Keeping the darkness at bay

"It's the everyday deeds of common folk

that keep the darkness at bay.

Everyday deeds of kindness and love."

 

---Gandalf the Grey

God is a River

 

 

Devote

yourself to living

a virtuous, integrated, selfless life.

Refine your energy from gross and heavy

to subtle and light. 

 

--- Hua Hu Ching, ch. 60,

tr. Briane Brown Walker

Neuroscientist describes his experience of death...



 

 

"She looked at me,

and this was with no words,

but the concepts came straight into mind:

You are love; you are cherished;

there's nothing you have to fear;

there's nothing you

can do wrong.'"
 

(Click this link for the story)

http://gma.yahoo.com/heaven-real-saw-scientist-says-183522717--abc-news-health.html

them...

 

Words won't do it...

 

Words

cannot capture

the
beauty of a sunrise.

I want to be like a thunderstorm...

 

 

 

 

"A thunderstorm

has the effect of clearing
the air.

A person
of wisdom produces
a similar effect when dealing

with mistakes and 'sins' of others that

induce a condition of tension...

 

When failings
come to light, he
does not dwell on them; he

simply passes over mistakes, the

unintentional transgressions,

just as thunder dies 

away.

He forgives
misdeeds, the intentional
transgressions, just as
water washes
everything
clean."

--- I Ching, 40

 

I don't care much for the word "forgive." To me it puts one person in a one-up position and another in a one-down position. The truth is, we're all guilty and we're all innocent.

 

I don't care mcuh for the word "sin," either. The truth is, we're all human and we all make mistakes.

 

Nonetheless, I like the general idea of the above quote and I wish I were there in my own life. All I can say is I believe the sentiment behind it is a worthy goal. My little corner of the world would be a much better place for everyone if I passed over mistakes, those of others as well as my own.

 

 

 

 

Whatever

it is that is ultimately

responsible for moving everything

in the universe --- from galaxies

to human beings to subatomic

particles --- that is what

in the East is called Tao,

and what is in the

West called

God.


But those are only words.


 

Once upon a time, a young fish asked an old fish: "Everyone talks about this thing called 'ocean.' What exactly is it?'

The older and wiser fish answered: "The ocean is that which surrounds you on all sides."

The younger fish didn't understand: "What do you mean? There is nothing around me! If the ocean surrounds me on all wides, why can I not see it?"

"Of course you cannot," the older fish said patiently. "The ocean is both inside and outside of  you. When you move, it moves with you; when yo stop, it stops as well. You were born in the ocean and you will die in it. It wraps itself around you, just as your own skin does."

"But how can I tell it exists, if I cannot see it?"

"You just use more than your eyes."

The story of the two fish is a Taoist story.

Here's a verse from the New Testament:

 

"God is

over all and

through all and in all."

(Ephesians 4:6)

 

 

When

in doubt,

simplify.

 

 

 

Walls meant

to protect have

instead separated and isolated.
Your defenses have kept you apart.

Whatever the reason for discord

between you, it is time to

lay down your arms.

Dispel the

inflexible demands and

fears of the Mind so that you

may reunite in the Heart.

If you have begrudged, forgive.
If you have torn down, repair.
If you have injured, heal.
If you have judged, pardon.

--- I Ching, Hexagram 59

Everything is holy...

Jesus

"The
Kingdom of
Heaven is within
you."

 
Tao Te Ching

"When
they lose
their sense of
awe, people turn
to
religion."

 

 Hua Hu Ching

Do not

go about worshipping...

religious institutions as the source of

the...truth.

To do so is to place

intermediaries between yourself and the divine,

and to make of yourself a beggar who looks

outside for a treasure that is

hidden inside his

own breast.

Why separate your spiritual life

and your practical life?

Draw no line between

what is spiritual and

what is not.


Peter Mayer

 

When I was a boy, each week
On Sunday, we would go to church
And pay attention to the priest
He would read the holy word
And consecrate the holy bread
And everyone would kneel and bow
Today the only difference is
Everything is holy now
Everything, everything
Everything is holy now

When I was in Sunday school
We would learn about the time
Moses split the sea in two
Jesus made the water wine
And I remember feeling sad
That miracles don't happen still
But now I can't keep track
'Cause everything's a miracle
Everything, Everything
Everything's a miracle

Wine from water is not so small
But an even better magic trick
Is that anything is here at all
So the challenging thing becomes
Not to look for miracles
But finding where there isn't one

