standing sutra sonnet

wanderer above the sea of fog - friedrich

the world is lost in translation—

it’s from where one actually stands

and not from where one speaks—

it's not an issue of looking inward

as much as it is the fact of standing there—

it's not as much dropping as turning—

don't act your age but be your Self—

not shining a light in but shining your light out—

not of the world but the world in you—

not stand by me but stand as Self.

why desire what you already are?

why look inward when you're already there?

why be somebody if you're already being?

feel that unnameable in all one is.

awarelovebe sonnet

sobjective—

egoetry—

happenchronicity.

knowlovedge—

onetuitive—

awarelovebe.

it's not simple because 'simple' is just another concept.

dreaming is in mind and of mind but mind is not the dream.

the way is all about getting out of the way.

love is playing at a theater in you.

see what you are and the ground will be your way.

impermanence on my mind; embodiment in my heart.

to knowledge that's mystery; to love that's grace.

awareloveness awarelovebliss awarelovesee awarelovebe

i gatha

   no

   yes

   X

   love

.............consciousness mantra.............

keep in mind

you're not

the bodymind,

intuitively feel

that all is one

i am...


that

unknown

is you

as love

in action

universal self sonnet

faith is not belief

but rather the trusting of

another one's experience

until confirmed by one's own experience—

not blind but seeing.

relax and repeat something to this effect:

consciousness is the way;

the person only gets in the way.

keep in mind you are not the mind.

the universe and you is thought;

universal self is intuition.

drop the whole universe

and breathe easy in what remains—

rest in the threshold of one's universal self.

thirteen lines from reality's sonnet

in unknown

reality

vibrates being

and everything known

is sung in being

and pure awareness

is

the silent echo

of utterly untold

reality

in being and truly

i am that

in which this is singing

dream avatar sutra sonnet

this is what may best be called a dream. and in this dream, i have divided myself into ten thousand patterns.

and with each pattern, i have identified, and thus think every other pattern happens to be not my self. this is what some call the original sin.

and this partial identification and resultant separation is the origin of all suffering, and what some call the human condition.

and so i have appeared to my partial "selves" as what some may call an avatar and in ten thousand ways have revealed one way: there is no separation.

i have revealed such so-called separation is just a concept. i have revealed that love is separation understanding there is no separation.

but my separate “selves” have misunderstood my revelation, and in turn created deeper levels of separation which are called religions and beliefs—

and watch the suffering inherent in this misunderstanding as if it was something separate from myself. but it is not.

there are no words to say what i am, but only words to say what i am not. and in this via negativa, one will stop and be that way unknown.

save oneself from that which one needs not be saved and in turn one saves all.

see what one is not and rest in what one is and that which what one is will be what one is not.

one who troubles with others will always be that which is separate from oneself.

one who loves the other is one who sees no other.

thus one love is no one.

and no one is one unknown.

five tweets in search of a poem

indian summer on the river. almost all boats and docks now gone. wilderness always here returning.

high tide returning to the sea. strong southwest wind is steady. noontime sun fills the southern expanse. three kayaks floating by.

a lobster boat motors loudly by heading upriver for the winter towing its inflatable dinghy in its wake.

old jet contrails mar an otherwise silent cloudless sky.

only seagulls on the water. there! maybe an eagle above the pines.

om and shunyakasha sonnet

as long as matter is seen as something objectively separate, one will appear to be subjectively separate, and love won't steer the stars—

this is the dawning of the age of that timelessness.

action originating from that unknown space of affectionate awareness is akin to creation's genesis from the void, that so-called big bang—

in other words, the big bang is not a moment in some light year past but always happening now.

there are many ways to say something that can't be said & not a single reason to say any of them, so why one says them is the only question—

one is everything and nothing, infinity and absolute zero, this and that, om... and shunyakasha.

no one dies; all is unborn; identifying with impermanence is the original sin; drop it—

after negating misunderstanding, one rests in the threshold of one's universal self.

