let the chatter be for awhile
let the kids run wild

don't mind the manners
or day planners

feel the body and mind
settle and unwind

forgo the go-go-go time
feel the breath sublime

give 'my life' a break
give, don't take...

set it all free
even the 'me'

then, what is to see?

and what is seeing?

risk boredom
for freedom

risk being boring
or even adoring

and you may find
beneath what the mind...

...has to say....

regardless of the 'way'
appears 'night and day'

all is Love(d)

...is not what you ~think~.

...follow no path
all paths lead where

truth is here

~ e.e. cummings

"In most of our human relationships, we spend much of our time reassuring one another that our costumes of identity are on straight."
~ Ram Dass

The Human Race

"As to the human race. There are many pretty and winning things about the human race. It is perhaps the poorest of all the inventions of all the gods but it has never suspected it once. There is nothing prettier than its naive and complacent appreciation of itself. It comes out frankly and proclaims without bashfulness or any sign of a blush that it is the noblest work of God. It has had a billion opportunities to know better, but all signs fail with this ass. I could say harsh things about it but I cannot bring myself to do it--it is like hitting a child."

- Mark Twain

~~~~~~~~

Problems

"I've had thousands of problems in my life, most of which never actually happened."

- Mark Twain

Hafiz ~

With That Moon Language
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Admit something:

Everyone you see, you say to them,
"Love me."

Of course you do not do this out loud;
Otherwise,
Someone would call the cops.

Still though, think about this,
This great pull in us
To connect.

Why not become the one
Who lives with a full moon in each eye
That is always saying,

With that sweet moon
Language,

What every other eye in this world
Is dying to
Hear.

~~~~~~~~~

Rumi ~

A craftsman pulled a reed from the reedbed,
cut holes in it, and called it a human being.

Since then, it's been wailing a tender agony
of parting, never mentioning the skill
that gave it life as a flute.

~~~~~~~~~

Don't let your throat tighten
with fear. Take sips of breath
all day and night. Before death
closes your mouth.

There's no love in me without your being,
no breath without that. I once thought

I could give up this longing, then thought again,
But I couldn't continue being human.

~~~~~~~~~

Rabia ~

Die Before You Die

Ironic, but one of the most intimate acts
of our body is
death.

So beautiful appeared my death – knowing who then I would kiss,
I died a thousand times before I died.

“Die before you die,” said the Prophet
Muhammad.

Have wings that feared ever
touched the Sun?

I was born when all I once
feared – I could
love.

~~{O}~~

Rumi ~

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

~~~~~

Intellectuals try not to drown, while the whole purpose of love is drowning

~~~~~

You've no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You.
Nothing seemed right.

What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the Ocean.
Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient.

It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these.

So- I've brought you a mirror.

Look at yourself and remember me.

Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You say,
I make you feel dizzy.
Of a little headache then,
why do you worry?
You say, I am your moon-faced beauty.
Of the cycles of the moon and
passing of the years,
why do you worry?
You say, I am your source of passion,
I excite you.
Of playing into the Devils hand,
why do you worry?
Oh soul,
you worry too much.
Look at yourself,
what you have become.
You are now a field of sugar canes,
why show that sour face to me?
You say that I keep you warm inside.
Then why this cold sigh?
You have gone to the roof of heavens.
Of this world of dust, why do you worry?
Oh soul,
you worry too much.
Your arms are heavy
with treasures of all kinds.
About poverty,
why do you worry?
You are Joseph,
beautiful, strong
steadfast in your belief,
all of Egypt has become drunk
because of you.
Of those who are blind to your beauty,
and deaf to your songs,
why do you worry?
Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth
the soul, of the soul, of the soul.
You are the security,
the shelter of the spirit of Lovers.
Oh the sultan of sultans,
of any other king,
why do you worry?
Be silent, like a fish,
and go into that pleasant sea.
You are in deep waters now,
of life's blazing fire.
Why do you worry?

~ Rumi

A flashplayer art slideshow with music
www.omplace.com/rumi/

From the Gracefilled
water of eternity...

...ever now...

...all you see,
yourself...

...is this essence
of reality...

...is responsibility
of ending war
within
yourself,
divine compassion,
vulnerability,

all you see...

this essence of reality.

...that in the Heart of Man
there is Compassion...

...and that this
is within us All.

Do we choose to listen?

Do we here the call?

When the world seems dark
and the walls too tall,
there is the Light
within us All.

When fear and hatred
seem to separate,
what is chosen
to propagate?

More of the same
or can we support
another game?

One that doesn't call
for a 'winner or loser',
but for a clear 'chooser'.

Where do our choices come from,
just the head,
possibly leading to more dead?

Or from the Heart,
where every moment
is a new start.

(Renamed this to better convey the intent it is shared with. Previous title could be more easily read with sarcasm, and I am not presenting this in sarcasm at all.

This is posted not as 'someone else's' writing, but as a message from Heart. It resonates with what is known here and has been spoken before, is well written, expresses clearly and simply this perspective that is at the core of the world situation and very much worth sharing. Namaste, Skeye)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get Serious

Spirituality is important, but we live in a world that is falling apart and that has to be addressed if we are to have time to evolve beyond the ego. Awakening is not just for you; it is for all life on this planet. If we do not bring about a true transformation of our species, we will not have a species and we may take all others with us.