When holy water was rare at best
It barely wet my fingertips
But now I have to hold my breath
Like I'm swimming in a sea of it
It used to be a world half there
Heaven's second rate hand-me-down
But I walk it with a reverent air
'Cause everything is holy now
Everything, everything
Everything is holy now

Read a questioning child's face
And say it's not a testament
That'd be very hard to say
See another new morning come
And say it's not a sacrament
I tell you that it can't be done

This morning, outside I stood
And saw a little red-winged bird
Shining like a burning bush
Singing like a scripture verse
It made me want to bow my head
I remember when church let out
How things have changed since then
Everything is holy now
It used to be a world half-there
Heaven's second rate hand-me-down
But I walk it with a reverent air
'Cause everything is holy now


Carrie Newcomer

 

Holy is the dish and drain
The soap and sink, the cup and plate
And the warm wool socks, and the cold white tile
Showerheads and good dry towels

And frying eggs sound like psalms
With a bit of salt measured in my palm
It’s all a part of a sacrament
As holy as a day is spent

Holy is the busy street
And cars that boom with passion’s beat
And the check out girl, Counting change
And the hands that shook my hands today

Hymns of geese fly overhead
And stretch their wings like their parents did
Blessed be the dog
That runs in her sleep
The catch that wild and elusive thing

Holy is a familiar room and the quiet moments in the afternoon
And folding sheets like folding hands
To pray as only laundry can

I’m letting go of all I fear
Like autumn leaves of earth and air
For summer came and summer went
As holy as a day is spent

Holy is the place I stand
To give whatever small good I can
The empty page, the open book
Redemption everywhere I look

Unknowingly we slow our pace
In the shade of unexpected grace
With grateful smiles and sad lament
As holy as a day is spent

And morning light sings “providence”
As holy as a day is spent



Most of the

world's religions serve

only to strengthen attachments

to false concepts such as self and

other, life and death, heaven and

earth, and so on.



--- Hua Hu Ching

Politics

I Ching, Hexagram 28...

There are

great pressures at work. By

meeting them with modesty and patience,

you avoid misfortune and

meet with success.

…What is

called for now is

quiet integrity. With others,

no matter how they may assault you,

remain modest and patient. In your actions, seek

to penetrate gently and steadily rather than

forcibly and explosively. Meet the

difficulties of the day

cheerfully and

resolutely.

 

--- I Ching, Hexagram 28,
tr. Brian Browne Walker

 

Any

path is

only a path,

and there is no affront,

to oneself or to others in

dropping it if that is what

your heart tells

you.

 

 

Look

at every

path closely and

deliberately. Try it as

many times as you think

necessary.

Then ask yourself, and

yourself alone, one question...

Does this path have

a heart?

 

If

it does,

the path is

good; if it doesn't

it is of no

use.

 

--- Carlos Castaneda,

The Teachings of Don Juan

Why separate your spiritual life

and your practical life?

Draw no line between

what is spiritual and

what is not.

--- Hua Hu Ching

 

 



 

You

will experience

an advancement in

personal power and esteem

because of a timely accord of

your modest, steady actions

with the tendencies

of the

cosmos.

 

The

coming success

is tremendous in scope

since the foundation it rests

upon has been developed with

true devotion over a

reasonable period

of time.

 

I Ching, Hexagram 46

Losing and finding...

"When
they lose
their sense of
awe, people turn
to
religion."

--- Tao Te Ching, tr. Stephen Mitchell

"The
Kingdom of
Heaven is within
you."

--- Jesus
 

 

 

Do not

go about worshipping...

religious institutions as the source of

the...truth.

To do so is to place

intermediaries between yourself and the divine,

and to make of yourself a beggar who looks

outside for a treasure that is

hidden inside his

own breast.

 

--- Hua Hu Ching, tr. Brian Browne Walker

 

"A Memorial to the Fallen..."

"At home,

a nation's heart is exhausted

by the conscription of its sons and daughters.

The pockets of the people are emptied by

the levying of taxes,

and the resources of the land are depleted

by

sending them

elsewhere for fighting."

 --- Sun Tzu

 

 

Not far from where I live, just a few weeks ago, a "War Memorial to Fallen Soldiers" was dedicated. Politicians were present and gave eloquent speeches about patriotism, sacrifice, liberty, and the American ideal. ("True words are not eloquent. Eloquent words are not true.")

 

How could anyone think disparagingly of such a enterprise?

