Facing Face Book

  Monday morning meditation with the Lotus Sutra, reading the following verses from Chapter 1, Introductory, suddenly struck with the thought – this is what I search for when I go to Face Book news feed each day, and what I desire to discover there; also my own intent in posting. These verses display the wonders that accrue from following the Buddha-way. I wanted to share them with you, although they’re quite lengthy. I hope you’ll contemplate them and more hopefully, that you’ll “make the connection.”

  We all have the potential for casting light into the lives of others, “to participate in our day and age with renewed effect. In doing so, we might assist in reviving vigor and hope in a troubled world. This was the Buddha’s intention, this is our duty here and now.” (Zen Master Hui-neng)

The ray between his brows illuminates the eastern quarter
of the eighteen thousand lands, coloring them all with gold. . . .

I see them all from here,
I see also the buddhas,
the holy masters, fearless in teaching the Law, the lions,
expounding the sutra,
mystic and supreme;
their voices clear and pure
send forth softly, sounding tones,
teaching the bodhisattvas
in numberless countless myriads;
their sacred voices, deep and mystic,
cause living beings to rejoice in hearing;
each in their own world,
proclaiming the good Law
by various reasonings
and innumerable illustrations,
reveal the Buddha-law
and open the understanding of all creatures. . . .

Again I see bodhisattvas
profound in wisdom, firm in will,
able to question the enlightened ones
and receive and retain all they hear;
and I see buddha-sons and daughters
perfect in meditation and wisdom
with innumerable illustrations
proclaiming the Law for the multitude,
cheerfully and gladly preaching the Law
to transform the bodhisattvas . . .

I see also bodhisattvas calm in perfect meditation,
who, though honored by gods and dragons, count it not a joy.
Again I see bodhisattvas, who, dwelling in forests,
emit radiance that saves the sufferers
and causes them to enter the Buddha-way. . . .

I see also bodhisattvas who seek association with the wise,
and with all their mind get rid of distraction.

Moreover, there are bodhisattvas who preach the Law of tranquility,
teaching in various ways the numberless living beings.
Also I see bodhisattvas who observe that the nature of all laws
is not in opposing forms, but like space.

Again I see Buddha sons and daughters with minds free from attachments,
by this mystic wisdom seeking after the supreme Way.

Mañjushri!

All the Buddha sons and daughters

for worshiping the relics so splendidly adorn the stupas

that all the domains are thereby made extraordinarily wonderful and fine,

like the king of celestial trees in full bloom.
The Buddha sends forth but a single ray
and I with all the assembly see that these domains
are extraordinarily wonderful.
Rare are the divine powers and wisdom of the enlightened ones;
sending forth a single pure ray,
they illuminate innumerable domains.

We, beholding this, attain that which has never been before.

The Buddha shows us all the buddha-lands
ornate and pure with precious things,
and we see the buddhas there;
this is not for any trivial reason. . . .

The Visitor

Shakyamuni Buddha, the Original Buddha

and the great life-force causing us to  live

  “The Divine Power of the Tathagata” – Chapter 21, the Lotus Sutra: one of my favorite chapters in the sutra, the verse section beginning with: All the buddhas saviors of the world, dwelling in mighty divine penetration, in order to save all creatures, reveal their infinite powers divine. . . I remember the time I was memorizing this verse section in 1984, standing in the small, elevated kitchen, in our single apartment, Martin Kain and I, in West Hollywood. (Martin was quite tolerant of my verbal “celebrations” although he would have none of it . . . except later, totally turned on by the parable of the man who saves his sons from the burning house in Chapter 3.

  Nikkyo Niwano in his “Guide to the Threefold Lotus Sutra” begins his interpretation of the “divine powers” with: “Here the mysterious powers of Shakyamuni Buddha and multitudes of other buddhas [perfectly enlightened ones] are displayed, and the point is powerfully made and impressed upon the assembled hearers that though until now the preaching in the Lotus Sutra has been various, there is just one single truth. . .

  “. . . at first Shakyamuni had appeared in the suffering world, and as an enlightened one inhabiting that world, taught a derived or apparent truth to guide human conduct. People had looked up to  him and had worshiped him with heartfelt devotion.

  “But then he taught the full original truth that he was the Eternal Buddha, which is to say, the great life-force of the universe, and true deliverance rested in firm awareness that this Original Buddha without beginning or end was the life-giving energy. . .”

  Thus it is in today’s world, here and now, in this and every moment, we may feel and become aware of the Buddha’s existence in our lives, every moment that we celebrate the life-force, the energy that exists eternally, causing us to live . . . without compromise, celebrating life in all of its manifestations.

Banishing fear and insecurity

The subtle truth of the Buddha’s Teachings

  “Some people live closely guarded lives, fearful of encountering someone or something that might shatter their insecure spiritual foundation. This attitude however is not the fault of religion but of their own limited understanding. The true Laws of Existence (Dharma) lead in exactly the opposite direction. It enables one to integrate all the many diverse experiences of life into a meaningful and coherent whole, thereby banishing fear and insecurity completely.  – Lama Thubtem Yeshe, Wisdom Energy.

  Unfortunately in today’s world, more than enough religions do nothing but harbor fear, condemning their followers to live closely guarded lives, to set themselves apart from others. Ignorance is at the root cause of this “holier-than-thou” phenomenon.

  An awareness of the “true Laws of Existence” can lead us in the opposite direction to arrive at a place where we “integrate all the many diverse experiences of life” and through this “mindfulness” learn to celebrate life in each moment dispelling compassionately all discriminations and judgments which separate us from others, fear and insecurity banished forever.

  One must have a “longing heart” to seek and find this mindfulness for themselves. One must learn to think holistically. The Buddha in The Threefold Lotus Sutra: I behold all living creatures sunk in the sea of suffering hence I do not reveal myself but set them all aspiring, till, when their hearts are longing, I appear to preach the law.

  In our  world today, “The Buddha appearing to preach the law,” simply means our acceptance of the great pervading  and eternal life-force existing in all our lives causes everything and everyone to live—realizing that an intuitive method of spiritual training aims first of all, at discovering a reality in the innermost recesses of the human mind—a reality that is the fundamental unity pervading all the differences and particulars of the world. In the teachings of the Buddha, this reality is called simply, Mind, or “buddha-nature” pervading all differences and particulars.

  When I first connected with teachings of the Buddha in 1976, I had not the slightest knowledge of these things. The connection was with an intensive “spiritual practice” with an even more intense community (many of them close friends) which lit a fire under us each day if we wanted to belong and continue the practice.

  In my ignorance however, I experienced in life an instinctive realization that I was part of a community – not just the group’s community, but in touch somehow with all those who came into my world.

