Being and non-being create each other...

"When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and he lets them come;
things disappear and he lets them go.
He has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When his work is done, he forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever."

~ Lao Tzu: 

Tao Te Ching chapter 2

~~~~

  (and because a girl needs to pay her bills... :) )

Meditation Cushion. Zafu. Floor Pillow. Driftwood Coral.

 

wanting peace...

"In order for the world to become peaceful, people must become more peaceful. Among mature people war would not be a problem – it would be impossible. In their immaturity people want, at the same time, peace and the things which make war. However, people can mature just as children grow up. Yes, our institutions and our leaders reflect our immaturity, but as we mature we will elect better leaders and set up better institutions. It always comes back to the thing so many of us wish to avoid: working to improve ourselves." 

~ Peace Pilgrim 

(for more info about the life of Peace Pilgrim click here)

Self-acceptance...

"Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence." 

~ Henri J.M. Nouwen

Spiderwort  flower

human emotion...

"Human emotion literally shapes the world around us. 

Not just our perception of the world, but reality itself."

excerpted - click here for the entire article 

meditate daily...for Love's sake...

 for this, and other filled/unfilled zafus by ZafuChi.etsy.com click here...

at the heart of matter...

"In the 'non-beingness',
beingness has appeared...
and in the beingness,
thousands of births and life forms
are created within a moment..."

~Nisargadatta Maharaj
~~~ 
"Are we here to maximize our own reward, 
or to generously share the fruit of our labor?"
~~~
"...let's take the time to nourish the love 
& compassion that is already in our hearts." 
~Thay
 ~~~

Hibiscus Flower Buckwheat Hull Zafu meditation cushion

To see the current stock of buckwheat hull zafus click here: 

I AM - not two...

"Ascension while in physical-form is enlightenment. 
Ascension in subtle-form is life-everlasting, immortality."
  ~ ~ ~
"I Am" what you are searching for. "I Am" that inner pull from within your heart. The only difference between what "I Am" and what you take yourself to be is only a matter of belief. As you currently believe yourself to be other than "Truth" "I Am" without this belief. Remove the belief that somehow you are other than "Truth" and in that instant, freedom shines forth. 

~Agnisattva

~ ~ ~
And, because ascension doesn't pay the bills and we still need money, I present:

Buckwheat Hull Zafu Meditation Cushion. 

Floor/Dorm Pillow. Bright Green w. Floral Print. 

OOAK. Buckwheat Hulls. 

6"Sidewall Zipper. 15 x 5. USA made


 

opening up to our Source...

"Every day we dishonor our finest impulses. That is why we get a heart-ache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. There is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, to discover what is already there."

~ Henry Miller

Cassia, and Bleeding Hearts Vine

clear mind...

"The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
all we can describe is their appearance.

They were careful
as someone crossing an iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shape-able as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water.
Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?
The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
He is present, and can welcome all things."
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching chapter 15

cassia tree flowers from my back yard

the (sweet) option of having no opinion...

 "You always own the option of having no opinion. 

There is never any need to get worked up 

or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. 

These things are not asking to be judged by you. 

Leave them alone."
~ Marcus Aurelius

~:():~ 

 In today's vernacular: 

"Don't sweat the small stuff, 

and it's all (almost) small stuff."

Frequently the comments section of online articles/social media feeds 

is way more colorful and spicy than the information in the article itself.

Ah, the sweetness of exercising the option of having no opinion 

about that which our words cannot actually change.

And, wisdom to know the difference is key.

Siesta Key at sunset

being supa hap hap happy!

"Imagining yourself to be the body,
no wonder you have all these ailments.

Imagining yourself to be the mind,
no wonder you have all these worries.

Knowing yourself to be consciousness,
No wonder there is all this space and peace.

Realizing you are the unborn awareness,
no wonder you are supremely happy."

 

~Sri Mooji

 

(stock photo from canva)

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

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

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.

~)(~

 

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."

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

Om sweet om...

"Om is the root of all sounds.

Every other sound is contained in That,

It is used to take one beyond all sound."

~ Sri Aurobind

free to fly...

"I wake up every morning with excitement and curious anticipation to discover what holographic experiences my Infinite I has in store for me that day."

 ~Stephen Davis
Butterflies Are Free To Fly: 

A New and Radical Approach to Spiritual Evolution

Love After Love...

“The time will come when, 

with elation you will greet yourself 

arriving at your own door, 

in your own mirror and 

each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat. 

You will love again

 the stranger who was your self.

 Give wine. Give bread. 

Give back your heart to itself,

 to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, 

whom you ignored for another, 

who knows you by heart. 

 Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes, 

peel your own image from the mirror. 

Sit. 

Feast on your life.”

~Derek Walcott

Derek Walcott (wikipedia)

born 23 January 1930 - died 17 March 2017 (aged 87)

three simple steps to Paradise...

God/Love has no hands/feet but our hands/feet, no mouth to speak Truth but our mouth.

"I was in darkness, but I took three steps and found myself in paradise. The first step was a good thought, the second, a good word; and the third, a good deed."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

"this little Light of mine..."

Light meditation for cellular purification...

“The technique to purify ourselves at the cellular level is very simple. You have to experience Light in every cell of your body. Light is Love, Peace, Equanimity and Stillness. Experience for as long as possible. From 7 minutes to 7 hours or for as long as you can. Whenever it is possible experience it. Whenever you are busy in life visualize Light in your system and keep the Light in you. That is all. Naturally we cannot be practising this when we are in Offices and when we are busy with our lives. But whenever you find time sit quietly, close your eyes and experience #Light in every cell of your body. It’s not easy I know but this is the only way. Increasing your purity levels in every way is as important. Let us manifest #Love. Let Love be the context for your interactions in life. Non-love is like poison. Remove non-love. Remove anger. Remove jealousy. Remove all that is related to non-love. Purity implies all this.”

by Guruji Krishnananda