Beautiful, beautiful writing. Buddha’s Shorter Discourse on Emptiness speaks to this; IMO really it’s the only way forward (not that there is a way forward):
"They understand: ‘Even this signless immersion of the heart is produced by choices and intentions.’ Liberating insight comes from insight into the state of signless meditation, that is to say, it is the insight into insight itself. They understand: ‘But whatever is produced by choices and intentions is impermanent and liable to cessation.’ Knowing and seeing like this, their mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’ They understand: ‘Here there is no stress due to the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, or ignorance. There is only this modicum of stress, namely that related to the six sense fields dependent on this body and conditioned by life.’ They understand: ‘This field of perception is empty of the perception of the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. The “field of perception” (saññāgataṁ) is the scope of awareness. There is only this that is not emptiness, namely that related to the six sense fields dependent on this body and conditioned by life.’ And so they regard it as empty of what is not there, but as to what remains they understand that it is present. That’s how emptiness manifests in them—genuine, undistorted, pure, and supreme.
This feels like you ripped out my soul and displayed all of its contents. This feels like the true song of Life. Of Existence. Forever, I’ve been trying to capture the feeling, the intricacies of this living, of this breathing, the seeming contradictions that exist within the stretch of days, the principle patterns of this universe, both un-chartable and recorded, and still not fully known or understood. And yet, it feels like many of them exist here, in this writing.
I go out to the desert, I hike for several miles down the path, and then leave the trail and continue hiking into the wilderness.
I sit down on a rock, the sun sets, the wind blows for one half hour and then stops.
The stars are showing, the moon is coming, the crickets chirp and chirp.
It is still, un-moving, eternal, alien but okay enough. Nothing out here knows about me.
Now consider what you wrote, consider anything about our society, culture, bragging, produced aesthetics.. it's all just animals making noises. They make noises. I care, but out here, noise either doesn't exist or doesn't apply.
I return, but the desert aims me like a cannon ball straight past all the bullshit and right towards my target of home, family, laughter, reasonable pain and suffering, and then reward for trying and being lucky enough to be lucky.
But those weak men.. good God, when will they just die off? All you have to do is take them to the desert with you and leave them there.
Leave things in the desert where they belong, let them mature, come back later and integrate.
Universal Love is non-transactional. We all need to step out of our house of mirrors and into the transcendental vibration- where we are stripped of old stories, identities and belief systems that have kept us bound and in fear.
Many of us focus on the terror of the horrors all around us. They are endless loops. It’s an easy place to hang our mirrors. It’s an easy place to compare and hide. What I’m discovering on my journey is it’s much more interesting and scary to lean into the “terror of the good”. Can I truly surrender to a love that requires nothing and be my full expression? Will I truly be loved for all of me? Can I let go of having to continuously calculate? It’s expanding my heart and my mind.
I spent 10 days in silent mediation at a Buddhist retreat center a 20 minute walk from the Dali Lama’s main temple. On the 9th day we were permitted to attend a special event with his holiness. When he bowed in loving compassion in my direction I was overwhelmed by his grace and love. All the philosophy distilled in a moment of loving compassion. I was open, I was present, I was deeply moved.
Similarly as I made my way to the highest Shiva temple in the Himalayas- the temple of his heart chakra and the place he offers forgiveness for those who make the arduous ascent- I was overwhelmed by love and total acceptance of all of me. I was forgiven completely for everything. True loving transcendental vibrations pierced through my body as I wept on my knees.
May we all find our way to self forgiveness and may we grow and expand in the spaces of our own being.
Everything feels much simpler these days.
I’m currently learning to surf in southern India. Something I’ve always dreamed of but never made happen. It feels fucking amazing.
Beautiful, beautiful writing. Buddha’s Shorter Discourse on Emptiness speaks to this; IMO really it’s the only way forward (not that there is a way forward):
"They understand: ‘Even this signless immersion of the heart is produced by choices and intentions.’ Liberating insight comes from insight into the state of signless meditation, that is to say, it is the insight into insight itself. They understand: ‘But whatever is produced by choices and intentions is impermanent and liable to cessation.’ Knowing and seeing like this, their mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’ They understand: ‘Here there is no stress due to the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, or ignorance. There is only this modicum of stress, namely that related to the six sense fields dependent on this body and conditioned by life.’ They understand: ‘This field of perception is empty of the perception of the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. The “field of perception” (saññāgataṁ) is the scope of awareness. There is only this that is not emptiness, namely that related to the six sense fields dependent on this body and conditioned by life.’ And so they regard it as empty of what is not there, but as to what remains they understand that it is present. That’s how emptiness manifests in them—genuine, undistorted, pure, and supreme.
This feels like you ripped out my soul and displayed all of its contents. This feels like the true song of Life. Of Existence. Forever, I’ve been trying to capture the feeling, the intricacies of this living, of this breathing, the seeming contradictions that exist within the stretch of days, the principle patterns of this universe, both un-chartable and recorded, and still not fully known or understood. And yet, it feels like many of them exist here, in this writing.
I go out to the desert, I hike for several miles down the path, and then leave the trail and continue hiking into the wilderness.
I sit down on a rock, the sun sets, the wind blows for one half hour and then stops.
The stars are showing, the moon is coming, the crickets chirp and chirp.
It is still, un-moving, eternal, alien but okay enough. Nothing out here knows about me.
Now consider what you wrote, consider anything about our society, culture, bragging, produced aesthetics.. it's all just animals making noises. They make noises. I care, but out here, noise either doesn't exist or doesn't apply.
I return, but the desert aims me like a cannon ball straight past all the bullshit and right towards my target of home, family, laughter, reasonable pain and suffering, and then reward for trying and being lucky enough to be lucky.
But those weak men.. good God, when will they just die off? All you have to do is take them to the desert with you and leave them there.
Leave things in the desert where they belong, let them mature, come back later and integrate.
(Loved your piece.)
Offended as an artist. But can confirm true
Universal Love is non-transactional. We all need to step out of our house of mirrors and into the transcendental vibration- where we are stripped of old stories, identities and belief systems that have kept us bound and in fear.
Many of us focus on the terror of the horrors all around us. They are endless loops. It’s an easy place to hang our mirrors. It’s an easy place to compare and hide. What I’m discovering on my journey is it’s much more interesting and scary to lean into the “terror of the good”. Can I truly surrender to a love that requires nothing and be my full expression? Will I truly be loved for all of me? Can I let go of having to continuously calculate? It’s expanding my heart and my mind.
I spent 10 days in silent mediation at a Buddhist retreat center a 20 minute walk from the Dali Lama’s main temple. On the 9th day we were permitted to attend a special event with his holiness. When he bowed in loving compassion in my direction I was overwhelmed by his grace and love. All the philosophy distilled in a moment of loving compassion. I was open, I was present, I was deeply moved.
Similarly as I made my way to the highest Shiva temple in the Himalayas- the temple of his heart chakra and the place he offers forgiveness for those who make the arduous ascent- I was overwhelmed by love and total acceptance of all of me. I was forgiven completely for everything. True loving transcendental vibrations pierced through my body as I wept on my knees.
May we all find our way to self forgiveness and may we grow and expand in the spaces of our own being.
Everything feels much simpler these days.
I’m currently learning to surf in southern India. Something I’ve always dreamed of but never made happen. It feels fucking amazing.
I