Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Gaia, this virtual world
is indeed a microcosm of the “real” world
from which all it's citizen's hail
both are real in their own right

Of late,
I have seen quite strong attachment to points of view arising here
naturally and spontaneously stimulated by deep probing
It all comes in cycles
and depends on the beings who are here at any moment
and the karma we bring

Such depth of honest exploration as seen on Gaia
is a necessary first step
if we are to harmonize as a society
otherwise these differences remain buried
only to have their consequences manifest and play out
and lead to suffering
in the form of aggressive words or actions
Isn't this what happens in our “real” world all the time?

Yet if a first step is taken but not a second
we will never reach our destination

Some use strong words and actions  to make a point
but strong words and actions in the wrong direction
will only lead us further into the jungle of our own obscuration
and what is wrong is not for anyone to judge
except ourselves
for our egos are so present
that we easily mistake constructive criticism for destructive
one simply needs to recognize how much peace is there in one's life
as opposed to how much dissatisfaction

How much relaxed are we in this moment
as opposed to how much we must keep feeling we must fight and change?
For every appearance that arises
is itself an ornament of the true pristine nature
apart from any human judgment we impose ontop of it
They say that the lotus flower blooms ontop of the mud
In the same way, we are that lotus flower
moving through this samsara with all it's suffering

Here there is a forum to go beyond that
offering us the potential
to reach within our hearts
and move to a different place
But as with all potential
there is a commitment required
there is something we must give up, and leave at the door
and that object is our pride

To be a genuine student of life
we must humble ourselves
open our mind, relax our views
so that other wisdom can pour into us
Of course we all have our views
and we bring them with us whereever we go
like an invisible appendage

Yet, to unfold our potential to coexist in harmony
we have to appreciate
that we ourselves have only been able to learn
what we have already learned
by being open to receiving it, isn't it?

Everything we know about the world
has only been able to come to us
by relaxing our mind instead of putting up resistance, isn't it?
When we WANT to learn something
we open ourselves to learning
by being attentive
and  focusing our 5 senses towards the sense object
We feel ourselves as an open vessel
with the capacity and space to receive

When we are closed to learning
there is a tightness in our mind
maybe a tightness in our chest
there is constriction, no space
as we bring a mind filled with all our own preconceptions

We always have our preconceptions in reality
but sometimes they are associated with a feeling of openness
other times, with a feeling of closeness

In the end
it is only we ourselves
who can educate ourselves
and the degree to which we can learn
depends on the degree of openess/closeness
we bring to each and every interaction

For all the potential wisdom here or anywhere else
in the infinite sphere of existence
is meaningless to us
unless we open up our minds freely
to the transformative potential of the words 

It is that attitude of openness
which allows the ability
for self-transformation

If we enter with subtle bias and cling to it all throughout
we will only guaranteed ourselves to leave
with the same bias's we enter the room with

Do we enter the room
already with a bias not to hear
and only to impose our own views?
Or do we enter with openness
and perhaps growing our awareness

For each of us
even the dear views we now hold onto
did not exist at one time
When we were a child
they were not our views, were they?

In the same way,
we look back 10 years from now
and not even recognize these views
which we embrace so dearly now as ours

As we grow older
we naturally develop the egoistic point of view
the human Doing
and move further and further away
from the human Being

Though the egoistic view is necessary for functioning in a society
it is a double edged sword
for in spite of it's enormous relative value
it, in itself cannot get to the root of itself

It is not the fundamental root level
that it forever aspires itself to be
and though endless questions arise from it
it only leads to endless puzzlement
and until that puzzlement is resolved
by our own recognition of its self limitation
the spontaneous liberation of freedom can never occur

This infinitely subtle construction of ideas, networks and layers which give us the silent framework of our existence
subconsciously conspires to prop itself up
for fear of its own demise
To protect itself
it shrouds itself infinitely well from it's own self
for fear of discovering its own empty nature

Here, as you read
you are probably agreeing
yes, this is true….indeed, this is so….
or perhaps that is not true
and as you do so, it is this very ego complex agreeing or disagreeing
mistaking itself for the “higher” being
Once again, misIdentifying your infinite mind
as this limited one

These are all things
for each of us to figure out for ourselves

Yet this continuous embarking on a project to free itself
to end suffering for humanity
without freeing oneself first
is the source of suffering itself

Noone sets out to harm anyone
everyone sets out as the valiant white night
ready to rid the world of the black knights
yet along the way
our obscurations transforms us into the black knight

There are many white knights in the world
who go on search-and-destroy missions of black knights
but the sum total of such white-knights-in-search-of-black knights
is really what samsara is, isn't it?

On a socio-political level
we see the Extremist Islamic jihad warriors wage war against the heathens
and we see the God-loving christians defending democracy against the extremists
yet, both these views are just abstractions, concepts
the reality is both views adopt and conscript
human beings like you or I to side with their doctrines and do their biding

When the self-righteous proclaim their rightness
and then use that to justify actions
that bring suffering
then THAT white knight has become the black knight in the others eye

Due to the inherently emptiness-nature of all objects
there is relativity and lack of absoluteness
so the white knight you think you are in your view
is actually a black knight in another's

So instead of thinking that objects themselves
possess a quality of “goodness” or “badness”
isn't it really attitudes and views that we adopt
that are the real agents of suffering?

