Oh Baby!

Attachment vs. Love

 

Wise words from Anthony Hopkins:

′′Let go the people who are not prepared to love you. This is the hardest thing you will have to do in your life and it will also be the most important thing. Stop having hard conversations with people who don't want change.

Stop showing up for people who have no interest in your presence. I know your instinct is to do everything to earn the appreciation of those around you, but it's a boost that steals your time, energy, mental and physical health.

When you begin to fight for a life with joy, interest and commitment, not everyone will be ready to follow you in this place. This doesn't mean you need to change what you are, it means you should let go of the people who aren't ready to accompany you.

If you are excluded, insulted, forgotten or ignored by the people you give your time to, you don't do yourself a favor by continuing to offer your energy and your life. The truth is that you are not for everyone and not everyone is for you.

That's what makes it so special when you meet people who reciprocate love. You will know how precious you are.

The more time you spend trying to make yourself loved by someone who is unable to, the more time you waste depriving yourself of the possibility of this connection to someone else.

There are billions of people on this planet and many of them will meet with you at your level of interest and commitment.

The more you stay involved with people who use you as a pillow, a background option or a therapist for emotional healing, the longer you stay away from the community you want.

Maybe if you stop showing up, you won't be wanted. Maybe if you stop trying, the relationship will end. Maybe if you stop texting your phone will stay dark for weeks. That doesn't mean you ruined the relationship, it means the only thing holding it back was the energy that only you gave to keep it. This is not love, it's attachment. It's wanting to give a chance to those who don't deserve it. You deserve so much, there are people who should not be in your life.

The most valuable thing you have in your life is your time and energy, and both are limited. When you give your time and energy, it will define your existence.

When you realize this, you begin to understand why you are so anxious when you spend time with people, in activities, places or situations that don't suit you and shouldn't be around you, your energy is stolen.

You will begin to realize that the most important thing you can do for yourself and for everyone around you is to protect your energy more fiercely than anything else. Make your life a safe haven, in which only ′′compatible′′ people are allowed.

You are not responsible for saving anyone. You are not responsible for convincing them to improve. It's not your work to exist for people and give your life to them! If you feel bad, if you feel compelled, you will be the root of all your problems, fearing that they will not return the favours you have granted. It's your only obligation to realize that you are the love of your destiny and accept the love you deserve.

Decide that you deserve true friendship, commitment, true and complete love with healthy and prosperous people. Then wait and see how much everything begins to change. Don't waste time with people who are not worth it. Change will give you the love, the esteem, happiness and the protection you deserve.

STOP TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT

Life is like the game of “HIDE AND SEEK”.

You know how that goes? Someone is designated by some method or other to be “IT”. All the other kids scamper away and hide. When “IT” finds someone and tags them, then they’re the new “IT”. Who didn’t play that game?

Isn’t the game of life kind of like that? You’re born, you awake to a place you don’t know from what it is. Where. How come. Why. You spend your days searching in so many ways to figure out what it is, what’s what.

I submit, the world is not designed to be figured out. So, if that’s so, then how do you figure it out? The Master Key on that is this: STOP TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.

That is clearly counterintuitive. Sure. But, consider ... even if you could figure it out, then what would you have? The keys to the kingdom? Seems like that's the promise in a culture bent on the myth that information is the answer to everything. With enough of the right information on the facts in the matter, we can solve any problem.

The real problem with that is this. We get enthralled with the very activity of looking for information, facts, answers. Maybe more than a little like not seeing the forest for the trees?

So if you have any resonance with what we’re putting down here, try this. Just stop looking around. Even the kid who’s “IT” knows that if they stop looking the game is over, and everyone comes out of hiding.

End the game of having to be smart, having the facts, the right info. Take your mind off the search. Just take a look at what’s already right there, plain to see. I remember in a meeting with a captain of industry, him saying, “What we need here is a firm grasp of the obvious.”

There’s the story about how Albert Einstein shared about what works for him for problem-solving. Let’s give him props, he solved some doozey problems. No?

Einstein would spend as much time as he felt he should wrestling with a problem. Then, what did he do? He put it down. Left it on the shelf. Reliably, the answer popped right into his head after a good night’s sleep.

Try it. Put the searching down. Awake. See what you see.

Like this: Consciousness is the state of being awake to ourselves, to our world, and the people we affect. So as Einstein says, “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.” That means in whatever situation we are facing, we need to rise up to a new consciousness. A new way of thinking. A new level. But, you can’t reach the next rung in the ladder without letting go of the rung you’re at. What is that? Take attention away from the search.

And, finally from a sage: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Gandhi.

“Help yourself to tea.”

Now, Here

When you examine yourself, you find that something is missing. Or even if you feel fulfilled now, you are anxious that this contentment will be snatched away. You feel that you just have to find something more stable. At this time, buddha’s existence cannot help but be revealed to you.

Although buddha mind is variously revealed through each individual’s own talents and gifts, buddha is now, here. But where is ‘here’? One master answered this question saying, “Help yourself to tea.” Another pointed ‘here’ when he commented, “What fine weather today.”

That which we most deeply yearn for is the thing that is already most fully present, already the very closest to us. Thus our ancestral teachers, according to their own circumstances at hand, have always shown that buddha is now, here. So we place our focus now, here.

While what you seek is really now and here, you habitually think of it as somewhere out there, outside yourself, so you search and search in vain. What you are looking for is already wholly and completely yours. There is nothing miserly about it; it knows no limits. You are the master of this life. When you sincerely take refuge (‘namu’) now and here, you will find yourself in what is most secure, in that which the heart most ardently yearns for – in pure, essential buddha nature.

- Tangen Harada Roshi

Clash of Civilizations

 Clash of Civilizations

Islam has been getting a bad rap lately. It's most prominent voice right now, the Taliban. Bad rap, at least in the western secularized nations. Among the Muslim community, quite likely heroes to more than a bit of the few.

I believe a lot of our troubles with Islam, and its most extreme followers is that we have no idea where they are coming from. Right now we see them as the devils. Notice, have you, that they see us as the devils? Sort of like we have it in the American political culture these days. Both sides as bad as bad can be. On Islam, a real failure to put ourselves in their shoes. Not because we agree or even sympathize; it does behoove us to understand.

