The Bigger the Front, The Bigger the Back November 24, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Book Excerpts,Meditations,Personal Freedom , add a commentThe more outrageous the front, the more outrageous is the back. The back is the hidden; the unseen. When one understands that a show of bravado cannot conceal the opposite, then dealing with a showman will never be a mystery.
The words of someone skilled at talking it up, never present a reflection of the true story. This always rides on the back of deficiency or a lack of substance. Otherwise there would be no need for all the noise.
Watch the front very carefully! On the surface, it only masks the opposite. But we know the opposite is there. It has been there the entire time.
Someone that only shows you their smiley face is hiding their insincerity.
Someone that only shows you anger is hiding their fear.
Someone that only shows you sorrow is hiding their potential for joy.
In dealing with people, see the opposite in anything and everything.
This will allow you to see the whole story before the end of the first chapter.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
from ‘The Danger of the Secret’
More On Addiction – Short or Long Path? November 12, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , 2 commentsEvan has suggested that ‘seeing the goal can maybe give space to contemplate other ways to get there’. Yet, is freedom from addiction an achievement, something to become, somewhere to go? Or is it a way of living?
In other words, if addiction is the means whereby one is stripped of any meaningful relationship to sensitivity, it remains a dangerous proposition and is therefore something to be tenaciously and assiduously avoided. After all, sensitivity blooms only when dullness and repetition evaporate! How can replacement of a habit with a habit accommodate such a process? That’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Along the way, no doubt, there will be those who find that addiction cannot be dissolved in an instant; that it is something one learns to manage gradually. This a bit like the enlightenment game. One can either follow the short path or take the long path.
Patanjali says,
‘Take your time. There is no hurry. Once you overcome this, you can then focus your attention on overcoming that. Eventually, you will get there.’
Sosan says,
‘Strike while the iron is hot! Seeing the truth is like witnessing an enormous bolt of lightning in the darkest sky. Now is the time to do it! Don’t muck around! If you see it, that’s it! There is no need to go back.’
Both ways have their virtue of course. Both ways have their time.
What is important is to recognise the relevance of each to one’s personal quest. In doing so, one will also realise the extent to which procrastination has become a justifiable response to the challenge of living – which means that excuses for not responding attentively, sensitively, immediately, spontaneously, have crept in. With excuses come blame. When there is blame, there is the victim.
So I guess I’m a fan of the short path!
Addiction: The Bane of Sensitivity November 7, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations,Psychology,Wisdom Notes , 1 comment so farAfter an early morning Tai Chi session in Centennial Park the other day, my friend and I discussed the subject of addiction – to sex, drugs, fine food, wine, distraction and many other things. It has long been my view that if the nature of addiction can be understood completely, then it is unnecessary to establish and promote rehabilitation as a means to an end.
What do I mean by the complete understanding of addiction?
It’s relatively simple to grasp. Addiction is attachment – to someone or something. Strengthen the attachment and the more resistance there will be to giving it up. Attachment then becomes dependency. If I observe how I depend on you for my happiness, my safety, to give my life meaning, I absolve myself of taking any responsibility for what is actually going on in my life.
When I see this clearly, it becomes apparent that I am shackled. Restriction of this kind is in essence the seed of unhappiness because if I remain dependent, I will never develop the sensitivity to respond to life’s challenges with a fresh approach. Without vitality of this kind, it is impossible to let go of negative attitudes and behaviours.
So the way forward is to contemplate taking a fresh approach that is not burdened by limiting sensitivity. Addictions erode sensitivity. They are killers not so much in disguise as they are insidiously venomous creepers.
Happy 80th October 30, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , add a commentRecently, my father celebrated his 80th birthday. I had the good fortune to hang out with him on the grand occasion. Below is my account of it. What was especially enjoyable for me was watching how the old man conducted himself while his tribe did what they did to please him. There is certainly much to be said for growing old with dignity!
‘And so here we are gathered
To witness attainment
The conflict of time
Now disengaged
Four score years and the message is clear
That truly love really is all you need
At this tender juncture
Ambition has ceased
And the demons of sorrow
Have all been released
They fly in the face
Of our desperate attempts
To make peace with the past
To acknowledge the present
Yet something else stirs
Within and without
The lucidity of sages
The uncertainty of doubt
When fear drowns in the ocean
Of mercy and love
The glow of the heart
Is Spirit’s covenant
The old warhorse sits
At the table to eat
Images flash across his screen
He sees their suffering
He knows their pain
He feels their anguish
He smells the rain
Wherever he goes
Whenever he tries
Whatever the challenge
Despite the disguise
He breathes
And as he relaxes
They enjoy his peace’
Reading the Obituary October 12, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , add a commentRecently I confessed to someone that I frequently check out the obituaries in the newspaper. Somewhat curious, the listener asked why.
