Chop Wood, Take a Nap

Chopping wood is a favorite Zen metaphor, though nowhere does it suggest that ALL we should do is chop wood or that we should chop wood incessantly.

The resting phase is as important as the active phase because without resting, you may never allow God to swing the axe. (I'm told She's quite prolific)

We Are Family (quite literally)

It is funny how "relatedness" is considered to be dependent upon genetic similarity (ie siblings are more closely related than cousins, humans are more closely related to chimpanzees than banana slugs, etc)

But if you can't see how we are all brothers and sisters (and this does include the creepy crawlies), well, try looking again.

Ebb and Flow

Upward trajectories and episodic setbacks are not mutually exclusive. Rather the nature of authentic progress is characterized by both.

With this show I truly believe we have the best interest of others at heart, which means that the entire Universe is on our side.

Belief, patience and persistence is our job. And when the timing is perfect, I look forward to humbly watching as the Universe effortlessly mobilizes the resources which had previously lain beyond our human reach.

A Suggestion for Our Guests

I have only one suggestion for our guests before they come on the show (besides “don’t wear stripes” ) The only way the show will be a success (and by success I mean the only way the show will resonate within the hearts of the audience) is if we come from our hearts. I will never be the smartest or cleverest or funniest TV host in the world. But I can be unsurpassed in the love I have for the audience. I invite you to join me in this.

This is just a TV show- not life or death- and I want it to be as much fun as possible. Laughter and smiles will be signs that we are on the right track. But most of all, I want to offer the audience something. If you didn’t have gifts to offer then I wouldn’t have asked you to come on the show.

So I am inviting you to “let it all hang out.” If you knew that your brief time on the show was the only chance you would ever have to reach these people, what would you want to say to them? What would you like them to know about how your talents and abilities could be of use to them? How can you use these few minutes on the air to be of service?

Lastly, let’s remember that the people tuning into the show, whether it’s one person or one thousand people, are our brothers and sisters. Literally. So there is nothing to worry about. Let’s just come from our hearts and show our fellow human beings that we truly care about them, that we’re all in this together and that it’s all One Love.

Sound good? Now break a leg!

A Good Use of Time

Every now and again, even the least curious and least introspective of us must have moments of wondering what the point of all of This really is. It's hard to imagine an entire lifetime passing without some curiosity about "The Meaning of Life."

Pondering the mystery of physical manifestation is the most trenchant application of our mental energy. What prevents us from doing so more frequently, it seems, is the all-encompassing obviousness of It All.

If you stop for a moment and think about it, it really is all so odd, isn't it? If it weren't for our brain's automatic habit of ignoring all but the most novel and dramatic sensory input, I imagine we would all walk around in a constant state of dumbfoundedness (which would clearly be evolutionarily disadvantageous.)

Many of us do, of course, ask "Why am I here?' though my guess is that this is often in the "What is my purpose for being here?" context.

So perhaps a better question is "How am I here?"

When we open our eyes in the morning, most of us instantly identify with egos which, in their clamoring for mere survival, long ago lost their sense of wonder at existence. The ego's unspoken assumption is something along the lines of "Yes, of course- I'm me. And I live here. And things are like this. Just like yesterday and last week and last year and the year before that" etc. It is as if our brains are always whispering "Nothing to see here. Now move along. We have a survival plan that needs orchestrating, remember?"

So I ask you to consider setting aside the incurious manner in which our brain routinely meets existence. Find moments when you can sincerely ask the question "How am I here?" though once you do, similarly set aside the brain's immediate search for answer (which is sure to follow.) Be satisfied to simply ponder how strange it is to be here at all and dwell in the spaciousness of the wonder which arises. Then just linger there awhile.

Yes, whether we are doing the dishes, making love or surfing the web in trance, the vast expanse of the Universe, with it's unknowable origins and unfathomable happenings, spins on and on and on. Just as it did long before we were here to witness it (or ignore it, as the case may be) and as it will continue to do long after we are gone.

And still, the question "How is all of this?" persists, like an ineffable elephant sitting smack dab in the middle of this unknowable room.

Gassho

"Co-Creation"

You hear this term a lot in spiritual circles. The inference is that the course of our lives is the result of a collaboration between us and the Divine. In other words, our effort, intentions, actions, thoughts and beliefs all contribute to a significant degree to what we experience during these lifetimes.

This sounds good. It really does. And, on the surface of things, it sure seems to be the case, doesn't it?

