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GLORIA LEE contributes

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
-- Mahatma Gandhi

________________________________________________________________

ANDREW MACNAB

There's the old saw that at the time of ripeness the true
teacher just shows up. It's true the other way too. At the
time of ripeness the true devotee just shows up. The only
difference is that the true teacher doesn't know whether the
one showing up is the devotee or the teacher.
 

___________________________________________________________________

BOB ROSE
from MeditationSocietyofAmerica List

The new issue of The Inner Traveler, the newsletter of the Meditation
Society of America, is now available for download at
<http://www.meditationsociety.com/it66136/index.html> This is a fairly large
file (1.61 MB), but well worth the time to wait downloading. You will need
the Adobe Reader ™ 5.0 to read it. If you don't have it, the Adobe Reader
can be downloaded free of charge at:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html We hope you will enjoy
it. If you feel inspired to write something for publication in a future
issue, please consider submitting it. It is a great blessing to share
those things that help others evolve in consciousness.

Peace and blessings,
Bob Rose, President,
Meditation Society of America
http://www.meditationsociety.com

__________________________________________________________________

KALEMACHKA, JERRY, FIRECEREMONY
some Live Journal prattle

"...is anything a "gift" for the nondualist?"

KALEMACHKA:
Gifts
As individuals, we all love to receive gifts (I
assume). But I wonder what the implication of gifthood is,
nondualistically speaking.

Especially when people say "life is such a gift" or "count
ones blessings."

Benediction is implicitly a gift, dualistically speaking. It
is always something given. There is always an other to bestow
the blessing.

The same is for gifts. To say that life is a gift is to imply
a giver. And a giver is always a separate thing. An "other."
We don't really give to ourselves. We merely indulge our
wants and needs. We can't really be an "other" to our "self."

So is anything a "gift" for the nondualist? Who is really the
giver?

Is life really a gift? Or a frivolous self-indulgence? Or
what?

I have my own set of answers to such a question. But I just
had an interesting conversation about this matter, and I want
the input of members of this community to these questions.

JERRY:
I went to the search engine
of the Nonduality Salon and entered 'gift'.

Most of the responses refer to a book called The Gift, which
is a translation of Hafiz's poems.

I found this quote by Gangaji:

"The great gift that Ramana offers you as his own Self is to
be still. To not look to the mind as the reference point of
who you are, mind being "thought" mental thought, physical
thought, emotional thought, circumstantial thought. To be
still."

I don't know if this answers your questions, which seem to
ask about the dynamic, the duality, of gifting. However,
taking Gangaji's cue, what happens to those questions? That's
the gimmick of the nondualist, to always point to who the
questioner is.

As I know the nondualist to be, there isn't anything except
each person responsible for knowing Self. That kills some
parties where people want to ask questions about nondualists.
And it gets other parties started where what is celebrated is
the resolution of all questions.

FIRE CEREMONY:
Is life really a gift? Or a frivolous self-indulgence? Or
what?

I'd say that life isn't given to anyone (nor is death for
that matter). I'd say life lives itself, on its own terms,
and is not associated with a giver nor a receiver, only
pulsation of being.

Viewed in that light, I suppose life on its own may be termed
"a frivolous indulgence to itself" or "life living itself" or
"complete sharing".

__________________________________________________________________

GENE POOLE AND STEVE
from Centre of Friends list

" IMO its not the smallest particle which is undivisable but it is the whole"

GENE:
Individual = indivisible (some would say this is the smallest unit. You
are saying that this is the only unit.)

For many years, 'scientists' have been looking for the 'smallest unit',
that which cannot be divided, and thus the 'one' which makes up the
Universe.

Ironically, (although this is acknowledged by some 'authorities') the
observer is itself not only the 'one', but also, 'makes up the Universe'.

STEVE:
Perhaps these scientists are looking in the wrong direction. IMO its not
the smallest particle which is undivisable but it is the whole...the
universe from the point of view of the absolute. No matter how many times
you divide a number you can never arrive at the absolute smallest number.
Same with subatomics. They'll never get to the 'bottom' of it IMO. They
should not be looking at what the universe is 'composed' of but instead at
its composite...the whole. This defines what it is. Components only give a
partial picture, its like looking at a push rod and trying to figure out
how it flys. In reality one must consider the whole airplane to explain
flight.

____________________________________________________________________

GLORIA LEE contributes

That Sounds Wonderful

Good poetry
Makes a beautiful naked woman
Materialize from Words,

Who then says,
With a sword precariously waving
In her hands,

"If you look at my loins
I will cut off your head,

And reach down and grab your spirit
By its private parts,

And carry you off to heaven
Squealing in joy."

