Sunday, December 31, 2006

When the Self is Known


When the Self is known,
All illusions vanish.
The veil falls,
And you see clearly.
Your sorrows are dispelled.
For the Self is free
And lives forever.
Everything else is imagination,
Nothing more!
Because he understands this,
The master acts like a child.

-Ashtavakra Gita 18:6-7

James: For the Self is free and lives forever. This reminds me of the old saying that united we stand and divided we fall. Or my favorite verse in the Tao Te Ching:

The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

It is hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to it.
It is older then God.

James: The master acts like a child. There is a lot of wisdom in this statement of acting like a child. Not in the manner of being immature, throwing tantrums and being impatient, etc. However, being innocent, without gile, accepting, expressing pure, unconditional love and being open to new ideas. May we all follow the child within and just be in the moment as children are.

~Peace to all beings~