Zennish Thoughts

                             This will seem more esoteric than usual. It seems that way to me. You may find it curious. A few may find it valuable. You may get more value from these thoughts the more you stay relaxed and keep it simple. As I write, I believe.

                        You can see freshly and newly the doings of life and the happenings around you. 

                        Zen is much about posture, breathing, attitude, and understanding, I am told.

                        Noticing yourself is good for you and me.

                        We can teach ourselves and learn.

                        You can be willing to practice.

                        We can be aware of the dualisticness among us and go beyond.

                        We can be pleased by becoing more aware of the possibilities. You may be aware of doing so for the first time. Note their newness. Note them.

                        We are capable of letting more meaning into our lives. Meaning is limitless. 

                        It is said that your posture reflects your state of mind. A straight back is often a part of good posture. You can benefit by being more aware of a strong abdomen.

                        There is one and there is all. When you know that, you can better know the inbetween.

                        You can open your mind and so be ready, and it is easier than emptying your mind.

                        We can exist for ourselves and not be selfish. You can benefit be being more aware of yourself. You are right here and right now. You exist right here and right now.

                        You are a activity. You can be aware of a pleasant activity within, as you sit relaxed.

                        You can do. Your are willing to do. You can be ready to do that which you must. You probably don't have to do any doing.

                        You can be mischievious and be in control. You can practice some of that control by avoiding doing damage.

                        You can observe an experience or a thought. You can benefit by asking a question about your observation. Some ask, "How is this?" Other questions may be better for you. It may be best to let the happening and observation go. You can let it go as it goes.

                      It is possible to see doings and happenings as they are and to let them go as they go.

                        Let the observation into your mind and let it go out. Noting it is enough.

                       You do not have to continue to be bothered by anything. You can be ready, willing, and able to do something about the bother and it may be best to do it promptly. But you probably don't really have to bother at all.

                    Our understandings change our attitudes.

                    Taking some time to keep one's mind on one's breath can be a beneficialpractice, but nor always.

                    Accepting reality is accepting what is. Not doing so is often deleterious. Still, changing or mind can be the sane action. Often the change can be called beneficial growth.

                     You know there is more than either or.

                      We improve. We improve with practice and will. An effort to improve onesself is seldom wasted.

                        We each have more than one nature. It is good to express them. Express them with care and caution. It is good to express your best selves actively, simply, and directly.

                            May you be well.

                                                                                                            rcs

                        

Here and Now

                             One who lives in the present, in the here and now, and is becoming more aware of our world as it is, may be called sane.

                        Today is the very life of life. In this brief span are all the truths and realities of one's life. The bliss of growth is today. The glory of action is today. The splendor is today.

                        It does seem worth a second thought.

                        Look over the rest of this little blog.

                                                                                              rcs

Golden Lid of Truth

EsoExo: Discovery, Purification, Awareness, and Reality

                 As a manner of speaking "the Golden Lid of Truth" might be a way a practitioner of the Janna Yoga of old would chose to approach this little essay.     

                I believe that in an English translation from the Rig Veda one may read something like this, "The truth is hidden by a golden lid; remove thou that lid." I also believe that a wise man once said "That which hides the truth is often the brilliance of the intellect." We can make up well reasoned stories, logical stories, probable stories. We might tell those stories to others, but mostly we tell them to ourselves. Those stories often put a lid on the truth; on reality. We are often not conscious, or completely conscious, of the workings of those stories. Sometimes a story comes from another. Sometimes it may hidden in a doing or happening of our culture and we are unconscious of learning from it.

                Stories are good. I like many of them very much. However, even the best of them may convey a distortion, a falsehood, a wrong, a lie. We interpret them as best we can. We benefit much by interpreting  them in the new light of our present knowledge.

                Reinterpretation may be a part of what I call a process of purification. The farther we work that process the closer we get to being able to lift the lid a bit more to see the wrongs for what they are and let in more honesty, reality, and truth into our lives. In the process we rid ourselves of  distortions and wrongs, better our mental health, and see more clearly. We can intend to embrace reality and to let more clarity of understanding into our lives.

                One comes to see more clearly and adopt the intention to embrace reality and to achieve more clarity and understanding. Still, I am reminded that I am on a good road and that it is a long one. We may find that distortions are woven into the wonders and beauties of our very culture. Our culture is the heart of our human society and the totality of its wonders and beauties remain.

                I am reminded that we are on a good road, but that it is along road. We may find that some distortions are woven into the wonders and beauties of our very culture. They are of our making. We can and do become aware of then. This discovery does not diminish those wonders and beauties. But it may help to remind us that the natural process of purification with which we seem to be choosing to co-operate is an ongoing process.

                We feel grateful when we become newly aware of a distortion or wrong in our thinking, and are pleased to proceed in our process of purification. We gradually rid ourselves of another wrong or falsehood. By small possibel steps we improve the quality of realityin our lives and find it good. As we proeed with our proess of purification, te closer we get to being able to lift the lid enough to see the wrongs for what they are and to letting more reality, truth, and honesty into our lives.

              Not every one of us has always chosen to call their process "purification" and there is no need for us to do so, but the word "purification" seems to me, to be appropriate. By our process we gradually (at times quickly) rid ourselves another wrong or falsehood. By small possible steps they improve the quality of reality in their lives and find it good. As they proceed with their process they become able to see wrongs for what they are, and and more able they are to lift the lid to let more honesty, reality, and truth into their lives.

