View allAll Photos Tagged Unconditioned
Let it be understood
By the presence of my white satin scarves,
My brush means good
With a deep dip of black and white love.
Simple. Unconditioned. Curious.
Let the adjectives be understood.
Simple. Unconditioned. Curious.
Now let’s learn ephemerality.
A noun best understood by the insanes.
For they see the seasons’ changes.
Let it be understood
That they have all the time to see
For each pair of those eyes
Remember another that took over.
Let it be understood
How those pairs search still
For the lost, for good.
They are the lunatics until;
Let it be understood
How until one will finally muster
The nouns of the adjectives for good,
And learn to look into those caves.
The eyes no longer linger.
Let it be understood.
The eyes simply stare in awe
Of the beauty of today.
Let it be understood
That my scarves white satin
Only hold my yesterdays.
Asylum. Indoctrination. Sedation.
Let it be understood.
The red ink on the white satin,
Is invisible, silent, sedate.
Let it be understood.
“The breezes blow in perfect harmony. They are neither hot nor cold. They are at the same time calm and fresh, sweet and soft. They are neither fast nor slow. When they blow on the nets made of many kinds of jewels, the trees emit the innumerable sounds of the subtle and sublime Dharma and spread myriad sweet and fine perfumes. Those who hear these sounds spontaneously cease to raise the dust of tribulation and impurity. When the breezes touch their bodies they all attain a bliss comparable to that accompanying a monk’s attainment of the samadhi of extinction.
“Moreover, when they blow, these breezes scatter flowers all over, filling this buddha-field. These flowers fall in patterns according to their colors, without ever being mixed up. They have delicate hues and a wonderful fragrance. When one steps on these petals the feet sink four inches. When one lifts the foot, the petals return to their original shape and position. When these flowers stop falling, the ground suddenly opens up, and they disappear as if by magic. They remain pure and do not decay, because, at a given time, the breezes blow again and scatter the flowers. And the same process occurs six times a day.
“Moreover, many jewel lotuses fill this world system. Each jewel blossom has a hundred thousand million peals. The radiant light emanating from their petals is of countless different colors. Blue colored flowers give out a blue light. White colored flowers give out a white light. Others have deeper colors and light, and some are of yellow, red, and purple color and light. But the splendor if each of these lights surpasses the radiance of the sun and the moon. From every flower issue thirty-six hundred thousand million rays of light. From each one of these rays issue thirty-six hundred thousand million buddhas…”
from the Sukhāvatīvyūhaḥ Sūtra
____________
“The earth has been there for a long time. She is mother to all of us. She knows everything. The Buddha asked the earth to be his witness by touching her with his hand when he had some doubt and fear before his awakening. The earth appeared to him as a beautiful mother. In her arms she carried flowers and fruit, birds and butterflies, and many different animals, and offered them to the Buddha. The Buddha’s doubts and fears instantly disappeared. Whenever you feel unhappy, come to the earth and ask for her help. Touch her deeply, the way the Buddha did. Suddenly, you too will see the earth with all her flowers and fruit, trees and birds, animals and all the living beings that she has produced. All these things she offers to you. You have more opportunities to be happy than you ever thought. The earth shows her love to you and her patience. The earth is very patient. She sees you suffer, she helps you, and she protects you. When we die, she takes us back into her arms.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
_________
"Our planet is our house, and we must keep it in order and take care of it if we are genuinely concerned about happiness for ourselves, our children, our friends and other sentient beings who share this great house with us."
- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
__________
“...turn to Conceptual Photography through Zen camera of the mind. Or take up gardening––which is surely the most perfect practice of Zen outside of non-gardening.”
-photographer Edward Putzar
__________
།ས་གཞི་སྤོས་ཀྱིས་བྱུགས་ཤིང་མེ་ཏོག་བཀྲམ།
།རི་རབ་གླིང་བཞི་ཉི་ཟླས་བརྒྱན་པ་འདི།
།སངས་རྒྱས་ཞིང་དུ་དམིགས་ཏེ་དབུལ་བར་བགྱི།
།འགྲོ་ཀུན་རྣམ་དག་ཞིང་ལ་སྤྱོད་པར་ཤོག།།
།ཨི་དཾ་གུ་རུ་རཏྣ་མཎྜལ་ཀཾ་ནི་རྱཱ་ཏ་ཡཱ་མི།
________
Every physical atom, in its incessant movements produces a sound which is a song, so that if we had the power of spiritual hearing (genuine clairaudience), we would be able to hear this unimaginably grand symphony of sounds. In such a state we would hear the grass growing and the opening of a flower would itself be a marvelous natural orchestral performance. When you are lost or caught up in an emotional storm or contracted in self-centeredness or plagued by obsessive thoughts, notice what happens when you step outside or go for a walk and pay attention to the sky, the air, the light, the movement of wind, the feel of grass under your feet. Tread softly for we tread on something subtle, ancient, and slow.
Reawakening our connection with nature spirits helps us to live more harmoniously and consciously. We become kinder to the planet because we remember that we’re part of the whole.
____________
“In another moment Alice was through the glass, and had jumped lightly down into the Looking-glass room….
This time she came upon a large flower-bed, with a border of daisies, and a willow-tree growing in the middle.
`O Tiger-lily,’ said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully about in the wind, `I wish you could talk!’
`We can talk,’ said the Tiger-lily: `when there’s anybody worth talking to.”
Alice was so astonished that she could not speak for a minute: it quite seemed to take her breath away. At length, as the Tiger-lily only went on waving about, she spoke again, in a timid voice — almost in a whisper. `And can all the flowers talk?’
`As well as all can,’ said the Tiger-lily. `And a great deal louder.’
`It isn’t manners for us to begin, you know,’ said the Rose, `and I really was wondering when you’d speak! Said I to myself, “Her face has got some sense in it, thought it’s not a clever one!” Still, you’re the right colour, and that goes a long way.’
`I don’t care about the colour,’ the Tiger-lily remarked. `If only her petals curled up a little more, she’d be all right.’”
____________
William Blake wrote of seeing a world in a grain of sand, holding “Infinity in the palm of your hand.” It speaks to me of infinite life both on Earth, and in earth, the ceaseless abundance within a speck of soil, the infinity of life, from seed to bud to flower to seed, wheeling on through aeons. It suggests the unbreakable cycle, the unending and unending nature of life, creating infinity from within itself.
_____________
“I want to speak about bodies changed into new forms. You, gods, since you are the ones who alter these, and all other things, inspire my attempt, and spin out a continuous thread of words, from the world's first origins to my own time.”- Ovid, Metamorphoses Book I
_________
“The mysteries of the Great and the Little World are distinguished only by the form in which they manifest themselves; for they are only one thing, one being. “
- Paracelsus
__________
“If someone has an empty brain—and because of this is vexed by insanity, and is delirious—take the whole grains of wheat and cook them in water. Place these cooked grains around his whole head, tying a cloth over them. His brain may be reinvigorated by their vital fluid, and he may recover his health. Do this until he returns to his right mind.”
- Hildegard of Bingen, Physica
______________
“Millions of spiritual creatures walk the Earth unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep.” - John Milton, Paradise Lost
____________
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” - Confucius
_____________
見るところ花にあらずと云ふことなし、
思ふところ月にあらずと云ふことなし。
“Miru tokoro hana ni arazu to iu koto nashi,
omou tokoro tsuki ni arazu to iu koto nashi”
“There is nothing you can see that is not a flower;
There is nothing you can think that is not the moon.”
- Matsui Basho -
____________
“To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul” – Andri Cauldwell
—————
“I’ve been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.” – Henri Mattise
___________
Seeing is perception with the original, unconditioned eye. It is a state of consciousness in which separation of photographer/subject, audience/image dissolves; in which a reality beyond words and concepts opens up, whose “point” or “meaning” is the direct experience itself.
– John Daido Loori
__________
I am Not,
but the Universe is my Self.
- Shih T'ou, 700 - 790 CE
__________
Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.
- Renee Magritte
____________
"Buddha was born as his mother leaned against a tree for support. He attained enlightenment seated beneath a tree and passed away as trees stood witness overhead. If Buddha were to return to our world, he would certainly be connected to the campaign to protect the environment."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
__________
“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.”
― William Blake
——
“Long ago, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness arose out of the deepest human instinct and became the three greatest ideals that inspired human striving. In modern times these ideals have almost become empty words, but we have the possibility of taking these ideals and giving them, once more, real meaning and substance.”
—Rudolf Steiner
_________
The visible world is no longer a reality and the unseen world no longer a dream.
― William Butler Yeats
premi "L" per vederla in GRANDE, grazie - press "L" to see it LARGE, thanx
--
di colorata ed incondizionata generosita' - colourful and unconditioned unselfishness
--
(li ho sentiti, si stavano cantando questa)
♬♪♭ edie brickell and the new bohemians - good times ♫♪
(quanto l'ho adorata)
"The true Name is like none other name!
The distinction of the Conditioned
from the Unconditioned is but a word:
The Unconditioned is the seed,
the Conditioned is the flower and the fruit.
Knowledge is the branch,
and the Name is the root.
Look, and see where the root is:
happiness shall be yours when you come to the root.
The root will lead you to the branch,
the leaf, the flower, and the fruit:
It is the encounter with the Lord,
it is the attainment of bliss,
it is the reconciliation
of the Conditioned
and the Unconditioned."
- Kabir
(Translation by Rabindranath Tagore)
Over 600 years ago, this epic poet helped us to consider what it means to live a full and abundant life. He encourages us to look deeper into the essence of the seed and recognize the Infinite wellspring of the Source itself.
Click here for a more in-depth exploration:
Universal Door Meditation Center (Thien Vien Pho Mon)
2619 Charles Lane, Sugar Land, TX 77498.
(281)565-9718
Email: contact@universaldoor.org
The Universal Door Meditation Center is a place for those who know they have anger, worry, fear, sadness, sickness, etc. and want to find out why this suffering happens. The point of suffering is the doorway to finding its underlying causes and the end of the suffering. When the root of suffering is realized, you will automatically have truly complete happiness and peace.
A “universal door” is a gateway to the Unconditioned, the Ultimate Reality.
According to the teaching of the historical Buddha, the way to end suffering is to know that suffering comes from within and then to find out why suffering happens. This inner exploration is without conflict or contradiction with any other practice or tradition, and so this way is called a universal door. For this reason, we have chosen Universal Door as the name of our practice center.
The Heart aches to return to the Center
The point within where Creation pours through
There images rise and dance in obedience
Move to the sounds of the stars
Each is You and You dance through
Ever rising and reaching
Ever holding and balancing
Ever sinking back into No-Thing
The great emptying from that place
Fills the Universe with brilliance
Yet
Sometimes in dimming and darkness
Doubt creeps in
Distorts all clarity
Aimlessness plants its banner
Failure comes a thousand times
Still…
Still You rise
Lift this heart
Return it to the Center
“Again”,
The Unspoken Voice echoes
Now Courage lifts arms into the air
In Poise and Self-Composure
The Kingdom of Unblemished Creation
Offers Eternity through every aspect of Itself
You are its purest offering
© Ganga Fondan, 2011
After an emotionally and physically trying week ,I promise my Self that I will never give up until I reach and become one with my dreams. My exercises lead me onward and the lessons continue to pour through:
“The Kingdom of God is the Absolute, beyond time and space and the center of your Being, the region of Unconditioned thought.” – Tulshi Sen (“Ancient Secrets of Success for Today’s World” – p 79)
Peasant Land Seizure!
Brathiadau Bloody anafiadau rheibus dannedd lefarodd,
ungestümen Flammen blutige Durchsetzung Hass,
forgeage des milliers de rage de renverse lourds,
наморднике почвы клевете полномочия рядом,
blasphemi frugibus umbrae amara extremis,
câini josnic chaffed nemulțumirea lui a pus,
hvirvlende dødelige forfallet imperium tillit passerer,
ultimo uomo impallidire conclusioni gregari libero,
ontaarding ontwikkelingen painfulest overtuigingen toevalligheid,
upplifa anxieties umbreytandi ástgir reglur underfoot,
obligasyon deranje egalize pèspektiv fò,
instints perillosos revengefulness establir meravellosa festa convencional,
necessaries intelectuais organizando domínios cruel,
фанатици страшне жртве доктрине пркос је награђен,
przesłuchań nerwica absurdalne zrzeczenia dziki kraj,
mian transvaluations unconditioned deonaíodh,
csalfa vezetők rabszolgák törés láncok előítéletek visszaélés,
annuntians dogmaticis indifferens est fortitudo,
取ら異なる値をセトリング怒っレッスン.
Steve.D.Hammond.
181-187 Collins Street. Interwar Period, Art Deco Style. Built 1936. Architects: Marsh & Michaelson.
Classified by the Australian National Trust. Statement of Cultural Heritage Significance:
CITATION The Theosophical Society Building (1936-37) has a long association with an influential international movement and the clear expression of this society's beliefs in the universality of brotherhood and religious beliefs is expressed in features of its facade. The Australian section of the society was among the largest in the world and in the 1920s-30s the Melbourne lodge was second in Australia only to Sydney in importance. This building is the most impressive and substantial surviving theosophical headquarters to be erected in Australia. Internally, the first floor spaces occupied by the theosophists, which included a lecture hall and library, are near to original, while the facade with its rare Egyptian revival stylism is intact. The architects, Marsh and Michaelson, more renowned for their collaboration in notable Moderne styled designs, skilfully integrated the embodiment of their clients' ancient creeds with the demands of contemporary architectural fashions.
The Theosophical Society welcomes seekers belonging to any religion or to none, who are in sympathy with its Three Objects. The Three Objects of The Theosophical Society:
To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science.
To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in the human being.
The motto of the Society is There is no Religion higher than Truth. The word Religion in this statement is a translation of the Sanskrit dharma, which among other things means practice; way; virtue; teaching; law; inherent nature; religion; and that which is steadfast or firm. The word Truth in the motto is a translation of the Sanskrit satya, meaning, among other things, true, real and actual. It derives from the root sat, sometimes translated as boundless unconditioned existence.
Theosophy, from the Greek, theosophia, means divine wisdom. The word is not defined in the Constitution of the Theosophical Society, or in any official document. Members of the Society are left to discover what it is for themselves, taking as guides whatever philosophies or religions they wish.
THE SERPENT is the timeless symbol of the highest spiritual Wisdom. Swallowing its tail, it is a symbol of regeneration. It is the self-born, the circle of infinite wisdom, life and immortality. The circle itself is an ancient symbol of eternity and represents the Absolute, the unmanifested universe containing the potentials of all form. As representative of the infinite sphere, the "world egg" of archaic cosmology, this symbol is found in every world religion and philosophy.
THE INTERLACED TRIANGLES, one (lighter) pointing upwards and the other (darker) pointing downwards, symbolise the descent of spirit into matter and its reemergence from the confining limits of form. They also suggest the constant conflict between the light and dark forces in nature as well as the inseparable unity of spirit and matter. When depicted within the circle of the serpent, the figure represents the universe and the manifestation of Deity in time and space. The three lines and three angles of each of the two triangles may remind us of the triple aspects of spirit: existence, consciousness and bliss, and the three aspects of matter: mobility, resistance and rhythm. The glyph can also be seen as the six-pointed star, embracing spiritual and physical consciousness and viewed by the Pythagoreans as the symbol of creation.
IN THE CENTRE of the seal is the ANKH or CRUX ANSATA, an ancient Egyptian symbol of resurrection. It is composed of the Tau or T-shaped cross surmounted by a small circle and is often seen in Egyptian statuary and in wall and tomb paintings where it is depicted as being held in the hand. The Tau symbolises matter or the world of form; the small circle above it represents spirit or life. With the circle marking the position of the head, it represents the mystic cube unfolded to form the Latin cross, symbol of spirit descended into matter and crucified thereon, but risen from death and resting triumphant on the arms of the conquered slayer. So it may be said that the figure of the interlaced triangles enclosing the ankh represents the human triumphant and the divine triumphant in the human. As the cross of life, the ankh then becomes a symbol of resurrection and immortality.
THE SWASTIKA, placed in the emblem at the head of the serpent, is one of the numerous forms in which the symbol of the cross is found. It is the fiery cross, with arms of whirling flame revolving clockwise to represent the tremendous energies of nature incessantly creating and dissolving the forms through which the evolutionary process takes place. In religions which recognise three aspects of Deity, the swastika is associated with the Third Person of the Trinity, who is at once the Creator and the Destroyer: Shiva in Hinduism and the Holy Ghost in Christianity. Applied to humanity, the figure may show the human as the link between heaven and earth, one "hand" pointing toward heaven or spirit and the other toward earth or matter.
ABOVE THE SEAL (normally), in Sanskrit characters, is the sacred word of Hinduism, AUM or OM, a word of profound significance. It may be said to stand for the creative Word or Logos, the ineffable Reality which is the source of all existence. We are reminded of the statement: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Om is a word of power and should be uttered only with the greatest reverence.
Nirvana as "the unconditioned" mind, a mind that has come to a point of perfect lucidity and clarity due to the absence of volitional formations.
This being is described by the Buddha as "deathlessness" and as the highest spiritual attainment, the natural result that accrues to one who lives a life of virtuous conduct and practise in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path.
Such a life dissolves the causes for future becoming that otherwise keep beings forever wandering through the impermanent and suffering-generating realms of desire, form, and formlessness, collectively termed samsara.
While nirvana is "unconditioned", it is not "uncaused" or "independent."
The stance of the early scriptures is that attaining nibbana depends on effort and is not pre-determined.
This is a picture was shot under the Bodhi Tree which is at Bodh Gaya (बोधगया), in the Indian state of Bihar, the place of Gautama Buddha's attainment of nirvana (Enlightenment).
Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography
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Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
The use of any work without consent of the artist is PROHIBITED and will lead automatically to consequences.
Some great quotes from a Contact in Canberra.. Pure...
"Shoot any scene at the time of realization of the highest emotional stress coupled with sense of pictorial form - is a decisive moment". Henri Cartier-Bresson
“I hope that my work will encourage self expression in others and stimulate the search for beauty and creative excitement in the great world around us.”-Ansel Adams
“True education is concerned not only with practical goals but also with values.”- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
“Buildings should keep you dry and feed the soul.” - Zaha Hadid .
"As swift as the wind, quiet as a forest, furious as fire, immovable as a mountain." - Takeda family
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are. I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not."- Kurt Cobain
"A friend is nothing but a known enemy."- Kurt Cobain
"The duty of youth is to challenge corruption."- Kurt Cobain
"There's nothing better than having a baby. Holding my baby is the best drug in the world." - Kurt Cobain
"We're so trendy we can't even escape ourselves."- Kurt Cobain
"Rap music's been around for too long now to be inspirational. The words are, but the music isn't."- Alexander Lee McQueen
"You can only go forward by making mistakes." - Alexander Lee McQueen
"Music assists him in the use of harmonic and mathematical proportion."- Vitruvius
"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." - Pablo Picasso
"I am still learning." - Michelangelo
"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." - Salvador Dali
For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. Vincent Van Gogh
If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. Vincent Van Gogh
I am still far from being what I want to be, but with God's help I shall succeed. Vincent Van Gogh
Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh
I dream of painting and then I paint my dream. Vincent Van Gogh
When I have a terrible need of - shall I say the word - Religion. Then I go out and paint the stars. Vincent Van Gogh
Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model. Vincent Van Gogh
Do something worth remembering. Elvis Presley
Rhythm is something you either have or don't have, but when you have it, you have it all over. Elvis Presley
I'am not the King. Jesus Christ is the King. I'am just entertainer. Elvis Presley
A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It's my favorite part of the business, live concerts. Elvis Presley
People think you're crazy if you talk about things they don't understand. Elvis Presley
You only pass through this life once. You don't come back for an encore. Elvis Presley
Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine. Elvis Presley
I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to. Elvis Presley
I believe the key to happiness is : someone to love , something to do , and something to look forward to. Elvis Presley
When things go wrong don't go with them. Elvis Presley
"Be as you wish to seem." Socrates
"Wisdom begins in wonder. " Socrates
"Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live." Socrates
"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true." Socrates
"Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant." Socrates
"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing." Socrates
"Once made equal to man, woman becomes his superior." Socrates
"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us." Socrates
"I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean. " Socrates
"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates
"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for. " Socrates
"He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy." Socrates
"By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." Socrates
"I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing. " Socrates
"From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate." Socrates
"Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us." Socrates
"He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature." Socrates
"I was angry and frustrated until I started my own family and my first child was born. Until then I didn't really appreciate life the way I should have, but fortunately I woke up." Johnny Depp
"The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants." Johnny Depp
"When kids hit one year old, it's like hanging out with a miniature drunk. You have to hold onto them. They bump into things. They laugh and cry. They urinate. They vomit."
