Sunday, December 31, 2017

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Kavita Byrd - In the infinite unseen



My heart makes love
In secret silence

To all that is.
My womb gives birth
To the universe
And my breasts
Suckle the stars.

Who knows near or far
In this cave of silence
Whose earth is the sky
No one sits but all
Existence.

I am this
Which never dies
Which rocks the seas of being
In its dreams
And cradles all creation
In the infinite unseen.



 

Miriam Louisa - Morning Star



Woken by a shift

in the Earth’s breath,

I sit in silence –

the pre-dawn hush

and my green tea for company.



In the east,

over the Pacific,

a bright star soars,

shaking off the shackles of night.

Its brilliance beggars belief.



I blink, I bow, a thought flashes:

Never forget that

more than two millennia ago

Gautama saw this star

and knew


{ as do you }



that nothing needed to be

understood, learned or believed

felt, integrated or expressed

fixed, healed or overcome

dropped or avoided

actioned or attained,

in order that his body’s naked awareness might meet itself

as the morning star.


{ Halleluja! }



 

Wednesday, December 27, 2017


Brian Browne Walker - The way of the Way



Forget all ideas
of accomplishing something —
in your practice and everywhere
else. Everything is already
accomplished.


If this sounds
like a tricky idea to you,
the flaw is in your understanding
of reality, not in reality
itself.


Allowing nature
to manifest is the way
of the Way. By setting aside
our ambitions and leaving
the Way to the Way,
we perfect the
Way.


Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 43
 




 

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

John O’Donohue - For One Who Is Exhausted, a Blessing



When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight.

The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before
Now become laborsome events of will.

Weariness invades your spirit.
Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.

The tide you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.

You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken in the race of days.

At first your thinking will darken
And sadness take over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.

You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.

Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.

Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.

Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.

Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.

Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.

 
 
 



Sunday, December 24, 2017

Rumi - “Gamble everything for love"



“Gamble everything for love, if you are a true human being. If not, leave this gathering. Half-heartedness doesn’t reach into majesty.”

Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi

 



♡[̲̅м̲̅є̲̅я̲̅я̲̅y̲̅ ̲̅C̲̅н̲̅я̲̅i̲̅ร̲̅т̲̅м̲̅α̲̅ร̲̅]

Friday, December 22, 2017


Jan Frazier - Life After Thought



"The past is a sheer cliff just back of your heels. It’s all down there, so far below that when you look over your shoulder and down, you can barely make out details of any of the rubble. The moment before this one is down there, tumbled in with the wreckage of yesterday, last week, last year, and the first day of high school. It’s all the exact same amount of past. You are standing in a place that is just the size of your shoes. You will never move. You only seem to move. Your feet cannot be anywhere but this now. The mind is able to move. The feet are here while the mind is twenty years ago, or next week, or maybe-someday, or an hour ago. The feet and heart are here. The past has all dropped behind you, gone as gone can be, but the mind can’t quite believe the utter goneness. It cannot see the utter impossibility of reconsidering, of remaking what has happened. The uselessness of trying to make it okay that it happened the way it did. Consolation is as useless as regret. The thing about the past is that it is gone. And that it is a fact. These are the only useful things to see about the past.

The future doesn’t exist. Only one thing is real: now. Only when the past is allowed to be a mere fact, only when the future isn’t counted upon, does it become possible to take a deep breath and actually occupy the present. This is why the mind is so significant. Why seeing that the mind isn’t you, isn’t life, is key to being here now. Whatever the mind creates for content is at a remove from immediate life. Suffering is created in the mind. You can’t stop the mind. But you can step outside and watch it create content. The reason you can do this is that there is more to you than your mind. When you step outside and see what it’s doing, you are in reality. You are here, now. You are experiencing the moreness of yourself, the hereness of yourself. You are able to see, from here, that the mind cannot do you harm so long as you don’t live inside it, believing its rendering of reality. What people tend to do, when they want to end the mind’s torment, is to try to use the mind’s own arguments to vanquish itself, to reason with itself. This will never work.

