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Breaking all chains, losing every concept, every idea, sounds very frightening to the ego’s mind. But actually when we let go of every concept, we land on this infinite ground of eternal bliss, and that bliss is not some kind of religious or mystical experience, some altered state of consciousness. That bliss is not the result of doing something to our consciousness, rather it is the pure state of our consciousness.
*Anam Thubten. The Magic of Awareness.
* * *
a word in itself means nothing
only points to something
socially agreed for it to point to
a word is always
a sign, a symbol, a connotation, a denotation, an intimation, a metaphor
defined a word is defined by other words defined by other words
words having no meaning is intolerable for some
words having no meaning is a relief to some
words meaning nothing point to Nothing
oh! how wonderful! how wonderful!
* * *
A man wishes to go with his family on vacation. His employer, finding out, says Mumbai is a great place for a family to vacation, that his family and he often have vacationed there. The man tells his family, and the family gets excited about this wonderful place called Mumbai. The day arrives to leave, the family sets out to Mumbai and drives many miles and hours. They, finally and wearied by the trip, reach a sign ~ Welcome to Mumbai. The family is disappointed, turn around, return home. The family spends the husband and father's vacation time at home. When the man returns to work, his employer inquires as to his vacation. The employee informs him, saying they were not impressed at all, nothing was really there, they turned around and returned home. The employer remarks, "I'm very surprised, my family and I enjoy visiting Mumbai, as I told you before." The man says, "Well, I don't know how. All that Mumbai is is a sign, so how could anyone wish to have a vacation there?"
* * *
This is a silly, unrealistic story, telling us how silly and unrealistic we can be in the use of language, and how we can miss what language points to. Ultimately, in a wisdom path, everything points to Nothing. All the words of rites, rituals, prayers, meditations, talks, lessons, sermons, instructions, hymns, chants ~ everything so whatever ~ means nothing and intimates Nothing. This is why we need not take it too seriously and why we need to take it seriously enough. Words powerless are assigned power, "I hope you die!" and "I love you, honey" powerfully point in two different directions with two different consequences.
* * *
In a spiritual path, words provide a sign, as surely as "Welcome to Mumbai." We can get stuck on the sign. I have written about "God" being a hindrance to God, or our needing to transcend "God." What I am pointing to is how the word G-o-d can be grasped tightly and become an object of worship, a devotion whereby one does not use the word to go beyond the word as surely as the family stopped at the sign "Welcome to Mumbai."
* * *
This is like the Zen Buddhist I read once. He remarked one who practices Zen Buddhism should not say he or she is Zen Buddhist. Zen Buddhism, as any other wisdom path, is only assigned a name, when to engage the path opens to disidentifying with the name. This does not mean identifying with the name is wrong, only that such is a less evolved expression of the path. One needs to attach to the name, until he or she does not need that anymore. If that time does not come, one cannot say that is wrong either.
Also, some paths do not encourage leaving the name or words associated with it. The Christianity I was raised in would recommend I identify as "Christian" until I die, likely after, seeing it taught me a heaven waited for me where only Christians would go to. So, it seems, I would be stuck with "Christian" forever. What it did not teach me is a Hindu may be more a Christian than many Christians, or many Muslims may be more a Christian than many Christians. And, so on and on ....
* * *
The wisdom way I practice, I was first introduced to in a Christian community of contemplatives. Over time, I discovered to follow that path would lead where I had not dreamed when I was vowed to that way ~ the dropping of absolute meaning and attachment to everything but God and, even then, being left with a total not-knowing conceptually what "God" indicates. I spent many years exploring this, and am still exploring this absolute mystery that is, yet is Nothing.
God is absolutely,
absolutely God is Nothing.
To some, I have written blasphemy, to others I have expressed reverence of God. We see as we are, we see as prepared to see.
* * *
It is boring when we are lost in concepts. It is much more lively and much more fun to be free of all limitations and to love the great truth that never can be expressed in any words or concepts. That truth doesn’t belong to any group of people, any spiritual seekers. It is the essential truth that thousands of scriptures have been trying to express.
*Anam Thubten. The Magic of Awareness.
* * *
tonight
i enjoyed the moon
without the moon
what joy!
*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 .
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union, is available through major booksellers.
*Move cursor over pictures for photographer and title.
The Sacred in Me bows
to the Sacred in You
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