Simplicity (contributed by Ben Hassine, NDS)
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#1523 - Thursday, August 14, 2003 - Editor: Jerry
Simplicity (contributed by
Ben Hassine, NDS)
Am I real?"
My friend nodded emphatically. "Of course. You are real. I
recognize you. I know your name and what you do for a living and
who you are married to and the make of the car you drive."
"Perhaps I got divorced and perhaps I sold my car."
-Van de Watering, 'A Glimpse of Nothingness'
The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art
http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/exhib/cob/hp.htm
Los Angeles County Museum of Art October 5, 2003 to January 4, 2004 Columbus Museum of Art February 6 to May 9, 2004
a post from Alice's Restaurant, the Japanese incense list:
One positive result of
the power failure here in Rochester, NY - I was
able to burn and enjoy a lot more incense without the air
conditioner
interfering and sucking up most of the aroma. There's nothing
quite
like sitting in a pool of your own sweat in the dark watching a
glowing ember of incense advance, advance, and then... black out.
Nonduality.com Personals
Hard tellin' not knowin'
As they say
in Maine (for those of you from
away). I'm living in the Shawangunk Mountains in the Hudson
Valley, NY
and wanting to develop connections with those struggling to
integrate
their experience non-self back into the "marketplace".
I've found one
who lives in MD, and she commutes here every two weeks. It has
been an
amazing experience to spend time with another submersed in a
similar
experience of the world. Between us we've generated a cascade of
insight, however fleeting and meaningless it may be in the long
run.
Our discussions have merely reinforced the impossibility of
trying to
describe nondual expression in "rational" terms,
certainly when we are
so often finishing each other's sentences. Nevertheless, our
experience
together highlights the need for those with a similar perspective
to
share and laugh about themselves and the world around them. We
are
half-jokingly going to create the Stonykill Institute for
Intuitive
Organization, based on our own struggles with reintegration. Any
takers?
--------------------------------
egoless awareness, un- wordyone sou
words cannot be confused with love, words are symbols, that is all they are, they are no thing. I know, for I have been also that love, silent, waiting for the one mind to speak, and when the one mind speaks, it says nothing , it simply is love, and it is powerful , revealing, It reveals your true nature to you, not in words that are paradoxial, but simply words that know about the person, and understand their need, their heartbreak, the words are about them, and they recognize themselves, as love also. The ego has to be gone completely, and I doubt that ego will die that death without this dark night I have been in, so there is a purpose, but I am sure it is time to begin the emerging from this metamorphosis, into egoless awarenesss. I doubt that without a dark night after awareness that one will ever be come purely aware. Until then I will suffer, and I will be blinded, it is my hearts desire to serve by being simply a receptacle for love which is all there is, to flow through to others.
Want more info on these ads? Go to http://pub8.bravenet.com/classified/show.php?usernum=672904912&cpv=2
Hardware, Software, and Transcendence a talk by Sri Adi Da November 24, 1982 http://www.dabase.net/hardware.htm
You must realize that you truly are uncomfortable and will never be comfortable as long as you are merely a conditional persona. No matter how grand the program may ultimately become, no matter into what plane you may be born, you will always be looking at this strange apparatus. I have always been sensitive to this fact. Yogic phenomena and mystical phenomena have therefore never bound me. I have had all these experiences—but when I have the experiences, I also see this weirdo machine. I do not just see the images on the TV set. I see all these wheels revolving and resistors, capacitors, strange waves, and all the rest of it—the whole insanity of that projection. I see the machine in its futility. But as an effect or as an appearance I see also the suffering inherent in its continuation.
Thus, for me there is no delight, no great solution involved in going in and up and entering the realms of mind. I see the wheels turning there, I see all the craziness out of which these images develop. I do not just see them congeal into the discrete images on the screen. I see them just before they become that, before the brain makes sense out of them. I see this psychotic wheel of lights, the infinite fractions, its cellular parts just about to show a discrete image.
When you can see that, you feel profoundly uncomfortable and are never comfortable even with the discrete image. Because I was incapable of being consoled by software or hardware, the spell was broken in my case. This Awakening demonstrates the ultimate virtue of discomfort or the inability to be consoled. It is the ultimate means, or that which puts us into intimate association with the ultimate means.
