Sri Chitrabanuji - Jain teacher (Hi Harshaji!)

[Guest guest]

The Changeless Beneath the Changes

 

When concepts become concrete, then life becomes rigid, like a

crystal. Whenever life becomes crystallized, there is no flow.

Because of rigidity, we take stands. We go to the extent of fighting

in order to maintain our bias. As a result, we become either

temporarily happy or temporarily unhappy. If we watch ourselves at

such times, we can see that we have lost pliability. In this way, we

lose touch with the flow of life.

 

in order to understand the nature of reality, we have to see what is

real without distorting or hiding it. We have to remove all the

outside wrappings which are created by our mind. The mind creates

many beautiful phrases and mirages. It likes to hide reality with

glossy coverings. Like the deer who runs toward a mirage of water

when it is thirsty, we too are in a frenzy to get that which is

merely an illusion.

If you want to feel the refreshing touch of a lake in summer, you

have to remove your clothes. Otherwise, you will not get direct

contact with the cool water. In the same way, if you want to enjoy

the freshness of life, you must shed your coverings. Words, concepts,

beliefs, crystallized thoughts act as coverings. Puncture them and

you will see how hollow and insubstantial they are. Remove them and

you will see yourself.

So the initiates are taught that they are deluded by outside things.

They are given symbolic things to watch. For example, at dusk, the

master and student may go out and sit and meditate. When it is

monsoon season, there are clouds in many colors. Sometimes there is a

rainbow. The master might tell the student, "See the beauty.

Experience these colors. Notice in each cloud a shape. Be in tune

with nature. Forget everything else. Then close your eyes."

The student becomes attuned to the colors and the shapes of the

clouds at dusk. Then he closes his eyes and brings the picture of

this to his mental eye. Over and over, he opens his eyes, watches the

changing scene of nature, closes his eyes, and meditates.

After two hours, everything becomes dark. Then the teacher

asks, "What do you see?"

The student answers, "I see nothing. Everything has gone."

Then the teacher asks, "Where have they gone--the beauty, the shapes,

the clouds, the colors?"

The student remains in silence, pondering. And yet there is an

answer. The beauty, the rainbow, have gone and yet they have not

gone. They are there in a way. This is the point of meditation:

everything is still there in the universe.

The teacher tells the student, "Nothing has gone. Everything is

there. But because of the rotation of the earth, you see changes.

Your physical eye sees that something has gone.

"Now use your inner perception. See that the whole galaxy is moving

in an unbroken rhythm. The same sun we think of as vanishing here is

being seen across the globe as rising. And yet it is the same sun.

Lift yourself above the level of earth to the height of the sun. You

will always see the sun. Be conscious of that sun in you, there is

changeless life in you."

Behind the continuous changes is the continuity of the changeless.

Changes themselves indicate the ever-presence of the changeless.

As soon as a dry leaf drops, a new green leaf is already sprouting.

If we are aware, we realize that behind the tiny new leaf there is

changeless, vibrant life. Because of that life, one form is dropped

and another emerges. And the soul of the old leaf has already gone on

to a new form, one with more sensory equipment with which to perceive

the world in a new, more sensitive way.

We begin to see that all life longs to move to higher realms of

awareness. For that, change is inevitable. Change is what allows the

changeless to reveal itself as ever fresh. Without it, there is no

growth, no renewal.

When we become convinced that change is for growth and growth is for

becoming aware of our inner divinity, we will be inspired to be free,

free from the tendency to cling to familiar things. We will become

eager to unshackle ourselves from the fear of change.

When this truth sinks into our consciousness, it opens a new door. We

stop seeing in a rigid way. The

words "gone,disappear,vanish,death" are seen for what they

are - as empty or misleading words, based purely on our visual

perception, not on our inner insight. So what appears as "death" to

one is "birth" to another both are two waves of the same ocean: life.

So the teacher explains to the student, "Changes are causing us to be

aware of the changeless, and the changeless is causing all the

changes to take place. Until we reach the 'best,' we pass

through 'good' and 'better.' All the forms change in order to bring

out a better and better form. Ultimately, we become so refined as to

be able to experience the radiance of our inner reality, the

permanent bliss of our being. So, as you grow, cultivate this

awareness that in the sunset dawn is hidden, in the dawn sunset is

hidden. Appearing and disappearing are the play of life. Both are

manifestations of the changeless.

