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<title>E. Raymond Rock - EzineArticles Expert Author</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/expert/E._Raymond_Rock</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:50:44 -0600</pubDate>
<image><title>E. Raymond Rock - EzineArticles Expert Author</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/expert/E._Raymond_Rock</link>
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<copyright>Copyright 2012 EzineArticles.com - All Rights Reserved.</copyright>
<description><![CDATA[My background includes 28 years of meditation practice that has taken me across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where I practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. I have trained with Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Maha Boowa, Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Tui, Bhante Gunaratana, Roshi Kennett, Seung Sahn Sunim, Trungpa Rinpoche, the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and the Zen Center in San Francisco. Presently I am cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center in Fort Myers Florida. My first book, "A Year to Enlightenment" is available at major bookstores worldwide, ... ]]></description>
<lastBuildDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:14:34 -0600</lastBuildDate>
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<title>American Buddhism</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/6829229</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/6829229</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:14:34 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Historically, Buddhism has taken on the culture to which it has migrated, and I believe that American Buddhism will be no exception. I further think that American values will reflect deeply in the Buddhisms that eventually become "American Buddhisms." But what are present American values?]]></description>
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<title>Why Atheism Is Growing in America</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/5724616</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/5724616</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:11:47 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Atheism, therefore, is not so much a distaste toward or disagreement of those who believe in a creator god. After all, who really cares what you choose to believe? Atheism is more of an acknowledgment of the damage that a dependency on a creator god can do to a society at large when a creator god is the predominate belief.]]></description>
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<title>Stress Relief Is Free!</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/4211235</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/4211235</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 16:13:58 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Although the usual suspects of stress may be our jobs, financial difficulties, illness, political and religious arguments, family, personal problems, etc., if you look into each one of these in depth, you will find within them all a common thread. If only we could identify that common thread, then stress relief would be immensely simplified.]]></description>
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<title>Is the Coming Depression Merely on Hold?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/4186917</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/4186917</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:21:16 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Do you ever get the feeling that even in this so called economic recovery, we are whistling past the graveyard? What's changed? I'm afraid that nothing has changed.]]></description>
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<item>
<title>State of the Onion</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/4166374</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/4166374</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:55:10 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Our country is kind of like an onion. Fifty states all wrapped around a flag that gets more tattered every day. There are those that say we should live by state's rights and forget about the federal government. ]]></description>
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<item>
<title>The Five Million Dollar Pill</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/4166347</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/4166347</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:53:43 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Let's imagine for a moment that a cure for cancer was discovered. It wasn't just a cure for certain types of cancers but a cure for all types of cancers. And it didn't require radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery (burn, poison and cut).]]></description>
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<item>
<title>Immigration - The Cat is Out of the Bag</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/4166319</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/4166319</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:52:04 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[We in America are just beginning to understand what the phrase "Letting the cat out of the bag" is all about. This idiom means that a secret has been somehow accidentally disclosed, and in America's case, the secret has dire ramifications.]]></description>
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<title>Conservative Versus Liberal - A Peace Offering</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/4166261</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/4166261</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:40:07 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Are liberals and conservatives opposite? If you are a conservative, does that mean that liberal ideas are opposite of yours? And if you are liberal, are conservative ideas opposite of your way of thinking?]]></description>
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<title>Dateline - Los Angeles May 15, 2030 - US Government Cancelled</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/3877378</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/3877378</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:10:40 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[By a narrow margin, both houses of congress agreed to cancel the Government of the United States. After years of struggle, President Polin has finally fulfilled her mother's dream; the total end of government control.]]></description>
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<title>Loving and Hating</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1509281</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1509281</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:55:57 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Do you love and hate? If you do, then you are very normal. If you just hated, or only loved, there would be consistency, but when you do both, the mind finds itself in conflict all the time, and this produces stress. So if you want to find the underlying cause of your stress, look no further than those things that you hate. And what you love, too.]]></description>
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<title>Dying to Everything</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1477446</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1477446</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:56:14 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As long as there is hope, there will be despair. As long as there is experience, there will be death. Yet fervently we seek both.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - The Final Chapter (Part 6) A Promise to Keep</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1456803</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1456803</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:52:21 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[They remained by the side of the road; the day was ending. The king held the jailor's lifeless body as passersby shook their heads at such a sight as two apparently drunk, old beggars trying to prop each other up.]]></description>
