You are in more dimensions in any moment than you are ever aware

Love is the harmony of a shared heartbeat

You are worthy of unconditional love

Embrace your grace

In the face of ignorance, manifestation masquerades as coincidence

Be grateful and full of greatness, and you will be full of life

Love can not be built without the foundation of truth

The tender touch of a friend can melt any mountain of fear

If you are not aware of how your opinions are formed, don't be so quick to defend them

Only you can empower yourself to be free

Beyond the sky are dimensions offering realities that are equal only to the imagination

Change one belief or attitude about yourself and you change your entire life

A world absent of dreams is a world absent of life

Whatever you have thought and done, you are unconditionally loved and forever forgiven

When you talk, leave time for the walk

Build the roads that ought to be travelled to take you places never lived

Your joy patiently awaits your unconditional embrace

Every person with whom you have an issue is mirroring that issue within yourself

May the Lord of the wind blow your sail so you end up amongst the magic in which you dared not believe

You are God's profound and cherished dream

Love is the warming glue that cocoons us in the embrace of the eternal womb

It's a jungle out there when there's a jungle in you

The answers you receive are only profound as the questions you ask

Align yourself with the most joyful people you know and you will know what they feel

You are Nature's eternal gift to the Universe

Whatever you do, when you do it in a state of joy, it transmutes into joyous energy

Focus on your dreams and be witness to your magic

You are made from an unlimited creation and eternal joy that is forever your identity

If we did not have eyes, would the midnight stars exist? Would we hear them instead?

If you can always be yourself, joy in all ways will be yours

Love allows giving without the fear of not receiving

Love the freedom forever in you

Discover what you want to become and act it out in every oment. Then this is what you are.

Is your self-doubt more powerful than your desire for your dreams to be realised?

The lotus flower can teach you things no master can

Wisdom is the wand that transforms mistakes into Evolution

Your ability to make a wish would not exist if you did not have the power to make it come true

Make a wish, believe it will manifest then forget it, so you won't think to doubt
Divine Order will take care of it

Your intent is the essence that creates your circumstances

Lose your fear of failure and your failings will lose you

You belong in the moment

Divinity's song fills every corner of the universe with love..Listen

It is not the fear of the unknown but the fear of new adventures that harms you

No one can define you

You attract those who share your dreams

Life is a dream and death is an illusion. Can death be the awakening from the illusion we call reality?

When you feel wonderful because you gave, allow the joy of giving to be returned

Nature's laws within you can teach you everything you wish to know

The kingdom of heaven is within you and cannot exist without you

It's not what you do but why you do it

Your spirit soars free through the universe. Why not you?

Focus on joy, and not what it takes to be joyful

Life is made beautiful by attitude alone

An open mind is an open door to miraculous new adventures

Embrace change like you would a newborn child

Every person you don't forgive estranges your ability to love yourself

Be clear about your dreams and not concerned with how they materialise

How do you expect your dreams to come true when you hold them at a timeless distance with a stiff arm of fear and the stern hand of doubt?

Your answers are coming

You are here because you are loved

Have a light heart

Every experience came from a dream

Thoughts create your reality. What did you create today?

You are the creator of your habits and the master of their undoing

Being unaware of your thoughts is like drifting without oars down the river of life

Be indefinable by race, colour or creed and you are inseparable from the mind of God

Even asleep, you are observed with love

The challenge of truthfulness evokes more fear than the ease of sowing lies

Listen to Nature's symphony. It can transport you to places you've never been

The mystical merge of love into life is the Divine chemistry of all creation

Risk new adventures and trust the Universe will reward your efforts to evolve your soul

Give for love, forgive with love

Be patient and realise you have all the time in the Universe to create miracles

You are the magnetic centre between past and future

Challenges confronted with truth and love make personal evolution inevitable

Imagination creates knowledge

Every drop of water, every ripple in the ocean is alive with intent to nourish your soul with new adventures

Be a lamp unto yourself...

As the Buddha was dying, 

Ananda asked 

who would be their teacher after death. 

He replied to his disciple - 

"Be lamps unto yourselves. 

