Nonduality"
Nonduality.com Home Page

Click here to go to the next issue

Highlights Home Page | Receive the Nonduality Highlights each day

Digest
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4510 From: Mark Date: 2012-02-12
Subject: #4510 - Saturday, February 11, 2011
Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4510, Saturday, February 11, 2011




Live in Joy. In love.

Even among those who hate.

Live in Joy. In heatth.
Even among the afflicted.

Live in joy. In peace.
Even among the troubled.

Look within. Be still.
Free from fear and attachment.
Know the sweet joy
of living in the way.

- from the Dhammapada, words of the Buddha, posted to DailyDharma



Simple Talk

Spilling themselves in the sun bluebirds
wing-mention their names all day. If everything
holds so clear a life, maybe the sky would
come, maybe heaven; maybe appearance and
truth would be the same. Maybe whatever seems
to be so, we should speak so from our souls,
never afraid, "Light" when it comes,
"Dark" when it goes away.

- William Stafford from Learning to Live in the World - Earth Poems, posted to allspirit



Flowers, sesame seed, bowls of fresh water,
a tuft of kusa-grass, all this altar
paraphernalia is not needed
by someone who takes the teacher's words in
and honestly lives them.

Full of longing in meditation,
one sinks into a joy that is free
of any impulse to act and will not
enter a human birth again.

- Lalla, posted to AlongTheWay



A thing becomes an illusion only when its reality becomes inferior to a higher reality that has already been found. Until then, it is still a reality. Only the sage has the strict right to call this world an illusion. If anyone else does so, such talk is mere babble.

- Paul Brunton, Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity, Chapter 2: The Cosmos of Change, #43, posted to SufiMystic



Rumi In The Garden

Be nothing,
says Rumi,
and I say,

"But ."
I am thinning
the carrots,

crowded in the row,
and I wonder
who will thin them

if I am nothing.
"I did not say
do nothing,"

he says. Be nothing.
"But ." I say
The soil

is damp and
the carrots pull
easily from the earth,

their bright orange
roots already thick
enough to eat.

They are sweet,
and I offer
one to Rumi

who eats it
dirt and all.
Be a spot of ground

where nothing
is growing, he says,
where something

might be planted.
He tosses the greens
to the ground.

I look between
my hands to the nothing
beneath the greens

and perhaps
for a moment
I feel what he means,

but too soon
a thought
of knowing comes in

and there I go
being something
again.

- Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer from The Miracle Already Happening - Everyday Life with Rumi, posted to The_Now2



What I Have Learned So Far

Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I
not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,
looking into the shining world? Because, properly
attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.
Can one be passionate about the just, the
ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
to no labor in its cause? I don't think so.

All summations have a beginning, all effect has a
story, all kindness begins with the sown seed.
Thought buds toward radiance. The gospel of
light is the crossroads of - indolence, or action.

Be ignited, or be gone.

- Mary Oliver, from New and Selected Poems, by Mary Oliver, posted to SufiMystic
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4511 From: Mark Date: 2012-02-13
Subject: #4511 - Sunday, February 12, 2012

Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4511, Sunday, February 12, 2012



В 


The True Peace

The first peace, which is the most important,
is that which comes within the souls of people
when they realize their relationship,
their oneness, with the universe and all its powers,
and when they realize that at the center
of the universe dwells Wakan-Taka (the Great Spirit),
and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.
This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this.
The second peace is that which is made between two individuals,
and the third is that which is made between two nations.
But above all you should understand that there can never
be peace between nations until there is known that true peace,
which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.

- Black Elk



There is no time left for anything but to make peacework a dimension of our every waking activity.

- Elise Boulding



Peace is every step.

- Thich Nhat Hahn



There is no way to peace; peace is the way.

- A.J. Muste



Five enemies of peace inhabit us - avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.

- Francesco Petrarch



Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.

- Baruch Spinoza



If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.

- Lao Tzu


В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4512 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2012-02-14
Subject: #4512 - Monday, February 13, 2012 - Editor: Gloria Lee

В 
#4512 - Monday, February 13, 2012 - Editor: Gloria Lee
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlightsВ В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
What hurts you, blesses you.
Darkness is your candle.
Your boundaries are your quest.
I could explain this,
but it will break the glass cover on your heart,
and there's no fixing that.
~ Rumi

В 
В 
В 
One thing we do know: Life will give you whatever experience is most
helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this
is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are
having at this moment.
~Eckhart Tolle
В 
В 
В 

Your love has brought us to this silence,
where the only obligation
is to walk slowly through a meadow and look.
~Rumi

В 
В 
В 
"Living up to an image that you have of yourself or that other people have of you is inauthentic living."
~Eckhart Tolle
В 
В 
В 
В 
Be Content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
В 
~Lao Tzu

В 
Zen Poems, Haiku & Writings
В 
В 
В 
В 
Art by Odilon Redon
В 
You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.
В 
Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.
В 
Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.
В 
Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.
В 
Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.”
В 
~John O'Donohue
В 
В 
В 
В 
I could feel my awareness adjusting to silence while doing nothing to
assist it...the silence did all the work.
~Catherine Ingram
В 
В 
В 
The rest of this must be said in silence because of the enormous
difference between light and the words that try to say 'light'.
В 
~Rumi
В 
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4513 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-15
Subject: #4513 - Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4513 - Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlightsВ В 
В 
Tomas Sander andВ Greg GoodeВ will be teaching this class on the emptiness teachings on Saturday Feb. 25th at Nalandabodhi in Manhattan.В  This is designed as a fun, easy and introductory session about these extremely powerful liberational teachings.В  The class will feature a lot of interactivity, class participation, group discussion and space to share your findings and experiences.В  See the mini-poster attached to this message.В  The full-size poster is here:В  http://www.emptiness.co/classes/everyday_life

We'll be looking at how daily life can be transformed by realizing emptiness of everyday things.В  We will talk about:
  • Experience the emptiness of meaning -- this gives you the experience of freedom and flexibility
  • Experience how to destabilize social norms and views -- this provides greater openness and loving compassion
  • Experience the emptiness of the perceptual world -- this experience lightens up the world
  • Experience art and creativity -- allows you to revolutionize your world
  • Experience a "Subway Meditation" you can take with you anywhere you go
  • Experience the creation of your own heavenly "Pure Land"
We'll use stories and experiences from everyday life, as well as imagery, art, advertising, which will give you tools to use these transformational insights at any time.

More info here:В 

Location:В 
Nalandabodhi New York
324 West 23rd, 2A
(between 8th and 9th Aves.)

Date/Time: В  Saturday, Feb. 25th, 9:30am-5:00pm.

Suggested Donation:В  $60.00 for the day

RSVP: to me -- greg@...
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
A Time-Bomb In An Infinite Loop
В 
11 Saturday Feb 2012
В 
Posted by David AM in Experience
В 
Tags
В 
Depression, grace, Lars Von Trier, Meditation, Melancholia, Non-Dual, Truth, universe
В 
I read an article once by a cosmonaut who said that “space smells like gunpowder.” ItÂ’s a comment that helped to corroborate an idea that I began meditating on a few months ago about how the universe is just one big mass reaction. ItÂ’s volatile, chaotic, and hostile, yet there is so much beauty in that discord. The incandescence of pure light, the various shades and chroma of the sky . . . for that reason alone IÂ’m hesitant to make a distinction between compassion and malevolence. If there is always a lesson to be learned then everything is grace. We grow through all experience and thatÂ’s something to be grateful for, if you so wish.
В 
I have this idea that maybe depression isnÂ’t the worst thing in the world. IÂ’m sure many would disagree and feel the need to protect the fact that they went through it or knew people who had it and suffered needlessly. But what if that despair felt by sufferers was actually beneficial to seeing the reality of the world. I saw Melancholia the other day – a film by Lars Von Trier starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg – and it got me thinking about deep depression and how those under its spell see clearly what the world is. Yet, we tell the afflicted that the world is not a bad place and that life abounds and that they are loved and necessary. Meanwhile, we return to our homes and bear the weight of this existence because of all that we attach ourselves to and it seems heinous to give anyone a bit of hope. One of the exchanges in the movie between the sisters, Justine (Kirsten) and Claire (Charlotte), expressed this introspective notion:
В 
Justine: The earth is evil. We donÂ’t need to grieve for it.Claire: What? J: Nobody will miss it. C: But where would [my son] grow? J: All I know is, life on earth is evil. C: Then maybe life somewhere else. J: But there isnÂ’t. C: How do you know? J: Because I know things. C: Oh yes, you always imagined you did. J: I know weÂ’re alone. C: I donÂ’t think you know that at all. J: 678. The bean lottery. Nobody guessed the amount of beans in the bottle. C: No, thatÂ’s right. J: But I know. 678. C: Well, perhaps. But what does that prove? J: That I know things. And when I say weÂ’re alone, weÂ’re alone. Life is only on earth, and not for long.
В 
I donÂ’t agree completely with some of the words exchanged in this dialogue, obviously; I bring this up specifically to point out the last line in which Justine asserts her claims which seem rooted in her bout with melancholia. It could also be inferred that she may actually be highly intelligent based on the bean lottery comments. At the end of the day itÂ’s still just a movie, albeit a thought-provoking one with much to consider.
В 
Oddly enough, a few days after watching this movie I was sitting in the lounge in lower Gladfelter when my eyes caught a Yoga magazine. One of the articles advertised on the cover was on the topic of depression; I turned to the article and began reading. The article opened with a story about a young man in India who was well off and had everything until one day he slowly started to see the world for what it was and became morose, detached, and frail. When asked what was wrong he replied that the world was a dark place and that there was no salvation. Many people tried to coax him out of his mentality, but he was sure that there was nothing truer than what he had come to. Eventually he met a non-dual guru who confirmed his seeing as truth but that there was a way out . . . this is where non-dual meditation and yoga came into the article. I stopped reading here because I just didnÂ’t have time to finish and I was skeptical about the remainder of the article. IÂ’m not doubting the efficacy of non-dual practices or yoga, but the intent behind the article which says that both can “heal” depression and bring you a “sense of purpose.” Why not just do it to feel a sense of union with all things and be okay with what the universe is? Strip yourself of the labels and donÂ’t come to any conclusions on anything; Stay ambiguous and indeterminate.
В 
To sum things up, I think depression allows a great opportunity. Many may not agree. ThatÂ’s fine. But think about these things a little deeper; look past the limitations of labels and really consider the people who suffer from the multitude of disorders that we think need fixing. This idea doesnÂ’t cover every aspect of depression and IÂ’m not claiming to know anything about psychology. These are merely observations that might be worth considering.
В 
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4514 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-16
Subject: #4514 - Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
#4514 - Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlightsВ 
В 
В 
В 
В 

Seeking Enlightenment: The Spiritual Journey of a Psychotherapist

byВ Catherine MorrisonВ 
В 
Seeking Enlightenment is both a personal and a professional memoir. It is a true story that I began to write while practicing psychotherapy as a young adult. With a deep interest in an evolutionary system of psychological evolution, I began the developmental story with the infantÂ’s first weeks of life—when he is normally, but nevertheless “psychotically” oriented, not knowing inside from outside—and moved on through progressively more “healthy,” but still “dysfunctional” states, to the healthier “neurotic” stages of emotional life, and, finally, to Autonomy, the Western ideal of health. Because I was “staging” development, I was drawn to Jean PiagetÂ’s cognitive—staging system, the most exacting and elegant such system in the field, and I found–as he had predicted—that it was eminently suitable for emotional development. However, his cognitive stages included three plateaus; whereas, I had found only two tiers of emotional development throughout my extensive and varied practice.