The reflection on this first point of meditation is called anitya--

meaning transient, ever-changing--and nitya--meaning permanent,

changeless. For the mind to know the ever-moving nature of anitya is

frightening. Why? Because the mind tends to take that which is

temporary and believe that it is going to last forever. The mind

clings to whatever it has created-- things, objects, ideas,

relationships, positions. That is why it is not ready to give them up

when the time comes. Such a mind says, "It is going to remain with

me. It is mine now." But the nature of nature replies, "Nothing is

thine and nothing is mine."

If it becomes yours, it is going to lose its nature. It will lose its

capacity to change. If it loses its nature of change, it will lose

its freshness of life. It will become stagnant. If it always remains

summertime, you long for winter. If heat remains permanently high,

you cannot bear it. In the same way, when winter becomes too

prolonged, you dream of summer. Changes make everything new and fresh.

We have to reeducate our mind. Otherwise it tends toward attachment,

thereby creating sadness. When things or people depart from us, our

mind is not ready to accept it. Grasping, the mind kills the spirit

of the relationship. People accept this truth more readily for others

than for themselves.

 

 

We say that the sun rises and sets, but we know that the sun does

neither. The movement of the earth is what gives us the illusion of

the sun's rising and setting. The words we use are not precise. In

the same way, in reality, we cannot say that the "I" disappears. As

soon as it seems to be gone, it has already taken another shape,

another glow, another color. When someone is crying over the loss of

somebody, already that somebody is making someone else happy! In some

house, happiness is bubbling, and someone is realizing, "Oh, I am

pregnant! "

What has gone? What has come? Only the forms, the garbs, the houses.

Not this "I." This "I" is moving eternally from beginningless time,

becoming more and more aware of its reality through the evolution of

form. The whole universe is a means to reach ultimate freedom.

When someone goes from your sight, remember the relation, the

communication you had. To accept with solemnity and understanding is

different from resisting with depression and sadness. To accept with

calmness and deep feeling is not the same as crying, falling into

deep mourning, and losing interest in life. People cry and sink to

the bottom because of dependency. There was a crutch to lean on, and

now that crutch has gone. People mourn not the person but the crutch.

Where can they lean now?

It is not so easy to change thinking patterns. We live in a world of

concepts, beliefs, and taboos. These are the walls and coverings

preventing us from seeing and experiencing the real "I" of ourselves

and others.

There is a beautiful example of a young monk named Upagupta. It was

nighttime during the rainy season, and the path in the forest was

covered with a blanket of darkness. Upagupta found his way to a

certain tree and sat down to meditate.

It happened at that time that a famous dancer was going through the

same forest to meet her beloved. The darkness was so thick that she

could not see where she was going. She was still trying to feel the

track underfoot when she bumped into Upagupta.

Oh!" she exclaimed. "Who is this human being?"

Just then there was a flash of lightning. In that flash she saw the

person she had accidentally come up against.

"Such a beautiful person is sitting there," she thought. "So calm and

serene he is. His lovely face and body look as though they were

carved out of pure marble. Oh, if I get this man, this will be heaven

on earth!"

She was proud of her beauty. She was the most famous dancer of her

time and men would flock to her feet. She said, "You are so calm. You

have such a radiance. Please come with me."

When he did not respond, she shook him and said, "You are meditating

on what? See who I am!" Upagupta recognized the dancer. "I know who

you are. But this is not the time, though I know that you love me.

You go on your way. I will see you one day."

The dancer thought, "He knows I love him, he says. Then why delay?"

So she spoke to him again. "What is the reason for postponing? It

will be too late. This is the right time."

He answered, "I know it, but the right time has not come in the right

way. I promise you I will meet you. And remember, as you love, I too

love. When it is the right time, I will come."

The dancer thought he was not in his right mind. And she went on.

Youth is like lightning, like a shadow, like the flow of water, ever-

moving, so swift. Ten years passed. The dancer had overused her

energy of youth and was now exhausted. She had not taken care of her

body and was now suffering from a skin disease. She was trembling

with fever and there were blisters on her skin. Nobody would even

look at her, and the king drove her from the town. She was compelled

to go out to a deserted village and live in a tiny hovel. There she

was wasting away, crying and alone.

The time was right and a man came to see her there. He took her head

in his lap. She was shivering with fever as he applied medicine to

her sores, mouth, and head.

"Who are you?" she mumbled.

"I am Upagupta. Do you remember? I promised you. I love you. I have

come to take care of you."

"Now I don't have anything to offer you," she moaned.

"No," he told her, "at that time you had something to offer which was

transient, something which you yourself could not keep. Now you have

something real to offer. I love that which is not going to go. Our

relation is for that. It is the relation of soul.