Be refuges unto yourselves. 

Take yourself no external refuge. 

Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. 

Hold fast to the truth as a refuge. 

Look not for a refuge in anyone besides yourselves. 

And those, Ananda, who either now or after I am dead, 

Shall be a lamp unto themselves, 

Shall betake themselves as no external refuge, 

But holding fast to the truth as their lamp, 

Holding fast to the truth as their refuge, 

Shall not look for refuge to anyone else besides themselves, 

It is they who shall reach to the very topmost height; 

But they must be anxious to learn."

I think this beautiful story is a great reminder not to cling to other teachers, or books, or fellowships and put our "salvation" (for lack of a better word) in their hands. Ultimately, we are our best guide (a conscious, whole "we"). Furthermore, it seems like a fact to me that no other person better understands OUR INDIVIDUAL experience than we do. So then how could they be better guides than ourselves? To reference the dialogue in Conversations with God, our truth, and everything we ultimately need to know, is within us (within who?... not the idea we have about ourselves or an ego-identification, but the conscious witness/spirit/etc.). "Truth is not discovered... it is created." And all of reality is subjective (Einstein called it a persistent illusion), so you cannot possibly know my truth, my reality... unless we meet at the level of the spirit, at a higher consciousness... Namaste: "I honor that place in you where the whole Universe resides. And when I am in that place in me and you are in that place in you, there is only one of us."). Ultimately, all great teachers seem to do this. They get through to that consciousness in their student, and in the end... the greatest teacher is the one who has made himself unnecessary. The student is "a lamp" unto herself.

I'd like to balance this, however, with what Charlotte Joko Beck writes about in Everyday Zen. This message doesn't give "me" the permission to take on a defiant, closed-minded attitude ("I'm my own teacher... don't tell me what to do," "No, Universe, you've got it all wrong," etc...). The ego-centered, flesh-encapsulated entity I appear to be does not make for a great authority either. And again, from Conversations with God: "I cannot tell you my truth until you stop telling me yours." As soon as we "know" god/or whatever our conceptions of a higher reality might be (Tao, Universe, etc.), we have frozen whatever it is and packed it up tightly and conveniently in a little box that will sit on the shelf and gather dust. Then, it's over: the line of communication is cut off, the ongoing feedback is blocked, and we are missing whatever Ultimate Reality there may be because we're holding on to a concept of it. To conceptualize and to "know" God/the Universe/the Tao/etc. etc. etc. is a contradiction, and an unfortunate fallacy. What's coming down the pipeline (as feedback, or experience, or understanding), is always, always evolving. Everything is in a state of flux and change, so why wouldn't god (and its interaction with, or messages for, us) be as well (this is more easily understood by Eastern philosophies with their concept of the Tao). Receptivity, openness. Today's God, is not tomorrow's God. I have fallen into the cycle of "knowing" or thinking I "know" God and what's really happening here... but when I have done that, I end up knowing jack shit. What is the difference between understanding, and knowing? [really... I'd like to know your thoughts]

"Knowing God means being God, it is not relative knowledge." -Ramana Maharshi

So Beck poses the question: "If you're not the authority, and I'm not the authority, then what?" Ultimately, she suggests that life itself is the only viable teacher/authority. Every experience and circumstance which we are able to consciously and mindfully connect with, become one with (italics to emphasize my point that it takes a different view, or M.O. than is customary of us in order to be receptive and open), is our "Master" and will teach us more than anyone else can. And, my take is that the conscious, mindful "us," spirit is life itself. And so I find that among the facets of our being, we are both the student and the teacher (the "created creator" -again from CwG).

"Even the least among you can do all that I have done, and greater things." -Jesus

Expressed with the utmost love, and with a sincere desire that your path always be clear... and that each step illuminates and reveals the truth of who you are,

Jason Magnon

Experiencing The Spiritual- Paul Hedderman

Dialogue with Paul Hedderman and Jason Magnon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay4XO4TWmxI

It was a privilege to have this conversation, and in the end... I just realized how very little I know ;)
[but... who is it that doesn't know... and what don't they know??? Hah!]

