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Issue #1255 - Monday, November 10,
2002 - Edited by Jerry
Artist: Anthony Padgett, London
Sprach Zarathustra
First Prize Showcase Winner
50 x 50 x 50cms
Stereolithography sculpture
Not for sale £50,000 sponsorship from Land Rover
“The quality of the final model is a testament to the
capability
of CopyCAD as a tool for creating STL files from laser scan
data.”
--Graham Tromans, Manager Rapid Product Development Land Rover.
Stereolithography: The solid object is made by scanning an
ultraviolet (UV) laser beam over the surface of a bath of
epoxy resin. The resin hardens on exposure to the UV
light. Once a layer is complete, the base plate moves
down a little in the bath, and a new layer of liquid
flows in over the top. Then the layer is drawn by the
laser beam. Any loose or overhanging elements of the
object are secured by supporting structure to prevent
them drifting away. The supports are made by the same
process and at the same time as the main object; the
necessary computer code is generated automatically when
the slice files are produced. At the end of the build,
the base plate is raised in the bath to lift the object
clear, and it is drained, washed, and the support
structures broken away. The hardened resin is
translucent, so interior structure is easy to see in
stereolithography models.
____________________________________________________________
VICKI WOODYARD
from NDS
Plugging into Life
We put off plugging into the Source. We have many
exemplars to whom we look and point excitedly. "Look,
there's Ramana Maharshi, there's Nisargadatta, Papaji,
etc." We are smug about knowing that we know who is
plugged in and who isn't. Meanwhile the Great Ones have
just gone on being eternally plugged in. What keeps us
from knowing ourselves as the one Self?
Recently I wrote to someone about how it is when you are
putting up Christmas lights and have to work practically
all day to untangle the wires, replace missing bulbs,
etc. If we don't go through the necessary procedures,
the tree will not look beautiful.
Just so. We have to go through the necessary procedures
of plugging into the power source of Self. Sometimes we
actually have to check each thought to see if it's
working or not. Tedious, yes. Humility and persistence
really do count. Imperceptible changes add up.
Most of us are far too casual about our inner work. We
put off the chores of checking each thought as it
arises, of seeing every emotion emerge and then slowly
(and imperceptibly) ebb. The Great Ones know that this
is a planetary kindergarten and so they let us make daisy
chains and hand turkeys to show that we are individuals.
They also give us bigger projects, such as coming to
terms with suffering, raising children, coping with
crises and sitting alone in empty rooms.
Ramana Maharshi used to sit and repair old books even
though he knew the Self. Then why is it that I don't
want to be bothered with the routine of my life? If I
actually plug in to what I am doing on any given day,
the Light of all Life rushes into whatever it is. The
biggies have all told us and it's time we got down to
business....and followed in their footsteps...whether
barefoot, driving a semi or doing bikram yoga. The
method is not important--just that we get plugged in.
Vicki Woodyard
http://www.bobwoodyard.com
__________________________________________________________________
JOHN METZGER
from NDS
Brother Void
"Only the hand that erases can write the true
thing." --
Meister Eckhart
Sometimes you feel caught in a web of language, your
identity defined by words you never chose and cannot seem
to shake. Whatever the words -- hysteric, geek, slut,
atheist, Gen Xer, Hispanic or just temporary departmental
associate project assistant -- they work their way
insidiously into the story you tell about yourself. To
break free and rewrite your own story, you must first get
in touch with the nausea at the heart of language. You
can do this in the quiet of your own home, by following a
few simple steps.
Select the word that most binds your identity. With pen
and paper, write it out in big block letters. Now, focus
your eyes on the word you have written down and gently
consider its claims upon you. At first, you may not
notice any change. Remain focused. In time, the letters
before you begin to swim. The word relinquishes all
authority. It seems alien, its spelling almost random.
With sickening speed, a chain reaction spreads through
the whole language until its arbitrary structure
stretches out before you, raw and meaningless. At this
point, your own personal narrative, the text that is you,
may begin to hemorrhage in big, wet chunks. The nausea of
language is upon you.
I am the text that I erase.