The tendency to objectify
is the same tendency to externalize
and by doing this
we forever neglect looking inside ourselves
where the real root of the problem may lie

An engineering genuis once told me
the most difficult problems to solve
are the one's where you have made hidden assumptions
For if you are seeking to solve a complex problem
as soon as you assume something is right
you will exclude that as an area to explore

Similarly, when we objectify the problem as outside of us
we will never look within
to see where the real problem lies
in our own conditioned views of reality
and until we see that
we shall continue to find the same irresolvable problems on the outside
and in spite of how much we try
things will never fundamentally change
there will never be peace
our minds will always be tense, tight and unrelaxed

For insofar as we see ourselves as right
we only know this mind we have
and we do not occupy “other” minds
so there is no way to directly and personally know
that the solid feeling of right we experience right now
is just as solid a feeling of wrong for another mind

When we impose our ideas
as the right one
Hasn't this always been the cause of conflict?
And don't we always feel right now
that our ideas are the right ones?
Why else would we invest a lifetime of pain to get them?

The more we read, process, experience, understand
the more attached we seem to become to our ideas
Yet, within all this reading, processing, experiencing, understanding
there is something which has eluded us
for why else would we continue to partake in seeking
if we have already found that which we are looking for?

The nature of wanting
is to extinguish its own nature
When we have temporarily gotten the object of our desire
whether it's a relationship, a new car, a delicious meal,
we find that our wanting for that object has ceased, isn't it?

Yet, we will always tire of THAT which we have
and become interested in a new object of desire
So in this way
we keep moving the goal post further and further beyond
and we can never truly reach it
never truly extinguish our desire
never truly be happy
because we have not understood at the deepest level
the nature of wanting itself

Ultimately, we seek to not seek
to come to that state
when there is spontaneously
no further need to seek

Not being able to penetrate our own obscurations
we seek habitually and it never comes to resolution
there is always, as Ernest Becker puts it
a sense of lack

Pain reveals differences
yet if we are brave enough to travel with that pain
to explore our differences
then we can have a chance to integrate

What we must realize is that
if we simply bring our views
without any wiggle room
we shouldn't fool ourselves
that we are anything more
than a preacher on a pulpit
pretending to listen
but really just biding time waiting for my turn to speak

What we learn from anything
is proportional to what we really genuinely invest

Many blessings
to the myriad reflections of my own true nature
with their many forms of expression

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Thank you for opening the subject of HARMONY Gien. This is a very precious topic. I see you have titled it differently - but I would like to see Harmony as a topic explored here too. Thank you for your deep probing of the subject and the valuable light you shed

 

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Gien: “To be a genuine student of life
we must humble ourselves
open our mind, relax our views
so that other wisdom can pour into us…

Yet, to unfold our potential to coexist in harmony
we have to appreciate
that we ourselves have only been able to learn
what we have already learned
by being open to receiving it, isn't it?”

and ”What we learn from anything
is proportional to what we really genuinely invest”

This resonates deep within me. Thank you.  I have observed if one knows all they close that door to learning more and reaping the benefits of another facet by having a view from one who has traveled in different shoes.  Harmony is a most beautiful subject and I so look forward to reading and gaining as well as giving harmony.

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Perfectly harmonious Gien. I too will carry this with me and read it over and over. Even when things get dischordinent we can step back and put back in harmony by choice.

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Lee, Kes, Hummingbird,

Though we all strive towards harmony
yet we see disharmony all around us

This is the the dualism we experience daily in the world
in the news when we see it
and in our personal lives we experience it
so we are all quite aware of it, isn't it?

Each of our minds
from our conditioning, from our awareness and lack of it
naturally attract towards some experiences
and avert away from others

If we watch our own internal responses throughout the day
we will observe this for ourselves
this emotional dualism

If each of us does this uniquely
then altogether, as a society, what we effectively get
is a hodgepodge, a vegetable soup, a mixture
of such emotional attachments and aversions
and in this vegetable soup
the law of averages predicts
that my aversion is bound to rub up against your attachment
the flavor of one ingredient will compete with another

What I don't like may be something you like
and from such interactions
flow out the various manifestations of harmony and disharmony

In the great teachings of emptiness and compassion
it is the most difficult thing to see
how this emptiness naturally coexists with compassion
Ultimately, it is not something that the intellect can grasp
and this is the fundamental teaching as well
In other words, no matter how many times
our intellect comes knocking at the door
with yet another attempt of an analytic solution
the union of emptiness and compassion
will always elude such efforts

Indeed, until we genuinely exhaust this habitually seeking intellect
will the answer it seek naturally manifest

As Milarepa writes
and as many, indeed all of the great teachers say
This compassion, this genuine compassion
comes from deep within
is a naturally coexistent of our unique expression of emptiness itself
Compassion is not seen as just a minor aspect of emptiness
but as a fundamental expression of it

This is in stark contrast to western categories
which divide knowledge into very separate branches
science and art,
logic and emotion

