subtle form

a subtle form which defies explanation.

there is a place that we each can go,

a shelter beyond the mundane existence

that seems to rule our lives.

it is the existence of eternity,

it is the face of infinity

that we fear.

yet this infinite presence

is with us each moment

and with each breath that we take.

I can see it in the shadows

of the large eucalyptus trees,

and I can hear it in the echo

of the albatross' song,

I can feel it in the warmth of the

mid-day sun against my skin,

it is timeless,

it is breathless,

it is beyond thought

and beyond understanding.

and yet you know

of what I speak

is true

and tangible

in this world of great illusion.

it is the name

of the nameless,

and the face

of the faceless.

and yet our lives

spring forth from it

every second that we breathe.

I can't define it,

or you or me

in the quantum physics

of a universe gone mad,

and yet I am simple

and present

and beyond any concept

that I had a moment ago.

but concepts are many

and our ideas become rampant,

it is in the quiet time of this peace

that overcomes me like a wave,

I don't ask for it,

I only know of it

I can't say it

or know it

or hold it in my hands.

but I know full well

with my entire existence,

that what I speak of exists

in a tangible way.

there is doubt

and there is belief

but what I have is faith

beyond measure.

it is borne on the wings

of a truth built on now.

and in this now

lies the entire cosmos

laid bare for all of us to see.

it is here

and not someplace else

that we come to find ourselves.

and in that instant

that we find it

then we know who we are,

and our loved ones

and our cherished ones

are safe

and protected from harm.

earth

the earth brings life

and grounds us within

her loving embrace

and bears her fruit

for all to share in abundance.

the wind carries aloft

on the breezes of spring

the seeds of existence

and the birds of the air.

the fire of our passion

and the fire of heat

gives life and expression

to our simple human existence.

the water of this world

is the universal solvent

and washes away both

the soiled and misguided intent.

the elements of life

are actually all one

it is merely our thoughts

that separate them into pieces

that life presented whole.

world union

we are in the midst

of a world in union

and the separation of thought.

do we see an image,

or do we exist in the moment?

there is no outside

nor is there a tangible inside,

yet we make this

and it has somehow

come to exist

as our world of thoughts.

there is a dance

in which we circle

round and round

till we come back

to the place

where we began.

humanity is the essence

running through all

of our veins,

so why call others by a name?

if we must

use a name,

just call you me;

and know that

I am you.

love is like the

transcendent blue sky,

ideas are merely

clouds forming

and dissipating

in the clear azure sky.

the sky is always present

and never denies

the clouds from forming,

yet when the clouds must leave

the sky is never holds on.

be the sky

and let the misty places pass

of their own volition.

be as the unborn essence

of your original existence

within the timeless grace

of the dance.

perfection

there are moments

when life seems so perfect

and life is grand and wide

and for all of eternity

there is this kiss

on our cheek

that lets us know

that love is the place

of sanctity and grace.

it is within your eyes

that the universe

in its vast transparency

is allowed to yield

its only bless’d treasure.

Lala

a finger pointing at the moon.

Kashmiri Poetess Lala who lived in the 14^th Century:

about enlightenment and her direction she said;

in this state there is no Shiva,

nor any holy union.

only a somewhat something moving

dreamlike on a fading road.

when asked about sacred practices she said;

there are those sleeping who are awake,

and others awake who are sound asleep.

some of those bathing in the sacred pools

will never get clean.

and there are others

doing household chores

what are free from any action.

Enlightenment absorbs this universe of qualities

when that merging occurs, there is nothing

but God. This is the only doctrine.

there is no word for it, no mind

to understand it with, no categories

of transcendence or non-transcendence,

no vow of silence, no mystical attitude.

there is no Shiva and no Shakti

in enlightenment, and if there is something that remains,

that whatever it is

is the only teaching.

version translations by Coleman Barks

an answer

the ultimate question always becomes

what am I or what is this?

no answer and surely no reply

can ever touch the depth

beyond a simple not knowing mind.

experience

outside of thinking—

acknowledgement

without cognitive process—

realization

functioning on its own—

thinking becomes subservient

to our actual awareness…..

don’t stress

just be

and allow

your true self

to shine forth

with no intervention

returning

should the universe

return in upon itself

or our happiness

strain at the trials of life,

the brilliant illumination

of the jewels within our

body house–

contained in that sacred

heart shrine of equanimity,

we have vowed

to cherish this love

which came from god–

and of which no thought

could ever hold its true majesty–

by eternally nourishing

the constant flowing forth

is our lifetime of passion,

tenderness, and friendship.

the price of our hearts

is the debt we must repay

to Vishnu or whatever god

was there to witness the

sanctified bless’d union.

valuing the we

and nullifying the ‘I’

love is the world

that we inhabit.