God’s Away On Business

1. What is the relationship of inner peace to business ethics?
2. Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Business Ethics and Society
3. Patience is a Virtue in an Online Business!

Virtuosity!

1. Greetings from summer vacation
2. Virtues album – Purity

In 11th of September 2009 I was driving with my friends to the middle Finland, Siilinjärvi and we were blessed to witness one of the most stunning rainbow in our life. I made a short clip and selected song from Pekka Streng to the bacground called “Sisältäni portin löysin” – I found the gate inside me.

1. Greetings from summer vacation

Finlandia Hymni – Finlandia Hymn by Sibelius Played with Yamaha EZ-AG Midi Guitar, performed by Marko Manninen 2010 (adapted)

Oi, Suomi, katso, sinun päiväs’ koittaa,

Yön uhka karkoitettu on jo pois,

Ja aamun kiuru kirkkaudessa soittaa,

Kuin itse taivahan kansi sois’.

Yön vallat aamun valkeus jo voittaa,

Sun päiväs’ koittaa, oi synnyinmaa.

Oi, nouse, Suomi, nosta korkealle,

Pääs’ seppelöimä suurten muistojen.

Oi, nouse, Suomi, näytit maailmalle,

Sa että karkoitit orjuuden,

Ja ettet taipunut sa sorron alle,

On aamus’ alkanut, synnyinmaa.

Sisältö:

1. Musiikkia Hyveet -albumilta: Puhtaus
2. Psykologiset totuudet
3. Näkymättömät todellisuudet
4. Hyveellinen elämä meditaationa
5. Musiikkia Hyveet -albumilta: Totuudellisuus

Musiikkia Hyveet -albumilta: Puhtaus

Tämä kirjoitus on kopio marraskuussa 2009 Jyväskylässä pidetystä esitelmästä.

Esitelmä kertoo totuuden etsijän tiestä ja totuudellisuuden hyveestä. Kun katselee aikaa taaksepäin, niin henkinen tie on allekirjoittaneen kohdalla selkeästi käynyt idän uskontojen kautta takaisin länteen, missä olen aina fyysisesti asunut. Teosofia on avannut ymmärtämään erilaisia näkymiä ja samankaltaisuuksia eri uskontojen ja maailmankatsomusten välillä. Ruusuristiläisyys puolestaan on syventänyt länsimaisen mystiikan ymmärrystä ja lopulta osoittanut mielestäni hyvin tärkeän kulmakiven paikan henkisessä pyrkimyksessä eli hyveellisen elämän merkityksen.

Esitelmän ensimmäisessä osiossa kerron kokemuksistani meditaatiosta ja niin sanotuista pykologisista totuuksista. Toinen osa käsittelee näkymättömiä todellisuuksia, joista puhutaan eri uskonnoissa. Kolmas osa on omistettu hyveille höystettynä parilla teoreettisella määritelmällä ja lainauksella. Lopuksi pyrin sitomaan yhteen esitelmässä esiintulleita ajatuksia.

Totuudellisuuden hyve – Psykologiset totuudet

Totuutta on vaikea määrittellä, mutta kyseiselle sanalle on kuitenkin elämän myötä muodostunut pikku hiljaa tiettyjä merkityksiä. Oma etsintäni alkoi noin 13 vuoden ikäisenä, jolloin olin jo harrastanut itämaisia kamppailulajeja muutamia vuosia. Niiden kautta innostuin henkisempään, jopa uskonnolliseen etsintään. Alussa en tiennyt totuuden etsimisen termiä, vaan ahmin itämaista mystiikkaa sen itsensä vuoksi. Luontainen lapsenomainen kiinnostus ja uteliaisuus oli suuri ja vei mennessään.