If the bastions of knowledge
decree that such separation is fundamental
and fail to see the holistic nature of emptiness, wisdom and compassion
then is it any wonder that the world is in such a state?
In fact, the world as it is
can be seen to be a natural consequence
of such fundamentally non-holistic views

It is the self-recognizing nature of our own mind
which seeks to recognize its own pristine nature
to recognize its own perfection
leaving it with nothing further to seek or change outside
and if there is nothing to seek or change
there is no agenda and no desire of other people or their things
there is also no desire to be right, no self-righteousness
Since perfection is already recognized as the natural state in this present moment
one has already arrived
and there is nothing to grasp at outside
indeed, there is no inside nor outside

There is no need for laws in the direct realization of our own perfection
so there are also no laws that need to obey
they are only seen as a necessary artifice
for those who don't yet recognize their own pristine nature

In the ultimate reality
everything that arises is perfection itself

When we don't realize
then we try to change
both ourselves and others
and when we each have our own unique views
of what is “right” and what is “wrong”
each with our own unique likes and dislikes
then my attachment is bound to meet up with your aversion
and my aversion is bound to meet up with your attachment
We enter wholeheartedly into the world of doing
each armed with our views of right and wrong
and co-create the vegetable soup of social reality we all experience

We fall into doing
rather than being
not aware
that doing
has always had it's foundation
in being

We do
to compensate
for our failure
at Pure Being

The great teachers never impose
recognizing that such imposition, such attempted forcing
will always fail to achieve any such goal
The only goal it will achieve
is the further solidification of ego
the further deepening of illusion

One can only offer one's views
and allow others to take or leave it
when the student is ready
the teacher will finally be recognize as having always been there

We cannot change anyone's views by such imposition, by will
to try to will only meet with stubborn resistance
We need only look at ourselves to see the truth of this
Trying to change others, to change the world
is a further solidification of the external world
further solidification of dualism itself

For if we try to change the world or another person
don't we hold the basic assumption that they exist as a separate being
with different views than my own?
And yet, in our entire basic psychological experience of life
have we ever experienced another mind?
Have we ever experienced another mind, other than our own?
We have made very, very basic assumptions
about ourselves, mind and the world
which we have never questioned
and the great teachers point us always
to these very basic assumptions

The only thing we can do
is share our wisdom, our insights
what we have experienced of the world
and place it in front of another “being”
as an offering
that can be taken or left

Change only happens from the inside
It cannot be forced from the outside
We are responsible for our own change
It is how one man, such as Gandhi or Nelson Mandela
have been able to make such far sweeping changes in society
not by trying to force others
but rather, through sharing their own experiences non-forcefully

While force
be it expressed in words or deeds of self-righteousness
only teaches others to use force to counter it
open love, sharing and wisdom invites the same qualities to manifest from others

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Kes,

As in music
the dissonance resolves to consonance
and the interplay is what makes life what it is

Discord is not “wrong”
rather, it is a necessary stage on the path

When we are deeply hurt
we become very defensive as a way to protect ourselves from further hurt
and we may react to perceived threat
with our own threat
with anger, conflict, violence and discord
Yet can we say this is wrong?
It would seem better to say
that it is a natural consequence
of causes and conditions
and it is awareness itself
that can help us free ourselves
from deeply engrained patterns of protection

Feeling flow in life
juxtapositioned to feeling blockage
this alteration is natural
and is itself the more transcendent harmony

We may each and every one of us
one day awaken to our true nature
but along the way
the suffering we have been exposed to
means that we must go through these natural stages of discord

It is when we bring awareness to our discord
that GURU LIFE begins to dispense it's lessons to us
As long as go through them unconsciously and without awareness
we will continue to repeat this stage

Someone once asked a Rinpoche:
Is suicide a solution to life's pain?
And rinpoche laughed, responding:
It's not so easy
You think you can get away by doing that?
You'll just be reborn into the exact same conditions!

Whether you believe in reincarnation or not
the moral of the story was
you can't run away from your own suffering
because it will never stop

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
Mahatma Gandhi


“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
Mahatma Gandhi

“Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay.”
Sallust

“Harmony is pure love, for love is a concerto.” 
Lope de Vega

“If life isn't about human beings and living in harmony, then I don't know what it's about.” 
Orlando Bloom

source

The progress of our soul is like a perfect poem. It has an infinite idea which once realised makes all movements full of meaning and joy. But if we detach its movements from that ultimate idea, if we do not see the infinite rest and only see the infinite motion, then existence appears to us a monstrous evil, impetuously rushing towards an unending aimlessness. 
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
source
 

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Inspiring words, and thank you Gien for starting this thread. The most wonderful way I have learned of discussing is to come into a discussion as if coming into a very sacred space. In India, we leave our footwear at the door, and come in barefoot, and we may cover our head.

Come, connected to the mother, and prepared to receive.
Plant an idea, plant a seed. I have found that if we can state our viewpoint as clearly as we can, like planting a seed for whichever is the fertile soil, and then leave, the seed will sprout where it needs to. It is what the gardener does. Plant a seed in fertile soil, perhaps give some fertilizer or water, but not force the seed to grow.

