PEACE LOVE YOGA: Taiwan

Burnt To Ash

"All Inquiry is meant for one purpose; to take you experientially into the unknown as efficiently as possible. Once you get there, simply be still because inquiry has delivered you to its destination. The rest is up to Grace. Do not hold onto any knowledge that comes your way. Even the greatest revelations much not be clung to, or you will end up with a head full of memories and a heart empty of substance. The truth is ever new, existing only in the now. The highest truth is beyond knowledge and experience. It is beyond time and space, and beyond beingness, consciousness, and oneness. Just remember that all direct path techniques are meant simply to undermine, to cut away, the one who is performing them. No matter what spiritual path you've walked or what teachings you've followed, they must lead you back to no path and no teaching. A true teaching is like a blazing fire that consumes the itself. The teaching must not only consume you, but consume itself as well. All must be burned to ash, and then the ash must be burned. The, and only then, is the Ultimate realized. True Enlightenment destroys enlightenment. As long as you can refer back to yourself and say, 'I'm enlightened', you not. Enlightenment is authentic only when there is no one left to be enlightened. Even to say 'I am nobody', is one too many. There's a point when you intuitively realize that to be Free you have to give up your attachment to Freedom. You have to quit asking yourself: Is it still there? Am I okay? You have to decide to never look over your shoulder again to see if you're free or if others know you're free. You just have to let yourself burn there - no matter what. This isn't something I can help you with. I can tell you what you need to do, but you have to do it. In the beginning, teachers can help a lot. But the deeper you go, all they can do is point, and clarify, and tell you what you need to do. Only you can take this step. Nobody can push you in to this place."

- Adyashanti

No Expectations

A spirit that lives in this world

and does not wear the shirt of love,

such an existence is a deep disgrace.

Be foolishly in love,

because love is all there is.

There is no way into presence

except through a love exchange.

If someone asks, But what is love?

answer, Dissolving the will.

True freedom comes to those

who have escaped the questions

of freewill and fate.

Love is an emperor.

The two worlds play across him.

He barely notices their tumbling game.

Love and lover live in eternity.

Other desires are substitutes

for that way of being.

How long do you lay embracing a corpse?

Love rather the soul, which cannot be held.

Anything born in spring dies in the fall,

but love is not seasonal.

With wine pressed from grapes,

expect a hangover.

But this love path has no expectations.

You are uneasy riding the body?

Dismount. Travel lighter.

Wings will be given.

Be clear like a mirror

reflecting nothing.

Be clean of pictures and the worry

that comes with images.

Gaze into what is not ashamed

or afraid of any truth.

Contain all human faces in your own

without any judgement of them.

Be pure emptiness.

What is inside that? you ask.

Silence is all I can say.

Lovers have some secrets

that they keep.

(Rumi)

Teaching in Taiwan. Highlights.

19.9.12

I can't believe how quickly time has passed since my time in Taiwan. I miss all the inspiring students I met during the trip. To say that my heart is full is an understatement. It is OVER- FLOWING! What an incredible feeling that is. I am humbled by the heartfelt sincerity offered, the willingness, and enthusiasm. What more can I say! It is always the students who make the experience.

Just Give Me This . . .

27.8.12

Just give me this:

A rinsing out, a cleansing free

Of all my smaller strivings

So I can be the class act God intended,

True to my purpose,

All my energy aligned behind my deepest intention.

And just this:

A quieting down,

A clearing away of internal ruckus,

So I can hear the huge stillness in my heart

And feel

How I pulse with all creation,

Part and parcel of Your great singing ocean.

And this too:

A willingness to notice and forgive the myriad times

I fall short,

Forgetting who I am,

What I really belong to.

So I can start over,

Fresh and clean,

Like sweet sheets billowing in the summer sun,

My heart pierced with gratitude.

--Belleruth Naparstek

Emptying. Over the course of the last several months I've had to empty myself. Painful, scary, liberating all at the same time. When I empty, what I cling to becomes evident. What doesn't serve me becomes clear. When I empty of all that is unnecessary I see what is then worth holding on to, and IT is what is holding me. Grace. God. Love. Whatever you want to call it . . . What a welcome release that is.