Johnny Depp
"If there's any message to my work, it is ultimately that it's OK to be different, that it's good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color. " Johnny Depp
"Trips to the dentist - I like to postpone that kind of thing."Johnny Depp
"I'm not sure I'm adult yet." Johnny Depp
"There's a drive in me that won't allow me to do certain things that are easy. " Johnny Depp
"The term 'serious actor' is kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? Like 'airplane food.' " Johnny Depp
"As a teenager I was so insecure. I was the type of guy that never fitted in because he never dared to choose. I was convinced I had absolutely no talent at all. For nothing. And that thought took away all my ambition too." Johnny Depp
"I'm an old-fashioned guy... I want to be an old man with a beer belly sitting on a porch, looking at a lake or something."Johnny Depp
"People say I make strange choices, but they're not strange for me. My sickness is that I'm fascinated by human behavior, by what's underneath the surface, by the worlds inside people." Johnny Depp
"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." Francis of Assisi
"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love." Francis of Assisi
"For it is in giving that we receive." Francis of Assisi
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. " Steve Jobs
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." Steve Jobs
" That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." Steve Jobs
"Computers themselves, and software yet to be developed, will revolutionize the way we learn. " Steve Jobs
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works. " Steve Jobs
"I believe life is an intelligent thing: that things aren't random. " Steve Jobs
"Things don't have to change the world to be important." Steve Jobs
"Stay hungry, stay foolish." Steve Jobs
"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R & D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it." Steve Jobs
"I think money is a wonderful thing because it enables you to do things. It enables you to invest in ideas that don't have a short-term payback. " Steve Jobs
" Throughout my years in business, I discovered something. I would always ask why you do things. The answers that I would invariably get are: 'Oh, that's just the way things are done around here.' Nobody knows why they do what they do. Nobody thinks very deeply about things in business. " Steve Jobs
"Technology is nothing. What's important is that you have a faith in people, that they're basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they'll do wonderful things with them. " Steve Jobs
"You have to be very focused and work very hard, but it is not about working hard without knowing what your aim is! You really have to have a goal." Zaha Hadid
"I have always appreciate those who dare to experiment with materials and proportions." Zaha Hadid
"I don't think that Architecture is only about shelter...it's should be able to excite you , to calm you, to make you think." Zaha Hadid
“Be - don't try to become” . Osho
“Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height. Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches. Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is like the roots going down into the womb of the earth. Both are needed, and the higher a tree goes, the deeper it goes, simultaneously. The bigger the tree, the bigger will be its roots. In fact, it is always in proportion. That's its balance.” Osho
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." and so in you the child your mother lives on and through your family continues to live... so at this time look after yourself and your family as you would your mother for through you all she will truly never die.” Osho
“Truth is not to be found outside. No teacher, no scripture can give it to you. It is inside you and if you wish to attain it, seek your own company. Be with yourself. ” Osho
“If you love a flower, don’t pick it up.
Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love.
So if you love a flower, let it be.
Love is not about possession.
Love is about appreciation.” Osho
“Experience life in all possible ways --
good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light,
summer-winter. Experience all the dualities.
Don't be afraid of experience, because
the more experience you have, the more
mature you become.” Osho
“Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.” Osho
“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” Osho
“Friendship is the purest love. It is the highest form of Love where nothing is asked for, no condition, where one simply enjoys giving.” Osho
“Be realistic: Plan for a miracle”. Osho
“Listen to your being. It is continuously giving you hints; it is a still, small voice. It does not shout at you, that is true. And if you are a little silent you will start feeling your way. Be the person you are. Never try to be another, and you will become mature. Maturity is accepting the responsibility of being oneself, whatsoever the cost. Risking all to be oneself, that's what maturity is all about.” Osho
“Life begins where fear ends.” Osho
"I'm simply saying that there is a way to be sane. I'm saying that you can get rid of all this insanity created by the past in you. Just by being a simple witness of your thought processes.
It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts, passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say “this is good, this is bad,” you have already jumped onto the thought process.
It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise, that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher.
And this process of watching is the very alchemy of real religion. Because as you become more and more deeply rooted in witnessing, thoughts start disappearing. You are, but the mind is utterly empty.
That’s the moment of enlightenment. That is the moment that you become for the first time an unconditioned, sane, really free human being.” Osho
“You feel good, you feel bad, and these feelings are bubbling from your own unconsciousness, from your own past. Nobody is responsible except you. Nobody can make you angry, and nobody can make you happy.” Osho
“Truth is not something outside to be discovered, it is something inside to be realized.” Osho
“Intelligence is dangerous. Intelligence means you will start thinking on your own; you will start looking around on your own. You will not believe in the scriptures; you will believe only in your own experience.” Osho
“Courage Is a love affair with the unknown”. Osho
“If you are a parent, open doors to unknown directions to the child so he can explore. Don't make him afraid of the unknown, give him support. ” Osho
“The real question is not whether life exists after death. The real question is whether you are alive before death.” Osho
“Whatever you feel, you become. It is your responsibility.” Osho
“You exist in time, but you belong to eternity. You are a penetration of eternity into the world of time. You are
deathless, living in a body of death. Your consciousness knows no death, no birth. It is only your body that is born and dies. But you are not aware of your consciousness. You are not conscious of your consciousness. And that is the whole art of meditation. Becoming conscious of consciousness itself.” Osho
“Be less of a judge and you will be surprised that when you become a witness and you don't judge yourself, you stop judging others too. And that makes you more human, more compassionate, more understanding.” Osho
“A little foolishness, enough 2 enjoy life, & a little wisdom to avoid the errors, that will do”. Osho
“You become more divine as you become more creative. All the religions of the world have said God is the creator. I don’t know whether he is the creator or not, but one thing I know: the more creative you become, the more godly you become. When your creativity comes to a climax, when your whole life becomes creative, you live in God. So he must be the creator because people who have been creative have been closest to him. Love what you do. Be meditative while you are doing it – whatever it is”. Osho
Definition of meditative - (adjective) -
of, involving, or absorbed in meditation or considered thought.
“In love the other is important; in lust you are important” . Osho
“It's not a question of learning much. On the contrary. It's a question of unlearning much.“ Osho
“All that is great cannot be possessed - and that is one of the most foolish things man goes on doing. We want to possess.” Osho
“The moment you become miserly you are closed to the basic phenomenon of life: expansion, sharing. The moment you start clinging to things, you have missed the target - you have missed. Because things are not the target, you, your innermost being, is the target - not a beautiful house, but a beautiful you, not much money, but a rich you, not many things, but an open being, available to millions of things.” Osho
“If you want to learn anything, learn trust - nothing else it needed. If you are miserable, nothing else will help - learn trust. If you don't feel any meaning in life and you feel meaningless, nothing will help - learn trust. Trust gives meaning because trust makes you capable of allowing the whole descend upon you.” Osho
“I love, because my love is not dependent on the object of love. My love is dependent on my state of being. So whether the other person changes, becomes different, friend turns into a foe, does not matter, because my love was never dependent on the other person. My love is my state of being. I simply love.” Osho
First visit 9 july 2009
#2284 - 2014 Day 92: We had another artist exchange today with inspirational Meg Robinson. I have known Meg for some time now and have been moved by every aspect of her life story. One corner of her studio encapsulates it for me: the artist, the writer, the traveller through South America; a self fully expressed.
In addition to the pleasure of engaging with my own guests, I took a little time to critique a few images by Merxe, a young neighbour of Meg's who has taken to photography as a means for her own self-expression via her blog. What a joy to see photographs made unconstrained, unconditioned and unreserved. I was moved hugely by the experience. Thank you Meg, once again, and thank you Merxe.
Self Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness by Padmasambhava
Thoughts in the past are clear and empty and leave no traces behind.
Thoughts in the future are fresh and unconditioned by anything.
And in the present moment, when (your mind) remains in its own condition without constructing anything, awareness, at that moment, in itself is quite ordinary.
A mandala map of the Shingon Buddhist Mantra School's cosmology.
There are three universal truths found in Shingon Buddhism, the universal essence, universal form, and universal function.
The universal essence is in regard to the chakra body, otherwise known as the wheel body. The chakra body is a circle composed of elemental circles which encompass the nature of all phenomena including the dharma, the law of universal norms, Buddhist teachings, karmic consequences, thought and all things. There are three Buddha bodies or three chakra bodies for three types of listeners. The first chakra body exists in its own nature, this body manifests in the form of Buddhas who read the innate original nature by meditation. The second is the right dharma chakra body which connects the Bodhisattva to those who search for liberation by right dharma. The third is the doctrine command chakra body which exists in wrathful forms that must command those difficult to convert. Each chakra body is made up five chakras into a Stupa which creates the Matrix world.
The first chakra is the earth chakra found just below the naval and represented by the yellow square. This is the root chakra which roots the lower body into the `yoga throne of indestructible diamond` This is the throne of Indra which casts light brilliantly onto all beings cultivating Ji. This chakra acts as support and ultimately resembles the uncreated. The mantra for this chakra is Namah a
The second chakra is the water chakra found at the naval which changes into the white circle. The water chakra, also known as the lotus throne, radiates like a clear moon and irrigates all things with the water of great compassion, nourishing all in Samadhi. This chakra acts as an agent of quickening and ultimately resembles ineffableness. The mantra for this chakra is Namah VA
The third chakra is the fire chakra found at the heart which changes into a red pyramid. This chakra shines like the red rising sun and emits a fire of knowledge to burn all defilements. This is a seal of the dharma world which acts as maturation and ultimately resembles a freedom of defilement. The mantra for this chakra is Namah ram
The fourth chakra is the air chakra found in between the eyes which changes into a black half moon. This chakra exercises the power of freedom and exorcises maleficent and demonic influences. This is the seal of turning the wheel functioning as growth and ultimately meaning freedom from causality. The mantra for this chakra is Namah ham
The fifth chakra is the space chakra found at the top of the head which changes to a blue jewel. This chakra is the great space, the great void and seal of the great wisdom sword. This chakra acts as all pervasive and ultimately resembles the attributes of space. The mantra for this chakra is Namah kham
The sixth Chakra is the consciousness existing above and beyond the head which changes to white or all colours. This is the chakra of perception and determination, formless in nature. This chakra is ungraspable and ultimately void. The first five physical chakras pervade the sixth and yet the sixth pervades all five. The mantra for this chakra is Namah Hum
These chakras are made of the primary colours including white, which is all colours, and black which is void of colour. All together these chakras colour and shade all things. These are the six eternal, omnipresent and indestructible elements which are irreducible components of all three dharma bodies, that of desire, form, and formless worlds.
The universal form is in regard to four Mandalas. The all pervading oneness which Shingon calls Mahaivairocana is the dharma body fused with form in the conditioned cosmos, equivalent to the virtues of one of the Buddhist faith. This dharma body is Mandala, the form of all encompassing and complete circle. The first of the four mandalas is the great mandala. This is the universe of form composed of the six elements and colours made up of images. The second mandala is the Samaya mandala which is the universe of symbolic form which identifies the Buddha’s powers and the bodhisattva’s vows through symbols such as the vajra, sword, jewels and such. The Samaya mandala is activated with the coming together of hand gestures called mudras. The third mandala is the dharma mandala which contains all sounds of the universe and identifies with the original vow. All sounds are resembled by their Sanskrit seed sound, the seed which flowers into all words. The fourth mandala is the action mandala which is composed of all actions and is uncoloured where as form is forgotten and form is seeing. In the center of the four mandalas is the great radiating light of the sun, of Mahiavairocana, all the mandalas existing as attributes of Mahaivairocana. The four mandalas within the being interpenetrate each other without hindrance uniting body and mind with Buddha body and mind in a universal form of suchness.
The Buddha said `Mandala is what gives birth to all Buddhas, incomparable excellent flavor` Firstly, the mandala means circle, wheel, or chakra, a totality of the whole, completeness. Totality is formed by its parts, like a wheel is formed of a hub, spokes and empty space. A circle is an assembly, such as a circle of friends, or bodhisattvas. Secondly what gives birth to all Buddha`s and awakens the Buddha nature within? In Buddhism this is the seed, the bodhicitta. The citta is planted in the earth of the mind of all knowledge, than moistened by the water of great compassion, warmed by the sun of great wisdom, animated by air of great method and obstructed in space of great void, the citta develops into the dharma world as a sprout of inconceivable dharma nature. Thirdly the most excellent flavor is that in referring to the dharma world as a sea of milk, oceans of unformed chaos with unobstructed potentiality. Churned, the milk solidifies and the most refined, the most pure part rises to the surface. Condensing, unchanging, firm, without residue, we find a concentration of the dharma.
Mandala is a circle, birth to Buddha and concentration. A mandala is a circle of ritual enclosure contained within is a field free of distractions. Mandala is a platform for awakening a place of the way. Way or `do` is synonymous with awakening, a dojo is a place of the way, of awakening. Mandala is a map of the cosmos, a representational domain for self realization through the purifying of karmas. The domain is entered or `yoked` to through universal functioning of the three mysteries.
The universal function is the truth of the three interpenetrating mysteries. Actions of men are of three types which are physical actions of the body, speech and functions of the mind. These three functions are adorned as mysteries because unless awakened are truly inconceivable.
The first mystery is the mystery of the body which is activated through hand gestures called mudras. These mudras are bodily interpenetration with phenomenon and the Dharma body which consists of five bodies. These being the precept body a perfection of precepts beyond moral conditioning, the meditation body free from illusion, The wisdom body of prajna and perfected knowledge, the liberation body of unconditioned nirvana and the knowledge of liberation where clear perception abides in liberation. The left hand resembles these five dharma bodies where as the right hand resembles the five elements. The performer of these gestures is really affirming a vow and performing a seal of faith.
The second mystery is the mystery of speech which is activated through invocations called mantras or dharanis. Dharani is a verbal formula to invoke Buddha, a calling for oneness. Dharani is a support which sustains. Mantra stems from the Sanskrit seeds of `man` which means thought and `tra` which means liberates or container. Thus mantra means container of thought. This is the container for the essence of doctrine and the Dharma bodies. One syllable can contain all dharmas beyond which conceptualizing, illusory words are able to convey the dharmas unconditioned suchness beyond causality and the limitations of space and time. Although Mantras contain powers capable of miracles, the true aim is that of liberation.
The third mystery is the mystery of the mind activated through visualizations. The mind lies in a formless void, and it is important to note here that Esotericism does not aim at the void but to interpenetrate form. Visualization manifests through a one pointed concentration that brings the image into the mind-heart within the chakra body which forms a seal of entry. The mind`s eye sees that true form is emptiness. There is no grasping here, no differentiating the illusory of the symbol or to see real by cutting the unreal but to just see things as they are in their non-duality.
The external formal mandala is not the true mandala but a meditational support consisting of externalized rites for a realization of an internal yoke to the true mandala. To realize this inner mandala satisfies all desires. Mandala abides in the mind and knowing this one can receive full fruition of the Bodhi-citta tree and recognize god`s eye view. Mandala does not differ from consciousness nor consciousness differs from mandala, they are identical. The outward painted mandala is both a schema of Dharma world made up phenomenal dharmas and a schema, the underlying organizational framework, of the mind of being. The mandala is an energy grid that represents the constant flow of the divine and demonic, the human and animal. These are impulses that interact in constructive or deconstructive patterns that are a mesocosm consisting of the macrocosm with the microcosm, the mundane with sublime. The Mandala purges the body of demons and embodies the divine through the cleansing of the elements. Mandala is a template for the divine. The energy flows into the center of the mandala, rather implodes to the source which is a reversal of the original cosmology. The energy flows through channels (nadis) into energy centers composed of concentric circles (chakras) to reach unity with the `godhead`. The mandala wholly contained within mind interpenetrates all phenomena.
The Buddhist Cosmology
The Buddhist Cosmos is instructionally approached in my mandala from the sides with visual guides for the mantras and mudras to be used in approaching the center to stimulate the three mysteries and seal one into the mandala. Following the chakra bodies is the mudra for the golden turtle which arises out of the sea of samsara. The golden turtle is untarnished and is free to roam between nirvana and samsara as earth and water. On top of the golden turtle is the jewel palace of Mt. Sumeru, the immoveable resides here. Following these embodiments one is to hold their hands in J-Yin and chant the seed syllables of the elements `Ah Vi Ra Hum Kham` and embody Mahavairocana, the body of all form. Earth supports one where water is necessary in welfare as fire is to burn away false assumptions and delusions while the air blows away the dust of passions and space remains non-discriminating without distinctions. This Dharani destroys hindrances. Ah enters Nirvana through cessation, Vi is the bondless Samadhi, Ra is the dust of defilements wiped away, Ha+U+M is the three liberation gates which severe distinctions of formlessness and finally Kham which is space and void, the negation of negation and void of void, Buddha hood. This is the stupa of the body and when perfected all bad karma vanishes.
Following the chakra chain is the Heaven realms. This begins with the six heavens of the world of desire. The first heaven exists on earth which consists of the four kings of the directions, protector, wide-eyed, renowned and virtuous. Following the first heaven is the last earthly heaven which is on the summit of Mt. Sumeru in Indra`s palace located in the center of heaven. The third heaven exists in the realm of the sky and is the heaven of `Yama` or time. This is the heaven of the king of the world of the dead where the season is always good and inhabitants enjoy occasional pleasures. The next heaven is the heaven of commitment where inhabitants are content with their pleasures. This is the pureland of Miroku, the future Buddha, and the realm where bodhisattvas dwell before born on earth. The fifth heaven is the joy in transformations where inhabitants enjoy pleasures which the create themselves. The sixth heaven is the free enjoyment of transformation and pleasure created by others. King Mara the tempter reins in this heaven.
Following the heavens of the world of desire are the heavens of the world of form which consists of heavens belonging to four meditations. All forms of existence until now constitute the world of desire and now inhabitants are free of passion and desire. The heavens of the first meditation have transcended smell and taste but are still hindered in meditation, however not of sexual desire. There are five mental functions in this heaven which are investigation, reflection, joy, bliss and Samadhi. This is the abode of Brahma where one believes not to be bound of causation and can transform heaven and earth at will. There are no Buddhist inhabitants in this Hindu realm. The Heavens of the second meditation have transcended the five senses and types of consciousness. Thought, joy, and renunciation are all that remain. There is no pleasure or pain and attraction. True identity is recognized. The heavens of the third meditation are like the second but contain only one thought. The heavens of the fourth meditation are cloudless in that they need no support. There is an auspicious birth as the result of an abundance of merit. Here exists the heaven without thought that is without mental, perceptive and feeling functions, a warm resemblance of death. This is a heaven without Buddhist inhabitants for non returners, although they have not escaped the wheel of being. The non-returner has reached three fourths of the level of attainment. That is they have first entered the stream by turning against the stream of samsara. Secondly is the once-returner who has one more birth on earth to attain nirvana and the non-returner does not return to the desire realms of false practices and views. Finally one may become an Arhat to be unborn and escape rebirth.
Following the heavens of the world of form are the heavens of the formless world. These heavens are without form, beyond spatiality and subjection to causality. There are no longer the five physical aggregates but only aggregates of the mind/function. These again are perception, connotation, volition and consciousness. This is an ecstatic state of pure spiritual existence consisting of four meditations of the void. The first is infinite space in which the mind severed of form. Next is infinite consciousness which severs the mind of infinite space into infinite consciousness. Next we find non-existence which severs the mind of infinite consciousness to not exist. Finally we reach neither thought nor non-thought which severs the mind from thought contained in consciousness and non-thought of non-existence. Beyond this is the unconditioned immutable eternal world of the Buddhas.
Following the heavens are the ten stations of Buddha hood which are not hierarchical but horizontal identities, that is virtues that occur instantaneously upon attaining the realization of Buddha mind. The first station is of the dharma cloud, the perfection of the paramita of knowledge, whence wisdom and compassion has been perfected the bodhisattvas virtue permeates like a cloud and rains the elixir of Dharma to nourish and irrigate all sentient beings. The second is the station of wisdom of skills is where the paramita of power is perfected, powers and eloquence have been mastered which gives freedom to aid all beings with versatility of powers being paramitas, vows, supernatural faculties, mind, faith, compassion, love, dharanis and such things of suchness. The third station is of immovability, the perfection of the paramita of vows which is immutable in wisdom, immoveable in formless and fulfills the liberation of all beings. The third station is overcoming the supremely difficult, that is the perfection of the paramita of patience, the non-duality of mundane and absolute. The fourth station is of being face to face with wisdom, the paramita of wisdom consists of the immediate presence of wisdom, that is perceives absolute identity with the eyes. The fifth station is overcoming the supremely difficult, that is the perfection of the paramita of patience, the non-duality of mundane and absolute. The sixth station is that of blazing wisdom, the paramita of exertion where knowledge burns brilliantly and burns away illusion. The seventh station is that of manifesting light, the paramita of patience where the delusions of practice has been cut and one has the patience to understand. The eighth station is the freedom from defilements and union of body-mind which is the paramita of precepts where the delusion of practice is cut by removing improper action from beginningless time. The ninth station is the station of joy, the giving paramita which is the single thought of non discriminating knowledge. The tenth station is of far-reaching practice, the perfection to the paramita of method, this is a great compassion which is entirely selfless and consists of spiritual aims toward all sentient beings.
Descending from the center is the realm of man and the eight disasters which befall him. These consist of a world of secular views, deformed senses, remote places, the heavens of long life without thought, and of the world of mappo where no Buddha appears. The last three disasters are hungry ghosts, animals and hells which will soon be covered. Next is the realm of the Asuras which are figures of Hindu mythology that are `without wine or beauty` and are false gods seeing in Buddhism as belligerent beings whom make war on Indra and when they gain supremacy in this endless battle evil and chaos prevail. Following this is the realm of animals consisting of living creatures such as the birds, bees, beasts, dragons, shells and insects that are all suffering of mutual slaughter. This is the realm of the blind sheepman whom are spiritually blind and trapped in samsara by illusion.
