Amidst the ocean of life
On its surface
From nothingness arises
the waves of its own essence
swelling into large towering columns
only to come crashing down again
while deep below
there is always ever
only a placid calm

Beneath the tumultous behavior that makes this life
this melodrama of suffering, misunderstanding, anger, attachment, fear
and a little bit of fleeting happiness
all there is
is love

We journey with one
not as a way to become further embroiled in our own basic misunderstanding
but so that we may dive to the bottom of our soul
find that calm
and resurface
with an unshakeable calm

that we may learn to love all

Anna and I were talking this morning about living in harnony with nature
I was just discussing a proposal I put together for a Green Company
and we reflected upon the spiritual connection
and there is a deep one

Living in Harmony with nature
building human ecosystems that flow with the land, the sea and the sky
instead of cities that have no place for other species,
oceans that are dumping grounds for human waste
skies that are pierced by millions of alien pipes
pumping disproportionate amounts of CO2 and other waste gases into it

Our entire mentality as a species
has been an egoistic one
we do what we want, when we want, how we want
with total disregard for the environment

We treat the environment
as an infinite resource to be mined
and an infinite waste sink to pump our pollution into
In essence
we take what we want
we throw away what we don't
attachment
aversion

We ignore the basic law of cause and effect
We continue doing things the same old way
because the price of change is "too much"
meanwhile ignoring the fact that
the price for doing things the same old way
is going actually beyond measure
"Too much" is always way less than infinity!

We try to ignore the effects of our causes
but they are getting more and more difficult to ignore
The hardcore skeptics will be denying it
even as their homes sink into the ocean
or if they do acknowledge it
it will be too late to apologize, won't it?
What value does a skeptic's apology have to us
when the entire planet has been compromised?
The skeptics will do what skeptics will do
based on their obscurations
they have no choice
People with more awareness will do what they do
based on awareness
we have no choice

one small personal act of pollution is not much
but that very same attitude
multiplied a billion times
is disaster

People are disconnected
not seeing the relationship
between the personal and the social
The "personal /social disconnect"
not seeing that their very acceptance of their "trivial" behavior
is the very root of the problem

A billion people who don't care too much
makes the world an uncaring place
where uncaring is expressed in every little way possible

A billion people who care a little
makes the world a caring place
where caring is expressed in every little way

If you don't think you will make a difference
then by that very thought
YOU WILL NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy

LIving in harmony with nature
is acknowledging that we are a part of nature
not above it, not below it
but a part of it

It is letting go of the attitude
that we are better than nature
and therefore can abuse it in any way we see fit

Working in harmony
so that we take we it can give us
and we give what it needs in return
taking care of it
so that it can, in turn take care of us

There is an interesting article / audio segment at What Is Enlightenment magazine...a dialogue between Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilbur.

It is entitled In search of a new moral compass. I am just curious as to what Gaians think about this as this subject has been of great interest to me for many years.

How does one make room for morality, which consists of good and evil, right and wrong (which is so necessary for coexistence in society) with the nondual experience of emptiness and realization. The 2 seem to contradict each other so how can both coexist?

Not having had a deep realization experience myself, I can only say that my predominantly dualistic view is a limitation and colors everything. I have, til now basically let go of hoping to understand this rationally from a dualistic point of view and am left with the assumption that it can only truly be "understood" once one has had a substantial and lasting taste of the nondual.

However, since Ken Wilbur has had a deep realization experience but still considers it important, this makes me think of the issues again.

She lay lifeless in her bed
now, just the top mattress lying on the floor in the center of her bedroom

The beautiful summer weather outside
cannot masquerade the pain bound by these four walls
the pain of a life essence preparing to leave its home of so many years
and of a grandson's heart yearning for it to stay

A body, once so vital and animated
now completely sapped of energy
that I must move her limbs for her
like a pupeteer pulling the strings of a puppet
because she herself
no longer has the strength to do so

My heart aches beyond anything I could imagine
A wave of sadness continually sweeps over my body
This being whom I journeyed with for 3 decades
whose being is so intertwined with mine
now in her last moments
I travel with her now
as I always knew I must

Too weak to speak
eyes closed, she extended her arms to me
pulling me to her body

Her face, written with such deep suffering
too weak to even utter a single word
all she wants
is to hold me
she musters up enough energy
to pull me close to her body
She is so tired
I can feel her weariness
as our heads lay next to each other
my cheek on hers
In this silence
there is so much feeling being said

In that room
on that summer's day
while children played outside,
people rode their bikes, strolled on the beach
and driving to and from work
a grandmother and her beloved grandchild
were holding each other for one last time

I felt her love sweep into me
as it had always done in the 3 decades
that I had come to love this beautiful, amazing little yogini
I held her with my heart and she mine
She held me with all her strength
I could feel her giving me a message
I could feel her saying goodbye to me
I said "I love you, grandma"
and she whispered back "I love you"

As tears streamed from my eyes
I did not want to let her go
I did not want our journey to end
I never want this journey to end
but I also knew that life gives us little choice
It forces us to learn the hard lessons of letting go
Damn this life
it's so difficult

In that moment
we held each other for an eternity
we still do

We are born
we live
we meet strangers
strangers become friends
become loved ones
we die

We are here to learn
May all beings learn to embrace pain as our greatest teacher
and learn to let go, to accept death
knowing there is a deep lesson and beauty in it
a gateway to a higher truth
which once discovered
will point this love to bear witness to its own profound, infinite source

I wish blessing to all beings
who have to say goodbye to those they love
I wish you all a beautiful journey
and to say that life exists on the other side of death
We all have to let go of others
on our way
to letting go of ourselves