Clearly ... there is only This.
To be separate is to forget,
yet ... no matter, for even in separation there is only This.
We can travel great distances,
we can seek out and plumb deep chasms of unknown,
we can fight huge foes ...
we can lose ourselves in vast expanses of despair ...
yet ... we are always already here.
The path and the goal are forever one,
all vanishes in the light of This,
This that is always here.
When we learn to breathe and be happy in each breath,
we discover a willingness to not be, for Being's sake.
Not that we disappear or don't matter any more
but the emptiness washes in and clears the view
for the richness of completeness to be seen:
"Seen the moment we look...
free the moment it's seen."
This instruction arrives and opens the heart to the unlimited vista
before us, within us ... as us.
Clarity is an empty gift.
It doesn't add ... it doesn't take away,
it simply reveals.
When the heart is laid bare and we are willing to
remain its naked recipient
Great Peace arrives and moves in.
We wonder ... with open eyes and open heart
what is possible?
Staying this way requires only the slightest effort,
coming from the the deepest depths of us.
It's no effort really, just the willingnesss to - breath by breath -
allow and no longer cling.
My joy is Joy Itself...
Pure, Whole, True, Clear ...
Radiantly rich in empty presence.
This is the Joy that sits within every heart.
One breath in, one breath out ... this is all it takes.
One breath in, one breath out ...
Monday, August 15, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
One Leaf
Tuesday 5 July 2011
One leaf…
Right here, waiting for me to take a seat.
Planted by the wind
Waiting now
simply waiting.
The wind stirs
and the heart opens...
the bird sings
and the heart thrills...
the tree sways,
loving the wind's sweet caresses.
I don't know much these days
I don't seek much these days
I do wait however…
I do know how to wait.
In letting the wind
arrive in its own time
the leaf drops gently
and lands itself down
on the seat and waits.
Beingness knows no beginning…
Knows no end.
Awakening into Presence
is an awakening out of existence.
In truth, the essence of beingness always already is.
This… This that we truly are never really loses itself…
But allows all dreaming to manifest.
In this allowing all manner of shape and form becomes.
But Presence never becomes.
Presence only ever is.
Seeking is always becoming.
When seeking ends,
Presence is.
The Forever Dance asks for no partner.
The Forever Dance dances as the One.
Stop seeking…
Stop becoming…
And you are Here.
Always already Here.
Waiting… Waiting for what?
For no thing
simply waiting.
In this waiting seeing happens.
And in this seeing
allowing forms.
And in this allowing
clarity opens her door.
And no matter what,
nothing matters
only This.
If you are chasing shadows
stop for a bit.
Land yourself down on the seat as the leaf
and wait…
Don't move and watch all life in motion.
Saturday 30 July 2011
I walked in this morning after feeding our dog Chesco, with a leaf on my shoulder. One beautiful, solitary, golden leaf… Just sitting there. I'm reminded of the poem I wrote back on 5 July… ''One leaf… Right here, waiting for me…"
It seems that the simple statement of the one leaf has been overlooked and needed to present itself to me again.
Enza noticed it,"oh… That's a beautiful leaf you have on your shoulder."
I looked at it and felt its gift immediately. Intuitively I was nudged awake, reminded not to take this life for granted. Each day is a precious gift… And we are brothers of the leaf, members of the secret order of "Living Awakenedness."
It is not complicated at all, but we do make it so. We are each that solitary leaf, yet that very leaf points back to something much larger, back to what we really are, that eternal, vast, infinite expanse that is actually right here on our shoulders. This world is not some outside realm we walk through and struggle with, but is our actual beingness made manifest… right here… right on these very shoulders lies all and everything. This world is a miraculous moment to moment outpouring of formlessness into form. It is not frozen or fixed but constantly in flux. Yet, we can very easily believe in our beliefs about this world, losing sight of the "seeing" ... that clear-seeing that comes with Being.
This vast, eternal presence is not out, is not in… It's simply here, simply this. And great love dwells here, the greatest deepest love of all. I don't wait for anything any more… How can I wait with all everything laid bare… not before me, not within me… simply laid bare as me.
This joyful re-birthing this constant re-awakening into this vast, eternal Presence floods my heart with a softness and a strange, yet clear knowing that… that solitary leaf knows no bounds.
Let it blow wherever it chooses… Let it land whereever it wills… Let it signal the way back home.
One leaf…
Right here, waiting for me to take a seat.
Planted by the wind
Waiting now
simply waiting.
The wind stirs
and the heart opens...
the bird sings
and the heart thrills...
the tree sways,
loving the wind's sweet caresses.
I don't know much these days
I don't seek much these days
I do wait however…
I do know how to wait.
In letting the wind
arrive in its own time
the leaf drops gently
and lands itself down
on the seat and waits.
Beingness knows no beginning…
Knows no end.
Awakening into Presence
is an awakening out of existence.
In truth, the essence of beingness always already is.
This… This that we truly are never really loses itself…
But allows all dreaming to manifest.
In this allowing all manner of shape and form becomes.
But Presence never becomes.
Presence only ever is.
Seeking is always becoming.
When seeking ends,
Presence is.
The Forever Dance asks for no partner.
The Forever Dance dances as the One.
Stop seeking…
Stop becoming…
And you are Here.
Always already Here.
Waiting… Waiting for what?
For no thing
simply waiting.
In this waiting seeing happens.
And in this seeing
allowing forms.
