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Saturday, Nov 4


MICHAEL:

I know that everyone I meet is none other tham the Buddha. Each and
every person, plant and thing is nothing less than God in the flesh.
I know that God is playing all these games.

That is the real message of the B. Gita. Not to do battle with one
another. Rather it is to accept that Krishna is All. To participate in
this life and do the right thing. I offer that curses directed
toward anyone are not beneficial.
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SHELLY:

Dear friends of Nonduality Saloon:
I was a member once before but I found the atmosphere a little
noisy for me.To use a musical metaphor- to many notes for my
taste. I have been a frequent visitor, and particularly enjoy
the postings of Dan Berkow and Gene Pool. I'm sort of a head
guy. The reason for my re-enlisting is simply to make a brief
comment on the way I percieve the goings on.
1- I think all involved in this type of discussion should be aware
of some of the main principles of Semantics.
2- The mind can prove or disprove just about anything.
3- The WORD is definitely not the thing.
4- There is no meaning without CONTEXT.
5- Use judgements cautously,-The multiply like rabbits.
This would be just for starters.
I don't know if I have anything else to say. This may be my only
Post. If it is, it's not anything personal. Or is it?

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GARY:

I feel that my natural state is one of freedom and ecstasy, no
problem, no
problem, however I see more and more how thought can be seductive to
make me
less than happy in exchange for feeling safe. Thought to me now seems
like
the snake in Jungle Book that sings 'trust in me', 'trust in me' as it
hypnotises its prey.

So I ask, is it possible to negate the whole field of knowledge, and
of
thought, so that the mind operates without any trace of prejudice? The
only
tool we usually have is knowledge or thought and obviously that won't
do it,
we'll only end up with more of the same. I think it is possible,
however.
Possible by seeing the danger in identifying with thought/knowledge,
like
seeing a dangerous snake, whch then makes the brain alert and stand to
attention so as not to get bitten. Then there is a release.

To me this alert state of mind is not different to the natural free
being
that I want to be. Not to hold onto anything, not to limit oneself to
any
state, this is to be individual and to be true surely. Such would be
the
beginning of meditation and allow the possibility of dialogue with our
brothers and sisters, not to convince them of anything but to set each
other
free.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sky quotes T.S. ELIOT

At the still point of the turning world.
Neither flesh nor fleshless.
Neither from nor towards.
At the still point, there the dance is.
But neither arrest nor movement.
And do not call it fixity.
Where past and future are gathered.
Neither movement from nor towards.
Neither ascent nor decline.
Except for the point, the still point
There would be no dance,
and there is only the dance.


GLORIA responds:

When you mentioned still point in your other post, I wondered if you
were
referencing this poem, an unforgettable favorite one that those words
always
remind me of too. Since people seem to get away with anything here at
ye
olde NDS, maybe we can communicate in poems, why not? No one listens
to anyone
else's preferences. Let them eat prose! But first, I ran across this
Thomas
Merton quote which reminded me of you and your love of doubt and
uncertainty.
Don't mind too much the "unidentifiable God" line, that is the best
kind. I had
to get up some nerve to send this to you, because if you want to trash
Merton,
it will be hard for me to listen to that. ~~Love, Glo

Thomas Merton, in Disputed Questions

The solitary may well beat his head against a wall of doubt.That may
well be the full extent of his contemplation. Do not mistake my
meaning. It
is not a question of intellectual doubt, an analytical investigation
of the
theological, philosophical or some other truths. It is something else,
a kind
of unknowing of his own self, a kind of doubt that questions the very
roots
of his own existence, a doubt which undermines his very reasons for
existing
and for doing what he does. It is this doubt which reduces him finally
to
silence, and in the silence which ceases to ask questions, he receives
the
only certitude he knows : The presence of God in the midst of
uncertainty and
nothingness, as the only reality but as a reality which cannot be
"placed" or
identified.
Hence the solitary man says nothing, and does his work, and is
patient,
( or perhaps impatient, I don't know ) but generally he has peace. It
is not
the world's kind of peace. He is happy, but he never has a good time.
He
knows where he is going, but he is not "sure of his way," he just
knows by
going there. He does not see the way beforehand, and when he arrives,
he
arrives. His arrivals are usually departures from anything that
resembles a
"way." That is his way. But he cannot understand it. Neither can we.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAN:

To paraphrase John Donne:
Ask not who is fucked, for it
is thee, it is thee.

Throw not a thing in the garbage,
unless you are willing to throw
everything in the garbage.

Now that everything else has been
disposed of, throw the only awake
being in the universe in the garbage.

Now, everything has been disposed of.
There is nothing left to get rid of.

Hello?

Hello?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BERTRAM:

Namaste. My Guru, Sri Ramana Maharshi, taught me that the
silent mind of Advaita is "not two" (non dual) . Since this E group is
grounded in non duality may I ask: Is the "liar" different than the
"believer"? ...And Who is it that ponders this question or asks it?

Only by means of self enquiry is realization of the silent, non-dual-
egoless mind possible.


ANDREW:

Yes.
Abiding in and being the Self is realization.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHITE WOLF:

A teacher who does not listen cannot teach.
A student who does not question cannot learn.
How much difference is there between them?

A sage who justifies his wisdom is not respected
A student who boasts of his learning is without merit.
All those who brag, student or teacher, fail to endure.

To persons who have discovered the Mystic Mind
such things, however glorious, however brilliant
are the rich detritus of fall rushing in winter's silence
decay awaiting heavy stillness of snow upon cedars.

Nothing good can come of them until they are
burnt to white ashes and smoke in the Sacred Heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MARCIA:

Telling the other guy what they are is
abusive. Accepting them for who they
are is loving.

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