Wow I just got my mind blown again and… I love it!

Please have a listen to this 8 minute audio clip called, “The Little Garden” from A Course in Miracles. I’ve taken the time to type out the first part of the audio segment because this is the part that really grabbed me and demanded my attention.

I don’t want to over analyze and give you my interpretation but what I will say is that EVERYTHING said here especially in this beginning speaks to me as the truth. Basically what’s being said here is that we “You and I” are God, Love, Light or whatever label or word you want to use. We are it, only we cannot know it and the reason being is we set it up that way!

We are the impossible riddle trying to unravel itself and the only answer is there is no answer. We want to KNOW what we KNOW we KNOW as a result of this wanting to know ourselves or rather us wanting to KNOW “LOVE” we’ve literally become our own worst enemy.

Not to fear however because at the end of the day, decade or century no matter how strong this illusory life presents itself to be in the end… all there truly is, is LOVE.

It is only the awareness of the body that makes love seem limited. For the body is a limit on love. The belief in limited love was it’s origin and it was made to limit the unlimited. Think not that this is merely allegorical for it was made to limit you. Can you who see yourself within a body know yourself as an idea?

Everything you recognize  you identify with externals, something outside itself… you cannot even think of God without a body or in some form you think you recognize.

Listen the body cannot know and while you limit your awareness to it’s tiny senses you will not see the grander that surrounds you. God cannot come into a body nor can you join him there, limits on love will always seem to shut him out and keep you a part from him. Why?

The body is a tiny fence around a little part of a glorious and complete idea… it draws a circle infinitely small around a very little segment of heaven splintered from the whole proclaiming that within it is your kingdom where God cannot enter. Within this kingdom “the human condition” the ego rules and cruelly. And to defend this little speck of dust it bids you fight against the universe, this fragment of your mind is such a tiny part of it that could you but appreciate the whole you would instantly see that it is like the smallest Sun-Beam to the Sun or like the faintest ripple on the surface of the ocean. In it’s amazing arrogance this tiny Sun-Beam has decided it is the Sun, this almost imperceptible ripple hails itself as the ocean.

Think how alone is this little thought that you have, this infinitesimal  illusion holding itself apart against the universe. The Sun becomes the Sun-Beams enemy that would devour it and the ocean terrifies the little ripple and wants to swallow it… listen yet neither Sun nor ocean is even aware of all this strange and meaningless activity they merely continue unaware that they are feared and hated by a tiny segment of themselves.

Please chime in after you’ve read and listened to the audio clip, I’m definitely interested to hear what others have to say regarding the subject matter discussed.

Peace and love to all.

This hour long presentation delivered by spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh is a wonderful introduction into spiritual community also known as “Sangha”. Thich Nhat Hanh goes on to explain the importance of spiritual support from your community of brothers and sisters. It’s important that on the “spiritual path” we recognize the dynamics of our relationships to those around us.

Other topics that are touched on are being present and cultivating the ability to center yourself and be mindful in the midst of chaos. One contributing factor to cultivating mindfulness and awareness is through the support of your sangha or community.

Thich Nhat Hanh always delivers an enlightening message graced by many years of life experience and wisdom. Please have a listen to another great zencast. If you would like to leave a comment with regard to your sangha or this lecture please do so.

Alan takes a look at the nature of the human mind and our interpretations of it. He looks over the many different conclusions that we’ve come up with to explain our existence. It is noted by Alan that man, no matter how hard he tries to sum up or quantify the human condition and existence these attempts in the past have all been futile. The reason being for this folly is that man is incapable to come upon and maintain the conscious attention that is needed to observe the multi faceted, numerous and unlimited states of the universe.

“The scanning process of mans conscious attention is very inadequate for dealing with the infinitely many variables the multi-dimensional processes of the universe”.

He then goes on to examine how man has fundamentally waged war on nature and the natural ways and processes of the world. It seems as though we must conquer and make nature subordinate to man. Its as though we think man is the ruler of nature and this is the natural order of things.

This is a terrible mistake.

It does seem to be a true observation by Alan, even though this lecture was over 2 decades ago it seems to hold even more truth today. From my viewpoint man is a part of nature not its custodian. We cannot bring order to nature or control it, the continued attempt to do so is a fundamental flaw in our global society.

We want to control and account for everything. We draw imaginary lines in the world and create countries separating ourselves from one another. From within those imaginary lines we then create governments and systems that are supposed to bring order and peace but as it were… looking over history none of these systems or governments have ever brought order or peace nor will they in the future.

I digress…

Later in the lecture Alan then goes on to talk about Jesus and the many different interpretations of his words and experiences. Alan’s commentary is very colorful and in my opinion on point. One of the more interesting points he sticks with is the interpretation of when Jesus said “I am a son of God”.

He goes on to talk about how the Jews made it blasphemy and the Christians said only Jesus can say that he’s the son of god. Alan points out that this is a flaw and obvious misinterpretation as we are all the son’s of god, we are all god, we are all one with god. When Jesus said “I and the father are one” he didn’t mean just him.

To know that you are god is another way to say that you feel connected with this Universe, that in everything you do you feel that you express the perfection and ultimate truth. It is when you are disconnected from that truth when you cannot see that you are by all means “God” this is when man becomes ignorant, agitated and has to try to put things in order… give reason to things.

When one sees he is perfection there is no need to explain it, there aren’t any needs for interpetations, Bibles, Qurans, Atheist, etc.

I would like to invite anyone who is interested to post your thoughts on the audio lecture. The second part to the lecture will be posted shortly after this one.

Peace.

Gil speaks on what is possible with right speech, using your imagination to envision what is possible for us as individuals and your relationships with other people. Can one speak in a way that allows you and others do develop? Is there a way to speak so that there is more harmony between individuals and the community as a whole?

In any case I’ll let you listen to this Zencast and make of it what you will, as always your comments are welcome.

In this episode Gil begins to talk on the ethics of right speech, this episode is more focused on what to avoid as opposed to what to act on. Gil then goes over some of the different ethics: taking care of yourself, minimizing harm for others, etc.

One of the more interesting precepts with regard to taking care of yourself is to be mindful that you never lie. This precept in particular I take a great personal interest; I’ve been especially mindful of this in the last year of my life. Telling even what seem to be harmless or little lies can definitely come back to bite you when you are most unexpected. If one is truly mindful and aware of their speech one would never lie, not even the little lies.

One of my favorite stories that Gil gives in this episode with regard to lying is that even in the society of the Devil the one precept that they follow is that there is no lying. He then explains that even in a society such as the Devil’s there needs to be a level of truth otherwise even that society wouldn’t function.

Ah yes… the truth shall set you free indeed.

In any case I’ll let you listen to this Zencast and make of it what you will, as always your comments are welcome.