The Essence of a Creative Life from the Heart...

I wanted to share with you this profound piece, that is inspirational, motivating and touches my heart in a different way each time I read it. I have had this guidance for over 9 years and came across it today again and wanted to share how I feel about my life right now, today... I love My Life - Life is beautiful, Life is transformational, Life when in rhythm with the Universe is mystically sweet, a priceless jewel to be treasured and shared...

I sincerely hope you enjoy this extract from SGI's President Daisaku Ikeda Speech 1974 and that is resonates with your heart..

"The times when I feel most deeply that I have done something creative are the times when I have thrown myself whole heartedly into a task and fought it through unstintingly to its conclusion. At such times. I feel that I have won out in the struggle to enlarge myself.

It is a matter of sweat and tears. The creative life, in short, is achieved by a constant effort to improve one's thoughts and actions, or perhaps we could say it is the dynamism involved in this effort.

You will pass through storms and heavy rains, and at times you may suffer defeat. The essence of the creative life, however, is not to give up in the face of defeat, but to follow the rainbow that exists within your heart. Indulgence and indolence are not creative. Complaints and evasions are cowardly, and they corrupt life's natural tendency towards creation. The person who gives up the fight for creativeness is headed ultimately for the hell that destroys all life. You must not for one instant give up your effort to build yourselves new lives. Creativeness means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life. This is not an easy struggle. Indeed, it may be the most difficult task in the world. For opening the door to your own life is in the end more difficult than opening the door to the mysteries of the universe. But to do so is to vindicate your existence. At the same time it makes life worth living for you. I say to you that there is no one lonelier or more unhappy that a person who does not know the pure joy of creating a life for himself. To be human is not merely to stand erect and manifest intelligence or knowledge. To be human in the full sense of the word is to lead a creative life. The fight to create a new life is a truly wonderful thing. In it you find a wisdom that causes your intelligence to shine, the light of intuition that leads to an understanding of the universe, a strong will and determination that challenge all attacking evils, the compassion that enables to take upon yourself the sorrows of others, the sense of fusion with that energy of compassion that gushes forth from the cosmic source of life and creates an ecstatic rhythm in the lives of all men. As you challenge evil and polish that jewel which is life you will learn to walk that supreme pathway of true humanity. Of this I am confident, and I am confident too that he who leads a creative life from the present into the future will stand in the vanguard of history. I myself think of this flowering of the creative life as a human revolution. This human revolution is your mission now as it will be throughout your lives."

written by Daisaku Ikeda

Anjali Mudra - Prayer Seal

This is also known as Atmanjali Mudra and this hand gesture is often seen in India when people greet, thank or express respect to each other. It is also used in prayer.

Anjali Mudra is used in Yoga classes too. Its significance is broad; it is used to remind you to come back to your centre, that your practice is a form of prayer, it is an offering to your true Self. Anjali Mudra helps to direct the energy upward, calming the mind.

This Mudra helps you to come from a calm, clear perspective and ground yourself. The gentle pressing together of the two palms, activates and harmonizes coordination of the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

When you join your hands together like this, you are making a physical gesture of union and gratitude. Yoga means union coming from “yuk” to yoke or bind, so this gesture is on another level, the union of your individual self and the universe and how the both are interconnected.

When you press the thumbs to your breastbone, your heart Chakra, Anahata Chakra, you are also reminding yourself to nurture the qualities of the heart during your Yoga practice. The hands being placed at the heart is the Self being felt in the Anahata Chakra. Often at the end of the class Anjali Mudra is used, bringing the prayer seal to your eyebrow centre, Anja Chakra, as you bow your head and say Namaste.

So when you hold Anjali Mudra, infuse it with the intention of union; then observe if you notice a change, however subtle, in your mind, body and heart...

Make subtle changes within…

Allow the Hands to express and release the energy!

Mudra comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “seal”, for example to seal in energy or to focus energy. Mudras are symbolic hand gestures that mystically change the prana (energy) in your body. There are also eye positions, postures and breathing techniques that are called Mudras, however I am sharing hand gestures with you. There are lots of different Mudras, each representing different qualities, like courage, knowledge, enlightenment, wisdom.

Mudras are used in Hinduism as well as Indian dance, where dancers extensively use hand gestures. In Buddhism, the Buddha used Mudras too, which you can see from statues, pictures and Sutras.

In Hatha Yoga they are used in breath work (pranayama), meditation and in Yoga Postures too. When used in Yoga practice they add focus and increase the prana and assist you to channel this energy and help to calm and focus the mind too.

The Hands express…
The hands express our thoughts and feelings. When you communicate with someone, the hands move, appearing to further communicate what you are speaking. The hands also reflect your state of mind even when one isn't speaking. For example, when you are nervous the fingers often fidget or when you are upset you might clench the hands or if you become angry a fist might form.

The opposite of these negative emotions are feelings of warmth and respect. For
Example, when you meet someone you greet them with a handshake. When pray the hands come into prayer position palms together; this is Anjali Mudra; the Prayer Seal, hands placed together at the heart level. In meditation, if you saw the Buddha or a deity with their hands clenched, it wouldn’t instil calmness, peace or tranquillity would it?

Maybe you haven’t thought of the significance of Mudras before…so here I’ll explain a little for you to learn more about for your practice of Yoga or meditation.

Actions speak louder than words
During Yoga the power of these Mudras go far beyond just adding focus. It is easier to look at Buddha or Hindu deities and see them possessing wisdom, enlightenment or courage, than it is to look at yourself and see those same qualities. Mudras help you to choose to feel, see and express these same qualities. This is what Buddha taught and wanted you to understand; that you do possess the same qualities as him.

Just like the breath is the bridge between the body and mind, Mudras are the bridge between your inner and outer world, they help to develop the energy within so you use it. Actions speak louder than words; Mudras are a physical action of a prayer form within.