"In the glamour and ego of the past years, you did not realize the

changing nature of all that--of your body, beauty, wealth, and your

circle of partying friends. They were all there because there was

that need. They were feeding it and now that need is over. My need is

not that. Mine is the need of the soul."

Tears started rolling down the dancer's cheeks. She began sobbing.

All ignorance was washed away by her tears. Upagupta took great care

of her.

"Now," he told her, "let us transcend the small "I" and help others

become aware of the real "I."

Soon the dancer recovered, and when she became healthy and strong,

she renounced her old life and became a student of Upagupta. She

spent the rest of her days peacefully meditating and sharing her

insights with others .

When we are not aware of the real "I" in us, we are continually

engaged in trying to keep the unreal "I" intact. The artificial "I"

is the one created by society, emotions, and needs. It is what we

call the body "I,'' the name "I," the form "I." Whenever we sense

some danger to this superficial "I," we become upset, angry, and

depressed. We have a sense of fear. We are ready to do anything to

protect this "I" which cannot be protected.

The intrinsic nature of the superficial "I" is to change. That is why

there is fear. Something in us knows that this "I" does not have the

quality of permanence. If we identify totally with the ever-

changing "I," we don't have that fearlessness which comes from

knowing that in us which is changeless.

What we need is that fearlessness. It can only unfold in us when we

know the real "I" and its permanence, when we know the difference

between nitya and anitya. By knowing the "I" which is real, we are

sure it is going to remain. Once we know it is not going to go

anywhere, we don't make any effort to keep it.

It is like the difference between a candle and an electric lamp when

you stand by the window. Near the window the candle is always

flickering in the wind, so you put a protective covering over it.

That is like the unreal "I" which we are constantly trying to

protect, though it can-not be preserved permanently. But if you have

an electric lamp, you have no need to protect it. You are not afraid

that it will go out. The wind cannot extinguish it. The real "I" is

like this, secure in all circumstances.

>From where does this superficial "I" come? It is created, built by

karmas, customs, creed. It is a social "I." Because of different

geographical, physiological, and emotional programming, it creates

barriers among people. Your unreal "I" is not the same as someone

else's because what is important for your nation, race, or society is

not important for his. So our mental structures and emotional needs

are relative. And what is relative cannot become permanent.

 

SEED THOUGHTS FOR MEDITATION

If I accept rather than deny the transitory nature of all forms, then

I can go deeper and realize that there is changeless life behind the

ever-changing:

Change is for growth, and growth is for change. Both are for helping

us become aware of our inner divinity and for inspiring us to move

into higher life.

Let me stop trying to preserve the temporary cocoon I have built

around myself so that I can connect to life at large.

Something in us will stay. That I love. It is the relation of soul to

soul.

Appearing and disappearing are the play of life. Both are two waves

of the same ocean. Both are there to reveal reality in a new and

fresh way.

 

~Sri Chitrabanuji

 

LoveAlways,

 

Mazie

[Guest guest]

Thanks b/mazie, sensibly challenging insights on unreal

/real "I". I like how the author matches the permanent/real "I" with

that of growth...this has a less radical "feel" to it than that

material which seems to say, "there is no "I", no "you" WHAMMO...

 

to heart and soul,

cornelius

 

 

 

, "mazie_l" <sraddha54@h...> wrote:

> The Changeless Beneath the Changes

>

> When concepts become concrete, then life becomes rigid, like a

> crystal. Whenever life becomes crystallized, there is no flow.

> Because of rigidity, we take stands. We go to the extent of

fighting

> in order to maintain our bias. As a result, we become either

> temporarily happy or temporarily unhappy. If we watch ourselves at

> such times, we can see that we have lost pliability. In this way,

we

> lose touch with the flow of life.

>

> in order to understand the nature of reality, we have to see what

is

> real without distorting or hiding it. We have to remove all the

> outside wrappings which are created by our mind. The mind creates

> many beautiful phrases and mirages. It likes to hide reality with

> glossy coverings. Like the deer who runs toward a mirage of water

> when it is thirsty, we too are in a frenzy to get that which is

> merely an illusion.

> If you want to feel the refreshing touch of a lake in summer, you

> have to remove your clothes. Otherwise, you will not get direct

> contact with the cool water. In the same way, if you want to enjoy

> the freshness of life, you must shed your coverings. Words,

concepts,

> beliefs, crystallized thoughts act as coverings. Puncture them and

> you will see how hollow and insubstantial they are. Remove them and

> you will see yourself.

> So the initiates are taught that they are deluded by outside

things.