Jossain vaiheessa kävi kuitenkin selväksi, että hain jotain sekä fyysisellä että mentaalisella tai henkisellä tasolla. Fyysisesti halusin saavuttaa kehon hallinnan ja kestävyyden. Henkisesti halusin löytää oikeanlaisen keskittymisen ja tilan, jossa fyysinen oleminen ja tekeminen olisi kevyttä, harmoonista ja täydellistä. Oli jokseenkin selvää, että vaikka fyysisillä harjoituksilla voitiin saavuttaa taipuisa ja voimakas keho, henkiset harjoitukset ja mielen harjoittaminen olivat ne, jotka kruunasivat taidot ja tekivät kamppailulajeista ei vain taidetta, vaan välineen ylittää inhimilliset rajat. Kiinnostus yliluonnollisiin voimiin heräsi siinä vaiheessa ja ovathan joidenkin kamppailulajien mestarien suoritukset yli-inhimillisiltä tuntuvia (esimerkkinä voisi mainita Rauta Paita eli Iron Shirt Chi Kung -tekniikat). Jotkin tyylisuunnat selvästi opettivat, että mestaruus lajissa lähtee sisäisen voiman hallinnasta. Pelkät fyysiset harjoitukset eivät koskaan voi yltää samaan mihin Ki -voiman hallinta.

Tämän harrastuksen myötä tie siis kulki enemmän ja enemmän mielen hallintaan ja henkisiin harjoituksiin sekä tietysti kirjallisuuteen, jossa käsiteltiin perimmäisiä asioita, itämaisia uskontoja ja uskomuksia. Pian tieto näistä perimmäisistä kysymyksistä alkoi askarruttamaan ja sai enemmän sijaa elämässäni. Totuuden etsinnän merkitys alkoi hahmottumaan ja mietiskelyharjoitukset alkoivat tuntumaan tärkeämmiltä. Meditaatio itsessään on ainakin alussa jonkin sellaisen tavoittelua, jota ei tiedä kokeneensa tai ainakaan ei muista. Puhumme valaistumisen tai oivalluksen tavoittelusta. Sanomme, että me olemme jo jumalia, me olemme jo Buddhia ja täydellisiä. Meidän täytyy vain muistaa ja palauttaa se mieliimme, kuoria muistamattomuuden verhot pois. Mutta sanottiin niin tai näin, niin alkuvaiheessa etsintää tavoittelemme jotain tuntematonta. Parhaimmillaan olemme vain kuulleet tai lukeneet kuvauksia valaistumisesta. Tässä merkityksessä totuus siis sisältää tuntemattoman elementin. Totuuden etsinnän vaikeus tulee siitä paradoksista, että miten voi etsiä jotain, jota ei tunne eikä tiedä? Eipä niin mitenkään paitsi, että hapuilemalla ja kokeilemalla kaikenlaista, tunnustelemalla mikä tuntuu oikealta ja kehittävältä.

Tuntemattoman ja tarkasti määrittelemättömän tavoitelun yksi ensimmäisiä kohokohtia omalla kohdallani oli mielentyhjennys -harjoitus, jota olin jatkanut koko kamppailulajiharrastuksen ajan. Tyhjän mielen eli mushin idea on se, että vain tyhjä ja valpas mieli pystyy aistimaan vastapuolen mielen liikahduksia. Tyhjä mieli mahdollistaa tilanteen kääntämisen edukseen. Siinä ei saa olla pelkoa eikä toiveita. Mieli ei saa tarrautua vastapuolen käsiin, ei jalkoihin, ei hartijoihin, ei silmiin eikä muihinkaan ulkopuolisiin tekijöihin tai hyökkäyksen ja puolustusliikkeiden suunnitteluun, vaan mielen täytyy liukua sulavasti ja jatkuvalla liikkeellä. Tavallaan voisi ajatella, että siinä annetaan kosmisen voiman ja tarkoituksen toteutua.

Kolmivaiheinen meditaatio eli hengityksen laskeminen, hengityksen tarkkailu ja hiljaa oleminen on mielentyhjennyksen yksinkertaisin ja yleisin menetelmä. Mutta ajatellaanpa uudelleen lähtökohtaa. Istut alas, laitat jalat ristiin, rauhoitut, alat laskemaan sisään ja uloshengitystä. Kuinka nopeasti huomaatkaan, että sekosit laskemisessa, koska ajatukset lähtivät ihan omille teilleen? Puhumme tässä todellisesta henkisestä harjoituksesta, jonka vaikutukset ja joka taito voi olla yksi tärkeimpiä avuja, mitä ihminen voi elämänsä aikana voi saavuttaa. Tämä tarkoittaa kykyä suunnata mieli ja ajatukset yhteen kohteeseen kymmeniksi minuuteiksi, jopa tunneiksi.