And in this allowing
clarity opens her door.
And no matter what,
nothing matters
only This.
If you are chasing shadows
stop for a bit.
Land yourself down on the seat as the leaf
and wait…
Don't move and watch all life in motion.
Saturday 30 July 2011
I walked in this morning after feeding our dog Chesco, with a leaf on my shoulder. One beautiful, solitary, golden leaf… Just sitting there. I'm reminded of the poem I wrote back on 5 July… ''One leaf… Right here, waiting for me…"
It seems that the simple statement of the one leaf has been overlooked and needed to present itself to me again.
Enza noticed it,"oh… That's a beautiful leaf you have on your shoulder."
I looked at it and felt its gift immediately. Intuitively I was nudged awake, reminded not to take this life for granted. Each day is a precious gift… And we are brothers of the leaf, members of the secret order of "Living Awakenedness."
It is not complicated at all, but we do make it so. We are each that solitary leaf, yet that very leaf points back to something much larger, back to what we really are, that eternal, vast, infinite expanse that is actually right here on our shoulders. This world is not some outside realm we walk through and struggle with, but is our actual beingness made manifest… right here… right on these very shoulders lies all and everything. This world is a miraculous moment to moment outpouring of formlessness into form. It is not frozen or fixed but constantly in flux. Yet, we can very easily believe in our beliefs about this world, losing sight of the "seeing" ... that clear-seeing that comes with Being.
This vast, eternal presence is not out, is not in… It's simply here, simply this. And great love dwells here, the greatest deepest love of all. I don't wait for anything any more… How can I wait with all everything laid bare… not before me, not within me… simply laid bare as me.
This joyful re-birthing this constant re-awakening into this vast, eternal Presence floods my heart with a softness and a strange, yet clear knowing that… that solitary leaf knows no bounds.
Let it blow wherever it chooses… Let it land whereever it wills… Let it signal the way back home.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Be Who You Are
Okay … that moment is here. Now is the time to “Be who you are”. The world is calling out for open, clear vehicles. Forget all those thoughts about “not yet ready”, “need more time”, “not worthy”. You are ready, no time is needed, and you are worthy … just as you are. The world is reeling right now and conscious channels for peace and clarity are required.
You are part of the plan. If you have caught a glimpse of the Eternal Vastness that sits at the heart of you, it’s time to allow for This to come to the fore. If you have tasted of Its magnificence but still entertain notions of, and identify with the “little me” ideas that so dominate the thinking … the moment is upon us. If you haven’t done it yet for yourself then do it now for the world.
Take note: You are not who you think yourself to be. Look … really look. Who are you without all those ideas about who you are? See This … know this directly.
Stop! Just where you are… right here, you already are all that which you have been seeking. Don’t go looking in your thinking mind for the truth of your own beingness. What you are … you already are. See this. No need to change your thinking, simply recognise that your thinking is not who you are and the thinking will change very naturally in response to this. The world now needs you. Just as you are. Don’t believe those thoughts about all the work that still needs to be done to get there. This is it. You are here … now. You are awake and if you rest in This for a moment, you will discover how so very close It is … how available and accessible This always is. It’s the very truth of you.
Do you feel it? Look around you. There’s nowhere left to hide. Clarify by simply being present. Be here and actively listen with your whole being.
Take note: The vast, infinite, intelligence … that loving, divine presence that you think you will one day become, you already are right now. The moment of truth is here. Take a deep breath … look … listen … feel … allow. Be here … be This … this undifferentiated beingness, and don’t be tempted to define it. Simply breathe … be … allow. This is where all your strength and inspiration comes comes from. Be This now.
You are part of the plan. If you have caught a glimpse of the Eternal Vastness that sits at the heart of you, it’s time to allow for This to come to the fore. If you have tasted of Its magnificence but still entertain notions of, and identify with the “little me” ideas that so dominate the thinking … the moment is upon us. If you haven’t done it yet for yourself then do it now for the world.
Take note: You are not who you think yourself to be. Look … really look. Who are you without all those ideas about who you are? See This … know this directly.
Stop! Just where you are… right here, you already are all that which you have been seeking. Don’t go looking in your thinking mind for the truth of your own beingness. What you are … you already are. See this. No need to change your thinking, simply recognise that your thinking is not who you are and the thinking will change very naturally in response to this. The world now needs you. Just as you are. Don’t believe those thoughts about all the work that still needs to be done to get there. This is it. You are here … now. You are awake and if you rest in This for a moment, you will discover how so very close It is … how available and accessible This always is. It’s the very truth of you.
Do you feel it? Look around you. There’s nowhere left to hide. Clarify by simply being present. Be here and actively listen with your whole being.
Take note: The vast, infinite, intelligence … that loving, divine presence that you think you will one day become, you already are right now. The moment of truth is here. Take a deep breath … look … listen … feel … allow. Be here … be This … this undifferentiated beingness, and don’t be tempted to define it. Simply breathe … be … allow. This is where all your strength and inspiration comes comes from. Be This now.
The Wonder of It All
The ability to wonder is a state of pure innocence. The more we know, the less we really know. Notice how it makes you feel in that place of “not-knowing”, how does it make you feel?
Many today have lost the ability to wonder, to simply sit in not-knowing … that place of childlike open curiosity, and allow for their heart to reveal itself.
