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bliss
November 2009 
What, in this moment, is bringing you joy?
Posted on Aug 24th, 2008
by 
Shameslaya
Shameslaya
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for August 24, 2008:
What brings me joy in this moment is all which this moment encompasses....elements within this moment bring me gratification...or happiness, which is a word denoting the state I get in where nothing needs to change because I am fully gratified.....and so the state of happiness lasts maybe four seconds at the most before this restless organism moves on, motivated by further wanting....joy means something else to me.
I suppose that one way of viewing my evolution is that I am in the process of finding a way of transcending my animal nature whilst learning to include it in a healthy way....this means that I am not always motivated by reaching out for happiness's ever-dangling carrot-on-a-stick....so it means that I do a daily sadhana in spite of the unsatisfying discomfort it often gives me....because discomfort or happiness are energies in the open ground of my awareness which arise, have their way with me and selfliberate.....and what brings me joy is the contact with these sorts of moments, that I am the Sky and all aggregates of my experience are just fleeting clouds....shaped into seductive gestalten, I grant you...but just clouds nonetheless....which seem to be other but in fact are mere representations of the condition of the air in the place I see them.....and the quality of this seeing is joy.....
This view is partial of course...it's about seeing all things in the Self...the other side of this view is seeing the Self in all things.....those glorious unitive moments in which that Light which illuminates all of experience...that Light which is Open Sky lit by it's own Radiance....that Light shines through everything in our awareness....and when we see this..when we really see it and it's not a bit of somebody else's book you're musing upon....then our hearts open right up in spite of our shame-based contraction...and the natural desire for all other beings to feel what you are feeling now arises strongly regardless of how many books you read on bodhicitta generation (tho we read them to ground ourselves in the worldview set at the altitude I am describing).....and to see others sharing the same vision of whatever intensity....there is mudita; sympathetic joy... everybody matters as much as yr own children and you want all the folk in kosmos to be equally joyful...you will want that Light to radiate as brightly, shorn of shame's shadows, as you can and all your actions will be bodhisattvic without your needing to stop and think about what you are doing....
All things in the Self, the Self in all things....this moment, whose intrinsic nature is joy, is also compassion, (karuna), loving-kindness (metta) and equanomous (upheka)....these four are referred to as the Four immeasurables in the Buddhist canon....and one way of explaining what Immeasurable means here is to witness these four experiences each as objective correlatives, poems oded to that limitless Open Ground which is so vast as to defy measurement, a Self who cannot be directly known because it is the very Radiance which causes us to seek it....and the journey of seeking illuminates All Arising in the playful, gorgeous, horrific, banal, extraordinary carnival we call Life.
Blessings for a cloud-scud Sunday. Jon x
I suppose that one way of viewing my evolution is that I am in the process of finding a way of transcending my animal nature whilst learning to include it in a healthy way....this means that I am not always motivated by reaching out for happiness's ever-dangling carrot-on-a-stick....so it means that I do a daily sadhana in spite of the unsatisfying discomfort it often gives me....because discomfort or happiness are energies in the open ground of my awareness which arise, have their way with me and selfliberate.....and what brings me joy is the contact with these sorts of moments, that I am the Sky and all aggregates of my experience are just fleeting clouds....shaped into seductive gestalten, I grant you...but just clouds nonetheless....which seem to be other but in fact are mere representations of the condition of the air in the place I see them.....and the quality of this seeing is joy.....
This view is partial of course...it's about seeing all things in the Self...the other side of this view is seeing the Self in all things.....those glorious unitive moments in which that Light which illuminates all of experience...that Light which is Open Sky lit by it's own Radiance....that Light shines through everything in our awareness....and when we see this..when we really see it and it's not a bit of somebody else's book you're musing upon....then our hearts open right up in spite of our shame-based contraction...and the natural desire for all other beings to feel what you are feeling now arises strongly regardless of how many books you read on bodhicitta generation (tho we read them to ground ourselves in the worldview set at the altitude I am describing).....and to see others sharing the same vision of whatever intensity....there is mudita; sympathetic joy... everybody matters as much as yr own children and you want all the folk in kosmos to be equally joyful...you will want that Light to radiate as brightly, shorn of shame's shadows, as you can and all your actions will be bodhisattvic without your needing to stop and think about what you are doing....
