John Audet

Thoughts on the Way

Archive for the tag “meditation”

03 Jun 2013

The Nature of Equality Part 2.

The Nature of Equality Part 2.

 

This that is so

Is not being

If it were

It could not be.

That which is expressed

Is not that.

 

Change

At the perceptual level of existence nothing moves, nothing changes. Nothing comes into existence, nothing goes out of existence. Yet there is nothing that remains without change. Everything is either coming into existence, developing, decaying or going out of existence. Change and non-change, which is never ending yet never began, proceeds according to certain rules which are brought about by the interaction of being and not being. This is referred to as essential dualism.

The famous diagram the two fish of mythology is said to express the basic energy of the opposing yet complimentary forces of the universe. The white represents the active, outward principle in which an amount of the yielding principle is always present. The black is indicative of the receptive, stable principle which always has an amount of the active principle present. Each needs the other to exist and each is present within the other. They interweave, in various degrees, forming part of each other. Yet they are different. Thus accounting for all things that are and are not. But they are one. The varying combinations are sometimes called positive and negative aspects. The existence of this dualism is constantly obvious and is inherent in the nature of all things contained in the universe. These two forces are both paradoxical and complimentary. They are not two distinctive principles but two complimentary aspects of the same reality. Nothing is absolutely active or passive. Everything poccesses both an outward aspect and an inward aspect.

Dualism is not concerned with two distinctive elements of a composition, but rather with two forces implicated one in the other and neither being the negation of the other.  These forces can never be seen in isolation but always together. Always containing each other. And although the previously referred to diagram makes an attempt by illustration to explain what equality is it is not that. These forces are always unequally distributed. There is always an equivalent amount of movement and stability. As it is both are products of the same entity. They influence each other, annihilate each other and reproduce each other. The constant movement of these two forces should tend toward balance, but never a perfect division otherwise change will cease and death occur. However, when one of these two tendencies is excessive it is to the detriment of the other. The imbalance that is created is evil. In themselves neither influence is good or bad because they cannot be isolated. It is the disproportionate amount of one or the other that is dangerous. And although they interpenetrate, an absolute balance of each influence will only counter the other. The result will be stagnation and decline. The more the sage tries to explain this dualism, the more it seems to defy conscious definition. One would do better to be more concerned about its manifestations and set about to illustrate its part in the scheme of things. The key to gathering and understanding of true equality is to accept what essential dualism is. Yet it seems that words cannot fully explain what it is in rational terms. Words can only give you an indicator. It is only by the constant observation of these manifestations that you will develop the perception of its existence. The origins of this concept had been lost with the transition of time. It has existed long before the written word. But for those of us that wish to gain the insight and the perception into the being and nonbeing of the universe it is necessary to understand the workings of nature in all her beauty and her fury. The progression of night into day, thence into the constantly changing seasons suggests that there is a rhythm to life. And with this rhythm a vibration that is harmony and knowledge. If one acts with an understanding of nature’s ways.

Nothing is evil in itself

Excess is the fault

The way that can be expressed in words

Is not the real way.

Within this seemingly meaningless and contradictory infinity, there is the way. The way is the right way. The only possible course that you can follow. That is, if you are to accord with the balances that govern your life. It is the reason for your existence. Resistance to your true path will cause needless pain and the frustration of an unfulfilled life.

To live and die

In

The manner of who we are.

It is necessary to let go of the excessive influences and expectations of an outside world. To discover who you are, you need to be able to empty yourself of the superficial desires and rubbish you have accumulated over a lifetime. Then you will be guided by the way. This is the source and the power for your direction in life.

Respond to needs when they arise

But

Carefully refrain from doing whatever is

Unnecessary.

The art of life requires knowledge of when and how to act; but also when not to act. External circumstances may set the material stage but it is the discipline of self that will open the door to the knowledge of being and nonbeing.

John Audet

Posted in Change, Meditation, mysticism, Spiitual Awareness and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment
27 May 2013

The Nature of Equality Part 1.

The Nature of Equality Part 1.

