The Animism of Catechism

from Ajanta Caves, India

Got snowed-in a lot these past two months and started streaming various movies and TV shows. Among them were Breaking Bad and Big Little Lies. Both TV series dealt with degrees of dishonesty in all their characters. In Breaking Bad, there were examples of extreme forms of corruption in characters who had lost connection to conscience and heart.

INTERESTING

balancing these excellent studies (IMHO) of our dark sides, was a wonderful documentary about Buddhist nuns. Several western women who, led by a Rinpoche, visited various remotely located nunneries in Tibet. The contrast between the complexity of the westerners' lives seemed to highlight the clarity, wisdom, and naturalness of the Tibetan nuns. I went to sleep that night and woke up the next morning and the next—repeating

SIMPLICITY

This one-word mantra is calming. 

There is so little simplicity in social media these days. It has become a place where we put up only posters/memes. I've come to miss the days when people posted pictures of their meals! But sometimes there are cracks in the wall. A friend posed a New Year's question, what are your personal concerns? She got lots of honest FB answers, every one of which resonated with me. The

QUESTIONS

for me are on-going investigations into relationships past and present, and the heart of service. Am feeling answers to these and to all questions may be found in nothing special or may actually BE nothing special, simple things like listening and sharing anything—money, time, good energy to individuals and groups, art that raises awareness, and by living all 8 limbs of yoga and sitting in silence. Will see.

SEEING

both cosmic and everyday truths have been a transcendent gift these days. My mind scrambles and shuts down at the inability to grasp infinite vastness and smallness, no beginning no end. 

"MU" 

(enough said)

artist: Hakuin

And here I digress to the subject of grade school Catholic catechism that may have prepared me, in its own uniquely rote way for an Advaita view of our existence in the cosmos. 

Q: Where is God?

A: God is everywhere.

OMG! 

God is in ALL things. Everywhere.

LOL and LO! The beautiful but unsuspecting 

animism of catechism! 

Laniakea 

The Laniakea supercluster is home to Ikea and the Milky Way—and about 100,000 galaxies.

Red dot is site of our galaxy.

Q: Had God a beginning?
A: God had no beginning; 

He always was and He always will be.*

*Law of physics (and catechism?): matter can neither be created or destroyed. 

Then all matter always was and always will be. 

Glory be! So everything at least, in part— 

including us—is infinite. 

Because god is EVERYWHERE

SIMPLE

LOGICAL

CONCISELY HUGE 

IMMENSE

yes, (and joyous) are the implications.

As for another concern, it's time. Will save it for later 

to save it. Am beginning to believe that 

everything IS happening 

all at once

is it real? b/c it's 

always 

n  o  w

and then there's me trying 

to save time save more save more.

Mental perceptions measure movement, it's time

parts of universe are moving at unbelievable 

speeds...the speed of 

l  i  g  h t...

particle or wave? 

what is real, real time?

brahma god everything nothing 

no-time no-thing is more 

(immense) than 

what time 

calls

l  o  v  e

IKEA

store is in Laniakea and so is my shoulder, and my shoulder feels very real and good right now. So I will get real: I am mostly—if I don't push getting somewhere too hard—pain free! Since there were so many things wrong with my shoulder, (have I listed them here before?) surgery HAD to fix something!  Torn labrum, 4 bone spurs, tendinitis, shredded tissue, bursitis, and osteoarthritis. 

Whether the stem cells worked or not I will probably never know because fixing all the other things may have done the job (and osteoarthritis doesn't always manifest pain.)

Very pleased and slowly getting back to a fuller, deeper home practice. Know I'm much better—because feeling need for group energy to jump-start (haha literally) chaturangas and other shoulder stressing poses. Mysore at AYA is on the list. YAY!

Image of Yogi on cover of Roots of Yoga

which I am loosely reading now.

Wonder how this guy's shoulders feel.

SIMPLE

loving blessings to all

metta