Saying For Today: Such tearful worship, cryful ecstasy of loving, does not arise as mere affect or sentiment. Why? For this Loving arises from the Silence.
Silence, with many faces, one joyful tears. The faces of Silence arise from Silence, live in Silence, and return to Silence.
LOTUS OF THE HEART
Living in LOVE beyond Beliefs
*Brian Wilcox. 'sky dancing'. Flickr.
Ecstasy. Greek ecstasis, "to stand outside oneself," based on ek, "out," histanai, "to place." ... So, the ecstasies of Silence are the expressions that arise from the Silence, so retain the quality of Silence in the varied forms of expression. These expressions, like faces of Silence, return to the formless Silence, once their life outside Silence is fulfilled. Yet, the 'return' can be misleading, for going outside Silence is simply taking on form, while the form retains connection with the Silence. This is why one can sense the Silence in the form ~ the Silence is present in and through the expression.
When speaking of Silence, one does not mean remaining quiet. One does not, then, go into a Silence that is devoid of what the mind portrays as the opposite of Silence, for Silence is before silence. The first Silence is prior to sound or unsound, the second silence is an absence of sound. The first Silence can surprise one, being the groundless Ground of even sudden, ecstatic expressions of joy, as well as an assortment of other expressions in the vernacular of sound or movement.
Here, the wise guidance Francis Lucille, in his Truth Love Beauty, applies...,
Be with what appears. Sometimes we think and sometimes we don’t, sometimes we move and sometimes we don’t, sometimes we play and sometimes we don’t, sometimes we eat and sometimes we sleep. If we let this alternation between active and passive states unfold naturally, we are taking our stand as true changeless presence, which is not an object.
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Today, exercising on my inside bike, I turned the computer to some music from my past. These songs were of a Christian group "Jesus Culture." I listened to the first song, cycling, and, next, to another, one I had not heard in years: "How He Loves Us."
One could inquire, "But is this not evangelical Christian music? Does this mean you are evangelical Christian?" Yes, it is evangelical Christian; no, I am not evangelical Christian. Yet, Silence is embracing, and Silence can include in itself truth from varied paths, including words that, most truly, represent a truth transcending the path the word is used within. For example, "Jesus" heard from Silence can mean something so much different from "Jesus" heard from within a particular path. Silence draws into itself truths and transforms them into the universal Truth. Silence is universal in nature, so seeing all from the universal (lit., one verse). If a person cannot include expression of Truth outside his or her worldview, then, that person needs more time humble before and within the Silence, to learn humility and gain insight into the universal embrace of Grace.
Regardless, when a little boy, I invited Jesus into my heart, at age 9: the language we used was that "invite into your heart." Why? For I was taught Jesus was full of Love and loved me, yes, me, and you, yes, you, and, yes, everyone. To say "Yes" to Jesus invited me into my best friendship, a love affair to last a lifetime and more.
So, while I no longer identify with that expression of faith, not as I did, I love that same Jesus, that Christ Jesus embodied, and That that "God" points to. The path I was given was of devotion, and devotion protects the path from becoming intellectually cool. Devotion is the expression of freely given Love, received and given in return.
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Silence is not a cool void Silence is a living presence of all Good, including Love from Silence arises both calm affections and passionate embraces
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Out of the Silence arises the duality of loving, for Love wants to experience this loving, Love meets Love. This loving can clothe itself in Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, another human being, an animal, a plant, ... any sign or being that awakens us by Love to Love. In this unfolding the particularity that may have been assigned to that which elicits a heart response is freed of its localization.
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So, there I am, today, riding the bike, listening to this song "How He Loves Us." And, to my surprise, tears begin flowing, and crying as I bow the head, still cycling. Later, again, the same. Later, again, the same. What joy of this surprise of tearful bliss to arise from the Silence!
Such tearful worship, cryful ecstasy of loving, does not arise as mere affect or sentiment. Why? For this Loving arises from the Silence. The ecstatic, subtle or pronounced, expressions arising from the Silence are not of the body-mind. Such in worship, in whatever form it takes, quiet, dancing, shouting, crying, singing, ..., arises from Silence, lives in Silence, and returns to Silence.
*Brian Wilcox. 'jumping for Joy'. Flickr.
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2019. Brian can be contacted at 77ahavah77@gmail.com .
