The sea will be the sea, whatever the drop's philosophy...
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Jeff Foster - Do not define yourself, my love
Definitions are dead and of the past.
You are too alive for definitions.
You’re not a success or a failure.
You’re not a good person or a bad person.
You’re not a wise person or a fool.
You’re not beautiful, nor are you ugly.
You’re not enlightened, and you can’t be unenlightened, ever.
You’re not any one thing, nor nothing,
nor many things at once.
You are pure potential.
A vessel for life,
prior to any incarnation.
You always knew you were changing
too fast to be defined.
No concept can capture your vastness.
No mouth can speak your name.
No word can capture your outrageous fire.
You are too alive for definitions.
You’re not a success or a failure.
You’re not a good person or a bad person.
You’re not a wise person or a fool.
You’re not beautiful, nor are you ugly.
You’re not enlightened, and you can’t be unenlightened, ever.
You’re not any one thing, nor nothing,
nor many things at once.
You are pure potential.
A vessel for life,
prior to any incarnation.
You always knew you were changing
too fast to be defined.
No concept can capture your vastness.
No mouth can speak your name.
No word can capture your outrageous fire.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Susanne Marie - Mater Dei
artist unknown
Mater Dei
This that put together the elements of Earth, made me.
Fabricated out of That which dreams us all into being, I am.
I emerged out of the cauldron called Mother, am schooled by her laws, and I am blessed by the awareness of the sacred union of opposites.
Nothing touches me due to my inherent emptiness.
Everything penetrates me as I am the totality of existence.
In between the two I live, dance, play, and cry.
I live as the convergence of spirit and matter.
Everything is now known as Grace itself.
All that remains is to live this love.
With love and gratitude on Mother’s Day
This that put together the elements of Earth, made me.
Fabricated out of That which dreams us all into being, I am.
I emerged out of the cauldron called Mother, am schooled by her laws, and I am blessed by the awareness of the sacred union of opposites.
Nothing touches me due to my inherent emptiness.
Everything penetrates me as I am the totality of existence.
In between the two I live, dance, play, and cry.
I live as the convergence of spirit and matter.
Everything is now known as Grace itself.
All that remains is to live this love.
With love and gratitude on Mother’s Day
https://susannemarie.org/
Saturday, February 29, 2020
David Whyte - The bell and the blackbird
photo Peter Bowers
The sound
of a bell
still reverberating,
or a blackbird
calling
from a corner
of the
field.
Asking you
to wake
into this life
or inviting you
deeper
to one that waits.
Either way
takes courage,
either way wants you
to be nothing
but that self that
is no self at all,
wants you to walk
to the place
where you find
you already know
how to give
every last thing
away.
The approach
that is also
the meeting
itself,
without any
meeting
at all.
That radiance
you have always
carried with you
as you walk
both alone
and completely
accompanied
in friendship
by every corner
of the world
crying
Allelujah.
of a bell
still reverberating,
or a blackbird
calling
from a corner
of the
field.
Asking you
to wake
into this life
or inviting you
deeper
to one that waits.
Either way
takes courage,
either way wants you
to be nothing
but that self that
is no self at all,
wants you to walk
to the place
where you find
you already know
how to give
every last thing
away.
The approach
that is also
the meeting
itself,
without any
meeting
at all.
That radiance
you have always
carried with you
as you walk
both alone
and completely
accompanied
in friendship
by every corner
of the world
crying
Allelujah.
Thanks to being silently drawn
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Jiddu Krishnamurti - Meditations
In the space which thought creates around itself there is no love. This space divides man from man, and in it is all the becoming, the battle of life, the agony and fear. Meditation is the ending of this space, the ending of the me. Then relationship has quite a different meaning, for in that space which is not made by thought, the other does not exist, for you do not exist. Meditation then is not the pursuit of some vision, however sanctified by tradition. Rather it is the endless space where thought cannot enter. To us, the little space made by thought around itself, which is the me,is extremely important, for this is all the mind knows, identifying itself with everything that is in that space. And the fear of not being is born in that space. But in meditation, when this is understood, the mind can enter into a dimension of space where action is inaction. We do not know what love is, for in the space made by thought around itself as the me, love is the conflict of the me and the not-me. This conflict, this torture, is not love. Thought is the very denial of love, and it cannot enter into that space where the me is not. In that space is the benediction which man seeks and cannot find. He seeks it within the frontiers of thought, and thought destroys the ecstasy of this benediction.