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<title>The Article From Hell</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1441083</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1441083</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:54:39 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Now, it's not easy for an article, like myself, to go to hell, because I didn't start out that way. (You just don't jump into a "hand basket" and arrive at hell - most articles have to work at it!)]]></description>
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<title>Freedom is What We Already Are</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1456781</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1456781</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:32:05 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[When we strive to be free, when we try to release ourselves from the burdens that we have laid upon ourselves, we miss the point: we are already free. We simply forget that we are free. We forget by becoming bogged down in our difficulties, by pitting ourselves against others, and fighting for what we want.]]></description>
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<title>Images of Life</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1450054</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1450054</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:19:22 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[If you are a Hindu, you have been taught to worship Brahma, the creator of all reality, or Vishnu, the preserver of all of the creations, or Shiva, the destroyer. And as a Hindu, you find a tremendous source of security and peace in that. It is the one thing that you can count on when the going gets tough.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - The Final Chapter (Part 4) A Promise to Keep</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1447591</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1447591</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:44:03 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["You will never find the key in this lifetime," he said with finality. "There is no reason for you to waste the few years you have remaining with this fruitless quest."]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - The Final Chapter (Part 3) A Promise to Keep</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1444801</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1444801</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:07:48 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Weepasa then gave me a fierce look, "Do you finally understand everything I have explained?"  I resignedly nodded "Yes."  "The Source is very close, and the key is within reach," said Weepasa, "but this is your final instruction. Now it is entirely up to you whether or not you will slay the dragon. There will be no further meetings."]]></description>
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<title>Martial Arts Training - Balancing Mind and Body</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1408840</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1408840</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:05:47 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[A very special kind of training is critical in martial arts because martial arts is about life and death. In one split second, your life will be either spared or taken, and that outcome depends entirely upon your preparation.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - The Final Chapter (Part 2) A Promise to Keep</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1437613</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1437613</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:04:57 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I could see how my senses were double-edged swords once I was born into them. The things that make me happy, which are pleasurable stimulations, become my nemeses because when they disappear, I want them back. I could clearly see that this was why the seeds of discontent are always buried in every pleasure.]]></description>
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<title>How Do You Escape?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1436296</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1436296</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:23:09 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[If we don't like our job, our house, or if we are generally unhappy with about our position in life, we naturally try to change our circumstances. When we are uncomfortable with any situation, we instinctively attempt to escape from it. We might feel angry inside, or frustrated thinking that something external is the problem - maybe our job or our situation, and we think that if we can just change the situations, we will be happy internally.]]></description>
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<title>Creating a Universe in Your Mind</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1435302</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1435302</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:23:13 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Scientists say that everything began in the emptiness of space when a pea-sized piece of intensely dense matter and energy exploded into what has become our universe. In the Zen Buddhist religion, it is said, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Emptiness is no other than form, form is no other than emptiness.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - The Final Chapter - A Promise to Keep (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1432878</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1432878</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:31:48 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["Know? You want to know? You foolish, ambitious man. Do you not understand? Can you not see that to know, to find answers means that you do not know? Answers and knowing are dead! They are history, locked in the mind by your pathetic, false, little 'self' preventing you from ever being in this immense, eternal moment.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Chapter 14 - Seven Days (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1429593</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1429593</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:02:15 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["But do not succumb to fear. Don't be concerned about your physical health either, for if you are, you will constantly scheme to keep yourself safe, and this will generate thought and break your mindfulness. You truly must be a fearless warrior to reach the key, for you can easily die from the exertion here. But so be it. The effort will serve you well in the next lifetime."]]></description>
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<title>Get a Grip on Yourself!</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1426194</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1426194</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:51:45 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Sure, ignore the reality of life, which is death, and be totally unprepared when things happen. Good advice, like ignoring chest pains!]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Chapter 14 - Seven Days (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1423147</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1423147</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:42:14 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Unfortunately, the things of which I speak are unintelligible to those who have not experienced the inner work. How could they begin to understand the immensity of the Great Source within us?"]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Chapter 14 - Seven Days (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1418295</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1418295</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:25:04 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Never mind. Your clumsy, but persistent, efforts so far in your quest might have qualified you for intensive instruction even though you have little wisdom. But, if I decide to teach you, this is the last time you will talk with anybody, except me, for many years, as you put yourself in a concentrated training situation. Are you willing to do this?"]]></description>
