I’m Back

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Well, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a long gap in between blog posts before. It’s been over four months since I last posted back in August. I wouldn’t say that my barren spell has been down to writer’s block. Far from it, I just seem to be going through a strange transition period; there have been changes in my life and blog posts have never been further from my mind. However…I haven’t been completely idle. After many months of procrastination, I have republished my last two books as second editions. A few years back, I removed all of my books from sale because I didn’t feel that they represented who I am anymore, not fully anyway. But, Paradise For The Ungodly is now published again, and available only directly from me, and I am waiting for the proof copy of Eyesight To The Blind to arrive. Once I’m satisfied that all is in order, I shall click on the button and it will be available to purchase on most major book sales platforms, including internationally.

I have tinkered with both books, removing bits here, adding bits there and also rewriting passages that don’t seem quite right five years down the road. To tease your taste buds, I have posted the covers below. They are only in the form of photographs, taken online, at the moment. But, I will be updating with better quality pics in due course. See you soon.

Do Not Chase The Tail

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I saw what I thought was an incredibly funny cartoon on social media recently, although I believe they are called memes these days. It was a take on the classic old spiritual thing of a seeker going up a mountain looking for a guru and/or enlightenment. The only thing was that this cartoon features dogs and not humans. I wish that I’d kept a copy because I cannot remember the caption word for word, but I think you will still get the gist of what I’m trying to say. Our intrepid canine friend reaches the mountain peak and there finds the wise guru dog sitting on a throne. The caption went something like this:

“Chase not the tail, for the tail is already yours”

Apart from finding it rather amusing I also found it very profound and it reminded me of something I’ve written about several times in the past. However, I’m not going to repeat myself here, I’m going to leave that to the masters:

“You are already that which you seek” – Ramana Maharsh

“Before enlightenment chopping wood, carrying water

After enlightenment chopping wood, carrying water” – Old Chinese proverb

“When the road ends and the Goal is gained the pilgrim finds that he has travelled only from himself to himself, that the way was long and lonesome, but, that the God whom he reached was all the while in him, around him, with him, and beside him! He himself was always Divine. His yearning to merge in God was but the sea calling out to the ocean.” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

Differences

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I remember many years ago when I was in the infants school, there was a Jewish girl in my class called Isobel Jo Rosenstein. When we had religious education (RE) classes, she would have to go and sit in a classroom all by herself because the RE classes were Christian based. Things might be different in schools these days; I’ve heard of some schools actually teaching all the major religions. But, recently, I’ve been thinking about Isobel even though I haven’t seen her for over 60 years. It occurred to me that at a very young age (we would have been around 5 or 6 years old) we were already being taught about division and difference. Now, I’m sure that Isobel’s parents were more than happy for her to be segregated instead of risking her being indoctrinated through the dogma of another religion. But It occurs to me that us kids were being taught that if someone was a bit different to us, then they should be segregated; almost “quarantined.” I like to think that today, Isobel would be welcomed into an RE class and invited to give her classmates a bit of an insight into her religion.

Now fast-forward from those days of ostracization to the recent news that the Church of England has appointed its first transgender archdeacon. This of course, is a huge step forward for the church, although inevitably it has caused division. To say that some “feather ruffling” has taken place would be an understatement. Within a certain context, I feel that this is a huge event for the LGBTQ+ community, who have had to battle in the face of adversity for so long, just to be regarded on an equal footing with so-called “normal” people. It’s great that diversity can be celebrated instead of being feared and discriminated against. Having said this, for me there is the bigger spiritual picture.

It most certainly is wonderful the way many of us celebrate diversity these days, how we see our differences as something that can bring us together. In the UK, for example, we have come a long way since the days when there were signs displayed in the windows of guest houses that said, “No dogs, No Irish, No coloured.” But, in ultimate reality we are all One consciousness; in truth, there are no differences. Until our species learns to look beyond differences and simply celebrates the beauty of who we are, there are going to be problems. There will always be bigots and there will always be sections of the community that will be the subject of bigotry.

“we are all One” is not a throwaway comment born out of new age ideology, it is an actual “thing.” There is only One soul, which is you…and me…and everyone else on the planet and beyond. We all shine with the same light because we are the same light, we all exist within the same field of infinite consciousness because we are that field of infinite consciousness. I think it’s too much to ask or expect, that all people everywhere suddenly see beyond the surface and gaze upon the beauty of the soul, but we are getting there, albeit slowly, and that is surely something to be celebrated.

