"Even though the truth that the Buddha taught is so vast and unlimited, if you don't experience it in your daily life, it's of no more use than a picture of food to a hungry person. Even though you see it a hundred times, if you can't take hold of it and eat, it's useless. If you want to realize truth, the Buddha-Dharma, you have to experience it through your daily life, your body, and your mind. What could you possibly find by ignoring these and looking for the truth somewhere else? The Buddha taught people to experience the truth for themselves, because this is the only way to become truly free.

"Even though you memorize all the names of the materials needed to build a house, such as bricks, plywood, beams, and roof tiles, if you don't actually put them together and build a house, they won't be much use, will they? The goal of the Buddha's teachings is application, not intellectual knowledge.

"From the perspective of our True Nature, "just doing" is easier than speaking. Words may be inadequate or misunderstood, but doing is straightforward: if you do it, it's taken care of. However, people get caught by words, and argue about wrong and right without ever trying to experience the Dharma directly.

"Don't get caught up in theories or arguments -- just taste the truth for yourself. Instead of discussing whether the watermelon is ripe or not, just cut it open and take a bite. This is true meditation, and it is meditation in action. All visible and invisible phenomena are meditation in action. Thus as long as you think that enlightenment is something apart from your daily life, you will never realize enlightenment.

"Study without action, and study not followed by practice, is merely accumulating lifeless knowledge. Doing once is better than seeing a hundred times. True wisdom is obtained only through applying and experiencing."

-- from No River to Cross by Zen Master DaeHaeng

Dear mindful friends,

Please join me in observing the month of October as "Buddhist Awareness Month" in honor of Thich Nhat Hanh's 81st birthday (October 11). As you know, the number 4 has special significance in Buddhism (the 4 Noble Truths), and the number 8 also has special significance in Buddhism (the 8-fold path of enlightenment), as well as the number 108 (and the 1/4 quarters of 108, namely 81, 54 and 27). In the old Western calendar, "October" was the 8th month, thus the Latin root word "octo" meaning "eight." So, let's use this opportunity to observe October as "Buddhist Awareness Month."

In the life of our "Interfaith Mindfulness Communities" here in Dallas and abroad, there are 4 months in the year that we have chosen to designate as special months of observation:

FEBRUARY:

"New Beginnings Month"
(approximately coinciding with the Lunar New Year)

MAY:

"Enlightenment Month"
(in honor of Wesak, which celebrates Buddha's birth, enlightenment and Nirvana)

AUGUST:

"Commitment & Blessings Month"
(being the "8th" month of the current calendar) — esp. 8/8/08 next year!

OCTOBER:

"Buddhist Awareness Month"
(being the "8th" month in the old calendar, in honor of Thich Nhat Hanh's birthday)

Please enjoy the words of reflection each day during this "Buddhist Awareness Month" of October. Here is the first one below, from one of my "Buddha Letters" earlier in the year. May you be blessed, may you be a blessing!

In joyful gratitude,
Br. ChiSing

Namo Amitabha Buddhaya
A new beginning is dawning
in your life and in your world.
Old things are passing.
Every moment is new.
What used to work
no longer does.

It is time to open your heart
to the Great Change,
the Great Transformation
that is taking place.
Old habits,
old patterns of thinking
are being released now.

Open your mind,
open your heart,
open your body —
open your whole being
to the Light that is now
dawning afresh and anew.

Dedicate every day to the Light.
Begin every day in the Light.
Live every day in the Light.
Close every day in the Light.
Sit in silent meditation every day
in the Light with every breath:

"Amitabha,
Infinite Light"
(Buddha).

"Sukhavati,
Happiness Manifesting"
(Pure Land).

You yourself are the Infinite Light.
Your work here is only to manifest
True Happiness for all beings.
Let your Light shine.
Don't hide it.

Let your Light express
as love,
as clarity,
as determination —
as the Truth, Goodness and Beauty
that you already and always are.

You don't have to struggle so much
to feel this love,
to intuit guidance.
Simply dedicate everything to the Light.
Entrust yourself completely to the Light.
And rest therein.

The Light does all the work.
The Light is love.
The Light is wisdom.
The Light is all there really is.
It is your True Nature.

And what the Light is, the Light does:
The Light creates true happiness and joy and freedom.
Amitabha creates Sukhavati.
The Infinite Light creates Happiness Manifest.
The Buddhas create Pure Lands.

The Buddha is who you are.
The Pure Land is what you do:
Amitabha / Sukhavati.
Being / Doing.
Identity / Function.

