Who do you think you are?

Why? A wise teacher once recommended I not ask the question why. Why? Because. That's right, because -- a story that explains the perceived cause behind the perceived effect. Perceptions are not reality, they are the filters made up of thoughts. We think we are, we think we see, we think we know, and we think we'll be safer doing so. That brings up another "W" word...wrong. But hang in there for "W" word number three and don't worry, it's a good wrong to realize. Thankfully I'm not who I think I am, things aren't the way I sometimes think they are, and there's no such thing as safe let alone a need for it. Those precious moments when I'm not about the complicated business of thinking I'm living by thinking; I'm being, it's effortless, and that is beautiful. So ask not why, nor think who you are. Enjoy who you be when you don't think.

Reflection from a Polarized Filter courtesy of stephend9 at flickr.com

The Synthesis of Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science

Sometimes we think we know, we think things never change, sometimes we think we don't know, everything is changing. That could be one thought, or it could be viewed as two or four and even more depending on how the phrases are fractured with punctuation. Maybe that's a little much for a Monday, so I'll be brief and you can follow the links when you're ready to enjoy. Such fractals are the organizing principle underlaying a great deal of perceived chaos, in which case you can see the role of perception as punctuation in the determination of what we think we experience.

Pictured here, the Sri Yantra, a design which is thousands of years old and traditionally represents not only abundance on all levels, but also the beauty of the three worlds, as well as the wisdom of non-duality. It is pictured with the most popular image used to represent the Mandelbrot theory of Fractal Geometry which basically connotes the same meaning as the Sri Yantra. Which came first doesn't matter, in truth the idea that they both support the notion of an underlying unified principle through which everything else seems to emerge yet remains the same, doesn't really matter either. Yet on a Monday and at other times when life might seem chaotic or broken, we might take a deeper look at where our thoughts lead and see that there is abundant beauty in its fractured state.

zoom in on this cool 4 minute youtube

(I like the song)

fractal image posted by Wolfgangbeyer at Wikipedia

sri yantra posted by SharkD at Wikipedia

Ending Times of Worry

A Mayan elder spoke here this week. The crowd that gathered were eager to hear his news about the year 2012. He was direct and to the point when he said, "That's not Mayan." He went on to explain that it was the teaching of others who were not Mayan. He clarified that these people may have discovered something he did not know about, but it was not a part of the tradition he had been taught since he was a child. He went on to talk about the next cycle of 2000 years. While he did have an interesting answer for why the times seem to be speeding up so much, I later wondered if our fascination with the potential end times is a left over from religious upbringing transferred to a new belief system as motivation for behavior? What would happen if people did not live in fear of the quality of an afterlife or anticipation of a new era dawning? How do we make sure that we are fully doing the only thing that really matters? Simply Be in the present moment.

Teo Butterfly image by Pic Michel

WYSIWYG

When you think about it, it's what you think about it that makes it what it is, at least for you. The expression, One man's trash is another man's treasure, says much more about how something is seen than whether or not the seen might have some use left in it. Whether we see things as unacceptable or preferable, we have added something to the seen, it is our vision of how things should be. It filters and tints the view just like a pair of UV sunglasses. Some people see challenges as beneficial while some others prefer things to be easily managed. Either way can bring about worry and suffering. It is not unusual to see people waiting for challenges before they take some beneficial action. Procrastination is all about creating challenges to negatively motivate change. Those who expect things to flow in logical order will often be disappointed or frustrated when things go awry. When what we do is about nothing more than doing so, a great deal can be accomplished without attachment. It does not become a part of our story, not a medal we wear, not a load to bare. When we think about it, living without attachment of meaning, might seem like a lot of work. But if we let go of that view, along with the rest that make our daily experience so conditional, we find ourselves flowing with the current rather than swimming upstream and life is a lot more effortless.

photo from Trash to Treasure art exhibit courtesy of urbanwoodswalker at flickr.com

The New Phone Books Are Here!

