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It is the known which veils the surprise.
In active acceptance the unexpected comes to you.
*Jean Klein. I Am.
The Jews in a small town in Russia were eagerly awaiting the arrival of a great, Hasidic Rabbi. This was going to be a rare event, so they spent a lot of time preparing questions. When he arrived, they met with him in the town hall. He sensed tension, as all prepared to listen to the answers he would give.
The Rabbi said nothing at first, he gazed into their eyes and hummed a melody. Soon, everyone began to hum with him. He started to sing, and they sang with him. He swayed and danced in solemn, measured steps, they joined in. They became so involved in the dance, so absorbed in its movements, they were lost to everything else on earth. And every person was made whole inwardly, healed, and could see the inner Truth.
The dancing continued for almost an hour. Afterward, everyone sat in silent peace pervading the hall. The Rabbi spoke the only words he said that evening: "I trust I have answered your questions." Then, he left without saying another word. Everyone went home gladdened of heart.
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The Hasidic Jews speak of Devekut. This is Hebrew for “communion, sharing, fellowship.” The Hasidic affirms the presence of the Holy in the world, and the potential of fellowship between the “upper realm” and “lower realm.” In this communion, a dance can be an answer, a prayer can be laughter, praise can be a teardrop. This dance is itself the spaciousness free of the limitations of memory, a memory that decides what is possible or not in this moment here, now. The dance is the openness and the surprise arising freely in that receptivity ~ Grace graces.
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When moving outside a sense of separation from the Sacred, one joins with Presence in Oneness, even amid the ordinary, small daily acts of life. All life becomes seen and felt as holy, joy arises beyond all feelings of happiness, one is in gladsome love with Life. This Life is harmony, free of exclusion or any felt-superior life or beingness. One moment one feels sadness, the next happiness, both equally belong, both holy for whole. Sadness is in happiness, happiness in sadness. So, movement is seamless, appearing otherwise due to our attachment to seeing separation where harmony already is. A harmony so one, we cannot even take the word "between" this or that as absolute, only a relative way of trying to speak of this sharing. How does sharing share with no other separate object to share with? We cannot speak this. To speak this is to objectify this, and such cannot be done.
* * *
Holy here means not a special state apart from the ordinary, but a direct communion with whatever is this moment, even if one feels an urge to resist, then communion with the resistance occurs. Simply put, holiness arises in fellowship with anything in the suchness of what that is, whether it fits an idea of holy or a feeling of holy. Then, holiness arises as what is the essential in and as every arising of matter, in time and space. And, all ideas of from whence arises all this dissolves in the harmony, the holiness, the aliveness. Any idea of Spirit is present to be served by matter, or matter is here to procure the goodwill and blessing of Spirit, is no more, not in this fellowship. The fellowship has no end in purpose, even as one could say, "I dance. Why? I dance." The dance is harmony, for the dance is dancing, no subject and object or even subject and subject dancing. Our minds are trained to think otherwise, for our brain thinks in polarities, not in harmony.
* * *
With becomes in, for in, in relative existence, is a move back toward the Source ~ Pure Spirit. Pure Spirit is free of in or with.
* * *
As says the late Soto Zen Master, Dainin Katagiri, in Each Moment is the Universe, "We have to manifest the unknown world simultaneously with the known world." This means through complete engagement with what is present to us, we join the "upper realm" and "lower realm," or Spirit and matter. Harmony arises in the oneness of the unseen and seen. Here, there is no differentiation left between Spirit and matter, for there is no between in union. All becomes the dance, freely arising moment-to-moment. Even the appearance of "this" or "that," such as "you" and "other," becomes known in the immediacy, the intimacy, of harmony. The relative world itself is a way the dance dances, how Life happens.
How? The question of "Why this?" is not entertained, unless one experiences the question as the dance, too. In harmony, questions become playful, not so serious. Then, the question of creation or evolution, for example, becomes humorous, not serious at all. The apple is here on the tree limb, that is intimacy with the fact of the apple on the tree limb. From whence the apple on the tree limb arose before now, such does not impinge on intimacy, is a distraction from intimacy. The particularity of this apple on a tree limb dissolves even the idea of the oneness of this with all else. Both oneness and duality dissolve in the harmony of this apple here, now, on this tree limb, here, now.
