THERAPY
for The ARTIST
COUNCILING / THERAPY for
”
COUNSELING / THERAPY for
Exploration T.S. Eliot
With the Drawing of This Love
and the Voice of This Calling --
We shall not cease
from exploration
And the end
of all our exploring
Will be to arrive
POETRY and PROSE ~
The Gift of Wise Words • 1. The Classics
•
Therapy for Artists
COUNSELING for ARTiSTS
a
Buddhist-based 'Alternative'
•
THERAPY FOR ARTISTS
ART - MAKERs
Therapy & Mentoring
for smart people, gifted people,
Maverick people….
the
Suffering Soul of The ARTIST ~
a truly effective Buddhist-based 'Alternative'
that is complementary
to psychotherapy
for the reviving and setting upwright again--
what was once a Lost, Discomforted Mind,
a Wounded Spirit, a Despairing Relationship
and many Impasses to Creativity.
All in the midst of our very edgy,
All in the midst of our very edgy,
over-busy, survival-stressed
Uncertain Times.”
Uncertain Times.”
See Reading List --
.POETRY and PROSE ~
The Gift of Wise Words • 1. The Classics
UNCERTAIN Times
" It Was The Best of Times,
It Was The Worst of Times..."
-----------------------------------------------------
It Was The Worst of Times..."
-----------------------------------------------------
As my Brooklyn-born Dad, a tough guy
from the poor neighborhood usta' say...
from the poor neighborhood usta' say...
“Yup, we're smack
dab in the middle
of some pretty, pretty nasty
Uncertain Times -- Oiy ! ”
Dickens agrees...
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
" It Was The Best of Times,
It Was The Worst of Times,
It Was The Age of Wisdom,
It Was The Age of Foolishness,
t Was The Epoch of Belief,
It Was The Epoch of Incredulity,
It Was The Season f of Light,
It Was The Season of Darkness,
It Was The Spring of Hope,
It Was The Winter of Despair,
We Had Everything Before Us,
We Had Nothing Before Us,
We Were All Going Direct To
Heaven,
We Were All Going Direct The
Other Way -
In Short, That Period Was So Far
Just Like The Present Period.”
~ Sir Charles Dickens ~
“A Tale of Two Cities” (1859) Page 1.
---------------------------------------------Exploration T.S. Eliot
With the Drawing of This Love
and the Voice of This Calling --
We shall not cease
from exploration
And the end
of all our exploring
Will be to arrive
where we started
And know the place
And know the place
for the first time. <<<
the famous par
Through the unknown,
unremembered gate
When the last of earth
When the last of earth
left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always ---
A condition of complete simplicity
Costing not less than Everything.
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always ---
A condition of complete simplicity
Costing not less than Everything.
And all shall be well---- and
All manner of thing shall be well
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flames
are in-folded into
the crowned knot of fire---
And the fire and the rose are one “.
____________________________
“The Little Gidding" is the last
of T. S. Eliot's Four
Quartets.
For a good biographical site on Eliot
and some analysis of his poetry, go to
_______________________________________
FEELING DIFFERENT ?
“Certainly you're a very
UNCOMMON PERSON,
a Non-ordinary Person
The 'Uncommon Person'
Already
Feels Different -- in a
Very Non-Assimilate-able
Way.
We ALL really do, but for
the
'uncommon one' it's sort
of
a double-whammy to
carry!"
~ Abraham Maslow ~ `1947
_________________________
“
UNHAPPY 'UNCOMMON' PEOPLE are sensitive,
creative, individualistic, heart higher-consciousness oriented people -
artistic, intellectual, mystical, musical, poetic or
spiritual.
So you probably need a 'Non-traditional Therapist'
who Understands “non-mainstream”, non-Matrix lifestyles -- and who is deeply
empathic & genuinely understands 'uncommon' and ‘unusual’ or ‘non-ordinary’
people - who are quite unique or gifted, but unhappy.
You in particular, may
want to talk to someone who has training in both worlds: psychology AND
spirituality.
At “SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD”
we offer a uniquely combined counseling: an innovative, wholistic, Asian,
'spiritual variation' of therapy based in grounded, practical Buddhist
psychology. Created for intelligent people - sensitive people - creative people
- odd, uncommon people…
" THE GREATEST RISK
IS
NOT TAKING ONE ! "
• “The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD
PROJECT” •
Santa Monica CA 90405 -
USA - 310-450-2268
This form of
Counseling-Therapy can be called many things
• Spiritual-based
Counseling • Psycho/Spiritual Coaching
• Spiritual-directed
Therapy • Spiritual-oriented Guidance •
• It's been done
effectively for 1000's of years ...
( This is not a
traditional licensed clinical psychotherapy -- nor is it 'religious' --
it is 'Spiritual', which
takes in everything human culture and thought has ever created )
______________________________________________________________________
SOME IMPORTANT Preliminary
DETAILS ~ or just skip 'em and Keep Reading ...
• We Counsel both Women
& Men in INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL THERAPY sessions with a Buddhist-informed
theoretical base, as well as Western contemporary approaches to the mind &
emotions. Later on you can move to 'group meditation & sharing sessions' if
you wish.
• RELATIONSHIP Counseling
for Couples, Marriages and Family Groups. nter-active, face to face, very
personal, ‘tough-love’ and often very
directive - when
appropriate - in clear, truthful, effective sessions.
______________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE ~
• ALL counseling sessions
are 'live' in-office visits. We must limit counseling sessions to our Southern
California LOCAL AREA, mostly greater LOS ANGELES residence-based clients only.
• 'Phone Counseling-sessions'
later on, when necessary, will be for 'established clients' with us.
• We offer a First-Time
FREE phone consultation to local greater Los Angeles area callers. We'd
certainly need to talk with you on the phone first. It's all about developing a
sound 'ground' of genuine communication -- not
for the sake of all sorts of 'rules' and stuff...
Please ASK US PLENTY of QUESTIONS
and really feel out if "Spiritual Adulthood" sessions might be for
you --
( We can possibly refer you to
qualified Buddhist counselors in your own regional area if you email us.
We cannot return long-distance
phone calls.)
______________________________________________________________________
• ONGOING REGULAR SESSIONS are by
a mutually arranged fee & by appointment only.
• We offer AFFORDABLE NEGOTIABLE
Sliding-scale Lower-fee Sessions for those who really need it. We do not take
insurance plans, HMOs etc.
• We offer a much more generous
EXTENDED SESSION-TIME than is usual... ALL sessions are given much more than
the standard therapy-hour's time (:55 min ). We offer you usually about one
hour+20 min (:80 min) to allow time to go really deep as you need to... without
feeling cut off or hurried.
• A FIRST-TIME PHONE INQUIRY is
always Best & much more immediate for us to respond to -- to your issues
& feelings ... ambivalent emails back & forth really does not work well
at all. Please Telephone Us -- we'd need to talk 'live' first, if you sincerely
wish to inquire further.
• LOCAL PHONE TIMES: NOON to 6 PM
any day is the best time to reach us - 310-450-2268. AND we just may be in
session when you call. Leave a message + local phone number. & how long
you’ll actually be there. How you can best be reached. Also leave any other
phone numbers, CELL phone number
& times we can reach you later on -- and please speak slowly & clearly.
It is important that you try your best to
make yourself ‘accessible’, so we
can reach you & you can 'reach' yourself ! Please, Make Yourself Easy To
Reach.
__________________________
" As human beings, our
greatness lies
not so much in being able to
remake the world...
As in being able to remake
ourselves.
Become the changes you want to
see in the world" ~ Gandhi
" Begin as creation, become
a Creator. Never wait at a barrier " ~ Rumi
"The limits of the possible
can only be defined
by going beyond them into the
impossible." ~ Arthur C. Clarke
“ Good, but impossible
resolutions, are simply checks
that men draw on a bank where
they have no account.
Start with the eminently
'possible'. ~ Oscar Wilde
" While one person hesitates
because they feel insecure and inferior,
the other is busy making mistakes
aplenty and becoming quite superior." ~ The Tao
______________________________________________________________________
CONTACT PERSON: AKASA LEVI, DhMA
~ his bio is a little more than ½ way a scroll down
______________________________________________________________________
• Akasa Levi, DhMA (D.Min)
supervision & spiritual direction ~ 310-450-2268
We practice as Buddhist ministers,
not as licensed MFT or PhD clinical psychologists.
We take in a much broader scope
than just the psychological. We address the cultivation
of a very contemporary Spirit in
the difficult modern society we live in.
Educating the Spirit gives you a
wider base to work with.
