I’m engaged! + 10 days of silence + Off to India!
Posted on Nov 28th, 2007
by 
Brian
Brian
I’m engaged! + 10 days of silence + Off to India!
…
I’m heading to India tomorrow and wanna get caught up before I take off.
Three big things for this (very) (long) post:
I’m Engaged!
First, the big news: I got engaged last weekend! I popped the question after our 10 say silent Vipassana meditation course. :)
You can meet my lovely Alexandra here.
The quick story: Alexandra’s friend (thanks, Matt!!!!) told her about Zaadz about a year ago. (He’s a raw foods guru and knew she’d dig the site as she was raw at the time as well.) So, she went to the site, liked it, wound up on my page and said to herself, “I’m going to marry that guy some day.”
☺
Fast forward to about 8 months ago. Alexandra moves out to LA, starts working with some friends on an Eco-Event. They’re looking for sponsors. She tells her friends they should get Zaadz to sponsor the event for two reasons: 1. Zaadz would be a great sponsor; 2. She’s going to marry its CEO and needs an excuse to meet me.
☺
As it turns out, one of the guys working with her was in the Toastmaster group I went to 6 years ago and he gets in touch with me (thanks, Mike!). I pass him on to Siona as she handles all the biz deals like that for us. Long story short, she hears about Alexandra and sends me an IM that goes something like this:
Fast forward to the first date the following week following about 50 of the funniest text messages I’ve ever read.
We go for a hike at 10am. Then to lunch. Then to CostCo for a blender (who does that on a first date?!?) then to the grocery store (she’s hooking me up with all her favorite foods) then to my place then…it’s 3pm the NEXT DAY and she’s walking to my kitchen and I have this feeling that we’ve been dating for a couple years. Weird!
Fast forward 7 months and lots of growth and discovery and …
I’m committed to the most beautiful person I know to create a life of growth, service, playfulness and fun.
Pinch me.
(Special thanks to my coach, Bert Parlee, who provided incredible wisdom and space as I opened to love; to Gay & Katie Hendricks who showed us what type of love is possible by modeling the most incredible relationship I’ve ever seen and then taught us some of the basics in their amazing courses; and to another new friend David Emerald who taught us how to show up as creators in our relationships. You guys transformed our consciousness over the last several months and without your wisdom and support, I wouldn’t be taking this beautiful step. Thank you.)
(And, of course: I love you, Alexandra. Thank you for inspiring me. I’m giddy to manifest our dreams together.)
Off to India!
And, we’re headed to India for our pre-honeymoon tomorrow. ☺
We have a one-way ticket and the only things that are booked are our first 2 nights in Bombay plus the next 10-day Vipassana course we’re taking on January 2nd in Igatpuri, Maharashtra, India.
I’m bringing 50 books with me and don’t plan to come home until I’ve created “Cliff Notes”-like summaries of all of them that I’ll be using as the cornerstone of the “thinkArete.com Notes” I’m creating. I’ll be capturing the big ideas from my favorite self-development books in a ~5 page PDF and offering that in both PDF and audio + I’m going to interview all the authors and get their take on the big ideas from their books/their hero’s journey/best practices/top advice. Very excited about that. When I get back I’ll bundle those into a monthly “book club” for $10-$20/month and/or $5-$10 per summary.
That’s all part of my bigger picture plan over the next 5 years. I’ve decided to give myself my own Ph.D. In life.
I get a masters when I’ve distilled the wisdom of 100 of my favorite books. Then I work on my dissertation which is a book that distills the perennial wisdom into a highly practical philosophy applicable to our 21st century lives. To develop the ideas in the book, I’ll be leading online and offline workshops. I get the actual Ph.D. when 1 million people have read the book. ☺
Fun.
So back to the trip: we’re probably going to hit northern India first—maybe even sneak up to Nepal before it gets too cold. Can’t wait to see Varanasi (arguably the holiest city in the world). The TajMahal (of course), Sarnath where the Buddha gave his first teaching on the Four Noble Truths, Pune to study at Osho’s ashram and so many other amazing places. Then the meditation course then southern India. And then probably Thailand/Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam (with another 10-day Vipassana in Thailand in February prolly) and maybe China and Bali.
Fun fun.
And this leads us to:
10-Day of Silence in my first Vipassana Course
I think my first 10-Day silent Vipassana meditation course was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Seriously.
