Not One; Not Two

           On a branch
           floating downriver
           a cricket, singing.    Issa

     This haiku is a "portrait of something probably actually seen, but it is also a portrait of our entire existence. ... We’re on a branch in the middle of a river. It’s not a good place for a cricket to be, especially if there are some rapids ahead. And yet, what does the cricket do? It sings, because that is its nature, because that is what it has to offer, because it delights in this moment in the sun ..." Jane Hirshfield https://onbeing.org/programs/jane-hirshfield-the-fullness-of-things/

“Suffering is not enough.
Life is both dreadful and wonderful.
To practice meditation is to be in touch with both aspects. Smiling means that we are ourselves,
that we have sovereignty over ourselves,
that we are not drowned in forgetfulness.
How can I smile when I am filled with so much sorrow?
It is natural — you need to smile to your sorrow
because you are more than your sorrow.” Thich Nhat Hanh

     Near death experiencers (NDEs) sometimes have difficulty knowing the origin of a very clear, authoritative voice they heard. Was it the Divine? Or was it me? Often, they feel that it's neither - at least not in a way they had ever conceived of 'God' or themselves before.
     Is it because there is no real distinction between our 'small self' and Primordial Source?
     Is this about directly knowing the 'paradox' of 'both and'? 

     Is this where the apparent conflict between 'what God wants' and 'what I want' resolves into 'two sides of one coin,' and no longer feeling like helpless victims, we realize that we are actively co-creating & co-discovering life?

     And then I reflect on that powerful, authoritative voice telling my 16 year old self, "You will be loved." Decades later, am I ready to hear, "You will be love"? Both and?

     When will we embrace the ultimate mystery that we ARE the actual source of the unconditional love for which our 'hurt inner child' constantly aches?
     When will we simply remember to BE love?

“Love says 'I am everything.'
Wisdom says 'I am nothing.'
Between the two, my life flows.”
Nisargadatta Maharaj 

"Seeing a difference or gap between our consciousness & that of Buddha (Christ)
is the single cause of suffering and delusion.
But it is the Buddha Mind (God) itself which is manifesting Itself
as the sentient being that doesn’t recognize this!"
Jackson Peterson (slightly modified)

 

Unconditional Love

United We Stand

"The health and vitality of any living system - be it an individual, family, organization, or society - is a reflection of how fully and freely each unique, diverse, individual element of that entity is differentiated - and - how closely linked, connected, and attuned those diverse elements are with each other. Any tendency toward walling off, rigidity, exclusion, disrespect, domination, or scattering chaos will undermine and severely diminish the health, vitality, and overall potentiality and adaptability of that living system. Any movement toward honoring diversity, aligning and attuning different people or elements in synergistic ways, developing empathic resonance and mutual care will ultimately enhance the health and well-being of the whole system."

Joel & Michelle Levey 

~~~

"If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other."

Mother Teresa

~~~

"When we seek for connection,
we restore the world to wholeness.
Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful
as we discover
how truly necessary we are to each other."

Margaret Wheatley 

 

 

 Daiensai & Samantha Ryder

 www.kirstengallery.com