Limitless Love
Be Ye Also Ready!~
Fri, February 2, 2007 - 10:37 AMI want to share with you about a process I am involved/evolved in with my Buddhist sangha, Dharma Punx. I have chosen to live this year as if it were my last. "A year to Live" is the name of the group, and I have until this April 1st! Steven Levine wrote the Book, "Year to Live" and it is very insightful. It's a "must-read" for anyone who is going to die. Which, apparently, is US ALL> :) (!)
So yes-
I am going to die. Someday, 'today' will be the last day of my life. I can hardly wrap my head around it. I will have ceased to be, bereft of life, resting in peace, kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed my last, and gone to meet the Great Head of Light Entertainment in the sky.
I have been somewhat quiet about this until now, because it has been hard for me to reconcile practical things I need to do with this approach to life; making peace with Death and Dying. This has been the most challenging and powerful practice I have ever been a part of, and I am only now coming to terms with it. It has actually been a lot of fun (!) and the growth has been stunning.
I will write more about this valuable experience in a week or so, as right now I have another task: writing my own eulogy.
This is where YOU come in. I humbly ask that if you are reading this, or if I have ever touched your life in any way, please write a line or two about me, about my life. I am writing my own Immortal Memory Toast this week- so bring it on!
So what is a eulogy?! Poet Laureate, Andrew Morton gives an eloquent definition:
The eulogy is the moment at which the deceased is brought close,
and a time when she steps away.
It is at once a greeting and a letting go.
So if you have a moment, please embrace me with your words of remembrance. I love you!
Fri, February 2, 2007 - 10:37 AM -
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 10:43 AM
Your essence was not born and will not die. It is neither being nor nonbeing. It is not a void nor does it have form. It experiences neither pleasure nor pain. If you ponder what it is in you that feels the pain of this sickness, and beyond that you do not think or desire to ask anything, and if your mind dissolves like vapour in the sky, then the path to rebirth is blocked and the moment of instant release has come.
Bassui (1327-1387) Zen Buddhist |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 10:44 AM
Then Almitra spoke, saying, We would ask now of death.
And he said: You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heath of life? The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light. If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one. In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; and like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity. Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor. Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king? Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling? For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered? Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance. The Prophet Kahlil Gibran Walker & Company Phoenix Press, 1923 |
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Unsu...
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 10:46 AM
hey you can't die yet! you just got engaged in your last blog post. slow down! :-)
geez, what a ploy to get people to gush over you...:-) alright let's see what i gots for ya: oh Jah, AnastaJah! The most powerful light that ever resonated on a dance floor, that ever pda'd in a crowded mob, A'JAH walked the finest line between reverence and punk naughtiness: She lived life like a heat-seeking bottle rocket, even before she realized she was terminally present. what happened once she shook that death fear was a blur of the most vibrant sonic love gush the world ever witnessed. it effected history and herstory and your story and mine of all ages. |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 10:46 AM
"It is the general belief of the Indians that after a person dies the spirit is somewhere on the earth or in the sky, we do not know exactly where, but we are sure that the spirit still lives .... So it is with Wakantanka (The Great Spirit). We believe that Wakantanka is everywhere, yet Wakantanka is to us as the spirits of our friends, whose voices we cannot hear."
Chased-By-Bears (1843-1915) Santee-Yanktonai Sioux "There is no death. Only a change of worlds." Seattle (1786-1866) "It is good to have a reminder of death before us, for it helps us to understand the impermanence of life on this earth, and this understanding may aid us in preparing for our own death." Black Elk Oglala Siou |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 11:15 AM
Anastajah
Anastajah is a spectacular being of light and inspiration. She makes my cheeks turn pink and warms my heart and touches my spirit each and every time I see her. She is beauty and laughter.
Muah! |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 11:17 AM
be ye ready to eulogize
i guess i better do this while i have a chance, just in case! I was just at a Dharma Punks DIY sit this week for my first time in Vancouver. My first few moments of going into it felt like the psychedelic ego death moment, almost like vertigo into the abyss of self. I have known about your secret for some months now and have seen you in that light since i heard it. Already it's had profound effect without having taken the vow, just being witness. What words to flow... I realize that each moment with you has been a eulogy practice, a bringing close and a letting go. Such has been the nature of my relating with you these past 6 years in brief spurts that seem like big cosmic events that mark passages in my life. Yes, it's been a Buddhist lesson in impermanance, loving in the moment, also known as Playa love i suppose. You have taught me how to love without expectation, in the moment.. "love is but a moment" Art of Noise The other night i watched a mystical kung fu movie called Zu Warriors about immortals on this epic battle to prevent being absorbed by a greedy immortal who didn't want to have to go through the hassle of reincarnating into a new body. I like to think of the immortal soul that knows the body to be an illusion. As much as i will ever miss your heaven on earthly body, the electricity it conducted into me-the physical memory of you that my senses reel in at the simplest whisper of your name i know that i have not seen the last of you. "Just remember, that death is not the end.." Bob Dylan ( covered by Nick Cave ) And so i raise a skull goblet to you my immortal friend, cheers for the moments we lived on the peak of life's mountain and to the many more to come in whatever form taken next. Reincarnate well so i may love you again and again. |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 11:22 AM
Just realized
April Fools Day just took on a whole new meaning..