Imagine getting up at 4am every day (I’m an early riser so that actually wasn’t bad) then meditating for 10+ hours from 4:30am to 9:00 am for 10 days. (Um. THAT was much more challenging. ☺ I literally meditated more in 10 days than I had my entire life. ☺)
The first three days I nearly packed my bags and split. And probably would have if I hadn’t left my “Brian is…” message here at Zaadz set to “… in a 10-day Vipassana meditation course.”
D’oh!
Well, that, and I was incredibly inspired to look over (oops! wasn’t supposed to do that ☺) at my love and see her so focused…
And, I’m incredibly glad I made it thru those first few days. I learned SO much. Here are some of the “Big Ideas” I’ll be polishing from the course:
Alright. More than enough for now.
I gotta finish my packing and get out of here but wanted to share!
With so much love and appreciation to all of you for sharing in my joy and helping to create it with your inspirational lives and presence here at Zaadz.
In growth and liberation,
-bri
P.S. If I don’t respond to your comments immediately, please forgive me! I’m wandering around India somewhere and will say “hi” at the first available internet café. ☺
And, I leave you with some of my favorite thoughts from the Buddha:
“Your work is to discover your work ad then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
“Believe nothing. No Matter where you have read it, or who said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own common sense.”
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.”
“More than those who hate you, more than all your enemies, an undisciplined mind does greater harm.”
“Little by little a person becomes evil, as a water pot is filled by drops of water...Little by little a person becomes good, as a water pot is filled by drops of water.”
“One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield.”
~ Buddha
~ Buddha
…
I’m heading to India tomorrow and wanna get caught up before I take off.
Three big things for this (very) (long) post:
1. Heading to India (!)
2. Just got out of my first 10-day silent Vipassana course
3. I got engaged (!!!!)
I’m Engaged!
First, the big news: I got engaged last weekend! I popped the question after our 10 say silent Vipassana meditation course. :)
You can meet my lovely Alexandra here.
The quick story: Alexandra’s friend (thanks, Matt!!!!) told her about Zaadz about a year ago. (He’s a raw foods guru and knew she’d dig the site as she was raw at the time as well.) So, she went to the site, liked it, wound up on my page and said to herself, “I’m going to marry that guy some day.”
☺
Fast forward to about 8 months ago. Alexandra moves out to LA, starts working with some friends on an Eco-Event. They’re looking for sponsors. She tells her friends they should get Zaadz to sponsor the event for two reasons: 1. Zaadz would be a great sponsor; 2. She’s going to marry its CEO and needs an excuse to meet me.
☺
As it turns out, one of the guys working with her was in the Toastmaster group I went to 6 years ago and he gets in touch with me (thanks, Mike!). I pass him on to Siona as she handles all the biz deals like that for us. Long story short, she hears about Alexandra and sends me an IM that goes something like this:
Siona: I have a woman who wants to marry you.
Me: Sweet!
Siona: She’s raw, meditates daily, is an All-American volleyball player, massage therapist and a fitness model.
Me: Um. We can make that work! ☺
Siona: I just got off the phone with her. She’s awesome. You need to go out with her. Call her right now.
Me: I’m heading out for a hike. I’ll call her when I’m back.
Siona: Call her now! I told her you would.
Me: Uh….
Siona: Seriously. Call her: 805-xxx-xxxx. NOW!
Me: hehe. OK!!! I’ll call her.
Fast forward to the first date the following week following about 50 of the funniest text messages I’ve ever read.
We go for a hike at 10am. Then to lunch. Then to CostCo for a blender (who does that on a first date?!?) then to the grocery store (she’s hooking me up with all her favorite foods) then to my place then…it’s 3pm the NEXT DAY and she’s walking to my kitchen and I have this feeling that we’ve been dating for a couple years. Weird!
Fast forward 7 months and lots of growth and discovery and …
I’m committed to the most beautiful person I know to create a life of growth, service, playfulness and fun.
Pinch me.
(Special thanks to my coach, Bert Parlee, who provided incredible wisdom and space as I opened to love; to Gay & Katie Hendricks who showed us what type of love is possible by modeling the most incredible relationship I’ve ever seen and then taught us some of the basics in their amazing courses; and to another new friend David Emerald who taught us how to show up as creators in our relationships. You guys transformed our consciousness over the last several months and without your wisdom and support, I wouldn’t be taking this beautiful step. Thank you.)
(And, of course: I love you, Alexandra. Thank you for inspiring me. I’m giddy to manifest our dreams together.)
Off to India!
And, we’re headed to India for our pre-honeymoon tomorrow. ☺
We have a one-way ticket and the only things that are booked are our first 2 nights in Bombay plus the next 10-day Vipassana course we’re taking on January 2nd in Igatpuri, Maharashtra, India.