"I am somebody! I am somebody!" In the 1979 movie The Jerk, Navin Johnson is thrilled when the new phone books arrive and he sees his name is in print. He feels validated and believes things are going to change for him. Later in the story Navin becomes disillusioned with seeking validation. "Well I'm gonna to go then. And I don't need any of this. I don't need this stuff, and I don't need you." He feels just like a little child who decides to run away from home for a seeming lack of appreciation. Many of us occasionally feel this way with friends, partners, employers, organizations. Within seconds of expressing his desire for freedom, Navin comes back with this: "I don't need this or this. Just this ashtray. And this paddle game, the ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need. And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that's all I need. And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And this lamp..." He goes on and teaches a marvelous lesson on the way detachment, unlike the things we might want to release, just seems to slip through our fingers. For Navin and the rest of us, it's not about giving up the stuff or the people, but the notion that we need it. Then we can freely enjoy everything. There is nothing that can validate us except our understanding that we don't need validation. To make the most out of our lives we don't need to become somebody or belong to someone else. We just need to BE.

photo courtesy of llimllib (Bill Mill) at flickr.com

Take a Leap

There's and old Zen saying, leap and the net will appear. It is one that has guided many for a long time, but perhaps not as one might think. The saying acknowledges the human desire for safety in order to take risks. The truth is there are no risks as nothing is separate from Source. The guarantee of a gentle, safe landing almost takes the wind out of the sails of any leap. To leap is to fly over, bypass, or transcend the steps usually considered a must by most. A leap is getting off the path of conditions and consequences, unless we are attached to a landing. With leaps we look for length, height, and view. As far as landings go, we look for safety and cush. But what if we leap without expectations, not all by ourself against against the wind of outer circumstances, but into the awareness of the Self that underlies the wind and all that Is? Then we could leap and the need for the net would disappear.

photo Hang Gliding Area near Sandy Beach, Oahu, 2008 Fair

courtesy of Karen at picasa.com

Enough Reflection

There are a great many structures we assemble to support us as we work to further our interests. Sometimes we worry that we are not doing enough, or even good enough. This comes out of the perceived need to be safe. There is no such thing as enough and this reality can create the illusion that there is something to worry about unless we see that it means there is always more. The reality is that the "more" comes through us. The illusion is that it happens to us. To be able to distinguish the real from the illusion seems like right effort, but to see that there is no illusion that is separate from the real, leads to a life that is free and effortless.

Photo courtesy of Peter Kaminski at flickr.com

The Essence of Worry - Doubt and Trust

While the Monarch butterfly seems to travel great distances on a precise path, there is not a single Monarch that completes the journey from Mexico to Canada and back again. There are many that contribute to that appearance. Each and every one is born with exactly what it needs. They are not taught the way and have no need to learn or acquire anything to fulfill their purpose. All of them are simply being, beautiful, inspiring in the moment, as are we when we let go of the notion there is anything else. Doubt that? Let go. And be careful when you do, because the temptation is then to trust, and to trust, one must have some level of faith that there is something to doubt. There is not. Every Monarch will meet its end, not a single one lives with the trust that the journey will be completed, nor the doubt that it will continue. To let go of doubt is to let go of trust, else one remains on a path that will consistently circle back on itself. There is one way for each Monarch and that is to follow the way laid out within. Could anything less be true of you?

photo courtesy of mikebaird at flickr.com

The Value of Hopes and Dreams

What do you value? What is it you work to attain or maintain? Let go your attachment to that now. Whatever you desire, whatever you believe should be the outcome or reward of some effort, even if that effort be love and the results seem to be for the highest good; it is made of the stuff that is the source of all suffering.

All disappointments and struggles are all the result of holding a standard, and having values that must be met. Unfulfilled, these establish and make manifest suffering. Accomplished they bring along the suffering of worry that they may not remain. It can be no other way. Let go your attachment to all three: attain, maintain, retain, and you will know the only thing that is real and permanent.

photo courtesy GoOregonDemocrats at flickr.com

Letting Go of Worry

It's easy to look at something seemingly small or young, and find ourselves believing that we must act to protect it from it's vulnerabilities. But what are we acting on? When we act upon the notion there is need, something we do not have that would make life better or worthwhile, we engage desire. And when we seek to fulfill desire we develop expectations of creating an illusion.

Expectations actually interfere with our true potential. Have you ever known a moment of sadness, anger, remorse, deception, vengefulness, guilt, fear, that was not preceded by some hope, wish, goal or expectation? What would your life be like without the latter? And how could you possibly live your life without the former? Living without desire is not that about giving up anything that is real or important, but dis-covering it by removing attachment to what is not.

In truth, we lack nothing. In truth there is no such thing as loss. In truth there are no limitations. It is only by maintaining erroneous belief that such things prevail, that we manifest the hope we will overcome, avoid, and surpass that. Where would you be without looking forward to the hopes and dreams derived from your experience and knowledge? You would be living with awareness engaged in the present moment, where everything is just as it is, and you are entirely free to be just as you are, unencumbered by the weight of what was or might have been.

Photo courtesy of Pink Sherbet Photography at flickr.com