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#1565 - Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - Editor: Jerry  

The URL was left out of the following entry in issue 1564:  

Nina NDS

one-minute vacation

http://www.quietamerican.org/vacation.html

Surely you can spare a minute to clean your ears? Take a one-minute vacation from the life you are living.

One-minute vacations are unedited recordings of somewhere, somewhen. Sixty seconds of something else. Sixty seconds to be someone else.

For example: Late afternoon river traffic on the busy, busy Buriganga, in
the heart of Dhaka, Bangladesh: as heard from a leaky
rowboat. Commuters, haulers, trawlers; dredging, building,
wrecking, remaking: all in hazy golden light. ... the business of communal life reasserting itself.  

Vendor of Drinks. Dhaka, Bangladesh  

Mark Ambrose
Alice's Restaurant  

Japanese incense ceremony  

Greetings All!

I returned last Friday from a Kodo (American for Koh dou)
demonstration in Phoenix with David Oller and the owners of the
White Buffalo Healing Arts Center.

Simply put, the beauty and art of this ceremony was far beyond my
original thinking. I've had many small Kodo ceremonies here in my
home and at friends' with groups of six or eight people. After
attending and being a part of that Phoenix demonstration though, I
must say that I really had no idea how elegant and beautiful the
kodo ceremony actually was, nor how many people it takes to put on a
proper demonstration.

In one of the two demonstration rooms, the Koh Moto (presenter) was
a woman named Gina from Phoenix, who wore a Kimono made for her by
Rose, another guest. Somehow her wearing that Kimono and the beauty
and elegance of David's complete Koh dou floor set, was
transcendental. This was Gina's first time at that position and she
did a truly wonderful job. Everyone was commenting on how beautiful
she looked, the meditative job she did, and how elegant the entire
ceremony was.

Gina's husband Eric performed the Koh Moto tasks in the other room
and both ceremonies were very enthusiastically enjoyed by each and
every guest.

Kudos to David Oller for putting on a truly wonderful event, and
teaching a small group of us over the course of several days how to
do the same. Kudos also to Susan and David of the White Buffalo
Healing Arts Center for hosting the event and for their generous
hospitality.

*Los Angeles and San Diego Koh dou events*

We are beginning the preliminary phases of planning a Koh dou
demonstration in both the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. Our
current thoughts are to put on an event in each county by the end of
October or early November.

The Kodo event will be performed on a donation basis. A $25 donation
is appreciated but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

If anyone is interested in either a Los Angeles or San Diego Koh dou
demonstration, please either email me privately or post your
interest on this list.

As we get closer we'll announce exactly where and when these events
will occur.

We will also soon be available for Koh dou demonstrations
nationwide, both public and private. If there are U.K. customers who
are interested, please message me privately and we very well may be
able to arrange a Koh dou ceremony in the U.K. after the New Year.

May all your days be fragrant!

Gassho,
Mark Ambrose
Scents of Earth
web: www.scents-of-earth.com
email: info@scents-of-earth.com

how is your heart

during my worst times
on the park benches
in the jails
or living with
whores
I always had this certain
contentment-
I wouldn't call it
happiness-
it was more of an inner
balance
that settled for
whatever was occuring
and it helped in the
factories
and when relationships
went wrong
with the
girls.

it helped
through the
wars and the
hangovers
the backalley fights
the
hospitals.

to awaken in a cheap room
in a strange city and
pull up the shade-
this was the craziest kind of
contentment

and to walk across the floor
to an old dresser with a
cracked mirror-
see myself, ugly,
grinning at it all.

what matters most is
how well you
walk through the
fire.

Charles Bukowski   from Iamkatia's Live Journal  

Nikhil Tikekar http://nonduality.com/nikhil.htm

WEEKEND

India Coffee House, M.G.Road, Bangalore, on a lazy weekend morning,
Cool monsoon breeze, open door, create natural air conditioning
Book on cosmology in one (hand) balanced by cup of coffee in the other,
Caffine, neurotransmitters, create thoughts to entertain the beholder.

