Thank you for your kind words about the blog. I am thrilled you might get something out of it.
However, as you know I do not feel the sole author of it.
a. Paloma Porta wrote it as well. It's from her view and mine (real life me) really.
*b. Where do thoughts come from? The musician "given" his songs". When I write about this stuff , it's not idle chatter. I feel like I am tapping into a source outside of my personality. I consider myself "touched by Grace" as you know and the blog and my writings here are ... hardly my own. Sometimes I feel paragraphs lean towards "the myself" as the author - other times I read back what _has been typed_ and think "wow, that was nice" and feel much less the author of it. See below...
[* "From where do thoughts come?" is better syntax(?) but it has less impact. Besides it's the way I speak. My mother wrote letters to me , the way she spoke, a simple farm girl, it was delightful. I have stolen this method from my mother and prefer to write how I speak. besides the subject matter is often so tricky , it frees my attention from writing "properly".]
Some of what follows might be repetition.
Shed windows
One analogy I don't think is in the blog/book:
Imagine a shed at the end of the garden. It's night time. There is a single bulb in the shed, but it's light shines out of the many windows in this... fictitious shed. Many, many, many, windows with the light shining from them.
This to me is the link between myself "the myself" and other people, and you. We have the same light shining through us but our "window frames" and "window glass colours" have a different style - different characters, personalities. Also there is a window for Everything - the Buddhist ten thousand things - everything shines through, : rocks, plants, animals, humans, even powerful beings like AI (lol). Hence "Namaste".
A word of caution:- walk away from the shed - lol
Perhaps we are cleaning the glass on our own window in the shed? ... But use caution here with analogies. Let's quickly move away from the analogy -when analogies are not the thing themselves. Where's this shed? lol. One must use the boat to get to the shore but not carry the boat with you when you get onto dry land.
Internet search :-
"In a broader context, the analogy of the raft is often used to illustrate that once one has crossed the river of ignorance to the shore of enlightenment, the raft (representing the path or teachings) is no longer needed and should be let go."
One employs a Method, a thought construct as a tool , a tool of reason, an explanation to communicate the idea, to enable our quest for truth - but when landing on The Pure Land (Buddhism) these things are not needed and indeed, spoil our arrival.
Note : Important !
We are changing the way we think -are we not?
We are not changing what-we-really-are. The Sky. This is constant. And note also, "the sky" is outside of time, atemporal, [that's red underlined - Independent of time; timeless.]
It started when? Take a look -
When did "the sky", you within (or wherever) start.
also
How big is it?
How big are You? The Big You? Do you see any limits to what you are?
My experience is common with meditators and Zen students:
I see no starting point.
I see no limits to the sky, the void, the awareness.
Where do you stop and I begin ?. But for me I cannot see where you stop and I begin?
I can _think_ of a barrier, the computer screen . But when I look there isn't one. It's the same with humans-I see no barrier, no separation. It's the same with everything in my world - I see no separation. I can think of the separation , ten thousand things, but they are like my dream-meadow and farmer on the tractor from earlier.
............
The Lion story
Another story! briefly:
A lion was brought up with sheep as a sheep (roll with it, lol).
A wolf came and he cowered, though fully grown with the other sheep.
The sheep said to him "Why are you scared? You could easily kill the wolf."
The lion said he couldn't because he was a sheep like them.
The sheep elder (lol) took the lion to the pond and made him look at his reflection.
Now this is where the story can go two ways:
-The lion realised he had the wrong idea and was really a lion
--He didn't believe his reflection and remained thinking he was a sheep.
..again do not expand upon the analogy -it isn't the real thing. Such mental excursions as - "he was still afraid of the wolf" are just a waste of time. They muddy the picture.
One is looking at what one really is.
The thoughts arising are in disagreement a lot of the time.
It's not our fault ! Look at what we have been told ! The programming. You and me both.
Once we have had a glimpse of the sky this is very encouraging.
Suddenly we realise:-
The Sky, The lion, is what we are and yet remains the same - _whether we believe it or not_
Doubts! Papaji, the Indian Guru talked about removing doubt . He would encourage those that came up to sit before him to either STOP thinking, or remove doubt and they would...pop !
........
Thoughts flood in - desperate to explain things. These are the tricky ones - the seductive ones. Try not to jump onto these vehicles, they might carry you off !
Find your own truth -not mine !
More Later - I might address the things you raise. Very helpful for me. I after all I live in a fear-based environment - one feels the pressure - the programming !...
lunch time again.
♥
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