Therefore, the force of this Teaching is not merely to send you to a better world after death or to give you a better circumstance in your next lifetime. It is the understanding that even now you are in an inbetween state, a "bardo," 5 and that you can completely understand your present condition to the point of transcending it. You can drop out of the program. You can Outshine it. God-Realization is not a matter of separating from the program, however. It is a matter of clearly understanding it and Outshining it by Standing Free, Standing in the Position in Which we eternally and therefore presently exist, the Condition that is being flowed in the inert machines and animated in the programs. It is possible to be completely Awake in the Transcendental State even in a moment such as this, even in this bardo.
Ongoing Translation of Sri
Bhagawan's Tamil Atma Bodha
Read all verses translated so far, at http://nonduality.com/shankr10.htm
Verse 63:
pirama mulagiR piRidhAgu mandhap
piramath thaNuvil piRidhAy - piramaththR
kanniya mEdhu mavirndhA ladhumiththai
yunnuga kAnanI roththu.
Transliteration
" 1) Brahman is different from the world.
2) In that subtlety of Brahman 'becoming
different',
3) if anything shines apart from Brahman,
4) 'that is illusion, akin to mirage'.",
think thus.
Verse 64:
edhuvedhu kANavung kEtkavu mEyu
madhupiramath thanniya mAgA - dhadhuvumE
thaththuvajna naththinAR satchidA nandamA
madhdhuvi dhabbirama mAm
Transliteration
" 1) Whichever (thing) will abide adjoining (us, for
us) to see and hear,
2) that will not be apart from Brahman.
3) Even that, by the Wisdom of the Principle
(of Brahman underlying
it and the its seer)
is(!) Satchidananda
(the continuum
embodying the 3 aspects of Brahman,
namely, Existence,
Knowledge and Bliss), and
4) is(!) the non-dual Brahman."
Verse 65:
saruvaththunj chArndhadhAnch chachchidhA nandhap
piramaththai jnAnakkaN petRAn - dRarisippAn
jnAnakkaN NillAdhA naNNANE kAtchiyoLir
BAnuvaiyan dhanpOlap pAr. 65.
Transliteration
" 1) The one who obtained the Eye of Wisdom,
will behold (the Vision of) Brahman,
2) the Satchidananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss)
adjoining everything.
3) The one who does not have the Eye of Wisdom,
will not obtain(!) (Brahman, for beholding as the very
Self),
4) see (understand) like the blind man (not
obtaining the Vision of)
the Sun of shining appearance right in front."
Translation
Brahman - The substratum of everything seen
Atman - The substratum of the
seeing ego
Advaita Vedanta establishes the identity of both.
Muzafar Ali plans film on Persian
poet Rumi
Thursday, 14 August , 2003, 09:08
http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=13225072&vsv=38
Mumbai: Veteran director Muzafar
Ali is making a comeback after a break
of more than a decade with a 25 million dollar project on the
life of
Rumi, the 13th century Persian saint and poet.
Ali, who directed one of India's biggest
film hits, Umraojan, in the
late 1980s, is hoping to cast popular Hollywood stars such as
Daniel
Day-Lewis, Roberto De Niro or Al Pacino in the movie.
He said the movie will revolve around
Sheikh Jalaluddin Rumi's life and
two of his great literary works -- "Diwan" and the
immortal "Mathnav"
-- containing 26,600 couplets written by him over 10 years.
"A lot of help is coming from the
Turkish government. They like the
subject because no film has ever been made on this great saint on
a
global scale," Ali told AFP.
"The Minister of Culture in the
Turkish government, Erkan Muncu, has
shown keen interest in the project and he has promised me all
kinds of
help to make this film."
Ali is working on the script after 10
years of research on Rumi's life.
He is keen to cast some top Hollywood stars to make the film
truly
global.
"Daniel Day-Lewis is right for the
lead role of Rumi, while other key
roles can be acted by Al Pacino or Robert De Niro," Ali
said.
He was, he added, also considering some
Indian actors. "I have few
people in my mind. I will sit with my casting director and we
will soon
finalise. I want to get people in Bollywood who will be committed
to
this project."
Ali said his research on Rumi had
encouraged him to make a movie on the
saint at this time in history, when the world is battling the
onslaught
of terrorism.
"Rumi is important to the world
because he united east and the west. I
feel that when terrorism is the problem to the world, this film
will
make people realize that it is important to understand each
other's
culture," Ali said.