Just let the mind go on muttering to itself. Walk outside the room where it’s going on. It’s peaceful out there. After a while of doing this, when you get to where you can readily step outside, you’ll find that the mental content fades from color to black-and-white. After a while, when you stop living within it, you’ll feel your feet where they are. You’ll feel your heart. You’ll smell the air. You’ll face the present reality, whatever it is, with all your resources (including, by the way, your useful mental resources). Your attention will be on what you’re doing. You’ll forget there is even a past back there, that there’s a pile of rubble far below, just back of your heels. It’s all just what happened, exactly how it happened. Nothing more. You’ll find acceptance easy, natural. You won’t be afraid of the future, or try to make it a certain way. You’ll forget it’s even coming, because all of your attention will be right here."



 

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Chuck Surface - After...



 After The Beloved Filled my Heart...

I read that tears would never again fall,
But they did, for the suffering of this world,
And still... She remained, Compassionate, Merciful.

I read that frustration would never come,
But it did, in ways both petty and great,
And still... She remained, Serene, Unmoved.

I read that the movement of desire would subside,
But it arose, even in the midst of Fullness,
And still... She remained, Ecstatic, Rapturous.

I read that thinking would cease at last,
But it did not, only the "thinker" vanished,
And still... She remained, Silent, Still.

I read that fear would never again well up,
But it did, the "weather" of emotion continuing,
And still... She remained, Untouched, Unmoved.

All that I had taken myself to be, remained,
After The Divine Thief stole my self,
And still... I remained, no longer me.

So many things written in scripture,
Proved so terribly misconstrued,
After The Beloved Filled my Heart.

For all that had been before,
Though forever changed by Her Presence,
Remained thereafter...

Except for me.


 





Mystic Meandering - Guru Cat



 Peering over the computer screen,
with piercing eyes,
Guru Cat said to me:

Today
start to de-clutter your life
of that which does not serve the Heart,
or nourish the soul;
whether people, or
situations, or
beliefs, or
your immediate environment
would be good...
Look at this mess!

Create space for
LIFE
to enter, to flow
through you.

Yes, Guru Cat - I said.
I cannot contort myself to
the forms that others have created
any longer...

Guru Cat said:

Today
start to pick up the lost pieces
of your tattered psyche,
let go of the frayed and loose ends
in the fabric of your current reality,
and open to
"The Mystery" of being.

Be at peace with life;
not afraid of what life will bring.

Yes, Guru Cat - I said.


Guru Cat said:

So - Today,
reclaim your Self,
the Eternal Being
that inhabits your form,
that allows you to move on,
past the scatteredness, through
the overwhelm, and the inertia,
moving into pure Aliveness...

Let go... Relax...
Play more!

Do you see what I'm saying...

Yes, Guru Cat - I said.
Got it...

Today
I will start
writing a new life;
as soon as my computer comes back on line...

Seeing life in a new way...
Opening to curiosity...
Accepting the uncertainty of living...
Exploring my inner Resource...
Embracing change...
Experiencing life as it is...
Content to just be...

_/\_
purrrrrrr
Mystic Meandering
Dec. 17, 2017




Sunday, December 17, 2017

Shebi-Arus: Rumi’s Wedding Night



December 17th is Shebi-Arus, the celebrated “wedding night” of the adored 13th century mystic poet and teacher, Jalal-a-din Rumi. This was the night of his passing and his reunion with the Beloved. On that day, there was much lament for the loss of a man and yet there was rejoicing in the elevation of his soul. 



Khamush (Silence)
(Jelal-a-din Rumi)

“There’s a moon inside every human being.
 Learn to be companions with it.
Give more of your life to this listening.
As brightness is to time, so you are to
the one who talks to the deep ear in
your chest. I should sell my tongue
and buy a thousand ears when that
one steps near and begins to speak.”
 

“Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance”
Camille and Kabir Helminski, 1996




 “Carry your baggage toward silence:
when you seek the signs of the Way,
don’t make yourself the focus of attention.
The Prophet said, “Know that amid the sea of cares
my Companions are like guiding stars.”
Fix your eye on the stars and seek the Way;
speech confuses the sight: be silent.”

 

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Jiddu Krishnamurti - Out of silence look and listen




Out of silence look and listen. Silence is not the ending of noise; the incessant clamour of the mind and heart does not end in silence; it is not a product, a result of desire, nor is it put together by will.

The whole of consciousness is a restless, noisy movement within the borders of its own making. Within this border silence or stillness is but the momentary ending of the chatter; it is the silence touched by time. Time is memory and to it silence is short or long; it can measure. Give to it space and continuity, and then it becomes another toy.

But this is not silence. Everything put together by thought is within the area of noise, and thought in no way can make itself still. It can build an image of silence and conform to it, worshipping it, as it does with so many other images it has made, but its formula of silence is the very negation of it; its symbols are the very denial of reality.

Thought itself must be still for silence to be. Silence is always now, as thought is not. Thought, always being old, cannot possibly enter into that silence which is always new. The new becomes the old when thought touches it.

Out of this silence, look and talk.

The true anonymity is out of this silence and there is no other humility. The vain are always vain, though they put on the garment of humility, which makes them harsh and brittle.

But out of this silence the word ‘love’ has a wholly different meaning. This silence is not out there but it is where the noise of the total observer is not.

(taken from Bulletin 4, 1969)
 

 

Friday, December 15, 2017

Adyashanti - For once in your life




“Time to cash in your chips
put your ideas and beliefs on the table.

See who has the bigger hand
you or the Mystery that pervades you.

Time to scrape the mind’s shit
off your shoes
undo the laces
that hold your prison together
and dangle your toes into emptiness.

Once you’ve put everything
on the table
once all of your currency is gone
and your pockets are full of air
all you’ve got left to gamble with
is yourself.

Go ahead, climb up onto the velvet top
of the highest stakes table.
Place yourself as the bet.
Look God in the eyes
and finally
for once in your life
lose.”






Brian Thompson - Leave the I behind




Transcend the duality,
of your imagined personal self.

Quit self-identifying,
with that which you are not.

Abide mindfully in no-mind,
in the non-duality of pure presence,
in the emptiness of undistracted awareness.

No longer tolerate the mind's distractions;
you are not the I it presumes itself to be.

Abide in the infinite spacious expanse,
of the noticing presence that you have always been,
the nothingness in which the I and all that is attached to it,
is peacefully observed—and know that you are not it.

Leave the I behind.




 

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Eknath Easwaran - Abiding joy



  The question we may well ask is,
“If we are to have neither
pleasure nor pain in life,
are we not likely to become
insensitive to the joy of life?” …
This doubt arises from a wrong assumption,
that there is only pleasure and pain
and nothing else… Always cutting things up
into two classes –everything must be either this or that–
is one of the fatal weaknesses of the intellect.
Because of this dualistic trap,
we find it difficult to understand
that the rare person who is able
to receive good fortune without getting excited,
and bad fortune without getting depressed,
lives in abiding joy…



about Eknath Easwaran

 

Monday, December 11, 2017

Prasanna - Two the Love Story of One



In the Ocean of Love
There are no separate waves
…… There is just the Ocean, waving







  In the beginning……….

When nothing had begun yet,

there was neither darkness nor light.

That was IT.

IT was just the awareness that “IT IS.”

There was nothing.

IT was NO-THING.

IT was IT.

IT was like the deep sleep while awake

— without any thoughts, without any

dreams.

IT was like the night during the day.

Light and darkness were One

— in Love.


Source text here
 
 

Lalleshwari - Naked song



Enlightenment absorbs this universe of qualities.
When that merging occurs, there is nothing
but God. This is the only doctrine.

