, He has attained a unitive pure state of consciousness filled with eternal bliss. I experience glimpses of enlightenment when I am not bound by my self-created bondage. When I let go of my self-created attachments, my possessiveness, my righteousness. When I transcend my self-created boundaries. When I assume and declare that I am a self-realized being and I am not bound by my inflated ego. I am no longer trapping myself by myself. Awareness of my self-created egotistic mind frees from my self-created prision.
​Namaste!

Based on the excerpt from Anil Seth's book, 'Being You', here is my reflection:

How do we perceive reality, the things as they are or the people as they are? Is my perception of things and people changing or remaining the same? This is a profound existential question. According to me, my perception of things and people changes depending on the condition of my mind. When my mind is quiet, clear and open, my perception of the external world of things and people becomes clear. But when my mind is clouded by my past experiences, biases, and prejudices, my perception and understanding of the external world changes. The past has an impact on the present. As is my vision, so is my vision of reality. If my vision is blurred so is my vision of reality. If my vision is clear like the clear blue sky, my perception of realty is clear without any distortion. Letting go of my biases and prejudices is very important for me to see the truth. Clearing up and quieting my mind is very important for me for my mental and emotional health, for my relationships with people in my life. It took time for me to have clear perception of the external reality. One of the barriers to seeing the external reality as it is had my own insecurity. My relating to my beloved wife was affected by my jealousy which had an adverse effect on our relationship. It causes deep wounds of hurt and pain in both of us. Learning and practicing meditation helped me immensely to clear and quiet my mind. Our relationship began blossoming and continued blossoming until she passed away. I learned many important lessons from working on my self-created emotional wounds and creating emotional wounds in others close to me. I grew from my deep suffering. Understanding and working on my own suffering has taught me to live fully and help others going through emotional suffering. As mentioned before knowing and accepting the cause of suffering and diligently working on it has opened the door of empathy and self-compassion, self- hopefulness and self-kindness and forgiveness in me. That is my inner wealth, inner happiness, and inner peace. May we all learn lessons from our own suffering and fill up the cup of our life with joy and happiness! This my prayer. Amen!
Namaste!

Based on the article written by Rupert Spira, below is my reflection​
The infinite is beyond the limits of the finite. The finite is bound by time and space. The infinite transcends time and space. In that sense there is no room for the finite in the infinite. They cannot coexist. It is like light and darkness. They are different phenomena. Light is absence of darkness and darkness is absence of light. I feel the presence of the infinite when my mind is completely silent and clear. In that state of consciousness I go beyond time and space and feel the presence of the unitive state of consciousness, wholeness and divinity. It is a transformative experience, an experience of the infinity. Prayer and meditation are the wings of the bird of the unitive state of consciousness, the experience of wholeness. When I love someone unconditionally, when I serve someone selflessly and silently, I feel the presence of Divinity, the presence of Infinity. It is an experience of Truth, Reality, and Unitive Consciousness-Sat, Chit, Ananda, and experience of wholeness, perfection and peace. This is my prayer: May we all experience Sat, Chit, Ananda-Wholeness, Perfection and Peace!
Namaste! 

What is a jeweler's eye? A jeweler's eye is willingness and open-mindedness to look at the situation with fresh, sharp and clear eyes. Normally when I suffer physically, mentally, and emotionally I would tend to minimize it or try to ignore it, deny it or wallow in anger or sorrow. Ignoring or denying or suppressing my suffering has not helped me. I have been learning to accept my suffering mindfully, compassionately, openly and with equanimity. Going through suffering with this open and curious mindset has taught me the value of my suffering and relating to other's sufferings with empathy and loving kindness.

We all suffer physically, mentally, and emotionally. The question is how do we relate to our suffering and what we learn from it.

Namaste!
Based on the original Post by Suleika Jaouad