  Most notably, only a day or two after beginning to practice, driving the deadening Interstate 5 to San Francisco, with the sudden realization that everyone on the road with me were “going somewhere,” that we were all part of a community, the strain of competing, trying to be “first” vanished.  Impatience? vanished. Strain? vanished.

“till when their hearts are longing”

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom” – Socrates

  “One never hears without opening one’s mind . . ." first step traveling the path toward attaining enlightenment – the wonder, desire, and a longing heart for wisdom.

  A seeking mind in the mind of a four-year-old girl – daughter of a friend who has  learned to read before entering pre-pre-school, once a bit of a rebel, and perhaps even “difficult” at times. Now she’s the only one in her pre-school group who can read. Could it be that even in her earlier years, her somewhat off-center behavior (not all that serious, actually) marked a seeking, open heart to discover “what’s out  there” in life. No matter what one’s age, it’s possible to begin on such a path.

  Shakyamuni didn’t hesitate to make this declaration, found in the Lotus Sutra: “I behold all living creatures sunk in the sea of suffering, hence I do not reveal myself but set them all aspiring, till when their hearts are longing, I appear to preach the law. . .  desiring to cause all living beings to attain the same way along with me.”

  “We beholding this attain that which we have never been before . . .”

Compassion in Public Life

If one listens, really listens and comprehends, one might see the wisdom of these words of the Dalai Lama – and question which of the presidential candidates are listening and following this advice. My vote is for President Obama who from the beginning has been, in his hopes, dreams and actions, motivated by compassion. – 2012

From Opening the Eye of New Awareness – His Holiness, the Dalai Lama:

“For any activity related to human society, compassion and love are vital; whether one is a politician, businessperson, scientist, engineer, or anything else. If such people carry out their professional work with a good motivation, that work becomes an instrument for human benefit. On the other hand, if people work at their profession out of selfishness or anger, the profession becomes distorted. Instead of bringing benefit for humankind, the knowledge gained in the profession brings disaster. Compassion is essential.”

Adding here, some of the words of the Dalai Lama resting at my meditation center:

“. . . real compassion is without attachment. Pay attention to this point, which goes against our habitual ways of thinking.  It is not this or that particular case that stirs our pity. We don’t give our compassion to such and such a person by choice. We give it spontaneously, entirely, without hoping for anything in exchange. And we give it universally.”

Offerings of the Teacher

Shakyamuni Buddha

♦ Seal of the Three laws  ♦ The Four Noble Truths 

♦ Eightfold path  ♦ Six paramitas

Seal of the Three Laws

All things are impermanent – following natural direction of human life, advancing toward realization that we are one substance with the Buddha – the great life force of the universe, the one thing unchangeable and permanent in this world—the cause to live.

Nothing has an ego – without exception all things, all existences are related to one another. Nothing leads to an isolated existence. Everything is permeated by the same life-energy. We cannot live our lives alone.

Nirvana is quiescence – The quiet stage in which we cling to nothing, extinguishing all illusions.

It may be difficult for us to realize these three great truths. To do so it is necessary to practice them and endeavor to realize them in daily life; to practice the Eightfold Path of the bodhisattva in mind, body, and actions; take notice of the Truth of the Path in the Forth Noble Truths—the Eightfold Path.

The Four Noble Truths

The Truth of Suffering – all things in this world are comprised of suffering for those who do not reach beyond personal ego on a path to enlightened thinking and awareness—in doctrinal terms, to reach toward the Buddha-way, Buddha mind, Buddha thought. Human life is filled with spiritual, physical, economic, and other forms of suffering. To acknowledge the real conditions of suffering and see them through without avoiding them or meeting them only half-way—this is the truth of suffering.

The Truth of the Cause of Suffering – to reflect on those causes which produce human suffering, investigate them and understanding them clearly.

The Truth of Extinction of Suffering – the state of absolute quietude wherein all sufferings of life are extinguished. The state of mind which is attained only by awakening to the great truths Shakyamuni Buddha has taught in The Seal of the Three  Laws: All things are impermanent, Northing has an ego, and Nirvana is quiescence.

The Truth of the Path – method of practice for extinguishing sufferings—the Eightfold Path and the Six Perfections of the Bodhisattva Way

The Eightfold Path

the “right way” of conduct,

following the middle way beyond extremes

Right View – abandon self-centered way of looking at things based on the Buddha’s wisdom which discerns and understands the principle of the Reality of All Existence.

Right Thinking – not to incline toward a self-centered attitude but to think of things from a higher standpoint.

Right Speech – avoiding words which cause others suffering.

Right Action – daily conduct in accordance with mindfulness of the Buddha’s teachings.

Right Living – Not to make our living in work which causes trouble for others.

Right Endeavor – an extension of Right Living—harmony as the basis  for human society and communities, celebrating, depending upon it, and endeavoring to realize it.

Memory – gaining the same mind as the Buddha. We cannot say we have the same mind as the Buddha unless we address ourselves to all things in the universe with a fair and right mind. [note: also seeing “Memory” as keeping the teachings in mind through memorizing, copying, studying the Lotus Sutra, very much resonating with   Meditation.]

Meditation – not to be agitated by any change of circumstances, thus leading to practicing consistently the “right” teachings of the Buddha.

The Six Paramitas,

Perfections of the Bodhisattvas

Donation – to be open to and to perceive the needs of others, practicing
“nothing has an ego.” Helping others according to their needs – not one’s own.

Keeping the precepts – to release the personal ego. keeping the mind at peace day
and night, and always in meditation, contemplating the Buddha-way, Buddha-
thought, rendering service to others, removing arrogance.

Perseverance – ego-free generosity, sustaining attitude of compassion.

Assiduity – to intend, not distracted by trivial things (this is sure a rough one to
follow!) – to advance single-mindedly.

Meditation – remembering who we are as gestures of the great perfection,
contemplating the true aspect of all things.

Wisdom – to realize we are all one substance with the imperishable life-force of the
universe.

Galaxy Cluster / six billion years ago

The World of Learning

and the World of Compassion

Responding to a Friend

A friend commenting on his past, not too happy experiences with religion: “This is the topic I’d like to learn! Cosmology & religion. I was literally attacked by a pastor when I told him I believed the big bang actually happened. He never let me go until I said, God created the universe as it is written in Genesis, so Buddha's teaching and his points of view of the universe are an eye-opener to me. I was forced to study apologetics, they practically brain-washed me. Reading and pondering your Ancestral Well blogs is helping me wash off their dangerous doctrines.”

