The Lunatic, Again
Hennning, Me, and Bjorn, at 600 meters in Norway, in July, 2005. Once, in August 1950, when Shri Atmananda stayed in Bombay for a couple of days on his way back from Europe, he gave audience to a good number of spiritual enthusiasts who flocked for short interviews with him. Among them was an educated […]
Just Listen
“Awareness becomes consciousness when it has an object” [the body].-Nisargadatta Maharaj The only experience that isn’t a conditioned concept is awareness itself. The body does not possess awareness; awareness possesses the body. When thinking is unnessary, shift attention to simply being aware: just listen. When silently listening, are there any problems? Does anything need to […]
Beholding The Mind
June, 2007 … view from my porch. Question: “If someone is determined to reach enlightenment, what is the most essential method he can practice?”Answer: “The most essential method, which includes all other methods, is beholding the mind.”Question: “But how can one method include all others?”Answer: “The mind is the root from which all things grow. […]
A Great Thing
“Haven’t you yourself created the mind that thinks up all the illusory conditions? This insight must be perfectly incorporated.” -Hongzhi A great thing you can always do: never make anything more important than anything else. See how you are when you do just this: Let go of every idea about how anything should be and just […]
Being Aware
Me and BabyJoni. I sewed that S&W patch on there myself. “Individuality is a myth.” -Krishnamurti The idea of individuality is the sole source of all human misery. That what we actually are is a physical form—which seemingly exists independently from its environment, but in fact is totally dependent on it—is a conditioned concept. Being […]
The Spiritual Pill
At some point in the ’90’s… at Second Chance… David Ryan, Matt (Hot-Sauce) Davis, and BE … AKA (obviously) The Pit Crew. “What is the spiritual pill? It just means to be unminding in all situations. It is enough to understand this. This single statement can save decades of seeking.”-T’ai i chin hua tsung chih […]
You Are
BigJoni, in Hawaii for my big six-0. “Do you ever doubt that you exist?” -Ramana Maharshi See how you are when you do just this: Let go of every idea about how anything should be, and be silently aware of the feeling that you are. You are not silence, but what you actually are is silent. […]
The Word
I experienced vicious panic attacks as a teenager. I’d curl up on the floor—it felt like I was being stabbed in the gut with a knife. My parents took me to our family doctor. After diagnostics… I can still remember the doctor’s face as he leaned on his desk and said: “There’s nothing physically wrong […]
The Greatest Thing
BigJoni and Garno The Great, just after they were married. “That which cannot change, remains. The great peace, the deep silence, the hidden beauty of reality remain. While it cannot be conveyed through words, it is waiting for you to experience for yourself.” -Nisargadatta Maharaj Do this for one day (perhaps on your next day off): […]
Awareness
My porch pals. “It’s in the silence that your problems just dissolve. Try it. It really works.”-Robert Adams Personal problems breed, multiply, and thrive in inattention. As every moment of your life permits, be silent, and know you are not thinking. The more you do that, the more you will want to, because when you […]