manitou

Apech, thank you! Do I owe you anything for the instructional?

Going back a bit on this thread, I did find the picture of an enlightened one hovering above the path with the sun for a face - it was in A Separate Reality (one of the several covers that were used for this book). I can't figure out how to copy and paste this cover off Amazon, perhaps their structure won't let me. But if anyone is interested, check it out. If anyone actually knows how to copy and paste this picture, I'd be much obliged. What a computer dinosaur I am becoming. I guess I need a 10 year old in my life.

Thank you, RainbowVein - hope you are doing fine as well. I loved meeting you in person a couple years back - hard to forget your kindness and radiance. And thank you, 3Bob. Best wishes.

It appears that you are playing with a stacked deck. To continually quote only the framework of Buddhism as your authority doesn't cut the mustard. The unenlightened Christians here in the Midwest (I seem to have landed right in the middle of the bible belt pocket when we moved here 5 years ago) will continually quote the bible to prove their point, their point being "only through accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior can you reach salvation". What makes your structure any better than that of the Islamist, the Christian, the shamanic path? They all are sure they have the answer too. My personal experience (which is the only lens I can see through) is that by understanding and transcending the structure of any of the religious paths, one can see the communal overlay of the essence of Love, Forgiveness, developing a heart of kindness and mercy, and the consciousness that We are the Creator. This overlay will bring us closer to enlightenment than tightly grasping onto any of the cages. I'm pretty sure that a dream I had last night directly relates to this lengthy discussion we've been having on this thread. I dreamt that there were divers diving down into the water attaching explosives to certain things under the water and blowing them up. Obviously the water is symbolic for the subconscious and our own personal dives down into it to remove that which needs to be removed for clarity. After several explosions, there was one huge fireball of an explosion that went up into the sky. We (I had the impression that it was all of us Bums) were all sitting together in this restaurant across the street from the lake and we were all watching the fireball go up. The funny thing is that there was a path leading from the lake to the restaurant, ending at the restaurant. The path was paved by strips of duct tape, of all things. If you think of what duct tape does, it patches things together, binds that which needs binding. Is this not symbolic of separate paths finding the point of unity, the restaurant in which we all sat? I'm coming to the understanding that our dreams are the face of our Original Nature giving us clues as to what needs to be done for total liberation. Love you, Alwayson. You have been a mighty catalyst for a fabulous discussion. This thread is no accident, despite the fact that it started in The Pit as a conversation between two people about Buddahood Without Meditation and dzogchen. We just wanted to avoid the occasional drive-by shooting, and yet it is the drive-by's that have made this a tremendously lively and informative thread.

This is exactly what the Secret gospel of James is about in the Nag Hammadi. Our ego's are a trip, are they not? We all think we have the answer. I think the only path that is wrong is the one that says all other paths are wrong.

TI - I didn't mean to infer that Morrison was an enlightened one. I equate his 'Break on Through...' Doors song to what we are talking about here. Both 'sides' of the brain must be united, must be explored (conscious and subconscious) to achieve the Whole. Remember the picture earlier that was posted where the adept was connecting the tendrils of the two lotuses? This to me is symbolic that both parts of our character, conscious and unconscious, must first be united and explored for the I Am to be understood and internalized. Please note that the adept is sitting in front of a large ball of Oneness. We are One. There is only one 'god' and we seem to be It. It matters not how we find it, as long as we find it. It's not of the mind. It is a Knowing that occurs once the conscious and subconscious are merged and understand each other.... not a Belief Structure. Those following a specific path, whether Buddhism, Islam, Christianity - are all looking for the same thing that was mysteriously implanted in all of our hearts and which beckons us to find it, because it wants to be Found. It wants us all to merge in Oneness and Love and be a communal physical incarnation of Itself. The funny thing is that even a stone atheist (one who chooses not to bother with any of this and denies his inner call) is doing nothing more than rebelling from this implantation. Once our subconscious (break on through to the other side) is explored, whether it be by Buddhist meditation wherein one can examine one's subconsciousness through meditation - or whether it's by purging one's inner self by working the steps of recovery and seeking our own motives which are directed by ego usually - they are all separate paths going up the same mountain and ending up in the same spot. When we sit at the intersection of all paths and are capable of reaching into any path to speak of these things, then it's an indication that the first glimpse of enlightenment is occurring. My guess is that enlightenment is not a destination; rather it is a starting point for perfecting our words and our actions, getting them into alignment with the Love that wants to manifest. Ego is no longer the motivating factor; love is. The relationships (or fellow posters on this board) that are the most challenging and anger us the most are truly our teachers. One's inner ire is a gage that we can use to see our own placement on the path. If we are easy to anger, that's a nice clue that the conditions underlying Ego have not yet been addressed in some particular way. The answers lie in our childhood, the pre-programming we received from the lies that we were told by well-intentioned but unaware people. Like our folks, our little friends, our teachers. And even the repetitious playing of mean spirited computer games. Would they not be negative input as well to a young formative brain? Those who can love one another as ourselves are evolved indeed. But what a challenge! And I don't believe there is a magic pill for it at all; but there are certainly aids that mankind has developed over the centuries, including all spiritual paths (and I include the path of the prodigal son here too). It is in the coming together and discovering the common essential overlay of the paths that the Oneness is found. then and only then will our words and actions reflect the inner glow of understanding within us.