And so, perhaps you might like to practice
this in your sitting and walking meditations:
Sit with "Amit-abha" (Infinite / Light)
as your mantra with every breath.
Walk with "Sukha-vati" (Happiness / Manifesting)
as your mantra with every step.

Sit and walk as
the Infinite Light of the Buddha
creating a Pure Land of Great Happiness
with every breath and every step
for all beings.

You can do it,
because
You Are That!

NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHAYA

* written in honor of the Great Spiritual Light of the Universe;
dedicated to Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light,
who dwells in Sukhavati, a Pure Land of Great Happiness
created for all beings who desire to realize the Truth
that we ourselves are the Infinite Light of the Buddha
and our true work is to manifest here and now
the Pure Land of Great Happiness for all beings;

inspired by the Buddha in you
as written through Br. ChiSing

Just Do It.

There is a Wisdom and Energy already within you.

Just Be It.
Just let it flow through.

There is no need for struggle, or forcing.
Have faith in yourself, in the Self that is Me, the Buddha in you.

Breathe in, breathe out.
Relax your body, relax your mind.
Become aware of your Heart center.

Breathing in, the Light of the Universe is the Light shining in your Heart.
Breathing out, the Light in your Heart radiates throughout your body,
penetrating deeply every cell and every thought with Peace.

Stay with this Light, breathe with it for a while.
Let Peace envelop every part of your body-mind.

And then, from the Center of your Heart, speak your Truth.
Act on your Truth. Perhaps, even —
write your Truth, sing your Truth, paint your Truth, dance your Truth.

Express yourself.
Express, not the small limited separate ego self, but
express the Buddha Nature that is your True Self.

And listen to your Self all around you.
Listen and see and smell and taste and touch
your Buddha Nature everywhere,
all within your reach:
the blue sky, a fragrant rose, sweet honey, a baby's laugh, the cool breeze.

Can you see? You are expressing your Self everywhere, all the time.
So, too, your human body and mind, free from ignorance and delusion,
can and does express your True Self, the Buddha Nature of the Universe.

See, truly know, deeply understand and penetrate the Truth that
the Buddha Nature expressing through the Universe and
the Budddha Nature expressing through your body and mind
are not two,
but One.

You Are That.
You Are All of It.
No separation.

It is You, and You are Me, and I Am All There Is.

There is no i, there is no me, there is no you, there is no it or them.

There Is Only This,
beyond labels, beyond categories,
beyond discriminative concepts and notions and words.

No separation.

BUDDHA - IS - BUDDHA.

-- inspired by the Buddha in you,
   as written through Br. ChiSing

-- inspired by the Buddha in you,
   as written through Br. ChiSing

-- inspired by the Buddha in you,
   as written through Br. ChiSing

-- inspired by the Buddha in you,
   as written through Br. ChiSing

Dear mindful friends,

Today is the 8th day of the month of our Western calendar (the number 8 being a significant number in Buddhism because of the Buddha's teachings on the 8-fold Path of Enlightenment). And in less than a year, we will have the opportunity to celebrate the date of 8-8-08 (coincidentally, the numeric value of the name of Jesus, whom many Buddhists consider to be a great Bodhisattva of justice, healing and forgiveness, is 888, which symbolizes "New Beginnings"). I encourage all of us to make a daily commitment and a monthly re-commitment on the 8th day of each month from this day onward to live our lives in such a way that the next several months will be radiant with mindfulness, love, peace, joy and wisdom. Then, when 8-8-08 finally comes around, we really will have something to celebrate on that day!

In joyful gratitude,
Br. ChiSing

-- inspired by the Buddha in you,
   as written through Br. ChiSing

Dear mindful friends,

Tomorrow (Thursday, October 11, 2007) is Thich Nhat Hanh's 81st birthday, and it is also the first New Moon of Autumn. And starting tomorrow, there are 21 days left in October as "Buddhist Awareness Month" before "All Saints Day" on November 1st, and I propose that we use these 21 days as an opportunity to engage in intensive mindfulness practice and celebrate November 1st as "All Bodhisattvas Day."

According to some researchers, it takes about 21 days to form the initial foundation for forming, changing or breaking a habit. Personally, I think 108 days (about 3-1/2 months) would be more effective, but let's just say that the minimum is 21 days (without skipping a day). I want to encourage all of us to celebrate the New Moon of Autumn and Thich Nhat Hanh's 81st birthday by making an intention to practice mindfulness more intensively for 21 days (non-stop) starting tomorrow on October 11th through October 31st (the sacred mid-point of "Samhain" commonly called Halloween).