And in the same way, we can listen to viewpoints, be aware that we are using discernment, that a seed we do not accept is right for someone else, and then gratefully allow the idea to germinate at will.

An oak tree does not grow in a day, nor a banyan tree in water. The idea needs to be given time, right soil, and right situation. Talking a lot does not always allow that space between receiving and germinating.

How important is it to convince others of our own truths?
If someone asks, we can tell, clearly talking of what we are sure of and what we are unsure of; allowing the other person the freedom to accept or not. At the same time, not overfeeding or overwatering.
And now, I let all these thoughts go into this sacred soil, detach from them, and subside.

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

In order to achieve harmony, sometimes it takes deep and open-hearted engagement even with those of different viewpoints. Even with those who seem to you to be angry or difficult.

This is a challenging path, but very rewarding.

Sadly, in reactivity we can sometimes close and cease to explore further.

Love,

Nicole

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Hi Nicole,

In order to achieve harmony, sometimes it takes deep and open-hearted engagement even with those of different viewpoints. Even with those who seem to you to be angry or difficult.

I wouldn't say “EVEN WITH”
I would say that to achieve harmony
to put effort into a relationship
is ONLY REQUIRED
with those whose views
are quite divergent with ours, isn't it?

If you and I have EXACTLY the same view on everything
then is there any effort we must invest?
Not really, is there?

The nature of truth
is that it is relative
relative to each our own lives

What is true for me
may not be true for you
and this alludes to the vegetable soup I refer to
in my other postings on this thread

We know there are all these differences
but what we must always, always recognize
is the divinity in each person we interact with

We are all the same deep down inside
we were all born, we are all sustained by grace
we will all die
we all bleed when we are cut
and we cry when we are hurt

If we remember how each living being
who has not invested any effort in this life
into kindness and awareness
at the point of their own death
they will have disabling fear arise
then we can generate genuine compassion for that being
right in the middle of your differences with them
and this helps to quell
any harmful energy you may otherwise contribute to an engagement

We must always remember this sacredness of beings
and the preciousness of life
and allow compassion to always spontaneously be present
in each of our interactions
and we must especially be conscious of this
when we are dealing with those
whose views diverge from ours

Sadly, in reactivity we can sometimes close and cease to explore further.

That reactivity, by definition
is to respond to a stimuli

When we react negatively to some issue which is deeply important to us
our emotions come out
and our emotional dance with the other party
may bring about disharmony

Disharmony never happens on its own, does it?
It's always a dance between at least 2 living beings

We can never be responsible for the other person
we can only be responsible for ourselves
We MAY be able to change others
but we DEFINITELY have the power to change ourselves

Whenever there is disharmony
we must always look within
to see how we participated in it

No matter what the views we hold
no disharmony can ever arise
if we back down, isn't it?

and no matter what view we hold
disharmony will ALMOST ALWAYS arise
if we insist on changing another person's views
isn't it? (unless it's a highly realized being)

What does this mean?
Just as we ourselves don't like dogmatic ideas imposed upon us
others don't like dogmatic ideas imposed upon them, isn't it?
In reality, nobody can change us
and we cannot change anybody else
Change only occurs when either WE are ready to change
or OTHERS are open to change

This reactivity of ours
is a very good teacher
but only if we embrace it as a teacher
which means we must make efforts
to observe it closely

It is showing us what resides deep within us
It reveals to us our true nature

When we are observant, and on the path to genuine awareness
we pay attention to that and look for the root source of this  reactivity
If we do so
we begin to explore our own shadow world
a world where we have repressed emotions

If we simply react due to differences
and then run away because of the resultant disharmony and turmoil
then isn't that what closes things down
and prevents further exploration?

What makes us run away from engaging further?
Isn't it that we feel that it creates further disharmony?
If we could engage in the topic that is the source of disharmony
in a genuinely compassionate and relaxed way
in an atmosphere of love
where our caring for the other person is openly expressed
and we are not bringing passive or active aggression into it
and neither are they
then it's easy, isn't it?

If, on the other hand
we bring tightness and fixation on our view into the engagement
and we perceive the other does as well
then that closeness seals the fate of the engagement
and we have no way to cross the threshold
to reach the wisdom jewel waiting for us all
on the other side

In spite of what this society teaches us
this life's journey is not about competition
it's about cooperation and sharing
and only WE can take that first step

We are all simply walking on different paths
that lead to the same experience of letting go
and falling into our own perfection

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

It looks like we are in close agreement on most points, Gien.

