Ë  Conscious Living

• News:  Classes Continuing and More Beginning.
• Quotations: on the Power of Thought.
• Another Poem: by Rabindranath Tagore
• Article: Healing Power of the Precepts:  Self Esteem the Buddhist Way.
• Thought:  What is Success?
• Article:  Happy and Healthy Thoughts
• News:  Additions to Our Web Site
• News:  Sarah McGurn and Steve Hamlin Join CLF Faculty
• News:  Burbank Unity Church Fund-Raiser & CLF Enrollment Drive, Sunday, October 20th

     To subscribe to this newsletter, please click and then "Send" the email.  It is not necessary to include any message.  Please be assured that your email address will not be sold, rented or given to any other organization or individual.

Several of our classes have begun are others are beginning at various locations around the Los Angeles area including South Pasadena, Glendale, Pasadena, Reseda, Studio City and West Los Angeles.  For more information on the subject matter of a particular class, click on its Class Title.  If you're interested in a class that has already begun, contact us by email at .  Some of our classes are ongoing and are designed to accommodate new students joining after the start of the class.  Others have a limited admittance once they have begun, but a new class series will be beginning soon.

Starting Date

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Nutrition:  Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

What is CLF?

     When you change your patterns of thinking, you change the way you feel about yourself, about others, and about the world. And changing the way you feel enables you to deal more productively with your problems and burdens and to take actions necessary to improve your life.

                              Dr. Arthur Freeman and Rose DeWolf

                                      Romans 12:2

     Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.                                    

                                      William James

  I make no distinction between the mind and the spirit, and therefore no distinction between the process of achieving spiritual growth and achieving mental growth. They are one and the same. 

                                      M. Scott Peck

     Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.

                            Ralph Waldo Emerson

     To have ideas is to gather flowers; to think, is to weave them into garlands

                                      Anne Sophie Swetchine

     The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

                Marcus Aurelius

     The Self cannot be known by the senses,
Nor thought by the mind, nor caught by time.
If you know this, you will not grieve.

                                      Bhagavad Gita

     We imagine that our mind is a mirror, that it is more or less accurately reflecting what is happening outside us. On the contrary, our mind itself is the principal element of creation. The world, while I am perceiving it, is being incessantly created for myself in time and space.

                              Rabindranath Tagore

     My mind withdrew its thoughts from experience, extracting itself from the contradictory throng of sensuous images, that it might find out what that light was wherein it was bathed....And thus, with the flash of one hurried glance, it attained to the vision of That Which Is.                                                     

                                      Saint Augustine

     Mind is the creator of everything.  You should therefore guide it to create only good.  If you cling to a certain thought with dynamic will power, it finally assumes a tangible outward form.  When you are able to employ your will always for constructive purposes, you become the controller of your destiny. 

      Paramahansa Yogananda.

     ...our emotions and our actions are not separate from our thoughts. They are all interrelated. Thinking is the gateway to our emotions--and our emotions are the gateway to our actions. 

                             Dr. Arthur Freeman

The time that my journey takes is long and the way of it long. 

I came out on the chariot of the first gleam of light, and pursued my voyage through the wildernesses of worlds leaving my track on many a star and planet. 

It is the most distant course that comes nearest to thyself, and that training is the most intricate which leads to the utter simplicity of a tune. 

The traveler has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end. 

My eyes strayed far and wide before I shut them and said “Here art thou!” 

The question and the cry “Oh, where?” melt into tears of a thousand streams and deluge the world with the flood of the assurance “I am!”

     Throughout the history of Buddhism, the Buddha has been described as a doctor, treating spiritual ills. The path of practice he taught has likewise served as therapy for suffering hearts and minds. This understanding of the Buddha and his teachings dates back to the earliest texts, but its meaning for contemporary practitioners has become more relevant than ever.

     Buddhist meditation is often touted as a form of healing, and many psychotherapists now recommend that their patients try meditation as part of their treatment. But the Buddha understood--and experience has shown--that meditation on its own can’t provide a total therapy. It requires outside support. In many ways, modern meditators have been so destabilized by the stimuli of mass civilization that they often lack the resilience, persistence, and self-esteem needed to achieve concentration and cultivate insight. To provide a grounding in these qualities, and to foster a personal environment conducive to meditation, the Buddha prescribed a path made up not only of mindfulness, concentration, and insight practices, but also of virtue. And virtue begins with the Five Precepts, which are:

     - to refrain from intentionally killing any animal, from insects on up the evolutionary ladder;
     - to refrain from stealing;
     - to refrain from illicit sex, that is, sexual intercourse outside of a stable, committed relationship;
     - to refrain from lying;
     - to refrain from intoxicants (such as alcohol, marijuana, and psychotropic drugs).