"Rumi does not belong to any
religion. His message is that of love.
Through his poetry he talks about one god, the oneness of human
race
and goes beyond religion and talks.
"His poems are very well read even in
United States. He looks at the
world as one world in his time. So, his thoughts are important to
highlight."
Ali gave up filmmaking after he failed to
complete his last project
Zooni, a story of a Kashmiri princess, in the 90s. The project
was
planned after the huge success of Umraojan, a film on the life of
a
courtesan played by enigmatic actress Rekha.
"I don't want to make Bollywood kind
of films anymore. I want to make
macro films which will appeal to global audience," Ali said.
He is also confident that Indian audiences
will flock to the movie, as
Rumi is popular in the country.
"Rumis work are well known in India.
He has a great influence on the
Indian masses. And, I am sure, people will love this film."
Ali plans to put special emphasis on the
music and will be one of the
music composers for the movie.
"The film will have strong music.
This is not a usual song and dance
kind of film. It is different. And therefore, I have selected a
team of
musicians who will specially play the music," Ali said.
"I have not thought who will lead the
musicians, but I will be one of
the persons who will keep an eye on the music of the film."
Green Tea
Alice's Restaurant
J: Where do you get your green tea?
D: The last I picked up at Mitsukoshi in
Tokyo, but I have been talking
to Asa at Asakichi and they have a good source, and he says it is
very
fresh, so I plan on trying them out.
A: Good suggestion D., I had tea from
Asakichi before and the owner was
also kind enough to bring me a tea of my choice from one of his
trips
to Japan, years ago.
J., if you live in large enough city or
close to one, you may also
check local oriental/japanese store. Anything priced around $6.00
for
100g is going to be quite good. You may also ask the owner for
teas
with "golden" in their name, etc. If you have a chance
to look at the
leaf, look for darker green crisp "tea needles" with
slight sheen to
them and fresh, deep, grassy smell. These will not be the best
japanese
teas money could buy, but still better then what most Japanese
drink
every day - good solid middle grade sencha. You may also try
chinese
green teas - they are much more interesting and varied group then
japanese teas, although japanese teas, at least for me, have this
cultivated purity and simplicity of form you can depend on -
similar to
good local wine from, let's say, island of Corsica vs. dazzling
variety
and wine choices of continental France...
D: Personally, I've gotten spoiled on the
Gyokuro, but then Zen Priest
here showed me the way Roshi Sasaki likes it. It's much different
than
the other way. He uses about a tabelspoon of tea, and much hotter
water. Probably aroun 160 degrees, and the steeping time is les
than 15
seconds in a medium size tea pot. It has a very light flowery
taste
instead of the thicker stronger way.
------------------------------------------
Crystal Balls
D: Say, I know some of you are really into crystals.
I've got a friend that just returned from
Thailand with a pure Clear
Quartz Crystal Ball. He wants $1,200.00 for it, and says it's
worth
twice that.
Should I buy it?
A: No, I would not buy it.
For that money you can travel to Thailand
yourself (for a week on a
budget) and while trying to locate the similar item (how big is
it?)
have fun exploring the Bangkok, go to arab or indian markets to
look
for incense materials, etc. Opportunities are boundless... You
also
have a good chance to find similar ball for much less money -
Thailand
is known for its gems and minerals and every concierge from
reputable
hotel (not people from the street) will give you several good
tips,
where to find it... You will return refreshed and with enough
memories
to last a lifetime, even if you come back without the ball. :-)
Calla Visage
Live Journal
A tree
hidden moon -
hundreds of crickets in song ...
So clear we see - Mars!
Petros' Canadian Dharma Journey
Petros will
be setting off this morning for his first Trans-Canadian Dharma
Tour, travelling through southern parts of Ontario, Manitoba,
Saskatchewan,
Alberta and British Columbia to meet with various spiritual
students and
practitioners and to bring the Dharma to any who may express an
interest. As
always on such journeys he dedicates the fruit of his movements
towards the
enlightenment of all beings.
Students may continue to write us with questions as usual, though
they
should expect some delay in response time due to logistical
difficulties. It
is expected that Petros will be back in Los Angeles by the end of
the month.
-- Administrator
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petros-Truth *
http://home.earthlink.net/~xristos/index.html *
petros000@earthlink.net