Love,

Nicole

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Hi Nicole,

As I wrote this blog
I realized that i am more drawn to the word “resonance”
than to the word  “agreement”

For me, it has become apparent that there is a subtle difference

While agreement may point towards
a comparision of “my” view with “your” views,
a comparison done by analysis and intellect
resonance points towards a natural, spontaneous vibration
not even involving thinking or analyzing
but rather, spontaneously arisen, from the heart
as if there were no choice but for love to be triggered to be released

So instead of some being a framework in which
one controls his or her destiny
and compares and picks and chooses better ideas
and discards old outdated ones
(which is a form of spiritual materialism)
it is rather one of making offerings to fellow beings on the path
or them making offerings to me
and if it happens to strike a chord with one's heart
without the need to think or analyze too much
then it is touching that deepest part of us
and must be beneficial

It's a shift from being in control
to acknowledging and giving over to the divine grace

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

resonance, yes, a big improvement on agreement, such a paltry thing by comparison

namaste

nicole

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Yes, this is it Meenakshi,

We all have our differences
ALL
without exception

Yet, we must come to a meeting point
knowing this
and flowing with each other
seeing it as an exchange of wisdom
a SHARING of wisdom
rather than as a pulpit
an opportunity to change others

If we come with that forceful, biased view
that I am right and you are wrong
then we are already blocking our own awareness, isn't it?
Then we only come with half our potential
we can “give”, but we can never receive
and if we never receive, then how are we to learn?
If we come only wanting to change others
then that is already an indication of a sense of lack
but here's a thought…..

Isn't it conceivable
that this very sense of lack
which propels us to want to change ourselves and others so much
isn't it in itself the cause of suffering?
Isn't it, if summed over all humanity and over our own entire life
what brings about the suffering
which once again, it wants to change?

Plant a seed in fertile soil, perhaps give some fertilizer or water, but not force the seed to grow.

Yes, how do we force a seed to grow?
We can only provide it with the conditions and if it is ready to grow, it will grow. If the conditions are not right, it won't grow.

we can listen to viewpoints, be aware that we are using discernment, that a seed we do not accept is right for someone else

We are a river, not a rock
We are not static, but dynamic
we change, we grow
our minds awareness expands

Even when we look back at our own lives
what was good for us a few months ago, is not right for us now

An oak tree does not grow in a day, nor a banyan tree in water. The idea needs to be given time, right soil, and right situation. Talking a lot does not always allow that space between receiving and germinating.

We each see the world in a unique way
based upon the sum total of our experiences of the world
For an idea to penetrate and nestle itself amongst our existing network of ideas
there could be a lot of reworking of the soil necessary
our habitual patterns run very deep
and the most difficult thing to do
is to see them for ourselves
because they like to hide in the deepest recesses of our mind!

How important is it to convince others of our own truths?
If someone asks, we can tell, clearly talking of what we are sure of and what we are unsure of; allowing the other person the freedom to accept or not. At the same time, not overfeeding or overwatering.

The question is tantamount to asking:

How attached are we to our own ideas?

The thought that we have invested years in these 'truths” and that someone else's years of investment may threaten ours
this is really what is perceived to be at stake, isn't it?

It's how the science world operates as well
scientists spend decades or lifetimes championing a theory
but it is challenged by someone else's theory
How easily can we let go of a lifetime's investment in one view,
in our view?
And how do we get to “truth”
if we can't let go of our own ideas
merely because they are ours

Ultimately, all these ideas are simply pointers to the same truth
We are all travellers in this journey of life, aren't we?
And some of our fellow travellers tell us:

“Look, there is this AMAZING place you MUST experience!
Here's how you get there….”

and we are given a map
the roadsigns on the map serve their purpose
to direct us to the destination

There are many roads that lead to the same place
What sense is there to feel 
that one direction is superior to another?
What sense is there to attach to our road signs
as better than other roadsigns?
The purpose is to simply arrive at the destination
and experience the amazing view
and any combination of roadsigns, maps and directions that take us there
have served their purpose

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Bowing and laughing delightedly, as one who enjoys open-hearted engagement, Nicole; but who has learned not to do so with those who seem to speak another language. Sometimes, we've to withdraw, go deeper within ourselves to see what's happening, and make our own internal adjustments.

Bowing with deep respect to those who know how to be harmonious in all engagements.

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Bowing to you, dear Meenakshi,

Namaste,

Nicole

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

No matter how divergent our views
if we simply remember that we are dealing with loved ones
everyone here is a buddha
everyone a deity, though we may not recognize it for ourselves yet
then treat everyone with that respect, with that reverence and sacredness
then we can move together instead of apart

If we find out tomorrow that the person we are heatedly engaging with
has terminal cancer
will our view of the situation change?
will we drop our combatant view?
If so, why?

Why do we refuse to see each other as sacred now?
Why do we allow disharmony now
and put off harmony for some illusory future?
Isn't this really just our own choice?
Why must we wait for all the proper conditions to arise
before we can see this sacredness?
Are there conditions for sacredness?

Are we ourselves not breathed, grown, thought AT THIS VERY MOMENT
through some powerful magical and unexplainable force?
And does not that force flow through each and every living being?
So is this sacredness not in each and everyone of us?
What is our excuse for not being present in this sacredness?
What possible reason can there be?

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Thank you for this beautiful thread, Gien. I resonate as well with your words, and will print them out to allow them to speak more deeply over time.

As we are all on such different paths and such diverse places within our existence, the willingness to harmonize with each other within Gaia should be a goal, each one of us intents to fullfill - yet, like in the real world, we enter this sacred space not with the same intentions, and that is okay as well. Through harmonizing within this thread, and through the many examples of remarkable connections in such respectful manner, as all of you here share daily, you are an example what can be, and therefore may be the teacher one needs to see the importance of coexistence in such positive way.

