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Eric's space (blog below videos)Thank you for visiting my msn space. Please comment on my newest blog.
March 31 Shinto: An excerpt from class readings"For instance, Shinto has a strong tinge of Nature mysticism. Shinto has long maintained that there should not be a rational interpretation of it. It has no sacred scripture corresponding to the Bible of Christianity of the holy Sutras of Buddhism. A faithful believer would come to the simple hall of a Shinto sanctuary, which is located in a groe with a quiet and holy atmosphere. He may stand still quite a while in front of the sanctuary, calp his hands, bow deeply, and try to feel the deity in his heart. He would not try to build up rational proof for the existence of an invisible deity. For him, the proof of divine existence depends on wether or not he can feel the deity directly in his heart." January 18 Love... (This is one of my favouriate Abdu'l Baha quotes)Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.
Whatsoever people is graciously favoured therewith by God, its name shall surely be magnified and extolled by the 28 Concourse from on high, by the company of angels, and the denizens of the Abhá Kingdom. And whatsoever people turneth its heart away from this Divine Love—the revelation of the Merciful—shall err grievously, shall fall into despair, and be utterly destroyed. That people shall be denied all refuge, shall become even as the vilest creatures of the earth, victims of degradation and shame.
O ye beloved of the Lord! Strive to become the manifestations of the love of God, the lamps of divine guidance shining amongst the kindreds of the earth with the light of love and concord.
All hail to the revealers of this glorious light!
-Abdu'l Baha December 01 Back home and trying to make wise choicesDear friends,
Since my last entry several things have changed in terms of where I am and what I am doing with my life. The service trip in Japan has come to an end but the experience continues to permeate all aspects of my life. It would be untrue to say that I haven't looked back at times and wished that I had done some things very differently and it would also be far from the truth to say that I've been able to change my life in all the ways I imagined I would when I returned. Let's look at a few examples just for fun: Instead of sleeping in a lot of the time because I did not have any "planned commitments" until later in the day, I would wake up bright and early just like the Japanese people who I lived with. This would have made them really happy. It is obvious to me now that they were a little bothered at times by what appeared to by my North American typical laziness. It was true though, I was lazy physically and mentally sometimes. I slept too much and did not think enough about the feelings of the Japanese people around me who lead a greatly organized and systematic lifestyle so different from the comparatively chaotic, sometimes deadly fast, sometimes slugishly slow lifestyle that many a Westerner has. And as for what I feel that I could be doing a much better job at now, well let me tell you, I am still not half as organized and healthy as I would like to be. As I've said many times, the wisdom and simplicity of Japanese life amazes me. People organize their lives very efficiently. They get jobs done fast and well. They work had and sleep little. They exercise routinely and keep their physical, social, spiritual, emotional, career aspects of their lives very balanced. Now, I am making these observations as very geral statements only because I find that the Japanese culture, which is diverse but very much unified and harmonious, to be very true to these attributes on a signicantly large scale. Yes, indeed, I have not been able to make that much desired change in my life just yet for I have not yet attained the the knowledge neccessary to make these transitions. I've got to cut out most of the fast food, I have to keep my home very clean, I should study more diligently and consistently, I should practive humility always, I need to live a more balanced life in physical exercise and spiritual exercise, and on and on. The outlook is good though. I've seen people living with these traits and I've managed to incorporate some of them into my own life on ane on. With every day my prayers and meditation as well as the practice of good deeds draws me closer to God who is indeed the remover of all difficulties.
Time is tight so let me wrap this up in a nice little package. Family life is good and getting better. I've got wonderful friends everywhere. The one who will be my partner for a life of love, family and service is still unknown but I pray for that too and I can feel that God is working His magic. This January I wil begin studying at the University of Waterloo in a variety of subjects that interest me: There's Psychology, Sociology, Social Development Studies, and East Asian Religions. Soon, I will have an interview to see if I qualify to study Japanese at the second level because the entry level courses are full right now. HattsOff (my place of work) has opened up two brain injury clinics in Stratford where I work full time and then some. There I make enough money to pay back my current debts and to start paying for the first year of University. Yes, indeed, when you realize how perfect life is you will tilt your head back, look up at the sky and laugh.
I'm afraid that is all for now. I've got to be heading off for work. Please leave comments if you like. Also, I don't have time to proofread this blog so please excuse any spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Many warm and loving greetings to all!
Eric Miller September 29 Ishigaki daysHello my dear friends,
I wish that you are all really happy and full of love.
The days go by too quickly as my trip comes to a close. However, I am beyond grateful for all the great experiences that I've had. Everyone is treating me so kindly that I often feel as if I am being served much more that I am serving. Let me tell you, the food people practically pile in front of me everyday is the best food in the world. Please come to Japan and see what I am talking about. This country is amazingly beautiful and if you can, come and visit and meet some of the wonderful Japanese people.
