Hua Hu Ching

I found a companion book to the Tao Te Ching which is attributed to Lao Tzu...the Hua Hu Ching.

In my own self, looking at my own preferences, which everyone seems to have, they eventually becomes blocks in my path. From what i have been told, and am beginning to understand, the personality is built around preferences. Not only that, but preferences based in illusion.

Here is a quote from the book:

Eleven

Does one scent appeal more than another?
Do you prefer this flavor, or that feeling?
Is your practice sacred and your work profane?
Then your mind is separated:
from itself, from oneness, from the Tao.

Keep your mind free of divisions and distinctions.
When your mind is detached, simple, quiet, then all
things can exist in harmony, and you can begin to
perceive the subtle truth.

Hua Hu ching, The unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu by Brian Walker

From the Dark Nothing - The Sea, Sand & Sun

A few years ago, i had a dream which i thought was quite interesting. I want to see if i can retell it in story form. It essentially tells the story of my soul.

In the beginning there was complete darkness. Then, from out of the darkness, forms appeared. On the beach, where the sea meets the sand, there are millions upon millions of grains of sand. Many more than we can count. As the sun came out, it shown upon one of the grains of sand, and a grain of sand stood out among all of the others. It shown like a diamond, a reflection of the greater light that was shining upon it. The grain of sand noticed this, and became conscious of it's form. Being a grain of sand wasn't enough. It wanted to be a precious gem. This thought was met with consternation. Why want more? Wasn't it enough to bask in the light of the sun and reflect it? Ego was born.

And so, an oyster covered the grain of sand with layers and layers of nacre. Eventually, the grain of sand became a pearl. A precious gem.

After the pearl reveled in it's newness and beauty, it realized that it didn't reflect the sun as before. Would it be possible to reach it's prior form? Each layer of nacre had to be removed for it to be as it once was, in hopes of eventually becoming first a grain of sand, and eventually a part of the Dark Nothing once again.

Speaking Your Truth in the Face of Adversity

I received this e-mail yesterday.

I'd like to believe that there are more people in the world with these views willing to speak out.

Check it out!

Little Birdie - Go Back To Sleep!

There's a very large patch of azaleas outside of my bedroom window. They are very large bushes, and great for hiding rabbits and birds.

It wasn't even 6:00 a.m. this morning when one of those little birds started singing outside of my window. I usually love to wake up to the sound of birdsong. I listened for awhile and realized that this little one was singing all by itself. Everything else was still asleep, including me. Well, actually, i wasn't asleep any more. It took almost 45 minutes for that bird to wake up some other birds, so finally, it had a chorus to sing with.

It woke me up from a somewhat unpleasant dream. I've been dreaming a lot lately, and have found that those dreams affect my waking time much more than perhaps i would like. For instance, this week i dreampt that i was eating lettuce and then i saw ivy. The next day, i had a large desire for a nice salad and then spent an hour pulling ivy from the trees in our yard.

Last night's dream was interesting, but didn't paint me in the most flattering light. In fact, in the dream, i was bitchy and self-serving. Yikes. I had to think about that one... Sometimes i try to be perfect. The pursuit of perfection. It's a tough path, and for some reason, i'm not sure if it leads very far towards that goal of illumination. Last night, before i went to sleep, i was reading Hafiz, and read the poem Effacement.

There's so much mirroring everywhere i look - even with my eyes closed and dreaming.

Effacement
Is a golden gun.
It was not easy to hold it against my head
And fire!

I needed great faith in my master
To suffocate myself
With his holy bag
Full of truth.

I needed great courage
To go out into the dark
Tracking God into the unknown

And not panic or get lost
In all the startling new scents, sounds,
Sights.

Or lose my temper
Tripping on those scheming
Night and day around me.

Hafiz,
Effacement is the emerald dagger
You need to plunge

Deep into yourself upon
This path to divine
Recovery----

Upon this path
To God.

Synthesis of Taoism

I found an interesting article awhile back...and have yet to ingest all of it, but wanted to share this article on Dao/Tao.

I originally saw it on this blog which has many yummy articles!

The Toast Game

I have been frequenting parts of Craig's List for about six months, now. I found my job on Craig's List, and essentially, we found Lucky, our dog, on Craig's list.

Now, I have seen some stuff on CL that i don't aspire too, and i have limited my cruising because i am easily swayed. But this....this is funny...and cool...

It's The Toast Game.

Happy Birthday

Today is my b-day! Yep. I'm getting older.

It was a beautiful day today, though. I've had lots of wonderful dreams over the past week or so, and have been pretty good at writing them down. I've read where the weeks surrounding the birthday time are potentially good times to review and revise one's life - or at least the year. It may be interesting to note the full moon and lunar eclipse, too.

I've also been practicing holding onto the attitude that i'd like to have throughout the day. Usually, there are little glitches to our days, and a lot of times, i would take it personally. For the past few weeks, it's worked pretty well, especially at work. I think meditating and doing my practices every morning helps. Being conscious of keeping my attitude the way I want to helps too. Since i can be a particularly good empath, it's become more important for me to recognize my own energy as opposed to taking on discordant energies around me.

Happy Birthday to me!

Medicine Buddha

It's been awhile since i felt so compelled to write, but this morning, the energy is just here.

Last night, Joanna and I went to the Rameshori Buddhist center for evening prayers. It was so beautiful! Overall, I had a wonderful, blissful experience.

It first started a couple of weeks ago, when Joanna told me about the center here in Sandy Springs. It opened about a year ago. Last week, we were going to try to go, but the weather was so bad, and my schedule was so tight, that we decided to go another time. Last night, it worked for both of us. We showed up about 10 minutes early. It's a very small establishment - with a couple of teaching rooms and a small reception area with books, malas, and pictures for sale at a reasonable cost.

We met a women who lives in Athens, who was there when we arrived. Then, a very beautiful person, Chris, came and gave us a brief introduction to this type of Buddhism and a short synopsis of what the prayers for that night were about.

The prayers are sung, using very few notes, and repetitious stanzas. Basically, there are eight medicine Buddhas that we sang to, and there is a corresponding meditative visualization that goes with the prayers. Each one of the medicine Buddhas melts into the other and then the person reciting the prayers and doing the meditative visualization, brings down the Buddhas in through the crown chakra and into the heart chakra.

I definitely could feel my crown chakra changing as i started singing the prayers. There was a very deep sense of peace and well being at the end of the prayers. However, i did notice that my mind was "talking" at different parts of the prayer - and at one point, i was feeling unworthy. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but it wasn't all blissful - although it did end up being blissful at the end.

I have just begun my studies of Buddhism, and it was appropriate and timely that i was able to visit the center last night. I am completing the section on Buddhism for my Cherag studies and it reminded me of a book i read last summer - Maitreya's Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being - translated by Jim Scott under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.

I hope to go back again sometime, and perhaps introduce my children to it too, since they have a children's program.