We all have a great responsibility in what takes place in the life of this planet. Not from an ego dream self feeling it is doing some good thing for something else, but seeing we are one with all life and in that seeing we naturally do what is best for all of life.

You hear many spiritual teachers saying we are not responsible, and it is true there is no one to be responsible, but Wisdom has its own action. When one awakens there is left both the seeing through the eye of Wisdom and a mix of the conditioned life. We are no longer lost in that conditioning but it is still there in much of our day to day dealing with life. Just using the words we do is conditioning.

Sometimes teachers will talk about how nothing exists, that it is all a dream, yet they worry over bills, drive a car, eat at least three meals a day and enjoy sex. Nothing exists as the ideas we carry in our minds. That is a dream process in which the ego has its imaginary hold on what seems to be us. Yet, what we perceive, the suchness of things, still exists even if ultimately it is seen to be a holographic dream image. We cannot just ignore what is taking place on our home planet. A major part of the awakening of the mind is to see the facts as they are now. Putting our heads in a spiritual/religious hole and staying blind to what is going on will lead us all to the grave.

Our government and big business greed is killing our environment. With utter disregard for future life, they go on polluting and destroying everything that stands in their way. The government/big business is a perfect example of the ego process. It functions from a constant state of insecurity. This state of insecurity lets them justify anything they wish to do. Control is what the ego wants and it is just as true of governments and corporations. Of course, organized religion is another big business with the same problems of control as do the governments.

It is easy, in most cases, for the government to control the people. They use the same old ego games on us. Put fear in the masses, promise security and the hope of someday being as rich as they are, and people will jump through any hoop you put before them. Use nationalism and wave the flags of any nation and the people will be ready to kill in the name of their country. Business uses this as much as governments. There is no place, where governments leave off and big business begins. They are the same thing. Business controls government, government controls the people.

In these last few years, we have seen how our government has used the insecurity of the people to gain far too much control over us. We have seen our constitution covered over in the name of security. We are far less secure today than we have ever been. We have become far more isolated and have more people from other countries hating us than we ever have. We have seen how our military has not only killed thousands of innocent people but also polluted their land for all time with depleted uranium warheads. All the evil we try to show other countries having is nothing compared to what we have been doing. Yet, we go on acting as though we are always the good guys.

This must end and the only way it can end is for people to truly awaken. Not only environmentally and politically, but also spiritually. We cannot fight governments and make things better. To do so would be to fall into the same war games they have used on everyone else. We need to see the truth and share what we see with all that will listen. However, more important than anything else we need to see the ignorance in ourselves and how we too try to control everything in our lives to feel secure. Governments are just a larger expression of what we all, as ego, carry in ourselves. As we awaken we can no longer be lied to, we will no longer look outside of ourselves for security and we will act out of love. Only then can we call ourselves truly human. Only then will we see our real relationship with all of Life.

This is a very serious matter, more serious than anything else in our lives. It means life or death for us all. If you think I am being too dramatic just take a clear look at what has been happening in the world for the last few hundred years and it has been intensifying lately. You all know what I am saying is true. It is not going to change by itself. Each of us have to see this clearly and out of that seeing action will take place. You may feel helpless in making any changes in the out side world, but you can do something more important within your own being. That is where the heart of the problem lies. You can make a real revolutionary change within. Not you as ego, but by going beyond your own dream you can clearly see the nightmare the ego has brought to the world. It is up to each of us, now.

Melvyn Wartella
www.friendsofreality.org

"Come, come, whoever you are.

Wanderer, idolator, worshipper of fire,

come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,

Come, and come yet again.

Ours is not a caravan of despair."

~ Rumi

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

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

~ Rumi

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

While there is an undeniable 'truth' in the sense of 'self' that is incapable of being spoken, that supports this sharing of relative perspective, what is shared here is not believed to be absolute truth, just what appears now. Essentially I do not see 'my' perspective as more true or real than 'your' perspective, but in the willingness to openly share and examine 'our' perspectives, there is the potentiality of an agreement or co-perspective on relative reality.

"This is what 'I' am seeing. What are 'you' seeing?" What resonates from this sharing? And from this perhaps something entirely different may be revealed. If there is something to share that may change this perspective, by all means, please share. I may state things in a definitive manner, but it is all relative, subject to change, 'our' essential nature is not. I share to offer the opportunity to investigate any of this, if it is felt to.

Peace, SKeye

Who Am I? - (Nan Yar?)