“DESTINY is every step we’re
taking & going thru right now to get there”
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek
elder
About our WEBSITE PAGE
You're invited to visit our
fledgling web-page in-progress:
So you'll get some more flavor to
what our backup 'meditation philosophy' is all about.
It's a more 'radical' form of
Buddhism - geared to the arts & free thought-minded.
Please enter the Whole URL in as
it is a site still in progress. Thanks
By The Way ~ we are an easy-going
bunch of Santa Monica Beach Buddhas -
and a real bona-fide click n'
point fancy 'website' is almost too much extra work
for us to get into -- so please
pardon us, you gotta scroll down our message,
just like this posting page.
______________________________________________________________________
OVERVIEW ...
"There is no such thing as a
'problem'
without a 'gift' for you in its
hands.
Sometimes you have problems
because you need their gifts.
It is through gifts that you
grow." ~ Richard Bach
THE PROBLEM
• BRING YOU LIFE BACK FROM THE
'EXILE' OF YOUR SPIRIT
and INTO A SACRED BALANCE AGAIN!
•>>>> WHATEVER IT IS,
YOU'RE "A-NOT-SO-HAPPY-PERSON" <<<<•
Many, many folks aren’t. We're in
very agitated, anxious, turbulent, uncertain times right now.
Career & Life-Purpose
Despair, Emotional Stuff, Mid-Life Changes or Painful Relationship
Dilemmas personally don't make it
easier. So please, go 'see' somebody & really start
working it out. 'You' - really
being heard from way deep inside and coached forward &
through by a counseling therapist
who can deeply understand you – human to human.
So get out of your own
'protective' self-imposed isolation: “I can do it by myself” mantra -
reinforced by
ego-pride-shame-hurt-loss-fear-cycles & just put yourself into counseling
sessions for awhile. It'll be
good for you - you'll get relief and even some joy and laughter.
This is where you can work on
your stuff & your Soul on a 'frequent enough' basis to make
a really noticeable difference.
At least phone us. There is no obligation to have a free
phone-consultation with us to see
if this could feel good & workable for you...
______________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU FEELING ‘DISSED’? ~
DISAPPOINTED DISCOURAGED DISTRESSED
Disagreeable Discomforted
Disconnected Disconcerted Discontent Disdainful Disgruntled
Disgusted Disharmonious and
Disheartened -- Disillusioned Disintegrated Distressed
Dismayed Dismal Disorganized
Disoriented Disregarded Dissatisfied Distant Distraught
Distrustful and very Disturbed
about it all --
This whole ‘Dis’ this or ‘Dis’
that thing - about your life? You CAN change it! We can help & assist you.
It's a very old formula &
personal challenge - but YOU DO have to show up for yourself to make it happen.
"Eighty percent of success
is just showing up" ~ Woody Allen
Get some Quality Counseling
Therapy - somewhere, anywhere - it may be a place for you to start.
Be very welcome to inquire about
us.
______________________________________________________________________
UNCOMMON PEOPLE speak ....
" Every community needs a
group of angelic troublemakers "
~ Bayard Rustin, black activist
social reformer
"Our constant inquiry is our
passion
and our passion is our task.
The rest is the madness of
art." ~ Henry James, "The Middle Years"
"Be daring, be different, be
impractical, be anything
that will assert integrity of
purpose
and imaginative vision against
the play-it-safers,
the creatures of the commonplace,
the slaves of the ordinary." ~ Sir Cecil Beaton
"Be not afraid of absurdity
- do not shrink from the fantastic!
Within a dilemma - choose the
most unheard-of, the most audacious solution!
De l'audace! De l'audace! Et
encore de l'audace! Be audacious!" ~ Karen Blixen
_________________________________________________
More On The UNCOMMON... and again
UNHAPPY 'UNCOMMON' PEOPLE are
sensitive, creative,
individualistic,
higher-consciousness oriented people -
artistic, intellectual, mystical,
musical, poetic or spiritual.
So you probably need a
'Non-traditional Therapist' who Understands “non-mainstream”,
non-Matrix lifestyles -- and who
is deeply empathic & genuinely understands 'uncommon'
and ‘unusual’ or ‘non-ordinary’
people - who are quite unique or gifted, but unhappy.
____________________________________________________________________
• You may be a very 'individual'
person who feels very naturally inward, spiritual oriented -
and yet you're struggling to get
‘worldly’ problems/emotional issues handled realistically
and with integrity as well -- yet
without you having to commit to any spiritual path whatsoever!
We offer NO religious preaching
or dogma - nothing to ‘believe’ in. Just the emergence of your
own individual true ‘knowing’ and
personal excellence! We want to assist you in discovering
a 'natural unfolding' of
unshakable balance, boundless wisdom and joy!
And your innate good humor!
Liberating a new sense of caring & connectedness with yourself,
other people and the universe. An
expanded inner acceptance and outer effectiveness.
‘True’ happiness totally
independent of the unavoidable effects of ‘everyday’ circumstances
& conditions! Really 'true
freedom' as they've spoken about in Asian teachings for millenia !!
______________________________________________________________________________
You may want to talk to someone
who has training in both worlds: psychology AND spirituality.
At “SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD” we offer
a uniquely combined counseling: an innovative,
wholistic, Asian, 'spiritual
variation' of therapy based in pragmatic, practical Buddhist psychology.
Created for intelligent people -
sensitive people - creative people - odd, uncommon people…
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
WHAT FOLLOWS IS GOING TO TAKE
SOME MORE TIME & SOME MORE PATIENCE ON YOUR PART
TO READ & SORT THRU -- YOU DO
NOT HAVE TO READ IT ALL AT ONCE,
TAKE IT IN SMALL BITES, SKIP
AROUND IN IT --
YOU'LL CERTAINLY KNOW A LOT MORE
ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU'RE DONE READING THIS ...
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
A Basic Problem:
Emotions get to run thinking.
Thoughts get so embedded in
feelings ~
Confusion, hopeless, numb...
angry & sad
MAYBE YOU'VE BECOME SO
OVERWHELMINGLY ‘IDENTIFIED’
& OVER-INVOLVED IN YOUR OWN
DIFFICULT 'LIFE-STORY'
That You Can’t See The Forest Because
of All The Trees!
Your 'Story' of being such a
driven 'winner' or a victimized 'loser' -
or just a plain nobody ’out
there’ - you're just so overwhelmed - or
feeling so isolated -that you
just plain 'hurt'. Maybe you’ve lost the path,
or forgotten the way, or just
feel so ineffective in your 'deeper' inner-search.
Or you’ve just never yet really
sought out Who ‘You’ really, really are - ‘in here’. Inside.
RE-DISCOVERING & REFINING
"Yourself" - totally defined in/on your OWN TERMS !
(not society’s or religion's
terms).
YOUR Own Terms is what 'therapy
of the spirit' is all about !
Therapy of the 'True' Spirit is
really where ALL mind/spirit/soul-healing MUST start.
True therapy has to start and end
with the Heart ! Otherwise it ain't True.
It’s been that way in every
culture all through time! It's just only that until very recently,
the 'choices' of that healing
have always been so restricted and few... either doctors or
the church. No longer. Every
approach world-wide is now available to you! It's from that
Very Big Approach that you can
truly find yourself & then truly give back to others in
a valuable, clear, easy-going
& natural way ... true 'goodness'.
Faith in ourselves simply as
Humans restored.
and it can be 'spiritual' AND
Totally NON-RELIGIOUS.. Consider that!
______________________________________________________________________
“The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD PROJECT”
is a Buddhist-based
Psycho/Spiritual oriented Counseling & Alternative Therapy.
The world renown and respected
ancient tradition of Buddhist psychology is a path
of cultivating a 'transcendent' -
a 'higher sanity' - a very clear-seeing ability for yourself.
By developing this
wisdom-understanding, you are now available to generate a much
more all-inclusive compassion -
which leads to an authentic peace in ourselves,
which we can then extend out to
our family, friends and the world. Learning & using
2500 year-old tested
self-development approaches & techniques towards a clear,
wholesome, peaceful, joyful mind.
Traditional Buddhism is absolutely NOT a
‘religious path’ but more of a
practical, pragmatic, highly intelligent ‘Humanism’ -
there are NO gods and NO worship
or NO religious superstitions involved in anything
we offer in any way whatsoever.
Just discovering & uncovering the essence of a sane,
wise, peaceful, pure spirit that
is YOU.
_______________________________________
“And then the day came
when the risk to remain tight in
a bud
was more painful
than the risk it took to blossom”
~ Anais Nin
______________________________________________________________________
" FORGIVENESS Is Giving Up
All Hope For A Better Past! " ~ Aba Gayle
______________________________________________________________________
“ BREAKDOWN often PRECEEDS BREAKTHROUGH..
