I'm back at work at the college today. I haven't walked down by the creek in forever it seems. Last semester I almost stepped on a rattlesnake and it freaked me out a bit. Then school ended and I was only out on campus for one week during the summer. I've been very busy this fall and still leery of those snakes, so I've stayed away from the creek and my favorite walking paths. Today I decided it was time to get back out there and when I hit the bridge to cross over to where I love to walk this is what I saw--well, this isn't the actual sign but it was big and yellow just like this one and it said, "Beware of Rattlesnakes." It was enough to turn me back into my tracks. If I had been wearing my boots I might have continued on my way but when I'm walking I enjoy just being in the moment and contemplating--not so much into being worried or in a heightened state of awareness of snakes. I just have too much fear going on with this right now. Not sure what that's about but I'm not taking chances with it at this point.The Enlightenment Intensive was wonderful. I was on staff, monitoring with six others plus the master. There were 36 participants. Jerry was a participant and he had two direct experiences working on the question What Am I? I I was fortunate to be able to do the last dyad with him and here is part what he said when describing what he experienced.
"I was so full of emptiness that I burst open and the love poured in."
I was standing behind him when he was having one experience, watching his dyad partner. Wow, this man's eyes were just so deep and pure, his face open, radiating love and connection. It was quite beautiful.
At another point during the intensive, on of the monitors came up to me and said, "the man in the green sweater is just bursting open". Yep, that's my husband I said, he has the tendency to do that. I'm a bit jealous actually. It's not that I don't have nice experiences too and I've also broken through into direct experiences of the truth--enlightenment. But it just seems so easy for Jerry. Not that he isn't working hard because these retreats take great amounts of commitment, willful intention, focus, openness and energy--thus they are called Intensives but somehow the process just seems to be a perfect fit for him and he slides right into the technique so smoothly.Even though I was monitoring this intensive I was still working my question "What Is Another? and I also had the opportunity to sit in on several dyads. I was involved in quite a powerful process myself. I will write more later about my insights concerning Another, the sweetness of separation, my agendas, so on and so forth.
Tonight, Jerry, my friend Patrick and I will have one of our twice a month, Dyad Communication Evenings. Two people have confirmed that they are coming so there should be five of us. I'm glad we are doing this and happy that some folks are starting to show interest. Patrick and I will be co-mastering an Enlightenment Intensive together in the Spring, hopefully at the Sky Creek Dharma Center. It will be a first for both of us and Jerry will be on staff too.
As for the domes at Harbin Hot Springs... I don't recommend them. Darn. Kind of a crazy little alien like group of pods up on the hill above Harbin proper. We arrived about 11:30 pm and soaked in the watsu pool under a tepee. It was OK, not so nice really, but relaxing enough before sleep. There are four domes, ours had four rooms I think. It was quite cold outside and yet inside our dome-pod was hot and claustrophobic. Even with the window open all night it was way too warm and uncomfortable so that I could barely sleep. The sleep I did get was restless with strange dreams and I was dehydrated in the morning besides being incredibly stiff and overly tired. There was no heat on inside the dome and like I said, it was cold outside and we had the window open, so I don't what kept it so warm inside but it wasn't good. We packed up the car and headed Harbin proper and had a nice breakfast with coffee and then soaked in the lovely warm pool under the fig trees before heading home. That was lovely.
2 comments:
You know, I have often wondered about the reason for the name of this blog and now there's a reference to here...Can you explain more about this question and what it means to you...what you are seeking in asking this question?
Hi Greenwoman. Thanks for asking. Part of my spiritual practice is doing what are known as Enlightenment Intensives. Enlightenmnet Intensives consist mostly of Dyad Communication which is a contemplative art and the purpose is to directly experience the truth. There are several questions, or koans that a person may work on in this practice, the two most common ones are the self questions--Who Am I? and What I am? The other main questions are--What is Another? What is Life? What is Love? In Dyad Communication, your partner will give you the instruction, for instance, "Tell me what Another Is?" You receive the instruction, go into contemplation, intending to directly experience the truth of Another (or the truth of what or who you are, depending on the question you are working on) and then you open to whatever comes up as a direct result of your contemplation. You then communicate with your partner whatever (anything and everything) comes up. Your partner receives you with total attention and non-judgement--not speaking or approving or disapproving, just being there for you, receiving. Then you change over and give your partner their instruction, for instance "Tell Me What You Are?" or whatever question they are working on, maybe the same one as you are. Dyad Communication cycles last for 40 minutes back and forth between partners. At an Enlightenment Intensive you do this practice from early morning until late at night with a little eating contemplation,walking contemplation, sitting contemplation sprinkled in here and there. These retreats are silent and you are continuously contemplating your question, only speaking when you are the active partner in a dyad, communicating what came up in your comtemplation. So actually, you do talk a lot! But it's very focused of course.
What happens is that these questions serve to focus the mind and everything one has identified with surrounding their question--say for instance with Another, everything I have associated with Another (people can't be trusted, another will hurt and cheat me, another isn't safe, men only want me for sex, all others are better, smarter than me--whatever)will come up. What comes up is The Truth of the Moment (not necessarily the ultilmate truth--ideas, concepts, trauma, stories, memories--truth, untruth. Once this stuff is communicated, the mind clears and what was the truth of moment, now shared, if it isn't the ultimate truth, it is released. Finally, what we are left with is the ultimate truth--to be directly experienced and with grace, one is able to break through at this point into enlightenmemt. This technique works the same way as sitting and meditating does although the process is extremely excelerated and one moves through a lot of their guck really fast.
So to actually answer your question succintly--what I'm am seeking in asking this question is to directly experience the truth of Another.
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