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On the general subject of relationship addressed in this thread and others -- Here are a few lines from Rumi I have come across in a book of his poetry that I am re-reading once again for the first time. Human beings are discourse. That flowing moves through you whether you say anything or not. Ever...

Anna wrote, I try to remember that we are only human, after all, so long as we consider ourselves to be only human, and even AFTER we understand what we truly are, we are still only human. To that I say, it is enough to be human. Indeed, it is Divine. And it is beautiful. Art, I think I am about to ...

I expect that Anna, who, you say, initiated this idea, will join in the discussion in her good time (as I hope will others). You wrote, "I do find that I am unsuccessful in any attempt to live beyond whatever maturity I have achieved". Please permit me to suggest that it is impossible to l...

... the more carefully and closely I read, making finer and finer distinction, the more revelatory its effect on me. Agreed! I have to say, I truly love the process reflected in these posts, and have exercised it as regards everything I have read and otherwise encountered along my path over the yea...

Another thought on the Ibn 'Arabi text. At about the middle of the second paragraph at TZF's Ampers&nd , there is ... His Veil is [only a part of] His oneness; nothing veils other than He. His veil is [only] the concealment of His existence in His oneness, without any quality. At the Note relate...

The Ibn ‘Arabi excerpt does indeed erase the “me” in an extraordinarily powerful way. But it also erases the “you”. I know, that seems obvious, inevitable, but it is more than that, it is real. When I read those paragraphs, now thankfully at TZF’s Ampers&nd , I come away aware not only that ther...

... the Scholars' Version, though it can be confusing if you are trying to read consecutive passages. That is true as regards the original book, which contains the five gospels (the four canonical and Thomas), and in which the flow of text is interrupted by the commentaries and opinions of the Jesu...

ACIM's way of saying this is to say, "the body is a means of communication." And that it has no other function. Yes, but expanding upon that, my experience confirms Nisargadatta's point that "The ultimate value of the body is that it serves to discover the cosmic body, which is the u...

everything has consiousness, even rocks and plants Living at the end of a very rural road where we built our home ourselves, tend the soil for nourishment, fell trees for firewood, drink tea together for recreation, Anna and I are thoroughly convinced by experience, inner and outer, that there are ...

Here’s another way to look at relationship. Many traditions refer to creation as a dance. With that in mind, try this practice: Step back and out of your life, and instead of being the person living it, become an observer of it. That is, for a day, watch the person you call “me”, and observe his/her...

Nice story! One year, a flock of five or six ravens frequented our yard. They would fly close overhead, sometimes seeming to talk to us, once even laughing at us. Here's a painting inspired by their visits. Your quotation is reminiscent of the following two events from our life – One day, shortly af...

A few additional thoughts, if I may – (you see, this subject, raised here by Anna, is one that is very close to my, uh, heart). Some say that the way of the heart is easier for women than men, on the theory, I suppose, that women are presumably more naturally submissive, more comfortably devotional,...

Here's a thought for tea drinkers: When you make a pot of tea, do you put the tea in the pot and then add hot water, or do you pour the hot water into the pot and then add the tea? To enjoy its cup of tea, the mind needs to consider that question, otherwise it will always wonder, and so it will make...

Could you expound on your idea of Relationship, as you used it in your post? There is an article at TZF’s Consider This! called Marriage as A Path which offers in some detail my take on relationships between and among humans. In this thread, I mean to raise relationship in its broadest sense. When,...

In The Sand Box (if you do not have access to The Sand Box, or do not know what it is, please click here ) there is a thread titled Out in the cold which evolved into -- among other interesting ideas -- a consideration of relationship. It occurs to me that the subject of relationship may be relevant...