Scott Lake and the Three Sisters, in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. photo ©2013 Rev. David Seacord
Everyman's WEEKLY Journal #46
© 2013 Rev. David Seacord
October 20, 2013
Kabir…
As my 65th birthday was this past Thursday, all week I have been contemplating the significance of the passage. Today I am a guest in the Albuquerque home of the family of a longtime friend and as a gift, he read to me from the works of Kabir, the mystical 15th century Indian saint/poet. Here is one (I especially appreciated) passed on to you:
THE MALADY OF EGO
Only he will cross the ocean, O friend,
Who banishes ego from his mind.
Some say they are learned, O brother,
Some say they have renounced everything,
Some say they have subdued their senses;
But the malady of ego afflicts them all.
Only he will cross the ocean, O friend,
Who banishes ego from his mind.
Some say they are jogis, O brother,
Some say they enjoy inner bliss;
But 'me' and 'mine', 'thou' and 'thine'
They have not expelled from their mind.
What chance have they to survive
when afflicted with saucy a malady?
Only he will cross the ocean, O friend,
Who banishes ego from his mind.
Some say they generously give alms,
Some say they vigorously do penances;
But they do not know the Truth,
They are not aware of Nam--
They will all be consumed by Maya.
Only he will cross the ocean, O friend,
Who banishes ego from his mind.
Some say they are adepts in many methods,
Some say they are living a life of purity.
But they are all ignorant of their soul.
Of their own true self;
All their claims are empty.
Only he will cross the ocean, O friend,
Who banishes ego from his mind.
Some say the have practiced all forms of piety,
Some say they have done all the ritual fasts;
But the knot of their ego is not untied,
They heavenly heaped
More debts on their head.
Only he will cross the ocean, O friend,
Who banishes ego from the mind.
Drive out your pride,
Exterminate your ego,
Be not vain about your efforts.
Says Kabir: He who becomes
A slave to the Lord
Reaches his true home.
________________________________________
At 65 I am in receipt of many gifts and blessings… good health, the love of friends, many well developed skill-sets and talents, and the benefits of sadhana. Although I am aware there is still unlimited room to grow in terms of deeper wisdoms, I am also aware I am now more able than ever to be used by the Godness for the purposes of Wholeness and Unity. It is to me now that if 'life begins at 40', then 'at 65' is when the afterburners of the soul begin to really blaze. This is the best I can language my expanding sense of purpose and surrender-- to becoming 'a slave to the Lord' (aka Love). Freedom is not only 'nothing left to lose', it is also no fear of such nakedness.
_________________________________________
I will be in New Mexico now for about a month, fulfilling my annual ('since 1980') dharma/karma for the LDS churches here, servicing their many pianos statewide. It is wonderful to revisit this amazing and enchanted land that gave me a home for over a quarter century, and to reconnect with many old friends. To answer anyone's unspoken question, other than this contract (which spirit guides me to keep active as a kind of 'social security account') I am functionally retired from that profession and focus the remainder of the year upon my arts and writings.
Also FYI, my mother arrived back in Yuma last Monday and immediately enter assisted living. From all observation, she took to it like a duck to water, and she loves her apartment and the way my sister and I prepared it for her. So all is well on that front.
And all is well in my world, as I am aware of the Presence of Love surrounding both me and You.
May you each shine evermore fearlessly, for whatever the form of your dharma, it is all about Being Love exactly where you are placed right now.
Namaste,
David
______________________________________________________________
FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says:
"Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." etc.
…. well, the word 'browser' is a clickable hyperlink that will open this email as a webpage…
which you can then copy and paste anywhere (like to share it on Facebook, or elsewhere).
ALSO: If you would like to share the link to the SUBSCRIBE page, here is the clickable or paste-able code:
If you get value from reading this Journal, I do appreciate your assistance in expanding it's distribution. Thank you so much.
________________________________________________________
Addition links to other writings etc:
Rev. David Seacord
Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment