Saturday, April 29, 2017

when nothing is left out...

"When you live the spiritual life - 
or rather it lives you, 
versus just talking about it - 
washing the dishes is deeply spiritual, 
cooking dinner is deeply spiritual, 
going to work is deeply spiritual. 
You can't separate the two, 
a “me” being spiritual or not spiritual. 
It's just what you are.
That's when life takes on a resonance 
or alignment with itSelf, 
where everything is holy 
and wholly spiritual - 
nothing is left out."
~ Rita Friedman

~o~ () ~o~

Flower of Life Meditation Cushion  

Flower of Life Meditation Cushion. Zafu. Flax/Linen Fabric, and Sunset Coral. 15" x 5". Buckwheat Hulls. 6" L. Sidewall Velcro. Handmade, USA. by etsyseller Zafuchi

Thursday, April 27, 2017

closer than breathing...in every atom...

-~O... Kabir ....O~-
 
"Where do you search me?
I am with you
Not in pilgrimage, nor in icons
Neither in solitudes
Not in temples, nor in mosques
Neither in Kaba nor in Kailash
I am with you o man
I am with you
Not in prayers, nor in meditation
Neither in fasting
Not in yogic postures
Neither in renunciation
Neither in the vital force nor in the body
Not even in the ethereal space
Neither in the womb of Nature
Not in the breath of the breath
Seek earnestly and discover
In but a moment of search
Says Kabir, Listen with care
Where your faith is, I am there."
available by etsyseller BienDit

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

a lesson in abundance...

~)(~
Sunday evening while at the laundromat I was given a lesson about "having more than enough" by a homeless person camped for the night in the doorway of a brick and mortar store. I'd seen him there before, so I assume he has an agreement with the store owner, but maybe not. I don't know. I asked him if he needed any money and he declined. He said "No, I'm good. I don't need anything" as he pulled his sleeping bag up close and puffed away on a tiny brown cigar. I believed him. Camping out next the laundromat where he has access to a bathroom, and just a few yards away from a convenience store, he may be homeless by choice. This may not be so very different than camping out, for him. I began making up a story in my head about him. But mostly, I got a lesson in when there's plenty - in the moment.
~)(~
 

Monday, April 17, 2017

money matters and spirituality...

This is something that has for some time been a daily concern for me, as it probably is (I'm guessing, but it's a good guess, I believe) for many people who are on a spiritual path. I frequently feel the need for mental clarity on this very important part of life in the dream/illusion. Maybe an individual has calculated a way to monetize the no-thing-ness they have discovered (and genuine spirituality is all very nice, etc. etc.) but seriously, no-thing-ness itself doesn't pay the bills.
~)(~

~ Adyashanti
"Q: So, how does the unfolding of non-motivation relate to issues, like earning money, that need motivation and desire to manifest?

Adya: The making of money is a necessary part of life and can be motivated by many drives. Among them, the drive to succeed, to acquire wealth beyond what is needed, to feel worthy, to have power, etc. However, the need to earn money to support your life, and possibly the life of your family, is a simple necessity. That is the motivation. And as such, it is an act of love. Your job in speculation and investing may require quick action and commitment, but not aversion and grasping. I know people who do investing and speculation and they do not do it from an emotional space of aversion and greedy desire but from wisdom and experience. Of course you must make money in ways that feel in integrity for you, but the underlying emotions are brought to the job by each of us, they do not exist in the job itself, as long as the job embodies basic moral principles and can be carried out with integrity. If not, it is time to look for something else to do. You see, as we drop the ego and all of the egoic motivations, what we are left with is acting from love. We do what we do out of love. Love for life, love for family, love for humanity. And love transcends all egoic motivations. Love is liberation in action."

Saturday, April 1, 2017

there is a way to be sane...

 "I'm saying that you can get rid of all this insanity created by the past in you,
 just by being a simple witness of your thought processes.
It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts, passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering, not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say “this is good, this is bad,” you have already jumped onto the thought process.
It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise: that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher.
And this process of watching is the very alchemy of real religion. Because as you become more and more deeply rooted in witnessing, thoughts start disappearing. You are, but the mind is utterly empty.
That’s the moment of enlightenment. That is the moment that you become for the first time an unconditioned, sane, really free human being."
~Osho