dharma

"If you chase the world, it runs from you, if you run from the world, it chases you." Baba Hari Dass
Started out intolerantly hating, I'm ending up unconditionally loving, so I'm a (somewhat tamed) wild, marine-bhakti trying to practice equanimity with whatever happens to be blowing thru my mind at the moment. I'm hopelessly thick, testosterone poisoned, and untrainable, but I love having my heart on fire! Like Rumi...
"...pain drags us by the hair into the presence of God.."
I was driven to working with Death as an Ally (don Juan/Carlos Castenada) to cope with my experiences of raw hell as an 18 yr old marine in vietnam. I took to reading about the lives and teachings of the world's saints and mahatmas, the world’s religions - and all the world's warrior teachings on killing and dying. It now manifests as killing attachment and ignorance in myself, thankfully!
Thank God I quickly ran into Ram Dass & Steve Levine after vietnam and got into their Conscious Death & Dying work. Better to have Death as an Ally and work with it consciously than have it as The Enemy, let me assure you! Better yet, see for yourself. It's not as morose as it sounds ... Death shows you exactly and precisely what's most precious in your life. It cuts thru all the frivolous bullshit right on the spot and shows you what's Real, and it surely isn't these bodies. What has continuously survived death for me is the felt sense of love for others that I have. I've realized it's the only thing we can truly "hang on" to, even though there's nothing there.
The ferocious killer in all of us, whether you've experienced or acknowledged it or not - turns out to be Kali; all of us are Her arms and faces. There's a fine line here between denial and actually seeing your own cosmic nature, but all traditions, in their secret teachings, push the candidate to exchange the small identity for the Vast One.
We practice not to attain buddhanature, but to express it.Suzuki Roshi
Minds separate, Hearts uniteSufi proverb
Judaism: "Yahweh writes His Story (history) thru the people of the times..." Even just entertaining that as true, does holding that thought ease your heart and mind?
Of all the people in all the armies of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says He is each and every one of them, so therefore, Arjuna, kill, but remember Me as you perform your duty.."
That fighting for peace thing on my 'nam picture - it's obvious we have to fight, but let it be fighting truly for freedom instead of throwing our men's lives into a meat grinder for the sole purpose of lining the pockets of a few. That's just plain fucking stupid to die for that, but it's your choice. I know I met people in Vietnam who were truly fighting for freedom and justice in their hearts, despite the complete idiocy of the war itself. We always get the fruits of what's in our hearts, our true intent, as we do whatever we do.
It's helpful to keep these things in mind while observing the state of our planet these days, but still do all you can to shift the energy. Start with shifting things inside your self and just imagine radiating your feelings of peace and love out to all others. This is formally done on the outbreath.Be a drop of Lovingkindness in this fetid and raucous ocean. Even the nastiest things we can conceive of are also Christ/Buddha Nature.
Worshiping the Dakini energy in every woman you see is an outrageous practice that tames aggression - I highly recommend it.
Ramakrishna said, "instead of stopping drinking, chasing women, or whatever your vice is, invite God to do it with you.."
Chogyam Trungpa said, "See all your shit as fertilizer, your richness, and use the energy of your negativity to wake yourself up and help others.."
"Real devotion to God is to be compassionate towards the poor and the suffering. Feed those who are hungry, help the destitute, console those who are sad, give relief to those in pain, be charitable towards everyone. This is Amma's message to you." (www.ammachi.org)
"Love everyone, Serve everyone, Remember to see God in everyone.." Neem Karoli Baba
"You can throw the concept of God out the window and everything continues to work. But try to throw Love out the window, everything will stop..." Osho
We're all in charge of our intention, whether we exercise it or not. Lock your attentional radar onto the target, the BullsEye, of Lovingkindness, and don't let go. It's the only thing that's Real; it survives Death. It sure feels better than carrying around all that confusion, anger, ignorance, and greed that we usually have our hearts and minds soaked in. And don't think that doing Lovingkindness will stop the round from finding your foxhole - it'll just make the explosion a lot more fruitful and iridescent!
We're all hung on the Cross - it's a given. We can die with Love in our hearts, or hatred. It's totally our choice.
http://lojongmindtraining.com
All thoughts good and bad happy and sad vanish like the imprint of a bird in the skyKhyentse Rinpoche