Now, I needed candidates for a third plateau. Having had an ambivalent relationship with spirituality during most of my adult life, a three-day retreat with the Dalai Lama had made a believer out of me, so I knew this third level must be spiritual as His Holiness would definitely not fit on my first or second developmental levels. I began to explore Eastern enlightenment, and after two fruitless trips to India, looking for a guru, miraculously, my guru, Swami Dayananda came to my hometown to give a two- day seminar to MIT students, and, in so doing, he found me. Since that time, I regularly took courses at his ashram in Saylorsburg, PA.

Swami Dayananda, unlike most Indian gurus I have known, was interested in Western psychology, and as he taught me about the evolution of spirituality, I told him about my psychological study which I called JacobÂ’s Ladder. As he instructed me about Eastern enlightenment, he suggested that I complete JacobÂ’s Ladder, by adding this Eastern component to Western psychology. He said that no one could be fully mature without spiritual growth. He called this maturation Ultimate Mental Health.

В http://www.lifeisaspiritualjourney.com/
В 
Excerpt:
В 
The ancient Vedantins sometimes used the metaphor
of a red-hot iron ball to symbolize the relationship of
consciousness to the human mind. The glowing red heat
and the hard round metal appear as a single entity, just as
consciousness and the mind are taken to be one. In reality,
the hot iron is a composite of fire and metal, seen as one
through superimposition of the two elements upon each
other. In its finely honed teaching methodology, Vedanta
uses this as one metaphor to clarify that the mind derives
its consciousness as a reflection of the unity consciousness
in which it shines and not because it generates consciousness
within itself. Though this notion of the isolated self
in a separate body with a discrete awareness of its own is
deeply ingrained in each of us through millennia of bodyidentification,
it is false. The only true source of consciousness is atma or Brahman,
The One-Without-A-Second.
В 
Vedanta teaches that this source of all, being non-dual, is
the source of consciousness that reflects in the otherwise
insentient cellular matter constituting our bodies as well
as our brains. This phenomenon is compared with sunlight
shining on the surface of a lake or a mirror, making it bright
by reflecting in it.
В 
How does an essentially insentient brain, enlivened
by reflected consciousness—but embattled with a self-centered
ego that intuits progress along this third plateau will
bring about its destruction—ever make the leap from that
Г‚вЂ˜ego-mind,Â’ even from a “prepared ego-mind,” to identify
with pure consciousness and become enlightened? What is
the progression along the third plateau? Our society seems
to have lost the inspiration and the motivation as well as
the map. We can look for some of all three in this chapter.
The mystics are good map-makers of their personal routes
toward the Unitive Life, while the VedantinsÂ’ perfected
teaching methodology shortens the quest and substantially
diminishes its overwhelming anxiety. Diminished anxiety
alone increases oneÂ’s capacity for receptivity to VedantaÂ’s
message. We can benefit from the mystics and from others
who record their paths toward enlightenment, and we
can learn from todayÂ’s Vedantins whose well-systematized
teaching methods still beckon seekers from around the
world. Perhaps these models can reignite our interest and
inspire us toward our own maturational and spiritual progress,
and I feel certain they can help us find our way.
В 
Evelyn UnderhillÂ’s classic Mysticism is an important
source of information about Western aspirants. She
studied and cataloged the lives of nearly a hundred individuals
as they sought union with God. She identifies five
stages, three for preparation and two for fruition. She calls
her first stage “Conversion” or “Awakening of the Self.”
By Conversion, Underhill does not mean the novice or agnosticÂ’s
first introduction to the notion of God. Instead, she
refers to a deep, often sudden, shift in oneÂ’s perception of
reality, like that of St. Paul on the road to Damascus. In this
Conversion, the self profoundly intuits that 1) God is real,
2) the world is a mock reality, and 3) the self is one with
divinity. My own Conversion experience, though far less
dramatic than St. PaulÂ’s, had the potency of a blow to the
head, leaving me dazed. It accompanied the first complete
Vedanta instruction I received from Swami Dayananda at
the MIT lecture, reorienting my thought and galvanizing
my passion toward the single goal of God-consciousness.
В 
Read more:
В 
В http://www.lifeisaspiritualjourney.com/
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4515 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2012-02-17
Subject: #4515 - Thursday, February 16, 2012 - Editor: Gloria Lee
#4515 - Thursday, February 16, 2012 - Editor: Gloria Lee
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlightsВ В 
В 
В 
В 
Some critic tried to put me down -
"Your poems lack the Basic Truth of Tao."
And I recall the old timers
Who were poor and didn't care.
I have to laugh at him,
He misses the point entirely,
Men like that
Ought to stick to making money.
В 
~Hanshan [Cold Mountain]
В 
Moss Garden, Japan
В 
В 
В 
In one spark of fire
there is the whole fire
it can ignite
whole cities and nations
one spark!
В 
That's how the Truth
of one Person
from age to age
can shake the whole earth.
В 
В В  - Swami Amar Jyoti
В 
via Along The Way

В 
I have been in love more times than one,
thank the Lord. Sometimes it was lasting
whether active or not. Sometimes
it was all but ephemeral, maybe only
an afternoon, but not less real for that.
They stay in my mind, these beautiful people,
or anyway beautiful people to me, of which
there are so many. You, and you, and you,
whom I had the fortune to meet, or maybe
missed. Love, love, love, it was the
core of my life, from which, of course, comes
the word for the heart. And, oh, have I mentioned
that some of them were men and some were women
and some—now carry my revelation with you—
were trees. Or places. Or music flying above
the names of their makers. Or clouds, or the sun
which was the first, and the best, the most
loyal for certain, who looked so faithfully into
my eyes, every morning. So I imagine
such love of the world—its fervency, its shining, its
innocence and hunger to give of itself—I imagine
this is how it began.
В 
~Mary Oliver
В 
and thenВ I read the news about mary oliver, who is "seriously ill."
В 
oh, so many of us have been touched, transformed and nurtured by
her words!!!
В 
may we all send mary our deepest aloha, aroha, love, and/or whatever
arises when we hold her in our hearts~
В 
endless love to all of you Beloveds,
В 
~rashani
В 

"The particular method of Dzogchen is called the Path of
Self-Liberation, and to apply it nothing need be renounced, purified, or
transformed. Whatever arises as one's karmic vision is used as the
path."
В 
~Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
В 
From the book, "The Crystal and the Way of Light", published by Snow
Lion
В 
via Daily Dharma
В 
В 
Radical Emptiness
В 
To the extent that the fire of truth wipes out all fixated points of view,
it wipes out inner contradictions as well, and we begin to move in a
whole different way. The Way is the flow that comes from a place of
non-contradiction - not from good and bad. Much less damage tends to
be done from that place. Once we have reached the phase where there
is no fixed self-concept, we tend to lead a selfless life. The only way to
be selfless is to be self less - without a self. No matter what it does, a
self isn't going to be selfless. It can pretend. It can approximate
selflessness, but a self is never going to be selfless because there is
always an identified personal self at the root of it.
В 
Being selfless isn't a good, holy, or noble activity. It's simply that when
there is no self, selflessness happens. This selflessness is very different
from having a moralistic standpoint. When action is selfless, it tends to
do no harm. It tends to be the salvation, the secret alchemy that
awakens and removes conflict. It's a byproduct of not having a self. It
just so happens that reality is overflowing with goodness and love.
В 
This is radical emptiness - where everything is arising spontaneously.
There is no more need to discriminate with the mind between what
seems to be the right thing or the wrong thing to do. In ego-land it's
helpful to have an ego that can discriminate between right and wrong,
but at a certain point, that's not what you are operating by. You are
operating by the flow of the Tao, which is a higher order of
intelligence. You don't need to intellectually discriminate anymore
because the Tao discriminates without discriminating; it knows without
knowing; it moves without moving. There is no sense of being
enlightened or unenlightened. Since there is no self, there is nothing to
be enlightened or unenlightened.
В 
We can talk about enlightened beings and non-enlightened beings, and
conceptually that has a use. But when there is no self, when there is
radical emptiness, the whole enlightenment thing is sort of irrelevant
because reality has become conscious of itself, which is enlightenment.
That's what is often missed. People believe that enlightenment is an
improvement on reality, like becoming a super human being or
God-knows-what. But enlightenment is when reality is awake to itself
as itself within itself.
В 
~Adyashanti
В 
В 
Homebound
В 
В 
В 
Please go to link for more photos and poem by Alan Larus
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4516 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-17
Subject: #4516 - Friday, February 17, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4516 - Friday, February 17, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlightsВ 
В 
В 
В 
В 
This issue introduces Arvana Robinson's The Gathering, an event expected to bring in 100,000 enlightenment seekers to the Toronto, Canada area and generate $85,000,000В in revenue. You can be an investor (at your own risk). Details below. (Note: I'm not financially or otherwise involved in this project.)
В 

В 

THE GATHERING

July 27 - August 2, 2012, Toronto, Canada

http://www.zoxon.com/index.html

Lose yourself in bliss!В  Join us in a historic 7-day “Spiritual Woodstock” retreat, led by dozens of genuine awakened teachers — gathering in 2012 for the first time ever.

The Gathering is a 7-day retreat focused on spiritual awakening using meditation, yoga, music and chant. Dozens of enlightened teachers from all the worldÂ’s traditions – from Advaita to Zen – are coming together in 2012 for this historic retreat, a unique transformative event designed to guide you to the point of self-awakening.

Join us for a life-changing time when, for 7 days and nights, you will be gently guided into a space where you can transcend your Self, drop into the present moment and melt into oneness with universal consciousness.

The event is being created by ordinary meditators, with the support and active participation of awakened teachers from around the globe.В  It is a loving and inclusive gathering of our worldwide family of spiritual seekers, and YOU are invited to be a part of something that has never happened before:
В 
The Gathering

For the 7 days leading up to the 2012 Lammas – midway between Solstice and Equinox – we will gather to join energies and raise our group consciousness to the point of enlightenment.

