Walk upon bare Earth
soft and forgiving,
embraced by Mother.
See brown, withered plants
dry and bending,
still speak of Summer
past and yet to come.
Praise the Lord of Life!
Posted by: Jivani Lisa | February 23, 2014
Garden Walk
Posted in Poetry
Posted by: John | February 22, 2014
Nature Calls
I was broke.
Without hope,
could only mope.
Yet had to cope.
Under the friggin’ Bodhi Tree,
I looked around and had to pee.
Posted in Poetry
Posted by: John | February 20, 2014
Reality, Ritual, Resignation
I’ve often wondered about the value of a hermit existence. Is it of value to anyone other than the hermit?
We live in stressful times. Driving anywhere is more than challenging. Then I read some tome or parable that’s supposed to relax and pick me up or maybe is designed to discipline me.
At this point in my humble existence I’m not sure I need some Old Testament prophet shouting and pointing his finger at me. Neither do I need an obscure guru in a cave in Nepal speaking to me after I just got off the freeway and am trying to deal with those above me telling me how to do something I’ve been doing all my life.
Who does the software in the Halls of Shambhala? Who does the Dalai Lama’s laundry?
Yes, it certainly makes sense to be reminded to “live and be in the moment.” But chanting a mantra while blowing a teaspoon full of allergy-snot out of my nose for the fourth time in the last three hours is puzzling to me.
Certainly being alone in nature, whether viewing it from a window or sitting in the shade on a beautiful Indian summer day, makes me feel a part of something bigger and better than all of humanity. Then reality reappears. I open the latest bill or get a traffic ticket on the way home.
We pity the poor drug addict, getting high to escape reality. What about going to religious services and singing or chanting or repeating a mantra while a relative is dying in a hospital or you’re sweating out the latest round of layoffs at your work?
Yea verily, I do believe that rather than wallowing in self-pity, I should find someone in worse shape than me and do whatever I can do for that person. Does this satisfy me? Should it?
I’ve long sought serenity over the sine wave of happiness and sadness. I do remember being stuck in traffic and suddenly seeing the sun peep out from behind a cloud. God?
My search for God has brought me to a point where I want My God, not someone else’s idea of God, certainly not someone else’s dogma. I’m told to concentrate on my breathing. But here comes that teaspoon full of snot again.
Since I’ve lost most of my hearing, I’ve also had to rearrange my existence. I realize better than most that 85% of what we hear is of little importance. Often when I get up in the morning I ask myself, do I really want to put my hearing aid in? Do I want to start listening to the noise of the world again? But alas, reality rears its head. I know I have a class to teach, some phone calls to make.
Do we have an obligation to live life rather than retreat to a safe place somewhere if we can find one? Do we go with the flow, roll with punches, crumble with the cookie?
Is reality only in our mind?
What is there for us to find?
Is the seeker always blind?
Can we just always be kind?
Posted in Journal entry, Spiritual Life | Tags: breath awareness, dogma, hermits, living life, prophets, reality
Posted by: John | February 4, 2014
No Roller Coaster
Does my life need a Restart?
I watched an embryonic
ego unfold.
Bean Counters say
miles of paper clips lead
to the Promised Land.
I prefer the rectified level
of serenity
to the roller coaster ride
of happiness.
There was a time in my existence
when I squandered my subsistence
and lost all my resistance.
But –
Abandoning ourselves to shrinks
takes away life’s adventure.
Posted in Poetry
Posted by: Jivani Lisa | January 25, 2014
Light and Love
“The LORD is my light and my salvation.”
(Psalm 27:1)
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(John 8:12)
“God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.”
(1 John 4:16)
God is Light and Love.
Sin, missing the mark,
is looking for light and love
in all the wrong places.
We weak beings endlessly
go astray from all
that really matters –
Light and Love.
Posted in Poetry
Posted by: John | January 13, 2014
Hindsight
Looking back over my life I find
myself trying to break out
of the cell in which I put myself.
Posted in Poetry
Posted by: John | January 12, 2014
Sanctuary
Sitting in the sanctuary,
soaking up the silence,
trying to put the beads
on the necklace
of the rest of my life.
