Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME
In a book titled "The Hundredth Monkey", animal behaviour researchers on a remote island off Japan were observing a tribe of monkeys who spent some time each day picking up coconuts off the beach, cracking them open on a rock and and eating them. One day a female monkey was observed to pick up a coconut, crack it on a rock, begin to eat it but accidentally dropped it into the water. She picked it up again and discovered that the water had washed the sand off the coconut. She picked up another piece, dipped it into the water, and ate it, free of sand. Within a week, several of the other monkeys in the tribe had adopted the new practice of washing the sand off the coconuts before eating them.
Remarkable behaviour in itself. But of even more interest was the fact that researchers in other areas throughout the tropics began to report the same behaviour in monkeys they were observing. But there had been no chance whatever of any contact between the different groups of monkeys. It appeared that washing sand off the coconuts was an idea whose time had come.
Perhaps the same thing happened with ideas like "fire" and "wheel" -- that they arose at around the same time in several places around the globe.
Is it possible that You are An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
Remarkable behaviour in itself. But of even more interest was the fact that researchers in other areas throughout the tropics began to report the same behaviour in monkeys they were observing. But there had been no chance whatever of any contact between the different groups of monkeys. It appeared that washing sand off the coconuts was an idea whose time had come.
Perhaps the same thing happened with ideas like "fire" and "wheel" -- that they arose at around the same time in several places around the globe.
Is it possible that You are An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
FUEL PRICES
The genius of spin who coined the term "weekly discount cycle" should be paid a whopping royalty by the oil companies for taking the heat off them. My perception is that we have a Weekly Surcharge Cycle -- 5 days of surcharge, 2 days of not-so-hefty pricing.
Whilst on the subject of fuel, I have a question that none of the motoring bodies seriously asks -- why is diesel fuel so expensive? I was brought up to believe (in the good old days when diesel was considerably cheaper than petrol) that diesel required less refinement to produce, which accounted for its cheaper price.
What happened?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
ALL FOR NOTHING
ALL (F)OR NOTHING
There’s nothing to get – and I hope you get it.
Colin Hayes
There once was a man who hated the sound of his own footsteps and the sight of his own shadow. He hit on a plan: he would run away from them. So he ran, and he ran, and he ran….but still his footsteps stayed there and his shadow followed him close behind. So he decided to run faster in order to get away from them. He ran faster, and faster, and faster…but still his footsteps were there and his shadow stuck by him. Day after day, week after week, year after year, he ran faster and faster, but still his footsteps and his shadow dogged him.
One day he dropped dead, which was a pity
Because all he had ever needed to do was –
Step into the shade
And
Sit down
Colin Hayes
When I first went into business, my partner and I decided to be “Generalists”. It came from a realisation that, in a world of increasing specialisation, experts were getting to know more and more about less and less. I figured they’d soon know everything about nothing, and that was not for me. I was happy to know less and less about more and more, even if l I finished up knowing nothing about everything. “I” considers himself to have been remarkably successful.
When you give up everything, you get it all.
There are two ways to get everything. One is to get something, then hang on to that while you get something else, then something else, and so on ad infinitum. That's what most of us do. In our search for satisfaction we grasp for more, for bigger, for better.The only problems with this plan are -- 1) That we keep dropping things we've got while reaching for something else; and 2) We realise we're not going to live long enough to get it all. So, in the face of the dwindling possibility of ultimate satisfaction we settle for gratification.
There is another way -- to give up everything until you have nothing. Nothing is a codename for infinite possibility. When you have Nothing, there is infinite space for whatever you need to show up, whenever you need it and you can be serenely content while you're not at it. That sounds to me like Abundance.
It's a paradox isn't it? To get whatever you want, you have to give up what you've got.
We're relucatant to do that because we believe in Scarcity and Lack. We're emotionally attached to the idea of a limited universe.
There's a very good reason why it won't work -- WANT. We think that if we don't want something, we won't get it. We think that the harder we want something, the more likely we are to get it. Could it be that the reverse is true? Could it be that the Wanting is the problem? Could it be that the Wanting becomes so addictive that it becomes an end unto itself? We want the Wanting, and that's what we've got? We never think to remove the Wanting, remove the desire, and create space for whatever to show up.
