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Maiko, ©1995 by
David Culton
Maiko are apprentice Geisha and are usually in their
early to mid-teens. The process of becoming a Geisha
takes about five years and involves the study of many
different forms of performance -- dance, singing, tea
ceremony, as well as other social skills necessary to
those in the Water Trade. The typical Western idea of
the Geisha as prostitute is a bit off the mark and as
with so many other aspects of Japan, the truth is more
complex and multi-layered.
This photograph, as all of the others, was taken without
planning. What appears to be water spraying across the
image is actually a spotlight illuminating cherry
blossoms. This intense light played around within the
lens, creating effects that could not even be seen
clearly in the viewfinder. The exposure was about three
seconds and truly was a lucky guess. --David Culton
http://playoflight.com/kyoto/MainMenu.html
#1103 Thursday June 13 2002
HEIDI
Top of the Food Chain
Humans on this planet believe they're at the "top of the
food chain", meaning that they can eat anything they
want, but nothing can eat them (unless they're somehow
accidentally subdued, by a crazed cannibal, lion, tiger,
shark, pack of wolverines, murder of insane crows,
gaggle of saber-toothed geese, etc.)
http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/Science/FoodChain/FoodChain.htm
But, they are not at the top
of the food chain, really.
There is a higher creature that consumes them, bit by
bit, daily, quite unnoticeably, and they allow it, enjoy
it, derive pleasure from it (the act of being consumed),
and even seek out suitable dining partners, by whom to
be eaten.
Do you get it yet?
The "top of the food chain" argument has to do with
eating bodily flesh, to keep the body alive, and is
governed by genetic priorities - life, at all cost. As
far as that simplistic viewpoint goes, it is quite
correct. Humans CAN eat the bodies of all organic life
on this planet (if they so choose, and it's "tasty
enough"), yet no other organic life can eat them (if
they don't allow it).
Do you get it yet? Ok, a hint.
How many times have you heard something like: "Man, is
not his body." or "Man is IN the world, but not OF the
world." These, and the many other possible examples,
point to a NEW understanding of what truly is a "man".
In the physical world, he is the "top of the food
chain". In the mental world of understanding, he is at
the bottom - hell, he is UNDER the bottom; he hasn't
even climbed up to the bottom, AND he's sinking fast.
This is the true situation of what truly is a "man" -
born into a world of other men who have NOT a clue as to
their true situation, who will live out their days
scratching and clawing for some meager existence, while
being unnoticeably gnawed to death by a creature, the
existence of which they have no idea.
Do you get it yet? Or, are you arguing loudly with this
painfully long drawn-out setup?
Ok, another hint.
The largest living organism currently known to exist on
this planet, is the Collective Mind of Man - Global
Human Consciousness - and it is the source of Life's
undisturbed Infinite Comment, and the reality behind the
notion of "cosmic truth".
The only tool man has to defend himself, in the mental
world of understanding, against the Collective, is his
language, his speech, his thought, his ideas, his mind.
That is his only tool. Arms and legs and teeth and
muscles will not help him discover the truth about his
situation, nor will they help him extricate himself from
that condition, once discovered.
Language is that which is BOTH his primary tool, and
chief competitor, in the DNA-based, genetic-based,
striving to "live at all cost".
And the Common Human Organism, which is the home of
Language, is that creature that is on a seek-and-destroy
mission, hunting all the weak and retarded individuals,
culling them out from the pack, and filling them with
chit-chat, lowering standards of thinking to the point
that all intellectual defences are down, and it can be
sucked into the greater beast.
----------Ha! (get it?)
HARSHA
from HarshaSatsangh
I Light up all the lights
People speak of visions and white lights and spiritual
and psychic experiences. These are beautiful things and
indications of meditative practices at some time.
Those who know the source that lights all experiences,
spiritual and otherwise, remain unmoved by such
descriptions.
Advaita Vedanta declares without compromise. Atman Is
Brhaman! Thou are That!
With what white light or spiritual experience shall I
now be impressed?
Once Sri Ramana was asked about traveling to different
planes and having visions.
The Sage of Arunachala asked the questioner something
like, "What are you experiencing now and how is it
different?"
All techniques fall at the feet of the Sage and become
meaningless.
from Along The Way
list:
You are the space which never moves and never travels.
Inner and outer space is due only to name and form.
Remove this form from mind by removing attachment to any
object, thought, or action.
- Papaji
This quotation is from: "The Truth Is" Sri H.W.L.
Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
THOMAS MURPHY
from SeeWhatIs list
An embroidery of voids in the Void
And we, inhabitants of the great coral of the Cosmos,
believe the atom (which still we cannot see) to be full matter,
whereas, it too, like everything else, is but an embroidery of
voids in
the Void,
and we give the name of being, dense and even eternal, to that
dance of
inconsistencies,
that infinite extension that is identified with absolute
Nothingness
and that spins from its own non-being the illusion of everything.
Umberto Eco
The Island of the Day Before
Umberto Eco authored the bestselling novel "The Name of the
Rose"
METTA ZETTY
from Awakening into Awareness Ezine
Hunger for Reality
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is an urge within each of us
driving us deeper into the heart of Life...
a hunger for That which is essential.
Trust this impulse.
It is Reality guiding you
toward Itself.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Understanding the Finite and Infinite
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The finite
is nothing other than
the Infinite
narrowly defined.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nonduality
~~~~~~~~~~~~
If Reality is one complete
undivided and unbroken Whole,
then everything you see
is a manifestation of That
which is Real and True.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Witnessing
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Witnessing
severs the unconscious
and habitual identification
with the contents of consciousness.
It is for this reason that
paying attention is enough.
Mindful attention creates
an energetic openness
through which Insight
and Recognition arise.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Honor Your Gifts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Honor your gifts,
and you honor the Source
from which they arise.
Honor this Source,
and you will serve others.
* * * * *
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JERRY KATZ
from Alice's Restaurant list
I won a gift of rare, expensive Baieido incense, from
David Oller of the Alice's Restaurant list, and this is
my note telling him I received the gift:
Dear David and List,
I received the Koh En aloeswood incense. Thank you.
At the post office I got to talking to the girl who
works there and I mentioned it was incense. She showed
an interest and turns out she is a Buddhist and enjoys
incense. There's a large Buddhist population in Halifax,
Nova Scotia. So I opened the package in front of her.
The incense was contained in a dark brown cardboard box.
Inside the brown box was an attractive, well-constructed
wooden box. I opened the wooden box and there was the
bundle of incense sticks, well-wrapped. It arrived in
perfect condition.
This incense is spicy with a substantial note that I
don't know how to describe. It is intoxicating. Very
rich, swirling, heady. Both myself and this girl I'd
never met, perhaps she was 18, took deep breaths and
looked at each other. Her face glowed red with life.
Probably mine did too. We smiled at each spontaneously
with surprise and awe. The world stopped, I assure you.
The experience was such a flash of intimacy, that if she
ain't 18, I could be in big trouble. Meanwhile there's
this elderly lady behind me waiting to be served, half
in a huff, half curious. I gave my teenage partner a
stick of incense and left.
After a while I was settled at home and lit a stick.
What else could I say? It's a delightful, elevating
incense in a class of its own. I've never known anything
like it. I'm looking forward to getting to know her --
the incense, that is -- much better.
http://www.japanese-incense.com