Do we open space or...

Julie Smith jsmith at mosquitonet.com
Sat Aug 23 16:11:37 PDT 2003


Doug, Birgitt and all ~

Synchronicity strikes again.  Two minutes ago I read your exchange over
Doug's question:

>>>

2. You said: "mankind has so long turned away and not realized the great
gift that we can all make use of." Yet I wonder about that and I cannot
very well put words to my wondering. Is this gift purely potential? Or
does
it actualize someplace?

In other words, it is probably an assumed truth in OST circles that in
each
group are all the answers and questions that group needs--there is no
need
for an outside expert to come in and solve their problems for them. From
this perhaps our "Whatever happens..." derives. If we then say that the
Divine gift has been given to all humans, how can we say that some
people
have accepted the gift and others have turned away? Even if they turn
away,
is not the gift there? Somewhere in the Old Testament, maybe Isaiah,
there
is something to the effect that "my words do not return to me empty." If
the gift is given, it comes back in some form.

The logical answer is your words, "when we work with it intentionally."
Still, I can't help but think that no matter how loudly the 5 year old
rejects the parent, the parent still loves the child, still makes the
gift.
Agree?

<<<

Not quite an hour ago I was inspired to open the Dhammapada and came
across what turns out to be a nice response to Doug's question.  This
comes from the introduction to my version of the Dhammapada, written by
Ram Dass:

        "Here are the sayings of the Buddha, the Enlightened One.  Had
you but ears to hear, these very words could awaken you and through them
you could realize your Buddha nature.  These words come to you in
purity; for them to touch you they must be received in purity.  These
words come out of divine simplicity; to liberate you they must be heard
in simplicity.  These words come from the soul; to feed that in you
which thirsts, these words, which are words of wisdom, not knowledge,
must be heard by the soul, not the intellect.  For that which feeds only
the intellect entraps, while that which feeds the soul liberates.  And
it is the soul that thirsts for truth.  The intellect thirsts only to
satiate its fascination.
        A transmission of truth is poured from one vessel into another.
If you as a vessel are impure in body, heart, or mind, the truth cannot
be contained... what is pure becomes impure... the power of the truth is
too much... the cup is smashed... the transmission lost, and man
continues to walk in darkness.  In your lifetime you have read thousands
of words such as those contained in this volume: the words of the
Christ, of Lao Tsu, of the Patriarchs of Zen, of Rumi or Kabir or Saint
Teresa or John, of Solomon and Abraham, of Mohammed, of Krishna or the
Vedic Rishis... words that bespeak the secrets of the Universe.  But how
few you have received, how many transmissions you have lost again and
again because you were not ready to hear."

Returning to the heart of your question, Doug: "If we then say that the
Divine gift has been given to all humans, how can we say that some
people
have accepted the gift and others have turned away? Even if they turn
away,
is not the gift there?"

I think the answer is yes, the gift is still there, and eternally
offered by God/Creator/Universe/SwiftlySwirlingSlowlySprialingSource.
As Children of God, we have free will.  We can choose to accept the
gift, and we can also choose to turn away, to not accept the gift that
is offered to us.... AND, the fact that we don't accept it in this
moment doesn't mean it isn't still there, still being offered in each
unfolding moment.  Free will doesn't mean we get to choose what the gift
is or the means by which it is offered, but free will does mean we get
to choose when to accept it.

For me, OST simply offers wide open accepting space for people to fill
with their current understanding of their world.  Because the space is
explicitly wide open and accepting, people have an opportunity to
explore and work and play in resonance with their true selves, to
whatever extent they are willing and able, meaning they will get as far
and go as deep as they are ready for. Since they're deciding, they'll go
just the right distance for them in the moment they're in. OST raises no
internal or external barriers to our true selves and therefore does no
harm and wastes no time. That's why it's so good.

Julie

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