Nothing needs to happen - but what is happening right now is this impulse to say thank you, Joan! Thank you for your words, your clarity, your love. After a 45 year spiritual search, all I know is everything is holy now (as Peter Mayer sang) and I don't know a damn thing! 😀🌹
Joan==I admire you for the path of your life. I have read your books and read your substack. I do not understand at all about nothing needs to happen or most of what you write about. I follow many teachers, especially Joan Halifax, but from afar. I am 78, in a long term same sex marriage. I have endured near death and am disabled in mobility. I carry signs and try to stir up good trouble. So...what I do not get about your way of approaching life right now is this: the end of all we know as Americans is here. Do nothing? I would much prefer that you would revert to your political days and for god's sake, show the way with your long accrued wisdom. I do not believe " nothing needs to happen" is very productive right now. You have too much power in words to lie low and watch the destruction of the USA. But of course, each must follow her own journey.
Well, you have many strong opinions and certainties that not all intelligent, well-educated, well-informed, deeply caring humans share. By listening to diverse perspectives, I've come to see this more and more clearly. I've come to hold my opinions with much less certainty. Pretty much everything we think we know is "known" from listening to second, third, fourth hand information about which we really know nothing. As the old Chinese farmer wisely said (again and again), "Maybe so...we'll see."
You see insouciance or ignorance (ignore-ing) in many nondual voices, but I know many of these folks personally, and I haven't found the ones I know to be uncaring at all. In fact, we all have opinions and concerns and often broken hearts.
Also, I can assure you that many people in the US are deeply concerned and that there is a lot of resistance going on at many levels.
Yes I totally see that what you say makes sense and also what Joan says makes sense. I am Canadian but feeling deeply for American people - well…and the entire planet because of the craziness. It’s a time of deep change and I guess I have some sort of faith in the universe…that it will give certain key figures enough rope to hang themselves. It’s already happening actually.
Hi Diane, what I said was that nothing needs to happen in order to be this one, infinite, undivided whole. I did not say that nothing needs to happen if your car gets a flat tire and you want to keep driving it, or if you have a massive bleeding wound and want to stay alive. I'm also not saying you shouldn't do whatever you are moved to do. But whether you carry a sign or stay home, you are equally this undivided wholeness. Donald Trump is as much this wholeness as you are. But that doesn't mean you have to like him, or that you can't protest what he's doing. That, too, is this wholeness. Wholeness includes everything.
It's been many years since I was engaged in political activism, and I'm not moved to do so now. Also, I probably don't see things exactly the way you do. I don't believe the USA is being destroyed, although of course I could be wrong. I have deep concerns about many things Trump is doing, and I don't agree with much of it. I didn't vote for him. But I have many disagreements with where the left has gone in recent years as well. I'm also deeply aware of the truth conveyed by the old Chinese Farmer Story—what we think is bad fortune often turns into what we think is good fortune and vice versa. Life will always include things we don't like.
I don't think political activism is the only way to change the world. Often I think it actually makes things worse. It typically operates at a superficial level without going to root of the problems it seeks to address, and thus it often creates a new version of what it was fighting against. We've seen this throughout history. But I'm not saying political activism is useless either. I'm grateful for many activists like Martin Luther King Jr, and I'm thankful for many of the political movements I participated in for civil rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, disability rights. But I don't feel called to do that kind of work anymore. And as I said, I don't think it's the only way to transform things.
I didn't say, "Do nothing." That's what you heard, or misheard. Anyway, I wish you well, and if the message in this post doesn't speak to you, that's perfectly okay. Find what does. I wish you all the best. 🙏
Joan my heart and whatever this mind is, deeply resonates with your eloquent flow of words. My morning inspiration was and still is the Ashtavakra Gita of course there are no comparisons everything is part of this endless creative presence but for me right now I feel your wisdom words more relevant I guess because your eloquence flows from the world we are experiencing in this Time epoch Much Love June
It’s very a.m. as I write this (I normally try to resist the siren call of my cell phone in the morning), but this new post is truly wonderful, Joan ….
Joan, many thanks. Again your words strike a chord of continuance and courage within. I too feel the disgruntled destruction occurring within our society. I do my best to remember that it does not have to be a 'good' thing or a 'bad' one. It is a contnual expression of creation boundless and breathtaking. I stay connected more to the heart of things as I remove myself from the surface reactions intended to stifle expression and to create worry. I am not having any of it! much caring and loving toward All.
TON PACKER ON EGO & AUTHORITY + SHELLEY ON THE FALL & FORGETTING THAT AWAITS ALL TYRANTS NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL: AUDIO OF ‘OZIMANDIAS’ READ BY VINCENT PRICE
PART OF QUESTION […] Am I willing to accept the great discomfort that comes with being my own authority? And yet every time I look carefully and observe what is going on, I am my own authority.
