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Losing the Weight of
the World
A Spiritual Diet to
Nourish the Soul
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Introduction -- The Whole Truth
We're born with the need to create a personal identity
that separates us from our spirituality. As a result, we share common
psychological burdens that make us feel we're carrying the weight of the
world.
Chapter 1 -- Life is a Feast
In our complex society, it's easy to get lost in the
world of our survival and success-oriented personality, and lose sight
of our spirituality. If we learn to taste what's set before us, life
is a feast.
Chapter 2 -- The Breath of Life
Do you find yourself busy running?
Do you feel
like something important is missing from life?
Do you feel
stressed or nervous and have a hard time relaxing?
Do you feel
preoccupied and find it hard to stay focused?
Preoccupation and stress are main courses in modern
life. But when we learn to pay attention and focus our mind, we can
calm down and awaken to the ever-present spiritual reality within and around
us.
Chapter 3 -- Living Here and Now
Do
you feel lost in memories or preoccupied and worried about the future?
Do you feel
incomplete and never really at peace?
Do you have
a hard time letting annoyances go?
Do you have
trouble enjoying the moment you're in?
We're preoccupied with the past and future, but we
only feel at home when we truly learn to be in the present. When
we wake up in the present, we're on intimate terms with life and our spiritual
nature.
Chapter 4 -- Soul Food
Are
you demanding, self-critical or self-doubting?
Do you feel
whatever you do or have you should do or have still more?
Do you carry
around bad feelings, like guilt, shame or embarrassment?
Do you wish
you had more confidence and better feelings about yourself?
Excessive self-criticism and guilt, create psychological
wounds. We are healed and changed when we discover our basic goodness
and are nourished by it.
Chapter 5 -- Singing the Body Electric
Are you out
of touch with your body?
Do you have
less sexual pleasure than you'd like?
Are you so
preoccupied that you fail to notice much of what's around you?
Do you wish
you had more touching and tenderness?
Does your
body feel like it's just another time comsuming responsibility?
It's common to be out of touch with our senses.
When we learn to inhabit our body, we deepen our intimacy with life as
we discover we're living in a spiritual temple, in a magical world.
Chapter 6 -- Endless Lust
Do
you never seem to have enough, always craving something new,bigger, better?
Do you have
the sense that you haven't yet 'made it'?
Do you feel
frustrated and searching for something missing?
Our personalities are endlessly desiring and frustrating.
We can find fulfillment and satisfaction when we understand and meet our
basic needs and gain a spiritual perspective.
Chapter 7 -- Jumping Monkeys
Do your thoughts
jump from one thing to another?
Do you wish
you could concentrate better?
Do you feel
preoccupied or have trouble remembering things?
Is you mind
jumpy, making you feel ungrounded or jittery?
Our minds jump from one thing to another making us
scattered, unable to concentrate, forgetful and confused. We can
have greater spiritual awareness when we learn to watch and understand
our thinking process, and use prayer, mantra and holy thoughts.
Chapter 8 -- Inner Streams
Do you sometimes
have trouble getting going in the morning?
Are anger
and irritability a problem for you?
Do you dwell
on things too long?
Do you feel
jittery and worried?
Do you have
trouble feeling good and wish you were happier?
Our emotions are complex. We often avoid and
/ or get stuck in them. When we learn to fully digest our emotions
through understanding, awareness, experiencing and letting go, our spiritual
feelings come forth.
Chapter 9 -- Why Am I here?
Are you lost
in what you're doing and just getting through the day?
Do you sometimes
wonder why you're doing what you're doing?
Do things
seem routine and boring?
Do you feel
a lack of meaning or purpose and wonder what it's all for?
Modern people race from one chore and responsibility
to another. But we find peace of mind in the midst of this activity,
when we discover our purpose in living and use it to guide our daily life.
Chapter 10 -- Too Much Me
Does it seem
like it's everyone for themselves?
Do you seem
lonely or isolated, even when with other people?
Do you feel
preoccupied with yourself and your world?
We naturally strive to meet our needs and satisfy
our wishes for a rich life. But individualism can be taken too far,
making us unhappy by further separating us from our unity with all other
living things. We can learn to spiritually enrich ourselves by growing
beyond our individual self to interconnectedness with the One.<
Chapter 11 -- Barefoot in the Spring
Do you feel
that you're living half-heartedly, held back, never living fully?
Do you wish
you felt freer and more alive?
Do you wish
you carried a lighter load?
Do you wish
you had more fun?
Our many burdens make millions live half-heartedly.
We can enjoy a vibrant, juicy life and find spiritual nourishment when
we lighten our load and live more fully.
Chapter 12 -- Luscious Living: A Daily
Spiritual Diet
Do you feel
caught in the momentum of your old patterns and have a hard time
changing to something new?
Do you wish
you knew how to keep yourself on a healthier, happier and more spiritual
path each day?
Daily pressures and habits make it hard to change,
but by cooking up our own Spiritual Diet recipes, we can live an enriching
life that integrates our personality with spirituality, and helps us lose
the weight of the world.
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