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Who are you? Where are you going?
lobster
Crusty Veteran
. . . first a poem . . .
Attitude is Everything
Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
~ Francis Altazar-Schwartz ~
. . . then a quote . . .
"The great events of world history are, at bottom, profoundly unimportant. In the last analysis, the essential thing is the life of the individual. This alone makes history, here alone do the great transformations first take place, and the whole future, the whole history of the world, ultimately spring as a gigantic summation from these hidden sources in individuals. In our private and most subjective lives we are not only the passive witnesses of our age, and it sufferers, but also its makers"
Carl Gustave Jung, CW 10, para. 315
. . . and now a question or two . . . the easy ones first . . .
Who are you? Where are you going?
PS. I am not the little guy waving goodbye . . .
:wave:
Attitude is Everything
Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
~ Francis Altazar-Schwartz ~
. . . then a quote . . .
"The great events of world history are, at bottom, profoundly unimportant. In the last analysis, the essential thing is the life of the individual. This alone makes history, here alone do the great transformations first take place, and the whole future, the whole history of the world, ultimately spring as a gigantic summation from these hidden sources in individuals. In our private and most subjective lives we are not only the passive witnesses of our age, and it sufferers, but also its makers"
Carl Gustave Jung, CW 10, para. 315
. . . and now a question or two . . . the easy ones first . . .
Who are you? Where are you going?
PS. I am not the little guy waving goodbye . . .
:wave:
1
Comments
Heading for the grave and rebirth as a Spiny Dogfish.
Who are you, and what do you want?
I really feel that it should be easy to avoid these bloody potholes, but it's not...
I'm trying the 'be' thing right now.....then maybe I'll
move on to the 'are'.
or another place that you could be?
I am looking under rocks, tarps, logs, couch cushions; skulls, appearances, reactions; behind signs and portents. It makes sense out of the big stuff, for some reason.
As we all know identity or intention can be symbolic. I will be more of a practitioner as soon as my relaxing meditation chair is affordable or I can find the time or money to be cloistered.
I (yes there really is such a thing) picked up my last mala from an Islamic shop, scared Allah half to death. Another is made from an African wooden bead necklace.
So far I have not found a symbolic toy substitute for being still with my mind but we can live in hope . . .
and now back to the real . . .
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/prophetormadman/2011/11/05/he-who-has-the-most-toys-when-he-dies-wins/
We face most things in life, we have no choice. The reason it is useful to ask and put away our foolish expressions, is not because they have no potential for service, far from it. We go beyond toy dharma because toys distract our practice away from the simple questions:
What am I doing? Why am I doing it?
One is form. One is empty. Same set of toys. Different play.
thread. I should come straight to you...and go from there.
Second...I don't expect you to 'dumb yourself down' for me...and I
would ask that you not expect me to 'always figure it out'.
Playing the riddler can leave the other person feeling not so
equal and respected...if you know what I mean.
It can come across (to me) as "It's for me to know, and you
to find out". Open communication is a two way street and this
learning and sharing I'm here to do...takes just that.
It's okay to remove the mask, sometimes.
One day you might meet a riddler that's more riddled than you.
Third...when all is said and done, your still my brother/lobster, and
I love your humoUr and your ability to get 'out of the box'. hahaha
Your dharma toys are some of my favorites...
I say this with the intention of love and understanding.
Gratitude for listening.
Just say, "I don't know."
It's perfectly ok to not know.
Nevermind...his online persona.
Ok.
According to tradition, Bodhidharma, the first Zen patriarch of China, came to visit Emperor Wu around 520. The emperor told Bodhidharma that he had built temples and given financial support to the monastic community, and asked the patriarch how much merit he had gained for these actions. Bodhidharma replied, "None whatsoever." Perplexed, the emperor then asked the eminent monk who he was to tell him such things, to which he answered, "I don't know." Bodhidharma then left the imperial court to continue his travels throughout China.
Later Emporor Wu wrote:
"Alas! I saw him without seeing him;
I met him without meeting him;
I encountered him without encountering him;
Now as before I regret this deeply!"
"'I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.' ...
"'I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.' ...
"'I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.' ...
"'I am the owner of my actions,[1] heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.' ...
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.057.than.html
Hey wait a minute. Who is this I who is subjected to all these things?
http://www.wisdompubs.org/sites/default/files/preview/Being Nobody Book Preview.pdf
Or, if you want a "zen answer" you could say I'm a rhinoceros and I'm going to a birthday party on the plant pluto, where they have birthday pie instead of birthday cake, even though pluto is no longer a planet!
I could see in my wing mirror though that it was ok and went scuttling up the tree again probably to sit in wait and surprise the next motorist polluting its world. Perhaps it was a boddhisattva squirrel. Can animals be boddhisattvas? lol I'll leave that for someone else to post and put all your backs up!
It happens.
The other day I was cycling, very slowly when I came across two dogs. They looked mature. The path was wide, I cycled in front of the more mature dog and he obliviously choose the moment to run under my wheel. I braked. He yelped and was unhurt.
It happens. If I cycled any slower around tourists taking pics, toddlers with minds of their own and people distracted by life the universe and everything . . . I would be walking.
However on the road, I go a little faster.
No, that's another label. It's something you do to occupy your time and put food on the table, but it's not 'where you're going'.... Evading the question or giving a flippant answer does not answer the question.
Just say, "I don't know."
It's perfectly ok to not know.
I think FP does know. I'll follow his example and go to work too.
Steady now . . . we can find wisdom and bad life examples everywhere . . . Some have limited life options . . . some good jobs . . . some born to dharma practitioners . . . some pointing to themselves . . .
OM MANI PEME HUM
Sorry, I might have killed him. But if it makes you feel better, you might have eaten him last time you had fish and chips.
Right. You are a vegetarian. My bad.