Spirituality and Spiritual Growth: SANNYASIN NEWSLETTER 3

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SANNYASIN NEWSLETTER SANNYASIN NEWSLETTER SANNYASIN NEWSLETTER

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FEBRUARY 2002

1. NEWS AND COMMENT

* First and foremost, may I wish you a Happy New Year. I wish abundance for you all, including perfect health and perfect self-expression.

At the end of 2001 I have been travelling again. For Christmas and New Year, I was in Japan. Although the Japanese are either Shinto or Buddhist (not Christian), the commercial side of Christmas is gaining ground and now we see Japanese girls in Santa costumes outside all of the major stores selling Western style Christmas goodies (usually made in China). Christmas carols sung in Japanese serenade us, and Christmas lights illuminate the buildings and surrounding trees. I went to Japan partially to escape from this overpowering commercialization of Christmas that has taken root everywhere in the Western hemisphere. But to no avail. Marcus my seven year old son, hung up his Christmas stocking on Christmas Eve, just like all of the other Japanese children, having told Santa telepathically (and me verbally) what he wanted for Christmas.

The Japanese, like other Asian nations, place greater importance on the New Year. For the Japanese, this is a time to rekindle spiritual and ancestral ties. Crowds flock to the Shinto shrines at midnight, when the priests sound the enormous bells which are a feature of all shrines. These gongs can be heard throughout Japan at midnight as every town and village has at least one shrine. We did not stay up until midnight, as we wanted to be up at 5am on New Years day to see the first sunrise of the year in the land of the rising sun.

At 5:30 am, in the darkness, we dutifully climbed onto our bikes and headed for the coast at Enoshima. Upon reaching the main road I was surprised to see the cars crawling along in what was the biggest traffic jam I had ever seen in this area. Unknown to me, watching the sunrise on New Years day is a national Japanese preoccupation. As we approached the sea, the crowds became denser, until arriving at the beach, we were just three more people to add to the other 100'000 already waiting patiently, and good-humouredly, in the darkness for dawn to arrive. There were several fires on the beach, and many groups of heavy-lidded young people who had not slept that night.

Here I sensed the spirit of the Japanese at its best. Here, as part of a large group united in a common purpose, the Japanese exhibit their true spiritual nature. This sense of unity, of oneness was, to me, almost tangible. Here there was cohesion, an unspoken bond, unselfishness, tolerance, acceptance, joy. They were happy to be there, happy to share this moment together. Although they had arrived as strangers in groups of twos and threes, they were now like one big family. There was a sense of caring and mutual joy in sharing this moment together. I was aware also of a readiness to sacrifice personal gain for the greater good of the whole. This is indeed a characteristic exhibited by advanced spiritual civilizations.

In this moment I experienced many an "ah hah" as insights dropped into my conscious awareness. The spiritual grail of western seekers is already an inherent part of the Japanese psyche. The spirit of the Samurai, known as "bushido", whose life motivation is selfless service, honour and integrity. The strong sense of community, of wanting to belong to, and to serve the interests of, the group. Respect and tolerance for one's fellow man. Not to judge or criticise. Much of what we strive to become as a western seeker is part of everyday life in Japan. I was aware of the contrast between the egoistic west, and the almost egoless Japanese.

After watching the sunrise we joined the procession towards Enoshima island. With everyone else, we climbed the steps to the shrine. In front of the shrine, I watched as Marcus who is now well versed in Japanese customs, pulled the long rope to ring the bell above, then clapped his hands three times to wake the Gods. Hands then joined in prayer and eyes closed, he made his wish. After drinking water from the bamboo cup at the fountain, it was time to leave and make our way back through the crowds to our bikes, and then on home.

* Web sites for spiritual and humanitarian groups. . . . . .

If you or anyone that you know has need of web site design, creation, promotion or hosting, then e-Speak can help. As is stated on the home page, the aim is to "raise human consciousness to a level where we care not kill; where we love not loath; where we nurture not annihilate". Our primary motivation is not money, but rather how much good we can do in the world". At least 10% of revenue is donated to spiritual and humanitarian causes. This is my web site, and this is a way for me to earn an income whilst I pursue my spiritual goals. You can help me to help you. Here is the web site address:

http://www.e-Speak.ch/index.html

* Help our children . . . . . .

Here is an organisation which is dedicated to helping to guarantee children's human rights. They are active wherever in the world children are abused, in danger or neglected. The organisation is called Terre Des Hommes, their motto is "Don't look away - let's fight" and the web site is in several languages, including English:

http://www.tdh.ch/

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2. WHAT's NEW ON THE WEB SITE

* A random "Quote of the day" feature has been added. Send in your favourite quotations for inclusion.

http://www.sannyasin.com/introduction.html

* A full search facility for books and music at Amazon.com has been added.

http://www.sannyasin.com/books.html

http://www.sannyasin.com/music.html

* The long-promised interview with Dr. Naseeb Dajani of the Global Harmony Foundation has now been published on the site. Here is a man who really walks his talk. He has spent his entire working life helping those in need, initially with the United Nations and then via the Foundation which he founded in 1989. Here is your opportunity to get to know the man, his values, and his beliefs.

http://www.sannyasin.com/introduction.html

* And also, finally, I have managed to complete the article on the wonders of the human body. This article describes some of the many wonders of our bodies which we take for granted or are often entirely unaware.

http://www.sannyasin.com/2001Aug.html

Until next time, may you walk in grace.

With love,

Michael

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