Status: Is There Any Point?

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There is an old Italian proverb that goes:

At the end of the game both the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

I love that proverb. If you take it at face value, it is surely telling us that in life, it doesn’t matter who we are, we all end up leaving in a box. (Yes, I can hear you nit-pickers out there, saying not everyone goes in a box), but metaphorically, it is true. I, however, like to look at this proverb from a deeper level because this is where I think the beauty lies. For me, what this proverb is telling us is that status in life must be one of the most pointless things ever. Our true nature is that of consciousness, therefore we own nothing because we need nothing, and in ultimate reality, there is nothing to own. The same can be said of “owning” some sort of status, whether that be monarch, politician, mayor or company chairman. All such titles are superficial and any feelings of superiority are mind (ego) constructed. Life is very non-discriminative, when it comes calling it pays no mind to how much money you have in the bank or your job title.

Of course, let us also remember that as a species, we have the habit of imposing status onto others too. We describe other people in various ways, not all of them complimentary. in fact, we can be very creative and colourful in our descriptions of others. I think that this proverb is a very gentle reminder for all of us to stay grounded and to be aware that regardless of what is going on, on the surface, we are internally all one consciousness. Whether king or beggar, life can bite you on the ankles when you least expect it, so be kind, try not to judge and be grateful for everything that life offers.

 

If You See The Buddha Kill Him – Part Two

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Following on from my post from May 22nd, here are a couple of very apt quotes I came across in the book The Zen Teachings of Bodidharma authored by Red Pine and published by North Point Press ISBN 978-0-86547-399-7. They really resonated with me so I thought I would share them.

At the appearance of spirits, demons or divine beings, conceive neither respect nor fear. Your mind is basically empty. All appearances are illusions.

Eyes that aren’t attached to form are the gates of Zen.

 

 

If You See The Buddha Kill Him

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If You See The Buddha Kill Him is probably the most famous quote from the great Zen master and man of myth and legend, Bodhidharma. Taken literally, one would expect that it would be a very tongue-in-cheek thing to say. especially as the great Siddhartha Gautama (better known as The Buddha) had already long since left this life by the time these words were said to have been uttered. However, when we look deeper into this statement from the perspective of what Bodhidharma actually meant, we find something very profound indeed. For me, in my very  humble opinion, the meaning is twofold, and I shall share both views in this post.

Firstly, if you see someone coming towards you and he/she looks and acts like a Buddha (an enlightened one), then you can bet your life that it is not a Buddha. Buddhas walk among us unnoticed because awakened souls tend to be very unassuming and do not stand out from the crowd, not in the sense that the phrase “standing out from the crowd” is usually meant. Buddhas don’t need to stand out from the crowd from a “display” point of view because they reflect the light of consciousness wherever they go and mostly, only those who are spiritual seekers would recognise a Buddha-like act or gesture. A good example of this is the sage Ramana Maharshi. When the Maharshi first awakened, after a short space of time he made his way to the village of Tiruvannamalai, which sits at the foot of the holy mountain of Arunachala. He never left the area again until he gave up his body on the 14th of April 1950. He pretty much owned only the loin cloth on his back, nothing else, yet people from all over the world were attracted to his ashram, including the likes of Carl Jung and Somerset Maughan, simply because he reflected the light of consciousness.

So, the meaning of “If You See The Buddha Kill Him” from the above perspective, is don’t follow people who claim to be spiritual teachers, gurus and sages because if they were teachers, gurus and sages they wouldn’t have to make the claim.

Secondly, the meaning has to do with how people who are spiritual seekers quite often get attached to seeing clairvoyant visions, not realising that developing these types of attachments to psychic powers etc. will only hinder the quest for enlightenment. Clairvoyant visions (such as a vision of The Buddha during meditation) are not unlike our view of the world in day-to-day life. They are temporal forms that appear and disappear. That which appears and disappears is an illusion. The forms themselves are only real in that they are made, or comprised if you like, of consciousness. Consciousness is the eternally flowing river that never stays the same, hence form appears and disappears There is also the subject/object thing (the seer and that which is seen) going on here, which is duality and therefore also an illusion.

So, this is the meaning of “If You See The Buddha Kill Him”  from the above perspective. Do not get attached to or desire to develop psychic powers because this practice will only hinder your spiritual journey. Those who attain Buddhahood automatically develop such powers, but they see them for what they are and don’t worry about them. The attainment of Buddhahood or enlightenment is simply the realisation that you always were, are now, and always will be A Buddha, that once you attain Buddhahood the Buddha disappears.