The realm of the hungry ghosts consists of three classes of ghosts, each with three subclasses. The first class is ghosts with no possessions which consist of torch mouthed ghosts, needle thin throat ghosts and ghosts with foul breath. The Second class is ghosts with few possessions which consist of needle-haired ghosts, ghosts with rank hair and ghosts with large ulcers. The third class is ghosts with many possessions consisting of ghosts who receive discards and live on food after being used in offerings, ghosts who receive lost food that is left wayside by travelers and powerful ghosts.
There are than single isolated hells in mountains and deserts and neighboring hells which are smaller progressive hells which lay in close proximity to each hell. I have added a hell to the Shingon cosmology and that is the suicidal hell, this realm where one selfishly throws away their gift of life. There are also radical hells which consist of eight cold and eight hot hells.
The cold hells cause inhabitants to suffer by degrees of coldness. The arbuda hell is so cold that it causes blisters. The nirarbuda hell is even colder causing blisters to burst. Atata is the hell of chattering teeth. Hahaua is the hell and sound made by sufferers. Huhuua is the hell and sound of the breath of sufferers. The blue lotus hell is so cold that it causes patches on the skin to look like blue lotus. The red lotus hell is even colder and causes patches of red lotus on the skin. The great red lotus hell consists of the skin being entirely covered by red lotus.
The hot hells cause suffering to inhabitants in karmic retribution. The rebirth hell contains inhabitants who are repeatedly put to death and immediately brought back by a cold wind, renewed to torture. The hell of black ropes has sufferers bound with ropes and chopped to pieces. The hell of multitudinous combinations consists of combinations of instruments used to torture. The wailing hell`s inhabitants wail in anguish. The great wailing hell`s inhabitants wail in great suffering. The hell of scorching heat is self explanatory. Finally there is the hell of non-intervals which is for the worst of the five deadly offences that are patricide, matricide, killing an Arhat, doing injury to the body of a Buddha or cause disunity in the Sangha. There is no interval of suffering in between death and rebirth here, no interval in hell, in life. There is no part of body-mind that does not suffer.
Ascending from the center is the three stages of awakening which is permeated by the three mysteries. These stages are the three kalpas which are false tenets to be destroyed. These objective cuttings of false tenets consist of stages of fearlessness which relate to subjective attainment of mental tranquility. These stages of fearlessness are states of rest that are free of anxiety and suffering which escapes turning the karmic wheel. These are not just `absences` of fear but total regeneration of being which directly correspond to the ten stages of mind. The ascension of these stages of mind is a centrifugal expansion that is outward flowing from the center to periphery which is then followed by a centripetal return back to the center.
The first kalpa is the delusion to the nature of man, that there is permanent individuality and that the ego is real and not a temporary composition of the five aggregates which are form, perception, conception, volition, and consciousness. This kalpa is removed by meditating on the voidness of aggregates as well as the twelve linked chain of dependent co-origination which gives rise to birth and suffering. The links of the chain are ignorance (the cause of all illusion), actions produced by ignorance, consciousness which arises in the womb, name and form, the six sense organs, contact, perception/ sensation, desire, the attachment of grasping, existence, birth and death.
There are four fearlessnesses which belong to the first Kalpa. The first fearlessness is the fearlessness of virtue which is the result of good karma in previous lives. This fearlessness takes refuge in the three jewels which are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. One who has attained this level of fearlessness has turned from the worldly life by taking the five precepts which are to not kill, steal, be promiscuous, use immoderate language and abuse intoxicants. Thus one has removed fear of three paths being the hells, ghosts and animals. This commences the first practices of the three mysteries and awakens the bodhicitta. This stage of fearlessness consists of the first three stages of mind. The first stage is the mind of sheep life and profane which consists of an endless cycle of rebirths for those lacking spiritual awareness. Those at this level of mind are uncontrolled and entrapped in illusion. They work on the animal level and are trapped in a fight or flight response. The second level of mind is of the foolish child who abstains. Those at this level of mind are ignorant and naïve but ethical. They live a profane life and do not hurt man. The third level of mind is of the fearlessness of a baby where one has faith in the gods and rebirth but the ego is still attached and one remains a worldly being.
The Second fearlessness belonging to the first Kalpa is the fearlessness of body. One meditates on their body and realizing impurity thus eliminates desire and greed. Those at this level of fearlessness experience heat, forms of Samadhi and honzen`s wondrous form body. The fourth stage of mind resides at this level of fearlessness which is the mind that understands an atman and the five aggregates. This is the first Buddhist stage of mind where all being are recognized as a temporary link or flux of the aggregates.
The third level of fearlessness belonging to the first kalpa is that of the non self. This is the recognition that the body-mind is composed temporarily of the five aggregates and thus lacks any true existence and permanent self. This severs attachments and cools the mind in union or yoga with honzen that cuts desire and pride which leads to tranquility. The fourth level of fearlessness belonging to the first kalpa is fearlessness of the Dharmas. Having realized the non-existing self one severs Dharma attachments by analyzing them and seeing that they too are composed of five aggregates and arise by co-dependent origination without self nature. One at this level of fearlessness knows the twelve link chain and meditates on the ten illusions arising of environmental conditions. These illusions consist of sleight of hand, mirage, dreams, reflections and shadows, echoes, moon reflected on water, floating bubbles, dust, and fire wheels. The stage of mind corresponding to these two levels of fearlessness is the fifth level where the seeds of karma have been eradicated and the truth of the twelve linked chain is realized but cannot be taught.
The second Kalpa is to eradicate the false tenet that dharmas have a true and permanent nature that underlies the five aggregates. This kalpa removes the duality and therefore existence of nirvana and samsara. Forms in yogic practices are realized to be merely illusory forms arising in the mind and that not a single dharma exists outside of mind.
Belonging to the second Kalpa is the fifth level of fearlessness, that of the non-self of the dharmas. Having meditated on essential voidness all dharmas are realized to be formed by the linking of the five aggregates and thus exist in the store-consciousness. Essentially void, nothing exists outside of mind; there is no dichotomy between subject and object. Through this subtle union all things are undifferentiated in their self-nature.
Two levels of mind belong to the fifth fearlessness of the second kalpa. The sixth stage of mind seeks the welfare of others as a bodhisattva of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism. All dharmas and the three worlds are known in the storehouse. The seventh stage of mind has awakened to the truth that the mind is unborn. Prior to now objects had been voided and now the mind is voided as unconditional and timeless. This is achieved through eight negations being non… birth, extinction, cessation, permanence, uniformity, diversity, coming and going. The removal of these erroneous views equates in the right view.
The final Kalpa is to discard the false tenet that dharmas are separate and that subject and object are different. Identity and suchness is revealed. All dharmas are in the one true middle way. The stage of fearlessness associated to this kalpa is the fearlessness of the identity of the self-nature of all dharmas. 10,000 dharmas are suchness and suchness is the 10,000 dharmas. Prior the non-duality of dharmas, mind and voidness (sunyata) has been realized. Now voidness is itself void, the self nature of dharma is without nature and one discovers the reality of the phenomenal. Nothing can have context and therefore the self is nullified by nullifying the ground it has to stand on.
The final three stages of mind belong to this final level of fearlessness of the third Kalpa. The eighth stage of mind is of the one-way of non-action and suchness. The voidness of mind is…void. All dharmas and all thought are contained in one thought. The three truths of voidness, provisional existence and middle existence are realized. The truth of `middle existence` is the middle way of the first two truths. All dharmas are co-dependent and thus temporary causal relation and void, yet experienced and not denied which equates in provisional existence. Dharmas and existence are on the same two-sided coin as voidness. Reality is thus the middle way of the non duality of existence and voidness and forms are known to be nothing but manifestations of suchness. The ninth stage of mind realizes the absence of self-nature and full reality as is without the distinctions of phenomenon and real. This can best be described as the interdependent nature of Indra`s net of phenomenal and real where each thing is in the universe and the universe is in each thing. The tenth stage of mind is adorned by mysteries. This is the unobstructed view of all reality. Whereas the ninth stage is the expression of identity the tenth puts this in practice through body, mind and speech becoming Buddha.
A final important thing to note is that although all dharmas are ephemeral and changing they are real just as they are. The phenomenal and the void are equally real and codependent. This being said these symbols are and are not what they signify. Though they signify emptiness they are in fact empty. The signified and signifier are both dual and non-dual. The emphasis is form, not minor or universal but all forms inner-reflecting the interdependent nature of reality which is not to be seeing as an illusion but real as is. The body of the Buddha is all things and the body of all beings is Buddha.
'Divine Forbiden Fruit Star Mate'
Abandoned By the Love of his Life,
nearly died of a Broken heart!
Enraptured, revealed
"Beautiful, every day is Perfect"
No fig leaf, for the 'Unconditioned'
Full Light.
Dissolving sweetness.
With kind permission of
Sunny Revareva contact through:
“The breezes blow in perfect harmony. They are neither hot nor cold. They are at the same time calm and fresh, sweet and soft. They are neither fast nor slow. When they blow on the nets made of many kinds of jewels, the trees emit the innumerable sounds of the subtle and sublime Dharma and spread myriad sweet and fine perfumes. Those who hear these sounds spontaneously cease to raise the dust of tribulation and impurity. When the breezes touch their bodies they all attain a bliss comparable to that accompanying a monk’s attainment of the samadhi of extinction.
“Moreover, when they blow, these breezes scatter flowers all over, filling this buddha-field. These flowers fall in patterns according to their colors, without ever being mixed up. They have delicate hues and a wonderful fragrance. When one steps on these petals the feet sink four inches. When one lifts the foot, the petals return to their original shape and position. When these flowers stop falling, the ground suddenly opens up, and they disappear as if by magic. They remain pure and do not decay, because, at a given time, the breezes blow again and scatter the flowers. And the same process occurs six times a day.
“Moreover, many jewel lotuses fill this world system. Each jewel blossom has a hundred thousand million peals. The radiant light emanating from their petals is of countless different colors. Blue colored flowers give out a blue light. White colored flowers give out a white light. Others have deeper colors and light, and some are of yellow, red, and purple color and light. But the splendor if each of these lights surpasses the radiance of the sun and the moon. From every flower issue thirty-six hundred thousand million rays of light. From each one of these rays issue thirty-six hundred thousand million buddhas…”
from the Sukhāvatīvyūhaḥ Sūtra
____________
“The earth has been there for a long time. She is mother to all of us. She knows everything. The Buddha asked the earth to be his witness by touching her with his hand when he had some doubt and fear before his awakening. The earth appeared to him as a beautiful mother. In her arms she carried flowers and fruit, birds and butterflies, and many different animals, and offered them to the Buddha. The Buddha’s doubts and fears instantly disappeared. Whenever you feel unhappy, come to the earth and ask for her help. Touch her deeply, the way the Buddha did. Suddenly, you too will see the earth with all her flowers and fruit, trees and birds, animals and all the living beings that she has produced. All these things she offers to you. You have more opportunities to be happy than you ever thought. The earth shows her love to you and her patience. The earth is very patient. She sees you suffer, she helps you, and she protects you. When we die, she takes us back into her arms.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
_________
"Our planet is our house, and we must keep it in order and take care of it if we are genuinely concerned about happiness for ourselves, our children, our friends and other sentient beings who share this great house with us."
- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
__________
“...turn to Conceptual Photography through Zen camera of the mind. Or take up gardening––which is surely the most perfect practice of Zen outside of non-gardening.”
-photographer Edward Putzar
__________
།ས་གཞི་སྤོས་ཀྱིས་བྱུགས་ཤིང་མེ་ཏོག་བཀྲམ།
།རི་རབ་གླིང་བཞི་ཉི་ཟླས་བརྒྱན་པ་འདི།
།སངས་རྒྱས་ཞིང་དུ་དམིགས་ཏེ་དབུལ་བར་བགྱི།
།འགྲོ་ཀུན་རྣམ་དག་ཞིང་ལ་སྤྱོད་པར་ཤོག།།
།ཨི་དཾ་གུ་རུ་རཏྣ་མཎྜལ་ཀཾ་ནི་རྱཱ་ཏ་ཡཱ་མི།
________
Every physical atom, in its incessant movements produces a sound which is a song, so that if we had the power of spiritual hearing (genuine clairaudience), we would be able to hear this unimaginably grand symphony of sounds. In such a state we would hear the grass growing and the opening of a flower would itself be a marvelous natural orchestral performance. When you are lost or caught up in an emotional storm or contracted in self-centeredness or plagued by obsessive thoughts, notice what happens when you step outside or go for a walk and pay attention to the sky, the air, the light, the movement of wind, the feel of grass under your feet. Tread softly for we tread on something subtle, ancient, and slow.
Reawakening our connection with nature spirits helps us to live more harmoniously and consciously. We become kinder to the planet because we remember that we’re part of the whole.
____________
“In another moment Alice was through the glass, and had jumped lightly down into the Looking-glass room….
This time she came upon a large flower-bed, with a border of daisies, and a willow-tree growing in the middle.
`O Tiger-lily,’ said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully about in the wind, `I wish you could talk!’
`We can talk,’ said the Tiger-lily: `when there’s anybody worth talking to.”
Alice was so astonished that she could not speak for a minute: it quite seemed to take her breath away. At length, as the Tiger-lily only went on waving about, she spoke again, in a timid voice — almost in a whisper. `And can all the flowers talk?’
`As well as all can,’ said the Tiger-lily. `And a great deal louder.’
`It isn’t manners for us to begin, you know,’ said the Rose, `and I really was wondering when you’d speak! Said I to myself, “Her face has got some sense in it, thought it’s not a clever one!” Still, you’re the right colour, and that goes a long way.’
`I don’t care about the colour,’ the Tiger-lily remarked. `If only her petals curled up a little more, she’d be all right.’”
____________
William Blake wrote of seeing a world in a grain of sand, holding “Infinity in the palm of your hand.” It speaks to me of infinite life both on Earth, and in earth, the ceaseless abundance within a speck of soil, the infinity of life, from seed to bud to flower to seed, wheeling on through aeons. It suggests the unbreakable cycle, the unending and unending nature of life, creating infinity from within itself.
_____________
“I want to speak about bodies changed into new forms. You, gods, since you are the ones who alter these, and all other things, inspire my attempt, and spin out a continuous thread of words, from the world's first origins to my own time.”- Ovid, Metamorphoses Book I
_________
“The mysteries of the Great and the Little World are distinguished only by the form in which they manifest themselves; for they are only one thing, one being. “
- Paracelsus
__________
“If someone has an empty brain—and because of this is vexed by insanity, and is delirious—take the whole grains of wheat and cook them in water. Place these cooked grains around his whole head, tying a cloth over them. His brain may be reinvigorated by their vital fluid, and he may recover his health. Do this until he returns to his right mind.”
- Hildegard of Bingen, Physica
______________
“Millions of spiritual creatures walk the Earth unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep.” - John Milton, Paradise Lost
____________
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” - Confucius
_____________
見るところ花にあらずと云ふことなし、
思ふところ月にあらずと云ふことなし。
“Miru tokoro hana ni arazu to iu koto nashi,
omou tokoro tsuki ni arazu to iu koto nashi”
“There is nothing you can see that is not a flower;
There is nothing you can think that is not the moon.”
- Matsui Basho -
____________
“To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul” – Andri Cauldwell
—————
“I’ve been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.” – Henri Mattise
___________
Seeing is perception with the original, unconditioned eye. It is a state of consciousness in which separation of photographer/subject, audience/image dissolves; in which a reality beyond words and concepts opens up, whose “point” or “meaning” is the direct experience itself.
– John Daido Loori
__________
I am Not,
but the Universe is my Self.
- Shih T'ou, 700 - 790 CE
__________
Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.
- Renee Magritte
____________
"Buddha was born as his mother leaned against a tree for support. He attained enlightenment seated beneath a tree and passed away as trees stood witness overhead. If Buddha were to return to our world, he would certainly be connected to the campaign to protect the environment."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
__________
“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.”
― William Blake
——
“Long ago, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness arose out of the deepest human instinct and became the three greatest ideals that inspired human striving. In modern times these ideals have almost become empty words, but we have the possibility of taking these ideals and giving them, once more, real meaning and substance.”
—Rudolf Steiner
_________
The visible world is no longer a reality and the unseen world no longer a dream.
― William Butler Yeats
The full current Theosophical Society Seal on their current building at 126 Russell St, Melbourne.
The Theosophical Society welcomes seekers belonging to any religion or to none, who are in sympathy with its Three Objects. The Three Objects of The Theosophical Society:
To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science.
To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in the human being.
The motto of the Society is There is no Religion higher than Truth. The word Religion in this statement is a translation of the Sanskrit dharma, which among other things means practice; way; virtue; teaching; law; inherent nature; religion; and that which is steadfast or firm. The word Truth in the motto is a translation of the Sanskrit satya, meaning, among other things, true, real and actual. It derives from the root sat, sometimes translated as boundless unconditioned existence.
Theosophy, from the Greek, theosophia, means divine wisdom. The word is not defined in the Constitution of the Theosophical Society, or in any official document. Members of the Society are left to discover what it is for themselves, taking as guides whatever philosophies or religions they wish.
THE SERPENT is the timeless symbol of the highest spiritual Wisdom. Swallowing its tail, it is a symbol of regeneration. It is the selfborn, the circle of infinite wisdom, life and immortality. The circle itself is an ancient symbol of eternity and represents the Absolute, the unmanifested universe containing the potentials of all form. As representative of the infinite sphere, the "world egg" of archaic cosmology, this symbol is found in every world religion and philosophy.
THE INTERLACED TRIANGLES, one (lighter) pointing upwards and the other (darker) pointing downwards, symbolise the descent of spirit into matter and its reemergence from the confining limits of form. They also suggest the constant conflict between the light and dark forces in nature as well as the inseparable unity of spirit and matter. When depicted within the circle of the serpent, the figure represents the universe and the manifestation of Deity in time and space. The three lines and three angles of each of the two triangles may remind us of the triple aspects of spirit: existence, consciousness and bliss, and the three aspects of matter: mobility, resistance and rhythm. The glyph can also be seen as the sixpointed star, embracing spiritual and physical consciousness and viewed by the Pythagoreans as the symbol of creation.
IN THE CENTRE of the seal is the ANKH or CRUX ANSATA, an ancient Egyptian symbol of resurrection. It is composed of the Tau or Tshaped cross surmounted by a small circle and is often seen in Egyptian statuary and in wall and tomb paintings where it is depicted as being held in the hand. The Tau symbolises matter or the world of form; the small circle above it represents spirit or life. With the circle marking the position of the head, it represents the mystic cube unfolded to form the Latin cross, symbol of spirit descended into matter and crucified thereon, but risen from death and resting triumphant on the arms of the conquered slayer. So it may be said that the figure of the interlaced triangles enclosing the ankh represents the human triumphant and the divine triumphant in the human. As the cross of life, the ankh then becomes a symbol of resurrection and immortality.
THE SWASTIKA, placed in the emblem at the head of the serpent, is one of the numerous forms in which the symbol of the cross is found. It is the fiery cross, with arms of whirling flame revolving clockwise to represent the tremendous energies of nature incessantly creating and dissolving the forms through which the evolutionary process takes place. In religions which recognise three aspects of Deity, the swastika is associated with the Third Person of the Trinity, who is at once the Creator and the Destroyer: Shiva in Hinduism and the Holy Ghost in Christianity. Applied to humanity, the figure may show the human as the link between heaven and earth, one "hand" pointing toward heaven or spirit and the other toward earth or matter.
ABOVE THE SEAL (normally), in Sanskrit characters, is the sacred word of Hinduism, AUM or OM, a word of profound significance. It may be said to stand for the creative Word or Logos, the ineffable Reality which is the source of all existence. We are reminded of the statement: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Om is a word of power and should be uttered only with the greatest reverence.
Around the seal appears the MOTTO of the Theosophical Society: ‘THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH’. Truth is the quest of every theosophist, whatever his or her faith, and every great religion reflects in some measure the light of the one eternal and spiritual wisdom. Each points a way toward the realisation of Truth.
THE WHOLE SEAL speaks to an inner perception, to the intuition and to the heart, calling forth the divine in each individual who contemplates it. In its totality, it represents a synthesis of great cosmic principles operating through involutionary and evolutionary cycles, bringing us all, in the fullness of time, to the realisation of our divine nature.
The breezes blow in perfect harmony. They are neither hot nor cold. They are at the same time calm and fresh, sweet and soft. They are neither fast nor slow. When they blow on the nets made of many kinds of jewels, the trees emit the innumerable sounds of the subtle and sublime Dharma and spread myriad sweet and fine perfumes. Those who hear these sounds spontaneously cease to raise the dust of tribulation and impurity. When the breezes touch their bodies they all attain a bliss comparable to that accompanying a monk’s attainment of the samadhi of extinction.
“Moreover, when they blow, these breezes scatter flowers all over, filling this buddha-field. These flowers fall in patterns according to their colors, without ever being mixed up. They have delicate hues and a wonderful fragrance. When one steps on these petals the feet sink four inches. When one lifts the foot, the petals return to their original shape and position. When these flowers stop falling, the ground suddenly opens up, and they disappear as if by magic. They remain pure and do not decay, because, at a given time, the breezes blow again and scatter the flowers. And the same process occurs six times a day.
