the Master remained silent .

” Master , pray, what is the first Principle?”

the Master remained silent .

” Master , why dont you speak , speak of the First Principle?”

” Because, ” the master’s silence then spoke, ” when the first Principle is spoken of, it becomes the ‘ second’ ! ”

all buddhas heve preferred silence to speaking: and when they have spoken, they have spoken words for the yearning, pining, seeking heart…… and the words have the power to lead the true seeker into the experience of Silence.

this , then is the Joy of poetry from those, who have experienced silence to become One with it.

thank you , Ivan, thank you TS, thank you all………………

aum …………. amen …………….. aum

Change
by Nagarjuna

English version by Stephen Batchelor

If something has an essence–
How can it ever change
Into anything else?

A thing doesn’t change into something else–
Youth does not age,
Age does not age.

If something changed into something else–
Milk would be butter
Or butter would not be milk.

Were there a trace of something,
There would be a trace of emptiness.
Were there no trace of anything,
There would be no trace of emptiness.

Buddhas say emptiness
Is relinquishing opinions.
Believers in emptiness
Are incurable

Comment:
At the first stage of emptiness, there is an observer of emptiness. At that point, egolessness of self (the fact that we do not have a self) has been seen, but there is still a subtle observer of emptiness- call it what you will.
The fruition of the Mahayana( stage on the path to enlightenment) is prajna, which sees emptiness. One notes from the previous sentence that a slight dualistic component remains, since something sees and something is seen. At the stage of the Vajrayana, with the progression of prajna into jnana, the practitoner BECOMES emptiness and the dualistic barrier dissolves at that point.
These comments refer to emptiness that is experienced, not conceptual emptiness or emptiness that is believed, which occurs much earlier on the path. So, even with experienced emptiness, there is a problem, not of belief but of a desire to reproduce the experience.This is not nearly of the magnitude or impossibility of approaching emptiness through belief, but it should be mentioned as something further to be aware of in light of Nagarjuna’s comment about belief.
Nagarjuna’s statement that emptiness arises from relinquishing opinions is misleading, as are all Dharma teachings for those who have not yet experienced them. Much, much more is given up than opinions with the experience of emptiness. It is a soul wrenching affair where all one’s psychological ploys to sustain one’s existence and happiness fall away. It involves a complete divestiture of all that we hold closest to our heart, some areas so close that we do not know that we have them until they leave. This is not only my experience, but that of the most enlightened being i know.
The experience of emptiness,in my opinion, is the most pivotal insight in all of spirituality, so i feel any comments that can clarify its nature should be presented.

Tsultrim Serri

Belief may initially point us in a good direction, but that’s when the work starts: We must actually make the journey. And all along the way, we must constantly test what we notice and test ourselves against those initial beliefs. Untested belief becomes brittle, and ever more opaque.

thank you, ivan,

LET GO NARINDER !

You will have to let go, narinder,
Let go of everything you
hold dear,
Let go of every possession, every joy, every thought
And in return
I will not give you anything.

Understand this narinder,
Understand once and for all,
That nothing you will get in return from me,
When you open your fist and Let Go.
And this Nothingness too,
You will have to let go
Lest it becomes your clinging !

Thank you Krishna
Beloved Krishna !
Who can ever let go ……
Let go everything , and receive nothing in return !
You are false - - - You speak falsely Krishna
For, I have let go - - -
And, You have filled me
With the ever expanding joy of Gratitude,
Which is itself Love and Loving
One-ness.
One-ness, the Gift you bestowed, when I let go the Nothingness.
Nothingness that You gifted, when I let go
I let go everything !
That too was your Gift.
Yours.
All Gifts were yours
The clinging was yours,
So too the letting go.
Oh, How was I so blind for aeons and aeons !
O Krishna !
O Krishna !