Hafiz says, "That sounds wonderful, just
Wonderful.

Someone please - start writing
Some great Lines."

("The Subject Tonight Is Love" - versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky;
original presentation by David Williamson)

____________________________________________________________________

THOMAS MURPHY
from See What Is list

Warriors are fluid.
They are endlessly adaptable.

Every avenue that is blocked
intersects countless others
heretofore unforeseen.

The fluidity of a warrior
allows passage from present predicament to
     single-point-of-origin,
     all-that-is,
     one.

The infinite abundance
of what-is
spirates from
the naked beauty
of eternal singularity.

We are consciousness,
bathing in a magical compound
mixed by identification.

Despite apparent limitations,
we are free to move
both horizontally as physical body
and vertically as spirit.

All limitations
are self-imposed--
authored by identification.

After all, who is this Tom Murphy anyway?

I've always regarded myself as competent,
despite frequent losses of confidence.

At one point I was a very angry person.

Parents, siblings, wife and four sons
are my greatest teachers.

That's only natural,
as experience is the inescapable guru.

Their loving tolerance,
afforded adequate space
to experience and integrate
massive personal history.

A perceptual node
sprouts eternal gratitude
upon all that is encountered
on the path now elaborating
its particular bag of memories.

Identification inevitably surrenders
to blessed anonymity in oneness
whether realized in consciousness
or in the death of individuality.

Thus is one cleansed
in the pristine cascade
of what-is.

May it occur sooner
rather than later.

Loving embrace
is not to be denied.

If we are destined to identify,
let us identify with
     infinite abundance,
     eternal beauty,
     naked singularity.

May any and all specifics flow from that.

May the reality that is dreamed
sacrifice beauty and abundance
to unifying awareness
dissolving as nothing.

As no one foresees
the instant of one's last moment
every moment is effectively one's last.

May one's last battle on earth
not be circumcised
     by specifying recollections
     and narrowing expectations.

May one's spirit fly free
if only for a fleeting moment.

May such fleeting moments,
grow ever more frequent,
thus to now become the norm.

~ tomas

_______________________________________________________________

GREG GOODE
from GuruRatings list

"There are stories of prominent teachers being reduced to
loving, awestruck wordlessness in a debate exchange."
 

What's interesting is this emphasis on debate, argument,
dialogue, standing up to someone. This is refreshingly
different from the usual things looked upon as signs of
sagehood, such as mysterious siddhis, miraculous powers,
shaktipat and kundalini transmissions, or dropping into
trance-states for days on end.

Verbal pyrotechnics can be fascinating like courtroom drama.
But the ability to find a clever line, a profound riposte,
and the psychic energy to keep from backing down when the
other person gets tough and clever -- this stuff is no more
indicative of Understanding, Apperception, Enlightenment (and
all those other capitalized words :-) than the trance states
or contact highs.

In fact, most of these non-dual approaches and dialogue moves
can actually be learned in a few weeks by reading books or
lurking on e-lists. Not to mention the tricks that philosophy
majors or long-time advaita seekers can learn! This kind of
preparation can give someone the style and subject matter in
a discussion. As for the strength to stand up to a celebrity
guru and a circle of their devotees.... This can certainly be
due to the Understanding you're talking about. But it can
also come from self-confidence or even a plain ol' hard head!
There are stories of prominent teachers being reduced to
loving, awestruck wordlessness in a debate exchange. I've
done it myself! And what did you think of the well-known
argument between Gangaji and Andrew Cohen? What did it show?
Who cares?

I remember Jerry's Groucho glasses! All words on this stuff,
all words altogether, are spoken by people with egg on their
chin!

Reaching for the napkin...

___________________________________________________________

MARK OTTER
from Live Journal

"I'm impeccable in all ways. I'm full of fertilizer."

I'm in a better frame of mind than I have been for the past
couple of weeks. I think my projections and fears of not
being welcome here in Newman house are settling down. I can
finally see them as my own projections, not as some
independent reality in which I am struggling to survive.
Whew!!! That's better.

There are personel changes going on here at the ashram (heads
are rolling). It's interesting to watch the games people
play. Luckily I never play games. I'm serious and
straightforward all the time. I'm impeccable in all ways. I'm
full of fertilizer. Water me and watch me grow... BOOM!!! (I
just exploded. sorry 'bout that...)

It snowed last night and was amazingly beautiful today. I
love March snows because they are very pretty and they don't
last very long. Hmmmm... that sounds like it means more than
it does mean.

Albert Ward is coming to the ashram tomorrow. He's a Miq Maq
elder. I am very much looking forward to seeing him for the
3rd time. He's a lovely being and his companions are as well.

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