TONI REPLIES: It is not really a matter of becoming "one's own authority" either. The authority of our past experiences, convictions, beliefs, insights, and hopes can be just as blinding and binding this instant as the attachment to the outside authority of spiritual teachers. Why do we need to lean on any authority in observing what is actually happening?
Isn't it our anxiety, our constant search for escapes, and our deep-seated resistance to facing and questioning every single movement of the mind that create this longing for authority? It seems to be so much easier and more soothing to let someone else take care of us—tell us what to do and what not to do, evaluate where we're at, what progress we have made, and what attainments await us in the future. Our unresolved fears and cravings for psychological and spiritual refuge and security bring all authorities into existence. If human beings face fear and pain directly as they arise, discovering their very root source and dropping all escapes—where then is there need for any authority?
Or, to put it differently: Does direct, undivided attention to what is going on inwardly and outwardly need any authority? Don't all present and past influences have to stop interfering completely in order to attend fully, immediately, and wholly.? Only then can there be the stillness of pure observation. We cannot possibly attend freely as long as compelling thoughts and re membrances about what we ought to do or what we have done in the past clutter the mind.
So, it is ever-tempting to slip into our age-old conditioning, looking for promises and rewards like little children, seeking escapes from fear and pain and dreading punishment for "wrong- doing" (punishment for not obeying spiritual authority and tradition). Can this be seen as a powerful habit of thinking and reacting and then be dropped without getting entangled over and over again?
When fear, wanting, depression, and our habitual escapes are transparently clear as they arise, and the source from which they spring is revealed, then the flow of attention will not be interrupted. When attachment to inner and outer authority drops away, attention itself is the source of right action. It is right action.
Great quote from Toni. I'm not sure how "+ SHELLEY ON THE FALL & FORGETTING THAT AWAITS ALL TYRANTS NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL: AUDIO OF ‘OZIMANDIAS’ READ BY VINCENT PRICE" fits into it, but it's a great quote from TP.
Nothing needs to happen - but what is happening right now is this impulse to say thank you, Joan! Thank you for your words, your clarity, your love. After a 45 year spiritual search, all I know is everything is holy now (as Peter Mayer sang) and I don't know a damn thing! 😀🌹
Thank you Joan, for these comforting words on a morning when I feel the world has become totally mad.
Joan==I admire you for the path of your life. I have read your books and read your substack. I do not understand at all about nothing needs to happen or most of what you write about. I follow many teachers, especially Joan Halifax, but from afar. I am 78, in a long term same sex marriage. I have endured near death and am disabled in mobility. I carry signs and try to stir up good trouble. So...what I do not get about your way of approaching life right now is this: the end of all we know as Americans is here. Do nothing? I would much prefer that you would revert to your political days and for god's sake, show the way with your long accrued wisdom. I do not believe " nothing needs to happen" is very productive right now. You have too much power in words to lie low and watch the destruction of the USA. But of course, each must follow her own journey.
Well, you have many strong opinions and certainties that not all intelligent, well-educated, well-informed, deeply caring humans share. By listening to diverse perspectives, I've come to see this more and more clearly. I've come to hold my opinions with much less certainty. Pretty much everything we think we know is "known" from listening to second, third, fourth hand information about which we really know nothing. As the old Chinese farmer wisely said (again and again), "Maybe so...we'll see."
You see insouciance or ignorance (ignore-ing) in many nondual voices, but I know many of these folks personally, and I haven't found the ones I know to be uncaring at all. In fact, we all have opinions and concerns and often broken hearts.
Also, I can assure you that many people in the US are deeply concerned and that there is a lot of resistance going on at many levels.
Yes I totally see that what you say makes sense and also what Joan says makes sense. I am Canadian but feeling deeply for American people - well…and the entire planet because of the craziness. It’s a time of deep change and I guess I have some sort of faith in the universe…that it will give certain key figures enough rope to hang themselves. It’s already happening actually.
Hi Diane, what I said was that nothing needs to happen in order to be this one, infinite, undivided whole. I did not say that nothing needs to happen if your car gets a flat tire and you want to keep driving it, or if you have a massive bleeding wound and want to stay alive. I'm also not saying you shouldn't do whatever you are moved to do. But whether you carry a sign or stay home, you are equally this undivided wholeness. Donald Trump is as much this wholeness as you are. But that doesn't mean you have to like him, or that you can't protest what he's doing. That, too, is this wholeness. Wholeness includes everything.
It's been many years since I was engaged in political activism, and I'm not moved to do so now. Also, I probably don't see things exactly the way you do. I don't believe the USA is being destroyed, although of course I could be wrong. I have deep concerns about many things Trump is doing, and I don't agree with much of it. I didn't vote for him. But I have many disagreements with where the left has gone in recent years as well. I'm also deeply aware of the truth conveyed by the old Chinese Farmer Story—what we think is bad fortune often turns into what we think is good fortune and vice versa. Life will always include things we don't like.