Jos nyt pääsee siihen pisteeseen, että pystyy laskemaan hitaasti ajatuksen herpaantumatta kymmeneen ja vielä toisen kerran peräkkäin, on saavuttanut jotain. Se on jotain jota itseasiassa aika harva ihminen pystyy tekemään tai koskaan edes miettii sellaisen tavoittelua elämänsä aikana. Mutta harjoitushan on vasta alussa. Miltä kuulostaa, että ajatuksen lento on kokonaan pysäytettävä, mieli tyhjennettävä kokonaan ajatuksista? Mahdotonta? Pelottavaa? Mitä, jos ajatukset eivät enää lähdekään rullaamaan? Mitä jos siellä kohtaa kynnyksenvartijan? Onko siitä edes mitään hyötyä? Mieli keksii kyllä sata syytä, miksi jättää välistä tällaiset harjoitukset, mutta toisalta useita meistä kiinnostus tietää onko se mahdollista. Jos se tosiaan on mahdollista, niin kiinnostus voi kasvaa suuremmaksi kuin syyt välttää miettimästä asiaa. Täytyy sanoa, että itselläni oli uteliaisuutta käydä pitemmälle ja se oli kannattavaa. Ensimmäinen kerta kun huomasin, että ajatuksen juoksu oli tyrehtynyt, sen tajuaminen oli kuin olisi voittanut päävoiton arpajaisissa. Uskaltaisin verrata sitä jopa jonkinlaiseen valaistumiskokemukseen. Hetki oli lyhyt, säikäyttävä ja voimakas. Tyhjän mielen kokemus on toki saanut parinkymmennen vuoden aikana erilaisia uusia ulottuvuuksia. Psykologisesti ehkä tärkeintä ajatuksen loppumisessa on se, että saavutettu tyhjä hetki avaa mahdollisuuden uusille assosiaatioketjuille, jotka muuten kulkisivat samaa rataa päivästä toiseen.

Tämän haluan kertoa vain yhtenä esimerkkinä siitä, miten tuntemattoman, ennalta tietämättömän tavoittelu voi osua maaliinsa, kun tarpeeksi yrittää. Paradoksi miten kaivata jotain, jota ei tunne on todellakin vain paradoksi, ei mikään mahdottomuus. Käytännössä siis minulle oli kirjan tai kirjojen kautta välitetty tietoa jostain, jota en itse voinut tietää etukäteen todeksi muun kuin harjoituksien kautta hankitulla omalla kokemuksella.

Totuus siis voi olla tällaista tavoittelua, jonka realistisesta saavuttamisesta et varmuudella osaa sanoa mitään. Paitsi sitten kun olet sen kokenut. Nyt voimme huomata pari määritelmää totuudelle: tuntematon, tyhjyys, oivallus, kokemus ja ilo. Sanotaan, että totuus vapauttaa meidät. Vapauteen taas liittyy ilo, jota voisi vaikka kuvata koko talven navetassa ryvettyneen lehmän iloksi ja riemuksi, kun se keväällä päästetään veräjältä vapaaksi laitumelle. Ilo täyttää jokaisen solun eikä puolen vuoden paikallaan olemisesta tullut kankeus tunnu enää missään, vaan koko keho ja mieli ovat täynnä iloa, riemua ja vetreyttä.

Tyhjä tila ei ole todellisuudessa tyhjää vaan sisältää kaiken ilmentymisen mahdollisuuksina. Mahdollisuudet pyrkivät aina ilmenemään tavalla tai toisella, yleensä ajatuksen kautta. Aktiivisuus on luonnollinen olotila, tyhjyys on luonnollinen perussyy. Tämän oman kokemuksen vahvistaman päättelyn takia en näe asiassa mitään vaaraa enkä pelättävää, päinvastoin, hyvin paljon annettavaa. Itseasiassa en usko, että ihminen voi elää kovinkaan onnellista ja harmoonista elämää ilman, että on kohdannut tämän arvaamattoman, ehkä pelottavankin puolen totuudesta. Buddhalaiset käyttävät tästä tyhjyyden elementistä nimeä sunyata.

