Illustration by Moonrunner Design Ltd., National Geographic
In July, two separate teams working at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
reported they were more than 99 percent certain they've discovered the
Higgs boson, aka the God particle—or at the least a brand-new particle
exactly where they expected the Higgs to be.
The long-sought
particle may complete the standard model of physics by explaining why
objects in our universe have mass—and in so doing, why galaxies,
planets, and even humans have any right to exist.
The Higgs boson or Higgs particle is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of physics.
All other particles in the Standard Model have been seen in
experiments, but the Higgs boson, first predicted to exist in the 1960s,
is difficult to create and detect. It may have finally been discovered
in July 2012, but it will take further testing to know for sure.
"It's helping us understand the big universal question, which is what
are we made out of," says Philippe Di Stefano, a physics professor at
Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
“Without the Higgs particle, other particles, such as electrons and
quarks, would be massless and the universe would not be what it is.
“Now, with the amazing results from the [Large Hadron Collider], we
are finally finding growing experimental evidence that the Higgs really
exists.
“The second part of the story about the Higgs particle is even more
exciting as it provides us with a window to new physics — a tool for the
exploration of the truly unknown.
“The next stage will be a detailed and careful study of its
properties. Successful completion of this second stage will bring us
closer to uncovering new physics, explaining dark matter and other
mysteries of the universe.”
— Prof. Valentin Khoze, director of Durham University’s Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology in Durham, England
"Today's discovery teaches us something fundamental about the
building blocks of the universe and how the fundamental particles that
build the world around us acquire mass.
"The Higgs boson matters because it tells us about 'matter.' This is
curiosity-driven research and addresses basic questions about the
evolution of the universe.
We have arrived at December, 2012, the month prophesied as a turning
point in human history. Much ado has been devoted to the December 21st
solstice date. The Mayan calendar is said to end here; some soothsayers
predict the end of the world; others predict the beginning.Groups are
gathering at the Great Pyramid in Egypt, Machu Picchu, and sacred sites
around the planet. All year people have been asking me, “What do you
think will happen on December 21st?” I recently picked up a
hitchhiker who asked me this very question. Millions of people are
wondering, some are fearing, and others are hoping.
Eckhart Tolle declared, “Suffering needs time.” This pithy statement
implies that any event in time is subject to suffering, because time is
an illusion and we are bigger than it. He goes on to say, “it
[suffering] cannot survive in the now.”Tolle has mined gold here. Why
make a big deal about events in time? Why not dive into the eternal now
moment and let time take care of itself? As Ram Dass said in his
classic book Be Here Now, “If you can be here now, when ‘then’
become ‘now,” you will have superconsciousness and superawareness and
know exactly what to do.”
So I suggest you worry not, wonder not, and hope not for any event associated with the December 21st
solstice. A more powerful approach is to live fully in the present
moment. If you waste the now by thinking or worrying about the future,
when the future comes you won’t be there to receive it. It’s all a lot
simpler than we have been told.
Mata Amritanandamayi is a holy woman from India who embraces people around the world in order
to take on their karma and heal the mind, body and spirit.
Amma on 20/20
From Amma: A Letter to My Soul Sisters, Everywhere:
My Beloved Sister,
I could hear the pain in your voice and feel the utter fatigue and exhaustion in your energy, and that deeply concerns me. You are pushing yourself far beyond the limits that y
our body and mind can tolerate. It is time to Surrender. What I mean by
that is, you need to gather all the concerns you have for your family
and rather than trying to do it all yourself as you see fit, gather all
of those concerns, all of the anxiety, all of the pain and confusion,
and offer it all to the Divine Mother, unconditionally. Offer it all to
Her, as She knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. She
knows our strengths, our weaknesses, our karmas that we came here in
this lifetime to deal with, She knows the highest and best path we must
tread in order for all of that stuff to be worked out. Yet we still feel
the necessity to carry the whole bag of boulders on our own shoulders.
I have found that this simply does not work, and by taking the whole
bag onto our own shoulders, thinking that we have to know all the
answers, leaves no room for Mystery and Miracles. Sometimes, in order
for us to really learn a lesson, we need to be fully in it; to
experience it in all it's messy totality, to be immersed in it
completely. Only then can we really understand, and make corrections.
This is true for all of us. We have certain things that we came here to
master, but we can not master them until we totally understand them.
Sometimes we have to let our children and our loved ones find out for
themselves as they experience the lessons of life.