“
Maybe some pieces & parts of
what follows, is also what may be going on with you...
ARE YOU HAVING A SPIRITUAL
CRISIS: a ‘SPIRITUAL EMERGENCY’?
An emergency of your spirit? Are
you having an authentic ‘SPIRITUAL EMERGENCE’?
A true ‘EXISTENTIAL CRISIS of
sorts? A crisis of your very 'Being-ness'?
Or a Spiritual Break-through
& Emergence? Which? Are your values &
views gradually or radically
changing? Wanting to genuinely 'upgrade' your
consciousness? Going towards the
authentically 'Spiritual' and not just some sort of
delusive 'magical-thinking'? How
to know? Are you stuck? Are you feeling a bit helpless,
powerless - out of balance -
frustrated - going thru difficult changes? Loss of purpose?
Confused? Moody? Disturbing
emotional swings?Dead-ended? What to do --
where to fit in -- how to make it
all work out?
Who with experience can you talk
& relate to about it?
We offer counseling and therapy
for people who are beginning the really 'higher process'
of change where it merges with
the spiritual.
You may need to talk to someone
who has training in both worlds: psychology AND spirituality.
Or maybe..
SO YOU’RE EVOLVING SPIRITUALLY
& YOU’RE CURRENT ‘REGULAR’-STYLE THERAPIST
JUST ISN’T on your track, doesn't
seem to 'get' you - sorry, but he/she is just not!
They may give you a nod of
support to your 'spiritual pursuits' but can offer not much else
in that direction. Here too, you
may need to talk to someone who has training in
both worlds - psychology and
spirituality.
Do you have unresolved feelings,
unusual/disturbing states of consciousness,
or deep questionings around your
present ongoing spiritual growth process now? What now?
We offer experienced
understanding, caring assistance, careful explanations & understandings,
and crisis counseling for people
to sort through and integrate a wide range of feelings that may
have arisen: exploring both the
dark and the light side - quite transformative in itself -- emerging
with a new sense of clarity and
well-being.
“It is still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or with
‘illusion’.
But remember that to choose one
is to let go of the other.” ~ A
Course In Miracles
" When the way comes to an
end, then change -
having changed, you pass
through." ~ I Ching
__________________________________________
A JOYFUL DISCLAIMER & A
Statement of Philosophy ...
Who We Are In Our Hearts & In
Our Heads as a 'Spiritually-Based' Counseling Service ~
We are truly 'non-denominational'
& 'non-religious' and welcome all journeyers of all Ways,
or especially even those of no
way.
'Spiritual' doesn't mean
'religion'. Actually, you can't even become a 'Buddhist', as that too
is just another 'label'. The ONE
Web of existence, life & consciousness has many 'Names'
in many different world cultures.
The ONE Web 'itself', really has NO name at all.
All cultures on the planet call
it ‘The One’ ( 1. ) So we just simply call it "EVERYTHING".
All of 'creation' itself.
‘Creator’ & ‘Creation’ is all the same thing, the same One.
We simply leave it at that. One
is One and there is nothing outside of it. It's All ONE.
You gotta’ love it all. We try to
love it All. Most of the time, piece by piece in peace.
" There is no such thing as
a strictly 'secular' therapy - or that a therapy is 'non-spiritual' ..
That’s where Medical Mental
Sciences are naïve. EVERY 'therapy' is spiritual if it deals
with matters of the heart and
emotions and feelings. Buddhist approaches in particular,
are 'spiritual' BUT
non-religious. The historical Buddha was a Humanist & a Pragmatist.
There's a freedom of intelligence
& openness to that - a big difference. " ~ Abraham Maslow
We particularly use the 'Buddhist
brand-name' because those Asian cultures have got
some of the most skillfully
mature, very grounded, least misleading, most inclusive and
the very best of the mind-healing
techniques available so far - so far as we've come across.
So we use 'em. And we're still
strongly very eclectic: we use many diverse approaches -
so we'll use what YOU need, not
what 'we' like best or 'believe in'. We're on your side!
We practice as Buddhist ministers
not as licensed MFT or clinical psychologists.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
THIS IS WHERE YOU MAY WANT to
CONNECT with us -- 310-450-2268 --
Akasa Levi's short bio is also
below…
full bio at
http://www.zentrance.com
______________________________________________________________________
• BIOGRAPHY: AKASA LEVI, DhMA
(D.Min) - our counseling therapist/facilitator -
______________________________________________________________________
Now 64 - Akasa Levi was an
ordained American Theravada Buddhist forest monk in the 1970's
during a decade of living in
Asia. He was a student of the renown Goenkaji in Bodhgaya-India,
where the famous Bodhi Tree the
Buddha sat under is. He then became a student of Tibetan
Lama Thubten Yeshe & Zopa
Rinpoche of Nepal, founders of Wisdom Publications in Boston
(www.wisdompubs.org) and Advaita
master Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay.
Akasa was in seminary &
ordained by Sangha Nayake Ananda Maitreya, lineage-head of the
Amarapura Burmese Sect in Sri
Lanka. He studied Western analytic therapy at UCLA after
returning to Western culture.
Akasa practices therapy in Santa Monica California, USA.
He teaches a non-religious style
of Buddhist group meditation with The Laughing Buddha Sangha --
and leads men’s groups at The
L.A. Medicine Men’s Lodge which he founded. Otherwise this
old ‘tribal elder’ can be found
in his garden or out dancing. Gardens & Dancing are his two
favorite metaphors.
Full biography & possibly a
photo at http://www.zentrance.com (enter it all in)
• For Other Information - Please visit
our shared meditation web site at
The LA Dharma Community under The
Laughing Buddha Sangha
http://www.LADharma.org under
Links/Teacher Links
We'll gladly give you a FREELY
offered Local Phone Consultation – no obligation!
-- or to set up an actual
appointment.
• 310-450-2268 ~ PLEASE USE THE
PHONE, as there is NOT much else we can tell you by email.
The phone is more personal - and
some quality 'personal attention' is probably what you need
for yourself right now -- more
'closeness' rather than distance...
We know that when you're feeling
vulnerable, skittish or just plain bad & sad --
sometimes 'reaching out' is hard
-- please, do take up the challenge!
"Take the first step in
faith.
You don't have to see the whole
staircase
-- just take the first
step." ~ Martin Luther King
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
we also offer to the community ~
• Creatively-minded Corporate/Business
Consultation: Human Resource Resolution
and 'Spirit In The Workplace'
development. Very way out of the box stuff. We also consult
on the American 'spiritual
mind-set', 'The Crisis In Faith', 'Loss of Classical Mythologies
to Technology', 'What's Wrong
With Our Minds & Culture?' and current 'religious trends'
(a lot of it quite unconscious,
un self-identified & dreadfully naive) within the
contemporary American/Western
cultural praadigm as a whole.
• We Counsel all manifestations
of alternative & emerging life-styles: mixed racial/religious
partnerings & marriages; gay
& bi curious, str8 still exploring. It's the 21st Century:
It's a big wide open world out
there now... We offer bridge-building between communities:
people of all colors, religions,
diverse cultures & ethnic origins. A pluralistic society brings
so many awesome enrichments as
well as struggles of balance & new found respect ...
"If you do not see God in
the next person you meet, you need look no further." ~ Gandhi
______________________________________________________________________
“La vraie générosité envers
l'avenir consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the
future is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT
TAKING ONE! "
______________________________________________________________________
“The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD PROJECT”
is a Member of S.E.N. (Spiritual Emergency Network
at Esalen Institute in Big Sur).
We are an outreach-project of “The Laughing Buddha Sangha”
in Santa Monica, California. We
are affiliated with The L.A. Dharma Community ( visit our
collective website
www.LADharma.org ) and utilize the practice-approaches offered by
Spirit Rock Meditation Center in
Woodacre/Santa Rosa, CA.
We are non-denominational &
definately non-religious and
welcome all journeyers of all
Ways or even none.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
QUOTES ~ The Gift of Wise Words
To measure you by your smallest
deed
is to judge the ocean by the
frailty of it's foam.
To judge you by your failures is
to cast blame
upon the seasons for their
inconsistencies
~ Kahlil Gibran
What good you do is of little
significance,
But it is very important that you
do it.
BE the change you want to see in
the world " ~ Mahatma Gandhi
________________________________________________________________
"If we have no peace, it is
because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
~ Mother Teresa
"Wise, clear understanding
is key to the dissolution of all ignorances --
Then be Kind whenever possible.
It is always possible."
