A Challenge

"Your challenge is to be the sanity in a mad world". Eckhart Tolle

Nothing past your nose

Do nothing past your nose. Your body is going to do whatever it has to do, but you are not your body. Robert Adams

Beyond Simple

"The mind doesn't like anything too simple". Ramesh Balsekar

Belief divides.

I am a Buddhist, a yellow hat Tibetan Buddhist actually. Interesting, I am a Zen Buddhist so we will have to agree to differ so take that, that and that (the sound of one hand clapping). Now do you see the Truth? I am a Christian, a Protestant actually, and we believe in the same risen Christ as you Catholics but we don't go in for Marian worship and all that idolatary. We consider The Bible to be the word of God. But we are ecumenical. I am a Muslim, Allah is Great and Mohammed is His one true prophet. That's interesting, I am an aetheist and I think your ideas are an aberration and a disgrace to common sense and sanity. Ans so on.....

The most dangerous idea in the above absurdities is the idea 'I am a ....' The identification with body, personality, occupation, belief, religion, country and ethnic group, apart from being an ultimately false one, leads to the most extraordinary amount of mental and physical conflict.

When you take your last breath which of these identifications will be of any use? Could you close your eyes and take your last breath now and see what you need in that moment? More to the point who is it who is doing the breathing? Who is it who crashes the breakers against the rocks and claps the thunder. Who circulates 'your' blood'. Who waters 'your' eyes?

Holy Communion

When awake, that is when not living in thought, every breath is Holy Communion.

When living in thought every breath is Holy Communion but not experienced as such.

The idea the I can connect to a Higher Power through some conscious effort or practice suggests that the two are seperate. Yet that sense of seperation is what causes the desire to be other than what I am*. If there is any practice it might be more in the line of seeing what is false; subtraction rather than addition.

When free of any yearning to be 'other' any practice might happen all the same; it can equally well be attendance at Mass, Mosque or brothel. What is appropriate will happen.

* 'What I am is' the portal to the understanding of unity. Am I really Laura Fuga, Agostini Bianchetti, L.Zafalon or Roberto Zafalon?

The Great Game

The great game is watching from moment to moment as people, places, thoughts, emotions and physical sensations pass through. Taking heed of all and letting all pass without signing the delivery chit and adding to the load of identity. Sometimes these entities are adhesive and stay awhile sometimes they pass like greased lightning but always allowing the feeling of aliveness to quietly glow. The current ploy is to allow all, including the stickiness and so-called negative qualities. The portal is open.

So little to do and yet the discoursive mind is so fond of searching. As Sailor Bob often says "It can't be solved by the mind". Or as Einstein pointed out 'a problem can't be solved on the same level it was created on '.

The Wandering Mind

Rudra asked his friend Alex "where does your mind go when it wanders?". Quick as a flash Alex-san replied "to places where it shouldn't."

A hint of a tint

There's a hint of blue in the grey sky today. Rudra says 'there's a hint of the unmanifest in the tint of the manifest'.

The Great Diogenes

"Why is it, Diogenes, that pupils leave you to go to other teachers, but rarely do they leave them to come to you?"

"Because," replied Diogenes, "one can make eunuchs out of men, but no one can make a man out of eunuchs".

A passenger above his station

The ever discoursive mind wants to take the pilot's seat, or more subtly the chief steward. He is even happy to be the air traffic controller. Whatever his role he wants to be involved, not least a commentator. Let's face it he is definately on the trip but what a blessed relief it is to allow him to be a humble passenger. What a relief it is to see that he has nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the flight.

Self Discovery My Foot

Rudra has burnt all his self discovery books and prefers to sit down to a feed of crisps and ginger ale. He finds nourishment in the most unlikely places. Long ago, almost his first step in fact, he threw out all belief, philosophy and ideas of spirit. A wicked leer spreads across his face when Masters and Gurus are mentioned. I wouldn't want to be one of those old frauds when he is around.