> They are given symbolic things to watch. For example, at dusk, the

> master and student may go out and sit and meditate. When it is

> monsoon season, there are clouds in many colors. Sometimes there is

a

> rainbow. The master might tell the student, "See the beauty.

> Experience these colors. Notice in each cloud a shape. Be in tune

> with nature. Forget everything else. Then close your eyes."

> The student becomes attuned to the colors and the shapes of the

> clouds at dusk. Then he closes his eyes and brings the picture of

> this to his mental eye. Over and over, he opens his eyes, watches

the

> changing scene of nature, closes his eyes, and meditates.

> After two hours, everything becomes dark. Then the teacher

> asks, "What do you see?"

> The student answers, "I see nothing. Everything has gone."

> Then the teacher asks, "Where have they gone--the beauty, the

shapes,

> the clouds, the colors?"

> The student remains in silence, pondering. And yet there is an

> answer. The beauty, the rainbow, have gone and yet they have not

> gone. They are there in a way. This is the point of meditation:

> everything is still there in the universe.

> The teacher tells the student, "Nothing has gone. Everything is

> there. But because of the rotation of the earth, you see changes.

> Your physical eye sees that something has gone.

> "Now use your inner perception. See that the whole galaxy is moving

> in an unbroken rhythm. The same sun we think of as vanishing here

is

> being seen across the globe as rising. And yet it is the same sun.

> Lift yourself above the level of earth to the height of the sun.

You

> will always see the sun. Be conscious of that sun in you, there is

> changeless life in you."

> Behind the continuous changes is the continuity of the changeless.

> Changes themselves indicate the ever-presence of the changeless.

> As soon as a dry leaf drops, a new green leaf is already sprouting.

> If we are aware, we realize that behind the tiny new leaf there is

> changeless, vibrant life. Because of that life, one form is dropped

> and another emerges. And the soul of the old leaf has already gone

on

> to a new form, one with more sensory equipment with which to

perceive

> the world in a new, more sensitive way.

> We begin to see that all life longs to move to higher realms of

> awareness. For that, change is inevitable. Change is what allows

the

> changeless to reveal itself as ever fresh. Without it, there is no

> growth, no renewal.

> When we become convinced that change is for growth and growth is

for

> becoming aware of our inner divinity, we will be inspired to be

free,

> free from the tendency to cling to familiar things. We will become

> eager to unshackle ourselves from the fear of change.

> When this truth sinks into our consciousness, it opens a new door.

We

> stop seeing in a rigid way. The

> words "gone,disappear,vanish,death" are seen for what they

> are - as empty or misleading words, based purely on our visual

> perception, not on our inner insight. So what appears as "death" to

> one is "birth" to another both are two waves of the same ocean:

life.

> So the teacher explains to the student, "Changes are causing us to

be

> aware of the changeless, and the changeless is causing all the

> changes to take place. Until we reach the 'best,' we pass

> through 'good' and 'better.' All the forms change in order to bring

> out a better and better form. Ultimately, we become so refined as

to

> be able to experience the radiance of our inner reality, the

> permanent bliss of our being. So, as you grow, cultivate this

> awareness that in the sunset dawn is hidden, in the dawn sunset is

> hidden. Appearing and disappearing are the play of life. Both are

> manifestations of the changeless.

> The reflection on this first point of meditation is called anitya--

> meaning transient, ever-changing--and nitya--meaning permanent,

> changeless. For the mind to know the ever-moving nature of anitya

is

> frightening. Why? Because the mind tends to take that which is

> temporary and believe that it is going to last forever. The mind

> clings to whatever it has created-- things, objects, ideas,

> relationships, positions. That is why it is not ready to give them

up

> when the time comes. Such a mind says, "It is going to remain with

> me. It is mine now." But the nature of nature replies, "Nothing is

> thine and nothing is mine."

> If it becomes yours, it is going to lose its nature. It will lose

its

> capacity to change. If it loses its nature of change, it will lose

> its freshness of life. It will become stagnant. If it always

remains

> summertime, you long for winter. If heat remains permanently high,

> you cannot bear it. In the same way, when winter becomes too

> prolonged, you dream of summer. Changes make everything new and

fresh.

> We have to reeducate our mind. Otherwise it tends toward

attachment,

> thereby creating sadness. When things or people depart from us, our

> mind is not ready to accept it. Grasping, the mind kills the spirit

> of the relationship. People accept this truth more readily for

others

> than for themselves.

