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Post by laughter on Mar 4, 2014 10:31:07 GMT -5
standing in the storm the snow slaked down so madly I could hear the flakes smashing into one another in mid-air and then finally joining the ones that had gotten to the ground first a soft, gentle cacaphony Was there a reason for this blizzard? Why was I there, just then, to see it? To hear it? To feel it? That sound of the flakes falling It had no meaning, it conveyed no message Not to me anyway It was a remnant of the clash of cold and warm fronts The confluence of two semi-circles on the weather map The encoding of the atmosphere onto the ground A rustling white noise That not all the words ever written could truly describe The flakes that found their way onto my skin Cold and wet Crystal to liquid Snow no more but hardly no more in any real sense Reminding me of body A light kiss from the void Why is snow white? Why is it wet? Why is it cold? Standing in the storm Being there In the white wet wild Being still, simply aware of the chaos in the wind Standing in the storm Is reason enough There is nothing like the quiet after a storm. If you have had the privilege of being in the mountains right after a snowfall when there's no wind, nothing is moving, the snow is sucking up every sound, and you hear a deep silence everywhere, you know how potent this silence is. In a real sense, self-inquiry is a spiritually induced form of winter-time. It's not about looking for a right answer so much as stripping away and letting you see what is not necessary, what you can do without, what you are without your leaves. chap 7, para's 3 and 4
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2014 10:38:40 GMT -5
"A heavy snowfall disappears into the sea. What silence!"
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Post by laughter on Mar 4, 2014 23:53:42 GMT -5
The winter is actually begging you to just let go, and then let go of letting go. Let this natural and spontaneous returning to the root of your own existence happen. Return to that which is not definable. chap 7, para 9The motif of spiritual winter in Chapter 7 “The Radiant Core”, is a poetic rendition of the notion of life as a journey with two legs, one outward that begins in childhood and eventually peaks, often in middle age, and then reverses in the inevitable march toward the end of our lives. Tolle and Niz both present this idea as well but Adya does it subtly and as softly – along each way we naturally either attach ourselves to outer appearances or they fall away as a consequence of aging. Mortality is a great example of an intellectual fact that many if not most people unconsciously deny throughout at least some part of their life. Awareness of this denial is one of those little realizations, or insights if you prefer, that seems to me to be actually quite common, and my guess is that it’s likely not to have escaped anyone reading this. Tolle actually popularized the phrase “die before you die” to describe what Adya’s getting at in this chapter.
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Post by laughter on Mar 6, 2014 0:01:49 GMT -5
"Charisma can be very beautiful. But if a teacher is too charismatic, students tend to grasp. They tend to only look at the body and think, "What a wonderful person!". He or she might be a wonderful person, but it's not about a wonderful person. I see it as the greatest gift for me that neither of my teachers were charismatic personalities. As soon as we move into the worship of the charisma or anything else, we start to unconsciously look past the presence that really is, the presence that can function through strong personalities and also through meek and mild personalities. It can function through great charisma and through almost no charisma. None of us has any choice about that part of it. It can function through the grandmother just as much as it can function through the Divine Mother guru." Page 30. Noticed that when I read it too ... do you have any experience with spiritual teachers in person Sharon? I've done all my speerichual learnin' in books and online ... I've listened both to voices that are quiet and still, some gentle, some stark and also to those that are brash and noisy. I've learned from people who have shared quite a bit of their story and from those who've said next to nothing about their past.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2014 3:30:08 GMT -5
"Charisma can be very beautiful. But if a teacher is too charismatic, students tend to grasp. They tend to only look at the body and think, "What a wonderful person!". He or she might be a wonderful person, but it's not about a wonderful person. I see it as the greatest gift for me that neither of my teachers were charismatic personalities. As soon as we move into the worship of the charisma or anything else, we start to unconsciously look past the presence that really is, the presence that can function through strong personalities and also through meek and mild personalities. It can function through great charisma and through almost no charisma. None of us has any choice about that part of it. It can function through the grandmother just as much as it can function through the Divine Mother guru." Page 30. Noticed that when I read it too ... do you have any experience with spiritual teachers in person Sharon?I've done all my speerichual learnin' in books and online ... I've listened both to voices that are quiet and still, some gentle, some stark and also to those that are brash and noisy. I've learned from people who have shared quite a bit of their story and from those who've said next to nothing about their past. I don't know I just speak with people. I spoke with a Church of England fella last year, he was cloaked up to do a funeral service for a customer of mine. He seemed called, to do his job. The customer that died, was much more attuned than the C of E fella
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Post by laughter on Mar 6, 2014 13:30:57 GMT -5
Noticed that when I read it too ... do you have any experience with spiritual teachers in person Sharon?I've done all my speerichual learnin' in books and online ... I've listened both to voices that are quiet and still, some gentle, some stark and also to those that are brash and noisy. I've learned from people who have shared quite a bit of their story and from those who've said next to nothing about their past. I don't know I just speak with people. I spoke with a Church of England fella last year, he was cloaked up to do a funeral service for a customer of mine. He seemed called, to do his job. The customer that died, was much more attuned than the C of E fella Well, it seems to me that we could say that in some sense, that the Christians sure do know a thing or two about charisma!
