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This
month
at
Laughing
Lotus
we
explore
meditation,
the
seventh limb of Astanga yoga
and a pathway
to
contentment.Through dhyana,
or
meditation,
we
access
unexplored worlds
and
oceans of Truth that
lie
deep inside us. Sufi mystic
Rumi
writes, “You been walking
the ocean's
edge,
holding
up your robes to keep them
dry. You must dive
nake
under, and deeper under, a
thousand times deeper and
deeper under.”
As
we dive deeply into our inner
oceans, Laughing Lotus will
also work to support the outer
oceans, the mystical blue-green
world from which all life
emerged and which is increasingly
threatened by environmental
contamination and the senseless
slaughter of marine animals.
In May, Love Saves the Day
will benefit the Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society.
Sea Shepherd was established
in 1977 by Paul Watson (a
founding member of Greenpeace)
in order to conserve and protect
marine ecosystems and species.
Sea Shepherd works to expose
illegal and unethical treatment
of marine mammals, publicize
the degradation of sea life,
stop the hunting and killing
of our defenseless ocean dwelling
brothers and sisters, and
even assists in international
law enforcement of the UN
World Charter for Nature by
patrolling the seas and stopping
violations through fearless
direct action.
Among
the Sea Shepherd's current
campaigns are:
•The
Taiji Dolphin
Campaign:
Each year
from autumn
to early spring,
tens of thousands
of dolphins
and whales
are netted
and hacked
to death along
the shores
of Japanese
coastal towns.
Sea Shepherd
has generated
an intense
worldwide
publicity
campaign to
stop this
slaughter;
Sea Shepherd
volunteers
have even
been arrested
for jumping
into Japanese
waters to
cut the nets
holding dolphins
awaiting the
same fate.
To send a
letter to
the Prime
Minister of
Japan or to
sign a petition
to protect
the dolphins,
please click
here.
•The
Seal Campaign:
This year
the Canadian
government
will allow “the
largest mass
slaughter
of marine
mammals in
the world”
in
which 270,000
seals, the
majority pups
less than
four weeks
old, will
be killed
cruelly in
order to create
from their
pelts unessential
luxury goods
like gloves.
Sea Shepherd
shut down
the seal hunt
before in
the early
1980s and
seeks to do
it again.
You can aid
the seals
by boycotting
Canadian seafood
and by clicking
here to
learn
how to take
action.
•The
Whale's Navy:
Though the
International
Whaling Commission
enacted a
moratorium
in 1986 on
all commercial
whaling, Iceland,
Norway, and
Japan have
continued
to slaughter
whales. The
Sea Shepherd
works tirelessly
to end this
practice and
has even used
their own
ships to hunt
down, ram,
and disable
pirate whaling
ships such
as the notorious
Sierra. To
date, the
Sea Shepherd
has ended
the careers
of 9 illegal
whaling vessels.
To learn more,
click here.
As
the
old
adage
goes,
we must live simply so that
others may simply live. In
the words of the Dalai Lama, “Simplicity
is
extremely
important
for
happiness. Having few desires,
feeling satisfied with
what
you have, is very vital: satisfaction
with just enough
food,
clothing, and shelter to
protect
yourself from the elements.
And
finally, there is an
intense
delight in abandoning faulty
states
of
mind and in cultivating helpful
ones
in meditation.” As
we
learn
this
month
to dive inside and meditate,
we'll
also remember to look
outside,
lend our support to Mother
Earth, and to remember that
Love
can Save the Day!
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