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Editor's note: I hope you are enjoying the Highlights lately. This issue of the Highlights definitely has a light side. Chewing gum, dogs, and donuts are featured. Althought there is something profound in each of them. More typically nondual stuff is also included. Laura writes,  "I need some advice about some wierd kinda vibes I'm getting from my teacher...and I'm sure not going to ask him." And Heidi responds quite to the point.

--Jerry

______________________________________________________________________

MARY BIANCO

"the important thing to do is to serve and feed people."

Recently I saw the film Fierce Grace, a documentary on the life
of Ram Das. Fierce Grace is a thoughtful and inspiring movie. I
applaud Mickey Lemle for his fine production and Ram Das for
exposing to the audience his tender vulnerability with profound
courage after "being stroked by God". Ram Das continues to
inspirit me with his wisdom and his undying devotion to the
teachings Maharaj-ji. When asked Ram Das what his guru's most
influential message, he replied, "the important thing to do is to
serve and feed people." I sooo agree.

The movie made me laugh, cry, and sigh...a lot.

In N.Y.C. Port Authority station on the way home I encountered my
first Krispy Kreme Donut shop. Remembering Jerry's rave, I bought
a plain, glazed donut. Well Jerry, it was good...sticky, but
good. On the long bus ride home I was content. Perhaps it was the
resonance of the movie, the simple delight of eating a donut, or
the beauty in the variety of colors of eyes that met mine . All I
know is there was a sweet sense of awareness of the
interconnectedness of ITall.

Love,
Mary

PS And Jerry, I think you're really on to something with these
donuts.
http://www.dianefarrisgallery.com/artist/woods/news/krispykreme.html

JERRY KATZ

beautiful link. and without the link it's beautiful.

did they give you a free donut?

i went with my brother's family of four to the krispy kreme in
los angeles. they gave each one of us a free donut while we
waited to order. we ordered a dozen. so we got 17. and we ate
them all.

i love the girl who handed out the free donuts warm from the deep
fryer and glaze shower. she has one of the great jobs humanity
has ever known. her handing out of one donut could inspire this
email forum for many decades to come.

___________________________________________________________________

JOHN METZGER

Typical Canadian?

http://www.gumwrapper.com/

___________________________________________________________________

DAVID MCMULLEN

David McMullin
canlisten@attbi.com
Oak Park, Illinois - Chicago suburb

We have a small group that meets about every 6 weeks to view
videotapes and converse about the non-dual sages. Send email
address to be notified, or telephone (708) 383-8154

_______________________________________________________________________

GABRIELE EBERT

Dear All,
there is a new simple Ramana info-page at:
http://www.geocities.com/bhagavanramana with a collection of
links I have found useful. As the page is exclusively dedicated
to Sri Ramana, no informations and links about other sages,
scriptures, advaita in general etc. are given. To find more
detailed infos Sri Arunachala's homepage
http://home.talkcity.com/GaiaWay/infinite_freedom (link may no longer be functioning) is a good address. This here is a mere Ramana-page with a focus on where to order Ramana-publications.

In Sri Ramana
Gabriele

_____________________________________________________________________

HEIDI

 I need some advice about some wierd kinda vibes I'm getting from
 my teacher...and I'm sure not going to ask him.
-- Laura

You've probably given this "situation" too much thought already,
since the ONLY person you should ask about this - immediately,
before it festers any further, and causes a real ZIT or, eek!, a
BOIL, is HIM - your "teacher" that is.

Then, watch his face and hands (if he continues trying to give
you the "eye", avoid them) and if he can't put ALL your "fears"
and "concerns" absolutely to rest, without turning it into an
all-nite "heart-to-heart", explaining himself and yourself to
you, then leave that place, for good and don't look back!

That would be the proper advice, in any case - leave that group
and learn to think for yourself, little girl. Groups, and their
leaders, are just ways to avoid having to think for yourself.
Telling yourself that he knows something you don't, is both right
and wrong, and it doesn't matter. What he knows, you don't need
to know.