Response: The important thing to keep in mind is that conditions surrounding these encounters don’t exist in your world anymore. Even more significantly, you show an eagerness to learn, to gain knowledge—this eagerness evident not only here at Ancestral Well, but in your correspondence with JJ and Fanvid buddies (to which we both happily belong), relating your knowledge and experiences to JJ’ and other’s of the many wonderful posts and discussions. As result, I don’t need to tell you you’ve become, as I have, part of a larger family who seek to discover and learn new things about the world and each other, and ain’t it grand? I can attest this is happening every day of my life.

The Seventh World of Learning within the Ten Worlds

  In his earlier “tactful” teachings, and again in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha points out that experiencing the world of learning, the 7^th world of the shravaka, is gaining knowledge, discovering larger perspectives on how to live life, how to respond to others, and plays a pivotal role in entering the Buddha-path leading to enlightenment—the eighth, ninth, and tenth worlds.

  Briefly, the ten worlds describe the lower worlds of “hells and angry spirits,” anger, covetous­ness, ignorance, contention; the fifth world of humanity; the sixth, the world of temporary enlightenment from which we too often don’t prevent us from returning to the lower worlds of experience. The key or “gateway” to reaching beyond these lower worlds is to enter the world of learning.

  From Sutra of Innumerable Meanings – “Many living beings discriminate falsely—it is this or it is that, either advantageous or disadvantageous. They entertain confused and evil thoughts, make various evil choices (causes), and thus transmigrate within the six realms of existence, the six lower worlds, in lifetime after lifetime  and cannot escape from there during infinite countless kalpas, suffering all manner of miseries.”

  This may seem judgmental, but significantly the Buddha continues, “Bodhisattva-mahasattvas, observing rightly like this, should raise the mind of compassion, display the great mercy desiring to relieve others of suffering, and once again penetrate deeply into all laws.” Pass no judgments—show compassion.

  Thus, in one fell swoop, the Buddha dismisses all judgments and discriminations, and does so repeatedly in the Lotus Sutra, always responding to his observations of human suffering with compassion: “Beholding this my heart is stirred with great pity . . . I behold all living beings sunk in the sea of suffering, hence I do not reveal myself (reveal my teachings) but set them all aspiring, till their hearts are long, I appear to preach the law . . . Ever making this my thought, how can I cause all the living to enter the Way supreme and speedily accomplish their enlightenment?”

  Entering the world of learning is to take us out of the six lower worlds on a path leading to enlightenment—to reach the eighth world and the mindfulness of self-attained enlightenment; the ninth, dwelling in and experiencing the world of the bodhisattvas who seek to gain enlightenment, first for others, even though their own enlightenment will be delayed. The tenth world, the world of Perfect Enlightenment.

  So, as I see it (from afar, it’s true) you find yourself very much in the 7^th world of learning these days, and it’s a really good place to be. The past can be done away with. It doesn’t exist anymore.

  Study will from time to time introduce thrilling surprises as one learns to discover the beauty and probability that knowledge enhances our beliefs and encourages and motivates us to expand our beliefs, leading to productive and compassionate relationships with others. It’s important, most of all, not to shut one’s self off from the ever-existing possibility that there is something new to learn and discover. The thrill of learning and discovering must be nourished, never impeded; keeping one’s mind in the world of learn­ing is not a bad thing. Residing there one continues to gain new perspectives, and the process seems never ending.

Sugar Hills, New Hampshire

All life is sacred

  ”Great vehicle teachings (Mahayana) see all existence as supremely sacred, it needs no other-worldly injunction to validate this sanctity, no God on High; and most important of all, it sees the plain and mundane things of daily existence—when viewed from the right perspective—as sanctified as the loftiest ideals. In short, in this enlightened awareness, we can all see the marvelous wonder of our universe, blemishes and all, and find our home and comfort in a cosmos that is magically a part of us, and us a part of it. This interpenetration of the individual in the universe is what the teachings of the Buddha are all about—this is their scope and majesty.” – from Hui-neng’s Enlightenment, Here and Now.

  This article in Rissho Kosei-kai’s “Dharma World,” 1982, was found in 1990 when I was a member of  Rissho Kosei-kai in Los Angeles, a layperson’s organization devoted to the Lotus Sutra which informs their practice. It tells the story of the 7^th Century Chinese Zen Patriarch, Hui-neng.

  In the light of the chaos and fractured conditions in our current political climate, and throughout the world, it might be good to bring this to mind again as a defense against allowing such conditions to inflict their pain on us. Individually, we have the potential to instill this simple truth in our hearts and minds and act upon it, finding our home  and comfort as we discover the marvelous wonder of the universe within each moment and know unquestionably that all life is indeed sacred.

  What a revolution this would be! – to transform our thinking and actions imbued with this simple truth.

Need for Clarity

1

  Clarity – When I listened to Vice Pres Joe Biden’s talk before the HRC, Human Rights Campaign, it reminded me of all President Obama’s addresses, including his pre-inauguration appearance in Chicago the night of his election in 2008, the two inaugural addresses, and all of the State of the Union addresses. Beyond the inspiration and joy I feel listening to these men, I marvel at the clarity with which they present the aspiration for our country beyond political differences, for all of us to work together.

  As Joe Biden speaks with such clarity, I was surprised the media, including social media  didn’t pick up on the talk. He covered all—yes, all. He leaves “no stone unturned,” current issues in our country and concerning our relationships and responsibilities in the world community.

  For the present, I take great comfort in knowing that such men exist in our world. Politics in our country has become a shambles of “face-offs,” contentions, ego-centric displays. It is up to each one of us to develop a mindfulness and pay attention to individuals like Obama and Biden who speak with such clarity beyond partisan differences, calling for the restoration and revitalization of our country’s motto: e pluribus unum – from the many, one. Working together for the benefit of the many with one spirit of cooperation.

2

Wisdom without a Teacher

Relevant to “Need for Clarity” – a teaching of the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra – who can say this doesn’t have relevance for us in  today’s world? “Leaders of the world” take note.

“If there are living beings who, following the example of the Buddha, the World-honored One, hear the Law, receive it in faith, diligently practice, and zealously advance, seeking the complete wisdom, the wisdom of the Buddha, the natural wisdom, the wisdom without a teacher, and the knowledge, powers, and fearlessness of the Tathagata, the Buddha who comes as the truth, who take pity on and comfort innumerable creatures, benefit gods and living beings, and save all, these will have the vehicle named the Great-vehicle. Because these bodhisattvas seek this vehicle, they are named mahasattvas, persons of great compassion. They are like those children who come out of the burning house for the sake of a bullock cart.”

The confused in generations to come
who hear the One-vehicle preached by the Buddha,
in their delusion and unbelief
will break the Law and fall into chaotic ways.
But there are beings modest and pure,
devoted to seeking the buddha-way;
for such as these I must
widely extol the One-vehicle Way.

