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Tuesday, February 20


only one thing
not higher or lower
niether real nor unreal
no bliss and no end to bliss

only one thing
no one can discover it
there is no end to discovering it
no dream no end of dreaming

only one thing
no understanding no end to understanding
it is not here nor is it there
it does not exist nor does it not exist
it cannot be found here
here is the only place to find it

only one thing
you are not it
you are only it
know this and be free

--Michael Read

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Another pass from Hesse's Siddhartha, translated by Sherab
Chodzin Kohn (contributed by John Metzger)

Siddhartha listened. He was now all listener, completely one
with listening, completely empty, completely receptive. He felt
now that he had completed his learning of how to listen. He had
often heard these things before, these many voices in the river,
but today he heard it in a new way. Now he no longer
distinguished the many voices, the happy from the grieving, the
childlike from the manly. They were all part of each
other--longing laments, the laughter of the wise, cries of
anger, and the moans of the dying--all were one, all were
interwoven and linked, intertwined in a thousand ways. And
everything together, all the voices, all the goals, all the
striving, all the suffering, all the pleasure--everything
together was the river of what is, the music of life. And when
Siddhartha listened attentively to the thousandfold song of the
river, when he did not fasten on the suffering or the laughing,
when he did not attach his mind ! to any one voice and become
involved in it with his ego--when he listened to all of them,
the whole, when he perceived the unity, then the great song of a
thousand voices formed one single word: OM, perfection.

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Jakusho Kwong Roshi tells this story; A person walked in to
dokusan [an interview with the teacher which may be used to test
the student] and said to me "i am nothing". I took my stick and
hit him and the student yelped, "ouch!". I said "what was
that?". Another time a person came in and said "i'm dead". I hit
him with my stick and he screamed. So i said "what's that? It's
your body". Then you have a dialogue. (contributed by Matthew)

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DAKINI

I think some people are happy there's a list where they can
throw out these questions and explore, brainstorm outloud about
mind states (or world states) from a (theoretical anyway)
nondual perspective -- and get plenty of unabashed
testosterone-coated competitive reactions! I used to be like
that myself, even though I'm a girl, I must be mellowing or
something! Honestly, it's a great service/forum to provide.

Myself, I'm a veteran of the human potential movement and what I
affectionately (and jocularly) refer to as the 'enlightenment
wars'. I was initially suprised how purely polemical and
adversarial some of the banter is at NDS ... I'm very strong on
philosophy and having a good theoretical understanding (and very
analytical for an XX!). In my case the 'top of the heap'
skillful means I've encountered is dzogchen (+ mahamudra +
vajrayana -- it helps to plough the ground). I did many years of
yogic practice and some vedanta before that (I was quite
interested in the recent thread on Yogi Bhajan -- or was that at
HarshaSatsangh? ... it all runs together for me) and many years
of transpersonal/archetypal/mainstream/integral psychology study
and work. Recently I have also become interested in Heigegger,
ontology and applied linguistics (a branch of philosophy) --
there's a critically important piece in how we TALK about this
'enlightenment' or 'realization' or essential mind nature that
is related to how we can work with conceptual mind (relative or
'mistaken' mind) which is, after all, the only place most people
can start and what most of us are doing with mind 99% of the
time anyway. For me, getting EXPERIENTIAL access to emptiness or
spacious nature of mind and phenomena via language/concept
REALLY surprised me -- in my case, as I say, the ground had
indeed been ploughed from many years with various meditative and
yogic practices, but the method of having interlocking
conversations that create huge shifts in perception (like a
modern day version of the koan phenomenon/satori) -- and then --
VHhhhooooooorrrmm! -- the sky opens up ... is intriguing. It's
quite reproducible and it's ontological/experiential. I directed
a morsel of this to Jan in my comments about the
past/present/future. I'm finding this is a KEY access to
(western educated people's) being able to experience the
postconceptual, ie experiencing the quintessential empty
spacious nature of mind and all experience/phenomena in general
-- the ground of being, the unchanging background, the mirror.