“Moreover, many jewel lotuses fill this world system. Each jewel blossom has a hundred thousand million peals. The radiant light emanating from their petals is of countless different colors. Blue colored flowers give out a blue light. White colored flowers give out a white light. Others have deeper colors and light, and some are of yellow, red, and purple color and light. But the splendor if each of these lights surpasses the radiance of the sun and the moon. From every flower issue thirty-six hundred thousand million rays of light. From each one of these rays issue thirty-six hundred thousand million buddhas…”
from the Sukhāvatīvyūhaḥ Sūtra
____________
“The earth has been there for a long time. She is mother to all of us. She knows everything. The Buddha asked the earth to be his witness by touching her with his hand when he had some doubt and fear before his awakening. The earth appeared to him as a beautiful mother. In her arms she carried flowers and fruit, birds and butterflies, and many different animals, and offered them to the Buddha. The Buddha’s doubts and fears instantly disappeared. Whenever you feel unhappy, come to the earth and ask for her help. Touch her deeply, the way the Buddha did. Suddenly, you too will see the earth with all her flowers and fruit, trees and birds, animals and all the living beings that she has produced. All these things she offers to you. You have more opportunities to be happy than you ever thought. The earth shows her love to you and her patience. The earth is very patient. She sees you suffer, she helps you, and she protects you. When we die, she takes us back into her arms.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
_________
"Our planet is our house, and we must keep it in order and take care of it if we are genuinely concerned about happiness for ourselves, our children, our friends and other sentient beings who share this great house with us."
- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
__________
“...turn to Conceptual Photography through Zen camera of the mind. Or take up gardening––which is surely the most perfect practice of Zen outside of non-gardening.”
-photographer Edward Putzar
__________
།ས་གཞི་སྤོས་ཀྱིས་བྱུགས་ཤིང་མེ་ཏོག་བཀྲམ།
།རི་རབ་གླིང་བཞི་ཉི་ཟླས་བརྒྱན་པ་འདི།
།སངས་རྒྱས་ཞིང་དུ་དམིགས་ཏེ་དབུལ་བར་བགྱི།
།འགྲོ་ཀུན་རྣམ་དག་ཞིང་ལ་སྤྱོད་པར་ཤོག།།
།ཨི་དཾ་གུ་རུ་རཏྣ་མཎྜལ་ཀཾ་ནི་རྱཱ་ཏ་ཡཱ་མི།
________
Every physical atom, in its incessant movements produces a sound which is a song, so that if we had the power of spiritual hearing (genuine clairaudience), we would be able to hear this unimaginably grand symphony of sounds. In such a state we would hear the grass growing and the opening of a flower would itself be a marvelous natural orchestral performance. When you are lost or caught up in an emotional storm or contracted in self-centeredness or plagued by obsessive thoughts, notice what happens when you step outside or go for a walk and pay attention to the sky, the air, the light, the movement of wind, the feel of grass under your feet. Tread softly for we tread on something subtle, ancient, and slow.
Reawakening our connection with nature spirits helps us to live more harmoniously and consciously. We become kinder to the planet because we remember that we’re part of the whole.
____________
“In another moment Alice was through the glass, and had jumped lightly down into the Looking-glass room….
This time she came upon a large flower-bed, with a border of daisies, and a willow-tree growing in the middle.
`O Tiger-lily,’ said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully about in the wind, `I wish you could talk!’
`We can talk,’ said the Tiger-lily: `when there’s anybody worth talking to.”
Alice was so astonished that she could not speak for a minute: it quite seemed to take her breath away. At length, as the Tiger-lily only went on waving about, she spoke again, in a timid voice — almost in a whisper. `And can all the flowers talk?’
`As well as all can,’ said the Tiger-lily. `And a great deal louder.’
`It isn’t manners for us to begin, you know,’ said the Rose, `and I really was wondering when you’d speak! Said I to myself, “Her face has got some sense in it, thought it’s not a clever one!” Still, you’re the right colour, and that goes a long way.’
`I don’t care about the colour,’ the Tiger-lily remarked. `If only her petals curled up a little more, she’d be all right.’”
____________
William Blake wrote of seeing a world in a grain of sand, holding “Infinity in the palm of your hand.” It speaks to me of infinite life both on Earth, and in earth, the ceaseless abundance within a speck of soil, the infinity of life, from seed to bud to flower to seed, wheeling on through aeons. It suggests the unbreakable cycle, the unending and unending nature of life, creating infinity from within itself.
_____________
“I want to speak about bodies changed into new forms. You, gods, since you are the ones who alter these, and all other things, inspire my attempt, and spin out a continuous thread of words, from the world's first origins to my own time.”- Ovid, Metamorphoses Book I
_________
“The mysteries of the Great and the Little World are distinguished only by the form in which they manifest themselves; for they are only one thing, one being. “
- Paracelsus
__________
“If someone has an empty brain—and because of this is vexed by insanity, and is delirious—take the whole grains of wheat and cook them in water. Place these cooked grains around his whole head, tying a cloth over them. His brain may be reinvigorated by their vital fluid, and he may recover his health. Do this until he returns to his right mind.”
- Hildegard of Bingen, Physica
______________
“Millions of spiritual creatures walk the Earth unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep.” - John Milton, Paradise Lost
____________
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” - Confucius
_____________
見るところ花にあらずと云ふことなし、
思ふところ月にあらずと云ふことなし。
“Miru tokoro hana ni arazu to iu koto nashi,
omou tokoro tsuki ni arazu to iu koto nashi”
“There is nothing you can see that is not a flower;
There is nothing you can think that is not the moon.”
- Matsui Basho -
____________
“To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul” – Andri Cauldwell
—————
“I’ve been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.” – Henri Mattise
___________
Seeing is perception with the original, unconditioned eye. It is a state of consciousness in which separation of photographer/subject, audience/image dissolves; in which a reality beyond words and concepts opens up, whose “point” or “meaning” is the direct experience itself.
– John Daido Loori
__________
I am Not,
but the Universe is my Self.
- Shih T'ou, 700 - 790 CE
__________
Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.
- Renee Magritte
____________
"Buddha was born as his mother leaned against a tree for support. He attained enlightenment seated beneath a tree and passed away as trees stood witness overhead. If Buddha were to return to our world, he would certainly be connected to the campaign to protect the environment."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
__________
“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.”
― William Blake
——
“Long ago, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness arose out of the deepest human instinct and became the three greatest ideals that inspired human striving. In modern times these ideals have almost become empty words, but we have the possibility of taking these ideals and giving them, once more, real meaning and substance.”
—Rudolf Steiner
_________
The visible world is no longer a reality and the unseen world no longer a dream.
― William Butler Yeats
"I have stopped engaging in spiritual plans and actions and instead experience the naturally settled, 'ordinary' state. Nevertheless, from my perspective―that of fundamentally unconditioned immediacy in the essence of awareness―I am no different from those who apply effort and achievement to spiritual practice. In fact, the spiritual practice I engage in is similar to their ordinary plans and actions. All the conduct of yogins is already experienced as spiritual; it is spontaneously present as the display of their true nature."
―Rabjam Longchenpa
Chapter 9 from A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission
(I bow to these practitioners and their practice. It's so inspiring to practice with them.)
Tracy and I think the fall season outweighs all the other seasons-- its by far the most rewarding and delightful in the way of weather and for the beautiful fresh produce that you can consume. The list of organic veggies this year at the West End Farmer’s market was augmented by numerous out of towner’s. Our favorite, a fellow from Keremeos, “Gurt” was a very knowledgeable farmer, loaded with 6- plus varieties of garlic! He made it most weekends. The blueberries this year were 2 weeks early on account of the dry summer and we found some beauties to eat and freeze for the winter. This year is also the 4-year cycle for spawning Sockeye (have to get to the Adams river to check it out!) and it’s supposed to be a bigger return than usual. We found some nice fillets at the farmers market brought down from the Skeena area and stocked up with about 40 lbs. Also, if you like salmon, we have a good salmon recipe for you alchoholic’s. It uses whiskey, maple syrup, bacon, garlic, coarse pepper, lemon and butter! “Delightful Margret”
Another highlight would be, of course, Red & Millers garden and fish smoker. They have a great selection of organic veggies, raspberries, potatoes and beans that spoil all of us. Tracy spends a few days jarring them, including the picking and jarring of 360 lbs of tomatoes, that she divides with her mom and sisters. Most of the tomatoes they go find are from Nicola River Area. (not far from Spences Bridge)
Tracy B. and myself just spent some time around the South Chilcotin—something we have meant to do for a while. The scenery through Pemberton Meadows into the high alpine Hurley Pass and descent into the Bridge River Valley is stunning. You may not be happy on the Hurley pass with a small car or a vehicle with low profile tires as the washboard and rocks will kill your tires/suspension. The Hurley River Road is not a highway but a Forest Service Road that is not maintained on a regular basis. For clearance reasons a 4x4 is the best vehicle suited for this road. (Bad roads seem to bring good people there...we met good peoples, people). It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to get over the pass from Pemberton Meadows until you t-bone highway 40 that will take you to Lillooet or Goldbridge. On a good day you should be able to get from Vancouver via Hurley pass to highway 40 in 4-5 hours.
Taughton lake turnoff itself, is about 85 km northwest of Lillooet.
Driving in on the main road to the Tyax lodge, we went past the lake by mistake thinking there might be a forestry campsite near the lake area further on. After climbing a hill and going around sharp corner, we saw a bear paused momentarily in the middle of the road and realized by the color and shape of the back, it was a yearling Grizzly! Had to do a u turn and head to the resort since we wanted lake front accommodation's. At the main lodge we were able to describe the bear we had seen to the front desk people and they didn’t say much, rather than the fact he was motherless and they were well aware of him. Nice spot, this Tyax Resort-- mountainous and unspoiled with numerous cabins, chalets and outbuildings. (must be busy in the summer!). They have a huge log structure with all the amenities including: hot tub, sauna, mountain bikes, canoes, a huge stable full of horses and a Beaver airplane that will take you up to Chilco lake for lunch, or to fly you over the Bridge glacier. The dinners and breakfasts (# of patrons permitting) are buffet style. We are the only campers? but we did venture over a couple of times to check the environs and to have a couple pints. We chose Taughton lake for its small, narrow size (canoeability) and for the towns of Bralorne-Goldbridge (Close by) that we wanted to explore for their remoteness and for the interesting Real Estate.
Taughton lake itself is in the transition zone (rainshadow) between coastal and interior, no cedar is evident, lots of fir, poplar, rose hips and berries including masses of wild cranberries that Tracy noticed immediately growing around the lake. Tracy, her mom and sisters would make these berries into jam or syrup when they lived up in Dawson Creek and she says she hasn’t seen these berries since then.
After leaving Taughton lake we drove up to Lac La Hache via Lillooet, spending a couple days with Tracy’s parents. We had intentions of going into Alexis for a couple of days to visit J&J Broomhall but soon thought (J&J) may like some quiet-time alone so we spent the next few days tucking back into the mountains, down the Duffy lake road back to the Birkenhead. No Battery life for camera's.. It sure cooled off. It was like someone flicking a switch. We endured some fresh snow, had tarps covering everything, had a big fire and some whiskey…
This year may have an early winter?
Tracy and I are getting back to some of our roots and activities that we used to enjoy and know best. It’s been a good summer and here are some thoughts for you.
(Eckhart Tolle), Vancouver author of the Power of Now and Stillness Speaks)
We have to take a moment to think how much time was spent this year listening to the sound of rustling poplar trees in the wind, or watched some wispy cloud wrap around a mountain peak? I am typical of the city dweller where the world seems so noise polluted and driven, that the idea of quietness and stillness can spook you for a while. Rather than a void, silence in the outer world helps to access the riches of our unconditioned mind. This allows us to enter a state of inner alertness and in that alertness, we stop looping through our past and we find our true selves. A place where thoughts, ego’s and attachments fall away and we are left with only what the moment has to offer. Take the canoe-- true in the moment, uninhibited, uncomplicated pleasure-- so enjoyable…Written by BJammin Broomhall
Cheers B&T.
I say and mean: religiosity. I do not say and do not mean: religion. Religiosity is man’s sense of wonder and adoration, an ever anew becoming, an ever anew articulation and formulation of his feeling that, transcending his conditioned being yet bursting from its very core, there is something that is unconditioned. Religiosity is his longing to establish a living communion with the unconditioned, his will to realize the unconditioned through his action, transposing it into the world of man. Religion is the sum total of the customs and teachings articulated and formulated by the religiosity of a certain epoch in a people’s life; its prescriptions and dogmas are rigidly determined and handed down as unalterably binding to all future generations, without regard for their newly developed religiosity, which seeks new forms. Religion is true so long as it is creative; but it is creative only so long as religiosity, accepting the yoke of the laws and doctrines, is able (often without even noticing it) to imbue them with new and incandescent meaning, so that they will seem to have been revealed to every generation anew, revealed today, thus answering men’s very own needs, needs alien to their fathers. But once religious rites and dogmas have become so rigid that religiosity cannot move them or no longer wants to comply with them, religion becomes uncreative and therefore untrue. Thus religiosity is the creative, religion the organizing, principle. Religiosity starts anew with every young person, shaken to his very core by the mystery; religion wants to force him into a system stabilized for all time. Religiosity means activity—the elemental entering-into-relation with the absolute; religion means passivity—an acceptance of the handed-down command.
-Martin Buber, On Judaism
Prana is expended by thinking, willing, acting, moving, talking, writing, etc. A healthy and strong man has an abundance of prar:a, nerve force. vitality. Prana is supplied in water, in food, in air and in solar energy. Excess prana is stored in the brain and nerve centres. Seminal energy, when sublimated or transformed, supplies an abundance of prarna to the system. It is stored in the brain in the form of ‘ojas’. The yogi stores abundant prana by regular practice of pranayama. The yogi who has stored up a large supply of prana radiates strength and vitality. Those who come in close contact with him imbibe prar:a from him and get strength, vigour, vitality and exhilaration of spirits. Just as water flows from one vessel to another, prar:a flows, like a steady current, from a developed yogi to a weaker person. This may actually be seen by one who has developed his inner, psychic vision. Breath is the external manifestation of gross prana. Correct habits of breathing must be established by the regular practice of pranayama. If you can control prana, you can completely control all the forces of the universe, mental and physical. The yogi can also control the omnipresent, manifesting power out of which all energies take their origin. He can control magnetism, electricity, gravitation, cohesion, nerve-currents, vital forces or thought vibrations. In fact he can control the total forces of the universe, both physical and mental. A yogi can withdraw prana from any area. That area then becomes numb; it becomes impervious to heat and cold. He can send prana to the eyes and see distant objects. He can send prana to the nose and can experience divya gandha (supernatural scent). He can send prana to the tongue and can experience supersensuous taste. There is great significance in the order of the arigas (limbs) of raja yoga. Practice of asana (posture) controls rajas (restlessness). Brahmacarya (celibacy) purifies the prana. Pranayama purifies the nadis (astral tubes). Pranayama steadies the mind and makes it fit for concentration. It removes rajas and tamas (dullness). The practice of yama (self-restraint), niyama (discipline), asana and pranayama are all auxiliaries in the practice of concentration. Pranayama reduces the velocity of the mind. It makes it run in smaller and smaller circles. Most classical commentators other than Sufis took the statement "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" as a metaphor, and considered that God should not be literally equated with the natural phenomenon of light. Al-Tabari (839–923) in his Jami al-bayan says that the best interpretation is to substitute "guide" for "light", as "God is the guide of the heavens and the earth". Other interpretations make God the source of illumination rather than the light itself, as "God lights the heavens and the earth. The Persian scholar Al-Zamakhshari (c. 1074 –1144) says that the phrase "God is the light" is like saying "Zayd is generous and munificent". This does not mean that Zayd is the properties of generosity and munificence, but that he has these properties. Al-Zamakhshari rejected the possibility of attributes separate from God, such as power or knowledge or light, which would be contrary to the unity of God. He interpreted "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" as meaning, He is the possessor of the light of the heavens and the owner of the light of the heavens. The light of the heavens and the earth is the truth (al-ḥaqq), which can be compared to light in its manifestation and clarification, just as he says, "God is the friend of those who believe; He brings them forth from the shadows to the light (2:257), i.e., from the false to the true (al-ḥaqq). Al-Ghazali (c. 1058–1111) wrote a treatise on how different types of light should be defined, and how the phrase "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" should be interpreted. In his view, "light" can have three different meanings. The first is the ordinary usage, "an expression of what can be seen in itself and through which other things can be seen, like the sun". In Arabic the word "light" may also refer to the eye, through which perception takes place, and this may be a more appropriate interpretation. The "eye" of the intellect is an even more perfect organ of perception, and "light" may be used to refer to this organ. In this sense "light" may refer to Muhammad, and to a lesser extent to the other prophets and religious scholars. A third interpretation is that "light" is the first light (al-nūr al-awwal) and the real light (al-nūr al-ḥaqq) since it is the only light that does not take its luminosity from some other source. God is light, the only light, the universal light, and he is hidden from mortals because he is pure light, although he is omnipresent. Using the term "light" for any other purpose is metaphor. Another passage of the Quran states "The earth will shine with the light of its Lord" (Q39:69). Mainstream exegetes take this statement literally. Exegetes of the rationalist Mu'tazila school of theology of the 8th–10th centuries interpreted the word nūr in this passage in the sense of "the truth, the Quran and the proof" rather than the commonplace meaning of "light".Shia exegetes take it to mean "the land of the soul will shine with the Lord's light of justice and truth during the time of Imam al-Mahdi." Sufi exegetes take nūr in this case to mean "justice", or take the statement to mean "God will create a special light to shine on the Earth".The deeply influential German Catholic mystic theologian and spiritual psychologist Meister Eckhart was the most illustrious spiritual instructor of his day. He was also unjustly condemned as a heretic by the papacy after an impressive career of writing, teaching, preaching, directing souls and serving as a high-level administrator of the Dominican Order. Eckhart, virtually forgotten by the Church for centuries, is seen by growing numbers of people in the modern era to be one of the world’s pinnacle “nondual” mystics. His influence is greater now than at any time since the 14th century. Eckhart’s theology is that of radical panentheism (“all in God, God in all”), which goes far beyond mere theism (which can only posit a transcendent “God up there” who sometimes personally intervenes “down here”), and certainly goes far beyond lowly pantheism (“all is God”—God is not more than the sum of creation). For Eckhart, God’s supremely glorious nature can only mean that God is fully transcendent and fully immanent, entirely beyond all and yet completely within all as the One Who alone IS, pure Spirit, the groundless Ground or Essence of all. For Eckhart, therefore, God is both the transpersonal Godhead (Gotheit) or “God beyond god,” and the personal Lord, i.e., the triune God—the Persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one nondual, indistinct Divine Nature. No reclusive “quietist,” this very busy man’s duties must have interfered with his writing, for his intended major academic work, the Opus Tripartitum, was never finished; only fragments survive. His duties also required extensive travel—along slow-going, bad roads. In 1311 he was recalled from becoming Teutonia’s provincial to resume duties in the more professorial life at Paris; only Thomas Aquinas had also held this respected chair of theology twice. In 1313 Eckhart came to lively Strasburg near the French border, where again he served as theology professor, spiritual director and preacher. In 1314 he was made Dominican Vicar-General.
Eckhart was a prime impetus in this northern European movement of Rheno [Rhineland]-Flemish mysticism, a profound renewal of contemplative, ecstatic/instatic Christianity, which accepts outward worship of God but specializes in the inner via negativa, way of negation, or radical dis-identification from self by letting go all attachments, images, forms, and concepts—until nothing is left but God. The soul “dies” to all to live only in God—the one true Being or Substance.
This mysticism is suggested in the works of Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas, but expressed most vividly in a line of via negativa or apophatic mystics featuring John Scotus Eriugena (c.800-c.877), the greatest Christian mind of the early middle ages, and pseudo-Dionysius (Denys) Areopagite, an unknown monk (likely Syrian) who, circa 500 CE, wrote seminal works of apophatic mystical theology and transcendental metaphysics synthesizing Christianity and Neoplatonism (Plotinus, Proclus, et al.) (see Dionysius’ Divine Names, Mystical Theology, Celestial Hierarchy, Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and epistles). Gregory of Nyssa (c.330-c.395) had been the first Christian father to seriously explore this apophatic “negation” approach to God. After the Crusades re-exposed Christianity to the ancient Greeks —Muslims preserved many of their works—Aquinas made use of the newly-translated Aristotle to infuse Christianity with novel ideas. But Eckhart’s theology, “one of the great medieval attempts to achieve a synthesis between Greek thought and Christian faith” (Oliver Davies), made more use of the Neoplatonists (especially Proclus [410-85]), whose tradition was much more amenable to a rich inner mysticism and a very different sense of the God-soul relationship. Says Huston Smith: “From the human standpoint the two are separated by a categorical gulf; God appears of necessity as radically Other. But the Neoplatonic tradition in which Eckhart stands teaches that it is quite otherwise from God’s vantage point. For God knows that he alone is completely real; real in every sense—all else is only partially so. And that which is fully real in what is other-than-God is God’s presence in it. Thus from the divine perspective a sublime continuity reigns. Everything that is, to the degree that it is, is God him/her/itself—our pronouns do not fit.” Oliver Davies sees Eckhart’s use of Neoplatonism anticipating 19th-century German idealism and influencing modern thinkers like Hegel, Schopenhauer, Bloch, Heidegger and Derrida.