There is no word for it, no mind
to understand it with, no categories
of transcendence or non-transcendence,
no vow of silence, no mystical attitude.

There is no Shiva and no Shakti
in enlightenment, and if there is something
that remains, that whatever-it-is
is the only teaching.


HERE  Poems of  Lalla (PDF)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Danna Faulds - Allow



There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado.
Dam a stream and it will create a new channel.
Resist, and the tide will sweep you off your feet.

Allow, and grace will carry you to higher ground.
The only safety lies in letting it all in
the wild and the weak; fear, fantasies, failures and success.

When loss rips off the doors of the heart,
or sadness veils your vision with despair,
practice becomes simply bearing the truth.

In the choice to let go of your known way of being,
the whole world is revealed to your new eyes.



more on the author here



Friday, December 8, 2017

Jean Dunn - Find Out Who You Are



Jean Dunn speaks about life with Nisargadatta Maharaj. This interview was recorded by Malcolm Tillis in 1981, while Jean was living in Bombay, India.
 

Jean Dunn: I am just a normal person of fifty-nine who has been searching all her life until, ten years ago, she heard of Ramana Maharshi. She visited his ashram, went back to the States, then returned to India, where she has been living for the past four years. Two years ago she met Nisargadatta Maharaj, and he became her guru.

Did he give you some form of initiation?
He gave me a mantra and initiation.

How did you first hear about him?
At Ramana Maharshi’s ashram. Many people come to see him; ­there seems to be a tie.

Is it because of the similarity of Self-Inquiry?
It’s no longer that. Maharaj has had cancer of the throat for the past year, so his teachings have been polished; he is saying he’s no longer the consciousness, he observes the consciousness—he’s the Absolute. His teachings are now on that line.

Can you tell me something about his book, I Am That?
It’s in the form of questions and answers. The fifth edition is just coming out. It came out in two volumes in 1973, having been collected and edited by Maurice Frydman, who in late life became a disciple of Maharaj. There has been no further book published. Last year I asked Maharaj—I had been recording all his question and answer periods—if he wanted me to put them together for a book. He said yes. So Seeds of Consciousness will come out this year. Another volume will appear later: Beyond Consciousness.

In spite of his illness he gives darshan every day?
He is in much pain at times but manages to talk twice a day. He is one of the hidden saints, so he only draws a few people at a time. His teachings aren’t for the general public—we are blessed to listen to him.

How does he usually teach?
Up until his illness, it was by questions and answers. Now he will no longer teach the ABCs—he doesn’t have the physical strength; ­ he tells us the position, then it’s up to us.

He seemed to insist that I ask questions.
He wants questions to come out; then there will be silence so that remaining questions will be answered within yourself.

His following is mainly Western, by what I saw.
Westerners are in predominance; thousands have seen him—some for a few days, some stay for months. Some he makes leave at once. He says he doesn’t know why he sends people away, although they want to stay.

Are you living in India on a permanent basis?
Yes, I have a residency permit. I have finished work on the second book; the work is complete. Everything he has to say has been said.

Do you ever miss Western society, your home life?
Never.

Can you say something about your personal relationship to your guru?
There are no words to describe that . . .

Do you have an aim in life? For instance, to become one with him?
My aim in life is to lose an aim in life—that’s his teaching. There’s no purpose to this life; it’s just entertainment. That’s all.

That sounds rather Krishnamurthi-esque.
Many of Krishnamurthi’s followers come here—ten came recently.

How did Maharaj attain enlightenment?
You will find that in the first part of I Am That. I can tell you this: the first time he met his guru— his friend insisted on taking him; he even had to buy the garland to present to the guru—he never wanted to go.