I’m bringing 50 books with me and don’t plan to come home until I’ve created “Cliff Notes”-like summaries of all of them that I’ll be using as the cornerstone of the “thinkArete.com Notes” I’m creating. I’ll be capturing the big ideas from my favorite self-development books in a ~5 page PDF and offering that in both PDF and audio + I’m going to interview all the authors and get their take on the big ideas from their books/their hero’s journey/best practices/top advice. Very excited about that. When I get back I’ll bundle those into a monthly “book club” for $10-$20/month and/or $5-$10 per summary.
That’s all part of my bigger picture plan over the next 5 years. I’ve decided to give myself my own Ph.D. In life.
I get a masters when I’ve distilled the wisdom of 100 of my favorite books. Then I work on my dissertation which is a book that distills the perennial wisdom into a highly practical philosophy applicable to our 21st century lives. To develop the ideas in the book, I’ll be leading online and offline workshops. I get the actual Ph.D. when 1 million people have read the book. ☺
Fun.
So back to the trip: we’re probably going to hit northern India first—maybe even sneak up to Nepal before it gets too cold. Can’t wait to see Varanasi (arguably the holiest city in the world). The TajMahal (of course), Sarnath where the Buddha gave his first teaching on the Four Noble Truths, Pune to study at Osho’s ashram and so many other amazing places. Then the meditation course then southern India. And then probably Thailand/Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam (with another 10-day Vipassana in Thailand in February prolly) and maybe China and Bali.
Fun fun.
And this leads us to:
10-Day of Silence in my first Vipassana Course
I think my first 10-Day silent Vipassana meditation course was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Seriously.
Imagine getting up at 4am every day (I’m an early riser so that actually wasn’t bad) then meditating for 10+ hours from 4:30am to 9:00 am for 10 days. (Um. THAT was much more challenging. ☺ I literally meditated more in 10 days than I had my entire life. ☺)
The first three days I nearly packed my bags and split. And probably would have if I hadn’t left my “Brian is…” message here at Zaadz set to “… in a 10-day Vipassana meditation course.”
D’oh!
Well, that, and I was incredibly inspired to look over (oops! wasn’t supposed to do that ☺) at my love and see her so focused…
And, I’m incredibly glad I made it thru those first few days. I learned SO much. Here are some of the “Big Ideas” I’ll be polishing from the course:
1. Vipassana: the word literally means seeing things as they really are. The entire practice of Vipassana is to bring the meditator to a deeper and deeper awareness of the constantly changing reality of nature and to free us from suffering.(learn more and sign up for your own course here: http://dhamma.org)
2. 3 Causes of Suffering: Craving, Aversion, and Ignorance. We suffer when we find ourselves craving, avoiding and failing to see the impermanent nature of reality.
3. Sila. Sila is the moral conduct required to prepare oneself for Vipassana practice. The 5 precepts: no killing, stealing, lying, intoxicants, or sexual misconduct.
4. Samadhi. Samadhi is the concentration of the mind—a necessary skill to have in order to penetrate the truth of reality. If we have a monkey-mind constantly jumping from idea to idea and do not have the ability to focus our mind, we can’t advance in our Vipassana practice.
5. Pañña. Pañña is the wisdom of insight. This is the wisdom of seeing things as they are.
6. Pañña: faith, intellect, experience. Goenka (the meditation teacher from Burma who leads he class via video and audio presentations throughout the 10 days…with his assistant teachers who are in the meditation hall) teaches that there are three forms of wisdom: faith (which is simply believing what someone told you); intellect (thinking about something and believing it is true) and experience (actually KNOWING something is true not b/c you thought about it but b/c you’ve EXPERIENCED it. Powerful distinctions…
7. The smaller the area of focus > mind's clarity/power. This is huge. For the first 3 days (!!!!) we simply focused on our breath coming in and out—working to feel the sensations on the triangle encompassing the upper lip to the upper nostrils. His point was very simple: we MUST develop the strength of mind (Samadhi) to be able to focus our attention. And, the smaller the area of focus, the greater the mind’s power. I got a huge flash of insight on this one related to setting goals in one’s life—the more narrow the focus, the more powerful the intention and the more likely you’ll be able to rock it.