     These precepts constitute the first step on the path. There is a tendency to dismiss them as Sunday-school rules bound to old cultural norms that no longer apply to modern society, but this misses the role that the Buddha intended for them: to be part of a therapy for wounded minds. In particular, they are aimed at curing two ailments that underlie low self-esteem and block progress on the path--regret and denial.

     When our actions don’t measure up to certain standards of behavior, we either regret the actions or engage in one of two kinds of denial--denying that our actions did, in fact, happen, or denying that the standards of measurement are really valid. These responses are like wounds in the mind. Regret is an open wound, tender to the touch, while denial is like hardened scar tissue twisted around a tender spot. When the mind is wounded in these ways, it can’t settle down comfortably in the present, for it finds itself resting on raw, exposed flesh or calcified knots.

     This is where the Five Precepts come in. Healthy self-esteem comes from living up to a set of standards that is practical, clear-cut, humane, and worthy of respect. The precepts provide just such a set of standards.

     The standards are simple. They may not always be easy or convenient, but they are always possible to live by. Some people translate the precepts into standards that sound more lofty or noble. To some, taking the second precept, for example, means not abusing the planet’s resources. But that's an impossibly high standard.

     The Buddha understood that if you give people standards that take a little effort and mindfulness but are still possible to meet, their self-esteem soars dramatically as they find themselves actually meeting those standards. They can then face more demanding tasks with confidence.

     The precepts are formulated with no ifs, ands, or buts. This means that they provide very clear guidance. There’s no room for waffling or less-than-honest rationalizations. An action either fits in with the precepts or it doesn’t. Anyone who has raised children has found that while they may complain about hard and fast rules, they actually feel more secure with them than with rules that are vague and always open to negotiation.

     Clear-cut rules don’t allow for unspoken agendas to come sneaking in the back door of the mind. If, for example, the precept against killing allowed you to kill living beings when their presence is inconvenient--as in the case of mosquitos--that would place your convenience on a higher level than your compassion for life. Convenience would become your unspoken standard--and unspoken standards provide huge tracts of fertile ground for hypocrisy and denial to grow. If, however, you stick by the standards of the precepts, then you are providing unlimited safety for all. In terms of other precepts, you provide safety for their possessions and their sexuality, and truthfulness and mindfulness in your communication with them.

     The precepts are humane both to the person who observes them and to the people affected by his or her actions. If you observe them, you are aligning yourself with the doctrine of karma, which teaches that the most important powers shaping your experience of the world are the intentional thoughts, words, and deeds you choose in the present moment. This means that you are not insignificant.

     With every choice you make--at home, at work, at play--you are exercising your power in the ongoing shaping of the world. At the same time, this principle allows you to measure yourself in terms that are entirely under your control: your intentional actions in the present moment. In other words, they don’t force you to measure yourself in terms of your looks, strength, brains, financial prowess, or any other criteria that depend less on your present karma than they do on karma from the past. Also, they don’t play on feelings of guilt or force you to bemoan your past lapses. Instead, they focus your attention on the ever-present possibility of living up to your standards in the here and now.

     When you adopt a set of standards, it’s important to know whose standards they are and to see where those standards come from, for in effect you are joining their group, looking for their approval, and accepting their criteria for right and wrong. In this case, you couldn’t ask for a better group to join: the Buddha and his noble disciples.

     The Five Precepts, in the words of the Buddha, are "standards appealing to the noble ones." From what the texts tell us of the noble ones, they aren’t people who accept standards simply on the basis of popularity. They have put their lives on the line to see what leads to true happiness and seen for themselves, for example, that all lying is pathological, and that any sex outside a stable, committed relationship is spiritually and emotionally, as well as physically, unsafe. Other people might not respect you for living by the Five Precepts, but noble ones do, and their respect is worth more than that of anyone else in the world. You can look at the standards by which you live and breathe comfortably as a full-fledged, responsible human being. For that’s what you are.

     Thanissaro Bhikkhu was ordained in the Thai forest tradition of Buddhism in 1976 and is the abbot of Metta Forest Monastery near San Diego, Calif. He is the translator of numerous Buddhist texts, among them the Dhammapada. His most recent books include "The Wings to Awakening" and "Noble Strategy."

This list of Happy and Healthy Thoughts was my starting point. Reading this daily was like taking baby steps. However, as I practiced daily reading and reinforcing new thought patterns I began to feel better. I posted a copy on my refrigerator, in the bathroom and I still carry a copy in my Daytimer. Now, when I catch myself "dumping" on me, I try to correct those self-defeating thoughts.

