by Introspection 151 Replies latest watchtower medical
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
No man is an Iland,
intire of it selfe,
everyman is a peece of the Continent,
a part of the maine;
if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea,
Europe is the lesse,
as well as if a Promontorie were,
as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were;
any mans death diminishes me,
because I am involved in Mankinde;
And therefore never send to
know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee...
JOHN DONNE John Donne (1571-1631)
Constantly be aware,
Without stopping.
When the aware mind is present,
It senses the formlessness of things.
Constantly see your body as empty
And quiet, inside and outside
Communing in sameness.
Plunge the body into the realm
Of reality, where there has
Never been any obstruction. - Tao-hsin (580-651)
"To be great is to be misunderstood."----
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bethany: Sex is a joke in heaven?
Metatron: The way I understand it, it's mostly a joke down here, too.
Dogma the movie
A bird in a secluded grove
sings like a flute.
Willows sway gracefully
with their golden threads.
The mountain valley grows
quieter as the clouds return.
A breeze brings along the
fragrance of the apricot flowers.
Sitting here a whole day in peace,
till my mind is cleared of all cares,
I would tell you more,
but words fail.
If you come to this grove,
you will see yourself. - Fa-yen
The man in whom Tao
Acts without impediment
Harms no other being
By his actions
Yet he does not know himself
To be "kind," to be "gentle."
The man in whom Tao
Acts without impediment
Does not bother with his own interests
And does not despise
Others who do.
He does not struggle to make money
And does not make a virtue of poverty.
He goes his way
Without relying on others
And does not pride himself
On walking alone.
While he does not follow the crowd
He won't complain of those who do.
Rank and reward
Make no appeal to him;
Disgrace and shame
Do not deter him.
He is not always looking
For right and wrong
Always deciding "Yes" or "No."
The ancients said, therefore:
"The man of Tao
Remains unknown
Perfect virtue
Produces nothing
'No-Self'
Is 'True-Self.'
And the greatest man
Is Nobody."
-Chuang Tzu
With the mindfulness practices comes a shift from a spatially based experience of self to a temporal one. Having accomplished a certain amount of inner stability through concentration, the meditator is now able to look more closely at the moment-to-moment nature of mind and self. Mindfulness involves awareness of how constantly thoughts, feelings, images, and sensations shift in the mind and body. Rather than promoting a view of self as an entity or as a place with boundaries, the mindfulness practices tend to reveal another dimension of the self-experience, one that has to do with how patterns come together in a temporary and ever-evolving organization.
--Mark Epstein, Thoughts Without a Thinker
Many people are addicted to, and identified with, being the separate and unique victims of the tragic dramas of their lives. People so often form the deepest bonds with one another by sharing the painful and tragic episodes of their lives, as if those episodes define who they really are. Many people really see themselves as "the one who has struggled," and "the one who is struggling now." Others struggle to hold onto a more positive, fixed identity as a good, successful, or spiritual person. However, most people cling to both negative and positive self images, creating an endless struggle between contradictory identities that have no fundamental reality to begin with. Is it any wonder that so many spiritual seekers remain so confused?
-Adyashanti
Pleasure is oft a visitant, while pain clings cruelly to one.
Keats
C
When the pain of being where we are, becomes greater than our fear of letting go...we will risk and heal and grow.
wâsakâpayiw pîsimohkân (the clock goes round) wâsakâkotêw kîsikâw (the day goes round) wâkâw wacistwan (a nest is round) wâsakâkohtêew êsa kipimâcihowinaw (therefore, our lives are cyclical)
Plains Cree - North Amercian Indian Tribe
C
When the pain of being where we are, becomes greater than our fear of letting go...we will risk and heal and grow.
