Good morning! Welcome to the DKos Sangha weekly open thread.
This is an open thread for members of the DKos Sangha and interested visitors who happen by. Each of us has our own path; we come here by way of many different traditions, and of no particular tradition. While the language we use may differ depending on the traditions, teachers, practices, and teachings that have shaped our journeys, we find in common, generally, a search for who we truly are, our true nature, and to bring the peace and compassion born of that search into the greater world of which we are a part. If you wish to share, or if you seek support, or if you simply want to say hello, please do; this space is for you.
A rooster crows in the distance; fog drifts through the cove; the early morning air is cool.
It is quiet; peaceful; still.
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The events in our world bring joy and sadness. When not bound by egoic conditioning, these are movements of the heart; our deepest connection to each other as one inseparable humanity.
When the veil of separation lifts and we experience our world directly - in each moment, just as it is - it is a profoundly different way of being in the world. It is as if awakening from a dream; as if years of grime have been completely cleaned from every window of our home.
For each who enters upon the path, the way forward is unique. The teachings that guide us point in the general direction of home; but we do the work to get there ourselves.
And yet, what we find when we arrive is that we were here all along. We were always already aware; always already here. We were just dreaming, caught up in a story. The story of “me”.
Most of the people in our world have reinforced that story, as they too are caught up in their own stories of “me”. Each believing themselves separate and apart, each keeping at a distance and pushing back against “others”; each creating and continually re-creating their “identity”, their persona, maintaining and editing the long list of likes and dislikes, choosing attributes and labels, all in the service of maintaining the story of “me”.
And, invariably, conflict results.
Internally, the story of “me” thinks positively of itself, and then negatively, in a constant struggle in which, for the most part, it is usually dissatisfied with where it is now.
Externally, the story of “me” is constantly in conflict with the other stories of “me” with whom we share this planet, as these self-centered dramas bump up against each other throughout each day.
We see the results, most vividly, in the violence of our world.
But our common core shines through as well; for it is right here, just below the veil. Our compassion for each other, our willingness to help, our caring, our joy, our sadness.
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Who we are in this very moment is just this. No story of “me”; just this direct experience of being here. No separation. Just this beingness, this unchanging awareness, within which all perceived phenomena are arising, persisting for a bit, and then falling away.
Each day unfolds within this awareness, this just being here-ness. No story; just washing dishes, working, cooking, meeting friends, helping others, sitting in the early morning stillness, feeling the cool air upon the skin.
There is a zen saying; first there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, and then there is. Before we enter upon the path, separate-self struggles to maintain the illusion of reality as it believes it, or wishes it, to be. But that illusion is internally inconsistent, and, at some point, some enter upon the path to find what is real. And then, upon awakening, we find that we were here all along. When the veil of separation falls away, there is only this.
Just this.
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May all beings be free from suffering
May all beings find peace
Namaste