The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

Translation by Dr. T. M. P. MAHADEVAN
from the original Tamil

Published by
V. S. RAMANAN
PRESIDENT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SRI RAMANASRAMAM
TIRUVANNAMALAI, S. INDIA
www.ramana-maharshi.org/books.htm

INTRODUCTION

"Who am I?" is the title given to a set of questions and answers bearing on Self-enquiry. The questions were put to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi by one Sri M. Sivaprakasam Pillai about the year 1902. Sri Pillai, a graduate in Philosophy, was at the time employed in the Revenue Department of the South Arcot Collectorate. During his visit to Tiruvannamalai in 1902 on official work, he went to Virupaksha Cave on Arunachala Hill and met the Master there. He sought from him spiritual guidance, and solicited answers to questions relating to Self-enquiry. As Bhagavan was not talking then, not because of any vow he had taken, but because he did not have the inclination to talk, he answered the questions put to him by gestures, and when these were not understood, by writing. As recollected and recorded by Sri Sivaprakasam Pillai, there were fourteen questions with answers to them given by Bhagavan. This record was first published by Sri Pillai in 1923, along with a couple of poems composed by himself relating how Bhagavan's grace operated in his case by dispelling his doubts and by saving him from a crisis in life. 'Who am I?' has been published several times subsequently. We find thirty questions and answers in some editions and twenty-eight in others. There is also another published version in which the questions are not given, and the teachings are rearranged in the form of an essay. The extant English translation is of this essay. The present rendering is of the text in the form of twenty-eight questions and answers.

Along with Vicharasangraham (Self-Enquiry), Nan Yar (Who am I?) constitutes the first set of instructions in the Master's own words. These two are the only prose-pieces among Bhagavan's Works. They clearly set forth the central teaching that the direct path to liberation is Self-enquiry. The particular mode in which the enquiry is to be made is lucidly set forth in Nan Yar. The mind consists of thoughts. The 'I' thought is the first to arise in the mind. When the enquiry ' Who am I?' is persistently pursued, all other thoughts get destroyed, and finally the 'I' thought itself vanishes leaving the supreme non-dual Self alone. The false identification of the Self with the phenomena of non-self such as the body and mind thus ends, and there is illumination, Sakshatkara. The process of enquiry of course, is not an easy one. As one enquires 'Who am I?', other thoughts will arise; but as these arise, one should not yield to them by following them , on the contrary, one should ask 'To whom do they arise ?' In order to do this, one has to be extremely vigilant. Through constant enquiry one should make the mind stay in its source, without allowing it to wander away and get lost in the mazes of thought created by itself. All other disciplines such as breath-control and meditation on the forms of God should be regarded as auxiliary practices. They are useful in so far as they help the mind to become quiescent and one-pointed.

For the mind that has gained skill in concentration, Self-enquiry becomes comparatively easy. It is by ceaseless enquiry that the thoughts are destroyed and the Self realized - the plenary Reality in which there is not even the 'I' thought, the experience which is referred to as "Silence".

This, in substance, is Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi's teaching in Nan Yar (Who am I?).

T. M. P. MAHADEVAN
University of Madras
June 30, 1982

Om Namo Bhagavathe Sri Ramanaya

Who Am I? - (Nan Yar?)

As all living beings desire to be happy always, without misery, as in the case of everyone there is observed supreme love for one's self, and as happiness alone is the cause for love, in order to gain that happiness which is one's nature and which is experienced in the state of deep sleep where there is no mind, one should know one's self. For that, the path of knowledge, the inquiry of the form "Who am I?", is the principal means.

1 . Who am I ?

The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; the five cognitive sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the five cognitive sense-organs, viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am not; the five vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not; even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning's, I am not.

2. If I am none of these, then who am I?

After negating all of the above-mentioned as 'not this', 'not this', that Awareness which alone remains - that I am.

3. What is the nature of Awareness?

The nature of Awareness is existence-consciousness-bliss

4. When will the realization of the Self be gained?

When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self which is the seer.

5. Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there (taken as real)?

There will not be.

6. Why?

The seer and the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope which is the substrate will not arise unless the false knowledge of the illusory serpent goes, so the realization of the Self which is the substrate will not be gained unless the belief that the world is real is removed.

7. When will the world which is the object seen be removed?

When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition's and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the world will disappear.

8. What is the nature of the mind?

What is called 'mind' is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise. Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thought is the nature of mind. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world. In the states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world also. Just as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and again withdraws it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself. When the mind comes out of the Self, the world appears. Therefore, when the world appears (to be real), the Self does not appear; and when the Self appears (shines) the world does not appear. When one persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self (as the residue). What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The mind always exists only in dependence on something gross; it cannot stay alone. It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the soul (jiva).

9. What is the path of inquiry for understanding the nature of the mind?

That which rises as 'I' in this body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in the body the thought 'I' rises first, one would discover that it rises in the heart. That is the place of the mind's origin. Even if one thinks constantly 'I' 'I', one will be led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arise in the mind, the 'I' thought is the first. It is only after the rise of this that the other thoughts arise. It is after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal pronouns appear; without the first personal pronoun there will not be the second and third.

10. How will the mind become quiescent?

By the inquiry 'Who am I?'. The thought 'who am I?' will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise Self-realization.

11. What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought 'Who am I?'

When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: 'To whom do they arise?' It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire with diligence, "To whom has this thought arisen?". The answer that would emerge would be "To me". Thereupon if one inquires "Who am I?", the mind will go back to its source; and the thought that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the skill to stay in its source. When the mind that is subtle goes out through the brain and the sense-organs, the gross names and forms appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear. Not letting the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called "inwardness" (antar-mukha). Letting the mind go out of the Heart is known as "externalisation" (bahir-mukha). Thus, when the mind stays in the Heart, the 'I' which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self which ever exists will shine. Whatever one does, one should do without the egoity "I". If one acts in that way, all will appear as of the nature of Siva (God).