For myself, I have learned and continued to learn so much from these connections, and even if silently allowing them to germinate, my thoughts are here.

Still, I can see how one might want to share their path with enthusiam within this dynamic - I have done so - but hopefully acknowledge the same freedom within all of the members of this community.

“What we learn from anything is proportionally to what we really genuinly invest.”

True, so very true, my dear. The evidence of that is in front of me on a daily basis. But truth, no matter how many times you have heard it, has days where it is fleeting because we are not listening, by choice. I am hoping for those who are in the beginning of their journey here, that they will invest the time to get to know you all, and the wisdom that you all bring to the community.
Blessed Be!
Claudia

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Dear Gien, 

The insight contained in your post is profound and worthy of much reflection (as are so many remarkable posts here in Gaia).  Thank you for distilling these insights so carefully and sharing this wisdom. 

I'm trying to view even disharmonious events/objects as fleeting lessons.  We live in an apparently “real” world of duality, filled with pairs of opposites.  I'm trying to become more grounded in the practice of non-judgmental observation and detachment, and attune more to the non-dual, causal realm.

Because many of us here on Gaia are seekers and also love to write, we have backgrounds involving books, language, and other tools of the mind.  Mind-thought-words can be illuminating or limiting.  Perhaps what is written here on Gaia comes not so much from bias, as from what people are trying to teach themselves through the process of gathering, assimilating, writing, sharing.  It's an unusual domain, this hyperspace, because we don't have visual/emotional/immediate cues, which normally further the dynamic of in-person sharing.  No immediate way to get feedback or clarify.  So when I read through posts and look at a brief photo (if any), I have to first notice and then set aside my own projections; then look for the kernels of wisdom and the over-all gist, which continue to expand and deepen through all of these wonderful posts. 

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Dear Kathy,

I'm trying to view even disharmonious events/objects as fleeting lessons.  We live in an apparently “real” world of duality, filled with pairs of opposites.  I'm trying to become more grounded in the practice of non-judgmental observation and detachment, and attune more to the non-dual, causal realm.

Speaking of dualism is the most tricky thing
and actually words cannot do it justice

Yes, it's easy to say that the dual world doesn't exist
but this is not the case
It exists as long as you believe it to exist
The dualistic world exists alongside the nondual
it arises from the nondual
but has it's own reality, on it's own level

The mind is so overwhelmingly powerful
it constructs dualism out of nondualism
we need to observe our own thoughts as they arise
our own experiences of the world
which are often very habitual, arising automatically
to penetrate how dualism is created from the nondual

The dualistic mind, the grasping mind
is always seeking for something beyond itself
especially when it enters the domain of spirituality
Yet, it is doomed to failure
It can never grasp the nondual
Never
And this is the ultimate failure
from which it can never recover
yet when we fully realize this to be the case
that is where the momentum can shift
and we can fall from our attachment to frameworks of any kind
into a frameless environment
falling into empty space

As an example
as we engage here with words
for me to type all these words in realtime
or for you to read them in realtime
takes a tremendous amount of conditioning
and that amount of conditioning is necessary
to make generation or recognition of these symbols automatic

Perhaps what is written here on Gaia comes not so much from bias, as from what people are trying to teach themselves through the process of gathering, assimilating, writing, sharing.  It's an unusual domain, this hyperspace, because we don't have visual/emotional/immediate cues, which normally further the dynamic of in-person sharing.  No immediate way to get feedback or clarify.

Yes, it can make it more challenging
yet it is it's own kind of reality
it's own niche in reality
It allows for a kind of shared expression
which has it's own value

We must take it for what it is
with all it's limitations and it's beneficial qualities
In the end, if we get something out of it
that's all that really matters

I mean, though it's virtual
 I met my wife Anna through such sharing
so it can get to some really deep authentic expressions, can't it?

Many Blessings
Keep sharing! We all grow from it!

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Dear Phoenix,

I resonate as well with your words…

RESONANCE
that's the word, isn't it?
Not me trying to make you bend to my view
nor you trying to make me bend to yours

We tune musical instruments by using resonance
we don't need to force anything, do we?
We pluck one string
and if the other string is in tune
it begins to RESONATE on it's own accord

Why do we need to convince anyone of anything?
We simply say and do our part
and if there is resonance
a chord is made
and harmony naturally and spontaneously arises

We want to make beautiful music together
in EACH and EVERY one of our relationships
We want to sing and play together in unison
vibrating the natural love within us all

We are ALL children of the great mother creation
and in each of us are it's seeds
we need only allow the truth to flow out unobstructed
and that truth within me
will touch the truth within you
and the universal love expresses itself
as resonance

What we confused human beings must do
is come to terms with how we have these superficial differences
which create confusion and get in the way of resonance
The perceived differences are like dampers
that mute the potential for resonance

But truth, no matter how many times you have heard it, has days where it is fleeting because we are not listening, by choice.

