Verses from the Devyapadhakshamapanastotram, by Adi Shankaracharya
These are five out of the eight verses of “A Prayer To Beg Forgiveness From the Goddess,” written by Adi Shankaracharya, one of the greatest yogis ever and a true realized being.
The story behind the prayer is that Shankaracharya was traveling through the Himalayas on his way to a debate. In those days Shankaracharya was a believer in Non-Dualism, the doctrine of Absolute Monism. He did not believe in the reality of the Divine Mother (Shakti) and Her Creation which, according to his philosophy, was all Maya (illusion).
The medical profession is regularly confronting issues relating to addiction, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and obesity in their day-to-day practice. It is interesting to observe what doctors think of these issues.
With this in mind, Credit Suisse Research conducted a proprietary survey of 152 doctors in the USA, Europe and Asia. The results are startling.
While most doctors do not appear to have much specialized knowledge or training about nutrition (and more specifically sugar or HFCS), 82% of the doctors in the USA and Europe think that sugar calories are handled differently by the body, compared to only 60% in Asia.
On the question “is sugar addictive,” 65% think this is the case. There is more: 98% of the doctors in the USA think that increased sugar consumption is linked to the development of obesity, compared to 85% in Europe and 94% in Asia. The same question regarding diabetes type II shows that 96% of the doctors surveyed in the USA believe there is a link with increased sugar consumption versus 92% in Europe and 86% in Asia.
It gets even better. When doctors were asked about the extent of training on nutrition they received in medical school, almost 60% worldwide had minimal to none!
Eating fat can make you fat, right? The Credit Suisse Research Institute recently synthesized a significant body of evidence that suggests just the opposite – that certain fats are actually good for us. But if fat isn’t the reason for the rise in obesity and metabolic syndrome – a constellation of factors that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes – what is? And which kinds of fats are the healthiest? Watch the video to find what the scientific data really says about fat consumption.
90-year-old John Carter, still hikes, bikes, swims and plays sports. It’s rare to see a 90 something doing any kind of physical activity. After a swan dive from the 10-foot dive board, he jokes that no other 90-year-olds are well enough to join him.
This video is from the series “The Code”. With a simple bubble demonstration, we can see how nature doesn’t waste anything and is always defaulting to the most efficient use of resources.
By studying nature, we can discover Generalized Principles that are true in every case and can be applied to improve human life. Because we are a part of nature, what applies to bubbles, applies to us.
VITAMINS are organic pounds that cannot be synthesized by humans and therefore must be ingested to prevent metabolic disorders.Some groups of people are at higher risk for vitamin deficiency and suboptimal vitamin status. If you are like most people, you may be unaware of common food sources of vitamins or unsure which vitamins are recommended for what.
Vitamin excess is possible with supplementation, particularly for fat-soluble vitamins. Inadequate intake of several vitamins has been linked to chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.
Walking is one of the simplest forms of movement and exercise. From taking the stairs, to leaving the car and wandering, to brisk speed-walking, it is easy to be active and fit!
90 year-old John Carter, still hikes, bikes, swims and plays sports. It’s rare to see a 90 something doing any kind of physical activity. After a swan dive from the 10-foot dive board, he jokes that no other 90-year-olds are well enough to join him.
From the heart of Versailles to your heart. When we visit a cherished place, a part leaves with us, and a part of us remains there. Both you and the place are forever altered, changed, impacted, imprinted on each other. Versailles, Paris, You, and I are forever entwined in a cosmic dance that transcends space and time.
The people who walked these streets over hundreds of years, who wandered along cobblestones on the way to get their daily bread, in their boots and britches, hats with plumes, and you are now interconnected, because you share a place, a feeling, a stirring.
While time and distance separate us, we walk the same streets, we think of the same things, worry about the same things, long for the same touches.
The same longing is in all of us, no matter how grand or humble our abode. We share a common human experience that is powered by love.
Paris is now your home, and it awaits your return. Return you will. First in your heart, in your dreams, and in your soul.
Then one day the longing will be realized and you will gaze with wonder out the window of a plane and see the morning sunlight lighting up the Eiffel Tower, as you make your approach to your next rendezvous with the city of light, the city of love and the city of one thousand dreams.
Like all aspects of life, experiences are always better with friends.
You arrived with excitement, with anticipation. You leave with a full heart and soul mates.
Paris is a lover, she has a soul. That soul is beyond space and time. It is limitless, and by sharing its soul with you, it is expanding and never diminished.
We obsess over physical things, about limits where sharing means less. And yet the true magic resides in places like Paris, in our hearts where sharing expands beyond all known limits.
Sharing leads to more for everyone, never less.
And so it is with all love. Love when shared grows. It expands. It becomes more. As that soul expands to include more it becomes more magical, more profound, more for everyone.
So now, as you return home, you will catch glimpses of Eiffel Towers and your heart will miss a beat.
Yes, no doubt, you may temporarily forget, you may become seduced into old patterns and old dramas. It may seem too painful to remember your love affair with Paris.
But only for a while. It won’t take much to remember, to recall, to reconnect. The time machine will buzz into action and transport you back.
Despite our feelings at times that things are against us, the universe is neutral. It does not deny us anything. Only we can do that.
And remember:
YOU ALWAYS TAKE THE WEATHER WITH YOU, EVERYWHERE YOU GO, ALWAYS TAKE THE WEATHER WITH YOU.