Arrogance Or Ignorance?

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I recently attended a death café in my local area. If you are not familiar with the concept of “Death Café” it is well worth looking up on Google. I attended my first one a year ago this month; they are extremely inspirational events. Very briefly, it works on the principle that death is a very taboo subject for the vast amount of people, rather like the elephant in the room; if you ignore it long enough it will go away. So, death café, is a safe and comfortable space where people can come together, usually with refreshments, and discuss their thoughts and feelings around death and dying. What I personally like about these events is that there is no agenda; all views are valid and they are not religious or bereavement support groups. Depending on the number of attendees, people split into groups and the discussions tend to be very interesting, usually lasting for about an hour.

One lady who was in my group raised something that really got me thinking. She was talking about the cycles of nature and saying that every time she saw the Spring blossom growing on the trees, she always wondered if it would be the last Spring blossom she ever saw, as we never know when our time is going to come.  

That got me thinking about our species in general. Us humans are made of the same stuff as the rest of nature, the universe and beyond. So, if nature moves in cycles before our very eyes, constantly replenishing itself, does it not stand to reason that it is the same for the human race. After all, it has been scientifically proven that you can neither create nor destroy energy, and all of life, all of creation is energy. Why on earth would people think that, “when you are dead you are dead” or that a demonic god is going to cast some of us into eternal paradise and some of us into the eternal fire. Is it arrogance, that we think we are so superior that we have our own laws of physics separate from the rest of creation. Somehow, the universe has given the human race its own set of natural laws in recognition of our “loveliness.” I don’t think so, I think that it is ignorance, the ignorance of who we really are. I think that we succumb to our conditioning from a very early age during each lifetime and that this contributes greatly to our forgetting who we really are. 

It’s all part of the fun I suppose; the fun of remembering. And… for the life of me, I cannot understand why this business of energy (in relation to humans) replenishing itself has never occurred to me before.

The Road To Nowhere

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Ikkyu 1394 – 1481

I believe that I’ve covered this concept before. However, I don’t think that I’ve ever had a truer understanding of what it actually means until now. Stuff that I’ve been reading lately coupled with my own experiences have really brought home to me that there is no destination apart from the actual journey. Wherever we find ourselves in any particular moment is our destination; it is Divinely and perfectly exactly where we need to be in accordance with the soul’s agenda (desire), and the soul’s desire is the only thing that matters. It is also a reminder that we do not have to search for anything in this life; we are already that which we seek.

Life is an eternal series of cycles that gives consciousness the opportunity to express and know itself through the physical form. It is also the process via which the individual soul evolves into the remembrance of its true nature (consciousness).

I’m reminded also of the quote from ancient Japanese Zen master, Ikkyu:-

“Having no destination I am never lost.”

When The Avatar Comes Calling – Revisited

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Due to the rather incredible out of body experience I had recently, it prompted me to recall some of my more spectacular astral adventures from days gone by. As a result, I decided to revisit this truly amazing experience I had with the Avatar, Sri Sathya Sai Baba way back on the 17th of July 2012. As was the norm back then, the experience started off as a dream, but I ended up wide awake, in astral form and eyeball to eyeball with Baba. In the main, I have kept the post exactly as it was but, because my writing style has changed since the original I have made some very slight amendments. I hope you enjoy it.

I had an amazing experience this morning that ended at approximately 06.40.  It was so amazing, in fact, that as I sit here typing a little over four hours later, I am still trying to get my head around the whole business.  I have had Sai dreams before, but I can honestly say that this experience was on a par with the time Sri Sathya Sai Baba plucked me from my physical body and carried me away on an astral journey back in December 2006.

Strangely enough some details of the dream are very vague, especially the early stages.  But the main content remains very vivid in my mind.  Because of the vagaries of the early part of the dream I will start this account by relating what my heart is telling me occurred.  I was in a room that seemed quite small and I cannot remember the decor, but I must have been craving for Swami’s presence.  I vaguely remember calling out for him and then being raised up fairly high off the floor and finding myself facing a picture of him that was on one of the walls.  I became very excited about seeing Baba and even though the picture looked a bit un-Baba-like it was most definitely the God-man; with his orange robe and shock of black fuzzy hair.  His face was kind of different but his eyes were so real.  I do remember talking to him in a very enthusiastic way, when I look back now it was as though somewhere within me, at a very deep level, I knew he was coming.  but within seconds my experience was over.