From July 27 – August 2, 2012, the many awakened beings facilitating The Gathering will combine their energies and join together to guide and support your potential for transcendence into awakened consciousness.

At the center, master musicians will weave a spontaneous sonic tapestry of ever-deepening rhythm and sound, while the spiritual teachings lead you through increasingly powerful transformative exercises in letting go of your Self.

Everything builds towards a climax on the full-moon night of Lammas on August 2nd, 2012, when our vision is to ignite a shift in consciousness that resonates around the world.В  To allow that to happen, we are bringing togetherÂ… 

All the Ingredients for Transformation

There will be spontaneous world music like nothing you've heard before.В  You will receive continual guidance so gentle and masterful that you will barely notice the layers of self slipping away from your being.В  And our ultimate aim is that you will experience heights of joy and bliss beyond all of your previous experience, culminating in a moment of ultimate surrender and dissolving into universal consciousness.

You will be provided with 100% organic food that is aligned with Gabriel Cousen's guidelines for spiritual nutrition.В  All of the essentials like water stations, first-aid facilities, bathrooms, showers and support staff are also included.В  You will be staying in a designated camping area next to the event area, and the entire facility will be safeguarded with careful yet unobtrusive security to ensure our privacy.

The venue is a large flat open area that can comfortably accommodate all of our participants in full comfort for the duration of the event.В  The sophisticated sound, video and lighting systems will keep even the farthest reaches actively connected with the center.В  You will be given a list of items to bring that will allow you to fully participate in comfort; everything else will be taken care of.

The Gathering will be held outside of Toronto, Canada, on a farmland venue near the town of Woodstock.В  We will be running shuttle buses from Toronto, and other nearby urban centres, to and from the event.

Once you arrive, you can settle in and get ready forÂ…
В 
An Intensive Time of Awakening

The Gathering brings together the different tools and techniques of the world's awakened traditions.The Gathering will alternate between the polarities of stillness and activity, meditation and movement, silence and chant.В  Every aspect of the event will remind you, over and over, of your true nature.В  You will always have the freedom to take breaks as needed, but the purpose of your being here is to be in totality, dive in and wake up.

You will be responsible for maintaining your own sense of grounding throughout this intensive and dynamic time.В  Chill-out areas will be provided, with caring personal support available as needed, and you are encouraged to make use of them if you feel a need to re-center yourself.

And there is much that you can do between now and the event:
В 
Prepare Yourself for the Ultimate

It is the intention of The Gathering to lead you into a state of enlightenment, using all of the different tools and techniques developed by the world's awakened traditions.В  To take part, we encourage you to be sincerely ready to transcend your Self and make the leap into a new level of consciousness.

Find out more and watch the visionary video:

http://www.zoxon.com/index.html

Wish to invest in The Gathering and become a shareholder? Read the following:

Company Overview

ZOXON International Spiritual Federation, Inc. was incorporated in May 2010 by Arvana Robinson. Its initial project is hosting a first-ever “Spiritual Woodstock” event that is bringing many Zen Masters and other spiritual gurus together from around the world, to lead a crowd of 100,000 participants in a 7-day retreat focused on enlightenment.

To date, the rapidly-growing company has built a fully-automated ticket sales website at zoxon.com, launched a massive social-media campaign, secured the services of 32 world-class spiritual gurus, and hired a full complement of world-fusion musicians for this event. Currently underway are the processes of engineering the audio, video and construction requirements, and securing a lease on a 100-acre property with the option to purchase.

Over the past two years, our small group of private investors has injected significant funds into this project, and will continue to support it financially for as long as necessary. Ticket sales are expected to bring in revenues of $85,000,000, with a total event budget of $7,000,000.

While the costs will be covered many times over by ticket sales, the majority of those sales will occur in the last few months before the event. To help bridge any potential gaps in funding, we have a brief opportunity for a few more visionary investors to join the company.

http://www.zoxon.com/sites/default/files/Gathering-Investment.pdf
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4517 From: Mark Date: 2012-02-18
Subject: Issue #4510 - Saturday, February 11, 2011
Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4510, Saturday, February 11, 2011




Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.

- The Buddha from the Sutta Nipata, posted to DailyDharma



Yes

It could happen any time, tornado,
earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen.
Or sunshine, love, salvation.

It could, you know. That's why we wake
and look out - no guarantees
in this life.

But some bonuses, like morning,
like right now, like noon,
like evening.

- William Stafford, from Learning to Live in the World - Earth Poems, posted to allspirit



When We Pray Alone

We are brought thick deserts, and we rarely refuse them.
We worship devoutly when we're with others.
Hours we sit, though we get up quickly
after a few minutes, when we pray alone.
We hurry down the gullet of our wantings.

But these qualities can change,
as minerals in the ground rise inside trees
and become tree, as plant faces an animal
and enters the animal, so a human
can put down the heavy
body baggage and
be light.

- Rumi, version by Coleman Barks from The Essential Rumi, posted to Sunlight



I Will Just Say This

We
bloomed in Spring.

Our bodies
are the leaves of God.

The apparent seasons of life and death
our eyes can suffer;

but our souls, dear, I will just say this forthright:
they are God
Himself,

we will never perish
unless He
does.

St Teresa of Avila, from Love Poems From God, by Daniel Ladinsky.



I have come into this world to see this:
the sword drop from men's hands even at the height
of their arc of anger

because we have finally realized there is just one flesh to wound
and it is His - the Christ's, our
Beloved's.

I have come into this world to see this: all creatures hold hands as
we pass through this miraculous existence we share on the way
to even a greater being of soul,

a being of just ecstatic light, forever entwined and at play
with Him.

I have come into this world to hear this:

every song the earth has sung since it was conceived in
the Divine's womb and began spinning from
His wish,

every song by wing and fin and hoof,
every song by hill and field and tree and woman and child,
every song of stream and rock,

every song of tool and lyre and flute,
every song of gold and emerald
and fire,

every song the heart should cry with magnificent dignity
to know itself as
God:

for all other knowledge will leave us again in want and aching -
only imbibing the glorious Sun
will complete us.

I have come into this world to experience this:

men so true to love
they would rather die before speaking
an unkind
word,

men so true their lives are His covenant -
the promise of
hope.

I have come into this world to see this:
the sword drop from men's hands
even at the height of
their arc of
rage

because we have finally realized
there is just one flesh
we can wound.

- Hafiz, from Love Poems From God, by Daniel Ladinsky.



Group: NDhighlights Message: 4518 From: Mark Date: 2012-02-20
Subject: #4518 - Sunday, February 19, 2012
Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4518, Sunday, February 19, 2012




Silence is the sea,
and speech is like the river.
The sea is seeking you:
don't seek the river.
Don't turn your head away from
the signs offered by the sea.

- Rumi, version by Camille and Kabir Helminski, from Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance, posted to AlongTheWay



Go within.
Use the inner body as a starting point
for going deeper
and taking your attention away from where it's usually lodged,
in the thinking mind.

- Eckhart Tolle, posted to The_Now2



The mind must learn that beyond the moving mind there is a background of awareness which does not change. The mind must come to know the true self and respect it and cease covering it up, like the moon which obscures the sun during a solar eclipse.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj, posted to ANetofJewels



Silence, in the mystical sense, is widely misunderstood. It's not the absence of sound, but an immensity of acceptance that can't be perturbed by any word, thought, sight, or event. To those who know this silence to talk or not to talk is just the same.

Pete, posted to AdvaitaToZen



We're quite addicted to subtle discussions;
we're very fond of solving problems.
So that we may tie knots and then undo them,
we constantly make rules for posing the difficulty
and for answering the questions it raises.
We're like a bird which loosens a snare
and then ties it tighter again
in order to perfect its skill.
It deprives itself of open country;
it leaves behind the meadowland,
while its life is spent dealing with knots.
Even then the snare is not mastered,
but its wings are broken again and again.
Don't struggle with knots,
so your wings won't be broken.
Don't risk ruining your feathers
to display your proud efforts.