In 1322, Eckhart, now the most famous preacher of his era, was moved by the Dominicans to Cologne, where he uttered some of his most memorable sermons. His teachings were laced with fresh imagery from the vernacular style of chivalrous courtly love-talk, and even more rich with an extremely sublime, lofty mysticism often featuring riveting aphorisms that jolted one into (some degree of) spiritual awakening—e.g., “God is at home, man abroad”; “Be thoroughly dead and buried in God”; “I pray God to make me free of God, for [His] unconditioned Being is above God and all distinctions.” “The authorities say that God is a being, an intelligent being who knows everything. But I say that God is neither a being nor intelligent and He doesn’t ‘know’ either this or that. God is free of everything and therefore He is everything.” “If I had a God I could understand, I would no longer consider him God.” Eckhart’s mystic teachings were already suspect to non-mystics who heard or read his works out of context. “He seems to have delighted in shocking his listeners into attention to the divine presence within and in the world outside by outrageous comparisons, puns, and comic examples…. By adopting the role of trickster, Eckhart irritated the official guardians of pious sobriety and cautious expression…. Eckhart’s playful but profound assaults on conventional God-talk [were thought by some to be] mad and dangerous.” (Woods) Meister Eckhart was clearly a man of great piety himself, and urged this in others. Yet he was also ahead of his time, psychologically quite free, it seems, of that morbid penitential religiosity that weighed so heavily upon the West during the Middle Ages. In this, he was actually like Jesus 2,000 years ago, who taught the simple Our Father prayer, not a complex regimen of penance-practices. Listen, for instance, to Eckhart’s words on “sin” from one of his earliest writings: “Love knows nothing of sin—not that man has not sinned—but sins are blotted out at once by love and they vanish as if they had not been. This is because whatever God does he does completely, like the cup running over. Whom he forgives, he forgives utterly and at once.” (Talks of Instruction 15) Astute spiritual counselor that he was, like his beloved Lord Jesus, Eckhart did not want people maintaining an ego-sense through guilt any more than he wanted them to inflate the ego through pride. The essential aim that Meister Eckhart always points his listeners toward is selflessness and emptiness so that God can be one's only One.
In 1325 papal official Nicholas of Strasburg examined Eckhart’s works at Pope John XXII’s request and declared them “orthodox.” But in 1326 Eckhart was summoned before the inquisition and accused of heresy by Henry II of Virneburg, Cologne’s archbishop, perhaps jealous of Eckhart’s talent and fame. Eckhart was the first theologian of major rank ever to face this charge. He then trudged 500 miles to face the papal court at Avignon, France (where the papacy dwelt in exile from Rome). For over a year he defended his views; he wrote his Defense to show that his more controversial teachings were rooted in Scripture and the writings of eminent Church Fathers like Paul and Augustine. (Davies: “If his accusers charged Eckhart with heresy, then he charged them with stupidity,” i.e., lacking information and competence to judge such things.) Other factors were at play in this debacle. Since he was a reformer, disgruntled friars sought revenge. “The two key witnesses against him in Cologne and Avignon, Herman de Summo and William of Nidecken, were malcontents … later seized and imprisoned for disobedience and treachery.” (Woods) Moreover, the interrogators at Cologne were Franciscans, perhaps rankled by the teaching prowess of famous Dominicans like Eckhart. Finally, his association with the Beguines, increasingly coming in for censure by the Church (their non-institutional status made them hard to control), made him suspect as well. It seems, too, that some people were irresponsible in applying his teachings. As John Tauler poignantly said, “He spoke from the point of view of eternity, and you understood him from the point of view of time.” A verdict came in against him, so Eckhart appealed to Pope John. While the proceedings dragged on, Eckhart died at Avignon, probably in winter 1327/8. In 1329, Pope John, at the behest of petty Henry II, his close political ally in the attempt to return the papacy to Rome, condemned Eckhart, identifying 17 points of his teaching as heretically unorthodox, 11 as “evil-sounding, rash and suspect of heresy.” This postmortem condemnation—spiteful, since Eckhart was no longer alive to preach—shows how widely influential his mystical views had in fact become. The papal bull of condemnation intended to taint his good name and stamp out his writings. In fact, not until the mid-19th century did most of his teachings again came to light, thanks to Franz Pfeiffer and Franz Jostes, who uncovered a large body of Eckhart’s work beyond the few sermons preserved in the writings of his disciple Johann Tauler (1300-61). Yet Eckhart’s views were propagated through the 14th century, albeit more cautiously, by his followers, the Friends of God, and, more generally, by the Rheno-Flemish mystical movement. Thus, his German Dominican disciples Tauler and Blessed Henry Suso (1295-1366) (both of whom were at times censured by the Church), Flemish mystic Blessed Jan van Ruusbroec (or Ruysbroek, 1293-1381, also greatly influenced by Eckhart), the Beguine and Beghard communities, the important unknown German authors of The Book of Spiritual Poverty (c.1350) and Theologia Germanica (14th cent.), the unknown British author of Cloud of Unknowing (et al.) (late 14th c.), and the German mystic, Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa (1400-64)—all gratefully look to Eckhart for inspiration. In the 20th century, Dominican scholars have labored to clear Meister Eckhart’s name and, in a new light, show the brilliance and relevance of his thinking. The Walberberg Chapter, a panel of experts, from 1982-1992 studied his works and concluded that Eckhart needed no “rehabilitation” in the juridical sense, for neither he nor his doctrine had in fact been condemned, contrary to what had been thought; heresy implies deliberately, willfully teaching against Church doctrine, and Eckhart had been unyielding in claiming, rightly so, that his views were rooted in Scripture and Church Fathers, “a judgment sustained today by scores of theologians and historians.” (Woods) In 1992, the Master of the Dominican Order formally requested Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) to abrogate the bull of condemnation; though this has not yet occurred, Pope John Paul II himself in September 1985 observed, “Did not Eckhart teach his disciples: ‘All that God asks you most pressingly is to go out of yourself … and let God be God in you?’ One could think that in separating himself from creatures, the mystic leaves his brothers, humanity, behind. The same Eckhart affirms that, on the contrary, the mystic is marvelously present to them on the only level where he can truly reach them, that is, in God.” (L’Osservatore Romano, 28 Oct. 1985) Dominican scholar Richard Woods concludes: “For all practical purposes, the exoneration of Meister Eckhart has been achieved.” So the Meister can openly be considered as he was in his own day: “one of the greatest masters of Western spirituality” (Colledge & McGinn). Meister Eckhart generated numerous Latin and German works. The Latin treatises—most quite orthodox and didactic—include 56 sermons, featuring a long sermon on the Lord’s Prayer; scriptural commentaries (many unfinished); fragments from his Opus Tripartitum; an Introduction to his commentary on Lombard’s Sentences; and the Parisian Questions, a record of his brilliant Paris debates. His works in Middle High German begin with four treatises: Talks of Instruction (longest and evidently earliest, written in the 1290s), The Nobleman/Aristocrat, On Detachment/Disinterest (this work has been questioned by some as authentically Eckhart’s), and, in 1308, The Book of Divine Consolation, especially written for the widowed Queen Anne of Hungary after the death of her mother and murder of her father, Emperor-elect Albert I of Austria. We also now finally have transcripts of over 100 German sermons judged as authentically Eckhart’s, “the first substantial body of sophisticated philosophical and theological discussion in a European vernacular language” (Davies). In these very original works occur most of the statements charged (falsely) as being “heretical.” And it is in these sermons (many recorded by the Dominican nuns under his guidance) that Eckhart eagerly speaks to the listeners’ heart with his most intensely nondual, mystical parlance on the glory of God and the soul. Meister Eckhart wanted everyone, high or low, learned or unlettered, to intimately know and love God the way he himself was blessed to enjoy. God is not distant, a matter for rarified theology. God is HERE and NOW. Thus, a central theme for Eckhart is the “birth of God in the soul” in this timeless Now, an Incarnation abolishing any dualism between self and God or God and world. Eckhart describes a threefold movement of detachment, release and dehiscence (splitting open), elsewhere called breakthrough, yielding a joyfully enlightened “living without a why” in the realization that all things are in God, who is One and thus renders all beings one within Him. “For Eckhart, as for the ancient mystical theology of the Church, God is uniquely present in the depths of the soul, waiting to break forth into consciousness.” (Woods)
Some have tried to find a consistent Eckhart schema for stages of mystical growth, as, for instance, found in many medieval Christian mystics’ triple sequence of “purgation, illumination, and union with God.” But Robert Forman observes, “I have counted at least seventeen separate passages in which Eckhart enumerates the divisions of phases that a mystic might undergo. No two are identical.” Moreover, in contrast to, for example, the Jesuits, with their structured “Spiritual Exercises” of St. Ignatius, Eckhart’s spiritual path is a “wayless way,” with no particular methodology other than pure, immediate contemplation of the infinitely simple Divine Truth already alive and dynamically present at the core of one’s being. Out of such spiritual contemplation flows loving action. And for Eckhart, contemplation and action aren’t separate, but truly one process.
A key element in many passages of Eckhart’s writings and sermons is complete accordance with the will of God. He points out with great irony that Christians daily pray, in the Our Father prayer, that “Thy will be done.” But then they complain when things happen that they don’t like—yet, for Eckhart, it is obvious that whatever happens is meant to be happening, by Divine Will, otherwise something else would be happening, by Divine Will.
Reading Meister Eckhart’s many works, one beholds his uncanny ability to draw out rich, multiple meanings from a single line in scripture. In an era and society that saw nearly everything in religious terms, Eckhart delighted in taking God-talk to ever-higher levels. His genius, surely flowing out of direct and deep experiencing of Divine Spirit, came up with a wealth of interpretations and illustrations, playfully-surprising turns of language, and “instatic” expressions of worshipful love of God. Bernard McGinn: “Eckhart was not only a highly trained philosopher and theologian, but also a preacher, a poet, and a punster who deliberately cultivated rhetorical effects, bold paradoxes, and unusual metaphors, neologisms, and wordplay to stir his readers and hearers from their intellectual and moral slumber.” Davies: “[We find] in his work a geniality of style, profound speculation and spiritual vision that still move us today as they once did those who gathered in the churches and convents of medieval Germany to hear a Master who spoke in so strange a way of the ‘God beyond words.’”
Whoever possesses God in their being, has him in a divine manner, and he shines out to them in all things; for them all things taste of God and in all things it is God's image that they see.
People should not worry as much about what they do but rather about what they are. If they and their ways are good, then their deeds are radiant. If you are righteous, then what you do will also be righteous. We should not think that holiness is based on what we do but rather on what we are, for it is not our works which sanctify us but we who sanctify our works.
It is a fair trade and an equal exchange: to the extent that you depart from things, thus far, no more and no less, God enters into you with all that is his, as far as you have stripped yourself of yourself in all things. It is here that you should begin, whatever the cost, for it is here that you will find true peace, and nowhere else. Talks of Instruction
In 1985 the Pope, John Paul II, said: "Did not Eckhart teach his disciples: 'All that God asks you most pressingly is to go out of yourself - and let God be God in you'? One could think that, in separating himself from creatures, the mystic leaves his brothers, humanity, behind. The same Eckhart affirms that, on the contrary, the mystic is marvelously present to them on the only level where he can truly reach them, that is in God.
Here in time we are celebrating the eternal birth which God the Father bore and unceasingly bears in eternity, because this same birth is now born in time, in human nature. [German sermon 1, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
The soul in which this birth is to take place must keep absolutely pure and must live in noble fashion, quite collected, and turned entirely inward: not running out through the five senses into the multiplicity of creatures, but all inturned and collected and in the purest part: there is His place; He disdains anything else. [German sermon 1, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
Here God enters the soul with His all, not merely with a part: God enters here the ground of the soul. [German sermon 1, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
Though it may be called a nescience, and unknowing, yet there is in it more than all knowing and understanding without it; for this unknowing lures and attracts you from all understood things, and from yourself as well. [German sermon 1, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
The soul is scattered abroad among her powers, and dissipated in the action of each. Thus her ability to work inwardly is enfeebled, for a scattered power is imperfect. [German sermon 2, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
Do not imagine that your reason can grow to the knowledge of God. [German sermon 4, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
No. Be sure of this: absolute stillness for as long as possible is best of all for you. [German sermon 4, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
You should know that God must act and pour Himself into the moment He finds you ready. [German sermon 4, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
To be receptive to the highest truth, and to live therein, a man must needs be without before and after, untrammelled by all his acts or by any images he ever perceived, empty and free, receiving the divine gift in the eternal Now, and bearing it back unhindered in the light of the same with praise and thanksgiving in our Lord Jesus Christ. . [German sermon 6, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
Since it is God's nature not to be like anyone, we have to come to the state of being nothing in order to enter into the same nature that He is. . [German sermon 7, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
So, when I am able to establish myself in nothing, and nothing in myself, uprooting and casting out what is in me, then I can pass into the naked being of God, which is the naked being of the Spirit. [German sermon 7, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
There is a power in the soul which touches neither time nor flesh, flowing from the spirit, remaining in the spirit, altogether spiritual. . [German sermon 7, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
One means, without which I cannot get to God, is work or activity in time, which does not interfere with eternal salvation. 'Works' are performed from without, but 'activity' is when one practises with care and understanding from within. [German sermon 9, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
It is a certain and necessary truth that he who resigns his will wholly to God will catch God and bind God, so that God can do nothing but what that man wills [German sermon 10, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
If you seek God and seek Him for your own profit and bliss, then in truth you are not seeking God. [German sermon 11, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
We find people who like the taste of God in one way and not in another, and they want to have God only in one way of contemplation, not in another.I raise no objection, but they are quite wrong. [German sermon 13a, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
I declare truly that as long as anything is reflected in your mind which is not the eternal Word, or which looks away from the eternal Word, then, good as it may be, it is not the right thing. [German sermon 14b, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
For he alone is a good man who, having set at nought all created things, stands facing straight, with no side-glances, towards the eternal Word, and is imaged and reflected there in righteousness. [German sermon 14b, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
The human spirit must transcend number and break through multiplicity, and God will break through him; and just as He breaks through into me, so I break through into Him. [German sermon 14b, trans M.O’C. Walshe]
Above thought is the intellect, which still seeks: it goes about looking, spies out here and there, picks up and drops. But above the intellect that seeks is another intellect which does not seek but stays in its pure, simple being, which is embraced in that light. . [German sermon 19b, trans M.O’C. Walshe]“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Lord Buddha
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” Dalai Lama“Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people’s, if we are always criticizing trivial actions – which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives.” Saint Teresa of Avila
A study of Beijing must by nature oscillate between a consideration of top-down planning - the "magic square" diagram that undergirds countless square, walled, Chinese cities - and bottom-up emergence. As much as the city is lines drawn by the sovereign and executed by his minions, it's also a kind of mat-building, the mere consequence of repeating, at massive scale, the same basic tissue over and over again - the fundamental piece being the narrow residenial lane, or hutong. Up until the late 20th century, most of Beijing was a network of thousands of these lanes, fronted by single-story courtyard houses (siheyuan). (In its essence, this arrangement is quite similar to the Shanghai lilong.) This typology, which solidifed by the Ming period, formed a low-rise, low-density “carpet” of a city, while responding directly to cultural norms. The extended family, living together, was sorted out in a Confucian hierarchy: the elders got the best-appointed rooms in the northern wing, younger members got the east and west, and servants and support program went to the south. A screen wall shielded views from the street, for the sake of privacy and decorum. As well, the siheyuan type respects the climate of northern China; the north/south axis catches the southern sun in the winter, while the blank north wall shelters against the northern winds. In being so arranged, the siheyuan also corresponded with feng-shui principles that labeled certain orientaons, funcons, and numbers as auspicious.
Thus, the grain of the hutongs is east/west, while the bigger streets, running parallel to the city’s fundamental north/south axis, contained shopping and artisan workshops. Repeat until you've filled the available land within the city; your city's population is now maximized until you build more walls, as multistory construction was reserved for monumental buildings. The hutong within the clearly delimited walled city is therefore also a model of extremely long-term social stability; dynasties rose and fell but the social order of China carried on.
(For a discussion of the social hierarchy of the type, and its symbolic connections to the larger city, see my discussion of the Forbidden City.)
But the stable order of hutongs and siheyuan has been under pressure for decades. As discussed in that Forbidden City text, the move of the capital back to Beijing in 1949 precipitated a debate over how to accommodate the government's functions. The historic-preservationist faction was in the wrong place at the wrong time: Mao's government saw China as being in a state of revolution, caught up in the exuberant hope of great social transformation. Mao was happy to capitalize on the symbolism of history by taking over the old capital - but he was fundamentally suspicious of history as a thing of value in itself.
The Mao-era demolitions, however, were confined to certain specific sites. The largest was Tian’anmen Square, where space was cleared for an enormous public assembly grounds, as well as new museums and the “Great Hall of the People,” cranked out in 1959 as one of the “Ten Great Constructions” celebrating the tenth anniversary of the People’s Republic. Communist urban planners, with Soviet advice, also knocked down the old city walls, filled in moats, and planned for the concentric expansion of the city with successive ring roads. But compared to many other autocratic regimes, the PRC took on few grand building projects. Most government-directed development in this period was focused on new industrial towns on greenfield sites (another Soviet-inspired idea). The top priority was to kick-start China’s economic development, through self-contained factory complexes which included their own housing, schools, and other amenities. But these complexes were on the periphery - tearing down old buildings takes time and money, after all - and Beijing remained largely intact.
The hutongs really began to feel the squeeze during the Cultural Revolution. In an effort to forcibly create a new urban proletariat, the government deliberately increased the population of Beijing beyond its carrying capacity (even as a parallel movement forced city dwellers back to the farm to be “re-educated”). Overpopulated siheyuan dwellers filled in the courtyards to create more inhabitable space, in the process cutting themselves off from a system of light and air that had functioned for centuries. While the street network remained the same, the lifestyle it supported was being pushed to the breaking point. By 1978 the density was one person per 3.6 square meters of living space. This put considerable strain on the buildings as well as the traditional social fabric - again, probably by design. The overpopulated siheyuan became a kind of urbanistic time bomb, storing up a huge, unresolved demand for housing. When the Deng economic reforms came to Beijing in the 1990s, and it became possible to meet this demand through new construction, the value of hutong land would rise far above what could possibly be made off one-story courtyard dwellings. The city began a wave of demolition and construction virtually unmatched in human history.
This development boom proceeded on a cycle similar to that which we’ve observed in Shenzhen and elsewhere, with the difference that Shenzhen began the 1980s as a handful of sleepy fishing villages, not a capital with centuries of historic fabric and millions of inhabitants. Demand for new construction was driven up both by the previous overcrowding, but also by the perceived obsolescence of sihueyuan. High rise developments offer modern conveniences, if not the same attention to tradition - or the close-knit community of the old neighborhoods. Life along a hutong, does, after all, involve dealing with unreliable utilities, failing infrastructure, and shared, unconditioned latrines. One can see how many Chinese might see the change as an unmitigated improvement, even while it’s tempting for outsiders to see the fate of Beijing as a retread of the errors of Western
urban renewal.
By the turn of the millennium, 2/3 of the hutongs had been demolished - before preparations for the Olympics kicked off another round of demolition and construction. The number of people needing to be relocated is huge; just building Finance Street involved relocating 45,000 people. The largest swath of still-standing siheyuan (as of this writing) seems to be the area just south and west of Tian’anmen Square; a 1999 master plan established certain historic preservation districts, but by that point the damage had been done, and it’s not clear how strict the limitations are in practice.
We visited a surviving cluster of siheyuan, and they do give some sense of the animated, multi-programmed street life that must have once been universal in Beijing. But the mere fact that they are clusters robs them of most of their strength. One's reminded of the strips of weedy landscape preserved as highway medians; technically, they may add up to a large amount of open green space, but being discontinuous, they can hardly support even a single animal, let alone the complex weave of a real ecosystem. A city's economy works through aggregations and multiplications brought on by sheer quantity. Beijing is more populous than ever, obviously, but if the hutong is surrounded by automobile streets, how can its shops hope to have customers? How can its residents hope to walk to their places of business?
I suspect that demolition is thus a self-accelerating cycle: once the city is damaged enough for life within the hutong to become affected, incentives grow to cash in and move out. As more people do so, more of the city is wiped out, and more of what remains is unable to function as it once did. There may be some effort to preserve and restore small sections, either as tourist attractions or as charming shopping districts a la Xintiandi; we saw a bit of what looked like this across from Tian'anmen. But as urbanism, it is already effectively extinct.
"Resentment is the emotion that goes with complaining and the mental labeling of people and adds even more energy to the ego. Resentment means to feel bitter, indignant, aggrieved, or offended. You resent other people's greed, their dishonesty,their lack of integrity,what they are doing, what they did in the past, what they said, what they failed to do, what they should or shouldn't have done. The ego loves it. Instead of overlooking unconsciousness in others, you make it into their identity. Who is doing that? The unconsciousness in you, the ego.
Nonreaction to the ego in others is one of the most effective ways not only of going beyond ego in yourself but also of dissolving the collective human ego. But you can only be in a state of nonreaction if you can recognize someone's behavior as coming from the ego, as being an expression of the collective human dysfunction. When you realize it's not personal, there is no longer a compulsion to react as if it were. By not reacting to the ego, you will often be able to bring out the sanity in others, which is the unconditioned consciousness as opposed to the conditioned.
At time you may have to take practical steps to protect yourself from deeply unconscious people. This you can do without making them into enemies. Your greatest protection, however, is being conscious. Somebody becomes an enemy if you personalize the unconsciousness that is the ego. Nonreaction is not weakness but strength. Another word for nonreaction is forgiveness. To forgive is to overlook, or rather to look through."
