Grass, Pine Trees and Lake at Dusk

What are we to do?

Ah, we would if we could! Isn’t that the game that is the spiritual search? To give up? To surrender, to relax into Being, to plunge back into the no-thing?

But here’s the point: it’s always turned into a doing, isn’t it? “I need to give up! Why haven’t I been able to give up yet!?”. And so the game goes on. The mind will turn anything into a doing. It will even turn a not-doing into a doing, and spend the rest of its life trying to do that! Trying to do nothing! Oh, the wonderful games the mind plays, trying to save itself. It really doesn’t want to die. And so it creates all these terrifying stories about death. And it keeps itself going. Always seeking, always wanting, always hoping. Always fleeing from an illusory past, aiming towards a made-up future. - Jeff Foster

Rainbow Water, Sky and Rocks

Twisted Trees

Unconditional

That which we seek is, by definition always something else, is it not? Whatever we are looking for is always some other time, always some other place. We are never seeking the state we are for that state is already present! And though we traverse the inner and outer worlds in search of that elusive “something else,” there will never be a “something else.” There will always be only this. . .

Now, it would be easy to hear such a message and then try to put an end to all the searching. But of course, the effort to not look for something else is to look for something else. The struggle to be free of the search and “accept what is” is, ironically, to turn away from what is, to turn away from the experience of “not-accepting.” But turning away from what is and seeking out some other experience or state of mind is to simply seek out some other experience or state of mind. In other words, it is not actually a problem. It is simply the way life moves, simply what is. . .

So, what would become of the search if there were no effort to end it? What would happen to the experience we call “seeking” if all the spiritual manipulations and strategies to make it disappear were to cease? . . . - John Astin

Lake, Creek and Sunset

Goodnight, Jordan Lake

Winter Wonderland

On a Winter's Day

"Powerful" experiences

. . . So-called “powerful” experiences are really no more important or worthy of attention than seemingly less powerful or significant ones. The mind’s tendency is to divide the world up, to split reality into what it likes (and thinks is worthwhile and desirable) and what it dislikes (and sees as less worthwhile or desirable). There are those experiences mind deems to be meaningful and extraordinary and those it considers to be quite ordinary, maybe even meaningless. But presence or awareness - the mystery that is awake - does not see the world this way. It is radically and unconditionally open to things and experiences, as they are, regardless of their particular taste, texture, or feel. This that is Awake sees beyond the mind’s preferences. It recognizes that every moment is a gift, every moment the miracle, not just the ones that match our particular preferences and desires. - John Astin

Frozen Forest

Snowy Pines and Grass

Fog, Water and Trees in Winter

Swamp Colors in Winter

Teaching you to become something

All the teachers are doing is teaching you to become something.

All teaching is about becoming something, becoming still, becoming whatever. And always you're going to become it, you never are it, but you're going to become it. If you try a bit harder, you'll get there. That's crap, that's just crap. You are there, you are this, This is it. . . - Tony Parsons

Trees, Water, Sky

Spiritual work is not a prescription

It may well happen that your life will be of arduous spiritual work but one single moment of clear seeing puts an end to it. Also, it may be revealing to know that that conclusive freeing insight or understanding has been recorded to happen through people who are not spiritually conditioned at all — people who are not in any kind of 'spiritual way'. This alone reveals that what we call spiritual way is simply a conceptual construction and not a prescription for one to follow. This insight alone may make the belief in the self-center crumble and leave you bare and free as you are. - Felipe Oliviera

Branches, Sky, Reflection

Poplar Point Sunset

Moon over Jordan

Looking Up

Tony speaks. . .

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