 

This post has been written with the intent that some illumination can be shone on a concept of reality so basic and understandable that most of us seem to be totally unaware of its existence. Equality is not a complicated matter. It is available to all. It is the mal-intention of those that want too much and those that want too little that clouds the issue. The dualist approach to equality is not a belief system that professes that everyone should have the same possessions and thoughts. But rather that every living soul should have the opportunity to live in harmonious conjunction with their circumstances and their tendencies. That every living thing can have and be the things that will lead to their own immortality. It is my hope that this post will help you to direct your thoughts towards an understanding that there are differences and there are choices.

How do I explain a concept so easy to understand yet it defies the use of words? I don’t. But I can offer you somewhere to start. A little direction and the hope that you will travel your own path to enlightenment.

What is dualism? There is no conscious definition that I can offer within the scope of my vocabulary. I refer to these workings as what is and what is not because I do not know any other words that come close to providing an adequate explanation. These references however are not the real ones. But they are all that I can give you. It defies a true description yet it is able to be understood by all. It is in the manifestations of dualism where you will find the answer.

He who speaks of this

Does not know it

And

He who knows of it does not

Speak of it.

Study these immortal lines well. And although they apparently contradict each other you will be introduced to something that will take you beyond all rational explanation.

But you must go there to know

Yet you cannot bring it back

All explanation denied

All concept personal

Words cannot say because of what it is, they are not. They cannot describe, nor can they convey the truth because words by their very nature are limited. But words can give you clear directions on where to go to find out.

John Audet

Posted in Change, Immortality, Meditation, mysticism, Spiitual Awareness, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment
20 May 2013

Strength of Will

Strength of Will

A strong will should not be confused with narrow mindedness. In fact it could be said to be the almost opposite. A narrow mind will take a belief and follow it religiously. It will go down a path that excludes all other concepts because it fears complications and challenges. This type of attitude requires the security of what it knows and with that comes familiarity and a bond. It stays within those confines acting in the absence of all else. Its rules clearly defined.

But a strong will does not do this. It concentrates on each thing in its own right. It is able to focus and appreciate every endeavour; thus opening the expanse of your inner consciousness that will give you confidence and experience. And as this confidence grows you become more receptive to different ways of seeing things and develop the ability to differentiate what is necessary and what is not. As your strength of will improves so does the achievement of your objectives.

Concentration of will is the key to developing inner strength. How strong you become depends on how much value you put on being true to your own nature. When you concentrate your whole being on any given task you will take the steps necessary to do it well. Everything within you is absorbed and you become that task. You know nothing and you are nothing, beyond the task at hand. You have peace in your absorption. Your whole perspective is your task.

You must want inner strength and position your will to achieving this result. If you can perceive then your mind will centre on what you need to do. It is your mind that will direct your flow of thoughts to bring about your concentration to the level that will keep you on the same topic until it is completed to your satisfaction. But the mind can be lazy. Even though you have instructed your will to do and focused on how, all will be wasted if you do not apply consistent effort. Practice meticulously what you aspire to do. Your practice must be regular, without aggression and definitely do not compete with yourself. As your inner strength and confidence grows you will find your need for rituals and conventions will lessen. Your ability to focus and scrutinise those things around you will show dramatic improvement. You will be able to see the beauty of the world and deliberate on the intricacies of its detail without excluding anything. Nor will you see your inner power as a threat to your existing beliefs. Your ability to see without fear will show and teach you things that before you had never known existed. By mustering your analysis you will experience a mindfulness of body and the abstractness of thought in all things around you.

It begins by:

Concentrate your will,

So that you become strong.

Concentrate your mind,

So it does not act independently.

Concentrate your efforts,

So that you maintain a consistency of purpose.

Concentrate your analysis,

So that you can see beyond the obvious.

Concentrate your being,

So that you can appreciate things for what they are.