Disclaimer: I don't believe true followers of Islam condone the barbarity. Just that we have no idea how such an extreme mindset could develop, let alone acknowledge that they might, just might, have some good points to offer.

From their perspective, the modern secular culture is a relentless onslaught against the heart of their steadfast beliefs and values. [The image above should show the matter in stark comparison.] Their view is that it must be stopped. Let's not just chalk it up only to raging male hormones, with nothing to do, so they get all up about something or other and run amok. 

And, it's worse. They don't just only want to stop the encroachment of secular values, they want to spread their own sense of things around the world. And, get this, I don't think they're after converts. Kill the infidels. What else do you do with a devil? Then repopulate with their own kind. Think about that.

The Taliban, those guys are so into the Koran that they not only will relish killing anyone who goes against the strictest interpretation of it's edicts, they are so convinced of their righteousness that they do not intend to stop until the world is converted. Or, rather, repopulated ... with the right sort. 

If you are settled on that they are just irredeemable idiots with nothing to tell us to which we should take heed or consideration, then contemplate this. Just appreciate their zeal, their determination, their focus, their drive. What in your world is there that you would get behind with such conviction, besides just saving your own ass? Let that sit with you. It's not to accept their worldview. Just to get deeply how steadfast they are. Admirable, in itself. Awesome. And, awful.

And, that clash of civilizations. We gasp at the thought of women having to wear Burkas, or cloistered at home making dinner and babies. Shouldn't we gasp at the lengths some women are permitted to go just to get some attention? Free the nipple! We're well past that. Free the pussy! Now there's something to fight for. [Do I have to say it?] Not. 

Beyond Beyoncé

 Beyond Beyoncé

You hear of her? No? Well, it kind of like this: She makes the Blessed Virgin Mary look like an on-site, for-hire flower girl at a cheesy Las Vegas wedding chapel way out of town. She all-that, at the top of the all-that media mountain.

She got a man. THE MAN. Heavy dude. JAY-Z, he calls himself. THE Man behind THE Woman. I know that's opposite how it usually goes; but, hey, times have changed. 

Here they are in a recent photo. 

Oh, yeah ... those ones.

We're wondering just what those two media-savvy, mega-superstar money-bags are up to? Judging by their bank balances, we can certainly say it's about the moola hoola. Right? Certainly that. No question.

What else could they be thinking? Besides the currency of actual currency, there's also the currency of status and popularity. And, in that category ... they are THE BEST. Geez, we read recently how THAT GRL is now one of the four women in all history to wear the Tiffany Diamond; Lady Gaga being one of them ... so, you know, Beyoncé be all that.

Surely, you say, they are not all just pecuniary, self-centered show-boaters?

Arguably, the powerful POWER COUPLE might claim to be adding some beauty into the world. Some? SOME! But, beauty of what? At the very least, fashion and bling. A popularized notion of it.

They are the apotheosis of the highest aspiration of our cherished aspirational culture. Do it all. Get it all. Have it all. And, foreva' and ever. "Be like me. If you can't, worship me."

So, what's the next iteration. Can Beyoncé get beyond herself? Probably. Count on it. Divinity is not far off. First people on Mars? Both go for transition procedure, then a double date with Ben and Jennifer; and swap? F#cking on the White House lawn, with the Pope and Bernie Sanders looking on in folding chairs as Boston Pops plays the Hallelujah chorus? Please, Lord, stop me; this is so much fun. 

My point is this: In a culture all caught up in getting and having, what we get are role models who exemplify that ethos and who perpetuate that illusion. Enjoy the illusion. Sure. Just don't take it for reals. Also, maybe give some thought to the kind of culture we might want to have that doesn't take us all to hell partying in a pretty handbasket. What kind? No, not handbasket. What kind of world? Well, how about a culture that values a focus on the Perrenial Questions? Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is it all about? 

As for the current culture, in answer to those timeless questions is ... WTF?

Buddha Delights

Buddha Delights

You know how they say, if you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him?

Well, I'm a lover, not a fighter.

True story.

Once on a trip to Sedona, Arizona we visited the Chapel of the Cross near there. Must see when you're in the neighborhood.

So there we are in our car in the parking lot. I had just learned about the Vajra Guru Mantra. The Vajra Guru Mantra is the very heart essence of Padmasambhava. It is said that when is recited one-pointedly Guru Padmasambhava cannot fail to respond.

Look it up. Great stuff. Word.

This is the Vajra Guru Mantra:

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum

Once again, look it up. You may want to know what it means. Just to say it's the cornerstone mantra in Tibetan Buddhism.

So there we are in Sedona and — Mirabile visu — there's a group of Tibetan monks passing by. I politely call out from my driver's seat window and ask one of them to answer my question. "How do you say Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum?"

Happy to oblige, the monk clearly says, “Om Ah Hung Benza Guru Péma Siddhi Hung”. I repeat it to be sure I got it right. I got it right.

A few things, then the clincher. Pointing out how we're at this Catholic church, with a cross prominently featured at the front, and visible from the inside through a large expanse of glass. Jesus, please, I only mean well.

My friend was visiting from New York and the trip to Sedona was planned as one of the stops we wanted to be sure he had a chance to visit. Again, must go if you're anywhere in the neighborhood.

Now get this. Said friend is a long-time and deeply committed devotee of Siddha Yoga. Look that up too. I have been a follower of Siddha Yoga for some time by then. Michele too. In fact she and I met at the ashram.
Being a spiritual school, Siddha Yoga has a mantra. It's called the Namah Mantra. I received the Mantra from Swami Muktananda. He was the vanguard in spreading the message "Meditate" to the West. Look it up. Pick it up.

It needs to also be mentioned about our guest from Siddha Yoga. He was part of a group of devotees who sponsored Muktananda to come to the United States. He is a distinguished elder in the Siddha Yoga sangam [community]. Dear and wonderful man. A real mensch.

So here's my Siddha Yoga friend seeing me picking up on a mantra from some other school. I have no idea what was going on in his mind. If anything. He's a Yogi after all. Just like with the Buddhists, No-Mind is central in Siddha Yoga too. Maybe, though, not is those same words.

So, now, here's the funny, delightful part. The car we were driving. A Mercedes Benz.

"Benz" — "Benza". Get it? Sweet, huh?

