The bird on your shoulder

[astaroth]

Hi all!

I can't tell you how much I like this forum. You saved my life, guys! Espacially thanks to those of us who seem not to be in need of talking about these questions any more - and do nevertheless.

After all my questions, today I wanted to give something back. An experience, I made all alone. A story maybe giving some others hope and confidence.

A few weeks ago I had a very intense meeting with my painbody, after I had read an Eckhart Tolle-interview. During this interview he said something like "some of us may not be ready for devotion". At this time I wanted very hard some kind of "progress", didn't have real genuine experiences and was disappointed that there wasn't any progress at all. And how could there be any progress - desperately looking for it?
These words of Tolle was exactly what my painbody had needed. It was starving because all this spiritual stuff in my head had given it not the right kind of food... But this! "Maybe I'm not (yet ?) able for all this" - oh my god, these were good ones!!! The next day I was caught in a deep depression. I really wanted to give it all up. But, in all this chaos, there was suddenly the thought "Underneath all this there is my true nature, which doesn't care at all about all the pain I'm experiencing now". It was only a thought, but a thought my painbody couldn't corrupt or destroy, not matter how hard it tried to.
After some hours my painbody had enough and vanished. What was left, was this one thought. And a lot deeper feeling of hope and "immortality" than before.
What I try to tell you?

Even when you do, from a spiritual perspective, everything "wrong", complete identification with the mind - this maybe also be a good teacher. It taught me to see every situation, also when your mind tells you it's wrong, as an opportunity.

And one more thing, that shappy wrote this morning in another thread. Once you had glimpses of your true nature, you can never forget. Anything else will take care of itself. Don't try to hard to "gain" something what already is there and will always be. It is like, again a quote, "a cat practising to be a cat" Damn silly, hm?

I think, what we call "joy" or "peace" can be compared with a bird, that puts itself on your shoulder when you don't try to catch it. As soon as you grab for it to retain it or to get it when it isn't there, that delicate bird will fly away or keep aloof from you. But as soon as you keep your hands down and let it be wherever it wants to, it magically comes to you itself - sooner than you think you will recognise it on your shoulder.


hope this little story can give you back some of the warmth I have taken from here

loveful greetings,
astaroth

[sparks]

I think, what we call "joy" or "peace" can be compared with a bird, that puts itself on your shoulder when you don't try to catch it. As soon as you grab for it to retain it or to get it when it isn't there, that delicate bird will fly away or keep aloof from you. But as soon as you keep your hands down and let it be wherever it wants to, it magically comes to you itself - sooner than you think you will recognise it on your shoulder.

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing that description.

Your post reminded me of two quotes.

Vernon Howard: "Awareness of unawareness is still awareness."

(don't remember): "What you're looking for is what you're looking with."

[Webwanderer]

Yeh, and how about:

"That which you seek, is that which you are." It is the seeking that distracts from being.

[blueviceroy]

Thanks for sharing astaroth . It is a real pleasure to hear when some clarity comes , I know how valuble it is and what a relief ,"Ah,, now I can rest"

[shappy]

I agree with sparks, that's a beautiful way of putting it.

Even when you do, from a spiritual perspective, everything "wrong", complete identification with the mind - this maybe also be a good teacher. It taught me to see every situation, also when your mind tells you it's wrong, as an opportunity.

I agree. There is so much to learn from suffering. In fact, suffering is extraordinarily beautiful. It's a necessary evolution.

[mikel]

I think, what we call "joy" or "peace" can be compared with a bird, that puts itself on your shoulder when you don't try to catch it. As soon as you grab for it to retain it or to get it when it isn't there, that delicate bird will fly away or keep aloof from you. But as soon as you keep your hands down and let it be wherever it wants to, it magically comes to you itself - sooner than you think you will recognise it on your shoulder.

wonderfull imagery astaroth I can really relate to this....

[Larryfroot]

Start with William Blake (never a bad idea)

He who to himself binds a joy, doth the winged life destroy, but he who kisses joy as it flies, lives in eternity's sunrise

(bind is an old English word meaning to tie up strongly - for those whom English is not their first language).

A really good point Astoreth, and well made. I had some experience of this when I had an opportunity to be disappointed that the peace and stillness I had experienced for a (relatively) long time was fading. But something inside told me not to be disappointed, as that was the first strategy the ego would try out. So I was at peace about not being at peace. And how not at peace can you be when you are at peace about not being at peace? Perfect peace is perfect acceptance. The bird stays on the shoulder.

The content of our lives is never going to be perfect, if we wish to use the term to mean no external or internal hassle and struggles. It is always short of that ideal. So we cannot wait until the content to be perfect before allowing ourselves peace. And allowing that peace to be the foundation of a greater happiness we thought possible whilst we were still caught up in trying to manipulate form in order to try and achieve happiness.

To try and achieve happiness through manipulating situations, people and events is like trying to cover the whole world with leather when we could simply put on a pair of shoes. Instead of more control, more resources, more manipulation, more possessions, more money, more of everything we reach a point where happiness is less. Minus the idea we have of a self who needs all of that and more in order to feel safe, to feel real we are free. We are liberated. It is only identification with that idea of a self that brings us its suffering on a plate.

Once the breakthrough has been made, the shell of the ego weakens significantly. Each subsequent breakthrough becomes less reliant on suffering and more a co-dependent arising of aspiration (as opposed to desire) and joy. You know the route...and each time you travel down this new route it establishes a new mental habit, one that liberates rather than (as in the past) binds. It gets easier...

...welcome to what you really are Astoreth. A beautiful view, isn't it?

[Webwanderer]

And a beautiful post Larryfroot...