Know, Shariputra!
The Law of enlightened ones is thus,
by myriads of countless tactful ways
they proclaim the Law as opportunity serves.
Those who will not learn
are not able to discern it.
You already know
the expedient tactful ways of the enlightened ones,
the leaders of the world.
Have no further doubts,
rejoice greatly in your hearts
knowing that you will become enlightened ones.

“All are equal in having the enlightened nature—the cause to live. This is the true aspect of all  living beings.”

“Abandon the small self and find the self that lives as the whole. Non-self is the only way we can realize, All the universe in our domain.”

“One’s own mind is intrinsically one with primordial spirit, primordial energy, primordial force. . . to become aware of one’s own enlightened nature, bringing it to light from the depth of one’s mind, nurturing it and developing it vigorously, is the first step one needs to take.”

Autumn – Petersham, Massachusetts

Enlightened nature

accessible to all
(recently published)

So what are we waiting for? One may ask how do I reach this state of mindfulness? Overcoming recent troublesome and disturbing personal circumstances, returning to the source of "what is accessible to all," can only report, in the middle of a night filled with pain, making my way through the rapids, finding calm waters, stillness, and sleep. A small  miracle.

  Seeking to “experience the realm of mind and consciousness in its natural, spontaneous state,” is to discover the implicit reality—that the “buddha (enlightened) nature” exists within each of us and is accessible to all, and that our ultimate goal always will be to attain enlightenment in this lifetime; to serve others with compassionate hearts, mindful that, in reality, the nature of all existence is not in opposing forms, but like space.

  “This guy’s really off his rocker,” you say? – out of touch with reality because our world today is fraught with “opposing forms,” contentions, ignorance, stupidity. Assuredly it  will take an eternity for the ignorant, the “stupid and those of little with” to dig their way out of the morass to discover that paths to enlightened mindfulness do indeed exist and are accessible—eternally, as long as there is life on this planet. The driving force of energy which causes everything to live is present, always, and all living beings are one substance with it.

  When Shakyamuni Buddha, who lived in this world, not apart from it, beheld men and women suffering, by his power of wisdom, “knowing the natures and inclinations of creatures,” at first tactfully proclaimed the laws which would cause all to obtain gladness.” Observing with the eyes of wisdom, “the creatures in the six states of existence, poor and without happiness and wisdom on the dangerous path of mortality, in continuous unending misery, firmly fettered by the five desires like the yak caring for its tail, smothered by greed and infatuation, blinded and seeing nothing, seeking not the Buddha’s wisdom,  and the Law to end suffering, but deeply fall into heresies, and seek by suffering to be rid of suffering,” he does not condemn, nor judge. Rather, he proclaims, “for the sake of all these creatures, my heart is stirred with great pity,” and proceeds to seek means and methods to motivate them to travel the path leading to happiness, and ultimately Perfect Enlightenment.

  The Buddha and his teachings found in the sutras, (the above from chapter 2, “Tactfulness”) are the original source of all teachings leading to celebrating life with compassion, reaching enlightenment—all evolve from the matrix of the appearing, historical Shakyamuni’s teachings during his lifetime, and resonate today with other teachings, whether scientific or metaphysical. The ultimate value of gaining mindfulness of his teachings will be seen within the ebb and flow of our lives—most surprisingly in our participating, loving, lighting up the hopes and dreams of others; realizing intuitively a sense of our miraculous inter-connection with others.

  [written in 2012] Today, negotiating crowded city streets and highways in my faithful Buick Skyhawk, vintage 1984, I no longer contest, allowing others to do their thing; a sense of inner peace, amused by those who contend, no longer engaging in the competition to “get there first.”

  I’m already there—traveling “lost,” arriving here and now.

  We don’t need to be anywhere – from the Diamond Sutra: “Subhuti, first among those who abides in peace, free from strife and passion, does not abide anywhere, that is why he is called one who abides in peace.”

  A man suddenly appears to help me  fix a flat tire. A waitress remembers my name. I maneuver the shopping cart among the crowd, evoking shared laughter when I come close to plowing down an old lady and say, “We need traffic lights, I think.” The mundane . . . the passion . . . the profound. “A jealous one raises the mind of joy.” Enlightened awareness becomes accessible.

Full Moon Eclipse at 5° Aries

Sunday, September 27, 2015 (7:48 pm PDT)

”A Triangle with Wings”

possessing the power to transcend

Adding Another Thread

to the Mandala of Buddha-wisdom

  Full Moon eclipse as our Earth’s shadow covers its surface should remind us that all shades of our humanity are revealed as one vast, interconnected humanity, each one of us possessing the  power to transcend our differences.

“One should know that the
Perfect Wisdom is a great mantra,
is the highest mantra, is the unequaled mantra.” – from The Prajña Paramita Sutra (The Perfect Wisdom Sutra)

  We’re all being reborn at every moment. Look upon each morning as a rebirth and we may understand that only this one day exists. What will happen next time is completely dependent upon what we are doing now, therefore only “now” is important. “Now” is the cause; next life is the result. – Ayya Khema, Being Nobody, Going Nowhere in Buddhist Inspirations. “One instant is eternity; eternity is now.” – Wu-Men

Living with compassion,
love’s end is not the end,
as so it was the moment
the universe was born,
a single spark of energy
becomes everything that is.

– “Worlds I Dream” Remembering New York Years – DFS

    “We beholding this, attain that which has never been before.” – from Chapter 1, Introductory, The Lotus Sutra, as Maitreya Bodhisattva sees the eighteen thousand lands in the eastern quarter illuminated by the ray from the Buddha’s eyebrows, the various manifestations of Buddha Wisdom in the world, and the power we all possess to illuminate our worlds with wisdom, here and  now.

  “The Buddha-wisdom, is pure and minute, faultless and unhindered, penetrating through infinite kalpas.” – Chapter 7, “Parable of  the Magic City”

SEAL OF THE THREE LAWS

All things are impermanent – reminds us to follow the natural direction of human life toward enlightened awareness, knowing that the one thing that is unchangeable and permanent is the cause to live.

Nothing has an ego – without exception all things, existences, all living in the world are related to one another—there is nothing that leads to an isolated existence.

Nirvana is quiescence – nirvana is a state of mind to be cherished in the moment as we extinguish all illusions, a quiet stage in which we cling to nothing in our continuing celebration of life.

Stories from the Lotus Sutra

(second entry)

“together with its reasoning and process . . .”

  As for the sutras themselves, the Buddha’s teachings are enshrined in The Threefold Lotus Sutra, or Lotus Sutra, a gathering of all his teachings. Reading, reciting, committing to memory passages from the Lotus Sutra, returning to the sutra each day, render insights into benefits derived from instilling the teachings in one’s mind and heart, emancipation from that which holds us back from participating with others in making this a better world—the ultimate goal, to live and act as a bodhisattva, a person of compassion.