 

I for one, can tell you how. Men and women "fell." That's a politically correct and impersonal way of saying "living, breathing, loving human beings were killed." Young idealistic sons and daughters, mothers and fathers were killed. They were killed, not only at the hands of those who pulled a trigger or detonated a device, but also by those who sent them into harm's way in the first place --- people who, this afternoon, may be on the golf course.

 

In my opinion, a memorial for those who died needlessly is little consolation for the families who are now without daughters, sons, mothers, and fathers. From now on, there will be a hole in a family that was once filled by a living soul.

 

Politicians dedicate memorials to the fallen to salve families who are left with gaping wounds, to make people feel better about something they should not feel good about in the first place, to make noble something that is not noble.  

 

War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Unless you consider the above observations from Sun Tzu (and of course the dedication of memorials to the fallen) to be worthwhile enterprises.

 

 

 

"At Birth a person is soft and yielding,

at death stiff and hard.

All beings, the grass, the trees:

alive, soft, and yielding;

dead, stiff, and hard.

 

Therefore the hard and inflexible

are friends of death.

The soft and yielding are friends of life.

 

An unyielding army is destroyed.

An unbending tree breaks.

 

The hard must humble itself

or be otherwise humbled.

The soft will ultimately ascend."
 

--- Tao Te Ching, 76, Brian Browne Walker

 

 

Contemporary Interpretation:

A baby's body is soft and gentle.

A corpse is hard and stiff.

Plants and trees are tender and full of sap.

Dead leaves are brittle and dry.

If you are rigid and unyielding,

you might as well be dead.

If you are soft and flexible, you are truly alive.

Soldiers trained to fight to the death will die.

A tree that cannot bend with the wind will snap.

Here's a useful saying:

The harder they come, the harder they fall.

Here's another:

The meek shall inherit the earth.

 

 --- Getting Right with Tao, 76, Ron Hogan

When you

find yourself in

a place of doubt,

choose the path of light.

You will never

regret this. 

 

 

"There are

some paths

that ought not to be

taken."

 

--- Sun Tzu

"Give evil
nothing to oppose,

and it will

disappear by itself."



--- Tao Te Ching

 

 

 

"You have become an instrument

of Heaven's will,

offering a balance in the world

around you.

It is not swashbuckling prowess

or uncanny talent

that qualifies you for this office,

but your simplest gifts --

your modesty, your compassion, your economy.

Because you can see clearly who most needs a miracle, Heaven's bounty is being put at your disposal."

 

--- I Ching

 

Why not

trust in plainness and

simplicity?

 

Living with unconditional sincerity,

eradicating duality,

celebrating the equality of things,

your

every moment will be

in truth.

--- Lao Tzu

"Difficulties remain,

even after solving a problem.

Therefore the Master
does what she knows is right,
and has has no expectations 

of others.

A virtuous person

will do the right thing,
and persons with no virtue

will take advantage of others."

--- TTC, 79



 

"Nourishment depends on

heaven and the rain.

It does not lie within the

power of man."

 

 

 

“Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look out at the stars. This practice should answer the question.”

--- Lao Tzu

"If one attempts to aggressively deny or ignore evil, then evil is often nurtured in one form or another. Good and evil are as much a part of the cosmos as night and day. It is much easer to develop a sound character once evil is acknowledged."

--- I Ching (36)

"A fundamental fact of consciousness is that we take on the attributes and energy of that upon which we focus our attention."

--- Brian Walker

 

 

Another way of saying, "We become like that in which we believe [or that with which we associate]." It applies politically, socially, spiritually.

Now is the time for one of you to be gracious,
To allow a kindness beyond thought and hurt,
Reach out with sure hands
To take the chalice of your love,
And carry it carefully through this echoless waste
Until this winter pilgrimage leads you
Toward the gateway to spring.

--- John O'Donohue

An abridged repeat...

"There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; ...if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness."

--- John O'Donohue

Kindness #1A

I like what John O'Donohue wrote about kindness so much that I'm dividing a large section I posted earlier into three quick to read paragraphs. They follow immediately this post.

Kindness #1B

"There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves."

--- John O'Donohue

Kindness #2

 

"When someone is kind to you, you feel understood and seen. There is no judgment or harsh perception directed toward you. Kindness has gracious eyes."

--- John O'Donohue

Kindness #3

"Despite all the darkness, human hope is based on the instinct that at the deepest level of reality some intimate kindness holds sway. This is the heart of blessing."

--- John O'Donohue

 

 

"Return to the well of goodness."

 

--- I Ching, tr. Brian Browne Walker

A blessing for my daughter's upcoming marriage...

 
May you bring each other's hearts to birth.