I mean, we've all heard about (and probably experienced) the "power of positive thinking." We've all had "answered prayers". We've all had hard work pay off. And we've probably all been dumbfounded by fantastic "coincidences" which leave us certain that the Divine knew exactly what "we" needed and provided it to "us" precisely when we needed it the most.

We have all experienced the flip side at least as frequently haven't we? We've all "tempted fate", "let opportunity pass us by", issued forth "self-fulfilling prophesies" and maybe even "dug our own graves" a time or two.

Things such as these all support the idea that there is a solid "me" who is, to greater or lesser degrees, functioning as a metaphysical co-pilot of sorts.

And for all I know, maybe this is the case. Maybe we are powerful "Co-Creators" of our own experience.

But one thing troubles me about this line of reasoning.

From where exactly do these intentions to co-create arise?

Before you answer, "From me, of course", think about it a second.

Who are you anyway? And for that matter, where are you? Behind your eye balls in the center of your skull? Is this right? Is there a little intention making apparatus in there? If so, is this you? How can you be sure?

The problem that arises is that there is no way for the ego structure to either confirm (or disprove for that matter) it's own reality. Every opinion it offers is, by definition, self-referential and thus immediately invalid.

Now there is nothing wrong with subjectivity. I am a big fan of it, in fact. But when it comes to ultimate answers, I know that "I"- "the Christian thing"- in its myriad of iterations- is fundamentally unreliable.

Asking an ego to assess it's own nature is like composing an essay exam for yourself, answering it and then giving yourself a grade. Doesn't seem kosher does it?

So where does this leave us? Should we just throw in the towel and stroll blithely down the primrose path?

No, that obviously won't do at all. Even if we are completely devoid any control whatsoever, our gut tells us that we must do something. We can't go out like that.

So where do we look?

Maybe the gut isn't such a bad place to start after all.

The intellect is well suited for executing practical matters such as teeth brushing, car driving, and atom-splitting. When it comes to explorations of our fundamental nature, however, we may be best served by passing the reigns over to our Intuition.

It seems to me that we are never going to think our way in to Heaven. But neither should we try to dispense with the faculties of thought such as discernment, which is invaluable on any spiritual path.

My point is just this- let's be careful about our assumptions- even the flowery, "positive" ones.

Does being a co-creator sound good? Heck yeah. Is it possible that this is the case? Sure. But we are going to have place aside all biases, preconceptions and wishful thinking if we are going to conduct a serious and objective investigation.

But isn't our Intuition subjective? Well, in the sense that it is "ours", yes. But our Intuition, though not always easy to perceive, is, in its purest sense, unencumbered by our past and unburdened by our conditioning. Which makes it a more appropriate and investigative instrument for explorations of this nature.

The irony of all of this, of course, is that Ultimate answers can only be known subjectively. If you've read as many spiritual books as I have you may come to the conclusions that other peoples' awakenings really are of little use to us in the long run, except perhaps to provide us encouragement along the way. The are no shortcuts and we have to make the journey ourselves. In this case, knowledge of new horizons and broader vistas is truly dead. Either we see it for ourselves or we don't. Anything else is just us sitting through someone else's spiritual slide show.

A teacher of mine put it this way- Awakening isn't up to us though we need to act like it is.

Discovering one's true nature is the most personal undertaking imaginable, the responsibility for which falls squarely on what in the end may turn out to be our non-existent shoulders.

Gassho

The Looking Glass

The Immensity is camouflaged precisely by its all encompassing obviousness. But this isn't the reason we don't see it.

We don't see it because It is doing the looking. It is actually looking at us! Right now, in this very moment.

Strange isn't it? But wonderful.

And from Its perspective, all is surely well.

Nothing Inevitable Can Be Bad

I'm told that Awakening, like getting struck by lightning, is an accident, that its occurrence lies outside of our volitional control. That said, if one does nothing to encourage its arrival then the likelihood of waking up remains as remote as the likelihood of being struck by lightning.

Without being prescriptive, there are actions one can take which may tempt fate, if you will, and serve as the metaphorical equivalents of climbing trees during thunderstorms.

First, become interested in Life. Initially this may take the form of interest in "Your" life, though if you stay interested long enough, the "your" will fall away...

Forgive yourself.

Then forgive others.

Have Faith, but not in anything or anyone. Just have It.