Warning : I tried this with 'donut addict' but ended up
eating the paper. John
__________________________________________________________________
MARALENA
from NDS
Re: Anthony de Mello
Dear Jan,
<http://www.spiritwalk.org/demello.htm
Thank you again for your suggestion to view some
of his
writings. He very much seems to be along the same lines
as the other Monk I was asking about. The above link
took me to some of his works, and a brief autobiography.
I was saddened to see that his own Church Body, after
his death, dishonored his writings... even to the point
of wanting a warning put on the books that "Reading them
could be extreemly harmful to your faith". Amazing. That
is hard to see those who are in a place of spiritual
leadership... to put forth such an unloving example. If
one believes or not...according to their faith... I
wonder if they recogonize how they are making their faith
look in the eyes of those who are on the fence. Not a
very good light, I think. Not one of love. Anyway, thank
you again.
Love,
Maralena
GLORIA LEE
Dear Maralena,
Another Christian priest who was drawn to Eastern
approaches was Thomas Merton, have you read any of his
writings? His books are wonderful. There is really no
conflict of religions when you get past concepts and into
essence.
This DeMello one turned up in the highlights archives:
Mary quotes from ANTHONY DEMELLO'S
"One Minute Wisdom"
To a disciple who begged for wisdom
the Master said, "Try this out: Close
your eyes and see yourself and every
living being thrown off the top of a precipice.
Each time you cling to
something to stop yourself from falling,
understand that it is falling too......"
The disciple tried it out and never
was the same again.
JAMES TRAVERSE
(referring to the file at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NondualitySalon/files/Abhishiktananda.doc>)
Hello Maralena,
Thank You.
Like the author of the file you uploaded I have studied
'Kashmir Shaivism', the non-dual tradition, with Jean
Klein (it was not called by that name yet that is the
one that best fits). I am also involved with Yoga
(http://www.beingyoga.com).
Abhishiktananda's journey is the human journey of
resolving/SEEING the paradox of Life.
To ask the question 'Who am I?' is dualistic (there is a
questioner asking the question).
To have absolute faith in Jesus is dualistic (there is
one who has faith).
Yet both can be liberating.
Enlightenment is SEEING the nature of Life/Truth. This is
how Abhishiktananda resolved the paradox - he understood
that the paradox of Life is that it is Singular and that
it has dualistic qualities.
The necessary step for Abhishiktananda's journey was to
have this dilemma as the greatest 'lesson' in his
journey/quest.
He realized the SingulaRity of Truth in that Truth is
always "_____ing" - it is Living, Flowing, Being - it
is
not the static concepts written about in any of the
wisdom traditions and yet each wisdom tradition honours
Truth. Truth is not a concept and yet we give it a
'name' to functionally be able to speak about It.
The nature of Life is that it is simultaneously the
journey AND the destination (as Now is always 'now' and
it is always changing or - the 'quest' is 'the question
is the answer').
~~~
I find it interesting to note that according to the
Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, the Sanskrit word
'Atman' means: to breathe ; %{at} , to move ; %{vA} , to
blow ;
AND
Brahman means: n. (lit. `" growth "' , `"
expansion "' , `"
evolution "' , `" development "' `" swelling
of the spirit or soul "'
........the Brahma8 or one selfexistent impersonal Spirit , the
one
universal Soul (or one divine essence and source from which all
created things emanate or with which they are identified and to
which
they return) , the Self-existent , the Absolute , the Eternal
....
And any English dictionary will tell us that - Spirit means:
essence, to Breathe .... [Middle English, from Old French
espirit,
from Latin spiritus, breath, from spirare, to breathe.].
~~~
I feel that the significance of the Breath cannot be overstated.
It has the dualistic qualities of 'inspiration' and 'expiration'
('movement' and the 'stillness' of the natural pauses between
inhalation-exhalation and exhalation-inhalation) AND the flow is
'respiration' or "re-spiriting" .
..........................
note:
- Hindu origin myth known as the "Breath of Brahman"
(at the moment
of origin all of the Universe, all matter and energy, existed
together
in total order and symmetry, called by scientists the "Great
Singularity". Then the Universe exploded in the Big Bang, or
exhalation of the 'Breath of Brahman').