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 11:28 AM
"weddings and a funeral" just took on a new meaning! :)
I think I'll have an IZO self wedding and fun-rally/funeral April 1!
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Unsu...
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 11:31 AM
April First it is. let's tawk. The Church of iZO is open for your use anytime.
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 11:39 AM
what an awesome idea... actually die before you get married... have a eulogy and a funeral and everything...
and then rise to be reborn with another into a new person... wow the man who gets AnastaJah is... well ... picture Napolean Dynamite saying "Lucky" |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 2:05 PM
remembrance
when i think about Anastajah I remember those intelligent eyes that look beyond the ego and unveil the one spirit within myself. I feel complete and whole within my temple knowing that there is a "like minded" individual who has the same troubles that we all do. Anastajah is able to bring that place of ALL knowing out in a conversation and make a scenario zen like. Embracing her in a warm hug leaves a content feeling of mutual love in spirit and an admiration for the human vessel. Anastajah has been an unforgetable person who has entered my life and shown me strength in the goddess deity. Anastajah is a true goddess who strives to grow her branches so all can see her beauty. I am lucky and blessed to have witnessed such a miracle in her and myself.
endless graditude too Anastajah may her memory live on in the record of ages. namaste |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 2:16 PM
among other things...
her side ponytail and her bettyboop socks make me giddy
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 5:31 PM
some rumi for ya..
We have not come here to take prisoners,
But to surrender ever more deeply To freedom and joy. We have not come into this exquisite world To hold ourselves hostage from love. Run my dear. From anything That may not strengthen Your precious budding wings. Run like hell my dear From anyone likely To put a sharp knife Into the sacred, tender vision Of your beautiful heart. We have a duty to befriend Those aspects of obedience That stand outside of our house And shout to our reason "O please, O please, Come out and play". For we have not come here to take prisoners Or to confine our wondrous spirits, But to expereince ever and ever more deeply Our divine courage, freedom, and Light! |
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Fri, February 2, 2007 - 10:24 PM
Anastasia
I admire Anastasia. She slips in and out of my life (sometimes years in between) but her kind heart, bright spriit and quest to embrace both life's demons and angels has always left a meaningful impact on me. I also love Anastasia, she is both complex, simple and very human... but also a star child. A Beautiful Beautiful woman both inside and out indeed. Whether in the flesh or not... she is always alive in my heart and in my mind.
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Sat, February 3, 2007 - 11:52 AM
hmmm, if i new you less I'd be able to give you one. Seeing how I know you more on a felt dimensional harmonic and less in a earthly informationally you i cannot comment. . although I do have some tricks up my sleeve.
I'm actually really interested in this process. Seems i could use it. mad love, spirit monkey |
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Unsu...
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Sat, February 3, 2007 - 4:23 PM
I am lacking the time now for a proper eulogy but I'd like to say that...
She is Anastajah with a 'J'. the J changes the whole vibe of the name, to me. 'I' puts it in the catagory of the tragically assasinated Russian princess, a 'shot' of beautiful and mysterious, but with a back of Karma. The 'J' makes it... totally hers, trilling with hidden dimensions... |
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Sat, February 17, 2007 - 11:42 PM
today is a good day to die...
anastajah left her body as she lived her life... consciously.
may her spirit continue to guide us from her ascended state. may sound waves become her surf and rainbows her throne. |
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Thu, March 22, 2007 - 2:48 PM
Realization of our true light - death not req’d
I have this one humble eulogy to add- I know it's a while ago that this thread started, but if I don't add my tribute to Anistajah now, I may lose the chance to tell people what a great effect she had on me and my extended family.
She was a spiritual being all along, and nothing in her passing diminishes her ability to affect the human condition in a positive way. She is a shining particle in the universe, aware and engaged with life, and herself-- congratulations btw. And what is death anyway? There is neither birth nor death in the grand scheme of things, just a pass-through like time zones… a realization of our true light. Of course her realization was not just limited to the episode we call death, but it was how she lived her life! To the extent she lived a spiritual life she entered into Spirit every day. Anistajah was a person that has taught me AGAIN, that if I don't extend myself to get to know the special people of this universe, they might vanish then I will be left with regret for not getting to know them better. I did not go out of my way to know her, from feelings of inadequacy or whatever the excuse. Maybe I was too stiff to jive on that level. So all I really knew was that she was outrageously funny and beautiful to the extreme, whether she was made up with all the glamour and sparkle or not. I thank her for brightening our brief stint on Earth, and I thank the Encarta dictionary for giving me such good transitive and intransitive verbs to describe her alluring qualities. Peace. |