>

>

> We say that the sun rises and sets, but we know that the sun does

> neither. The movement of the earth is what gives us the illusion of

> the sun's rising and setting. The words we use are not precise. In

> the same way, in reality, we cannot say that the "I" disappears. As

> soon as it seems to be gone, it has already taken another shape,

> another glow, another color. When someone is crying over the loss

of

> somebody, already that somebody is making someone else happy! In

some

> house, happiness is bubbling, and someone is realizing, "Oh, I am

> pregnant! "

> What has gone? What has come? Only the forms, the garbs, the

houses.

> Not this "I." This "I" is moving eternally from beginningless time,

> becoming more and more aware of its reality through the evolution

of

> form. The whole universe is a means to reach ultimate freedom.

> When someone goes from your sight, remember the relation, the

> communication you had. To accept with solemnity and understanding

is

> different from resisting with depression and sadness. To accept

with

> calmness and deep feeling is not the same as crying, falling into

> deep mourning, and losing interest in life. People cry and sink to

> the bottom because of dependency. There was a crutch to lean on,

and

> now that crutch has gone. People mourn not the person but the

crutch.

> Where can they lean now?

> It is not so easy to change thinking patterns. We live in a world

of

> concepts, beliefs, and taboos. These are the walls and coverings

> preventing us from seeing and experiencing the real "I" of

ourselves

> and others.

> There is a beautiful example of a young monk named Upagupta. It was

> nighttime during the rainy season, and the path in the forest was

> covered with a blanket of darkness. Upagupta found his way to a

> certain tree and sat down to meditate.

> It happened at that time that a famous dancer was going through the

> same forest to meet her beloved. The darkness was so thick that she

> could not see where she was going. She was still trying to feel the

> track underfoot when she bumped into Upagupta.

> Oh!" she exclaimed. "Who is this human being?"

> Just then there was a flash of lightning. In that flash she saw the

> person she had accidentally come up against.

> "Such a beautiful person is sitting there," she thought. "So calm

and

> serene he is. His lovely face and body look as though they were

> carved out of pure marble. Oh, if I get this man, this will be

heaven

> on earth!"

> She was proud of her beauty. She was the most famous dancer of her

> time and men would flock to her feet. She said, "You are so calm.

You

> have such a radiance. Please come with me."

> When he did not respond, she shook him and said, "You are

meditating

> on what? See who I am!" Upagupta recognized the dancer. "I know who

> you are. But this is not the time, though I know that you love me.

> You go on your way. I will see you one day."

> The dancer thought, "He knows I love him, he says. Then why delay?"

> So she spoke to him again. "What is the reason for postponing? It

> will be too late. This is the right time."

> He answered, "I know it, but the right time has not come in the

right

> way. I promise you I will meet you. And remember, as you love, I

too

> love. When it is the right time, I will come."

> The dancer thought he was not in his right mind. And she went on.

> Youth is like lightning, like a shadow, like the flow of water,

ever-

> moving, so swift. Ten years passed. The dancer had overused her

> energy of youth and was now exhausted. She had not taken care of

her

> body and was now suffering from a skin disease. She was trembling

> with fever and there were blisters on her skin. Nobody would even

> look at her, and the king drove her from the town. She was

compelled

> to go out to a deserted village and live in a tiny hovel. There she

> was wasting away, crying and alone.

> The time was right and a man came to see her there. He took her

head

> in his lap. She was shivering with fever as he applied medicine to

> her sores, mouth, and head.

> "Who are you?" she mumbled.

> "I am Upagupta. Do you remember? I promised you. I love you. I have

> come to take care of you."

> "Now I don't have anything to offer you," she moaned.

> "No," he told her, "at that time you had something to offer which

was

> transient, something which you yourself could not keep. Now you

have

> something real to offer. I love that which is not going to go. Our

> relation is for that. It is the relation of soul.

> "In the glamour and ego of the past years, you did not realize the

> changing nature of all that--of your body, beauty, wealth, and your

> circle of partying friends. They were all there because there was

> that need. They were feeding it and now that need is over. My need

is

> not that. Mine is the need of the soul."

> Tears started rolling down the dancer's cheeks. She began sobbing.

> All ignorance was washed away by her tears. Upagupta took great

care

> of her.

> "Now," he told her, "let us transcend the small "I" and help others

> become aware of the real "I."

> Soon the dancer recovered, and when she became healthy and strong,

> she renounced her old life and became a student of Upagupta. She

> spent the rest of her days peacefully meditating and sharing her

> insights with others .

> When we are not aware of the real "I" in us, we are continually

> engaged in trying to keep the unreal "I" intact. The artificial "I"

> is the one created by society, emotions, and needs. It is what we

> call the body "I,'' the name "I," the form "I." Whenever we sense

> some danger to this superficial "I," we become upset, angry, and

> depressed. We have a sense of fear. We are ready to do anything to

> protect this "I" which cannot be protected.

