Neither Out Far Nor In Deep

The people along the sand

All turn and look one way.

They turn their back on the land.

They look at the sea all day.

As long as it takes to pass

A ship keeps raising its hull;

The wetter ground like glass

Reflects a standing gull.

The land may vary more;

But wherever the truth may be---

The water comes ashore,

And the people look at the sea.

They cannot look out far.

They cannot look in deep.

But when was that ever a bar

To any watch they keep?

~Robert Frost
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan

Reality

"If you seek reality

you must set yourself free

of all backgrounds, of all cultures,

of all patterns of thinking and feeling.

Even the idea of being man or woman,

or even human should be discarded.

The ocean of life contains all,

not only humans.

So, first of all abandon all self-identification,

stop thinking of yourself as such-and-such

or so-and-so, this or that.

Abandon all self-concern,

worry not about your welfare,

material or spiritual.

Abandon every desire, gross or subtle,

stop thinking of achievement of any kind.

You are complete here and now,

you need absolutely nothing."

--Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj

WHAT IF EVERYTHING'S ALIVE AND CONSCIOUS?

"If the universe is alive, if solar systems are alive, if galaxies are alive, if planets are alive, are they conscious? Or are they alive but unconscious, in the same way that perhaps a worm or a bacterium might be alive but unconscious? And is the kind of life that may exist in the cosmos more conscious than ourselves, or do we have to assume it's a great deal less conscious than ourselves? Are we the smartest beings in the universe? Now the usual answer of science is yes. I think that's a very improbable assumption."
Rupert Sheldrake "Physics of Angels"

Ribhu Gita 10 -33

10. Then, addressing Nidagha, Ribhu said: I shall tell you
about the definition of the Self, which is not available in
all the triad of time--past, present, and future--

11. ever the most secret of the secret, by summarizing
what has been expounded by Siva. There is nothing that
can be talked of as non-Self, neither the mind as the
non-Self, nor the world as the non-Self. Be of the certitude
that there is nothing that is non-Self.

12. By the absence of all sankalpas, by the elimination
of all forms, by the conviction of there being only Brahman,
be of the certitude that there is not anything that is non- Self.

13. In the absence of mind, there is no thinking; in the
absence of the body, there is no aging. With the conviction
of there being only Brahman, be of the certitude that there
is no non-Self.

14. Because of the absence of feet, there is no walking;
because of the absence of hands, there is no work. There
being only Brahman alone, be of the certitude that there
is no non-Self.

15. Because of the absence of Brahma, the Creator, there is
no world; in the absence thereof, there is no Hari, the
sustainer. There being only Brahman alone, be of the
certitude that there is no non-Self.

16. In the absence of aging, there is no death; nor is there
the world or the Vedas or the gods. There being only
Brahman alone, be of the certitude that there is no non- Self.

17. There is no dharma (righteous conduct), no purity, no
[concept of] truth, no fear. There being only Brahman
alone, be of the certitude that there is no non-Self.

18. Because there is no decay, there is no movement.
Because there is no decay, there is no insentience. There
being only Brahman alone, be of the certitude that there is
no non-Self.

19. The Guru, indeed, does not exist; truly, there is no
disciple. There being only Brahman alone, be of the certitude
that there is no non-Self.

20. There being nothing that is the first, there is nothing
that is the second; there being no second, there is nothing
as the first. If there is the concept of truth, something as
nontruth will also arise.

21. If there be any concept of nontruth, a concept of truth
will also arise, with it. If there is inauspiciousness, know
that thereis a notion of auspiciousness. Likewise, if there is
auspiciousness, there will be inauspiciousness.

22. If you think of fearlessness, fear is postulated; fear is
concomitant with fearlessness. There being only Brahman
alone, be of the certitude that there is no non-Self.

23. If there is bondage, there is liberation; in the absence
of bondage, there is no liberation. If there is death, there
is birth; in the absence of birth, there is no death either.

24. If there is "you," there is" I;" if there is no "you," there
is no "I." If there is "this," there is "that;" in the absence
of "that," there is no "this" either.

25. "If it is there" implies something not being there; "it is
not there" implies something being there. If there is an
effect, there is some cause; in the absence of effect, there
is no cause.

26. If there is duality, there is (a concept of) nonduality; in
the absence of duality, there is no (concept of) nonduality
either. If there is something to be "seen," a seer is also
there; in the absence of anything to see, there is no seer
at all either.

27. If there is an interior, there surely is an exterior; if
there be no interior, there is also no exterior. If there be
(a concept of) completeness, it implies something of
incompleteness.

28. If there is a little that can be thought of, it becomes
all in no time; if there is not a little--nothing whatsoever
of anything at anytime--nothing arises.

29. Therefore, all this does not exist in the least at any
time: neither you nor I, neither this nor that. There being
only Brahman alone, be of the certitude that there is no
non-Self.

30. There is nothing by way of example in this world, nor
is there anything for which an example is to be given. There
being only Brahman alone, be of the certitude that there is
no non-Self.

31. There is no mind to think, "I am the Supreme Brahman,"
"This universe is only Brahman alone," "You are also only
Brahman."

32. I am Consciousness, and there is no non-Self. Be of this
certitude. Thus, in brief, the definition of the Self has been
told to you.

33. By hearing this once, one becomes Brahman oneself.

- Excerpt from the Ribhu Gita, translated from the original Sanskrit
by Dr. H. Ramamoorthy and Master Nome

The momentum for this cosmic Game is created whenever
you pretend that what isn't, somehow, is far superior to what
is. Although this belief keeps you focused on a never-ending
journey towards happiness, enlightenment, etc., it also
guarantees that you will never reach a point of permanent
satisfaction and peace. Why? Because this whole notion of
being on a `journey-to-fulfillment' is actually the secret
method that the desperate ego uses in order to survive in
the face of personal annihilation by Consciousness.

In other words, as long as the ego stays more focused on
making the `journey,' it can continue to avoid disappearing
entirely in the blinding realization of the true identity of the
mystic `traveler.' This frenzied activity around pursuing
enlightenment helps the ego to maintain a sense of personal
doership. When what is not present is perceived as better
than what is present, the precious reality contained in this
very moment is inwardly resisted. However, Consciousness
has no opposite, it's the only thing that's present, and it can
never really change into `what isn't.'

It just is what it is. However, by pretending that `something
else is better,' the ego hopes to survive by enthusiastically
pursuing the disowned `other.' Of course, the cosmic joke, is
that the ego is caught on a selfgenerated treadmill because it
already `is' what it is looking for.

The valiant struggle to be enlightened secretly protects the ego
from being exposed as the phantom it truly is. As long as the
search continues unabated, the searcher is validated as being
separate from the very thing that he is searching for.

But, in Truth, we can never really run away from ourselves
because we already are who we are running from, and we
already are where we are running to.

-Chuck Hillig

Twigs

(excerpt)

And so

it has taken me

all of sixty years

to understand

that water is the finest drink,

and bread the most delicious food,

and that art is worthless

unless it plants

a measure of splendor in people's hearts.

~ Taha Muhammad Ali ~