Until you get a handle on your own situation, you will never be
truly useful to yourself - and until then, any clever charlatan,
con-man, cult leader, or stronger personality with an agenda, can
run your life (and your possibility for ever thinking for
yourself) right into the ground.

As they say: "Wake UP!" Don't wait to be taught how to do it,
because if you need to be taught, you'll never learn anyhow.

________________________________________________________________________

ANDREW MACNAB

The Picker

He walks
on all the roads
carrying his sack
picking the bottles
and cans
and o can that man walk
in his rubber boots
8 hours a day
and in season he picks
strawberries
then blueberries
then apples
but bottles and cans
is free money
year round
except of course
when there's lots of snow
then he stays home

_________________________________________________________________________

MATTHEW AND JODY

"It's not the guru's fault if s/he gets elevated by his/her
students, but it's always his/her fault if s/he gets comfortable
there."

JODY: A responsible guru could make him/herself aware of the
distortions that are told about them and take steps to mitigate
the resulting mythology and mystique.

MATTHEW: .............that is not the gurus job though, it is the
students job to de-mythologize the guru.

JODY: That is, unless they want to use this mystique to gain more
converts...which puts the blame right back on their shoulders.

MATTHEW: ...........well in some cases the mythology keeps the
"merely curious" away.

JODY:
It a perfect world perhaps. However, that's not how it
happens.

People look to gurus as a way to get self acceptance. If they can
get acceptance from the guru, then of course they must be ok. The
more powerful and magical and mystical the guru is, the more
valuable his/her acceptance is. Therefore, the tendency is to
elevate the guru to superhuman mythical Godman status.

Any self respecting guru would understand this and make every
effort to show his students that s/he poops on the same pot as
they do. People need to understand that Self realization doesn't
automatically render one a saint. People need to see examples of
realization in everyday life. When a bigtime guru stands as the
example of realization, people acquire all kinds of incorrect
expectations about realization, effectively hindering their own
self discovery as it has become templated by their bigtime guru's
image.

It's not the guru's fault if s/he gets elevated by his/her
students, but it's always his/her fault if s/he gets comfortable
there.

________________________________________________________________

JAN BARENDRECHT

"the dogs show that you can't turn a retriever into a
hunting dog or shepherd dog.. The human mind equally has such
preferences"
 

Although at a young age they are playful, a retriever type of dog
mainly likes search and retrieve games, whereas a hunting type of
dog mainly likes running games. So what you need is a dog that
likes star mark games. Be careful though, not to take a dog who
likes star war games!

Actually, the dogs show that you can't turn a retriever into a
hunting dog or shepherd dog.. The human mind equally has such
preferences, some natural (fresh air, natural food), others
harmful (passive entertainment, fast food). The like for the
"scientific approach" is a natural one too as every child is born
with an investigating mind. Consequently applied to itself easily
reveals its fundamental not-knowing or stillness.

NINA

Well, Jan, I can see how it would be easy to fall into believing
that it is impossible to turn a retriever into a hunting dog into
a shepherd. The 'type' of dog is actually outside of the point.
What matters is that all dogs have drives, all of them manifest
to some degree in every dog. Food, play, social, etc. Master the
drives most important to the dog and you master the dog.

Be wary, also, of assuming too much based on the 'type' of dog. I
live with two sighthounds with a low sight drive. Neither dog has
shown a predilection to chase distant bolting objects. One dog
has a nose that would land her in league with any decent
scenthound and a pack drive that fairly assures that she will
never leave her sight of me (and turns her into a shepherd when
the 4 of us are not hiking tightly together). The other dog is
dedicated to schedule schedule schedule and is happiest when
leaning, lying, or pushing against his people, sort of a 75 lb
lapdog. Not exactly what one would expect from Greyhounds..

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