Big claim, available for all readers to test in experience/understanding … this document represents as far as I can comprehend the unification of all the traditions and most significantly the inner, often secret facets of them i.e. Kabbalah. Christian mysticism, Sufism, Vedanta, Tantric schools, the high Masonic degrees etc. I would think and hope that you will feel a thrill of recognition as you read this … with the dawning realization that none of us is separated from our sincere brothers and sisters, no matter the differences in symbols, myths and cultural stories. I am experiencing a personal healing of conceptual pain from past, more shadowed judgements tossed out by those who taught us our traditions. I know that as you read this, that ancient, habitual, cultural judgements will be stirred, but at the same time it is calling us to see the Unity we inhabit and we can read words that surprise us; power words that are common in origin and intent to remind us of our Unity (cf footnotes). All of this, even the seeming differences, exist within each of us. We can allow this co-existence and also allow peace to enter.
It seems to me, that the relative is honoured here, within a Song of Praise to the Absolute and both are seen as integral to our human source and experience. The ultimate realization is that each of us is experiencing a call to allow for this larger understanding to play out in our own lives and experience as we learn to let go of separative judgements in order to bring our own disparate parts into harmony by our inner work.
It is long and deep and requires some patience to pursue this and my understanding is meagre … those of you like Ray and Scott who have much stronger connections to your respective traditions may be able to help the rest of us come to further insight and I encourage you in the most heartfelt way to attempt to do so. I believe that this is what we are here for.
Link to Gerald O’Donnell’s New Year 2010 message
Please leave whatever comments might occur to you, so we might wrestle with this challenge together somehow. A most cheerful and blessed New Year to all of you, David
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Footnotes in the headlights:
This all strikes me as the ultimate message of Basic Goodness
His use of Ra ”the one across” and David Wilcock’s bedrock reference in The Law of One material which is spoken by Ra. Also appearing as: The Egyptian Sun God.
While the Tantric schools are non-theistic and therefore do not speak of the One, Unity is the Absolute pointed to continually.
Could Zen be somehow associated with Zion?
I remain, full of concepts, while having mixed minds most thoroughly in this life with Rod (non-conceptual buddhist), Ray (non-conceptual Hebrew), Rainer (non-conceptual Shambhallian) and Scott (non-conceptual Christian), constantly encouraged to go forward, allowing everything by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
In some ways, this is all going too quickly and I am going to have to leave cookie crumb trails in public for some of you, in order to not have duplicate efforts. Here is one for Scott, if interested in the Gospel of Thomas as a sermon topic. (article by F. F. Bruce, who is)
What might be a multi-coloured herring showed up doing this work. It certainly is part of the 2012 theme.
5 comments:
Hi David. Found your post late last night, "couldn't put it down", stayed up till the wee hours reading the document. Yes, it resonates deeply and broadly - it's as you say recognition, like remembering something that was so deeply buried I forgot I ever knew it.
Will "test in experience and understanding" during the day and join the discussion later.
Thanks for the invite. It's always so good to know we're not the only one, that it is indeed a shared journey.
O’Donnell offers “...choosing the side of unification and unity in the Light and Love of One over the side of separation and divisiveness originating from the realm of fear and darkness.”
From Ashe & The Four Dignities: “The union of basic goodness and ultimate Ashe is what gives birth to relative Ashe. In this practice [raising windhorse] we are bringing these elements into union. Thus the whole world is in union. The temporal world is the continual outplay of this union taking place. Joy is the result of understanding this union, because we realize that the elements have never been separated.”
This unification and unity is our longing as humans regardless of our religious orientation. We may think of it as union with God, the Absolute, Allah, One Mind, Totality - ultimately we long to see our own true face. And though a lot of us have come to some (conceptual) understanding that we are not now, nor have we ever been, separated from that _____, our experience is most often quite the opposite. In those occasional but all-too-fleeting moments of non-duality, of union - whether through sex, drugs, spiritual practices or some spontaneous opening - the experience is of fullness, radiance, joy and a sense of being home.
O’Donnell states: “The process of transmutation of Creation has been engaged and nothing or anyone can stop it.” He also notes that the rate of change is accelerating. He is not alone in this observation - many contemporary spiritual thinkers and philosophers have noted the same thing; I personally feel a sense of urgency to develop my own consciousness and to hopefully help others, though I cannot rationally explain it. As Ken Wilber puts in, the shift in consciousness from egocentric/ ethnocentric to worldcentric needs to take place now and has indeed already begun. To read a remarkable dialogue between him and Andrew Cohen on these ideas, check out God’s Playing A New Game. If I can’t figure out how to insert a hyperlink into this comment, url is http://www.mzharper.blogspot.com/2009/12/gods-playing-new-game.html
The author has an interesting take on the role of Darkness - not as an enemy but “...to polish and refine new souls, like diamonds, within the high pressure environment it provides...”, teaching us what not to do and what to avoid (“what to accept and what to reject”?).