We say "It's either all or nothing", and we believe in that, as if the two ideas are mutually exclusive. But what if they're not? What if "All" and "Nothing" are two perceptions of the same thing -- unlimited possibility?
So let me re-state the paradox -- To get what you want you must give it all up, including the wanting.
And the rich young ruler went away disappointed (remember the one about a camel getting through the "eye of the needle"?)
There’s nothing to get – and I hope you get it.
Colin Hayes
There once was a man who hated the sound of his own footsteps and the sight of his own shadow. He hit on a plan: he would run away from them. So he ran, and he ran, and he ran….but still his footsteps stayed there and his shadow followed him close behind. So he decided to run faster in order to get away from them. He ran faster, and faster, and faster…but still his footsteps were there and his shadow stuck by him. Day after day, week after week, year after year, he ran faster and faster, but still his footsteps and his shadow dogged him.
One day he dropped dead, which was a pity
Because all he had ever needed to do was –
Step into the shade
And
Sit down
Colin Hayes
When I first went into business, my partner and I decided to be “Generalists”. It came from a realisation that, in a world of increasing specialisation, experts were getting to know more and more about less and less. I figured they’d soon know everything about nothing, and that was not for me. I was happy to know less and less about more and more, even if l I finished up knowing nothing about everything. “I” considers himself to have been remarkably successful.
When you give up everything, you get it all.
There are two ways to get everything. One is to get something, then hang on to that while you get something else, then something else, and so on ad infinitum. That's what most of us do. In our search for satisfaction we grasp for more, for bigger, for better.The only problems with this plan are -- 1) That we keep dropping things we've got while reaching for something else; and 2) We realise we're not going to live long enough to get it all. So, in the face of the dwindling possibility of ultimate satisfaction we settle for gratification.
There is another way -- to give up everything until you have nothing. Nothing is a codename for infinite possibility. When you have Nothing, there is infinite space for whatever you need to show up, whenever you need it and you can be serenely content while you're not at it. That sounds to me like Abundance.
It's a paradox isn't it? To get whatever you want, you have to give up what you've got.
We're relucatant to do that because we believe in Scarcity and Lack. We're emotionally attached to the idea of a limited universe.
There's a very good reason why it won't work -- WANT. We think that if we don't want something, we won't get it. We think that the harder we want something, the more likely we are to get it. Could it be that the reverse is true? Could it be that the Wanting is the problem? Could it be that the Wanting becomes so addictive that it becomes an end unto itself? We want the Wanting, and that's what we've got? We never think to remove the Wanting, remove the desire, and create space for whatever to show up.
We say "It's either all or nothing", and we believe in that, as if the two ideas are mutually exclusive. But what if they're not? What if "All" and "Nothing" are two perceptions of the same thing -- unlimited possibility?
So let me re-state the paradox -- To get what you want you must give it all up, including the wanting.
And the rich young ruler went away disappointed (remember the one about a camel getting through the "eye of the needle"?)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
BLAME or RESPONSIBILITY
Blame implies the existence of a conscious intent.
Responsibility implies involvement.
Blame is assigned to someone/thing else. Even when I declare "I blame myself", there is a Blamer and a Blamed -- probably "I" and "Me". It is a weapon of punishment and control.
Blame is an attempt to avoid responsibility.
Responsibility is something you accept and creatively engage with.
Blame is a one-way, dead-end cul-de-sac to anger and depression.
Responsibility is an open freeway to freedom.
Responsibility implies involvement.
Blame is assigned to someone/thing else. Even when I declare "I blame myself", there is a Blamer and a Blamed -- probably "I" and "Me". It is a weapon of punishment and control.
Blame is an attempt to avoid responsibility.
Responsibility is something you accept and creatively engage with.
Blame is a one-way, dead-end cul-de-sac to anger and depression.
Responsibility is an open freeway to freedom.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
BELIEFS
Beliefs are bridges over what you don't know.
Every belief is based on no direct experience.
When you know something from direct experience, belief is no longer necessary.
Living according to beliefs (P.S. they're not even yours, you know --- you adopted them Nth-hand from others) is like going to a lavish restaurant and eating the menu instead of the meal.
Every belief is based on no direct experience.
When you know something from direct experience, belief is no longer necessary.
