The Seeker And The One

Many of us seek an answer to the mystery of life; an ultimate goal. However, that search will bear no fruit. The seeker and that which is being sought are one and the same. We seek communion with God, or a sense of oneness without realizing that we are already one with the Universe. There is no goal to be reached but, rather, a realization needs to take place.

The search for spiritual fulfillment is part of a great drama of Life, as is the result of that search: the state of “enlightenment”. However, this great drama is not being “presented” to anyone outside of the One. We, as individuals, do not exist. That is an illusion created by dualistic thought. You can’t separate yourself from the Whole. The world and your environment are as much a part of you as is your heart or your brain. If you don’t believe me, just try living on the Moon or Mars (that is without artificially recreating an Earthlike environment).

So we are a part of the Earth. The Earth is part of the Solar System, which is part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is part of the Universe. We exist because the Universe does, and the Universe exists because we do. It is mutual. In fact, it is One.

A social website once posed the question, "If you were enlightened, how would your life be different?" I posted the following quotes:

Strong wine, fat meat, peppery things, very sweet things, these have not real taste; real taste is plain and simple. Supernatural, extraordinary feats do not characterize a real man; a real man is quite ordinary in behavior. 

From "The Gospel According to Zen"

Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.

- Old Zen Proverb

What is enlightenment? Who is enlightened? Who is not enlightened?

The distracted, "unenlightened" mind is filled with anxiety and thoughts — wondering "How long will it take to complete these chores?", "How will these actions affect the rest of my day?", and "Oh, I wish I were doing something else".

The undivided or "enlightened" mind is only concerned with this moment — carrying out tasks as simply as any other present moment activity.

What is referred to as enlightenment is simply that realization wherein the illusion of ego and a world of separate individuals and things vanishes. It cannot be attained by seeking, as it is the seeker (the ego-image) that must vanish.

If it’s spiritual enlightenment you're after, you won’t likely find it through your meetings with a “spiritual coach” or through some “enlightenment seminar”. If you are promised as much, then those making the promise should be treated with skepticism. They may not be the enlightened beings they claim to be (and they may have an ulterior motive; namely, the acquisition of some of your hard-earned cash).

A truly enlightened person is not likely to refer to themself as such (i.e., an enlightened individual) to the exclusion of all others. The answers you seek are all within you at this moment and a true guru will urge you to look inward for your True Self.

The light of the One shines now; and it does so on Its own. Nothing needs to be done but to experience it as it is in this moment.

No More War?

 

The little girl saw her first troop parade and asked,
'What are those?'
'Soldiers.'
'What are soldiers?'
'They are for war. They fight and each tries to kill as many of the other side as he can.'
The girl held still and studied.
'Do you know . . . I know something?'
'Yes, what is it you know?'
'Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come.'

- Carl Sandburg from his poem The People, Yes

Wouldn't it be nice if that little girl was right? Sadly, with our current global mindset, I fear that it is just a pipe dream.

Surely, if enough people decided not to participate in war, then we might see an end to these senseless large-scale conflicts. But how do we go about creating this widespread acceptance of peace over war?

In a Remembrance Day post of mine, I stated that if I am to mourn those who died due to the madness of war, then I mourn every soldier who died; regardless of which “side” they were on.

I refuse to support “our” troops or to take place in a military ceremony commemorating “our” fallen comrades, lest “we” forget. I refuse to oppose those dirty rotten “others”. This “us” vs. “them” mentality is what brings about war in the first place. Is it not obvious that this is the source of all conflict?

As Jiddu Krishnamurti said, "When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind."

On the other hand, the poem  In Flanders Fields exhorts us to “Take up our quarrel with the foe...”

What foe?

All persons on this planet are my brothers and sisters. We are undeniably tied to everyone and everything. When we fight someone else, we fight ourselves. We create enemies that don’t really exist.

To put an end to war forever, we need a new direction. But where do we go? Who do we turn to? The UN? NATO? Our elected “leaders”? Organized religion? (God help us). No. None of these have ever demonstrated the ability to bring about lasting peace, and they never will.

We need to realize our connection to each other; and not just realize it intellectually, but actually feel it and live it. It must be a full time occupation. We must abandon our egocentric thoughts and behavior in favor of an identity with the Whole of existence. This is the only thing that will prevent large scale conflicts altogether. Only you, the individual — who, in reality, is not an individual but a part of the Whole — can create peace. It must come from within.

Only peaceful souls can effect a peaceful world.

How To Effect Real Social Change

An iron-handed government is toppled. A war ends. Rights are granted to an oppressed minority. These are results that have been gained through social activism. But, a new despot lurks in the shadows, and a new war is brewing over some idiotic cause. Prejudice, fear and hatred toward others continues.

Society is just another name for the ego-driven populace. So-called social change does absolutely nothing to drive the ego illusion from our collective minds: no real change takes place at all. Old problems are inevitably replaced by new ones.

No demonstration, march, social protest, or fight is going to bring about peace on this planet. Yes, we can defeat a Hitler by standing up and giving him a collective and well-deserved punch in the nose. But a new bully will surely appear somewhere and a new crisis begins. The up and down drama of life goes on.