John Audet

Posted in 'Till the end, A Traveller's Tales, Change, Committment, Courage, Immortality, Leadership, Management, Meditation, Spiitual Awareness and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
13 May 2013

An Attitude of Happiness

An Attitude of Happiness

 

Those of us that are not happy all the time except on those rare instances when someone close to us dies or a bad incident takes us by surprise; if happiness is not the dominant tone of our ordinary life, it is simply because we do not want it to be. We do not want it as much for example as the enterprising businessman wants money or a politician wants power or the student who seeks knowledge. Those of us that are willing to pay the price in prudent planning of his daily activities and the relentless exclusion of indulgences that cost more pain than they can return, can achieve happiness. Whoever will cut out remorselessly the things in his past life from which he cannot find pleasantness and rid himself of those things that cause him to give rise to distress. Whoever is willing to pay this price for happiness can have it just as soon as and just as often as he puts in the effort and applies his efforts consistently. If anyone goes about in this world in a chronic state of unhappiness it is his shortcoming not the burden of his circumstances. For there is no one whose circumstances are so bleak that another person, in those same circumstances, would not find a way to be happy. I doubt whether anyone can be fortunate enough to have a close family and friends and be content that another person in those same circumstances would be gloomy and a source of misery to everyone with whom he came in contact with. Happiness is like an auction. It is sold in lots to suit the purchaser whenever he bids high enough. And the price is not exorbitant. It is merely the prudence to plan for the simple pleasures that can be had for the asking and the resolution to cut off the gratifications that come at too a high determination. Then to develop the ability to stop dwelling on the negative experiences that life throws our way and amputate them the instant they develop.  We need to guard against worry and anxiety from the moment we feel their approach to spread their deadly poison. But to live in a present from which profitless regret and unprofitable anxieties projected from the past or borrowed from the future are absolutely banished.

It is high time to treat melancholy, depression, gloom, fretfulness, unhappiness, not only as woeful diseases but as inexcusable and refuse to wimp and wine through this glorious and cheery world making ourselves a burden and nuisance to our friends. If we are so much as tempted to such a melancholy existence it is because we are too stupid to cast out these devils. With the right help, a little hard work and the right attitude they can be eradicated for ever.

John Audet

Posted in 'Till the end, A Traveller's Tales, Change, Committment, Leadership, Management, Meditation, mysticism, Spiitual Awareness, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
10 May 2013

No Secrets

No secrets

 

There are no secrets on the way.

Even when the principles are readily known they should not tie you down.

Knowledge of the way gives you the freedom to act naturally and without thought.

It gives you the inner strength to do what you need to do.

 

To give incentive

To offer encouragement

To know limitations.

 

Know

Where and when

And

Who and what

But

Always know why.

John Audet

Posted in 'Till the end, A Traveller's Tales, Australian Poems, Change, Immortality, Leadership, Management, Meditation, mysticism, Spiitual Awareness, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
08 May 2013

The Incident at Bushy Parker

The Incident at Bushy Parker

Bushy Parker has got a nice wide creek running alongside it with beautiful clear water; no debris and no pollution. At some point someone has tied a strong rope to one of the larger branches of a sturdy River tree. If you are young enough to shimmy along the branch you can arrest the rope and pull it on to the shore. Then from a short run-off swing as far out as ten metres before letting go and letting the rope swing back for the next person to catch whilst you grab your ankles and bomb splash into the warm, crystal clear, effervescent pool before being embraced by the pureness of mother water. But if on the other hand you are not so young then you will have to spend some time looking for and finding a fallen tree branch. You will need one long enough to coax the rope towards the shore by which time and effort you may have tired of the whole episode and found something less taxing to do. But to those who persevere and take an even shorter run than the young do and manage to propel themselves out ten metres the rewards are much greater. Bigger bomb, bigger splash, go deeper and plenty of wows from the lookers-on. It may have something to do with weight and size not skill.

Paul is one of those characters left over from the hippie generation that is locked in a time warp. His blonde hair is long on the sides and back of his head but he has gone bald on top; a bit of a chrome dome really. He wears the colourful, loose garb of a bygone time. He carries a bit of weight mostly around his gut and uses a lot of “cool man” when he agrees with you or cannot think of anything constructive to say which is quite often. He spends most of his time travelling from place to place and generally being cool. Paul was down beside the creek near the old walking bridge one afternoon last March. There had been a lot of rain so the water levels were up. It was there that he met old Fergie. They had a lot in common seemingly of the same generation but Paul thought Fergie looked considerably older than he did. After a while Fergie said.

“I’ve taught 54 people how to swim in this here creek, since my wife died. Some of them in this very spot when the waters up and the current is pretty strong”

“No one drowned?” Was an attempt to be funny.

