These are not Valentine’s Day flowers! : )
The image is of some flowers from 2023 …that I took to thank the sender.
The image remains but the flowers…long gone..
No valentine flowers today? No long-stemmed rose ; ) ? No problem…!!!
On the theme of Love and Impermanence…( the recording in the post before this)…here are many flowers…a big bouquet!
From this link (Heart Sutra search results, SimplyBeing) you’ll find an abundance of flowers with perennial freshness…
Talks… and texts which flower and manifest their scent through our engagement…
Their bright and vivid display glows with the illuminating commentary!
James has encouraged reading the Heart Sutra every day…
But to help us do more than ‘ just recite’ or ‘run our eyes over the words’ …to help us take it into our hearts and lives, and have it’s truth as the basis for our existence…
we need (well I certainly need!) the explanations and commentaries…
With the help of these we can receive a fresh delivery each time…each gently touching and opening our hearts… to the truth of how it is.
Saying or singing the mantra is another way of having it’s truth run through and impact our embodiment…
Back in 2014 Adrian Freedman visited the summer retreat at Emerson College to teach us the tune he had composed for the Perfection of wisdom mantra…and it was truly beautiful experience to sing that, all together : )
It now features as track 9. in his new album of sacred songs… but if you download the PDF of James’ revision of C.R. Lama’s translation of the Heart Sutra from the page linked above or click here you’ll find it included there…so you can listen or sing along…
I’ve seen a variety of translations offered for this Great mantra…
from E. Conze’s:
Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all-hail !
to James’ 2013 revision of C.R. Lama’s 1978 translation :
In this way, gone, gone, gone beyond, fully gone beyond. Awakened – as it is!
to my memory of what we sang with James at Emerson:
Gone, gone, gone beyond…gone beyond the river… to the further shore
to the words Adrian has used in his album:
Gone, gone, gone beyond…gone beyond the ripples of the further shore…
There’s another bunch of flowers that complement this!
From the Index to the Macclesfield Talks …
you’ll see that the Heart Sutra is the topic of Talk 13. The illusory nature of experience.. the heart sutra… Here are links to audio and videos of the talk…
If you like to read, here is the edited transcript. Editing this was a labour of love which took me a long time to complete. But I think eventually the clarity of the talk shines a bit brighter and the repeated engagement is like ploughing a field. It helps to soften up the accumulated rigidites …so the dharma can penetrate a bit deeper !
I’ve just found it on the SB site but currently it’s not not linked with the audio, so it’s a bit buried and you may be one of the first few to read it… If you do : )
Flowers everywhere!!!
With other sweet heart work …. we can be making Tsa tsas.
This is a beautiful practice… from understanding what why and how (lots on the website, writings from James, as well as from the link above) all the way though to their placement in the world…and dedication.
We can of course do this on our own but Hannah Holtbernd, details on the linked page, sometimes organises this as a group activity… and facilitates this in a lovely gentle way…
If you are interested in doing this together with others you could get in touch with her…
In a similar vein we can make and create and plant Earth pots…
You’ll find there is a link for information about that, and to Anna who facilitates that activity, at the bottom of the Tsa tsa page, linked above.
Again this is, in my experience, a beautiful thing to do. Making/creating filling and placing all done with profound intention to bring benefit to sentient beings and to the world…
Placing Tsa-tsas and Earth pots can take us out into nature…and as you probably know and I learned through time… nature, the arts and spirituality can all bring healing on different levels…
Which brings me to Gareth William’s bouquet ; )
He’s a long-time student of James… and his beautiful offering is of connection through music… as a movement for peace and global harmony.
From his website: ‘Gareth leverages the universal language of music to make a positive difference in the world. His unique blend of musical talent and psychological insight fuels his dedication to fostering unity, compassion, and sustainability.
Calling all artists, producers, music enthusiasts, and everyone who is passionate about using their talents for a greater cause. Please join or contribute to the project and help create a positive impact through music.’
You can see from the piece of work that he composed/created in relation to the destructive pollution of the river Wye, a beautiful river which flows near where he lives …how he is showing and sharing a way to be with sadness and respond in ways which are not aggressive nor passive… but creative and connective and healing.
Last in this message but not least, as James mentioned along with Tsa tsa making in the Q&A on Wednesday evening…we might, if we have some money to spare, give sponsorship towards funding ways for others to connect with the dharma.
I’d add that you can give dana/make a donation towards the functioning of that website, spreading the dharma and various dharma activities on this link on the Simply Being website. Generously sharing some of what the world has shared with us is an intangibly enriching gesture of connectivity, in the movement towards the greatest benefit for all.
May all flowers… and vases …come together in perfect harmony…and the scent of wisdom pervade in all directions!
