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#4407 -
The Nonduality
Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
I spent four days at the Science
and Nonduality Conference
(the SAND) in
SAND is a conference of constellations, lights, and shooting
stars. That's the stuff we're made of. That means SAND is
also a community.
When people ask me about
the Conference I tell them I'm interested in the sense of
community that is generated, because I feel that that is how the
teaching of nonduality is honed, made available, and
disseminates.
Early in the life of the email forum Nonduality Salon, I guess it
was the late 90s, I proposed the concept of the hologuru:
the community as guru, teacher, guide, friend, source, muse;
container of lights northern, southern, eastern and western.
This, the third SAND, was
the best one. It's hard to pinpoint why it was so good this
year. It felt "rounded out" somehow. Peter Fenner used
the word "mellow". It's one thing to create that
feeling with a dozen people, but to generate it with 500 is a
different level of achievement.
James Traverse describes
it this way: "The blessing of SAND is that there is an
endless number of beautiful people to meet and experience and
each is a fascinating jewel of Indra's Net - it was a truly
breath-taking privilege to be in the presence of such beauty,
integrity, honesty, humility, dedication, truth, joy and
uninhibited Love."
James Traverse is my
neighbour and friend. We flew together, both gave talks, and
shared cabs and a room. What we didn't share was the same
experience at SAND. If you talked to each of us separately, you
might think we attended different gatherings. That
speaks to the Conference's complexity and
richness. We agreed we'll be back next year.
Besides James,
I spent quality time with a few other people whom I wish to
acknowledge and thank:
Maurizio and Zaya whose
love energy drives everything.
Closer-than-close
friend, former editor of the Highlights, and main nondual
squeeze Christiana Duranczyk.
Long time Nonduality
Salon and
My publisher Connie Shaw
from Sentient Publications.
Kathy Berndt from our
Nova Scotia Nonduality Satsang Meetup group.
Puppetji, whom I met at
the elevator and even got mentioned in his appearance.
Chuck Hillig and Jeff
Foster.
Author Sam Avery (we sat
on the bench outside and smoked cigars together, therefore we are
bonded for life).
Prema Akasha (who also
did a delightful job emceeing my panel discussion and other
sessions. Too bad she doesn't smoke cigars.)
The people who graciously
agreed to appear on my panel: Jeannie Zandi, Bentinho Massaro,
and Kenny Johnson. Benjamin Smythe also agreed to participate but
he got sick and couldn't make it.
Rick Archer from Buddha
at the Gas Pump.
Rob Schwartz from
Jonathan Tayler
Jonathan Bricklin
Jonah Mark Bekerman
Chuck (darn it, last name
I can't remember, but I enjoyed meeting you a couple times).
Nick Day
Robert Waggoner
Scott Kiloby, Peter
Fenner, John Prendergast, Unmani, David Loy
East West bookstore,
which runs the SAND bookstore with great care and knowledge.
the artist Prasanna.
the volunteers, the
technical people.
the small
audience that saw my stand-up comedy act on open mic
night.
I met lots of other
people including several readers of the Highlights: Hi and thank
you.
The biggest thanks goes
to each one of you who attended my talk on Albert Blackburn
and the panel discussion that I put together. Deep bow to
each one of you. I also thank those who wanted to attend but
could not due to conflicts as there were several concurrent
talks and other obligations people had.
I also want to thank the
young people I talked to, the college and high school
kids. I'd love to see a big gang of young people next year.
They'd have a ball and add a whole different kind of energy to
the conference.
I saw many talks and
loved to see the interest and passion of the speakers. I can't
say one stands out over the others as I appreciated each speaker
for what he or she offered.
There's so much I didn't
do and so much I didn't see and so many people I didn't talk to
that it's ridiculous. However, I have always felt that abundance
is its own message. There should be even greater abundance, like
a city that cannot be fully explored in many lifetimes because
there is so much happening and change constantly happening.
Also at my age I tend to
forget, so if we had a conversation and I forgot to mention you,
please remind me so that I can acknowledge you. Fact is, with
some people you connect with their eyes and spirit and not their
name tag and there were many people I met in that category and
you know who you are.
The SAND is as intriguing
as the northern lights, as eternally wondrous as constellations,
and as rare and startling as a shooting star.
In the next Highlights
issue I'm going to publish James Traverse's impassioned
description of the Conference. I'll gladly publish notes on
your experience if you'll send it to me.
Last note: SAND
Thank you for your
interest.
-Jerry Katz