12. Are there no other means for making the mind quiescent?

Other than inquiry, there are no adequate means. If through other means it is sought to control the mind, the mind will appear to be controlled, but will again go forth. Through the control of breath also, the mind will become quiescent; but it will be quiescent only so long as the breath remains controlled, and when the breath resumes the mind also will again start moving and will wander as impelled by residual impressions. The source is the same for both mind and breath. Thought, indeed, is the nature of the mind. The thought "I" is the first thought of the mind; and that is egoity. It is from that whence egoity originates that breath also originates. Therefore, when the mind becomes quiescent, the breath is controlled, and when the breath is controlled the mind becomes quiescent. But in deep sleep, although the mind becomes quiescent, the breath does not stop. This is because of the will of God, so that the body may be preserved and other people may not be under the impression that it is dead. In the state of waking and in samadhi, when the mind becomes quiescent the breath is controlled. Breath is the gross form of mind. Till the time of death, the mind keeps breath in the body; and when the body dies the mind takes the breath along with it. Therefore, the exercise of breath-control is only an aid for rendering the mind quiescent (manonigraha); it will not destroy the mind (manonasa).

Like the practice of breath-control. meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras, restriction on food, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind quiescent.

Through meditation on the forms of God and through repetition of mantras, the mind becomes one-pointed. The mind will always be wandering. Just as when a chain is given to an elephant to hold in its trunk it will go along grasping the chain and nothing else, so also when the mind is occupied with a name or form it will grasp that alone. When the mind expands in the form of countless thoughts, each thought becomes weak; but as thoughts get resolved the mind becomes one-pointed and strong; for such a mind Self-inquiry will become easy. Of all the restrictive rules, that relating to the taking of sattvic food in moderate quantities is the best; by observing this rule, the sattvic quality of mind will increase, and that will be helpful to Self-inquiry.

13. The residual impressions (thoughts) of objects appear wending like the waves of an ocean. When will all of them get destroyed?

As the meditation on the Self rises higher and higher, the thoughts will get destroyed.

14. Is it possible for the residual impressions of objects that come from beginningless time, as it were, to be resolved, and for one to remain as the pure Self?

Without yielding to the doubt "Is it possible, or not?", one should persistently hold on to the meditation on the Self. Even if one be a great sinner, one should not worry and weep "O! I am a sinner, how can I be saved?"; one should completely renounce the thought "I am a sinner"; and concentrate keenly on meditation on the Self; then, one would surely succeed. There are not two minds - one good and the other evil; the mind is only one. It is the residual impressions that are of two kinds - auspicious and inauspicious. When the mind is under the influence of auspicious impressions it is called good; and when it is under the influence of inauspicious impressions it is regarded as evil.

The mind should not be allowed to wander towards worldly objects and what concerns other people. However bad other people may be, one should bear no hatred for them. Both desire and hatred should be eschewed. All that one gives to others one gives to one's self. If this truth is understood who will not give to others? When one's self arises all arises; when one's self becomes quiescent all becomes quiescent. To the extent we behave with humility, to that extent there will result good. If the mind is rendered quiescent, one may live anywhere.

15. How long should inquiry be practised?

As long as there are impressions of objects in the mind, so long the inquiry "Who am I?" is required. As thoughts arise they should be destroyed then and there in the very place of their origin, through inquiry. If one resorts to contemplation of the Self unintermittently, until the Self is gained, that alone would do. As long as there are enemies within the fortress, they will continue to sally forth; if they are destroyed as they emerge, the fortress will fall into our hands.

16. What is the nature of the Self?

What exists in truth is the Self alone. The world, the individual soul, and God are appearances in it. like silver in mother-of-pearl, these three appear at the same time, and disappear at the same time. The Self is that where there is absolutely no "I" thought. That is called "Silence". The Self itself is the world; the Self itself is "I"; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the Self.

17. Is not everything the work of God?

Without desire, resolve, or effort, the sun rises; and in its mere presence, the sun-stone emits fire, the lotus blooms, water evaporates; people perform their various functions and then rest. Just as in the presence of the magnet the needle moves, it is by virtue of the mere presence of God that the souls governed by the three (cosmic) functions or the fivefold divine activity perform their actions and then rest, in accordance with their respective karmas. God has no resolve; no karma attaches itself to Him. That is like worldly actions not affecting the sun, or like the merits and demerits of the other four elements not affecting all pervading space.

18. Of the devotees, who is the greatest?

He who gives himself up to the Self that is God is the most excellent devotee. Giving one's self up to God means remaining constantly in the Self without giving room for the rise of any thoughts other than that of the Self. Whatever burdens are thrown on God, He bears them. Since the supreme power of God makes all things move, why should we, without submitting ourselves to it, constantly worry ourselves with thoughts as to what should be done and how, and what should not be done and how not? We know that the train carries all loads, so after getting on it why should we carry our small luggage on our head to our discomfort, instead of putting it down in the train and feeling at ease?