- Rumi, Mathnawi II: 3733-3738, version by Camille and Kabir Helminski, from Rumi: Daylight, posted to Sunlight
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4519 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2012-02-21
Subject: #4519 - Monday, February 20, 2012 - Editor: Gloria Lee
В 
#4519 - Monday, February 20, 2012 - Editor: Gloria Lee
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlightsВ В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
REVIEWS
В 
В 
In clarity, precision, honesty, and strength, which are rooted in the infinite,
Rashani illustrates the twilight zone of the experience of knowing our true
nature. In a milieu where even spiritual writers are influenced by the Hollywood
happy ending—in their domain, it’s called enlightenment—Rashani presents a
clear, gemmed, and fiercely independent voice. Rashani writes about the whole
spectrum of states that make up the human experience. She also embraces our
experience of fragile moments and courageously reaches into the deepest pain
ingrained in them; she transforms dualism, both the beauty and the ugly, into
oneness of being. —Smadar De Lange
В 
This book is a chronicle and testimony for our capacity to enter into the pain of
being human, without resistance, and emerge, again and again, into a state of
nondual awareness. The extremes of heartbreak and profound spiritual
awakening couldn’t be rendered more starkly, yet they are so close. Though the
path of being broken wide open begins in our pain and anguish, like all true
paths, it leads to the state of embodied transcendence. That the heart can turn
so quickly? This is the real miracle. Rashani’s poem is a wonder. In the space of
just a few words, she takes our soul in her hands and shows how we can move
from the depths of despair to a place of immutable wholeness. —Peter Fenner,
author of Radiant Mind and The Edge of Certainty
В 
This is a book from the deep that finds light not by seeking light, but by letting
go into darkness. It is a book of miracles—not the usual kind of miracles like
walking on water—but the miracle of finding beauty and love and transcendence
in the very heart of life with all its brokenness and loss. It’s a poem, really, or a
song or a sutra. I love the way Rashani weaves together the beautiful and the
ugly so that we can see how inseparable they are and how she conveys so much
so sparingly. This book is a beautiful, powerful, gorgeous song of life and
death. —Joan Tollifson, author of Bare-Bones Meditation: Waking Up from the
Story of My Life
В 
Medicine comes in as many forms as our prodigious planet offers, but why do
we feel surprised when its form is suffering? This is the old, moonlit path itself.
Awakening cannot be separate from suffering; resurrection cannot be other than
the full embrace of loss. Beyond Brokenness is the potent medicine of grief
turned to praise. It sanctions us all to dare to be fully human and to take up the
song! That’s what we’re here for. —Susan Murphy, roshi. Author of Upside
Down Zen
В 
...........
В 
Sam Gabriel
В 
I just finished the book Beyond Brokenness by Rashani RГѓВ©a. Yes, the same
Rashani who wrote the poem that begins with the phrase "There is a
brokenness..." Her poem is on her website - look towards the bottom of the
page. (http://www.rashani.com/retreats/index.html)
В 
Here is a quote from page 201 of Rashani's book:
В 
"Spending time in spiritual communities, for more than twenty years,
strengthened my experience of the infinite, yet also deepened my denial of
suffering, the invisible tunnel through which I unconsciously disengaged from
life." ––Rashani RГѓВ©a
В 
Rashani's poem was born out of a subsequent change of direction that led her to
fully embrace her suffering. Her book is about the birth of that poem. I read the
book cover-to-cover ~ every forward, acknowledgement, appendix ~ every
printed word. She seems to have felt a little uncomfortable writing so much
about her personal life - her whole life, in fact, from early childhood on. I don't
think this discomfort was out of shyness or embarrassment, but rather out of a
concern for relevance. After all, the way of spirit is the way of the impersonal.
Spiritual people are not "supposed to" make a big deal out of their personal
lives.
В 
And yet, as she proceeded with the writing of her book, it ended up embracing
her whole life. She wanted to take a lot of the personal parts out, but her friends
urged her to leave them in. I think her friends were right.
В 
It is very hard for anyone to take credit for transformation, unless that
transformation is taken out of context. Rashani was a part of Thich Nhat Hanh's
sangha. Can he take credit for her transformation? Or, was it Arny Mindell?
Maybe it was her parents. Maybe it was the Concierto de Aranjuez or her brother
Charlie. Or maybe it was the motorcycle accident or maybe it was Lyme's
disease.
В 
No - the context - all of it - is integral to the transformation. And so Rashani has
told the story, and her friends have helped her to keep it intact. And in the end,
I feel we are just left with reverence, reverence for what is unknowable and
miraculous. And we are humbled. Is there something to teach here? Is there a
method to extract from this? No. The teacher lies in what is unknowable and
miraculous. The method lies in what is unknowable and miraculous.
В 
I have never met Rashani, yet I feel close to her. About a year ago, she and I
spent a month exchanging emails - quite a few emails. Our families - the
families we grew up in - have some things in common. In some ways, I am a
little like her brother Bruce, and Rashani is a little like my sister. We explored
this with what became a rather disarming honesty. I don't know if she knows
this, but I spent about a week mostly in tears. I discovered things about myself
that were painful - and, yet, also joyous.
В 
So then to read Rashani's book, which talks so much about her family, was
really a treat for me. Her family is somehow a part of my family. And after
reading the book, it seems even more so. In fact, after reading her book, it is
dawning on me that there is another, unexpected parallel. Something Rashani
doesn't explicitly state. Something not often explicitly stated.
В 
Like me, I think that Rashani grew up knowing that she is loved. I grew up
knowing that I am loved. And for years I never noticed this. It just wasn't
something to notice as it was simply taken for granted. But in the last couple of
years I have begun to see that this was not a given. There are people that do
not grow up knowing that they are loved, and for them, this needs to be
proven, perhaps time and again.
В 
This is profound and affects a lifetime. Knowing that you are loved is knowing
that you are lovable. Nothing needs to be proven. So many questions that could
arise, never do. I think this is something that we learn as young children. From
Rashani's story, it is clear: Rashani had a very loving mother. I, too, had a very
loving mother. We both got the message loud and clear: you are loved. I wasn't
dismissed. I was listened to, and what I said mattered. Read the story in
Rashani's book about her horse.
В 
~Sam Gabriel May, 2011
В 
Sam Gabriel is just one of those guys who likes having a family, likes getting
software to work, and likes going on adventures in the mountains. In January
2008, during a private meeting with his Zen teacher of 25 years, he found
himself in the awkward position of being so overwhelmed with joy that he was
unable to speak. When he calmed down, he made the mistake of admitting the
cause, which was a spiritual awakening that had occurred some years before.
Funny thing about this Zen awakening: there wasn’t really any desire or need to
talk about it with anyone. His Zen teacher then asked that he start giving Zen
talks. Second funny thing: it was now hard to say no to requests like this. Sam
gives this advice: "By all means, seek to discover your True Self, but if you do
find it, don’t ever tell anybody, especially your Zen teacher!"
В 
Sam Gabriel, San Diego, CA
http://home.roadrunner.com/~clothespin
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4520 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-21
Subject: #4520 - Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4520 - Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
В 
В 
В 
В 
Good and Evil
В 
by Colin Drake
В 
В 
The first thing to be said is that good and evil are not objective realities, but are subjective concepts. They vary greatly in different religious, cultural, racial, national and tribal settings. There are many behaviours that are (or were) considered to be good (or OK) in one of these, whilst considered to be evil in others. Examples are adultery, cannibalism, pedophilia, torture, homosexuality, meat-eating, bigamy, etc., the list is almost endless. So there is no point considering whether any of these are Г‚вЂ˜goodÂ’ or Г‚вЂ˜evilÂ’, instead I will consider what motivates, or the cause of, these behaviours.
В 
It seems to me that the ultimate motive behind all activity, other than that associated with preservation and procreation, is to achieve happiness and fulfillment; as the Dalai Lama said: Г‚вЂ˜I believe the purpose of life is to be happyÂ’. For as the purpose of creation is for the enjoyment of the Absolute (Consciousness), and we are all instruments (and manifestations) of This, then it stands to reason that we should create as much joy in our lives as possible. However, if we misidentify ourselves as being separate objects, in a universe of separate objects, then we are liable to treat others as objects which can be used for our enjoyment. This can lead to disregarding the suffering of others and, in the extreme case, actually deriving enjoyment from this. It is easily seen that this can be the prescription for many Г‚вЂ˜evilÂ’ forms of behaviour.
В 
So, as is the case with many of our mind-states and actions, living in a useful happy way is reliant on self-identity, “who am I?”  
В 
If we realize that we are manifestations. and instruments (see appendix), of Consciousness and that the purpose of creation is for the enjoyment of the Absolute (Consciousness) then we will naturally tend to create as much joy in our lives as possible. Moreover, when we find a way to enable others to enjoy their lives more this is as valuable, in fact more valuable if we can facilitate this for a group, as creating joy for ourselves.В В 
В 
When we look at the sources of joy and fulfilment there are sensual pleasures, entertainments, achieving goals, helping others, the sheer joy of experiencing Г‚вЂ˜what isÂ’ here and now, loving oneÂ’s fellow beings and pointing to Г‚вЂ˜awakeningÂ’, being creative, etc., etc. The first four of these are available to everyone whereas the next two are more likely to be experienced by those who have awakened. The last, creativity, is a natural urge as Consciousness is endlessly creating (and destroying); so as manifestations of this we share this attribute. When thwarted our innate creativity can transform into destructivity caused by frustration and lack of acknowledgement. Take the case of Hitler who was rejected when he applied to enter Art College, and thus sought to put his stamp on the world in different, and destructive, ways.В 
В 
It says in the Upanishads that all acts are performed by The Self (Awareness, Brahman) for the sake of The Self and love of The Self. Their Г‚вЂ˜flavourÂ’ is caused by the relative wisdom or ignorance of the Г‚вЂ˜actorÂ’, the instrument committing them. So it seems to me that Г‚вЂ˜goodÂ’ and Г‚вЂ˜evilÂ’ acts stem from the same motivation and their outward expression is dependent on the degree of awareness that the perpetrator exhibits. The former by those who exhibit some degree of awakening, wisdom, and identification with the Totality (Consciousness, Brahman); whereas, the latter are more likely to be committed by those who are relatively Г‚вЂ˜asleepÂ’, ignorant, or identified as a separate object in a universe of such.В 
В 
The natural corollary to this is that if we awaken, by realizing that we are Pure Awareness (the constant conscious subjective presence), and cultivate this awakening by remaining identified as (and with) This, then we tend to become a force for Г‚вЂ˜goodÂ’, peace, harmony, positivity and creativity. Whereas, if we remain asleep, identified as an object in a universe of objects, we could become a force for Г‚вЂ˜evilÂ’, violence, discord, negativity and destructivity.В 
В 
В 
Appendix: Instruments of The AbsoluteВ 
В 
В If you sit quietly noticing the sensations in (and on the surface of) your body, you can easily see that these occur, are detected by the nervous system and then are seen by awareness, i.e. you become aware of them.В 
В 
In the same vein you can notice that sounds occur, are detected by the ears, and then are seen by awareness.В 
В 
Sights occur, are detected by the eyes, and then are seen by awareness.В 
В 
Aromas occur, are detected by the nose, and then are seen by awareness.В 
В 
Flavours occur, are detected by the taste buds and then are seen by awareness.В 
В 
Thoughts occur, are detected by the mind, and then are seen by awareness.В 
В 
Mental images occur, are detected by the mind, and then are seen by awareness.В 
В 
Therefore the physical mind/body is an instrument through which awareness (consciousness at rest) can sense and contemplate the physical manifestation of cosmic energy (consciousness in motion, or motion in consciousness).В 
В 
So the body/mind is an instrument through which awareness can experience the physical world, for experience is awareness of thoughts/mental images/sensations.В 
В 
The body/mind is also an instrument through which awareness can interact with, and enjoy, the universal manifestation of cosmic energy.В 
В 
Thus the body/mind is an instrument through which consciousness can Г‚вЂ˜know itselfÂ’ when manifest as the physical world, that is when in motion.В 
В 
The human mind has the added advantage of being capable of Г‚вЂ˜self realizationÂ’ that is of realizing the deeper level of Г‚вЂ˜pure awarenessÂ’, consciousness at rest, the unmanifest.В 
В 
Therefore the human mind/body is an instrument through which consciousness can Г‚вЂ˜know itselfÂ’ in both Г‚вЂ˜modesÂ’: at rest and in motion. That is as Г‚вЂ˜pure awarenessÂ’ and as the physical universe.
В 
Colin Drake's books are available at
В 
В 
В 
В 
If you haven't seen it yet, this video is excellent:

Pink Panther Teaches Non-Duality
В 
В 
В 
In his lifetime, Alan Watts was a speaker and writer who interpreted Eastern thought for the West – primarily Hinduism, Taoism, Vedanta, and Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoisim. Buddhism, Taoism, and Vedanta.
В 
In the text that accompanies the video above, we learn that the poster was sitting in a waiting room listening to an Alan Watts lecture on his iPod. Suddenly, he looked up at the television that was playing an old Pink Panther episode, “The Pink Phink.”
В 
Watching the video while hearing Alan WattÂ’s talk, he was surprised to see that the words being spoken by Watts seemed to perfectly juxtapose with visuals of the cartoon – its storyline was flawlessly in sync with WattÂ’s wisdom.
В 
If we didnÂ’t know better, of course, weÂ’d try to attribute this occurrence to “serendipity” or “coincidence.” Fortunately, we do know better!
В 
So, here for your viewing pleasure and spiritual pastime, we offer you the Pink Panther and his friend teaching non-duality!
В 
More information about Alan Watts is available at www.alanwatts.org, a site maintained by his son, Mark Watts. The Alan Watts extracts in the video are from Г‚вЂ˜YouÂ’re It!: On Hiding, Seeking, and Being FoundÂ’ ©2009 Sounds True; and The Pink Panther episode is ©2006 MGM.
В 
Watch the video here:
В 
В 
В 
В 

В 

SCOTT KILOBY appearances

Mar. 16-18, 2012

Friday EveningВ Guest Event:

Mountain View United Methodist Church

355 Ponca Place

Boulder, COВ  80303


Sat/SunВ Seminar: В В (Seating capacity limited to 30)

Prajna

765 Gilpin Drive, Boulder, CO 80303


Mar. 16-18, 2012

В В  Friday:В В 7:00-9:00 PM В В (FREE- come meet Scott!)