Read this everyday. Post them where you can see them. Carry a copy in your organizer, purse or pocket. It will lift your spirits.

1. I am a unique and precious human being, always doing the best I can, always growing in wisdom and love.

2. I don't need to prove myself to anyone, not even to myself, for I know that I am perfectly fine as I am.

3. I make my own decisions and assume responsibility for any mistakes. However, I refuse to feel shame or guilt about them. I do the best I can, and this 100 percent is good enough.

4. I am not my actions, I am the actor. My actions may be good or bad. That does not make me good or bad.

5. Whenever I am tempted to punish myself, I remember to be kind and gentle instead. I know that in order to be the best I can be, I need forgiveness and understanding.

6. I know that it is okay to need. I try to keep in touch with my needs so that I can respond to them.

7. I know that others cannot be expected to read my mind or to guess my needs. In fairness to them and to me, I ask for what I need.

8. I deserve to be appreciated. When others show their appreciation, I embrace it with open arms. I never try to deny or diminish my value.

9. I live one day at a time and do first things first.        

10. I take great pride in what I do, in what I value and in the way I live for I truly believe in myself.

11. My mistakes and nonsuccess do not make me a louse, a failure, or whatever. They only prove that I am imperfect, that is human. It is wonderful to be human.

12. I love myself, absolutely and unconditionally, for that is what I truly need and deserve.

       We have made two important additions to our web site since our last newsletter:

• Quotations Page - Our selection of inspirational quotations has increased significantly.  Further additions will be made throughout the remainder of September.  In addition to the new quotations, affirmations and prayers have also been added.  Click Here to take a look.
• Bulletin Board - For the first time, our web site now supports a public forum for discussing the various issues surrounding our organizational values and purpose along with an opportunity to share our personal thoughts, feelings and experiences.  For those who appreciate the Rabindranath Tagore poems included in our newsletters, there is a special forum to explore his wisdom and creativity.  To access the bulletin board, click Here.

     The Conscious Living Foundation is proud to announce that Sarah McGurn and Steve Hamlin have joined our faculty. 

     Sarah's first class offering with CLF is entitled "More Yoga Than Yoga: Peace Through Movement".  A complete description of that class is available by clicking the class title.

     Sarah is a chiropractor and practitioner of Network Spinal Analysis, Somato Respiratory Integration, and numerous other body-mind systems drawn from her extensive healing arts background of nearly thirty years.

     She has been a lifelong musician, specializing in Sacred and Classical music, and has maintained a study of music as a healing power.   

     For nearly thirty years, she was a professional teacher of a wide range of children, of every age, and from gifted to multi-handicapped.  In addition, Sarah has been practicing yogic meditation for over 20 years.

     Steve Hamlin has been in private practice as a Feldenkrais Practitioner for over 9 years and has worked at several Physical Therapy centers in Southern California.  He has an outstanding record of success in relieving such common complaints as low back pain, carpal tunnel, neck pain, poor posture, knee pain, compromised balance and hip pain.

     In addition to his professional career, he has been meditating for nearly 30 years and continues to deepen his own learning through teaching and serving others.

     Steve's first class with CLF is entitled "Walking: The Complete Exercise".  It begins on Saturday, September 21 from 10 a.m. till Noon in Burbank.  For more information on the class, click the course title.

As you know, the Conscious Living Foundation is offering classes in various locations throughout the Los Angeles area that are designed to increase your personal growth and knowledge while providing a new opportunity for inspiration, better health, a calmer mind and a chance to have fun in the process.

 During our “Growing Together” event, being held at the Unity Church of Burbank, we will be offering short demonstrations (approximately 15 minutes each) of our current classes, at no charge. 

In addition to a chance to socialize with interesting, creative people, this event will give you an opportunity to meet each teacher in the actual class setting, become aware of the subject matter of each class and get a personal sense of whether the class is right for you.  Based on our prior experience, the atmosphere is relaxed, comfortable, informal and fun! 

Please note that the date of the event is October 20, not October 13 as indicated in the email that was sent previously.  Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

As always, healthy and tasty refreshments will be served (the oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies tend to disappear first).

 In the event you decide to enroll for a class, Fifty Percent of your payment made during the event will go to Unity Church of Burbank.  This is a great opportunity to start taking a class that will support your growth, while providing support to Unity Church at the same time.

 Also, as a special discount for this event only, if you enroll during this event, you are entitled to a 50% discount on each class you attend in which you bring a friend to join you who pays the usual course fee.

A schedule of the demonstration workshops being offered and their meeting times will be added to the web site by October 1.  Please check the site anytime after that date for final details.

For directions, please click here.  We look forward to sharing the afternoon with you.