Meanwhile, you stand
beside them as a Luminous Guide, a Lamp of Wisdom and and most
importantly an Incarnation of Unconditional Love. That is your gift to
them. Nothing else is necessary. You are their Greatest Gift, and you do
it with more Love and Wisdom than anyone I have ever known. You are
Precious. Yet, you need to learn how to surrender the bag of boulders
that you constantly have hanging over your shoulders, dragging you down,
and possibly killing you with it's weight. Because ultimately, God is
their True parent, and God is our True Parent.
By learning how to
surrender and offer the control back to Him/Her, we are acknowledging
that God knows better than we do, what needs to be done, and at the
right time, in the right way, and in the proper doses. Surrender does
not mean that you are letting go of your concerns for your children and
loved ones; in fact, it is quite the opposite.
By giving the control
back to the Divine, you are releasing the weight of all the frustration,
pain, grief, agony, resentment, and confusion to a Higher Power who can
take it all into Her Divine Heart, with the Strong Intention and Belief
that God has the Immense Love and Power to Transmute and Transform even
the most hopeless of situations. I try to Practice Surrender in every
moment of every day, and the comfort, peace and stillness it brings me
is beyond words, and Magical & Miraculous things happen. When I
forget, and I go back into worry and control mode, chaos comes crashing
in again. Just Let Go, Sister. Offer that Huge Bag of Boulders to Her,
Unconditionally. Trust and Faith are your Companions now.
As
much as we'd like to think that we have the power to change what needs
to be changed, heal what needs to be healed, support what needs to be
supported, and wave our magic wand so that all will be well with the
world, we simply don't have that power. The only one we have power over
is ourselves. Really, after all these years of being a Mother-to-all,
what I have finally realized is that our power comes from LOVE alone. It
is the Power of Your Love that works to Heal and to caress, to comfort
and to console, to allow someone to be who they are, make mistakes and
to also learn from their mistakes by taking responsibility for them and
learning from them.
Each of us has both gifts and challenges that we
bring with us when we incarnate into this world. Some of us have more
gifts than challenges, and vice versa. You are one of those Precious and
Powerful Souls that comes here with an amazing amount of Gifts that you
offer freely to the world. You are an Amazing and Beautiful incarnation
of the Divine Mother's Shakti. Everyone you touch is changed in some
special way, just by being near you. There is no need for you to carry
everything on your own shoulders; that just makes everything more
difficult and brings you down in the process.
Think of God as being a
Super-Computer that carries all knowledge and wisdom within itself, in
addition to being the Cosmic Generator of Love. Why would you want to
carry around a heavy bag of everyone's problems and sorrows when you
have access to the Cosmic Super Computer that has the ability to see
all, to know all and to solve all manner of problems in a way that we
simply can't?
Beloved Sister, Let Go and Let God! Deepen your Faith in
Her, and Trust that She is there to find the most creative solutions to
all problems if you would just let go and give them over to Her, with
Consummate Faith and Trust. If you don't, then I fear that we will loose
you to a heart attack or stroke, because you have carried this heavy
load for so long.
Please consider what I am trying to say, and know that
I am saying this out of my deep Love for you. The world needs you,
Sweet One. You are so Precious, and you came here to complete the Dharma
of carrying on an Ancient Lineage, a Divine Sisterhood. This is your
Gift to the world. Do not doubt yourself or entertain fears that are not
based in reality. Cultivate your faith in yourself and in your intimate
connection to Divinity. Leave the bag of boulders behind and move ahead
in faith and trust that God will not only carry it for you, She will
transform and transmute it all in the proper way.
Please know
that I love you with all my heart, and I am so deeply appreciative of
your presence in my life. You are Precious to Me, Sweet Sister. I am
always here for you, whenever you need me.
No, nothing to do with Daniel
Craig, though kirtan is definitely more shaken than stirred. This kind
of bond is about relationship and genuine connection. A mantra is much
more than just a potent sound, it is a personal address, a call for
help, a heartfelt expression of gratitude.
To go deeply into the practice of
kirtan it is important to understand that the call and response is not
just between the leader and the rest of the group. The deeper response
comes sometimes very subtly, sometimes very obviously from the from the
one we address when we sing.
It is said that this Divine person is present within every heart as
the inner guide and dearest friend and can be perceived by regular
practice. This is because the words of a mantra don’t just describe the
person, they are non different from that person.