В В  Saturday:В В 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM В (1.5 hr. Lunch Break)

В В  Sunday:В В 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM


Registration & For More Info: В www.scottkilobytalks.com
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4521 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-22
Subject: #4521 - Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4521 - Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
В 
В 
В 
В 
JIM CONRADÂ’S NATURALIST NEWSLETTER
Issued from Hacienda Chichen Resort adjoining ChichГѓВ©n
Itzá Ruin in Yucatán, MÉXICO
В 
January 22, 2012
В 
This week the first flower appeared. It's shown at
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/12/120122tm.jpg
В 
I've sat a long time looking at that flower, its self-
confident, swooped-back, yellow petals, its strange-
looking, joined-by-their-margins anthers dribbling
pollen from pores at downward-directed anther tips,
and the long, silvery, rather haphazardly arrayed
hairs. How could such a tender, perfect presence arise
from such a depressing relationship?
В 
Is reality like two people irresistibly drawn together
who then hurt one another, or like a seed that
germinates into a plant that grows and evolves, until
one day you have an exquisite little flower? This
week, with the plants outside the hut door putting on
more and more flowers every day and stretching,
stretching toward the sky, I've thought about that a
lot. Here's what I've decided:
В 
It's both. It's just that damaged feelings are a
subset of the greater paradigm of the vivacious tomato
seedling.
В 
I mean, even the tomato flower's gorgeous yellow
corolla must shrivel, turn brown and fall away
(exactly like our relationship!) before the ovary
expands, grows and ripens to eventually become a
tomato. And then the tomato must be eaten for its
destiny to be fulfilled (vanishing like our
relationship!), and then the vine itself will die
(die!). But the impulse that brought the tomato vine
about in the first place (and draws people together)
will continue and somehow, I suspect, be even more
vital in the future than before.
В 
Yin, yang, ever dancing through time and space,
generating broken hearts and tomatoes so lush and
poignantly alive with promise that one must cry
beholding it. And, yin, yang, ever dancing through
time and space, and you must see the humor in it all,
the need to laugh uproariously at the whole thing, if
you are to get through this life with any semblance of
dignity.
В 
*****
В 
Best wishes to all Newsletter Readers.
Jim
В 
Subscribe AND unsubscribe to this Newsletter at
http://www.backyardnature.net/news/natnat.php
В 
Post your own backyard-nature observations and pix at
http://groups.google.com/group/backyard-nature/
В 
All previous Newsletters are archived at
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/
В 
Visit JimÂ’s backyard-nature site at
http://www.backyardnature.net
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4522 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-23
Subject: #4522 - Thursday, February 23, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4522 - Thursday, February 23, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
В 
В 
В 
В 
Gloria normally edits Thursday issues, but she's on vacation. That's right folks,В no adult supervision!
В 
Wayne Wirs and Anamika are featured, along with notices of upcoming nonduality gatherings.
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
Hi Jerry,

I recently did two blog posts on how to find enlightenment (in one sentence, and in one word).

The sentence: "Push away your thoughts and see what is left."

The word: "Listen."

Then I did a video "How To Find Enlightenment - The Explanation" to cover the details. If you are interested, you can find the video here:В http://waynewirs.com/2012/how-to-find-enlightenment-the-explanation/В 

Take care,

Wayne (Wirs)
В 
В 
В 
В 

Anamika

http://noname-allthereis.blogspot.com/

What to say..?

Someone asked me today: 'What is God?'

What to say?, what can one say about everything
not leaving out anything?
What can one say about the miracle called Life?
What can one say about that something which perceives
All, is All but defies any description?.

That something which animates the stars, the atoms,
the renewing of cells, this amazing functioning body.
Look at any tree, anything for that matter and one
can be stunned by the miracle of existence.
The shapes, the colours, the textures, such an amazing
array of sensory perceptions appearing as that something that
cannot be described.
Beyond labels, beyond the idea of being a somebody.

Surprise, surprise... you are that something
В 
В 
В 
В 
Two nonduality activities in New York City during late February and MarchВ :
В 
1. Tomas Sander and Greg Goode will be teaching this class on the emptiness teachings on Saturday Feb. 25th at Nalandabodhi in Manhattan. This is designed as a fun, easy and introductory session about these extremely powerful liberational teachings. The class will feature a lot of interactivity, class participation, group discussion and space to share your findings and experiences. The full-size poster is here: http://www.emptiness.co/classes/everyday_life
В 

We'll be looking at how daily life can be transformed by realizing emptiness of everyday things. We will talk about:

Experience the emptiness of meaning -- this gives you the experience of freedom and flexibility
Experience how to destabilize social norms and views -- this provides greater openness and loving compassion
Experience the emptiness of the perceptual world -- this experience lightens up the world
Experience art and creativity -- allows you to revolutionize your world
Experience a "Subway Meditation" you can take with you anywhere you go
Experience the creation of your own heavenly "Pure Land"
We'll use stories and experiences from everyday life, as well as imagery, art, advertising, which will give you tools to use these transformational insights at any time.

More info here:
http://www.emptiness.co/classes/everyday_life

http://www.nalandabodhi.org/centers/usa/new-york/classes-events/emptiness-in-everyday-life

Location:
Nalandabodhi New York
324 West 23rd, 2A
(between 8th and 9th Aves.)

Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 25th, 9:30am-5:00pm.

Suggested Donation: $60.00 for the day

RSVP: to me -- greg@...
В 
В 
~ ~ ~
В 
В 
2. The Practice and Science of Nonduality

Nonduality Institute Presents

A Five-Class Series and One-Day Workshop
At Tibet House, 22 W. 15 Street, NYC

With Judith Blackstone and Zoran Josipovic

Wednesdays, February 29, March 7, 14, 28 – 7:00-9:00 PM

Saturday, March 31, 10:30-4:30

February 29 – Nonduality and the Brain with Zoran
March 7 – The Realization Process, An Embodied Approach to Nonduality with Judith
March 14 – Nonduality and Relationships with Judith
March 21 – What Can Neuroscience Tell Us About Meditation? with Zoran
March 28 – Nonduality and Psychotherapy with Judith
March 31 – A Nondual Meditation Retreat with Judith and Zoran

For more information or to register, please go to
www.tibethouse.us
В 
~ ~ ~
В 
And if you're in Nova Scotia stop into the Lion's Head pub at 7PM on Sunday, Feb. 26 for a discussion session entitled Coffee, Tea, or the Now? The facilitators are James Traverse, Chani, Dustin LindenSmith, and Jerry Katz. Details are here:
В 
http://www.nonduality.ca
В 
В 
~ ~ ~
В 
Don't forget Scott...

SCOTT KILOBY appearances

Mar. 16-18, 2012

Friday EveningВ Guest Event:

Mountain View United Methodist Church

355 Ponca Place

Boulder, COВ  80303


Sat/SunВ Seminar: В В (Seating capacity limited to 30)

Prajna

765 Gilpin Drive, Boulder, CO 80303


Mar. 16-18, 2012

В В  Friday:В В 7:00-9:00 PM В В (FREE- come meet Scott!)

В В  Saturday:В В 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM В (1.5 hr. Lunch Break)

В В  Sunday:В В 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM


Registration & For More Info: В www.scottkilobytalks.com
В 
В 
~ ~ ~
В 
The big event of the season -- and there is a season -- is the Science and Nonduality Conference Europe in Amsterdam. Details...
В 
http://www.scienceandnonduality.com/europe/
В 
~ ~ ~
В 
Go to a nonduality gathering near you. Find one by entering the usual search terms at http://www.meetup.com
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4523 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-25
Subject: #4522 - Thursday, February 23, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4522 - Thursday, February 23, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
В 
В 
В 
В 
Canela Michelle, writings and schedule:

