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.

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.

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.