|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
brushjw
USA
191 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 18 2008 : 4:24:27 PM
|
mind finds a path
to struggle along
never reaching the goal
heart knows it already rests
in the path of something wonderful
it can not escape
.....mind seeks to hold on to
.....a still point
.....of final understanding
.....heart knows it is being held
.....by an unmoving whirlwind
.....that it will never comprehend
mind tries to feel safe enough
to allow love
out into the open
heart knows love is never cautious
and can not be kept secret
once all hope of refuge is abandoned
-Nirmala
http://www.esonet.org/public/Biblioteca/(Ebook%20-%20Advaita%20
Vedanta%20-%20ENG)%20-%20Nirmala%20-%20Nothing%20Personal%20-%20Seeing
%20Beyond%20the%20Illusion%20of%20a%20Separate%20Self.pdf |
Edited by - AYPforum on Jun 21 2008 3:42:34 PM |
|
|
emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2008 : 4:35:53 PM
|
Beautiful! Thanks!
(But the link doesn't work... can you edit it?) |
 |
|
|
brushjw
USA
191 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2008 : 5:45:42 PM
|
emc,
I'm glad you liked it!
The [url] command has been disabled. You'll have to copy and paste the entire URL into your browser address bar, rather than double-click on the hyperlink.
namaste,
Joe |
|
|
|
Manipura
USA
870 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2008 : 8:16:26 PM
|
| Wonderful, Joe. Thanks. |
|
|
|
brushjw
USA
191 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2008 : 4:13:12 PM
|
"It’s strange to discover what happens when you are just present
to life without your personal agendas and investments. When there
is no longer any investment in things being a certain way, then
you are totally free; you are free of suffering. Every moment feels
like you are stepping off a cliff—you are endlessly falling into the
mysterious present. This place is very alive and real, and it is actually
what’s been happening your whole life. However, this might not
be what your mind thinks Freedom looks like. If your mind thinks
Freedom means getting to do whatever you want, you will be
pleasantly surprised to discover how much freer it is to let
everything happen the way it does naturally, whether that is the
way “you” want it to be or not."
pp 35-36
|
|
|
|
brushjw
USA
191 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2008 : 10:47:06 PM
|
....."The first stage of awakening is the realization that there is Presence, there is God. This is a profound realization, but in that, there is still separation: there is a "me" and there is Presence. Many stop here and don't go any further, which is to realize that Presence is all there is because if they did, they would have to give up "me." The price of admitting the truth is that "you" don't exist anymore. The final lie is the idea that there is a "me" that is separate from Presence. At some point, the truth becomes worth more than your existence."
p. 83
"So what do I have to do to get you to admit who is speaking? Admit it and change everything! This is your own voice echoing off the walls of God."
-Rumi |
Edited by - brushjw on Jun 20 2008 11:04:44 PM |
|
|
|
brushjw
USA
191 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 12:21:36 PM
|
I may think I feel love
but it is love that feels me
constantly testing the woven fibers
that enclose and protect my heart
with a searing flame
that allows no illusion of separation
and as the insubstantial fabric of my inner fortress
is peeled away by the persistent fire
I desperately try to save some charred remains
by escaping into one more dream of passion
I may think I can find love
but it is love that finds me
meanwhile, love becomes patient and lies in wait
its undying embers gently glowing
and even if I now turn and grasp after the source of
warmth
I end up cold and empty-handed
I may think I can possess love
but it is love that possesses me
and finally, I am consumed
for love has flared into an engulfing blaze
that takes everything
and gives nothing in return
I may think love destroys me
but it is love that sets me free
-Nirmala |
|
|
|
emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 4:16:14 PM
|
Absolutely wonderful love poem... *tears falling*
and this hit my stomach:
"At some point, the truth becomes worth more than your existence."
Thank you, brushjw!
|
|
|
|
brushjw
USA
191 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2008 : 12:25:26 PM
|
Meg and emc, You're welcome! This book has been wonderfully challenging. Conceptually difficult, yet nourishing my bhatki. Just what I needed at this time. BTW I found it easiest to copy and paste the link into Notepad, remove the line breaks, then paste into my browser address bar.
"What is present even when there is no recognition of stillness? It seems like something has been lost or hidden by the experiences of life, but what is present even amidst the cacophony of life? What is present both in silence and cacophony, that doesn’t depend on silence or the absence of turmoil? A good place to look for it is right here, right now. What do you find right here and now that has always been present even before you knew there was something like stillness?
Presence.
Yes. That is here even when the cacophony is ridiculously loud. The “problem” with Presence is that it is not personal. There is nothing in it for “you.” So, as long as there is still some desire for things to be good for “me,” you are likely to dismiss the Presence and wish for something juicier like bliss or stillness. However, bliss and stillness are just expressions of the Presence. The Presence, itself, is not contained in any one of its expressions. Presence is the source of the bliss and the stillness, and it is also the source of the tumult."
p.209
namaste,
Joe |
Edited by - brushjw on Jun 26 2008 12:39:06 PM |
|
|
|
brushjw
USA
191 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2008 : 3:48:44 PM
|
....."...[Y]ou can question deeply your own thoughts until the false assumptions in them are seen through. The over-identification that results from constantly thinking about me and mine and my body and my problems can’t survive closer examination. It can be a shock to see how completely we assume that I am this body and I am this mind, and an even bigger shock and relief to discover that it is just a thought, and it is not true. The identification is really just a thought. There is no actual equivalence between you and your body or your mind. You are that which experiences the body and the mind, but you are not contained in them.
.....Even though this is a profound insight and a huge relief (after all if I am not my body, then these are not my aches and pains; and if I am not my mind, then these are not my problems), by itself this insight only reveals the false assumptions. It does not reveal the underlying truth. And since the underlying truth of your nature is more of a heart-centered experience, it is possible to dissolve the ego without touching your true nature. In a sense, you can wake up in your mind, but not in your heart. When this happens, there is both the sense of relief from all of the grief caused by the over-identification with the body and mind, and often a deep sense of meaninglessness. If “I” don’t exist, then what is the point? It doesn’t matter anymore what the fictional “I” does or what happens to it. In fact, nothing matters at all because it is so clearly all an illusion."
Beyond No Self
by Nirmala
Copyright ©2008 by Daniel Erway (Nirmala)
http://www.endless-satsang.com/beyond.pdf
This might help explain why I've been feeling so hopeless, despite experiencing the fruit of my yoga and meditation practices. Although my heart is awakening, it hasn't yet filled the void left by my mind.
namaste,
Joe |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
Moving from the Mind into the Heart