Perception without the word, which is without thought, is one of the strangest phenomena. Then the perception is much more acute, not only with the brain, but also with all the senses. Such perception is not the fragmentary perception of the intellect nor the affair of the emotions. It can be called a total perception, and it is part of meditation. Perception without the perceiver in meditation is to commune with the height and depth of the immense. This perception is entirely different from seeing an object without an observer, because in the perception of meditation there is no object and therefore no experience. Meditation can, however, take place when the eyes are open and one is surrounded by objects of every kind. But then these objects have no importance at all. One sees them but there is no process of recognition, which means there is no experiencing.
What meaning has such meditation? There is no meaning; there is no utility. But in that meditation there is a movement of great ecstasy which is not to be confounded with pleasure. It is this ecstasy which gives to the eye, to the brain and to the heart, the quality of innocency. Without seeing life as something totally new, it is a routine, a boredom, a meaningless affair. So meditation is of the greatest importance. It opens the door to the incalculable, to the measureless.
When you turn your head from horizon to horizon your eyes see a vast space in which all the things of the earth and of the sky appear. But this space is always limited where the earth meets the sky. The space in the mind is so small. In this little space all our activities seem to take place: the daily living and the hidden struggles with contradictory desires and motives. In this little space the mind seeks freedom, and so it is always a prisoner of itself. Meditation is the ending of this little space. To us, action is bringing about order in this little space of the mind. But there is another action which is not putting order in this little space. Meditation is action which comes when the mind has lost its little space. This vast space which the mind, the I, cannot reach, is silence. The mind can never be silent within itself; it is silent only within the vast space which thought cannot touch. Out of this silence there is action which is not of thought. Meditation is this silence.
Meditation is one of the most extraordinary things, and if you do not know what it is you are like the blind man in a world of bright colour, shadows and moving light. It is not an intellectual affair, but when the heart enters into the mind, the mind has quite a different quality: it is really, then, limitless, not only in its capacity to think, to act efficiently, but also in its sense of living in a vast space where you are part of everything. Meditation is the movement of love. It isn’t the love of the one or of the many. It is like water that anyone can drink out of any jar, whether golden or earthenware: it is inexhaustible. And a peculiar thing takes place which no drug or self-hypnosis can bring about: it is as though the mind enters into itself, beginning at the surface and penetrating ever more deeply, until depth and height have lost their meaning and every form of measurement ceases. In this state there is complete peace not contentment which has come about through gratification but a peace that has order, beauty and intensity. It can all be destroyed, as you can destroy a flower, and yet because of its very vulnerability it is indestructible. This meditation cannot be learned from another. You must begin without knowing anything about it, and move from innocence to innocence.
The soil in which the meditative mind can begin is the soil of everyday life, the strife, the pain, and the fleeting joy. It must begin there, and bring order, and from there move endlessly. But if you are concerned only with making order, then that very order will bring about its own limitation, and the mind will be its prisoner. In all this movement you must somehow begin from the other end, from the other shore, and not always be concerned with this shore or how to cross the river. You must take a plunge into the water, not knowing how to swim. And the beauty of meditation is that you never know where you are, where you are going, what the end is.
Is there a new experience in meditation? The desire for experience, the higher experience which is beyond and above the daily or the commonplace, is what keeps the well-spring empty. The craving for more experience, for visions, for higher perception, for some realization or other, makes the mind look outward, which is no different from its dependence on environment and people. The curious part of meditation is that an event is not made into an experience. It is there, like a new star in the heavens, without memory taking it over and holding it, without the habitual process of recognition and response in terms of like and dislike. Our search is always outgoing; the mind seeking any experience is outgoing. Inward-going is not a search at all; it is perceiving. Response is always repetitive, for it comes always from the same bank of memory.