Living according to beliefs (P.S. they're not even yours, you know --- you adopted them Nth-hand from others) is like going to a lavish restaurant and eating the menu instead of the meal.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
39 THINGS I'VE LEARNT THE HARD WAY (and still counting)
* There is no free lunch.
* It's all an illusion; we pretend it's real until we get carried away by our own pretense.
* Whatever we resist persists.
* My resentments cost me my freedom. I can't have both.
* A fool and my money are soon elected.
* We can choose our friends, but not our rellies. There is a reason for that.
* Good communication isn't hard: there are only 3 rules:-
* Never lick either a steak knife or the lid of a can you've just opened.
* Anyone who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter cannot be trusted. Pay attention.
* God has a sense of humour.
* God has no sense of humour. She takes you very literally at your word.
* When people say "I was only joking", they were telling you their truth: they just don't want to own up to it.
* It's all an illusion; we pretend it's real until we get carried away by our own pretense.
* Whatever we resist persists.
* My resentments cost me my freedom. I can't have both.
* A fool and my money are soon elected.
* We can choose our friends, but not our rellies. There is a reason for that.
* Good communication isn't hard: there are only 3 rules:-
- Say what is.
- Put it where it is (ie. in a context)
- Engage the listener.
* Never lick either a steak knife or the lid of a can you've just opened.
* Anyone who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter cannot be trusted. Pay attention.
* God has a sense of humour.
* God has no sense of humour. She takes you very literally at your word.
* When people say "I was only joking", they were telling you their truth: they just don't want to own up to it.
* Existence is an infinity of "This and that......and...." No possibility is excluded. Nothing is judged.
"Either this.........or that......." is an artifice created by the human mind that just wants to be right about its concepts, beliefs, opinions and conclusions.
* The purpose of life is life itself, just as it is.
* Your face and body after age 20 are all your own work.
* Keep trying new things. The Ark was built by a lone amateur. The Titanic was built by a bunch of highly qualified pros.
* There is no meaning -- we make that up. And it doesn't mean anything that it doesn't mean anything.
* A victim's life doesn't work, but most people take it up as a lifetime occupation.
* The purpose of life is life itself, just as it is.
* Your face and body after age 20 are all your own work.
* Keep trying new things. The Ark was built by a lone amateur. The Titanic was built by a bunch of highly qualified pros.
* There is no meaning -- we make that up. And it doesn't mean anything that it doesn't mean anything.
* A victim's life doesn't work, but most people take it up as a lifetime occupation.
* What is -- is. What ain't -- ain't. Everything else is just so much blah-blah-blah. Most people think the blah-blah-blah is somehow important.
* When "what-is" becomes more important than "what-ain't", suffering ceases.
* The only cause of suffering is addiction.
* This, too, will pass.
* There are no limits to the human capacity for stupidity.
* Given enough time and space, everything comes back to now/here.
* Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
* What your life is about is up to you. Quit looking elsewhere for "the answer".
* "The answer" is you, and your experience right now. You just forgot what the question was.
* Never, ever, ever, say anything to a woman that even remotely hints that she might be pregnant, unless you can actually see a baby emerging from her at that moment.
* It's all about Balance. Nature balances itself.
* There are consequences to everything, including every attempt to manipulate the consequences.
* The more things change, the more they stay the same.
* When something changes, it's component elements remain the same; the same shit just got moved around a bit, that's all. We don't need change; we need transformation.
* Women are mean and men are stupid.
* Boys.....never, ever hit a girl. No matter how painfully they taunt you, girls have universal moral immunity, and they know it.
* There is a universe of difference between Knowledge and Wisdom, Sympathy and Empathy, Quitting and Surrender, Believing and Knowing.
* A judge called Pilate asked one of his prisoners "You talk about Truth; what is Truth?" The other bloke just looked at him, without a flicker of attitude. Pilate was left carrying his own baggage. He couldn't handle it.
* When "what-is" becomes more important than "what-ain't", suffering ceases.
* The only cause of suffering is addiction.
* This, too, will pass.
* There are no limits to the human capacity for stupidity.
* Given enough time and space, everything comes back to now/here.
* Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
* What your life is about is up to you. Quit looking elsewhere for "the answer".
* "The answer" is you, and your experience right now. You just forgot what the question was.
* Never, ever, ever, say anything to a woman that even remotely hints that she might be pregnant, unless you can actually see a baby emerging from her at that moment.
