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#1102 - Wednesday, June 12, 2002

SU GANDOLF

Journal notes on Andrew Cohen appearance

Andrew Cohen
Day 1 – June 12, 2002 New York City

Enlightenment is a radical change in the interpretation
of experience.

We are NOT on an never-ending round of birth and death.
Evolution is occurring. This was not known in ancient
India. Just because something hasn't happened yet,
doesn't mean it won't.

Life has meaning, desire for awakening is good. There is
no time to change. (If not now, when?)
Anti-determinism. Anti-all-is-leila. Definition of
enlightenment must include dynamic engagement with life.

Me: Live as if you were enlightened. Look deeply and ask
what that means, listen to the answer, act accordingly.
(Does it matter whether enlightenment matters or not?)

A.C. subtext: it has nothing to do with my method, but I
have one and I think it's the best one out there. Ha,
ha. A.C. text: "buy my book!"

On having a teacher? –(Interpretation) You won't be
harmed by a "bad" one, the act of trust in a teacher is
the same act of trust in "life" that is required for
enlightenment. What matters is wanting it more than you
want anything else.

Transmission: Energized, although he actually pointed
this out, so I cannot be 100% sure there is not "power
of suggestion" operating. He mainly stayed focused on
the center of the not-terribly large room, where I
happened to be sitting, so I had the impression he was
looking at me a lot. Mainly looking skeptical, I'm sure,
though I was certainly interested and I'm sure I
laughed a few times. Toward the end, I found myself
nodding my head more than once, his focus seemed to
widen and he took about seven people's questions. From
my perspective, the bulk of his dynamism came during
the talk and not during the question period. Is that
because his focus was not on me personally? Or was I
picking up on a "well, I guess I have to take
questions, go ahead" energy? He did ask people not to
ask him about diet and things, to keep it deep.
Subjectively, I didn't have a sense of his going deeper
with people. Was I distracted by the question in my own
mind?

Energy lasted when I got home, stayed up later than
usual, not tired yet today. Energy head-centered, not
heart-centered -- upper chakras (I've been having
sensations here for a while, however). Sense of
clarity.

My question, my wariness, is about whether desire for
awakening is really different from any desire. I think
he would say yes, that it's my ego telling me it
doesn't matter.

Best thing: good food afterward, and I was hungry.
Little veggie wraps, dairy and non-dairy, chips and
salsa (spicy), brownies, strawberries.

Also, running into a classmate of mine from college in
Ohio I hadn't seen in 13 years. Funny thing was, I was
talking with the woman next to me before the show (the
teaching?), and she was like, "doesn't everybody here
look familiar, like you know them?" I laughed and said,
well, no, but hey, that's cool, let her have her trip,
you know. Then a couple minutes later I realized I
recognized a woman in a seat in the front row. She
turned around, our eyes met, I called out her
name--that surprised her since she didn't remember mine
(if she ever knew it!). There was a genuine interest
there between us, which was nice, and I hope to
correspond with her. A real live person, not a
cybernetic illusion! Ha, ha.


__________________________________________________________________

KEES SCHREUDERS

Dear 'Beloveds' This time Amigo's theme is 'True Love'
see: http://www.ods.nl/am1gos

------- Is it 'mission impossible' to indicate Love in
words? You can decide that for yourselves after reading
this issue.

At a certain moment Belle said: 'Well - love is
feminine, whether you like it or not (just look it up in
the dictionary). If the subject is true Love/love, you
have to write it as she.' So, who am I to contradict
that? In this issue you will find among others
contributions from Jan van Delden, Francis Lucille,
Vijai Shankar, Alexander Smit, Nisargadatta, Hans
Laurentius, Jan Koehoorn, Jean Klein and more.

______________________________________________________________

MICHAEL READ

there is unbounded peace
make no mistake about it - it is not something else

no one can give it to you
you can only open up to it - with some effort

finding it may not seem very easy
there are a lot of distractions - after all

it is all illusion you know
even the unbounded peace - though it is here

you are what you seek and that's some trick
who thought that up? - hahaha and hohoho!

________________________________________________________________

GENE POOLE


Even tho it is a bit off topic:


Hot Parenting Tips


_1 Connect and stay connected
with your children:

Connection is the most valuable
gift and skill to impart

Connection must be value-neutral
(unconditional)

Receptivity is the greatest part
of connection

Without ongoing receptivity,
communication becomes a
commodity of trade; and from
this skewed place, comes the
supposed value of bargaining
for changes in behaviour

Connection is felt in the heart
and perceived in awareness;
if connection is strained or
absent, this is felt as growing
distress

With connection, there is no
real doubt of acceptance;
even in conflict, the foundation
for continued relationship is
there

Connection as an ongoing
state, dispels the assumption
of separateness; a child who
lives in connection, assumes
the Universe as extended
family


_2 Errors to avoid:

Always apologize for errors

Avoid becoming defensive

Do not reserve mealtime as
the daily catchup for all sins
and criticism; indigestion will
become pervasive and lead
to chronic gastroenteritis,
ulcers, and colitis; This is
a very serious matter

If you pull power trips on
your children, you can expect
the same in return

If you bullshit your children,
you can expect the same
in return

If you deceive your children,
you can expect the same in
return


_3 Remember how you viewed
and experienced your own parents;
keep your earlier promises that you
'would never treat your own children
that way'


_4 Discipline yourself to see your children
as the kind of people whom you most
admire; each one is potentially a Thomas
Merton, Ramana, or Hitler


_5 Learn deeply of the arts of folk-healing

Healing with foods

Healing with herbs

Healing with clay, water, sun, and air


_6 Never be afraid to show your
feelings; but temper your display with
your hard-won adult wisdom.

(Keep in mind the adage that a
wise person who argues with an
idiot becomes instantly, an idiot)

_____________________________________________________________

VIORICA WEISSMAN

from Be As You Are, by David Godman

Question: Is the world created for happiness or misery?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Creation is neither good nor bad;
it is as it is. It is the human mind which puts all
sorts of constructions on it, seeing things from its
own angle and interpreting them to suit its own
interests. A woman is just a woman, but one mind calls
her 'mother' another 'sister' and still another 'aunt'
and so on. Men love women, hate snakes, and are
indifferent to the grass and stones by the roadside.
These value-judgements are the cause of all the misery
in the world. Creation is like a peepul tree; birds
come and eat its fruit, or take shelter under its
branches, men cool themselves in its shade, but some
may hang themselves on it. Yet the tree continues to
lead its quiet life, unconcerned with and unaware of
all the uses it is put to.

It is the human mind that creates its own difficulties
and then cries for help. Is God so partial as to give
peace to one person and sorrow to another? In creation
there is room for everything, but man refuses to see
the good, the healthy and the beautiful. Instead, he
goes on whining, like the hungry man who sits besides
the tasty dish and who, instead of stretching out his
hand to satisfy his hunger, goes on lamenting, 'Whose
fault is it, God's or man's?'

It is true that we are not bound and that the real Self
has no bondage. It is true that you will eventually go
back to your source. But meanwhile, if you commit sins,
as you call them, you will have to face the
consequences of such sins. You cannot escape them. If a
man beats you, then, can you say, 'I am free, I am not
bound by these beatings and I don't feel any pain. Let
him beat on'? If you can feel like that, you can go on
doing what you like. What is the use of merely saying
with your lips 'I am free'?

_________________________________________________________________

GENE POOLE

Very nice picture story:

http://www.crosslink.net/~stodart/freeeasy.html