~ Dalai Lama
"One common mistake is to
think that your reality is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to
leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
__________________________________________________________________
and some even Deeper Ideas that
Inform us here at Spiritual Adulthood
"You yourself,
as much as anyone in the entire
Universe,
deserves your OWN affection, care
and love.
You can explore the whole
universe looking
for someone who is more deserving
of your
love and affection than you are
yourself...
and you will not find that person
anywhere.
To be maximum effective -
the Practice of Loving-Kindness
must absolutely begin with
yourself!" ~ The Buddha
____________________________________
“Who was born first, 'You' or
'The World'?
As long as you give first place
to ‘The World’
-- you are bound by it.
Once you realize, beyond all
trace of doubt,
that the ‘world’ is in you --
-- and not 'you' in the world,
right then and there, you are out
of it.
Of course, your body remains in
the world
and 'of' the world,
but YOU are not
>d-e-l-u-d-e-d< by it.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
________________________________________________________
“If you don't understand that
‘whatever’ appears IS meditation --
what can you achieve by applying
an ‘antidote’?
Perceptions and conceptions,
false ideas and notions
are not abandoned by discarding
them --
but are 'spontaneously freed'
when recognized
and 'realized' as only an
Illusion." ~ Niguma Dakini
____________________________________________
They drew a circle that shut me
out --
Calling me a heretic, rebel, a thing
to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win
--
We drew a circle that took them
in. ~ Edwin Markham "Outwitted"
A Sufi sage once said ~
"The best thing is not to
hate anyone --
Only to Love.
That is the only way out of it.
As soon as you have Forgiven
those whom you intensely hate --
You have simply gotten rid of
them!
Then you have no reason to 'hate'
them --
You just forget." ~ Hazrat
Inayat Khan
"Do not look back in Anger,
or forward in Fear,
but around in Awareness" ~
James Thurber
"At night make me fearlessly
one with the darkness ~
In the morning make me
optimistically one with the light" ~ Wendell Berry
“Whatever the question ~ Love and
Kindness is the answer!” ~ The Dalai Lama
______________________________________________________________________
You may want to hi-lite, copy
& send this quote below to people you know...
some of the wisest guidance
you'll ever read, put to personal use or offer.
__________________________________________________
here it is ~
"Be patient toward all that
is unsolved in your heart.
Try to love the 'Questions'
themselves - like locked rooms
and like books that are written
in a foreign language.
Do not, just right now, seek for
the Answers.
The 'Answers' which cannot now be
given to you -
because you would not be able to
actually ‘live’ them.
And the point is to ‘live’
everything - experiencing everything.
At present, you need to live the
Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually,
without even noticing it,
live along some day into the true
Answer. Your answer."
~ Rilke's "Letters to a
Young Poet" (1903-1908)
end_________________________________________________________________
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
• COUNSELING THERAPY for The
ARTIST: a Buddhist-based 'Alternative'
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
• COUNSELING THERAPY for The
ARTIST: a truly effective Buddhist-based 'Alternative' to
psychotherapy for the
Discomforted Mind, Wounded Spirit, Despairing Relationship and Impasses to
Creativity
... all in the midst of our very
edgy, over-busy, survival-stressed Uncertain Times
________________________________________________________________________
IF YOU SCROLL N' ROLL AROUND ON
THIS WEBPAGE, FOLLOW SOME OF IT ALONG...
BESIDES DETAILS -- THERE'S A LOT
OF GOOD READING IN HERE TO INSPIRE & UPLIFT YOU.
DRINK DEEP & INTELLIGENTLY
NOURISH YOUR SPIRIT...
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Certainly you're a very UNCOMMON
PERSON ....
"The 'Uncommon Person'
Already Feels Different -- in a Very Non-Assimilate-able Way.
We all really do, but for the
'uncommon one' it's sort of a double-whammy to carry!"
~ Abraham Maslow
UNHAPPY 'UNCOMMON' PEOPLE are
sensitive, creative,
individualistic, heart &
higher-consciousness oriented people -
artistic, intellectual, mystical,
musical, poetic or spiritual.
So you probably need a
'Non-traditional Therapist' who Understands “non-mainstream”,
non-Matrix lifestyles -- and who
is deeply empathic & genuinely understands 'uncommon'
and ‘unusual’ or ‘non-ordinary’
people - who are quite unique or gifted, but unhappy.
You in particular, may want to
talk to someone who has training in both worlds:
psychology AND spirituality.
At “SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD” we offer
a uniquely combined counseling: an innovative,
wholistic, Asian, 'spiritual
variation' of therapy based in grounded, practical Buddhist psychology.
Created for intelligent people -
sensitive people - creative people - odd, uncommon people…
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT
TAKING ONE! "
______________________________________
• “The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD
PROJECT” •
Santa Monica CA 90405 - USA -
310-450-2268
This form of Counseling-Therapy
can be called many things
• Spiritual-based Counseling •
Psycho/Spiritual Coaching
• Spiritual-directed Therapy •
Spiritual-oriented Guidance •
• It's been done effectively for
1000's of years ...
( This is not a traditional
licensed clinical psychotherapy -- nor is it 'religious' --
it is 'Spiritual', which takes in
everything human culture and thought has ever created )
______________________________________________________________________
SOME IMPORTANT Preliminary
DETAILS ~ or just skip 'em and Keep Reading ...
• We Counsel both Women & Men
in INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL THERAPY sessions
with a Buddhist-informed
theoretical base, as well as Western contemporary
approaches to the mind &
emotions.
Later on you can move to 'group
meditation & sharing sessions' if you wish.
• RELATIONSHIP Counseling for
Couples, Marriages and Family Groups.
Inter-active, face to face, very
personal, ‘tough-love’ and often very
directive - when appropriate - in
clear, truthful, effective sessions.
______________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE ~
• ALL counseling sessions are
'live' in-office visits. We must limit counseling sessions to
our Southern California LOCAL
AREA, mostly greater LOS ANGELES residence-based clients only.
• 'Phone Counseling-sessions'
later on, when necessary, will be for 'established clients' with us.
• We offer a First-Time FREE
phone consultation to local greater Los Angeles area callers.
We'd certainly need to talk with
you on the phone first. It's all about developing a sound 'ground'
of genuine communication -- not
for the sake of all sorts of 'rules' and stuff...
Please ASK US PLENTY of QUESTIONS
and really feel out if "Spiritual Adulthood" sessions might be for
you --
( We can possibly refer you to
qualified Buddhist counselors in your own regional area if you email us.
We cannot return long-distance
phone calls.)
______________________________________________________________________
• ONGOING REGULAR SESSIONS are by
a mutually arranged fee & by appointment only.
• We offer AFFORDABLE NEGOTIABLE
Sliding-scale Lower-fee Sessions
for those who really need it. We
do not take insurance plans, HMOs etc.
• We offer a much more generous
EXTENDED SESSION-TIME than is usual...
ALL sessions are given much more
than the standard therapy-hour's time (:55 min ).
We offer you usually about one
hour+20 min (:80 min) to allow time to go really
deep as you need to... without
feeling cut off or hurried.
• A FIRST-TIME PHONE INQUIRY is
always Best & much more immediate for us to respond to --
to your issues & feelings ...
ambivalent emails back & forth really does not work well at all.
Please Telephone Us -- we'd need
to talk 'live' first, if you sincerely wish to inquire further.
• LOCAL PHONE TIMES: NOON to 6 PM
any day is the best time to reach us - 310-450-2268.
AND we just may be in session when
you call. Leave a message + local phone number.
If Voice Mail answers, please
leave a very complete message with your best phone number(s)
& how long you’ll actually be
there. How you can best be reached. Also leave any other
phone numbers, CELL phone number
& times we can reach you later on --
and please speak slowly &
clearly. It is important that you try your best to
make yourself ‘accessible’, so we
can reach you & you can 'reach' yourself !
Please, Make Yourself Easy To
Reach.
______________________________________________________________________
" As human beings, our
greatness lies
not so much in being able to
remake the world...
As in being able to remake
ourselves.
Become the changes you want to
see in the world" ~ Gandhi
" Begin as creation, become
a Creator. Never wait at a barrier " ~ Rumi
"The limits of the possible
can only be defined
by going beyond them into the
impossible." ~ Arthur C. Clarke
Good, but impossible resolutions,
are simply checks
that men draw on a bank where
they have no account.
Start with the eminently
'possible'. ~ Oscar Wilde
" While one person hesitates
because they feel insecure and inferior,
the other is busy making mistakes
aplenty and becoming quite superior." ~ The Tao
______________________________________________________________________
CONTACT PERSON: AKASA LEVI, DhMA
~ his bio is a little more than ½ way a scroll down
______________________________________________________________________
• Akasa Levi, DhMA (D.Min)
supervision & spiritual direction ~ 310-450-2268
We practice as Buddhist
ministers, not as licensed MFT or PhD clinical psychologists.