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<title>The Most Discouraging Things in the World</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1415318</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1415318</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:34:38 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[A glass half-empty is discouraging, but not as discouraging as how misled people can be when a glass half-full is perceived as brimming over the top. War is discouraging, too, especially wars that seem to go on forever. It's as if the countries involved grow to believe that everything is dangerous and foreboding while the rest of the world goes on about business as usual and relatively unscathed. Some countries seem to draw violence toward them, and others don't. Why is this?]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Chapter 14 - Seven Days (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1414440</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1414440</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:55:20 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Conqueror, my mystical horse, was not getting any younger. He had lived well beyond a normal lifespan and I wondered how many trips he could still make. Was that old, robed man, who brought an enchanted colt to the Kingdom of Ayatana those many years ago, the sorcerer?]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Chapter 13 - When the Dust Blows Away? (Part 5)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1405290</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1405290</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:12:48 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[He became quiet for a moment, looking back again toward the hut. The conversation was about to escalate out of control. "There is no need for violence," he bargained. "You, more than anybody, understand power and the corruptive influence it has on those who fall under its spell. I am just a messenger who must follow orders."]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Chapter 13 - When the Dust Blows Away? (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1401816</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1401816</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:42:07 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I stood in the rain for only a few minutes before he came down the steps. When he saw me standing by his horse, he stopped dead in his tracks and quickly glanced back toward the safety of Weeja's hut. He knew who was standing there, and he also knew my reputation as a cold blooded killer.]]></description>
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<title>A Tear Drops</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1397873</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1397873</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:00:14 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[She waves to a worker cleaning the floor, but he doesn't see her; she is old now and people just don't notice her any longer. She quietly slips out of the restaurant into a cold night, turning up her collar and putting her hands in her pockets. And as she walks down the street, a sweet memory of what was suddenly appears somewhere in a little backwater of her mind... and a tear drops.]]></description>
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<title>What Interests You Most?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1393645</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1393645</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:11:12 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This is a very important question; what interests you most, because your answer to this question determines your destiny. So before you answer, look carefully at all the options and decide which is truly the one thing that interests you more than any other.]]></description>
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<title>How to Make a Mess of Your Life</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1384564</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1384564</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:41:49 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone wants happiness. Happiness is the driving force behind almost all of our actions, and even when we are unhappy, we are involved with somehow changing that unhappiness into happiness for ourselves.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Unexpected Surprises - Chapter 12 - (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1378418</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1378418</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:34:56 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["The cause of this constant discontent is wanting and craving," continued the sage. "There is a cure for this constant wanting and craving. The way to realize this cure is to follow a life conducive to opening oneself to the Source of all there is. In this new life, you must first acknowledge your own discontent, realize the cause of this discontent, believe that there is a solution, and embark on a quest to achieve this solution.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Goodbye, My Son - Chapter 11 - (Part 5)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1365785</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1365785</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:07:06 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The beast slowly uncovered its eyes, and for the first time in its tortured memory looked at a dazzling, golden sun hanging in an azure sky, with majestic clouds of cotton slipping by over deep, green forests. The creature was overwhelmed and began to weep, and as its tears splashed to the ground, each one changed into a small white dove that flew away. Its whole body then began to shrink, smaller and smaller until it transformed itself into a beautiful white tiger.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Goodbye, My Son - Chapter 11 - (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1359792</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1359792</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:10:56 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I sat in silence waiting for the hell being to make its decision. Would it continue down its path of certain destruction, or would it embark on a difficult journey to certain freedom?]]></description>