Enjoy. And please don't forget to check out www.zenbitchslap.com for more from Paul.

Thank you,
Namaste,

Jason

Genetic Imperative

Facing terminal cancer as I am I cannot help pondering the transitory nature of life. It is ephemeral, fleeting, and too damn short. Over the past few years I have talked about this a number of folks--all of whom tend to glaze over and while agreeing don't really seem to get the full significance of what I am saying. "Wake up dammit. Life is short. How do you really want to spend your time while you are here?"

There is a Tim McGraw country song that is about living your life as if you were dying. What if that was the case? What if we actually did live that way? Why then get out of bed? Why have children? Why go to work? Why save money? Indeed, for our ancestors ... why put your transitory life on the line pitting your hunting skills against a sabre toothed tiger or buffalo ... See what I mean?

If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, I don't think I would go to work today. In fact motivation is something I am dealing with for the first time in my life. Think about it; from the point of view of survivability of our species this is a pretty lame strategy. Therefore, I think we are genetically programmed to believe we have plenty of time. When we have plenty of time, we get up go to work, pay or taxes, have children and fight hairy beasts for supper! Now that is a strategy for success!

But here's the thing. Because of the inevitability of my death, I see things differently than most folks. I have no future. I am forced to live in the moment--a great thing when you think about it. A precessional advantage to the process is a state of grace that feels like peace, tranquility, compassion and occasional bouts of bliss! And here's the odd thing. When I start feeling well physically, my mental state shifts and I find myself making plans with a decidedly long-term perspective. Again, it is as if there is a deep program running that is there whenever I stop feeling like death is imminent. Curious isn't it?

This crazy thing called Zen...

Lately, I have been most interested in Zen. It is not a religion in the traditional sense, but is rather defined as a "way of liberation." It's rather informal and the focus is on practice as opposed to doctrine. Please know that I am not pushing religion here... I wouldn't even consider myself a full-on Zen Buddhist. I feel, however, that there's a great deal of value in its teachings and practices which are applicable to members of any faith (or those of no faith at all).

In fact, it is actually the foundation upon which Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a model for group therapy which teaches its patients skills for dealing with their presenting issues, was created by Dr. Marsha Linehan, PhD in the early 90's. It has proven very effective and is available worldwide. Interestingly, at the core of the therapeutic model is the idea of mindfulness (which, of course, is a fundamental element of Zen). Dr. Linehan was granted permission to use excerpts from Thich Nhat Hanh's book "The Miracle of Mindfulness" in her publication and practice. So, what has happened is: a Zen monk's work has been adapted to treat mental illness... and is doing so with more success than any Freudian theory ever had. Hmm. Outside of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, the West has been integrating mindfulness and meditation practices into its health care more and more. The benefits of practices like those found in Zen, are now being recognized by science.

Here is a link for information on Dialectical Behavior Therapy if you're interested (it's model does address spiritual matters... though very cautiously): http://www.behavioraltech.com/resources/whatisdbt.cfm

And here are some videos that might introduce some Zen concepts (one of which I posted myself):
The Zen Mind: An Introduction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK_4Z5DZcNM

excerpt from Alan Watts' "The Way of Zen" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6S8kWRTzgw

Namaste,
Jason

Identification as a Self, and Introducing Paul Hedderman

I have had the pleasure of meeting and corresponding with this man... and he is truly an enlightened individual. His presence was was illuminating and uplifting, the energy he brought into the room and into our one-on-one conversation after the talk was overwhelmingly peaceful and joyful. His state of being was evidence enough for me, but his message sparked quite an awakening. It's not a new message, as Eastern traditions have taught the essence of what he is saying. But, fortunately for us, he is one of a few who are making the non-dual message, and the idea that we are not who we think we are, more widespread. It is an odd message... totally contrary to what we have been conditioned to believe. I thought I "got it" when I met him a year ago, but it's only in the past few weeks that I feel I have arrived at some level of acceptance and understanding. But, it gets tricky... this is not understood with the mind. This stuff cannot be accepted as Jason. It requires some stepping outside myself (meditation is my primary way of doing so). When (or if) this hits you, and resonates as true, you may experience the "unspoken 'yes!'" (a phrase I love, which describes that internal experience of awakening to see something as true), and then you may very well burst out in laughter. I laugh at myself all the time, because it's now so obvious and I just cannot believe I once saw things differently.

