Sunday Stream (223) ~ Task Master

[Non Sum]

Howdy TX,
I hope your weekend show went well for you, my friend, or at least better than my flasher friend’s ‘showing’ went for him. Has the current corseting of discretionary spending put a squeeze on your enterprise? Fortunately, economic conditions have little effect on my carefully structured avocation as a lazy lay-about.

MT: That exhausting work of all your computers doing their various tasks is better left mind..?

NS: I would say that ‘left or right’ the mind minds the mind. Though, in my own mind’s experience, it is never ‘right’ about anything.

MT: Mynd spins and twirls even thinking about it. Where is that placid water when I need it?

NS: It appears that you’ve mixed up your mynd with the laundry when loading the washing machine, by the sound of it. I can see how that might be agitating for you, so long as you mistake your mynd for your self. Those of us who know a Self as distinctly other than our mynd, body, and acts, take things lightly ever living in Self’s “placid waters.”

”Not even a hat –
And cold rain falling on me?
Tut-tut! Think of that!” (Basho)

RE: NS: "I believe that you are succumbing to your own personal usages of “I & me.”
MT: Well, certainly, N(ever)S(arcastic). Who else is there who speaks for 'me'?

NS: I knew that you likely spoke for you, excepting when your wife was present, but I was referring to the use of private definitions that you had not troubled to inform St. Cathy of, and then holding the poor saintly lady at fault for a contradiction that only occurs within your personal & private usage, but no one else’s. But, no harm done. She’s dead. Otherwise, she would rightly have cried ‘foul.’

MT: I would have to concur that 'we' all are 'thieves in the night' stealing from Self which rightfully belongs to Self and not to our ego.

NS: Woa partner! It’s impossible to steal from your Self. First because you’d still have what wasn’t taken, and second because the Self has nothing to take, and I forgot the third reason.

You’d only confuse Mahesh, like you did poor Cathy, with all these different ‘I’s,’ ‘me’s’ and ‘we’s.’ They both know there is only one true Self, and any other pretend selves are just deceptive props for one’s thievery.

MT: Purpose? Nay, amigo, never on purpose one becomes enlightened.

NS: I agree, and beg your forgiveness for my poor word choice. I should have phrased it, ‘the fact of enlightenment IS awakening from mind’s delusions.’

MT: "Before enlightenment I chopped wood and carried water. After enlightenment I chopped wood and carried water."

NS: I would be interested in hearing how you would interpret that famous quote; if you would?

I enjoyed, and fully agreed with the contained thought, of your verse, MT. Thank you. Allow me to repay with a favorite Basho:
”The legs of the crane
Have become short
In the summer rains.”

RE: NS: "Send a little extra along with it, since my bank charges me for deposited checks that bounce."
MT: Where is trust in this statement..?

NS: None that I can see. But, couldn’t you just pretend that there was some there? After all, we are friends, are we not?

MT: Perhaps by sending cash your faith in my words will be restored...
NS: “Send cash,”(!) did you say? Now you’re talking, my true and faithful friend.

[mtmynd]

G'day, TN... you "lazy lay-about." I know it's not your fault but that of being nothing more nor less than Self. As we both know, Self, being the Absolute requires nothing but 'laying about' whilst being serviced by that second rate ego life we all succumb to in one way or another. But we must launder our clothes, 'agitatingly' so...

NS: "Has the current corseting of discretionary spending put a squeeze on your enterprise?"

Indeed! This Fall has been less than abundant in sales in comparison to only 12 months prior. But all things must pass, including the obstructions one finds within themselves. burp! Excuse me.

NS: "Those of us who know a Self as distinctly other than our mynd, body, and acts, take things lightly ever living in Self’s “placid waters.”"

Self is selfless and never selfish as to interrupt one's desires to know one's Self. For to do so, that Self must not be true to the one Self lying just beyond that which masks the True Self.

The dragonfly
can't quite land
on that blade of grass.

Basho was one transcendent fellow who will always be remembered by those who've been gently introduced to him thru his haiku...

NS: "... I was referring to the use of private definitions that you had not troubled to inform St. Cathy of, and then holding the poor saintly lady at fault for a contradiction that only occurs within your personal & private usage, but no one else’s. But, no harm done. She’s dead. Otherwise, she would rightly have cried ‘foul.’ "

Saintly Cathy, given her propensity for understanding and acceptance, surely would've smiled a smile that would light the darkest of passageways upon hearing my ramblings on her quotation posted by you yourself. I don't imagine her kindness to cry foul or even cry like a fowl in any way a'tall. It would not 'be' her but some trick of the ego playing with her Self.

NS: "Woa partner! It’s impossible to steal from your Self. First because you’d still have what wasn’t taken, and second because the Self has nothing to take, and I forgot the third reason."

But you have misconstrued what I posted initially, I do believe.

Re: MT: "If I were to take him seriously I would have to concur that 'we' all are 'thieves in the night' stealing from Self which rightfully belongs to Self and not to our ego. Who does that leave to speak for Self other than the vase which contains Self? Thievery is a cheap shot given the circumstance that even our buddy, Mahesh, may be accused by 'we' (the collective 'I' of many same believers) as speaking for a Self to better his 'me'!"

I do agree with you, N(ever) S(erious), that stealing from Self is delusional in all ways, always. But I also believe that to borrow from Self in order to spread the good jelly of truth over the hungry tongues of falsehood is not thievery but generosity and kindness, which reflect the source, Self.

Re: MT: "Before enlightenment I chopped wood and carried water. After enlightenment I chopped wood and carried water."
NS: I would be interested in hearing how you would interpret that famous quote; if you would?

"I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam.." - Popeye the Sailor Man.

NS: "None that I can see. But, couldn’t you just pretend that there was some there? After all, we are friends, are we not?"

Pretend, you say? I find my Self aghast! (true, I, too, find Self aghast as being most peculiar, but...) What sort of metaphysician worth his daily oatmeal would go around pretending, now, N(on)S(equitor)?

Of course we are friends and not merely pretend friend I portend.

[Non Sum]

Howdy TX,
Your excellent pix of tree bark betray you too to be arbor amorous; though I’ve never actually ‘hugged’ a tree. So, I know you, Cecil, will understand. For today I mourn the death of my sweet willow, and the fact that it was no longer there to weep along with me. She once grew so lush that you could actually lose yourself in the dense green sheets of her cascading hair.

Ironically, her very vivacity was ultimately her undoing. For the septic system that fed her was the same system her exuberant roots did clog. And so, with this, her lover’s trembling hand, I dealt the fatal blow…ending her long long weeping, and thus beginning my own.

No longer shall I lie…
”Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn her merry note
Unto the sweet bird’s throat…

I apologize for this arboreal digression, my friend.

MT: As we both know, Self, being the Absolute requires nothing but 'laying about' whilst being serviced by that second rate ego life we all succumb to in one way or another. But we must launder our clothes, 'agitatingly' so...

NS: No “service” is required by the Self that is “all in all.” Rather, it is the lifeless worldly images of individuals and objects that depend upon Self’s vitiating light of consciousness.

”He makes Himself known to Himself in everything. The mystic does not become one with God; he becomes conscious of his oneness with God.” (al-Arabi)

MT: burp! Excuse me.