8. Strong determination. This one’s my favorite. During the 10 hours of meditation every day, we worked in roughly 60 minute chunks. We were allowed to move to a comfortable position/rest as necessary. EXCEPT for 3, 60 minute chunks each day (after day 4) when we were to sit in “strong determination”—committed to NOT flinching for the entire hour—we couldn’t open our legs, our hands or our eyes. This is a reasonably big deal b/c, if you’ve ever sat in meditation (and especially if you don’t sit a couple hours a day before the class), your body tends to get a little cranky about 30 minutes into it. But you can’t move. I committed to going 17 for 17 during the course and learned SO much as I honored that commitment. Perhaps THE key to the success in my business life is due to my “strong determination”—when I committed to my two businesses (eteamz and Zaadz), failure wasn’t an option and I went through A LOT of pain and obstacles to make it work. I now see just how powerful it is to bring this practice of strong determination even more powerfully to my professional life and, of course, to the rest of my life (hence, my engagement, for example). I’ll be writing a lot more on this…
9. Sankaras. Sankaras are basically the negative karmic impressions we make in our lives--they can be like a line drawn in the water that dissolves immediately, like a line drawn in the sand that disappears in a day or like a line etched in stone that stay with us for a long time. Idea: live with awareness and equanimity. create no more sankaras.
10. Equanimity. One of my favorite words before the course and DEFINITELY one of my favorite words now. This is one of the keys to enlightenment. As we bring awareness to our lives, and wisdom to our experience of the impermanent nature of reality, we can respond with equanimity—not losing our balance of mind as we realize that all things rise and all things pass—therefore there is no need to crave of avoid these impermanent realities.
11. Elephant: 5 blind peeps; 5 partial truths. You’ve prolly heard this one. 5 blind people who have never seen an elephant each touch a different part and describe what an elephant is. One grabs the leg and says, “An elephant is like a tree trunk.” Another grabs the tail and says, “An elephant is like a broom.” And so on. The point: they all express their limited and partial truth of reality. And so do we all…The trick: to recognize our vantage point is only one of many partial truths and to appreciate the different vantage points from which others see the world.
12. Gifts not received belong to the giver. Classic story of an individual coming to the Buddha with anger and violent rage. The Buddha did nothing but calmly smile and ask the man, “If someone comes to your house and offers you a gift that you refuse to accept, whose gift is it?” The angry man replied, “Well, the person who intended to give the gift would still own it.” And the Buddha said, “And so it is with your anger.” Refuse to accept unwanted gifts…
13. “Work diligently...patiently...persistently...” I don’t know how many times Goenka said “Work diligently. Diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently. You’re bound to be successful. Bound to be Successful.” That’s my new favorite quote. Think about that. If we work DILIGENTLY, PATIENTLY and PERSISTENTLY we are BOUND to be successful. Amazing…
14. Anicca, anicca, anicca. “Anicca” is pronounced “Anicha” and, in Pali the word means “impermanence.” It describes the reality of nature. Everything that arises passes. You. Me. This emotion. That emotion. EVERYTHING that we experience passes. So why crave? Why avoid? Anicca, anicca, anicca….
15. Annapanna. This is the form of meditation we practiced the first 3 days—focusing on the breath coming in and out of our nostrils and feeling the sensation on the area above the upper lip and in and around the nostrils. Powerful tool to develop Samadhi.
16. 5 Seeds of Corn. Great story: the woman who heads up the household dies. In Indian culture, the woman controls the family finances so the widower needs to select one of his 4 sons wives to become the new head. He gives each 5 pieces of corn and asks them to watch over them and bring them to him in 4 years for him to decide who will take over. The first daughter says, “Oh! What a waste of time. The crazy old man.” And throws them away. The second thinks they may have magical powers and eats them. The third takes them and puts them on her alter next to her gods and worships them each day with the others. The fourth takes them and plants them in the land behind the house. In four years each tells their story. The fourth says, “We will need help getting all the corn from the hundreds of plants that have grown from the 5 seeds I planted.” She got the job. ☺
Alright. More than enough for now.
I gotta finish my packing and get out of here but wanted to share!
With so much love and appreciation to all of you for sharing in my joy and helping to create it with your inspirational lives and presence here at Zaadz.
In growth and liberation,
-bri
P.S. If I don’t respond to your comments immediately, please forgive me! I’m wandering around India somewhere and will say “hi” at the first available internet café. ☺
And, I leave you with some of my favorite thoughts from the Buddha:
“Your work is to discover your work ad then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
“Believe nothing. No Matter where you have read it, or who said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own common sense.”
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.”
“More than those who hate you, more than all your enemies, an undisciplined mind does greater harm.”