* It's all about Balance. Nature balances itself.
* There are consequences to everything, including every attempt to manipulate the consequences.
* The more things change, the more they stay the same.
* When something changes, it's component elements remain the same; the same shit just got moved around a bit, that's all. We don't need change; we need transformation.
* Women are mean and men are stupid.
* Boys.....never, ever hit a girl. No matter how painfully they taunt you, girls have universal moral immunity, and they know it.
* There is a universe of difference between Knowledge and Wisdom, Sympathy and Empathy, Quitting and Surrender, Believing and Knowing.
* A judge called Pilate asked one of his prisoners "You talk about Truth; what is Truth?" The other bloke just looked at him, without a flicker of attitude. Pilate was left carrying his own baggage. He couldn't handle it.
* The longer the explanation, the bigger the lie.
* My emotions are my responsibility, no-one else's. Your feelings are yours; share them by all means, but don't dump them on anyone else.
* What others think of me is none of my business.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
MIRACLES?
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying "There are only two ways to live your life: one is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
I find both to be true -- Everything is a miracle, AND nothing is a miracle.
The best way I can explain this paradox is by saying "Everything is a miracle; and it doesn't mean anything that everything is a miracle -- there's nothing miraculous about that".
Seeing everything as a miracle returns me to my childhood, when everything was indeed fresh, and new and a constant source of wonder and awe, proper subjects for an insatiable curiosity and quest for experience. To be curious for experience is to know the heart of God. No one thing is any more or less important than any other. It's all a miracle.
And none of it is a miracle. It is what it is -- life. The purpose of life is life itself. If none of it is miraculous or important, then we cannot get hooked up on it. We are free. We can move on in gratitude. When we get hooked up in any way, we hit the pause button on life. And it's OK to experience that, too.
The great thing about this life is that we cannot fail. It's not an exam to be passed -- it's an experience to be had. An un-judged experience of Now is the timeless Prize.
I find both to be true -- Everything is a miracle, AND nothing is a miracle.
The best way I can explain this paradox is by saying "Everything is a miracle; and it doesn't mean anything that everything is a miracle -- there's nothing miraculous about that".
Seeing everything as a miracle returns me to my childhood, when everything was indeed fresh, and new and a constant source of wonder and awe, proper subjects for an insatiable curiosity and quest for experience. To be curious for experience is to know the heart of God. No one thing is any more or less important than any other. It's all a miracle.
And none of it is a miracle. It is what it is -- life. The purpose of life is life itself. If none of it is miraculous or important, then we cannot get hooked up on it. We are free. We can move on in gratitude. When we get hooked up in any way, we hit the pause button on life. And it's OK to experience that, too.
The great thing about this life is that we cannot fail. It's not an exam to be passed -- it's an experience to be had. An un-judged experience of Now is the timeless Prize.
Monday, October 08, 2007
YOU ARE WHAT YOU RESIST
Am I missing something?
This from Amanda Blair's column in yesterday's Adelaide Sunday Mail headlined "BIAS CUTS BOTH WAYS" --
.......52 year-old doctor, Tracie O'Keefe. At 15, as a young male, she began taking hormones and at 21 she had gender reassignment surgery.
Tracie had always known she was female, but nature had dished out the wrong set of genitals.
Some 30 years later she is living with her long term partner, Katrina Fox in a lesbian relationship....."
Oh hello!?? Now that is having a bet each way.
But I digress.....
Columnist Amanda went on to report Tracie's bitch about being discriminated against by the organizers of a function for "lesbian raised females" who've refused her admission on the grounds that the function was only for lesbians raised as females from birth. Amanda went on to express surprise that people who had experienced so much discrimination in their lives should themselves turn out to be arch discriminators.
Which planet did this lady just arrive from?
I don't remember now who introduced me to this concept, but I call it the Topdog/Underdog syndrome. In any social interaction, the chances are better than even that one party will assume the position of Topdog ("I'm doing this for your own good!"); and the other will assume the posture of Underdog ("Yes sir, thank you sir, three bags full sir"). Then will come a time when the Underdog becomes Topdog, either with that person or with someone else. When that happens, watch that Underdog become a meaner, more savage, devious Topdog than his/her previous tormentors ever were!! Listen around you. It's going on all the time. Haven't you ever looked at someone whose family you know and noticed "She does her mother better than her mother!"