> The intrinsic nature of the superficial "I" is to change. That is

why

> there is fear. Something in us knows that this "I" does not have

the

> quality of permanence. If we identify totally with the ever-

> changing "I," we don't have that fearlessness which comes from

> knowing that in us which is changeless.

> What we need is that fearlessness. It can only unfold in us when we

> know the real "I" and its permanence, when we know the difference

> between nitya and anitya. By knowing the "I" which is real, we are

> sure it is going to remain. Once we know it is not going to go

> anywhere, we don't make any effort to keep it.

> It is like the difference between a candle and an electric lamp

when

> you stand by the window. Near the window the candle is always

> flickering in the wind, so you put a protective covering over it.

> That is like the unreal "I" which we are constantly trying to

> protect, though it can-not be preserved permanently. But if you

have

> an electric lamp, you have no need to protect it. You are not

afraid

> that it will go out. The wind cannot extinguish it. The real "I" is

> like this, secure in all circumstances.

> From where does this superficial "I" come? It is created, built by

> karmas, customs, creed. It is a social "I." Because of different

> geographical, physiological, and emotional programming, it creates

> barriers among people. Your unreal "I" is not the same as someone

> else's because what is important for your nation, race, or society

is

> not important for his. So our mental structures and emotional needs

> are relative. And what is relative cannot become permanent.

>

> SEED THOUGHTS FOR MEDITATION

> If I accept rather than deny the transitory nature of all forms,

then

> I can go deeper and realize that there is changeless life behind

the

> ever-changing:

> Change is for growth, and growth is for change. Both are for

helping

> us become aware of our inner divinity and for inspiring us to move

> into higher life.

> Let me stop trying to preserve the temporary cocoon I have built

> around myself so that I can connect to life at large.

> Something in us will stay. That I love. It is the relation of soul

to

> soul.

> Appearing and disappearing are the play of life. Both are two waves

> of the same ocean. Both are there to reveal reality in a new and

> fresh way.

>

> ~Sri Chitrabanuji

>

> LoveAlways,

>

> Mazie

[Guest guest]

Dear Mazie,

 

Thanks for sending the quotes from Chitrabhanuji. They bring back

some fond memories of earlier times.

 

What would we do without teachers?

 

Love to all

Harsha

 

, "mazie_l" <sraddha54@h...> wrote:

 

"quoting Sri Chitrabhanuji"

> The Changeless Beneath the Changes

>

> When concepts become concrete, then life becomes rigid, like a

> crystal. Whenever life becomes crystallized, there is no flow.

> Because of rigidity, we take stands. We go to the extent of

fighting

> in order to maintain our bias. As a result, we become either

> temporarily happy or temporarily unhappy. If we watch ourselves at

> such times, we can see that we have lost pliability. In this way,

we

> lose touch with the flow of life.

>

> in order to understand the nature of reality, we have to see what

is

> real without distorting or hiding it. We have to remove all the

> outside wrappings which are created by our mind. The mind creates

> many beautiful phrases and mirages. It likes to hide reality with

> glossy coverings. Like the deer who runs toward a mirage of water

> when it is thirsty, we too are in a frenzy to get that which is

> merely an illusion.

> If you want to feel the refreshing touch of a lake in summer, you

> have to remove your clothes. Otherwise, you will not get direct

> contact with the cool water. In the same way, if you want to enjoy

> the freshness of life, you must shed your coverings. Words,

concepts,

> beliefs, crystallized thoughts act as coverings. Puncture them and

> you will see how hollow and insubstantial they are. Remove them and

> you will see yourself.

[Guest guest]

, "harshaimtm" wrote:

>What would we do without teachers?

 

 

))) Invent them?

 

 

:-)))

 

 

LoveAlways,

 

b

[Guest guest]

Hi Harsha, Robert, etc.

 

Harsha wrote:

>What would we do without teachers?

 

Robert:

> Invent them?

> :-)))

 

Of course, IF we would be without teachers... THEN we obviously would not

need them... ergo we would all still be our original good and perfect

Selve(s).

One could actually say that it is the teachers who made the taught feel

inadequate...

One could even say: "Away with the teachers, they made something perfectly

adequate to feel inadequate from the beginning..."

 

All this jokingly and seriously...

 

Every good teacher knows how expendable he or she is.

Every good teacher looks forward to the day that he or she would be

redundant.

 

We could help those teachers along a bit...