I don't think political activism is the only way to change the world. Often I think it actually makes things worse. It typically operates at a superficial level without going to root of the problems it seeks to address, and thus it often creates a new version of what it was fighting against. We've seen this throughout history. But I'm not saying political activism is useless either. I'm grateful for many activists like Martin Luther King Jr, and I'm thankful for many of the political movements I participated in for civil rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, disability rights. But I don't feel called to do that kind of work anymore. And as I said, I don't think it's the only way to transform things.
I didn't say, "Do nothing." That's what you heard, or misheard. Anyway, I wish you well, and if the message in this post doesn't speak to you, that's perfectly okay. Find what does. I wish you all the best. 🙏
Deeply grateful for you Joan.
Joan my heart and whatever this mind is, deeply resonates with your eloquent flow of words. My morning inspiration was and still is the Ashtavakra Gita of course there are no comparisons everything is part of this endless creative presence but for me right now I feel your wisdom words more relevant I guess because your eloquence flows from the world we are experiencing in this Time epoch Much Love June
It’s very a.m. as I write this (I normally try to resist the siren call of my cell phone in the morning), but this new post is truly wonderful, Joan ….
SO beautiful and SO needed this day! I Am eternally grateful for YOU! 🥰
Thank you for your writings this morning. I always draw inspiration from your words.
🥹 right when I think you couldn’t get better..you do. You’re an artist with words..pointing out the true reality directly. What a gift. Thank you 🥰🛟
Joan, many thanks. Again your words strike a chord of continuance and courage within. I too feel the disgruntled destruction occurring within our society. I do my best to remember that it does not have to be a 'good' thing or a 'bad' one. It is a contnual expression of creation boundless and breathtaking. I stay connected more to the heart of things as I remove myself from the surface reactions intended to stifle expression and to create worry. I am not having any of it! much caring and loving toward All.
Thank you Joan. I love reading your outpourings. ❤️
Beautiful.
Again Dear Joan, The words...the visions that arise...the music that flows...the Rest that embraces...So beautiful.
TON PACKER ON EGO & AUTHORITY + SHELLEY ON THE FALL & FORGETTING THAT AWAITS ALL TYRANTS NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL: AUDIO OF ‘OZIMANDIAS’ READ BY VINCENT PRICE
PART OF QUESTION […] Am I willing to accept the great discomfort that comes with being my own authority? And yet every time I look carefully and observe what is going on, I am my own authority.
TONI REPLIES: It is not really a matter of becoming "one's own authority" either. The authority of our past experiences, convictions, beliefs, insights, and hopes can be just as blinding and binding this instant as the attachment to the outside authority of spiritual teachers. Why do we need to lean on any authority in observing what is actually happening?
Isn't it our anxiety, our constant search for escapes, and our deep-seated resistance to facing and questioning every single movement of the mind that create this longing for authority? It seems to be so much easier and more soothing to let someone else take care of us—tell us what to do and what not to do, evaluate where we're at, what progress we have made, and what attainments await us in the future. Our unresolved fears and cravings for psychological and spiritual refuge and security bring all authorities into existence. If human beings face fear and pain directly as they arise, discovering their very root source and dropping all escapes—where then is there need for any authority?
Or, to put it differently: Does direct, undivided attention to what is going on inwardly and outwardly need any authority? Don't all present and past influences have to stop interfering completely in order to attend fully, immediately, and wholly.? Only then can there be the stillness of pure observation. We cannot possibly attend freely as long as compelling thoughts and re membrances about what we ought to do or what we have done in the past clutter the mind.
So, it is ever-tempting to slip into our age-old conditioning, looking for promises and rewards like little children, seeking escapes from fear and pain and dreading punishment for "wrong- doing" (punishment for not obeying spiritual authority and tradition). Can this be seen as a powerful habit of thinking and reacting and then be dropped without getting entangled over and over again?
When fear, wanting, depression, and our habitual escapes are transparently clear as they arise, and the source from which they spring is revealed, then the flow of attention will not be interrupted. When attachment to inner and outer authority drops away, attention itself is the source of right action. It is right action.
Great quote from Toni. I'm not sure how "+ SHELLEY ON THE FALL & FORGETTING THAT AWAITS ALL TYRANTS NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL: AUDIO OF ‘OZIMANDIAS’ READ BY VINCENT PRICE" fits into it, but it's a great quote from TP.
Ozymandias
By Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Ah. I so appreciate this. You have a way of offering your knowing that makes it so accessible and easy to slip inside of. Thank you.