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Sri Aurobindo : "The most vital issue of the age is whether the future progress of humanity is to be governed by the modern economic and materialistic mind of the West or by a nobler pragmatism guided, uplifted and enlightened by spiritual culture and knowledge...." Sri AurobindoSri Aurobindo's unique contribution to human potential and growth developed through his integration of Western and Eastern cultures. He brought the energy and vision of the West, with its focus on the perfection of the physical, material and mental areas of human life together with the spiritual development and philosophical directions developed over thousands of years in the East.Sri Aurobindo honors the contribution of each of these divergent streams of human activity. His writings help us reconcile the apparent conflicts of two diverse societies and at the same time develop a new, wider, embracing viewpoint which vibrates with spiritual force, mental clarity and a heart of love and compassion for the efforts of humanity.Sri Aurobindo has been considered one of the foremost philosophers of the 20th Century, but he was far more than just a philosopher. He was a political activist, a mystic, a spiritual leader, and a poet, a yogi and a teacher. Sri Aurobindo experienced the range of human activity and used that experience to communicate his insight in a way that we can appreciate and understand.
Sri Aurobindo
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The Practice of Kalachakra / His Holiness the Dalai Lama : Tantric practice is more powerful than the general sutra training for a number of reasons. One of these is that it fully integrates the factors of method and wisdom. In Buddhahood, method and wisdom, body and mind, are of one taste, the tantric path utilises this dynamic from the very beginning, and thus produces a far more rapid enlightenment. This exclusive nature of the tantric path is that it brings an important aspect of the result of practice - i.e, the integral character of Buddhahood-into the structure of our training right now. This is a feature of all four classes of tantras. In highest yoga tantra this principle is taken even further, with the practitioner utilising the most subtle levels of bodily energies and of consciousness, levels inaccessible to the untrained person. In general, an understanding of a spiritual method is itself a blessing; but in order to enter the tantric path it is said to be necessary to first receive the blessings of the initiation from a qualified master holding an unbroken lineage of transmission. This empowers one to enter into the tantric yogas, and plants the seeds for future realisation. In most tantric traditions initiation is given to small groups of trusted students, the number often being limited to twenty-five. However, Kalachakra is an exception in this regard, and there is a tradition of giving it at large public gatherings. Certainly, not everyone who attends will have a sufficient inner basis to receive the full benefit of the initiation, but it is believed that anyone attending with a positive attitude will establish and strengthen positive karmic instincts.
The Practice of Kalachakra / His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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G. I. Gurdjieff (1872?-1949) Man's possibilities are very great. : Gurdjieff was born in Armenia around 1870. Although his first tutor was a priest, he received a scientific education, but in surroundings and a way of life that had changed little for centuries. To his questions: Who am I? Why am I here? he found no answer either in religion or in science, but suspected that the truth lay hidden behind what had come down from the past in religious traditions and those strange myths and legends which he learned from his father, a traditional bard or 'ashokh'. Inspiring like-minded companions, he set out to find in Asia and Africa the truth he sought, learning many languages, and acquiring many practical skills to earn the money for his journeys. In 1912 he brought to Moscow an unknown teaching, a teaching that was not a religion, nor a philosophy, but a practical teaching to be lived. To follow the way he proposed, nothing is to be believed until verified by direct experience and life in the world is not to be renounced. It is a way in life, on which - gradually, for it cannot be done all at once - everything has to be questioned - one's beliefs, assumptions, attitudes, one's whole outlook on the life of man on this Earth.Man is asleep, said Gurdjieff, he has no real consciousness or will. He is not free; to him, everything happens. He can become conscious and find his true place as a human being in the creation, but this requires a profound transformation.Gurdjieff calls us to awaken, telling us:"Man's possibilities are very great. You cannot even conceive a shadow of what man is capable of attaining. But nothing can be attained in sleep. In the consciousness of a sleeping man his illusions, his 'dreams' are mixed with reality. He lives in a subjective world and he can never escape from it. And this is the reason why he can never make use of all the powers he possesses and why he lives in only a small part of himself."
G. I. Gurdjieff (1872?-1949) Man's possibilities are very great.
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Chinese Yin Yang Header Tiger Dragon : In China they have made the yin-yang symbol a circle, and this circle, moving, exists in every dimension. A man is not just a man, he is also a woman. A woman is not only a woman, she is also a man. There are moments when a woman is man, there aremoments when a man is woman. And one should not become afraid, saying, "I am male, and I should never show any feminine qualities.”  This has been taught for centuries all over the world. And the same with a woman.  Do not be afraid to embody your male qualities.Yin-Yang are complementary nature of the opposing forces in the universe.Discover the Secret Alchemy of Yin-Yang!
Chinese Yin Yang Header Tiger Dragon
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Saint Mary Magdalene : Scholars observed that the Mary Magdalene figure is consistently elevated in writings from which formal leadership roles are absent. In certain texts, while either the Peter or the Paul figure is more involved, Mary Magdalene's role is often diminished, while in other texts, the opposite occurs. A tug-of-war is evident between these two opposing systems of church government, revealing debates regarding the importance of the key roles of women in Biblical texts
Saint Mary Magdalene
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Thich Nhat Hanh :  Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. During the war in Vietnam, he worked tirelessly for reconciliation between North and South Vietnam. His lifelong efforts to generate peace moved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. He lives in exile in a small community in France where he teaches, writes, gardens, and works to help refugees worldwide. He has conducted many mindfulness retreats in Europe and North America helping veterans, children, environmentalists, psychotherapists, artists and many thousands of individuals seeking peace in their hearts, and in their world. "Every day we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life..., our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive."
Thich Nhat Hanh
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This is the Stunning View from the Meditation Studio :  Attainment, Enlighenment and Meditation Center of Tahoe over looks this spectacular view of Lake Tahoe and the Heavenly Peaks.
This is the Stunning View from the Meditation Studio
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Omori Sogen : Omori Sogen (1904-1994) was one of the foremost Rinzai Zen teachers of the 20th centry, his life spanning the years from the 1900's when teachers schooled in the samurai tradition were still alive, to th late 1990's when japan's international roles in business, technology, design and diplomacy were well establiched. As an expert in Kendo (the Way of the sword) and Shodo (the Way of the brush), and as a political activist, scholar and university president, his approach to teaching was totally different from other Zen masters. His Zen emphasized the vitality of the martial arts, the spiritual depth of Zen and the refinement of the fine arts. Although Omori Sogen wrote extensively throughout his life, much of his writings have been lost and little other than'An Introduction to Zen Training' has been translated into English. ... from the Jacket copy.
Omori Sogen
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