A friend of mine recently commented that kids these days have had their God-given ability to wonder hijacked by technology. He told me about a family gathering that took place where during a discussion someone raised a question no-one had an immediate answer for. One of the children rushed to an iphone and googled an answer. “Here it is.” Everyone now knew, but did they really? The not-knowing as an opportunity to deepen into the unknown and allow for life to deliver a degree of insight or awakening was replaced by someone else’s knowledge. How much growth comes out of this?
Rumi once said: “Conventional opinion is the ruin of our souls, something borrowed which we mistake as our own. Ignorance is better than this.”
The most direct way back in to our own Eternal Self is to simply allow the not-knowing the space to be, to have a place within ourselves.
Knowledge is a crude substitute for the Knowing that arrives when we are willing to sit in wonder… wondering how life will reveal itself to us today. Our minds are in such desperate need of security that the not-knowing is never a comfortable place for it … but it is the most precious place for the soul.
This gift of wondering is pure contemplation. It is a profound spiritual practice that requires no technique … we innately wonder at every given opportunity. We know it so well, as little children we were totally immersed in it, embraced by it … our whole life was an expression of it. Recapturing this place of innocence is vital in our times. From this place of wonder, we are able to open up to the infinite opportunities of each moment.
Dare to not-know for a while … sit in the purity of not-knowing and see what a difference it brings to your life. Come back to that place of innocence and wonder …
“Returning to the root,
We get the essence.”
-Hsin Hsin Ming
Take a moment ... why not this moment.
Pause within its sweet embrace.
Wondering what to do with it?
Ignore that ... there's deeper work to be done.
Wonder instead at the miracle that's holding you.
Wonder at the breath that's breathing ...
The ears that are listening ...
the thoughts that think themselves into being ...
then dissolve back into emptiness again.
Wonder at just who this is that woke up this morning.
Groggy-eyed ... hardly a movement ... then suddenly it's here.
But where were you while the body was sleeping?
Wonder about where you were while the body was dreaming
and deeper still wonder about
what existed in deep dreamless sleep.
Wondering about such things is why we are given
this miraculous ability to wonder.
I wondered when I was four ...
I continued to wonder when I was seventeen ...
I'm still wondering now ...
and I thank God for it ... for the wonder of it all.
I wonder ... what will I see today?
What will I be today?
I pause and I open up to This ...this Eternal Wonder glistening forever here in my heart.
Wondering my way back into You.
God I wonder ... and I thank You for it.
Many today have lost the ability to wonder, to simply sit in not-knowing … that place of childlike open curiosity, and allow for their heart to reveal itself.
A friend of mine recently commented that kids these days have had their God-given ability to wonder hijacked by technology. He told me about a family gathering that took place where during a discussion someone raised a question no-one had an immediate answer for. One of the children rushed to an iphone and googled an answer. “Here it is.” Everyone now knew, but did they really? The not-knowing as an opportunity to deepen into the unknown and allow for life to deliver a degree of insight or awakening was replaced by someone else’s knowledge. How much growth comes out of this?
Rumi once said: “Conventional opinion is the ruin of our souls, something borrowed which we mistake as our own. Ignorance is better than this.”
The most direct way back in to our own Eternal Self is to simply allow the not-knowing the space to be, to have a place within ourselves.
Knowledge is a crude substitute for the Knowing that arrives when we are willing to sit in wonder… wondering how life will reveal itself to us today. Our minds are in such desperate need of security that the not-knowing is never a comfortable place for it … but it is the most precious place for the soul.
This gift of wondering is pure contemplation. It is a profound spiritual practice that requires no technique … we innately wonder at every given opportunity. We know it so well, as little children we were totally immersed in it, embraced by it … our whole life was an expression of it. Recapturing this place of innocence is vital in our times. From this place of wonder, we are able to open up to the infinite opportunities of each moment.
Dare to not-know for a while … sit in the purity of not-knowing and see what a difference it brings to your life. Come back to that place of innocence and wonder …
“Returning to the root,
We get the essence.”
-Hsin Hsin Ming
Take a moment ... why not this moment.
Pause within its sweet embrace.
Wondering what to do with it?
Ignore that ... there's deeper work to be done.
Wonder instead at the miracle that's holding you.
Wonder at the breath that's breathing ...
The ears that are listening ...
the thoughts that think themselves into being ...
then dissolve back into emptiness again.
Wonder at just who this is that woke up this morning.
Groggy-eyed ... hardly a movement ... then suddenly it's here.
But where were you while the body was sleeping?
Wonder about where you were while the body was dreaming
and deeper still wonder about
what existed in deep dreamless sleep.
Wondering about such things is why we are given
this miraculous ability to wonder.
I wondered when I was four ...
I continued to wonder when I was seventeen ...
I'm still wondering now ...
and I thank God for it ... for the wonder of it all.
I wonder ... what will I see today?
What will I be today?
I pause and I open up to This ...this Eternal Wonder glistening forever here in my heart.
Wondering my way back into You.
God I wonder ... and I thank You for it.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Listen
Listening for you is all I do these days.
Secretly going about my work ... eyes open ... heart full.
When I stop ... even for a moment ... I hear you.
How clever to be so close yet so buried within the world around me.
But it's no secret anymore. My heart's ear tickles with delight the moment I listen ...
And I hear This glistening brilliantly within me and outside too.
This life lives itself ... wakes up each morning ... moves and touches the unity everywhere.
Who is this that breathes each breath?
Who is this that listens for You ... looks out for You?
Trace this back in.
It's a direct link ... a direct road ... there's nothing more immediate.