NS: I know it is a heck of a lot to swallow comfortably, but then OTOH one swallow does not a summer make.

I’m glad to see that you enjoy Basho’s haiku too. Thank you for landing his ‘dragonfly’ safely onto my quotes; nice one!

MT: I don't imagine her kindness to cry foul or even cry like a fowl in any way a'tall. It would not 'be' her but some trick of the ego playing with her Self.

NS: You are doubtlessly correct. But, do the foul cries of the flying fowl further foul the already foul air that’s lying there?

MT: I do agree with you, N(ever) S(erious), that stealing from Self is delusional in all ways, always. But I also believe that to borrow from Self in order to spread the good jelly of truth over the hungry tongues of falsehood is not thievery but generosity and kindness, which reflect the source, Self.

NS: True. And naturally, it wasn’t “jelly spreading on tongues” that Mahesh, and I, were calling “thievery.” But rather, the wrongful attribution of the acts performed by natural forces to that Lazy Fellow. But, if you say that I have “misconstrued” your original post, and that your attribution was true, then I do sincerely apologize for my error.

MT: "I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam.." - Popeye the Sailor Man.

NS: Well, MT (Meat & Taters), there are ‘I’s’ and there are ‘eyes.’ I know potatoes have ‘eyes,’ but do “yams” have merely the ‘I’ that itself chops water and carries wood? Or is it that chopping and carrying seemingly still go on, but now (“after enlightenment”) in the presence of a thoroughly detached ‘I,’ and not merely a retina? I mention this difference because Dogen only hints at it, and it can be commonly missed. Not to mistake you for a “commonly understanding” fellow; not at all.

MT: What sort of metaphysician worth his daily oatmeal would go around pretending, now, N(on)S(equitor)?

NS: Curiously, there is a good deal of playacting done by the transcendent, M(etaphysically)T(elegnostic). One finds wood chopping and water carrying occurring right there in front of them, and act ‘as if’ it were something of their own. They’re pretending to be just one more thief here in the land of constant thievery.

”What could begin to deny [the finite] self, if there were not something in man different from self?” (William Law)

[mtmynd]

And so, with this, her lover’s trembling hand, I dealt the fatal blow…ending her long long weeping, and thus beginning my own.

A heartfelt ending to a touching story and one, I'm sure, you'll be imprinted by for many a moon. Trees have always fascinated me by not only their beauty and diversity but something they do - remain in one spot their entire lives. It's this one quality of flora, their lack of mobility I've equated to a wisdom gained from remaining in one fixed spot all their lives. How many other life-forms have this unique ability to not only survive but in most cases thrive living in one spot until they die in the exact same spot they took hold of life? Some Joshua trees have lived a thousand years while the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, Methuselah, is 4,838 years old, the oldest known tree in North America, and the oldest known living individual tree in the world. What have these remarkable living organisms seen and experienced in their lives that no other life-forms could ever imagine?

NS: "Or is it that chopping and carrying seemingly still go on, but now (“after enlightenment”) in the presence of a thoroughly detached ‘I,’ and not merely a retina?"

Not only does chopping and carrying still go on, with or without our enlightenment, but that is, IMHO, the ceaselessness of life which surrounds us daily and the same life we are all connected to. Even the Bristlecone Pine 'chops and carries' for it's own survival as do you and I in order to not only physically survive this earthly existence, but to grasp and behold the existence of the spiritual beyond our logic and intellect... it all requires the seemingly simple methodology of "chopping our own wood and carrying our own water" in order to give us but yet one more day of growing and knowing. Is there anything more satisfying to life but to be what we are... learning beings living amongst so many other 'reasons for being' ?

[Non Sum]

Hi Cecil,
I hope you, and your lady, had a great Thanksgiving. I forgot, if you’ve mentioned, whether or not you are vegans? We were back in the 70’s. Then, every Thanksgiving would remind me why I shouldn’t remain a vegan. Now, every Thanksgiving reminds me why I should never lapse back into being one. My vegetarian roots may reach back to when my mother would sacrifice (by immolation) a turkey in honor of the crispy Thanksgiving gods. Not knowing the difference between cooking and cremating, she fooled the gods, and herself, by believing that she was merely roasting it for our dinner.

MT: It's this one quality of flora, their lack of mobility I've equated to a wisdom gained from remaining in one fixed spot all their lives.

NS: I’m not sure I see the unique gain had by a long life spent in one spot over that of a long life of mobility? I’ve lived the past 25 years with an aged turtle, Nancy, who is attempting a compromised life somewhere between mobility and immobility, by spending half the year in quasi-hibernation and the other half in quasi-animation. How quasi is that?!

MT: Not only does chopping and carrying still go on, with or without our enlightenment, but that is, IMHO, the ceaselessness of life which surrounds us daily and the same life we are all connected to.

NS: Have you really had humble opinions during your “ceaseless life,” Cecil? Guess I’ll just have to wonder what that must be like. But yes, “life surrounds us daily” whether we realize whom we are or not. What is realized when we Self-realize is that we are Not actually connected to what surrounds us; no more than we are connected to our car simply because we are sitting within it. It isn’t that I reject the car, and the person, (N)ow (S)itting, in it. But, rather I accept this impression as being presented to NS’s mind, and take myself as neither what is presented, nor that to which it is presented. As the Nirvana Sutra puts it:

”To get rid of your passions [or wood chopping] is not Nirvana; to look upon them as no matter of yours, that is Nirvana.”

“The True Man lives in heaven above while remaining on earth below. He has “left” the world and yet remains within it.” (Ko Hung, Taoist Master)

MT: Even the Bristlecone Pine 'chops and carries' for it's own survival as do you and I in order to not only physically survive this earthly existence, but to grasp and behold the existence of the spiritual beyond our logic and intellect...

NS: Our greatest difference in humble opinions lies in this last line. You have Spirit as some thing beyond for grasping and beholding. While I take all ‘things’ (including NS) as illusory mental objects, and my Self as pure Spirit and reality itself. As such, “survival” is not my affair, for most certainly no thing, or thought, ever survives for even one moment, but rather remains in constant flux.

”The Triple World is nothing more than one’s mind. Forms are the reflections of the mind.” (Ma-tsu)

I fully realize, (M)agnificent (T)astes, that you and I share a real love of natural beauty; our choices in wives doubtlessly goes to prove that. Nor do our wifely preferences imply the slightest slight to feminine beauty in general, but rather address the clear fact of relative ‘better and less so.’ This too is true in the case of Spirit when only indirectly expressed to the senses as nature, and as incomparably compared to Spirit directly experiencing Itself.

Before his enlightenment, the famous Taoist sage, Lieh Tsu, loved to travel and see the sights. Until, that is, he heard this from the Taoist, Hu-ch’in Tsu, who told him:
”Those who take infinite trouble about external travels, have no idea how to set about the sight-seeing that can be done within. The traveler abroad is dependent upon outside things; he whose sightseeing is inward, can in himself find all he needs. Such is the highest form of traveling; while it is a poor sort of journey that is dependent upon outside things.”

[mtmynd]

Howdy, NS, from Phar Lepht...

Your Thanksgiving sounds like it brought you and yours some joy and (hopefully) relaxation... with no regret of being a one-time vegan.