I'm writing this since just today, after many moons, I got the connection. Just, wow! Buddha. What a guy. Jesus, what can I say. Muktananda ... Sadgurunath Maharaj Ke Jay!

So what is the message here? Drive a Mercedes Benz. All the big guns in the spiritual realm will be pleased. I'm sure there's more to take away. But, do I have to do all your lifting? 

JESUS ... PARTY ANIMAL

You know the Bible story of the wedding feast at Cana.

At one point they ran out of wine. Mary goes over to her Son and says, "Boychick, we're out of wine." Jesus says, "Tell me something I don't know." Mary: "Don't be fresh! Take care of it!"

[Notice, please, that the BVM had some cred with the Son of God.]

Like a good Son, Jesus did as She said. 

Mary tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you to."*

Typical of JC, he not only fetches the wine, he brings the really good stuff.

*Right there: The single most important advice in the entire Bible. 

When It's Time for the Party to be Over ...

You're throwing a party. Everyone is having a grand time. It's time to wrap it up for the evening. What to do?

That is, if announcing the party is over doesn't do the trick. Or, flashing the lights and shutting down the music don't do it either. That above, well, that's one way to go.

Want a sure-fire, can't miss, work-every-time gambit?

Do this ...

You go up to the guy who's having himself the time of his life, and you whisper this in his ear:

I SEE YOU'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME ...

WAS JESUS HAVING A GOOD TIME?

If that is a little too harsh for you, try this ...

Say what you mean ...

Guy sees a doll at a party and would like to hook up; that is, to score; that is, to get laid. He thinks he's gonna use the bold approach. 

And it goes...

HIM: Hi, gorgeous. How about we have intercourse?

HER: Sure!

HIM: Your place, or mine?

HER: Tell me about your place?

HIM: [He tells her all about it. Nice digs. She should like it.]

HER: Great. Now let me tell you about mine. [And, she does.]

HIM: So?

HER: So, what?

HIM: My place or yours?

HER: I thought we just talked about that?

HIM: I mean maybe we can go to either your place, or mine.

HER: Which one is closer?

HIM: Yours.

HER: How should we get there?

HIM: Wait! Wait! Wait! I just wanted intercourse!

HER: Of course. Isn't that just what we've been having.

HIM: Not that kind of intercourse!

HER: Then, what kind?

HIM: Sex!

HER: Why didn't you just say so in the first place?

HIM: Well?

HER: Well, what?

HIM: How about we have sex?

HER: So you want to get f#cked?

HIM: Yes!

HER: Sure!

I knew a guy who was totally nothing to look at, but was a true rake. he scored almost every time. His trick. He cut to the chase. Standard line: "Hey, how'd you like to get f#cked." Needless to say, he wasn't the least bit afraid of rejection. Well, one does have to establish some rapport to serve up the clincher. 

BTW I'm not for recommending that anyone go out and prowl around for to do the nasty. So, what am I saying. This: Say what you mean. But, first, make sure you know yourself what you mean. That may seem like some obvious advice. But, in my own experience, it takes some doing to get clear on what you mean. 

"Catherine's Share"

"Catherine's Share"

She's getting an iced Tea to drink and calls over asking me if I'd like some. I say, just a few sips; like my Mother, Catherine would say it.

Now the deal with that is that Catherine would give you the impression she wouldn't make a dent. She made a dent, or at least I thought so. Let's just say it was enough to make you want to say, "Hey, save some for me!

So I call back again, give me a Catherine's share. [She heard the story already.]

From the kitchen I hear, just could barely hear, "That means I have to pour you a half of a glass." She remembers it as, "I'll have to give you your own glass."

Catherine's share. It's a thing.

What's So

So, where we at? 

To give some of the more obvious thumbnails ... [IMHO]

There’s China who comes off as being willing to stop at nothing. Likely, unstoppable.

The Russians, and their undetectable hypersonic long-range missile capability. Let that sink in. Can't see it coming.

Let me sidebar: Just mentioning two of this list of items. A won’t-stop China — and could well be unstoppable — and a Sword of Damocles Russia. What to do? More and better arms? So what. So we can put our hand one higher along the length of the bat? We may be entering an era where we’re running out of bat. On the current trajectory, if we toodle on down as before, we could be looking at not just another pandemic, but a global clusterfuck the likes of which it would not only be the first of; but very likely the last. 

What to do? I get it that we’re all, one way or another, trying to figure it all out. It goes that if we have all the information, and all the right information, we can figure it out. How ya doin’ on that? And, even after it's all satisfactorily sorted out, then what? The skies open and a voice will come and drop all the answers onto our laps? Okay, that's a little too. How about that the answers will just pop out of the fully informed algorithm in our brains. Imagine every damn single one of us coming up with our own best solution/description of reality? Would they all be the same? By some magic built into the whatever you want to call the store of all possible knowledge? Or, as is more plausible, we all would come up with something different. Of course, we'd group within like minds. Then, start to contest over intellectual position and dominance. Same old, same old ... just at a my abstracted level.

What to do? [Notice the built-in assumption that doing something is the way to go.] Maybe here’s something to try. Stop trying to figure it out. Stop "doing something". FULL STOP. If you think you have to figure it out how to stop figuring it out ... hold on a momentito ... did you notice right there how you are trying to figure it out? If you have no idea what I'm talking about. Fuggedaboutit. I have less of an idea than that. I like being smart about stuff. And, I'm willing to be 100% wrong on all of it. 

Terrorists. The good news is that we’ve managed, after 21 years and how many trillions of dollars and precious lives, to make sure another small hand full of bad actors did not do something nasty on the home front. Never mind the actual happening right now possibilities with the infiltration of scores of such types coming over at the southern border. As we speak.

"Climate." Hottest year on record; ever. Fires. Drought. Devastating storms. Pollution. Violence in streets. Drug epidemic. Homelessness. Poverty. Illness. Not to mention the degradation of the soils, water supply, and oceans in support of a materialistic culture and growing corporate profits. 

The culture. A culture bent on and predicated on gathering from among a phantasmagoria of entertainments and empty gratifications. The average person ignorant of their inherent, God-given nature. And, worst, a culture which doesn’t support, most definitely doesn't promote, looking into such a question; perhaps even stomping down any attempts. 