Ask this one question with your heart and the work is done.
Listening is a deep mystery ... a profound secret that eludes most,
yet continually awakens those who stumble through its doorway.
The wonder of the world awaits the Lover ...
Listen my friend ... listen as you've never done before.
And notice who is listening ... and who is hearing.
Listen ... listen ... listen
Secretly going about my work ... eyes open ... heart full.
When I stop ... even for a moment ... I hear you.
How clever to be so close yet so buried within the world around me.
But it's no secret anymore. My heart's ear tickles with delight the moment I listen ...
And I hear This glistening brilliantly within me and outside too.
This life lives itself ... wakes up each morning ... moves and touches the unity everywhere.
Who is this that breathes each breath?
Who is this that listens for You ... looks out for You?
Trace this back in.
It's a direct link ... a direct road ... there's nothing more immediate.
Ask this one question with your heart and the work is done.
Listening is a deep mystery ... a profound secret that eludes most,
yet continually awakens those who stumble through its doorway.
The wonder of the world awaits the Lover ...
Listen my friend ... listen as you've never done before.
And notice who is listening ... and who is hearing.
Listen ... listen ... listen
Saturday, February 12, 2011
You Are This!
We are often walking along the shores of Truth and Love ... feeling the splash of the great ocean's waves, the coolness, the freshness ... and it opens our hearts to an old familiar longing, this yearning that seems never to be quenched. We've come to see that this ocean of Truth and Love is who and what we really are, and as the waters lap at our feet and the immediacy of the water calms and soothes our minds ... we look out at the vast expanse, wondering ... I am That. Yet, the pull continues. The whispers taunt. The endless sound pierces our ears and our hearts ... I know it's This ... I am This.
So what does it take to make that final leap where all straddling between the appearance of two worlds ends?
My heart knows the answer, but my mind forgets ... or maybe it will never truly know, not as the heart does anyway. My heart whispers: Simply Be and See from This that you are.
The waters splashing at the heels of the mind will continue to splash as long as there are feet to meet the water's edge. But that Vastness, always already is. Your heart knows this, has always known this, eternally knows this. Simply be here in this heart-knowing. The mind will relax when you allow it to. Don't feed it fragments any more...simply be who and where you are...already always are. This Vast and Eternal You is here...let it in, let it enter you deeply, let it flood you completely...You are This , just as you are...simply accept it.
So what does it take to make that final leap where all straddling between the appearance of two worlds ends?
My heart knows the answer, but my mind forgets ... or maybe it will never truly know, not as the heart does anyway. My heart whispers: Simply Be and See from This that you are.
The waters splashing at the heels of the mind will continue to splash as long as there are feet to meet the water's edge. But that Vastness, always already is. Your heart knows this, has always known this, eternally knows this. Simply be here in this heart-knowing. The mind will relax when you allow it to. Don't feed it fragments any more...simply be who and where you are...already always are. This Vast and Eternal You is here...let it in, let it enter you deeply, let it flood you completely...You are This , just as you are...simply accept it.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Could You be a Master for a Day?
Could you be a Master for a day? What about today? What would it take to be a Master today? That Master already dwells within you ... right now, just where you are, exactly as you are ... if you allow for "who you really are" to come to the fore, the Master Within you will be here.
The journey between the confines of the "little me" ... that one we believe creates all our troubles, to that Master Consciousness that we believe we have to work at to become, is not as far as we imagine. In fact, when we realise just what it is that creates the gap between the two "the shift" takes place.
If the Master is here, then the Master is here.
If we identify ourselves with "little me" believing that the only way to Mastery is to fix "me"... change "me" ... enlighten "me" ... we will never allow for the Master Within to come to the fore.
This takes a shift in understanding, which only takes place once we've "seen through" the "self" we think we are and realised the "Self" that we really are.
This shift cannot be willed, forced, co-erced, created, affirmed ... it can only be "allowed" ... By simply allowing that which is Aware and Awake to be here ... That will flood into every moment of our life.
So ... to be a Master for a day ... why not begin by working gently with one small step ... Be a Master for a moment ... This moment.
Try it ... deep breath in ... look ... listen ... allow ... For this moment simply be.
Look through your own eyes ... feel the Presence ... be the Presence.
One breath in ... at the top of the breath ... open and allow ...
"The Master is here."
Feel it ... know it ... be it.
This is truth for this moment ... practice this many moments in your day ... especially when the challenges arrive. Instead of immediately moving into "little me" by default, practice this. Deep breath in ... look ... listen ... allow. Feel it ... know it ... be it.
So ... one "Masterful Moment" followed by another, then another ... practice this. Then see how your day works out ... Many "Masterful Moments" strung together in one day creates a "Masterful Day" ... Many "Masterful Days"creates a "Masterful Life ". So try it ... be Master for a day.
The journey between the confines of the "little me" ... that one we believe creates all our troubles, to that Master Consciousness that we believe we have to work at to become, is not as far as we imagine. In fact, when we realise just what it is that creates the gap between the two "the shift" takes place.
If the Master is here, then the Master is here.
If we identify ourselves with "little me" believing that the only way to Mastery is to fix "me"... change "me" ... enlighten "me" ... we will never allow for the Master Within to come to the fore.
This takes a shift in understanding, which only takes place once we've "seen through" the "self" we think we are and realised the "Self" that we really are.