Posted in Poetry
Posted by: Jivani Lisa | January 6, 2014
My Dirty Secret
Yes, I identify myself as a Christian, but I could just as well identify as a Hindu, Taoist or Buddhist. When it comes to Christian dogmas, I have a problem with certain things. My “dirty little secret” is:
I don’t believe in justification by faith. Or at least I don’t believe it the way it’s normally presented.
How much of the doctrine was just made up by St. Paul? I can certainly see where it comes from – based on Old Testament (Hebrew) texts and all. But to me, it makes God out to be angry and vengeful (as in the Hebrew texts): Someone had to die to atone for our sins. So God sent his Son to die for us. All we have to do is believe, and we’re automatically “saved” – we automatically go to heaven when we die. I can’t buy that.
Here’s why I can’t buy it: I don’t believe that any impure soul can be in the presence of the totally pure and holy God. When we sin and confess our sin to God, I believe we are forgiven, BUT we still have to suffer the natural consequences of our mistakes. We suffer the consequences in this life or another life (purgatory in the Christian tradition or reincarnation in Eastern traditions – I believe in both). Ultimately, we DO get to heaven, yes – but not as quickly and automatically as we’d like to assume.
So here’s my belief: When I die, I’m either going to purgatory to be fully cleansed of my sins, or I’m going to be reborn into this world to finish working out my karma. I’m okay with this. Believe me, I’d love to just die as a saint and be ushered directly into the presence of God! I DO think that can happen (and does happen) for some people, but probably not for me.
I think Jesus died on the cross to teach us that self-sacrifice is the way to become “perfect” in love, and ultimately, we will be judged on how well we have loved in our lives. I also think the cross represents the wholeness (holiness) that is attained when we unite the material world with the spiritual world. Jesus showed us by example how to do this. Now, we have to DO it.
Churches will be successful when they figure out how to help each individual member find God, maintain an intimate relationship with God – and translate that loving relationship into whatever “works” are appropriate for each person. This, in my opinion, has nothing whatsoever to do with dogma and theological beliefs. Each member can believe many different things, but still journey together as a group.
Let us not be afraid to open our minds and listen to each other. We’re all in this together. The goal is union with God. It’s okay to drop whatever gets in the way of that union.
Posted by: John | December 30, 2013
Well, It’s True….
As 2013 draws to a close, I’m thinkin’
Don’t get me wrong:
I’m not bitchin’
but if somethin’
on me doesn’t hurt,
it’s itchin.’
Posted in Poetry
Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 26, 2013
Persevere in Love
Stephen said: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always opposing the Holy Spirit just as your fathers did before you. Was there ever any prophet whom your fathers did not persecute? In their day, they put to death those who foretold the coming of the Just One; now you in your turn have become his betrayers and murderers. You who received the law through the ministry of angels have not observed it.”
(Acts 6:51-53)
Jesus said: “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
(Matthew 10:22)
December 26th is the feast day of Saint Stephen who was a deacon (Acts 6:5-6) and is considered the First Martyr of the Church. He was stoned to death for believing in Jesus Christ and for pointing out the hypocrisy of this persecutors.
Jesus tells his disciples that they should expect to be hated and persecuted in this world; yet, if they persevere, they will “be saved.” However, I think many modern, ultra-conservative Christians use this in defense of their own mean-spirited righteousness. Whether they are right or wrong, they come across full of hatred and violence toward anyone who disagrees with them. So of course, they will be met with hatred and violence in return! This, they figure, “proves” they are correct – because Jesus said, “You will be hated by all because of my name.”
What Jesus really meant was this: “If you go around believing in me and sharing my teachings with others in a firm but loving way, you will be hated, because I and my teachings are completely counter-cultural. People will argue with you, and try to harm you, because they do not want to hear the truth. Endure in a loving way, and your soul will be saved.”
Love for everyone, including enemies, is the proof of a true Christian.
Saint Stephen spoke the truth in a straight-forward (yet loving!) way because he (through the Holy Spirit) was trying to wake people up. We know that when people choose to feel threatened rather than grateful for the opportunity to wake-up, anger arises. A true Christian then responds with love and patience.
Even as he was dying at the hands of his executioners, Saint Stephen prayed (as Jesus prayed at his crucifixion): “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). That’s the kind of endurance – love for all, even in the most difficult circumstances – that attains eternal life.
John and Lisa's Blue Skies Blog - Soaring with God 