So I explained.
‘There’s nothing quite like seeing someone’s life spread out in front of you in black and white,’ I said.
‘It’s as if you are assessing the relative merits of this person’s search to find meaning in life. It includes the successes and the failures, the highlights and the low-lights, the quality of the vision, the clarity of the thinking, the urgency of manifestation, the sensibilities, the drive.’
A lifetime doesn’t really last for very long. It ends as quickly as it begins. It is like a bubble. A blink of the eye. And there is so much to learn and understand. When you look at the evidence before you in the obituary, this person’s attempt to reach an understanding of life, you look for the hints of intelligence, the connection to Spirit, the extent to which this person has actually grasped something of life, embodied it and surrendered to the will of the divine.
Occasionally, someone’s life turns out to be quite remarkable. In these instances it seems apparent that destiny demanded a forthright response to the challenge of living and got what it asked for. After all, in reality there are no children of a lesser God! The working off of karma is a big deal and everyone has to play the game.
Two Old Men – Two Spiritual Giants September 4, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips,Meditations,Wisdom Notes , 1 comment so farLao Tzu and Ekiken have a few things in common.
For starters, they both spoke the truth.
And secondly, they both understood the human condition.
Lao Tzu once said, ‘One’s life is in one’s own hands, not in heaven’s.’
Of course, you are given life by heaven at birth, but its length depends on how well you take care of it.
Ekiken said, ‘Until a person gets to be fifty years of age, his blood and vital spirit are not yet stable and his wisdom has not yet developed. What he says is frequently mistaken, and what he does he often regrets.’
The moral of the story is change your attitude – and be sure to take care of your body as well as your mind!
Tai Chi Mantra August 21, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations,Philosophy,Wisdom Notes , add a commentHe had spoken on and off as we strolled around the lake on our daily morning walk. The sun had just risen and there was the faintest shimmer on the surface of the water inviting those who could see it to admire the natural elements with tender respect.
‘Your arms furthermore must be as strong as steel rods wrapped in cotton, with immense power concealed therein. But the root is in the feet. The force is launched through the legs. It is controlled by the waist and expressed by the fingers.’
We were discussing the finer points of Tai Chi.
‘When the hands, waist and legs move, the eyes should follow their movements. The mind is the commander… and the body is subservient to it. When the mind is tranquil, the movements will be gentle and graceful. It follows then that when the mind is a mess, the movements will be chaotic.’
This was the wisdom of understanding I yearned.
Needless to say, I remained silent for the rest of the day.
Eternal Contemplation August 15, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , 2 commentsI was at dinner the other night when I found myself talking about a piece of advice I’d received over 25 years earlier. As the story goes, my mentor Luis had answered a question I put to him concerning the deeper meaning of life. We were walking on the beach at the time and just as the sun began to fall asleep in the gulf of Mexico and gentle sets of waves curtsied at my feet, the philosopher within stirred.
I wanted to know what it might be like when the time comes to face one’s maker, as it were. If there is a judgment of sorts, I wondered about the protocol. I had never subscribed to the theory that a brutal and condemnatory meeting takes place whereby the evil misdeeds of a lifetime are laboriously dredged from a metaphorical filing cabinet and laid on a table for the chief prosecutor to evaluate. And yet, nor did I discount it. Needless to say, I wanted some clarity.
‘There are only two things of importance really,’ Luis said rather laconically.
I looked at him sheepishly, hoping for elaboration.
For a very long minute, there was an interminable silence. Then he spoke.
‘Who have you helped? And what have you learned?’
I thought that was marvelous!
‘The Evening Bell’ August 1, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , add a comment‘In the grandfather temple down the hill, the evening bell, solemn and bronze, rings dimly.
Can you hear it?’ the monk asked me.
I could and nodded.
‘Perhaps it is the slow beat of the mountain’s heart…
or the determined pulse of the pine, growing out of the crotch of the slippery monkey tree!
Perhaps they really are all one – the bell, the mountain, and the tree.
And to this add the steady cicada vibrato…
as well as the bark of that little white dog with a freckle on its cheek.’
Then there is the quiet artist priest…
fashioning a bamboo crutch for the ancient peach tree.
Yet, everything is cool under this vertical forest so he is not bothered by the heat.
‘And let it be known that all are seeking in this place…
Yes!
And all are finding in this place too…
Hidden yet open to all, you will see the spirit in the cedar’s heart, if you look carefully enough.’
Ummon’s Reminder June 12, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations,Quote of the Week , add a commentThe abbot reminds Kolita of his destiny saying,
‘The road to truth is pathless my son. Do not forget that gathering medicines is the task of a spirit keeper and you are clearly one of them! And remember that medicines and sicknesses are mutually dependent. Therefore the entire universe is nothing but your medicine!’