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Post by laughter on Mar 6, 2014 14:00:47 GMT -5
When the emptiness awakens, you know that it is also the compassionate heart. This word ... "compassion" ... it's one that's been kickin' around the poetry like a pinball for the past few weeks, and Adya's understated use of it there (follow the link back to the quote in context), is absolutely stunning -- not only that but it seems to me as pertinent to the ZD-sdp exchange motivated by the term "Supreme Ordering Intelligence". Here's the pinball: As thoughts arise the attitude toward them is all. The witness is silent, gentle, not only unopinionated, but actually detached. This might suggest a lack of warmth, but that implication is mistaken. This sounds as though it might imply disinterest, but that doesn't quite capture the state of affairs in play, for there is an affection in the regard of what appears to the witness that defies description. To call it love evokes too much intensity ... perhaps a poignant, compassionate, and yet powerful empathy would come closer to capturing it. That power is in the yielding, in the acceptance, in the allowance of what appears. The only victory to be had is in complete and total surrender. it might seem that there is a stopping but don't pay it no mind that's just the world, it decided to stop spinnin' for you when did that happen? how? why? find sublime in lack of rhyme, yourself in lack of reason the world it flared as you mid-air just blended all the seasons all these colors, textures, sounds, sights the cold snow and the baking beach you just relaxed and dropped your reach mars scowls venus swoons jupiter laughs and the sun just can't stop lovin' somewhere, on the other side of the galaxy you wink, and the fabric of the night dances compassion starts with empathy without it you can't see the gentle commonality of what you share might be does compassion condescend? absent pain there is no rend wholeness gives what it can send a broken heart only pretends ironic then that it takes two this fallacy of I and you for love to flow without fail freedom so must cut her sail movement is inside this word passion tends to make one heard with a force that does effect to bold spires to erect to meet pain and not flinch to embrace it down to the last inch strength it is that must be found and silence is the only sound to the cries that can return softly gaze, let fires burn to find intent no storys told as pricless things may not be sold the jewels you know that they arise when and where always surprise
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Post by enigma on Mar 6, 2014 15:09:40 GMT -5
When the emptiness awakens, you know that it is also the compassionate heart. This word ... "compassion" ... it's one that's been kickin' around the poetry like a pinball for the past few weeks, and Adya's understated use of it there (follow the link back to the quote in context), is absolutely stunning -- not only that but it seems to me as pertinent to the ZD-sdp exchange motivated by the term "Supreme Ordering Intelligence". Here's the pinball: As thoughts arise the attitude toward them is all. The witness is silent, gentle, not only unopinionated, but actually detached. This might suggest a lack of warmth, but that implication is mistaken. This sounds as though it might imply disinterest, but that doesn't quite capture the state of affairs in play, for there is an affection in the regard of what appears to the witness that defies description. To call it love evokes too much intensity ... perhaps a poignant, compassionate, and yet powerful empathy would come closer to capturing it. That power is in the yielding, in the acceptance, in the allowance of what appears. The only victory to be had is in complete and total surrender. it might seem that there is a stopping but don't pay it no mind that's just the world, it decided to stop spinnin' for you when did that happen? how? why? find sublime in lack of rhyme, yourself in lack of reason the world it flared as you mid-air just blended all the seasons all these colors, textures, sounds, sights the cold snow and the baking beach you just relaxed and dropped your reach mars scowls venus swoons jupiter laughs and the sun just can't stop lovin' somewhere, on the other side of the galaxy you wink, and the fabric of the night dances compassion starts with empathy without it you can't see the gentle commonality of what you share might be does compassion condescend? absent pain there is no rend wholeness gives what it can send a broken heart only pretends ironic then that it takes two this fallacy of I and you for love to flow without fail freedom so must cut her sail movement is inside this word passion tends to make one heard with a force that does effect to bold spires to erect to meet pain and not flinch to embrace it down to the last inch strength it is that must be found and silence is the only sound to the cries that can return softly gaze, let fires burn to find intent no storys told as pricless things may not be sold the jewels you know that they arise when and where always surprise This might sound odd, or it might resonate. When the approach of the witness is taken to be innocence, a different default mode appears that may seem like love, compassion and acceptance by comparison to the approach of mind in it's self interest, but it is inherently empty, and in that emptiness there simply is no fear, no animosity, no preferential self interest, no judgment, and while this is an uncommon state, it is, in fact, the natural consequence of that innocence, that absence. I know that you understand that the absence of self centeredness is not really the presence of compassion unless viewed against that false backdrop.
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Post by laughter on Mar 6, 2014 15:46:18 GMT -5
This word ... "compassion" ... it's one that's been kickin' around the poetry like a pinball for the past few weeks, and Adya's understated use of it there (follow the link back to the quote in context), is absolutely stunning -- not only that but it seems to me as pertinent to the ZD-sdp exchange motivated by the term "Supreme Ordering Intelligence". Here's the pinball: compassion starts with empathy without it you can't see the gentle commonality of what you share might be does compassion condescend? absent pain there is no rend wholeness gives what it can send a broken heart only pretends ironic then that it takes two this fallacy of I and you for love to flow without fail freedom so must cut her sail movement is inside this word passion tends to make one heard with a force that does effect to bold spires to erect to meet pain and not flinch to embrace it down to the last inch strength it is that must be found and silence is the only sound to the cries that can return softly gaze, let fires burn to find intent no storys told as pricless things may not be sold the jewels you know that they arise when and where always surprise This might sound odd, or it might resonate. When the approach of the witness is taken to be innocence, a different default mode appears that may seem like love, compassion and acceptance by comparison to the approach of mind in it's self interest, but it is inherently empty, and in that emptiness there simply is no fear, no animosity, no preferential self interest, no judgment, and while this is an uncommon state, it is, in fact, the natural consequence of that innocence, that absence. I know that you understand that the absence of self centeredness is not really the presence of compassion unless viewed against that false backdrop. Yes, the statement in terms of absence is alwaysees mores betterers. -- the statement comes even closer to capturing "it", and the distinction between disinterest (detachment) and the posture of the witness might sound subtle sometimes in the expression, but it is one with a very big difference.
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Post by enigma on Mar 6, 2014 16:05:08 GMT -5
This might sound odd, or it might resonate. When the approach of the witness is taken to be innocence, a different default mode appears that may seem like love, compassion and acceptance by comparison to the approach of mind in it's self interest, but it is inherently empty, and in that emptiness there simply is no fear, no animosity, no preferential self interest, no judgment, and while this is an uncommon state, it is, in fact, the natural consequence of that innocence, that absence. I know that you understand that the absence of self centeredness is not really the presence of compassion unless viewed against that false backdrop. Yes, the statement in terms of absence is alwaysees mores betterers. -- the statement comes even closer to capturing "it", and the distinction between disinterest (detachment) and the posture of the witness might sound subtle sometimes in the expression, but it is one with a very big difference. Yeah, it's difficult to avoid painting the witness as uncaring without attributing all sorts of qualities to witnessing that tend to personalize it, but the dilemma is just an artifact of mind's belief in the actuality of dualistic qualities, which are just mutually defining pairs of ideas that don't actually apply beyond mind.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2014 3:53:05 GMT -5
I don't know I just speak with people. I spoke with a Church of England fella last year, he was cloaked up to do a funeral service for a customer of mine. He seemed called, to do his job. The customer that died, was much more attuned than the C of E fella Well, it seems to me that we could say that in some sense, that the Christians sure do know a thing or two about charisma! I don't really know about that. I do know that I can recognise natural, walked language rather than parroted scripts. The fear that can be detected in some openly Christian people does make me growl sometimes.
