Zen Evolution TV

PEACE

2010-05-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

Peace. Everybody wants it. But not a lot of people are willing to work to get it or make it happen. Whether you are listening to songs about peace, marching for it, wishing for it or making it as cliché as a speech in a beauty pageant – the thing that people don’t realize is that peace begins with each of us.

One of our favorite songs here at Zen Evolution TV is “Let There Be Peace On Earth and Let It Begin With Me.” And the reason we love this song is because it’s true.

If you want there to be world peace, but you live a life damning others and cannot accept every person you meet despite your differences, you’re a hypocrite for wanting peace that can’t happen, because you’re part of the problem.

Here at ZETV we are multi-cultural. We employ every color on the planet. Every person who works here has a different religious, ethnic and social class background. We have straights and Gays and Transgender. We have people of all ages, married, single, divorced – from high school to elderly. All shapes, all colors, all sizes. We accept each other’s differences. We have people here who are carnivores and vegans working side-by-side. We have people who differ on their political viewpoints. The only thing that matters is that we have love and peace in our hearts, souls and beings. We are all-loving and all-accepting and we are peaceful, because we don’t discriminate. We embrace differences.
And we are human and no one is perfect, but we accept that, also.

The point is, we cannot have Zen and share it with you, if we are not Zen ourselves. We cannot promote peace if we are not, ourselves peaceful beings.
Acceptance and love are the answer. Tolerance and understanding are tools. Communication and celebration of each person’s uniqueness is part of what makes us whole, what makes us different and what makes each person special, not superior to the next.

If we can move forward in life, not sweating the small stuff and not over-dramatizing what we cannot control and instead work with a pro-active mind and heart in showing up each day as the best loving beings we can be – wouldn’t the world be a beautiful place to be?

What if today were your last day? Would you want it to be spent, agonizing over someone taking your parking spot, or having a fight with a loved one, or showing up as your worst possible self – and that being the very last thing people remember about you?

We know that not everyday can be perfect. And none of us are perfect. But if we were to embrace each day as is and enjoy it and spread joy and love to all those around us, even in the most challenging of times, being helpful and supportive and positive, wouldn’t that be how we would want to show up?

Life is short. We must remember what matters most. And if peace is the answer, then can’t we propose the question of what would you do to have peace in your heart each day? And shouldn’t that be the action you take on everyday?

Namaste. Peace to all.

Stacey Kumagai- Zen Goddess 9, Integrity & Wisdom and all your friends at Zen Evolution TV

NAMASTE FORWARD

2010-05-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Before I go on with this blog, I will post this image to begin.

NAMASTE:
“I honor the place in you, in which the entire Universe dwells. I honor the place in you which is love, of truth, of light and of peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, WE ARE ONE.”

I’ve been asked by many Zen Evolution TV viewers what Namaste means. This is what prompted this image above to be posted on our Zen Evolution TV Myspace so that it would be present for those who would question its meaning.

However today, I felt it was time to talk about NAMASTE on a deeper level.
Let’s start with the basics. Namaste is Sanskrit. It comes from the two words Namah and Te. “I bow to you.”

Now while the origins of Namaste travel back to India or Nepal, ‘bowing’ isn’t something that is foreign in any culture, even if the word Namaste is. A performer on stage will bow to the audience in conclusion of the performance as a ‘thank you … thank you for your time, for receiving my talent, my gift of expression, my art.’
While most associated with the Japanese culture – the constant bowing action can be given and received simultaneously as a greeting of hello/goodbye physically. It is used in arriving and departing, similar to how the Hawaiian word ‘Aloha’ means both hello and goodbye. In Medieval times peasants often bowed in the presence of kings.
I don’t necessarily view “Namaste” as a means of bowing as much as the meaning behind what the bow represents – and to me, it is synonymous with RESPECT.

To me, RESPECT is everything. In order to get respect, you have to give respect. And even if you don’t receive respect, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it, just because you didn’t get it. Respect is a full-circle thing, like life. It is what makes the world go around.

Without respect, there cannot be acceptance. Without acceptance, there cannot really be love. And without love.... well, what’s the point?

Isn’t the point of life to live and to love? Thus, shouldn’t we honor a life of love with respect?

Let’s look at Namaste from another point of view. There is a life lesson to be learned.

Re-read the meaning of Namaste.

“I honor the place in you, in which the entire Universe dwells. I honor the place in you which is love, of truth, of light and of peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, WE ARE ONE.”

Now couldn’t the same be said of hate, prejudice, judgment and anger? When we dishonor the place in someone where their Universe dwells and we dishonor the place which has love, truth, light and peace. And instead aggravate it, push buttons, and get that person angry, don’t we then trigger them to be angry at us and in turn, we get angry?

There was a PSA (public service announcement) back in the 1970s which spoke of eliminating hate as an emotion. It’s a negative emotion, one which destroys humanity.

So with this knowledge, doesn't it make sense to become the positivity which NAMASTE stands for?

Can you imagine a world, where we exercised utilizing NAMASTE as our base, as our foundation, as the place where we all come from? Wouldn’t that be a beautiful and wonderful world?

Imagine if we took the time to look within to respect and honor someone’s spirit and soul….

Perhaps then, we would have a world filled with love, truth, light and yes, even peace.

We don’t need to wait for the rest of the world to catch up. We can have peace each day, everyday, within our being, within our own spirit and within our own hearts and minds. If we take the time to practice the action of NAMASTE each day with all those we come in contact with – from our family and friends, our co-workers and colleagues, our neighbors and strangers we encounter while living our lives and pay NAMASTE forward…WE CAN CREATE OUR OWN UNIVERSE OF love, truth, light and peace. And if this perhaps inspires someone, at some moment to share this and become this and live like this, maybe we can’t create world peace today or tomorrow for the world, but in time we can, one person at a time, and it begins with ourselves.