“Little by little a person becomes evil, as a water pot is filled by drops of water...Little by little a person becomes good, as a water pot is filled by drops of water.”
Access: PublicTagged with: love, alexandra, thinkArete, gay and katie hendricks, david emerald, bert parlee, travel, india, vipassana, buddhism, buddha
WOOHOO!!!! Congratulations to both you and your beautiful beloved Alexandra! WOW on the trip to India too…. remember…. my spirit is already there… so you just might recognize me in the sunset or through a breeze… or who knows… one of those mosquitos! {giggles}
Have a fabulous time!!! And once again…. CONGRATS!!! The two of you are so incredibly inspiring and fabulicious together!!!
Congratulations Brian and Alexandra.
How awesome.
I wish you and your beloved Alexandra a life filled with love and laughter, compassion, joy, and bliss, as you walk beside each other, supporting each other, learning from and with each other, loving each other, and having mega fun!!!!!!!!
Are we all invited to the wedding?
huge Jaguar hugs and a forest of faerie magic coming your way.
Thank you for sharing, and Congratulations!!!!!!! to you both. Enjoy the trip.
YEEHAW! That's really wonderful news. Engagement, insight during meditation, and going to India.
Enjoyed your 16 points by the way.
Have fun on your trip and many blessings to you both.
Namaste'
Congratulations to you and Alexandra. I love hearing Love stories and this was a good one, Thanks. It's also exciting to hear of all your plans.
Much Love & Peace
thanks, guys!!!!
I'll send your love to Alexandra!
group hug! :)
-bri
P.S. Will say “hi” MsK. :) and we'll have a big virtual wedding, JG!! :)
I love you!
I just might be the luckiest girl in the world! :)
Yummmy!!
xoxoxoxoxo
update on trip:
I'm having dinner with Robin Sharma on Monday in NEW DELHI. How cool is that?!? He just happens to be there on a speaking tour. Wacky.
too fun. :)
(and, *I* am the lucky one, ms. Alexandra. :)
Brian and Alexandra I'm so happy for you! Your story is so awesome and romantic. Zaadz should have an engagement party for the both of you….lol! I wish you happiness,peace and joy! Have fun in India! Big Hug! :)
Congradulations! A & B !
We'll be in Thailand next month renewing our vows in a traditional wedding ceremony.
You've reminded me that my first 10 day Zen retreat coincided with The Harmonic Convergence. Anybody here remember that? I wouldn't be surprised if many an older Zaadzster participated in that 'global moment' of intentionality and gathering.
THANKS FOR LOVING!
Kerry
WHAT… engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yuk….. what happened to that zero attachment thing…. i guess ur growing up…. oh well… but hey Alexandra… this rocks… like totally…
love u both ^.^
MAZEL TOV!!!
and i'm not even Jewish!
I Love You! BIG Hugs!
i'm with Jaguar Goddess, We all want to come to the wedding!
XOXOX
s: consider this part of the engagement party!! :)
j: very cool. congratulations!!! to loving!
p: hehe
l: heheheh. mazel tov indeed!!
Congratulations to you Brian and Alexandra….
Ain't Love Grand!
What an awesome story behind it too!
Have fun in India!
Thank you for sharing your story here with us :-)
I wish you all the best for both your lives :-)
… and a great trip !!!
Diana
Congratulations, you two!!! I am so happy for you! Have fun in India, and hug Green Tara for me.
Smooches!
Dana
WOW! congratulations to you and Alexandra. may you both have peace, love, happiness and Divine discontent :)
here's a song from me to both of you.
http://coolmel.zaadz.com/blog/2007/11/this_song_is_for_brian_and_alexandra
safe travels and blissful existence :)
~C
Wow congratulations to you both!!! What a beautiful and inspiring love story. Say hi! if you fly over Europe!
And thankyou for sharing your vipassana experience. I've been considering it all year so now I'm going to check out the barcelona centre :)
Hey Kerry - I was in Thailand for Harmonic Convergence. Koh Pangan - no power, no road and harmonic peace. Began my yoga practice there!
Bless you Brian and Alexandra - have a wonderful life together.
Lindsay
OMG!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!! YAY! I am SO SO SO SO happy for you both. I can hardly contain myself. I love you both. You rock. Congratulations. Wow.
May you live happily ever after, growing and breaking through all kinds of obstacles and having incredible journeys of depth and discovery. I know you will. YAY!
You made my day.
Holy crap and Congrats!!
You give me a hope that I can manifest my dreams and follow my bliss.
