Pain and Pleasure snip

[Guest guest]

At 05:59 PM 11/16/2001 "Alton Slater" <leenalton

Related a "Pain and Pleasure snip" from Nisagadatta's "I Am That":

 

>The bliss is in the awareness of

>it, in not shrinking, or in any way turning away from it. All

>happiness comes from awareness. The more we are conscious, the

>deeper the joy. Acceptance of pain, non-resistance, courage ad

>endurance--these open deep and perennial sources of real happiness,

>true bliss.

 

This reminded me of a quote I saw from Saint Francis, in response to a

question about "What is perfect joy":

 

"When we reach Santa Maria degli Angeli, soaked as we are by the rain,

frozen by the cold, covered with mud and desperately hungry, suppose that

when we knock at the door the porter comes out angrily and asks who we are,

that we answer 'two of the brothers'. Suppose then that he answers: 'You

are lying. You're no better than than vagrants who go about telling lies

and robbing the alms of the poor; get out!' Let's suppose that he closes

the door in our faces, forcing us to stay outside in the snow and rain,

cold and hungry until the night. Then if we bear with patience the wrong

done with such cruelty and insults -- bear it with equanimity and without

murmuring, humbly and charitably believing that the porter truly thinks we

are what he says we are, God having inspired him to speak against us -- O

Brother Leo, write down that in this is perfect joy."