I am not advocating passivity nor am I advocating action. Rather, I would suggest a passive action based on a shift in thought; a shift that will ultimately result in how you react to a situation.  

Peace can’t be forced. Peace and happiness are natural states that arise when we dwell in the silent Source. There, ego fades and the death of the “self” is replaced by the emergent True Self. 

The ego-mind is always searching, always struggling, always fighting, always looking ahead, never content. It’s easy to see that an ego-driven society is doomed to a state of unrest.

Abandon the image of a separate you. Identify with the One for meaningful change and true lasting peace.

An Effortless Life

They say that with age comes wisdom. But does it?

What knowledge do I possess now that I did not thirty, forty, or fifty years ago? Exactly who is it that is now wise, where he was once “unwise”? Was I not already endowed — from birth — with all of the essential qualities needed to fully experience and appreciate life? Have I not always been able to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? Have I not always been a “child of the Universe”?

Real wisdom is inherent in everyone. We know how to live; how to exist; and we do. Moreover, we live without effort; but our limited conscious minds tell us otherwise.

Does real living require any effort? It takes no effort to see, hear, touch, smell or taste. Really think about the following: no mental or physical exertion is required for your heart to beat; thoughts come and go — effortlessly;  the blood circulates; breathing goes in and out as the body maintains a proper temperature; food is digested and the body rids itself of waste; hair and nails grow; the mouth stays moist with saliva; cuts and bruises heal on their own. All of this, and more, happens with no conscious effort.

Everything which is done without conscious attention is done effortlessly. When ego and conscious attention get in the way, a “struggle” ensues and life seems difficult. 

Imagine trying, through force, to taste, hear, smell, feel, and see. Just try using your conscious attention to stop thoughts from entering your mind. It's impossible.

When restless thoughts do subside, they do so not by effort, but by an acceptance and appreciation of the present experience. Then we see beyond concepts, duality, and all the illusions created by the ego-conscious mind. Then we experience life as it is — an effortless expression of the True Self.

A Thief Leaves The Moon

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal. 

Ryokan returned and caught him. “You may have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.” 

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away. 

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

Wisdom From The Tree

 The following is from a post from the highly recommended site Pure Silence:

"I had a short discussion with a couple of co-workers this last evening and the question of "Well, why are we here? What is our purpose in this life?" came up. I didn't have a really good answer at the time so I really could not respond to the question, but later on this came to me..

What if we were able to speak tree dialect, and asked the same question of a tree "What is the purpose of life?" This tree might answer "The purpose of  this life is to blissfully abide in the loving silence of the Source of All. My purpose is to give back that love to all the other creations of the Source. For some, I would be shelter, for others food, and for still others, a home. In the silence, I don't "do" anything but simply BE. I realize pain, suffering and in some distant NOW, physical death will be my fate; the woodsman's axe may cut me and the winds of Spring may uproot me, but I remain silent and loving to the last. In return for the love for It's creations, the One sustains this object that I am with rain and sunlight and the nutrients of the ground. I grow strong and straight and become a useful instrument for the will of the Source. My life can not have a greater balance and purpose." 

If this same question was asked of the grass, the answer might be "the purpose of my existence is to be the silent carrier of the Will of the One. I and objects like me touch the lives of those who do not even know me. The oxygen I exhale sustains the whole world, to some I provide a source of nourishment, and even some of the smallest objects find me a haven and shelter. These objects from the Source need this loving gift and I give it freely through the Will of the One. I realize that there will, also be pain and suffering. Drought, fire and the hand of humanity may destroy this created object, but the Will of the Source supersedes all."

Now ask the ego-driven humans this same question and they will write volumes and volumes of text, create numerous religions, name numerous "gods", designate gurus , masters, teachers, saints and saviors. They will theologize, rationalize, hypothesize and criticize. They will create tenets, dogmas, policies and procedures. They will argue, blame, attack and create wars for the privilege of being able to stand on their spiritual soapbox and proclaim their "god" is greater that your "god", while at their feet are the voices of  the objects of the other "gods" , yelling, shouting , SCREAMING.....

....and the tree stands tall and silent, blissfully abiding in the peaceful and loving silence of the Source of All while giving love to all equally and  unconditionally unshaken in the understanding of it's true purpose of life."

The First Two Editions

In Tetsugen's time the holy Buddhist books in Chinese had never
been published in Japanese, and Tetsugen thought they should be
prepared so for his own countrymen. He planned to have several
thousand copies printed from hand-engraved woodblocks, and went
from town to town to collect donations so this great work could go
ahead. After ten years he had the money needed, and started to
have the blocks cut.

Just then the Uji river flooded, and there was famine in the land.
Tetsugen took the money he had collected, and bought rice for the
starving people. Then he started out to collect his funds again.
Whether the donation was a little one or in coins of gold, he was
equally grateful. After some years, he had the money again.

Then an epidemic passed over the country. Thousands of families
were left without support. So Tetsugen spent all the money he had
collected, helping the helpless. When it was all gone, he started
collecting it again.

Finally his great project was accomplished, and he died content.
Tetsugen's edition of the holy books in Japanese can still be
seen. But those who know, say that the first two editions, which
have never been seen, far surpass the third.