May you love the gaze of each other's mind.
 
May nothing negative control your lives.
 
Gentle may you be when light grows scarce.
 
May your words for each other be touched with reverence.
 
May you welcome each other's every gift.
 
May sleep find you clear of anger and hurt.
 
May love bring you home to each other.

--- John O'donohue, adapted.

A blessing for my son's new home...

 

May this home shelter your lives.

When you come in home here,

May all the weight of the world

Fall from your shoulders.
 

May your hearts be tranquil here.

Blessed by peace the world cannot give.
 

May this home be a lucky place,

Where the graces your life desires

Always find the pathway to your door.

May nothing destructive

Ever cross your threshold.

May this be a safe place

Full of understanding and acceptance,

Where you can be as you are,

Without the need of any mask

Of pretense or image.

May this home be a place of discovery,

Where the possibilities that sleep

In the clay of your soul can emerge

To deepen and refine your vision

For all that is yet to come to birth.

May it be a house of courage.

Where healing and growth are loved,

Where dignity and forgiveness prevail;

A home where patience of spirit is prized,

And the sight of the destination is never lost

Though the journey be difficult and slow.

May there be great delight around this hearth.

May it be a house of welcome

For the broken and diminished.

 

May you have the eyes to see

That no visitor arrives without a gift

And no guest leaves without a blessing.

                                                --- John O'Donohue

To Retrieve the Lost Art of Blessing...

"There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves.

"When someone is kind to you, you feel understood and seen. There is no judgment or harsh perception directed toward you. Kindness has gracious eyes.

"Despite all the darkness, human hope is based on the instinct that at the deepest level of reality some intimate kindness holds sway. This is the heart of blessing. 

The beginning often holds the clue to everything that follows. Given the nature of our beginning, it is no wonder that our hearts are imbued with longing for beauty, meaning, order, creativity, compassion, and love. We approach the world with this roster of longings and expect that in some way the world will respond and confirm our desire. Our longing knows it cannot force the fulfillment of its desire; yet it does instinctively expect that primal benevolence to respond to it. This is the threshold where blessing come alive."

--- John O'Donohue

They'r ALL only words...

Recently, I had a discussion with a friend. I was using phrases like the "Universe," the "Ultimate Mystery," the "Infinite and Eternal" when referring to "God." This friend challenged me, saying "You don't have to be so politically correct when referring to God."

I challenged right back, "I'm not being politically correct. I think the word God has a lot of baggage that comes with it."

My friend responded, "They're ALL only words. It only has baggage if you let it have baggage. You don't have to mean the same thing others mean when you use the word God. It's a perfectly good word. Don't let others rob you of keeping things simple."

My friend was right. They're all only words.

In my writing when I'm referring to that which cannot be understood, I'll write it like this: God.

When I'm referring to something I think we humans have created I'll write it like this: god. "In the beginning God created man in God's own image and likeness. Ten minutes man returned the favor." 'Nuff said.

God: Personal or Impersonal

I'm in an ongoing, friendly discussion with a very good friend about whether God is personal or impersonal.

He and I look around us and draw different conclusions. He looks at an eagle catching a fish and observes that for the eagle, this is good. For the fish, this is bad. Since something had to die for something else to live, he concludes, whatever God is, God is amoral. My friend sees God somewhat like electricity --- an impersonal force.

I look around and see that things cooperate: seasons, night, day, weather, everything in my car that makes it run. If anything in our eco-system goes wonkety, other things go wonkety --- just like the human body. The human body is an amazingly intricate creation that depends on everything working together, cooperating.

When I look at things around me, I see intelligence behind them. To me, intelligence infers a sense of self, and therefore a sense of personal-ness.

God is that which, even when we stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

I think when we're on top, so to speak, doing well within-and-of-ourselves, it's easy to believe in an impersonal God. We don't need a personal God from that vantage point.

When our world gets turned upside down, an impersonal God doesn't salve the human soul. Only a personal God does that.

Is God personal or impersonal? Truthfully, there's no way to know. Anything we say is an opinion. Perhaps the way we answer the question says more about us than it does about God.

There is one thing, though, of which I'm convinced, we do become like the god we believe in.

Whatever God is...

Not long ago I posted "Childish things have their place, but..."

It was a meditation on the difference between religion and spirituality. I posted a disclaimer to the effect that the article shouldn't be taken as an assault on organized religion because organized religion has its place. Many of us began our spiritual journey in organized religion. Many have journeyed beyond it.