Our Thanksgiving was a wonderful day, I'm happy to say. SooZen was in the spirit of the holiday and transferred that into baking (3) pies, an asparagus casserole, corn bread and green chili dressing, fresh cranberry sauce and a regular of hers - Watergate salad, while I brined, cleaned, engorged the cavity and roasted a 20 lb turkey, while adding my help when called upon.

We had (2) guests who shared the day with us and judging by their attitude and appetite were more than pleased with the meal washed down with a very nice Shiraz. yum! A repeat for the two of us was our lunch today, sans Shiraz (a Sam Adams for me, thank you!).

We also attempted the vegan diet over 21 years ago. I say tried as we both gave it a great go that lasted about one year until one particular weekend, an old friend and I took some time away to head up to the mountains north of here and enjoy his little cabin in the woods. After settling in and relaxing with a couple of shots of decent bourbon, my friend said he was going to fix himself some chicken wings... knowing I did not partake of any meats.

Well, NS, with bourbon under my belt the intoxicating aroma of those chicken wings kick-started my then fully salivating glands and when the wings were ready I sheepishly asked my friend for a wing. "But you don't eat meat...!" his voice trailed off, while his hand gave me the 'help yourself' signal... I ended up scarfing down (6) wings with the passion and determination of a starving man hellbent on fulfilling my hunger. Damn if they weren't delicious!

After that weekend, I duly reported to SooZen what I had enjoyed and from the on we enjoy both fowl and fish (including shell fish). We have abstained from eating mammals for the past 21 years with nary a regret...

NS: "I’m not sure I see the unique gain had by a long life spent in one spot over that of a long life of mobility?"

With no concern or worries of the next place to park one's Vessel of the Self I see as having a great benefit! Imagine one of those Bristlecone pines living for as long as they do feasting off the availability of what is at hand (or root, if the pine were to tell the story)... much like a hermit living in a mountain cave. Aging gracefully and knowingly, the ancient pine would have stories to tell that would leave the common man both amazed and fulfilled, should we learn to listen to the 'tall people.'

Now, your old slow walking, slow talking companion, Nancy, should you ever have the opportunity, N(ascently) S(uccinct), to converse with your turtle on a strictly metaphysical level, may be surprised at what she knows about living the slow, unencumbered life she does and how this pace of hers allows for a longevity that most never achieve. That is most quasi-cal, IMHO (there's that humble opinion again! )

NS: "What is realized when we Self-realize is that we are Not actually connected to what surrounds us; no more than we are connected to our car simply because we are sitting within it."

I don't disagree with this statement but I do find it necessary to move beyond what has be Self-realized... not to remain stagnant and immovable to the possibilities that Self-realization brings to the individual. One unexpected feast does not, or should not, keep one fulfilled for a lifetime, but only as long as the meal provides both joy and sustenance, until (spiritual) hunger once again knocks at the door of perceptive reckonings.

"Before his enlightenment, the famous Taoist sage, Lieh Tsu, loved to travel and see the sights. Until, that is, he heard this from the Taoist, Hu-ch’in Tsu, who told him... "

We can have both... the love of outside travel with the sights that inspire the imagination and the love of meditative travel within with it's awe and peace. Why not? They are both 'here' for those that love life. Do not discriminate between the two and judge which it better and which is lesser. How can all be one if that is what one does?[/i]

[Non Sum]

Hello, MT, from slightly write…
Yes, thank you, a joyous holiday as is every day. We do our typical day regardless, whether it is a nationally recognized something or other, or not. No vacations, nothing to ‘break it up’ ever. Not because we lack imagination, or suffer severe ennui; but simply because when your life-style norm is the highest peak, all alternatives are down from there.

Yours sounds like a terrific feast! But, what is “Watergate salad”? Is it a salad that you must break into while dressed as Republicans? Nice seductive story of how you lost vegan virginity. My own vegan falling out resulted from gradually becoming aware that my weight workouts were often ending in dizziness and nausea, which might have an increasingly anemic cause. This conclusion was confirmed, and resolved, by just a few carnivore episodes. In my experience, there is a trade-off between the nice light vegan feeling, and hollow gutted weakness.

MT: With no concern or worries of the next place to park one's Vessel of the Self I see as having a great benefit!

NS: Aren’t your incarnation’s vessels a choice not of your own making? I recall Chuang tse saying that he had no idea what next, “perhaps an insect’s leg.” So, why have concern, let alone worry, about something so far out of your hands?

MT: Imagine one of those Bristlecone pines living for as long as they do feasting off the availability of what is at hand (or root, if the pine were to tell the story)... much like a hermit living in a mountain cave.

NS: I can see the unique experience of remaining in one location, but then, so also is the experience of changing locations. It is like two mathematical orders of infinity: all possible rational numbers falling between 1 and 2, as compared to the more expansive (but no more infinite in extent) list of all possible whole numbers.

That said, I used to move regularly, and rarely stayed anywhere for more than a few months, while now I haven’t left these 13 acres in TN for over 18 years. I’ve had enough travel for several lifetimes.

MT: Now, your old slow walking, slow talking companion, Nancy, should you ever have the opportunity, N(ascently) S(uccinct), to converse with your turtle on a strictly metaphysical level, may be surprised at what she knows about living the slow, unencumbered life she does and how this pace of hers allows for a longevity that most never achieve.

NS: I do converse with Nancy, she’s a great listener, but only speaks with her inactivity and infinite patience. At this stage of my life, she and I are certainly on the same wave-length, living mostly as spectators. I often put her beside the aquarium, where she stares fascinated, and transfixed for hours, by the constant motion of the fish. They, in turn, seem just as interested by her unmoving presence. It is some sort of yin/yang attractiveness. Perhaps, there is some Jungian internal/external action attraction to inaction function functioning in you too?

MT: One unexpected feast does not, or should not, keep one fulfilled for a lifetime, but only as long as the meal provides both joy and sustenance, until (spiritual) hunger once again knocks at the door of perceptive reckonings.

NS: I would not disagree if we were both speaking of what comes and then goes, i.e. ‘mind objects.’ For temporality is one of the earmarks of mind. But, I was speaking of the discovery of what has always been present, and shall ever remain so, i.e. ‘one’s True Self.’ Passing mental phenomena, such as incarnations, won’t touch this Self. One can, and does, rest comfortably in this unchanging Self for an eternity. Restlessness is only found if one troubles to identify with the mind’s functions, instead of simply staying Home.

”Sleeping or awake, sitting or standing, Kabir remains ever at his post within.” (Kabir, Sikh who found)

MT: We can have both... the love of outside travel with the sights that inspire the imagination and the love of meditative travel within with it's awe and peace. Why not? They are both 'here' for those that love life. Do not discriminate between the two and judge which it better and which is lesser. How can all be one if that is what one does?

NS: We DO “have both.” I said nothing about refusing one, and replacing it with the other. That would not be ‘transcendence,’ but its opposite. When we dream, we have a dream person whom we incarnate into in order to incarnate into the dream world that he is “one” with. How else could we intimately walk in, taste, see and feel the sensations, and thoughts, of that person-world? But, one who awakens whilst still within that dream, i.e. ‘an awakened one’ (Buddha), comes to see that there is a transcendent Real Self, as well as that dream person-world. When that dream ceases, and the dream person with it, the Buddha finds his mind has now projected another dream person-world centered in a bedroom.

This is how the mind moves, and incarnates, yet the one same Self that you, and the Buddha, are remains seated and eternally unchanging. In Zen this is called, ‘taking one’s seat, and abiding as the non-abiding.’ ‘Non-abiding,’ because it has abides nowhere, and yet is never absent for even a moment. The worlds, and persons, never cease, nor do they need to. Enjoy them, as I (as NS) certainly do. But, never confuse your True identity with what is presented.

”Knowing and recognizing my Self, I have merged in the Truest of the true.” (Guru Nanak, Sikh founder)

[mtmynd]

Hello, NS! Good to hear you're living a life of your own choosing, without the burden of unnecessariness to infringe upon your being... other than your poor willow.

NS: "Aren’t your incarnation’s vessels a choice not of your own making?"

Incarnations, yes, but during each incarnation's moments lie a choice of one's own making, would you not agree? Was not the 13 beautiful mountain acres the choice of this vessel your Self inhabits... or the choice of Self itself?

NS: "But, what is 'Watergate salad'? Is it a salad that you must break into while dressed as Republicans?"

Your sense of humor belies your Non Sum-ness, my friend. This line brought me a moment of worthwhile comic relief, I must say... altho I'm curious as to how a Republican dresses? I'm sure a good Republican has many choices given the size of the trunk they carry with them! (do you think Disney had something subversive in mind calling his elephant "Dumbo"?)

Your weight workouts... this I believe to be the second time you've referenced these workouts. Are you fighting off a negative health condition or simply interested in maintaining a weight which is an ideal for you?

N(icely)S(ettled): "That said, I used to move regularly, and rarely stayed anywhere for more than a few months, while now I haven’t left these 13 acres in TN for over 18 years. I’ve had enough travel for several lifetimes."

Spend a few mores years in your present location and then you may see the wisdom of the Bristlecone Pine. SooZen and I have remained in the same location twice as long as you've spent on your acreage without any regrets so far...

N(ot)S(ure): "Perhaps, there is some Jungian internal/external action attraction to inaction function functioning in you too?"

Inaction? My wife would call it 'slow' rather than inactive. She could easily find a few others to agree with her assessment of my chosen speed... or rather my chosen 'pace' which suits me quite well, I must say.

NS: "I would not disagree if we were both speaking of what comes and then goes, i.e. ‘mind objects.’ For temporality is one of the earmarks of mind. But, I was speaking of the discovery of what has always been present, and shall ever remain so, i.e. ‘one’s True Self.’"

Of course! I agree with this 'mind object temporality'. But it is my misfortune when communicating about that which transcends the mundane is bringing that experience thru the very ego that was transcended, henceforth the 'temporality' towards that which is in actuality 'eternal' spoken as a mind object. We (mankind) traverse the limitations of our language by using arts to express the inexpressible, sometimes fruitlessly and other times faithfully.

NS: "But, never confuse your True identity with what is presented."

Of course one must realize this True identity to alleviate the confusion you speak of. Not to say all confusion arises out of not knowing one's Self, but knowing Self from 'what is presented' broadens one's accessibility to the Absolute within, which may be viewed as a retreat from confusion one finds oneself burdened with from time to time - that place of solace... "the highest peak."

<center>freedom
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[Non Sum]

Good morning, Cecil,
(Sorry about the delay. I posted it days ago. Returned to see if you were still breathing. Found my post to be un-posted all along. Located this piece of drivel in my trash. Hope it has some relevance.)

Yes, the extent of my good fortune in this dream’s life astonishes me daily. I get a strong impression that this is also true for you, no? Your enviable artistic gifts are all too obvious, I hope the rest of your circumstances follow the pattern. Marcus Aurelius suggests that those to whom fortune has been abstemious are blessed with the opportunity for many virtues, while those whom Lady Fortuna has been generous with are only lepht with Temperance, if they will have her.

In the case of my ‘Septic tank blessed willow,’ her intemperance was what finally did her in.

MT: Incarnations, yes, but during each incarnation's moments lie a choice of one's own making, would you not agree?

NS: With each “moment’s” beginning there is an un-chosen birth, followed by an un-chosen death. I don’t deny that we are determined, by our ignorance of the future, to make (often hard) choices, but this in no way disallows a predestined decision. All objects follow their nature with their actions/choices, and, since we don’t get to choose our nature, neither do we choose what follows from it.

MT: I'm curious as to how a Republican dresses?

NS: Like the Court said in reference to pornography, “I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it.”

MT: (do you think Disney had something subversive in mind calling his elephant "Dumbo"?)

NS: I never doubted it. You could put old Walt in a tux, and even remove his Mousekiteer ears, and he’d still not appear dressed like a Republican.

MT: Your weight workouts... this I believe to be the second time you've referenced these workouts. Are you fighting off a negative health condition or simply interested in maintaining a weight which is an ideal for you?

NS: Nothing like that; I’m so healthy it nearly frightens me to death. I was trying to allude to the type of workouts, using heavy weights (at that time of my younger life, lighter ones now), in order to indicate the sort of demand it put on my energy & strength. Meat seems to put more ‘fire in the belly.’ Thoreau mentions this in ‘Walden Pond,’ claiming the cost of meat could be avoided by his less energetic lifestyle, while the ice-cutters required it for their strenuous exertions.

MT: Spend a few mores years in your present location and then you may see the wisdom of the Bristlecone Pine

NS: I already see ‘a’ wisdom in my current preferred stasis, but wisdom can be had in any environment by those prone to the gleaning of it. Of course, one golden piece of wisdom had by wise drifters is a preference for settling down, and putting an end to travels.

MT: SooZen and I have remained in the same location twice as long as you've spent on your acreage without any regrets so far...

NS: Some learn fast, others slow, and still others…not at all. Whenever I’m not finding myself in the latter group, I call it a great victory.
Are your personal Bristlecone roots planted in the burbs, city, or rural?

MT: Inaction? My wife would call it 'slow' rather than inactive. She could easily find a few others to agree with her assessment of my chosen speed... or rather my chosen 'pace' which suits me quite well, I must say.

NS: I’ve come to consider your chosen pace to be IM(not)HO the best of all paces in all possible places. Someday, you and I will have to leash up old Nancy, and take her for a slooow walk together.

MT: We (mankind) traverse the limitations of our language by using arts to express the inexpressible, sometimes fruitlessly and other times faithfully.

NS: Too true. The “inexpressible” is ever the devil to express. I know old Ludwig (Wittgenstein), agreeing with you, avoided mystical philosophizing, not because he doubted the insights of mysticism, for he felt that, ”Unsayable things do indeed exist.” But, because, ”Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.” For all that, I remain NS, (Never Silent). I have no other art, like yourself, for expressing the inexpressible, I’m only left to say the unsayable.

”Shut your mouth, close your lips, and say something!” (Pai chang)

MT: Of course one must realize this True identity to alleviate the confusion you speak of.

NS: What else is there worthy of the doing for those who still feel capable of doing something?

MT: Not to say all confusion arises out of not knowing one's Self,

NS: Why not say it? Since all clarity comes from finding one’s center, and living from it.