                It is not easy. It's sometimes a joy. It can feel painful, but I have heard of no one dying from the process. Still we have stories we love and may resist any change in them. However, when we become aware of a flaw in one of  our stories, we can be aware that by a little change in perspective we can make that story more realistic, perhaps even true. We may find that we have been unconsciously struggling to keep a loved story intact. With that finding the struggle the struggle becomes conscious and so, more fair.    When we become aware that we are using a lot of energy to keep a story, we may find that we are trying to hold back a truth. We may come to consider a struggle to let the truth out more worth while. 

                Sometimes a mistaken idea caueses problems for years before we take note. In a way it seems like it is trying to be found, but that we don't want to see it. Struggles to hold back the truth may keep coming up for a time before we note them. It seems they are trying to be set right. We can get better at noting them. Sometimes a wrong in a story comes up so suddenly and forcefully that we cannot deny it. We come to welcome these new revelations, though it may still take some time to digest them. We do become more apt at accommodating them realistically. We find that approaching truth often frees us, makes us more able, and a bit stronger.

                The process is a kind of cleaning out of the mind and ought to be done often. There are lots of falsehoods coming toward us and a few manage to get in. We can become very willing to clean them out. We clean them out. Sometimes the process becomes less a throwing out and more a better arranging and filing, a straightening out and putting in better order. As we proceed we have less distortion and more useful reality. We become more honest with ourselves and with others. We often feel happier and healthier for doing so.

                Now all we have to do is consider the nature of our process and practice it. Being willing is a very good starting place because there are things to do. Awareness is an important part of the process. You are on the road when you are willing to be aware. As I write Ibecome more aware that I have a lot to remember and plenty toremember. Being willing is willing is an important early step. Being willing to notice "the lid" is helpful for some. You have the ability and most of the tools already; you can get ready to use them. There are lots of doings you have already done. They may include: being willing and able to detect a falsehood, note a lie, remembering a happening or doing, and much more. Being willing to let go of a wrong, the false, or the dishonest is good. Being willing to correct the distortion is good.      You might, for example, consider how they effected you personally. Becoming aware of letting go of a wrong, the false, the dishonest can be interesting. Being willing to correct a distortion is good. Being willing to co-operate with process of purification and realization is good.

 

                You can be aware of an inner or personal wrong and of a process of righting it. You can be willing to co-operate with your awareness and discovery. You can right a discovered wrong. You can straighten out a discovered distortion. You can be honest with yourself. You can tell yourself the the truth as best you can right now. You can right a wrong. You can be grateful for your process of awareness, discovery, and righting.

                Thanks for reading of the Golden Lid. Beneath the lid is the hidden. Lifting that lid leads to relavation. Your process can make that relavation golden.

                                                                                                rcs

We Can; Let's

EsoExo: Sharing knowledge multiplies knowledge. Knowing and understanding are good doings.

 

 

            Let's be positive. Let's affirm the good, the better, and the best. We can act to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. We can become more knowing and understanding.

 

            To know is an activity, a doing, a process. We can know and also have some ability to share our knowing.

 

            A positive doing, a good way to live, is  to know and to share our knowing. It is useful to observe, to be conscious, and aware. Being so can be a purpose of ours. We can find joy in increasing our skills in the arts and ways of civilization. We can live better by sharing information and knowledge. We can look at what is going on and better interpret that which we see. We can keep an eye on that which is happening so as to better plan our doings. We can recognize our common humanity and know that can be and do enough. We have the power to do on purpose. We can learn to trust ourselves and one another more appropriately. We can learn how.

 

            Truth and reality can be sign posts pointing the way to the good, better, and best. They may even point to bliss and security. But, honesty is the best policy and a great attribute.

 

            We can share. We can learn to share well. We can practice sharing. Sharing can be a way of multiplying. We can honestly say that sharing knowledge multiplies knowledge.

 

            Perhaps sharing similarly multiplies the useful such as: information, ways and means, arts and crafts, governance, consciousness, awareness, understanding, meaning. 

 

            As human beings we can learn and share our learning on purpose. We each have our experience to share.

 

            We can free ourselves from ignorance. Our civilization implies culture, which necessitates common memory, a history, shared stories, the power of the word. We free ourselves by practicing the sharing of knowledge. We have the wonderful power of learning from each other, from one another.

 

            Art goes back to putting together. Art is often a skill of putting together in a variety of ways. Putting together can be a move toward knowing, understanding, and meaning.

 

            "Wit" has to do with see and know. With some that includes humor, good humor. It is good to know that we can use our minds and wills, to judge, sense, and understand with good humor.

 

            We have will, so we can act with purpose. "Purpose" contains a a bit of "propose" and so goes to "put forward," "declare," narrate." Purpose can have to do with our words to our self. Let's make our words to ourselves honest and positive.

 

            Are we coming to agree that knowing and understanding are good doings. When we would do so, we can come to better see what is going on. We can trust our ability to learn to better interpret our senses and experiences. We can let more meaning into our lives.

 

            We are using words as well as we can. We are coming to know that the verb "to know" points to a doing of our volition as and act of will and purpose. To know is to approach understanding. We know that understanding is a process we experience.

 

            Our will and purpose can be set in the direction of freedom, truth, honesty, and understanding. Doing so can allow more meaning into our lives. 

 

Truth may free us and honesty is a good start. The real beginning is with self-honesty.

 

            Can it be that we are kind and faithful to ourselves and to others by sharing the honest information and awareness we have within ourselves and with others?

            It hurts little for us to regard, to look at the happenings and doings around us. We can regard humanity, civilization, culture, art, awareness, organization, information, but we don't have to.

We can choose to do that which we can do. 

We can choose to be aware and informed.

We can choose to understand and share. 

We can chose to support beauty and health.

We can choose to be honest with ourselves and others.

            More efforts to come.

 

 

                                                            RCS