"A long-standing resentment is called a grievance. To carry a grievance is to be in a permanent state of "against," and that is why grievances constitute a significant part of many people's ego. Collective grievances can survive for centuries in the psyche of a nation or tribe and fuel a never-ending cycle of violence.
A grievance is a strong negative emotion connected to an event in the sometimes distant past that is being kept alive by compulsive thinking, by retelling the story in the head or out loud of " what someone did to me" or "what someone did to us." A grievance will also contaminate other areas of your life. For example, while you think about and feel your grievance, its negative emotional energy can distort your perception of an event that is happening in the present or influence the way in which you speak or behave toward someone in the present. One strong grievance is enough to contaminate large areas of your life and keep you in the grip of the ego."
"Forgiveness happens naturally when you see that it has no purpose other than to strengthen a false sense of self, to keep the ego in place."
"The past has no power to stop you from being present now. Only your grievance about the past can do that. And what is a grievance? The baggage of old thought and emotion."
"When you complain, by implication you are right and the person or situation you complain about or react against is wrong. There is nothing that strengthens the ego more than being right.
Being right is identification with a mental position - a perspective, an opinion, a judgement, a story. For you to be right, of course, you need someone else to be wrong, and so the ego loves to make wrong in order to be right. In other words: You need to make others wrong in order to get a stronger sense of who you are."
"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which always is as it is. There is the situation or the fact, and here are my thoughts about it.
Facing facts is always empowering. Be aware of what you think, to a large extent, creates the emotions that you feel. See the link between your thinking and your emotions. Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be the awareness behind them."
"The inability or rather unwillingness of the human mind to let go of the past is beautifully illustrated in the story of two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, who were walking along a country road that had become extremely muddy after heavy rains. Near a village, they came upon a young woman who was trying to cross the road, but the mud was so deep it would have ruined the silk kimono she was wearing. Tanzan at once picked her up and carried her to the other side.
The monks walked on in silence. Five hours later, as they were approaching the lodging temple, Ekido couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Why did you carry that girl across the road?" he asked. "We monks are not supposed to do things like that".
"I put the girl down hours ago", said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"
www.jkrishnamurti.org/about-dissolution-speech
Truth is a Pathless Land, by J. Krishnamurti
Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path. If you first understand that, then you will see how impossible it is to organize a belief. A belief is purely an individual matter, and you cannot and must not organize it. If you do, it becomes dead, crystallized; it becomes a
creed, a sect, a religion, to be imposed on others. Truth cannot be brought down, rather the individual must make the effort to ascend to it.
You cannot bring the mountain-top to the valley. If you would attain to the mountain-top you must pass through the valley, climb the steeps, unafraid of the dangerous precipices.
I maintain that no organization can lead man to spirituality. If an organization be created for this purpose, it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage, and must cripple the individual, and prevent him from growing, from establishing his uniqueness, which lies in the
discovery for himself of that absolute, unconditioned Truth.
Organizations cannot make you free. No man from outside can make you free; nor can organized worship, nor the immolation of yourselves for a cause, make you free; nor can forming yourselves into an organization, nor throwing yourselves into works, make you free. You use a typewriter to write letters, but you do not put it on an altar and worship it. But that is what you are doing when organizations become
your chief concern. "How many members are there in it?" That is the first question I am asked by all newspaper reporters. "How many followers have you? By their number we shall judge whether what you say is true or false." I do not know how many there are. I am not concerned with that. As I said, if there were even one man who had been set free, that
were enough. [...] I have now decided to disband [The Order of the Star], as I happen to be its head. You can form other organizations and expect someone else. With that I am not concerned, nor with creating new cages, new decorations
for those cages. My only concern is to set man absolutely,
unconditionally free.
--J. Krishnamurti
Sea Cat Missile Director:
One of two GWS 21 directors for my Sea Cat anti aircraft missile systems on HMS Hermes. Range 5000 yards, utilised a 262 conical scan radar tracker and manually guided missles.
The target was initially acquired visually by an operator in the director allowing the 262 radar to then track the target after lock on. Post missile launch, guidance was via a radio link, managed by the operator inputting commands on a joystick. Flares on the missile's tail fins aided identifying the missile.
The system was by modern standards of very limited capability and even by the standards of the day quite inefective, but the Royal Navy had lots of them at this time. It was replaced shortly afterwards with GWS 22, an upgraded form of the same system which offered CCTV (ACLOS) Automated Command Line of Site to guide the missiles as an option. Slighty more reliable but its effectiveness was still limited and its ability to engage fast small targets like anti ship missiles problematic at best!
Maintenance of the Sea Cat system as a whole was quite a challenge not least because the technology was electronic valve based and much of the equipment was cooled by unconditioned and damp sea air which at times caused critical components in the director to short circuit!
As I remember, Able Seaman Cussy was the best operator at this time...managed to down most of the targets thrown against us which was quite a feat given the limitations of the system.
i got tagged from songglod to tell ten random facts about my life. i know, i know, i've ever done this before last year. but, anyway, here comes another ten of mine ;)
1. i like the scent of citrus. then my favorite perfume of all time are dkny "be delicious" and anna sui "secret wish" (i can’t decide which one is better though. it's tie in my opinion) i have worn them for years. already my to-go scent.
2. my everyday accessory is earrings. the huge silver loop ones. i’ve been wearing only one style since i was twenty.
3. i like the feeling while i'm riding a bicycle or motorbike, on open air bus or convertible. it's because when i'm in hi-speed, the wind starts to blow against my face. it makes me feel relaxed and incredibly calming down. and i do love this kind of feeling.
4. i'm a dog person. some people might say dogs are stupid. but, for me, i consider it is a loyalty. and i kinda like the way dogs love their owner. an unconditioned love. on the other hand, cats are way too arrogant, tricky and independent, i'm enough with these habits when it comes in human form. i don't want to handle these again in my pet.
5. as some of you guys might know, i'm a film lover. i watch so many movie in theatre each year. one thing that never be changed since the beginning till now is, i keep collecting every single tickets i received. i consider it’s another form of personal diary. it could remind me the day i watched the movie printed in ticket.
6. whenever i go aboard (regardless of purpose to visit - business or pleasure), i will watch at least one film in theatre in such country. this is already my personal tradition.
7. i think book is the best invention that has ever been invented for humanity. there is nothing could give you -- happiness, joy, grief, boredom, hilariousness -- all-in-one package but book. a book + summer breeze + scent of the sea is the best pleasure.
8. lately i pretty much enjoy this internet radio station, dabbl radio. as their slogan "where your vote decide the music we play", that means i could listen to music i like all day and all of the night and they often play the song that i'm so into. this is my favorite music channel so far.
9. personally i think the quote, "life is like a box of chocolate. you never know what you are gonna get" from the flick forrest gump, is a decent idea to describe about life. the box may be full of beautiful and delicious chocolate assortment. or it may be empty. at least there is a box. and I believe that is life.
10. the combination between flickr and holga reignited my love to film photography. i wouldn’t be me as today if i hadn’t joined flickr and started shooting film by my holga. thanks holga. thanks flickr. and, the most important thing, massive thanks to you (yes, you!, the one reading my ten random facts till this line) for all of your support. i really do appreciate it :)
well, so, this is a little bit more about me. now it's your turn ;)
Now, when you are introduced (to your own intrinsic awareness), the method for entering into it involves three considerations: Thoughts in the past are clear and empty and leave no traces behind.
Thoughts in the future are fresh and unconditioned by anything.
And in the present moment, when (your mind) remains in its own condition without constructing anything, awareness, at that moment, in itself is quite ordinary.
-Self Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness by Padmasambhava
With an estimated 19 percent of the world’s energy resources going to heating, ventilating and cooling buildings, integrating solar chimneys into new builds and retrofitting to existing structures offers great potential for reducing this massive environmental cost.
The ventilation system of a regular earthship.
Dogtrot houses are designed to maximise natural ventilation.
Passive ventilation is the process of supplying air to and removing air from an indoor space without using mechanical systems. It refers to the flow of external air to an indoor space as a result of pressure differences arising from natural forces. There are two types of natural ventilation occurring in buildings: wind driven ventilation and buoyancy-driven ventilation. Wind driven ventilation arises from the different pressures created by wind around a building or structure, and openings being formed on the perimeter which then permit flow through the building. Buoyancy-driven ventilation occurs as a result of the directional buoyancy force that results from temperature differences between the interior and exterior.[1] Since the internal heat gains which create temperature differences between the interior and exterior are created by natural processes, including the heat from people, and wind effects are variable, naturally ventilated buildings are sometimes called "breathing buildings".
The static pressure of air is the pressure in a free-flowing air stream and is depicted by isobars in weather maps. Differences in static pressure arise from global and microclimate thermal phenomena and create the air flow we call wind.
The impact of wind on a building affects the ventilation and infiltration rates through it and the associated heat losses or heat gains. Wind speed increases with height and is lower towards the ground due to frictional drag.
The impact of wind on the building form creates areas of positive pressure on the windward side of a building and negative pressure on the leeward and sides of the building. Thus, the building shape and local wind patterns are crucial in creating the wind pressures that will drive air flow through its apertures. In practical terms wind pressure will vary considerably creating complex air flows and turbulence by its interaction with elements of the natural environment (trees, hills) and urban context (buildings, structures). Vernacular and traditional buildings in different climatic regions rely heavily upon natural ventilation for maintaining thermal comfort conditions in the enclosed spaces.[citation needed]
Design[edit]
Design guidelines are offered in building regulations and other related literature and include a variety of recommendations on many specific areas such as:
Building location and orientation
Building form and dimensions
Indoor partitions and layout
Window typologies, operation, location, and shapes
Other aperture types (doors, chimneys)
Construction methods and detailing (infiltration)
External elements (walls, screens)
Urban planning conditions
The following design guidelines are selected from the Whole Building Design Guide, a program of the National Institute of Building Sciences:[3]
Maximize wind-induced ventilation by siting the ridge of a building perpendicular to the summer winds
Widths of naturally ventilated zone should be narrow (max 13.7 m [45 feet])
Each room should have two separate supply and exhaust openings. Locate exhaust high above inlet to maximize stack effect. Orient windows across the room and offset from each other to maximize mixing within the room while minimizing the obstructions to airflow within the room.
Window openings should be operable by the occupants
Consider the use of clerestories or vented skylights.
Wind driven ventilation[edit]
Wind driven ventilation can be classified as cross ventilation and single-sided ventilation. Wind driven ventilation depends on wind behavior, on the interactions with the building envelope and on openings or other air exchange devices such as inlets or windcatchers.
For rooms with single opening, the calculation of ventilation rate is more complicated than cross-ventilation due to the bi-directional flow and strong turbulent effect. The ventilation rate for single-sided ventilation can be accurately predicted by combining different models for mean flow, pulsating flow and eddy penetration.[5]
The mean flow rate for single-sided ventilation is determined by
Q
¯
=
C
d
l
C
p
∫
z
0
h
−
2
Δ
P
(
z
)
ρ
d
z
z
r
e
f
1
/
7
U
¯
{\bar {Q}}={\frac {C_{{d}}\;l\;{\sqrt {Cp}}\;\int \limits _{{z_{{0}}}}^{h}{\sqrt {-{\frac {2\;\Delta \;P(z)}{\rho }}}}\,{\mathrm {d}}z}{z_{{ref}}^{{1/7}}}}\;{\bar {U}}
where
l = width of the window;
h = elevation of the top edge of the window;
z0 = elevation of neural level (where inside and outside pressure balance);
zref = reference elevation where the wind velocity is measured (at 10 m) and
U
¯
{\bar {U}} = mean wind velocity at the reference elevation.
The knowledge of the urban climatology i.e. the wind around the buildings is crucial when evaluating the air quality and thermal comfort inside buildings as air and heat exchange depends on the wind pressure on facades. As we can see in the equation (1), the air exchange depends linearly on the wind speed in the urban place where the architectural project will be built. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) tools and zonal modelings are usually used to design naturally ventilated buildings. Windcatchers are able to aid wind driven ventilation by directing air in and out of buildings.
Some of the important limitations of wind driven ventilation:
Unpredictability and difficulties in harnessing due to speed and direction variations
The quality of air it introduces in buildings may be polluted for example due to proximity to an urban or industrial area
May create a strong draught, discomfort.
Buoyancy-driven ventilation[edit]
(For more details on displacement buoyancy-driven ventilation (rather than mixing type buoyancy-driven ventilation), see Stack effect)
Buoyancy driven ventilation arise due to differences in density of interior and exterior air, which in large part arises from differences in temperature. When there is a temperature difference between two adjoining volumes of air the warmer air will have lower density and be more buoyant thus will rise above the cold air creating an upward air stream. Forced upflow buoyancy driven ventilation in a building takes place in a traditional fireplace. Passive stack ventilators are common in most bathrooms and other type of spaces without direct access to the outdoors.
In order for a building to be ventilated adequately via buoyancy driven ventilation, the inside and outside temperatures must be different. When the interior is warmer than the exterior, indoor air rises and escapes the building at higher apertures. If there are lower apertures then colder, denser air from the exterior enters the building through them, thereby creating upflow displacement ventilation. However, if there are no lower apertures present, then both in- and out-flow will occur through the high level opening. This is called mixing ventilation. This latter strategy still results in fresh air reaching to low level, since although the incoming cold air will mix with the interior air, it will always be more dense than the bulk interior air and hence fall to the floor. Buoyancy-driven ventilation increases with greater temperature difference, and increased height between the higher and lower apertures in the case of displacement ventilation. When both high and low level openings are present, the neutral plane in a building occurs at the location between the high and low openings at which the internal pressure will be the same as the external pressure (in the absence of wind). Above the neutral plane, the internal air pressure will be positive and air will flow out of any intermediate level apertures created. Below the neutral plane the internal air pressure will be negative and external air will be drawn into the space through any intermediate level apertures. Buoyancy-driven ventilation has several significant benefits: {See Linden, P Annu Rev Fluid Mech, 1999}
Does not rely on wind: can take place on still, hot summer days when it is most needed.
Stable air flow (compared to wind)
Greater control in choosing areas of air intake
Sustainable method
Limitations of buoyancy-driven ventilation:
Lower magnitude compared to wind ventilation on the windiest days
Relies on temperature differences (inside/outside)
Design restrictions (height, location of apertures) and may incur extra costs (ventilator stacks, taller spaces)
The quality of air it introduces in buildings may be polluted for example due to proximity to an urban or industrial area (although this can also be a factor in wind-driven ventilation)
Natural ventilation in buildings can rely mostly on wind pressure differences in windy conditions, but buoyancy effects can a) augment this type of ventilation and b) ensure air flow rates during still days. Buoyancy-driven ventilation can be implemented in ways that air inflow in the building does not rely solely on wind direction. In this respect, it may provide improved air quality in some types of polluted environments such as cities. For example, air can be drawn through the backside or courtyards of buildings avoiding the direct pollution and noise of the street facade. Wind can augment the buoyancy effect, but can also reduce its effect depending on its speed, direction and the design of air inlets and outlets. Therefore, prevailing winds must be taken into account when designing for stack effect ventilation.
Assessing performance[edit]
One way to measure the performance of a naturally ventilated space is to measure the air changes per hour in an interior space. In order for ventilation to be effective, there must be exchange between outdoor air and room air. A common method for measuring ventilation effectiveness is to use a tracer gas.[6] The first step is to close all windows, doors, and openings in the space. Then a tracer gas is added to the air. The reference, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E741: Standard Test Method for Determining Air Change in a Single Zone by Means of a Tracer Gas Dilution, describes which tracer gases can be used for this kind of testing and provides information about the chemical properties, health impacts, and ease of detection.[7] Once the tracer gas has been added, mixing fans can be used to distribute the tracer gas as uniformly as possible throughout the space. To do a decay test, the concentration of the tracer gas is first measured when the concentration of the tracer gas is constant. Windows and doors are then opened and the concentration of the tracer gas in the space is measured at regular time intervals to determine the decay rate of the tracer gas. The airflow can be deduced by looking at the change in concentration of the tracer gas over time. For further details on this test method, refer to ASTM Standard E741.[7]
While natural ventilation eliminates electrical energy consumed by fans, overall energy consumption of natural ventilation systems is often higher than that of modern mechanical ventilation systems featuring heat recovery. Typical modern mechanical ventilation systems use as little as 2000 J/m3 for fan operation, and in cold weather they can recover much more energy than this in the form of heat transferred from waste exhaust air to fresh supply air using recuperators.
Ventilation heat loss can be calculated as: theta=Cp*rho*dT*(1-eta).
Where:
Theta is ventilation heat loss in W
Cp is specific heat capacity of air (~1000 J/(kg*K))
Rho is air density (~1.2 kg/m3)
dT is the temperature difference between inside and outside air in °K or °C
Eta is the heat recovery efficiency - (typically around 0.8 with heat recovery and 0 if no heat recovery device is used).
The temperature differential needed between indoor and outdoor air for mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to outperform natural ventilation in terms of overall energy efficiency can therefore be calculated as:
dT=SFP/(Cp*Rho*(1-eta))
Where:
SFP is specific fan power in Pa, J/m^3, or W/(m^3/s)
Under typical comfort ventilation conditions with a heat recovery efficiency of 80% and a SFP of 2000 J/m3 we get:
dT=2000/(1000*1.2*(1-0.8))=8.33 K
In climates where the mean absolute difference between inside and outside temperatures exceeds ~10K the energy conservation argument for choosing natural over mechanical ventilation might therefore be questioned. It should however be noted that heating energy might be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than electricity. This is especially the case in areas where district heating is available.
To develop natural ventilation systems with heat recovery two inherent challenges must first be solved:
Providing efficient heat recovery at very low driving pressures.
Physically or thermally connecting supply and exhaust air streams. (Stack ventilation typically relies on supply and exhaust being placed low and high respectively, while wind driven natural ventilation normally relies on openings being placed on opposing sides of a building for efficient cross ventilation.)
Research aiming at the development of natural ventilation systems featuring heat recovery have been made as early as 1993 where Shultz et al.[8] proposed and tested a chimney type design relying on stack effect while recovering heat using a large counterflow recuperator constructed from corrugated galvanized iron. Both supply and exhaust happened through an unconditioned attic space, with exhaust air being extracted at ceiling height and air being supplied at floor level through a vertical duct.
The device was found to provide sufficient ventilation air flow for a single family home and heat recovery with an efficiency around 40%. The device was however found to be too large and heavy to be practical, and the heat recovery efficiency too low to be competitive with mechanical systems of the time.[8]
Later attempts have primarily focused on wind as the main driving force due to its higher pressure potential. This however introduces an issue of there being large fluctuations in driving pressure.
With the use of wind towers placed on the roof of ventilated spaces, supply and exhaust can be placed close to each other on opposing sides of the small towers.[9] These systems often feature finned heat pipes although this limits the theoretical maximum heat recovery efficiency.[10]
Liquid coupled run around loops have also been tested to achieve indirect thermal connection between exhaust and supply air. While these tests have been somewhat successful, liquid coupling introduces mechanical pumps that consume energy to circulate the working fluid.[11][12]
While some commercially available solutions have been available for years,[13][14] the claimed performance by manufacturers has yet to be verified by independent scientific studies. This might explain the apparent lack of market impact of these commercially available products claiming to deliver natural ventilation and high heat recovery efficiencies.
A radically new approach to natural ventilation with heat recovery is currently being developed at Aarhus University, where heat exchange tubes are integrated into structural concrete slabs between building floors.[15]
While some commercially available solutions have been available for years,[13][14] the claimed performance by manufacturers has yet to be verified by independent scientific studies. This might explain the apparent lack of market impact of these commercially available products claiming to deliver natural ventilation and high heat recovery efficiencies.
Standards[edit]
For standards relating to ventilation rates, in the United States refer to ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010: Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality.[16] These requirements are for "all spaces intended for human occupancy except those within single-family houses, multifamily structures of three stories or fewer above grade, vehicles, and aircraft."[16] In the revision to the standard in 2010, Section 6.4 was modified to specify that most buildings designed to have systems to naturally condition spaces must also "include a mechanical ventilation system designed to meet the Ventilation Rate or IAQ procedures [in ASHRAE 62.1-2010]. The mechanical system is to be used when windows are closed due to extreme outdoor temperatures noise and security concerns".[16] The standard states that two exceptions in which naturally conditioned buildings do not require mechanical systems are when:
Natural ventilation openings that comply with the requirements of Section 6.4 are permanently open or have controls that prevent the openings from being closed during period of expected occupancy, or
The zone is not served by heating or cooling equipment.
