The Human Heart Undivided

I started to see, from the standpoint of oneness, that when we look at the world around us and our leaders, it’s important to see them as our own self. And that can be shocking. If it’s all one, then the leaders we don’t like are our own self, our shadow side, which society is denying. Instead of owning these forces of division and violence within ourselves, we project them onto somebody else. We get angry. It’s sort of a noble anger, a noble hatred, a noble division, and it’s easy to justify. “I am right because I’m a peace activist or an environmental activist.” We miss that this anger, no matter how justified, is still inside the movement of division—and it’s only contributing to division. If the cause is wholeness or the cause is peace, then the cause is good—but the ends do not justify the means. Hate is hate; it doesn’t matter why we hate. Anger is anger; it doesn’t really matter why you’re dividing yourself against somebody. In the universe, it registers as division.

When we start to see that, we can see that we are not justified in our divisions. If we are harboring division, we are violent, and that violence will manifest sooner or later. It’s sobering to see this, but when you do, it takes away the justification for being divided.
That’s what I started to see at a young age. My concern drove me to a deeper place, this place that we’re called to when we speak of spiritual awakening. Now from that place, we can have a very active response to the world rather than a reaction against it. A response is inherently positive; a reaction is inherently negative and divisive. A great thing about coming to our own wholeness is that it’s not as though we just sit on our couch and see that everything is perfect. We do see that everything is perfect—but from that sense of perfection arise great love, great compassion, and a great response to the life around us. It’s a response that is undivided. As a whole, as a world culture, if there is going to be a salvation, it’s going to have to come from the human heart being undivided. And to get there, we all have to wake up.


~ Adyashanti, in Quiet Revolution

I Guds famn

I Guds famn

Det finns hundratusende stjärnor,
Gud känner varendaste en,
precis som han känner var fjäril
var blomma, var strå, varje sten.

Det finns ingen stjärna och blomma,
som Gud inte kallar vid namn.
Det finns inget barn i all världen,
som inte får rum i hans famn.

Britt G Hallqvist

ABC of Enlightenment ~ Osho

The Wave and The Ocean

THE WAVE AND THE OCEAN -

Is Nonduality All About Getting Rid of the Separate 'Me' ?

Many people believe that the ‘individual self’ is what they really are, and they ignore the space, the openness, the vast ocean of Being in which the ‘individual’ arises. They identify exclusively as a ‘separate person’ and never stop to ask if that is what they truly are.

You have taken yourself to be a separate wave in a vast ocean. You see yourself as a little person in a vast ocean full of other people. You see yourself as an individual in a world which is fundamentally separate from you.

But of course, the ‘separate wave’ in the ocean is not really ‘separate’ from the ocean at all. The ‘separate wave’ is really just the ocean appearing temporarily as a wave. The wave is actually one-hundred percent water, and so in essence, it’s the same as the ocean.

And so really there is no ‘separate wave’ at all. There only appears to be a separate wave. The wave is in appearance only. It is a temporary appearance of the ocean.

You – what you take yourself to be – the person, the character, the ‘me’, only has existence as an appearance, a story appearing now in boundless Being, a story which is ultimately not separate from Being.

Now, some nonduality teachings make it sound like the appearance of the separate person is a problem and we should get rid of it.

But who is going to get rid of the wave in the ocean? The wave? How can the wave get rid of itself?

This is one of the traps that people fall into when they identify themselves as being ‘spiritual seekers’. They think that they need to get rid of the wave in order to reach the ocean, and there seem to be a lot of spiritual teachers and gurus out there who believe the same thing. Some spiritual teachers implore you to ‘kill the ego!’ or ‘destroy the mind!’ or ‘get rid of the self!’ and miss the fact that the attempt to kill the ego is that very ego, and the effort to destroy the mind is the mind, and so on…

The point is, the wave is already fully ocean. Any attempt to get rid of the wave is the wave attempting to get rid of itself.

Years ago, when I was a very serious and intense spiritual seeker, I tried desperately to get rid of Jeff, the character, the person. But this attempt ultimately ended in failure and frustration, because I was trying to get rid of something that wasn’t actually there! I was fighting an illusion, and when you fight an illusion, you are assuming that the illusion is real. What you fight, you give life to. What you resist, persists, as they say.

You don’t need to get rid of an illusion. To expose the illusion as an illusion (literally, to enlighten the illusion) is enough. To expose an illusion is to end it.

