Hellos dear friends!
This is a personal letter, a letter of gratitude and celebration!
Why? Well... because it is the first birthday of the Shanti Universe blog. One year of learning and growing together!
So, the intentions of writing this letter are to express gratitude, to share some information on what happens behind the scenes of this blog, and also to share some ideas on what we can look forward to.
Oh, and just a heads-up, in this letter, this 'me' or this 'I' is mentioned a few times, just for the sake of this letter. It will be gone in the next articles, as usual.
This is a personal letter, a letter of gratitude and celebration!
Why? Well... because it is the first birthday of the Shanti Universe blog. One year of learning and growing together!
So, the intentions of writing this letter are to express gratitude, to share some information on what happens behind the scenes of this blog, and also to share some ideas on what we can look forward to.
Oh, and just a heads-up, in this letter, this 'me' or this 'I' is mentioned a few times, just for the sake of this letter. It will be gone in the next articles, as usual.
Okay, if you are ready to hear more, please keep reading :)
The feedback, in the forms of questions, comments, etc. is usually the inspiration for new articles. So, you as the readers are a huge source of inspiration.
The inspiration is of course not limited to the readers only, but it also comes from real-life experiences and scenarios. Many of the articles are based on discussions between the author, friends, and family or scenarios we experience in real life.
See, this is why it is so much fun to write about these topics, because they are things we can relate to. Some directly, some indirectly, but most likely they are relatable to our lives in some way or another.
After a few months in Holland, we were able to move into our own apartment in Germany. My wife continues studying in Holland, and I started to work as a postman.
I wore this postman-mask (and uniform) for a few months, and this greatly changed my perception of this kind of work. Before starting this job, I had this idea that it is really chilled, driving your red bicycle and delivering envelopes all over town. You know? Shanti Shanti, burning a few calories and getting some fresh air too...
On the contrary! Not to go into detail, but as one may imagine, being in this part of the world, rain and sub-zero temperatures are nothing out of the ordinary. Also, the amount of post people receive in Germany seems to be more than I bargained for!
Now, this chapter is closed and this means that there is more time to invest in writing. What happens next? No idea, but as always, we remain guided by the grace of God.
As for the actual writing of the articles, it is not always easy to express our understanding in words. For example, solving a Rubix cube is one thing, but to express how it was done, word for word, is not that simple.
To write these articles effectively, a clear understanding is needed. This understanding, first of all, comes from grace. Secondly, it comes through contemplation. Reflecting on the topic, or rather, by resting the topic in the light of awareness, it becomes clearer and clearer. It starts to unfold itself. Eventually, it gets 'ready' to be translated into words, and this is the beginning of an article.
Lastly, and probably most challenging, these understandings are to be applied to daily life. If they don't become a daily practice or a way of living, they are nothing but empty words...
To conclude, this has been and still is, a tremendous learning opportunity. There is so much to learn, and I am most fortunate to have this opportunity to learn and grow together with the community. As said, by looking back at older articles, we can compare our current understanding to one year ago's understanding, and to our surprise, there may just be a little bit of spiritual growth. We may just realize that we actually learned something. Or rather, we may just realize that we un-learned something, that we were able to drop some ideas, some layers, some identities. Some masks...
I want to thank my teachers, in the form and formless, for their immeasurable grace, wisdom, and love. Also, the readers, online community, and friends, thank you for the endless support.
May we continue to learn and grow together.
In love, and in gratitude.
ॐ Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
Gratitude
Firstly, thank you for all the participation and support that have been coming in from all over the world. The comment section on the blog may not be highly active, but a substantial amount of feedback has been received personally, and through WhatsApp, Facebook, and other platforms.The feedback, in the forms of questions, comments, etc. is usually the inspiration for new articles. So, you as the readers are a huge source of inspiration.
The inspiration is of course not limited to the readers only, but it also comes from real-life experiences and scenarios. Many of the articles are based on discussions between the author, friends, and family or scenarios we experience in real life.
