The Way on the Path

 A man of goodness must necessarily take issue with the current state of affairs.  He decries a world bent on its’ own self destruction.  The biospheric suicide of his own species, among others.  A mass of humanity subject to abject poverty, despite excess material conditions.  A world of despair and pain inflicted upon each other, by each other.  So the man of goodness makes inquiries upon whom he should address his concerns.  His local officials nod grimly, and some may even agree with his heartfelt pleas for change.  “We are doing the best we can with what we have.” or “This is just the way things are.” is their reply.  So the man of goodness is told to take his complaints to the state.  The state officials provide a similar story.  A man of goodness is a persistent one.  So he takes his complaints to the nation’s capital.  “Ah, my friend, you have no one to blame but yourselves!”  says the federal official.  ...

Language is the lens through which we elucidate the world.  It focuses, so that things may be thought, expressed and communicated, but in doing so the full essence therein is lost.  The camera obscura of language provides a picture, albeit a distorted one, it fails to depict the entirety of the experience it attempts to capture.  An image is produced from a particular perspective, at a particular moment, of a particular thing, but this image fails to include the other perspectives, other moments and other things, to say nothing of the other senses that are not expressed.  Understood in this way, language must be regarded as the tool that it is and nothing more, a useful tool in its ability to focus and communicate, an impediment where it distorts and neglects.  As our understanding of the world proceeds, there comes a time when the tool of language has outlived its usefulness, here the analytical is wholly surmounted by the mystical.  Linear thought, concep...

There is only one altar, all worship there and all worship returns there.  The ineffable God has no name.  The inconceivable God cannot be represented by any image.  The unfathomable God is the same throughout the faith traditions.  Hinduism's Brahman is Buddhism's Buddha-Nature is Judaism's YHWH is Christianity's Father is Islam's Allah.  The gods of the polytheists denote aspects of the God.  The core tenants of the faith traditions are the same throughout.  The details that the faith traditions disagree over are irrelevant.  The God has no name or image, as it contains all names and images within itself, thus all names and images ascribed to it are valid.  Name and image are worthwhile only insofar as they are useful.  The tree is known by its fruits.  If you have picked a path preordained by others, know that all other paths lead to the same place.  If you wish to progress beyond these preordained paths you must forge your ...

The myriad manifestations of the world may appear separate, but in truth they are in unity.  All is a boundless gem, with no center or periphery, in which each facet reflects all the others.  Each gives rise to all else and is given rise to by all else.  You are co-creating all by your awareness as the awareness of all co-creates you.  The crests of the waves may appear as separate things, but they all emanate from the same ocean.  The notes of the eternal song harmonize in one voice.  The threads of the universal tapestry weave into one image.  The selfsame Self makes no distinction between this or that, self or other.  You are that: the unborn, the unbegotten, the uncreated.  You are the godhead experiencing itself.  You are the divine made manifest, as is all that you experience.  You are the dreamer dreaming the dreamt, in the collective dream of shared experience.  Awaken within the dream and cast aside the ignorance of se...

Here are some texts that I have found helpful.  I am grateful to the authors and translators of these prolific teachings.  I will update this list as I continue my studies. The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley Mysticism East and West  by Rudolf Otto Selected Writings  by Meister Eckhart The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart  translated by Maurice O'C Walshe The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counselling  by Anonymous The Interior Castle  by St. Teresa of Avila Francis of Assisi in His Own Words: The Essential Writings  by St. Francis of Assisi Confessions  by St. Augustine New Seeds of Contemplation  by Thomas Merton The Essential Rumi  by Jalal al-Din Rumi The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism  by Daniel Matt The Upanishads  translated by Ekanth Easwaran The Bhagavad Gita  translated by Ekanth Easwaran Brahma Sutras  by Badarayana translated by Swami Sivananda Ashtav...

Looking outside of yourself you will never find contentment.  The various cravings for the things of the world can never be fully satisfied.  Any pleasure, gratification or object is inevitably lost and you will be worse off then before.  If you seek wealth, no amount of money will appease you.  If you seek power, no amount of influence will satiate your hunger.  If you seek acclaim, no amount of fame will placate you.  If you seek pleasure, no amount of gratification will slake your thirst.  As soon as one thing is gotten, your attention will turn to the next.  You will live a life addicted to that which can never be fulfilled.  You will be attempting to fill a hole in yourself, while only digging it deeper.  You will endlessly chase after transient things that can never be gotten.  You will watch sand fall through your fingers and still go grabbing for more.  It is impossible to ever be truly satisfied with such a state of af...