posted September 07, 2013 03:29 AM            

quote:

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"If I take a lamp, and shine it toward the wall, a bright spot will appear on the wall. The lamp, is our search for truth, for understanding.

Too often we assume that the light on the wall is God. But the light is not the goal of the search, it is the result of the search.

The more intense the search, the brighter the light on the wall. The brighter the light on the wall, the greater the sense of revelation upon seeing it. Similarly, someone who does not search, who does not bring a lantern with him... sees nothing.

What we perceive as God is the byproduct of our search for God. It may simply be in appreciation of the light, pure and unblemished, not understanding that it comes from us.

Sometimes we stand in front of the light, and assume that we are the centre of the universe. God looks astonishingly like we do. Or we turn to look at our shadow, and see that all is darkness.

If we allow ourselves to get in the way we defeat the purpose, which is to use the light of our search to illuminate the wall in all it's beauty, and in all it's flaws, and in so doing better understand the world around us."

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posted September 09, 2013 10:12 AM            

If we take our hand, and hold it slightly away from a well lit wall, a shadow will appear as a darkened spot. The shadow becomes our search for mystery and understanding.

Too often we assume that the shadow we have created on the wall is God. But the shadow is not the goal of the search, it is the result of the search.

The more intense the search, the darker the shadow on the wall. The darker the shadow on the wall, the greater the sense of revelation emanating from the unknown, the greater our imagination grows! Similarly, someone who does not search, who does not make a shadow, is forever blinded by the light... they feel nothing!

What we perceive as God is the byproduct of our search for God. It may simply be in appreciation of the darkness, its depth, its mystery, not understanding that it comes from us.

Sometimes we stand in captivated awe of our shadow, and assume that we are the center of the universe. God looks astonishingly like we do. Or we turn to look directly into the light, and see that all is a blinding whiteness.

If we do not create a shadow upon the wall and simply allow a blinding light to be our only guide, we defeat the purpose, which is to use the shadow of our search to reveal the wall in all it's beauty, and in all it's flaws, and in so doing better understand the world around us.

Obviously, its not about either or, but simply the necessary collusion of light & shadow, for without this interplay, beauty is forever hidden.

posted April 28, 2022 05:53 PM            

quote:

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"What does the candle represent?"

"Life."

"Whose Life?

"All Life. Every Life. We are all born as molecules in the hearts of a billion stars. Molecules that do not understand politics or policies or differences.

"Over a billion years, we foolish molecules forget who we are and where we came from. In desperate acts of ego, we give ourselves names, fight over lines on maps, and pretend that our light is better than everyone else's.

"The flame reminds us of the piece of those stars that lives on inside us. The spark that tells us: 'You should know better.' The flame also reminds us that life is precious as each flame is unique. When it goes out, it's gone forever. And there will never be another quite like it.

"So many candles will got out tonight. I wonder some days if we can see anything at all."

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posted July 09, 2022 09:36 AM            

You can never be enlightened, you are the enlightenment.

You are the sought and you are the search