MT: but knowing Self from 'what is presented' broadens one's accessibility to the Absolute within,

NS: “Accessibility” is already maximal, since nothing can be closer to one’s self than one’s Self. Everyone is familiar with the “10,000 things” that are presented, but how many get to know intimately ‘He to whom it is presented‘?

”When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything. The best way is to understand your Self, and then you will understand everything.” (Shunryu Suzuki)

MT: …one's accessibility to the Absolute within, which may be viewed as a retreat from confusion one finds oneself burdened with from time to time - that place of solace... "the highest peak."

NS: When we lived in Denver, we used to retreat to the mountains every chance we could. The only problem with that was that we didn’t live there, and so must keep leaving the mtns as often as we came. Since we ourselves ARE the “highest peak,” there is nothing keeping us from living there 24/7, and never leaving. “Confusion” is strictly confined to the mind only, and can only bother those who take themselves to be a mind, or a resident of one. To be ‘out of your mind’ is ironically, “unburdened” sanity. That’s probably why it is called, “liberation.”

”Abandon this fleeting world, abandon yourself, then the moon and flowers will guide you along the Way.” (Ryokan)

[mtmynd]

Good evening, N(ight)S(kies)... hope your day was pure contentment. My own was relatively busy, but enjoyably so, I'm happy to say. Been a busy week of sorts with getting ready for yet another show, this one, Sunday, being an indoor show which is most welcome this time of year and given the cold weather we've experienced all week. Only one show left after this - next Saturday, before another season comes to a close...

NS: "With each “moment’s” beginning there is an un-chosen birth, followed by an un-chosen death."

It has been given my serious consideration that one's birth is one's choice, i.e. we choose our parents prior to our incarnation based upon the lessons we must learn in order to properly divest ourselves from the continuum of this wheel of life, spinning 'round and 'round... How else may we further our progression in learning? Afterall, we hu'mans are but learning machines - no thing less - no thing more, IM(utterly so)HO, of course.

Re: this 'un-chosen' death you mention... you know death is bodily and never spiritually. That said, death is but the final destination for life as we accept it... the moment when life "cec's" to be what it was intended to be - the vehicle for spirit to fully grasp that which is life, hence the learning which is both yin and yang related - we learn of life the matter and learn of life the spirit to conjoin in a masterfully orchestrated dance on the stage of life - the harmony which our present incarnation is quite poorly adapted to.

How many incarnations do we enter into before we complete our journey to fulfill our full potential as free spirits unhampered by any thing or stuff that inhibits, such as it does, in our present incarnation? The answer is all there is to know and ever will be to know.

NS: "... I’m so healthy it nearly frightens me to death."

My goodness, NS! Perhaps you may consider reducing this health situation where fright is eliminated. Fright is but another condition of stress which surely wreaks havoc upon anyone's health, even those who believe they are too healthy. My poultry intake, however paltry that may be for some that adhere to a more beefed up diet, has done me little harm, as far as my feeling strong enough to cut the ice, if not the cheese.

NS: "I already see ‘a’ wisdom in my current preferred stasis, but wisdom can be had in any environment by those prone to the gleaning of it. Of course, one golden piece of wisdom had by wise drifters is a preference for settling down, and putting an end to travels."

Indeed, wisdom can be had in any environment, but the more conducive the environment to the blessing of wisdom, the more one finds the joy and contentment of remaining in one locale. But this, too, is again our learning process in order to become that which inhibits any restrictions to attaining freedom.

NS: "Some learn fast, others slow, and still others…not at all. Whenever I’m not finding myself in the latter group, I call it a great victory."

It is not the speed at which we learn but the need for which we learn... one step leading to another, whether they be slow and calculated steps or leaps of boundless enthusiasm matters little in the final analysis... as you say, both are victories for the seeker.

NS: "Are your personal Bristlecone roots planted in the burbs, city, or rural?"

Ahh... the 'burbs, my friend, midway between the two extremes of existence - the cacophony of the city and the maddening semi-silence of dire desolation.

NS: "Someday, you and I will have to leash up old Nancy, and take her for a slooow walk together."

I think that would prove to be enlightening for both of us, amigo... plus I'm sure Nancy would enjoy my company as I would hers.

NS: "I know old Ludwig (Wittgenstein), agreeing with you, avoided mystical philosophizing, not because he doubted the insights of mysticism, for he felt that, ”Unsayable things do indeed exist.” But, because, ”Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”

I believe he was a younger man when he said these things. I mention that because as we grow older we become more fearless in our saying things, including the once 'unsayable'... a process of of communications which is an 'unsurety' of knowing how to say that which one was not familiar with in the beginning but learns (there we go again, learning!) in due time how to express that which was once unsayable.

”When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything. The best way is to understand your Self, and then you will understand everything.” (Shunryu Suzuki)

The word, 'try', is key here... to not allow things, all and every, to simply be without one's intellect intruding with definitions and assumptions in order to try to find a connection with our self... eliminate the 'try' and 'be' effortlessly.

NS: "Since we ourselves ARE the 'highest peak,' there is nothing keeping us from living there 24/7..."

I have to disagree with you on this, N(ot)S(eeing). Living on what you consider to be THE highest peak assumes you know of all other peaks and have chosen this ONE as the highest you could ascend. By making this statement you are saying this 'highest peak' is the highest you, yourself, are capable of ascending, not necessarily the 'highest of the high peaks' that there are. And, my friend, even the wise mountain goat does not live on it's peak 24/7... life is far too precious to close oneself off on a peak for all times where the air is thin while the valleys far below are green and vital with life yet undiscovered. Join us, NS, for your life has only begun with this new sight you've acquired while on your temporal stay on your own highest peak. Share with us what you have gained and listen to what others have learned on their journey. Celebrate not only your Being but your Potential...

Yes, 'be out of your mind' with joy and love but always find your home within your mind. There is plenty of time, moments without end, when you can be out of your mind with no mind to return to. But this NOW we all share is to be treasured and learned from... we don't know all and we still have our Self to fully know, comprehend and realize before we become that which we've always been, deservingly so... not just a glimpse, a lightning strike, a flash from above but a full immersion into that which has drawn us this far and this close to stepping off this wheel, one last time.

<center>GoZen Round

it is not the wheel
but the center of
the wheel
that takes us on
our journey

the center of being
where our force
drives us to
our potential

each moment
a pulse
between the
silent calm
suspending
Self

its purpose
its being
always for good
giving
giving
giving

for us to become
that which we are
in the center

where all things
have come
and all things
shall return

goZen round
and round
the wheel
we go
within/without
into being
a poem
sharingsharing
sharing
what life
is giving
now
now
now
___________
</center>

[Non Sum]

Good Monday morning, Cecil,
The financial markets reopen, and it’s another ‘show-time’ for me.
I trust that your Sunday “show” showed well for you and Soo-zen. What is your show role; do you just sales clerk, or are you, while busy at your artistry, also on display? What do you enjoy in the show process itself? When does the next season begin for you?

MT: It has been given my serious consideration that one's birth is one's choice, i.e. we choose our parents prior to our incarnation based upon the lessons we must learn…

NS: You actually recall doing this “parent choosing,” as some disembodied soul, before one of your incarnations, do you?