For many, organized religion is the stopping place. They never venture outside that box because the organization itself puts "the fear of the Lord" in them. Fear is a prime motivator in religion and in politics. In religion it is the fear of an angry god. In politics it is fear of "the other." Political pundits use it effectively to gain votes: "If they stay in office, such and such bad will happen..." "If they get into office, such and such bad will happen..." Many religious leaders and many political leaders effectively use fear as a primary motivator.  

Each major organized religion has its own holy book. Yet, within each of the major world religions there are hundreds and hundreds of warring and conflicting sects, each claiming their interpretation of the book is more correct than any of the others, and that if anyone doesn't understand the holy book just the way they do, he or she is likely to fall into the hands of an angry god.

An often made comment among leaders of organized religion is they need to teach as though they were teaching 14 year olds. That's the level of spiritual maturity, they say, of most people in the pews. To me, that doesn't speak well of the opinion religious leaders have of their congregants.

Organized religion, in general, has a tainted history --- war and political power are the norm in organized religion's history. That's not to say organized religion, in and of itself, is the problem. The problem is us human beings. We'll use most anything at our disposal to gain control and maintain power. As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

It's no wonder many have ditched organized religion in favor of a more humane spirituality that encompasses more than those who look and think alike.

After years inside and outside organized religion I, myself, have landed in the camp of the "spiritual but not religious."  Among the reasons are I think no one knows enough to be an atheist (this puts me in the spiritual category). By the same token I think no one knows enough to say exactly what the ultimate mystery we call God is really like (this takes me out of the organized religion category). Our finite minds are not capable of grasping the infinite and the eternal.

One of my favorite lines from a spiritual writing is the first line in the Tao Te Ching which reads: "The Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao." For our purposes we could write, "The God that can be described is not the eternal and infinite God."

Finding myself among the spiritual but not religious, there are a few basics I hold as spiritual principles:

1. There is something more than what can be experienced with the five senses. There is something, that makes everything in the universe work; something that makes things "stick together." This leads me to believe it is intelligence. (yes intelligence, not intelligent).

2. Everything that is, is an expression of the infinite and eternal. It is not somewhere distant, in outer space only. It is everything in existence, but is more than everything in existence. This leads me to believe it is both imminent and transcendent.

3. In some way, we are all connected and we are all connected to everything that is. This leads me to believe I can't do something harmful to another without doing harm to myself. 

4. It is infinite and eternal (at least as far as human standards are concerned). This leads me to believe it is incomprehensible to humans. Our minds are finite. It is infinite.

5. We can learn something about it by observing nature. One thing we learn about it by looking at nature is that it is cooperative. All of nature is one big web of cooperation. This leads me to believe that when we are cooperating, we are in flow, in harmony with the infinite and eternal. 

As you continue your own spiritual journey, whatever God may be, may God give you..

For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer. (an Irish blessing)

We waste a lot of energy being angry.

 

 

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness.

Nothing is so gentle as real strength."

--- Frances de Sales

Probably the best ever written on this topic...

"Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

It is not conceited, arrogant and inflated with pride; it is not rude, unmannerly, and does not act unbecomingly. Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it pays no attention to a suffered wrong.

It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

Love bears  up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fade-less under all circumstances and it endures everything without weakening."

Insoluable but bound together...

The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us.

--- Charles Darwin

The human mind is not capable of grasping the universe.

--- Albert Einstein

 

 

All things are bound together. All things are connected.

 

--- Chief Seatle

 

We are all related.

--- Lakota Saying

The eye is the lamp of the soul...

To the fearful eye, everything is threatening. When you look toward the world in a fearful way, all you see and concentrate on are things that can damage and threaten you.

To the greedy eye, everything can be possessed. A greedy person cannot enjoy what they have, because they are always haunted by that which they do not yet possess.

To the judgmental eye, everything is closed in definitive frames. When the judgmental eye looks out, it sees things in terms of lines and squares. It is always excluding and separating. To the judgmental eye, to see is to judge.

To the indifferent eye, nothing calls or awakens.

To the loving eye, everything is real. The loving eye is bright because it can look lovingly upon anything. the loving vision does not become entangled in the agenda of power, seduction, and opposition.

--- John O'Donohue



Nature

We, humans, tend to view nature as "out there," separate from us, other than us.

The truth is, we are part of nature, as much as are animals, trees, insects, and every other thing we call nature. We are not separate from nature. We are nature, too.

No one knows its name...

"It is everywhere. Since no one really knows what it is, and sages call it by different names, I put 'God' in quotes. 'God' is that which, even when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

--- The Book of the World