Just wanted to let you (yes, all two of you) know that I’m still around and writing. Work has been extraordinarily busy, so expect to find new posts related to business soon. I just sat a Shambhala Level 2 retreat and it was very powerful and subtle at the same time. I’m sure that will pour out as well.
I’m adding a new section called “Jewels of Light” and here’s why. I have always been in love with the idea of Indra’s Net. It’s how I’ve always experienced the world and thought everyone else did too, until I discovered that they didn’t. Indra’s Net is an analogy for interconectedness. It’s the concept of dependent origination explained with beautiful imagery.
Here’s one version: “Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out indefinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of the deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel at the Net’s every node, and since the net is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number. There hang the jewels, glittering like stars of the first magnitude, a wonderful sight to behold. If we know arbitrarily select one of these jewels for inspection and look closely at it, we will discover that in it’s polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that the process of reflection is infinite.”
“The Avatamasaka Sutra” Francis H. Cook: Hua-Yen Buddhism : The Jewel Net of Indra 1977
This line is what I have always seen and felt. “….there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that the process if reflection is infinite”. This line is what I have always seen and felt. It’s not some fluffy concept for me. It’s why I wanted to write this blog; to remind other of their jeweled light and reflect it back to them. It’s the convergence of individual forms with our shared functions.
So, to acknowledge my current reality, I’m going to bring in some different reflections. Posts tagged with “Jewels of Light” may not be my original words ( at least not every time) but words from others that I want to share with you which reflect what I’m thinking.
Here’s a few more links if you’d like to explore the concept of interconnectedness:
- My favorite video explaining Indra’s net
- A musician talks about how Indra’s Net influences her work – Part 1 and Part 2
- And in case you forgot, there are numberless being to be saved, and there is no one to save. The delusion that causes this pain and suffering is this sense of separation.
- I found these very inspirational
- Unique images- youtube video
- This is a thought provoking video series exploring Buddhist/ Eastern though and how Science is explaining the same concepts but in Western terminology. Humanists and Atheists take note! You can utilize the depth of buddhist philosophy and use completely Western terms and not have to worry about deities or superstitious beliefs. Part 1 and Part 2
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