The Atoning Blood

Everyday we crucify the Lord by forgetting Him and walking with a worldly gait.

But He is merciful and kind, He has not forgotten us and is always ready to forgive.

We may resurrect Him with the thought of His holy name and a surrendered heart.

May the thought of Him constantly pump the atoning blood of His grace through our hearts and minds.

Only Thee. Only Thee.

We must be vigilant on this path.
As we work toward liberation the chains that have bound us,
The Chains we have buried deep within,
Will inevitably resurface.

And what we once thought we had conquered will show its ugly head
And we will be taken aback at our own disdainful actions

And we will sadly wonder how this could be.

We will see, "I am a wretch. I am a wretch.

"Only Thee, Only Thee, can take this from me."
And thus, the battle can be won, once and for all.

But if we have not prepared ourselves well enough,

If we cannot stand up again and fight,

The wretch lives, the wretch lives,

Alas, His Almighty grace cannot be granted.

"The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. " -Sri Sri Yukteswarji

God Is One, But His Names Are Many.

"ALLAH"

"God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole.

"You may say that there are many errors and superstitions in another religion. I should reply: Suppose there are. Every religion has errors. Everyone thinks that his watch alone gives the correct time. It is enough to have yearning for God. It is enough to love Him and feel attracted to him. Don't you know that God is the Inner guide? He sees the longing of our heart and the yearning of our soul. Suppose a man has several sons. The older boys address him distinctly as 'Baba' or 'Papa', but the babies can at best call him 'Ba' or 'Pa'. Now, will the father be angry with those who address him in this indistinct way? The father knows that they too are calling him, only they cannot pronounce his name well. All children are the same to the father. Likewise, the devotees call on God alone, though by different names. They call on one Person only. God is one, but His names are many."

-Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa

Cave of the Heart; Abode of Mahadeva; Enemy of the Great and Abominable Church

Women and Gold!

Name and fame!

Heavy intoxications!

Lies! Lies!

Lies so magnetic its hard to turn away -

But desires are never satisfied - we continue to ingest them!

Only giving birth to more desires! Want of more lies!

How tumultuous, how exhausting

The storm of thoughts of want in this sea!

The cracking thunder

Always screaming to our senses,

The overwhelming waves

Tossing ideas about in our heads:

Women and Gold! Women and Gold!

The Heart craves naught.

Release the clutch of material -even mystical- aspirations

And live in the cave of the Heart;

Her breath sets you free.

Her dance lightens your step.

Aum namah Kaliya,

Aum Kali Ma, Aum Kali Ma

Aum namah Shivaya.

Aum Shiv, Aum Shiv,

Aum Namah Kaliya,

Aum Kali Ma, Aum Kali.

AUM... Aum... aum...

Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

-Matt 6:20-21

In My Lord's Garden

My heart yearns for Your sacred grove.

Longing for the human-weight to be lifted.

Last year, in some brief hours,

Your step in the rhythm of my stride,

Every foot raised was my prayer for Your attention.

Come to me, come to me!

My song broke tears in the temple shadows,

The well of devotion, its caverns filled,

Its waters flowing over, sang along.

My heart burst

An awe-filled gratitude in my soul,

Your Holy Breath, meek upon my neck.

You humble me, Lord.

A Story About Tea.

The sun sets and his chin falls.

His back slumps, his mind descends into subconscious depths.

Awaken, child!

Instant! Chin tucked, back straight, eyes open- cast upon Quan Yin.

Carved stone and drifting smoke lit red through temple doors.

The air does not move. The birds do not sing.

Sit. Sitting. Sit.

Does a dog have Buddha nature?

-Wu.

Thought. Thought. The dog barks, Wu wu! Wu wu!

Does a dog have Buddha nature?

-Mu.

She sings. He feels Her. He struggles against Her. He steps back.

Wu wu! Wu wu!

Does a dog have Buddha nature?

-No.

Hush thunders. Silence lulls.

Peace transcending all understanding.

She sings, the dog barks.

Wu wu! Wu wu!

He steps aside. He falls.

Hush hush, slip. Quiet.

Back slumps, head nods.

Wu wu! Wu wu! AWAKEN, child!

Fury boils, crawls, thunders in his veins.

Chin tucked, back straight, eyes closed.

As one peels a sticker from an orange.

Bodhidharma lifts his hands and tears his eyelids from his face.

The air moves gently. He throws them at Quan Yin's feet.

A dead leaf drags across the floor. Blood trickles through the tile cracks.

Chin tucked, back straight, eyes...

Open.

Dusk. Twilight. Dark.

The air does not move.

Wu wu, wu wu.

Inevitable. Darkness. Sleep enshrouds his soul.

Hush, child. Protection comes...

Dark. Twilight. Dawn. Eyes...

Open.

The air moves. The birds sing.

Where there was blood there is roots.

Where there was flaps of skin there is a tea plant.

The Iron Goddess of Mercy sings
Wu wu! Wu wu! Awaken Bodhidharma!

Does the dog have Buddha nature?!

-Mu!

To be in AWE.

Its the twilight sky
Revealing an expansive ocean.
Waves of the primordial soup
Crashing on the sand
And the life that grows and crawls
Within Her womb.

The road to AWE
Is to stand all amazed
As wisps of cloud
Drift overhead.
His face taking the first breath
And her body lying still in the
Mountain's silhouette.

The raod to AWE is the vines
Growing in the hedges
Creeping up Her limbs
To taste His sweet Light.

The road to AWE
Is simple,
Is difficult.
It is to stand in awe
Without flinching.

*Inspired by "The Fountain"