There are many unalterable Laws of Life in this weird
realm we live in. Here are three of them --
This from Amanda Blair's column in yesterday's Adelaide Sunday Mail headlined "BIAS CUTS BOTH WAYS" --
.......52 year-old doctor, Tracie O'Keefe. At 15, as a young male, she began taking hormones and at 21 she had gender reassignment surgery.
Tracie had always known she was female, but nature had dished out the wrong set of genitals.
Some 30 years later she is living with her long term partner, Katrina Fox in a lesbian relationship....."
Oh hello!?? Now that is having a bet each way.
But I digress.....
Columnist Amanda went on to report Tracie's bitch about being discriminated against by the organizers of a function for "lesbian raised females" who've refused her admission on the grounds that the function was only for lesbians raised as females from birth. Amanda went on to express surprise that people who had experienced so much discrimination in their lives should themselves turn out to be arch discriminators.
Which planet did this lady just arrive from?
I don't remember now who introduced me to this concept, but I call it the Topdog/Underdog syndrome. In any social interaction, the chances are better than even that one party will assume the position of Topdog ("I'm doing this for your own good!"); and the other will assume the posture of Underdog ("Yes sir, thank you sir, three bags full sir"). Then will come a time when the Underdog becomes Topdog, either with that person or with someone else. When that happens, watch that Underdog become a meaner, more savage, devious Topdog than his/her previous tormentors ever were!! Listen around you. It's going on all the time. Haven't you ever looked at someone whose family you know and noticed "She does her mother better than her mother!"
There are many unalterable Laws of Life in this weird
realm we live in. Here are three of them --
- What you resist -- persists
- You BECOME what you resist
- You already ARE what you resist, and what you resist will keep showing up in your face until you say "yes" to your ownership of it.
But we don't cop to it. We're afraid that, by saying "Yes, I am that way sometimes", we'll become the victim of it. The reverse is true. By denying it, we're perpetuating it and the dominance of it over out well-being. By saying "yes" to what we don't like, we give ourselves freedom to choose -- we give ourselves author-ity in the matter.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS
FEAR
Fear is an emotional reaction to a perceived departure from your emotional attachment to the way you think things ought to be. The severity of the attachment determines the debilitating severity of the resulting Fear.
ANGER
Complaint, with the volume turned up.
An extreme emotional attachment to the way you think things ought to be, and a reactive resistance to your perception of a departure from that.
REMORSE
An emotional attachment to the way you think you ought to be, and a reactive awareness of your departure from that ideal.
Fear is an emotional reaction to a perceived departure from your emotional attachment to the way you think things ought to be. The severity of the attachment determines the debilitating severity of the resulting Fear.
ANGER
Complaint, with the volume turned up.
An extreme emotional attachment to the way you think things ought to be, and a reactive resistance to your perception of a departure from that.
REMORSE
An emotional attachment to the way you think you ought to be, and a reactive awareness of your departure from that ideal.
-------------------
Because these conditions were never reasoned into in the first place, they cannot be reasoned out of. The way out is intuitive/emotional. This is not about change: this is about transformation.
A goose was once raised in a large bottle. As it grew, however, it became too large for the bottle. Question:- How do you get the goose out, without damaging either the goose or the bottle? Answer:- The goose is out. It was never in in the first place -- that was a lie.
For peace of no-mind, all attachments must be dropped. Let 'em go (and don't get attached to getting unattached!)
Because these conditions were never reasoned into in the first place, they cannot be reasoned out of. The way out is intuitive/emotional. This is not about change: this is about transformation.
A goose was once raised in a large bottle. As it grew, however, it became too large for the bottle. Question:- How do you get the goose out, without damaging either the goose or the bottle? Answer:- The goose is out. It was never in in the first place -- that was a lie.
For peace of no-mind, all attachments must be dropped. Let 'em go (and don't get attached to getting unattached!)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
DEFINITION & INFINITION
When we define something we give it boundaries and limits, so that it will fit into a pigeonhole of "understanding".
When a boundary is drawn around anything, we are then able to discriminate between that which "it is" and that which "it is not". Discrimination is a comfort to the scared Mind, ever fearful of not-knowing and not-being-in-control. An illusion of Certainty arises from the inevitable judging of Right from Wrong, Good from Bad, Safe from Dangerous.
