February 12, 2005

Your Song



Posted by Hello

Imagine a bird in the forest. At some point in her life something emerges from her heart -- a song. And this song echoes throughout the forest and reaches to the furthest star. It is kindred with that star. Starlight is in her song. Her song is not separate from dust coalescing and igniting into a brilliant celestial body. Her song is pure and perfect, authenticity itself. Awakening naturally brings forth this song. Singing the song of celebration, the song of joy, brings it into existence. It is not a thing. It is a process that depends on the singing. Release your song, do not hesitate. Glimpsing who you are at the foundation of your being, let your heart open and pour out your song, the energy of awakening, the fragrance of those beautiful flowers, so alive within you, flowers in full, ecstatic bloom. This bliss, which you have tasted, is not manifest until you begin singing, sharing. Bliss, love, celebration, awakening is not a thing that you have to find somewhere, or that you will achieve or get, or that will come to you eventually. It is it being. You don't find it, you will never find it because you are it. When you realize this -- just sing. When you turn into this vast jewel of wholeness, the vibration around you is that of bliss, of love. Sing this love song. You will know it by the presence of gratitude and contentment. How could you ask for more? So many blessings are showering on you, filling you to overflowing. You are so grateful, so thankful for just this air, the sun that warms your skin, and the good earth that holds you up. You have touched the source within, and this source feeds you, blesses you deeply, and you in turn, can bless. An infinite abundance overflows from within you, and so you sing, you share your gratitude.

When we sing our song, we radiate our bliss to others, and they may take heart in it. They may be encouraged and uplifted hearing this song, however imperfect. I was listening to some Sufi singing and what struck me was the un-self-consciousness of it -- what sounded like an old man with a gravelly voice singing in a wailing tone. What was coming through was authenticity, not words or tones, but an ecstatic pointing at the beyond. Technically far from perfect but infused with the fragrance of the beyond. When you touch authenticity, whatever you sing inspires. It is breathing life, aliveness, and it uplifts all it touches. With inspiration, we breathe in each other.

Sing imperfectly. There is no right or wrong in this song, no better or worse. None at all. It is not about articulation or strategy or mechanics. It is a magical happening that is trying to emerge from within you. Only you have to allow it, let it come out, flow from that place of authenticity and joy within. You cannot fail at this. The only sin is to miss, to live your life unaware, a sonambulist until death, wasting this precious human life. And all we really have is a few short days. That's all, just a few days in the sun. All will be taken from us. It is not permanent. Drop these toys and distractions, these preoccupations, and sing this song of awakening, of joy. You have tasted so many times and missed. Return to the source of your bliss within. Start there and find your way back to the wellspring itself. It is inside you. Only you can bring it out. And we all do this very awkwardly. Why do we insist on attending our own enlightenment ceremony? This never happens. In waking up we don't gain anything, we lose something, give up something which we have been holding on to for dear life. We don't achieve anything. Nothing is added to us that was not present with us to begin with. A toddler walks awkwardly at first. It doesn't matter to her how she looks, she will fall again and again, experience pain, shed tears, get up again and again, her heart brimming with enthusiasm as she takes those first few tentative steps. Drop all this stuff about enlightenment. The word has become an impediment. You will never achieve it. When you realize you are a nothingness, a nobody, the light will be unmistakable. It will ring like a clear bell, the sound trailing off into silence -- a vast, endless stillness. You will not be there, and a vast silence will be present. And with it an exquisite and subtle bliss. This bliss is your beacon, your bellwether, your guide. It will not fail you.

Post by Akilesh

4 comments:

Meredith said...

ee cummings:

May my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

***

...and you, my friend, shall not grow old.

Thank you for your sweet song.

Unknown said...

Drop all this stuff about enlightenment. The word has become an impediment. You will never achieve it. A deep insight. As a Chrsitian my issue is with salvation and not enlightenment -- but I rather suspect your remedy is the same for my plight.

isaiah said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
isaiah said...

"Sing imperfectly."

Thank you-