07 May Koan 9
When we choose to be loved over loving, we will surely die. Love is connectedness that dispels the duality of self and not self. When connected by love, our finite self merges with what we love, creating a "beyond self." The "beyond self" continues beyond the lifespan of our finite self. The self that prioritizes being loved cannot be loving. It is a powerful and controlling self, but not powerful enough to survive death....
02 May Koan 63
“Whoever gets angry, it is as if he worshipped idols” -- Zohar 1:27b Getting angry at some one or thing presumes it has an independent existence, like an idol. That denies the existence of God which is the interconnected oneness of every thing....
22 Apr Koan 30
We see "its" everywhere, yet rarely notice the "is", though all there is is is. There are two types of vision, foveal and peripheral. Foveal vision is when our eyes focus and we mentally create static images of seemingly independent things ("its"). The "its" are illusions. Peripheral vision is unfocused. We don't see static "its", we see a continuous fluid "is". The "is" is reality; an ambiguous flow of interdependent and everchanging things beyond description. Peripheral vision is the visible universe unaffected by the mind. While we don't see "its" in peripheral vision, we are sensitive to changes in the flow in areas of peripheral vision. These changes engage our attention causing us to focus with foveal vision on what has changed. When we shift from peripheral vision to foveal vision, the mind creates an "it" from the "is". While 99% of our visual field is peripheral vision, we think the illusions we create through foveal vision are reality....
22 Apr Koan 59
Can the universe (metaphorically, the space inside a circle) precisely fit in a space of a square our mind creates? A circle cannot be squared. The space inside a circle is the product of multiplying the squared radius of the circle and π (pi) π is a transcendental number; an infinite, non-repeating decimal expansion. That means the knowable space inside a circle is imprecise. The space inside a square is precise. As an imprecise space cannot precisely fill a precise space, a circle cannot be squared. Transcendental numbers arise naturally in exponential growth and decay processes. They are used extensively in calculus, probability, and mathematical analysis. Transcendental is also the nature of the universe; infinite expansion and everchanging. The logical mind segregates things precisely, convincing us we know various parts of the universe. However, the universe cannot be precisely known....