Also, an authority having jurisdiction may allow for the design of conditioning system that does not have a mechanical system but relies only on natural systems.[16] In reference for how controls of conditioning systems should be designed, the standard states that they must take into consideration measures to "properly coordinate operation of the natural and mechanical ventilation systems."[16]
Another reference is ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2010: Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in low-rise Residential Buildings.[17] These requirements are for "single-family houses and multifamily structures of three stories or fewer above grade, including manufactured and modular houses," but is not applicable "to transient housing such as hotels, motels, nursing homes, dormitories, or jails."[17]
For standards relating to ventilation rates, in the United States refer to ASHRAE Standard 55-2010: Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy.[18] Throughout its revisions, its scope has been consistent with its currently articulated purpose, “to specify the combinations of indoor thermal environmental factors and personal factors that will produce thermal environmental conditions acceptable to a majority of the occupants within the space.”[18] The standard was revised in 2004 after field study results from the ASHRAE research project, RP-884: developing an adaptive model of thermal comfort and preference, indicated that there are differences between naturally and mechanically conditioned spaces with regards to occupant thermal response, change in clothing, availability of control, and shifts in occupant expectations.[19] The addition to the standard, 5.3: Optional Method For Determining Acceptable Thermal Conditions in Naturally Ventilated Spaces, uses an adaptive thermal comfort approach for naturally conditioned buildings by specifying acceptable operative temperature ranges for naturally conditioned spaces.[18] As a result, the design of natural ventilation systems became more feasible, which was acknowledged by ASHRAE as a way to further sustainable, energy efficient, and occupant-friendly design.[18]
~
“Perception is reality,” as the saying goes. I first heard that many years ago in a business environment. The context may be different now, but it's still something that I ponder frequently.
We assume that the world 'out there' is exactly as we perceive it to be, solid and stable, but that is not generally the case. (Just ask Neo, from The Matrix.) Instead, our perceived 'reality' has to do with our own internal position, our perspective. There's a good, digestible article on this from Scientific American Mind, Looks Can Deceive.
Photography can give us an excellent opportunity to challenge our notions about the world around us. While many people think that photography should only capture the world as-it-is, taking an image also presents an excellent opportunity to play around with our most basic assumptions. Some people might look at this image and say things like, "That's just too weird." Or, "That's wrong."
Is it?
Kids do this all the time. As a child, did you ever hang upside down on the monkey bars? (Are those death-trap monkey bars even still legal?) Did you ever lie on your back in bed and hang your head over the side? Perhaps it's because the child hasn't spent decades conditioning their thought processes to match what they perceive with their senses. At any moment, children can pretend that they're a pirate, a Jedi knight, a princess, or anything else that the mind can conjure up, and to their unconditioned minds, it seems completely real.
We seem to lose that ability, that playfulness, as we get older.
As I was flipping through the images taken on our recent autumn trip, I ran across this set from Flagstaff Lake, one of my favorite places. I ran it through the usual steps, and when I saw the result, I thought, "Meh. Same as many others I've taken there."
Then, in a fit of playfulness one night, I flipped the image. Bam! Perhaps it was my state of mind at the time, but it completely messed with my well-conditioned perspective of the place I think I know so well. Suddenly the image took on a new dimension and meaning, and I couldn't neglect to publish it, even though it bears substantial similarity to other images.
Interestingly, I did the same thing on an image of an egret, in Masnavi. I sent that image off to the print lab for a client, and when the print came in, someone at the lab had flipped the image into what they thought was the 'correct' orientation! For my purposes, of course, this was a complete "mistake" and I received a re-print from the lab, with the "correct"… no, wait… "incorrect" orientation.
Hell, now I'm confused.
That's the point.
We're free to challenge our most basic assumptions. We're free to play around with the reality that's presented to us. We can change things by simply altering our perspective a bit.
Why don't we do that more often?
~
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via cell phone because I forgot my camera (again!). The fondant-covered cake sat in an unconditioned room for a three day weekend before we could finish it. The purple dye warped and turned it into a "mood cake" (green on one side, purple on the other). Chef Instructor makes me smile.
Critique from review: not delicate enough on the top "embroidery" work, too nipply on the side work (I've got little pooks of icing and it's not quite delicate enough there, either), the snail trail is too small and is thus distracting as it pulls focus away from the -er- focus, and the fondant is a little thick on the edging and a little thin on the corners.
But still an "A" - barely. More important - I'm learning a lot. Even though I remade my cake and totally rebeat the crap out of my icings, I still was the first to finish. I will NOT be the first to finish next time.
I'll tell ya upfront, transportation issues were the theme of the day.
In fact *everything* went swimmingly right up until we needed to get
to the church. I found the fact that 4 bridesmaids and a bride were
*ahead* of schedule in the makeup/hair/dress up department to be a
near unmatchable feat on a wedding day. It unfortunately just
lengthened the seemingly endless time that we waited for the limo that
never came. At 1:40pm my lovely sister was told that the stretch limo
had broken down on the highway, but would arrive in 20 minutes. The
hitherto calm bride immediately went into well-deserved
hysterical-mode, as 2:00pm was the start time for her wedding
ceremony. We recruited the Marriot van at that point, glamorous as it
was, and were laughing before we reached the church.
We barely lasted through the ceremony. And no I'm not moaning about a
preachy Protestant sermon (actually the priest took a novel approach:
he recited an epic rhyming poem about the couple) or about screechy
kids (Noel was a star and quietly swung her white-dress adorned body
while standing with the bridal party in the front of the church), or
even about a corny, folk-group singing squad (a lovely hand-bell choir
had been recruited for the occasion), rather I'm talking about the <90
degree heat and the non-moving air in the unconditioned church. Sweat
rolled down even the children's faces and created dark stains on
everyone's fancy frocks. We happily emerged from the service to soft
breezes, light rain, and NO limousine. A battery of calls and enough
time for a photo-shoot later, we found a replacement parked out front.
The limo could not be revived, and a "limo" bus was sent as a
replacement. It was roomy, however, it did not have the panache of
the classic limo, well, especially when the front hood was cracked
open, and a little Honda was parked in front of it with jumper cables
attached. Several tries later, the limo bus came to life, and we all
piled in, relieved to finally have a mode of transportation. Our
brief foray around town for more scenic pictures gave us a glimpse of
our intended stretch limo as it was gingerly being towed from its
resting place on the highway. We giggled.
The reception was flavored with guests that entertained and inspired.
(?!) There was the dedicated wicken-boy who went so far as to file
down his teeth to shape fangs, then the stubbornly bitter cousin who
STILL sits alone at the bar sucking down as much free liquor as
possible-even though she's just a few months from turning 40, and the
suede-dress clad Amazon woman who rocked her body on the dance floor
like she needed a pole. Oh, wait-I forgot, I DID find out that she
WAS a stripper, confirming my suspicions . Damn she was hot. I felt
no need to shake my ass, with her considerable moves on the dance
floor .
As the reception wound down the flakey bridesmaid showed her true
colors. She slopped her wine down the front of her dress and dropped
her glass on the dance floor. Her profuse apologizes were lost as I
ushered her and her bare feet away, not allowing her to pick up the
glass; the situation was too dangerous.
Reception concluded, a shuttle safely transported the guests to their
hotels. But, oh, no, the night was not destined to end that easily.
The over-drunk bridesmaid made a $150 puke on the shuttle, disembarked
mid-trip, and gave a farewell finger to the driver. Classy.
And that, my dear friends was my little sister's wedding day.
My Lever had the pleasure of experiencing it all first hand, and had a
small encore of the transportation hassles the next evening. A
burning car on the Tappan-Zee bridge left us sitting for hours,
moaning and then celebrating his missed transatlantic flight.
this with description photo on my personal website www.imagenesis.ru/turning-point/unconditioned-architectur...
From Section 19. Totapuri in the Introduction to the Gospel::
~~~~~
TOTAPURI
Totapuri arrived at the Dakshineswar temple garden toward the end of 1864. Perhaps born in the Punjab, he was the head of a monastery in that province of India and claimed leadership of seven hundred sannyasis. Trained from early youth in the disciplines of the Advaita Vedanta, he looked upon the world as an illusion. The gods and goddesses of the dualistic worship were to him mere fantasies of the deluded mind. Prayers, ceremonies, rites, and rituals had nothing to do with true religion, and about these he was utterly indifferent. Exercising self-exertion and unshakable will-power, he had liberated himself from attachment to the sense-objects of the relative universe. For forty years he had practised austere discipline on the bank of the sacred Narmada [at Chandod] and had finally realized his identity with the Absolute. Thenceforward he roamed in the world as an unfettered soul, a lion free from the cage. Clad in a loin-cloth, he spent his days under the canopy of the sky alike in storm and sunshine, feeding his body on the slender pittance of alms. He had been visiting the estuary of the Ganges. On his return journey along the bank of the sacred river, led by the inscrutable Divine Will, he stopped at Dakshineswar.
Totapuri, discovering at once that Sri Ramakrishna was prepared to be a student of Vedanta, asked to initiate him into its mysteries. With the permission of the Divine Mother, Sri Ramakrishna agreed to the proposal. But Totapuri explained that only a sannyasi could receive the teaching of Vedanta. Sri Ramakrishna agreed to renounce the world, but with the stipulation that the ceremony of his initiation into the monastic order be performed in secret, to spare the feelings of his old mother, who had been living with him at Dakshineswar.
On the appointed day, in the small hours of the morning, a fire was lighted in the Panchavati. Totapuri and Sri Ramakrishna sat before it. The flame played on their faces. "Ramakrishna was a small brown man with a short beard and beautiful eyes, long dark eyes, full of light, obliquely set and slightly veiled, never very wide open, but seeing half-closed a great distance both outwardly and inwardly. His mouth was open over his white teeth in a bewitching smile, at once affectionate and mischievous. Of medium height, he was thin to emaciation and extremely delicate. His temperament was high-strung, for he was supersensitive to all the winds of joy and sorrow, both moral and physical. He was indeed a living reflection of all that happened before the mirror of his eyes, a two-sided mirror, turned both out and in." (Romain Rolland, Prophets of the New India, pp. 38-9.) Facing him, the other rose like a rock. He was very tall and robust, a sturdy and tough oak. His constitution and mind were of iron. He was the strong leader of men.
In the burning flame before him Sri Ramakrishna performed the rituals of destroying his attachment to relatives, friends, body, mind, sense-organs, ego, and the world. The leaping flame swallowed it all, making the initiate free and pure. The sacred thread and the tuft of hair were consigned to the fire, completing his severance from caste, sex, and society. Last of all he burnt in that fire, with all that is holy as his witness, his desire for enjoyment here and hereafter. He uttered the sacred mantras giving assurance of safety and fearlessness to all beings, who were only manifestations of his own Self. The rites completed, the disciple received from the guru the loin-cloth and ochre robe, the emblems of his new life.
The teacher and the disciple repaired to the meditation room near by. Totapuri began to impart to Sri Ramakrishna the great truths of Vedanta.
"Brahman", he said, "is the only Reality, ever pure, ever illumined, ever free, beyond the limits of time, space, and causation. Though apparently divided by names and forms through the inscrutable power of maya, that enchantress who makes the impossible possible, Brahman is really One and undivided. When a seeker merges in the beatitude of samadhi, he does not perceive time and space or name and form, the offspring of maya. Whatever is within the domain of maya is unreal. Give it up. Destroy the prison-house of name and form and rush out of it with the strength of a lion. Dive deep in search of the Self and realize It through samadhi. You will find the world of name and form vanishing into void, and the puny ego dissolving in Brahman-Consciousness. You will realize your identity with Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute." Quoting the Upanishad, Totapuri said: "That knowledge is shallow by which one sees or hears or knows another. What is shallow is worthless and can never give real felicity. But the Knowledge by which one does not see another or hear another or know another, which is beyond duality, is great, and through such Knowledge one attains the Infinite Bliss. How can the mind and senses grasp That which shines in the heart of all as the Eternal Subject?"
Totapuri asked the disciple to withdraw his mind from all objects of the relative world, including the gods and goddesses, and to concentrate on the Absolute. But the task was not easy even for Sri Ramakrishna. He found it impossible to take his mind beyond Kali, the Divine Mother of the Universe. "After the initiation", Sri Ramakrishna once said, describing the event, "Nangta began to teach me the various conclusions of the Advaita Vedanta and asked me to withdraw the mind completely from all objects and dive deep into the Atman. But in spite of all my attempts I could not altogether cross the realm of name and form and bring my mind to the unconditioned state. I had no difficulty in taking the mind from all the objects of the world. But the radiant and too familiar figure of the Blissful Mother, the Embodiment of the essence of Pure Consciousness, appeared before me as a living reality. Her bewitching smile prevented me from passing into the Great Beyond. Again and again I tried, but She stood in my way every time. In despair I said to Nangta: 'It is hopeless. I cannot raise my mind to the unconditioned state and come face to face with Atman.' He grew excited and sharply said: 'What? You can't do it? But you have to.' He cast his eyes around. Finding a piece of glass he took it up and stuck it between my eyebrows. 'Concentrate the mind on this point!' he thundered. Then with stern determination I again sat to meditate. As soon as the gracious form of the Divine Mother appeared before me, I used my discrimination as a sword and with it clove Her in two. The last barrier fell. My spirit at once soared beyond the relative plane and I lost myself in samadhi."
Sri Ramakrishna remained completely absorbed in samadhi for three days. "Is it really true?" Totapuri cried out in astonishment. "Is it possible that he has attained in a single day what it took me forty years of strenuous practice to achieve? Great God! It is nothing short of a miracle!" With the help of Totapuri, Sri Ramakrishna's mind finally came down to the relative plane.
Totapuri, a monk of the most orthodox type, never stayed at a place more than three days. But he remained at Dakshineswar eleven months. He too had something to learn.
Totapuri had no idea of the struggles of ordinary men in the toils of passion and desire. Having maintained all through life the guilelessness of a child, he laughed at the idea of a man's being led astray by the senses. He was convinced that the world was maya and had only to be denounced to vanish for ever. A born non-dualist, he had no faith in a Personal God. He did not believe in the terrible aspect of Kali, much less in Her benign aspect. Music and the chanting of God's holy name were to him only so much nonsense. He ridiculed the spending of emotion on the worship of a Personal God.
~~~~~
The full current Theosophical Society Seal on their current building at 126 Russell St, Melbourne.
The Theosophical Society welcomes seekers belonging to any religion or to none, who are in sympathy with its Three Objects. The Three Objects of The Theosophical Society:
To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science.
To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in the human being.
The motto of the Society is There is no Religion higher than Truth. The word Religion in this statement is a translation of the Sanskrit dharma, which among other things means practice; way; virtue; teaching; law; inherent nature; religion; and that which is steadfast or firm. The word Truth in the motto is a translation of the Sanskrit satya, meaning, among other things, true, real and actual. It derives from the root sat, sometimes translated as boundless unconditioned existence.
Theosophy, from the Greek, theosophia, means divine wisdom. The word is not defined in the Constitution of the Theosophical Society, or in any official document. Members of the Society are left to discover what it is for themselves, taking as guides whatever philosophies or religions they wish.
THE SERPENT is the timeless symbol of the highest spiritual Wisdom. Swallowing its tail, it is a symbol of regeneration. It is the selfborn, the circle of infinite wisdom, life and immortality. The circle itself is an ancient symbol of eternity and represents the Absolute, the unmanifested universe containing the potentials of all form. As representative of the infinite sphere, the "world egg" of archaic cosmology, this symbol is found in every world religion and philosophy.
THE INTERLACED TRIANGLES, one (lighter) pointing upwards and the other (darker) pointing downwards, symbolise the descent of spirit into matter and its reemergence from the confining limits of form. They also suggest the constant conflict between the light and dark forces in nature as well as the inseparable unity of spirit and matter. When depicted within the circle of the serpent, the figure represents the universe and the manifestation of Deity in time and space. The three lines and three angles of each of the two triangles may remind us of the triple aspects of spirit: existence, consciousness and bliss, and the three aspects of matter: mobility, resistance and rhythm. The glyph can also be seen as the sixpointed star, embracing spiritual and physical consciousness and viewed by the Pythagoreans as the symbol of creation.
IN THE CENTRE of the seal is the ANKH or CRUX ANSATA, an ancient Egyptian symbol of resurrection. It is composed of the Tau or Tshaped cross surmounted by a small circle and is often seen in Egyptian statuary and in wall and tomb paintings where it is depicted as being held in the hand. The Tau symbolises matter or the world of form; the small circle above it represents spirit or life. With the circle marking the position of the head, it represents the mystic cube unfolded to form the Latin cross, symbol of spirit descended into matter and crucified thereon, but risen from death and resting triumphant on the arms of the conquered slayer. So it may be said that the figure of the interlaced triangles enclosing the ankh represents the human triumphant and the divine triumphant in the human. As the cross of life, the ankh then becomes a symbol of resurrection and immortality.
THE SWASTIKA, placed in the emblem at the head of the serpent, is one of the numerous forms in which the symbol of the cross is found. It is the fiery cross, with arms of whirling flame revolving clockwise to represent the tremendous energies of nature incessantly creating and dissolving the forms through which the evolutionary process takes place. In religions which recognise three aspects of Deity, the swastika is associated with the Third Person of the Trinity, who is at once the Creator and the Destroyer: Shiva in Hinduism and the Holy Ghost in Christianity. Applied to humanity, the figure may show the human as the link between heaven and earth, one "hand" pointing toward heaven or spirit and the other toward earth or matter.
ABOVE THE SEAL (normally), in Sanskrit characters, is the sacred word of Hinduism, AUM or OM, a word of profound significance. It may be said to stand for the creative Word or Logos, the ineffable Reality which is the source of all existence. We are reminded of the statement: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Om is a word of power and should be uttered only with the greatest reverence.
Around the seal appears the MOTTO of the Theosophical Society: ‘THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH’. Truth is the quest of every theosophist, whatever his or her faith, and every great religion reflects in some measure the light of the one eternal and spiritual wisdom. Each points a way toward the realisation of Truth.
THE WHOLE SEAL speaks to an inner perception, to the intuition and to the heart, calling forth the divine in each individual who contemplates it. In its totality, it represents a synthesis of great cosmic principles operating through involutionary and evolutionary cycles, bringing us all, in the fullness of time, to the realisation of our divine nature.
I have just finished reading an introduction to Derrida and Hospitality. Returning to the original texts all I can see are riddles, and the reviewer (Still, 2010) turns out to be better than I thought.
In one of the original texts, "On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness,"Derrida begins by asking "Where have we received the image of cosmopolitanism from?"
The obvious answer first of all is that "we" have received it from the page of Derrida's book that we are reading (and is shown above). As with his graphematic "differance" (with an "a") it seems to me that Derrida is hinting towards a space, visual field or place, "ba," that is in some senses shared, and others not.
[Can you visit the place where you are reading this blog? Take it home with you? Show it to other people? Or are you reading it in a private place? I must say I am not sure. The longer I remain in Japan the more I tend to feel that, as Nishida would seem to have it, space is completely public, and that I can't take it anywhere. ]
Derrida is hinting at something, and this will be apparent from the way in which he concludes his lecture, to which "we" (copying him) will return.
Derrida argues that hospitality is at the foundation of ethics, or that hospitaliy is ethics, defining how we treat others and especially ourselves. Derrida claims, the structure of hospitality contains the same paradoxes as the structure of the self.
The host and guest (both words are the same in French) depend upon each other, and there can never be complete hospitality, no matter how much one says "make yourself at home" since hospitality is at the same time "hostile" (sometimes Derirda calls it "hostipitality") never allowing the guest to supplant the host.
Quoting the same extract as Still (2010), Derrida writes
"Hospitality is culture itself and not simply one ethic amongst others. Insofar as it has to do with the ethos, that is, the residence, one’s home, the familiar place of dwelling, inasmuch as it is a manner of being there, the manner in which we relate to ourselves and to others, to others as our own or as foreigners, ethics is hospitality; ethics is so thoroughly coextensive with the experience of hospitality. But for this very reason, and because being at home with oneself (l’être-soi chez soi – l’ipséité même – the other within oneself) supposes a reception or inclusion of the other which one seeks to appropriate, control, and master according to different modalities of violence, there is a history of hospitality, an always possible perversion of the law of hospitality (which can appear unconditional), and of the laws which come to limit and condition it in its inscription as a law."
Which is as opaque as it gets but, it covers the usual Derridean assertion that an other, otherness, a controlled otherness, is required for there to be self or hosts. Both self and host, contain the necessity of this otherness. Bearing this double layer of meaning in mind, anything that Derrida says about new forms of, more inclusive, hospitality, in which others not only have the right to visit but can also reside, would also refer to new forms of self. What is a self in which others can can reside? Is Derrida turning Japanese? Has he been reading Nishida? Perhaps Derrida was always Japanese.
(Derrida's particular word for "Other" in self is "alter-ego.")
Another thing that I noticed, thanks to Still's (2010) inclusion of the original French, is that Derrida had put the word translated as "the" (law of hospitality) in capitalised italics. This can be taken to mean that he is talking about *the* specific one and only law, but at the same time, returning to the French,
“Mais pour cette raison même, et parce que l'être-soi chez-soi (l'ipséité même) suppose un accueil ou une inclusion de l'autre qu'on cherche à s'approprier, contrôler, maîtriser, selon différentes modalités de la violence, il y a une histoire de l'hospitalité, une perversion toujours possible de La loi de l'hospitalité (qui peut paraître inconditionnelle) et des lois qui viennent la limiter, la conditionner en l'inscrivant dans un droit."
"We" notice that the "La loi" (capitalising and italicising the article, but giving neither emphasis to "law"/"loi"), which if it had an accent là means "there" with connotations of"place," and "space" (plot, lot, ba, image, lo [and behold]).
Derrida goes on to consider a classic Western definition of hospitality, as provided by Kant, which is the right to visit but not reside in a surface - the surface of the earth. The "surface" - place, space, image - in Kant is presumed to be public in so far as it can be visited, by the public, by right. Derrida is keen to point out that Kantian hospitality does not extent to anything constructed above or below the surface.