In a sense, I'm pretty sure that's what Jim Morrison meant too. The other side of the brain.

I just purchased a couple tickets for this fabulous upcoming concert with YoYoMa and the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra. It's on Friday 9/27 at 7:30 at the Heinz Center downtown. Are there any Bums in the area that would be interested in attending this? Maybe we could meet for dinner first or something. If you're interested, do call quickly because these tickets are selling out fast. The number to call is (412) 392-4900. I think my goal in life is to meet every single one of you in person. I'd be thrilled if anybody would be interested in attending this event. Joe and I will be sitting up on the grand tier level, the tickets there were $110 apiece. You can go much higher or lower than this depending on your situation. Please PM me if anyone wishes to join us, so we can make some sort of dinner arrangement.

Wish you could be there too, Joe

Hi Alwayson, It occurred to me as I was vacuuming the carpet that I never responded to this question. All I can do is speak for myself. If I were specifically seeking out omniscience, it would come from a place within my ego. In my particular case, this would adversely affect my spiritual development, it would merely bolster ego. I'm thinking that I'm better off just leaving omniscience as a by-product of any gnowledge that is attained within me. I really don't want to be the one standing on my tiptoes trying to prove that I am more knowledgeable than others. I'm sort of heart oriented these days, rather than head oriented. For me, this is much growth. Perhaps my ego for me is more of a problem than it is for you. I come from a background of much control (police and being a weekend warrior in the military), so ego is of particular concern to me; it was the biggest hurdle to try to overcome, and I certainly have not mastered it yet. But I do try, and my proof that I have indeed made some headway is the fact that I've remained sober for 31 years, from a life of degeneracy. Peace to you, friend - and best wishes in your pursuits.

Steve, your words remind me again of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures, specifically the Secret Book of James (not only a disciple but the actual brother of Jesus). Jesus pulls James aside, because many the other disciples had not grasped the I Am consciousness yet - and directly tells James that the consciousness he seeks is within himself, James - and there's no necessity for an intermediary of any kind, including Jesus. Constantine, when setting up the Christianity structure, certainly didn't want the populous to gnow this. He was looking for control of the people, not independent thinkers. Your reference to the Jesuits is wonderful because they too realize that it's a straight shot to God-consciousness and no intermediary is necessary. I can clearly see that because of your act of grace, Steve, that this thread has become a thing of beauty as opposed to a slugfest. thank you, thank you, thank you. and Apeche, thank you for the beautiful Prayer for Rebirth in Pure Land. How soothing it was to my heart. Once again, Pure Land seems to be the prerequisite.

And thank you, my darling CT and Marbles, for being among us as well. Apech, what do those words mean? My guess is that they are something wonderful....the only thing I know to say in response is whashte..... CT, your metaphor is similar to the Findhorn community in the highlands of Scotland who were able to grow humongous fruits and vegetables in inhospitable soil because of their reverence for their land.