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Post by laughter on Mar 7, 2014 9:16:38 GMT -5
The conditioned mind is always taking on God's job, wondering what people are doing and why they do it. But that is none of your business, none of your concern. You can just start walking through life with this natural openness to what is and be that way under all conditions at all times. chap 7 para 16The question of intent is never not the quest for a story.
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Post by laughter on Mar 7, 2014 15:38:19 GMT -5
Yes, the statement in terms of absence is alwaysees mores betterers. -- the statement comes even closer to capturing "it", and the distinction between disinterest (detachment) and the posture of the witness might sound subtle sometimes in the expression, but it is one with a very big difference. Yeah, it's difficult to avoid painting the witness as uncaring without attributing all sorts of qualities to witnessing that tend to personalize it, but the dilemma is just an artifact of mind's belief in the actuality of dualistic qualities, which are just mutually defining pairs of ideas that don't actually apply beyond mind. " Up Periscope!" (** looks around **) " Surface!" The linguistic habits of a lifetime that give constant rise to personal self-reference in expression are tough to break! ... this might take some practice! " Dive Dive Dive!!!"
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Post by enigma on Mar 7, 2014 19:49:47 GMT -5
Yeah, it's difficult to avoid painting the witness as uncaring without attributing all sorts of qualities to witnessing that tend to personalize it, but the dilemma is just an artifact of mind's belief in the actuality of dualistic qualities, which are just mutually defining pairs of ideas that don't actually apply beyond mind. " Up Periscope!" (** looks around **) " Surface!" The linguistic habits of a lifetime that give constant rise to personal self-reference in expression are tough to break! ... this might take some practice! " Dive Dive Dive!!!" **Sets depth charges for 500 feet, and launches starboard salvo** How language is used is an expression of how the ideas are understood, believed and attached to. Linguistic habits are like slang; mostly irrelevant.
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Post by earnest on Mar 8, 2014 0:34:03 GMT -5
This word ... "compassion" ... it's one that's been kickin' around the poetry like a pinball for the past few weeks, and Adya's understated use of it there (follow the link back to the quote in context), is absolutely stunning -- not only that but it seems to me as pertinent to the ZD-sdp exchange motivated by the term "Supreme Ordering Intelligence". Here's the pinball: compassion starts with empathy without it you can't see the gentle commonality of what you share might be does compassion condescend? absent pain there is no rend wholeness gives what it can send a broken heart only pretends ironic then that it takes two this fallacy of I and you for love to flow without fail freedom so must cut her sail movement is inside this word passion tends to make one heard with a force that does effect to bold spires to erect to meet pain and not flinch to embrace it down to the last inch strength it is that must be found and silence is the only sound to the cries that can return softly gaze, let fires burn to find intent no storys told as pricless things may not be sold the jewels you know that they arise when and where always surprise This might sound odd, or it might resonate. When the approach of the witness is taken to be innocence, a different default mode appears that may seem like love, compassion and acceptance by comparison to the approach of mind in it's self interest, but it is inherently empty, and in that emptiness there simply is no fear, no animosity, no preferential self interest, no judgment, and while this is an uncommon state, it is, in fact, the natural consequence of that innocence, that absence. I know that you understand that the absence of self centeredness is not really the presence of compassion unless viewed against that false backdrop. rez rez rez..
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