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<title>Something to Believe In</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1350510</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1350510</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:49:49 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It's not easy to find something to believe in these days. There is so much information on the internet that whatever we believe in can be very effectively debunked in a heartbeat, leaving us with doubts at best, and at worst; total disbelief.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Goodbye, My Son - Chapter 11 - (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1345823</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1345823</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:33:13 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I had no fear of this thing; only a curiosity of what was coming my way, so I shined the lantern toward it. Towering before me was a giant, grotesque beast that was dragging a dead tiger in one of its huge claws as if the tiger were a rag doll. The creature looked at me with its blood red, intelligent eyes for a moment, and then dropped the tiger as it began a low, guttural growl, smiling and drooling yellow slime through its large, sharp fangs.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Goodbye, My Son - Chapter 11 - (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1337969</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1337969</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:33:33 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I had to convince this beast to see beyond his cave, but the creature was not the least bit inclined to cooperate. It would only believe what its limited awareness revealed, and it stubbornly remained in its dark world, which was at least familiar, while things beyond its understanding were not. No matter how wonderful the sun might be, it was not comprehensible to the creature, and was probably even a bit frightening. This cave was its familiar prison, and it could not imagine the freedom of a completely new world that could easily be found with only some effort and faith. It refused to even attempt to look, for it was afraid to see.]]></description>
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<item>
<title>Our Aspirations</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1331320</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1331320</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:22:33 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The way we live is key to describing what we are, which can be quite different from our lofty ideals of what we are. And if we consider what we should be, what the loftiest ideal for a human being would be, perhaps what Thomas Kelly suggests (as off the wall as it appears) is the answer:     "The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness. Its joys are ravishing, its peace profound, its humility the deepest, its power world-shaking, its love enveloping, its simplicity that of a...]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Goodbye, My Son - Chapter 11 - (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1327749</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1327749</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:56:24 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Conqueror limped stiffly but was always eager to begin a new journey, loving the spontaneity of adventure as much as I did. Occasional wafts of warm air greeted us as we made our way down the mountain persuading me to take off my fur wrap and tie it to the horse. I wasn't sure where we were headed except to follow the holy man's map, but I did know that there were two hints regarding a cave; one by Sahmad and one by the holy man's sketch, and since caves were cold and damp, the coat could come in handy...]]></description>
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<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Only a Mild Interest - Chapter 10 - (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1326487</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1326487</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:18:16 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Evening again approached. I watched the sun ease down into a million golden diamonds reflecting off the hard-crusted snow, and far off in the distance, I thought that I heard a far off "tinkle." It was faint, and I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but I was convinced that it was soldiers from the city searching for us. Conqueror's white body was almost invisible in the snow, so I hid behind him and held my breath. I didn't want to kill these soldiers.]]></description>
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<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Only a Mild Interest- Chapter 10 - (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1313444</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1313444</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:28:22 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Sahmad dispatched one of his attendants to summon a physician, while another stayed behind as an interpreter. Sahmad then instructed me to lie down, and he lit two large cones of incense, carefully placing them on my bare chest. He told me to concentrate on the pain that would soon come, as the incense burned down to my skin.]]></description>
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<item>
<title>Are You on the Right Path?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1307142</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1307142</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:55:56 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[There are telltale signs, but before they can be acknowledged, a determination must be made regarding your purpose for treading a path in the first place. Most people don't tread a path through the woods. Instead, they prefer to wander about at will, doing whatever they fancy.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Only a Mild Interest - Chapter 10 - (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1302277</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1302277</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:59:41 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It was an unimaginable, terror-filled night. My mind ran wild with uncontrolled, random scenes in vivid colors, several flashing every heartbeat, while the top half of my body was on fire, and the bottom half was cold as ice. My heart was pounding and fluttering so severely that it would actually stop beating for long periods of time, producing a feeling of intense fear and impending death.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Deeper in the Valley - Chapter 9 - (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1292405</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1292405</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:37:12 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[More years passed, and although the young man and I became the closest of friends, I could never tell him that his father was dead . . . or that I was the one responsible. All he could talk about was finding his father someday; he wanted so badly for his father to know that his only son had become a key seeker as well. I would have to tell the lad eventually, and then he would hate me, but I could never quite find the courage as each day we became more inseparable, akin to a father and son ourselves.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Five Roadblocks to Meditation and How They Apply to Westerners</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1289005</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1289005</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:18:35 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The first hindrance to meditation is desire for sense stimulation. This can range from obsessive sexual lust, to compulsive socializing, to addictive intellectual pursuits. In the West, we tend toward the addictive intellectual pursuits because we have usually disciplined ourselves regarding lustful sex and compulsive socializing before becoming interested in meditation.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Deeper in the Valley - Chapter 9 (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1281515</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1281515</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:14:09 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I returned to my room and eagerly examined the paper Sahmad had given me, but I could not make sense of the ancient markings, so I carefully folded it back into my fur robe for safekeeping. It was definitely a clue of some kind - and I had a feeling it was an extremely important one.