The “Spirituality For Everyone” Course  Multimedia info

Chapter Eleven

 

 

11   Chapter Eleven: Uplifting Your Whole Life  (Read the full chapter)

         

 

 

 

   

11a   Intro

            

 

 

 

   

11b   Moving from Worldly Limitations to Spiritual Freedom

           

 

    

 

 

 

 

   

11b1   Moving beyond desires and attachments

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

11b2   Entering a vision of equality

             

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

11c   From Work to Divine Service

          

 

Video Adjunct:

I produced this 11-minute video about Peace Pilgrim's mission and roots in Egg Harbor New Jersey as part of an effort to have Peace Pilgrim inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. This was a tricky effort because Peace Pilgrim had conducted her 28-year pilgrimage without divulging her pre-pilgrimage history. She had also worked hard on her mission without looking for any kind of accolades.

Of course, Peace Pilgrim's works are a great example of divine service, and my efforts to help keep her memory and teachings alive with a full documentary film and this shorter New Jersey focused video has also been a divine work and service for me to offer. Yes, Peace Pilgrim was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and her 101 year-old sister Helene was there to accept the honor on her sister's behalf.

 

 

 

 

Here is the video of Peace Pilgrim's induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, including an introduction, video clip, and acceptance speech by Peace Pilgrim's friend and sister:

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

11c1   Serving without personal motives

             

 

Audio Adjunct:

Listen to Section 27 of The Diamond Sutra Sung in English, titled, "Bodhisattvas Do Not Appropriate Merit," with Buddha's advice about the benefits of serving without attachment to the merits of good actions vs. attaining an enlightened egoless vision: "Subhuti, if on the one hand a Bodhisattva gave in his practice of charity, all the seven treasures in quantities sufficient to fill worlds as many as sand-grains in the Ganges, and on the other hand, another man comprehended that all dharmas were egoless and thereby achieved perfection of patience, the latter's merit would surpass that of the former."

                          

 

Video Adjunct:

Play a ten-minute chapter titled, "Uplift Your Motives," from the Secrets of Spiritual Happiness audiobook.  "Most of us are somewhere in-between the corrupt and greedy executives who have wrecked their companies, resulting in misery for many innocent investors who lost their life savings, and the saintly Bodhisattvas who vow to uplift every soul and stay to clean up after the whole 'party' ends."

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

   

11c2   Seeing how service and success work together

             

 

 

Video Adjunct:

In this short but potent one-and-a-half minute message, Peace Pilgrim suggests that a shift from war to peace could provide a very good life for everyone on the planet.

 

 

Video Adjunct:

Just for fun, here are 15 seconds of joy in the editing bay at KCAL-TV news in Los Angeles. I was fresh out of a decade of Ashram life, and Richard was a lovely co-worker with a huge heart who went on to head the great Project Angel Food organization that prepares and delivers food to people in need in Los Angeles. While serving our viewers and community, we were joyful and experiencing success while winning many local, national, and international awards.

 

 

 

Video Adjunct:

And here's another clip in the editing bay with one of our wonderful writers. I always considered it part of the job to bring joy to the work. The music video we were editing in this clip was nominated for an Emmy award, an example of how joyful work can bring success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11d   From Forgiveness to Gratitude

             

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

   

11d1   Moving beyond forgiveness

              

 

 

 

 

11d2   Maintaining an attitude of gratitude

               

 

 

Video Adjunct:

After leaving the Ashram and moving to Los Angeles, I was working for Disney's local television news station, always looking for opportunities to produce and edit pieces that would bring light to the world, and to my spirit. As Thanksgiving rolled around during my second year in Hollywood, I asked our executive producer if I could produce a musical essay about being thankful, and he said yes. I came in on evenings and weekends to create this labor of love, titled, "Let's be Thankful," and it was nominated for a Los Angeles Emmy award.

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

11e   From Greed to Divine Abundance

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

11e1   Can you really have it all?

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

11e2   Living in pursuit of lasting fulfillmen

                 

 

 

 

      

   

 11f   From Relationships to Divine Love

                

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11f1   Love, Relationships, and potential potholes

               

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

11f2   Avoiding mediocre relationships

                

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11f3   Understanding the power of company

              

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

11f4   Finding love inside yourself

              

 

Video Adjunct:

Listen to a 16-minute reading of a chapter from Secrets of Spiritual Happiness, "Don't Let Others Bring You Down."