We each have deeply engrained habitual patterns
which continue to arise automatically
because this is the way it has always been

Awareness is not an easy path in the beginning
but it is the path we must take
if we are to follow our hearts

We are used to not seeing our own imperfections
but seeing it in others
What we must do to take responsibility
is to turn it around
so that we look at ourselves first

How can we profess to teach anyone anything
if we are even minutely aware of these imperfections within ourselves?
….The very imperfections we are so hard on others about?

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Thank you for your thoughts, Gien. It is a delight when there's a meeting of minds; and sometimes it's also a delight when we see a being very different from us; with a very different point of view, because then we have covered all points of view, and there's a light being everywhere [ of course, this too is my pov!!]

In my healing groups I often say
We don't have to be of like mind
But we can vibrate harmoniously together.
Like a Bach fugue!

Distance is sometimes as important as coming together, for harmony to prevail. Loving respect can help to keep the optimum magnetism between two planets that would otherwise just crush each other…that,  and a lack of feeling of defensiveness or need to justify oneself. [note to self!!!]

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Minds meet
when the resonance of the beloved manifest

On the surface, of course we all appear so different
and there are all these things that happen between us
that seem so serious at the time
yet, looking at it at the moment of our death
they will appear so trivial

Everything is as it is meant to be
the dark and the light
both come from the same source

If we can recognize the sacred
right within the enemy who is about to impale us
we can love them as we love all other beings
Which mother will desert their child
even if they have brought about so much suffering?

Acting out of ignorance and obscuration
one is still the jewel of the infinite potential

If we recognize the harmony within the disharmony
that the disharmony itself is perfectly arisen from the nondual
then we can accept things as they are
and yet still manifest a genuine compassion
that will naturally lead away from disharmony

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Well, I may just decide to quote all of you guys, since you echo my sentiments also.  I love your thoughtful post Glen, that's firstly what I wanted to say - love the way which thoughts which feel so similar in nature between people can still be presented on a plate, given that time of consideration, laid out so differently and yet still delicious.  And your, “people trying to teach themselves”point Kathy, is so much, 'hitting the nail on the head' for me, even when it may only end up being a silly or futile intellectual goose chase!  I understand that the fruit of what I have learned must be given life in my deeds, my practice.  Lastly, I have sometimes wondered, frivolously perhaps, about how adding the body's imput to already sort of knowing someone online would alter things.
Still, we accept the limitations of the virtual world, and accept that our bodies have to sit this game out.  And, what I have found is, as if by compensation, I consciously or unconsciously try to make that extra effort in my choice of words whose nuances we are all trying to pick up on one way or another in order to give us that better clue or guide in our shared communications. Meenakshi! - Your 'Note to self” looks just like mine! Too often I have felt like a planet having been crashed into which just, in retrospect, was not the case and so defensiveness and my need to justify myself came to the rescue.  But whatever attack I imagined it was was just an illusionary false alarm. Lovely to read this thread.

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Hi Winterfruit,

Thank you for resonating!
We simply need to be authentic about how we feel
about this existence we find ourselves in
and how wonderful it is
that is, full of WONDER
Wonder-FULL

There is no spiritual practice
outside of our life
Our life IS our main spiritual practice

how adding the body's imput to already sort of knowing someone online would alter things. Still, we accept the limitations of the virtual world, and accept that our bodies have to sit this game out.  And, what I have found is, as if by compensation, I consciously or unconsciously try to make that extra effort in my choice of words whose nuances we are all trying to pick up on one way or another in order to give us that better clue or guide in our shared communications.

When Anna and I met on Gaia, we found that we had to use a lot of words to communicate. But we had to move beyond words and into a multi-media form of expression in order to truly move into an authentic relationship

We went into the space of art to find that expression
because we attract to the creative wellspring in the other person, don't we?
Art allows us to express our authentic creative selves
We used graphic art, poetry, I would compose music in my studio and send to her
We spoke on the phone, I sang to Anna on the phone
these were the means of our creative expression
so that we could communicate our souls to each other

Now, it's coming to our 2nd year of marriage
and reflecting back
we see how much this form of engagement
taught us so much about the deepest part of ourselves
to each other

In a sense, when used creatively
the disembodiment of form from communication
leaves only the purely spiritual aspect
and one gets to the heart of the matter of the other person
much faster than a normal “real” world relationship
encumbered with physical love
and all it's distractions

When I flew to South Africa
both her family and mine were dismayed
but they could never know the depths
to which we had already spiritually explored each other

defensiveness and my need to justify myself came to the rescue.  But whatever attack I imagined it was was just an illusionary false alarm

Everything I know and share
is not mine
It is others
so absolving myself of these ideas as mine
there is no need to attach to them
and no need to defend others against them
I gladly lay them down
and make room for others to take their place

They are simply ideas I have found convenient
to point me in the direction I am currently travelling in life
If you give me an idea that I resonate with
it may change my direction of travel
and outdate another of “my” ideas

They all simply serve to guide me
to that mysterious destination of which I know not

The greatest challenge however
is to one day lay them ALL down
and make room for NO ideas
for pure being
letting go of all the signs and directions

This can only be done
when they are truly recognized
as simply signs and directions
pointing to the very heart of the sacred

Once one arrives at the heart of the sacred
no need for any of the signs
And one idea is no superior to another
They are all only signs

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Gien, lovely words. I remember seeing the yin-yang symbol one day, with a soft focus; and realized that it was not really about duality–within the light is the seed of dark; within the dark is the seed of light. And encircling them wholly –and infusing their essence – is love.