MT: …in order to properly divest ourselves from the continuum of this wheel of life, spinning 'round and 'round.

NS: So, your ultimate goal is to get off ’the wheel of birth and death’? How do you suppose that is to be accomplished?

MT: My goodness, NS! Perhaps you may consider reducing this health situation where fright is eliminated. Fright is but another condition of stress which surely wreaks havoc upon anyone's health, even those who believe they are too healthy.

NS: Fear not, my fright is frightfully minor, and it causes only the most pleasant sort of stress; a stress which cannot be stressed enough IMO.

”Joy, temperance, and repose, slam the door on the doctor’s nose.” (Longfellow)

MT: By making this statement you are saying this 'highest peak' is the highest you, yourself, are capable of ascending, not necessarily the 'highest of the high peaks' that there are.

NS: We each come equipped with our personal ‘peak altimeter.’ And, find ourselves driven to attain the heights that ‘it’ deems as our personal Olympus, or Everest. For some it may be a gold medal in a sport that another would care nothing about winning, or a certain degree of fame, of wealth, or a spiritual goal of some sort. Sadly, some never successfully surmount their subjective summit, yet that does not remove the conviction that, for us, it will ever remain ‘The’ peak nonpareil.

MT: And, my friend, even the wise mountain goat does not live on it's peak 24/7... life is far too precious to close oneself off on a peak for all times

NS: Perhaps, my good friend, what has got your goat, and yourself, ever perusing peeks is the lack of what you truly seek. But, once your goat and you do come upon ’that’ uniquely verdant valley -- making all others a sparse and salty desert in comparison -- what then? Will you still be as eager to visit these countless dusty deserts for variety‘s sake alone, leaving behind what you spent a lifetime seeking?

MT: Join us, NS, for your life has only begun with this new sight you've acquired while on your temporal stay on your own highest peak.

NS: Actually, my life has long since ended,
For my peak is this immortal Self,
Which has the “temporal” suspended.

”We should regard ourselves as if we were dead so that neither love nor sorrow can disturb us. It is written of the martyrs that "they are dead." Death, however, gives being to them.”(Meister Eckhart)

MT: Yes, 'be out of your mind' with joy and love but always find your home within your mind.

NS: I’m glad that you are joyful living in/as your mind, when so many others find themselves to be plagued by ‘monkey mind.’ The finite body and mind present perpetual pleasures and pains; each moment a birth and a death. Such is life, and it suits most creatures just fine half of the time. Yet, for some few, the repetitive turning of this wheel of birth and death becomes tiresome & loathsome, and they wish to get off from it, desiring an end to pleasure just as much as to pain. When this desire dominates all others, one has had their fill of life’s illusions, and they are now prepared to put away ‘childish things’.

”Do you not see that when a man is awakened, he becomes indifferent to the world and grows cold; he also melts and perishes.” (Rumi)

MT: we don't know all and we still have our Self to fully know, comprehend and realize before we become that which we've always been,

NS: How do you see this “Self realizing” to be best accomplished? If “we’ve always been” this Self, then why do you assume that time needs to pass, or further experiences had, before we can realize It? It (I.e. your enlightenment) has always been right here, but you have been occupied with other things.

MT: not just a glimpse, a lightning strike, a flash from above but a full immersion into that which has drawn us this far and this close to stepping off this wheel, one last time.

NS: You’ve spoken before about a quick “glimpse.” Is this something that has happened to you? I’m glad for you. Quite honestly, I’ve had no lightning strikes, nor glimpses. But, I spent half my life looking for them. The second half brought the realization that what glimpses is also what is glimpsed, and that “Tat tvum Asi,” ‘You are That.’ When next you “glimpse,” know that what you are seeing is “Me.”

”Omnipresent Being and the spirit within man are not two different entities.” (Mahesh Yogi)

Thank you for your poem, Cecil. Your inner poet appears far more insightful than that mechanical mind you “home” in on. Shido Bunan’s own poem said:

”Die while alive, and be completely dead.
Then do whatever you will, all is good.”

[mtmynd]

Howdy, NS. As usual, happy to see you in tip top performance!

NS: "The financial markets reopen, and it’s another ‘show-time’ for me."

'N(ancially) S(ecure), I trust, despite the volatility of the "unsure-ities of securities" in today's market economy..?

Yesterday's show was, like our last, about 30% down from the same show one year ago. Not great, but upon hearing from other vendors, we feel we did quite well, despite the competitive nature these shows have become.

NS: "What is your show role; do you just sales clerk, or are you, while busy at your artistry, also on display? What do you enjoy in the show process itself? When does the next season begin for you?"

My goodness! So many questions today, my friend. But I'll indulge...

My role is not solely a sales clerk, but an active participant along with my mate. We share our wares collectively in our space - SooZen displaying her wonderful variety of beaded goods ranging from simple bangles aimed at young girls all the way up to earrings, bracelets and necklaces (ranging from inexpensive up to and including pieces using semi-precious stones and sterling silver components) that are created using her skillfulness in wire-working, with which she also makes rings using the same technique.

I have a small selection of my art prints along with some framed photos of mine and in addition to SooZen's jewelry, I have been inspired for quite some time now to fashion my own beaded jewelry interpretations - from bracelets to necklaces for women with delicate tastes.

After this upcoming Saturday our next season begins in March, if my limited memory recalls... plenty of time to create, create and perhaps a bit more creating.

NS: "You actually recall doing this “parent choosing,” as some disembodied soul, before one of your incarnations, do you?"

You sound very skeptical, N(ervously) S(o)... as if reincarnating by choice is preposterous! As I prefaced this comment, initially it was based upon very powerful intuitive feelings for most of my recalled life.

[note: It was confirmed to both SooZen and I with comments from each of our sons. Each of them around the age of 3 or 4 (they are 4 years apart in age), commented to us (without any suggestion or encouragement from either of us) they had parents before us, our first even told us their first names.

Since those two experiences, I have run across mention of those who recall past lives, usually under hypnosis. Those that study such phenomenon have said that children up until around the age of 4 or 5 may indeed recall their own past life, as the memories of such are still 'there' in the banks... this soon dissipates after that as 'this' life becomes more important to live.

NS, this is my first public acknowledgment of those events]

NS: "So, your ultimate goal is to get off ’the wheel of birth and death’? How do you suppose that is to be accomplished?"

Goal? No, it is not a goal as much as it's the final life 'we' live on this plane of existence before we truddle off to our next destination to do whatever needs to be done for our cyclical adventure of Being, which some moment will be the complete immersion into Pure Consciousness... Bliss, Nirvana, Heaven... choose your word or make your own... the destination is the same with the journey as varied as every soul's journey can be imagined.

NS: "Fear not, my fright is frightfully minor, and it causes only the most pleasant sort of stress; a stress which cannot be stressed enough IMO."

Good to hear. I wish you many moons of superior health in order to continue doing on this plane what you do best, TN. (err... what is it you do best, N(ot) S(ure)..??? Your mystic communications is probably up there in maybe the top 5 or so, nay? )

NS:"We each come equipped with our personal ‘peak altimeter.’"

I never would imagine having my very own 'peak altimeter' residing within me. Would you be so kind as to give me directions to this object which registers my highs?