.........................
The Breath is Singular and its SPIRALS have the dualistic
qualities of Movement and Stillness which each have
their respective dualistic qualities, AND, each of these
qualities, Movement and Stillness, have dualistic
qualities...and so on...infinitely nested.
Life is Breath.
Breath is Life.
Life is Love.
Love is Life.
~~~
I feel that the paradox is resolved in the understanding
of Marriage (or Yoga which means Union).
A married 'couple' appears as two and yet the 'couple'
can only be when the two are TOGETHER - One.
The 'two' are together in LOVE and it is only in Union
that the couple can produce something which is beyond
themselves - that 'something' is the Child - You!
~~~
In this same Spirit, Love is how Abhishiktananda resolved
the paradox.
Love and Gratitude,
James
____________________________________________________________________
ANTHONY PADGETT
received via email
4 EVENTS JOINING ART, RELIGION AND POPULAR CULTURE.
1) Wednesday 13th November 2002, 7pm to 12pm
"CLUB – RELIGION"
Inter-Religious Fancy Dress & Fashion Launch Party
The Arts Café,
28 Commercial Street, London, E1
When politics and diplomacy fail then only art and
fashion can unite the nations.
By joining together items of clothing from different
world religions artist Anthony Padgett hopes that fashion
can contribute to world peace. He mixes New York Disco
with calls to prayer from Mecca, Jerusalem, India and
Tibet in "Disco Art Religion". There will be Communion
Cake icing, Iconoclastic body painting and a fashion "Dog
Sit".
Anthony says "religion and disco are all about bringing
people together in a celebration of life. The sacred and
the secular shouldn’t be kept separate as they are both
important. People are now more aware of other religions
than ever but the great challenge is to learn how to
relate to them. "Club - Religion" lets people explore
religion through fashion, art and music."
IMAGES OF FANCY DRESS, CLUB RELIGION & RITUALS
www.theism.co.uk
MUSIC DOWNLOADS
<www.geocities.com/anthonydpadgett/index.html
2) Sunday 17th November 2002, 11am and 1pm
"DISCO ART RELIGION SERVICE"
Golders Green Unitarian Church
31 ½ Hoop Lane London, NW11 8BS
Tate Modern or Tate Unitarian?
As part of the 11am Golders Green Unitarian service Anthony will
make a 15 minute address.
Sir Henry Tate was a lifelong Unitarian (his father was a
Unitarian Minister and he paid for many Unitarian
churches) but what now for Unitarian art? Unitarianism
has always been ahead of its time. It embraces multiple
view-points in a non-dogmatic and free thinking
perspective that is both religious and atheistic. The
historical and current influence of Unitarianism on
American and British government, education and art will
be traced. Contemporary art and the inclusion of everyday
life into art will be discussed along with examples of
Anthony’s "Game of World Religious Art", and
"Inter-Religious Electric Candelabra". Linking Global
communities will also be discussed with reference to
Tim Berners-Lee, developer of the world wide web and a Unitarian.
Plus
Disco Art Religion Service
1pm service will use art to break down dogmatism and find common
ground. Including:
Meditation with "GOD?" in neon.
The lighting of the electric candelabra.
Inter-religious fashion show.
Abstract expressionist Holy Communion re-birthday cake.
Tomb of Everyone and the resurrection of the Art Prophet.
3) 9th December
Talk On Art and Religion
New York Studio School of Art,
8 West 8th Street, New York, NY 10011
4) Opportunities
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN EXHIBITING, PERFORMING OR HELPING AT
FUTURE CLUB RELIGION
EVENT AT UNITY CHAPEL (UPPER STREET, ISLINGTON, LONDON, N1) IN
SPRING 2003 CONTACT:
Anthony Padgett, 14 Bromfield Street, LONDON, N1 OQA.
Mob: 07812 799521
e-mail: anthonydpadgett@theism.co.uk
website: www.theism.co.uk
(See Padgett's work at top of page.)