Regular names, like Boris Johnson, don’t invoke the presence of that
person (for better or worse!), but the names of the Divine are exactly
the opposite. If sung with deep feeling, the experience is unlike that
of any other exchange.
Depending on our level of investment, kirtan can be infinitely more
rewarding than a meaningful exchange with a lifelong friend, or as
shallow as water cooler chit chat. Like any relationship, if given
quality time, attention and care, a genuine bond will form. Are you
satisfied with anything less?
A Shaman is a tribal spiritual healer and elder, who gives guidance on
the journey of life, which they themselves have partaken and found
successful routes through. To become a Shaman one has to go on their
own journey which usually in tales a traumatic incident or
psychological/spiritual Illnesses that they overcome. Which they
overcome and by overcoming the illness/journey they are able to help
other people with the same ordeal.
We are four spiritual seekers who have turned our talents to serving the
Divine Consciousness through kirtan, a traditional Indian form of
call-and-response chanting.
One of the world’s most famous Buddhists on Tuesday led about 1,500 people on a walking meditation across the expansive University of B.C. campus.
Thich Nhat Hanh,
a tiny 84-year-old Zen monk who was exiled from his native Vietnam for
four decades, was wearing a brown monk’s robe and toque as he headed the
slow parade of silent walkers. (See exclusive photos of the event.)
Earlier, the noted Vietnam War protester told an enraptured audience
inside the War Memorial Gym that happiness can be found through the
popular meditation technique called “mindfulness,” which he said will
help people overcome their pain, anger and suicidal tendencies.
The monk’s one-hour morning “dharma talk” was the public part of a
six-day meditation retreat Hanh is leading at UBC for more than 800
people.
Speaking in a whispery voice inside the large gymnasium, the peace
and environmental activist lamented how young people in Hong Kong are
jumping out of tall buildings to their deaths because they “do not know
how to handle their painful emotions.”
Urging people to learn the art of mindfulness, which emphasizes
focusing on breathing to calm the mind and heart, Hanh said strong
emotions are “like a storm,” and are usually short lasting. “You don’t
have to die because of one emotion.”
Hanh, who leads monastic communities in North America and Europe, is
being accompanied in Vancouver by dozens of brown-robed monks and nuns.
One of them told the audince, which was made up predominantly of
Caucasians, that Hanh was the first to use the term “engaged Buddhism.”
This form of Buddhism counters the Eastern religion’s historical
tendency toward quietism, which has often resulted in Buddhists
disengaging from society to seek individual psychological liberation.
Hanh, however, has been a devoted human-rights activist ever since
the Vietnam War in the 1960s. He is credited with convincing civil
rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. to publicly oppose U.S. military actions in the South Asian country.
On Tuesday, after displaying his skill at the art of calligraphy at
UBC’s Asian Centre Auditorium, Hanh said he remembered first coming to
Vancouver decades ago, when he tried to convince various leaders to
oppose the Vietnam War.
Hanh, who makes his home in a meditation centre called Plum Village
in the Bordeaux region south of Paris, also increasingly stresses
environmental sustainability.
The Buddhist prayers offered for retreatants at the silent vegetarian
lunch stressed “moderation” and the need to “reduce global warming.”
The cost of the six-day retreat was $700 each, including food and simple
lodging. Participants said they appreciated the low price. Heesoon Bai,
an education professor at Simon Fraser University, said she was on the
retreat because Hanh “is an embodiment of mindfulness. His gentleness is
so strong. It’s interesting he regards himself as a spiritual
‘soldier.’”
Anglican Rev. Ellen Clark-King, who works at Christ Church Cathedral
in downtown Vancouver, said Hanh’s “message of going deeper speaks to a
general hunger for spiritual exploration in Cascadia,” another name for
the Pacific Northwest.
“I think his teaching about mindfulness – about being awake to what
is happening around you and within you – is relevant no matter what
faith one belongs to,” said Clark-King, who attended the monk’s public
talk.
Mindfulness is a way to “free oneself to encounter God. It’s not a
replacement or substitute for the Christian God,” said Clark-King, whose
new book, The Path to Your Door: Approaches to Christian Spirituality, will be published this fall by Continuum Books.
An exhibition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s calligraphy will be on display
until Thursday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The monk will also give a
sold-out public talk at the Orpheum Theatre at 1: 30 p.m. on Sunday.
