Though one may
experience the idea of freedom,
lingering in such
daydreams is mistaking
imagination for the
real thing.
I may have wasted the
wise instructions
of my teachers, but any
regret now
merely feeds the
barking dogs
of self-absorbed delusion
–
true freedom is found in
non-dwelling.
Just so, I haven't
visited any abattoirs of late,
but I've rarely seen
anything more disturbing
than the attitudes
generated from entrenched
political and religious
beliefs, nor anything
more appalling than
dispositions spawned
from the furnace of emotional
reactivity.
To these, I apply the healing
balm
of heart-felt service in
the same manner
raindrops funnel down
spring's green leaves
to moisten the ground
and nourish the tender roots.
Undone from the
distraction of purposefulness,
I carefully mix and meld
subtle hints from the wise,
stirring cool clear
water in a bowl with no sides.
Everything that appears
conducts a current
of various energies,
expressing itself as
the dance of
complementary chaos
and order, implicating
nobody.
Abandoning victimhood is
a crucial
preliminary to
appreciating life
for all that it is and
can be.
In the poignant ballet of
impermanence,
there is no independent
person,
cause, or condition.
Relax – we're all in
this together!
Still, who can say
anything meaningful
about loving kindness
these days,
or maybe more to the
point:
who can explain why we’re
so easily offended by each
other?
Whether on the killing
floor of envy and loathing,
or in blissful repose
at the crown of the lotus,
the clown who discerns
the transparent and
luminous nature of their
very own mind
sports a suave and
sizzling sombrero
filled with the divine
molecules
of a vast and empty
sky.
Such an utterly useless
fool
waltzes through the
market place
with nothing to buy or
sell, perhaps
pausing along the way
to tell children
stories, amusing them
with a delightful
nonsense that they will
forever remember.
Hey Friends, isn’t this
how it goes:
those who are grateful get
more to be
grateful about, while those
who complain
will get more to
complain about?
No nonsense there –
whatever we’re given,
we can always say
“Thank you!”
Likewise, no matter
what may appear,
recognizing our own
chronic resistance
is more than enough to
keep us humble.
If we’re here to revel
and marvel in the Mystery,
then what are we still
seeking for,
and what are we always
trying to hide?
And what’s the big deal
with just
being still in the light
of this
staggering Shine?
If I really paid
attention, I would
realize that everything
-- yin and yang,
light and dark,
existence and non-existence --
is an innocent play of
the natural Great Perfection.
How amazing that there
is anything at all!
A timeless and radiant
Presence
to which no fanciful
human concept
could apply, is
standing in your shoes,
beating your heart,
breathing your breath,
looking out in awe through
your own eyes!
Isn’t that simply astonishing?
In any case, in every
place,
may everything I do in
body,
speech, and mind serve
others.
When we’re seeing
clearly,
there are no others.
That's what I call
service!
Some may call it love.
Whatever it’s called,
don’t think twice –
just be it!
And while we’re at it,
let’s try to do no
harm!
Clinging to nothing,
astounded by
everything,
I humor myself with glad
songs
of Yes to life’s breathtaking majesty,
occasionally whistling Zippity Doo Dah
as I wander along on this
infinite way.
Ole!
~Based very loosely on a text by Patrul Rinpoche
Love it. Thanks Bob..!
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