One of the Bums, maybe vMarco, spells knowledge with a g, not a k when talking about this type of knowledge. To me, this refers to the state of gnosis, wherein the subject 'gnows' rather than 'knows'. The Gnostics understood that there are two types. We all have knowledge to some extent. Some of us are highly educated, others of us are not - personally, I barely made it through the 12th grade. Knowledge is attained from books and transmissions from other sources, Gnowledge is what is discovered inside if the knowledge or transmission lands on the fertile soil within us because we have prepared the soil, removed the weeds and rocks; the seed that was transmitted will grow. The biggest weed of all is ego. When a loving and serious Islamist talks about True Jihad, they are talking about this: Doing battle with and overcoming the flames of Ego. When don Juan had Carlos do a life recapitulation, it was for the purpose of developing humility and overcoming ego. when an AA sponsor has his recovering charge do a personal inventory, he tells him to be ruthless in doing so, to make no excuses for ones' self, and to go back through one's life and make amends to anyone they have harmed. This is a humiliating experience but does ultimately give the gift of overcoming ego (not to say it's not still there to some degree, but much lesser than before; he becomes capable of sidestepping it and making his amend,as Steve did above, which makes it an act of grace). when it is said that the Sage has his treasures as described previously, it is only because he has learned to 'never be the first', or to never stand on your tiptoes, trying to show that we are more than we are in competition with other human beings, and it is because he has this capacity (overcoming ego) that the Sage has developed the pure consciousness, or Love of all. The Christians remain stuck in their box because their idea of Christ as 'the only one through which one can find redemption' is a barrier to their own transmission from something higher, and I don't recall there being a device in place within the structure of Christianity for ego removal. Nevertheless, some can find it on their own and it radiates through their faces, their actions, their transmission of love to others. The Nazarene was a christ consciousness; he taught his apostles to Know Thyself. (Gnow thyself). The Dalai Lama is a Christ consciousness who recognizes that we are temporarily in this learning-ground state of maya. The 33rd degree of the Scottish Rites of Freemasonry is one who has attained the Christ consciousness, as exemplified by Hiram Abiff, the original nature within us all. And what all those who Gnow have in common is that they realize their original nature is that they ARE God (but without ego, otherwise we'd be in serious trouble). We are the Creator, the Manifester, the Thinker (picture Rodin's statue). The picture above that we discussed of the adept connecting the inner with the outer (or the left brain to the right brain) may not be all that much, as someone earlier said. But the Artist who painted the scene clearly understood what it meant to return to our Original self. That we ourselves are It and as such have the paintbrush in our own hand and can create the life and the conditions we want - but not from a selfish perspective; from a perspective of us All being the creator and therefore all deserving of the same Love, whomever we are. We manifest from the inside to the outside, not the other way around. The circumstances we currently see in this troubled world are as a result of those with intense Ego needing more money, more land, more power, more recognition. There is an equally balanced cultivated side consisting of those of us who do not make the news because acts of love and kindness aren't the sort of things that 'sells papers' (certainly an aged metaphor in this day and age). Rigpa, attaining the gnowledge of who we Actually Are, is not a magic pill that can be taken without first preparing the soil. The pill can be taken, but it won't grow. There is a bit of effort involved. Steve motivated me. My apologies for getting a bit caught up in my own ego on this thread and I extend Love to anyone reading this. We Are One.

I think this is the most beautiful post on this thread. The ability to transcend one's own ego is a sign of a great one. As to rigpa, please note the following quote: “Rigpa is a Tibetan word, which in general means ‘intelligence’ or ‘awareness’. In Dzogchen, however, the highest teachings in the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, rigpa has a deeper connotation, ‘the innermost nature of the mind’. The whole of the teaching of Buddha is directed towards realizing this, our ultimate nature, the state of omniscience or enlightenment – a truth so universal, so primordial that it goes beyond all limits, and beyond even religion itself." Sogyal Rinpoche Some of us have been making this point from the beginning.....'a truth so universal, so primordial that it goes beyond all limits, and beyond even religion itself.' Structure has been transcended.

Here's what I'm thinking about all this. The kwazy kwistians seem to think that eternity starts the day they die. But if it is an unending eternity there is also no beginning. That must mean that our consciousness has always been, our consciousness is here now, and our consciousness will always be. We just happen to be living out a little animated ripple that is part of the never ending cycle, and it's an illusive place that appears real to us because of the linear nature of our brains that actually thinks there is such thing as time and space. How silly we are.