just because one inhabits a frame doesn't mean one is the frame—

patterns are not individual; this space endorses no one—

listen absolutely; utter infinitely—

bare trees reveal the space of truth—

the birds are feeding like nobody's business—

now never goes anywhere; let the silence sing.

is sonnet

truth is not cool—

dropping off body and mind is not hip—

awakening is not the latest thing—

reality is not trendsetting—

emptiness is not experimental—

consciousness is not new wave—

enlightenment is not state-of-the-art—

being is not xtreme—

awareness is not informed—

embodiment is not abreast—

silence is not psychobabble—

self-inquiry is not self-improvement—

nondoing is never done—

that is not this.

Absolutely Ashtavakra

The Ashtavakra Gita is some pure stuff. And the commentary by Ramesh Balsekar in his translation called Duet of One is primo as well.

Let it be said no words can speak the truth. At best, all they can do is help deprogram one from all the words that cloud the truth. And the Ashtavakra is some of the best deconditioner out there. Just lather, rinse, and done.

In particular, I’d like to point to a single verse and Balsekar’s commentary. First, the student, Janaka, is responding to his teacher, Ashtavakra, who has spoken his truth in the previous 20 verses:

“As I Myself illumine this body, so also do I reveal this whole universe. Therefore, the entire universe is Mine alone, or else nothing is mine.” (22)

And Balsekar’s commentary is enlightening:

Janaka has suddenly realized his noumenality, but in the phenomenal sense; otherwise there would be no awareness of “I”. Noumenality can not know “I” because in noumenality there is no duality of the knower and the known.

For definition purposes, consider phenomenon as this which is perceived by the senses, and noumenon as that which is not, and therefore completely unknowable.

So in other words, Janaka has realized the Absolute, or God the Parent as Jesus the Guru called it, but in a relative sense. Otherwise, what is there to realize? The Absolute cannot know itself, be aware of itself, for all there is is itself. As such, deep sleep is the closest analogy to such absolute awareness. No object, just subject.

Balsekar continues:

Without the noumenon, the phenomena cannot appear because it is the noumenal light which illumines them. And unless the phenomena are seen, the noumenon cannot be known.

Here is the crux of the truth. Noumenon, God the Parent, the Absolute is one with Phenomena, God the Child, Universal Being. Again, in the relative sense, the universe appears to exist only when the light of the Absolute shines on it. Furthermore, the Absolute is only seen because the universe is shining.

Hence, a guru such as Nisargadatta Maharaj advises the student to relax and watch the "I Am" or Universal Being for "reality is just behind it. Keep quiet, keep silent; it will emerge, or, rather, it will take you in."

As Balsekar summarizes:

Indeed, what Janaka has experienced is that the noumenon and the phenomena are not two but one. The “me” in Janaka has experienced the “I”, and “he” has become liberated!

Absolutely.

Note on Illustration: Joy Elamkunnapuzha drew the original design in 1977, and V. Balan executed it in mosaic style on the facade of the Chapel at Dharmaram College in Bangalore, India. Christ is presented here as a yogi in meditation under the sacred peepal tree.

phenomenal sonnet

words words everywhere and not a breath of truth.

to sleep, conceivably to dream—eye, there's the world.

the cat in the hat and the scat on the mat and the rat in the vat and even this chat is all simply that.

to every time there is a space—

the good, the bad, and the tao.

the ten thousand ways of bare trees scratch the surface of the sky.

leaves fall & the tree remains; trees fall & earth remains; earths fall & the universe remains; universes fall & that remains. all is that.

was it meant to be? no. but it is what it is. so is it meant to be? yes.

the four preliminaries: one is always reality; one is always unborn; one is never a person; drop everything.

praise be.

one wakes to the world and cries, is this all there is? no; that is.

phenomena is absolutely phenomenal only because you are absolute.

light is always calling itself back home.

the true mystical experience is one of no experience.

