radiance of being

We have crucified and have been crucified enough. We put the cross away with our other holy relics. We put nothing on the wall for there are no walls. We are out here now, infinity in all directions. If you need a symbol, make it an empty tomb, then leave that behind. Forget insurrection and its recognition of hierarchy. Open to resurrection: the continuous arising of life in all its newness. Blossoming outward in all directions and all directions home. We are out here now and nothing can contain us.

the story of the debt repayment plan

By violating their rules of mortgage, Adam and Eve went into deep and unpayable debt. Thrown out of their home, neither they nor their landlord were happy. The landlord worked out a debt payment plan. It was a little peculiar, but not entirely unheard of. He said I will become homeless too, suffer as you suffer, and then get killed. Not to worry, I will die but I will not die. What is our part in this? asked Adam and Eve's descendants who had inherited the massive debt. Believe that I did this and all is forgiven, slate wiped clean, said the landlord. That's all? they asked. Well, you might try to be loving to everybody, said the landlord.

felt experience

I am hesitant in writing this because it touches on the sacredness at the core of my being. It can be so easily misunderstood, ridiculed, reviled. Yet I feel the need to speak it. Do with it as you will.

Each of us has a felt experience of life. We may not even be able to articulate it, but we operate from this felt experience at our core. Yes, there are many cognitive and emotional overlays, perhaps more easily identifiable and accessible, but it is the felt experience of our very being that determines, that is, our stance toward life. One could call it our core experience.

My felt experience is direct and personal contact with the cosmos, particularly in the person of Jesus. This has little or nothing to do with christianity. Nor am I referring to the Jesus of "doyouknowjesusasyourpersonallordandsavior."

I am referring to a cosmic being I met long ago who has shown me much and still has much to teach, depending on my capacity and openness of heart.

My felt experience is as a cosmic citizen which goes far beyond yet is inclusive of the physical, emotional, mental, and interpersonal realms. I experience all as energetic being, no separation. I have no fear of death because death-and-life are part of a larger process. That may be more information than you want, yet I felt the urge to speak it and here it is.

a global spirituality

No matter how much some may respond with denunciation, anger, and fear, humans will continue to be religious, will continue opening to spiritual realms. We need a global spirituality that is inclusive of all religions. The common denominator here is lovingkindness. The so-called "mystics" of each religion have never had a problem with this, recognizing each other's hearts immediately.

the path of no path

Put your shoes off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. -- Exodus 3: 5

At some point on our spiritual path, we must go barefoot.

Whatever art one practices, one starts out with form. One con-forms to the methods of others. At some point, however, the form becomes a con. One is caught within the form and advances no further.

In the martial arts, going beyond the form one has practiced all these years is sometimes called becoming a white belt again. As T.S. Eliot put it: "We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." One now opens with true beginner's mind.

Whatever philosophy, whatever theology, whatever guides for living, whatever rules of order one has been following must be thrown aside. These shoes must be taken from our feet. The training wheels are removed.

We no longer follow a path. We are the path.

Why do many of us not do this? Why do we keep our shoes, our training wheels on?

Meister Eckhart explains: "No one is so foolish as not to desire wisdom. Why then do we not become wise? Much is necessary for this. The most important thing is that one go beyond and transcend all things and the cause of all things, and one begins to find this irksome."

The Meister makes me laugh. We find it irksome. It is our irkiness that keeps us bound to form.

We find it much easier to keep bouncing on our same old pogo stick. And everyone says, isn't s/he a good __________? (secular humanist, christian, jew, buddhist, taoist, new ager, atheist, agnostic, muslim, hindu . . .)

As we keep following our path, we will eventually be required to take off our shoes. For the place on which we stand is holy ground.

The paradox of this is that we first have to wear shoes to take them off. One conforms to form then becomes formless. The natural course of events is that the shoes will drop off by themselves, unless you bind them to your feet with your favorite form of duct tape.