I don't know who that is, but you can clearly see that he is uniting the left brain with the right brain. The 'books' sitting on the lotus on the right are head knowledge, our various studies of different paths. The lotus on the left represents inner clarity - i.e. the clearing out process that all must go through to attain enlightenment. Until this inner clarity is arrived at by our own endeavors, all our learning just remains that - book learnin'. If one is entrenched within a certain path and remains there, they have not reached the place of Oneness. To sit in the place of Oneness is to be able to reach down into anyone's path and understand where they are, because the place of Oneness is the place of enlightenment. Personally, I would have to say that I get the most from Science of Mind, because it works with the illusive character of matter to straighten out the thinking of the one we're doing the healing on. Clarity of thought, unfettered by tangled-up character defects, is to tap into the Pure, the One, the Truth, the Reality. It's all just Thought, as science is finding out the further we look into the nature of matter. My actual path was the path of the prodigal son. I had to wallow in the feces before I found the light. To get myself out of the feces, I had to untangle my internal noodles, which is more a function of the right brain than the left. I had no clue, 31 years ago, that my feet were being placed on a spiritual path. I just wanted to straighten myself out enough to stay sober. What an incredible surprise all this has turned out to be. Enlightenment has no structure. It is total free thinking, and this is transmitted to others perhaps through the enlightened one's words and actions. He walks his talk. His character is as impeccable as he can possibly make it. Character is What We Do When No One Is Looking. Character is also demonstrated from behind our anonymous keyboards when we participate in groups such as this one. If one is continually nasty and putting others down, this is not an enlightened one at all. His heart shows through his words, and it is easy for ones with Eyes to see. We must walk our talk - otherwise we are nothing but a library shelf. There's a lot of that on this forum. But there are also those like CT, Steve, Tibetan Ice and surely more I'm not thinking of at the moment who do walk their talk. It shines through their words - it is a shine of loving one's brother as ones' self and coming from the place of Oneness. Some of us take this deadly seriously. Tibetan Ice, (I think it was you who questioned whether don Juan Mateus referred to enlightenment) - please go back to your collection of Castaneda books and just look at the front covers. There is one in particular in which the person walking on a path is hovering above the path and shining as well. (I've given my collection away one at a time, so I can't tell you which particular book it was). This is the metaphor for enlightenment, and in my view this picture relates the upper edge of what don Juan taught Carlos. Maybe Carlos made it, maybe he didn't. It doesn't matter - what he has given us through his relating the teachings of don Juan is a priceless treasure. As is the Tao Te Ching. Is there anyone here that does not see the Sage as an enlightened one? Look at his three treasures (as translated by Lin Yutang). Love, Never too Much, Never be the First. This tells me that he is capable of loving his brother as himself (not his actual brother, Alwayson), and his ego has been subjugated to the point where his spiritual visual lens is unfettered by selfish ego and the need to place himself above others. If one has received some sort of magical transmission without worrying about their inner selves, I think this person is deluded and dwelling in ego. To be stuck within any particular path is confining and not enlightened one bit. We must walk our talk; otherwise it's just baloney. We must be kind to each other on this forum and not put each other down. We keep coming back to each other to satisfy the question that has been implanted within us: Who am I, really?? When one realizes this answer and starts living with the results (also being capable of seeing who the other person is as well, as despicable as they may intitially appear to us) we become capable of achieving the One. Until then, it's merely structure. All paths, even the paths of darkness, when followed to their ultimate conclusion will lead to Oneness in the form of love and tolerance. And the understanding that, as Shakespeare said, (or Sir Henry Bacon, if you'd rather) 'this world is a stage and each must play their part'. A stage for what? This odd play, this odd evolution that ultimately must end in Oneness and Love, despite the opposite appearance in this day and age. We are all the Creator, after all.

Alwayson - you become enlightened when you come to the inner realization that you are enlightened. It is an inner knowledge, not something you read about in a book. Read Castaneda and realize that a true shaman is enlightened, I don't care what your Buddhism says. The Nazarene talks about enlightenment in the Nag Hammadi. What makes your Buddhism any righter than anything else? All paths end up in the same place, the place of the I Am consciousness, if the paths are followed out to the end. I met an enlightened master when I was in the second grade; he was also in the second grade. He taught me a Buddhist mantra which guarantees instant enlightenment - perhaps you will see the instant flash if you repeat it anywhere from one to ten times, out loud. Start slow, and then gradually build up to regular conversation speed. It goes as follows: O-wah Tah-goo Siam Repeat it and see what happens!

