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Nondual Highlights Issue #2055 Sunday, February 13, 2005

running and leaping nonstop
till i catch up
with the fastest rider

annihilating forever
vanishing for good
till i reach the soul of the world

very happy i've become
ever since i changed
to a piece of fire

and with this fire
i'll burn my house and
dwell in the desert

i'll soften and humble
i'll change to earth
till i grow your flowers in me

i'll crawl and flow
i'll change myself to water
till i can reach your paradise garden

without pain no healer
will tend me
or give me potions

i'll change to
total pain
till i get total healing

ever since i was born
i was thrown into this world
helpless and shivering
like a speck of dust in the air

but as soon as i reach
the end of this journey
and settle down
i'll be secured and tranquil forever

- Rumi, Ghazal 1400. translation by Nader Khalili, from Rumi, Fountain of Fire, posted to Sunlight

Doing something about stress is not the answer!

Two quick ways to practice this: One, in meditation, during which we're
supposed to drop everything and just sit still in the moment; and, two,
when it's time to relax. Instead of reading or watching television, just
sit or lie there and do nothing, do not doing. (It makes conditioning
crazy!) When conditioning tries to regain control ('But what about...?'
'You should...' 'You need to...') at least you will see it coming. How
you are being controlled will be clearer to you. Start small. Just short
periods of time doing nothing. (Isn't that a great phrase? 'Doing
nothing.' It is a koan.) See if you can simply be in your body,
breathing, feeling the life force animating you, aware of your senses,
present, alive! Doing nothing, but being.

- Cheri Huber, who me thinks is related to oh. for those of you who catch that drift...

From the teaching, "On Stress": http://www.cherihuber.com/iopsummer97.html