Politicians who spend more time spinning their brand of sh#t and putting more shade on their opponents than on good governance. And who spend huge sums of money and energy to get a seat at the table where the odds for a big payday when they get out of the barrel are high. The only downside being that you might get disinvited to a swell shindig on some swell island, with some swell folks at the multi-million dollar digs of some guy who went to Washington with only a pocket full of change and is now living rather, and conspicuously, proudly LARGE. 

South Korea. What can be said. It's there. Who knows.

And, Gentleman Joe. We sleep well at night knowing he has unambiguously drawn the line in the sand and under no uncertain terms has made it clear that if there’s any bad stuff — anything inappropriate going in the world — he’ll “Speak Out”.

Okay, that’s a dig on 46. Let’s not argue over it. We can certainly agree that it’s better than nothing. [Come to think of it, maybe that would be a good campaign slogan for the near future. “Better than Nothing. And, you can take that to the bank. Vote for me. Better than the other guy; who’s worse. Trust me.”]

 

Appreciating Donald ... Something for Everybody

Appreciating Donald ... Something for Everybody

[Read before reading: We all can't help but have a point of view. So far so good. If you are the sort that has a point of view that Donald J. Trump is the worst of the worst — like that he makes Adolf Hitler look like an Eagle Scout, what follows could come off as one of my readers has stated, a "nauseating screed". If, on the other hand, you will approach this with an open mind, then it may have something to offer you, regardless of whether you are a Trump supporter or not.]

In the past several months on social media I have been critical of what I have seen that, let us say, has been some troubling behavior from the so-called progressive side of politics and media. Those so inclined to that side have, without any trace of doubt and every bit of certainly down to their bones, either planted me squarely on some kind of indecision-fraught and/or cowardly-built fence sitter; or, worst of all possible ... a Trump Supporter! On the left of it, "Trump Supporter" is way down the pecking order from the Devil hisself.

In an effort to cast off the itchy cloak of my critics, I'm setting this down so that you might, if you care to, dig where I'm coming from. 

If you want to understand that, you must understand that anything you could imagine is never all this, or is it all that. Duality baby. Like it, or transcend. Or, maybe both. There's something to be said for Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. Not this, not this. Versus, all of it! See, once again, duality even in philosophies on the Real Nature of It All.

So now, what about Donald?

Let’s face it Donald Trump isn’t the first guy in a line-up who would be your most likely pick for President. [Just look at him!] Maybe not even to shine your shoes. Lot's of opinions, in case you haven't noticed. You know what I mean. Yet ...

There’s two sides to everything. To Donald Trump as well. Some on the other side say he just THE WORST, and some say his sh#t don't stink. Welcome to the US of A, 2021.

Here's a bunch of topics on the subject The Donald. No particular order of importance. You can do that for yourself. Send your take to me and I will tabulate the results from my millions of readers.

Boasting. Guess who would be the Mohamed Ali of boasting. Yet, yet ... who would vote for the candidate who presented the opposite? I dunno! The truth lays somewhere in between. No? [Let’s argue.]

Bold. Donald lets us know in no uncertain terms that he’s the man for the job. And, that he will get it done. And, done right. He’s a big builder; come on, man. That’s what he does. [Let’s argue.]

Brave. Huh??? Yes. He gets up there and shows a genuine something. Unless he's the con man many think. Or, even if not genuine, then that would possibly be that he's the monomaniacal, egomaniac that many would unhesitatingly check that box on him. Big ... IF. BTW they all there in the beltway be that. But, like it or not, props to DT for showing that for all to see in just the way only The Donald can be. [Let’s argue.]

Honest. Stay with me. In a nutshell, what you see is what you get with him. Unless you're like those who are so sure that he is the champ Pinnochio and won't see it any other way. Worse case, that his authenticity is just a cover for some nefarious, undoing of all that we hold dear. So many would check that box too. Of course all the opposition shade and liberal media spin doesn't have one bit of influence on all those free thinkers who voted for the other guy. Just not possible. Let's put on another set of glasses. I think he says what he thinks. Never mind if you disagree with what he thinks. He sure comes off like that he does. He has made good on a lot of his promises. Most politicians promise up front, then fold under "current unforeseen and unpreventable conditions". 

Mean. You bet. Unless you think that the US of A should do no more than just "speak out" when some real sh#t is going down somewhere beyond our borders. Or, that making nice with other competitor nations and other actors is the way to play the game. Of course, be nice. But firm. And, that big stick. Alas, our guy can be pretty mean on the stump, and toward those who cross him. If you were from New York you'd have a little less negative reaction to the style. [Let’s argue.]

Generous. What???, you say. He’s the poster boy for if you wanted to represent greed in human form. Astonishingly, I’d bet he’d endorse that enthusiastically. Greed is good. God is good. Greed is Godly. Thank you to that Calvinism. It’s the warp and the weave of our consumer culture. Yet, we’ve seen him in group settings and on the podium genuinely treating people with an authentic kindness. Okay, maybe not so much the “Fake News”. [Let’s argue.]

Smart. The master of branding. "Trump." Need I say more. "Pocahontas" ... that one still charms me. [Let’s argue.]

Transparent. He says what he thinks. Shockingly, rather, ahem, unfiltered. And, it sure looks like he believes his own BS. Which, on one hand, is a sort of integrity [Donald is like plastic wrap to Joe’s thoroughly sanded to opacity double-thick parchment pasted over with a fuzzy photo copy of himself all air-brushed and colorized] and, at the same time, can be so shocking and disconcerting. There he is ... he looks us square in the eye and, without a trace of doubt, and in all earnestness tells us that he’s The Man. For friggin’ sure! I think he knows his boast. The thing to his credit, if he in fact does, is that he has the stones to get up there and put himself in the driver's seat. Either way, he got game. Which, he did, after all. [Hey you ... get over it.] [Let’s argue.]

Strong. No other President in the history of this country has taken as much hot crap as one Donald J. Trump. Prove me wrong. Let’s not go to the obvious place arguing over whether or not he deserves it. Quite a wide spectrum of opinion on that point. Just grok how tough and strong a soul has to be to stay on top of the game with all that shade? Unless, of course, you see him as a complete con man; then, sling at will. Or an un-self-conscious sociopath. Sling more. [Let’s argue.] 