This shift cannot be willed, forced, co-erced, created, affirmed ... it can only be "allowed" ... By simply allowing that which is Aware and Awake to be here ... That will flood into every moment of our life.
So ... to be a Master for a day ... why not begin by working gently with one small step ... Be a Master for a moment ... This moment.
Try it ... deep breath in ... look ... listen ... allow ... For this moment simply be.
Look through your own eyes ... feel the Presence ... be the Presence.
One breath in ... at the top of the breath ... open and allow ...
"The Master is here."
Feel it ... know it ... be it.
This is truth for this moment ... practice this many moments in your day ... especially when the challenges arrive. Instead of immediately moving into "little me" by default, practice this. Deep breath in ... look ... listen ... allow. Feel it ... know it ... be it.
So ... one "Masterful Moment" followed by another, then another ... practice this. Then see how your day works out ... Many "Masterful Moments" strung together in one day creates a "Masterful Day" ... Many "Masterful Days"creates a "Masterful Life ". So try it ... be Master for a day.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
See Through The One Who Sees
"He who binds to himself a joy
does the winged life destroy.
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
lives in eternity's sun rise."
William Blake
Each moment is pure ... sacred ... real ... true. Not the moment just passed, not the moment yet to be, these are phantasies stuck in time ... no, only this very moment.
Have you noticed how this moment is the only thing that truly satisfies? Have you noticed how we subtly cling to the "good" moment and "flee" the "bad". Both are imposters.
In truth, this moment as it is, is neither good or bad ... it's just this moment. If we stay true and clear within this moment, nothing compares to it ... as it is, the living waters of Loving Truth crash through our being ... revitalising with ever-freshness ... ever-newness ... with "This-is-It-as-It-isness" ... for the very first time every time.
Yet, it's so tempting for the mind to continue trying to hold it, or flee it.
Take note:
Be here ... now ...
look ... listen ... allow ...
It only takes an instant and you're here, absolutely present and free ... right now , how and where you are.
Take note:
Your mind will try to claim this, hold it, keep it, know it ... but as soon as it does, the moment is gone. The mind cannot hold it ... it's absolutely unholdable.
Why?
Because This ... this moment is this moment ... alive with pulsating presence. When the mind tries to take hold, it's immediately a snapshot, a memory. It's extremely subtle but it's the past masquarading as the present again ... and if you look carefully, all the juice has left it.
The joy of the moment is only experienced in this moment now.
Take note:
Deep breath in ... look ... listen ... allow...
In an instant you are here ... now. This moment is totally fresh, new, thrilling with beingness. Stay present. Don't be tempted to cling or flee ... be here.
Ah ... this moment ... evernew ... everfresh.
Do you notice ... if you don't think about it, it simply is, just as it is.
Life is simply living ...
You are simply being ...
What ... nowhere to go? Absolutely nowhere, this is It! All of it too ... not just some of it, or part of it ... This is it!
Okay, one more time ...
Take note:
Deep breath in ... look ... listen ... allow ...
You are here ... instantly!
No yesterday, no tomorrow.
No last moment one moment ago even ... only this. This is it.
Look ... listen ... allow ...
This is it ... everfresh ... evernew ... always already here.
"One instant in eternity;
eternity is the now.
When you see through this one instant,
you see through the one who sees."
Wu-Men
Saturday, August 28, 2010
That Placeless Place
There's a place where the sun forever shines ...
Do you know it?
There's a place where who you truly are is always constant ...
Have you seen it?
There's a place that whispers a magical Hum...
Can you hear it?
There's a place that allows, simply allows for all that is ... to be as it is...
Can you be it?
Beyond the thought
Beyond the emotion
Beyond any birthed notion of "something"
There is This ...
This placeless place.
Call it what you will, but don't seek it. Let it simply reveal Itself.
You cannot go there.
Going creates distance.
Simply allow It to be seen, to be known, to be felt.
How?
Ah ... Already gone too far. "How" cannot take you there. How does not qualify as a way ...
There is no path. Only allowing for what is, to be. Any movement towards it is in fact a movement away.
The Call simply calls.
When you hear It, was it because you listened?
No ... you heard because you were open ... ready ... willing ... available.
This is all that's being asked of you: Be willing to let It come into view. When It does, this placeless place will be real, true and lasting.
Ideas will still come and go. Feelings will continue to arise and be felt but this placeless place will have made itself seen and known.
No turning back now. No more forgetting ... no remembering even. Simply the allowing for This that always already is ... always already was ... always already will be, to be. Simply allow.
Do you know it?
There's a place where who you truly are is always constant ...
Have you seen it?
There's a place that whispers a magical Hum...
Can you hear it?
There's a place that allows, simply allows for all that is ... to be as it is...
Can you be it?
Beyond the thought
Beyond the emotion
Beyond any birthed notion of "something"
There is This ...
This placeless place.
Call it what you will, but don't seek it. Let it simply reveal Itself.
You cannot go there.
Going creates distance.
Simply allow It to be seen, to be known, to be felt.
How?
Ah ... Already gone too far. "How" cannot take you there. How does not qualify as a way ...
There is no path. Only allowing for what is, to be. Any movement towards it is in fact a movement away.
The Call simply calls.
When you hear It, was it because you listened?
No ... you heard because you were open ... ready ... willing ... available.
This is all that's being asked of you: Be willing to let It come into view. When It does, this placeless place will be real, true and lasting.
Ideas will still come and go. Feelings will continue to arise and be felt but this placeless place will have made itself seen and known.
