Gregory! Some high-keynotes that truly inspires a stage in my work...
"to realize that if I don’t start embodying the teachings of the wise ones, than those teachings will likely die along with my teachers."...
It graces a returning question I hold dearly to myself...
"What will be buried with you?"
"How would you like the Earth to remember you?"
... knowing that if I continue - as strongly as possible - to live the valor/values that are innate in my Own System (vs. the systemic world) - it is in the Universal Directive (I have issues with new-age-spirituality and the whole 'New World' ideology... what if we could just live in the world as-is, as-we-are, and heal from THIS POINT NOW - instead of putting on a 'manifest' of some other determined world that we only hold in imagination as 'perfect, whole, and unified' - discasing the uniqueness we all hold dearly WITHIN our imperfection) quick tangent...
To live the values innate in my system connected with a Universal Creative... knowing that no matter what/who I involve my whole essence with... it is in part playing the role of Creation itself...
And your writing deepening that functionality of...
Good questions Jacob. To be sure, the answers to these questions vary drastically depending on what language we dream in. Recently I borrow from Sophie Strands prayers, "Make me good soil." All blessings...
We all walk different paths, yet the paths of wisdom all lead toward the same Truth. This essay so beautifully articulates such a vital perspective: we cannot forget that the loving essence of philosophy (the love of wisdom) speaks from the genuine spirit within life itself.
As a Jew who is struggling in a climate of Christianity to preserve my Jewish spirit, I think it’s imperative that we strive for the teaching, and not simply those which teach. A guru should never be transformed into an idol — their example is worthless if they don’t inspire others to live by their teaching. True religiosity must cut to the heart of one’s love and the conscience of one’s mind: the whole of one’s relationships within community, within the world. We must learn to fill a niche in society that guides others towards love and liberation, and to not simply fall into the dehumanizing grind of modern life.
Beautiful reflection Jordan. And as a Jew, (as is also true for all) you have such a rich cross-pollination of diverse his/herstories. Which begs one to ask, might there be more than one Truth? More than one Origin? Might we not be leading "toward the same truth" but eternally making more beautiful the myriad truths constantly regenerating ad infinitum? Thank you for sharing.
Perfection is beautiful, but is it wisdom? I remember hearing a great wisdom teacher tell about sitting next to a mother caring for a small child on a long flight. Amazed at her caring love and patience he remarked that her spiritual practices exceeded his and that of many teachers who sit on their platforms. To live as a human being who cares day in and day out honoring the emotional and physical truth of life is maybe not as rare as we think and a much greater feat than we ususally credit. A teacher like the Dalai Lama is the recipient of countless ancestors and benefits from the services of hundreds who allow him to offer such glorious spaciousness of Being. I revere him. I also revere and want to center ordinary people whose wisdom makes them more human not less. Wisdom is rooted in experience! It is also rooted in the humility of truths that help to shed light on the ultimate nature of things. I am grateful to come home to the REAL each day and for the reminder.
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.
I believe that perfection inherently includes the elegance of "mistakes", having awareness of them and playing with it joyfully, learning from everything. The Buddha shares in the prajnamaramita suta that "form is emptiness, emptiness is form". There is a lot to unpack here. But I feel that one aspect of this profound Truth is something akin to "perfection is imperfect, Imperfection is perfect". Even the Dalai Lama makes mistakes, but he does so with wisdom. Ha! I am reminded of a joke. It's cheesy, so bear with me Cynthia:) ... It goes like this: The master was with his student one morning and instructed him thus; "You must be completely present with all that you do. When eating your breakfast, only eat your breakfast. Be mindful of each bite. When you drink your coffee, look deeply into each sip. When you read your morning paper, only focus on what you are reading. Be fully present and fully aware." The student took the masters teachings to heart. He went about his days doing as the great teacher had told him. He remained present with all that he did, only focusing on the task at hand and nothing else. Then one morning he entered the dining hall and was surprised to see his master eating a donut, drinking coffee and reading the paper all at the same time! He rushed to him and said, "Master! Forgive me! But you said to only focus on the task at hand!" After hearing this the master laughed and turned to his beloved student and said, "Yes! When you are drinking coffee, only pay attention to the coffee. When you are reading, only do that. When eating a donut, observe with great focus every bite. And! When you are eating a donut, drinking coffee and reading the paper at the same time, pay attention to eating a donut, drinking coffee and reading the paper at the same time!" --- :)
Love you too! The mushroom Festival was great. It is a big contrast for me from a week long wild food solo retreat in the mountains to a mushroom martigras. It was fun dancing to Eitenne and all the live drummers at the mushroom parade in wacky comstumes. I loved my teaching offerings and the wild food dinner was a success with a standing ovation. Although when we got to the kitchen with all the wild harvest, there was no pots or pans or bowls or anything so we had to go on a treasure hunt to make it all happen. It was a bit more challenging for me to integrate the two contrasting experineces this year. I felt so free in the woods and wasn't sure if I wanted to take on all the responsibilities of managing a booth/business and such. Thanks for asking! Blessings to you all!
Here it is, in nutshell: "We see what we wish to see based on what we have been conditioned to see, what we have been allowed to see, and never is it really what it is." Kernel of truth for today, and tomorrow if there is to be one. This is why it's important we keep learning and cutting through all the "smoke and mirrors" to see, understand and appreciate another view of a life well-lived. Your journey sounds like one you are taking consciously, intentionally and with a deep and abiding faith in Spirit over substance. Wisdom that transcends the physical and material world which is how to be in it but not of it.
Gregory! Some high-keynotes that truly inspires a stage in my work...
"to realize that if I don’t start embodying the teachings of the wise ones, than those teachings will likely die along with my teachers."...
It graces a returning question I hold dearly to myself...
"What will be buried with you?"