The Act. He's a trip. Is he for real? Let’s face it, he doesn’t fit the mold for how we almost universally think a President should look and act. What lifts our national skirt is avuncular, competent, integrity, truthful. Well, someone such as Joe, would kind of be like it. Apparently; meaning, by appearances. 45 is an interesting mix of class and déclassé, he is. Donald, that is. The other guy, his class for my money comes off as just painted on. [That's harsh, I know. Just like to get a dig in there from time to time.] The guy’s got the common touch, though, gotta admit. He talks like he talks. I think that's him being him up there. Not some propped-up puppet groomed to look the part, reading a script that who know who’s really in charge wrote, and that if there is such a one(s) who knows they even know WTF their doing. [Let’s argue.] 

Rich. Who doesn't wanna be that? But, not just land and dollar rich. Gold toilet rich. Jump a level. Take stock of all the points I've tried to make on the man so far. Each topic could be the thumbnail for a semester's college course, majoring in Trump Studies. He's a man of many facets. The beauty is he invites us all in to share that wealth. [Let’s argue.] 

In gratitude to DJT. I love to argue. Wow, it's become a national pastime. 

Thank you, and bless you, my former President Donald J. Trump.

PS Here's something from Facebook from Rick White on January 7, 2021 ...

I've lost a few friends over politics in the last five years and no matter what happens on January 20th this is how I feel...This is the best and most well written post that I have seen to date. He captured what over 74,000,000 people want to share.

Not open for debate. I have listened to everyone else’s hatred and rhetoric for months, so now I am having my day. If you don’t like it, you know where the delete button is. Let me be clear, I AM NOT a Biden fan. I think he is corrupt, a liar, and probably suffering from dementia. He has done nothing to improve anything in his 47-year political career. But what has Trump done in the past 4 years?
The "arrogant" SOB in the White House , brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 years of political intervention and endless war failed to produce.

The "buffoon" in the White House, is the first president that has NOT engaged us in a foreign war since Eisenhower.

The "racist" in the White House, has had the greatest impact on the economy, bringing jobs, and lowering unemployment to the Black and Latino population of ANY other president. EVER!.

The "liar" in the White House, has exposed the deep, widespread, and long-standing corruption in the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the Republican and Democratic parties.

The "buffoon" in the White House, turned NATO around and had them start paying their dues.

The "fool" in the White House, neutralized the North Koreans and stopped them sending missiles toward Japan and threatening the West Coast of the US.

The "xenophobe" in the White House, turned our relationship with the Chinese around, brought hundreds of business back to the US, and revived the economy. Hello?????

The "clown" in the White House, has accomplished the appointing of three Supreme Court Justices ,who believe in the rights of the unborn and close to 300 Federal Judges.

This same clown lowered your taxes, increased the standard deduction on your IRS return from $12,500 to $24,400 for married couples and caused the stock market to rise to record levels, positively impacting the retirement accounts of tens of millions of citizens.

The “clown” in the White House, fast-tracked the development of a COVID Vaccine, which was just approved and is being shipped out as we speak and yet we still don't have a vaccine for SARS, Bird Flu, Ebola, or a host of diseases that arose during previous administrations???

The “clown” in the White House rebuilt our military, which the Obama administration crippled and fired 214 key generals and admirals, in his first year of office.

I got it, you don't like him. Many of you utterly hate and despise him. How special of you. He is serving you and ALL the American people
And might I add, he’s doing it for FREE..

What are you doing besides calling him names and laughing about him for catching the China virus?? Some of you were even hoping that COVID would be the cause of his demise??

Please educate me again as to what Biden has accomplished for America in his 47 years in office, besides making the whole Biden family richer???

By the way, where is Hunter? Oh, and when asked by the media about HUNTER, BIDEN has no response?

I’ll take the ‘clown’ any day, versus a fork tongued, smooth talking, hypocritical, corrupt liar. I want a strong leader who isn’t afraid to kick some ass when needed.

I don’t need a fatherly figure. I don’t need a liar. That's what Hollywood, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS and the New York Times are for.

God bless Donald Trump - the most unappreciated President in U.S. history.

Here's another take on this same subject: CLICK TO READ

ALSO A VIDEO: Trumps Virtues

Understanding the Power of Buddhism ...

OM AH HUM

The first three syllables of the mantra represent the three kayas, as well as the vajra body, speech, and mind of all the buddhas. OM corresponds to the dharmakaya, the nature of Buddha Amitabha; AH corresponds to the sambhogakaya, and the Lord of Compassion, Avalokitesvara; HUM corresponds to the nirmanakaya, manifesting as the Lotus-born Guru, Padmasambhava.

VAJRA
The vajra (dorje in Tibetan) refers to the diamond, the hardest and most precious of all stones. A diamond can cut through all other substances, yet cannot itself be cut by any of them.
This symbolizes the unchanging, non-dual wisdom of the buddhas, which cannot be affected or destroyed by ignorance, but cuts right through all delusions and obscurations. It indicates too that the qualities and activities of the body, speech, and mind of the buddhas can benefit all sentient beings, without hindrance from negative forces. Like a diamond, the vajra is free from all defects. Its indestructible strength comes from the realization of the dharmakaya nature, the nature of Buddha Amitabha.

GURU
As we have seen, the word" guru" in Sanskrit means "weighty," or "heavy." Just as gold is the heaviest and most precious of metals, the guru is the most weighty and most precious of all beings, because of his inconceivable and flawless qualities. Here the guru corresponds, on the sambhogakaya level, to Avalokitesvara, who is endowed with the seven branches of union.

PADMA
Padma, meaning "lotus" in Sanskrit, indicates the padma family from the five buddha-families. These five families - buddha, vajra, ratna, padma, and karma-are represented by the five buddhas: Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi, respectively.

Guru Rinpoche is the nirmanakaya emanation of Amitabha, who corresponds to the lotus family and the speech aspect of the buddhas. It is stated in the slltras that simply by uttering the name of Buddha Amitabha, you will be reborn in Sukhavati, the Paradise of Great Bliss, never to be reborn again in lower realms. In the same way, reciting the name of the Lotus-born Guru will bring us every kind of realization.

The incomparable qualities of the six-syllable mantra, the Mani, are also described in all the scriptures as being able to bring us to the realization of the bodhisattva levels, or bhumis.