  This is not an intellectual journey, nor is it required to beseech, extol, or depend upon a deity. The very nature of the stories, events related, examples set by the Buddha and great personages offer stunning examples of how to enrich our lives and practice compassion, work our through and overcome obstacles and negativity, to see beyond illusions which prevent us from continuing along an enlightened path, enhance our experiences with grander perspectives, discover moments of joy in encounters with others. Returning to and embracing, contemplating, reading, reciting the Lotus Sutra each day, is to participate in the great drama of life itself. As a path to follow, the “Buddha-way” presented in the Lotus may seem remote and unrelated to today’s chaotic  world—but is it?

  “. . . The mysterious laws that have been attained by the buddhas (enlightened ones) each on their wisdom thrones, those who can awaken to this sutra must surely gain ere long. Those who can awaken to this sutra shall the meaning of the laws with their terms and expressions delightedly expound without end like the wind in the sky, which never has impediment. After the Tathagata (“one who comes  from the truth”—the Buddha) is extinct. such a one, knowing this sutra that the Buddha has taught, together with its reasoning and process, shall expound it according to its true meaning.

  “Just as the light of the sun and moon can dispel the darkness, so shall they, working in the world, disperse the gloom of the living and cause numberless bodhisattvas finally to abide in the one vehicle. Therefore, those who have wisdom, hearing the benefits of this sutra after I am extinct, should receive and keep this sutra. These sons and daughters shall in the Way of the Buddha be fixed and have no doubts.”

Acadia National Park, Maine

Stories from the Lotus Sutra

  Those of you who read posts at Ancestral Well will perceive, it's hoped, that no attempt is made to "define" Buddhism or "what Buddhism is" This would be presumptuous. I am not a "teacher" but I'm dedicated to passing along what I've learned from so many teachers, and most particularly from the Lotus Sutra itself and those who have revealed so much to me about the sutra. There's a tendency it seems to me in some corners of the "Buddhist world" to stand outside the deep, profound teachings of the Buddha. And there are aberrations in some places. This has little to do with me, of course, but I must say, the teachings of the Buddha fundamentally are about life, and living life, today, in this world, with peace of mind.

  One cannot begin to approach the "merits" accrued from the teachings unless one has compassion for all living beings, and a reverence for life itself. There are many paths one can take to throw light on the Buddha's teachings and how they can transform our way of thinking and living. One such "path" is "suffering" which motivated Shakyamuni Buddha to begin his teaching, or "preaching" if you prefer, overcoming suffering (not, "suffering through suffering" please note,

  Another is the matter of jealousy. When I read long discussions about "jealousy" and how to overcome it, I go right by them, for several years ago a passage in the sutra suddenly had meaning . . . "makes those who awaken to this sutra who are jealous, raise the mind of joy." Overcoming jealousy is as simple as that. So, the "Stories from the Lotus Sutra" will continue for a time. Thanks for listening. The Buddha's teachings are at once quite simple and yet deeply profound and "inconceivable" and in the Lotus Sutra all becomes clear.

Stories from the Lotus Sutra

(first entry)

Celebration

humankind, born from earth and sea on a planet formed from an exploding star in a galaxy called the milky way, emerged late in the earth’s four-to-five billion year history as a result of the same conditions which in the beginning, created the universe. The Buddha’s teachings propose that this remarkable, even mystical chain of cause and effect, was inevitable and necessary.

  Progressing from the beginning of the universe to the formation of planet earth, to the dawn of human beings five to six million years ago, thus did the flow of time lead to the birth of us all, and in the 6^th Century before the Christian Era, the birth of Prince Siddhartha who became at the moment of his enlightenment, Shakyamuni Buddha, “the enlightened one of the Shakya clan,” the Buddha who sees beyond the universe, beyond space and time, perceiving that his birth as a human being emerges out of limitless, eternal incarnations, a continuity shared with all humanity.

  In the moment of his enlightenment, the Buddha is awakened to the profound interconnection of all   living things. He perceives that all-pervading energy, a universal life-force, is the cause of all existence, imbedded in all laws. He teaches the profound Law of the Void, itself source of the Great Perfection and that all living things are equal in the fundamental value of their existence, caused to live by the great life-force of the universe with a will to live and brought into being by virtue of karmic necessity, evolving creatively with planet earth. He appears in the world to teach the way to overcome suffering.

  He has awakened to a profound truth that has existed from the infinite past, even before he appeared in this world. His fundamental desire in teaching this “final profound truth” is that all living beings will discover it for themselves.

  After his enlightenment, the Buddha (his family name is Gautama—thus, “Gautama Buddha”) would not retire to a mountaintop nor separate himself from others, but rather set out to teach the Laws of Existence—Dharma, as it’s called in Sanskrit, the path to follow to overcome suffering and attain enlightenment. He did not flinch from penetrating all of life’s mysteries, imparting a way of living which would motivate human beings to discover joy, universal compassion; to celebrate life in this lifetime, encouraging those who followed him—and those who did not—to celebrate the Law, the Dharma—the “laws of existence” he teaches—to attain the Buddha-way along with him.

  Just before Shakyamuni, the one historical Buddha’s extinction, his cousin, Ananda, said to have been born the night of the Buddha’s enlightenment and who has followed the Buddha during his forty years of teaching, asks him, “After you’re gone, World-honored One, what should we depend upon for our salvation?” The Buddha answers: “Make yourself the light, make the law your light, and know that I will ever exist in this world, though under different names, the great-life force of the universe   which causes everything to live.”

You’ve Got to Intend

  With all the clatter, chaos, and confusion anticipated in tomorrow night’s debates—oh yes, I’m going to watch them—I am comforted to return each day to the teachings of the Buddha. As for the debates, I ask one question. What do they intend?

  My intention for today is to bring to you the following at Ancestral Well:

  Here lies the ultimate, subtle, and elusive truth of all the Buddha’s teachings—  enlightenment occurs in the realization of one's own inner primal nature, which as the buddha-nature, is infused with all experience, is absolute and universal—purest being—the totality of all things, a spontaneous awakening occurring at the root of consciousness that comprehends the entire manifold world. Moreover, this primal vision encompasses the opposites of existence, including the darkness of non-being, so it is ineffable and mysterious. Here, says Hui-neng, rejoice in your primal nature where becoming (samsara) is being (nir­vana), and being is becoming.

  This remarkable doctrine of self-salvation centers on the identity of one's own nature with the Buddha. It is the Buddha (or Tathagata) in the minds of the aspirants who save themselves. From this insight a charity and a morality arise, because the individual and the totality are one ecological organism, mutually dependent.

