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Nondual Highlights Issue #1932 Saturday, September 25, 2004 Editor: Mark






 




Mary's Hiding

Before these possessions you love slip away,
say what Mary said when she was

surprised by Gabriel, I'll hide inside God.
Naked in her room she saw a form

of beauty that could give her new life.
Like the sun coming up, or a rose as it opens.

She leaped, as her habit was, out of herself
into the divine presence.

There was fire in the channel of her breath.
Light and majesty came, I am smoke

from that fire and proof of its existence,
more than any external form.

I want to be where
your bare foot walks,

because maybe before you step,
you'll look at the ground. I want that blessing.

Would you like to have revealed to you
the truth of the Friend?

Leave the rind,
and descend into the pith.

Fold within fold, the beloved
drowns in its own being. This world
is drenched with that drowning.

Imagining is like feeling around
in a dark lane, or washing
your eyes with blood.

You are the truth
from foot to brow. Now,
what else would you like to know?

- Rumi, posted to AdyashantiSatsang by Mazie Lane





Presence is pure consciousness - consciousness that has been reclaimed from the mind, from the world of form. The inner body is your link with the Un-manifested, and in its deepest aspect is the Un-manifested: the Source from which consciousness emanates as light emanates from the sun. Awareness of the inner body is consciousness remembering its origin and returning to the Source.

- Eckhart Tolle, from
The Power of Now, published by Namaste Publishing, posted to DailyDharma





Once the Bhagava ( Lord Buddha) was staying at the Jetavana monastery in the pleasance of Anathapindika at Savatthi. A group of monks received permission from the Lord to meditate in a distant forest during the period of Buddhist Lent. Each of the monks took shelter under a big tree as a temporary residence and an engaged themselves intensively in the practice of meditation.

On account of the spiritual power of their meditation, the tree deities could not stay in their trees-abodes above the monks, so they had to come down to the ground. Realizing that the monks would spend the whole rainy season there, the deities were much annoyed. So they tried to scare the monks away during the night by harassing them in various ways.

After living under such impossible conditions for sometime, the monks could not bear it any longer and rushed back to the Buddha and informed him about their difficulties. So the Buddha advised them to recite the text of loving kindness (Metta Sutta) and to radiate the spirit of love to all beings. On the full-moon day of Wagaung, the Buddha taught the monks the Metta Sutta. From that day till now, the full-moon day of Wagaung has been called as the'Great or Grand Occasion of Metta.

Encouraged by this discourse, the monks returned to their respective places. They practiced in accordance with the instructions given them to permeate the entire atmosphere with radiant thoughts of love, The tree-deities were much pleased to be affected by the power of love, and so let the monks (meditators) stay without any further disturbances.

Metta

Metta is the highest need of the world today, indeed it is more needed than ever before. Because in this new world, there are sufficient materials, money and brilliant wise men and scientists.

In spite of these, there is no peace and happiness. It shows that something is lacking, That is Metta.

What is the Buddhist idea of Metta? The Pali word "Metta" means "loving kindness", not the ordinary, sensual, emotional, sentimental kind of love. Metta has been translated by modem translators into English as generous, mindful loving, loving kindness, sending out thoughts of love towards others" but according to the words of Buddha, Metta has a far wider significance, and a much more extensive implication than this. It means a great deal more than loving kindness harmlessness, sympathy.

What is love? Love is also defined in the Oxford Dictionary. According to it, love means warm affection, attachment, affectionate devotion, etc. These are synonymous terms for love and they all refer to sentimental worldly love. So, Metta has no full English equivalent. For this Metta is much more than ordinary affection or warm feelings. The Pali word Metta literally means "friendliness", but also means love without a desire to possess but with desire to help, to sacrifice self-interest for the welfare and well being of humanity. Metta is with out any selection or exclusion. If you select a few good friends and exclude a bad person, then you have not got a perfect grasp of Metta. Indeed Metta is not only benevolent thought, but also performing charitable deeds, an active ministry for the good of one and all.

In the "Metta Sutta" the Buddha has chosen the love of a mother for her child as an example. Imagine a mother's love when her child is hungry; she watches carefully to feed her child even before it asks her for food. When the child is in danger, she will risk her own life. So the Buddha taught us to love all beings as a mother loves her only child. If we can do this even to a small extent, the world will become happier and more peaceful place. In the Dighanikaya, it is said by the Buddha that almost every virtue such as unselfishness, loving sympathy and loving kindness is included in this "Metta".

Though we talked much about Metta and repeat the formula "Sabbesatta avera hontu, abyapajjha hontu etc;. "( May all sentient beings be free from danger; may they be free from oppression etc.), without Metta how can it be effective? This passage is to be merely recited. The Buddha does not ask us to learn any of his teachings for recitation only. So the recitation of the "Metta Sutta" is good, but the Buddha did not mean it to be merely recited. He exhorted us to follow and practice the instructions in it so that we might realize Metta as the best state of heart in the world.

Therefore do not be satisfied with the mere recitation of the "Metta Sutta" but strive to know its meaning with a view to practicing it and to make it suffuse your being. That is the most essential fact. Meditation does not mean merely to think about it but to practice it in your daily life.