Hello EveryOne,В 
В 
This weekÂ’s invitation is to let go of attachment to time.В 
В 
How does this look in the midst of the details at play?В 
В 
Whenever you feel stressed out because of some event that looms in your apparent future, this points directly to an attachment to time.В  This is not Г‚вЂ˜wrongÂ’ or un-spiritual (is that even a real term?) it is simply how most humans have learned to be in response to the future or getting things done Г‚вЂ˜in timeÂ’.В 
В 
The invitation is, to notice the felt sense of being Г‚вЂ˜stressed outÂ’ that appears because you feel pushed, or are pushing yourself because of some time commitment – Г‚вЂ˜I have to finish this in time!Â’ 
В 
As soon as you can see that this is occurring, remind yourself that this moment is the only real happening and it is just an idea of time (or as if there were not enough of it) that is supporting you to push yourself.В  Recognize that time does not exist in and of itself – it is only a creation of the mind to attempt to quantify a bunch of moments to locate oneÂ’s self within a lifetime of moments.В  It is a handy creation and enables us to say yes to meeting someone in the apparent future, or yes to some happening that we would like to have happen – like writing a book perhaps.В  The reality is though, that the moments unfold as that future comes towards you and you get to tend to the details in the moment as they arrive.В В В 
В 
So, in the moment of recognizing that stress is happening that looks attached to some idea of getting something done Г‚вЂ˜in timeÂ’, to remember that time does not really exist, let that go, relax open and allow yourself to feel where the energy of Г‚вЂ˜stressÂ’ is located in your system.В В  Sit with this energy, not attempting to change it, breathe, relax open to feeling the energy, let the rest of the system (body and energy field) relax open so you can allow Awareness to simply rest with this energy however it shows up.В 
В 
When you take the time to relax open and release yourself from the attachment to the idea of time – as if you Г‚вЂ˜have toÂ’ get something done in time, or before the end of the day or whenever the time aspect shows up – you actually create more space.В  Giving yourself more moments with this more relaxed Г‚вЂ˜youÂ’ that can actually attend to much more when the stress isnÂ’t taking up so much of your energy.В В  ItÂ’s such a quandary:В  being stressed out takes energy (whether you are aware of it or not), letting it go gives you more space to be right where you are, right here, right now and tend to the details as they rise much more easily.В В 
В 
This takes some trust to allow yourself to let go of the push of time, you may be more used to feeling that push or pushing yourself to accomplish whatever you expect to before you Г‚вЂ˜run out of timeÂ’.В  Trusting that whatever is supposed to happen will, and it will be ok to not accomplish whatever it is you were pushing yourself for.В  It is not loving to push yourself out of some expectation on yourself.В  Relax, let go, feel whatever is happening in the moment, and carry on Being just who you are Now.В 
В 
You will find much more flow, more ease, and therefore a more happy Г‚вЂ˜youÂ’ when you let go of time and relax into Now.В 
В 
Join with us in Satsang with Canela where we will explore this in depth, and practice letting go of the idea of time to Be With the Love that you are, right here, right now:В  in the moment.В 
В 
If you find this email supportive, please share it via email, or go to the Г‚вЂ˜Right Here, Right Now BlogÂ’ to share via facebook and twitter at:В  http://canelamichelle.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/unique-perception-of-that/В 
В 
(I would love your support to share this with others ~ thank you!)В В В 
В 
Satsang Meditation with CanelaВ 
В 
-В В В В В В В В В  North VancouverВ В 
В 
Evening Satsang MeditationВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Mondays – Feb.В  27th, March 12th & 26th,
В 
April 9th & 23rd 2012
В 
7pm - 9pmВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
#31-150 East Queens RoadВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
North Vancouver, BC V7N 1G6В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Financial commitment:В  $15В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Please RSVP/info:В  Nancy at:В  604-985-3299В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
or nanriecken@...В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
В 
В 
-В В В В В В В В В  White RockВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
В 
В 
Evening Satsang MeditationВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Fridays –  March 16, April 20thВ 
В 
7:30pm – 9:30pmВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
981 161A St, South Surrey, BC, V4A 8R4В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
(you must enter from 9th Ave & Stayte St.)В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Financial Commitment:В  $15В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Please RSVP/info:В  Bill or Tina at:В  604-531-0359В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Or billyruppel@...В В В В В 
В 
В 
В 
-В В В В В В В В В  Toronto AreaВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
В 
В 
Week Long Retreat at Г‚вЂ˜The GatheringÂ’                                                                                                                                
В 
July 27th – August 2nd, 2012
В 
Register and Information here:В  http://zoxon.com/ref/10770
В 
В 
В 
-В В В В В В В В В  Prague, Czech RepublicВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
В 
В 
Weekend Non-Residential RetreatВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Sept. 21st – 23rd, 2012
В 
Individual Sessions Available Sept. 24th.
В 
Fri. Sept. 21st, 7-9pm, 250 CZK
В 
Sat. Sept. 22nd & Sunday Sept. 23rd, 10am-5pm,
В 
1200 CZK per day
Or a package price for the whole weekend - 2400 CZK
Contact: Joshi at josef.sila@... to register and info.
В 
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
-В В В В В В В В В  London, EnglandВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
В 
В 
Weekend Non-Residential RetreatВ В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В 
В 
Sept. 28th – 30th, 2012
В 
Individual Sessions Available Oct. 1st.
В 
Fri. Sept. 28th, 7-9pm Non-Dual TalkВ  £10 (at the Pub)
В 
Sat. Sept 29th & Sun. Sept. 30th, 12am-5pm
В 
£40 per day
В 
StillPoint Centre for Well Being,
В 
18 Devonshire Row, London
В 
Contact Brett Vallance at:В  valance.brett@... to register & info.
В 
В 
В 
Newsletter
В 
В 
В 
1.В В В В  As you can see by the listing above, Canela will be returning to offer Satsang in London, England this coming September as well as offering Satsang newly in Prague, Czech Republic.В  If you know people who live in these areas, please do let them know of these events.В  Thanks!В 
В 
2.В В В В  Here is the interview with Katerina with Maitrea on their very creative on-line magazine, pages 8 & 9,В  http://magazin.maitrea.cz/22В В  I was unable to translate it via on-line translators, they came out unintelligible.В  So it remains in Czech for now.В 
В 
3.В В В В  Interview of Canela Michelle with Rick Archer of Г‚вЂ˜Buddha at the Gas PumpÂ’ www.batgap.comВ В  Thanks to Rick and also to Kevin Diakiw for suggesting that Rick interview this CanelaВ 
В 
4.В В В В  Energy is growing for Г‚вЂ˜The GatheringÂ’ July 27th – August 7th, 2012В  Make the plunge and join with us all.В  The vibration will be intense just from being there, let alone with participation to all that you feel drawn to participate in.В  Also, it will be so much fun, dancing freedom!В  There is a ValentineÂ’s discount available until Feb. 28th, add the following code into the shopping cart checkout page:В  LOVEBLISS7В  This is a discount on top of the current early bird registration amount which will be expiring soon.В  Check it out and register here:В  http://zoxon.com/ref/10770В В 
В 
5.В В В В  Interview of Canela Michelle with Mike Kewley of Г‚вЂ˜Being OrdinaryÂ’ ~ www.beingordinary.orgВ В В  Thanks Mike!В 
В 
6.В В В В  Interview of Canela Michelle with Jerry Katz of NonDuality.com:В  http://nonduality.com/hl4435.htmВ В В  Your feedback is welcome and perhaps you might like to sign up to receive JerryÂ’s NonDuality Highlights.В  Thank you JerryВ 
В 
7.В В В В  Welcome to all of the new subscribers to this list!В  You are welcome to ask any questions, or share responses, that might rise in response to these Satsang Invitations.В  Just click on reply and ask/share.В 
В 
With Love to you allÂ….exactly as you are, no more, no less than That.
В 
Canela Michelle
В 
Canela Michelle is available to offer Г‚вЂ˜Satsang MeditationÂ’ in your area - contact us through responding to this email or through:В  www.canelamichelle.com to find out how easy that is.
В 
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4524 From: Mark Date: 2012-02-27
Subject: #4524 - Saturday, February 25, 2011
Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4524, Saturday, February 25, 2011




All the peace and happiness of the whole globe,
the peace and happiness of societies,
the peace and happiness of family,
the peace and happiness in the individual persons' life,
and the peace and happiness of even the animals and so forth,
all depends on having loving kindness toward each other.

- Lama Zopa Rinpoche, posted to DailyDharma



We should ask God
To help us toward manners. Inner gifts
Do not find their way
To creatures without just respect.

If a man or a woman flails about, he not only
Smashes his house,
He burns the world down.

Your depression is connected to your insolence
And your refusal to praise. If a man or a woman is
On the path, and refuses to praise - that man or woman
Steals from others every day - in fact is a shoplifter!

The sun became full of light when it got hold of itself.
Angels began shining when they achieved discipline.
The sun goes out whenever the cloud of non-praising comes
near.
The moment that foolish angel felt insolent, he heard the
door close.

- Rumi, version by Robert Bly, based on a translation by R.A. Nicholson, from The Soul Is Here For Its Own Joy, posted to Sunlght



To the Prophet, this world is plunged in glorification of God,
while to us it is heedless.
To his eye this world is filled with abundant love;
to the eyes of others it is inert and lifeless.
To his eye, valley and hill are in fluid motion:
he hears subtle discourses from sod and bricks.
To the vulgar, this whole world is a dead thing in chains.
I have never seen a veil of blindness more amazing than this.

- Rumi, Mathnawi IV: 3532-3535, version by Camille and Kabir Helminski, from Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance,, posted to Sunlight



Every experience in life is an invitation - an
invitation to awaken into an Awareness of the
essential nature of Reality - and who you really are.

- Metta Zetty



At this time in our present history we have the ability to be conscious of the stories we have been taught and how they define us, as well as the stories we unquestionably have believed about who another is. And we can take responsibility for the result. We can marvel when we discover that the stories of previously demonized others (enemies) are as beautiful and multi-layered as our own. We mature when we see that some of the stories cherished as the foundation of a culture are revealed to be flimsy and insubstantial and sometimes outright false. One generation's true and defining story can be proved to be a lie in the next generation. Stories that celebrate freedom and revolution against tyranny can turn on themselves and become stories of reigns of terror.

We recognize the location of the story in our flesh and emotions. From this recognition choice is born. We have most often either chosen to continue the given story or to rebel against that story. Naturally we have been thrilled to discover that we can choose to live a different story, one we feel more in alignment with. There is yet another choice. We have the capacity to take a moment and release all stories. We can experience what it means to be nobody.

Underneath all the stories, we can experience that deep core of ourselves that is historyless, genderless and parentless. That presence is unencumbered by relationships and has no past and no future. In the core of our beingness we are free of definitions. Unencumbered by our definitions we experience ourselves as conscious intelligence aware of itself as open, endless space. This instant of being storyless is an instant of freedom. For even if our story is filled with light and beauty, to the degree that we define ourselves through that story, we are less free.

After such a moment, stories are never the same. They can be present, as they most likely will be, but they no longer have inherent power to define us. The inner wealth that is available to us is then not limited or augmented by particular inner or outer events. While the personality or the "creatureness" of each individual continues just as stories continue, the underlying awareness, the true "I" has come home to itself.

- Gangaji, excerpt from Hidden Treasure: Uncovering the Truth in Your Life Story

Group: NDhighlights Message: 4525 From: Mark Date: 2012-02-27
Subject: #4525 - Sunday, February 26, 2012
Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4525, Sunday, February 26, 2012




Don't complain of affliction,
for it's a smooth-paced horse
carrying you towards non-existence.

- Rumi, posted to The_Now2



Whenever any kind of disaster strikes, or something goes seriously "wrong" - illness, disability, loss of home or fortune or of a socially defined identity, breakup of a close relationship, death or suffering of a loved one, or your own impending death -- know that there is another side to it, that you are just one step away from something incredible: a complete alchemical transmutation of the base metal of pain and suffering into gold.

That one step is called surrender.

I do not mean to say that you will become happy in such a situation. You will not. But fear and pain will become transmuted into an inner peace and serenity that come from a very deep place from the Unmanifested itself. It is "the peace of God, which passes all understanding." Compared to that, happiness is quite a shallow thing.

With this radiant peace comes the realization not on the level of mind but within the depth of your Being -- that you are indestructible, immortal. This is not a belief. It is absolute certainty that needs no external evidence or proof from some secondary source. In certain extreme situations, it may still be impossible for you to accept the Now. But you always get a second chance at surrender.

Your first chance is to surrender each moment to the reality of that moment. Knowing that what is cannot be undone -- because it already is -- you say yes to what is or accept what isn't.