Toinen puoli totuutta on ehkä enemmän teoreettisempi, mutta täytyy muistaa, että se mikä on toiselle teoriaa ja tuntuu teoreettisesta, voi toiselle olla hyvinkin käytännönläheistä ja konkreettista. Itämainen filosofia sisältää käytännönläheisiä, psykologisia perustotuuksia mm. onnesta ja elämän perusluonteesta, jotka voi löytää elämää tarkkailemalla, tutkimalla, opiskelemalla ja elämällä, mutta se sisältää myös vaikeammin todettavia premissejä ja aksioomia.

(Jatkuu: Totuudellisuuden hyve – Näkymättömät todellisuudet)

1. Totuudellisuuden hyve – Näkymättömät todellisuudet
2. Totuudellisuuden hyve – Hyveellinen elämä meditaationa
3. Hapsetshutin temppeli ja Tutankhamonin hauta

What is a virtue? Virtue (Greek Arete, lat. Virtus) means the most complete realization of the heart and soul of a good. It may also be defined to mean ethically and morally valuable traits. Virtue was a central concept in ancient moral philosophy or ethics. Virtues are skills, not information or knowledge. Especially this side got me initially interested about virtues. Information overload caused by the collection of information and endless series of open questions made me finally think about the relationship between knowledge and truth. Can I know the truth without having a skill to manifest it?

Cardinal virtues are the best-known ancient virtues that have moved to the doctrine of seven virtues of St. Thomas Aquinas. These are: wisdom, justice, courage and prudence. In addition to these virtues Aquinas counted theological virtues along, i.e. faith, hope and love. I do not know very well the meaning of these three virtues by St. Aquinas, but in my opinion they are not formally part of the virtues, if virtues are thought as a valuable traits and properties under development. They are something even deeper spiritual qualities reflected in the various virtues, or through virtues. For instance in courage there is faith, in patience there is hope and in compassion there is love included. Perhaps one might think theological virtues as a triangle, which descends to the square, i.e. trinity, which descends to the fourfold world saturating virtues with the best features and qualities.

Virtues may be listed in the dozens, or even hundreds so you can get a good meditation theme for every week of year if you wish. Here are some for chewing:

…diligence, generosity, openness, empathy, selflessness, sensitivity, thoroughness, piety, benevolence, enthusiasm, flexibility, beauty, gratitude, courtesy, respect, obedience, patience, compassion, integrity, sobriety, compassion, determination, humility, willingness to service, cleanliness, impartiality, determination, sobriety, peace, honesty, courage, perseverance, endurance, morality, depth, subtlety, discernment, balance, fairness, truthfulness, loyalty, modesty, prudence, responsibility, innocence, hospitality, sincerity, intensity, non-violence, kindness,…

Truth, truthfulness and love of truth has been said to be a basis of all virtues. Deep longing of truth drives human through all kind of mazes and hazards and one cannot get through them if the other virtues have not developed in person and become true in practice.

I could keep a lecture of each virtue but now I would highlight one of those, namely honesty. Honesty with oneself and other people is one of the most important virtues, but also the largest afflicter in self-education. “Spirits” are fighting in us. Other side knows what is good and the other half wants to do something else like enjoy, relax, not necessarily to do evil, but also not good in a sense that it desires to abandon own delights and actively directs life for the highest virtues and implementation of the highest goals. Sacrificial life seem only way to prevent karmic relations. I don’t believe that great teachers have said without reason and urged us to forget ourselves, so that we can find ourselves. In people that accomplish fairness, it will raise the battle that can last and last for long periods of time and torment the soul. As a seeker of truth, I can easily see that the only one who carries out the will of God from the sweet beginning to the salty end is finally free, in other words rescued and saved from that internal battle.