Was he very young then?
He was in his thirties. The bidi (Indian cigarette) shop at the corner belongs to him; his son runs it. He had eight shops, but when his guru died, he left everything—his family and business. He wandered for months all over India, until he met a fellow disciple who convinced him it was better to live in the world. He returned to Bombay, but all the shops had gone except this one. He didn’t want anything; all worldly ambition had gone. When people started coming to him, he built that upstairs room.

It’s minute. What are the dimensions?
Oh, about nine by twelve. I’ve seen that room crowded, mostly by Westerners. He says Indians are not ready for his teachings.

Do you think it was because he didn’t want personal publicity that he appeared to be annoyed with me?
That’s correct. I feel sure that was the idea. He doesn’t want disciples—if they come, it’s fine; if not, that’s also fine. He gains nothing. He has reached the peak because he isn’t enamored of any­thing the world can offer.

Does he ever talk about other gurus and their methods?
He talks about the self-styled gurus who propagate their own con­cepts; but there’s nothing wrong with that at that level.

Does he admire any living teachers?
As far as I know, J. Krishnamurti. In the past, Ramana Maharshi. The other day he said, “Krishnamurti, Ramana and myself are one.”

Does he advocate a vegetarian diet?
That pertains to the body; he doesn’t teach anything to do with that. All he wants you to do is find out who you are.

His followers can drink and indulge in free relationships?
Whatever comes naturally to each person, he should do.

He gives no ethical guidance?
No. As long as you think you are a person and this world is real, then you live by certain rules. Once you understand the complete thing, your life lives itself … There are no rules, no good, no bad—I should do this, I shouldn’t do that. If you think about it, all this is taking place in this life span, in this span of consciousness, and when this consciousness goes, what difference does it make?

Does he not advise detachment from worldly activities?
This comes naturally. The main and only thing he teaches is to find out who you are. The closer you come to this, the more detached you become from the world; that will happen naturally. You can’t do anything to make that happen. This idea of doing something is an ego idea “I” can accomplish. Maharaj says the consciousness drags you there by the ear because it wants to know about itself, your true nature.

What has he said about leaving the body at physical death?
For him, it will be a great festival— he’s looking forward to it. For those thinking they are the body, it will be a traumatic experience. For an enlightened person, it’s a joyous time.

When he gives you meditation, does he ask what you see inside?
There has to be somebody to see something! (laughter) . . . No, he doesn’t. Visions and experiences take place in consciousness; they have no meaning whatsoever. Before you were born, did you know anything about this world? When you die—will you know anything about this world? You didn’t know you existed—you exist as the Absolute, but you aren’t aware of your existence. When this con­sciousness comes, spontaneously, you know “I am.” You grab a body and become identified with that. He wants you to go back, back, away from this into your true nature. Right now it’s consciousness; the longer we abide in that consciousness only and observe it, we see that everything we see is not ours—there’s a “you” seeing this.

But what does he teach about God?
Without me, there’s no God.

Really?
Yes.

And he’s teaching that?
Yes. Was there a God before you were? Without you, is there a God?

What brought me back into this body?
Do you remember a previous body?

Many people have that recollection. Are you saying we have never taken birth before?
There’s no “we”; there’s no entity; there is universal consciousness, which is continually expressing itself through these bodies.

Maharaj doesn’t believe in karma and reincarnation?
Correct.

Ramana Maharshi taught that, surely?
They will talk to you on this level if this is your level. But if you un­derstand what I’m saying—there’s only universal consciousness ex­pressing itself; there’s no individual—then he will bring you there. He will no longer speak of this. If you die with concepts, these concepts take another form, but they will not be you— you don’t know what that form will be. Concepts will come again until they are all gone.

What does Maharaj teach about selfless service, helping others?
On their level, it’s good. But his teaching is that there are no others, no individual entities; everything happens spontaneously; there’s no doer. He teaches: Let this life live itself and understand you are not this.

We are not “this”— then we are “that.” What is “that”?
“That” is consciousness right now.

Right now? What will it be when we leave the body?
The Absolute.