See, this is why it is so much fun to write about these topics, because they are things we can relate to. Some directly, some indirectly, but most likely they are relatable to our lives in some way or another.
Behind the scenes
Exactly one year ago when this blog was started, I was living in Holland in a student house. Just married and sharing a tiny room with my wife, and the house with four other students. Needless to say, it was quite an interesting time, and... I learned to appreciate impermanence.After a few months in Holland, we were able to move into our own apartment in Germany. My wife continues studying in Holland, and I started to work as a postman.
I wore this postman-mask (and uniform) for a few months, and this greatly changed my perception of this kind of work. Before starting this job, I had this idea that it is really chilled, driving your red bicycle and delivering envelopes all over town. You know? Shanti Shanti, burning a few calories and getting some fresh air too...
On the contrary! Not to go into detail, but as one may imagine, being in this part of the world, rain and sub-zero temperatures are nothing out of the ordinary. Also, the amount of post people receive in Germany seems to be more than I bargained for!
Now, this chapter is closed and this means that there is more time to invest in writing. What happens next? No idea, but as always, we remain guided by the grace of God.
Busy 'blogging'
To be honest, one year ago when this blog started, I had no idea how to 'blog'. Now, one year later, I still have no clue how to 'blog', but it seems to be going a little bit smoother. Yes, a little bit.
As with anything we practice, we gradually start to see an improvement. When I looked at the articles of one year ago, I could clearly notice the difference. In the beginning, the articles were quite clumsy and not sticking to the point. Now, with a tiny bit of experience, it feels like the articles are being structured and expressed in a slightly better way. Accordingly, some of the older articles have been slightly edited, just to make the reading a bit easier, but they keep the same essence.
As with anything we practice, we gradually start to see an improvement. When I looked at the articles of one year ago, I could clearly notice the difference. In the beginning, the articles were quite clumsy and not sticking to the point. Now, with a tiny bit of experience, it feels like the articles are being structured and expressed in a slightly better way. Accordingly, some of the older articles have been slightly edited, just to make the reading a bit easier, but they keep the same essence.
As for the actual writing of the articles, it is not always easy to express our understanding in words. For example, solving a Rubix cube is one thing, but to express how it was done, word for word, is not that simple.
To write these articles effectively, a clear understanding is needed. This understanding, first of all, comes from grace. Secondly, it comes through contemplation. Reflecting on the topic, or rather, by resting the topic in the light of awareness, it becomes clearer and clearer. It starts to unfold itself. Eventually, it gets 'ready' to be translated into words, and this is the beginning of an article.
Lastly, and probably most challenging, these understandings are to be applied to daily life. If they don't become a daily practice or a way of living, they are nothing but empty words...
Going forward
At this point, one year in, we have taken the first baby step by creating a foundation to work on. From here, we can build on this together. As friends, as readers, please do not hesitate to get involved. Feedback and ideas are always deeply appreciated.It would be a great honor to do more collaborations. If anyone would like to do an article together, or even some meditations or an online course, please don't hesitate to reach out. We have done a couple of collaborations in the past, and it was really fun.
To conclude, this has been and still is, a tremendous learning opportunity. There is so much to learn, and I am most fortunate to have this opportunity to learn and grow together with the community. As said, by looking back at older articles, we can compare our current understanding to one year ago's understanding, and to our surprise, there may just be a little bit of spiritual growth. We may just realize that we actually learned something. Or rather, we may just realize that we un-learned something, that we were able to drop some ideas, some layers, some identities. Some masks...
I want to thank my teachers, in the form and formless, for their immeasurable grace, wisdom, and love. Also, the readers, online community, and friends, thank you for the endless support.
May we continue to learn and grow together.
In love, and in gratitude.
ॐ Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
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| One of my favorite views (and memories) - On a water tower, seeing the sunrise behind the Mahabodhi temple. |
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