The Nondual Highlights
The Best of the Internet's Nonduality Email Lists, Forums, Web sites, and More

Editors: Jerry Katz, Gloria Lee, Christiana Duranczyk, Michael Read, John Metzger

Highlights Issue # 1035

Monday, April 8, 2002

Today's Highlights Compiled, Edited, and Designed
by Jerry Katz

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This edition includes much from the newly discovered
Steven Seagal message board, especially pertaining to
incense. You'll find a link to the website below.

ANDREA DWORKIN Contributed by Su Gandolf

the true
mysteries, not the mystifying ones "I love books the way
I love nature. I can imagine now that someday there will
be no nature, at least not as we knew it together on
Crete, no mysterious ocean, no luminous sky, no stark
and unsettled mountains. I can imagine now that a time
will come, that it is almost upon us, when no one will
love books, that there will be no people who need them
the way some of us need them now--like food and air,
sunshine and warmth. It is no accident, I think, that
books and nature (as we know it) may disappear
simultaneously from human experience. There is no
mind-body split. I never think of you without
remembering the ocean. It is an emblem for me of that
time in my life, of the depth and tumult of my feelings,
of how my life broke out of my skin and beyond itself
into an unknown, primal realm. The ocean does not
signify anything whimsical, cheap, romantic, or
self-indulgent. It signifies the true mysteries, not the
mystifying ones. It signifies the light years between
galaxies, as well as ones tie to everything on earth. It
signifies ones tie to the enormity of being, to the
mystery of this universe--stars, moon, sun, black holes,
rings around Saturn. It makes one aware that this
universe is a tapestry of the most awesome magnificence.
It does compel awe. It has always been to me, the ocean,
overwhelming, monstrous, deep, dark, green and black, so
foreign that it requires respect, silence, humility. It
is boundless and deep, no human sense of time can
circumscribe it, it rumbles with cavernous sounds, it is
filled with grotesque forms, luminous colors, shapes
that defy imagination. All of the life in it is
menacing, compelling, exquisite, with nothing consoling.
I love books too in the same way." Andrea Dworkin From
http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/dworkin/
______________________________________________________________________________
MICHAEL READ

every morning the sun wakes me every
morning the same coffee every morning a baptism of being
every morning thoughts come and go every morning poems,
rants, musings and rambles dance in the head every
morning the doing wants to be done every morning clothed
in identity, the assumption of appearance every morning
i am every morning i am not
_______________________________________________________________________________
DAVID OLLER
from the Steven Seagal Message Board Stories

About Incense: Well, the first incense I remember is
little black cones that came with a bronze burner in the
shape of the Buddha like the one at Nara Japan. I still
don't know what company they are from. It couldn't be
Nippon Kodo because they started distributing around
1967 and this was in 1955. I know a lot of people that
refer to equating incense with the 60's and the Hippies,
but we didn't have much incense around then as I recall.
What we had was Patchouly oil. We wore it, and we put it
on light bulbs and cloth hanging over lamps. It wasn't
until the 70's, as I remember (probably not perfectly),
that Pier One Imports and the "Head Shops" came on the
scene, and the Hare Krisna passed out sticks of incense,
which I believe was a dipped product made by Spiritual
Sky. Fred Solls I think was a salesman for them at that
time, or soon after. Holy Smokes came on the scene in
Santa fe New Mexico around 1977, introduced by Stu
Masill & John Brown, but tradename problems created a
name change to "Triloka" and when John & Stuart disolved
their partnership Triloka went of the market for a short
time. However, in 1952 a man named Will Schuster
invented Pinon incense, and in 1963 Candice & Daniel
Burleson introduced the product "Incensio de Santa fe" I
do remember this product because my grandmother ran a
Curio shop in Riodoso, New Mexico. She was probably
where the other incense came from. Nag Champa was
introduced in the late 1980's in one of the most
brilliant marketing campaigns involving incense ever.
The "Origination Seal" Nobody was making fake Nag when
that was put on the box. It may have been on the box
originally. I haven't been able to confirm it but I
never recall it NOT being there. The other thing
interesting about Nag, is I'm told, it

never has had a legitimate connection with Sai Baba, and
he has never recieved any royalties or anything. It was
started by an Indian Businessman who is from that area,
and just used the name. At least that is what some of
the old timers tell me. But before the popular
distribution of incense, back in 1969, there was a
little shop in North Beach. The owner made his own
incense out of orange peel and other ingredients. He
also carried different incense from all over the world,
but none of the names you see today. Most of it came
wrapped in bundles tied with string, a good deal of it
was from Thailand acording to the descriptions I gave to
Stuart Masill. Evidently Thai Sticks are 8" long where
Indian are about 6" The shop was full of incense of all
kinds, but they were mostly very simply packaged either
wrapped bundles with a piece of paper, or cheap printed
boxes. Sometimes wrapped in colored celophane.. I think
he got his incense on travels to the east. He also had
the best Patchouly in San Francisco. I'm trying to find
more about the history of Incense

Imports in the West, so I'd love to hear some stories
from some of the Oldtimers and what they remember.
________________________________________________________________________________
JAMPHEL
from the Steven Seagal Message Board

looking at
my grasping for nonduality, I stopped myself from
damping the fire too much. balance! always finding the
balance... not too loose, or I get lazy, drift off not
too tight, or I get frustrated and ouch! another one of
my cycles: moving between striving and surrender.
Getting attached to the goal and wanting "something to
happen," getting attached to to the idea of simply being
fully present without any sense of purpose. Both lead to
"ungroundedness" and loss of energy and even depression.
I need to stay balanced in between. Keeping the energy
of urgency and bodhisattva motivation (without fire the
incense won't burn), while at the same time clearly
seeing, acknowledging and accepting what's happening
now, each moment (being in harmony with the way things
are, burning evenly and cleanly, and releasing the
scent.) a very preliminary point on this journey from
myself to myself, perhaps, but at least I see it clearly
now! in daily life, I can also practice "tuning" like
this. When I feel tight, I can expand my view. When I
get too airy, I can bring my focus back down to a
pinpoint. sensing when I'm falling off balance and
correcting it as quickly as possible.
_________________________________________________________________
CYCLONE PHOENIX
From watching Steven Seagal

the way he
moves, the way he talks, the way he fights I would say
he is beyond religion. In essence i think he is the only
person i have seen that has achieved Oneness. Which is
what lead me to this web site.
http://www.stevenseagal.com

_______________________________________________________________________
JOHN LAUNIUS
from Steven Seagal Message Board

Beginners mind man and Jamphel,

Clarity comes only after contemplation of your
experiences. Transmitting the "Way of incense" to you
would be trying to teach you everything about Aikido in
two weeks. There is no way to do it in two weeks if even
ever. Cleansing your inner vision starts with a
commitment to do so and then actions to back your
commitment. You can use any tool to do it incense,
Aikido, or even golf. We are all like muddy

glasses of water. Do you have the patience to wait until
your mud settles until you refract nothing but the
light? Jamphel,

Thank you for you insights. Keep them coming. We are all
students and teachers. The secret is to know when to be
which one? Maybe we are both all the time.

Calm Abiding, John Launius