A Meditation on the Four Preliminaries of the Yoga of Lojong or The Little Engine That Could

A spiritual friend of mine is taking classes in Lojong, a Tibetan Buddhist mind-training practice which revolves around meditating on 59 slogans, the first of which is to train in the four preliminaries. As we discussed the preliminaries together, we realized it was a genius stroke to make this the first slogan, because in effect, this supplies the engine, the earnestness, as Nisargadatta Maharaj calls it, that is absolutely necessary for realization.

First, maintain an awareness of the preciousness of human life. If one sees the universe as a holistic entity and the human being as an organ within that universal organism, then the human mind is its crown of creation, its way toward self-awareness and reality itself.

Second, realize this human life ends, and all is impermanent. In other words, there is only so much time for the human being to perform its precious responsibility. The universe is depending on you right here and right now.

Third, be aware of the suffering nature of samsara, the dream state. The human being attempts to make the impermanent into something of permanence, including itself, or to be more precise, what it assumes to be itself. It is an impossible task, and thus creates a world of suffering. And this suffering only increases the desire for something permanent. It’s a vicious cycle.

Fourth, understand there is a cause and result to all human action. In other words, if it is the human desire for permanence which creates samsara, then what was made can be unmade. In the simple act of understanding, the human mind “attains” its natural state of awareness, Buddhahood. And this simple so-called act is the saving grace of the Bodhisattva itself. For in pure awareness, all samsara is seen for what it is, nothing real.

Gita Yields: Arjuna and the Yoga of Surrender

I come here to praise Arjuna. Most translations I’ve read treat the poor man with mocking disrespect. Furthermore, most translations have an axe of belief to grind. And Arjuna is their whetstone.

Krishna begins his discourse on the many yogas in Chapter Two of the Bhagavad Gita. The truth spoken is indeed godlike. Here, Krishna begins to speak of the eternal Atman as well as Karma Yoga, working with no end in mind. This was Gandhi’s way and the source of his famous quote: “They say, 'means are, after all, means'. I would say, 'means are, after all, everything'. As the means so the end...”

But none of this truth is heard without an all-important “act” of Arjuna’s early in the chapter. In fact, the first words in the chapter are Krishna’s admonishment to an egoic Arjuna. Yet Arjuna once again speaks in despair. But this time the emphasis is on an unwillingness to slay his previous teachers and gurus.

And then comes the all-important “act.” Here are three translations of his words to Krishna (2:7 and I would have loved to use Christopher Isherwood’s translation, but he skips this section of the chapter!):

“Hence I ask thee—tell me, I pray thee—in no uncertain language—wherein lies my good? I am thy disciple. Guide me. I seek refuge in thee.” ~Mohandas Gandhi

“I ask thee which may be the better—that tell me decisively. I take refuge as a disciple with thee; enlighten me.” ~Sri Aurobindo

“I beg of you to say for sure what is right for me to do. I am your disciple. Please teach me, for I have taken refuge in you” ~Sri Swami Satchinanda

Yes, Arjuna surrenders! Not to fear or loathing, but to Krishna Himself!

This is the one prerequisite for all real spirituality. In Zen, it’s called dropping off body and mind. In Advaita, it’s the essence of non-doing. In true Christianity, it’s thy will be done. Nisargadatta Maharaj says to “relax and watch the 'I am'.”

Arjuna rests in Krishna Consciousness and listens.

Gita Down: Visada Yoga of Despair, The Door to Grace

There are currently six billion possible interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita; here’s one concerning Chapter One. Arjuna takes a new perspective.

The battle between good and evil is about to begin, and Arjuna, who literally has God, aka Krishna, on his side, decides to move into the middle of the battlefield to take a look at his enemy.

And from this new point of view, his world is shattered. He sees the brotherhood of humanity, literally. There, within the evil forces of Dhritarashtra, he sees family and friends. The world is not as black and white as he believed.

And in a moment of despair, he drops his weapon and sits right down, not out of some philosophy of non-violence as Gandhi is quick to point out in his commentary on the Gita, and not out of some misguided morality as others have understood, but from the shock of one who has suddenly seen the falsehood of belief and thus the madness of this world.

