LOVER SIT STILL AND WAIT

Lover sit still and wait;
Whom thou desirest will come.
Being alone is not lonely
And how wilt thou receive Truth
If thou are not alone?
Waiting is for preparing,
Watching with longing is sweet;
And when the Self is seen,
This will end,
And thou thyself will be lost in Love...

PICK A SPOT, ANY SPOT

Pick a spot, any spot

SAYINGS FROM THE ANCIENT MASTERS

THE FOLLOWER OF TAO

Wei-shan Ling-yu

Like the clear stillness of autumn water

Pure and without activity

In its tranquil depths are no obstructions.

Such a one is called a follower of Tao

A soul that has nothing more to accomplish

譬如秋水澄渟清浄無爲澹泞無礙。喚他作道人亦名無事人。

溈山靈祐

GUEST POET

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

By Dejan Ristic

The road I did not take

Is far from the blue sea,

It is far from Shakespeare’s dilemma

To be or not to be.

I am proud of my being blind,

I have not said it twice or thrice,

My blindness is my road to the Heaven,

The road similar to Milton’s Paradise!

The road I did not take

Goes neither to the South nor to the North pole,

The road not taken is far from my friends,

My professors and dictations from Adrian Mole.

I am an earthly creature

Aware of mistakes that I make,

But, I will not be mistaken if I refuse,

The road far from books, the road far from The namesake!

Although my life is hard on me,

My road is as bright as the sun,

And on that road, please listen to me,

I will do as I have always done.

I will be as sweet as an apple,

I will sing and read and write,

I will never take the road

Full of misery, woe and fight.

This message to you is to take your own roads,

And everything will be all right,

Leave behind all the things,

Leading to antagonism, idleness and blight!

Never forget to say your prayers,

Never forget to act in your play,

Please, do  take the roads belonging to you,

That will help you to find your own way. 

A Note About the Poet:

One of the sites that I produce is ThoughtAudio.com. It is a site of classic literature in MP3 format and has over 2 million hits a month for the last 10 years. It is a global audience, and as you can imagine I receive  interesting inputs of all forms from all points in the globe. I received this poem from Dejan Ristic at the same time I was working on the details for my input into this wonderful blog. We decided to produce Dejan's poem. One of the most compelling aspects of the poem is the fact that he is blind. I will send an email to Dejan for a more in-depth bio, but until then I believe that listening to his poem in this context will provide even greater appreciation for the work. 

BELL

The sound of the bell in the morning tolls

No sound is heard from the meditative monk

The sound of the mid-day bell makes the people progress

The mountain stands firm in the sound of no sound

Talking to Yourself

Talking to Yourself

NOISE

The Noise calls itself Noise

It claims for itself the CROWN
Yet, the Noise cannot be noise
Without the Silent Way guiding its path

Producer Note:

One of the most excruciating aspects of our lives in the modern world is the level of disruptions that occur all around us. In other words, we live in a conundrum of Noise. We can call Noise anything we want but it always reverts to being Noise. Inputs want to take over our lives, influence the way we value things and guide us through lifestyle choices. Noise feels it is the King of our lives and the ultimate control mechanism of the way we live. We forget that in the hierarchy of thought, the highest level of being is the Silent Way / The Tao / The Essence of Life. Noise always lives underneath the bridge of the Tao and must always follow its path to survive. It ultimately becomes our choice which path to follow.

The Ocean and the Sun

Look at the pretty girl dancing- her hair is so shiny.

I want my hair to be shiny. 

Look at the man with chiseled features;

use the razor he is using. 

It will give you the kind of charm that woman crave.

Women will want you. 

Men will adore you. 

You will be happy. 

You will be empty.

Because it is not about the product, but the feeling they try to convey.

And it is not for your benefit, it is for the benefit of the holders of the company.

We must burn our little boxes. 

We must create dialogue.

We must realize the importance of every moment.

We must turn our boredom to gratitude.

Use your hands, your thoughts, your hunger.

These things are yours and yours alone.

The Sounds of Animals Fighting
Lyrics from their track entitled Uzbekistan

GETTING TO NOTHING ... over coming mind chatter

GETTING TO NOTHING ... over coming mind chatter

Story of Honor - Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport

Edward O'Hare or better known as "Easy Eddie" was apart of the mob in the late twenties and was most famous for being Al Capone's lawyer. He was trusted by Capone and knew about his tax evasion and ties to the different mafia families. Eddie loved his own family and wanted to set an example for his son; one of truth and honor. To show his son that all you had was your honor and that it was worth everything, including your own life, he testified against Capone and the mob in court. This was a death sentence for him and he was later assassinated.
 
His son, Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare, grew up knowing his father's sacrifice and the honor he demonstrated in the face of inevitable death. He joined the Navy during WWII and became a pilot in memory of his father's bravery. One night while he was on his aircraft carrier, he noticed a group of Japanese bombers coming towards the carrier armed with torpedoes. The carrier was completely unprepared for the attack and he was one of the only two fighter pilots on the ship. He remembered his father demonstrating to him as a child that his honor was worth the ultimate price. He flew into the array of bombers and proved such skill and bravery that after shooting down a few Japanese fighters, they finally abandoned their attack. He was awarded the Congressional Metal of Honor for his valor.
 
Today, Chicago O'Hare International Airport stands as proof to what can be achieved when you follow your own beliefs and demonstrate honor in the face of ultimate sacrifice.