I agree that we all have our personal pursuits, many of which hardly register on any peak altimeter I would conceive of, but each pursuit of the individual is part, if not parcel, of the learning which we must do in order to move beyond our present locale, be it material or spiritual matters not in the 'schema vida.'

NS: "When next you “glimpse,” know that what you are seeing is “Me.”"

It's not enough until it's enough. Until then, I shall enjoy my brevity on this plane conversing with folks such as yourself, sharing what 'me' know and have learned in hopes that those lessons will encourage one more to search out the mystery of mysteries and to assure those that do that their personal pilgrimage will bring them, if not to, certainly within the attainment of enlightenment.

NS: "Thank you for your poem, Cecil. Your inner poet appears far more insightful than that mechanical mind you 'home' in on."

You're very welcome for the poem, NS. My mechanical mind is the one I fondly empty from time to time to renew space so I may enjoy conversations such as ours.

"There is no one path to seek enlightenment, but there is enlightenment on every path sought." - cecil

[Non Sum]

G’day Cecil,
Good grief, M(asterful) T(echnition), you’ve certainly done more creative concatenation with my Non-Significant initials than I ever have! Most impressive what a ‘NS’ can produce when put through its paces by an actual poet.

MT: 'N(ancially) S(ecure), I trust, despite the volatility of the "unsure-ities of securities" in today's market economy..?

NS: (good one) Your trust is secure, making money with money, is one of the few knacks I’ve been entrusted with. Whether “volatile,” or any other market climate, there is always a way to make, or lose, when speculating. It’s merely a hobby since, as back-to-nature hippies, we live contentedly on a sub-poverty budget – living largely off the land. So, wealth has become chiefly a method for keeping score in a stimulating Wall Street computer game.

MT: My goodness! So many questions today, my friend. But I'll indulge...

NS: How else am I to author your unauthorized biography? Your term, “show,” peaked my curiosity concerning what exactly was being done at your art sales. I’ve been to market fairs and such, where the working artisans would be displayed, along with their product. And, this is what I thought you may have meant.

I note that you failed to answer, what it was about the show itself that you enjoyed(?). Should I consider your non-response as the actual answer, i.e. ‘nothing’?

MT: plenty of time to create, create and perhaps a bit more creating.

NS: Sounds extremely creative! Must be quite nice. J

MT: You sound very skeptical, N(ervously) S(o)... as if reincarnating by choice is preposterous!

NS: Now, don‘t get all paranoid on me. I favor the reincarnation theory to all other afterlife alternatives. As regards conscious directing of karmic conditions, I hadn’t run into that before, and so was curious about what you based your opinion on. Nothing more was intended, honest.

MT: NS, this is my first public acknowledgment of those events]

NS: No need to whisper. I doubt anyone else is listening to this discussion, and your fascinating secret is safe with old NS (Never Squeals).

MT: I wish you many moons of superior health in order to continue doing on this plane what you do best, TN. (err... what is it you do best, N(ot) S(ure)..??? Your mystic communications is probably up there in maybe the top 5 or so, nay?

NS: I can’t say that I “communicate” all that much about mysticism, or much of anything else. I do speak of it with a few friends, such as your mystical self, only because it is often in my thoughts. Actually, I don’t “do” much of anything (best or otherwise) beyond trying to enjoy myself. I was once asked by a group of my late parent’s friends, what exactly it was that I do(?). I told them that when the weather was good, I played in my back yard, and when the weather was poor, I played in the house. Doubtless, I came off as my parent’s poor addled failure of a son. Which of course, is entirely the case, given their criteria.

MT: I never would imagine having my very own 'peak altimeter' residing within me. Would you be so kind as to give me directions to this object which registers my highs?

NS: I’d be happy to. When a prospect to do something or other is presented to you, note your heartfelt response (pro or con), and its degree of fervor. That is your altimeter, registering both altitude and depth, in any given occasion. I use mine much like an Epicurean compass, so that I may safely navigate each moment safely around the dangerous shoals of suffering, and purposively into the pleasant waters of pleasure. The finite sum of our allotted moments add up to the totality of one’s quality of life, does it not?

MT: …but each pursuit of the individual is part, if not parcel, of the learning which we must do in order to move beyond our present locale, be it material or spiritual matters not in the 'schema vida.'

NS: I never trusted this universal “learning paradigm,” popular with Rosicrucian’s, Theosophists, and that sort of mystic. It is just too blatant a form of anthropomorphic spirituality. Human society centers on prolonged education, and our most formative early ages are mightily impressed by school. So, it is easy to understand why we like to assume a human-centric purposive theme for the whole of creation.

The other, more popular/less scholastic, anthropomorphic paradigm, is likely rooted somewhere in our early potty training. This one has our being “a good girl/boy” as the universe’s central concern, and evolutionary purpose. A dash of objectivity should cure anyone of these two ego-centric metaphysical notions.

MT: "There is no one path to seek enlightenment, but there is enlightenment on every path sought." - cecil

NS: Good one!
Please be assured that I take each person as living their perfect personal path, from simpleton to sage. I make no evangelical attempt to alter this, even if it were possible, for anyone.

” "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God." I Cor. 2: 11-12

[mtmynd]

"High on a mountain top in Tennessee, N(ever)S(hort)", sans your coonskin hat, I'd hope. Back in 1904 my father was born in Chattanooga. Perhaps you've heard of the place..? TN is not your native soil, is it? If not, why so? It wouldn't be due to a connection with Gaskin's Farm would it?

NS: "... you’ve certainly done more creative concatenation with my Non-Significant initials than I ever have!"

Concatenation! another $3. (cash) is in route to you. Had I known how creative I was concatenating I could have saved myself $3.!

NS: "... making money with money, is one of the few knacks I’ve been entrusted with."

Whoever entrusted you to your 'knack', I feel did themselves a favor. Money is much more akin to currency for me - it runs like currents of water thru my fingers.

NS: "... we live contentedly on a sub-poverty budget – living largely off the land."

Admirable, my friend... especially from this side of the fence. But I do plant my little garden each spring with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and herbs that did not survive the winter... enough (so far) to add nutritious veggies to our menu. These are supplemented by my purchasing add'l produce at the Farmer's Market where we put up our tent weekly during the season. Soo has a hankerin' to get a few chickens so she can get us some eggs both to consume and possibly to sell at the market along with our art. We'll see if the idea hatches come spring.

NS: "How else am I to author your unauthorized biography?"

True. One must ask pertinent questions to present one's subject in the best of light which in turn has a much better chance of repaying one's initial investment. Do you intend to share some of the profits with the subject himself? Tell me "yes" so I may rest my weary head upon my fluffy pillow at night without concern or coercion. If handled properly, N(o)S(weat), the 'un' may be dropped and the bio will indeed be 100% authorized. Whatta deal!

NS: "... what it was about the show itself that you enjoyed(?)"

Went right over my head. Sorry but that is what happens to moi when I sit down on the job.

I enjoy doing shows, meeting the people, getting the solemn ones to smile is an enjoyable sideline when things get slow... and seeing the expressions of happiness upon the beautiful faces of the women who purchase our products. Now that is special. I sometimes even get a hug from them!