19. What is non-attachment?

As thoughts arise, destroying them utterly without any residue in the very place of their origin is non-attachment. Just as the pearl-diver ties a stone to his waist, sinks to the bottom of the sea and there takes the pearls, so each one of us should be endowed with non-attachment, dive within oneself and obtain the Self-Pearl.

20. Is it not possible for God and the Guru to effect the release of a soul?

God and the Guru will only show the way to release; they will not by themselves take the soul to the state of release. In truth, God and the Guru are not different. Just as the prey which has fallen into the jaws of a tiger has no escape, so those who have come within the ambit of the Guru's gracious look will be saved by the Guru and will not get lost; yet, each one should by his own effort pursue the path shown by God or Guru and gain release. One can know oneself only with one's own eye of knowledge, and not with somebody else's. Does he who is Rama require the help of a mirror to know that he is Rama?

21. Is it necessary for one who longs for release to inquire into the nature of categories (tattvas)?

Just as one who wants to throw away garbage has no need to analyse it and see what it is, so one who wants to know the Self has no need to count the number of categories or inquire into their characteristics; what he has to do is to reject altogether the categories that hide the Self. The world should be considered like a dream.

22. Is there no difference between waking and dream?

Waking is long and a dream short; other than this there is no difference. Just as waking happenings seem real while awake. so do those in a dream while dreaming. In dream the mind takes on another body. In both waking and dream states thoughts. names and forms occur simultaneously.

23. Is it any use reading books for those who long for release?

All the texts say that in order to gain release one should render the mind quiescent; therefore their conclusive teaching is that the mind should be rendered quiescent; once this has been understood there is no need for endless reading. In order to quieten the mind one has only to inquire within oneself what one's Self is; how could this search be done in books? One should know one's Self with one's own eye of wisdom. The Self is within the five sheaths; but books are outside them. Since the Self has to be inquired into by discarding the five sheaths, it is futile to search for it in books. There will come a time when one will have to forget all that one has learned.

24. What is happiness?

Happiness is the very nature of the Self; happiness and the Self are not different. There is no happiness in any object of the world. We imagine through our ignorance that we derive happiness from objects. When the mind goes out, it experiences misery. In truth, when its desires are fulfilled, it returns to its own place and enjoys the happiness that is the Self. Similarly, in the states of sleep, samadhi and fainting, and when the object desired is obtained or the object disliked is removed, the mind becomes inward-turned, and enjoys pure Self-Happiness. Thus the mind moves without rest alternately going out of the Self and returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant; out in the open the heat is scorching. A person who has been going about in the sun feels cool when he reaches the shade. Someone who keeps on going from the shade into the sun and then back into the shade is a fool. A wise man stays permanently in the shade. Similarly, the mind of the one who knows the truth does not leave Brahman. The mind of the ignorant, on the contrary, revolves in the world, feeling miserable, and for a little time returns to Brahman to experience happiness. In fact, what is called the world is only thought. When the world disappears, i.e. when there is no thought, the mind experiences happiness; and when the world appears, it goes through misery.

25. What is wisdom-insight (jnana-drsti)?

Remaining quiet is what is called wisdom-insight. To remain quiet is to resolve the mind in the Self. Telepathy, knowing past, present and future happenings and clairvoyance do not constitute wisdom-insight.

26. What is the relation between desirelessness and wisdom?

Desirelessness is wisdom. The two are not different; they are the same. Desirelessness is refraining from turning the mind towards any object. Wisdom means the appearance of no object. In other words, not seeking what is other than the Self is detachment or desirelessness; not leaving the Self is wisdom.

27. What is the difference between inquiry and meditation?

Inquiry consists in retaining the mind in the Self. Meditation consists in thinking that one's self is Brahman, existence-consciousness-bliss.

28. What is release?

Inquiring into the nature of one's self that is in bondage, and realising one's true nature is release.

SRI RAMANARPANAM ASTU

Can true humility and compassion exist in our words and eyes unless we know we too are capable of any act?

~ St. Francis of Assisi


The exploitation of the poor can be extenguished not by effecting the destruction of a few millionaires, but by removing the ignorance of the poor and teaching them to noncooperate with the exploiters.

~ Mohandas K. Gandhi


Return to the Source

'Empty yourself of everything.
Let your mind be at peace.
While ten thousand things rise and fall,

the Self contemplates their return.

Each of them grows and flourishes and

then returns to the source.

Returning to the source is stillness,

which is the way of nature.'

Lao Tzu (c.604-c.531bce), from the Tao Te Ching, China


"Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against."

~ Bruce Lee


"Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy."

~ Albert Einstein

Roy : Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?

That's what it is...to be a slave.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Roy : I've...seeen things you people wouldn't believe...hnmph...

Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.

I watched C-beams...glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.

All those...moments will be lost...in time...like...nhh...tears...in the rain.

Time...to die.

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

Morpheus : Do you believe in fate, Neo?

Neo : No.

Morpheus : Why?

Neo : Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my own life.

Morpheus : I know...exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know, you can't explain. But you feel it. You've felt it your entire life. That there's something wrong with the world.

You don't know what it is, but it's there...like a splinter
in you're mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has
brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Neo : The Matrix?