Namaste.

Stacey Kumagai – Zen Goddess 9, Integrity & Wisdom and all your friends at Zen Evolution TV

THE ZEN BREEZE

2010-04-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes as you try to get through a long week, all you can think about is the weekend. Some of you who just got a new job and haven’t been at your place of employment long enough to take a vacation, or some of you who used it up this past flu season, adding it to your sick days…we understand. Some of you may be cutting back or unemployed and we know how tough that might be to even think of a vacation right now.

Here at Zen Evolution TV we’re working overtime into the weekend so our weekends aren’t like most people, so we empathize.

While we do take annual vacations, sometimes we’re still working. Or some weeks are just tougher than others.

We want to remind you of the many things which can create Zen. Today, Ana felt swamped, exhausted and alone. Everyone was working on other assignments today and Ana was itching for a vacation. She enlightened us today with a story about her going outside on her coffee break. Ana said just 10 minutes outside in the breezy weather we’ve been having made her feel like she had escaped the monotony of where her own mind had been – on work and errands she had to do after a long commute on the freeway. 10 minutes. But she said one minute was even enough to help her mentally go back to her Zen space.

We often take for granted and forget what 10 minutes or even one minute can do – if we allow our whole being the opportunity to release stress. While some people meditate, or take power naps or even just enjoy a brief snack through the day to let their minds go, we don’t realize how important this is to do. It’s very typical to think that something so basic can’t help our minds get to a better place. But we’re so plugged in these days, we don’t realize that the simple things outside of our office doors or windows is life waiting to be enjoyed. Even if it is just a simple breeze that we feel across our faces and through our hair… the faint sound of chirping birds or leaves dancing in the wind. Even an airplane overhead can make us fantasize about our paradise, just a plane ride away.

So as we say how thankful we are for this being Friday and wish you all a wonderful, beautiful and breezy weekend – we say, don’t forget to let go and allow yourself to escape as the breeze takes you to your ZEN space.

Namaste.
Stacey Kumagai – Zen Goddess 9, Integrity & Wisdom and all your friends at Zen Evolution TV

NEW REFLECTION

2010-04-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Time has flown. And Spring has sprung! Spring forward – that is the time when an extra hour of sleep or an extra hour of work, or an extra hour of play would be welcomed instead of losing it. Here at Zen Evolution TV, we’ve been scrambling for the extra hour as we’ve been working overtime.

People have a newfound energy and seem to have more time to do more. Things get crazy and quite often this is the season when you hear everyone say “Oh – if only I had more time.” And you’ll also hear “When it rains, it pours.” It’s been raining in Los Angeles but time has gone away in buckets. And this doesn’t even necessarily have to do with April showers bringing May flowers as much as it has to do with the ‘energy’ that everything happens all at once.

There is no real respect for the idea of this time lost. Somehow it is meaningless and it is ‘thrown away.’

But all of us here have been using every second.
We had some technical difficulties… our entire year’s worth of blogs now gone. We have to start over and begin anew.

We apologize for being gone for so long. But while we were dealing with our technical difficulties, more personal loss with the death of more loved ones took over the last several months. We’ve still been in production and will be putting up an entire SEASON TWO of Zen Evolution TV shortly.

I for one, have missed and reflect upon losing my blogging time – my moments of having time to reflect on respect and reflect on life. We tend to get in this robotic pattern of going and doing and somehow along the way, think that we can make up for lost time by recapturing it somewhere. But the time never comes.

But then – I am humiliated back to a new Zen perspective of reflection. This is not about me or my loss of time. This is not about you or your loss of time either.
The irony is that we here at Zen Evolution TV have lost a lot of time. But we lost time to recapture time to reflect on new Zen.

We’ve lost a lot of ground. But not for the sake of neglect. But rather utilizing time to get a fresh perspective on the kind of Zen that is needed now more than ever.

Just like our daily lives change, the world changes. And just like the time changes… well our ZEN needs to change to reflect back a reverse image of what is going on so that we can recapture ZEN …. Again.

During this process, we were not really in our own Zen space at all. In fact it was the opposite. It was sad, chaotic, unbalanced. But it wasn’t even by our own hand…. It was by life’s hand.

This is a necessary process - making the way for new and fresh ways to keep Zen coming so that balance is achieved.

It is not a science. It isn’t an art. It is having the courage to take the time to walk away to get clear perspective to move forward.

And we had to do that.

2010 has started off with all kinds of tragedy. The Earth is moving, shifting… Haiti, Chile and yes, even here in Los Angeles – we had a 4.4 earthquake and additionally felt Mexico’s 7.2 earthquake on Easter.

So as the earth moves. We need to sit still. When the Zen feels compromised, it is because it is rightly so. It’s our wakeup call – it’s our newly found Zen moment. It is one that is not expected. It is one that is not planned for. It isn’t one we’re always ready to receive either. This is natural along the journey we call life.

The Universe delivers what it does. We need to be respectful of that and respectful of time, people and places. We need to honor the fact that sometimes, we must sacrifice our own Zen because we need to break away to be of service to others and give Zen to other places and people, not the same circle over and over.

While you, our special Zen friends may have felt abandoned – please know that we have not abandoned you – but Zen was needed elsewhere. It is with this we can come back to you with more Zen than ever to share and give freely… in abundance.

For this is the Zen way.

It’s a new day. It’s a new year. It’s a new Zen. May you feel it with all your being and bask in the beauty of what it will bring in the positive as you reflect to appreciate what you have.

Namaste.
Stacey Kumagai – Zen Goddess 9, Integrity & Wisdom and All Your Friends at Zen Evolution TV

www.ZENEVOLUTION.TV