I love living

 through...

ups and downs

highs and lows

I revel

in the tension...

I wallow

in the uncertainty...

I connect with the

ephemeral...

I love reaching for the

unreachable...

I am attached to

nothing...

everything that passes me by

is

valued...

I adore

the sideways glance at

human folly...

I cherish

the utterances of

the inchoate...

I admire

those who struggle

to be heard..

I worship

the passion,

the innocence

of sincerity

I worry not

at death of the body

I fear not the ashes

of destiny

I embrace the

eternal soul..

and

most of all...

creaking bones

pain-spangled thighs

ancient spine

jangled lines..

it is but the

jaded mind

that causes

jaded views..

body weary,

mentally upright...

together

we can conquer

 greater obstacles

bear not the weight

of a half-century's toil...

lightly

cast aside,

bravely open to

elemental realities;

smiling though..

joking aside,

ours is a

world -

 a pleasure to ride...

inhaling modesty,

 exhaling pride..

~ inhaling ~

faith

in

the

blossoming of truth;

ahh..

the weekend begins..

On the way to a clear, uncluttered and direct vision of Life as it really is...

There are myriad pitfalls and dead-ends along the way...

These are not to be ignored, but one must not become snagged by them either...

There is a sound method for facing ourselves...

The little mind, so-called, which has become the false god of latter-day rationality - the temple at which so many worship on a daily basis, does not tell the whole story by any means whatsoever...

We need to learn the whole truth about consciousness - this is not too difficult but does require a leap of faith and a sure knowledge of sound method...

It requires a lifelong effort of dedication and commitment to develop the opening to the moment that is the key to Understanding...

But the real beauty of the task is that there is nothing to gain from it...

Indeed the goal is in relinquishing any thought of progress...

It seems paradoxical and on a rational level, this is entirely the case...

I go back to observation - calm, unfettered, detached insight...

Non-reactive activity...

See what is in front of you; notice, accept, dig deep into the bodily sensation that accompanies the thought that is at the forefront of your mind - but, and this is a big but - LET IT GO...

Moving on is natural, persuasive, obvious and oft times incredibly difficult...

Subsume the I and allow the bigger, much bigger mind to orchestrate your unfolding karma...

Never give up giving up - enter the gateless gate of awareness and enlightenment on a daily and regular basis...

Eternal truth is yours to relish, savour and own, here, now and always.

With bows of friendship and love...

this morning I was sitting as usual....

this business of serene reflection meditation is simply the royal road to awakening...

returning to this very moment, again, again and again...

such a simple instruction, yet often such a hard exercise...

having followed this prescription more or less continuously for thirty years this year, I can testify to the joys and woes therein...

the little self simply hates to give up its power and will try every trick to disturb Reality from gaining supremacy which is the basic and obvious ground of existence....

the busyness of the personal mind that is shackled to our consciousness is a constant; it is really a kind of internal-civil-war, this business of awakening...

patience, perseverance and faith are the keys to an ongoing journey to the dharma shore...

this morning I was sitting as usual....

this business of serene reflection meditation is simply the royal road to awakening...

the struggle to maintain bright awareness is an interesting one; having reached a certain chronological/physical maturity of body, the signals from within are frequently extremely painful and make it hard to maintain correct posture...

and yet, with in this threshold lies the key.  The pain, THIS pain, embraced, opened to, welcomed, accepted and acknowledged becomes indeed a joyous celebration of awakening...

it is a strange but wholesome truth: the very agony itself leads the unification of body, mind and spirit; The pain is in itself the very essence of being Alive and tells the whole story of creation, birth life and death in the very instant of recognition...

this morning I was sitting as usual....

the bell rings five times - each strike of the Tibetan brass signals a tribute to myriad sentient beings across the universe, from time immemorial, to now (as ever) and way way into a future that became, becomes and will become brighter moment to moment...

with bows,

beware

feelings

of solidity...

understanding is

an ephemeral

art at best..

(best left to

intellect)

knowledge

is scarce better..

but what do we know?

no sooner

do

answers  appear

a different question arises

be bold in your ignorance,

be proud of your

lack..

for Truth is

ever shifting

and holds no sway

despite

 the eternal realm...

the moment yields all

the rest is:

speculation

imagination

only have faith

in

emptiness...

give yourself to

the unbecoming -

let no circumstance

stiffen

your resolve..

but resolve only to

let go

of cherished

belief;

allow not-knowing

to be your guide

you will not stray in negligence if

you do not hold fast

to opinion...

that is

the way

is, is...

letting go,

‘I'

dissolves...

mounting ecstasy...

a familiarity,

an intimacy...

all pervading

trust...

a

significance,

beyond words,

indeed

beyond thought...

time and again,

turning towards

the centre...

opening, healing...

benificience beckons

light abounds...

sounds caress

the light-body..

doubt dissipates,

certainty reveals

all manner

of Understanding...

an incredible

lightness of spirit

pervades

the universe...

time and space melt,

 merge

into one

delightful dance of

awareness

and

joy.

once found,

never lost...

the Eternal embrace is

all we need

to

guide us

along...

with love, laughter

and loving kindness

as our companion;

our saviour is

Life Itself...

the passing

of years...

suffused with

experience,

bitterness diluted

through

meditative

absorption.

supreme divulgence

of un-noticed truth..

opening to

the gentle notion

of forgiveness...

all beings seeking

love,

approval,

a sense

belonging...

the passing of years

engenders

wisdom to manifest:

time and

time and

time again

recognise

the

true nature of

our indivisibility..

let go...

hurt..

pain,

frustration;

open wide -

trust in the Eternal

Story to

eliminate forever

salt-laden treachery,

fearsome imaginings...

loss of identity

wildest nightmares.

awaken to the moment,

returning endlessly

to the

homestead

of our

intrinsic belonging...