Awakening to Simplicity

[Guest guest]

Thank you, El, for your lovely poems. They really strike a chord (I felt

the earthquake, also.) I th.ink you have hit on a very important point

in " Awakening to Simplicity " Here is a poem which also relates to the

question of how far some go in order to " transcend " the world..

 

The Woman Who Lived in a Cave

 

It was cold there.

At night

the stars came out

and looked down on me,

my quiet austerity,

my meek accommodations,

with a cool camaraderie,

ice acknowledging ice.

 

I had my small

butter lamp and the candle,

but of course I saved these for

only the essential.

Mostly the dying sun

signaled the end

of my day.

Again, I rose

when the light

flooded the valley below

with filtered honey,

touched the tip

of my sleeping box

with its prodding finger.

 

I had nowhere

to lie down properly.

The box was not

long enough to lie in,

nor wide enough to stretch.

I did not mind.

My aim was not to be

comfortable,

but to be still,

and enter the silence.

 

The only voices I heard

were the crying of those

mountain birds,

the wind cracking against

the boulders,

the rain slashing at

the cliff.

 

But this was what I had

dreamed of,

the life I had come to live.

This was the person I had chosen to be.

How could I flee my dharma?

Besides, I had done it

so many times before

it was easy,

a familiar pattern,

like a garment one folds

and unfolds,

moonlight, darkness.

 

Dorothy Walters

October 8, l998

 

(Tenzin Palmo, who was born in East London, became one of the first

Westerners to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun (l964). For twelve

years, she lived in a cave in the Himalayas, seeking Full Awakening.

See

Cave in the Snow , by Vicki Mackenzie.)

 

I recently read this book, a vivid account of one women's intense

spiritual search for full awakening. This fascinating story of a

remarkable woman raises all sorts of questions--such as what is it like

to spend so many years in total seclusion, why would anyone wish to do

it, is it a good thing to do. Sometimes I think it would be an easy

simply to withdraw from the world, to find one's cave, or go into the

forest--and simply spend one's time in meditation, bliss, discovery,

whatever. But I also feel that for most of us, our call this time

around is to be " in the world and out of it, " often a much harder task.

How can we maintain balance when the forces of the world seem constantly

to assault us in every way, from the daily news to the feelings we get

when we walk down a busy street? How can we remember who we are, when

everything seems to conspire to make us forget our original name? I

think El gives us an important answer, and I think that Blythe and Rita

have illustrated it beautifully in their respective accounts. Thanks to

all. Dorothy

[Guest guest]

I then asked if

>he knew that many on earth would answer that stripe question as the

>marks on Jesus' body from being flogged.Instant change.Bright

>sunshine,everyone happy, all was fine.Never did totally understand this

>but gained a new perception of " evil " and its ignorance and that if one

>had the guts to approach and explain it, things got much better. Also

>learned the value of staying connected to the " Source " so that the

>answers can come in.

>Hope all of your " answers " are coming in,

>Blessings,

>+ Maureen

 

You know Maureen, quite often, when I read a certain post, my crown begins

to go wild with its tickling/tingling. This happened again just now, reading

this!

 

Love & Discovery

 

Am