The end results are Polarity, Position-ality and Right-eousness. Our growth has got stuck in an endless loop of feedback.
Infinition, on the other hand, is the antithesis of Definition. There are no boundaries, no limits. No pigeonholes, no "understanding". Infinition opens to the possibility of Wisdom. Infinition is satisfied to experience the experience, rather than waste time trying to understand it. e.g. As a lad, I could have read and understood all the books in the world about Balance, but I still would not have been able to ride a bike. To do that, I had to get on it and go for a ride. To live life, all you have to do is get on and go for the ride. Experiencing is the prize; understanding is the booby-prize. That is Wisdom
In Infinition, there is no judgmental discrimination: only simple Awareness. Innocence (I-know- sense). No criticism; nothing to get defensive about. There is Openness to Possibiility.
Infinition is a context. It allows Definition to exist -- unmolested. The Infinite is always greater than the Finite.
The end results are Polarity, Position-ality and Right-eousness. Our growth has got stuck in an endless loop of feedback.
Infinition, on the other hand, is the antithesis of Definition. There are no boundaries, no limits. No pigeonholes, no "understanding". Infinition opens to the possibility of Wisdom. Infinition is satisfied to experience the experience, rather than waste time trying to understand it. e.g. As a lad, I could have read and understood all the books in the world about Balance, but I still would not have been able to ride a bike. To do that, I had to get on it and go for a ride. To live life, all you have to do is get on and go for the ride. Experiencing is the prize; understanding is the booby-prize. That is Wisdom
In Infinition, there is no judgmental discrimination: only simple Awareness. Innocence (I-know- sense). No criticism; nothing to get defensive about. There is Openness to Possibiility.
Infinition is a context. It allows Definition to exist -- unmolested. The Infinite is always greater than the Finite.
OPINIONS
We all have opinions on just about everything; and we treasure those opinions more highly than life itself.
Do you want to know how important your opinions really are? Here is a simple test you can do to find out.......
Get the message.
Do you want to know how important your opinions really are? Here is a simple test you can do to find out.......
.......One night, preferably moonless, go to a secluded place in the open, look up at the stars, and give them your opinions on anything and everything. Really put them out there! Go for broke (hence the advice to go somewhere isolated, otherwise the neighbours might call 000.)
Give it all you've got -- loud and passionate.
When you're finally done, watch very carefully and observe how much the universe around you moves as a result of your opinions.
Give it all you've got -- loud and passionate.
When you're finally done, watch very carefully and observe how much the universe around you moves as a result of your opinions.
Get the message.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
And it is also true that there is a magic about you for which the universe will move.
But it doesn't lie anywhere near your beliefs, concepts or opinions -- or anyone else's either.
And it is also true that there is a magic about you for which the universe will move.
But it doesn't lie anywhere near your beliefs, concepts or opinions -- or anyone else's either.
GROUPS
Selfishness prevails over altruism within any group.
But altruistic groups, sooner or later, prevail over selfish groups.
Everything else is just so much opinion.
But altruistic groups, sooner or later, prevail over selfish groups.
Everything else is just so much opinion.
Monday, July 16, 2007
HAPPINESS
Happiness is that which remains after suffering is dropped. Happiness is the absence of Unhappiness.
Like the sun on a cloudy day, Happiness may be obscured from time to time, but it never goes away. It is available, whenever we're ready to change our point of view.
Why are we so reluctant to drop our suffering and experience happiness? What is the payoff supposed to be for withholding from our own happiness and wellbeing?
Hmmmmm?
Who do we think we're controlling by being unhappy?
Sit on that and ponder awhile.
Like the sun on a cloudy day, Happiness may be obscured from time to time, but it never goes away. It is available, whenever we're ready to change our point of view.
Why are we so reluctant to drop our suffering and experience happiness? What is the payoff supposed to be for withholding from our own happiness and wellbeing?
Hmmmmm?
Who do we think we're controlling by being unhappy?
Sit on that and ponder awhile.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
PARDON ME, BUT .............
When you Pardon someone,
It's an act of arrogance and control -- lightyears away from Forgiveness.
Forgiving is LETTING GO
Pardoning is HANGING ON. A connection of obligation remains. There's an element of control ("Do it again and I'll bust your balls!")