This doesn't pertain to any post in particular, but it seems that to walk an enlightened path is to be able to transcend all structure, whether Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Hindu, whatever. It now means to me to Walk My Talk and not to worry about which particular structure I found to get me there. Please let me give this as an example, and it is not ego from which this springs forth. The Zimmerman verdict drove me nuts. I decided at that moment to walk my talk and I've been going to a black Baptist church in the very poorest area of town. I have absolutely no use for anything Baptist - but I've never seen more Love being Demonstrated in any church I ever went to in my younger years. They don't talk 'about' the Bible, they Live their Love. They immediately enfold you in their love, and of all people who by all measure should be resentful because of the continual inequity of their lives, instead they will meet you with love regardless of the color of your skin. The continual undercurrent of the message is to Love your Brother as Yourself, and they know that this applies to the privileged whites as well (which we still have a few of in this town left over from the pottery industry barons). To argue about which particular method we use, what type of meditation, any of this.....if we don't go the further step and Walk our Talk it is still just mental folly. Transcend, friends.

Triangulation isn't the same as seeing visions IMO. When one has found the pony at the bottom of the manure heap and Knows Ones' Self, one is capable of seeing the innards of others, as we are all the same entity (or non-entity, if you'd rather). But the stream of thought must be quieted in order to gain an unbiased perspective and keep our own ego out of the mix. I'm not talking about lucid dreaming or seeing those types of visions. The comment earlier about cleaning one's own glass (darkly) is very valid. I believe that to be the crux of the matter, the inner journey to clarity. These two concepts must be combined to develop Eyes. As we're having this discussion I happen to be doing a re-read of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures, in particular the Tripartite Tractate. As you're no doubt aware, the Nag Hammadi scriptures are those that Constantine would not allow into the New Testament because he certainly didn't want the populous to be aware of the capacity for individual enlightenment - therefore many of these excellent works were hidden by monks and holy men because they knew that Constantine was looking for the best means of controlling the populous by means of a religious structure, not helping them enlighten themselves. These writings were found in 1948 in a cave in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. Please substitute the word Dao or any other word you would like for the word 'Father'. It's all the same. In Codex 71, 35 through 73,18, I see a wonderful connectedness to what we're talking about here. Please note in particular the first sentence where the Spirit gives members of the All (all of us collectively then, now, and future - as time is an illusion): (The lacunae are in parenthesis) "For the Father, he exalted one, they know by his Will, which (is) the Spirit that breathes through the members of the All and gives them a thought to search for the unknown, just as somebody is moved by a fragrance to seek the source of that fragrance - and the fragrance of the Father surpasses such unworthy things. For its sweetness lets the aeons sense an indescribable pleasure, and gives them the thought that they should be united with the one who desires that they should know him in oneness, and that they should assist one another through the spirit that is sown in them. They find themselves in a great and powerful inbreathing where they are renewed in a speechless manner and are formed, having no occasion to turn away through thoughtlessness from that in which they are placed. For they do not speak but are silent about the glory of the Father, about him who has the power to speak. "He manifested (himself), though he cannot be spoken. they have (him) hidden in their thoughts; for that reason the aeons keep silent about the way the Father exists in his form, his nature, and his greatness, but they have become worthy of knowing this through his Spirit. For he is unnamable and inaccessible, but through his Spirit, which is the trace by which he may be sought, he gives himself to them to be thought and spoken. For each of the aeons is a name corresponding to each of the Father's qualities and powers. Since he exists in many names, it is by mingling and through mutual harmony that they are able to speak of him, by means of a richness of speech. Thus, the Father is a single Name because he is One, but nevertheless innumerable in his qualities and names." What an odd thing, that we all have the thought implanted to seek the unknown, the unsayable. This must be the very thing that keeps us coming back to each other on this forum, year after year. The attempt to say the ineffable. We find the ineffable through a combination of cleaning our own dark glass and finding the inner silence; and yet the closest thing we can do to express that which we find is to love each other as ourselves - this seems to be the dynamic undercurrent. That which we seek seems to be the intersection of Love your Brother as Yourself, Be Here Now, and Know Thyself. As far as I can see, this is the tripod of the Oracles of Delphi, in a sense. I rather like the concept of a cosmic soup of sorts, where phenomena (such as our perceived selves) rise and fall. We appear as an animated ripple for a short time only to return to the ocean, resting again in the All. I also like the concept of throwing quantum physics into the mix as well - matter as both a particle and a wave. The concept of aeons, as mentioned above, connotates the concept of time, as it takes time to measure a wave from point A to point B - even a wave of probability. But we are also a particle, a piece of perceived matter. Somehow the intersection of the two creates the illusion of this 'physical' place we seem to live. But meditation seems to be capable of removing both the sense of bodily matter as a reality, and time as reality. Something quite magic about it, IMO. Seems to be the closest we can get to Mind. And Love seems to be the dynamic motivator of what Mind seems to want to accomplish, because it is only through acting with Love that anything of value can be produced. Anything accomplished with ego gratification or hatefulness will not last. Everyone who has ever lived and died is here with us now. Those who are here now are here with us now. Those who are yet to be born are here with us now. (I don't even know why I threw that last thing in. It just kind of blows my mind a bit).