We take in a much broader scope
than just the psychological. We address the cultivation
of a very contemporary Spirit in
the difficult modern society we live in.
Educating the Spirit gives you a
wider base to work with.
“DESTINY is every step we’re
taking & going thru right now to get there”
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek
elder
About our WEBSITE PAGE
You're invited to visit our
fledgling web-page in-progress:
http://www.zentrance.com
So you'll get some more flavor to
what our backup 'meditation philosophy' is all about.
It's a more 'radical' form of
Buddhism - geared to the arts & free thought-minded.
Please enter the Whole URL in as
it is a site still in progress. Thanks
By The Way ~ we are an easy-going
bunch of Santa Monica Beach Buddhas -
and a real bona-fide click n'
point fancy 'website' is almost too much extra work
for us to get into -- so please
pardon us, you gotta scroll down our message,
just like this posting page.
______________________________________________________________________
OVERVIEW ...
"There is no such thing as a
'problem'
without a 'gift' for you in its
hands.
Sometimes you have problems
because you need their gifts.
It is through gifts that you
grow." ~ Richard Bach
THE PROBLEM
• BRING YOU LIFE BACK FROM THE
'EXILE' OF YOUR SPIRIT
and INTO A SACRED BALANCE AGAIN!
•>>>> WHATEVER IT IS,
YOU'RE "A-NOT-SO-HAPPY-PERSON" <<<<•
Many, many folks aren’t. We're in
very agitated, anxious, turbulent, uncertain times right now.
Career & Life-Purpose
Despair, Emotional Stuff, Mid-Life Changes or Painful Relationship
Dilemmas personally don't make it
easier. So please, go 'see' somebody & really start
working it out. 'You' - really
being heard from way deep inside and coached forward &
through by a counseling therapist
who can deeply understand you – human to human.
So get out of your own
'protective' self-imposed isolation: “I can do it by myself” mantra -
reinforced by
ego-pride-shame-hurt-loss-fear-cycles & just put yourself into counseling
sessions for awhile. It'll be
good for you - you'll get relief and even some joy and laughter.
This is where you can work on
your stuff & your Soul on a 'frequent enough' basis to make
a really noticeable difference.
At least phone us. There is no obligation to have a free
phone-consultation with us to see
if this could feel good & workable for you...
______________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU FEELING ‘DISSED’? ~
DISAPPOINTED DISCOURAGED DISTRESSED
Disagreeable Discomforted
Disconnected Disconcerted Discontent Disdainful Disgruntled
Disgusted Disharmonious and
Disheartened -- Disillusioned Disintegrated Distressed
Dismayed Dismal Disorganized
Disoriented Disregarded Dissatisfied Distant Distraught
Distrustful and very Disturbed
about it all --
This whole ‘Dis’ this or ‘Dis’
that thing - about your life? You CAN change it! We can help & assist you.
It's a very old formula &
personal challenge - but YOU DO have to show up for yourself to make it happen.
"Eighty percent of success
is just showing up" ~ Woody Allen
Get some Quality Counseling
Therapy - somewhere, anywhere - it may be a place for you to start.
Be very welcome to inquire about
us.
______________________________________________________________________
UNCOMMON PEOPLE speak ....
" Every community needs a
group of angelic troublemakers "
~ Bayard Rustin, black activist
social reformer
"Our constant inquiry is our
passion
and our passion is our task.
The rest is the madness of
art." ~ Henry James, "The Middle Years"
"Be daring, be different, be
impractical, be anything
that will assert integrity of
purpose
and imaginative vision against
the play-it-safers,
the creatures of the commonplace,
the slaves of the ordinary." ~ Sir Cecil Beaton
"Be not afraid of absurdity
- do not shrink from the fantastic!
Within a dilemma - choose the
most unheard-of, the most audacious solution!
De l'audace! De l'audace! Et
encore de l'audace! Be audacious!" ~ Karen Blixen
_________________________________________________
More On The UNCOMMON... and again
UNHAPPY 'UNCOMMON' PEOPLE are
sensitive, creative,
individualistic, higher-consciousness
oriented people -
artistic, intellectual, mystical,
musical, poetic or spiritual.
So you probably need a
'Non-traditional Therapist' who Understands “non-mainstream”,
non-Matrix lifestyles -- and who
is deeply empathic & genuinely understands 'uncommon'
and ‘unusual’ or ‘non-ordinary’
people - who are quite unique or gifted, but unhappy.
____________________________________________________________________
• You may be a very 'individual'
person who feels very naturally inward, spiritual oriented -
and yet you're struggling to get
‘worldly’ problems/emotional issues handled realistically
and with integrity as well -- yet
without you having to commit to any spiritual path whatsoever!
We offer NO religious preaching
or dogma - nothing to ‘believe’ in. Just the emergence of your
own individual true ‘knowing’ and
personal excellence! We want to assist you in discovering
a 'natural unfolding' of
unshakable balance, boundless wisdom and joy!
And your innate good humor!
Liberating a new sense of caring & connectedness with yourself,
other people and the universe. An
expanded inner acceptance and outer effectiveness.
‘True’ happiness totally
independent of the unavoidable effects of ‘everyday’ circumstances
& conditions! Really 'true
freedom' as they've spoken about in Asian teachings for millenia !!
______________________________________________________________________________
You may want to talk to someone
who has training in both worlds: psychology AND spirituality.
At “SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD” we offer
a uniquely combined counseling: an innovative,
wholistic, Asian, 'spiritual
variation' of therapy based in pragmatic, practical Buddhist psychology.
Created for intelligent people -
sensitive people - creative people - odd, uncommon people…
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
WHAT FOLLOWS IS GOING TO TAKE
SOME MORE TIME & SOME MORE PATIENCE ON YOUR PART
TO READ & SORT THRU -- YOU DO
NOT HAVE TO READ IT ALL AT ONCE,
TAKE IT IN SMALL BITES, SKIP
AROUND IN IT --
YOU'LL CERTAINLY KNOW A LOT MORE
ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU'RE DONE READING THIS ...
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
A Basic Problem:
Emotions get to run thinking.
Thoughts get so embedded in
feelings ~
Confusion, hopeless, numb...
angry & sad
MAYBE YOU'VE BECOME SO
OVERWHELMINGLY ‘IDENTIFIED’
& OVER-INVOLVED IN YOUR OWN
DIFFICULT 'LIFE-STORY'
That You Can’t See The Forest
Because of All The Trees!
Your 'Story' of being such a
driven 'winner' or a victimized 'loser' -
or just a plain nobody ’out
there’ - you're just so overwhelmed - or
feeling so isolated -that you
just plain 'hurt'. Maybe you’ve lost the path,
or forgotten the way, or just
feel so ineffective in your 'deeper' inner-search.
Or you’ve just never yet really
sought out Who ‘You’ really, really are - ‘in here’. Inside.
RE-DISCOVERING & REFINING
"Yourself" - totally defined in/on your OWN TERMS !
(not society’s or religion's
terms).
YOUR Own Terms is what 'therapy
of the spirit' is all about !
Therapy of the 'True' Spirit is
really where ALL mind/spirit/soul-healing MUST start.
True therapy has to start and end
with the Heart ! Otherwise it ain't True.
It’s been that way in every
culture all through time! It's just only that until very recently,
the 'choices' of that healing
have always been so restricted and few... either doctors or
the church. No longer. Every
approach world-wide is now available to you! It's from that
Very Big Approach that you can
truly find yourself & then truly give back to others in
a valuable, clear, easy-going
& natural way ... true 'goodness'.
Faith in ourselves simply as
Humans restored.
and it can be 'spiritual' AND
Totally NON-RELIGIOUS.. Consider that!
______________________________________________________________________
“The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD PROJECT”
is a Buddhist-based
Psycho/Spiritual oriented Counseling & Alternative Therapy.
The world renown and respected
ancient tradition of Buddhist psychology is a path
of cultivating a 'transcendent' -
a 'higher sanity' - a very clear-seeing ability for yourself.
By developing this
wisdom-understanding, you are now available to generate a much
more all-inclusive compassion -
which leads to an authentic peace in ourselves,
which we can then extend out to
our family, friends and the world. Learning & using
2500 year-old tested
self-development approaches & techniques towards a clear,
wholesome, peaceful, joyful mind.
