Red Day

sangha means inseparable
but we have been reduced to fragments

red day
moon waning
minding
even though
issues lurk
is it a virtue
to say nothing

without understanding
if this is the right kind of peace
or simply the mask
of mundane politics

the inherent frustration
in spending great sums of energy
merely to observe the world
fail to communicate
anything of value
throws me back on
the essential wisdom
in just sitting
---------------

there are four non-virtues associated with speech;

1. lies
2. harsh words
3. slander
4. gossip

I think we tend to be intimidated and constrained by a simplistic definition of what these words might mean. These four represent only a general outline of the many possible ways to effectively perpetuate the experience of samsara for both oneself and others. This is why there is a lot more shastra and commentary than original scripture. Coarse definitions do not really address what the Roman Catholics have dubbed 'sins of omission' which may require both deeper insight, courage and the energy of compassion to overcome. Right speech is not merely a form of restraint, but an empowerment to act and speak in the current of liberation.

Mothers

Besides sending flowers to Mom, Mother's Day is another good excuse to reflect on the fact that throughout countless aeons, all beings having been our mothers, repeatedly, and the great debt of immediate compassion and eventual liberation that we owe them.

The following, known as the Four Sky Mothers, originated as sutra. It was later embedded into a terma revealed by Terton Namcho Migyur Dorje in The Seven Dharma Seeds of the Great Compassionate One:

All motherly sentient beings,
equal in number as the sky is vast,
take refuge in the guru's All-pervading Dharmakaya Body.

All motherly sentient beings,
equal in number as the sky is vast,
take refuge in the guru's Sambhogakaya Body of Great Bliss.

All motherly sentient beings,
equal in number as the sky is vast,
take refuge in the guru's Nirmanakaya Body of Compassion.

All motherly sentient beings,
equal in number as the sky is vast,
take refuge in the guru as the Precious Buddha.

Mandala

Over three decades ago I was introduced to the mandala of the dhyani buddhas through the writings of Lama Govinda. Meditation on the patterns and associations of qualities continues to draw me deeper into the living tantra which connects all events. This past week, we were discussing the mandala and considering the animals associated with the thrones supporting the Buddhas in each quadrant. If the same mandala had evolved in North America rather than on the plains of India and the foothills of the Himalayas, Asiatic species would naturally be replaced with local critters.

The Vajra family in the east represents the Indestructible Mind of the Buddha. Elephants support the throne; in the relative world Akshobya appears as the form skandha consorting with the water dakini. The transformation of aggression into mirror-like wisdom is their accomplishment. Pacifying is the primary activity. The time is dawn, the season winter. To hindus and early buddhists, elephants symbolized great natural power which could be seen every year in the monsoon rain clouds which the god Indra would ride while tossing lightning bolts (vajras). Native Americans had no elephants but mastodons and mammoths were definitely around for awhile. Related through an association with (yogic) power, unperturbed stability and the element water, the Blue or any of the great whales might be a non-extinct option, particularly in relation to the motif of superhuman power. Turtles, snakes (their relation to nagas in the orient and lightning amongst native americans) and the blue heron fit well into the same retinue.

Horses (brought here by the Spanish almost 500 years ago) support the throne of the Jewel-born Buddha in the southern quadrant. In the relative world the yellow buddha appears as the skandha of feeling while his consort Mamaki is earth. The transformation of arrogance into the wisdom realizing emptiness is their accomplishment. Associated with the Qualities of the Buddhas, enriching is their activity. The time is midday, the season is autumn. Ripeness, abundance. Representing the Three Jewels and all derivative wealth, the residents of Turtle Island might find similar qualities in such useful herd animals as bison, deer, elk, caribou or bighorn sheep.

Amitabha, the Buddha of the Padma family in the West, sits on a Lotus throne supported by peacocks which are said to eat poison and transform it into the brilliance of their tails. (I flashed on the Mexican eagle pulling the snake out of its hole and thought, nope, that's not quite the vibe...) In the relative world the red buddha appears as perception while his consort is the element fire. The transformation of lust and desire into the loving intelligence of discriminating wisdom is their accomplishment. Magnetizing is their activity. The time is twilight, the season is spring. Evanescent beauty. The reds, rusts, yellows and blue feathers of the multitude of songbirds found locallly. Their songs also reflect Amitabha's association with the Speech of the Buddhas and the practice of mantra. Our local choice, is the Wild Turkey. This also reflects a classical polarization between birds and snakes with birds in the celestial above (fire/red) and snakes in the aqueous realm below (water/blue).

To the north is the Garuda throne; owls, ravens, crows, vultures, hawks, eagles, 'the mythical thunderbird'... Subjugating is their activity. Time is midnight, season is summer. Here Amogha-siddhi, associated with Buddha Activities, sits yab-yum with Green Tara. In his relative aspect he is volition and she the element wind. The transformation of jealousy, paranoia and instability into the fullness of all-accomplishing wisdom is their transcendent alchemy. Quickening, effective action, cutting through obstacles, sealed by the Double- dorjÈ.

The central place is the domain of the lion, king of the jungle. Who's top of the food chain in the west? Bear. Fearlessly representing the Body of the Buddha, Vairocana turns the Wheel of the teachings. Vairocana is Buddha free of appearance, the clear light of Dharmakaya which shines through all colors. In his relative aspect he is self-reflective consciousness consorting with the queen of heavenly space. The transformation of ignorance regarding the true nature of existence into dharmadhatu wisdom is their supreme accomplishment.

Ogmin

ogmin

i had the most outrageous DMT trip last night
way better than the first round a few days previous
i got the first toke this time
and it was huge
i was off before i even passed the pipe
just sat there, mostly with closed eyes
and let pattern grids come on
very visual but i was still there witnessing
incredible rainbow auras
way more optix than acid or shrooms
but then the little pipe came around again
so i hit it the second time
after barely having released the first toke
and whoa
i had to lay down and sprawled on the kitchen floor
where i was alone and pulled into a deep black hole
still holding my breath, i was dying and they were silent
and i must have died and they knew it too
i gradually began to breathe again and got up after a bit
to sit in the circle with everyone
and they had been so quiet and meditative the whole time
all sitting up straight with half-smiles. it was a conspiracy
seven of them
and they were all perfect buddhas
i saw that they were very wise and compassionate
way more than i usually give them credit for
it was like a surprise party for me
in a pure land
and then i laughed hysterically
and said 'you guys are terrible...'
it was so funny
you see i felt like i had died and gone to Ogmin
and that my friends were already there, always had been
and that the earthy appearance of their life and karma
was all just a lesson, an elaborate demonstration for me
and that they already understood everything i have ever tried to teach them
they were just waiting for me come full circle and to understand
and that all my efforts to communicate to them
as well as their seeming ignorance and resistance
had been just a play, a wisdom display for my sake
so I could exercise some level of patience
generosity, and joyful effort
and gradually bring my actions to fruition
of course this was just a vision
but a real good one
a revelation of our true nature
which we have not all quite awakened to as yet
i saw it in myself long ago; so now a similar opening reveals
the secret nature of my friends and that in the ultimate sense,
there is nothing to be attained or added to 'what is'
of course the challenge of practice and realization is always there
but it is a good and timely reminder put together,
offered as a gift courtesy of Bay Area chemist Justin Thyme
thank you brother
- visually there is nothing which compares to such good DMT
like Padma's samboghakaya lightning beauty;
swirling rainbow crystalline multiple auras dominate the field
and lead to contemplating the deeper patterns of inner space;
ray mandala was kind in playing pied piper
insisting we all together to do this
cause we probably would not have done so otherwise...

(careful with that jewel)

Originally written in July '05