Sunday 14 November 2010

Well, Jove, Not I, Is the Doer of This, and He Is to Be Thanked.

It is not necessary for life to be anything other than what it is. There is no need to feel a different way, to act a different way, or to think a different way...including thinking that you need to act, feel and think a different way. There is no way that what is happening, or seems to be happening, could be anything other than what it is. The identity, so apparently entrenched and subtle in its persistence, is a phantom...albeit a tenacious one. This phantom is useful for survival, and all the actions and feelings and thoughts that appear are some spin on the need to survive. They are all understandable, and inevitably some will be judged to be misguided. But before the mind, operator of time, latches on what is and judges it, it simply is.

What is accepts all; it is all. It accepts outrage at what is; that, too, is what is. Life is life. There is no other. The fact that anything exists at all is the miracle. However the story plays out, that is the story; and the story, although there seems to be objective truth, and actions and feelings and thoughts and interpretations can be compared to some objective standard, there is very little absolute truth in this vast and fascinating appearance. There is the truth of its existence; this is the simplest truth, and the only one. Enlightenment is this. It is what is. There is no way to get to what is except here, and now.


I recently watched To Kill a Mockingbird with my family, and despite the judgmental protests from the children ("It's not in black and white, is it?"), we were all soon captivated. Atticus Finch is perhaps the most appealing hero in modern literature. His integrity is something that seems to beckon to us all. However, in this clip the star is Sheriff Heck Tate. Boo Radley, town recluse, has just rescued Atticus' children from attack; in the struggle, Boo kills the attacker. Atticus tries to rescue the situation by suggesting that his son, Jem, be blamed for the stabbing, which would obviously be self-defense, committed by a child, and not liable to result in any punishment. Sherriff Tate has a better idea. The clip is worth watching just for the way actor Frank Overton, as the Sheriff, says "it's a sin". See the film, but beforehand, read the book. As stories go, there are few better.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you again Suzanne..a real pleasure to read these posts. P.S If satsangs where like this I'd surely go along :) Tom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3u-j1vsIq8

tom sullivan said...

Favorite line: "But before the mind, operator of time (cool!), latches on What Is and judges it, it simply is."

Shanto said...

I really like the picture. And that of the 24th of Sept post too.

word verification "chogic" - must be some artful version of yogic :)

No One In Particular said...

Hi Anonymous, I'll give that link a look.

No One In Particular said...

Hey Tom, oh that silly ol' mind. It's always at it.

No One In Particular said...

Hey Svante, that was my makeup for a Jungle party in Rio a few years ago. Life can be extremely fun...

Maury Lee said...

A cool cat no longer lost in the jungle. Great picture. Great post.

I've been watching some baseball. Very human and very relaxing, watching others play. No skin in the game, just watching. You know what I mean, eh?

Ben said...

"prior to all understanding contentment is natural, knowing this there is nothing to prove"

A quote from my friend Stuart Schwartz.

Ben, Palm City

No One In Particular said...

Hi Maury, thanks for stopping by. And is the baseball season STILL GOING ON?!?

No One In Particular said...

Hey Ben, yeah, all the nonduality writers tend to say the same kinda stuff.