Now this is the bit that I remember very clearly.  I was not happy with my experience being so short, but not in a negative way, and I started calling once again for Baba.  I must have been calling with such enthusiasm because all of a sudden Swami was there.  He was laying on a bed asleep and I appeared to be looking down at him.  I enthused “wake up Swami, wake up!”  He opened his eyes and within a split second we were standing face to face.  We were so close you could have barely got a cigarette paper in between us.  I did something next that under normal circumstances you would never do to an Avatar; I grabbed his right arm with my left hand as we faced each other (it was as solid as solid can be).  It was done in a nice way of course; I was so full of excitement.  I said “I’ve been missing you” and “speak to me Swami, speak to me”, but Baba just looked at me deadpan.  There was a great feeling of friendship between us that I could feel inside me, and I said to him “what’s up, cat got your tongue?”  I seem to remember saying “cat got your tongue” to him again and this time he gave that little Swami half-smile; like a cross between a smirk and an impish grin. 

Then he started speaking to me but I could only hear jumbled sounds coming out of his mouth that seemed distant and I was straining to try to understand him.  It was almost like the white noise you hear when you are trying to tune a radio in to your desired station, but right in the middle of the “noise” I made out the words “try not to worry so much.”  The look on his face was the look of a loving father, mother, sister, brother and friend all rolled into one.  He was as solid as solid can be and his form reminded me of how he looked back in the 1990’s.  There was signs that he was beginning to age but he had this fantastic youthfulness about him.  What was really apparent was that the whole experience was just so natural; a bit like making a cup of tea, it was almost as though it was expected that two friends would meet up and share a few moments of pure undiluted love.  He was so non-judgemental; accepting me exactly as I am in spite of all my little faults; and the love between us was beyond any words that you would find in a dictionary.  Then it was all over…

I suppose I should now say “and then I woke up”, but it wasn’t quite like that. It’s true to say that when the whole experience began it was most definitely a dream and I was certainly asleep.  But as Swami was interacting with me I was wide awake, I simply had my eyes closed; so the whole episode was played out on the inner plane.  When Baba had gone I just lay there in bed with my eyes closed; only opening them to look at the clock.  When I did look at the clock it said 06.45, so I am guessing that I was laying there for at least five minutes before looking.  What I found unusual was that I said to Swami “I have been missing you.”  That is not an expression I would normally use; I would normally say something like “I miss you”, “I missed you” or “you have been missed”.  I believe there are a number of deeper, hidden messages in here for me to unravel, and I may share them in a future post if it seems appropriate.

Finally, there was one particular detail about Baba’s physical form that I will not share because I believe it to be very personal between Swami and I.  But the reason for mentioning it is that Swami always works in ways that are very precise and literally everything with him has a meaning.  I believe he gave that tiny bit of detail as a gentle reminder for me not to get attached to the form.  I believe he came to me in that way because that is how I relate to him.  But at the same time he did not want to divert my attention too far away from the “formless”, so he gave me a little reminder that the physical body will deteriorate over time.

Oh what an experience!  How truly blessed I am!  Thank you so much Baba!

Jai Sai Ram.

A Letter To My 10 Year-Old Self

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I’ve had the absolute pleasure recently, through work, to be involved in several creative writing sessions. In the last session I attended the group was tasked with writing a letter of guidance to our 10 year-old self. We had to imagine that we were 90 year-olds and the letter also had to have a Spring theme, to coincide with the new life that is now springing up all around us. Well, I’m not sure if my letter met the Spring theme entirely, but there was a bit of a hint in there at least. I decided to share my letter via this blog because I found it to be the most beautiful exercise and I was quite struck by the way the words just seemed to flow from within me. Try it yourself, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Wow mate! What a kid you are! I know you don’t understand yet why things are the way they are, but you are doing just great. Remember, everything that you experience in life shapes you into the person you will evolve in to. Try not to worry about all the hurtful stuff, one day you will realise how lucky you are to have the insight that is developing within you, even as I write. Look to Mother Nature because she has much to teach you. For example, the beautiful blossom on the trees that line your road, and the adjacent roads, is there for all to enjoy.

Mother Nature doesn’t discriminate; her trees give fruit and shelter to all, regardless of status; both king and beggar alike can eat of the fruit and seek shelter in the shade.

You have noticed at a very young age the prejudice and inequality that exist in the world. But, look to Mother Nature; she will guide you. Just be yourself and be as the blossom – spread your love indiscriminately.

Smile and be happy.