– Hui-neng's Enlightenment—Here and Now, by George Pracy Pugh in DHARMA WORLD, July 1982 Vol. 9, published monthly; Copyright – 1982; Kosei Publishing Co., Tokyo.

Perception of the Void

  Now in this chapter of the eternal life of the Buddha, the truth is clearly revealed. Here it is stated beyond doubt that the ultimate substance of the Buddha is the everlasting life-force of the universe, none other than the Eternal Buddha. It is further stated that humankind and other things are but part of the Buddha—children of the Buddha so to speak. In this way the cold perception of the void becomes charged with human warmth as people are stirred to gratitude upon realizing deep inside that they live wrapped in the compassion of the Eternal Buddha. At this stage comes true happiness and the sense of the worth of being alive.

  The philosophical perception taught in the first half of the Lotus Sutra is now, in the second half, given a spiritual lift and takes on the ineffable quality of a religious teaching. This chapter thus becomes the heart and soul not only of the Lotus Sutra, but also of all the sutras.

– Nikkyo Niwano, A Guide to The Threefold Lotus Sutra, translated and adapted by Eugene Langston, Edited by Ralph Friedrich.

“If the doors of perception are cleansed, everything will appear as it is—infinite”

(William Blake)

  Escaping from the clatter of cyber land for a few moments to discover how we may proceed with our innermost thoughts and dreams, not agreeing or disagreeing, asking, what is it we desire our lives to be, to become?

  The Great Enlightened One, the Buddha, “in him there is no defilement, no contamination, no attachment. His moral breeze and virtuous fragrance deeply permeate all.” Always a new beginning, “attaining that which has never been before.”

  No need to make resounding proclamations; no need to engage in disputes. Reach instinctively beyond discriminations and dichotomous thinking, manifesting our buddha-nature. Become so instilled with the Buddha’s teachings that in moment-to-moment experiences and communication, ignorance is overcome—compassion, a heart-beat away.

  When mind has been emptied and light has been called upon to purify the consciousness, freed from its attachments, self-serving discriminations—this is true liberation from suffering. When allowing the infinite potential of Buddha-mind to operate in unconstrained spontaneity, the common, rational ego is no longer in control, nor controlling factor. When the true nature of self is realized, the ego becomes a “lens of pure crystal” focusing all pervasive cosmic light. No shadows of pride, possessiveness cloud its purity. Conscious mind learns to be silent and attentive, attuned to transcendental knowledge, Mind Only.

  There is only One Mind, the substance of which cannot be differentiated. Accepting the miracle of existence—comprehending the governing force of primordial energy, the universal force which causes everything to live, we may return each moment to the realization of the archetypical essence of being and become more attentive to the world and people in our world, here and now.

  Human suffering is brought about by the accumulation of self-serving, ego-centric desire and the illusion that our ego-self is in control. All living beings, all phenomena come into being from emptiness, one substance with universal energy, therefore equal in the value of their existence. To devote one's self to the great life force of the universe and attain a spiritual unity with it; to obey reason and live in accordance with the greater life of the universe, is to discover “the great compassionate heart”—buddhahood itself, the karmic necessity of our existence.

  We are told by cosmologists and quantum physicists that the universe began breaking perfect symmetry into a huge, hot cauldron of energy governed by forces we do not understand completely. These forces exist today in our world. Without them the very fabric of existence bound together by these forces would not exist. Nothing has an independent existence. We are all part of one inseparable web of relationships.

  “Implied in new theories of physics (Timothy Ferris in “Beyond Newton and Einstein” – N.Y. Times, 9/26/82) “all the known forces in nature are manifestations of one basic interaction and that once, long ago, were part of a single, universal process.”

  Humanity continues as part of that “universal process.” Disagreeing or agreeing—contending rather than intending in realms of conditioned existence (dharma), inhibits the perfect symmetry of Mind which is neither created nor annihilated, but simply is. In the teachings of the Buddha, particularly in “great vehicle” Mahayana sutras, as the Lotus Sutra, “Original Mind” is called tathata, or ultimate nature of Mind without any attributes, the same as the mind of pure self—buddha-nature, vesture of pure, unqualified reality (dharmakaya), the soul of nirvana.

  May not the One mind of pure self, buddha-nature, be in itself, perfect symmetry? All dharmas, “laws” or elements of conditioned existence depend on Mind for their being and have Mind as their substance. From this standpoint, all conditioned existence is illusory and imaginary, and their being is in reality non-being. By contrast with these unreal existences, One Mind, tathata,  is the only real thing existing  in this world.

  Yet even though these conditioned existences (dharmas) have no being in reality because they originate in illusion and fancy, they nevertheless appear to be created and annihilated. But when such unreal existences are created, One Mind is not brought into existence, and when they are annihilated, One Mind does not perish. Uncreated, One Mind is never augmented; imperishable, it is never diminished. And as it never increases or decreases, One Mind is called tathata, ultimate nature, without attributes.

  Concentration means knowing that all dharmas, conditioned existences, have from the beginning no tathata of their own, are never created or annihilated by themselves, but are created and arise as productions of illusion and imagination. Created dharmas are in truth, non-existent. They are only the One Mind, the substance of which cannot be differentiated. If one seizes this standpoint, then in total mental calm one can stop the flow of false ideas. This is concentration.

  Insight means knowing that dharmas are neither created nor annihilated, but originate in and arise out of One Mind to serve an illusory and fanciful worldly purpose. They are like the illusions of dreams, seeming to exist when they do not exist. To know this is to attain insight, to aspire to the mind of  non-existence.

  When concentration is achieved, Pure Mind is merged through insight with non-dual nature and is harmoniously united with all beings. Calmness, tranquility and purity, depth, stability and quietude emerge. Inner silence is pure and pellucid, appearing without the appearance of movement, acting without the appearance of action.

  Thus it is, all conditions of existence are originally the same everywhere without differentiation and the nature of One Mind is existence. This is the root of the most profound dharma nature.

  When insight is attained, the root of Pure Mind and the activity of the phenomenal world are manifest without obstacle, spontaneously showing forth the capability of all things pure and impure.

  When there is concentration, our mind is everywhere the same. When there is concentration, one dwells ever in nirvana. When there is concentration one is not polluted by the world. When there is concentration, one attains eternal silence in the process of acting.

  This “truth of One Reality” is at the core of the Buddha’s teachings in the Lotus Sutra–the fundamental oneness of energy, non-differentiation at the heart of things, the one law that calls all things into being and moves them. This is called the real aspect of things. We are all one substance with this law and caused to live by it.  One’s own mind is intrinsically one with primordial energy, the imperishable life-force of the universe.

  “I also see bodhisattvas, persons of great compassion, who  observe that the nature of all existence is not in two opposing forms, but like space.” – Lotus Sutra

  How then shall we proceed? Releasing the personal ego is perhaps the first step, enabling us to find the imperishable life-force which exists in all things, in all beings. Serving this life-force is the great true compassion.

