The leaves of life are falling one by one.
– Omar Khayyam
Like leaves, we come into this life, are here for a few days, and then are gone. Nobody remembers us, and nobody misses us.
As long as we believe that we are separate, we inevitably have to die. Our immortality is in the whole, which never dies. In living just for personal profit and pleasure, no matter under what philosophical name we may call it, our real personality withers away. It cannot be otherwise.
When you become aware that you are not a leaf but the tree, something amazing happens in your life: you are able to act spontaneously, almost effortlessly, for the good of all.
This is the proof of your awareness that you are the tree: everywhere it will motivate you, everywhere you will see what contribution you can make. You won’t have to deliberate the pros and cons. You won’t need a computer to provide you with a plan of action. You will know instinctively, intuitively, the needs of those around you. What’s more, it will seem natural to change even long-established habits, to drop something that before would have given you pleasure, if it means the tree may flourish.
--Eknath Easwaran
Some of the commentators on this blog seem to take a dim view of the notion that we are the entire tree and not merely a single leaf. They seem to think that each of us should look out for himself and that it's a sign of weakness to ask for help from others and a "fantasy" to work toward being able to give help to others when they need it. But those who know that we are the whole tree can live accordingly and lift others by the irresistible force of example to the same insight and joy in selfless service.
8 comments:
And who are you selflessly serving?
You realize that it is hypocritical to wait around for the government to do what you need to do right now, voluntarily, of your own volition after having found your treelike nature, like it says in the post. I don't guess you'll ever discern the distinction.
Please stop confusing Marxism with inspired spirituality.
Perhaps it is you, my friend, who is lacking in discernment of important distinctions.
I would say he is serving those of us who look at his writings from time to time and are sometimes inspired. Sometimes not so inspired. As to dogging him about waiting around for the government to do something. Is that not what these programs are there for to be used by "we the people"? Or is it only certain "we the people" the programs are in place for? Get over yourself was a well used phrase in our home when my parents were alive. I'll use it for you now. Get over yourself and stop with the holier than thou attack on someone I am quite fond of.
Thank you, Jess. Good to see you back. I hope you had a wonderful vacation and are feeling MAHVELOUS.
Did you ever learn to get over yourself Jess? Maybe your mommy was right about you.
As for the nagarjuna wannabe, he is about as slow and closed minded as anyone I've yet read. Are you sure you've been inspired by his writings or the volumes he quotes from other sources?
The programs are in place for those who absolutely need them otherwise they produce a populace which becomes ever weaker and unable or unwilling to do for themselves with an ever growing entitlement mentality and an ever shrinking gratitude factor.
I mean, look at this clown, he's 53 has no job and no prospects yet he's going to eventually become some sort of philanthropist. Wake up and smell the coffee. You'll amount to nothing because all you've done your whole life is fantasize! Nothing's going to change until you get real! Do I want to pay for him and more like him? FUCK NO!!!!!
So by that same token, I can say that I don't want my taxes to pay for things I don't necessarily like? Not how it works is it? As far as me getting over myself, was hardly used except in my teen years when I had to learn to deal with my very young childhood through therapy. Thanks for your concern and obvious compassion for others though.
Inspiration comes to me from all directions when I am open to recieving it. Sometimes it is good sometimes not so good. I tend to take the good with the bad and sort it out for myself when I can.
While there are people that do take advantage of the programs we are discussing, we need to look into reasons people use these programs and not be so hasty with our judgements that all are lazy people. Were you to meet me, you would think I had it all, what you don't know is I have suffered with cancer this year, both my parents have died in the space of 12 months and I am still suffering as a result of being abused as a child. Would you be able to see that through my writing here? Probably not, just as some of my friends don't even think about it anymore. For the record, I just graduated with a Masters degree while going through chemo treatments, so you know what kind of person I am. What I am trying to get at, is none of us knows why another person is in the situation they find themselves in. Best not to judge lest you be judged. Anyway, I am now going to apologise to you for coming on so strongly initially, and hope we can have a better dialogue next time. There is enough anger and hate right now, I don't want to add to it and I am sure you don't either. Peace to you wherever you may find it.
i alos wanna point out that counter mag is many and not just one and i'm not sure who is posting all the angry crap
i want them to go away or get happy
they're bringin me down
sorry people, that's just what happens when you give people total freedom, they sometimes abuse it...
Although I'm not sure exactly what Counter Mag is, I DO understand that it's a group effort. I suspect that the poster of the "angry" comments is someone who frequents another website that I won't bother to name. If that's the case, he or she has probably joined your blog fairly recently.
For what it's worth, the only way that this person's comments bother me is that I feel sadness that he or she feels the need to belittle others. It seems like such a waste of our natural potential to be an uplifting source of inspiration and joy to our fellow human beings. I pray that this individual will begin to tap into that potential over time and be the best person that he or she can be.
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