Let's set them free by not requiring them... except maybe, just maybe to

teach us to sing and dance again... that is what Krishna was good at

anyway... oh and Shiva as well...

 

Wim

 

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[Guest guest]

, Wim Borsboom <wim@a...> wrote:

>One could actually say that it is the teachers who made the taught

feel inadequate...

 

 

))) "The student creates the teacher."

 

~ Moo Shu

 

 

 

"Maybe I can point you to the great Reality within you. Maybe you will

awaken to the direct experience of Self-realization. Maybe you will

catch the fire of transmission. But there is one thing that no one can

give you: the honesty and integrity that alone will bring you

completely to the other shore. No one can give you the strength of

character necessary for profound spiritual experience to become the

catalyst for the evolutionary transformation called "enlightenment."

Only you can find that passion within that burns with an integrity

that will not settle for anything less than the Truth."

 

~ Adyashanti

 

 

"I perceive the teachings of the world to be the illusion of

magicians. I discern the highest conception of emancipation as a

golden brocade in a dream, and view the holy path of the illumined

ones as flowers appearing in one's eyes. I look upon the judgement of

right and wrong as the serpentine dance of a dragon, and the rise and

fall of beliefs as but traces left by the four seasons."

 

~ Buddha

 

 

 

"O man, your real helper is your own Self and your own

Faith, but you are badly mistaken and believe that somebody from

without comes to help you. No Hazrat Mohammed, no Lord Rama, Lord

Krishna or any God or goddess or Guru comes from without. This entire

game is that of your impressions and suggestions which are ingrained

upon your mind through your eyes and ears and of your Faith and

Belief. This is the change that I am ordained to bring about.

 

The Truth is that all these manifestations of Guru, God,

Goddess, Rama or Krishna are not a Reality, but an illusion. I am

convinced of this Truth. With this realization I have attained Peace.

The root cause of disquietude is mind. Once its real form is

recognized, you attain Peace. I have recognized the real form of my

mind.

 

Sant Kabir writes:

 

Disciple bows to the Guru, tis known to all!

Guru bows to the disciple, tis very rare!

 

We householders have been befooled by the so called gurus. Our hard

earnings have been taken away by them and even then they expect that

we should remain in their very circle ever bowing to their feet. Many

people come and prostrate before me as well. Why? Because they are

not aware of the Truth.

They are ignorant of the Secret. I often say that I have come from

the Anami Dham, the Nameless Abode, to tell that 'O man, know thyself

by thyself.' There is no difference between you and a Guru. But you

are ignorant and you are very much governed by your mind. You run

after the gurus and sadhus for the fulfillment of your worldly

desires. You make humble entreaties to the gurus. When these gurus

themselves have disobedient and characterless children, and when they

themselves do not have good relations with their wives, how do you

think that they would do any good to you? Therefore, I again

emphasize my point, 'O man! your good lies in your own deeds.'

Leave aside the Saints, you put a wicked and immoral person on

the seat of a Guru, develop faith in him, his form too shall manifest

and help you like the manifested form of the great Saints. You are

not helped by any Saint or Guru, but by your own faith and belief."

 

~ Baba Faqir Chand

 

 

LoveAlways,

 

b

[Guest guest]

Dear Robert

 

You quoted

~ Moo Shu:

"The student creates the teacher."

 

I can quote:

~ Ah No:

"The teacher creates the student."

 

:-)))

 

When I have time, I'll get deeper into this language wise. (My son calls

what I do "paleo-mimeology").

 

But first, this is not a chicken / egg thing.

 

What we have here is a braiding of three strands of development to do with :

1. Being busy at something as in "being studious". Being set to work by a

delegating master.

2. Wonderment (seeing the miracle) or amazement (being astonished)

eventually being devoted...

3. An motion of recognition... "Be standing".

 

The word student comes to us via three Aryan roots (es)TUD, STU and STA.

.. (es)TUD meaning striking, pushing and beating, to be made to do, to be

formed. It had to do with metal-craft skills, e.g. pounding copper from the

back to make a hollow vessel.

.. STU meaning being devoted, to be in awe,

.. STA meaning "Please stand erect and state your point."

 

It is easy to see how in more than two languages, in German as well as in

French how the strains started to coincide and mix.

 

But I have to leave it at this for now.

 

Wim

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[Guest guest]

, Wim Borsboom <wim@a...> wrote:

> Dear Robert

> You quoted

~ Moo Shu:

"The student creates the teacher."

> I can quote:

~ Ah No:

"The teacher creates the student."