No turning back now. No more forgetting ... no remembering even. Simply the allowing for This that always already is ... always already was ... always already will be, to be. Simply allow.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Spirit in Me IS the Spirit in You
"The Spirit in me is the Spirit in you."
Seeing is one thing, being is another. Seeing is subject/object ... duality. Being is non-dual ... when the seer and the seen become one, only This remains ... only Thee, only God ... and It just is.
When we look at another and see them ... what are we actually seeing? What is it that's being perceived as a "them"?
If we stop for a moment and drink this question in, we'll eventually meet our own reflection ... me looking at myself ... well, all that I believe myself to be or not to be. This reflection that swims around in the mirror of our minds, this you/me that we either like or dislike, that we either love or hate ... if we stop long enough to look deeply into the eyes, into the very heart of this mirror image looking back at us ... what do we find?
There'll be a moment when the flow reverses itself as the looking becomes a flow that moves back in ... deeper and deeper back in. If we are daring enough, courageous enough to keep allowing for this inner flow to continue, we'll reach a place where no "me" exists ... subject/object ceases to take place and seer and seen merge into being. No form exists here, no boundaries ... simply the awareness that life is ... life simply is. There's not even a flicker of thought that diminishes the presence of Eternal Vastness, the All and Everything in it ... there's not even a semblence of thought that whispers "I Am This" ... even this is distant and removed from the truth of It ... yet is still a part of It.
Spirit simply is, and as we allow the flow of our attention to return to the world , we still find a "me" sitting here writing these notes, and a "you" sitting there reading these words. And, it's real enough, it's all solid enough but it's not the whole truth is it?
One breath in ... tracing back the flow of attention back into its source ... one breath in is all it takes and here it is ... just as it is: The Spirit in me is the Spirit in you.
Seeing is one thing, being is another. Seeing is subject/object ... duality. Being is non-dual ... when the seer and the seen become one, only This remains ... only Thee, only God ... and It just is.
When we look at another and see them ... what are we actually seeing? What is it that's being perceived as a "them"?
If we stop for a moment and drink this question in, we'll eventually meet our own reflection ... me looking at myself ... well, all that I believe myself to be or not to be. This reflection that swims around in the mirror of our minds, this you/me that we either like or dislike, that we either love or hate ... if we stop long enough to look deeply into the eyes, into the very heart of this mirror image looking back at us ... what do we find?
There'll be a moment when the flow reverses itself as the looking becomes a flow that moves back in ... deeper and deeper back in. If we are daring enough, courageous enough to keep allowing for this inner flow to continue, we'll reach a place where no "me" exists ... subject/object ceases to take place and seer and seen merge into being. No form exists here, no boundaries ... simply the awareness that life is ... life simply is. There's not even a flicker of thought that diminishes the presence of Eternal Vastness, the All and Everything in it ... there's not even a semblence of thought that whispers "I Am This" ... even this is distant and removed from the truth of It ... yet is still a part of It.
Spirit simply is, and as we allow the flow of our attention to return to the world , we still find a "me" sitting here writing these notes, and a "you" sitting there reading these words. And, it's real enough, it's all solid enough but it's not the whole truth is it?
One breath in ... tracing back the flow of attention back into its source ... one breath in is all it takes and here it is ... just as it is: The Spirit in me is the Spirit in you.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Simply This ... Simply Love
Today I've entered the secret ... this marvel of awakening that takes place every day ... every day without exception.
I wake up into this body and with it, this world. And all around me ... the world rejoices in full celebration. Sometimes loud and furious, sometimes gentle, soft and sweet ... each day in a completely new way, yet each and every day here it is ... we wake up together in the world ... me and all my creatures.
Sitting here, I raise my head to the greatest brother of all, as it shines its morning light filled glory on all and everything equally.
"Here I am," it shimmers in delight.
"Let there be light ... let there be love."
Silently whispering its heartfelt connection to all life, I too am grateful for its presence ... this that brings life to all life.
As I breathe in, head tilted up towards Brother Sun, its gentle warm rays caressing my face ... simply loving. And this is here for every one and every thing ... how miraculous ... how profoundly miraculous.
I partake of this secret mystery ... this co-awakening every day. Looking up, out and in, all I see is the love that God gifts us with through this creation ... me and all my creatures ... thank you for today.
You don't have to do
anything to be
who you are
I love you as
you are ...
No ... it's closer
and deeper than that,
I love you.
No ... even deeper ...
I love ...
No ... deeper, still deeper ...
this is it ... in one word: love.
Breathe this one word in, trace it back to its true heartfelt meaning ...
back in to its source,
to love itself and you have it all ...
You are free as you are
pure, whole, clear and complete.
As you breathe in,
say it: love.
As you pause,
allow it: love.
As you breathe out,
share it: love.
It's simply this, simply love.
I wake up into this body and with it, this world. And all around me ... the world rejoices in full celebration. Sometimes loud and furious, sometimes gentle, soft and sweet ... each day in a completely new way, yet each and every day here it is ... we wake up together in the world ... me and all my creatures.
Sitting here, I raise my head to the greatest brother of all, as it shines its morning light filled glory on all and everything equally.
"Here I am," it shimmers in delight.
"Let there be light ... let there be love."
Silently whispering its heartfelt connection to all life, I too am grateful for its presence ... this that brings life to all life.