You cannot really forget vices because we understand things through the opposites. While my point in this lecture is in virtues I can mention only shortly some examples like the traditional seven deadly sins: pride, envy, greed, anger, gluttony, adultery and falsehood. In addition selfishness, indifference, grain, indiscretions, cowardice, etc. belongs to vices, but is it all so black and white, only good and evil? And what is it in virtues so special, that all the great religions and persons constantly speak of them. Probably not without a reason, or what you think? I have collected a few quotes for my aid and defense:

1. A superior man always thinks of virtue; common man thinks of comfort. -Confucius
2. Rise up the hill is a virtue. Running down is a vice. -Chinese proverb
3. A noble man is not aware of the virtue with, and in this way, he really has a great virtue. Lower-ranking man never loses virtue from his eyes, and in this way, he loses a virtue. -Lao Tzu
4. To walk safely in a maze of human life man needs wisdom of light and guidance of virtue. -Buddha
5. Purity creates wisdom, lust creates stinginess and ignorance creates madness and darkness. -Bhagavad-Gita
6. Our virtues and vices will rise from the same source. -Goethe
7. Virtue is like health of soul, beauty and a good manner. -Plato
8. Virtue is the beauty of the soul and vices the deformity of the soul. -Socrates
9. A man who is not virtuous, can never be happy. -Epicurus
10. Great adepts always practice the highest virtues. -Blavatsky
11. In human being, there can be no more truth than she’s got grace. -Swedenborg
12. Smile is a half virtue. -Eino Leino

The list could go on forever. Purpose of virtuous life in short is: glorification of the thought life + purifying the feelings + awakening of intuition, which together vitalizes material and the physical body until ultimate perfection. As a by-product, it can really bring happiness and relief from ignorance.

Next analogies illustrate meditation exercises and the relationship with virtues. As previously mentioned, meditation is traditionally divided into the three main states that are:

1. Concentration -> Calculation of breath
2. Meditation -> Monitoring breath
3. Contemplation -> Being

Each step may take years to achieve. Meditation is usually done in small time and space. Often the problem is: how to the results of meditation or contemplation may be moved to the presence in everyday life? Let’s assume we are not living monastic life or in retreat. I think that MOMENT can be extended to LIFE by exercising virtues. Let me show similar analogies here:

1. Concentration -> Electing one virtue as a theme of the day or week and keeping it in mind
2. Meditation -> Going deeper into the virtue and retrieving more information
3. Contemplation -> Being one with the virtue, becoming virtuous

There are two different translations and usage for the word contemplation. Here I use it as a third state of the process referring to Samadhi, but it can be also interchanged with 2nd state so that contemplation comes the 2nd and meditation the 3rd state.

Virtuous life changes all parts of the human essence and opens your senses to see the truths, both psychological and invisible. An interesting view to the implications of ethical life and the spiritual growth can be read from the book of The Esoteric school of Jesus by Pekka Ervast. It sheds light on the fivefold guide spoken on the Sermon on the Mount, how implementing five ethical instructions leads to the wisdom. Temperlessness, purity, swearlessness, unoffeding of the evil and love are a special blend of old traditional virtues, but also a modern or should we call new age virtues. This part of the teachings of Ervast was greatly influenced by Leo Tolstoy.

When MOMENT becomes LIFE, there is still one analog to go, where LIFE becomes WAY. WAY refers to initiation path where a chain of human lives perfects, mankind’s goal will be achieved, the individual will create a new body, “better rod from the old one” by editing a bit of an old Finnish dictum. Since the ordination of these issues will go more to talk about category of invisible realities, I will confine myself to just quoting Pekka Ervast, what he said in a lecture about the initiation path in 1926:

This way, we can briefly describe that initiation is a kind of threefold mystery. The first man will be received in some brotherhood. Second, the initiation is a certificate and the stamp that the knowledge was obtained, and thirdly that consciousness is expanded and the expansion of consciousness will continue.

This raises a specific question about the nature of the truth: is it obtainable alone by ones own merits? When we need assistance from the others, either brethren or higher facets that already has found the truth?

I leave that question open and finally want to present the musical structure of my album that presents the truth seeker path through the elements and principles by cultivating corresponding virtues. It is certainly not intended to provide any absolute equivalence between elements and virtues, but rather showing the naturally arising associations on my mind, which are nice to meditate on everyday life.