Discourse of loving kindness

This discourse of loving kindness serves as a mark of protection and as a subject of meditation. In the first part of the discourse are found virtues that should be practiced by anyone who desires his own welfare, and in the latter part the method of practicing Metta or good will is explained in de tail. The Buddha taught to follow and practice the following principles:

He who is skilled in doing welfare, who wishes to attain the state of calm, (Perfect tranquility) must work to be efficient, upright, perfectly upright, easy to speak to, gentle and humble.

Contended, easily supportable, having few duties, simple in livelihood, controlled in sense prudent, modest and not greedily attached to families, he must not commit even the slightest sin for which other wise men might censure him.

He must contemplate so: May all beings be happy, may all beings be secure, may all beings be happy. He must radiate the measureless thoughts of loving kindness to whatever living beings there may be; feeble or strong, tall, medium or short, small, medium or large, thin, medium or stout, seen or unseen, those dwelling far or near, those who are born and those who are to be born- may all beings, without exception, be happy.

Let none be angry with another, let him not despise anyone in any place. By means of physical and verbal provocation or by frustrated enmity, in anger or ill-will let him not wish another's suffering.

Just as a mother would protect at the risk of her own life the life of her only son, even so let him spread boundless loving kindness to every corner of the world; above, below and across, unhindered without any obstruction, without any hatred, without any enmity.

While standing, walking, sitting or lying down, as long as he awake, without sloth (laziness) he should devote himself to this mindfulness of love. This, they say, is the "Highest Conduct" and this is called the "Noble living" (Holy life).

If the meditator, not falling into wrong-view (egoism), be virtuous and endowed with perfect insight, and expel his passion for sensual pleasure, then, of a truth, he will never be conceived in any womb again.

In the Dhammapada the Buddha said, "A beautiful word or thought which is not accompanied by corresponding acts is like a bright flower which bears no fruit. It would not produce any effect." So, it is action, not speculation, it is practice, not theory that matters. According to the Dhammapada, "will" if it is not followed by corresponding action does not count. Therefore, practice of the "Noble Principles of the Metta Sutta" is the essence of Buddhism.

In this connexion this "Metta" or Universal Love (Loving kindness) is generally taken to exist in connexion with other people, but in reality love for self comes first. It is not a selfish love, but love for self, pure love that comes first. By having pure love or "Metta" as we defined it for self; selfish tendencies, hatred, anger, will be diminished. Therefore, unless we ourselves possess

"Metta" within, we can not share, radiate, send "Metta" to others. So meditation on love "Metta" is to be started within ourselves. According to Buddhism self-love comes first. By helping ourselves, we can help others effectively. The Buddha pointed out, "If a person cannot help himself well, he cannot help others well".

In the Dhammapada it says, "One should first establish oneself in what is proper then only he should advise another; such a wise-man will not be reproached!". If one cannot find happiness in himself, he cannot find happiness anywhere else. It is also said that people who cannot control themselves cannot find happiness.

According to the Buddhist method, training oneself comes first. Individual perfection must be first, so that the organic whole may be perfect. The state of the outer world is a reflection of our innerselves. The world is like a great mirror, and if you look at the mirror with a smiling face, you will see your own beautiful smiling face. If you look at it with a shrinking face, you will see your own ugly face. It means that "Every action must have equal and opposite reaction."

So if you treat the world properly, kindly, the world will treat you kindly. We should not expect other persons to treat us kindly first, we should start by ourselves treating them kindly,

This is the essence of Buddhist "Metta" Loving Kindness."

- U Nandiya, Metta Sutta (Discourse on Loving-kindness), posted to AdyashantiSatsang by Mazie Lane




 




All of existence is continually coming into being, where it is always a new existence. The universe is never old; it is always new, for it is renewed instant to instant. This includes absolutely everything, the planets, the sun and the stars, the galaxies and the space that contains them; it also includes all the thoughts, images, memories, feelings, sensations, and all phenomena at all levels of being. And all of this constitutes one manifold, continuous and continuously coming into being.

We can experience this directly when we have realized the dimension of dynamic being. We do not simply perceive objects in space that move in time, but we experience ourselves as infinite and boundless presence that continuously transforms itself into the various objects and form of the universe. We experience ourselves as the ground and the nature of all forms, but also as the substance that is in continual and eternal transformation, and through its transformation objects appear, manifold, as manifestations of its potentialities, but this manifold never becomes anything different from itself. There exist no objects, just the appearance of objects, which are nothing but in their totality are Being itself manifesting as the universe. In other words, using monotheistic terminology, the universe is a theophany, and its changes are the life of God.

- A. H. Almaas
The Inner Journey Home: Soul's Realization of the Unity of Reality, posted to SufiMystic by Farishtah





There is no becoming. ALL IS.

- Wei Wu Wei





Underlying all there is, there Is a Cause of all the "because of this, then that", and by Grace we are aware and able to focus on It and not just this and that.

- Kir Li Molari, posted to meditationsocietyofamerica by Bob Rose




I find that somehow, by shifting the focus of attention, I become the very thing I look at, and experience the kind of consciousness it has; I become the inner witness of the thing. I call this capacity of entering other focal points of consciousness, love; you may give it any name you like. Love says "I am everything". Wisdom says "I am nothing". Between the two, my life flows. Since at any point of time and space I can be both the subject and the object of experience, I express it by saying that I am both, and neither, and beyond both.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj





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