Oh, Brian.
I'm so glad you finally told that story here; I'm so glad you MADE that first call; I'm so glad Alexandra's intuitions were so brilliantly clear, and that you were so open to them; I'm so glad you're experiencing India–not to mention the rest of your beautiful lives–together.
Congratulations, again and again and again.
Whaaa?! Outstanding, sir. Congratulations! Have a wonderful trip (as if THAT will be difficult to do). Would love to see you and the future Mrs. when you get back to Los Angeles. Big hugs!
Congratulations!
Siona, you did a very good job by the way. If there is a nice guy available somewhere, just call me ok :).
Thanks for sharing that! Too cool. I would wish you both a lot of things, like a lot of fun and a harmonious relationship, growth, and what not- but after reading the story, it is obvious you are already destined for all of those things. :) Keep following that gut- it seems to lead you to good places. ;) Have a blast, Brian. :)
That was the Mother of all Blogs…
Well, beautiful, just beautiful.
Congratulations. Bon Voyage! Namaste. Your Zaadz have certainly broken ground.
Love One Another
p.s. When you get back to LA again, we should have a party. I want to touch the hem of your garb. LOL!!!
We're at the chicago airport waiting to board our flight to bombay and smiling at all these amazing comments.
and still smiling. :)
btw: I could only squeeze 40 books in without risking breaking my back. I've got a sweet little mobile office–notebook, keyboard and mouse and all those books. I've gotta take a picture of my bag and the ratio of clothes to books. :)
too fun.
so much love,
-b+a
CONGRATS!!
If you head up to Rishikesh, check out Parmath Niketan philosophy lectures, i heard from other yogis that its cool,
Enjoy the Holy Cows, the Gods and Goddesses…
Congrats again!
And that is a very accurate description of the teaching from S.N. Goenka. You have an outstanding ability to capture those Big Ideas!
For others reading, please do look into the 10-day courses: http://dhamma.org . And feel free to contact me with questions about them. I just completed a course as well, my 3rd, and now I'm starting to really understand the power of this practice.
AHHHHHHHHH Congratulations!!!!!!! So happy for you on ALL counts!!!! Many blessings and lots of love as you step into all of it :)
Love,
Scott
wow Wow WOW…..being arete is so amazing!!!…..don't forget about the outrageous aspects of it all….hoping you remember to make love in the taj mahal as a prayer to my father and burma….remember mani is always somewhere if you need the greatest love of india….to be present, or any other help you might need…… blessings of blissfullness on every step of the infinite and eternal journey. all the love i am …always surrounding you both….
what an awesome story! :)
smiles and hugs!
Jaz
BRAVO! Felicitaciones! Pozdravlenia! Nasluka!…
Brian & Alexandra in One-derful Union! More than beautiful and inspiring!
Since you both know so well who you are and what love is, we envision an incredible inner and outer adventure full of exciting experiences, discoveries and surprises.
May you have the most amazing journey ahead as you share between you and with us the gift of life, love and service in the spirit of arete. May you enjoy the bliss of fusing bodies, minds, souls and spirit in manifesting your highest potential, hearts' desires & dreams.
Bon Voyage Amigos, ThinkArete, FindJoy & Be Love as yo do/are!
With abundant gratitude for the blessing in the open that you are.
We embrace both of you as we rejoice & celebrate with you,
D a r i n a :)
Your post was so filled with happiness and light. I wish you both many joyful years together filled with wondrous discovery.
Congratulations to you both!
Your lights radiate and I am honored to know and experience you both personally ~ 3rd Panna of wisdom. :)
The journey never ends…. be patient, enjoy each and every moment my friends.
Congratulations! What a wonderful story.
Blessings and travelling mercies to you on your trip.
An over the internet hug to you both,
E.
Hi Bri,
Congratulations!!!!!!!
Apart from the news of your engagement itself, the write-up is abs great - starting with how clear Alexandra was that she's going to marry you (before meeting you), and how she got her meeting with u….etc etc.
and then the write-up on the big ideas from vipassana…
bless u for your wisdom, and for who you are!!
much love and laughter all the way!!!!
enjoy India/Asia!!
Wow! What an inspiration you are for living life to the fullest and, with a partner like Alexandra, I can't wait to see what comes next. Thanks for sharing your story with us and trusting we'd read almost every word. The world needs more good news like yours.
Tricia
PS: Love the enlightened Cliff Notes book club plan. Sign me up!