Today I don't wish to say very much, just that I miss everyone back home and to let you all know that I love you and you are remembered in my prayers. Also, the same types of services activities that I have mentioned before are continuing. If you look at my pictures and videos you may see many of the smiling (and sometimes funny-faces) of the friends I've made here. I especially love all of those young people who are students at my homestay here and also at the elementary and jr.high schools that I volunteer at. They are such beautiful souls and they will indeed grow up to be wonderful plants and flowers in the garden of Humanity!
Also, I have to thank God here. I wish everyone to know that I feel as if all of my powers come from God. Without His love I would be as a balloon without air; I could never be lifted from the ground and float in the winds and skies of wonder. Also, although true understanding of God is infinitely beyond my comprehension, His signs are as apparent as the sun in the sky; they shine brightly and illuminate the whole world. It's great.
Yes, so, like I said, I have taken many pictures and some videos, so please enjoy them. That's the end of this blog. Write to me anytime. Here is my address: eric_m_miller25@hotmail.com
Happy thoughts,
Eric September 14 Reporting from OkinawaReporting from Okinawa This just in: I miss and love all of my friends and family back home!!! Hello everyone. It is my continually cherished prayer that all of you are happy and enjoying this beautiful life. Day by day, little by little, we can all uplift humanity through education and good deeds. Let us strive to be a source of joy to all people that we encounter in our everyday lives. Truly, even the most seemingly small act can diffuse its power throughout the entire world and cause mankind to progress thereby. Indeed, I cannot name the top winners at the Oscars last year, or the most valuable players for the national sports teams, or even more than a few of the hundreds of grossly wealthy business people in the world, however, I can recall clearly the gentle demeanor of the sweet and helpful librarians at the local library, and the wise and loving encouragement of my kindergarten teacher, and the beaming smile of the child with down sydrome who I crossed paths with one day. These "little" beautiful acts inspired me to be a responsible member of humanity, to smile at people in public, to offer people my seat on the subway, to pray for the good of humanity, to study the Holy writings, to strive to be a cause of cheer and joy to all the people around me. It is those types of people, who inspired me, who are the shining lights that enable us to see when we are battling the darkness. Praise be to God for allowing us to reflect His attributes, be they limited to the degree of comparison as a drop is to an Ocean. The past few weeks have been memorable. James and I left our homestay in Yamaguchi city on September 10th. There had been several other youth serving in Yamaguchi with us, however, they left gradually until it was just James and I left at the Sonda's home. While there were other youth on service there we spent our time performing various types of service. We organized study circles and gave Firesides, we had devotionals (kind of like a "prayer meeting") and deepenings on the Sacred Texts, we taught English and practiced music, and we helped out different individuals by assisting them with different chores like housecleaning, wood-chopping, taking garbage to the dump, etc. Now, all of these things are really fun to do if you go about it with a prayerful attitude. But we can never have enough fun so we did some other activities that everyone could enjoy. We went to karaoke, lit off fireworks, went to Onsen, went to a comedy performance, visited friends, ate out at restaurants, wandered the streets, checked out the beautiful temples, gardens and the famous underground caverns. The last days in Yamaguchi were great fun! Then, near the end, there was only James and I left from all of the visiting youth. So, we hung out with some friends of course and had a really good time. On the last night we had a going away party and many people showed up and brought gifts and we talked and ate and so on. James and I said a few words about Baha'i youth service. Then we slept... our last night in Yamaguchi. The next morning James headed back to Canada, and I down south the Okinawa! So, here I am now on Ishigaki island. This place is one of the most southern islands of Japan and is very different from the mainlands. There's all kinds of amazing beaches, blue and green waters, mountains, coral, resort hotels, palm trees, tropical fish, etc. It is indeed an aesthetic and spiritual paradise. I've been here for 4 days and already the teaching is going very well. There are many service opportunities available. Yesterday I participated in the inauguration of a Baha'i inspired moral education class at an elementary school on the island. Tomorrow I will be going to plant some trees with a Jr. highschool. I will be soon doing volunteer English teaching. It looks like I may be doing some volunteer work with a snorkling/scuba diving company. Oh yes, I look quite forward to swimming with the fishies. On top of this I hope to participate in an already active study circle, have many conversations about Baha'i Faith and spiritual principles in general, and continue to be of assistance in any spiritually uplifting way possible. Here's some awesome news. I've discovered that I can put videos on this homepage. All you have to do is click on the links to see the videos. Unfortunately, taking videos has not been a priority and therefore I have very few and they are not that good. In the future I will try to take some nice videos when the opportunity arises. One last thing. I have been really horrible about not calling or writing to people, so please forgive me in advance, I will try to make it up to you!!! In the meantime, just read my blog and look and my videos and pictures. Stay fit and have fun!!! just kidding, I mean... Love always, Eric
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