Traditional Buddhism is absolutely NOT a
‘religious path’ but more of a
practical, pragmatic, highly intelligent ‘Humanism’ -
there are NO gods and NO worship
or NO religious superstitions involved in anything
we offer in any way whatsoever.
Just discovering & uncovering the essence of a sane,
wise, peaceful, pure spirit that
is YOU.
_______________________________________
“And then the day came
when the risk to remain tight in
a bud
was more painful
than the risk it took to blossom”
~ Anais Nin
______________________________________________________________________
" FORGIVENESS Is Giving Up
All Hope For A Better Past! " ~ Aba Gayle
______________________________________________________________________
“ BREAKDOWN often PRECEEDS
BREAKTHROUGH.. “
Maybe some pieces & parts of
what follows, is also what may be going on with you...
ARE YOU HAVING A SPIRITUAL
CRISIS: a ‘SPIRITUAL EMERGENCY’?
An emergency of your spirit? Are
you having an authentic ‘SPIRITUAL EMERGENCE’?
A true ‘EXISTENTIAL CRISIS of
sorts? A crisis of your very 'Being-ness'?
Or a Spiritual Break-through
& Emergence? Which? Are your values &
views gradually or radically changing?
Wanting to genuinely 'upgrade' your
consciousness? Going towards the
authentically 'Spiritual' and not just some sort of
delusive 'magical-thinking'? How
to know? Are you stuck? Are you feeling a bit helpless,
powerless - out of balance -
frustrated - going thru difficult changes? Loss of purpose?
Confused? Moody? Disturbing
emotional swings?Dead-ended? What to do --
where to fit in -- how to make it
all work out?
Who with experience can you talk
& relate to about it?
We offer counseling and therapy
for people who are beginning the really 'higher process'
of change where it merges with
the spiritual.
You may need to talk to someone
who has training in both worlds: psychology AND spirituality.
Or maybe..
SO YOU’RE EVOLVING SPIRITUALLY
& YOU’RE CURRENT ‘REGULAR’-STYLE THERAPIST
JUST ISN’T on your track, doesn't
seem to 'get' you - sorry, but he/she is just not!
They may give you a nod of
support to your 'spiritual pursuits' but can offer not much else
in that direction. Here too, you
may need to talk to someone who has training in
both worlds - psychology and
spirituality.
Do you have unresolved feelings,
unusual/disturbing states of consciousness,
or deep questionings around your
present ongoing spiritual growth process now? What now?
We offer experienced
understanding, caring assistance, careful explanations & understandings,
and crisis counseling for people
to sort through and integrate a wide range of feelings that may
have arisen: exploring both the
dark and the light side - quite transformative in itself -- emerging
with a new sense of clarity and
well-being.
“It is still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or with
‘illusion’.
But remember that to choose one
is to let go of the other.” ~ A
Course In Miracles
" When the way comes to an
end, then change -
having changed, you pass
through." ~ I Ching
__________________________________________
A JOYFUL DISCLAIMER & A
Statement of Philosophy ...
Who We Are In Our Hearts & In
Our Heads as a 'Spiritually-Based' Counseling Service ~
We are truly 'non-denominational'
& 'non-religious' and welcome all journeyers of all Ways,
or especially even those of no
way.
'Spiritual' doesn't mean
'religion'. Actually, you can't even become a 'Buddhist', as that too
is just another 'label'. The ONE
Web of existence, life & consciousness has many 'Names'
in many different world cultures.
The ONE Web 'itself', really has NO name at all.
All cultures on the planet call
it ‘The One’ ( 1. ) So we just simply call it "EVERYTHING".
All of 'creation' itself.
‘Creator’ & ‘Creation’ is all the same thing, the same One.
We simply leave it at that. One
is One and there is nothing outside of it. It's All ONE.
You gotta’ love it all. We try to
love it All. Most of the time, piece by piece in peace.
" There is no such thing as
a strictly 'secular' therapy - or that a therapy is 'non-spiritual' ..
That’s where Medical Mental
Sciences are naïve. EVERY 'therapy' is spiritual if it deals
with matters of the heart and
emotions and feelings. Buddhist approaches in particular,
are 'spiritual' BUT
non-religious. The historical Buddha was a Humanist & a Pragmatist.
There's a freedom of intelligence
& openness to that - a big difference. " ~ Abraham Maslow
We particularly use the 'Buddhist
brand-name' because those Asian cultures have got
some of the most skillfully
mature, very grounded, least misleading, most inclusive and
the very best of the mind-healing
techniques available so far - so far as we've come across.
So we use 'em. And we're still
strongly very eclectic: we use many diverse approaches -
so we'll use what YOU need, not
what 'we' like best or 'believe in'. We're on your side!
We practice as Buddhist ministers
not as licensed MFT or clinical psychologists.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
THIS IS WHERE YOU MAY WANT to
CONNECT with us -- 310-450-2268 --
Akasa Levi's short bio is also
below…
full bio at http://www.zentrance.com
______________________________________________________________________
• BIOGRAPHY: AKASA LEVI, DhMA
(D.Min) - our counseling therapist/facilitator -
______________________________________________________________________
Now 64 - Akasa Levi was an
ordained American Theravada Buddhist forest monk in the 1970's
during a decade of living in
Asia. He was a student of the renown Goenkaji in Bodhgaya-India,
where the famous Bodhi Tree the
Buddha sat under is. He then became a student of Tibetan
Lama Thubten Yeshe & Zopa
Rinpoche of Nepal, founders of Wisdom Publications in Boston
(www.wisdompubs.org) and Advaita
master Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay.
Akasa was in seminary &
ordained by Sangha Nayake Ananda Maitreya, lineage-head of the
Amarapura Burmese Sect in Sri
Lanka. He studied Western analytic therapy at UCLA after
returning to Western culture.
Akasa practices therapy in Santa Monica California, USA.
He teaches a non-religious style
of Buddhist group meditation with The Laughing Buddha Sangha --
and leads men’s groups at The
L.A. Medicine Men’s Lodge which he founded. Otherwise this
old ‘tribal elder’ can be found
in his garden or out dancing. Gardens & Dancing are his two
favorite metaphors.
Full biography & possibly a
photo at http://www.zentrance.com (enter it all in)
• For Other Information - Please
visit our shared meditation web site at
The LA Dharma Community under The
Laughing Buddha Sangha
http://www.LADharma.org under
Links/Teacher Links
We'll gladly give you a FREELY
offered Local Phone Consultation – no obligation!
-- or to set up an actual
appointment.
• 310-450-2268 ~ PLEASE USE THE
PHONE, as there is NOT much else we can tell you by email.
The phone is more personal - and
some quality 'personal attention' is probably what you need
for yourself right now -- more
'closeness' rather than distance...
We know that when you're feeling
vulnerable, skittish or just plain bad & sad --
sometimes 'reaching out' is hard
-- please, do take up the challenge!
"Take the first step in
faith.
You don't have to see the whole
staircase
-- just take the first
step." ~ Martin Luther King
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
we also offer to the community ~
• Creatively-minded
Corporate/Business Consultation: Human Resource Resolution
and 'Spirit In The Workplace'
development. Very way out of the box stuff. We also consult
on the American 'spiritual
mind-set', 'The Crisis In Faith', 'Loss of Classical Mythologies
to Technology', 'What's Wrong
With Our Minds & Culture?' and current 'religious trends'
(a lot of it quite unconscious,
un self-identified & dreadfully naive) within the
contemporary American/Western
cultural praadigm as a whole.
• We Counsel all manifestations
of alternative & emerging life-styles: mixed racial/religious
partnerings & marriages; gay
& bi curious, str8 still exploring. It's the 21st Century:
It's a big wide open world out
there now... We offer bridge-building between communities:
people of all colors, religions,
diverse cultures & ethnic origins. A pluralistic society brings
so many awesome enrichments as
well as struggles of balance & new found respect ...
"If you do not see God in
the next person you meet, you need look no further." ~ Gandhi
______________________________________________________________________
“La vraie générosité envers
l'avenir consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the
future is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT
TAKING ONE! "
______________________________________________________________________
“The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD PROJECT”
is a Member of S.E.N. (Spiritual Emergency Network
at Esalen Institute in Big Sur).
We are an outreach-project of “The Laughing Buddha Sangha”
in Santa Monica, California. We
are affiliated with The L.A. Dharma Community ( visit our
collective website
www.LADharma.org ) and utilize the practice-approaches offered by
Spirit Rock Meditation Center in
Woodacre/Santa Rosa, CA.
We are non-denominational &
definately non-religious and
welcome all journeyers of all
Ways or even none.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
QUOTES ~ The Gift of Wise Words
To measure you by your smallest
deed
is to judge the ocean by the
frailty of it's foam.