I am also intrigued by his statement “What is seen and perceived by ourselves as Heavenly bodies, galaxies and universes really exists within ourselves as inner energies and connective points...” and the notion of portals (bet Rainer has something to say about that). Particularly the One portal which “... connects each and every single creation of the One [that would be us] up to the totally unmanifest regions of the One Source. It is a pure singularity point outside of the equation of polarity, and at the same time encompassing all of it, for it connects all polarities of the One Mind.” Our internal energies are not other than the energies of the universe, or what he calls the One Mind. Once we have had even a small felt experience of this, it becomes painfully clear when we are out of synch with that universal energy.
To Be Continued...
Comment, Part 2
Well this comment will soon be as long as the article (already too long for one comment). Not being much of a Biblical scholar I am a bit skeptical of Biblical quotes. I believe they are often (mis)interpreted to support one side of an argument - not singling out the Bible in particular - some of us know only too well the extent to which the Buddhadharma is used to support “our side”. My scanty knowledge of the Bible’s teachings comes mostly from my contact with our local Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have their own translation and their own views. As a student of Shambhala Buddhism, I view it through that lens and tend to translate the language to fit. For example God for me is not the personal God of the Bible, referred to as Him, but more of a principle or force, as in cosmic force, the Absolute, love, cosmic energy, basic goodness, the Divine, etc. I try to distill the essence, and for me that is summed up in the two commandments: Know God and Love Thy Neighbour.
Is O’Donnell right that we can create the future? I believe that we are creating the future every moment by what we think and do now (can we say karma?). Whether it will be the future we long for remains to be seen, but many people think that if only 10 per cent of the world’s population makes the shift in consciousness from egocentric and ethnocentric to worldcentric, or as he puts it toward unity and away from separation, then the change we want will happen.
We can’t wait until we’re perfect or until we feel ready - the world needs us to show up as we are. Our aspiration is what matters now, not whether we have achieved it - if our aspiration is to move towards unity, then our minds have already turned towards that and our actions will naturally follow. Our old habits are deep and often unconscious; we don’t get much encouragement from our culture or our institutions; we desperately need to communicate with other humans who want to wake up, to heal ourselves so we can heal the world.
I am far from being through with this article, would love to see comments from others, particularly those who have what David calls "...stronger connections to your respective traditions".
Well, David, thanks again. May we all find peace, joy and harmony and may that benefit others. That is indeed what we are here for.
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the billion facets of brilliant love
the billion facets of freedom turning in the light
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M.
It's scary how close this document is coming to home...feel a rant coming on...
This section:
"In the same Gospel of Didymos Judas Thomas we find:
39: “The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered nor have they allowed those who want to enter to do so.”
In Hebrew the word Pharisees means the ones bent on separation and hence putting elitist fences around them.
... They discriminate against the ones who do not format according to their teachings and beliefs.
In that act they have therefore taken away the key of inner personal knowledge of the notion of One and of inner personal experience of the Light of One, and have hidden these keys under the illusion that they are cast as guardians and exponents of some knowledge that is so hidden, complicated, and imbued with secrets, that the flock cannot enter unless they knock at their human doors and gates.
In that act and through their own lack of application of the notion of One and Oneness, they themselves have not and cannot enter the Light and Energy of One, and neither have they allowed others to enter, by disempowering them.
This is exactly what we are facing now in our Creation: the controllers are trying to keep all their flocks under their spell, obediently so, and thence distracted from the Light and notion of One."
We (ShBud's) proclaim that emptiness & luminosity, silent awareness, etc., are the true nature of EVERYONE'S mind, but how often do we hold back, saying "they're not ready for that yet", or, "that's not revealed until Level..." , or "that's only for vajrayana students", or (fill in blank). I think in these "times" we cannot hold back what we know ... the internet has changed everything ... there are no secrets any more and there is a LOT of misinformation out there - those who have something true and important to share should share it, and not just with people who are in or who may want to join our club (ethnocentric world view). As O'Donnell points out, we DISEMPOWER people by holding back, and by implication empower ourselves.
Fear, elitism, control - have we heard of this unholy trinity before? Have we experienced this in our personal lives and seen it played out in the world around us?
How amazing is it that he calls the "singularity portal" a DOT?
Coming up to the last act...
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Well David you were right about this material bringing up some stuff, a lot of judgments about self and other, and it touched me very deeply. I cried each time I read it, which is a very good thing. A lot of inner work remains to be done, but knowing that there are people out there thinking like this and going to the trouble to articulate and share it with others, brings inspiration and hope.
And while he does great honor to the relative within the Absolute, may I further suggest that the Absolute be honored within each moment of the relative - they are as inseparable as form and emptiness and both, as you express, “integral to our human source and experience”.
I have mentioned elsewhere (DG) that when I allow the presence of “God” in my life, the world becomes a more loving, accepting place. Reading O’Donnell’s vision takes that to a higher level, that not only am “I” being held in this loving embrace, but so is everyone and everything - not individually but all together - we are all held in the One loving embrace. And that feels really good.
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If it be your will, if there is a choice
let the rivers fill, let the hills rejoice
let your mercy spill on all these
burning hearts in Hell
if it be your will to make us well
to draw us near, and bind us tight
all your children here in our rags of light
in our rags of light, all dressed to kill
and end this night, if it be your will
if it be your will
- Leonard Cohen
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