Hi Tommy

Yes, it is a bit too much information for me too. 😂

I am simple too. 😊 I don’t think that it is a bad thing. Everyone has their own karma and journey. It is simply not part of mine.

Haha I enjoyed that story, thank you for sharing. It was not his Dharma to stay at the temple for the night. 😂

Yes, and as well as individual perspective there is the whole. The truth of the situation. Sometimes the truth is invisible to us. I think that things often happen how they are meant to, even when difficult things happen.

Love and best wishes! ❤️🙏

Oh, wow, so much, … BS. No not the right word. You seem to be extremely cerebral. Chop wood carry water is simple. There is nothing special about enlightenment. Before chop wood carry water. Normal parts of life. After chop wood carry water. Basic part of life. Realizing that there a part of me that is exactly like that part in you. That it permeates the universe. Life remains the same. What is there to experience is natural and unchanging.. Viewing life thru someone else’s eyes? Temporal, measuring, ego? Drop this monkey mind and push forward onto the truth. Good luck.

Dear Peter:

As I sit in bed, 2nd day of Covid, can’t go out and about like I do every day, can’t chop wood and carry water, can’t do my usual daily walk, having moments of almost panic, claustrophobic, as in: I CAN”T GO OUT? FOR HOW LONG? HOW MANY DAYS??? AND NIGHTS???!!!

In this state of mind, I read your earlier post today and find comfort in it. It’s my temporal measuring mind that is panicking. Enlightenment would be something like this then: Before enlightenment, sick with Covid and panicking. After enlightenment, sick with Covid but calm.

As I sit here perspiring, belly uncomfortable, feeling hot, listening to the birds outside, seeing the sun through the curtains, hearing the wind now going through the leaves: I am not lost in thought; I am attending completely: this is meditation.

There is indeed something beyond words, beyond all thought.. timeless… a something not to attain, but to attend to.

“The question arises Do we dare to ‘see’ Life as it Is?“- yes, I dare to see Stillness that’s beyond Movement; Eternity beyond Time; and Acceptance and Love beyond Judgment and Hate.

Thank you, Peter!

anita

Oh and I forgot to add. I put this at the top of my message the first time I wrote it. It’s nice to see you around again Peter. I always enjoy your posts. 😊

* I want to add a note about Tommy’s post:

“Oh, wow, so much.. BS. No not the right word. You seem to be extremely cerebral… There is nothing special about enlightenment… Drop this monkey mind”–

– calling Peter’s thoughts and feelings BS? Telling him there is nothing special about what he believes to be special? Telling him to drop his ideas and beliefs?

And, sneakily, you say BS is not the right word, but you don’t delete the it.

You call him extremely cerebral: Wel, you Tommy were extremely rude here. Personally, I’ll take extremely cerebral over extremely rude any time of the day or night.

anita

Dear Peter:

You are welcome and thank you for the compliment!

“an old wound of not being seen or understood showed up“- these forums are not about irritating or opening an old wound. I am glad you weren’t offended, but lots of people don’t have your ability (using the title of your thread) to place a rude comment on a blank canvas before it makes an old wound bleed.

I don’t criticize other members’ replies to an OP, but took an exception here because of the unmistakenly rude nature of his reply (and his tendency to produce such replies in other threads). My replies aren’t perfect, but way better than in the past, on the empathy front. And so, I hope that he improves his replies by removing the Rude off of them.

And, Peter, in all the years of reading your posts, I don’t think that there was one incident that you were rude, not even once.

“My process of ‘sitting in a Koan’ (Paradox, dualism) with free flow of thoughts (slowed down by typing them out) actually calms the monkey as it tends to end in silence“- calm down the monkey mind, calm… down… the… monkey.

anita

[quote quote=434646]* I want to add a note about Tommy’s post: “Oh, wow, so much.. BS. No not the right word. You seem to be extremely cerebral… There is nothing special about enlightenment… Drop this monkey mind”– – calling Peter’s thoughts and feelings BS? Telling him there is nothing special about what he believes to be special? Telling him to drop his ideas and beliefs? And, sneakily, you say BS is not the right word, but you don’t delete the it. You call him extremely cerebral: Wel, you Tommy were extremely rude here. Personally, I’ll take extremely cerebral over extremely rude any time of the day or night. anita[/quote]I am sorry that you read the words but did not understand the intent. Okay, I was rude. I apologize. The post wasn’t meant for you.

[quote quote=434649]Thanks Anita you have a wonderful way with words and its helpful to see what I attempt to work through reflected back so succinctly. Though I was taken aback by Tommy’s tone for a moment (a old wound of not being seen or understood showed up) I wasn’t offended. As we were referencing a Zen Koan, after taking the moment, I had to laugh as ‘BS’ is actually a appropriate reply. A Zen master would have no doubt ‘slapped‘ both of us. If I understand correctly the Koan’s are paradoxical and intentionally frustrating the idea being to break (slap) the hold of the grasping measuring mind or something… the imagined Zen Master just slapped me again. 🙂 Tommy’s mention of monkey mind caused me to pause. My process of ‘sitting in a Koan’ (Paradox, dualism) with free flow of thoughts (slowed down by typing them out) actually calms the monkey as it tends to end in silence. But that’s my process and I see why it might find it ‘to much’.[/quote]

You have an amazing understanding. And yes, I was rude. I apologize for my words but not for my intent. And Yes, An old Zen master would have slapped us both. You know more than you let on at first. Namaste.