To judge you by your failures is
to cast blame
upon the seasons for their
inconsistencies
~ Kahlil Gibran
What good you do is of little
significance,
But it is very important that you
do it.
BE the change you want to see in
the world " ~ Mahatma Gandhi
________________________________________________________________
"If we have no peace, it is
because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
~ Mother Teresa
"Wise, clear understanding
is key to the dissolution of all ignorances --
Then be Kind whenever possible.
It is always possible."
~ Dalai Lama
"One common mistake is to
think that your reality is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to
leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
__________________________________________________________________
and some even Deeper Ideas that
Inform us here at Spiritual Adulthood
"You yourself,
as much as anyone in the entire
Universe,
deserves your OWN affection, care
and love.
You can explore the whole
universe looking
for someone who is more deserving
of your
love and affection than you are
yourself...
and you will not find that person
anywhere.
To be maximum effective -
the Practice of Loving-Kindness
must absolutely begin with
yourself!" ~ The Buddha
____________________________________
“Who was born first, 'You' or
'The World'?
As long as you give first place
to ‘The World’
-- you are bound by it.
Once you realize, beyond all
trace of doubt,
that the ‘world’ is in you --
-- and not 'you' in the world,
right then and there, you are out
of it.
Of course, your body remains in
the world
and 'of' the world,
but YOU are not
>d-e-l-u-d-e-d< by it.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
________________________________________________________
“If you don't understand that
‘whatever’ appears IS meditation --
what can you achieve by applying
an ‘antidote’?
Perceptions and conceptions,
false ideas and notions
are not abandoned by discarding
them --
but are 'spontaneously freed'
when recognized
and 'realized' as only an
Illusion." ~ Niguma Dakini
____________________________________________
They drew a circle that shut me
out --
Calling me a heretic, rebel, a
thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win
--
We drew a circle that took them
in. ~ Edwin Markham "Outwitted"
A Sufi sage once said ~
"The best thing is not to
hate anyone --
Only to Love.
That is the only way out of it.
As soon as you have Forgiven
those whom you intensely hate --
You have simply gotten rid of
them!
Then you have no reason to 'hate'
them --
You just forget." ~ Hazrat
Inayat Khan
"Do not look back in Anger,
or forward in Fear,
but around in Awareness" ~
James Thurber
"At night make me fearlessly
one with the darkness ~
In the morning make me
optimistically one with the light" ~ Wendell Berry
“Whatever the question ~ Love and
Kindness is the answer!” ~ The Dalai Lama
______________________________________________________________________
You may want to hi-lite, copy
& send this quote below to people you know...
some of the wisest guidance
you'll ever read, put to personal use or offer.
__________________________________________________
here it is ~
"Be patient toward all that
is unsolved in your heart.
Try to love the 'Questions'
themselves - like locked rooms
and like books that are written
in a foreign language.
Do not, just right now, seek for
the Answers.
The 'Answers' which cannot now be
given to you -
because you would not be able to
actually ‘live’ them.
And the point is to ‘live’
everything - experiencing everything.
At present, you need to live the
Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually,
without even noticing it,
live along some day into the true
Answer. Your answer."
~ Rilke's "Letters to a
Young Poet" (1903-1908)
end_________________________________________________________________
NOTE:
IF
YOU SCROLL N' ROLL AROUND ON
THIS
REALLY HOME.MADE WEBPAGE,
--- PLEASE BEAR WITH US ---
IF
YOU FOLLOW SOME
OF
IT ALONG FOR A BIT...
IF,
BESIDES DETAILS, YOU’LL FIND
A FAT
SUPPLY OF GOOD QUALITllY
CHINESE
FORTUNE COOKIE READINGS
IN
HERE TO IINSPIRE AND UPLIFT YOU.
SO
DRINK DEEP WITHIN, AND NOURISH
THE
SPIRIT OF YOUR WRETCHED SOUL .
‘CAUSE YOUR ---- IS
BEWILDERING
POETRY and PROSE ~
The Gift of Wise Words • 1. The Classics
UNCERTAIN Times
" It Was The Best of Times,
It Was The Worst of Times..."
-----------------------------------------------
" It Was The Best of Times,
It Was The Worst of Times..."
-----------------------------------------------
As my Brooklyn born Dad, a tough guy
from the poor neighborhood usta' say...
from the poor neighborhood usta' say...
“Yup, we're smack dab in the middle
of some pretty, pretty nasty
Uncertain Times -- Oiy !”
Dickens agrees...
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
" It Was The Best of
Times,
It Was The Worst of
Times,
It Was The Age of Wisdom,
It Was The Age of
Foolishness,
It Was The Epoch of
Belief,
It Was The Epoch of Incredulity,
It Was The Season f of
Light,
It Was The Season of
Darkness,
It Was The Spring of Hope,
It Was The Winter of Despair,
We Had Everything Before
Us,
We Had Nothing Before
Us,
We Were All Going Direct
To Heaven,
We Were All Going Direct
The Other Way -
In Short, That Period Was
So Far
Just Like The Present
Period.”
~ Sir Charles Dickens ~
A
Tale of Two Cities (1859)
Page 1.
--------------------------------------------------------------
exploration T.S. Eliot
With the Drawing of This Love
and the Voice of this Calling --
• We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time. <<<< the famous part
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always--
A condition of complete simplicity
Costing not less than everything.
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flames are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.
"The Little Gidding" is the last of
T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets.
For a good biographical site on Eliot
and some analysis of his poetry, go to
the Academy of American Poet's website.
UNFINISHED 1.
OVERVIEW Sections 7/16
• EDITING is WAY
INCOMPLETE
• Please Read Anyway,
Like any good Buddhist thought,
other than little flashing pixels,
it really goes Nowhere.
Like any good Buddhist thought,
other than little flashing pixels,
it really goes Nowhere.
Actually this whole sorta
Last Wacky Buddha-blog is
an Unfinished Entertainment
an Unfinished Entertainment
- now it's a SINGLE SCROLL,
ONE VERY LONG PAGE
So START ANYWHERE
that catches your
eye.
That goes for the whole site.
_______________________
Hi Dharma Sitting Friends ~
JUST GETTING STARTED:
If you graze and scroll n' roll
around in this site, and breathe,
follow some of it along - breathe
while you be verbally silent --
and ponder, and contemplate
what these savvy authors are
really saying about Life - breathe,
there's good quotes and readings
in here to inspire and uplift you --
so please just dig in -- and breathe,
what these savvy authors are
really saying about Life - breathe,
there's good quotes and readings
in here to inspire and uplift you --
so please just dig in -- and breathe,
slow down and breathe, drink deeply,
intelligently nourish your Spirit....
.... and breathe
intelligently nourish your Spirit....
.... and breathe
“
Most 'Thinking' is linear,
most
of Life isn't “ ~A~
PAGES
TO GET DOWN INTO. . .
re-started
MARCH 2016
ongoing
work copy / multiple versions
_________________________________
ENCOURAGING QUOTES and LIBERATING POETRY ~ The Gift of Wise Words
" The Gift of Wise Words "
” THE GREATEST RISK
IS NOT TAKING ONE ! ”
.
.
.
Optional Quotes you may wish to read
These are some poetry-inspired ideas
that 'Inform' us here at Laughing Buddha...
.
.“If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.” ~ Gandhi
“La vraie générosité envers l’avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.”~ Albert Camus
To measure you by your smallest deed
is to judge the ocean by the frailty of it’s foam.
To judge you by your failures is to cast blame
upon the seasons for their inconsistencies.~ Kahlil Gibran
What good you do is of little significance,
But it is very important that you do it.
BE the change you want to see in the world.
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.” ~ Gandhi
“La vraie générosité envers l’avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.”~ Albert Camus
To measure you by your smallest deed
is to judge the ocean by the frailty of it’s foam.
To judge you by your failures is to cast blame
upon the seasons for their inconsistencies.~ Kahlil Gibran
What good you do is of little significance,
But it is very important that you do it.
BE the change you want to see in the world.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
~ Mother Teresa
.
.
“You yourself,
as much as anyone in the entire Universe,
deserves your OWN affection, care and love.
deserves your OWN affection, care and love.
You can explore the whole universe
looking for someone who is more deserving
of your love and affection than you are yourself…
and you will not find that person anywhere.
and you will not find that person anywhere.
To be maximum effective ~
the Practice of Loving-Kindness
must absolutely begin with yourself !”
the Practice of Loving-Kindness
must absolutely begin with yourself !”
~ The Buddha
They drew a circle that shut me out —
Calling me a heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win —
We drew a circle that took them in.