  From the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, the closing sutra of The Threefold Lotus Sutra: “The Buddha said to Ananda, Do you listen to me attentively! Do you listen to me attentively, ponder, and remember it! Of yore on Mount Gridhrakutha and in other places the Tathagata has already extensively explained the way of one reality.

The Buddha Wisdom is pure and minute,
 faultless and unhindered,
penetrating through infinite kalpas.

Like a meteor, like darkness, as a flickering lamp,
An illusion, like hoar-frost or a bubble,
Like clouds, a flash of lightning, or a dream,
So is all conditioned existence to be seen. – Diamond Sutra

Taken and edited from the writings of Nikkyo Niwano, Buddhism for Today, a Modern Interpretation of The Threefold Lotus Sutra, and Niwano’s other writings; the Kosei/Weatherhill English translation of The Threefold Lotus Sutra; and Hui-ssu in Taisbo Daiskyo, in The Diamond Sutra, from final teachings of the Buddha, with supplemental texts. General Editor, Raghavan Iyer. August 12, 1983; Concord Grove Press, London, Santa Barbara, New York. Copyright 1983, The Pythagorean Sangha.

“ego, a pure crystal” taken from symbol for 1°  Leo in An Astrological Mandala, The Cycle of Transformations and Its 360 Symbolic Phases, by Dane Rudhyar, published by Random House, 1973 [hardcover and paperback].

Celebrating the Vernal Equinox in Mexico

The Final Commission

”to give the Buddha-wisdom

the Self-existent wisdom

to all living beings”

  Again to say one need not be a “Buddhist” to practice the teachings of the Buddha. There is fundamentally no need to seek “identities” as this or that. Practicing these teachings is in essence celebrating life.

  AT THAT TIME Shakyamuni Buddha rose from his Law seat, manifesting supernatural powers, laid his right hand on the heads of the innumerable bodhi­sattva-mahasattvas, and spoke thus: “I, for incalculable hundreds of thousands of myriads of countless nayutas of kalpas, have practiced this rare Law of Perfect Enlightenment. Now I entrust it to you. Do you wholeheartedly promulgate this Law and make it increase and prosper far and wide.” . . .

  ".  .  .  The Tathagata is most benevolent and compassionate, not mean and stingy, and is able fearlessly to give the Buddha-wisdom, the Tathagata-wisdom, and the Self-existent wisdom to all living beings. The Tathagata is the great lord of giving to all living beings. Do you also follow and learn the Tathagata's example, not being mean and stingy.

  If good sons or good daughters in ages to come believe in the Tathagata-wisdom, do you proclaim this Law-flower Sutra to them that they may hear and know it, in order that they may obtain the Buddha-wisdom. If there be living beings who do not believe in it, do you show, teach, benefit, and rejoice them with the other profound laws of the Tathagata. If you are able thus to act, then you will have repaid the grace of the Buddhas.

  . . . Thereupon Shakyamuni Buddha caused all the emanated buddhas who had come from all directions, each to return to his own land, saying: “Buddhas! Peace be unto you. Let the stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures be restored as before.”

  As these words were spoken, the innumerable emanated buddhas from all directions, who were seated on lion thrones under the jewel trees, as well as the Buddha Abundant Treasures, the host of infinite asankhyeyas of bodhisattvas, Eminent Conduct and others, also the four groups of hearers, Shariputra and others, and all the worlds, gods, men, asuras, and so on, hearing the preaching of the Buddha, rejoiced greatly. /////

  This is a portion of the Lotus Sutra, the 22^nd chapter, I was able to relive this morning, in celebration of life, bringing an important event back to life and into today’s world, here and now, with you. Also celebrating a joyous, humorous, touching video with friends at Fanvids, ”I Think I Do” and post from Jerry Gordon in Japan, among other celebrations.

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Living in the Moment

We walk on frosted ground
praising chrysanthemums bordering the fields
sit on the edge of the woods
waiting for the moon to rise
not having to be alone
is happiness
we do not talk
of failure or success – Chia Tao, “When I Find You Again It Will be in The Mountains”

You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light
in every moment of your life.

This minute that comes to me over the past decillions,
there is no greater than it and now.

All forces have been steadily employ’d
to complete and delight me.
Now on this spot I stand
with my robust soul.

Welcome is every organ and attribute of me,
Not an inch or a particle of an inch is vile,
and none shall be less familiar than the rest.
I am satisfied—I see, dance, laugh, sing;
As the hugging and loving bed fellow sleeps at my side through the night,
and withdraws at the peep of the day with stealthy tread,
Leaving me baskets cover’d with white towels swelling the house with their plenty

– Walt Whitman, “Leaves of Grass – Song of Myself”

Butchart Gardens, British Columbia

Inspirations

derived from the Buddha’s ageless teaching

of wisdom, compassion, and liberation

The Threefold Lotus Sutra

  Constant progress is the natural course of living beings. It is the right and true way for us to live. To strive in the midst of suffering humanity for the well being of all, is to live a truly human life, the bodhisattva toil.

  Thus if in life’s journey we strive always after our nature, talent, and occupation to create those things that make for the happiness and well being of others, then that creation and resulting harmony are the ultimate human ideal, a treasure of the highest order.

  We are all one substance with the great, all pervading life-force of the universe. The enlightenment of the Buddha—our own enlightenment—perceives this reality, the way in which always and everywhere the will of this universal energy appears in unlimited operation in both inanimate and living things.

  Shakyamuni Buddha lived in this world, and desired after he had “gone beyond” those still living would make themselves the light, continuing to practice and spread his ageless teachings of compassion and liberation. His “appearance” in future worlds would manifest in teachers who would follow, as indeed many teachers have – “in thousands of countless lands I  will  appear to preach the Law . . .”

  In the Buddha’s teachings there is no “above and below” – universal energy (“Buddha,” to give it a name) which causes us to live, surrounds us, dwells within us. We reach toward enlightenment in this life to enrich every moment of this life, not to find reward after we have gone beyond this life, but here  and now.

  “Further, bodhisattva-mahasattvas (persons of great compassion), contemplate all existences as void—appear­­ances as they reality, duly established as they are in reality, neither upside down, nor moving, nor receding, nor turning, just like space, of the nature of nothing­ness, cut off from the course of all words and expressions, unborn, not coming forth, not arising, nameless, formless, really without existence, unim­peded, infinite, boundless, unrestrained, only existing by causation, and pro­duced through distortion of thought.”–Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law – A Happy Life

Beyond all pairs of opposites . . .