As I breathe in, head tilted up towards Brother Sun, its gentle warm rays caressing my face ... simply loving. And this is here for every one and every thing ... how miraculous ... how profoundly miraculous.
I partake of this secret mystery ... this co-awakening every day. Looking up, out and in, all I see is the love that God gifts us with through this creation ... me and all my creatures ... thank you for today.
You don't have to do
anything to be
who you are
I love you as
you are ...
No ... it's closer
and deeper than that,
I love you.
No ... even deeper ...
I love ...
No ... deeper, still deeper ...
this is it ... in one word: love.
Breathe this one word in, trace it back to its true heartfelt meaning ...
back in to its source,
to love itself and you have it all ...
You are free as you are
pure, whole, clear and complete.
As you breathe in,
say it: love.
As you pause,
allow it: love.
As you breathe out,
share it: love.
It's simply this, simply love.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Watch Carefully
"Liberation is never of the person, it is always from the person."
Nisagardatta Maharaj
Watch carefully:
Who are you spending time with today? Most of us don't know it, but if we look closely we'll find that most of our days are spent with phantoms. Most of our time is filled with fears and desires ... thoughts and feelings that have absolutely nothing to do with what is true and real.
Watch carefully:
Who are your companions today? Do you wander around in unconscious corners chasing shards of flickering light, all the while secretly yearning to be in the full sun? Do you preoccupy yourself in fear-based moments of "what might be" ... anxiously awaiting some imagined outcome that never arrives?
Watch carefully:
Each thought is a doorway. Do you move into these uninvited realms of fear and desire or do you catch these imposters before they take shape, masquerading as truth?
Truth is never far away. What is real doesn't take time to reach ... it's staring you in the face. What is true and real is here ... nowhere else ... never anywhere else ... always already here.
Watch carefully:
Who is this "you" that spins in this self-created dream of time?Nisagardatta Maharaj
Watch carefully:
Who are you spending time with today? Most of us don't know it, but if we look closely we'll find that most of our days are spent with phantoms. Most of our time is filled with fears and desires ... thoughts and feelings that have absolutely nothing to do with what is true and real.
Watch carefully:
Who are your companions today? Do you wander around in unconscious corners chasing shards of flickering light, all the while secretly yearning to be in the full sun? Do you preoccupy yourself in fear-based moments of "what might be" ... anxiously awaiting some imagined outcome that never arrives?
Watch carefully:
Each thought is a doorway. Do you move into these uninvited realms of fear and desire or do you catch these imposters before they take shape, masquerading as truth?
Truth is never far away. What is real doesn't take time to reach ... it's staring you in the face. What is true and real is here ... nowhere else ... never anywhere else ... always already here.
Watch carefully:
See if you can actually locate this "you" you believe yourself to be ... let alone your fleeting yet constant companions.
Your challenge today is to see what's really happening within your consciousness. Be aware. Be present to whatever arises but, see if you can be awake enough to choose to stay present ... It's all up to you. Who are you spending time with today?
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Shhh... No More Words
One glimpse and I'm gone
This heart heaves
Silence enters
And I'm only ears again
This precious gift
Listening closely ...
Feeling sweetly ...
This nearness ... Your nearnesss
dumbfounds me into oblivion
The bubble explodes into the crash
of the Infinite Ocean ...
All here ... all now
This isYou ...
Let this be as it is.
. . .
Rumi says: "Don't hide. The sight of your face is a blessing."
We are constantly in flux and play in the manifested world. Yet this life we live, just as it is, is God playing, loving, enjoying through us ... in us ... around us ... as us.
We don't need to go too far to see it as the miraculous interplay between Creator and created. Everywhere we look ... God is in it ... God is it.
"The sight of your face is a blessing," Rumi whispers. God's face is the manifested world and every creature in it. This is it ... this is God in full bloom.
Take one breath ... close your eyes as you do ... open them again. Wherever you land ... God is here. It's this close ... it's this immediate ... it's this true and real.
Even before we look ... the very breath in as it's being breathed is God's sweet embrace. Do it ... feel it ... let its sweetness and directness be felt ... be seen ... be tasted. How delicate, how exquisite, how intensely and profoundly immediate. God is loving you as your very breath. Absolutely miraculous!
Stop for a moment. Examine this miracle closely... no, not with your thinking but with your heart. Examine this breath ... right now ... fall into your heart and simply feel the immediacy.
God is here ... "I am here" is whispering as the very breath as it breathes itself into existence.
William Blake said: "Eternity is in love with the works of time." There's no separation here ... being is becoming and becoming is being. And what are these works of time? Look around you ... look within you. This is it ... the miracle of creation is God's love in expression. You are this. I am this. We are all this ... there's only this ... already, always only this.
"No more words. Hear only the voice within." This is Rumi's invitation to leap into the Silence. And as you do, this Master of Silence whispers in the hushed tones of the lover and beloved ...
"Remember, as you sink into the Silence, remember, as you listen to the voice within, as you take all these initiations that this poem has given you, remember all the initiations of the deepest secrets and scrub them out, because they have taken you to the place where you can now plunge ... remember, remember, the first thing he said was, we are beyond words."
"Shh ... No more words.
Hear only the voice within."
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Way Love Works
Do you ever get that deep feeling of deep pain in the belly, often connected with a situation with another Soul, one that has left this deeply uncomfortable disturbance in your gut? We know that it's connected to the person and the event, possibly even seeing clearly a transgression that's taken place by ourselves. But, if you stay with the sensation rather than try to flee it, there's much to learn and, as importantly, much to resolve.