Paul Hedderman's website: www.zenbitchslap.com

Some Youtube videos:
Who are you identified as? Paul Hedderman Interview.

Our suffering, our simple solution... another interview with Paul.

Are You a Sheep, or a Lion? Paul Hedderman video.

More of my ranting:

In the first post, I invited you to observe your mind (and your apparent separateness from it). I hope that demonstration alone supports Paul's message about identification, about the real you being separate from the imagined you). You know the idea of Self-Help? This notion makes every book that has ever been written on the topic completely absurd. I've spent years struggling with the self. I've battled "my" obsession and addiction to substances, "my" judgmental tendencies, "my" self-seeking natures, "my" persistent fear... and it was always that: a battle, a struggle. I never received any lasting relief. I could make progress here and there, but generally the cycle was continuous. Why was that? I went to therapy... I did the 12 steps... I volunteered service. But I always came back to a dis-ease. What I was doing, was just ripping little pieces off of weeds in a garden rather than taking them out or killing them at the root. So, they inevitably grew back. I finally resigned, "well... I guess this is life: constant struggle with my self." And everyone validated this notion. But wait... what did I just say? "Struggle" with "my" (?) "self (?)." Wait a minute... That implies that there are two separate things in conflict... there's that which is experiencing a struggle with a "self" and then there is this thing or idea called a "self." I knew the "self" and its manifestations well, but the idea of an experiencer, or observer that was separate from or behind the ego was news to me.

My conclusion: I am not, in fact I cannot, be that self (or ego/mind) because of my ability to watch it operate, to run amok against my will. So, rather than busying myself with trimming the weeds endlessly... I finally realized I had to go to their roots if I wished to ever be free of a weed-ridden garden. And so that's the message. When we become aware of who we are, and not the conceptual self composed of ego encapsulated by flesh as part of a biological organism, we get to the root of our troubles. Then, rather than thinking I was the one obsessing anxiously about money (or thinking lustfully, or judging other people, etc.), I realized that I was separate from the mental process which was doing all those things. And THAT was the freedom from self I had been looking for: realizing I was not it. It really is as simple as that observation, but it's certainly not easy (I'm far from perfecting this, and it's taken a lot of suffering for me to see this more clearly). When I am able to do this (I have not mastered it by any means), there is no struggle. Sure, I can still experience anxiety or any other emotion and thought process, but (through mindfulness and observation) I recognize that what's happening is not coming from me, not of my doing, and just not true. The sense of being at odds with myself then dissolves, which is exactly what Alan Watts describes (in "The Way of Zen") as the experience of awakening in Zen. It's not that all the faults and pains disappear (though they do fade with time, as you give them less power and meaning), it's that the war is over. You're free. Sure, your mind will go on doing what it does. But, you're no longer at its mercy, for you have found the real you and thus know your unrivaled power over mind. Rather than jumping on every train of thought that comes your way, and then having to bail at 10, 20, 50, 100mph (all battered and bruised), you can remain at the station: still and at peace while observing the traffic with impunity.

Again, I invite you to investigate further. Don't take my word for it (or Paul's). Just observe "your" "self". If you come to the same conclusion that I did (that we are not "us"), then you automatically open yourself to experience that which you are, because it is ever-present. It's subtle, but it's there, I assure you. It is consciousness itself, it is the Source. Here's a metaphor (perhaps a poor one) I thought of to illustrate this point:

You remember those slide projectors in grade school (before classrooms became digitalized)? The basic contraption was made of three parts: a light bulb, a slide, and then the image projected as a result of the light passing through the slide. Now, for 19-20 years I've thought of myself as the slide... some kind of concept. As the slide, I was seeing the projection only and completely accepting it as the ultimate reality. But, what I failed to get to was the very source of it all: the light. The projection (reality) was only there because a source of light was peering through an item ("me"... Jason) which could create one vision of an idea of reality. So finally, I took a step back. Jason (the one writing this right now), is the slide... it's a filter, or a means of viewing what is projected through it (reality). The projected image, or "reality," is only putting up the content of the slide. To get to the point, I have become aware of my consciousness/awareness... and I am awaking to the fact that this whole time, I have been (I am) the LIGHT behind the slide, and that which makes the projected image. The slide is observable, distant from me, and the image projected is a subjective plane. [ Oh... and have you heard about the Holographic Principle? It actually relates to all of this abstraction and speculation: Is reality just a 2-dimensional projection? ]But the light... it is the source. It beams through the slide to express an image. If the slide changes, the image changes (note that this process cannot be reversed...). The "light," unlike the slide and the image that are always subject to change and dependent on each other for their existence, just is. Slide or no slide. Projection or no projection. The light shines. Imagine, just for the sake of this mediocre metaphor, that we are talking about some super-bulb that never burns out or needs replacement. It can have countless slides placed before it, and thus it may project countless images (realities).

Jesus supposedly said "I am the light of the world." As well, "Before Abraham was, I Am." [indicating, to me, eternal presence... life without beginning or end] But, he also said "everything I have done, you shall do and more." So, he never put himself on the pedestal that a lot of religions have. He promised us the position as equals, as fellow sons/daughters of god (or however you'd like to refer to the inexpressible) with the same given identity and the same given power. After all, has it not been said, "ye are gods (to us, from god)?"So that makes me believe... there is just one "light bulb." That is, one consciousness looking through many lenses (or concepts of "selves"). We can call that source or sense of awareness many things, but you probably get my implication, my seemingly-lofty reference to Who We Really Are.

For the third+ time... try this idea out. "Entertain it," as Paul Hedderman says. See what happens and what YOU observe. I really recommend checking out Paul's page, then meditating on this topic. Be as a scientist would be... objective, without judgment or reservation, as you observe what's happening. Paul always refers to this message as, quite simply, an "invitation." Take it or leave it :)

Supporting references:
-"Be in this world, but not of it." -Jesus [imagine the experience of peering through a telescope... or playing any video game. It seems like you're there, but there is a distance...]
-In the words of St. Francis, "What you're looking for, is what's looking."
-From the basic text of the spiritual program Alcoholics Anonymous: "But he had found God, and in finding God had found himself." [I, and a lot of Eastern philosophies, personally make a distinction between the false "self" that has been talked in this post, and the true self... it's been called the "spirit," "the unborn mind," perhaps "The Holy Spirit" in the context of the Trinity, etc...].
-"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." -Siddhartha (the Buddha) [I would substitute "evil ways," with something like... "unfulfilling ways" or "obstacles to growth." The topic of Good and Evil will be explored more later, I'm sure.]
-From the very popular "The Power of Now," by Eckhart Tolle: "The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly - you usually don't use it at all. It uses you. [bold added for emphasis]. This is the disease. You believe that you are your mind. This is the delusion. The instrument has taken you over."
-And finally,

"Just give up the individual ' I ' and there will be no need to find the real ' I '."

Ramana Maharshi

Namaste,
Jason

"Every Step of the Journey is the Journey" - Zen saying

I am reminded to be fully present and conscious of the here and now. There is no place else, and the past and future do not exist. Stop whatever it is you are doing and just simply be. Let the mind (that narrator who incessantly comments on everything you perceive) drop away. It will do this quite naturally, unless you try to force it. Just see what it is doing, accept that it is doing it, and then consciously bring your true self (the light of awareness) in to the multitude of experiences and phenomena that are happening around you right here, right now. They may be subtle (the hum of the air conditioning) or they may be pronounced (the sound of traffic outside your window). Whatever your experience is, open yourself fully unto it. You are a blank canvas upon which the Now will paint a masterpiece, if you so let it. And remember to breathe. What a simple but profound joy a deep and focused breath can be. Hopefully you will crack a gentle smile. You are alive.
-jcm