"How would you like the Earth to remember you?"
... knowing that if I continue - as strongly as possible - to live the valor/values that are innate in my Own System (vs. the systemic world) - it is in the Universal Directive (I have issues with new-age-spirituality and the whole 'New World' ideology... what if we could just live in the world as-is, as-we-are, and heal from THIS POINT NOW - instead of putting on a 'manifest' of some other determined world that we only hold in imagination as 'perfect, whole, and unified' - discasing the uniqueness we all hold dearly WITHIN our imperfection) quick tangent...
To live the values innate in my system connected with a Universal Creative... knowing that no matter what/who I involve my whole essence with... it is in part playing the role of Creation itself...
And your writing deepening that functionality of...
Wisdom Created...
Good questions Jacob. To be sure, the answers to these questions vary drastically depending on what language we dream in. Recently I borrow from Sophie Strands prayers, "Make me good soil." All blessings...
Thank you
We all walk different paths, yet the paths of wisdom all lead toward the same Truth. This essay so beautifully articulates such a vital perspective: we cannot forget that the loving essence of philosophy (the love of wisdom) speaks from the genuine spirit within life itself.
As a Jew who is struggling in a climate of Christianity to preserve my Jewish spirit, I think it’s imperative that we strive for the teaching, and not simply those which teach. A guru should never be transformed into an idol — their example is worthless if they don’t inspire others to live by their teaching. True religiosity must cut to the heart of one’s love and the conscience of one’s mind: the whole of one’s relationships within community, within the world. We must learn to fill a niche in society that guides others towards love and liberation, and to not simply fall into the dehumanizing grind of modern life.
Beautiful reflection Jordan. And as a Jew, (as is also true for all) you have such a rich cross-pollination of diverse his/herstories. Which begs one to ask, might there be more than one Truth? More than one Origin? Might we not be leading "toward the same truth" but eternally making more beautiful the myriad truths constantly regenerating ad infinitum? Thank you for sharing.
It’s a struggle to integrate Holy teachings into your life, but it is the most vital work.
Perfection is beautiful, but is it wisdom? I remember hearing a great wisdom teacher tell about sitting next to a mother caring for a small child on a long flight. Amazed at her caring love and patience he remarked that her spiritual practices exceeded his and that of many teachers who sit on their platforms. To live as a human being who cares day in and day out honoring the emotional and physical truth of life is maybe not as rare as we think and a much greater feat than we ususally credit. A teacher like the Dalai Lama is the recipient of countless ancestors and benefits from the services of hundreds who allow him to offer such glorious spaciousness of Being. I revere him. I also revere and want to center ordinary people whose wisdom makes them more human not less. Wisdom is rooted in experience! It is also rooted in the humility of truths that help to shed light on the ultimate nature of things. I am grateful to come home to the REAL each day and for the reminder.
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.
I believe that perfection inherently includes the elegance of "mistakes", having awareness of them and playing with it joyfully, learning from everything. The Buddha shares in the prajnamaramita suta that "form is emptiness, emptiness is form". There is a lot to unpack here. But I feel that one aspect of this profound Truth is something akin to "perfection is imperfect, Imperfection is perfect". Even the Dalai Lama makes mistakes, but he does so with wisdom. Ha! I am reminded of a joke. It's cheesy, so bear with me Cynthia:) ... It goes like this: The master was with his student one morning and instructed him thus; "You must be completely present with all that you do. When eating your breakfast, only eat your breakfast. Be mindful of each bite. When you drink your coffee, look deeply into each sip. When you read your morning paper, only focus on what you are reading. Be fully present and fully aware." The student took the masters teachings to heart. He went about his days doing as the great teacher had told him. He remained present with all that he did, only focusing on the task at hand and nothing else. Then one morning he entered the dining hall and was surprised to see his master eating a donut, drinking coffee and reading the paper all at the same time! He rushed to him and said, "Master! Forgive me! But you said to only focus on the task at hand!" After hearing this the master laughed and turned to his beloved student and said, "Yes! When you are drinking coffee, only pay attention to the coffee. When you are reading, only do that. When eating a donut, observe with great focus every bite. And! When you are eating a donut, drinking coffee and reading the paper at the same time, pay attention to eating a donut, drinking coffee and reading the paper at the same time!" --- :)
Thank you Gregory!
Love you Katrina! How was the Telluride Mushroom Festival?!
Love you too! The mushroom Festival was great. It is a big contrast for me from a week long wild food solo retreat in the mountains to a mushroom martigras. It was fun dancing to Eitenne and all the live drummers at the mushroom parade in wacky comstumes. I loved my teaching offerings and the wild food dinner was a success with a standing ovation. Although when we got to the kitchen with all the wild harvest, there was no pots or pans or bowls or anything so we had to go on a treasure hunt to make it all happen. It was a bit more challenging for me to integrate the two contrasting experineces this year. I felt so free in the woods and wasn't sure if I wanted to take on all the responsibilities of managing a booth/business and such. Thanks for asking! Blessings to you all!
Ah, the parallel universes we juggle in this grand garden of dangers and delights! Marvelous! :)
Here it is, in nutshell: "We see what we wish to see based on what we have been conditioned to see, what we have been allowed to see, and never is it really what it is." Kernel of truth for today, and tomorrow if there is to be one. This is why it's important we keep learning and cutting through all the "smoke and mirrors" to see, understand and appreciate another view of a life well-lived. Your journey sounds like one you are taking consciously, intentionally and with a deep and abiding faith in Spirit over substance. Wisdom that transcends the physical and material world which is how to be in it but not of it.
If I have learned anything it is that I know very little. I always learn form you Gary:) Thankyou for sharing.
Thanks! “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.” Attributed to Aristotle. What we know is that there is always more to learn.