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Gene had written:
If we consider love and compassion to be agendas, we may also consider that
those agendas of love and compassion can be held without condition

JL responded:
In theory, perhaps. But in practice, this would assume perfection.
At some point, I find my love conditional; my compassion dependent.

Gene:
I take your point. Nonetheless, my point that love may be an agenda is an
important one, in the context of my posting. Pushing any agenda will
'cause' contraction of the other, and sharing is thus ended.

JL:
Understood. I would offer that it's rhetorically
easy to straddle the chasm of theory and practice.
Moreover, every word we speak is immured with some
form of agenda. When we step back and look dispassionately,
we find that we have never been "without condition" nor
"formless."

This said for balance, =GP=. One might view words
such as "any" and "without condition" and "formless"
as those of faith. Practice and faith -- like an engine
and fuel. Both essential, yet running optimally only
on the right balance.

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

Also from JL:

As an
immune system can be strengthened first by identification of
the foreign agenda, so we grow (hopefully) by encountering,
identifying, and overcoming, piece by piece, that vast array
of seed programming which leads to interpersonal disunity.

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

From: Marcia Paul <jacpa@earthlink.net>

I feel it like this. I see it much like a salmon swimming
upstream to get back to the source. If I give up the
struggle and "go with the flow" I may feel good but I
am circling in the eddies and currents of life. With the
keeping of attention I can develop the will to get back
home and spawn at which point I "die".


Xan:
Is this the same home we've been told
that we never left? What part of us thinks
it is somewhere else and that it takes
effort to get there?

We have been struggling for a very long
time because we have forgotten our home
is in this moment, within and all around us.

Remembering Home
happens when
struggle ceases

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

From: David
Subject: The God Who Only Knows Four Words

"The God Who Only Knows Four Words":

Every

Child

Has known God,

Not the God of names,

Not the God of don’ts, Not the God who ever does

Anything weird,

But the God who only knows four words

And keeps repeating them, saying:

“Come dance with Me.”

Come

Dance.


( by Hafiz, the great Sufi Master, translated by Daniel Ladinsky)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Xan
Subject: Home

You are the unchanging awareness
in which all activity takes place.
To deny this is to suffer,
to know this is Freedom.

Papaji

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: "Petros"
Subject: The Right Connection

(from "In this Moment," an unpublished collection of satsang dialogues with
Neelam.)

13. THE RIGHT CONNECTION

Q. My experience with teachers is that it's hard to stay tuned and
connected with the glimpse of Reality that is given to me. Perhaps I need a
better connection.

N. Whatever you want, but I tell you that "connection" means trouble! You
know something about this. One day it works, the next day it doesn't, yes?
You don't want this constant trouble. So why not want what you are? Why
not just that? This doesn't need anything. No maintenance necessary! So
it's not a teacher you need, it's your Self that you need to discover,
finally. Otherwise, there will always be something else outside of you that
will require this whole shtick. Yes, so this is the only desire . . . for
your Self. That will finish it all off. Simply the willingness to follow
it wherever it takes you. For once do not be led by anything else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Petros offered:

(from "In This Moment," unpublished collection of satsang dialogues with
Neelam.)


Q. I would like to rely on you to pull me out of ignorance. I feel you
have the power of realization, which I don't have.

N. It doesn't work like that. As long as there is a "you," then there is a
"me," this is in fact the whole problem. So the truth is I can't do
anything for you. The realization, as you call it, doesn't belong to
anyone, you see. If it were "mine," then it would be a problem indeed! So
why not just forget about that and look directly, right now, at this
misconception of "you" and "me" and "someone" and "having" and "not having."
Rather than expect another to give it to you, which is absolutely
impossible, you can look into the very place where you believe that you
don't have it. Asking for it is in itself not quiet, you see. That by
itself takes you away from just purely recognizing the Presence that you are
right now in this moment -- takes you away from seeing that nothing is
needed for it. Not sustained by anybody, it is just purely what it is and
it brings you back to your Self. There is no other way! What you see
outside yourself turns out to be the reflection of your own light. That is
why you are attracted to it in the first place. No need to be following any
other game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
more from "In This Moment":


THE CHOICE IN BETWEEN

Q. I feel very challenged, disturbed and angry by being here. I like it
and I don't like it. One has to choose beween being here and not being
here, I suppose.

N. Actually, it is more of a concern for what lies in between. If there's
an idea of choice, there are two or more things to choose from. What is
important is the space in between the choices. So in this moment, there can
be a choice or there can be just the space in between the choices, before
thought arises, you see. First there is a thought and you follow it and you
think it, yes? So, that "nothing" that comes before the thought.

Q. It's quick.

N. Don't worry about it. Even just looking makes you so happy, you see!

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

Bruce:

Articulation is overrated
-- after all, politicians
do it all the time. Who
is more articulate, (s)he
who writes volumes, or
(s)he whose few words
speak volumes?

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