A river of diamonds and emeralds is nothing compared with the treasure of being within you. All the material treasures of this earth cannot compare with the eternal bounty found in simple authentic presence. Creating this love-food, creating space for divine love to emerge is worth risking everything. When you get hold of a tiny candle of divine love, risk all to nurture it. Let it grow into a great conflagration.
This body-mind-emotion complex you call your self will evaporate in a few short years -- utterly dissolve. So why not dissolve the desperate clinging to it now; and dissolve down into open space, into emptiness that allows for presence, for being? I notice with this dissolution, with this dis-identification, peace descends, calmness and clarity, love, compassion and warmth, intelligence and perspective -- all self existing without the need for a mind identified self. With this realization comes bliss, non-dualistic basic goodness, contentment, lightness and ease, a looseness and naturalness in which I can breathe deeply, freedom. And then an overwhelming need to share. Like in one of my favorite childhood stories "The Five Chinese Brothers," where one of the brothers found he could swallow the entire ocean, but could only hold it for so long before having to release it back into the seabed. I feel like that Chinese brother, having discovered an ocean of love within me, and needing to unburden and release it.
If you find overflowing love, if you find a wellspring of overflowing treasure in your heart, if you discover an impulse to encourage, please find some way to share it. The world of ego fixation can be uplifted with this sharing. While the world seems focused and preoccupied with ego fixation, with want and fear, we can look within ourselves, touch our treasure within, and love and encourage from this place. When you love and encourage from this treasure within, you release a blessed food that can satisfy the deepest hunger. You have an inexhaustible treasure within that can be used to love and encourage yourself and others. Do your best to realize this treasure, and when you find it, share the abundance as generously as possible.
Post by Akilesh
4 comments:
While reading this, I thought of all the people who hunger -- there are so many, myself included. sharing that inner treasure does feed them and it seemed to me that perhaps this is another meaning behind Jesus's feeding the multitudes. When you are able to feed others, then in turn can feed others...and you will also find that you are feed when you need it.
An aside, we enjoy a picture book The Seven Chinese Brothers, I imagine it has the same origin as the story you mention (our book does not have a brother than can swallow the ocean but they all have distinctive abilities that they use to help others).
Absolutely true, Marjorie. I know I am most obviously fed when I am consciously feeding someone else. The "kingdom of heaven" has a strange economy: the more you give, the more you receive. When enough of us know that, tremendous things will happen in this old world.
Akilesh, the beginning of your lovely post reminds me of something Matthew reported Jesus saying:
13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
I rejoice in this idea, wherever we may learn it.
Akilesh, I always find myself speechless as I sit with your beautiful words. I just want to write *something.* Thank you for feeding me.
Mahala~LuminousHeart
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