At the Foot of Bodhisativa
After the man left the cave, it wasn't long before he heeded the advice of the voice and planted his onion at the foot of Bodhisativa. For as many answers as he found in the cave, he still had many questions, or at least one big one about his onion.So there at the foot of Bodhisativa, he planted himself. And he thought a lot. He thought a lot about what the onion meant, especially all its many layers from center to skin, and how these layers act as barriers and filters between out and in, how these layers act as walls between the world and his heart.Now, as he learned in the cave, in the center of the onion he saw himself, or his mind to be exact, existing in its purest as simple awareness. So too, as he learned in the cave, on the outside of the onion he saw awareness at its purest, and, in a way words fail to explain, there too he saw himself stretching out to infinity. And again, as in the cave, he saw the layers of the onion, the filters of pure awareness, barriers that stand between the man and his universe, or the man and his self. Again, words do little justice to such experience, but the man would try.In the layers of the onion, the man saw influences that shaped who he was, or who he thought he was, a man adrift in the midst of this pure awareness, or something beyond, swimming in a stream.Simply put, each layer of the onion was a concentric sphere that wrapped around the center of his self. And each sphere of influence conditioned his mind to believe certain things, things about the way of life, reality and existence. In essence these layers or concentric spheres of influence were teachers. Some positive, some negative, some wise, some not, some worth keeping, some worth shedding. And, strange as it may seem, as with the outside and inside of the onion, within these layers the man too saw himself.In the deepest center where there was pure awareness, he saw his innermost child, completely innocent and vulnerable somewhat. Next to that he saw himself a parent, he saw himself both parents in fact, as well as the child too. Then he saw himself, in a certain way, all teachers of all children beyond.Yes, in all the layers of the onion, from center to skin, he saw himself all the people who raise children, from parents to families, friends to communities, small villages to cities, one to many, large and small, he could see it all..he saw himself all the teachers, the schools and churches, governments and institutions, influences direct and subtle, most personal to general culture...He saw all these influences surrounding the child, how those layers closest to the center are most impactful and influential, and how those layers furthest away might have little effect. And yet, all the layers were somehow linked and interconnected, no layer being separate or independent, as each one builds upon the other and gives rise to another. It was all connected, the onion, from out to in, and all the layers in between.Now to this inescapable connection, the man had to give much thought. For if it was healing old wounds he wanted and doing away with sorry conflict, he saw this would be no simple matter of peeling away a single corrupted layer or carving out one troublesome tumor. No, such an approach can hardly work when all, healthy and not, is connected throughout. And on this the man started to meditate, as he planted his onion at Bodhisativa's foot. And all was good. Would you like to know why?Because there, in the rich fertile soil at the foot of Bodhisativa, his onion grew. Yes that's right, his onion grew. And it grew quite beautifully in fact. How's that you ask?Well, the longer there he sat, he noticed that all those layers between the center and the skin, began to wear thin. Yes, that's what they did! And as this happened, something else did too. Can you guess what that was?That's right, his onion grew, a stalk above and roots below, from top to bottom, his onion grew. And as it did, the onion layers continued to wear thin, until little was left, except a tough outer skin, a skin built thick on forgiveness and impervious to blame. What does that mean?Well, to begin, by planting his onion at the foot of Bodhisativa, the man could see his close relation to all things, including the minds and deeds of all other humans, throughout time and space, the inextricable connection of all existence.In sitting with Bodhisativa, the man heard something like this...Now---as you have seen the necessity of forgiveness in a world of such connection, where to forgive another is to forgive yourself, as well as the other way around---you may begin again without blame. Forgiveness on either side of the fence is an automatic "do again"... only better this time around as long as you learn. Forgiveness, once offered and accepted, is yours. But to stop there without learning the lesson in between...well, that just sets one up to make the same mistake again. So as you forgive, learn. Place honesty before all, and never shall blame or shame be yours to accept, however it may be dished-out. Be honest with your life, or you will falsely reveal yourself as either holier or lowlier than others. Live in the plane of everyone gets a happy ending. To earn, you must learn. Reincarnation is school again. Have peace in knowing this.Now that is what the man heard when he planted his onion at the foot of Bodhisativa. It didn't all make sense to him at first, nor was he sure he heard and recorded his teaching correctly. But his lesson wasn't over yet, for his onion was still growing at the foot of Bodhisativa. Go be the man you want to be, honestly. Forget perfectionism. Effort is better spent on improvement. Forget that whole damned "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" philosophy. Such thinking better serves as manure here in the Earth. Friendly competion is one thing, but cooperation ultimately finds the Golden Ring. For when it comes down to it, you are part of the circle before the top of a pyramid. No worries. Solutions await all problems. Be the solution. Intend your path aligns with the Greater Good. Look and listen. Love in action. CARPE MOMENTO!Ding.