He was silent for a moment.

“No mate, and with none of that fancy training gear like them there softies got in them coaching places. You swim?”

“Yeah man if I ain’t swimmin’ in H2O I‘m fishin’ in it.”

“You don’t work or noffin’do you?”

“Three to four months a year at the sugar mill in Tully man. Just enough to keep me cool with petrol and food for the rest of the time.”

“Life is too short to be tied down by them corporate jobs.”

Fergie was lost in a moment of silence.

“You should go out to where the rope swing is first thing in the morning. The water is still and refreshing as the morning sun breaks through them their trees and shines on the water. Everything a man could want.”

A couple of mornings later Paul took Fergie’s advice. About 6:30 found him stark naked bathing in the Crystal jewel of the creek. He was in Nirvana. Then he detected the regular, rapid noise of footsteps pounding along the path and coming his way. A jogger! There was no time to get back to the shore to get his towel. Panic set in. Maybe the runner would just keep on going. His best bet was to stay where he was. Within moments a very fit and good-looking woman appeared and was jogging right towards his oasis. She stopped by the rope swing pulled off her running shoes and then the rest of her running clothes. Paul couldn’t draw his eyes away like he had become a pillar of salt. She then proceeded into the water without saying a word. Paul submerged his head for a while, embarrassed. She had a light swim and cool down then got out of the water re-dressed including shoes and continued on her morning run. Over the next week he went back to that spot several times but she was never there. The next time Paul saw her was in the Woolworths supermarket in Mission Beach. He was pushing this trolley down the third aisle and there she was also pushing a trolley towards him she smiled in recognition.

“Hello.”

Paul was too smitten to do or say anything but his blood pressure rose. Everywhere he went over the next few months he kept seeing her in shops, parks, in the street. He would always get a wave or a smile or a simple “Hello” but he was always too afraid to do anything about it. In the end out of sheer frustration and confusion he decided to go back to the creek at Bushy Parker. The water was lower now so he sat there on the rocks for a while. In due course Fergie came ambling along with his fishing rod.

“Paul howyagoin’? It’s taken you a while to get back.”

“You expecting me? I never make plans I come and go as I please.”

“That so?”

“I saw this real cool chick at the pond last time and I keep seeing her everywhere I go, man, but I’m always too bashful to approach her like I cannot get her out of my mind. Do you know who she is, man?”

“Maybe it’s her memory you’re carrying everywhere ‘cause you never made it happen when you had the chance and now your mind sees her everywhere.”

Paul told me he went back to the pond where the rope swing was to sit for a while but it wasn’t the same. The rope had rotted away and an old dilapidated pontoon badly in need of repair was in its place with a worn out sign “No Bombing or Diving.” And on the old River tree, a hand carved Memorial which read “To my beloved wife Connie who drowned here March 11, 1976 Jess Ferguson.”

John Audet

Posted in A Traveller's Tales, Australian Bush stories, Australian short stories, Australian stories, Fables, Folklore, mysticism, Outback, Recollections, The Bushman, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
03 May 2013

Focus

Focus.

 

Centre your mind and let it be as one.

Become the object of your attention, become the light.

Study every detail, every part.

See the joy, the ecstasy, the movement, the stillness.

Know every colour, every sound, every arrival, and every departure.

Learn how the seasons influence things as well as the rain and the wind.

To see it you must be it. Then you must let go and be as one.

Take the initiative, take the first step.

Let your analysis decide. Then begin the appreciation process.

See what you are looking at. Study it in its entirety. See every detail. Do not expel peripherals but let them pass through unimpeded and undirected. Know that there are others around but give them no mind and follow your single objective.

Your conscious mind may set your objectives but it is your subconscious mind that will take you there.

John Audet

Posted in 'Till the end, A Traveller's Tales, Australian Poems, Change, Committment, Courage, Meditation, Spiitual Awareness, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
29 Apr 2013

Imagination

Imagination.

 

Imagination is the workshop of the mind. It is the place where our desires are given shape and form and ultimately the course of action we need to take to acquire what we want. There seems to be two basic types of imagination.

Progressive imagination which works from an existing starting point. That is, we already know what we have but develop and improve it in a new combination, style, colour etc. It draws on our experience and education and observations of life and circumstances. Sometimes by the time we are finished we have a completely different model to what we began with.