Perception without the word, which is without thought, is one of the strangest phenomena. Then the perception is much more acute, not only with the brain, but also with all the senses. Such perception is not the fragmentary perception of the intellect nor the affair of the emotions. It can be called a total perception, and it is part of meditation. Perception without the perceiver in meditation is to commune with the height and depth of the immense. This perception is entirely different from seeing an object without an observer, because in the perception of meditation there is no object and therefore no experience. Meditation can, however, take place when the eyes are open and one is surrounded by objects of every kind. But then these objects have no importance at all. One sees them but there is no process of recognition, which means there is no experiencing.
What meaning has such meditation? There is no meaning; there is no utility. But in that meditation there is a movement of great ecstasy which is not to be confounded with pleasure. It is this ecstasy which gives to the eye, to the brain and to the heart, the quality of innocency. Without seeing life as something totally new, it is a routine, a boredom, a meaningless affair. So meditation is of the greatest importance. It opens the door to the incalculable, to the measureless.
When you turn your head from horizon to horizon your eyes see a vast space in which all the things of the earth and of the sky appear. But this space is always limited where the earth meets the sky. The space in the mind is so small. In this little space all our activities seem to take place: the daily living and the hidden struggles with contradictory desires and motives. In this little space the mind seeks freedom, and so it is always a prisoner of itself. Meditation is the ending of this little space. To us, action is bringing about order in this little space of the mind. But there is another action which is not putting order in this little space. Meditation is action which comes when the mind has lost its little space. This vast space which the mind, the I, cannot reach, is silence. The mind can never be silent within itself; it is silent only within the vast space which thought cannot touch. Out of this silence there is action which is not of thought. Meditation is this silence.
Meditation is one of the most extraordinary things, and if you do not know what it is you are like the blind man in a world of bright colour, shadows and moving light. It is not an intellectual affair, but when the heart enters into the mind, the mind has quite a different quality: it is really, then, limitless, not only in its capacity to think, to act efficiently, but also in its sense of living in a vast space where you are part of everything. Meditation is the movement of love. It isn’t the love of the one or of the many. It is like water that anyone can drink out of any jar, whether golden or earthenware: it is inexhaustible. And a peculiar thing takes place which no drug or self-hypnosis can bring about: it is as though the mind enters into itself, beginning at the surface and penetrating ever more deeply, until depth and height have lost their meaning and every form of measurement ceases. In this state there is complete peace not contentment which has come about through gratification but a peace that has order, beauty and intensity. It can all be destroyed, as you can destroy a flower, and yet because of its very vulnerability it is indestructible. This meditation cannot be learned from another. You must begin without knowing anything about it, and move from innocence to innocence.
The soil in which the meditative mind can begin is the soil of everyday life, the strife, the pain, and the fleeting joy. It must begin there, and bring order, and from there move endlessly. But if you are concerned only with making order, then that very order will bring about its own limitation, and the mind will be its prisoner. In all this movement you must somehow begin from the other end, from the other shore, and not always be concerned with this shore or how to cross the river. You must take a plunge into the water, not knowing how to swim. And the beauty of meditation is that you never know where you are, where you are going, what the end is.
Is there a new experience in meditation? The desire for experience, the higher experience which is beyond and above the daily or the commonplace, is what keeps the well-spring empty. The craving for more experience, for visions, for higher perception, for some realization or other, makes the mind look outward, which is no different from its dependence on environment and people. The curious part of meditation is that an event is not made into an experience. It is there, like a new star in the heavens, without memory taking it over and holding it, without the habitual process of recognition and response in terms of like and dislike. Our search is always outgoing; the mind seeking any experience is outgoing. Inward-going is not a search at all; it is perceiving. Response is always repetitive, for it comes always from the same bank of memory.
~~~~~~
continue reading HERE
~~~~~
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Hongzhi Zhengjue - Silent and serene
Silent and serene, forgetting words
Bright clarity appears before you.
When you reflect it, you become vast.
Where you embody it, you are uplifted.