The Mani mantra of Avalokitesvara is the sambhogakaya aspect of the Vajra Guru mantra, and also corresponds to the great Vairocana Buddha. This buddha, who is the size of the whole universe, holds a begging bowl in his two hands in the mudra of equanimity.
It is said that within this begging bow1 is a lotus with twenty-five rows of petals arranged one upon the other. These rows correspond to the various aspects of the body, speech, mind, qualities, and activity of the buddhas. For example, the body alone has five subdivisions: body-body, body-speech, body-mind, body-qualities, and body, -activity.

The present nirmanakaya paradise of the Buddha Sakyamuni is said to rest at the level of the heart, and corresponds to the row of the mind-mind subdivision, this being the reason why in this paradise the precious teachings of the Secret Mantrayana - the Vajrayana - could be taught and spread.

SIDDHI
The word siddhi means "true accomplishment." By remembering and praying to the body, speech, mind, qualities, and activity of Guru Rinpoche, both ordinary and supreme accomplishments will be ours. Ordinary accomplishments include freedom from sickness and endowments such as wealth and prosperity; the supreme accomplishment is to attain the complete realization of Guru Rinpoche himself.

HUM
Reciting the syllable HUM is like requesting or invoking the guru to come and to bless us with all the siddhis, ordinary and supreme.
Our master, Guru Rinpoche, and the mantra are inseparable. So when we utter the name of the guru by reciting the mantra, it's as if we are calling out repeatedly to someone who simply cannot fail to reply. The guru cannot but turn his compassion towards us, and so, if we pray one-pointedly like this, there is absolutely no doubt that Guru Rinpoche will come at once to grant us his blessings.

When rain falls on the earth, it falls evenly everywhere, but only the good seeds will germinate, not the rotten ones. In the same manner, the compassion of Guru Rinpoche is unbiased; it is directed universally to all beings, and yet his blessings will be swifter for those who have devotion and faith.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Guru Yoga

Chief White Eage Speaks

Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle commenting on the current situation:

′′ This moment humanity is experiencing can be seen as a door or a hole. The decision to fall in the hole or walk through the door is up to you. If you consume the news 24 hours a day, with negative energy, constantly nervous, with pessimism, you will fall into this hole.

But if you take the opportunity to look at yourself, to rethink life and death, to take care of yourself and others, then you will walk through the portal.

Take care of your home, take care of your body. Connect with your spiritual home. When you take care of yourself, you take care of everyone at the same time.

Do not underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Take the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader view. There is a social question in this crisis, but also a spiritual question. The two go hand in hand.

Without the social dimension, we fall into fanaticism. Without the spiritual dimension, we fall into pessimism and futility.

Are you ready to face this crisis? Grab your toolbox and use all the tools at your disposal.

Learn resistance from the example of Indian and African peoples: we have been and are exterminated. But we never stopped singing, dancing, lighting a fire, and rejoicing.

Don't feel guilty for feeling blessed in these troubled times. Being sad or angry doesn't help at all. Resistance is resistance through joy!
You have the right to be strong and positive. And there's no other way to do it than to maintain a beautiful, happy, bright posture.
Has nothing to do with alienation (ignorance of the world). It's a resistance strategy.

When we cross the threshold, we have a new worldview because we faced our fears and difficulties. This is all you can do now:
- Serenity in the storm
- Keep calm, pray every day
- Make a habit of meeting the sacred every day.
Show resistance through art, joy, trust, and love."

[Attribution not difinitively known by David D. Wronski.] 

A Dad's Tale ...

When I was being a Daddy to my darling daughters they liked me telling them made-up stories.

 There was one theme I remember about a family that lived next to a deep, dark wood. The story plot centered on the little girl going into the woods, and all the things that happened on her way. What the story lacked was some organizing idea. Why did she go there? What did she learn? Did she find her way back? Things like that.

 I wasn’t in touch with my creative imagination much then and the story never seemed to get legs.

 So, now, here’s a story ...

Once upon a time, there was a family who lived in a cottage in the country. They grew their own food and were pretty much self-reliant. And, happy. Picture your best vision of the bucolic life.

 So happy, in fact, that the family never paid too much attention to what was in their surroundings. I don’t know how that’s really possible; but, it’s my story so I can have it any way I want. No? Stay with me.

 One day, the Father, by some happenstance — That Lord who works in His mysterious ways, don’t you know — sees the wood. He also hears a beautiful, haunting voice saying, “What you want most is here. Come.” Talk about offers you can’t refuse.

 Off he went. Without much of a ceremony for proper goodbyes and tears. Most difficult, not much of an explanation. Yet, what could he have said. It was a mystery to him also at the time.

Of course, the little girl missed her Daddy. It breaks the heart to see grief in such a young heart. Grief has its blessings, properly understood and fully accepted. But, to the child, with her limited experience and understanding of life, it looked like abandonment. Who could blame her. It did look like that. So, as the years passed, so it was. A story fixed in Amber. Not pleasant, mostly hidden away.

Dad saw it as a necessity. Not just for himself. What good Dad doesn’t want all the best for his family? True wealth, you automatically share. It’s in the nature of things.

 So, off he went. Never mind the twists and turns and false starts, and circles he encountered on the trail.

Trail. Well. “Trail” in the sense of where he was going. Not marked for him; marked by him. New territory. Brave, he was.

Would the darling daughter keep faith with him? Cherish her heartfelt connection. In her heart, no question. But, on the level of the personal point of view, quite a challenge. How could she know what he was up to? Even if he could tell it himself, would the little one know how to take it? Who knows. Things go the way they go.

The thing about that Dad going into the forest all alone was that he carried with him an Infinite spool of trusty, strong string. Letting it trail behind him as he pressed on. His own thought was that his beloveds would take hold of that string and follow him. Trusting. Loving.

Well, they didn’t. On the level of personal point of view, that is. And, the Father looked back so very often to see if the string had got taught from them grasping it as they went to follow. Well, again, no.

He even managed to get messages back to them, with hints on how to navigate the landscaped. She had her mind made up. The story she saw him through was a settled matter. Those messages, really annoying. They grated against her cherished pictures. 