Then you do what you have to do, whatever the situation requires.

If you abide in this state of acceptance, you create no more negativity, no more suffering, no more unhappiness. You then live in a state of nonresistance, a state of grace and lightness, free of struggle,

Now here is your second chance to transmute suffering into peace.

If you cannot accept what is outside, then accept what is inside. If you cannot accept the external condition, accept the internal condition.

This means: Do not resist the pain. Allow it to be there. Surrender to the grief, despair, fear, loneliness, or whatever form the suffering takes. Witness it without labeling it mentally. Embrace it.

Then see how the miracle of surrender transmutes deep suffering into deep peace. This is your crucifixion. Let it become your resurrection and ascension.

- Eckhart Tolle, posted to The_Now2



Someone asked me recently about the connection between spiritual awakening and the actual state of the world. I don't see any disconnection there. The root of political and social activism is freedom, and the root of spiritual awakening is freedom.

Freedom is really just the beginning. We need social and spiritual freedom to consciously evolve. We need to be free of the burdens of dogma and social constraints (internal or external) to consciously discover. We need to be free as spiritual beings and we need to be free as human beings inhabiting a planet with other human beings as well as other species.

We are at a critical time, and we have both the capacity and necessity to examine the way we have done things for most of our individual and collective human past. We must tell the sometimes hard truth about what no longer works, however well it may have worked in the past. We have been experts at making war: our internal war, war with what is foreign, with what is other, war with what we disagree with. Our tendency as humans is to attack whatever is either within ourselves or in others that we perceive as threatening. We have the power to destroy and this power is now destroying us, as it is destroying other species and our planet, our home. Our power to conquer has circled back on us.

The true spiritual invitation is a call to surrender. It is a call to open the mind and discover peace. This surrender is neither passive nor active; it is reflective. It is not in opposition to an activist point of view, but it also does not champion an activist view. And yet creative and inspiring activism arises from surrendering points of view and opening the mind to conscious discovery. To be willing to discover what an answer may be, we first must give up our preconceptions of what that answer is. If we cling to spiritual dogma or political and social idealisms, we continue to live lives bound by dogma and idealism, however we may identify ourselves at any particular time.

At one time in my life I called myself a political activist. I was a non-violent trainer for the Abalone Alliance in the Bay Area. We were protesting the building of a nuclear power plant on an earthquake fault. It seemed like a reasonable thing to protest. We went to San Luis Obispo, California, and held a non-violent protest and were - predictably - dragged away to jail. I spent ten days in jail. It was really valuable time spent with dedicated individuals, and I treasured it. But I discovered something that was disillusioning to me. This discovery was important, because to discover freedom we need to be disillusioned out of our old ways of seeing ourselves and the world. I discovered that in all of our meetings about non-violence and the danger of the nuclear power plant being built on an earthquake fault, there was a definite glee in our rightness as opposed to our opponents' wrongness. We were standing up for what we believed to be right, and that was a good thing. But we were also puffing ourselves up at just how wonderful we were! Actually there was more pleasure in the us-versus-them aspect of the protest than there was in the possibility that perhaps the plant wouldn't get built. And in the end it did get built.

Discovering this self-righteousness (in myself and in my allies) was disillusioning to me because I had a notion that political activism at its pinnacle was really about working for all. I knew that a power plant over an earthquake fault would be non-discriminating in whom it could hurt if there happened to be an earthquake. I was disillusioned, and rather than stay and face the pain and the root of that disillusion, I withdrew from political activism.

When I retreated from political activism, I was judged harshly by those who remained committed to the cause. They felt I was copping out. And maybe it was a cop out, because in a sense my nervous system really couldn't deal with the war, even the war for peace. It was at that point that my spiritual identity began. I thought I was escaping from the hardness of activism to the sweetness of spirituality. But in the spiritual world I discovered the same us-versus-them paradigm.

My new spiritual cohorts were very self-righteous about political and social activists and anyone else who remained concerned with the world. The dogma stated that since the world is illusion, and since those who were active in the world were just contributing to the suffering in the world, we, as spiritual seekers, were better, or at least more evolved than those trying to fix the problems of an illusory world.

This either/or dichotomy has to be resolved before we can even discover whether activism or withdrawal from the world (or some combination of each) is our particular path. Certainly not everyone should be an activist, nor should everyone be a spiritual seeker. There is room for all of us, since we are all here, and neither side of the dichotomy need feel superior or inferior to the other.

We all have particular parts to play. As humans we generally get corralled into thinking that we should be doing something that people we admire are doing, or that our family is doing, or that our culture says is right to do.

I know this very well. Growing up in the South I thought I should be as southern women of my era were trained to be. I tried to be that and I failed. It was a lie for me; I wasn't feminine enough or docile enough or pretty enough. I actually had to cause suffering to the man who had married me thinking I was like that (since I was pretending to be like that), to escape that lie. In the same way it is easy to fall into either a life of activism or a spiritual life just because it is the prevailing sub-cultural life style.

Papaji's guru, Ramana Maharishi, was probably one of the most inactive beings on the planet. During his lifetime India was in major upheaval. It was the time of Gandhi who was the epitome of social activism. Gandhi was playing his part and Ramana was simply being quiet. People would come to Ramana and say, "How can you sit here removed from everything. There are people suffering. You should be speaking to them about peace, or supporting them in throwing off the yoke of the British.- His reply was, "This is the way it must be. I am being who I am."

When Papaji was with Ramana, India was going through the even greater turmoil of Partition. Papaji was from the part of India that had been designated Muslim, and he and all of his family were Hindu. Ramana told him, "Go to the Punjab and get your family." Papaji said to him, "The world is illusion. This is all that's real. The world is just a dream. Why would I leave your feet? This is where I am at peace." And Ramana said, "If the world is all a dream, what is the difference? Go and get your family." This was a major break-through for Papaji in his realizing the non-duality of the world, illusion, God, and truth. He did go to the Punjab and got his family, barely escaping on the last train out of Lahore. And he did realize that there is no separation. The peace that was revealed in the presence of his Beloved Ramana was discovered to be everywhere.

To realize that there is no separation is a tall order, but it takes that before we are free to actually follow what we naturally have affinity for, or talent for. At one time I wanted to be a ballet dancer. Maybe I had a little talent as a dancer, but I didn't have what it took to be a ballet dancer. It would have been absolutely unrealistic to follow that goal simply because my parents thought it would be wonderful, or because ballerinas got to wear such beautiful costumes. At a certain point I had to tell the truth: is this body made for that? The answer was no. Later I had to discover that I was not made to be an idealized version of a Southern woman. Then I had to tell the truth about political activism: is this really, really how I want to live my life? It was how I thought I should live my life, but was it really what I wanted? The hard truth was no.

I was faced with a similar dilemma in my spiritual life: what is it I really want? Do I want the truth, or do I just want more states of ecstasy? When I discovered that what I really wanted was the truth, I was ready to meet my true teacher. He instructed me to stop, to retreat from every concept I had of what is true, what is activism, what is spiritual, what is the world, what am I, what are you - and be left with what remains when everything is released. In order to really let the world into my heart in the deepest, truest sense, I had to be willing to retreat from everything that I thought of as the world--all of my mental, emotional, experiential versions of it.

From being with my teacher I had the freedom to ask myself if I was really made to be an idealized anything. The liberating answer was no. With that answer I could discover what I was made for: free of all idealizations. It is only our ideas that separate us, and without them - for even a moment - we discover that the world is already alive in our hearts. Then we have the choice to open to it all more fully, to retreat from it, or to continue to be at war with it in different ways.

Our concepts of the world tyrannize us. I am not suggesting that you let your concepts of the world into your heart. I am suggesting that you can retreat from all concepts, especially the world as you think it. Step in closer than your thoughts, and then discover what is already in your heart, in the core of yourself, the deepest part of yourself, without which there would be no you.

I am inviting you to step back from your thoughts of the world to discover what remains when you retreat from all thoughts of the world. Then if the world reappears, it is discovered to be one and the same with what was discovered when there was no world. When you let what is true into your heart, you realize it is your heart that is true. You realize that the world is not separate from that.

This is why we have come together. This is our opportunity. If we remove the dogma from both our spiritual/religious life and our activist/political life, we are left with non-prejudiced seeing. If we don't have the constraints of what should and shouldn't be investigated, we can actually tell the truth about what we support, what we want for ourselves and for all of humanity.

What do you want for our planet, for our community? If what you want is peace and cooperation and love, and if you are willing to really not know how that will come about, then your mind will open to discover.

- Gangaji



I used to live in
A cramped house with confusion
And pain.

But then I met the Friend
And started getting drunk
And singing all
Night.

Confusion and pain
Started acting nasty,
Making threats,
With talk like this,

"If you don't stop 'that'-
All that fun-

We're
Leaving."

- Hafiz, posted to AlongTheWay
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4526 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-29
Subject: #4526 - Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4526 - Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
В 
В 
В 
В 
If folks would like a neurobiological and scholarly background to non duality I reckon that Iain McGilchrists "The Master and his Emissary" takes a bit of beating.

Also look up his vids

Good wishes

Tboni
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
"The Master and his Emissary"

This book argues that the division of the brain into two hemispheres is essential to human existence, making possible incompatible versions of the world, with quite different priorities and values.В 

Most scientists long ago abandoned the attempt to understand why nature has so carefully segregated the hemispheres, or how to make coherent the large, and expanding, body of evidence about their differences.В  In fact to talk about the topic is to invite dismissal.В  Yet no one who knows anything about the area would dispute for an instant that there are significant differences: it's just that no-one seems to know why.В  And we now know that every type of function - including reason, emotion, language and imagery -В is subserved not by one hemisphere alone, but by both.

This book argues that the differences lie not, as has been supposed, in the 'what' - which skills each hemisphere possesses - but in the 'how', the way in which each uses them, and to what end.В  But, like the brain itself, the relationship between the hemispheres is not symmetrical.В  The left hemisphere, though unaware of its dependence, could be thought of as an 'emissary' of the right hemisphere, valuable for taking on a role thatВ the right hemisphereВ - the 'Master' - cannot itself afford to undertake.В  However it turns out that the emissary has his own will, and secretly believes himself to be superior to the Master.В  And he has the means to betray him.В  What he doesn't realize is that in doing so he will also betray himself.