NS: "Now, don‘t get all paranoid on me. I favor the reincarnation theory to all other afterlife alternatives."

Yes, I favor that theory as well. With a little encouragement from Tibetan Buddhists, I feel the theory has more than a "nifty idea" behind it. Many years ago, when I was in boot camp for the U.S. Navy, one night with some others mates a conversation about life and even reincarnation came up. As expected, most of those involved in the conversation "pooh pooh'd" the idea as being foolish, etc... It was then I asked them "Do you remember not being here... here in this life?" I knew right then my answer was 'No, I never remember not being here" which reinforced my 'growing belief.' Perhaps you're familiar with the story "The Search for Bridey Murphy"..?

N(icely)S(heltered): "I was once asked by a group of my late parent’s friends, what exactly it was that I do(?). I told them that when the weather was good, I played in my back yard, and when the weather was poor, I played in the house."

That, amigo, sounds about a real a life as anyone with common sense would be completely satisfied with. I cannot think of anything better way to live than that. Congratulations to you y salud!

NS: "I’d be happy to. When a prospect to do something or other is presented to you, note your heartfelt response (pro or con), and its degree of fervor. That is your altimeter, registering both altitude and depth, in any given occasion."

Ah Hah! This is what I call my Jiminy Cricket! Indeed, out inner voice is one more folks should be tuned in to, IMUHO. It would save them so many mistakes, the biggest mistake being not listening to their altimeter, Jiminy.

NS: "The finite sum of our allotted moments add up to the totality of one’s quality of life, does it not?"

We are, once again, in agreement. Quality of life surpasses time.

NS: "I never trusted this universal “learning paradigm,” popular with Rosicrucian’s, Theosophists, and that sort of mystic. It is just too blatant a form of anthropomorphic spirituality. Human society centers on prolonged education, and our most formative early ages are mightily impressed by school. So, it is easy to understand why we like to assume a human-centric purposive theme for the whole of creation. "

Personally, I never 'trusted' that either, but I was/am open to the area between the words of such teachings... the silent pauses that give impetus to the words, a life if you will that shouldn't be cast off as needless and unnecessary. I know all things add up to One and all things are connected. It is this connection of the 'dots' of various subjects that draw us further into the One. For so many this is a dangerous or difficult path to be on... they find it bothersome, tedious or inferior to what they have learned to be "the only path" there is to follow without knowing any other path.

<center>_______

Fear of God

keeps one from Truth.

Do not fear God

for you will fear

your True Self.

Know thyself and

ye shall know God,

for it is in

His image

that we are

created.
___

cecil</center>

[Non Sum]

Aloha Cecil,
MT: Back in 1904 my father was born in Chattanooga. Perhaps, you've heard of the place..?

NS: I have. Been there even, touring the University and aquarium with students, when teaching at the local Jr. college. I didn’t get to see your father, since we didn’t stay long enough to see all the notable sights.

MT: TN is not your native soil, is it? If not, why so? It wouldn't be due to a connection with Gaskin's Farm would it?

NS: I spent some time living in an ashram in Denver, but no farming communes in TN. Upon retiring, I moved here from FL almost 19 years ago. East TN just seemed to fit the climatological, and topographic, bill for blood thinned Bostonians. How about yourself: always been a phar lepht Texan, any communes in your past?

MT: Concatenation! another $3. (cash) is in route to you.

NS: This is terrific! The last time my vocabulary earned me anything, I had just been led in chains to my new residency at Portsmouth Naval Prison. Oddly, the entry procedure was to take a predominately vocabularied exam; its results to determine the inmates’ work status. I achieved the all-time top score in the venerable institution’s history, and as a result, was crowned with the top job in the “Castle” (its pet name). Had it been a math quiz, I would have been handed a snow shovel to do my sentenced “hard labor” along with my fellow misomathic surfs.

MT: Whoever entrusted you to your 'knack', I feel did themselves a favor.

NS: I’m not sure how that works, but it sure was a favor for moi.

MT: Money is much more akin to currency for me - it runs like currents of water thru my fingers.

NS: Good pun! What doesn’t end up running through our finite fingers?

MT: But I do plant my little garden each spring with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and herbs

NS: That’s the stuff! I bet you’ll agree that half the fun is the process of growing it? Eating fresh picked ‘free’ food, of course, consumes the remaining half. I’ve always chickened out when it came to raising them. I’ve heard stories strongly pro and con, and the two have left me pecking around in the limbo of indecision. Let me know how it lays out for you (hopefully not with egg stuck on your face), and maybe I’ll be able to pluck us enough courage to take a crack at it.

MT: One must ask pertinent questions to present one's [biographical] subject in the best of light which in turn has a much better chance of repaying one's initial investment. Do you intend to share some of the profits with the subject himself?

NS: The “best light” for good book sales is presumably the red glow of scandal. At least, that is what I had in mynd. Naturally, that’s the sort of thing my questions are probing for. What use are “profits” to a fellow with sieve-like fingers? Best you let my more sponge-like paws handle the tedious financial flow.

MT: Perhaps you're familiar with the story "The Search for Bridey Murphy"..?

NS: Yes, I do vaguely recall it. Reincarnation strikes me as consistent with the cyclic nature of nature itself. The Hindu paradigm is very much structured in cycles, and that culture’s ready acceptance of reincarnation makes for countless, hard to refute, accounts of past life recollections. Even in this present life we incarnate, as we age, in several dramatically divergent bodies and minds, with only the thin threads of memory to connect them all. That, and the unchanging Self presence that conveys its aura of permanency to whatever closely surrounds it.

MT: Ah Hah! This is what I call my Jiminy Cricket!

NS: Doesn’t J.C. concern ‘conscience,’ rather than ‘happiness and sorrow‘? I ask, since I don’t possess much of the former.

MT: Quality of life surpasses time.

NS: Yes, I agree with that, but what I am saying is that a finite life is composed of a finite set of individual moments. If we focus on, and take care of, the (more manageable) present moment at hand, minimizing suffering and maximizing pleasure, then that life’s sum must necessarily be a pleasant one.

MT: I know all things add up to One and all things are connected. It is this connection of the 'dots' of various subjects that draw us further into the One.

NS: True, all ‘things’ are co-dependent, interconnected, and essentially one ‘thing.’ But, are we correct to assume from that, that Spirit IS that compiled ‘thing,’ or any ‘thing’ whatever? Perhaps, Spirit is no objective thing (collective or individual) at all. Spirit, when viewed through the narrow slit of mind and senses, can be distorted into ’apparent’ objects extended in the fog of space-time. Not to deny that even this crimped perspective is not a thing both wondrous and beautiful to behold, yet it does not reveal the Truth of Spirit in Itself.

MT: For so many this is a dangerous or difficult path to be on... they find it bothersome, tedious or inferior to what they have learned to be "the only path" there is to follow without knowing any other path.

NS: For each, this, their present incarnation, IS their proper path. If they chase after superstitious beliefs, they do so just as you and I choose not to. I.e. because each person is incarnated to see their path as being the best of all possible ways. And, we all have it exactly right…for ourselves. The Truth reveals Itself through us, and nothing has the power to hinder it, since all power resides in Truth alone.
Apologies for length, NS (Never Shuts-up)