Funny about meditation. After meditating for over 30 years, I no longer do it as a practice, but as an enjoyment, to get out of the illusion that I'm capable of falling into. Someone above mentioned 'controlled folly' - this is an expression that don Juan Mateus would use for when a shaman would make the decision to re-enter the emotions of the physical world, knowing that he could cut it loose at any time and choose to transcend. There is something that happens to us after meditating for a very long time - the ability to stop the internal dialogue. This stoppage of dialogue is absolutely essential to lucidity when needed, when trying to 'see' or triangulate a situation. Other types of meditation involve examining one's thoughts and looking for the basis, thereby pulling by the roots the ego-centered or fear-based thought, condemnation, fear, or judgment. But there are other methods for this as well aside from the meditation - a more active search for our fears. Actually, Steve and I intentionally started this conversation in the Pit, thinking it wouldn't be noticed. We wanted to stay on point and avoid the sometimes flippant remarks that can fly around. Foiled again, lol.

Absolutely wonderful, Jetsun!

Nice points, Songstan. I break it down pretty simply and try to stay in the realization that anything that has the black dots of awareness in the middle of their eyes is god too, just as I am. That includes everyone and everything down to the smallest insect. This web of awareness, eye to eye, if what keeps this whole ship afloat.

I will be the only person on this thread who sees with my eyes. Nobody may agree with me, and in fact I'm prepared for lots of mocking. Have at it. I can clearly See that Mr. Obama is an enlightened person in a very unenlightened position. He does not 'show leadership' in the traditional way. The man practices wu-wei down to his bones. And the Art of War? Everything he does shows his knowledge of that Art. He does by Not Doing. Am I the only one who sees this? Please recall that we didn't elect him King, we elected a president who has to share power with a bunch of current idiots. If you recall, he recently made the statement "This government cannot be fixed from the inside." The machine has gotten too big for anyone to fix. I think we're finished as the numero uno world power. But the Tao is at work even as all this apparent chaos is happening. It'll all shake out just fine; we just can't see the top of the cloud. Equity will win out in the end, it has to. Call me Shirley MacLaine, but I'm going way out on limb here and I honestly am of the opinion that Obama is a current Christ consciousness; in fact, I think he's the 'thief in the night' that the evangelicals think they're waiting for. When one of his disciples asked Jesus, "Master, how will we know you?" he replied that he will come as 'a thief in the night'. Can anyone think of a better thief in the night than an African American president? Especially in this day and age of ugly attitudes and the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

I suppose you could go back even further and blame the African chieftains who had their heads turned by money and trinkets, sold their people, and blame them for all of it. We are descended from all those societies you mentioned, a melting pot. Time is HERE and NOW. Ancestral guilt is part of the whole equation, and some things need to be rectified. To not realize that seems pretty exclusive, Caucasian, and arrogant. The current mindset in the U.S. by people of means pretty much seems to be 'Screw 'em!' when it comes to caring about folks in ghettos. All the monied people care about seems to be accruing more 'stuck energy', which is all money is in the final analysis. the Corporation is now the rule of the day. Maybe it's too late to do anything to raise the living standards, (particular with our dysfunctional congress now) but certainly common humanity must enter in here in an enlightened sense. And please don't forget, friend, that we live Each and Every Day with the results of what the slaves accomplished to build this nation - YOU get the benefits of what THEY did all the time but apparently take it for granted and don't give it a second thought. Please think about it once in a while. Walk away from it? Pretend it's not there? Puh. Some folks have a social conscience who really care about this stuff. My guess is that the Dalai Lama wouldn't tell you to forget the guilt and pretend it's not there, go on with your life like nothing happened.

The only way I can figure out to do it is to say whatever I need to say with as much Love as possible. Sometimes telling the truth gently is the most loving thing we can do, if the time is appropriate.