Today's lesson

Met a Dharma friend today and learnt this beautiful sharing from him.

When giving, give Respectfully.
Even if faced with a beggar and doubts about his genuine state arise, a decision to give must be with respect. With this, it is not us who are helping him, but rather he is helping us. His karma will follow him, ours will follow us.

Enlightenment and the Self - Part 2

Enlightenment and the Self - Part 2

And here is the continuation from part 1. Dean's pointers will serve every practitioner well, so it's worthwhile to keep the link somewhere to reread along the journey. From experience, the same pointer will take on different meanings with new insights.

This line in particular is pointing to a recurring thought of late:

"In the mindfulness they converge into the living experience we are having now, here is just one view. In the simplicity of the experience we are having now there is no ultimate or relative. This is a really key point!"

Enlightenment and the Self - Part 1

Enlightenment and the Self - Part 1

Dean's clearly written article on the topic of enlightenment and its relation to the self. The clarity in his article is amazing with the use of apt analogies.

His point on the ocean water analogy brings to me memories of a particular day a few weeks back.

Was driving in a moderate rain one morning when a curious observation of the windscreen arises a stark realization. There was this big blob of rainwater rolling down the top of the windscreen, and as it rolls along drips of smaller droplets were left behind in its trail. Spontaneously this question arises 'Are these droplets the same as and a part of the big blob? Or are they separate and different from the big blob as they are appearing to be?' Then almost split second the intuit of consciousness, awareness or whatever else we wanna call it takes on a different sensation! Soon after this encounter, the sense of self is seen for what it really is.

IT will continue to manifest, bringing along with it the sensations of desires and fears, but it's alright, for the sense of self is by nature self-less and it's drives merely an interplay of conditions. With this realization, actions will still be taken but there is no actor, thoughts will still arise but there is no thinker.

As Shunryu Suzuki Roshi says "It is wisdom which is seeking for wisdom". Self is already self-less in nature.

Black Swan

First a Happy 2011 celebration to all. Learn from the lessons of the past and live in the fullness of the moment.

Wonderfully dark movie. One that touches base with the inner psyche where most of us build a wall around and imprison for much of our lives unknowingly. An intense psycho-thriller that explores what the world looks like in the eyes of being exposed to these inner psyche.

Desire and Fear. one cannot exist without the other and both only manifest in the realm of the mind. When what we normally experience in real life starts to warp and be overwhelmed by these train of thoughts, reality becomes questionable. The norm is to classify such experiences as schizophrenic, a psychiatric disorder, and impose a stigma on the person. A closer look, one that requires guts and immense openness, suggests that the conditions for such experiences arise to everyone everyday. In fact, our normal experience of this 'real world' would qualify everyone as schizophrenic in nature.

To realize our potential in our roles in this human life, we have to be honest, brutally, with these inner psyches and not lock them up. There is this need, and it's not just for the spiritual well-being, for these inner currents drive the ways we respond and live this life. It has a spillover effect on our perception and balance of our everyday roles to play. It's time to cut through the veil and remove the separateness that we have been believing to be a part of our existence.

On a lighter note, Natalie Portman has been my favourite for most gorgeous actress since her Star Wars days. Her performance this time round is impeccable, truly deserving the Oscar Award.

The Black Swan is within all of us, and is dependently arised with the White Swan. None can exist without the other nor be removed without the other being removed. Let this be known.