They drew a circle that shut me out —
Calling me a heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win —
We drew a circle that took them in.
~ Edwin Markham “Outwitted”
Do not look back in Anger —
or forward in Fear —
but around in Awareness.
Do not look back in Anger —
or forward in Fear —
but around in Awareness.
~ James Thurber
At night make me fearlessly
At night make me fearlessly
one with the darkness ~
In the morning make me
In the morning make me
optimistically one with the light
~ Wendell Berry
You may want to hi-lite, copy, paste and send
the Rilke quote below to people you know…
some of the wisest, pragmatic guidance
you’ll ever, ever read -- and put to
your own personal use
and offer it to others.
some of the wisest, pragmatic guidance
you’ll ever, ever read -- and put to
your own personal use
and offer it to others.
------------------------
♦ here it is ~
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart.
Try to love the ‘Questions’ themselves -
like locked rooms and like books
that are written in a foreign language.
Do not, just right now, seek for the 'Answers'.
The ‘Answers’ which cannot now be given to you -
because you would not be able to actually ‘live’ them.
And the point is to ‘live’ everything -
Do not, just right now, seek for the 'Answers'.
The ‘Answers’ which cannot now be given to you -
because you would not be able to actually ‘live’ them.
And the point is to ‘live’ everything -
experiencing everything.
At present, you need to live the Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually, without even noticing it,
live along some day into the true Answer. Your answer.”
~ Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet” Paris 1908
At present, you need to live the Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually, without even noticing it,
live along some day into the true Answer. Your answer.”
~ Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet” Paris 1908
______________________________
"One easily-made, common mistake
is to think that 'your' reality is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to bravely
You must always be prepared to bravely
leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
“Whatever the Question ~
“Whatever the Question ~
Love and Kindness is the Answer!” ~ The Dalai Lama
“La vraie generosite envers l'avenir
“La vraie generosite envers l'avenir
consiste a tout donner au present.”
“True generosity towards the future
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.”
~ Albert Camus
.
.
'Darkness'
"No matter how ominous and intimidating -
Darkness is not a 'thing' or a 'force' –
Darkness is not a 'thing' or a 'force' –
it is merely the absence of Light.
Darkness is merely the absence
Darkness is merely the absence
or concealment of the Good.
So 'Light' need not combat and overpower
darkness in order to displace it.
Simply, where Light is, darkness is not.
A thimbleful of Light will therefore
banish a roomful of darkness.
One need not 'defeat'
So 'Light' need not combat and overpower
darkness in order to displace it.
Simply, where Light is, darkness is not.
A thimbleful of Light will therefore
banish a roomful of darkness.
One need not 'defeat'
the 'Darkness' in the world –
One need only bring to Light
One need only bring to Light
its potential for Goodness."
~ The Lubavitcher Rebbe
~ The Lubavitcher Rebbe
.
~ Maimonides more
than 800 years ago said:
"A single deed,
a single word,
even one single thought,
has the power to TIP the scales
and bring redemption to your world.
no matter how dark the world
may seem or feel ~
Light is just a single action away."
than 800 years ago said:
"A single deed,
a single word,
even one single thought,
has the power to TIP the scales
and bring redemption to your world.
no matter how dark the world
may seem or feel ~
Light is just a single action away."
.
.
"If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other."
that we belong to each other."
~ Mother Teresa
"Wise, clear understanding is key
to the dissolution of all ignorances --
Then be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible."
"Wise, clear understanding is key
to the dissolution of all ignorances --
Then be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible."
~ The Dalai Lama
“Who was born first, 'You' or 'The World'?
As long as you give first place to ‘The World’
-- you are bound by it.
Once you realize, beyond all trace of doubt,
that the ‘world’ is in you --
-- and not 'you' in the world,
right then and there, you are out of it.
Of course, your body remains in the world
and 'of' the world,
but YOU are not d-e-l-u-d-e-d by it.
“Who was born first, 'You' or 'The World'?
As long as you give first place to ‘The World’
-- you are bound by it.
Once you realize, beyond all trace of doubt,
that the ‘world’ is in you --
-- and not 'you' in the world,
right then and there, you are out of it.
Of course, your body remains in the world
and 'of' the world,
but YOU are not d-e-l-u-d-e-d by it.
You are free !
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
.
____________________
ENCOURAGING QUOTES and LIBERATING POETRY ~
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
” THE GREATEST RISK
IS NOT TAKING ONE! ”
.
.
.“If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.” ~ Gandhi
_________________
To measure you by your smallest deed
is to judge the ocean by the frailty of it’s foam.
To judge you by your failures is to cast blame
upon the seasons for their inconsistencies. ~ Kahlil Gibran
What good you do is of little significance,
But it is very important that you do it.
WE must be the change we want to see in the world.
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.” ~ Gandhi
_________________
To measure you by your smallest deed
is to judge the ocean by the frailty of it’s foam.
To judge you by your failures is to cast blame
upon the seasons for their inconsistencies. ~ Kahlil Gibran
What good you do is of little significance,
But it is very important that you do it.
WE must be the change we want to see in the world.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other
~ Mother Teresa
.
“You yourself,
as much as anyone in the entire Universe,
deserves your OWN affection, care and love
deserves your OWN affection, care and love
You can explore the whole universe
looking for someone who is more deserving
of your love and affection than you are yourself…
and you will not find that person anywhere
and you will not find that person anywhere
To be maximum effective ~
the Practice of Loving-Kindness
must absolutely begin with yourself !”
the Practice of Loving-Kindness
must absolutely begin with yourself !”
~ The Buddha
Do not look back in Anger —
or forward in Fear —
but around in Awareness.
Do not look back in Anger —
or forward in Fear —
but around in Awareness.
~ James Thurber
" At night make me fearlessly
" At night make me fearlessly
one with the darkness ~
In the morning make me
In the morning make me
optimistically one with the light "
~ Wendell Berry
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart.
Try to love the ‘Questions’ themselves -
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart.
Try to love the ‘Questions’ themselves -
like locked rooms and like books
that are written in a foreign language.
Do not, just right now, seek for the 'Answers'.
The ‘Answers’ which cannot now be given to you -
because you would not be able to actually ‘live’ them.
And the point is to ‘live’ everything -
Do not, just right now, seek for the 'Answers'.
The ‘Answers’ which cannot now be given to you -
because you would not be able to actually ‘live’ them.
And the point is to ‘live’ everything -
experiencing everything.
At present, you need to live the Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually, without even noticing it,
live along some day into the true Answer. Your answer.”
~ Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet” Paris 1908
At present, you need to live the Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually, without even noticing it,
live along some day into the true Answer. Your answer.”
~ Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet” Paris 1908
_____________________________
"One easily-made, common mistake
"One easily-made, common mistake
is to think that 'your' reality is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to bravely
You must always be prepared to bravely
leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
___________________________
The Dalai Lama suggests that....
“Whatever the Question ~
The Dalai Lama suggests that....
“Whatever the Question ~
Love and Kindness is the Answer!”
~ The Dalai Lama
~ The Dalai Lama
"Wise, clear understanding is key
to the dissolution of all ignorances --
Then be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible."
______________
most of Life isn't “
BUDDHIST COUNSELING SESSIONS
and “MINDFULNESS PRACTICE” are now
specifically designated as a ‘THERAPY’
by the licensed psychology and medical
establishment community + insurance
We’ve never actually had that before,
by the licensed psychology and medical
establishment community + insurance
We’ve never actually had that before,
before Zinn and MIT and MBSR… Whew !
That’s another progressive huge step for
the science and spirituality crossover…
Buddha said ~
“Ananda, you are finally
coming to your SENSES --
Using your body Sensations
skillfully -- and using them as
you would mark a book,
‘Waking Up Objects’ of
observation to notice,
to watch, to mark,
and be aware of…
" What is accepted by the majority of people -
does not mean it is Real." ~ The Buddha
Buddhist Mindfulness Therapy is New !
Awakening Mindfulness Meditation Practice
~ is an effective Buddhist-based 'Alternative' way
- complementary to contemporary psychotherapy
for the Discomforted Mind, Wounded Spirit or
Disheartened, Despairing Relationship ~
all in the midst of our very edgy,
over-driven, survival-stressed
Uncertain Times
_______________________
“And then the day came
when the risk to remain
tight in a bud
was more painful
than the risk it took
to blossom” ~
Anais Nin
___________________________
Maybe you're a very
UNCOMMON PERSON ....
” THE GREATEST RISK
IS NOT TAKING ONE! ”
.
.
If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
~ Mother Teresa
_______________________
” THE GREATEST RISK
IS NOT TAKING ONE! ”
.
.