What a great story! Shalan and I send our congratulations and warm wishes, and hope the spirit remains long after the scenes change…
Congrats, dood! Ayako and I are very happy for you. Hope your honeymoon recipe combines plenty of honey with just the right amount of moon :)
Hi Brian, Congratulations on your engagement . Best Wishes to you and Alexandra. I think she is a determined young lady who knows her own mind and succeeds in getting what she wants.
I read with a lot of interest your notes on the rigorous Vipassana course. You have explained so succinctly. What I needed to learn, and now I have, is dealing with another person's anger….its a gift I dont have to receive any more ! So now I can handle it calmly, smilingly and of course with equanimity. Thank You and God Bless You.
Marjane
Aloha Brian & Alexandra,
May you both expereince the most luscious flow through India you could ever not imagine.
Much Love, Gobs of Laughter & Blessed IS,
Jeremiah
Blessings. I pray you safe journey. And Congrats!
Congratulations! All my love and best wishes for a magical life together!
Blessings to your engagement and safe journey. If you need any help in Kathmandu, I'm here. I've been to only one course in VM here in Kathmandu with Goenka himself conducting it way back in 1986. My husband Megh has been to three, last one just a month ago at the Vipasana Centre on the hilltop of Budhanilkhant which you might want to visit when you're here. Let me know.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Words cannot describe how grateful I am that you allow us to peek in to your life. Your expression is true inspiration and mentorship from a distance. I look forward to hearing about your trip and about your evolving relationship. How exciting it is to see two people come together with purpose for what they can do for the world! I suspect you two will be some of the role models I desired to find regarding life partnership!
CONGRATULATIONS!! What wonderful news!!!!!! :) Love is grand! Enjoy enjoy enjoy! Have a glorious trip!
Congratulations to your engagement (what a fun story). May you and Alexandra have a wonderful time in India. It's such an amazing country, stretching and challenging one on many levels (I can't believe it's already 9 years since I have been there).
Congratulations also that you persevered through the 10 day Vipassana course. Yes, it is one of the hardest things to do, but so rewarding in understanding the mind, body, self, and life much more.
Many blessings,
Elisabeth
congratulations :-)
Oh JOY!!!
Congratulations to you both on your commitment.
Thank You for sharing the Love Story and the Life Story.
Be ever-present in India ;-)
Blissful Blessings for you Both! Muuuuuah!
What a sweet and romantic story. Congratulations to the both of you. Thanks for sharing and I know that your love for each other will grow much more! Have fun!
Congrats! I hope your marriage and life together stay as beautiful as they began.
O'yonde ne Nanewenee'
wow. what amazing comments!!!
I'm typing this from Osho's meditation “resort” in Pune, India so please forgive the brevity, but thank you Nikki, Kathy, Resurrected1, Quietlaughter, Elisabeth, Shamineh, Music Attracts, Mila, Janeen, Whitewolf, Jeremiah, Badhwarpark, ~Matthew, CMG, Tricia, KoolK, E, Mark, Wish, Joy Bringer, Jaz, Rasa, Scott, Duff, and Jacquie.
Wow again. You guys amaze me.
we're thrilled and honored and blessed to have so much love sent our way and are excited to share many joys in the months and years and decades ahead.
hugs and love and high fives,
-bri
P.S. Update on the travel front: OMG (!) India is intense. :) Amazing place but I've realized that I'm less in a “soak up the culture/explore/adventure” mode right now and (much!) more in the “find me a beach so I can get thru the next 35 of the 40 books I read/transform my consciousness/document all that I'm learning” mode. As such, we're flying to Bangkok on Sunday and will be in a bungalo on the beach by mid-week. :)
P.P.S. Books I've read so far:
couple of my friends' books coming out soon:
- Shawn Phillips' new book, “Strength for Life.” Best fitness book I've read. All kinds of big ideas–from a “basecamp” before tranforming your body to working out your gratitude muscles to approaching training as a meditative, spiritual proactice. Comes out in a couple/few months I believe. Great stuff.
- Brent Kessel's new bok, “It's not about the money.” Genius. Brent's part yogi/part financial planner and his ideas are incredible–from helping you discover your money “archetype” and your core story around money that's driving the show to a plan to integrate spirituality and wealth. Brilliant. COmes out soon methinks.
and:
- “Constructive Living” by David Reynolds–a book Dan Millman has been recommending to me for awhile that I finally got. Brilliant. Short and sweet. Highly recommend it.
- “Self-Discipline in 10 days.” A bit cheesey but potent cheese. :)
- “Feel the Fear and do it anyway” by Susan Jeffers. HOw did I go this long without reading this!??! If you haven't read it. Get it. Seriously. Top 10 self-dev book for me.
