I received this very thoughtful message from Anon this afternoon, and I would like to share it with all of you.
And please forgive me Anon. Try as I might, I could not respond to your email address, and could find no way around that problem.
Anon wrote:
Hello (1) Human beings can not attain enlightenment. (2) The ego must be annihilated in order for one to merge completely with love. (3) Without the ego one is not one. (4) One does not exist. (5) You have experienced a glimpse. (6) You have tasted the water, but you have not become the ocean. (7) You only harm yourself with this belief. (8) Hold on to nothing. Grasp at nothing. Only love.
(Note: I added the numbers in the above message to make clear my responses. ~ Takuin)
Thank you, Anon.
To answer you in order:
(1) As far as I know, I never said they could.
(2) If that is true, I will never know.
(3) It is not for me to say.
(4) Whether one does or does not is insignificant.
(5) I have experienced nothing.
(6) I refuse the water, but enjoy watching the ocean.
(7) If there is a belief here, I cannot find it. Perhaps you could help me look?
(8) If one holds, grasps, or does not, is all the same if there is a goal in mind.
Please forgive me for saying, but you seem to have many rules. But what I perceive in this short missive is not enough to know, and I have no interest in concluding you into oblivion.
I have heard what you have said many times before (not with the same wording, of course). I am certainly not accusing you of anything, or think you to be weak minded or foolish. But over the last five or six years I have met with more than a thousand human beings of various faiths and ethnicities. And there was only so many times I cared to hear the same thing over and over again.
The spiritual world, if we can use that term, is just as limited as any other creation of human-kind. That does not make it meaningless, but it is still trapped within our limited capacity. The human mind can only see so far within the confines of what it adheres to; the rules handed down by others.
But you are correct, in the end. There is only love. But it is not mine or yours. Just love. Just as I sit here loving you. But it is not mine. I cannot 'do' anything with it.
Love is here through your existence. Maybe we can just sit with that...
Takuin
10 comments, since Nove
Excellent, Takuin. I love your reply. You get right to the heart of what has been like a splinter to me for quite some time. Thank you.
Welcome back, Takuin. Good to hear your voice again. ;-)
I'd agree on too many rules. And rules that seem based on concepts that may not all be serving. But love the conclusion. The main point of it all.
I wrote a short post yesterday about a quote that touched on this: “Whenever you have something, whether it’s a religion or a business, or anything else that you think is the right answer for everybody, through that lens you can’t hope but look at everyone in the world as if they’re broken and need to be fixed.” – Jen Lee
Wow it has been a long time since I read you guys!
Anon´s statements sound very good and Takuin´s answers sound just as good! It just feels like Anon is still judging but maybe it´s just me. And by saying this I´m judging and comparing as well lol....
Yesterday night I was meditating about love, but I just couldn´t seem to find it anywhere else than in an idea or an image.
I did however feel like everything was alive, my blankets, the wall,the pillow, etc. So I touched everything with care and it was great, I thought about the whole building I live in and as I put my hand on everything I felt this caring for all around me, maybe that´s love.
Lol I even pet my laptop keyboard yehh!
Thanks Tom! Great to see you again!
Thanks Davidya! Long time no see...
I like Jen's quote. That is what I meant when I mentioned "concluding Anon into oblivion." Everyone else says it so much better than I do, however. ;-)
Hey Ogt! Nice to see you again.
When we search, I wonder if it is possible for anything other than an idea or an image to arise?
Despite my disinterest in teachings, traditions, and so on, I still question. But the answer isn't necessary. The process reveals more than the answer ever could. :-)
"There is only love. But it is not mine or yours. Just love."
Beautiful!!
Thank you, Anjali!
So nice to see you again...
"There is only love. But it is not mine or yours...Maybe we can just sit with that…" Thanks Takuin!
Thanks, Brooks! Good to see you again.