It is exactly a similar moment of despair that brought Siddhartha Gautama to his quest for Buddhahood.

For some, these moments are epiphanies that play out for years. Adyashanti talks about his experience as a child when he realized the grownups around him actually believed their own lies. It led to years of Zen meditation before his awakening. Or this moment may be a sudden realization as Eckhart Tolle has related when he sees through the duality of his suicidal anguish.

It is the Dark Night of the Soul or maybe Disturbing Years of Twilight. But this suffering and despair is indeed a yoga that brings us toward the necessary questioning of what the world is, and more importantly, who I am. And, in turn, the grace of God, Krishna, Consciousness, What I Am, will reveal nothing but the truth.

The fact that Arjuna sits down is not a fluke. It’s not some weakness on his behalf. Yes, there’s attachment and yes, there’s rationalization, and yes, yes, yes, there’s deep dark confusion. It all comes from the human response to a sudden realization something’s rotten in Kurukshetra.

And without such a moment, Krishna doesn’t have his say.

My Three Nisargadattas

1. Reading

Reading Nisargadatta can be confusing for the novice. I know because I’ve been there. It sometimes appears he is advising contradictory practices. In a way, he is. Although it is true he is always Consciousness speaking to Consciousness, he is also speaking about various aspects of one state, and instructing practices toward each.

And in his talks, Nisargadatta is speaking to a spectrum of participants and communicating to each in the manner of their current understanding. So one’s own understanding will not necessarily be similar to the understanding receiving the instructions he is giving. Don’t be concerned with that though.

Nisargadatta’s talks are not directed toward the person. They are directed toward Being. Leave the intellect out of the way. What is intended to be understood in the current moment will be understood. Upon subsequent readings, other understanding will be revealed. Each reading is a new experience.

2. Wisdom

However, a simple guideline to Nisargadatta’s wisdom will be useful. Here, in what may be the simplest, clearest, most comprehensive assertion of spiritual metaphysics I’ve ever seen, he speaks of the three ways of naming the one state:

In reality there is only one state; when distorted by self-identification it is called a person, when colored with the sense of being, it is the witness; when colorless and limitless, it is called the Supreme. [bold formatting is mine]

One could do no worse than read that one sentence once a day ad infinitum. For in effect, Nisargadatta’s Way addresses these three aspects in a spectrum of various approaches.

As an aside and a note of comparison, in Christian terminology, these would be known as the sinner (to whom God the Holy Spirit descends), God the Son (or Christ Consciousness), and God the Father. Also, Nisargadatta often refers to the Supreme as Pure Awareness, which is reflected (colored) in phenomena as Consciousness.

3. Practice

For that which is called a person, he advises: “No effort can take you there, only the clarity of understanding. Trace your misunderstandings and abandon them, that is all.” In other words, deconstruct the person; this could be called the work of the spiritual warrior. From the state of pure being like a newborn, one has been domesticated, or socially conditioned, into a person. One has identified with various thoughts which have been delivered to you by parents, relatives, teachers, and friends, with which you, as pure being, have agreed to. It is the role of the spiritual warrior or seeker, to trace these misunderstandings and abandon them, letting them drop away in the light of understanding. In doing so, one loses the human form, revealing one’s Being.

For that which is called Being or the witness, Nisargadatta advises: “There is nothing to seek and find, for there is nothing lost. Relax and watch the 'I am'. Reality is just behind it.” In a similar instruction, he says:

There is awareness [i.e The Supreme] in every state of consciousness [i.e Being, Witness]. Therefore the very consciousness of being conscious is already a movement in awareness. Interest in your stream of consciousness takes you to awareness.

In other words, being conscious of being conscious is in itself the heartfelt way to reality.