As my trip in Taiwan starts to wind down I am reminded how honored I am to be able to do what I do. I have worked with some of the most warm hearted people imaginable and truly I have learned so much from the experience. A part of me will always be tied to this island nation. Always. And, I have the people who inhabit it to thank.

Buddha Memorial Center. More Pics!

23.8.12

Serene. Majestic. Here are more photos of my day trip to The Buddha Memorial Center, in Kaoshiung, I thought I'd share. Taken from a real camera and not my iPhone! Imagine that.

Breath is the Bridge

8.8.12

Stockholm

"Our breath is the bridge from our body to our mind, the element which reconciles our body and mind and which makes possible oneness of body and mind. Breath is aligned to both body and mind and it alone is the tool which can bring them both together, illuminating both and bringing both peace and calm." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Breath is the bridge. This has been my mantra this week . . . Honestly, I've been going through some interesting stuff internally during my stay in Taiwan. Once I attain some semblance of clarity, I will share. I've been working various balance points, and it has been a challenge. Planning for the future which requires intense focus, all the while, staying present, stepping into various roles, and still feeling connecting to my center, can be an interesting dynamic to play around with. To say the least, I've been touched by the warmth of the people and community in Taiwan. So in that regard, I feel grateful. Experiencing internal upheaval has in many instances given me the opportunity to recess my direction, my life, hopes and dreams. Also, a big one for me is what is holding me back? That, more than anything, has been a big issue for me. I know where much of it has manifested and truly sometimes I wonder if I will ever heal from it? I am sure many of you out there can attest to this. When stricken with certain events and misgivings in life often we find better ways to cope, but maybe haven't truly resolved or come to terms with it fully. I am only human, and when I start to feel the cracks in my being, though painful, brings me closer to my humanity. I soften. I come out of the numbing. So much in life pulls us out of the quiet and the stillness, but it is only here where we can find our truth.

Buddha Memorial Center, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

26.7.12

Exactly a week ago I had the opportunity to visit The Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan on our celebratory moon day off. I took a fair amount of pictures as you can see. Stunning, peaceful, massive, are just a few words that come to mind in remembrance. However, I couldn't help but take amusement in the fact there was a Starbucks in the main pavilion. Buddha likes his coffee too! If ever in Taiwan this place is a must see for your travel list. The complex stretches out beyond the main entrance. Be prepared to do a fair share of walking. I enjoyed this fact. In each pagoda there were various Buddhist themes to take in or little shops to wonder around. I really appreciated the fact the center catered to people of all ages, especially families. There is even a side area for children to enjoy. Through out the center the nuns hosted many of the various sites on the grounds. I didn't see any monks though. Not sure why that is. Below I have a further description posted in regards to the site.

From the brochure:

"The Buddha Memorial Center, situated at Dashu District, Kaohsiung City, is built on 100 hectares of land, and houses the Buddha's tooth relic that was presented to Venerable Master Hsing Yun by the Tibetan Lama, Kunga Dorje Rinpoche, who had kept the relic in his safekeeping for 30 years. The Kunga Dorje Rinpoche was touched by the efforts of Fo Guang Shan, an active propagation center of Humanistic Buddhism. Construction of the Buddha Memorial Center commenced in 2003 and took nine years to complete. The building is made possible with the support of thousands of temples and millions on benefactores. It comprises eight pagodas in the front, a big Buddha stature in the rear, the Vulture Peak in the south, and the Jetvana Grove in the north. It encompasses traditional and modern features which fulfills the functional needs of culture, education, and spiritual practice.

The main buildings are laid out along a central axis from east to west in the following order: the Front Hall, the Eight Pagadas, the Grand Photo Terrace, the Bodhi Wisdom Concourse, The Main Hall and the Fo Guang Big Buddha.

Like a Buddhist university, the Buddha Memorial Center aims to offer spiritual refreshment and bring harmony to society by means of culture and art."