UPDATE: Those who no longer want to practise alone (a very B.C. thing
to do) could join a Buddhist community (sangha) based on the work of
Thich Nhat Hanh. Jeanie provided this link to the group. http://www.mindfulnessvancouver.org
Every human being is creative. Every human being must constantly
create new patterns of sensing and responding in the moment and for the
moment in order to survive.
Yet there are some humans who find themselves called or impelled or otherwise choosing to spend their lives exercising this creativity
in a particular sensory range, whether visual, aural, tactile,
linguistic, or kinetic. These artists, in so far as they share their
work, inspire others to sense, imagine, and understand anew.They make
possible ways of seeing and knowing that would not otherwise exist, thus
opening the way for new realities to emerge. It is difficult work, and
not always rewarded, for its value can be difficult to perceive in terms
of product and profit. Often, only those who cannot choose to do
otherwise persevere.
A gift is a potential to move and be moved. It is a sensibility, a
receptivity, a vulnerability. Whether the gift is in dance or design,
those with it are able to notice and articulate impulses to move as
those impulses arise in them in response to the unique experiences of
their living. They are able to create and become new patterns of sensing
and responding that express this attentiveness. A gift is thus an
opening to the movement of the universe, creating itself through us. And
sometimes the energy coming through can overwhelm.
For this
reason, a gift is not something upon which we make demands. It is
something that makes demands on us so that we can learn to surf its
tides. A gift compels us to act in ways that allow it to unfold and
flow. It compels us to surround ourselves with the kinds of nourishment,
structure, encouragement, and opportunity we need in order to cultivate
our receptivity and responsivity. It guides us to act in ways that keep
it alive, and if we want to enjoy the experience of its facility and
power, we must.
2. Keep the channel open.
The
discipline involved is not that of mastering form or perfecting
technique. It is not, in other words, a question of learning movements
that someone else has made. Rather, it is a question of staying open to
one’s own ability to create new movements. In this task, the practice of
technique helps, but not necessarily as a measure of achievement. It
helps because it serves to mark the time and space, the context and the
medium through which we invite new patterns. Such practice helps keep
the channel open.
The channels through which impulses to move
appear are easily clogged. Anxieties hung from hopes, fears of failure,
disappointments and grief,
or even successes that strangle us with the thought that we will never
match that height again can all compromise our ability to create. We are
easily clogged as well by the remedies for which we reach in
response—the painkillers and distractions, the addictions and
dependencies. The challenge, then, is to stay grounded in the gift, and
align our actions with what it needs to keep moving.
3. Greet every obstacle as a guide to your own unique offering.
The
key to keeping the channel open and staying grounded in a gift is to
use it, all the time, in response to everything. What we have to offer
is what we know and whatever happens to us contributes to that unique
set of movement patterns that we are and can be. It is when we are
forced to respond to obstacles and challenges, disappointments and
fears, that we do the kind of singular work that resonates with
universal meaning. The moves we make make us into people who can. No
loss is simply a loss when we create through it.
4. Be ready for the desert.
There
will be times when the landscape of life seems barren indeed—bereft of
all life forms, ideas, companionship, or opportunities to share. Such
times are inevitable. They will come when we choose to act in ways that
honor our gift. They will come when we keep the channel open. They will
come when we are nose to nose with our greatest challenges. And in those
moments, we will need the willingness to dive deep within ourselves for
the sustenance we need. It is in those times that we will find those
hidden wells, when we come to appreciate their resources, and when we
realize that it is OK to be alive. For we are.
5. Give competition and critique their due--and no more.
Along
the way, there are ever twin allies that can complicate or complement
our journey. Competition and critique can lift us up or leave us in the
dust. But the point isn’t to win. Where is the race? The point is to
allow our sensitivity and vulnerability to others--to their gifts and
insights and responses--to inspire and challenge and stretch us to find
out what it is we have to give, and then to give it.
There is no
judge. There is never any judge. Never anyone to tell you that your gift
is too small or too big or not worthy. The question for you and you
alone is how will you use it.
6. Remember relationships.
No
one, absolutely no one, does anything or make anything on their own. We
are all held up by others who enable us to be. And these others we must
remember—our mentors, teachers, family, and friends. Our colleagues and
collaborators. We need to cultivate these relationships, respect them,
keep them alive, and so provide ourselves and our gift with the counsel
and comfort we need to continue.
When we do, the deserts are
fewer and farther between; the obstacles less challenging to surmount,
and the resources for growing are greater.
