welcoming flies at the picnic

mighty joe henry

I don’t call

any song finished if I don’t

think that it somehow is vibrating with

the awareness of how we live in spite of the inevitable.

Which is what all spirituality is, is how do we come into being,

how do we live fully in the constant, conscious knowledge

that we won’t always? How do you invest in the idea

of any real commitment in the face of

everything being finite?

…We’re sort of

seduced into thinking that here’s life,

and there’s these bad things that can happen,

obstacles that just fall into your road, as if the obstacle

is not the road. You know? We want to think that all things

being equal, we should be content all the time, and would

be, except for these pesky flies that want to ruin

every picnic. As if that isn’t what

the picnic is.

Joe Henry

❤️

have a listen to

Welcoming Flies at the Picnic,

it will gladden your

💜

light inside and dark outside

liu i-ming

People’s intellect and knowledge are like the light of a lamp. If that light is mistakenly used outside, in a contentious and aggressive manner, aiming for name and gain, scheming and conniving day and night, thinking a thousand thoughts, imagining ten thousand imaginings, chasing artificial objects and losing the original source, light on the outside but dark inside, this will go on until the body is injured and life is lost.

If people give up artificiality and return to the real, dismiss intellectuality and cleverness, consider essential life the one matter of importance, practice inner awareness, refine the self and master the mind, observe all things with detachment so all that exists is empty of absoluteness, are not moved by external things and are not influenced by sensory experiences, being light inside and dark outside, they can thereby aspire to wisdom and become enlightened.

Light that does not dazzle progresses to lofty illumination; therefore a classic says, “The great sage appears ignorant, the great adept seems inept.”

Liu I-Ming

awakening to the tao

hard copy

friendship among brothers and sisters

a buddha was born

Real friendship among brothers and sisters on the Sufi path includes the following eight responsibilities:

Material aid. Help your companions with food, or money, or other things they need for their own survival or development.
Personal support. If they are sick, visit them; if they are busy, help them, if they have forgotten, remind them.
Respect. Do not complain of their faults to them or to others. Do not give advice when you know it can not be acted upon.
Praise and attention. Praise the good qualities of your companions, and let them know that you care for them.
Forgiveness. Forgive your companions for their failings.
Prayer. Pray for the well-being of your companions with the same fervor you pray for your own well-being.
Loyalty. Be firm in your friendships so that you can be depended on by those who put their trust in you.
Relief from discomfort. Do not create awkward or difficult situations that involve your companions. Do not be a burden to others.