The book begins by looking at the structure and function of the brain, and at the differences between the hemispheres, not only in attention and flexibility, but in attitudes to the implicit, the unique, and the personal, as well as the body, time, depth, music, metaphor, empathy, morality, certainty and the self.В  It suggests that the drive to language was not principally to do with communication or thought, but manipulation, the main aim of the left hemisphere, which manipulates the right hand.В  It shows the hemispheres as no mere machines with functions, but underwriting whole, self-consistent, versions of the world.В  Through an examination of Western philosophy, art and literature, it reveals the uneasy relationship of the hemispheres being played out in the history of ideas, from ancient times until the present.В  It ends by suggesting that we may be about to witness the final triumph of the left hemisphere – at the expense of us all.В 


~ ~ ~
В 
Download the free version of Iain McGilchrists "The Master and his Emissary":
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4527 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-02-29
Subject: #4527 - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4527 - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
В 
В 
В 
В 
Wayne Ferguson sent today's feature. Thanks, Wayne.
В 
В 
В 
В 
This poem is an example of what I refer to as dialectical poetry, which is based on the interplay of apparent contraries and opposites.
В 
В 
Lookout at the Lake

by Ken Sanes
В 
I am standing on the lookout in the last light,

waiting for the arrival of another long night.

As I take in the view, I see that the lake

is darker than usual, reflective and opaque.

I also see a line of empty trees against the sky --

a half-dead reminder that one day I will die.

Of course, everything reminds me of nameless death,

and the loss of self and the sudden end of breath.

But, while I stand here, there's a change in me --

a sudden transformation in the way that I see --

as I ascend to rapture, in a state of bliss,

and see a world of perfection I would otherwise miss.

I see it in the contrast of the sky and the trees,

and in the branches, just so, complete without their leaves,

and I see it on the surface of the dark lake,

which is a clouded reflection, smooth and opaque.

Then, looking at the water, composed and still,

the wall of my self melts away with my will,

and I understand that there was never a wall,

just this cool dim Eden, always here, beyond the fall.

And now I am the union of water earth and sky,

as a single thought passes -- "It's just my ego that will die!"

And now I praise the world as I remember the abyss,

and forget to be myself in this time of timelessness.

As the experience continues, I also see the years,

and how I failed to fully live, but was buried by my fears,

and how, even with this failing, my life is still complete,

and has its own perfection and was never a defeat.

But I also catch a glimpse of life beyond the dream,

where things are as they are, not merely as they seem,

as I find myself thinking that life is born to die --

we can accept it, love and hate it, and retreat into a lie,

but the truth about ourselves is weÂ’re being and naught;

thatÂ’s the world beyond illusion, and the part we canÂ’t be taught.

Except now I start to worry that the time is getting late,

and I regret that love and life are full of death and hate,

when quickly, but in stages, the mystic high is gone,

and once again IÂ’m separate as everything is wrong,

and the lake starts getting nearer, like a monster in the night,

and the darkness is devouring the surviving rays of light

as IÂ’m trapped in a world of was, where no one knows my name,

and every act of love is just a suffocating game,

and IÂ’m trapped in a world of will be, where everythingÂ’s a threat,

and my all-consuming fears are tied to my regret.

Now IÂ’m not certain if I should leave the lake or stay

as IÂ’m embraced by the darkness and lose the day.В В 
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4528 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2012-03-02
Subject: #4528 - Friday, March 2, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#4528 - Friday, March 2, 2012 - Editor: Jerry Katz
В 
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
Nirmala writes to the Highlights...
В 
I have a new book that has just been released. As part of the launch, I have a promotion running on Amazon where the Kindle version of the book will be free from March 15-18th as described on the following page: http://endless-satsang.com/meeting-mystery.htm

В 

The following is an excerpt from Meeting the Mystery:

Q: Can you tell me what Grace is? IÂ’m struggling to understand it.

A: Very simply, Grace is your essence, your true nature. Grace is what you really are, and Grace is all there is. Specifically and practically speaking, Grace is the intelligent, optimizing movement of life. This optimizing force is what unfolds every moment in the direction of greater truth and love and greater functioning and fullness of life. Grace is the nourishing Presence that holds us and supports us in the unfolding of our life. You have experienced Grace directly many times, when things just fell into place or you were touched by a deeper understanding and awareness.

While Grace is obvious in moments when the seemingly miraculous occurs or when a profound opening into the depths of Being happens, Grace also knows when a difficulty or obstacle has the potential to lead to a greater depth of awareness and a fuller expression of our limitless potential. This means that Grace can show up as a flat tire on the way to work or a broken heart or any of the minor and major difficulties we face in everyday life.

In understanding and appreciating Grace, the challenge and the opportunity is to see that Grace is always here and always bringing us the exact experience that is most useful and helpful. Sometimes only in hindsight can we see the Grace in our struggles and suffering, but Grace is always here. Recognizing the Grace in our challenges often allows a challenge to be resolved more naturally and effortlessly, or at least allows us to be at peace with it. The healing of our suffering comes when we see the bigger truth that even suffering is a part of the unfolding of Grace. When you see that there is Grace even in your own problems, then it no longer matters if some difficulty occurs as the situation is no longer as much of an experience of suffering, but just what is happening.

Understanding Grace doesnÂ’t require an intellectual grasp of what it is or even insight into how it works. Understanding Grace only requires that you be open and curious about your experience just as it is right now. Are you willing to see Grace as she is appearing right now this very moment? Can you recognize her even if she is artfully disguised as pain or discomfort? Can you open your Heart to the gift she is offering you today?

The understanding doesnÂ’t come as some final insight or as an answer to all your questions. The understanding comes as a felt sense of trust that life is safe and good and worthwhile. The understanding comes as the unfolding of life moment to moment. This is the miracle of Grace, touching you in every moment and always as close as your own breath. Because you will never be done discovering all the infinite ways that life and Grace can unfold and express itself, the complete understanding of Grace will take forever. What an adventure and blessing it is to be shown the many dimensions and possibilities of your true nature as intelligent, loving, infinite Grace.

Q: I can see that experiences are neither good nor bad unless I judge them. So basically, I see experiences as neutral and not even benevolent. Things just happen, not toward any greater good. I can hold the concept that all experiences are benevolent and beneficial, but from what I see around me, IÂ’m not sure this is true. How is starvation benevolent or beneficial? When I see horrific cruelty to animals, I canÂ’t see any Grace or benevolence. If Grace acts through experiences, it sure chooses some pretty horrific ways to get its point across, and this has hardly led to the mass flowering of enlightenment. If starvation and cruelty were beneficial tools, surely millions would be awakened and awakening by now. To me, life looks more like a mixed bag of tricks and treats without any purpose or meaning.

A: Everything you share is true, and there is still the question of how true. Is it the whole truth? Is it the biggest truth? Is it possible that while all of the hurt, pain, and suffering in this world are real, there is still a bigger truth to this existence? This doesnÂ’t mean denying or ignoring suffering or not acting in ways that would relieve or reduce the horror and tragedy that are part of life. But while acknowledging and attempting to alleviate the suffering, you can look for and question the possibility of a greater intelligence and Presence that is also operating in this world and beyond it. A bigger truth than the pain and suffering is the truth that consciousness isnÂ’t harmed by anything. Bodies can be harmed and even die, but can consciousness be damaged? IÂ’m inviting you to hold this as an open question, something to be discovered as life unfolds here on earth and also beyond your time here on earth.

Here and now, you can directly discover for yourself the bigger truths. The truth is what opens your Heart and quiets your mind, while a smaller truth contracts your Heart and makes your mind very busy. So check this out for yourself: Does believing that life is a mixed bag with no purpose open your Heart? And what effect does it have on your Heart to hold the possibility that consciousness canÂ’t be harmed, and that it has a deeper purpose in life? Which idea gives your Heart more room to breathe and just be? I invite you to explore this capacity of your own Heart to discriminate how true every idea, hope, dream, fear, worry, and intuition is. Truth comes in many different sizes from extremely small to infinitely big, so discrimination is needed to determine how true things are.

In my view, we are both right, and the truths I share and the truths you shared are not contradictory, but complementary. Even if we canÂ’t see how these truths fit together, we can at least recognize that there is room for both of them. A bigger truth is not better, just bigger. A smaller truth is not worse, just smaller. You can respond to and include all sizes of truth in your awareness: You can feed the starving, feel intense grief and sadness over unnecessary cruelty and destruction, and also discover the limitless peace and love that are also here in every moment. You can also discover for yourself the depth of your soul that has never been and never will be harmed. And you can see that same depth in the eyes of a starving child if you look deeply enough.

~ ~ ~
В 
The Kindle version of the book will be free from March 15-18th as described on the following page: http://endless-satsang.com/meeting-mystery.htm
Group: NDhighlights Message: 4529 From: Mark Date: 2012-03-04
Subject: #4529 - Saturday, March 3, 2011
Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4529, Saturday, March 3, 2011




The scriptures even proclaim aloud: "There is in truth no creation and no destruction; no one is bound, no one is seeking Liberation, no one is on the way to Deliverance. There are none liberated. This is the absolute truth." My dear disciple, this, the sum and substance of all the Upanishads, the secret of secrets, is my instruction to you.

- Shankaracharya, from Teachings of the Hindu Mystics, edited by Andrew Harvey, posted to AlongTheWay



The Buddha said that we are never separated from enlightenment. Even at the times we feel most stuck, we are never alienated from the awakened state. This is a revolutionary assertion. Even ordinary people like us with hangups and confusion have this mind of enlightenment called bodhicitta. The openness and warmth of bodhicitta is in fact our true nature and condition.

- Pema ChГѓВΆdrГѓВΆn, posted to DailyDharma



A man who moves with the earth will necessarily experience days and nights. He who stays with the sun will know no darkness. My world is not yours. As I see it, you all are on a stage performing. There is no reality about your comings and goings. And your problems are so unreal!

- Nisargadatta Maharaj, posted to ANetofJewels



Sometimes I feel like a king,
sometimes I moan in my own prison.
Swaying between these states
I can't be proud of myself.
This "I" is a figment of my imagination.

- Rumi posted to The_Now2



Dying, Laughing

A lover was telling his beloved
how much he loved her, how faithful
he had been, how self-sacrificing, getting
wealth and strength and fame, all for her.

There was a fire in him.
He didn't know where it came from,
but it made him weep and melt like a candle.

"You've done well," she said, " but listen to me.
All this is the dГѓВ©cor of love, the branches
and leaves and blossoms. You must live
at the root to be a true lover."

"Where is that!
Tell me!"
"You've done the outward acts,
but you haven't died. You must die."

When he heard that, he lay back on the ground
laughing, and died. He opened like a rose
that drops to the ground and died laughing.

That laughter was his freedom
and his gift to the eternal.

As moonlight shines back at the sun,
he heard the call to come home, and went.

When light returns to its source
it takes nothing of what is has illuminated.

It may have shone on a garbage dump, or a garden,
or in the center of a human eye. No matter.

It goes, and when it does
the open plain becomes passionately desolate,
wanting it back.

- Rumi, Mathnawi V: 1242-64, version by Coleman Barks from The Essential Rumi, posted to Sunlight

top of page