Power of Love

"The Truth loves. It does not judge. It holds a big sword in its hands and can ruthlessly discern what is false and what is true, but it does not hold grudges. If you are not telling the truth to yourself, you will suffer. If it was not ruthless, there would be no learning. Truth doesn't spoon feed you. Live by truth or suffer. It's that simple.

When you actually awaken to the Truth, you will see that through every circumstance and experience you have always been loved. It is amazing to see there is a thread of love running through every single moment. There never was a victim, not even for a moment. And even though it may have seemed painful, it was just a fierce sword that was there to get you to really see the Truth. Coming to terms with this is difficult because it steals every thread of victimhood from us.

Truth can dance into existence in many forms, pleasurable and not pleasurable. Behind every experience is love. Commitment to being fully present through all levels of being will close the gap between you and what is happening, the gap between you and experience. Kwong Roshi often used to say, "Close the gap, even just a tiny bit, close the gap." Then everything opens up. Close the gap between what is and what you want it to be, between what is presenting itself and what you want to present itself This gap of judgment is the separation you feel. You need to totally choose what is and lean into it with your whole being. Now, it's very important to realize you cannot close the gap by your own will, only by willingness. If you try to close it, it becomes wider and wider. But it can close itself when you are willing to surrender to what is. When the gap between "me" and the truth of the moment is closed, the Truth reveals itself as fully present, fully your very Self.

That is what I mean when I say lean into life, into the moment, and into the richness of what is. This is not a lean into transcendental disassociation. It can be if you want, but that's not what I am talking about right now. Go forward into vulnerability and innocence. It's like when you are having a conversation with someone and it starts to hit that magic moment when both of you sort of lean in and are vulnerable with each other. That is where the magic happens.

There are so many ways that the gap can get closed. One way to help the gap close and find stillness is when you are sitting in meditation, just sit. If the body moves in response to the mind, it obscures the stillness. But when the body stays relaxed and still, the mind will start to follow the body, and the gap can close. Then the stillness in the moment can begin to shine. Be conscious of what is causing movement. This is just mind manifesting as body. Be slightly at risk, always slightly vulnerable. Be vulnerable enough to stay awake, to feel the cool breeze fanning the fire of the heart.

The real power is the power of love passionately expressing something very deep inside. It comes from the heart, from overabundance, not from trying to fill a lack. You can feel this spark of life and love through everything in existence. You feel it in the air, in the shape of the flower, the shape of the leaf, the shape of your own body. You can't put your finger on it. It's life, and life transcends being alive. Thoughts die, bodies die, beliefs die, life remains. Life, God, love, manifests in so many ways—as wisdom, clarity, and like a fire burning you to get you moving, to get you to let go and wake up to reality.

When I'm not in satsang, I'm a pretty quiet person. Awakeness can take the form of heart, of play, and of the deepest quiet you can imagine. The common element is the fullness of the emptiness. If we’re really available, there is a richness. Even when it is empty and quiet and nothing is going on, there is a fullness."

~ Adyashanti, Emptiness Dancing

Photos ~ "Mañjuśrī is depicted as a male bodhisattva wielding a flaming sword in his right hand, representing the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality. The scripture supported by the padma (lotus) held in his left hand is a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra, representing his attainment of ultimate realization from the blossoming of wisdom. Mañjuśrī is often depicted as riding on a blue lion, or sitting on the skin of a lion. This represents the use of wisdom to tame the mind, which is compared to riding or subduing a ferocious lion." ~ Wikipedia