And so the attempt to destroy the ego, transcend the mind, kill the self, get rid of the ‘me’ – in other words, the spiritual search – is really just a war with life. It’s water fighting water.

Luckily, my spiritual seeking failed. And in that failure, this other possibility shone through - a possibility that went beyond seeking and finding, beyond ‘me’ getting what ‘I’ wanted, beyond my personal desire to become an enlightened non-person. Beyond the seeker and the sought, there was – and is - only unconditional love…

Nonduality does not mean ‘not-duality’ – that would be completely dualistic! In reality, nonduality includes (the appearance of) duality, because it is everything. It is nothing – no-thing – and it is everything.

Ultimately, nonduality appears as duality. They are one and the same. Then you can’t even speak of ‘nonduality’.

In other words, the appearance of the separate wave is not a problem for the Ocean. The appearance of your life story is itself a perfect expression of Being. In this unconditional love, nothing is denied.

And so it was never about getting rid of Jeff. It was always about falling in love with Jeff, and through him, everything…

This is beyond comprehension, and yet it is as simple as breathing, right now.

And these words fall back into the ocean....


~ Jeff Foster

http://www.lifewithoutacentre.com

Preacher parking

Vår största rädsla

Vår största rädsla är inte att vi är otillräckliga
Vår djupaste rädsla är att vi är omåttligt kraftfulla
Det är vårt ljus, inte vårt mörker, som skrämmer oss mest
Vi frågar oss själva; Vem är jag att vara strålande, underbar, begåvad, fantastisk?

Men egentligen, vem är vi att inte vara det?

Du är ett Guds barn
Att spela liten tjänar inte världen
Det finns inget upplyst med att krympa så att andra inte ska känna sig osäkra runt dig
Vi har fötts för att leva den Guds härlighet som finns inom oss
Den finns inte bara i några av oss, den finns i alla
Och när vi låter vårt eget ljus skina ger vi omedvetet tillstånd till andra att göra det samma
När vi frigörs från våra egna rädslor frigör vår närvaro automatiskt andra

~ Marianne Williamson

What If

What if our religion was each other
If our practice was our life
If prayer, our words
What if the temple was the Earth
If forests were our church
If holy water--the rivers, lakes, and ocean
What if meditation was our relationships
If the teacher was life
If wisdom was self-knowledge
If love was the center of our being.

~ Ganga White

Fader Vår på arameiska

O Du universums Fader-Moder, från vilken livets andedräkt kommer, Du är närvarande i alla vibrationer av ljud och ljus.

Koncentrera Ditt ljus inom oss - gör det användbart.

Skapa Ditt rike av enhet nu och låt Dina ideal råda.

Din enda önskan verkar sedan med vår, i allt ljus, liksom i alla former.

Tillmötesgå vårt behov av bröd och insikt var dag.

Låt oss uppleva samma frihet från våra misstag och föreställningar som vi tillåter andra att uppleva.

Låt inte ytliga ting förleda oss,

utan befria oss från det som håller oss tillbaka frå vårt sanna syfte.

Från Dig kommer all styrande vilja, livet och kraften att skapa, sången som förskönar allt, från tid till tid förnyas den.

Sannerligen, må dessa ord - i all sin kraft- vara grunden för alla mina handlingar: Amen

© Neil Douglas-Klotz

Tozan

Länge sökt genom andra.
Långt från att nå det.
Nu, genom mig själv,
möter jag det överallt.
Det är bara jag själv,
men jag är inte det.
När jag förstår det så,
kan jag vara mig själv.


~ Tozan, 800-talet

En ton från himmelen

Hur ljuvligt att få vara en ton från himmelen,
ifrån Guds eget väsen, den rena kärleken.
Här nere till vårt öra så många missljud når,
men Gud är saligheten, säll den som det förstår.

När anden stilla vilar, sitt fäste har i Gud,
i hjärtats inre formas de rena lovsångsljud.
När Gud slår an ackordet i himmel och på jord,
då blir av hela mänskan en lovsång utan ord.

Men för att därtill komma man måste bliva tom,
det måste bringas tystnad i hjärtats helgedom.
När Herren där vill tala, man måste vara still,
att han med instrumentet får göra vad han vill.

När egenviljan brutits, dess röst har tystnat här,
jag uti Jesu händer kan bli vad han begär.
Ty det är hemligheten, att Gud ifrån sin tron
blott ur ett ödmjukt hjärta kan bringa fram en ton.