Staying with the discomfort of the painful sensation can at first trigger thoughts, images and feelings relating to the event. If we stay with the sensation without going into the thinking and emotionalising about it, but simply staying with the sensation, we can allow ourselves to deepen into the subtle layers of it. By simply allowing it to exist, we allow it to slowly but surely dissipate, not only within ourselves but also within the other. And, this also brings with it immediate karmic resolution. This sensation can actually act as a point of transition from one state of consciousness to another, without leaving any karmic residue or overtones that would require revisiting and resolving into balance at a later time.
By simply sitting with the sensation we are plugging into the Universal consciousness that allows for both parties to clarify, realise, deepen and come into peace - without any karma being created.
And, it's also bigger than this. It's not just two people clarifying and resolving and learning but the consciousness itself is doing so. This means that others who would also encounter a similar exchange would be given a greater opportunity to clarify and resolve the energy within themselves.
We are not alone. We are all in it together. One gets hurt, we all do. One awakens, we all do. One finds peace and joy, we all do. This is the way love works.
Love and be loved.
Staying with the discomfort of the painful sensation can at first trigger thoughts, images and feelings relating to the event. If we stay with the sensation without going into the thinking and emotionalising about it, but simply staying with the sensation, we can allow ourselves to deepen into the subtle layers of it. By simply allowing it to exist, we allow it to slowly but surely dissipate, not only within ourselves but also within the other. And, this also brings with it immediate karmic resolution. This sensation can actually act as a point of transition from one state of consciousness to another, without leaving any karmic residue or overtones that would require revisiting and resolving into balance at a later time.
By simply sitting with the sensation we are plugging into the Universal consciousness that allows for both parties to clarify, realise, deepen and come into peace - without any karma being created.
And, it's also bigger than this. It's not just two people clarifying and resolving and learning but the consciousness itself is doing so. This means that others who would also encounter a similar exchange would be given a greater opportunity to clarify and resolve the energy within themselves.
We are not alone. We are all in it together. One gets hurt, we all do. One awakens, we all do. One finds peace and joy, we all do. This is the way love works.
Love and be loved.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Soundless Sound is the Sacred Ground
We can allow for the Unstruck Sound ... the Soundless Sound to be the ground of Being. Allowing thought to exist ... allowing images to come forth ... allowing feelings to be felt ... allowing for what is, to simply be as it is.
In allowing for This to simply be - that Silence that sits behind and embraces and supports all and everything - a great love is witnessed. This great love is the Knowing of the Divine that informs and inspires us at every turn.
Honour this ground of perfect, pure, pristine Beingness that is sweet, clear and everpresent ... This is who you are. Let it embrace you as It embraces all of life.
As I sit ... look out/in ... a few moments as I settle ... the birds singing ... the wind blows gently across my face ... it builds and swirls ... a truck rumbles down a road in the distance ... a faint smell of something lovely cooking ... the sun warms me ... the distant hills glisten peacefully as they embrace me ... all the trees so at peace ... all this ... vast, beautiful, perfectly at peace ... life ... in joyful presence.
What I am looking at is what is looking ... all this I am and more ... what a gift. All this loving, peaceful surrenderedness ... all as far as the eyes can see and beyond in infinite concentric circles ... as far as the ears can hear, touch, smell ... and more, and deep deep beyond.
To have this instrument to reflect back into, all this that I am ... and this is only the physical ... the same for each inner region. Infinite, endless and eternal realms of feeling, of thought, of memory, of intuitive arising ... of Light, of Sound ... of God's love.
If all is simply a degree of expression of this Divine Love ... this I am ... this you are ... this is all there really is.
How much of this eternal truth are we ready or willing to embrace?
To the degree that you are prepared to honour and accept your Eternal Vastness ... to this very degree will It express and reveal Itself in your world.
Honour the "forever already/always" that shines within you right now and you are already always free.
In allowing for This to simply be - that Silence that sits behind and embraces and supports all and everything - a great love is witnessed. This great love is the Knowing of the Divine that informs and inspires us at every turn.
Honour this ground of perfect, pure, pristine Beingness that is sweet, clear and everpresent ... This is who you are. Let it embrace you as It embraces all of life.
As I sit ... look out/in ... a few moments as I settle ... the birds singing ... the wind blows gently across my face ... it builds and swirls ... a truck rumbles down a road in the distance ... a faint smell of something lovely cooking ... the sun warms me ... the distant hills glisten peacefully as they embrace me ... all the trees so at peace ... all this ... vast, beautiful, perfectly at peace ... life ... in joyful presence.
What I am looking at is what is looking ... all this I am and more ... what a gift. All this loving, peaceful surrenderedness ... all as far as the eyes can see and beyond in infinite concentric circles ... as far as the ears can hear, touch, smell ... and more, and deep deep beyond.
To have this instrument to reflect back into, all this that I am ... and this is only the physical ... the same for each inner region. Infinite, endless and eternal realms of feeling, of thought, of memory, of intuitive arising ... of Light, of Sound ... of God's love.
If all is simply a degree of expression of this Divine Love ... this I am ... this you are ... this is all there really is.
How much of this eternal truth are we ready or willing to embrace?
To the degree that you are prepared to honour and accept your Eternal Vastness ... to this very degree will It express and reveal Itself in your world.
Honour the "forever already/always" that shines within you right now and you are already always free.
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