This is the best birthday gift we could ever give to a great bodhisattva like Thich Nhat Hanh and to all of our Spiritual Teachers. This is the best gift we could give to the Buddha in ourselves.

So, here are a sample of suggestions for you to follow for 21 days:

1. Create an altar at home with beautiful things that have sacred meaning for you. On my altar, I have a low wooden table with flowers, candles, incense and a Buddha statue. I meditate in front of my altar every morning, and I light the candles and incense, then recite a simple chant with 3 full bows onto the floor, before doing my morning sitting meditation for 20-60 minutes, depending on how much time I have. Creating an altar is like spiritual art, and it signals to the Universe and to yourself that you are sincerely taking your spiritual life seriously. Altars aren't necessary, but they can be very helpful.

2. Meditate before breakfast every day. If you can, sit for at least 20-40 minutes. But if you woke up too late and have to get to work on time, then at least do a 5-minute sitting meditation. And if you don't even have time for that, then at least do a 1-minute prayer or ritual at your altar, such as lighting a candle and incense and doing 3 mindful bows and reciting a chant or prayer. If you don't even have time for that, then you need to seriously reconsider your lifestyle. You may be too busy, and that could eventually hurt your mental or physical health over time.

3. If you already meditate regularly in the morning, then try adding another meditation again near the end of the day, either before dinner or just before bedtime. It is best to meditate before a meal, rather than just after a meal.

4. If you do a lot of regular sitting meditation already in your life, but you still feel stuck, then add at least 20 or more minutes of walking meditation to your mindfulness practice every day. Walking meditation helps us to gently process through emotional issues and grounds us in our real day-to-day life. It can be helpful to practice a little walking meditation before and after sitting meditation. It helps to transition gently rather than to enter or exit meditation abruptly.

5. Commit to coming to at least one of the 3 events in Dallas this month that are in honor of Thich Nhat Hanh's 81st birthday. There is a small celebration tomorrow at "Awakening Heart Sangha" on Thursday, October 11, 7-9 pm. And there is a public "Buddhist Movie Night" at the Center for Spiritual Living (CSL) on Friday, October 19, at 7-10 pm. And our big celebration will be at "Breath of Life" on Sunday, October 21, 5:30-7:30 pm, at the Unity Church of Dallas, with guest musician Michael Gott.

6. Read Thich Nhat Hanh's latest book, The Art of Power. You can purchase a copy at "Breath of Life" or at the Unity Church of Dallas bookstore.

7. Write a letter of gratitude to Thich Nhat Hanh, to me, to a monk or nun, or to any spiritual teacher in your life for whom you have gratitude.

8. Set your alarm clock to sound without the radio turning on. Abstain from listening to the radio, music or news in the morning, especially before meditation. Keep the peaceful silence, or put on inspiring music. And when you are driving to work in traffic, play Buddhist music or inspirational music, or listen to spiritual tapes or CD's of Dharma talks or spiritual speakers. Flood your consciousness with the Dharma, don't plug into the system so early on in the day when your mind is most impressionable. Set the tone for your day with conscious intention, don't be a slave to the media. You can always listen to the news or read a newspaper during your lunch hour. And in addition, it might be helpful not to watch the news or disturbing TV shows or movies just before going to bed. You want to go to bed with a different kind of energy.

9. Be mindful of your diet. Be mindful of the conversations you have. Be mindful of the people you spend time with. Be mindful of your thought patterns. Be mindful of the cause and effect relationship of everything in your life.

10. Attend Sangha and other spiritual communities as often as possible.

11. And finally, pray for the Sangha, pray for me, pray for peace, pray for all beings. Or, rather, pray WITH the Sangha, pray WITH me, pray WITH peace, pray WITH all beings. For true prayer is not a begging of some Other Power "out there" but rather, true prayer is the aligning of our hearts with the universal Power that is present in, through and as all beings and all things. True prayer is solidarity, leading to love in action. Perhaps you might enjoy writing your own daily prayer or affirmation that you can recite every day for the next 21 days.

Our True Heritage

The cosmos is filled with precious gems.
I want to offer a handful of them to you this morning.
Each moment you are alive is a gem,
shining through and containing earth and sky,
water and clouds.

It needs you to breathe gently
for the miracles to be displayed.
Suddenly you hear the birds singing,
the pines chanting,
see the flowers blooming,
the blue sky,
the white clouds,
the smile and the marvelous look
of your beloved.