- And another one that I can't remember but accidentally left in Mumbai. :)
Big Ideas coming soon!!! (first I need to get the power cord I left at home that was just shipped over to Bangkok :)
Alrighty. Off to meet my 5 hours of reading per day quota and enjoy a bit more before we head out! Love and love and gratitude!
Amazing Brian! You are living the dream. :) Have fun with it!!
Hi Brian!
Congratulations on your Engagement!
How's your trip in India going? and where in India are you?
Anyways take care and congrats again.
Excellent! Huge congrats and Hugs!
David
Hi Brian-
I joined this site a little while back but have recently really become more involved and am enjoying it immensely. Thank you for this blessing-
The story of you and your fiancee is beautiful, wonderful & inspirational & a symbol of the joy and happiness we all deserve and can choose to experience in this life- wishing you the greatest love on your journey with your goddess as you travel closer to becoming one with SOURCE~ I also really like the Big Ideas you received from your course you took, especially #12- that one is sticking with me already!
Light to you : )
Jen
50 books, wow! that's alot of books! i have two things to say to you, bri…
1) KINDLE!
By Amazon. It rocks! Doesn't replace that oh-so-magical feel of holding an actual real live book in your hands, but it sure does take a lot of weight off traveling. Being a book lover, I resisted it strongly… but have since succumbed to the techno-savvy side… what a fantastic idea & invention, as a supplement to real books for those times when you just can't carry your entire library with you! Any book you want, any topic you want, any quote you want, any idea you want, all searchable & downloadable, the moment you want it. mmmmmm… now that's delicious!
And speaking of delicious, here's the second thing:
2) CONGRATULATIONS on your powerful, passionate plugged-in plove! (that's play and love combined, for those plerkers out there. hee hee). I am absolutely ecstatic for you!! Can't you all just feeeeel the loooooooooove in the air??! Aaah, delicious!
Wishing you two the BEST, BEST, BEST, and BEYOND!
Love and light,
Tree
I have just one thing to say…WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!! k…so I lied I've got a lot more to say. I am so happy for you and Alexandra. I know how awesome it feels to find that special someone. And it's great that you guys are taking a pre-honeymoon trip together. So I say again…way to go!!!!
Blessings, Brian and Alexandra. I honor and appreciate your love story unfolding so beautifully. I believe that mine, with time, will develop as gracefully and energetically.
Paul
Congratulations to you both! Have a great time in India, and the rest of the places you go, and remember to look up from your books every once in a while. I second the Kindle idea, but it's a little to late now! As you travel, 'be here now.'
Enjoy enjoy and share! Pictures! Love!
Tree: hilarious. Amazon was sold out of the kindles when I looked right before the trip. d'oh.
I don't know what I'd do without the paper! Alas…in time! :)
Thanks for all the love, guys!
Just posted this: 50 Word “Mini-Sagas”
hugs and love!
-bri
WOW! I am in awe! Thank you all for your love, blessings and kind words! :)
It is a beautiful feeling to have so much love radiating our way! yummy!
We radiate the love back to you from India (soon to be the beaches of Thailand ahhh!) :)
Very cool stuff, congratulations. I'm not sure if it's allowed but if you can and you get a chance I would try to check out some of the ancient Jain monastaries, from what I've seen in documentaries they are incredible pieces of beauty. May you have a blessed and safe trip.
Ha, cool - i'm in Pune at the moment as well.. was considering a little time at Osho's place but unlike yourself i'm more in the “soak up the culture/explore/adventure” mode and the Ashram didn't feel right at this point of time.. I am interested in the January 10 day meditation you are attending tho and was wondernig if you can elaborate on it..
love :D
ixvix: (nice name) check this out!
Lion: thanks!
Thanks to all three of you (Siona, Brian, and Alexandra) for brightening my day, and helping me remember that there are a lot of good things out there for all of us. Hope you have a wonderful life together!
Absolutely fabulous! What a wonderful story to share with the rest of us! Congratulations! Remember to have tons of fun along with your spiritual practices. While we are spiritual beings, we are still having a human experience in the now, and you are there with your newly beloved. Love one another well and truly!
Nancy
thx, gg!
and thx, Nancy! thx for the reminder and worry not! We shall indulge in all manners of fun!
much love and I'm off to bangkok…
-bri
When You have rhe time….How was the dinner with Robin Sharma ? ?What did you talk about ?