I do have hope. The universe has a way of bringing things to itself. I call it Karmic Gravity. You can only go off course so far before the Universe will conspire to get you back on track. It's like this: "Opportunity only knocks once." Sure, but it has always been knocking, and won't stop ... until you stop that is; stop being an ignorant slave to the illusions created in your personality mind.

What’s a Dad to do? What can you do with a situation where you don’t know what to do, or even that there is anything you can do?

Let me take a sidebar to this: The forest is a metaphor. For going inside oneself. Enough on that. If you know, fine. Want to know more, look it up. Don't know, don't care ... fine, be that way. All roads lead to Rome. 

The question has an answer. To just sit with it. Be with it. Stop trying to figure it out, or make it into some understandable shape. To fix it.

At the moment when he surrendered to the impossibility of answering the question, something amazing —miraculous, really — happened. What the promise that was made that he set off to find was right there in front of him. Not some fairy tale pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Better. Infinitely. T. S. Elliot said it well, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

Think on that. Deep, true and powerful stuff.

 In truth, he never left. Oh, it seemed so, but not really. You know how it’s said, “Nothing real can be threatened, and nothing unreal doesn’t exist”? It is just that.

Moral of the story: Appearances can be deceiving. The little girl deceived herself that her Daddy left. The Dad, that they might not be there when he arrived.

That’s a story with a happy ending. For you who have cared to read it through to the end.

See if you can fit this into the sense of the story: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.” That's Doctor Tom Dooley famously quoting Robert Frost.

PS Dad's sometimes have to do things little girls might not understand. Yet do them without any expectation — ever — that they will understand, or even want to. Or, could. Love finds a way.

[This story is inspired and offered to my own Daughters who are pure mirrors to me in my life.] 

What is Buddha? "The single most fundamental point ..."

What is Buddha?

The single most fundamental point in the Buddhist sutras is ‘taking refuge’, or ‘namu’ in Japanese. This taking refuge in the three treasures – Buddha, dharma and sangha – forms the foundation for all the precepts. To receive the Triple Refuge is to enter into the world of Buddha.

The Sanskrit term ‘namu’ and the Chinese term ‘kie’ both express the same spirit, and both terms mean to go back to your true home. To really go back home, in the spirit of ‘kie’, one must entrust oneself and let go of the body and mind that he has up to now called ‘me’. If that thing we refer to as ‘me’ exists, then ‘namu’ means to give it all up for the sake of truth. So ‘namu’ and ‘kie’ are the Sanskrit and Chinese expressions which mean to place one’s full reliance, body and soul, on buddha.

Now, when we chant, “Namu kie butsu” – “I take refuge in buddha” – what do we mean by ‘buddha’? What is buddha? This is the question the person practicing comes to feel he must answer for himself.

If we are not clearly aware of the reality of a buddha, an awakened being who has thoroughly cast off everything to the last, we cannot really let go ourselves. So the question is: who, or what, or in what form is buddha to be found?

First of all, is there really anything of truth in this world for which you could let go of everything? If such a truth really does exist, I would say that you could surrender everything for it. Going further, if this truth happens to be just the thing you are most seeking, then the more willingly you will let go of everything for it. Finally, we could say that what we most ardently wish for is to possess everything without exception, to have everything as one’s own. If this truth is just such an all-encompassing state in itself, then you wouldn’t hesitate to give up everything for it.

Our desires are not such that we can say, “Oh, just to right here will be plenty.” Desire being insatiable, we cannot be satisfied until we have it all, to the very last. Some gentle-mannered souls may act with reserve and declare that they have plenty. But should you ask them, “Is this really enough?”, they will likely answer, “Well, if possible, just a touch more.” However, if you know that regardless of what you seek, your every wish will be granted, you will be willing to lay down your whole self. If whatever you seek is yours, isn’t it correct to say that there is no loss?

If a child is asked to name the one thing that is of most value, he will answer that it is ‘life’. There is awareness of life. If there is a life which cannot be lost for all eternity, you would gladly give up everything for it. And then there is material wealth. If by simply wishing for something, it is provided, why should you hesitate to give up anything? Finally, if you know that you will be released from all restraints, to live in perfect freedom, I would say it is all right to give up everything for that.

If these three conditions can be yours, I believe you will be ready to cast off your small self. We can say that that which is called ‘buddha’ is in itself the perfect embodiment of life, wealth and freedom. Eternal life as one’s own, complete freedom in everything, possession of all the truth of this world – if you know this is buddha, the heart which entrusts itself cannot help but well up.

Tangen Harada Roshi

It's a Level Thing

That Level Thing

Lately I see that the type of conversations I've been having on social media are based on me attempting to get across the idea that the facts and solutions being debated — you guessed it ... politics — could be looked at from another perspective. A different level. Forest and trees sort of thing. [You do know that one, yes?]

Here's probably the last word on the subject:

"Once you have the view, although the delusory perceptions of samsara may arise in your mind, you will be like the sky; when a rainbow appears in front of it, it’s not particularly flattered, and when the clouds appear, it’s not particularly disappointed either. There is a deep sense of contentment. You chuckle from inside as you see the facade of samsara and nirvana; the View will keep you constantly amused, with a little inner smile bubbling away all the time."
– Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The keyword there is "VIEW". Maybe a better word than level, since it doesn't have the linear, hierarchical connotations of "level". It's just there. To take, put on. As you read this please add "view" to your understanding of "level".

In all fairness, the struggle to see that my point is made has only to do with my own compulsion to attempt to make a point. In short, my own unprocessed baggage acting out. Forgive me. And, more, it's a thing to know just what is that point to make in the first place; never mind the business of how to make it. But, finally, why? 

The idea of "Level" seems to offer a way to go. ["VIEW"]

So, now that I've given some hints, let's get into this business of level. When we think of "level" — I'm sure you're all up in the issue. Well, you are. But maybe not from the level to which I'm referring. "Level", it seems to automatically bring in evaluation. Good / Bad. Right / Wrong. The higher level, that's the ticket. We want that. That's the default game. Sorting out black from white. Yin from Yang? No winning side there. You can try. But, what God has put together, let no man put asunder. They co-exist, no one without the other. Duality baby. We got it. And, we can get it from different levels. Even the level where we are free of its constraints. Liberated. Stay with me.

