Natural Life and True Self
Many seekers believe that self is a construct, soul is a fiction, and free will is an illusion. As Thomas Merton says, "We all live lives of self-impersonation." For Hindus, True Self is Brahman or Oneness, lack of separation. For Buddhists, True Self is "no-self" or Void, lack of separation.
We spend two months each year in Crestone, where we experience something like natural life, unconstructed and unseparated, and we glimpse something like True Self, connected and sacred:
Every day, we are attuned to the weather.
When it's cold, we walk in the snow.
When it's cool, we soak in the hot springs.
When it's warm, we hike in the mountains.
When it's hot, we sit in the sun.
Every morning, we watch the sun rise, and every evening, we watch the sun set.
When we're hungry, we eat.
When we're tired, we sleep.
When we're inspired, we paint or write.
When we're not inspired, we nap or read.
Company is a constant, be it the local friends who we visit or the out-of-town friends who we host.
We enjoy the deer who greet us every morning and every evening.
We meditate at the stupa almost every morning.
We share conversations and meals.
We sit together in silence.
There is no television and no traffic.
We are one hour from a fast food restaurant or a full-service grocery store.
We carry almost everything that we need for a month in the back of the car.
We enjoy the crisp air and the clear views and the magnificent night skies.
We might attend Mass or sit at a Buddhist shrine or visit a Hindu ashram.
We live natural and True lives here. How different is this from our everyday lives?
We spend two months each year in Crestone, where we experience something like natural life, unconstructed and unseparated, and we glimpse something like True Self, connected and sacred:
Every day, we are attuned to the weather.
When it's cold, we walk in the snow.
When it's cool, we soak in the hot springs.
When it's warm, we hike in the mountains.
When it's hot, we sit in the sun.
Every morning, we watch the sun rise, and every evening, we watch the sun set.
When we're hungry, we eat.
When we're tired, we sleep.
When we're inspired, we paint or write.
When we're not inspired, we nap or read.
Company is a constant, be it the local friends who we visit or the out-of-town friends who we host.
We enjoy the deer who greet us every morning and every evening.
We meditate at the stupa almost every morning.
We share conversations and meals.
We sit together in silence.
There is no television and no traffic.
We are one hour from a fast food restaurant or a full-service grocery store.
We carry almost everything that we need for a month in the back of the car.
We enjoy the crisp air and the clear views and the magnificent night skies.
We might attend Mass or sit at a Buddhist shrine or visit a Hindu ashram.
We live natural and True lives here. How different is this from our everyday lives?