Mirha

(The end)

Please see also these informative websites of science of virtues:

http://scienceofvirtues.org
http://arete.uchicago.edu

And my article about virtues in business:

48 virtues for business and joyful life

1. Virtue of Truthfulness – Invisible realities
2. Virtue of Truthfulness – Psychological truths
3. With virtue you cannot be entirely poor… Without it you cannot be really rich

Content:

1. Music from Virtues album: Purity
2. Psychological truths
3. Invisible realities
4. Virtuous life as meditation
5. Music from Virtues album: Truthfulness

Music from Virtues album: Purity

This writing is a translation from Finnish lecture kept on Jyväskylä in November 2009. It tells about the path of the truth seeker and the virtue of truthfulness. When looking back, the road to the west where I’m living at the moment has clearly been through eastern religions. Theosophy has opened my understanding of differences and similarities between religions and worldviews. Rosicrucianism in turn, has deepened understanding of Western mysticism. Ultimately I believe it has shown a very important place of the cornerstone of the intellectual endeavor, namely the importance of virtuous life.

In the first part of the writing I will reveal some of my experiences with meditation and so called psychological truths. Second part is about invisible realities told in religions. Third part is dedicated to the virtues with complementary theoretical definitions and quotes. In conclusion, I try to bind together what I have opened so far.

Virtue of truthfulness – Psychological truths

The truth is hard to define, but life itself has brought some meanings to the word little by little. My seeking started when I was about 13 years old through the practice of martial arts, which I had been engaged in for several year prior. Through it I became captivated with the spiritual, even religious exploration. In the beginning I did not know the term of truth seeking, of course, but rather I swallowed oriental mysticism for its own sake. The natural childlike interest and curiosity was great and brought me with the reality behind.

At some point, however, it became clear that I was searching for something both in physical and mental or spiritual state. Physically, I wanted to achieve the body’s management and sustainability. Spiritually, I wanted to find the right kind of mental concentration and state where the physical being and doing should be light, harmonic and complete. It was somewhat obvious that if physical exercises could lead to a flexible and strong body, mental exercises and mental training were the ones that crowned the skills, making martial arts not only art, but also something that helped to exceed human limits. Interest in supernatural forces woke up at that stage, after all, some martial arts masters appeared in their performance to be almost superhuman (as an example I might mention Iron Shirt Chi Kung techniques). Some of the schools clearly taught that championship is achieved through internal power management. Physical exercises alone would never be able to reach the same level as Chi -force management.

The path transformed from a hobby to mind control and spiritual exercises, and of course to the literature, which discussed the underlying issues, oriental religions and beliefs. Soon, the information on these fundamental issues began to puzzle me and took more room in my life. The importance of the search for truth began emerging and meditation practices began to feel more important. Meditation is, at least at the beginning, a pursuit for something that has not yet been experienced, or at least has not been recalled. We talk about the pursuit of enlightenment or realization. We say that we are already gods, we are already Buddhas, and complete. We just need to remember and return it to ourselves, sweep away the curtains of forgetfulness. On early exploration we strive for the unknown. At best, we have only heard or read the descriptions of enlightenment. Therefore we can say truth contains an unknown element. The difficulty of the search for truth comes from the paradox: How to look for something that you do not know already? Not in any way, except that tampering and experiencing all kind of things, by sensing what feels right and cultivating.

One of the highlights of desiring the unknown and undefined was a mind emptying exercise that I continued to struggle with during martial arts practices. Idea of the empty mind, or mushin is that only a vigilant and empty mind is able to sense the counterpart and the necessary signs. An empty mind makes it possible to turn a situation to its advantage. It must not have any fear or hope. The mind does not latch into the hands of the other party, not the legs, not shoulders, not in the eyes or any other external factors, or designing the attack and defense movements. The mind must glide smoothly and in a continuous motion. In a way, one might think that you let cosmic reality and purpose to manifest, not just through your own wills and plans.

The three fold meditation, namely, calculation of breathing, observation of breathing and being silent is the simplest and most common method of emptying the mind. But think of a new approach. You sit down, cross your legs, calm down, you will begin to calculate the in and out of your breath. How fast you will find yourself mixing the calculation, because thoughts just went their own separate ways? We are talking about a very real spiritual exercise, one in which the effects may be one of the main virtues of what a person can achieve in life. This means the ability to focus the mind and thoughts to a single destination for ten minutes, even hours.