A wise professor once said, "Whatever you say, someone can prove you wrong. So, now that you know I'm wrong, we have nothing to disagree about."

There's another kind of level I'm writing about. The level which informs your perspective. The lens you see things with. Not better, different. But, higher. Again, not better. Maybe more like a birdseye view. Forest versus trees.

Take this for example. There's Baseball and Golf. On one level they are totally different. Absolutely true. If you don't know from the difference between the two ... really! ... look it up. 

From a higher, more structural level, we see they're both played with sticks, balls, paths/markers, grass. 

More generally, they are games.

From this latter level — you're playing a game — you can consider how other things are games too. Your life's comings, and goings, and gettings, and havings. For example. Not only like playing Poker, or water polo. Whathaveyou.

So what's the big whoop there? This: when you see that you are playing a game you have stepped up the level now to having some creative say in the matter. Rather than being totally engrossed in the busyness of life, you can see where you want to go and how to get there. Also, maybe not taking it needlessly seriously.

So the next level is healing. "Hey, little girl, while you're digging around in that pile of horse poo-poo hoping to find a pony in there [and, even if you did, what would you have besides a stinking pony?] there's something else you can do." "What's that, mister?" "Well, it's seeing that what you are really looking for — next to which all else are mere tokens — is right in front of you — well, Nisargadatta reminds us that in Truth is IS YOU — right there, plain as day. But, you have to let go of that game with the you-know-what and that icky poney. If you want. [And, you know that you do.] Don't be so proud to not look at the other choice. I think you'll want to stay, but it takes its time when you're letting go of one rung to grab onto another. It's a muscle. You have one. By birth-right. Now, use it!

Here's another level thing. There's the way you see things. It's one level to be clear on what it is you're seeing and maybe a step up to consider how that view may be colored and conditioned. Then, there's the level where you notice that there's a you seeing all those things. And, further, the level of looking into just what you are who is seeing those things. Clue: nothing transitory. 

Werner Erhard is also talking about level in this about "responsibility".

Then, closer to my professional interest ...  there is another such "Level"; that is, in respect to our health and well-being. 

Without trotting out my full encyclopedia on the subject, let's just say that living in balance also includes the makeup of your body. Besides being designed to be stacked up nicely up and down [vertical], the human body in order to enlist the supportive side of Gravity* needs to have that vertical, but also should be even and level. Even, with both sides balanced with respect to one another; symmetrical. But also, level; the segments each resting on top of one another flat. As a pancake, don't you know. Well, of course, you do. You don't get served those flapjacks balanced on their edges, do you?

*Gravity. It's ecology, baby! Prime real estate. You're in it. [Or, from another point of view ... it's in you.]

Mother! WTF

Last night we had a doozy thunderstorm. Lightning, well yeah. Michele commented, "God is bowling". I had never heard that one before, and was totally charmed by the image. 

I'm remembering now too a time from my formative youth, during a thunderstorm. I was afraid and troubled. My Polish Mother unhesitatingly and flatly said, "Boża is angry with you". No indication she was joshing me. For real, she seemed.

God is angry with me. Well. At 7 or 8 impressionable years of age, that's saying something. Being a good Catholic lad, naturally, I was full of guilt, so I took it as true. 

So many conflicting thoughts. Was is true? If so, what could I do. Oh, there's the Sacrament of Confession. But, that was a big display of anger ... what did I do to deserve that?

Then, of course, there was the usual disconnect between what I know to be so and what the adults in the room demanded me to believe what's so. Framing the world for me.

Mom! Why would you say something like that? It's interesting to note that my Mother ran away from home — for good — at a very young age to escape the physical and mental cruelty of a stepmother. Took her younger sister in tow, and scrammed. Grew up with her natural mother's sister, Dear Ciotka [say it, "Chocha".], in another city far away. Brave, huh?

But, I do love my Mother. And it's my duty as a good son to reconcile myself with her. First, accepting that she wasn't always right. Or, that she raised me to be a good boy, and relating to me as if she had command over me, even as an adult. Mother! My life as a dog. Raised like a Veal. Yet ... to be fair, I remember how as I grew the evening curfew time gradually became later. She was giving me my independence. It took me, myself, some time to take it. You know, those apron strings.

In the final analysis, I think she didn't understand how sensitive and impressionable I was. Or, maybe she did, and was giving me a koan to chew on to toughen me up. In short, she was pulling my leg.

I think that's about right. Her other instruction was about how to catch a bird. You put salt on its tail. I even got the absurdity of that as a mere lad. I do think, though, she played with my naivete just a bit. Teaching me really to think for myself. 

Net, net ... Mother is always right. It's the child who might not at first see that through his limited experience. 

Accepting versus Tolerating

 

“In accepting the sensation of the body—accepting, not tolerating—the various sensations can come fully into our acceptance, our awareness. You feel the agitation of the body. You are all sensation. There is no psychological commentary. There is not a feeler, nothing felt. There is only feeling. The sensation, the weight, the agitation, etc., then become really articulated.

It is very important that this articulation occurs, otherwise, all the sensations are lumped together in one mass and remain unconscious, i.e., residues. Once a sensation has fully blossomed in your awareness, you can let it go, and what remains is only the acceptance, the awareness, the light. This lightness, acceptance, is not localized in the head. It is not localized anywhere.

Once the perception has unfolded in awareness, energy is liberated and dissolves in light. This light, energy, is spontaneously felt on all levels of our phenomenal being. We spontaneously become aware of a new body-feeling, a feeling of energy, light, space, emptiness, expansion. This body is the real body, the organic body. This is the body which carries the qualities of its source and is the true expression of its source: light. This body is eminently lovable […]”
“When you have once felt the organic light body, its feeling will return to you often, because it is older than any conditioned body. It is your original body. The cells have an ancient organic memory of their perfect state. So it is important when you have once felt it, not to return to the old patterns. Sustain it. Remember it in all situations in daily life.

For one who is fully established in Truth, there is no going back. But to be established means that the insight is fully transposed on all levels of existence. Someone who has not fully explored the transposition on the body-mind level, even though the insight is real, may well be taken again by the body-mind. For the fully established one, the body-mind is Truth because it is a perfect expression of truth. Only such a one knows what the “temple of God” means. Take care of your temple!”

- Excerpt from 'The Book of Listening', Jean Klein