Do you want to be free?
Then STOP.......stop........stop...........
Just...........let.........go.
When Forgivness happens (and it's often an act of grace) baggage is dropped forever. The one most blessed is the Forgiver.
Two celibate monks were travelling from one village to another. They came across a swift stream, where there was a woman waiting on the bank, fearful of the depth and the current. She begged the monks to carry her across.
The elder of the two picked her up, and the three made their way safely to the other side, where the woman thanked them profusely and went her separate way.
For the next mile the two monks travelled in silence, but the youger monk was in turmoil. Finally he could contain himself no longer. "You should not have done that," he railed upon the elder monk. "We are celibates. We are forbidden from touching women. You have been tainted. The abbott will be furious when he finds out!"
The elder monk turned to his companion and replied calmly, "She asked for a lift. I gave her a lift, and put her down a mile back. How come you're still carrying her?"
Forgiveness is not an occasional act: it is a permanent way of being in this world.
It's an act of arrogance and control -- lightyears away from Forgiveness.
Forgiving is LETTING GO
Pardoning is HANGING ON. A connection of obligation remains. There's an element of control ("Do it again and I'll bust your balls!")
Do you want to be free?
Then STOP.......stop........stop...........
Just...........let.........go.
When Forgivness happens (and it's often an act of grace) baggage is dropped forever. The one most blessed is the Forgiver.
Two celibate monks were travelling from one village to another. They came across a swift stream, where there was a woman waiting on the bank, fearful of the depth and the current. She begged the monks to carry her across.
The elder of the two picked her up, and the three made their way safely to the other side, where the woman thanked them profusely and went her separate way.
For the next mile the two monks travelled in silence, but the youger monk was in turmoil. Finally he could contain himself no longer. "You should not have done that," he railed upon the elder monk. "We are celibates. We are forbidden from touching women. You have been tainted. The abbott will be furious when he finds out!"
The elder monk turned to his companion and replied calmly, "She asked for a lift. I gave her a lift, and put her down a mile back. How come you're still carrying her?"
Forgiveness is not an occasional act: it is a permanent way of being in this world.
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.....
Have you ever heard a statement prefaced by "Well, to be honest with you....."
Have you ever heard your self say it?
When you hear that one next time -- be aware.......
(There's a lie lurking nearby.)
Have you ever heard your self say it?
When you hear that one next time -- be aware.......
(There's a lie lurking nearby.)
YOU'RE A LONG TIME DEAD
I remembered that old saying just a day or two ago -- You're a long time dead....
Well, no time at all really.
Maybe it's a good time to take time (while you still have time) to experience whatever takes your fancy,
while "you" is still alive.
Well, no time at all really.
Maybe it's a good time to take time (while you still have time) to experience whatever takes your fancy,
while "you" is still alive.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
THINK FOR YOURSELF
Think for yourself.
There are no right or wrong answers; no right or wrong turnings --
Only Experience, being experienced.
The question is, are you home for the experience, or out on the world's longest lunch-hour?
John Lennon wrote in "Beautiful Boy" -- "Life is what's happening while you're making other plans."
To think for yourself is to be free of those who seek to influence your choices.
Life serves up a smorgasbord of experience, with an invitation to be conscious and present for the feast.
No need to dress up: come as you are.
There are no right or wrong answers; no right or wrong turnings --
Only Experience, being experienced.
The question is, are you home for the experience, or out on the world's longest lunch-hour?
John Lennon wrote in "Beautiful Boy" -- "Life is what's happening while you're making other plans."
To think for yourself is to be free of those who seek to influence your choices.
Life serves up a smorgasbord of experience, with an invitation to be conscious and present for the feast.
No need to dress up: come as you are.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
PEACE
The polar opposite of Peace is Apathy.
(Apathy is an overwhelming mixture of fear and resentment in disguise. )
In a condition of Apathy, nothing is possible. In a state of Peace, anything is possible.
Peace is the abiding state of all creation. Other stuff may obscure it from view, but cannot destroy it, any more than a cloud can destroy the sun. Peace is at peace with all things as they are -- even conflict.
In a condition of Apathy, nothing is possible. In a state of Peace, anything is possible.