As for the Supreme, he advises: “Keep quiet, keep silent; it will emerge, or, rather, it will take you in.” Similarly, he has said: “The only way of knowing it is to be it. The mind cannot reach it. To perceive it does not need the senses; to know it, does not need the mind.” Here we arrive at the absolute instruction, the one for which there is no one to receive. Therefore, for most, it will only be valuable as a pointer to some distant space or time. It is as if Nisargadatta is pointing to that time before the Big Bang, to that space of no space: here and now.

If one were to create a timeline to these instructions, it would be:

1.      Trace misunderstandings and abandon them; deconstruct the person, lose the human form.

2.      As no person, without attachment or identification with thought, be conscious of being conscious, watch the I Am.

3.      In Being, keep silent; there is nothing further you can do; the Absolute will take you in.

But they are not a timeline, and will often be practiced simultaneously in some fashion: deconstruct thought; meditate being; be silent—be That.

A Story of Reality

In essence, this is the story: God the Child (the One, Universal Consciousness) has fallen asleep, descending from Light to molecular matter. And in its earthly stirrings, in the early grips of that groggy aumnesia that comes from an abrupt waking into human nodes of self-awareness, this Unified Network of Consciousness identifies with each seemingly separate node and "each" usurps the Absolute Subjectivity of the Unknown, God the Parent. It isn’t and so it suffers accordingly. WAKE UP! This is your yogi calling, the satguru, the Holy Spirit.

the god sutra sonnet

you are the crown of creation; all this so-called evolution has dreamed you up for what?

the body has ten thousand (& that number is used the ancient chinese way) quintessential galaxies within its universe within the parabrahman.

in other words, you ain't the body except the body likes to think it is, because it does, wouldn't you, if you were the body?

seriously. the body-mind tries to usurp (thank you ramesh) the ultimate subjectivity but it always fails, then tries again, and always fails.

and this is why surrender is the ultimate act of any spirituality, beyond any beginner's practice of energy or silence or that in-between.

so holistically it's known there absolutely is no you; so how could you do anything? in fact, anything you do is refutation of that holistic.

this is 'resting in awareness;' it's surrender to what is; don't get caught in all the language; just see the seeing; seeing will see.

here's the religious rub. consciousness is the mirror reflecting an absolute. so one thinks if one polishes the mirror, one will see clearly.

and here's where all the yogas come into play, whether they be dietary or moralistic, attempting to clear that mirror, bless them all.

but here's the ultimate rub. only consciousness clears itself. so drop all yogas; drop body-mind. consciousness will do what it needs to do.

but ultimately, one needs to follow one's bliss, whatever that may be. as Nisargadatta Maharaj was wont to say: earnestness is everything!

to be more precise, one WILL follow one's bliss. for it is the destiny of awareness to be aware. and being aware is, you guessed it, bliss.

it's not as if there's some soul within you; there's just you hidden by the thought there's some soul within you.

please! this is not some atheistic lazy bs. it's not that i don't believe in god; i'm just god who doesn't believe in me.

zero whacks one sonnet

sunlight rising from its bed to greet itself—

smoke gets in the I.

fourteen billion years and they put you on the daze shift.

when lost in doubt, try and look

to love, compassion, and forgiveness for true north.

how separate is the living body from surrounding air—

you can pick your god but not your knowing.

i have no opinion about any of my many opinions.

a good joke is a form of neti neti—

zero whacks one that breaks in two:

unknown but not unbelievable.

like a fly a compound i,

10000 spy one hue and cry—

dropout of memory and attend now.

the fire-bird sonnet

embodiment is not thoughtlessness;

one wakes from the dream to be in the dream—

no matter, what happens.

in the practice of detachment,

religions are formed around attachment to practice.

trees dropping off leaves—

bare tree awareness!

a working class zero is something to be.

look for the one with the sun in her eyes and she's gone—

reflection, illumination, dark mother of light.

the ball keeps bouncing; after inward comes outward—

going crackers: in the soup but not of the soup.

the phoenix rises from the ashes of self-destruction;

the fire-bird flies on the fuel of pure reality.