Then what comes back?
Consciousness is continually renewing itself. You throw a piece of food into a corner; within a few days, worms will come—life, con­sciousness. The same consciousness in that worm is in you. It’s not “my” consciousness, “your” consciousness; it’s one universal con­sciousness, and that universal consciousness is you.

At our level of understanding, aren’t all these concepts? Didn’t you find these theories confusing at first?

The first day I came to Maharaj, he said, “My beingness is a product of food . . .  and the same consciousness in the donkey was in Sri Krishna.” I went to get a reservation back home; none was available, so as something inside knew this was true, I went back. He had jerked the rug from under my feet, and he kept on doing this until I lost any place to put my feet. He forces you to let go of all concepts.

Does he often send people away who come to see him?
Often. He never knows why, though. Every moment watching him is like a spectacular movie; every person’s need is taken care of­. I’ve watched that happen. You can sit quietly, but questions you have inside will be answered. Everything happens according to your need. There’s no him; he has no purpose of his own: that’s why this can happen. There’s no ego there to bump against.

Living so close to an enlightened being can’t be easy.
It’s not easy if you have any ego left.

Can you say something about the positive side?
There are no words for it; everything is taken care of automatically. There’s no “you” to thank God for anything anymore. You let go of everything. There’s no you, no separate entity; everything is hap­pening spontaneously. It’s like there’s a quiet space where you are, yet everything is happening around you.

What work did you do in America?
I worked on newspapers.

Is there a reason why people get involved with imperfect teachers?
We as human beings think there’s a reason for everything; there are no reasons, no causes—it’s a causeless happening. As long as we are on this human level and think there’s a cause, we will be able to come up with one. If some people are taken for a ride by false gurus, you can say this is happening to them to get rid of something­—whatever happens is perfect. We are just to understand there’s no personal consciousness; everything is impersonal, you see.

But when we meet a perfect teacher, it’s our consciousness which recognizes that, surely?
Yes.

Then our lives change.
Yes.

That’s the new life?
Correct.

That’s part of the divine plan requiring no effort?
No effort.

To round off, could you say what are the benefits gained from coming into contact with your guru.
I’ve gotten rid of the idea there’s somebody going to benefit from something . . . (much laughter)


source text here

 

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Karen Richards - My Nature is Silence



Oh what can possibly be uttered,
Of that beyond all time?
Which apparently asks for nothing,
Nor questions as to why?

Life, the greatest mystery,
Oh what does it all mean?
Is there something lying beneath,
The surface of all that’s seen?

Amidst the suffering and chaos,
There lies the greatest gift.
To live life anchored in the Self,
No longer seemingly adrift.

In this crazy world of opposites,
Is it possible to simply see,
That experience is but a mirror,
And that there is no you nor me…?

Deep dissatisfaction and striving,
A symptom of forgetting,
The truth of who you ARE –
The source of all the fretting.

Suffering is the great awakener,
Although it can be hard to tell,
That there is a deeper reality,
Beyond mind’s living hell.

What if it was suggested,
You are not what you think.
Would this ease your troubles,
Or take the mind to the brink?

For once the beloved calls,
From beyond even a name,
Nothing remains but silence,
All seeking is in vain.

Diving off the cliff of false identity,
Beyond all ideas and sense of Self,
Beyond the image of a ‘me’,
Outside of conceptual thought and time,

Lies hidden – seemingly from view,
The truth of who you ARE,
Something you always really knew.
Although it seemed so far –

Instantly into life’s heart ‘you’ melt,
Without a sight or sense or sound,
Sweet clarity abounds –
And, what was forgotten – simply found.

My nature is silence,
No words can explain,
To speak of apparent paradox,
Is to re-enter the illusion game.

Upon the deepest letting go,
It’s all so very clear,
That life is forever simply ‘this’
All that ever was, just ‘here’.