Solitary and shining, a river of stars,
Snow covered pines,
Clouds enveloping the peak.
In darkness it is most bright,
While hidden all the more manifest.
The crane dreams in the winter mist.
The autumn waters flow far in the distance.
Endless kalpas are totally empty,
All things completely the same.
When wonder exists in serenity,
all achievement is forgotten in illumination.
Only silence is the supreme speech,
Only illumination the universal response.
Responding without falling into achievement,
Speaking without involving listeners,
The ten thousand forms majestically glisten
And expound the dharma.
Bright clarity appears before you.
When you reflect it, you become vast.
Where you embody it, you are uplifted.
Solitary and shining, a river of stars,
Snow covered pines,
Clouds enveloping the peak.
In darkness it is most bright,
While hidden all the more manifest.
The crane dreams in the winter mist.
The autumn waters flow far in the distance.
Endless kalpas are totally empty,
All things completely the same.
When wonder exists in serenity,
all achievement is forgotten in illumination.
Only silence is the supreme speech,
Only illumination the universal response.
Responding without falling into achievement,
Speaking without involving listeners,
The ten thousand forms majestically glisten
And expound the dharma.
Thanks to this unlit light
Friday, February 21, 2020
Mystic Meandering - Mystical Spirituality...
Being an unapologetic "mystic" at Heart, since childhood, means
for me experiencing the Living Presence of Life that animates all
life. Some call that God, The Divine, The Beloved, The Ineffable,
"The Mystery", Consciousness, Infinite Being, Spirit, Brahman,
The Tao, etc., etc., etc. It has many names and forms. It means
being able to see and experience "The Mystery" in the every-day-ness
of life; something I'm still "working" on - being more aware of the
Sacred in a chaotic world, in the mundane personal affairs of living;
the requirements of daily life: in the must do's and the have-to's
that always find their way to the top of my list, and seem to drive
life...
for me experiencing the Living Presence of Life that animates all
life. Some call that God, The Divine, The Beloved, The Ineffable,
"The Mystery", Consciousness, Infinite Being, Spirit, Brahman,
The Tao, etc., etc., etc. It has many names and forms. It means
being able to see and experience "The Mystery" in the every-day-ness
of life; something I'm still "working" on - being more aware of the
Sacred in a chaotic world, in the mundane personal affairs of living;
the requirements of daily life: in the must do's and the have-to's
that always find their way to the top of my list, and seem to drive
life...
A "mystical spirituality" pertains to direct experience with Ultimate
Reality/The Divine/"The Mystery"... Some may assume that a
"mystic" doesn't experience the darker feelings and frustrations with
living the Cosmic Dance of life. That has not been my experience.
A "mystic" just experiences them within context of the Greater Reality
- and learns to embrace them as part of the totality of experience.
Some feel that a "mystic" has special insights, or powers, or visions,
or is only interested in seeking "mystical experiences."
For me it is not about seeking experiences, but being open to the
movement of "The Mystery", the movement of Consciousness
through its many expressions, and at times experiencing an intimate
encounter with what I know to be "The Divine", like my Epiphany in
Nov. 2013, or Waking Up To Bliss like I did recently, or "meditative
writings" many years ago, and poetry that sometimes just spills
out onto the page.
Reality/The Divine/"The Mystery"... Some may assume that a
"mystic" doesn't experience the darker feelings and frustrations with
living the Cosmic Dance of life. That has not been my experience.
A "mystic" just experiences them within context of the Greater Reality
- and learns to embrace them as part of the totality of experience.
Some feel that a "mystic" has special insights, or powers, or visions,
or is only interested in seeking "mystical experiences."
For me it is not about seeking experiences, but being open to the
movement of "The Mystery", the movement of Consciousness
through its many expressions, and at times experiencing an intimate
encounter with what I know to be "The Divine", like my Epiphany in
Nov. 2013, or Waking Up To Bliss like I did recently, or "meditative
writings" many years ago, and poetry that sometimes just spills
out onto the page.