  Beyond all pairs of opposites and all dichotomous thinking, one realizes the truth because one becomes it. Self-motivation is the key—the intent to weld a liberating spiritual endeavor into one’s daily life; the desire to learn, reach a state of self-attained enligh­tenment leading to the greatest gift of all, living in a state of universal benevolence and compas­sion; living in the same world as those great Bodhisattvas who “rise up from the earth” in the Lotus Sutra.

  The true life and soul of the Buddha’s teachings is knowing wholeheartedly all sentient beings have the buddha-nature (or enlightened nature) innately. To become aware of one’s own enlightened nature, bringing it to light from the depths of the mind, nurturing it and devel­oping it vigorously, sponta­neously realizing others possess it equally, is to “go beyond all pairs of opposites.”

  “What is the final, profound truth? It is finding the infinite life of humankind within the eternal life-force of the universe. The true nature of humankind, in its union with the eternal life-force of the universe which causes us to live, is called the “buddha” or enlightened nature. The Buddha in the Lotus Sutra teaches that all beings possess the buddha-nature (or potential for enligh­tenment) equally and that we should respect this potential in one another and encourage one another to develop and fulfill this potential. The noblest form of practicing the teachings of the Buddha is the way of bodhi­sattvas who devote themselves to attaining enlightenment not only for them­selves, but for all sentient beings.” – Nikkyo Niwano (edited)

  Identifying one’s self as a “Buddhist” is not required if one practices the teachings of the Buddha, as it suggests “different than—other than.” The Buddha’s teachings inform all enlightened think­ing, and all enlight­ened thinking resonates with the teachings of the Buddha, beyond all pairs of opposites and dichotomous thinking.

Redwoods

Shakyamuni’s Mission

as told in The Threefold Lotus Sutra

”To give peace to all creatures, I appear in the world”

  With all its grand “other-worldly” tales of treasure towers and Great Bodhisattvas rising from the earth, magic cities, stories of fabulous, larger-than-life enlightened beings (buddhas), as well as stories of extraordinary deeds of ordinary living beings, including persons of learning and those of self-attained enlightenment, it’s clear nevertheless that the Buddha’s supreme intent described in the sutra is to “cause all the living to enter the way supreme and speedily accomplish enlightenment.”

  The Threefold Lotus Sutra is one of the world’s great religious classics representing the culmination of the Buddha’s ageless teaching of wisdom, compassion and liberation, a significant resource for all those today whose hearts are longing to discover peace of mind and their place in the world.

  Also, the Sutra contains many “threads” following the Buddha’s life, and the dynamic, sometimes dramatic tale of a how he became motivated to go out into the world revealing his experience of attaining enlightenment to men and women of all classes and religions, so that all could attain the same enlightenment as he “long sitting” under the Bodhi tree in the City of Gaya.

To give peace to all creatures I appear in the world,
and for the hosts of the living
preach the Law pure as sweet dew,
the one and only Law of emancipation and nirvana.
With one transcendent voice I proclaim this meaning,
constantly taking the Great-vehicle as my subject.
I look upon all everywhere with equal eyes,
without distinction of persons, or mind of love or hate.
I have no predilections nor limitations or partiality;
ever to all I preach the Law equally;
as to one person, so to all.

Half Dome and the Milky Way

Thomas Jefferson

Religion and Science

Church and State

. . . that they will find their interest in acquiescing in the liberty and science of their country, and that the Christian religion, when divested of the rags in which they have enveloped it, and brought to the original purity and simplicity of its benevolent institutor, is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freer expansion of the human mind.

  Wisdom and Patriotism – To Moses Robinson – Washington, March 21, 1801 – “I entertain real hope that the whole body of  your fellow citizens will shortly be consolidated in the same sentiments. When they examine the real principles of both parties, I think they will find little to differ about. I know, indeed, that there are some of their leaders who have so committed themselves, that pride, if no other passion, will prevent their coalescing. We must be easy with them.

  The eastern States will be the last to come over, on account of the dominion of the clergy, who had a smell of union between Church and State, and began to indulge reveries which can never be realized in the present state of science. If indeed they could have prevailed on us to view all advances in science as dangerous innovations, and to look back to the opinions and practices of our forefathers, instead of looking forward, for  improvement, a promising groundwork would have been laid. But I am in hope their good sense will dictate to them, that since the mountain will not come to them, they had better go to the mountain; that they will find their interest in acquiescing in the liberty and science of their country, and that the Christian religion, when divested of the rags in which they have enveloped it, and brought to the original purity and simplicity of its benevolent institutor, is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freer expansion of the human mind.

  I sincerely wish with you, we could see our government so secured as to depend less  on the character of the person in whose hands it is trusted. Bad men will sometimes get in, and with such an immense patronage, may make great progress in corrupting the public mind and principles. This is a subject with which wisdom and patriotism should be occupied.

An Albatross

feeding from the hand of a sailor

(Full  Moon 2:25 am GMT, Thursday, 7/2}

capricorn 10° - an albatross feeding from the hand of a sailor.

keynote: The overcoming of fear and its rewards

  Those who radiate perfect harmlessness can call the wildest creatures to them and establish with them a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding. Every living entity plays a role in the worlds ritual of existence. Beyond these specific roles, which too often separate one entity from another, the communion of love and compassion can bring together the most disparate lives.

  The power of such a culture of harmlessness and compassion generates trust everywhere.

     – Dane Rudhyar’s Astrological Mandala

  The full moon shines on the earth this night, illuminating all living beings, everywhere. Here Rudhyar through the symbol originated by psychic Elsie Wheeler reveals “universal truths” available to all humanity. A worthy reminder for this extraordinary week of rainbows and wonders (Episcopalians, please note, will perform same-sex marriages nationwide), illuminating the world.

  On a personal level, this symbol came into my life on December 5, 1977 after hours of meditation and discovering that 10° Capricorn was the point of “Original Intent” in a Full Moon, 22 hours after I was born. I recall when I read the above, I burst into tears realizing, “This is what I have always wanted in my life. . .” communion of love and  compassion bringing together the most disparate lives.

  This morning, waking from sleep and as so often unable to quell the rush of memories, the year 1938 persisted. In the ephemeris, on January 2, 1938, I find there was a New  Moon at 10° Capricorn, “An albatross feeding from  the hand of a sailor.”  Well it’s been some 77 years since that New Moon, and quite a journey . . . One never knows, but certainly some connection with the universe endures, and most assuredly available for all of us today, here and now.

  In the lunar cycle, a Full Moon is a moment of fulfillment – future oriented toward disseminating to others what we have learned in previous cycles.

  The north  node of the  Moon (a point of integrating personal and “beyond the personal” energies) is at this time at 5° Libra – “Revealing to students the foundation of an inner knowledge upon which a new world could be built.”