Everyman's Journal 2011

Everyman's Journal 2011, #12

January 13

"Thoughts, After Satsang"

Whatever we pick up in life, eventually we must set down, either by finishing it, or letting it go. Whatever we dream, eventually we must awaken from that too, either by replacing it with an even greater dream, or letting it go. All things that begin, they all end. And of course, that includes each of us.

There is an ancient story about a great bird that appears at a large granite mountain once a century, with a silk scarf in its beak. It drags the scarf over the entire rock once, and then flies away, to return in another century. The Buddha is said to have taught that in the amount of time it would take the scarf to wear down the mountain to nothing.... that that is the amount of time that we have been here, revolving upon the wheel of birth and death. As that is a very long long time, it is said the Buddha taught that in that time there is no one in existence that has not been, at least once, our Mother, or our Father, or our brother or sister, or lover, or wife, or husband, or best friend. And that is why the Buddha taught that we should have compassion on everyone...

Of course we can say that the population was much smaller then. And it was, so maybe it should not be taken literally today. Actually, probably a lot should not be taken literally today. But here's another thing: Despite our vastly differing cultures, mathematical genetics is very clear about our interrelatedness. It is impossible, we are told, for anyone on earth to be more distantly related than 50th cousin. In other words, we're all genetically related. That includes ALL races.

As we mature and leave behind our previous, more juvenile propensities, these conversations increase in their interest to us, for they call us to expand our sense of what it is to be responsible for the gift of having a life to live. Just contemplate the laws of probability to get a sense of the miracle that each of us even does exist... that we won the race to the waiting egg and captured the right to ignite the birth process. Gangaji often talked to us about the incredible opportunity of 'living a life worth living'. About the great grace we had received to be in the position we are in, and with the inclination to explore spirituality. She would point out that for most of the world's population, simple survival makes such an inward focused life out of the question.

There is a phrase that goes: "Where much has been given, of them much is expected...". It's normal for our egos to fight a idea like this, but as we soon-enough discover, using our gifts to serve 'all our relatives' (as the Native American tradition often speaks it) is where we eventually find our happiness lies (assuming we survive to that day).

And the paradoxes of life just keep on piling up one upon another. If we don't survive, that was our karma, and while it may appear to have been a bad thing, there are many wisdom stories that explain that we don't really have the whole picture.... that many times what looks like bad karma will actually later become a mighty gift and blessing.

I think this is why Buddhism and Zen are both so clear about the practice of transcending suffering while experiencing it... it's called 'suffering that is not suffering', and it simply means that the experiencer knows his/her suffering is only phenomena. Obviously this requires a well developed ability to be detached from the idea of being the person called 'me'. One more reason to keep alive and active the intention to daily quiet the mind through a meditation practice. For while the cultural presumption may be that the more active the mind is, the greater the intelligence, the exact opposite is what is actually true. Intelligence is a function of clarity of perception, which is created, like when using a telescope or camera, by stillness and stability of foundation. Spiritually, the most unstable foundation for living a life of purpose and accomplished service is egotism. It's opposite, selflessness, is however, the most stable.

Namaste,

David

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My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

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Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

david@davidseacord.com

www.davidseacord.com

(my fine art website)

www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)