Dining outdoors in Bangalore

HUMAN'S WORLD

Gravity and motion, waves in the ocean, to meet the shore
Grass and wind, waves in the meadows, to sooth the vision
Fields and particles, waves in the vacuum, bake universe material
Attachments and desires, waves in the mind, make human's world

BIG TREE

Seed brought in by a sea breeze from afar,
Soil enriched by the lives returned sofar,
Water flowing all the way from mountain summits,
Sun rays making their way through branch'n leaves,
Bring to life and nurture a tiny plant
Time transforms it into a big, huge tree,
Says the tree, I made me!

Send by Anton Bloch, a dear friend here in NYC!

--Greg

==============
Bhajan Satsang
==============

This will be a gathering to nurture spiritual awakening through the
collective joy of bhajan singing, sharing insights on the meaning behind
these traditional devotional songs, with a focus on related wisdom from the
sacred books and gurus, relaxed conversation  in a supportive atmosphere,
and silent meditation. Harmonium and tabla accompaniment are 'in the
works';  Still need a harmonium player, if anyone knows of one. Singing
will be in either Hindi, Sanskrit, or English, depending on the song.  Tea
and light refreshments will be provided.

Date & Time
===========
Sunday, October 12th, from 1:00 to 4:00

Location
========
Astoria, Queens, near the Triboro bridge.

15 minutes from Manhattan,
on the N or W train line,
near the Triboro bridge.

Directions
==========
E mail for directions: <soulfriend@rcn.com>

Contact
=======
Further questions, e mail or, call Anton at 718/626-8667 evenings.

We are considering repeating this gathering on a regular basis.  

Gene Poole
NDS  

Jay Nelamangala wrote:

One who says that 'what is non-existent does not present itself to
consciousness'  must be questioned whether while framing his principle he
was conscious of the non-exitent or not ?  If he was not conscious of it, he
could not even deny its presentation to consciousness ( for denial
presupposes the awareness of what is denied ).  If he was conscious of it,
then also its presentation to consciousness could not be denied"  

You are making good points; please keep running
'the people on this website' through the wringer!

How this all began:

Some time ago, someone noticed that the
'first-person' seat was occupied by a
fictional entity; and from that, it was assumed
that everything that this fictional entity 'saw'
was of necessity, also fictional.

Since then, this 'point of view' or 'observation'
has propagated, has gone through many mutations,
and has become something of a dogma.

The first-person seat... needs to be understood
before the 'fictional entity' or so-called 'false self'
can be evaluated.

The 'first-person seat' exists for a reason; it will
continue to exist, even if vacant. I know this is
a challenging concept, but I hold it to be true.

The first-person seat... is part of the 'given' design
or nature of (all I know!) incarnate awareness. As
a child experiences daily life, an identity is compiled
from memory of those experiences; eventually it
comes to occupy the 'first-person seat'. It must be
understood that the 'occupying entity' is one which
is 'localized for practical purposes'; in other words,
it is informed (formed) by the products of interaction
with the local situation. The 'fictional entity' which
occupies the 'first-person seat' is known by everyone
as 'me'; and life is experienced as the relationship of
everything 'with' this 'fictional entity' known as 'me'.

Now to skip ahead...

My 'fictional entity' contains the memories and skills
necessary for 'me' to be able to write this. It (me) is
familiar with my local universe, language, keyboard,
internet, etc.

It is widely assumed, and stated firmly as dogma,
that the only motive of this fictional entity, is to
stabilize and perpetuate itself; but this is not so.

'Ego' is the organ which stabilizes the fictional
entity; but the reason for the existence of the
fictional entity is not to perpetuate itself, but to
perpetuate the survival of the Being physical
body; thus, 'ego' is what is really doing the
stabilization, as it is what stabilizes the 'false-
self', which is simply an aid to perpetuating
the physical body-survival, and which in turn
is a necessity (DNA-reproduction and species-
survival), and so on. 'Ego' is thus simply the
'mental' or 'psychic' face of the human immune
system; and the so-called 'fictional self' is merely
a 'foci of identification', expert in dealing with the
local universe, based on memory of past interaction.

Add to all of the above: "Suffering".

