Love is in the being........

"The center I once glimpsed is all around me,
a landscape I now live in, and I will not
pretend anymore.
If those I love can't recognize me
with my soul out in the open,
I will no longer retreat
and show what is familiar.

You do not have to do anything to be loved, and being who you are does not let others down. This needs to be repeated, and often. Simply be who you are, and love what is before you."

Mark Nepo

through...

I think I have finished processing through, through2, through3. What a journey!

"Through" is a visual story of an obstacle which presented in my life. An obstacle which through me sideways. These drawings are a testament to the impermanence of intense feelings.

"Through" was the first drawing. The first view of the uncomfortable feelings was solid and hard. It was jagged and heavy. I had to imagine my life without this obstacle, simply to start the action of drilling through it, in an effort to transform it into something that was not suffering. The drawing is a witness to my desperate and perseverant attempts. My well conditioned "try harder" strategy is distinctly evident in this image. But I discovered that there was a way through. I think the faith in the belief that this could actually be achieved is really the story of this picture. There is really nothing more to say. I would proceed with the best practice I knew and believe in resolution.

"




"Through2" is really the visualization of this belief. This is how I imagined my path, not without this obstacle, but with the skills and confidence to welcome it onto my path without resistance.

But "Through3" surprised me. I knew it was part of the transition, so I was inclined to let the drawing sit around my art room for a few days. Many others were discarded. A couple of days ago, I noticed that on the far left side of the drawing, there was a valley that looked like the valley in "Through2". I walked directly over and put the bird flying through the valley.

It was immediately clear to me that this dip in the mountain was the vision in "Through2". This small piece of "Through3", was my visualization of my belief that there was a way through. I could not help looking at this small belief in this huge landscape.

I had created a wider view....I was staring back. I was now witnessing my act of faith in the wider view of my life. The thoughts that had made this obstacle so solid and my view so small, had been released by my faith that there was a bigger view. I was whole again.

This morning, I was listening to a tape on forgiveness with the Dalai Lama. Very beautiful! The theme was interdependence. The cause and conditions which define the relationships we have with our internal and external world here on earth. Inspiring really! But I started then to think of "Through", with it's tiny little breathe, and "Though3" with its huge belly breathe; now I can see the bird, in the crack, that is really the valley that runs between two mountains, that is part of a mountain range, that grew on this planet, that is speeding through space.....Now there is a big belly breathe.


Nx

Staring back at thoughts

I have a new book. Awakened Joy by James Baraz has a foreword by Jack Kornfield, and a preface by Ram Dass. This is what caught my attention when I ordered it from the library. I picked it up a few days ago, did not particularly like the graphics on the cover, and left it sitting on my bed table. This morning I decided that I should at least take a look at it before I returned it to the library.
I love this book. It is a book about real human life. I gives no great understandings about how to face the moment of death with calm abiding; no sutras translated by many scholars debating the origins of Tibetan words. Just what to do when you are overwhelmed in the moment; how to be just as you are; how to engage in the joy of loving others; how to have a grateful, and joyful heart. I guess that will due for me, for now. I want to share some of the information in this book with you, and will be writing the sections that grounded me.
In March 2000, the Dalai Lama met with a small group of prominent neuroscientists, psychologists, philosophers, and Buddhist scholars to discuss the origins of negative emotion and the beneficial effects of spiritual practices. In his book, Destructive Emotions, Daniel Goleman narrates the proceedings of this gathering, highlighting significant moments of dialogue. This excerpt is from Matthieu Ricard, who earned a doctorate in genetics in France and later became a Buddhist monk.
"At the beginning when a thought of anger, desire, or jealousy arises, we are not prepared for it. So within seconds, that thought has given rise to a second and a third thought, and soon our mental landscape becomes invaded by thoughts that solidify our anger or jealousy---and then it is too late. Just as the spark of fire has set a whole forest on fire, we are in trouble."
"The basic way to intervene has been called 'staring back' at a thought. When a thought arises, we need to watch it and look back at its source. We need to investigate the nature of that thought that seems so solid. As we stare at it, its apparent solidity will melt away, and that thought will vanish without giving birth to a chain of thoughts. The point is not to try to block the arising thought---this is not possible anyway----but not to let them invade our mind. We need to do this again and again because we are not used to dealing with thoughts in that way.....Finally, a time will come when thoughts come and go like a bird passing through the sky, without leaving a trace".
Staring back, being the witness of the solidifying of the thought, being amazed at how skillful we are at believing it is solid. Then we create a reality from this believed thought. We are all magicians, creating the illusions we call our lives.

