In this episode, I've read selections from
Issues #3003 and 3004 of the Nonduality Highlights, both of which were
edited by Mark Otter. These feature a reminder by Robert Adams
that everything is as it should be, a dialogue with Francis Lucille, and a bit from The Niz which I recognize from
having recorded parts of it in Jerry Katz's Nisargadatta Song
of I Am.
Also included in today's podcast is musical accompaniment by the
great Miles Davis Quintet. Freddie the Freeloader is the
second track on that seminal album from 1959, Kind of Blue. Hailed by some critics as the greatest jazz
recording of all time, it marked the first recorded introduction
of modal music and extended-form improvisation into modern jazz.
The album also showcased the ripening talents of a 23-year-old
tenor saxophonist named John Coltrane, along with a fascinating young composer and
pianist named Bill Evans. Both of these artists, as with so many of the band
members Miles selected for himself over the years, went on to
have outstanding careers in jazz music. Each of them made
superlative contributions to the genre.
Guest Editor Vicki Woodyard
brings us this news:
“The Reverend John Logan made his
gentle passing just before 3 p.m
Thursday afternoon. He died surrounded by family and loved ones,
peacefully and simply, between one breath and the next.”
I knew something was wrong, or John would
have replied to my last
email. Three weeks later, I received the above word of his death.
Later I was to learn that he had a massive heart attack followed
by
pneumonia and a stroke. No doubt he is still with us all.
Many people online benefited from
John’s wisdom and clarity. Having
survived throat cancer, he shared directly and openly what he
knew
about the spirit world. I met him when my husband was dying and I
looked forward to his gentle and supportive words. And then one
day
they stopped.
Jill: John Logan was,
indeed, a very great spirit, and a kind and
helpful, sensitive friend to many in this sangha and many, many,
beyond it.
Yosy: * oh yes, dearly
beloved john... he was a truly wise man, and
his presence would be missed... but his spirit will live among us
always. free at last from the fetters of this world.
may all his near and dear find full
consolation,
yosy (wishing us all a fast and easy death
when the time comes...)
And here are some words from the late Robert
John Logan (Lotusaware)
The part of grief that is transformed
occurs when we remember the
love and realize that the loss of a body cannot ever take away
the
love which is in the heart. Bodies die; love never dies.
In Chapter 32 of the Tao Teh Ching one
translation reads
"Tao in the world is like a river
going home to the ocean."
I see the "Named Tao" as
equivalent to "Life".
Now it reads
Life in the world is like a river going
home to the ocean!
I share that with you, Love, John
A lovely photo from Alan Larus and a
closing poem written by John Logan:
More important, much more important is the
bird sitting on a tree
branch singing his song to the world.
More important is the blade of tall grass dancing in the wind.
More important is the laughter of a child at play.
More important is the couple walking down the street holding
hands,
no matter what their age.
More important is the stillness of the night with stars shining.
More important is the storm, with wind and rain.
More important is just a touch of kindness, a word of caring, a
moment of compassion.
More important is the awareness of stillness and silence in which
everything is just as it is.
John L.
Little Stone
Little stone,
so round, so smooth,
so patiently grey,
I say to you:
"Help me understand
the story of your keen essence,
your intrinsic nature of solitude,
how eons of stellar configurations
caused you to fit
so perfectly
in the palms of my admiration",
Little stone,
I hear the woeful ocean
I see sparks of divinity's fire
I feel my joyful heart
throbbing
inside
your vast magnificence.