So that's what I'm up to, Jerry, and that's a bit of the
collection of influences, history and theoretical understanding
and MOST importantly **experience** that's behind my response to
Jan, and (hopefully gentle) exhortation to Jan/et al to begin
one's own investigation into the nature of mind. I don't wanna
be primarily a talkin dharma head; what I DO deeply desire is to
be at least fully stabilized in realization in this body in this
lifetime. Samatha or "calm-abiding 101" -- every one has a mind
(well most of us!) --and that's THE place to start
investigating. It's been a long and winding road for me; if
people starting out can be given a refined approach with a few
less sharp turns and plummeting chasms, that is good. On the
other hand, the kids have to acquire their own experience (no, I
won't even use the word 'mistakes' here) -- G-d knows I did.
Will you just listen to me?! -- I sound like the 4 Million Year
Old Women, I'm only 44.

Anyhoo, Jerry, c'est moi, in part. Just for you, as I prefer to
lurk/witness at the periphery of the mandala, soaring and
hovering bare-ass naked in the sky. Somebody's got to witness,
and you can bet it impacts on the energy of the collective
situation. I'm Watching and, Yes, I am Listening. Every once in
a while I may swoop in and drop a pearl, but it may pass
unnoticed. Come spring, the flowers will bloom and the grass
will be green. Glad some one may be ... listening, aware.

Thanks for letting me ramble on so ... and thanks again for the
space and hosting. I linked over to Amber's site (from NDS) --
great collection of writings there! And I love the pictures of
you and wife and baby! Here's dakini's face to go with my
yaddy-yaddy-yadda ... note the cute little buddhini smirk!

All the best to you, and wishing you wisdom, clarity and
spaciousness,

__________________________________________________________

WIM BORSBOOM

Thanks much for sharing this Wim. It is always interesting to
know what people are eating, especially people who are into the
mystical sciences. Your rational for letting the food rot a
little before you partake of it is quite interesting. Perhaps
Jan will comment on it. I will pass this on to NDS as well for
their benefit. Thanks again.

Love to all Harsha


Dear Harsha et al,

A few posts ago you (urged on by someone else) asked about what
some of us have for breakfast.

Alternating daily, I eat either a fruit salad or cream of wheat
both prepared in my own inimitable :-) way.

The fruit salad I prepare the night before. I cut four of five
pieces of fruit (sometimes the same, sometimes a varied
selection) into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks, I add a bit of honey or
brown sugar and mix it all vigorously in a bowl so that the
juices come free. I let this sit at room temperature on the
counter. Next morning, after this fruit mix started its own
predigestive processes (rotting) with its own enzyme precursors
and increased enzyme content, I eat this mix with yoghurt (no
grains or nuts added) over a period of an hour. The idea is that
the enzymes and intestinal flora increase and help us digest
whatever our intake is for the rest of the day.

If you let this fruit / yoghurt mix stand for a couple of days
it makes a wonderful alcoholic concoction, a temptation for
Jerry, Zen and Tibetan teachers or masters (and people like
Trungpa Rinpoche or Alan Watts, all passed away in real or
pseudo satorical bliss. (No not you, Jerry.)

The cream of wheat I make from (weekly home ground) organic
whole wheat. I boil about two cups of water, I add brown sugar
(which proved to be important for a better overall carbohydrate
breakdown) and I whisk in 3/4 of a cup of the finely ground
wheat. Other grain products are as good, but for me wheat does
the job. While whisking this in, the mass becomes quite sticky
which is good. I let this cool off for some five minutes then I
mix in three capsules of a very good brand of full spectrum
digestive enzymes. Lo and behold... the goo becomes liquid and
is very drinkable and nutritional. Also it will not add body fat
as it gets all turned into energy and... a soft bowel. The
digestive enzymes, just like industrial enzymes also clean the
gut, putrification of undigested food and therefore slow
toxification ceases. I add milk when I feel like it, have not
figured out yet why, I think I am still balancing the calcium /
magnesium levels in my body.

The magnesium / calcium, potassium / sodium, sulphur /
phosphorus, carbon / nitrogen proportions of this type of meal
are very good and their ratios are closest to the early diet of
us humans. BTW, eating a large variety of nuts on a daily basis
is also extremely important and we should not forget sea food or
sea weeds like nori, dulse or kelp.

I have not fully figured out yet what component balances iodine.
I have a feeling that it is chlorine... Yep... it is. (Wowee!)

Here is another reason for us using whole - not white or refined
- seasalt: the Celtic grey type.

I test all this on myself (have been doing this for some five
years now) and note my reactions according to seven integrated
aspects of being: physical, creative, volitional, emotional,
professional, intellectual / inspirational, spiritual - the
energy center or chakra approach.