You, the richest person on Earth,
who have been going around begging for a living,
stop being the destitute child.
Come back and claim your heritage.
We should enjoy our happiness
and offer it to everyone.
Cherish this very moment.
Let go of the stream of distress
and embrace life fully in your arms.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

Discourse on Happiness

     I heard these words of the Buddha one time when he was staying in the vicinity of Savatthi at the Anathapindika Monastery in the Jeta Grove. Late at night, a great being appeared whose light and beauty made the whole Jeta Grove shine radiantly. After bowing respectfully to the Buddha, she asked him a question in the form of a poem:

"Many humans and great beings are eager to know
what are the greatest blessings
which bring about a peaceful and happy life.
     Please, O Realized One, will you teach us?"

(This is the Buddha's answer in poetry:)

"Not to be associated with the foolish ones,
to live in the company of wise people,
honoring those who are worth honoring —
     this is the greatest happiness.

"To live in a good environment,
to have planted good seeds,
and to realize that you are on the right path —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"To have a chance to learn and grow,
to be skillful in your profession or craft,
practicing the precepts and loving speech —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"To be able to serve and support your parents,
to cherish your own family,
to have a vocation that brings you joy —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"To live honestly, generous in giving,
to offer support to relatives and friends,
living a life of blameless conduct —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"To avoid unwholesome actions,
not consumed by addictions,
and to be diligent in doing good things —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"To be humble and polite in manner,
to be grateful and content with a simple life,
not missing the occasion to learn the Dharma —
      this is the greatest happiness.

To persevere and be open to change,
to have regular contact with monks and nuns,
and to fully participate in Dharma discussions —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"To live diligently and attentively,
to perceive the Four Noble Truths,
and to realize Nirvana —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"To live in the world
with your heart undisturbed by the world,
with all sorrows ended, dwelling in peace —
      this is the greatest happiness.

"For he or she who accomplishes this,
unvanquished wherever he goes,
always she is safe and happy —
      for happiness is found within."

-- the Buddha
(from the Mahamangala Sutta, Sutta Nipata 2.4)

The following "gatha" (a poem designed to aid in meditation) was written by Thich Nhat Hanh after he was in South Korea a couple of years ago. Thousands came to see him, as he is considered a "Living Buddha" by many over there. He was to lead a walking meditation in the public streets, but there were so many cameras and people crowding in, trying to touch the "Living Buddha." He started to feel it would be impossible to lead a walking meditation under those conditions. So, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and asked the Buddha in himself to do the walking for him. And so, he took a first step and it was as though the red sea parted, and people suddenly became quiet and made a path for him to lead the walking meditation. He felt like it was one of the most effortless and peaceful walking meditations he had ever led. And so, thus was born the following "gatha" —

Looking for Each Other

I have been looking for you, World Honored One,
since I was a little child.
With my first breath, I heard your call,
and began to look for you, Blessed One.
I've walked so many perilous paths,
confronted so many dangers,
endured despair, fear, hopes, and memories.
I've trekked to the farthest regions, immense and wild,
sailed the vast oceans,
traversed the highest summits, lost among the clouds.
I've lain dead, utterly alone,
on the sands of ancient deserts.
I've held in my heart so many tears of stone.

Blessed One, I've dreamed of drinking dewdrops
that sparkle with the light of far-off galaxies.
I've left footprints on celestial mountains
and screamed from the depths of Avici Hell, exhausted, crazed with despair
because I was so hungry, so thirsty.
For millions of lifetimes,
I've longed to see you,
but didn't know where to look.
Yet, I've always felt your presence with a mysterious certainty.

I know that for thousands of lifetimes,
you and I have been one,
and the distance between us is only a flash of thought.
Just yesterday while walking alone,
I saw the old path strewn with Autumn leaves,
and the brilliant moon, hanging over the gate,
suddenly appeared like the image of an old friend.
And all the stars confirmed that you were there!
All night, the rain of compassion continued to fall,
while lightning flashed through my window
and a great storm arose,
as if Earth and Sky were in battle.
Finally in me the rain stopped, the clouds parted.
The moon returned,
shining peacefully, calming Earth and Sky.
Looking into the mirror of the moon, suddenly
I saw myself,
and I saw you smiling, Blessed One.
How strange!