 

:-)))

> When I have time, I'll get deeper into this language wise. (My son

calls

> what I do "paleo-mimeology").

 

 

Dearest Wimji,

 

This fascinates me so, all this information about language and words

and the roots from which they all rise. i will await eagerly more

from you Dearest about this most intriguing subject matter. Thank you

Wim for taking the time to share your wealth of word knowledge with

us. And really thanks for just being Dear Wimji, our Beloved friend.

 

LoveAlways,

 

Mazie

 

> But first, this is not a chicken / egg thing.

>

> What we have here is a braiding of three strands of development to

do with :

> 1. Being busy at something as in "being studious". Being set to

work by a

> delegating master.

> 2. Wonderment (seeing the miracle) or amazement (being astonished)

> eventually being devoted...

> 3. An motion of recognition... "Be standing".

>

> The word student comes to us via three Aryan roots (es)TUD, STU and

STA.

> . (es)TUD meaning striking, pushing and beating, to be made to do,

to be

> formed. It had to do with metal-craft skills, e.g. pounding copper

from the

> back to make a hollow vessel.

> . STU meaning being devoted, to be in awe,

> . STA meaning "Please stand erect and state your point."

>

> It is easy to see how in more than two languages, in German as well

as in

> French how the strains started to coincide and mix.

>

> But I have to leave it at this for now.

>

> Wim

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> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

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[Guest guest]

, Wim Borsboom <wim@a...> wrote:

 

You quoted

~ Moo Shu:

"The student creates the teacher."

 

I can quote:

~ Ah No:

"The teacher creates the student."

 

 

))) Hence the well-known "Pancake Syndrome"!

 

 

(Chicken or shrimp, no pork, thank you!)

 

 

LoveAlways,

 

b

[Guest guest]

Dear Mazie and Robert,

 

Indeed your "Wimji" I am, and we are so each other's beloved friends... Oh

yes...

We cannot even help it... :-))

I so enjoy your attachments Mazie... I'm sure that at one point I will go to

the Sanchi Hill in India and touch the stuff by hand:

http://www.buddhanet.net/sanchi.htm

http://www.library.upenn.edu/etext/sasia/aiis/architecture/sanchi/

I will also go to Cambodia for the wonderful architecture there and well...

as I am making plans I may as well go to some Tibetan Buddhism stomping

grounds (Emmy did that last year, 8 days in a Tibetan monastery with little

boy monks... so neat.)

 

Love you all,

Your Wim

 

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[Guest guest]

brother Wim,

 

Oooh ooh ah ah what a slant on "undoing" gurus...

 

though I rarely go, my favorite go is the Hare Krishna Temple in

Bklyn NY. The kirtans and the prasadam make for nice occasions.

 

Now I know "attendees" who have gone for years, "religiously".

Apparently some are devoted but they are also in no hurry

to "select" a guru.

I'm pretty intrigued, are those "guru-less regulars" lectured to

about their lack of....hmmmmm..what's the word?

If a devotee is attending services every week, associating with other

devotees, but for some reason or another, has not had a guru "appear"

to them", can it be said thay he/she is "lacking" something?

 

It is taught that the best, in general terms of course, approach to

spiritual evolution entails "Guru, Shastra and Sadhu". The Guru being

one who has Realized and can serve as a living example.

But as you suggest (was that tongue-in-cheek) when the devotee

is "spiritual high" from chanting, dancing, studying and conversing

with others, they might think "who needs to cultivate an intimate and

profound (I suppose) relationship with a Guru"?

 

I lean in the direction of some sort of Guruship, as a practice of

encouraging the intimacy of interaction. Of course the hierarchical

structure can interject problems...

 

cornelius

 

, Wim Borsboom <wim@a...> wrote:

> Hi Harsha, Robert, etc.

>

> Harsha wrote:

> >What would we do without teachers?

>

> Robert:

> > Invent them?

> > :-)))

>

> Of course, IF we would be without teachers... THEN we obviously

would not

> need them... ergo we would all still be our original good and

perfect

> Selve(s).

> One could actually say that it is the teachers who made the taught

feel

> inadequate...

> One could even say: "Away with the teachers, they made something

perfectly

> adequate to feel inadequate from the beginning..."

>

> All this jokingly and seriously...

>

> Every good teacher knows how expendable he or she is.

> Every good teacher looks forward to the day that he or she would be

> redundant.

>

> We could help those teachers along a bit...

> Let's set them free by not requiring them... except maybe, just

maybe to

> teach us to sing and dance again... that is what Krishna was good at

> anyway... oh and Shiva as well...

>

> Wim

>

> ---

> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

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