Sweet Miracles

“Listening is an art not easily come by, but in it there is beauty and great understanding. We listen with the various depths of our being, but our listening is always with a preconception or from a particular point of view.

We do not listen simply; there is always the intervening screen of our own thoughts, conclusions, and prejudices. To listen there must be an inward quietness, a freedom from the strain of acquiring, a relaxed attention.

This alert yet passive state is able to hear what is beyond the verbal conclusion. Words confuse; they are only the outward means of communication; but to commune beyond the noise of words, there must be in listening, an alert passivity.

Those who love may listen, but it is extremely rare to find a listener. Most of us are after results, achieving goals; we are forever overcoming and conquering, and so there is no listening. It is only in listening that one hears the song of the words.     

~Jiddu Krishnamurti

Practicing in Our Situation
Zen Master Dae Bong

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Adapted from a talk given at Providence Zen Center in September, 1988.

One of the most famous stories in our Zen tradition is about a little
girl in ancient China named Sul. She and her family lived about a
thousand years ago near the temple of the famous Zen Master Ma-jo. Her
father was a student of Ma-jo, and he often went to the temple with
Sul to visit and have personal interviews. One time when they were
visiting, Ma-jo told Sul, “You’re a very good little girl, so I’d like
to give you a present. My present to you is the words, ‘Kwan Seum
Bosal.’ You just repeat her name all the time and that will give you
happiness.” In Buddhism Kwan Seum Bosal is the name of the bodhisattva
of compassion.

Sul began to chant “Kwan Seum Bosal” on her way to school and while
she was doing her chores and even while playing with her friends.
Eventually she was always doing chanting in her mind, regardless of
what she was doing. About three years later she was down by the river
washing clothes, beating them with a stick on a rock and chanting to
herself. It was evening, and like we do at our Zen centers, the monks
would ring the temple bell to begin practice. So while she was
chanting and beating the clothes, the temple bell rang. The sound of
the stick, the bell, and her chanting all became one, and her mind
opened.

Ma-jo recognized Sul’s understanding while she was still a child, and
as she grew up, married, and reared children she became very well
known as a Zen Master. Many people came to her, and she helped many
people. Then when she was old, her granddaughter died. She loved this
granddaughter very much, and she cried and cried in front of the
people who came to offer condolences. Everyone wondered and whispered
to each other, “Sul’s enlightened. She’s already gone beyond birth and
death. Why is she crying? Why is her granddaughter’s death a hindrance
to her mind?” Finally someone gathered enough courage to ask her. She
immediately stopped crying and said, “My tears are the best ceremony,
better than chanting for my granddaughter. When she hears my tears,
she will enter nirvana. Does anyone understand?” And no one understood.

I’ve always loved that story. In the beginning I liked what it says
about practicing. The Zen Master gives this young girl something to
do, and she just does it devotedly, all the time, not separating it
from her life. She has such simple faith, and eventually she gets
enlightenment. That’s always been an inspiring story for me.

Later I became interested in the last part of the story. Sul is crying
and crying for her granddaughter, then someone asks her a question and
she immediately stops crying. Usually our emotions tend to linger, so
we often don’t do justice to one situation because we’re bringing our
emotion from something that happened before. Maybe you have something
difficult going on with your spouse, then you’re driving to work and
someone cuts you off slightly, and you give them all the anger that
you have built up for your spouse. People actually get out of their
cars and shoot each other. Or something is difficult at work, and you
go home and ignore your kids or get angry at them. So I was very
impressed that Sul didn’t linger in her feelings or let them affect
the situation. In fact, she used them to teach other people.

Source:
http://www.kwanumzen.org/primarypoint/v07n3-1990-fall-dbzm-practicinginoursituation.html

Aware or not aware, awake or not awake?

I am Sananda, and I have come upon the ray of love and wisdom.

Today I would like to discuss the subject of being aware/awake.
Or more or less aware/awake.

There are many light workers on earth at this time, all at a different point in their learning process.
So we have more aware/awake and less aware/awake people and everything in between.

Now what does it mean when someone says they are more aware/awake?

It only means they are at a different point in their process. But that is not all. During your studies, experiences and life lessons you encounter many truths.
Your experience with truth at this moment might not be your truth tomorrow. This is how fast it can change.

You can say you are more aware/awake when you experience another level of truth. But this is your truth. It is in no way the truth of someone else even though they might be less or more aware/awake.

So why do we call it more or less aware/awake?

It is part of the use of words still used in a third dimensional reality, duality thinking.
Many are trying to break out of this, but it is hard when you need to live in a third dimensional world.

I would like to explain a little bit more to give you more understanding of the process of stepping out of duality thinking.

We already spoke about everyone being at a different level in their process, people on earth like to sometimes call this more or less aware/awake.
No one can in fact say they are more aware/awake than others.

What do I mean by this?

There are many truths, and yes the more aware/awake you become, more of the truth will become available to you.
It still doesn¢t mean that someone who is less aware/awake might not have the same truth.

Everyone has chosen their own path and is following it at their own pace and in their own way.

Some people might not be so called aware/awake and still have the same truth.

Many more truths are becoming available on the earth, the higher the frequency of the earth and the people upon it the more truths will become available, the more you will be able to discern the truth for yourself. And hear me say this, it is discern your truth, not the truth of others. And do not forget your truth today might not be your truth tomorrow.

Much of the information coming in through different channels is based upon this process as well.
The information coming in through channels might be even conflicting, simply because they are there for certain people and you might not be one of them.

One other thing very connected to duality thinking is the ego, the ego is the part of you that still cares if someone is more or less aware/awake. The ego still cares if it has a higher or lesser truth than others.
This is why I am focusing on this at this time. The ego is the part of you that keeps you in duality thinking and this is why we have been working on integrating the ego. To get you out of duality thinking.

At all times remind yourself you are on your path and you are at the perfect place at this time. Tomorrow you might find yourself at another place, this is a perfect place as well.

It is not about who is more or less aware/awake. It is not about who knows more or less.

The only thing that matters is that you are able to know your truth, and your truth is perfect for you.

Then you are in the perfect place.

Your own place.

Love,

Sananda.

Channeled through Petra Margolis
July 7, 2008