The moon of freedom has returned to me,
everything I thought I had lost.
From that moment on,
and in each moment that followed,
I saw that nothing had gone.
There is nothing that should be restored.
Every flower, every stone, and every leaf recognize me.
Wherever I turn, I see you smiling
the smile of no-birth and no-death.
The smile I received while looking at the mirror of the moon.
I see you sitting there, solid as Mount Meru,
calm as my own breath,
sitting as though no raging fire storm ever occurred,
sitting in complete peace and freedom.
At last I have found you, Blessed One,
and I have found myself.
There I sit.

The deep blue sky,
the snow-capped mountains painted against the horizon,
and the shining red sun sing with joy.
You, Blessed One, are my first love.
The love that is always present, always pure, and freshly new.
And I shall never need a love that will be called "last."
You are the source of well-being flowing through numberless troubled lives,
the water from your spiritual stream always pure, as it was in the beginning.
You are the source of peace,
solidity, and inner freedom.
You are the Buddha, the Tathagata.
With my one-pointed mind
I vow to nourish your solidity and freedom in myself
so I can offer solidity and freedom to countless others,
now and forever.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

"Suchness" is a technical term that means true nature. Everything has its suchness; that is how we recognize it.

I would like to share with you a story about suchness. There was a patient in the mental hospital [in Vietnam] who seemed to be normal. He ate and talked like other people. But he believed that he was a kernel of corn, and every time he saw a chicken, he ran for his life. He did not know his suchness. When the nurse reported this to the doctor, the doctor told him, "Sir, you are not a kernel of corn, you are a human being. You have hair, eyes, a nose, and arms." He gave a kind of sermon like that, and finally he asked, "Now, sir, can you tell me what you are?"

The man replied, "Doctor, I am a human being. I am not a kernel of corn." The doctor was happy. He felt he had helped this patient a lot. But to be certain, he asked the man to repeat the sentence, "I am a human being, I am not a kernel of corn," four hundred times a day and to write it on a piece of paper three hundred more times each day. The man became devoted to doing it, and he stopped going out at all. He just stayed in his room repeating and writing exactly what the doctor had prescribed.

A month later, the doctor came to see him, and the nurse reported, "He is doing very well. He stays inside and practices the exercises you gave him very diligently."

The doctor asked, "Sir, how are things?"

"Very well, thank you, doctor."

"Can you tell me what you are?"

"Oh yes, doctor. I am a human being. I am not a kernel of corn."

The doctor was delighted. He said, "We will release you in a few days. Please come with me to my office." But while doctor, nurse, and patient were walking together to the office, a chicken walked by, and the man ran away so quickly that the doctor couldn't catch him. It was more than an hour later that the nurse brought him to the office.

The doctor was agitated. "You said you are a human being and not a kernel of corn. So why did you run away when you saw a chicken?"

The man said, "Of course I know that I am human being and not a kernel of corn. But how can I be sure the chicken knows?"

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

Dear mindful friends,

Based on my own insights and reflections that have been continuing to expand ever since I attended last month's "Big Mind" weeklong retreat with Zen master Genpo Roshi, I find most spiritual practices and forms of meditation fall under one of these three categories:

1. Healing the Self (Duality: from external to internal) — stress-reduction
   focus: "I am …"
2. Transcending the Self (Non-Duality: from internal to eternal) — enlightenment
   focus: "I am not …"
3. Expressing the Self (Integration: from eternal through internal to external) — manifestation
   focus: "I create …"

(Of course, in some of the Buddhist circles I've encountered around the country, sometimes the second aspect is emphasized to the neglect of the first or especially the third aspect. And then what you sometimes end up with are just a bunch of enlightened neurotics with poverty-consciousness. Balance is definitely key.)

May you and we and all beings find their way into balance for the benefit of all! :-)

Namo Amitabha Buddhaya,
Br. ChiSing

Thich Nhat Hanh ("Thay" / Teacher) recently wrote a letter of world-wide urgency. The end of our civilization (as we know it) seems inevitable now. This does not mean the end of all life or humanity on the planet. But it does mean the end of "things as usual." Personally, I believe that there is still hope, but we only have a few years left to make enough of a difference to shift things around.
Otherwise, the only thing left that we can do is try to be as wise, compassionate, mindful, and peaceful as possible in ourselves so that we can be of helpful service to the masses of people around us who will be running around in fear, despair, confusion and anger as our ecological and economic systems begin to crumble.

We are called to be the spiritual "calm in the midst of the storm." We are the ones who can help our world transition gracefully, rather than traumatically, through its death and rebirth process. May we all awaken together. May we all awaken globally. The Great Shift has indeed begun.