This may link to the fact that the Kantian world view, "the thing in itself" is "pale", "sublime," (I imagine a lot of green symbols and numbers floating around like in "The Matrix"), a world bereft of all surfaces. Sensation, qualia, are on the other hand, ephemera that are caused by things in themselves, firmly planted in the Kantian mind.
(I also note that Kant "never traveled more than ten miles from Königsberg")
Derrida writes, "Hospitality signifies here (in Kant) the public nature (publicité) of public space" (or publishing of "public space"?) Can others visit "the surface," this space? Is it public? Can I own it?
Immediately after the above quoted excerpt on "The(re) Law," (or "Lo law"?) Still (2010) points out that
"Hospitality requires a mediating third party for justice to be possible.
Hospitality is a particular for the gift that involves *temporary* sharing of space..." hitting the nail on the head I thought, before quickly moving on, not dwelling on, or in, space at all. "(Still, 2010, Kindle edition location c360, my emphasis)
I wondered whether perhaps other instances of Derrida's contradictory The law of hospitality, which he also regards to be the law of the self, is written with a capitalised italicised "La" and I find that it is. The above, image, from the original French "Cosmopolites de tous les pays, encore un effort!" (Cosmopolitans of all countries, one more effort!") is rendered in English in the following way:
"It is a question of knowing how to transform and improve the law, and of knowing if this improvement is possible within an historical space which takes place between the Law of an unconditional hospitality, offered a priori to every other, to all newcomers, whoever they may be, and the conditional laws of a right to hospitality, without which The unconditional Law of hospitality would be in danger of remaining a pious and irresponsible desire, without form and without potency, and of even being perverted at any moment."
The emphasis and possible puns are lost, if they were there in the first place. Additionally I wonder whether the French "inconditionelle" means both "unconditional" (as in hospitality offered to everyone) and unconditioned, not conditioned by anything, pure. In this light, or coolade, I wonder whether "*La* Loi de 'lospitalite' inconditionelle risquerait reser un desir pieux, irresponsible, sans forme et sans effectivite, voire de se pervertir a chaque instant" refers to "Là" the unconditioned place, the third term and foundation of hospitality, which are reduced to ephemera "seemings of appearances" in the pale, Königsbergian system.
Derrida ends his essay by saying, as cryptically as he ever gets that we are perhaps not recognising "an other" that may be a place, that we have not recognised.
"I also imagine the experience of cities of refuge as giving rise to a place (lieu) for reflection – for reflection on the questions of asylum and hospitality – and for a new order of law and a democracy to come to be put to the test.
Being on the threshold of these cities, of these new cities that would be something other than ‘new cities’, a certain idea of cosmopolitanism, an other, has not yet arrived, perhaps.
– If it has (indeed) arrived . . .
– . . . then, one has perhaps not yet recognised it."
There! That was silly. Derrida is not talking about a place. I say faced with this big round thing, my mirror, my lot, which I have not recognised yet.
Derrida, J. (2001). On cosmopolitanism and forgiveness. Psychology Press.
Still, J. (2010). Derrida and Hospitality: Theory and Practice. Edinburgh University Press.
2011-11-26 师父开示
Messages from 〇sifu
Oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man
Nov 26th, 2011
从今天开始，师父的开示法会在灵山一会进行，这也是一种调整。
From now on, Master will deliver instruction in this web group, which is a kind of adjustment.
是的，一切皆在调整之中。根据大普度的运行需要而不断调整。
Yes, everything is in the process of adjustment, so does the Great Salvation, adjusting continuously according to the operational needs.
师父近期的开示依然是三日一次，大家可以随心随缘同步参加法会。
Master's discourse is still one time every two days. You can attend teaching assembly synchronously following your heart and your circumstances.
众弟子有缘人可以随心随缘转发流通师父的开示。
All disciples and guests who have affinity with me can forward and circulate Master's messages following your heart and your circumstances.
师父的偈子和开示由净心慧莲负责整理结集，有缘人若想参学，可以和净心慧莲联系结缘师父的偈子集和开示集。
Master's verses and messages are organized and collated by olive. If you want to study, you can contact her and request for Master's verses and messages.
天
Heaven
地
Earth
人
Man
天地人皆在顺应宇宙规律、自然法则运行。
Heaven, Earth and Man are all in motion complying with cosmic laws, natural rules.
天地人的运行逐渐同步。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will be synchronous gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐同频。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will resonate in the same frequency gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐同波。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will resonate in the same channel gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐同心。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will resonate in the same heart gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐同体。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will consubstantiate gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐同一。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will be the same one gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐圆融。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will be perfectly harmonized gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐融通。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will be closely linked gradually.
天地人的运行逐渐合一。
The running of Heaven, Earth and Man will become oneness gradually.
天地人合！
Heaven, Earth and Man is oneness。
是的，最终达到天地人合而不是天地人和。
Yes, the final aim is oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man, instead of the harmony of Heaven, Earth and Man.
天地人合是天地人圆融一体态。
Oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man is the state of perfect integration as a whole.
天地人合是天地人无二无别态。
Oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man is the state of no differentiation.
天地人合是天地人无我无为态。
Oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man is the state of no self and no conditions.
天地人合是天地人同心同体态。
Oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man is the state of one mind and consubstantiality.
天地人合是天地人圆融圆通态。
Oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man is the state of integrating harmony.
天地人合是天地人太极无极态。
Oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man is the state of the supreme ultimate and original non-dual.
“分久必合合久必分”，天、地、人分开太久太久，也该“合”了！
"Prolonged division leads to unification and vice versa." Heaven, Earth and Man have been separated for too long time. It's high time to unify!
天、地、人是该和合的时候了。
It's time to unify Heaven, Earth and Man to oneness.
此时空点、时空段是一次万劫难逢的机缘。
This space-time point and space-time period is a golden opportunity.
吾等的个体小宇宙在修心修行修炼提升的过程中在逐步实现天地人和合。
Each microcosm of us will achieve oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man during the process of cultivation and promotion.
天地的时空大宇宙在运行调整升华的扬升过程中在逐步实现天地人和合。
The space-time cosmos of heaven and earth will achieve oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man during the ascending process.
实现“天地人合一”很难，古往今来多少志心于修心修行修炼的人在为此付出毕生的精力乃至生命，却很少有人能实现天人合一。
It's very difficult to achieve oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man. So many people devoted their whole lifetime and energy even life to it, but seldom of them achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man.
实现天地人合一的人至少有以下指标：
Achieving oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man should match conditions as follows at least:
正能量超强。
1. Positive energy is extremely strong.
正信息超多。
2. Positive information is extremely massive.
正密码超级。
3. Positive core is superior.
能通阴阳。
4. Completely free through Yin and Yang.
能同步宇宙规律、顺天而行、顺道而行、遵守自然法则、透彻人体科学。
5. Be synchronized with cosmic laws, complying with heaven, Way, natural rules and body science.
能顺道化解小至个人诸苦难大至人间诸种灾劫。
6. Down to individual's sufferings and up to human beings' disasters can be alleviated or eliminated，using the approaches that comply with the Law.
身语意清净，时时传播光与爱，时时传播正能量正信息正密码，时时慈悲奉献一切......
7. Body, speech and mind is pure, spreading light and love every time and disseminating positive energy, positive information and positive code every time. To give light and love to ALL with compassionate devotion every time.....
能够完全做到或基本做到“无我无为、顺道而行、造福苍生、普济万灵”。
8. Completely or basically manage to do the following"To perform according to the Way (cosmic laws), along the unconditioned Way without thoughts of a false self. To bring bliss to fellow human and rescue millions of beings."
能够生死自在、坐脱立亡。灵体出窍上天入地更是不在话下。
9. Be free from life and death and can enter into other dimensional worlds as one please. It goes without saying that soul coming out of body and moving to heaven and earth.
具备一定层次的五通或六通，实证一定层次的三身四智或圆满三身四智。
10. To possess a certain level of five or six spiritual penetration capabilities and has attained perfect level or a certain level of three bodies and four wisdoms.
简言十种实现天地人合一指标供修心修行修炼人参悟对照。
Briefly stating ten points of achieving oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man, just provide them to practitioners as reference and comparison.
大家或者想问，古往今来修心修行修炼人实现天人合一的都有哪些古圣先哲呢？
Maybe you want to ask that how many sages among practitioners have achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man since time immemorial.
师父可以满足你的好奇心，举出几个。呵呵
Master can satisfy your curiosity and give you several examples.
过去诸佛，不用说都是已经实现天地人合一的修心修行修炼人。
Needless to say, all Buddhas in the past are practitioners successfully achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man.
释迦牟尼佛是近三千年来实现天地人合一的修心修行修炼人中最完美最圆满的代表人物，顶峰人物。
Shakyamuni was a representative and peak figure of the most perfect and satisfactory who achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man among practitioners for the past three thousand years.
师父一直以来很赞叹释迦牟尼佛忍难忍之事、行难行之道。
Master always highly praises Shakyamuni that he bore the unbearable and practiced the difficult Way.
老子李耳是近三千年来中华大地实现天地人合一的修心修行修炼人中最完美最圆满的代表人物，顶峰人物。
Laotse(Li Er) was a representative and peak figure of the most perfect and satisfactory who achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man in China in the past three thousand years.
师父一直以来很赞叹老子李耳。对《道德经》高度肯定，也希望大家用心参悟。
Master highly praises Laoste(Li Er) all the time, and highly appreciates "Tao Te Ching". Master expects you can comprehend it by heart.
近三千年来还有完美圆满实现天地人合一的修心修行修炼人吗？
Is there any practitioner who achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man perfectly in the past three thousand years?
师父答复你，没有。
Master replies to you：None.
真的很遗憾！
It's really pitiful!
从今天往前数7000到8000年前实现天地人合一的修心修行修炼人很多，如伏羲、黄帝等，但完美圆满者甚少。
7,000 to 8,000 years ago, many practitioners achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man, such as Fuxi, Huangdi,etc. But seldom practitioners were perfect and satisfactory.
近2000年来莫说完美圆满实现天地人合一的修心修行修炼人，就是基本实现天地人合一的人也凤毛麟角，亿中无一。
For the past 2000 years, the practitioners basically achieved oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man are extremely rare, even not one in a hundred million, let alone those perfectly achieved.
当然，“世上无难事只怕有心人”，或许当今这个时空点时空段会出现完美圆满实现天地人合一的修心修行修炼人或基本实现天地人合一的人。
Certainly, "Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to do it". Maybe in this space-time point and space-time period, practitioners who perfectly or basically achieve oneness of Heaven, Earth and Man will come out.
师父常说：梅花香之苦寒来。
Master often tells you: Plum Blossom's Fragrance Comes from the Bitter Cold.
师父常说：宝剑锋从磨砺出。
Master often tells you: Sharp edge of a sword comes out from grinding.
师父常说：烈火之中生金莲。
Master often tells you: Golden lotus is born in burning fire.
师父时刻祝福大家！
Master blesses all of you every time.
阿弥陀佛！
Amitabha!
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On August 3rd, 1929, a man named Jiddu Krishnamurti met with the people who had been raising him as a messiah for most of his life. He was barely into his 30s, yet this group of people believed him to be a great teacher, and a future shaper of the world. He had been groomed to be their leader, and the leader of many others. I have no doubt they assembled before him on that day, eager to hear what wisdom he might impart.
This is an excerpt of what he told them:
I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path. ... This is no magnificent deed, because I do not want followers, and I mean this. The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth. I am not concerned whether you pay attention to what I say or not. I want to do a certain thing in the world and I am going to do it with unwavering concentration. I am concerning myself with only one essential thing: to set man free. I desire to free him from all cages, from all fears, and not to found religions, new sects, nor to establish new theories and new philosophies."
With that statement, he dissolved the religion they had built around him. As you can imagine, this is a lesson his followers never expected to learn, yet it was the greatest lesson Krishnamurti could give them. The group quickly splintered, never to be the same again. Their "messiah" went on to be a teacher indeed, but more than anything else he asked questions, and rarely gave answers. As to his greatness, that is a matter of opinion. He would find himself unremarkable.
Factions, be they political, religious or both, artificially divide us. As I said in an earlier conversation in the photostream of one of my contacts, "We did not create poetry. Poetry created us."
I'd forgotten that for quite some time, at least emotionally, and surprised myself by saying it, but I wanted to repeat it here mostly for myself. It is something I forget all the time, yet these days it is pretty much the extent of my "religion."
I have lived most of my life inside my head, more than in the world itself. Neither way is easy, but I think we owe it to ourselves to try both, and give each our very best effort. I still seek that poetry, that truth without a path, but I find the journey is enough to make me a better person, without having to know the whole truth.
My brief manifesto is over.
1. What are you grateful for today?
Feeling awesome and fabulous because the whole vortex is free. This is the unconditioned self, in which we are born with, that's why we are limitless in our capacity to receive and give.
2. What emotional message did you have today?
Calm. Joyful. Happy. Content.
3. What have you done today that move you forward to achieving your dream or goals?
Busy working on the stuff assigned by Siti on the marketing effort. Keen to know how is the response in market.
4. What have you learned today? How can you do it slightly better next time?
Doing what I could one step at a time and appropriately tell the people around you about your direction, progressively.
5. What have you done to leverage your ability today?
Coaching Pipit recently.
6. Have you veered off or stayed back at your centre? Have you contracted or expanded?
Expanded.
7. What is that one issue/mistake that you notice today and what can you learn from it?
People are trying to earn as much money as possible to get the comfort they want in life. Not having enough money is always the number issue in the world. What would make them think that it is enough?
8. What's the one thing I want to focus more/ 1 thing I want to eliminate?
To continue to feel more of the joy within and spread the joy to the people around me. To eliminate all the sadness and resentment from the past.
1. What are you grateful for today?
Finally had the motivation to work on my to do list calling for the flight and checking out the change management job. Had a fun night out with colleagues and all.
2. What emotional message did you have today?
Calm. Joy. Happy.
3. What have you done today that move you forward to achieving your dream or goals?
Working on my checklist finally!
4. What have you learned today? How can you do it slightly better next time?
People can say what they say and judge you but there's no need to be affected because you just love the real Unconditioned Self. So let it be and be yourself, enjoy the being of you. Real love is unconditioned, and it is not to just love yourself or your other half or family or friends, it is to love everyone.
5. What have you done to leverage your ability today?
Being aware of myself, my real self, my true self and completely immersed myself in it.
6. Have you veered off or stayed back at your centre? Have you contracted or expanded?
Contracted.
7. What is that one issue/mistake that you notice today and what can you learn from it?
Finding a reason to do something may be easy, finding real reason in doing it with the enjoyment you get from doing it is probably the ultimate reason for doing it.
8. What's the one thing I want to focus more/ 1 thing I want to eliminate?
Be fully of myself by being filled in with the acceptance of myself, the core, the energy, the hopefulness, the curiosity, the witty and wisdomful of the whole self. Listen and discern what to take in and what to take lightly of what is being said and told.
Cactus growing near my aunt's house in Santa Fe, NM.
The title refers to me as a visitor rather than the cactus as a native, though it does look like an "alien" to the unconditioned eye.
The Postcard
A postcard that was published by Colourpicture of Boston 15, USA. The card was posted in 1919 using a One Cent stamp, although the precise date of posting and location are not legible.
The card was sent to:
The Saads,
27, Basswood Street,
Lawrence,
Massachusetts.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Hi Kids,
Home soon.
Sue & Geo."
On the back of the card the publishers have printed the following:
'Leaning Tower of Pisa and
Stairway Leading to Bridal
Altar.
Howe Caverns, Near Cobleskill, N.Y.
A translucent stalagmite reminding one
of the famous Italian tower.
Modern passenger elevators, electric
lights, well-kept walks, pure air, large
passageways and high ceilings make the
trip through the most spectacular natural
wonder in Northeastern United States
easy and never-to-be forgotten.'
Howe Caverns
Howe Caverns are in Schoharie County, New York. They are a popular tourist attraction, providing visitors with a sense of caving or spelunking, without needing the advanced equipment and training usually associated with such adventures.
Howe Caverns are the second most visited natural attraction in New York State, after Niagara Falls.
Geology of Howe Caverns
The formation of the cave, which lies 156 feet (48 m) below ground, began several million years ago. The cave walls are composed mainly of two types of limestone (Coeymans and Manlius) from different periods in the Earth's early history, deposited hundreds of millions of years ago when the Atlantic Ocean stretched far inland.
The cave contains an underground lake, called the Lake of Venus, as well as many stalactites and stalagmites.
Discovery and Development of Howe Caverns
Howe Caverns are named after farmer Lester Howe, who discovered the cave on the 22nd. May 1842. Noticing that his cows frequently gathered near some bushes at the bottom of a hill on hot summer days, Howe decided to investigate.
Behind the bushes, Howe found a strong, cool breeze emanating from a hole in the Earth. Howe proceeded to dig out and explore the cave with his friend and neighbor, Henry Wetsel, on whose land the cave entrance was located. The cave maintains a constant temperature of 52 °F (11 °C), irrespective of the outside weather.
Howe opened the cave to eight-hour public tours in 1843, and, as business grew, a hotel was built over the entrance. When Howe encountered financial difficulties, he sold off parts of his property until a limestone quarry purchased the remainder. The quarry's purchase included the hillside, which encompassed the cave's natural entrance.
The cave was closed to the public, until an organization was formed in 1927 to re-open it. The organization spent the next two years undertaking development work to create an alternative entrance into the cave.
After completion of the work – including elevators, brick walkways, lighting, and handrails – the cave was re-opened to visitors on Memorial Day, May 1929.
The standard tour lasts about 80 minutes, and shows the majority of the cave. Visitors begin at the elevators and continue to the end of the Lake of Venus, which marks the end of the developed property. Beyond this point lie about 2,100 feet (640 m) of unconditioned and destroyed caverns, which led to the quarry and the natural entrance. After a boat ride, visitors turn around and walk back the way they came, with two additional stops.
More Recent Developments
In 2008, the cave was purchased by private owners. In 2011, an adventure park attraction was assembled, initially featuring only a rope course and zip line. Since then, an H2OGO ball has been added, along with a rock wall, an air jumper, and a gemstone mining building.
In May 2015, Howe Caverns officials re-opened the natural entrance of the cave to public tours. The newly-opened section of the cavern had not been seen since 1900. Guy Schiavone, Howe Cavern's specialty tour director has said:
"The caverns were closed to begin with
because the property had been previously
owned by several cement companies that
took over in the late 1800's."
On the 8th. July 2015, one of the H2OGO water attractions was stolen. Howe Caverns offered a reward to anyone providing information that might lead to an arrest of the thief or thieves.
The two-hour "Signature Rock Discovery Tour" simulates natural cave exploration with the assistance of a guide, in a section of the cave that had not previously been open to the public. There is no artificial lighting in this part of the cavern, so visitors are supplied with their own portable lamps, as well as a suit appropriate for the muddy and cold journey.
The expanded tour includes the remains of Howe's original tourist boat, and signatures along the rock left by cavern adventurers more than 100 years ago.
There is also a “Music Hall” where sound echoes exceptionally well. The tour usually ends at the "Lake of Mystery", as visitors would have to crawl through a muddy passage filled with water inches away from the ceiling, to proceed any further.
The store at Howe Caverns sells "cave aged" cheese that is stored in a locked room by the elevators.
Weddings are performed deep in the cave, on top of a calcite formation that resembles a heart shape.
Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology
The Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology is located next to the caverns in the former hotel. The museum features exhibits relating to the cave's geology and formation, along with rock and mineral specimens.
It also presents the history of the cave's discovery and tourism, wildlife found in the cave, and the area's cement industry.
awakening monkey
Buddhist meditation
the practice of mental concentration leading ultimately through a succession of stages to the final goal of spiritual freedom, nirvana. Meditation occupies a central place in Buddhism and combines, in its highest stages, the discipline of progressively increased introversion with the insight brought about by wisdom, or prajna.
The object of concentration (the kammaṭṭhāna) may vary according to individual and situation. One Pāli text lists 40 kammaṭṭhānas, including devices (such as a colour or a light), repulsive things (such as a corpse), recollections (as of the Buddha), and the brahmavihāras (virtues, such as friendliness).
Four stages (called in Sanskrit dhyānas; Pāli jhānas) are distinguished in the shift of attention from the outward sensory world: (1) detachment from the external world and a consciousness of joy and ease; (2) concentration, with suppression of reasoning and investigation; (3) the passing away of joy, with the sense of ease remaining; and (4) the passing away of ease also, bringing about a state of pure self-possession and equanimity.
The dhyānas are followed by four further spiritual exercises, the samāpattis (“attainments”). They are described as: (1) consciousness of infinity of space; (2) consciousness of the infinity of cognition; (3) concern with the unreality of things (nihility); and (4) consciousness of unreality as the object of thought.
The stages of Buddhist meditation show many similarities with Hindu meditation (see Yoga), reflecting a common tradition in ancient India. The Buddhists, however, describe the culminating trancelike state as transient; final Nirvāṇa requires the insight of wisdom. The exercises that are meant to develop wisdom involve meditation on the true nature of reality or the conditioned and unconditioned dharmas (elements) that make up all phenomena.
Meditation, though important in all schools of Buddhism, has developed characteristic variations within different traditions. In China and Japan the practice of dhyāna (meditation) assumed sufficient importance to develop into a school of its own (Ch'an and Zen; q.v.), in which meditation is the most essential feature of the school.