Morpheus : Do you want to know....what it is....?

Neo nods

Morpheus : The Matrix is everywhere. It's all around us, even in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes.

The Matrix is the world that has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truth.

Neo : What truth?

Morpheus : That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison...for your mind....Unfortunately, no one can be...told what the Matrix is...you have to see it for yourself.

A human being is a part of the whole called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest-a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
~ Albert Einstein

This writing began February '02 as an expressional poem in regards to the events of September 11th, the issues that arose and the growing awareness from the investigation of those events. It started with the recognition of how war is created, perpetuated in the mind and how that war projects into the world, and the honest desire to communicate this from the Heart to the Heart. From one aspect of Being to all aspects of Being.

It is written in a way that includes a variety of emotional perspectives and metaphorical possibilities, an inclusiveness of the human experience from many different angles and circumstances, with an integral core resonance of observing awareness throughout. It is offered for investigative introspection, not as a "shame and blame" condemnation, not aimed at anyone or stating as "fact", only with the acknowledgment of those possible feelings and perspectives. Definitive statements made not as being "right" or with any perspective as being "wrong", for what is being offered is not really about right or wrong, only an offering of Love, of self-inquiring possibility.

There is the recognition that what is said can be seen in many different ways, that the perspective changes in how one chooses to see it or dependent on what screen of thought and emotion it is being received through, but that what doesn't change is the simple seeing of it. After "seeing", the infinite possibilities arise.

How will one choose to receive, to see, to feel, to respond?

This is an invitation to open mind and heart to the world, to yourself.

May All Beings Know Peace...