The magnesium, sodium, sulphur, iodine, carbon contents help us
to re-normalize ourselves, to be more patient, compassionate and
loving inwardly as well as outwardly. Our muscular stresses
decrease by improving our cellular response and exchange
mechanisms at the cell wall and nerve synapse interfaces.

(Am looking for two more mineral pairs that influence the brow
and crown energy centers.)

We will find ourselves dynamically energetic, not frantically or
nervously. Anxiety episodes get replaced by increasing moments
of original bliss recovery and well-being.

Love, Wim

_______________________________________________________________

JERRY

I read Jonathan Livingstone Seagull when it came out and I
recognized its power in freedom, solitude, and individuality. I
liked it a lot. I should read it again. Also, I hear the movie
was very good, with songs by Neil Diamond.

Speaking of Neil Diamond, it takes me back to 1970, sitting on
the couch with some girl, listening to a Neil Diamond album. We
were young, full of promise and hope for the future. Fast
forward 30 years. I'm sitting on the couch with some girl,
listening to Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits CD. We're young, full
of promise and hope for the future.

(Some guy with the key to the city comes in and goes to the
fridge.)

"Remember, Jonathan, heaven isn't a place or a time, because
place and time are so very meaningless. Heaven is..."

yours
Jonathan Livingstone Salongull
<http://homepages.go.com/~smile67/jls.htm>

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Radiance, no thing.
Here (every(w)here) is.

andrew

____________________________________________________________________

Midget On Third Steet


I rolled up my windows and locked them
I saw a midget talking to a tall man
outside a homeless shelter
Thick black glasses
Teeth crooked and too big
he turned toward my car as it idled at the light
then pulled a small book from his sack
pants rolled up at his ankles,white
institutional shoes
no laces

the midget opened the book and put it front of
the tall man
the man laughed and then
touched the midget's arm

I unlocked my window and rolled it down

--Julieanne Himelstein

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JB

Ramana wrote devotional texts regarding the mount Arunachula. To
call that dualistic not only is besides the point, it probably
signifies a blind spot for it... Sankara, Jnaneshwar, to mention
two others, did write devotional texts too... And because
enlightenment is default, there have been Western mystics, not
mentioning it at all... Why should they? Parrots, lizards,
pebbles and rocks, all enlightened... Only "civilized" man is
thinking (s)he isn't... ... It cannot be stated enough: only a
"complete" human being can "attain" nirvana/moksha and
"completeness" entails devotion...

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MATTHEW

actually what the ego/mind wants is to survive, to remain in
control of the organism, at any cost. It doesn't care about
effort or no effort. So ego can quite easily (and does) take
anything and use it to its own end (its survival). Which means
one can totally wake up to truth, to nondual realization and
still be run by ego, but ego will have you believing, "knowing"
even, in your heart of hearts that all striving, seeking,
desiring has fallen away. It happens all the time.

_______________________________________________________________________

DAN BERKOW

Consciousness has meaning as a word because of
whatever isn't consciousness that allows a contrast,
so that the qualities associated with the word are apparent.

As this is noticed, and discussed, there is a tendency
in many discourses in many places,
to talk about something all-encompassing, usually capitalized,
such as love, consciousness, god, self, nothingness, the void.
Such ways of pointing always have the limitation of pointing:
as if to something, as if to a quality or a non-quality.
Also inferred in such
discourse is someone to whom that is being pointed out.

Often, is resorted to statements like, 'it is "who you are"
to which is being pointed' ... and still the inference is
of a being that can be understood as one's own being,
for the idea of a "who" involves the idea of something
or someone other than, or able to be established
as a believing self, other than this "who" -- including
the idea then of something to
be realized, and the idea of something that is
nonrealization, or someone in a state of nonrealization.

It can be noticed that with any pointing, there is the pointer
and that to which is pointed. With all statements about
an all-encompassing state or being, there are the limitations
of postulating an absolute, using relative means. So,
the pointing often says, "but the word is not the thing,
what is said isn't the way it is" ...

What can be noticed clearly is that *this* quality is known in
reference to *that*, different quality. The tendency to discuss
an all-encompassing reality is to "remedy" what is understood
as some kind of dilemma involved with lacking of awareness of
the all-encompassing.

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