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Meditation - The Deeper Aspects</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1274035</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1274035</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:33:57 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[When we begin meditation, we might begin with a mantra, or a word, or perhaps we concentration on the breath. We do this to replace the never ending cycle of thoughts and emotions that circle round us day and night. We replace our everyday thoughts with one new thought so that we can break this cycle of a very coarse mind.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Deeper in the Valley - Chapter 9 - (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1273944</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1273944</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:58:48 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I pulled the warm fur that I found covering my body a little closer, and looked out the window again. Everything was muffled, stillness; the snow hiding the scars and sins of the mountain and insulating its inhabitants from sound. Only the quiet popping of the steady fire softly interrupted this sacred silence, as I began my inner work as well.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Blue Shadows - Chapter 8 - (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1266934</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1266934</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:32:06 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[How could I describe this new sensation - contented happiness, bliss, unification of mind? No words could ever approach this experience.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Blue Shadows - Chapter 8 - (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1258768</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1258768</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:45:18 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I am well aware of your repute as a warrior," it snarled, "killing many men without blinking an eye. What makes you think you can now turn your back on this and become a key seeker? I say once a killer, always a killer. It is in your blood, and no matter what you do, when the time comes, you will gleefully kill again." I was taken by surprise!]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) Blue Shadows - Chapter 8 - (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1256351</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1256351</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:44:39 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Impatiently, she blurted out, "All I know is that my husband and my children are my world. How could I search for this 'deeper happiness' and not compromise my feelings toward them, even if my family is temporary? I don't see what you are getting at.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Affairs of the Heart, and the Ending of Sorrow</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1253637</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1253637</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:32:54 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Maybe it's a new relationship, after many failed ones. But we think that this new relationship is different - until our old problems, and our partner's old problems, creep back into the equation. Problems such as our constant grasping at things, our aversion toward other things, and our delusions of life.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 7 - A Step Above Oblivion (Part 5)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1247049</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1247049</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:53:28 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I noticed when he said goodbye that his vacant eyes revealed an unusual compassion. He had always cautioned me about attachment, but right now as I closed the door to my hut, my heart went out to this funny, little man with the constant grin that had brought me so far.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 7 - A Step Above Oblivion (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1243476</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1243476</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:30:08 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It must have been around one o'clock in the morning when I heard a soft rustle behind me in the leaves. Then something bumped my leg. Something was crawling into my lap! I was petrified! Was it the skeleton; was it the baby, the skull? I couldn't move a muscle except for my eyeball, as I slowly looked down.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Secret of Being</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1236617</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1236617</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:05:40 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[When we cannot just "be," then we have to be "something," and when we have to be something, we have to set goals. When we set goals, however,  we are never satisfied until the goal is reached, and therefore, it is only when there are no goals that we can just "be."]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 7 - A Step Above Oblivion (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1233310</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1233310</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:03:00 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[What was strange was that I could swear at first glance that the baby's eyes were open and staring at me, but the instant I swung around and looked at it directly, its eyes would be closed as usual. This was unnerving, but like the smiling skulls, I again thought it was simply my imagination.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 7 - A Step Above Oblivion (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1229997</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1229997</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:22:25 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[He again turned to Moosawa, "Have you ever walked through the forest and noticed how the leaves dance along with you, or is your mind too busy with other things? Wouldn't you say that sensitivity is more important than gold?"]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Interdependent Origination</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1227846</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1227846</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:37:04 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Buddha introduced a number of things that are unique to all religions and spirituality. Two of these are The Four Noble Truths and Interdependent Origination.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 7 - A Step Above Oblivion (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1219916</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1219916</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:33:11 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[My body was exhausted that first night. My leg became swollen to twice its size, and as I slipped in and out of consciousness, my mind drifted to the young maiden in the village with eyes like almonds and hair shining like black silk. She was distracting me from my quest, I knew that, but I felt so empty and alone right now as death was closing in, and I desperately needed her, if only in my mind.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 6 - Skeletons and Snakes (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1216674</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1216674</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:25:50 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[My breathing became labored, and as the poison worked its way into my heart, I wished that I had begun my quest when I was much younger, before the wars. I also wished I had paid more attention to the robed man who warned me to sweep the path! When key seekers speak, it is never for conversation or amusement. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Ever Wonder What Buddhist Monks Are Chanting?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1216180</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1216180</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:31:32 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[To give you a tiny sampling, a flavor of what Theravada Buddhist monks chant every morning, following are a few stanzas of the Buddha's exact teachings in his native Pali language (with translations), which have been precisely kept intact by his order of monks for over 2500 years, or since three months after the Buddha's death. Chanting these words as a group insures that the words never become altered or embellished over the centuries, assuring that these words are what the Buddha actually spoke.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 6 - Skeletons and Snakes (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1212077</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1212077</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:04:17 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[A John's gripping question flashed in my mind: "Are you ready to die at any moment?" And I realized that I wasn't. I could not accept this tragedy; I had so much more to do! How could I know what awaited me in another lifetime, or if I would be fortunate enough to encounter somebody in that next lifetime that was familiar with this incredible key? I was so close, and now . . . so far.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 6 - Skeletons And Snakes (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1203969</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1203969</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2008 16:05:15 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["We were very happy," he quietly continued. "We had a little boy and another child on the way and were so in love, you know, and looking forward to a simple life in our village, raising our children and growing old together."   He stopped scraping and searched my eyes, "We weren't asking for too much, were we?"]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 5 - Fertile Soil (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1201718</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1201718</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2008 09:01:43 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[A John began by instructing me to sit cross-legged on the ground, while he stuffed some straw just under the tip of my tailbone, but not too much - he cautioned that too much straw would surely cause my legs to fall sleep. Then he tucked my left heel between my legs and placed my right foot on top of my left calf while pushing both my knees down so that they remained on the ground, locking my legs in place and straightening my back into, what he said, was the correct posture for doing the inner work. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Times Are a Changin'</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1201649</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1201649</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2008 09:00:32 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Once Middle America understands that it should be running this country, instead of a few lobbyists, politicos, and corporations, and understands that their voice can be heard with the right leadership, then look out! All you have to do is really consider who and what you are, and see if you have been cleverly fooled by those in power.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 5 - Fertile Soil (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1198753</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1198753</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 14:54:03 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Addressing her unspoken inquiry of whether her prayers were important, a John replied, "Your prayers were well intentioned, as your helper beings always listen to all pleas and heart-felt desires. Your empathy and your prayers for your fellow soldiers were from a good place inside of you, but until these men found a way to understand their situation in the human realm, they would be subject to uncountable battlefields in many lifetimes. It was their destiny."]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 5 - Fertile Soil (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1191598</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1191598</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 13:55:24 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[My previous sphere was caught up in constant warfare. Nothing was solved without violence, no country was willing to give in, or share its wealth. Greed, hatred, and fear ruled peoples' hearts, spreading like a disease among all the countries. There was never compromise, just killing. Each country was as aggressive and ambitious as the other was, and as violent as well. There was never any peace.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Looking For The Only Happiness</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1188794</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1188794</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 09:18:46 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[When a Buddhist monk or nun ordains, they give away everything. They give away their relationships, their families, their business career or job, house, car, clothes - everything.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 5 -Fertile Soil (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1187914</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1187914</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 14:42:31 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[One day, a horrible weapon fell upon our country and we retaliated against the ones we believed were responsible with our most powerful weapons. But the response was misunderstood by many other countries, and they in turn unleashed their weapons. Then, because of our honor, we had no choice but to unleash ours as well.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 4 - Nothing Left To Lose (Part 7)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1187898</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1187898</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 14:41:17 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I thought you were going to the community," a John said, his eyebrows Raised. "Yes, yes, I am on my way," Moosawa stammered, looking surprised.     "But isn't it in the other direction," a John inquired.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 4 - Nothing Left To Lose (Part 6)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1182672</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1182672</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2008 13:58:18 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[My instincts told me to slowly back away and move toward the denser part of the forest, but just as I took a step, I felt a pinch. It didn't feel at all like an arrow, but sure enough, there was an arrow through my side with its feathers sticking out near my naval and the tip protruding from my back.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 4 - Nothing Left To Lose (Part 5)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1171138</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1171138</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 08:42:15 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[My instincts told me to slowly back away and move toward the denser part of the forest, but just as I took a step, I felt a pinch. It didn't feel at all like an arrow, but sure enough, there was an arrow through my side with its feathers sticking out near my naval and the tip protruding from my back.