Creative imagination works by direct communication with the infinite capacity of the Universe. This is where our hunches and inspiration come from, where we find completely new ideas and different paths. It is the facility where we pick up the vibrations of others and tune into their thoughts and communicate at a different level. It works when the conscious mind is stimulated by a strong desire and strong emotion. Our individual creativeness becomes more receptive and alert to all kinds of vibrations, whether we think they are useful or not, the more it is used. We excel in our creativeness the more we allow it to play its part in our overall development.

Everything begins as an intangible form of energy and thought impulses are forms of energy. Your only limitation is the one that you set. Success comes by creating the present expectation that you already have what you want. A burning desire, with the help of your imagination, will be transformed into its equivalent material form.

John Audet

Posted in 'Till the end, A Traveller's Tales, Change, Committment, Courage, Leadership, Management, Meditation, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
26 Apr 2013

Daybreak in Paradise

Daybreak in Paradise

 

Thick, colourless morning mist slowly rose over the valley turning it to ghostly grey and leaving behind the darkness that was night.

Vague, abstract shapes of the day-world began to appear creating moment by moment a difference to the entire shadow of the yet to be perceived.

The aspect of blackness turned to greyness and then to distinctive shapes and recognition but the colours lagged behind missing yet, their agent of creative distinctiveness and depth.

I sat there mesmerised and intrigued by the constant changes and evolving patterns.

The haze was lifted in due course by the Sun’s morning heat to reveal the patterns and profoundness of the individual hues set within the green paddocks.

And the outline of black trees now turned to frosty white and ash along with the rough-barked, soil-coloured hardwoods.

All being displayed against an emerging backdrop of rolling hills ‘till it revealed the peaceful pale blue skies of the breaking day.

Dom, covered with his fly proof coat, stands there gently grazing in the far meadow living in a world where beautiful mornings are common place and a matter of fact.

Tall, 17 hands, he moves about taking his breakfast slowly and appreciatedly.

Not knowing that he is part of an Angel’s canvas where no more could be added to perfection than what he is doing now.

Unconcerned that three skilled workers, one of whom has travelled over 20,000 kms to perform  this task, were putting together a barn and stables that is to be the envy of the district for its quality and craftsmanship.

Planked with magnificent Tiger wood where every grain forms part of a living mosaic.

The craftsmen scribed around every natural bend and post so that each piece fits perfectly into the next.

Yet no man’s effort can impress or emulate and be accepted as an improvement, but it can be merely hoped, that by appreciation to blend in with what nature has already provided.

And no matter how much we may admire what is indeed a beautiful sight, Dom, of course, will be blissfully unaware that he is a part of this living work of art.

John Audet

Posted in A Traveller's Tales, Australian Bush stories, Australian Poems, Australian short stories, Australian stories, Change, Folklore, Immortality, Meditation, mysticism, Outback, Recollections, Spiitual Awareness, The Bushman, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
15 Apr 2013

Preserve your Vigour

Preserve your Vigour

 

We have an obligation in life is to preserve our vigour and to guard against defiling our life as a consequence of irresponsible and maddening desires. If we can get accustomed in the belief that death is neither good nor evil but merely a transition stage from the body we now live in; and that body, has died and been born many times at different stages, in the course of what is considered to be our life time. Death is the absence of all physical feeling therefore understanding that death is nothing to us makes the mortality of life so much more enjoyable and not by adding years and unlimited time but by taking away the yearning for immortality. For in life there can be nothing to fear to him who has thourghly apprehended that there is nothing to cause fear in what time we are not alive. Foolish therefore is the man who says that he fears death not because it will cause him pain when it comes but because he is afraid at the prospect. Whatever the aggravation in the present causes only a groundless agony by the expectation. Death, which seems to some, the most awful of evil’s is nothing to us seeing that we are not dead yet and when death comes then we are not. It is nothing then either to the living or to the dead for it is not found in the living and the dead no longer exist.

John Audet

Posted in 'Till the end, A Traveller's Tales, Change, Courage, Immortality, Meditation, mysticism, Recollections, Spiitual Awareness, Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

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