I am reading “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” by Shantideva, the Indian Buddhist master who lived centuries ago. It is a treasure trove of amazing perspective shifts and reframes. For example, here are some of his quotes on anger from the chapter titled “Relying on Patience.” He reflects on the role of anger in liberation, its emptiness (conditioning), its karmic determination:
Continue readingDid you know about Butoh? A rebellion in art form, an ego death ritual, embracing “grotesquerie, darkness, and decay”, where a dancer transports into alternative states of being – Butoh (originally “ankoku butō”, “dance of darkness”) is the best way to lose one self, and hence find the real one.
As I age, I realise that there is no such thing as absolute truth – only points of view. There is no black and white “right and wrong”. Just shades of “depends”. The more I know the more I realise that I know nothing.
I stopped burning bridges. I hear out folks whose values are very different from mine (unless they support violence) and I realise that to them their truth is truth, and to me my truth is truth. And so there are multiple versions of it and who am I to say mine is “truer”?
I’ve been hearing out anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, uber liberals and super conservatives, people who believe in lizard overlords, government control, aliens or don’t believe science (because if you think about it, it is in a way a point of view). So many points of view. From my point of view 😊 none if it is true, on any side. Everything – an illusion. But what do I know!
For a long time I was working on intuition and manifesting because I thought I needed to become more intuitive and learn to manifest. Then I learned/ realised that trying to intuit and manifest is another way of not accepting the unknown, trying to know, control the uncertainty and that one can not intuit or manifest what is not ready to be revealed and is not their path.
Instead I am learning to take a step back, get out of the way, chill, trust the process and let go of control, of the need to know. I learned to face and accept uncertainty. As I practiced it, I also stopped setting goals. How can I know what the Universe has in store for me. I am open to all options and it looks like the only “goal” I have is to accept more and practice non-attachment/ non-aversion further.
My path has been unfolding miraculously so far, without me doing anything. New projects and teachers find me. New teachings and assignments materialise. No manifesting, no intuiting, no goals. Trust and patience and faith. And accepting it as it comes.
It’s beginning to look a lot like lockdown… again. This winter is a deja vu of rising infections, struggling NHS, unsure government – pandemic 3.0. Our social enterprise decided not to add to the doom and gloom and create something silly that’s also hopefully useful. Brian the Brain is here to show us how to survive this winter – therapy is one thing that can help! You can watch all videos here. And yes, some of the faces are by yours truly. Which video is your favourite?
“Be patient with all that is unresolved in your heart, and try to love the questions themselves. Do not seek for the answers that can not be given, for you wouldn’t be able to live with them, and the point is to live everything. Live the questions now, and perhaps without knowing it, you will live along someday into the answers.”
Rilke
This was my biggest takeaway from my recent plant medicine ceremony. Fractal indeed. Check the source link above for more cool psychonaut/ spiritual memes like the one above.
Everyone has a nagging feeling that they are not who they should be, where they should be and who they should be with. That they have not done enough or the right stuff. That there is something else they need to seek or achieve or acquire. Something appears to be constantly missing. It is human condition.
You can continue with the quest and achieve what you are seeking and discover that it does or does not make you happy. You can continue with the quest, fail and plunge into despair or find a new perspective. You can stop the quest right now and do nothing. The outcome is the same. Because there is no outcome. The quest is circular. You end up collapsing onto yourself. It is the process that matters.
Are you enjoying the process? Are you watching it unfold with joy? Are you here? And here you are.
If you do something or nothing, as long as you do it with joy, enjoy it mostly and believe in your heart that this is the right thing for you to be doing, you are doing it right.
We plan what’s plannable, then work with whatever we get. — Ram Dass
My wonderful marketing colleague Tene is also a talented poet. Some of her poems made it onto cards. The one above struck a chord. I’ve been recently working on “rewilding” myself, returning to some of my roots… You can see more of her poetry and buy more cards like this here.
Have you seen this adorable film about Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu’s friendship? It’s like watching two spiritual grandpas, good friends, finally meet 🤩 If like me you have no idea what to watch during holiday break, this one might fit the bill. It’s available for free here.
Mere Gurudev, charanon par sumana shraddha ke arpita hai
Tere hee dena hai jo hai. Wahi tujha ko samarapita hai
Na priti hai pratiti hai, na hi puja ki shakti hai
Meraa yaha man, meraa yaha tan, meraa kan kan samarapita hai
Tuma hee ho bhaava men mere, vicharon mein, pukaron mein.
Banaale yantra ab mujhko mere saravatra samarapita hai
My Gurudev I offer these flowers of my faith at your feet
Whatever I have, you have given to me, and I dedicate it all to you.
I have no love, nor do I know you.
I don’t even have the strength to worship you,
But this mind of mine, this body of mine,
my every atom is dedicated to you.
You are the only one in my heart and my thoughts.
You are the one who I call out to.
Now Make me your instrument…all I am I offer to you.
On my To Be List are: Joy, Peace/ Calm, Love, Purpose, No anger, No thoughts, No self, No craving. The latter 4 can be replaced with one word – Empty.
Nomad of the Universe 