Mystical Spirituality acknowledges the universality of what most have
come to call "God," "The Divine", or Buddha Nature (Dharmakaya),
not associated with any particular faith, religion, or practice, but a
transcendent truth - realizing that humans, at the very core of their
being are both "Divine" and human; formlessness and form, spirit
in matter, Timelessness in time... This "union" takes place within
ourselves with the realization that we are not a separate entity from
our Divinity, from Consciousness ItSelf, needing to grovel our way
back - but that "comm-union" is always happening. There is always
only the movement of "Divinity" through life, through us. There is
no other "Higher" Self to search for. It's all Here within us...
come to call "God," "The Divine", or Buddha Nature (Dharmakaya),
not associated with any particular faith, religion, or practice, but a
transcendent truth - realizing that humans, at the very core of their
being are both "Divine" and human; formlessness and form, spirit
in matter, Timelessness in time... This "union" takes place within
ourselves with the realization that we are not a separate entity from
our Divinity, from Consciousness ItSelf, needing to grovel our way
back - but that "comm-union" is always happening. There is always
only the movement of "Divinity" through life, through us. There is
no other "Higher" Self to search for. It's all Here within us...
Wayne Teasdale, a 20th Century Christian Mystic, and author of
A Mystic Heart, says: "Mystical Spirituality draws us into the depths
of our Being, where we come face to face with ourselves, our weakness
AND with the Ultimate Mystery. Spirituality is not external religiosity,
not confined to ritual and liturgy. It is a way of life that affects and
includes every moment of existence. It is a disposition to a life of depth."
A Mystic Heart, says: "Mystical Spirituality draws us into the depths
of our Being, where we come face to face with ourselves, our weakness
AND with the Ultimate Mystery. Spirituality is not external religiosity,
not confined to ritual and liturgy. It is a way of life that affects and
includes every moment of existence. It is a disposition to a life of depth."
He goes on - "How we make the journey is what spirituality is really
about - finding our own path. This means finding a way to/awareness
of the vast unlimited Consciousness of The Divine, The Mystery
within. We are created for this 'spiritual journey' - the direct and
immediate experience of Ultimate Reality, which knows everything
as ItSelf. Being infinitely aware, it knows in a unitive and universal
fashion through awareness of no distance between ourselves and
the Ultimate Mystery... The spiritual journey is essentially one of
discovering the roots of our true identity. It is a process of the totality
of Consciousness, from which we arise.
about - finding our own path. This means finding a way to/awareness
of the vast unlimited Consciousness of The Divine, The Mystery
within. We are created for this 'spiritual journey' - the direct and
immediate experience of Ultimate Reality, which knows everything
as ItSelf. Being infinitely aware, it knows in a unitive and universal
fashion through awareness of no distance between ourselves and
the Ultimate Mystery... The spiritual journey is essentially one of
discovering the roots of our true identity. It is a process of the totality
of Consciousness, from which we arise.
He further says - "Everything is part of an undivided wholeness where
each being reflects this totality. Non-duality means 'not two, and yet,
not one.' [I know this is not the traditional Advaita/Non-dual
definition, but it is my experience as well.] That is, the relationship
between Divine Reality and human being is a subtle distinction,
but not a separation. And so the relationship is said to be non-dual.
Human beings are essentially Divine." [or Pure Consciousness, etc.]
each being reflects this totality. Non-duality means 'not two, and yet,
not one.' [I know this is not the traditional Advaita/Non-dual
definition, but it is my experience as well.] That is, the relationship
between Divine Reality and human being is a subtle distinction,
but not a separation. And so the relationship is said to be non-dual.
Human beings are essentially Divine." [or Pure Consciousness, etc.]
Wayne Teasdale
20th Century Christian Mystic
from - A Mystic Heart
20th Century Christian Mystic
from - A Mystic Heart
~
"We cannot live in a world that is interpreted for us by others.
[We must] take back our own listening,
use our own voice,
see our own Light."
[We must] take back our own listening,
use our own voice,
see our own Light."
Hildegard of Bingen
12th Century Christian Mystic
12th Century Christian Mystic
_/\_
Namaste
~
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