An Ancient Secret
I have found that happiness is often most easily manifested through simply sharing kindness and goodness. The only person that we can ever change is ourselves. Our relationships with others can be characterized by love and kindness and through this we will build relationships that are good and healthy. I think that being a Tara or a Bodhisattva is not so much about changing others as about being a non-anxious presence and not simply reflecting a person's fears. Instead of being a reflection or creating a projection, the Bodhisattva is Love in action. The ancient secret of liberation is not found within sacrifice but within co-creation. Suffering is not decreased by suffering oneself. Suffering is decreased by focusing on wholeness and happiness. The Bodhisattva is not simply seeking profit or gain, but rather dwelling within the all encompassing understanding of abundance and seeing good upon her doorstep even on a stormy day. She is standing on the porch of her home observing the storm and feeling the passion of nature surge through her veins. Though she may be old in years, her heart is young because in her moments she always chooses youth. What is youth? Youth is not simply found in a lack of years but found within the substance of acceptance and a sense of wholeness and wonder. If we are to be as small children, this does not mean to be a child but to live within the graciousness of a child, to have an open heart and an open mind to love life with delight. In this moment a day lengthens and becomes like eternity and a year is packed with goodness. Goodness and the Law of Goodness is always with us. We are always capable of resolving any problem set before us. The real challenge for most people is not their capability of resolving problems but their choice to go beyond the superficial into the deepest part of life. Often we find that people are judging from surface appearances and this leads to much suffering, suffering for themselves and suffering for others. As I am sure you are aware, the Buddha said that suffering comes from desire. But the actual teaching is that suffering comes from unexamined desire. If we are ruled by our unconscious desires then our lives will merely follow patterns which may manifest material good or temporary romance but there is no satiation in Samsara. But the moment that we acknowledge the presence of Great Spirit within us and open our hearts and demonstrate this truth, in this moment we are free. Our love becomes eternal because it springs forth from an unquenchable well of life. Our mind meld in unity and we are never lonely though we may be alone. Our dance of life becomes a dance of love and our prayers are not simply words but every small action that we take. Our most sacred demonstration of spiritual truth is found within our uniqueness, as we embody the Great Truth of our Divinity we do not disappear but we become more ourselves. It is at the moment that we decide that the suffering of that little girl in Calcutta can be changed and we are brave in our choice and unafraid of eternity that we are liberated. It is at this moment that we have stepped upon the bridge of love which can move through time and space to any place at any moment. It is a mystery but a sweet one, that within such love lies freedom. When we do the work of re-aligning our heart-minds with highest good then there is no need to change anyone else. Those people who are good for us manifest in our lives when we are ready for them to appear. This is an ancient secret. I am happy that I met you because you have a good heart and a good mind. I really enjoy your perspective.
I feel that it is important to follow the principle that in order to change anything we must change ourselves. When I do treatments I do not treat the other person, I treat my vision of the truth of that person. I have found that everything I need comes to me in this life. Whether I am in the United States or elsewhere in the world, I have found that unless we insure that New Thought is there for people to see, then most people will not be aware of its existence. Our lives are works of art and we can create the most beautiful tapestry of interwoven threads, a vision that is fulfilled in harmonious crescendos of color that create a strong and lasting legacy of beauty. The greatest beauty is found in simple things: the smile of a child, the dance of a young rabbit in spring, the sun setting in the mountains while one sits in a natural hotspring.
In my life, I have experienced and continue to experience wonderful things because I am open to them. I would not be helping you if I wasn't open and trusting. When I work on films sometimes I meet famous people. Some like Angelika Huston are centered and spiritual and able to sit by the campfire and enjoy conversing with the people there and create joy in others hearts. I have observed that when I am working on a film and have a trailer of my own, I can bring goodness into other people's lives simply with a smile and an acknowledgment of their being. I have observed some people on the set who are well known stars trapped in worlds they have created out of fear and neurosis. Chasing after rainbows that do not exist they trample upon the hearts of people who only dreamed of ever meeting one of their favorite stars. Such people might be on the movie set only once in a lifetime and often they live lives in which they see more beauty in the small screens of the tv's than upon the screen of their consciousness. Thus it is that the truly great and noble hearts of our lives are those people who even in fame and fortune show humility and grace. These are the people who are mindful and loving even to the person who is scrubbing the floor. In contrast to such beings, we find the stars who have come to this same set and yet they cannot be content. Their headaches are the center of their universe and their desires give rise to actions that bring pain into others lives; no sooner have they seduced another actresses' husband then they fill their glasses with a shot of tequila, their own lovers appear, another drama ensues. Later one finds the protagonist crying behind a building which is merely a facade upon set. Just like the building has no real form or substance and cannot shelter anyone from the weather, our famous actress who has somehow found a void within and her beauty is only a shell that hides a vacant lot that stretches out to the fence beyond. Her long legs have not served to carry her further away from her pain because it lives within her. Can we change this person? No. Should we try? Probably not. Yet when she reaches out to us, another actor upon this movie set, it is not impossible to give a hug. It is not hard to listen and when called upon to share a simple truth that can help her to change if she chooses and through this to leave her pain behind and build a house within that void which has a solid foundation and is not merely a facade on a movie set. Perhaps the greatest truth is that we are all one and thus as I change, the whole world changes with me. We can be true to the integrity of ourselves. We are each called to share something in life. Our desires, when examined, reveal a course upon the chart of the universal life. In contrast to termination of desire which leads merely to arhatship, (no outflows, no inflows) through understanding our desires and making wise choices we begin to manifest a life that is filled with love and joy, perhaps because Love is the only truth. Thus the truth sets us free. It was because of Desire that the Buddha became enlightened. Without desire then no achievement is created. We must learn to see what is in front of us and to focus on what we wish to manifest because if we were to simply focus on what we wish to manifest we would stumble upon our path and if we were to simply stare at the path without a vision then our eyes would be glued to our feet and we would never see the beauty around us. It is not how many times we stumble that is important, but rather how many times we get back up. And we must learn to see within the seed, the beauty of the tree and within the human heart the divine Holy Spirit. We must learn to look beyond the surface to see the love which is there and in this very act of vision, we change ourselves through the focus of our consciousness. This is an old law but also a principle of Quantum physics. The act of observing changes both the observer and the object being observed. Thus it follows that the quality by which you observe will bring forth manifestation in direct correspondence to its energy. The combination of positive thought with deep loving emotion is an amazing principle that never ceases to bring about change within ourselves and thus within the whole world. Like a butterfly flapping its wings in China, the soft swirls of are created without much thought yet the energy moves and something in America moves too. Rooted in Love, the Divine Child reaches outward and in a simple grasp of heart-mind transforms all that is around her to what she is: pure Divinity.
