My family calls me Pancho and I'd like you to know that I love you all.
On Wednesdays to be at the Kindness Temple is a way to re-member how intimately interconnected we are. There are Wednesdays when the field of love is so generous that we, the human particles in it, only surrender to its gentle force. All of the sudden, diversity is honored and unity at the heart is embraced. We align ourselves with the soul-force and we let the Universe of Love work through us. This is what it flowed through me:
1. Imagine: The New Paradigm
2. The Opposite of Pain
3. Fight or Flight and the Third Choice
1. Imagine: The New Paradigm
According to the old paradigm of life, we are a collection of separated objects, life is seen as separated entities where we can focus our attention and dissect a part of the whole without taking into account the visible and (most of the times) invisible connections. One cannot see a relationship, one only sees the effects, the "what". In this old paradigm knowledge comes from analyzing a static Nature. It is a "stuff-based" view of reality. There is no wisdom since reality is not experienced as it is. Power is a thing to be exerted on others (power over) something you can have and measure, it is a top-down notion of power. To be vulnerable is to be seen as weak. That's why to be "invulnerable" means to shatter enemies so that it doesn't happen to me and I create defenses and walls and borders to isolate me from the "danger". A dramatic image for this paradigm could be imagined as a single neuron who tries to build higher and stronger walls to stop communication with the "dangerous" surroundings. In this ill-conceived notion of reality, it is a matter of time for the neuron to get atrophied of isolation to finally die in a premature way.
The New Renaissance of Humanity is about a new paradigm where the entire Universe is a communion of subjects. It is a science of relationships in all senses and all dimensions. Life is seen as a flow. Organisms are alive and with visible porous boundaries but determined by what flows in them: matter, energy, information, love. This paradigm is process oriented, we are constantly asking not the "what" but the "how". In this philosophy of life knowledge is dynamic like the flame that keeps its shape by constantly burning, it always changes. When we experience this dynamic knowledge, it turns into wisdom and then reality cannot be confined only by the material world. Power is shared in an inclusive and horizontal way. The real power resides in the way an organism serves the community. It is a bottom-up notion of power. I feel interconnected with the whole. I feel identified with every being of the Universe by recognizing our common origin. Instead of looking for perfection, life looks for wholeness. To be vulnerable with courage is my best security because I see my security as the security of all. If we pay close attention to this approach, we will notice that all life is ONE. There are no enemies. The image of a neuron in this new paradigm looks interconnected and functional. While the neuron has clear boundaries of its existence, there is a flow through. When a healthy neuron dies, being loved by the community, its legacy is carried through the plasticity of other connections in the brain.
Our brain, the most complex system in the known Universe so far, uses the power of imagination to understand how mater, energy, information and love flow through molecules, society, mind, family and communities.
2. Letting go the Opposite of Pain.
One of the most valuable revelations I had during my first 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat was that craving to joy is a recipe for misery. Because when joy was not around, I was suffering waiting for it. When one meditates and sits 10 hours a day, all kind of pains (physical and emotional) come to the surface. But also all kinds of joy. If life is an open porous system where matter, energy, information and love flows, does it make sense to crave and get attached to joy? Paradoxically, when we let go of pain and joy, this flux of sensations coming and going, is the Universal Love flowing through us. That's why, from my point of view, love has no opposite since it is a continuous whole.
Pain, anger and hate are emotions who have forgotten how to breathe. True joy and happiness both lie in the natural flow of life: love.
3. Fight or Flight and the Third Choice.
The biggest challenge I have faced is when lack of harmony visits the being. Internal or external violence creates a fight or flight reflex, an old conditioned response linked to our evolutionary presence on this Planet. However, our consciousness has evolved in such a way that we have found a third choice: a combination of fearlessness AND nonviolence. Think of the evolved consciousness as an interface that filters violence and converts it into harmony. Once we purposely access this consciousness (as when we collectively meditate on Wednesday), our being cannot forget the roots of its origin, our real home. Then like the waters of an ancient river, the Universal Love flows through us. Every Wednesday, for almost ~13 years, this house has witnessed this flow in the circles. How lucky we are to be immersed in this flow of generosity, inspiration, information, energy (food!), creativity, kindness and smiles! :-) How lucky we are to be part of this flow of love!
May we successfully filter the pains of the Earth Community.
May we live in harmony with the flow of life.
May all become compassionate, courageous and wise.
Pancho
On Sep 15, 2010 Pancho wrote :
On Wednesdays to be at the Kindness Temple is a way to re-member how intimately interconnected we are. There are Wednesdays when the field of love is so generous that we, the human particles in it, only surrender to its gentle force. All of the sudden, diversity is honored and unity at the heart is embraced. We align ourselves with the soul-force and we let the Universe of Love work through us. This is what it flowed through me:
1. Imagine: The New Paradigm
2. The Opposite of Pain
3. Fight or Flight and the Third Choice
Pancho