Now, if you get to the point where you are able to calculate slowly your thoughts to ten and even to a second time in a row, you have achieved something. This is actually something quite a few people can do, or even think about in their life time. However, practice is only about to begin. How does it sound that the flight of the thoughts is wholly stopped, all thoughts emptied on the mind? Impossible? Scary? What if thoughts would no longer pop up? What if there is the dweller on the threshold waiting for you? Is it even of any use? The mind invents one hundred reasons drift away from this exercise, but on the other hand, there is interest to know whether it is possible. If it is indeed possible, the interest may be greater than the reasons to avoid it. I must say that I had at least curiosity to go further and it was profitable. The first time I realized that thoughts had stopped, the realization was like winning a lottery or jackpot. I would even dare to compare it with some kind of enlightenment experience. The moment was brief, daunt and strong. Empty mind experience has certainly expanded to new varieties and dimensions between twenty years. Psychologically, perhaps the most important aspect of the idea of an empty mind is that when the blank moment is reached, it opens up new tracks for the chain of association, which otherwise would go the same path day after day, year after year.

This is just one example of how aspiring to the unknown can reach to the goal if it is attempted enough. The paradox: How to miss something that you do not know is really a paradox only; it is nothing impossible or just reverie. In practice, I had books that transmitted information to me, that I did not know true in forehand but only learned its value through my own experience.

The truth may be the pursuit of such achievement. However you cannot realistically say anything with certainty, except when you have experienced it. Even then, as time goes by, your certainty decreases. Now we can see couple of definitions to the truth: unknown, emptiness, insight, experience, and joy. It is said that the truth frees us. Freedom raises pleasure, which I could describe by a cow, which has wallowed the whole winter in the barn and feels the delight and joy when it is released into free pasture from gate in the spring. Pleasure fills each of the cells and half years of being in one place no longer seem cumbersome. The whole body and mind are full of joy, elation and limber.

The empty space is not actually a void but contains everything as opportunities of expressions. Those opportunities will always try to emerge one way or another, usually through thoughts. The activity is a natural presence, emptiness is a natural root. After this experience comprehended by my own reasoning, I do not see any danger and fear, on the contrary, it has very much to offer. In fact, I do not believe that man can live a very happy and harmonic life without encountering this unpredictable, perhaps the scary side of the truth. Buddhists have named this element of emptiness by the word sunyata.

The other side of the truth is perhaps more theoretical, but you have to remember that what is theory and feels theoretical for one person; another may take it as very practical and concrete. Eastern philosophies includes practical basic psychological truths from happiness to basic nature of life, that can be found in life by observing, studying and living, but it also includes more difficult to verify religious premises and axioms.

(to be continued – Invisible realities)

1. Virtue of Truthfulness – Invisible realities
2. Virtue of Truthfulness – Virtuous life as meditation
3. Nature has placed nothing so high that virtue can not reach it

“The words are late mediaeval, and were among those incorporated into the Kanteletar, the body of folk lyrics and poetry collated by Elias Lönnrot in parallel with his work compiling Finnish folkore into the epic Kalevala. The oldest known printed version was that noted down by the musician and ethnographer Giuseppe Acerbi on a trip to Lapland in 1799. In the mid-1800s, a Stockholm civil servant, Carl Gustav Zetterqvist, was so taken with the poem that he wrote around internationally and solicited 467 translations (they weren’t published, but reside in the Elias Lönrot Collection, Finnish Literature Society, Helsinki). As with any orally transmitted text, there are variants such as these two, Finnish and Karelian, of a shorter version, the one Goethe translated in 1810 as Finnisches Lied.”

http://segalbooks.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

Finnish lyrics I’m using here goes like this:

“Jos mun tuttuni tulisi
Ennen nähtyni näkyisi
Tuntisin tutun tulosta
Arvajaisin astunnasta

Vielä kaulahan kapuisin
Vaikk’ ois kalma kaulan päällä
Vielä vierehen menisin
Vaikk’ ois vierus verta täynnä

My recording is very rough made with Olympus voice recorder, since I couldnt break inspiration by setting up computers, programs and such.

English counterpart for lyrics:

Should my treasure come
my darling step by
I’d know him by his coming
recognize him by his step
though he were still a mile off
or two miles away.

And yet my treasure has not
his mouth bloody from a wolf
his hands greasy from a snake
nor his neck in death’s clutches:
his mouth is of melted fat
his lips are as of honey
his hands golden, fair
his neck like a heather stalk.