Say Thank You. Constantly. For absolutely everything, remembering that the Universe is incapable of harming itself.

Practice suspending your belief in the way things seem or in the way you believe they are. Notice the way things seem to be and then dwell in the possibility that this is just that- the way things seem. You don't need to figure out how things REALLY are (which is not possible) but rather just acknowledge and become aware of the fact that how things seem is merely your own, limited perspective and not in anyway an accurate reflection of how things actually are.

Extend this practice to from the mundane, over-learned situations you find yourself in to the most emotionally charged of moments.

Lastly, become interested in death, only in this case, do keep it personal. Become interested in Your Death- the one fact of life upon which we can absolutely rely.

Whenever matters trivial or great seduce you into mistaking them for Truth, turn your attention and imagination to your very own death.

Yes, you and I will surely one day die, like the countless deaths, both real and pretend, we have witnessed in hospital rooms and on movie screens.

The difference, though, is that for this death, we will have a front row seat. In fact, we will be the only one in the theater. Sure, for many the room may well be crowded with loved ones but you can be sure of this- the experience of death will be ours alone.

These bodies are dying. Right now. All of them. Contemplation of this fact shines light on the trivialities on which we waste our time and mental energy while simultaneously clarifying those aspects of life which are worthy of our attention.

I have found that nothing creates space for wonder to arise like the sincere contemplation of my mortality.

This last practice is not for everyone of course. Many will dismiss it as morbid or negative. But let me say that contemplation of the mystery of death has been so interesting and oddly comforting to me that I encourage others to at least give it try before scoffing.

And while doing so, you may do well to remember two things.

One, nothing inevitable can ever truly be bad.

Two, there is no such thing as an ending, for the simple fact that there was never a beginning. Only the Eternal Now.

Gassho

Chatter Box

Sometimes a voice chastises me for not going to the gym and sometimes one tries to talk me out of going. Once I get there, a voice either tells me I need to do more or tries to persuade me to leave early.

The interesting part? It's the same voice.

The irony? It's not even me.

It's just the endless and automatic chatter of conditioning, as relevant as the non-sensical babble of a 2 year old (minus the cuteness).

This Chatter isn't "wrong" or "bad" (anymore than a 2 year old is bad or wrong.) It's just not who we are.

The most important insight I can share (and one that is almost impossible for me to remember) is that paying rapt attention to our ongoing mental chatter IS NOT LIFE.

Entire lives are spent enthralled by this chatter. We truly believe that this chatter is who we are. Or rather, The Chatter believes The Chatter is who we are. Or perhaps most accurately, The Chatter desperately tries to convince us that The Chatter is who we are, that it is real, continuous and substantial.

But it isn’t. How could it be?

When you get down to it, the "self concept" is really just a thought, isn't it? It's a complex, sophisticated, interminably long thought but still just a thought. And there are no "unconditioned" thoughts.

And as unpalatable as this may sound, there are no original thoughts. All thoughts (including these) are, by definition, conditioned. They are also automatic, reflexive and reactive (which probably does not come as good news to The Chatter)

So what can be done to break the spell that The Chatter has cast over us?

I was told once that in order to enjoy reading fiction or watching a movie we often have to "suspend our disbelief." If the whole time you are watching a movie you are thinking to yourself "this is far-fetched. This could never happen" it becomes pretty difficult to enjoy the book or movie for what it is- entertainment- a distraction from what we call "real life."

But when it comes to "real life", I would recommend the exact opposite approach. I would suggest suspending your belief.

For me this looks like imagining what it would be like to be in a particular situation without all of the usual accompanying conditioned beliefs, thoughts and opinions about it. I just ask myself, "What would it be like to be here without 'The Story?'

Or, alternatively, I imagine what it would be like if my perspective were that of the person I am talking to? How do I look and seem to them? Or what if my consciousness were in that dog or that tree? What would the view look like from there? What would it be like to actually be that other person, plant or object?

Now why should one bother doing this? Well, the truth is, there is no particular reason, except that if you, like me, intuit that there is more going on here than what meets the eye- more than the just The Chatter- then it might be helpful as a means of dissociating ourselves from our normal waking consciousness. It might give us a little breathing room and a fresh perspective. And if we're lucky, it may even create the space necessary for something else to arise.

At the very least, you may learn to appreciate the brief respite from the Chatter (which will surely return.) And who knows? As simple as it may sound, if you keep playing on the edges like this long enough, you may just fall off.

Gassho