People make mistakes, and so they suffer; it
turns out that it is usually the case that no one
individual can contain or experience all of what is
necessary for species-survival; and so there are records,
chronicles, archives of experience, called 'sacred' because
of the survival-value implicit in those records.

That people make mistakes is a given; when they
make mistakes, they suffer; but they suffer less, if
they are 'taught' sacred lessons from the archives;
and so we have 'scriptures'.

As time has passed, humans have grown in sophistication;
'science' has expanded the 'sacred archives of survival-
knowledge' greatly. But the essence of suffering is now what
is being treated; and suffering has been identified as a
'conditioned response to experience'. If we add to this, the
above litany of my opinions concerning the 'fictional entity',
it becomes clear (I hope) that it is the 'fictional entity' which
embodies not only the conditioning which is the response to
suffering, but also, contains the suffering itself.

So, what we are left with (according to this reasoning) is
a fictional entity which suffers... and the obvious temptation
is to remove the fictional entity, as the simple answer to the
perennial problem of 'suffering'. "If thine  self offends thee,
abstract it out".

One major obstacle to the use of this line of reasoning, which
does stand as scripture and dogma, is the preexistence of the
'first-person seat'. As long as it exists, it is a socket which
demands a matching plug; and it will continue to exist, and so
there will be a fictional entity, newly generated if necessary,
made to sit in it, and to assume the role of ghostly captain
of a ship whose purpose has been lost, in myth and legend.

I am pointing out the inevitable mechanics of the 'human
Being'. It works in certain predictable ways, no matter what
contrary opinions may be found in 'scripture' or elsewhere.

Because people make mistakes, and suffering is accrued,
and because what must be altered in order to alleviate
suffering is the 'false self' or 'fictional entity', it is necessary
to point out the 'synthetic' nature of the ghostly pilot;
suffering neophytes who want guidance, need to be educated
about this basic feature of human Being. It is unfortunate
that the ghostly pilot has been vilified, when all that is
needed is education. It is tragic that there exists in scripture,
any advocacy of 'destruction of the ego/false self', when all
that is needed is 'realization of the self'... the 'I Am'.

What can we do about the (illogical) extension of reasoning
which states 'nonexistence  of anything that the false-self
perceives'?

Some wise-guy will immediately pipe up and say this:

"All that is needed is to destroy the false self, and the
true self will be what exists; and as the only true existent
thing, it will immediately report what is true".

Oops!

Now we are falling into quicksand... a false self saying what
the true self will see; which is that the true self can not see the
false  self; or if it sees it it will report it as false.. but to whom
will this report be delivered? Why... to none other than the
false self, of course!

Here, we have Jan B's well-stated  'infinite iterations'
of the 'me' position, as the true self states "reality"
to the false self, and the false self is thus generated,
and of course immediately objects to being called 'false',
etc etc... on and on. This is the paradox; calling 'true'
is answered 'false'... and this inevitable paradox is now
called 'duality'. One true voice can produce any number
of echos... !

Consider the 'first-person seat', the ghostly pilot, species
survival, and practical life as human Being... it is just fine as it
is.

The only 'problem' is the resistance of certain 'fictional entities'
to be 'reconditioned' to take into account the actual practical
necessities of human Being; and these 'problems' exist as
scripture and dogma. One major dogmatic theme is the
"nonexistence" of what the 'fictional entity' is able to report.

Hints of Blue
NDS  

e.e. cummings  

may i feel said he
   (i'll squeal said she
   just once said he)
   it's fun said she
  
  
   (may i touch said he
   how much said she
   a lot said he)
   why not said she
  
  
   (let's go said he
   not too far said she
   what's too far said he
   where you are said she)
  
  
   may i stay said he
   (which way said she
   like this said he
   if you kiss said she
  
  
   may i move said he
   is it love said she)
   if you're willing said he
   (but you're killing said she
  
  
   but it's life said he
   but your wife said she
   now said he)
   ow said she
  
  
   (tiptop said he
   don't stop said she
   oh no said he)
   go slow said she
  
  
   (cccome?said he
   ummm said she)
   you're divine!said he
   (you are Mine said she)
 
..................

not bad eh?
nobody, not even the rain, speaks japanese like ee cummings...

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