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>What Lies Beneath Our Consciousness?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1167524</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1167524</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 11:49:51 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As this emotional subconscious bubbles up to the surface, we become ensnared in its power to pull us in certain directions. We might be extraordinarily attracted to something or someone for no apparent reason, and can no more disregard the attraction than we can go against our very nature. Our subconscious is what we are.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 4 - Nothing Left To Lose (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1163759</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1163759</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 10:41:04 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Suddenly, I remembered a John, and looked back to where he was sitting. He had not budged, even though a monstrous tiger was standing not more than a few paces from his tree.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 4 - Nothing Left To Lose (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1158634</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1158634</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 15:17:28 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The soldiers stood motionless, as the confidence visibly drained from their faces. They knew that the slightest move would unleash a blood bath. I smiled, because I knew exactly what these cowards would do. They were interested only in the reward, this was not something they truly believed in, and as such, were not willing to risk their lives for.  ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Three Secrets to Happiness</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1153335</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1153335</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 10:11:06 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Part of wisdom is seeing clearly that the one who was so concerned with itself was the one that was keeping him or herself from true happiness. It's as simple as that. It's as simple as losing yourself to something so much greater, something so immense that all of your problems are as small drops in a great ocean of healing water, an ocean that is as accessible as your next breath.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 4 - Nothing Left To Lose (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1151936</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1151936</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 09:23:01 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["Where is he?" the warrior in charge curtly demanded.   "He is right there, in the bamboo grove," said a John innocently, and with his invariable grin. If he was afraid, he certainly didn't show it. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Buddhism - From the Top, Down</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1147489</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1147489</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 13:51:22 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In some religions, faith is paramount, or perhaps study, meditation and prayer. In Buddhism, however, faith is preliminary, and study and meditation but a method. The goal in Buddhism is transcendental wisdom. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 4, Nothing Left To Lose (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1145632</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1145632</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 10:46:34 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[My laughing abruptly stopped. How did he know that I was searching for the key? I studied this strange, diminutive man a little closer, noticing that his eyes were curiously empty, yet very alive, as if they were looking through my solitary eye and focusing on the meadow behind me. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 3 - Broken Wings (Part 5)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1140688</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1140688</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:14:41 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["You must use your senses to look, my king, but not to find. You will solve this riddle yourself someday. And you can forget about your weapons of the world, for they are useless. The dragon laughs at them. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Are We Really Hiding Behind Our Religions?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1136630</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1136630</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:46:51 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[If our entire identity is predicated on what we believe, then because there are 4,000 different religions in the world, somebody must necessarily be hiding behind something that is quite false, since every religion claims to be the one and only truth except for that one religion that you, the reader, belong to! All others must be false, which means that they are all hiding behind a falsehood. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 3 - Broken Wings (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1136615</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1136615</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:46:21 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Conqueror was lying motionless next to the black horse that was trying to get up on his broken legs. I knew their injuries would eventually be fatal, but it would take many long days of agony before they died...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 3 - Broken Wings (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1130390</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1130390</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:05:41 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This was all spinning out of control. The deep feelings I had for her could not be denied, and to further complicate things, it was apparent that her life was in danger because of this maniac fianc?. I didn't know what to do, but I had to come up with something.  ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 3 - Broken Wings (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1126382</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1126382</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:32:04 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Powerful feelings overwhelmed me. I suddenly realized that I would willingly give my life for this maiden, even though I had only known her for such a short time, and as I softly kissed her tears away, I tasted that sweet, salty nectar of desire... and we embraced as lovers have done in the primal forests since the beginning of time.  ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Buddhist Breath Meditation - Seven Steps</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1125263</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1125263</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:32:39 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo explains fundamental Buddhist breath meditation that can not only lead directly to enlightenment, but on the way cure emotional, psychological and physical ailments. (The words in quotation marks have been changed in the text to clarify the instructions).]