Love reigns on ‘earth’ right here, right now,
Impossible to miss,
Ruthlessly ending the search for peace,
Revealing life’s eternal kiss…


 
“Being anchored at the seat of yourself is paradoxically like total freefall with nothing to understand & no place to land. Nothing to do but respond here now to what is happening without knowing why, nowhere to go but where life appears to be inviting you to go this moment – without there ever be-ing an escape from HERE. A continuous flowering of infinate petals from a centre-less centre.”




Matt Kahn - Abiding in consciousness



 “Before attempting to abide in consciousness, first investigate consciousness directly to see if there is anything else to abide in. After close examination, which might not take you more than a few seconds of inquiry, you may realize a few important things.

You may see for yourself how you cannot abide in thoughts. Thoughts appear in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however thoughts momentarily appear.

You cannot abide in reactions. Reactions appear in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however reactions momentarily appear.

You cannot abide in body. Body appears in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however body momentarily appears.

You cannot abide in the world. The world appears in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however the world momentarily appears.

When you realize there is nothing but consciousness to abide in, you’ll realize how consciousness is always effortlessly abiding in the vastness of itself. Inevitably, the teaching of abiding in consciousness is recognized, not as a formal instruction, or a repetitive practice, but a reminder of what is already so. As this insight dawns upon you, abiding in consciousness will be recognized as everyone’s reality and nobody’s spiritual practice.”



 

Bob O’Hearn - Lovers’ Pantoum



White light infiltrates me as I expand into it.
The interpermeation of self and supreme —
there are no words with which to say this.
I am the one who writes down words.

The interpermeation of self and supreme —
you are the one who makes up words, I am
the one who writes down words. You asked,
“Who is there?” I replied, “Your Darling!”

You are the one who makes up words, you
wanted to know what I wanted most, I said
“Everything, nothing. I am your Darling!”
Somewhere, a softly glowing silence.

You wanted to know what I wanted most.
I responded, “To see you happy!”
Somewhere, a softly glowing silence.
I claimed an unconditional love.

I said, “I wanted to see you happy!”
We whispered as lovers across the pillow.
I claimed an unconditional love.
One love was playing as if two.

We whispered as lovers across the pillow.
I had no patience for a waiting game.
One love was playing as if two.
You wanted to know where I had been.

I had no patience for the waiting game.
I replied, “I have been within you!”
when you asked me where I had been.
What did I see there? “Only God!”

I have always been here, within you.
There has never been a speck of distance.
What do I see there? “Only God!” I say.
You replied, “Then why is it so empty?”

There has never been a speck of distance.
This is the essence of our timeless truth.
You inquired, “Then why is it so empty?”
I answered, “Only to reveal our truth!”

This is the essence of our timeless truth: pristine
feeling to infinity, boundlessly expanding space.
This is how I would answer to reveal our truth.
You asked, “Can it be done?” I answered, “No.”

Feeling to infinity, boundlessly expanding space —
“Where can one safely live then?” You asked.
You wanted to know if it could be done.
“Only in that silence.” I replied.

“How can one safely live then?” You asked.
“Only by resorting to the guidance of the Heart,
Beloved, only in that silence.” I replied.
“Where can such silence be found?”

Only by resorting to the guidance of the Heart,
can one transcend any threat of disaster.
You asked, “Where can such silence be found?”
Only by relinquishing any resistance to the Heart.

One can transcend any threat of disaster, by seeing
the uncontrived presence of things as they are.
Only by relinquishing any resistance to the Heart,
can the truth of everyone and everything be revealed.

The uncontrived presence of things as they are
is the effortless state of our own true nature, where
the truth of everyone and everything is revealed.
After this, words themselves could go no further.

The effortless state is our own true nature.
There are no words with which to say this.
After this, words themselves can go no further.
White light infiltrates me as I expand into it.

If I tried to say more, listeners would hear
their own heartbeat . . . there would be
no flesh, no bone, nor any limit.
Amen, Amen, Amen.