“The only truth in the manifestation is the impersonal sense I am;
the rest are concepts.”
This is a very precious and deep quote gifted by Roger Castillo.
Even a very “highly educated” one might rush over it and miss the great pearl.
We don’t need many words, but words can point beyond the mind;
most simple and natural: I am not the “me” I thought into existence.
Speaking with “other” truth lovers can help immensely to invite clarity, to feel and expose resistance, arrogance, faulty thinking … just for no reason; simply seeing impersonally is good enough. Peace and happiness is our birthright.
Thou shalt?
The following are not bylaws or strict rules;
it is an attempt to find words for the atmosphere of our Zoom meetings.
- The Garden Of Friends is a space for effortless authenticity;
feeling good is not the aim but a natural side-effect.
- It is a space to relax, to embrace what mind cannot understand.
- You join us, not to gain anything personally;
your true nature is already whole and complete.
- Our being together is higher than “making sense”.
- It is not about likes or dislikes, but the one aware of both.
You don’t need to smile or impress; no need to pretend.
- The invitation is to simply be, and maybe effortlessly explore your own responses, beliefs, identity;
not to fix or improve anything, but to become increasingly aware of the peace that is our true nature, always, causelessly.
- Listening is more important than speaking, but speaking might happen on a broad spectrum.
- Allow yourself to speak up, risk to feel yourself, freshly with love;
curious to discover the finger that hides the sun (since decades).
- When you feel eager to speak, maybe ask yourself if those words arise on behalf of Awareness or the separate-self?
- We are here to embrace and celebrate the gift of life, and this might require your willingness to have nothing to hold onto, to not be liked, to risk to be wrong.
- Unknowingly we create our own suffering.
Suffering can completely drop away when we see its me-chanism.
- It is a priceless gift to come together, to hear and feel, to learn and unlearn;
everything arises in your mind, not “out there”.
- Not two. Not a philosophy but a living experience.
- Allowing myself to be wrong or misunderstood, but open to examine the sufferer or hero “me” seems to be.
- Peace is your true nature; to wisely allow your buttons to be pushed, with the humble curiosity to examine within yourself the egoic investments that are those buttons.
- Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived.
- Seeing the gift of coming together; to honor it.
Risking to be open, receptive, vulnerable.
- “Happiness through peace of mind, in daily living, independent of circumstances.”
- “Me” and “other” is filtered through mind and is subject to limitation and distortion;
being right or wrong is not the point.
- We meet in and as I am;
no other agenda than effortlessly and playfully examining the nature of your own mind, claiming more and more inner space, independent of circumstances.
- Allowing the opportunity of looking deeper into your cherished “I don’t like this” to sharpen your discernment between thinking “me” and being myself as I am.
Sorry for so many words.
“Truth is simple, but the seeker is complex.”
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email Holger@GardenOfFriends.com
See you at the GardenOfFriends.com
Peace,
Holger
Straight from the heart of a loving gardener:) I’ve not visited in a while; has the garden changed that much? A few millennia ago you might have gotten by with simply ‘Know Thyself”.
These ‘guidelines’ are a gentle reminder of the love which we are and how we may express it in coming together.
I feel to leave a comment about this posting, and the mailing that was sent (which included a link to a form we are supposed to complete), but I cannot find anything useful and polite to say.
Thank you David for your openness.
I remember a moment in Big Sur, looking at a most gorgeous sunset.
The thought came: This is supposed to be beautiful.
But “me” just felt dull.
David, I don’t want to push your buttons, don’t want to sound preachy or dogmatic:
The “me” on whose behalf we think and feel is fake (or in gentler words: is not who we are).
“Me” is a product of faulty thinking and muscle memory; misguided, incomplete conclusions that we started early in our life and never really examined.
For the “me” it can feel very scary and threatening to surrender to the light of awareness.
We are sitting on the lap of God while allowing the dissolution of our old investments and identity.
Thank you for your sincerity!
I’ve been keeping my audio muted when I’m not talking, so that others can see when I wish to talk. When I’m talking, I always mute when I’m done, to indicate that others may speak. However, some people can’t reach their Mute button from where they’re sitting, so I propose that we find a different way to indicate that each person “has the floor” and is speaking. For example, each person could put something around their neck to indicate that they are speaking (a necklace or a piece of string). Otherwise, with some people, there are pauses that can seem like they have stopped speaking, so they get interrupted often, which I’m sure doesn’t feel fair to them.