Peace is the abiding state of all creation. Other stuff may obscure it from view, but cannot destroy it, any more than a cloud can destroy the sun. Peace is at peace with all things as they are -- even conflict.
A Japanese master once gave a pupil a sheet of paper and a stick of charcoal and asked him to draw his concept of Peace. For half an hour the pupil laboured diligently and finally handed his master back the paper. On it was a drawing of a serene mountain lake, with the mountains, the trees and tufts of woolly cloud floating in a sunny sky perfectly reflected in the unruffled surface of the lake.
The master nodded his appreciation, then took another sheet of paper and stick of charcoal. For less than a minute the charcoal flew and swirled vigorously, then stopped abruptly. The master handed his paper to the pupil.
On it was a crude representation of a thundering waterfall. On the face of the cliff at the very edge of the boiling cataract he saw a tiny bush, clinging for life in a niche in the rocks. In the fronds of this precarious perch a bird had built its nest. On the edge of the nest the bird was feeding morsels of food it had brought back to its chicks, who were eating greedily.
The pupil looked up inquiringly at his master. "That is Peace," the master said quietly. "What you drew me was Stagnation."
Peace is the presence of God. Silence is the language of God; everything else is just static. Find the silence behind the static, and be at Peace. Find the Peace that is at peace with the existence of war, and be at peace.
Peace is with you: go in Peace.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
SOME THINGS JUST TAKE TIME
SOME THINGS JUST TAKE TIME
Well, in this realm of the senses, they do. In the world we now exist, the idea of time has been created to mark off the distance between perceived beginning and ending points into more or less equal parts. I’m thinking of the time between sunrise and sunset -- the time between one revolution of the earth and the next, the time between one circuit around our sun and the next.
Time is an idea we have adopted to help us manage living in this plane. And look at the plethora of instruments we’ve invented to keep track of these imaginary markers! Look at our dependence on them, and the authority we give them over our lives! We even pay king's ransoms for certain of these "timepieces", when all they do is mark "time". A cheap watch from your local mall does just as well.
But if we take a few steps back and see our existence in the space of infinity, time becomes irrelevant. In Infinity there is no beginning, and no ending. There are no marker points to measure off from or to.
Time is an appearance; a fiction. Time is useful, up to a point. Until we realise that it doesn’t exist.
Then where are we?
Where we always have been -- in Eternity.
There is a misconception widely abroad that Eternity is waiting some time in the future. Not so. Eternity is -- where it has always been and will always be -- here and now.
All we have is NOW.
How long is a “now” moment? No time at all. Now is eternal; it never ends.
“I” would like to spend more time here/now, in no time at all. Trouble is, “I” starts to think about it and – bang – “I” is out of now.
The good news is that the Not-I never leaves the Now. “That-which-I-truly-am” and “now” are one, and remain so regardless of what else is going on. All we have to do is remember that.
“Oh, my God, what time is it?”
Now.
Well, in this realm of the senses, they do. In the world we now exist, the idea of time has been created to mark off the distance between perceived beginning and ending points into more or less equal parts. I’m thinking of the time between sunrise and sunset -- the time between one revolution of the earth and the next, the time between one circuit around our sun and the next.
Time is an idea we have adopted to help us manage living in this plane. And look at the plethora of instruments we’ve invented to keep track of these imaginary markers! Look at our dependence on them, and the authority we give them over our lives! We even pay king's ransoms for certain of these "timepieces", when all they do is mark "time". A cheap watch from your local mall does just as well.
But if we take a few steps back and see our existence in the space of infinity, time becomes irrelevant. In Infinity there is no beginning, and no ending. There are no marker points to measure off from or to.
Time is an appearance; a fiction. Time is useful, up to a point. Until we realise that it doesn’t exist.
Then where are we?
Where we always have been -- in Eternity.
There is a misconception widely abroad that Eternity is waiting some time in the future. Not so. Eternity is -- where it has always been and will always be -- here and now.
All we have is NOW.
How long is a “now” moment? No time at all. Now is eternal; it never ends.
“I” would like to spend more time here/now, in no time at all. Trouble is, “I” starts to think about it and – bang – “I” is out of now.
The good news is that the Not-I never leaves the Now. “That-which-I-truly-am” and “now” are one, and remain so regardless of what else is going on. All we have to do is remember that.
“Oh, my God, what time is it?”
Now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)