* * *
If you are the dance, do you care how the dance became the dance, or if it was ever not the dance? Do you stop and speculate, theorize, about the dance? The dance is the dance, for nothing is added to the dance, or the dance would not be the dance. The fog over a lake, in early morning, needs no explanation. The fog is fogging. All life is lifeing. We humans separate ourselves from life by theorizing and arguing about questions about life, while life keeps dancing. Funny creatures we are!
* * *
One now in the harmony experiences the "temple" in the "grocery store" and the "grocery store" in the "temple." So, now, the world is no longer divided, and this harmony arises from Spirit, for matter, being an expression of Spirit, cannot wed Spirit to itself. And, we see we are both the "upper" and "lower," we are a union of "temple" and "grocery store," of "mud" and "rose." This happens, for the harmony already is latent within us; rather, we are within the harmony, and the apparent duality of Spirit and matter that was actualized in us is dissolved within us in the act of sacralizing the world. From this harmony, answers arise and dance, as answers may dance unanswered or answered and both is harmony. Harmony both is, by nature, and becomes, by engagement with life. We are married to Grace by the wedding of Spirit and matter, not as opposites but as differentiated expressions of a single Life. Matter is no less Life, even if a more dense expression of Life.
* * *
We do not so much need answers, but oneness with Grace, with Harmony. Surrender any felt-need to know the Presence through the mind. Open the Heart, enjoy Grace, be enjoyed by Grace. The whole body has to be brought into alignment with this Grace; this will occur, simply by returning again and again to this moment, this happening right now. In this process, the power of distraction by objects, inward or outward, slowly return to the background, the Source, from which the dance arises and to which that dance returns. And, I urge you not to think of this happening within or outside you only, as though this harmony is another object you can align with. The harmony is not such an object. We could say, "Yes, see and enjoy the dance, but, see, you are the dance." So, harmony includes you as harmony. This meaning, no harmony arises without my own being surrendered to the harmony happening, and only through the Grace of the harmony can I know surrender to the harmony. This harmony, this dance of Spirit and matter, is dancing you and me, everything.
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So, in this harmony, becoming this harmony, my life, your life, has no need of an outcome that validates its worth. Regardless of outcomes, the harmony is in the intimacy of living, the surrender to a fellowship that is free of a purpose or an end at all. This very thing done, just now, is holiness. This writing these words is harmony, is the wedding of Spirit and matter. This done, even if recognized by no one, never told to no one, is the dance, is Life lifeing. This writing is free of necessity to be seen, read, or known about. So, here, then, is contentment, for contentment is always in intimacy with Life happening, not as a foreshadowing or foreseeing of anything to arise in the future. This provides us an invitation to relax, even amidst activity, to cease trying to be present and be intimate with our lives, this world about us, with ourselves. Life is you and the world coinhering in holy communion, happening together in a oneness to be expressed in all life as holy, for each part whole by being intimate together with wholly, so wholly with is only an expression of a closeness so close no seam can be found to differentiate or speak of as absolutely separate. This all points to a Source, making possible this whole dance, and every question, answered or not, arising from it. Indeed, making possible the arising together of question and answer, again answered or not, even as birth and death arise together, birth in death, death in birth.
*The vision statement for Lotus of the Heart is Living in Love beyond Beliefs. These presentations, inclusive in nature, are invitations for persons to explore for himself or herself. Brian does not claim to have answers or the Truth for anyone. He provides pointers to Truth, so as to inspire others on his or her own journey of Truth, to compassionate living with Earth and all creatures sharing this planet.
*All material, unless another source is cited, is authored by the presenter of Lotus of Heart, Brian Kenneth Wilcox, Florida USA. Use of the material is permitted; Brian only requests that credit be given and to be notified at 77ahavah77@gmail.com . Also, for spiritual guidance via phone, Skype, or in-person, Brian can be contacted via the above email.
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union, is available through major booksellers.
*Move cursor over pictures for photographer and title.
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