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


How Many?
~~~~~~~~~

How many flashes on screen
in trances seen
over and over,
again and again?

(Minds being blown
from what is shown
relentlessly.)

How many targets?
How many hits?

How many towers crumbling
into smoky bits
of dust?

(Steel and glass
that bust
submitting
helplessly.)

How many workers
plummeting
how many floors
to how many
awaiting onlookers
below?

( ...arms open wide...

...rush of blood and wind...

Surrendered to the flow
of that from which
we cannot hide.)

How many planes, passengers
terrorists and crew?

How many wishing:
if they'd only knew?

How many off course patterns
of flight?

(Sources of light,
vigil candles
being lit.)

How many firefighters,
officers,
volunteers,
medics and media
being hit...

...while searching in the haze,
dazed and confused,
listening
for signs of life?

(Bearing strife,
beyond limits of health,
to endure.
A wealth
that is graced
by that which is pure
within All.)

How many injured?

How many dead?

(Welcomed home
in the Heart...

...or flying
like ghosts
in the head.)

How many networks, cameras,
audio/video techs,
anchors, writers, editors,
producers
and directors
for how many watchers
of this
"apocalypse now"?

(Many wondering: How?!
How could this happen?)

How many magazines, memorials,
stuffed animals, stickers,
toys, t-shirts, tributes,
photos, videos,
flags, flowers, e-mails,
balloons and cards?

(Flying like shards,
an explosion of products
of suffering and grief,
finding
conditioned consumers
seeking relief
from a sense
of fear,
pain and loss.)

How many posters on walls,
hallowed halls
with shrines
on which flowers
to toss?

How many death marches,
songs of freedom,
patriotic anthems
to be sung?

(Recordings rung
from despair,
hope
and delusion.)

How many countries to fight
in this "Axis of Evil"?

(In the upheaval
not truly questioning
the confusion:
who or what
is being attacked?
And why?)

How many buy
the repeated story
of "US and them"?

(A tale that
"they"
are the problem,
the threat to "our" freedom
to be
how "we" want to be.)

How many C E O's,
corporations, politicians,
and stockholders,
sellers of this story?

(If the story
is bought
is this not
selling it,
endorsing it too?)

How many lies and threats,
of suicidal,
accidentalal,
or "mysterious" deaths,
silencing those
that possibly knew
more than most
or wouldn't be host
to such deception?

How many scientific conceptions:
drugs,
chemicals,
strains,
messing with
how many brains?

How many doctors,
patients
and patents?

How many "combatants"
labeled,
animals stabled,
enslaved,
used and abused
to produce
weapons,
deadly medicines
and vaccines?

How many viruses?
dis-eased excuses
for quarantines?

How many children dying
from the lying
about harmful
side affects?

(Innocence betrayed,
pockets payed
for the prospects
of making MORE.)

How many a store,
owned by companies,
home for technologies
made to be
invested in
and depended on?

(Like the many computers
connected on
the New World Order
wide web of "unity".
The boxed product
of virtual "Oneness"
and immunity.)

How many experiments done
on test subjects,
willing or un?

(manipulated objects...)

How many mother-sister-daughters
father-brother-sons,
going off to war
to kill even more?

How many families displaced
and files erased
to hide shame, greed
and disgrace?

How many politicians created,
egos master-baited,
for the interests
and survival of the
"Corporation"?

How many a nation
ruled in this way
to only one day
be destroyed?

How many sick and tired,
if not outraged,
to be considered cattle
or only a number?

(Awakening from slumber,
investigating the truth
of reality.)

How many civil liberties
being eradicated,
"freedom" traded
for "security"?

(Or at least
imitations
there of.
The eroding of
civility.)

How many police,
military and
govern-mental jobs?

(Branches
strengthened by laws
that reach through,
and leach at,
the societal tree.)

How many unemployed
and homeless
going hungry,
growing
into angry mobs?

How many disabled,
removed
from the tables...

(Charts of
inhumane inaccuracies,
inane insanities!)

...left to fend
for themselves?

(All alone,
not able to reach
the shelves...

...feeling no one
at their side,
in their sadness
choosing sucide.)

How many terrorists and troops
trained to secure
how many oil deals,
fields
and pipelines?

(Diverted lifelines
for a perverted theology.)

How many "criminals",
dissenters of this
ideology?

(With us or against us?
Who is "us"?
Who ARE "we"?)

How many business transactions
partnerships, mergers
and bankruptcies?

How many monopolies
made from free trade
and the unscrupulous
downsize?

How many spies,
ears and eyes,
listening and looking
with recording devices?

(Using vices,
self serving acts,
to control
and suppress facts.)

How many jets, bombers,
helicopters,
tanks, jeeps, cars,
subs, ships, missiles,
bombs, rockets, mortars,
mines, granades, bullets,
shells, cartridges, clips,
launchers, guns, knives,
uniforms, armors,
detectors, detonators,
barracks and buildings?

(Supplies demanded
and delivered
for destruction...

...then after the war
making even more
off the construction.)

How many babies
bombed and burned?

(What is the malfunction
that keeps heads turned
to this atrocity?)

How many a city,
town
and village,
contaminated,
toxified
and pillaged?

(Depopulized.)

How many demonized, suspected,
imprisoned, released, starved,
humiliated, demeaned,
deported, berated, beheaded
tortured, martyred, maimed,
raped, battered, buried...

...covered up?

(Done to "them",
justified so "we"
won't fall
to the same fate.)

How many crimes of hate
clothed in religion
and ritual rites?

How many web sites
for how many navigators,
travelers on this
information highway?

(Or just another place
to play?
While looking to find
release,
what piece
of information
enters the mind?)

How many essays, opinions,
reports, polls, expose`s,
debates, damnations,
declarations, theories
and plots,
cries and pleas
of the heart?

(Entertainment to placate
and please the masses?

Fastfood for mass
media junkies?

Or an open consideration
of the flow
of information?)

How many industries,
banks and ministries,
making money matter
all the while
getting fatter
off the distracted
attention
to movies reeling,
numbing to feeling
any deeper,
diffusing dissension
of this
ruling dimension,
a sado/masochistic
hamster wheel?

(Feeling pressure
like a jackboot heel
capitalizing on generated
fear and ignorance.
What makes the difference
between
making a living
and being ALIVE?)

How many faces and masks,
hateful tasks,
can fear and war
wear?

How many ways can it be
perpetually packaged,
pawned off, peddled,
passed on, popularized,
pumped up, played out,
pilled down, patriotized,
practiced,
proliferated,
propagated,
prostituted
and promulgated...

...to be believed...

...BOUGHT and SOLD?!

(What hold
for propaganda talk
if no belief is held
to influence the walk
of life?)

How many prophets of doom,
profiteers of war,
preachers of glory?

(Practitioners of story
dealing in death
and strife.)

How many seeking vengeance?

How many seeking truth?

How many resolute
in retribution, retaliation,
restoration, reclamation,
re-evaluation
of this nation?

How many trying
to make sense of it all,
trying to figure it all
out?

(Crying in doubt
at what is being told
and their ability
to unfold
the mystery
of what is "real".)

(What do you FEEL?)

How many poets
poeticizing
this petrified corpse?

How many times
must fear-ridden history
repeat itself?

(Kept on a shelf,
brought out
when it's needed
for the wielder
to be heeded
again.
And receiver then
left to wonder:
is this
the "official" version
or another diversion
from a tactical plunder
or a misdeed done under
the shadow
of secrecy?)

How many religions
of prophecy,
waiting for "end of days",
yet praying for stays
of execution,
seeking absolution
from how many GODS?

(Betting on odds
that "their"
faith or belief
is the "ONE"
that will save them.)

How many "us and thems",
"rights and wrongs",
"heavens and hells"?

(Tolling bells
of societal morality,
that deafen from
facing mortality,
possibly to find
that "you and I" are
Unified Immortality.)

How many needed to commit war
and wash up
on the shore
of consciousness?

How many years, months, days,
hours, minutes,
seconds
are left
for breath?

(At any moment...

...isn't that the fear...

...Death?)

If the investigation of truth
is a distraction
and there is contentment
or satisfaction
in knowing yourself
as a name and/or number...

...then seek not to blame
for the disturbances
of slumber.

How many ways to take,
how many days to fake,
until it is finally said...

...Enough!

How tough is the Heart to touch?

(That which is always here
and never apart from you.)

When will the 'many' be too much?

Here is an excerpt from a Friend's blog post, plus my response immediately following:

~~~~~~

No fear of loss, or change.
Appriciation for the unique relationship and the
spirit within my friend.

Honor for myself and my friend.

Cherish each moment, without focusing on what
comes next or what has been before.