Love is the ultimate destination, being the ultimate source

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Yes, so true

We may clash because of views
yet we who clash
arise and are breathed, are grown spontaneously
by the universal mother
that nourishes us all
in spite of whatever our views!
Name me one person
who controls their own heartbeat consciously?
(Actually such persons may exist, but they aren't your garden variety human beings!)

What is the lesson of this?

The ocean of ideas is endless
The interpretations of reality are endless
but no matter how heated 2 parties may be
engaged in dueling words or actions
they have both arisen from emptiness
their actions both arise, sustain and cease
and they will both return to emptiness

As long as we continue to engage in the realm of ideas only
without being informed by the state of pure being
we will forever be trying to do to make ourselves better
to make the world better
and never really succeeding

If we really want to transform ourselves
this takes courage
this takes giving up and letting go
of views that are of value to us
But even more than courage
it takes wisdom to penetrate ALL views
and to behold their true nature
as being arisen from the same mother

Many Blessings

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

On the Subject of Yin / Yang,

 I read an Interesting treatise that proposed that Enlightenment only comes when we realize that our Yin / Yang is imbalanced within Us.

 Some of Us are predominantly Yin, and some of us are predominantly Yang.

 When We realize this, and make a concious effort to change ourselves to be more Yin or Yang, we bring Ourselves into balance and enlightenment.

I realized that I have done this, that I have become feminized in order
 to balance out the Male Yang bias with Female Yin emphasis.

 This is Harmony within Yourself, and It feels good, and I believe that this balance and harmony within is necessary in order to be able to
 Harmonize with all Others.  

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Thank you Torchholder,

It could be worthwhile to explore this in a thread in more detail

When we read these words
and our intellects wants to consume them
yet there is meanwhile no feeling of sacredness in our hearts
that could be one such example of imbalance

When we meditate and go into samadhi, into a sacred space of silence
but then finish our meditation and return to our ordinary mundane mind
full of anxieties, desires and fears
that is a kind of imbalance too

When we enter into our everyday world of survival
of making money, of earning a livelihood with an aggressive, logical mind only
but put compassionate at the doorstep
then this is a kind of disharmony

Some people may trigger within us
only a certain, perhaps defensive kind of behavior
again, out of harmony

Though the complex weave of ideation known as “ego”
is necessary for everyday survival
when we overextend it
into those areas for which it is not suited
that imbalance brings us confusion and suffering


Each one of us
is a product of a sperm and an egg
a yin and a yang
yet, we manifest physically as only one of these forms
and we learn to adopt the main characteristics
of just that one form

Yet, in our basic makeup
we are both

Enculturation further strengthens the bias;
men play this role in society
women play that one

Again, it is up to our own awareness
to find a truth that resonates with us
amidst all the various views

If there is imbalance
and no internal harmony
it is only natural
that it would be reflected outwards as well
as our internal confusion
finds a path to the “outside” world
through our words and deeds

So we simply need to shift our weight
readjust
and rediscover qualities we've forgotten

E ma Ho

Re: Harmony on Gaia (and outside of it)

Right and Wrong
that is not the point

We have all been right
We have all been wrong
we will continue to be right
we will continue to be wrong

We go through stages in our lives
and if we have been hurt in the past
we defend ourselves
and at this stage
this may appear as anger and discord
arising from fear of repeating that suffering
Is this wrong? Is it right?
It is necessary
It is karmic
we cannot avoid it
we act upon the wisdom we have

The moment we determine to be conscious, awake beings
we begin a journey to dispell our own ignorance

All seeking is itself discord, isn't it?
For the moment we want something, anything
we are not resting in the present
not content with it
It is therefore the case
that all wanting
is accompanied by the pain
of not having
of lacking, of missing something

So we have this internal discord
of this sense of lack
and then we manifest it into the external world

What is lacking?
What is missing?
Why can we not rest, completely rest
in this moment
in this moment RIGHT NOW
What is it
that we perceive
is missing from NOW?

We heap our preconceptions onto the natural experience of reality
and those preconceptions inform us
that we are missing things
we are lacking

If you stop thinking
and simply rest here and now
what is missing?

We have words
and sentences
infinite number of them
to explain this or that
but in reality
nothing can be explained

This moment
this ordinary, mundane moment you NOW experience
and which you've tried to escape so often
with future plans, dreams and ideas
whereever you are
is completely beyond explanation
and perfect in itself

The thinking mind cannot enter the world of the nondual by thinking
no matter what the thoughts are
no matter how eloquent they may appear

If you go with them
you will simply lose yourself yet again
in your conceptual world

The only way to escape and have a direct taste
is by jumping wholeheartedly into it

Do not fixate on those attractive appearing ideas
let them drop
Stop DOING
and begin BEING