Transcendence is a state where struggle and resistance give way to a sublime sense of openness. It is an aesthetic experience where we encounter something vastly true, leaving us in a spirit of awe and serenity.

It is active wisdom: yielding to the flow of life rather than trying to dam it up. As soon as the fighting with 'what is' stops, we naturally fall back into the self that was always there—a state of peace that requires no effort to maintain.

Genuine spiritual freedom tends to manifest as a lack of reactivity, a decrease in the 'I, me, mine' narrative. It isn't about being 'happy' all the time; it’s about less attachment to specific outcomes or identities—a spaciousness where emotions can arise and pass without the core sense of self being overwhelmed.

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The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation, he sat.

Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Can you teach me about heaven and hell!"

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second.

"You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are unkempt. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul? You whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"

The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high above his head. His face turned to crimson and the veins on his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.

"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent. In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, recognition and compassion for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."

Inspiring Pioneers

WU WEI
The art of acting in a subtle way.
byronevents.net/wuwei

THE DAZZLING DARK
"From the perspective of the Dazzling Dark everything  is a marvel of creation." ~John Wren-Lewis
byronevents.net/wrenlewis