Here is an excerpt of Thay's letter —

To all you noble Buddhas
currently living in prison:
Happy Birthday.
To all you austere Buddhas
selling smiles in taverns:
Happy Birthday.
To you countless Buddhas
twinkling in the night sky:
Happy Birthday.
And Happy Birthday:
to all of you brightly smiling,
beautiful Buddhas in the gardens.

To all you Buddhas who have become
endlessly changing clouds
as you drift across the sky;
to all you Buddhas who are
quietly biding your time as boulders:
a very Happy Birthday to you, too.

And Happy Birthday:
to all you cute little Buddhas
swimming in the water;
to all you lively Buddhas
soaring through the skies;
to all you reverential Buddhas
singing hymns in churches;
and to all you handsome Buddhas
chanting in temples.

To all you Buddhas hoeing and
plowing the fields and paddies;
to all you Buddhas sweating
in the humming factories;
to all you Buddhas working
in dust and dirt;
and to all you Buddhas quietly
studying in classrooms:
let me wish you all
a very Happy Birthday.

When I open my eyes,
you are Buddha.
When I close my eyes,
you are Buddha.
Every place in the Universe
is filled with Buddhas!
Although we have different
guises and appearances,
we are all manifestations
of the same single Buddha.
Everything is equal,
and everything is magnificent!
So let us transcend our torments
in this world of Buddhas and be happy.
How marvelous that every single place
is a site for liberation
from suffering and ignorance!

To all you Buddhas who,
by wearing the gentle
smile of Compassion,
deliver the Dharma in a sound
even greater than thunder;
to all you Buddhas who
fill every corner of the Universe:
every day is a Wonderful Day
and every day is our Birthday.
So let us all eternally respect
and congratulate one another:

Happy Birthday!

-- Ven. SongChol
   (Korean Chogye Zen Master and Patriarch)
   Opening the Eye, p. 146-147

"There is a true story of a wife whose [American] husband had been in Japan during the war. In Japan he lived with a Japanese woman and had a couple of children with her. He loved the Japanese woman very much. When he came home he did not tell his wife about this love.

"But finally, when he knew he was dying, he confessed to her the truth of the relationship and the children. At first she was very upset. But then something within her began to stir, and she worked and worked with her anguished feelings; finally, before her husband died, she said, 'I will take care of them.'

"So she went to Japan, found the young woman, and brought her and the two children back to the United States. They made a home together and the wife did all she could to teach the young woman English, to get her a job, and to help with the children.

"That's what love is."

-- Charlotte Joko Beck
   Everyday Zen: Love and Work, p. 94

"Being and consciousness exist as a spectrum, reaching from matter to body to mind to soul to Spirit [Buddha Nature]. And although Spirit is, in a certain sense, the highest dimension or level of the spectrum of existence, it is also the ground or condition of the entire spectrum. It is as if Spirit were both the highest rung on the ladder of existence and the wood out of which the entire ladder is made—Spirit is both totally and completely immanent (as the wood) and totally and completely transcendent (as the highest rung). Spirit is both Ground and Goal.

"In its immanent aspect, Spirit is the Condition of all conditions, the Being of all beings, the Nature of all natures. As such, it neither evolves nor involves, grows or develops, ascends or descends. It is the simple suchness or isness—the perfect isness— of all that is, of each and every thing in manifestation. There is no contacting immanent Spirit, no way to reach It, no way to commune with It, for there is nothing It is not. Being completely and totally present at every single point of space and time, It is fully and completely present here and now, and thus we can no more attain immanent Spirit than we could, say, attain our feet.

"In its transcendental aspect, however, Spirit is the highest rung on our own ladder of growth and evolution. It is something we must work to comprehend, to understand, to attain union with, to identify with. The realization of our Supreme Identity with Spirit dawns only after much growth, much development, much evolution, and much inner work—only then do we understand that the Supreme Identity was there, from the beginning, perfectly given in its fullness. In other words, it is only from the highest rung on the ladder that we can realize the wood out of which the entire ladder is made.

"It is this paradox of Spirit—both fully present (as the Ground of Being) and yet to be realized (as our highest Goal)—that lies behind [certain] paradoxical Zen sayings. …

"… While in its immanent aspects Spirit simply is, in its transcendental aspects Spirit evolves or develops. The entire manifest world, while remaining fully and completely grounded in Spirit, is also struggling to arouse from the nightmare of time and stand strong in eternity. This struggle of growth and development appears in the world at large as evolution, and in individual men and women as the growth and development of their own consciousness (which is simply the arena of cosmic evolution in human beings). Evolution is the movement of Spirit, toward Spirit, as Spirit, the conscious resurrection, in all men and women, of the Supreme Identity, an Identity present all along, but an Identity seemingly obscured by manifestation, seemingly obscured by the limited view from a lower rung on the ladder. As one intuits the higher and highest rungs of the ladder of existence, Spirit sees Itself as Spirit, sees Itself everywhere, sees there was never a time that It wasn't—and then, but only then, is the entire ladder thrown away, now having served its manifest purpose. And one understands, in the entire process, that not a single thing has been attained.

-- Ken Wilber (Integral philosopher)
   The Spectrum of Consciousness, p. 43-44

"The River and the Clouds"
Once upon a time there was a beautiful river finding her way among the hills, forests, and meadows. She began by being a joyful stream of water, a spring always dancing and singing as she ran down from the top of the mountain. She was very young at the time, and as she came to the lowland she slowed down. She was thinking about going to the ocean. As she grew up, she learned to look beautiful, winding gracefully among the hills and meadows.

One day she noticed the clouds within herself. Clouds of all sorts of colors and forms. She did nothing during these days but chase after clouds. She wanted to possess a cloud, to have one for herself. But clouds float and travel in the sky, and they are always changing their form. Sometimes they look like an overcoat, sometimes like a horse. Because of the nature of impermanence within the clouds, the river suffered very much. Her pleasure, her joy had become just chasing after clouds, one after another, but despair, anger,and hatred became her life.

Then one day a strong wind came and blew away all the clouds in the sky. The sky became completely empty. Our river thought that life was not worth living, for there were no longer any clouds to chase after. She wanted to die. "If there are no clouds, why should I be alive?" But how can a river take her own life?

That night the river had the opportunity to go back to herself for the first time. She had been running for so long after something outside of herself that she had never seen herself. That night was the first opportunity for her to hear her own crying, the sounds of water crashing against the banks of the river. Because she was able to listen to her own voice, she discovered something quite important.

She realized that what she had been looking for was already in herself. She found out that clouds are nothing but water. Clouds are born from water and will return to water. And she found out she herself was also water.

The next morning when the sun was in the sky, she discovered something beautiful. She saw the blue sky for the first time. She had never noticed it before. She had only been interested in clouds, and she had missed seeing the sky, which is the home of all the clouds. Clouds are impermanent, but the sky is stable. She realized that the immense sky had been within her heart since the very beginning. This great insight brought her peace and happiness. As she saw the vast wonderful blue sky, she knew that her peace and stability would never be lost again.

That afternoon the clouds returned, but this time she did not want to possess any of them. She could see the beauty of each cloud, and she was able to welcome all of them. When a cloud came by, she would greet him or her with loving-kindness. When the cloud wanted to go away, she would wave to him or her happily and with loving kindness. She realized that all clouds are her. She didn't have to choose between the clouds and herself. Peace and harmony existed between her and the clouds.

That evening something wonderful happened. When she opened her heart completely to the evening sky she received the image of the full moon -- beautiful, round, like a jewel within herself. She had never imagined that she could receive such a beautiful image. There is a very beautiful poem in Chinese: "The fresh and beautiful moon is traveling in the utmost empty sky. When the mind-rivers of living beings are free, that image of the beautiful moon will reflect in each of us."

This was the mind of the river at that moment. She received the image of that beautiful moon within her heart, and water, clouds, and moon took each other's hands and practiced walking meditation slowly, slowly to the ocean.

There is nothing to chase after. We can go back to ourselves, enjoy our breathing, our smiling, ourselves, and our beautiful environment.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

Whatever form [of career, lifestyle, etc.] you take, whatever path you take, if you are attached to the form, you cannot get the happiness you want, even if you become a monk or a nun. If you are attached to the form of a monastic and you think that wearing the robe and living in the monastery will make you happy, you are wrong. There are monks and nuns who are not happy because they are not capable of being understanding and loving. But when you know how to cultivate understanding and compassion in every moment of your life, the outer form of your life doesn't matter anymore. So the key to success is not the form of a monastic or layperson, of a police officer, a farmer, or a doctor, but your capacity to cultivate happiness, understanding, and compassion.

We have to be very careful about basing our decisions on the appearance of things, on the outer form. To find happiness, enlightenment, and compassion, you have to be free, not fooled by your perceptions. When you look at something deeply, you discover its nature and you are no longer fooled by it. Since you are not fooled by the appearance, you no longer suffer, and you have the capacity to be happy.