Letting go is the essence of this story

Letting go is the essence of this story about Tibet's favourite yogi and saint, Milarepa. Long after his enlightenment, Milarepa went to collect firewood outside the cave where he had been blissfully practicing. When he returned he found in the cave seven metal demons with enormous bodies and eyes the size of cups. Some grinding barley and making fires, others were performing magical tricks. As soon as Mila saw them he became frightened. He meditated on the Buddha, uttered a subjugating mantra, but was unable to pacify them. He thought, "These might be the local deities on this place. Although I have been here for months and years, I have not praised them or given them any torma". So he sang a song of praise.

You nonhuman demons assembled here are obstacles.
Drink this nectar of friendliness and compassion and be gone.

The first three demons who were performing magic went away. Realizing that the remaining demons were magical obstacles, he sang a song of confidence.

It is wonderful that you demons came today.
You must come again tomorrow.
From time to time we should converse.

With this, three more demons vanished like a rainbow. The remaining demon performed an imposing dance, and Mila thought, "This one is vicious and powerful". So he sang another song, the pinnacle of realization.

A demon like you does not intimidate me.
If a demon like you could intimidate me,
The arising of the mind of compassion would be of little meaning.
Demon, if you were to stay longer, that would be fine with me. If you have friends, bring them along.
We will talk out our differences.

Then with friendliness and compassion, and with no concern for his body, Milarepa placed himself in the mouth of the demon --but the demon could not eat him and vanished.

Tibetan practices teach us that we benefit by honoring and feeling the demons. When the demons arrive we must recognize that they are part of the dance of life itself. When they threaten, it is only our illusions that are in danger. The deeper our bows to the changing powers of life, the wiser we will be and when we embrace them, they turn into rainbows. Every colour shines in the awakened heart.

That's Jack! Nx

Always preoccupied with letting go

Letting go has been my practice for years now. I think I really thought at the beginning of this practice, that at some future date, it would become a skill. At some point I would not have to practice any more. I guess what I was thinking was that this skill would look like other skills that I have 'mastered' in my life, like walking, or finding my way home or switching the channels on my television set. You know, tasks that are achieved with total mindlessness. At some point you wake up and think, who drove the car home? I guess I was hoping that one day I would stop and think, who "let go" a minute ago?

It seems like an odd measure of success, but as the practice of letting go is usually ushered in by some pain, it would be nice to think that we could set up a default system that would be alerted by the pain, and apply an application of 'letting go'. We could just enjoy our mindless day.

Not buying this delusional thinking. Me neither. My small self makes up such wonderful stories about only allowing sweetness into my life and the most efficient ways to make this happen. Anyway, as I was reading a passage from a Jack Kornfield book, looking for a particular story that I wanted to put on my blog, I found some words from him that were very validating. I wanted to share them with you.

"For minds obsessed by compulsive thinking and grasping, you simplify your meditation practices to just two words -- "let go" -- rather than try to develop this practice, and then develop that, achieve this, and go into that. The grasping mind wants to read the suttas, to study the Abhidamma, and to learn Pali and Sandskrit, then the Madhyamika and the Prajna Paramita, get ordinations in the Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, write books and become a renowned authority on Buddhism.

Instead of becoming the world's expert on Buddhism and being invited to great international conferences, why not just "let go, let go, let go" ? For years, I did nothing but this is my practice. Every time I tried to understand or figure things out, I'd say "let go, let go, let go" until the desire would fade out.

So I'm making it very simple for you, to save you from getting caught in an incredible amount of suffering. There's nothing more sorrowful than having to attend international Buddhist conferences. Some of you might have the desire to become the Buddha of the age, Maitreya, radiating love through out the world. Instead, just be an earthworm who knows only two words -- "let go, let go, let go" You see, ours is the Lesser Vehicle, we only have these poverty-stricken practices."

Can the continous practice of those two words, "let go, let go, let go", be our path?

Now I will write a post on my favourite Jack Kornfield story about letting go.

Some gifts suggestions.....................

To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

by Oren Arnold