Complete trust without fear of deception
The amazing ability to nurture the sacred flames
equally and dance the sacred dances in harmony.

I have ran out of descriptions, for some things,
there are no words, only a deeper knowing.....

b.starwolf.jossy

~~~~~~

This is what this moon cycle has felt to facilitate strongly...the intunement and rythm of the dance of Life. Expression is flowing supported by a knowing that is beyond words or any-one.

Seeing, hearing the Eternal unspoken and undifferentiated
"Yes..." that includes all appearances, experiences of yes/no.

Beauty lies not only
in the eye of the beholder,
but in the very Being
of the beheld.

These wings are not ornamental,
yet neither are they
necessary...

...for all of creation
is at these fingertips
waiting to be caressed.

Fulfilled in the knowing
of every breath...Now.

Listening with eyes closed...

...the faintest sigh
of a sleeping lover...

...children laughing
at what only the innocent can...

...explosions that drown consciousness
in the lake of illusion and suffering...

...these are the gifts.

Who am I to say no?

In the Truth of Being
there is only, "Yes..."

I have come across all these today here on Tribe...

From Friend Lisa's blog:

This morning there is joyous surrendering to all of it - noticing finally that release is simply saying yes to everything. This sweet life is such a gift. I am overflowing with gratitude for all of you who meet me in that most powerful word: YES!

oregon.tribe.net/template/...CDetail.vm

"Good things will come my way just as long as I never have
no in my heart" .......... Joe Dirt - 2001

people.tribe.net/dgs-pamela/blog

"Yes.

Yes and more yes to all the shitty things and the wonderful things, yes to the striped and the spotted, to the colorful and the colorless large and small round and square there is only yes and being here and touching the now while we can. Yes to all of it."

- John

people.tribe.net/switchbladebutterfly

Ever more resonation with this 'Yes' that calls from within...

Ah, yes and from the Wavespell?:

CURRENT ENERGIES OF THIS 28-DAY CYCLE:

We are now in the 7th Moon of the 13-Moon Year,
corresponding to Tone 7 of the Annual Wavespell Spiral.

Moon 7 is called "Resonant"
(always correlated to Jan 10 - Feb 6).
Its totem animal is the Monkey.
The key words to focus on for "Resonant Moon" include its
Power: "Channel"
Action: "Inspire"
Essence: "Attunement"
Action Directive: "How can my inspiration help to attune others?"

~~~~~~~~

Overtone Moon day 9
Year of the Red Cosmic Moon
November 23, 1966

kin 29: Red Electric Moon

I Activate in order to Purify Bonding Flow

I seal the Process of Universal Water With the Electric tone of Service

I am guided by the power of Space

~~~~~~~~

In Lak'ech, Om Shanti, Namaste, Shalom, Peace...

This Soul Dance...is a slow dance...
...so Intimate, so gentle...

Am I the gentle-man? Are you?

What are we to do
with this Longing
that never stops,
that sows so many crops
to be brought low
by this Lover's scythe?

Cut open wide...

...there is no chance to hide
this flowing Heart
that is not inside
and not apart
from any Being.

Are we seeing? Are we seen?

Has there ever been
a Love such as This?!

No...never has there been
and never will there be...

...there only ever Is...

...This Love.

"We ourselves have created the ecological conditions that are strangling us. Think of that: no one has done it *to* us -- we humans have done it to ourselves." ~ Ram Dass

All the things I buy
will not fill the hole inside.
Nor ever blind the one Eye
to what over-consumption has wrought
for those that have not...

..Peace of Heart cannot be bought.

When to buy, what to buy...

...how to decide?

Just ask: Is this "consumercide"?

Does this give the Heart true joy
to be purchasing a toy
made out in the 'wild'
by a little child,
that stands all day on thier feet
in some toxic factory without a seat
sweating and tired with little to eat?

How has this "product" come to be?
In what manner was it produced for me?
At what cost to the air, land and sea?

And regardless of how it was made,
even recycled or grown in the shade,
does this serve to truly assuage
a sense of lack
that will only be back
like after a high on 'crack'?

What does this get me?

And what do I really want?

Is it possible to show love
without having to shove
a proverbial hand in glove
in the face of a stranger
that means me no danger
like the boy born in the manger?

What I do "here"
effects over "there",
how to share?

In the appeal of high finance
what kind of personal stance
keeps the world out of balance?

Can I be happy with less
so that it may bless
and lessen the stress
all around?

Peace on Earth and good will toward All...

...with Our head to the ground.

~~~~~~

If there is the willingness to investigate information in regards to 'consumercide' and other issues concerning the world today, then please visit: www.consumercide.com/

And thank you for giving your time to examine this, for this can only end in awareness.

Awakened by your love,
I flicker like a candle's light
trying to hold on in the dark.
Yet, you spare me no blows
and keep asking,
"Why do you complain?"

~Rumi

I wish I could give you a taste of
the burning fire of Love.
There is a fire
blazing inside of me.
If I cry about it, or if I don't,
the fire is at work,
night and day.
People make clothing to cover their intellect,
but the heart of Lovers
is a shroud,
inflamed in golden hues of his Love.

~ Rumi