~ Linnea Hofgren, Kerstin Lundin; Segertoner 602

Helige Benedikts klosterregel

Erkänn Guds närvaro i ditt liv

Acceptera Guds vilja

Ta emot andlig vägledning

Håll ut - ge inte upp i din strävan

Erkänn dina brister och felsteg

Lev enkelt

Var ärlig mot dig själv

Var villig att lära av andra

Lyssna till människor

Tala vänligt till andra

Acceptera andra som de är

Var lugn och närvarande

Women, Food, and God

Great Mother

Great Mother,

Let us become One. Fill our hearts with longing that aches, and when we just can't stand it anymore, release us into warmth, into love, into 'so this is what Life is really about.'

Great Mother,

Hold us so close that there is only One Heart, beating so thunderously loud, drowning out all illusion, leaving only Silence, Nothing, Everything, Love.


~ Adina

Life Beyond Belief

Do we actually need to live in rarified spiritual environments in order to be good spiritual people? Do we need to only work in certain kinds of jobs, or have certain kinds of spouses or families? Look into it for yourself but, for me, the answer that has come out of this investigation is no. The essential breakthrough that is the culmination of what we call the spiritual life is to realize that what we are is already 100% with us and available, no matter what the circumstances that we are living in. From that knowing, personality still has its preferences, but it lightens up about having to get things entirely its way all the time. The mind-made self is finding its place in a very different configuration about how life works. As it finds that place, it finds that its job is much easier and much more doable than it ever was when it was trying to control things all the time. Now mind can just rest when it is not being useful doing the kinds of things that it really is good at.

As our process of spiritual awakening unfolds, we find ourselves able to stay aware of the opportunities that come to us through our uncomfortable moments, and to welcome with honesty and openness all that life sends our way. The dualities of good and bad, spiritual and non-spiritual, black and white, high and low, open or shut, all are still visible. They keep giving richness and texture to the world we experience, but we are less affected by their changeable nature because our attention is more and more on that which does not change. In seeing the world in this way and letting what we see penetrate us fully, the opposites are found to contain each other, and then even the preferences soften. We find ourselves to be the one that contains both sides of all of the dualities, the one where they meet and find peace with each other.

Alice Gardner i Life Beyond Belief

In The Light of Love - Miten & Deva Premal

Peace Pilgrim - an American sage who walked her talk

Nia Power!

Dancing with God

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.



My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.

~ Author unknown

Kids in Satsang with Mooji

Ordinary Buddha

... Master Linji invented the term the "businessless person," the person who has nothing to do and nowhere to go. This was his ideal example of what a person could be. In Theravada Buddhism, the ideal person was the arhat, someone who practiced to attain enlightenment. In Mahayana Buddhism, the ideal person was the bodhisattva, a compassionate being who, on the path of enlightenment, helped others.

According to Master Linji, the businessless person is someone who doesn't run after enlightenment or grasp at anything, even if that thing is the Buddha. This person has simply stopped. She is no longer caught by anything, even theories or teachings. The businessless person is the true person inside each one of us. This is the essential teaching of Master Linji.

...

Insight can't be found in sutras, commentaries, or dharma talks. Liberation and awakened understanding can't be found by devoting ourselves to the study of the Buddhist scriptures. This is like hoping to find fresh water in dry bones. Returning to the present moment, using our clear mind which exists right here and now, we can be in touch with liberation and enlightenment, as well as with the Buddha and all his disciples as living realities right in this moment.

...

 

The person who has nothing to do is sovereign over herself. She doesn't need to put on airs or leave any trace behind. The true person is an active participant, engaged in her environment while remaining unoppressed by it. Although all phenomena are going through the various appearances of birth, abiding, changing, and dying, the true person doesn't become a victim of sadness, happiness, love, or hate. She lives in awareness as an ordinary person, whether standing, walking, lying down, or sitting. She doesn't act a part, even the part of a great Zen master. This is what Master Linji means by "Be sovereign wherever you are and use that place as your seat of awakening."

 

We may wonder, "If a person has no direction, isn't yearning to realize an ideal, and doesn't have an aim in life, then who will help living beings be liberated? Who will rescue those who are drowning in the ocean of suffering?" A buddha is a person who has no more business to do and isn't lookin for anything. In doing nothing, in simply stopping, we can live freely and true to ourselves and our liberation will contribute to the liberation of all beings.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Ur artikeln Ordinary Buddha i Buddhadharma winter 2007, byggd på boken Nothing to do, nowhere to go