Since there are many different versions and wordings for this common melody, its easy to find other performances. Here is one lovely version for your pleasure:

1. Find out 10 to 14 songs from different continents, countries or ethnic groups
2. Make uniform arrangement for each melody, rhythm and vocal part of the songs
3. Record songs with group of co-workers and artists
4. Share musical views through different windows to the unique experience of different cultures and their spiritual heritage

So I’d like to find a typical and describing song for each of the selected part of the world. Songs should have sophisticated theme for lyrics, not just songs about love or hate, perhaps some spiritual meaning behind the message, but not in narrow meaning. In addition rhythmical and melodic part of the song should describe the common personality of people or culture living on the area.

Second step is to make arrangement for guitar, perhaps one other ethnic instrument, singer and in some cases maybe choral part. If we think oriental or African native songs, they usually have conversation between lead singer and audience, so it would be crucial to get that feeling on such songs.

It might be necessary, that some lyrics must be translated to common languages, but I’m preparing to cover some exotic languages also. Singer with multilingual talents is really hard to find, but not impossible as I’ve seen recently.

As a start for the project, I’m leaving an open blog post here for comment and giving suggestions to the first part of the project. If you have time and interest, you could help me a lot by replying to these “small” questions:

Song name (native)  [write song title in native language]
Song name (English) [write song title in English or other common language]
Region              [country, continent or other area, where music is originated]
Music description   [describe rhythm, melody and instruments used in original 
                     song, link to music sample mp3 or video or any additional 
                     resource]
Lyrics description  [describe message on lyrics, link to lyrics sample or write 
                     lyrics here]

Give your name and email to the comment form so that I can contact you later. Please feel free to link to your website or for example Twitter account as well to get some link juice back.

When I get 10-14 songs collected, which may well take from weeks to months, I’ll raffle a $100 Amazon gift card between all serious contributors.

1. Some of my music inspiration sources
2. Greetings from summer vacation
3. Virtues album – Purity

I know, that hard work might help to find my own voice which could work with instrument I play. We all have a potential, that could sound both good and original. I believe it is same with any art and concerns every people. It just requires self knowledge, boldness and work. We have endless possibilities through imagination power. It just needs time to mature after you have seeded.

Some of music is little low volume because of no audio compressor used.

1. Classical and experimental pieces

Ballade for Fineland – Classical guitar composition, multiple tracks.

New Sonata – Piano composition from early days of 90′s

Waltz of winter solstice – Synth composition for christmas seasons.

Well, Well (Wedding edition) – My first steps toward understanding jazz music. You learn by doing I thought, but cannot deny the importance of good guides and teachers.

2. Vocalized

Power of Dreaming – Ballade to some person living on deep waters

Don’t let me go – Ballade mixing eternal and mortal love

Hoida meitä – This is a song I learned on a church choir group and recorded it later at home.

Ylistäkää Herraa – Choral multi-instrument song containing clear evangelizing attitude, which was inspired from one trip I made around Finland on 2001 and met a lot of christian groups and listened their music.

3. Maha mantric

Vaikuntha Saints – Experimental variation of Vaishnava hindus Maha Mantra mixing some other song which I learned on satsangs on 90′s.

4. “Metallurgia”

Wellamo – Story from our national epic Kalevala, where two heros called Väinämöinen and Joukahainen meet on a swamp and take a poetrical fight with each other. Our national instrument called Kantele is used here on intro with well known melody, that we used to play and sing on schools. This is live recorded with a drum player, basist and keyboard player contra to other songs that I’ve made on my home studio by myself from start to end.

Väinämöinen & Joukahainen meets by R. W. Ekman

Raw game, so shame – One more song that came up after enjoying too much Satriani, Vai and Malmsteen music.

Harry blind – It made days of work to put last classical part of the song together (with computer!) and realize the genius of some classical masters like Mozart. You just feel yourself so small, when listening their music.

5. Virtues – The latest project

Mirha – Read More

Purity – Read More

Truthfulness – Read More

Leniency – Read More

Have a nice moments!

1. World music – top 10 profound themes quest
2. Misty morning with Kalevala songs
3. Virtues album – Purity