Lifting the Flower

[林愛偉]

This is in full presence of Fathere Paul. A conversation him and I had over the course of a day and a half.

For some time I felt him in between worlds and wrote him on Sept. 8th saying Where are you? He replied, Nowhere. Then within those next few days there was emptiness of him in mind.

 

I wish to share one of the last conversations I had with him over the summer in late July, early august. I did post it on my website with his permission over the summer. On my site I named him Tongxiu which means cultivation brother. Here I edited it and put his name in. It is proper to share it formally here:

 

Lifting the Flower

 

greetings my brother,

 

yesterday i was sitting on my deck when i forgot myself,

something was inquiring into the nature of emptiness,

it seemed that all emptiness is in truth all form, and all form is emptiness.

 

perhaps i deceive myself

yet i find no deception

 

 

peace,

Father Paul

 

Aiwei says:

 

Looking out to the trees in the forest, I saw no difference between the emptiness between them and them altogether. There was no tree, no emptiness. My seeing was turned inward, but there was no seer to distinguish the direction.

 

 

You are not deceiving yourself... Where does the one finding no deception reside?

 

Father Paul:

 

this morning

something sat on the deck

no one sees

for there is only seeing

indeed where is there to reside?

 

Aiwei says:

 

this morning

nothing was there to sit on the deck.

There was no deck, thus no thought of not residing.

Where does the morning go?

 

Father Paul:

 

and even now

the sun rushes to the horizon

where is there to hurry so?

perhaps i delude myself

and the sun has never moved

 

 

Aiwei says:

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

I laugh but it is not I.

who distinguishes the non distinguished?

it lays there but in mind. It plays there but in sight.

Nothing to see, no lying done.

Sight is thus,

no laughter, no playing.

Who hears?

 

Father Paul:

 

indeed there is only hearing

 

HAHAHA

 

these words are sweet as a peach

and the juices spill freely to the thirsty

it is to be that we shall never meet

in the flesh

but my brother,

keep this close

 

in the non-doing

the world changes

despite itself

 

though no one will ever know

 

Aiwei says:

 

My brother, what a time we have. In truth we are the same.

What a shame not to meet, for on such a meeting

the heavens would shake.

It is a shame only to say shame, but it is no shame for there

is nothing that needs to meet.

 

I return in almost 2 yrs.

I look forward to tea.

Don't go anywhere or I'll find you and claim delusion for you to make form and drink tea with me.

 

 

 

Father Paul：

 

HAHAHAHAA

Perhaps it is good that heavens do not shake

for my sand garden will be much disturbed

 

HHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

 

Aiwei says:

 

hahahahaha

perhaps hahaha

 

I'm sure we would remove the sand and that which the sand lays upon.

 

 

 

Father Paul:

 

in ancient times

a man who was a man unto himself

(a sage)

upon meeting one of his own ilk

he would dance and sing

the voice of the law

than scatter to where he was needed most,

 

i am but an old hippie living in a trailer park,

it hides me well,

be safe my brother,

for as you know,

what we say upsets the very foundation

of the society we live in

 

Aiwei says:

 

It is a thin line in the fabric of their conditions in which we live.

We dance in each other’s presence and speak of the way for the sake of our own enjoyment.

I have been told to mix into to sight of others, to be seen as the sheep amongst the flock, and speak the way to those who have ears.

 

Thus, I am stubborn... Still have till 99yr with this body.

This stubbornness is that of mind and shows in manner of putting down this frame of thought we call body.

I will tread in silence with a roar for the ears of fate. This garden of mind, I will plant the seeds for those next to come. I tread silent, but it is a roar to those with ears.

Who sees such treading as a mosaic of intentions knows not the truth. Those are confused ones set out to disillusion those who know their delusion.

I abide in a place of no abiding. But all only see what they are capable of seeing of me. Though I hold many faces according to those held by living beings, there is not a stand for such a face, there is no residing.

 

My cultivation brother, it is a fresh air that has come to me upon our meeting. It is a fresh air that goes upon our depart. Neither depart nor meeting I look at to certify our knowing.

It is thus that we speak ...and yet not a word has been spoken.

 

 

Father Paul:

 

indeed

this one hears the roar

it is but the gentle lapping

of the wave on an eternal shore

thus even though we are not

we shall spread a breath of air

to all the hungry

it is but a thing to do

with no doer

 

 

with this i say good evening

these old bones have traveled far

to get to where they always were

 

Aiwei says:

 

Brother,

 

Before your stillness,

tell me when it does.

 

 

Father Paul:

 

you will hear the mountain tremble

thus you will know

 

 

------ To let you all know, I live in the mountains in China, teaching English in a University, also teaching martial arts and cultivation. It just so happened that I did hear the mountains tremble. -----

Edited September 13, 2007 by 林愛偉

[Wayfarer64]

Thank you AiWei .

 

I will keep this always.

 

I have been wondering why I have not felt Father Paul pass into/through me at some time... This phenominum has always been the case with those I have felt any such spiritual connections with...

 

Now I understand that his spirit has been waylayed in China!

 

... in fact it seems as if he has become a very "spread-out" sort of entity, compared to the well-centered old hippy that I had met in cyberspace...

 

One with the Tao indeed...

 

Wild-rice pancakes are on the menu !

[Spectrum]

Lifting the Flower. Meditation dialog with Fauther Paul

 

Alignment, Pancakes, Forms.

 

Father Pauls Spirit moves among us. The pancakes were from beyond this week.

 

Spectrum

Edited September 13, 2007 by Spectrum

[mat black]

This thread shows some of the magic that can/did occur on this forum. The time that this happened was quite profound and Lin and Father Pauls' dialogue touched many of us.

Edited May 6, 2009 by mat black

[joeblast]

Beautiful, Lin...thanks for sharing

[shontonga]

>we shall spread a breath of air

>to all the hungry

 

Thank you Lin and Father Paul

 

Hate to admit but there are tears

 

Beautiful

 

Wasn't here then ... ?

 

But maybe ...

 

 

 

thank you for sharing

[Creation]

I read this and realized

that I am a fool.

I smiled and felt much better.

 

Thanks.

[Yoda]

I missed it the first time around... Thanks for bringing it back, Mat!

[sheng zhen]

aaaah, wow... this inspiration will stick with me for years!

[xenolith]

Inner smile becomes inner laughter...thanks.

[SiliconValley]

Awesome....thank you Mat ...

[mat black]

Hey S.V. it's been a while, nice to hear from you brother.

 

Awesome....thank you Mat ...

Thanks to Lin and Father Paul.

[Mal]

The form matters not, but this is how I remember him

[rain]

sweet and painful

not too painful

not too sweet

 

truly I realize that I am one "Who sees such treading as a mosaic of intentions knows not the truth. Those are confused ones set out to disillusion those who know their delusion."

 

& still a mortal foolish confused one who tracks trail and thus sees the ones departed still here just seemingly shiftshaping but in truth just constanttly reminding you to look and listen with your inner eyes.

love walks in front and all around this all to stubborn sceptic.

 

the witness

coming or going in whom?

thank god for stillness.

Edited May 7, 2009 by rain