We tend to think, "I'll be so happy if I can get this and this and this. But if I'm not able to get these things, my life will be ruined, and I'll never be happy." Our ideas about what power is and what will bring us happiness can be quite dangerous for us. It's dangerous to be committed to an idea of happiness, because then you're caught in that idea. Happiness can come to you in a thousand ways if you only allow it to. But if you're committed to only one idea of happiness, you're stuck. Happiness can no longer come to you because you've decided that you'll refuse everything except this one path of happiness. Of course you're motivated by the desire to be happy and to make the people you love happy. But the idea of happiness that you have may actually be an obstacle preventing you and your beloved ones from being happy.

The Buddha told the story of a merchant, a widower, who went away on a business trip and left his little boy at home. While he was away, bandits came and burned down the whole village. When the merchant returned, he didn't find his house; it was just a heap of ash. There was the charred body of a child close by. He threw himself on the ground and cried and cried. He beat his chest and pulled his hair.

The next day, he had the little body cremated. Because his beloved son was his only reason for existence, he sewed a beautiful little velvet bag and put the ashes inside. Wherever he went, he took that bag of ashes with him. Eating, sleeping, working, he always carried it with him. In fact, his son had been kidnapped by the bandits; three months later, the boy escaped and returned home. When he arrived, it was two o'clock in the morning. He knocked on the door of the new house his father had built. The poor father was lying on his bed crying, holding the bag of ashes, and he asked, "Who is there?" "It's me, Daddy, your son." The father answered, "That's not possible. My son is dead. I've cremated his body and I carry his ashes with me. You must be some naughty boy who's trying to fool me!" He refused to open the door, and there was no way for the little boy to come in. The boy had to go away, and the father lost his son forever.

After telling this story, the Buddha said, "If at some point in your life you adopt an idea or a perception as the absolute truth, you close the door of your mind. This is the end of seeking the truth. And not only do you no longer seek the truth, but even if the truth comes in person and knocks on your door, you refuse to open it. Attachment to views, attachment to ideas, attachment to perceptions are the biggest obstacles to the truth."

It's like when you climb a ladder. When you get to the fourth rung, you may think you are on the highest step and cannot go higher, so you hold on to the fourth rung. But in fact there is a fifth rung; if you want to get to it, you have to be willing to abandon the fourth rung. Ideas and perceptions should be abandoned all the time, to make room for better ideas and truer perceptions. This is why we must always ask ourselves, "Am I sure?"

Your action, what you do, depends on who you are. The quality of your action depends on the quality of your being. Suppose you want to offer happiness to someone. You are eager to make a person happy. This is a good idea, but if you yourself are not happy, you can't do it. To make another person happy you have to be happy yourself. So there is a link between doing and being. If you don't succeed in being, you can't succeed in doing.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh
   The Art of Power

It is time to wake up. You have received the call. You have gathered the courage to follow it. You have devoted yourself to freedom. You have experienced tastes of your True Self. Now it is time to rest.

Once you have done all that you can do -- having gathered all of your intention and resources to the one burning issue of freedom; having left all concepts and knowing behind; having given up your control, contraction, and defense; having faced the terror of death and having invited everything to come in -- then your job is finished. Then you can rest.

Rest is the supreme yoga. The ego misunderstands and abuses the idea of rest by thinking of it as laziness or loss of focus. Rest is not lazy. Rest is clear, focused, and present. Rest can be very active, but there is no stress, no effort, no distraction, no impatience, and no waiting. True rest is alert, relaxed, and open.

The art of "not moving" is the fulfillment of the supreme yoga of rest. Calling this condition of not moving "rest" is perhaps misleading, as it is hot, intense, and often emotionally painful. Many people mistake rest for comfort, but this kind of rest may not be comfortable. Rather, it allows discomfort to come and burn in the fire of freedom. Rest in non-movement is the ever-alert clarity of Intelligence, inviting the pain of all identifications to come and burn in the fire of love, fueled by the hurricane of silence.

True rest reveals silence, and silence is the song of the Divine. It is the ever-flowing fullness of Emptiness. Then, grace appears.

Grace is one of the faces of love, and love is your True Self.

-- from Sudden Awakening: Into Direct Realization by Eli Jaxon-Bear
   (husband of Gangaji, disciple of H.W.L. Poonja, disciple of Ramana Maharshi)