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 2 - Ariya (Part 5)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1121703</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1121703</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:31:32 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Weeks drifted by with no sign of Ariya, or anybody else for that matter, but the silence was eerie, compelling me to look over my shoulder more often now. I was back where my enemies might find me, and my life was definitely in grave danger. They knew that I was still alive. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 3 - Broken Wings (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1123024</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1123024</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:19:42 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I was captivated by her nerve; I could see already that she was a lot like me. But then that small, still voice in my heart, for some mysterious reason, began pleading with me to leave this maiden alone; to turn around immediately and get out of here. ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Obama Gets It</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1118984</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1118984</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:52:41 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Obama gets it. He is unusual, visionary. He understands that our only hope is the middle class coming together, regardless of our differences. But he faces an uphill battle. The old politics of division and hate, the politics that have gotten us into this intractable situation where nothing is being done, is still admired by the vast majority of Americans; the idea that you fight for what you want and you smash your adversary. ]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 2 - Ariya (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1118950</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1118950</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:53:59 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable "thunk" of a crossbow, followed by that unique sound an arrow makes as it zips through leaves. Before I could react, however, I found myself in a vast desert surrounded by stars and silence. The constellations were strange. I could make out the "Southern Cross" that I had seen drawings of, sketched by mariners who ventured to the far southern reaches of the world, but I had no idea where I was.  ]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 2 - Ariya (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1114233</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1114233</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:44:07 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Still nervous, Conqueror led the way back into the shadowy forest that now felt as if it had eyes behind every tree. During the solitary years in these woods, there were times I could swear I was not alone, and although that feeling was as strong as ever tonight, I dismissed it and curled up to get some sleep. If soldiers from the kingdom were hot on my trail, it was only a matter of time before they found me, and when they did, it wouldn't be to welcome me back.]]></description>
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<title>Why People Lie to Us</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1111541</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1111541</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:46:31 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Lying is a kind of "get out of jail free" card. We can do bad things, lie about them, and we're off the hook. Or it seems that we are. But really, we're just setting the hook deeper as we begin to believe that we can get away with almost anything, and our conduct becomes increasingly unwholesome to the tenth degree.]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 2 - Ariya (Part 2)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1109058</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1109058</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:48:59 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Only after my best efforts were exhausted would she come, she promised, and yet she was nowhere to be found. I knew now that she wasn't coming, and my only concern was for my trusted friend; what would happen to Conqueror? It was cold and raining hard again that night, and as my good eye began to close, I began slipping away.  ]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 2 - Ariya (Part 1)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1106718</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1106718</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:24:56 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ I could have gone back, it wasn't too late. But soon it would be when the power-vacuum that I created began to flood with ambitious men, then I would become a threat to whomever had an eye on my throne. But "going back," and "retreat" were not words that this warrior had ever understood.   ]]></description>
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<title>The Kindness That's Inherently Obama</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1105538</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1105538</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:10:41 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Of all the things in the world that we can think of, kindness is the one that cuts through all barriers. Since Barack Obama has been running for office, people of color have begun feeling good about themselves, and white people have begun feeling good about people of color. Maybe soon, people of color will begin feeling better about white people, but if that takes awhile, it's understandable. ]]></description>
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<title>What is Our Soul?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1100456</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1100456</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:21:38 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Ask anyone about the soul and more often than not, you will get a blank stare, or the soul might be explained as a spirit, a part of God, our basic being, or our true essence. But there has never been a good, logical explanation. So here goes!]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 1 - One More Journey (Part 4)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1097872</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1097872</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:52:14 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I became mortified, my face lined with anguish, as I tried to reconcile years of selfishness. I wanted to say that I was sorry, for everything, but I couldn't find it in my heart to express even those simple words to a dying father.  ]]></description>
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<title>The Key (A Fairytale) - Chapter 1 - One More Journey (Part 3)</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1095594</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1095594</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:44:11 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Now he found himself in a real quandary. He had no doubt that I would fight, and fight hard, and although he certainly could not risk killing a Prince, he had to win. If he didn't, it would appear as if he were holding back; and that would be a sure ticket to the dungeons, from which nobody returns!   ]]></description>
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<title>Stress Relief  Without Drugs - Walking Meditation</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/1095493</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/1095493</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:43:52 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Walking meditation can be done in many ways and for many purposes, but I have found this technique to be outstanding in relieving stress. It's easy to do, and you should feel a distinct benefit from the first fifteen minutes of trying it.]]></description>
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