29 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Framework

Enlightenment is simply being one with light. Light, the visual form of energy, is the essence of everything. Enlightenment is being one with everything. To the enlightened, this realization is  manifested in the many faces of enlightenment. As E=M*C*C (energy equals mass times the speed of light squared) is M=E/C*C (mass (all that there is) is energy divided (slowed down) dramatically by the speed of light squared), all things are essentially infinite manifestations of light. As energy is all there is, all things (however seemingly real and independent of energy) are just an illusion disguising energy. As energy is all there is, the Big Bang is all there is. The Big Bang happens at one time. Hence, there is no such thing as time. The appearance of things sequentially is an illusion that creates the illusion of time as well....

23 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind." When the mind is calm it doesn't engage us in a wrestling match. We can then deploy it to observe the infinite manifestations of the universe and create an order of things that make temporary sense of it all. In the preceding sentence, the second "it" is ambiguous; unclear if "it" refers to mind or universe or both or neither. Maybe all that can be said is that it is what it is whatever it is....

22 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

Best we keep our eyes open if we want to follow our dreams. If we're passionate about a career but lack the talent to make dollars, it doesn't make sense. But a singer with a lot of passion and no talent can be successful as a comedian....

20 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Framework

In the cold of winter, February 1992, I drove with a guide from Lhasa Tibet to Kathmandu. During the four day trip we picked up a couple of hitchhikers. One was a 40 year old woman who looked deep into her 60s. Her skin was very dark for a Tibetan but that was apparently dirt from not having recently bathed. She was friendly and open about her life. She said she rarely bathed since her village home had no running water; had last bathed in a river in the summer; never in her life had a shower. Every morning as I shower I think about that woman, imagine how she would feel in the shower with its temperature controls, great water volume and soothing soap melting accumulated dirt, yak candle smoke and caked perspiration. Feeling it's the first shower of my life, my awareness of everything is heightened, I glow with gratitude; an unforgettable experience. When involved in the mundane, it's easy to fall into automatic pilot mode and oblivion. Imagining ourselves as someone who has never experienced these activities allows us to experience them as for first time which in fact it is as each time is never as any time before....

19 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"Be open to everything and attached to nothing." This concept didn't sit well with my wife, until I explained it. Being open to everything means we realize the universe is endless realities and possibilities. When we are attached to nothing, we don't take any reality or possibility too seriously or confuse any as the sole expression of reality. This is the essence of wisdom. Nothing is what everything is before it is what it is whatever it is. Nothing is the essence of reality. When we are attached to nothing we are one with everything. This leads to compassion as we thus treat everything as we treat ourselves. It is wisdom (realizing infinite perspectives and possibilities) and compassion (oneness with the infinite expressions of reality) that open the door to enlightenment....

18 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

The phrase "it's all downhill from here" can be interpreted variously: going forward things will get easier or things will worsen. It's meaning reflects our attitude. For example, through much of our lives we have more time than money and we trade our time for money. However, at some point we crossover, we have more money than time.  It's all downhill from here as our lives are now relatively easy as we are financially free to do as we wish or it's all downhill from here if we think our life will progressively worsen as we run out of time....

16 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

After all the time and effort spent on the meditations, the retreats, the rituals, the costumes, the holidays, etc. and especially embracing the abstract concepts explaining our destiny after death, hopefully we awaken with the sound of our hysterically laughing at the absurdity of it all. If not, our time and efforts have been for little but maintaining the obstacles others face on the path to enlightenment....

15 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." One constant in the universe is change; the river, the man and everything is ever-changing. Anything to the contrary is an illusion. While no man can step in the same river twice, he can drink from it many times. A man today can remember the experiences of the man he once was and use the knowledge gained from those experiences for his own welfare. ...

13 Jun

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

The purpose of life is to have a wonderful time of it every day, to realize our potential and to help others likewise. However, some days we are distracted by difficulties and life doesn't seem all that wonderful. Then, if we step away from what's engaging us and focus on helping others, we'll have a purposeful day and at least have a wonderful time vicariously....