All things in the Self, the Self in all things....this moment, whose intrinsic nature is joy, is also compassion, (karuna), loving-kindness (metta) and equanomous (upheka)....these four are referred to as the Four immeasurables in the Buddhist canon....and one way of explaining what Immeasurable means here is to witness these four experiences each as objective correlatives, poems oded to that limitless Open Ground which is so vast as to defy measurement, a Self who cannot be directly known because it is the very Radiance which causes us to seek it....and the journey of seeking illuminates All Arising in the playful, gorgeous, horrific, banal, extraordinary carnival we call Life.
Blessings for a cloud-scud Sunday. Jon x
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I don't have anything wise or insightful to say, but I am smiling and I think this smile is just the recognition of this deep truth that you have exposed for us. I'm grateful for you Jon. In this open space I also recognise that you are a great teacher, Jon, one who can help open doors, help others recognise shadow, fear and shame. What a great man you are and I'm well please to know you and call you my friend. You are that part of self that is loving me as a friend. Thank you.
Thank you deeply, John.
I don't know how well I actually teach…. certainly I experience myself as being extremely mercurial in temperament….although mercurial is not an experience as such, more a way of describing the play of hopscotch on the pavement of mood….I like my teachers to be consistent and lampoon them when they are not….still looking for Mum Dad at some level…so given that I allow myself free rein on this site (and only on this site, I might add; it's the place I can explore that which is unresolved in my life….molecularly I think I come across as far less metastable…)…then I do not present a picture of spiritual consistency….
Maybe I expect too much of my teachers and therefore too much of myself….gonna blog about shame some more now.
I think that you are a very fine being.
Jon xxooxx
I am the Sky and all aggregates of my experience are just fleeting clouds.
what?! I thought I was the Sky. THE sky. damnit. now where'm I?
hhhhhhheeeeee heeee hee.
good morning Sky Cloud Sunshine Man.
Good morning Jon! And Thank you for sharing your self here so openly and brilliantly… I am not sure I know what you wrote and what you were trying to get at. Oh! Right, What brings you joy at the moment… “in this moment” is what the question asks. Aaaahhhhh! of course, “this” moment is fleeting, because as soon as I seek to consciously recognize my joy or the joy of being and what brings it too me this moment is now that moment…
Anyway, the field is ripe with your thoughts and views, to pick, to take in, to dance around the spiral of time so that we all my evolve our ego/essence.
I am Love, Jeff
Dawn…hi…yeah Classical Yoga runs into this difficulty…if we are each limitless there's an unlimited number of limitless selves so how is this possible? Your father's house having many mansions within mayhap….what is implicate is not amenable to a close spatial metaphor maybe.
Jeff…the starting point is to recognise that everything…your body, thoughts, environment…are all bits of perceptual data…the clouds…inside yourSelf….so this Self is an empty containing presence for all that stuff….like the sky contains the clouds….is this helpful? Thanx for being so eloquently supportive.
Blessings, Jon x
Hi Jon.. i hope you dont mind, i just felt this joyful urge to place these 2 second moments together to make 8 seconds :)
….joy in this moment is all which this moment encompasses…
…and what brings me joy is the contact with these sorts of moments…
….and the natural desire for all other beings to feel what you are feeling now arises strongly
- All things in the Self, the Self in all things….this moment
much love,
Lisa
'quality of this seeing is joy…' Ooh… that brought a thrill to my spiiiiine!
'and the natural desire for all other beings to feel what you are feeling now arises strongly' YES! YES!
'that limitless Open Ground ' Omygosh! My theme for the day!
Rest assured, I get you, and I am so thankful to see a man of your stature [I know you are smiling at this… but you really don't have to do this, to share so much, I know this!] elucidate this for me and the rest of your readers. You are my gem in this place; I sure hope you know!
Love you muchly! Sherri
Wise and Insighful….
It's good to know you…:-)
…Om
Thanks, Lisa….Self in all things, all things in the Self….it's an Upanishadic line I think but cannot remember where……were you quoting there and if so from where?
Sherri, dear, that's a lovely thing to say..I rather like the idea of possessing stature and have to remind myself that it's an external judgement which I'm not qualified to agree or disagree with looking at it from the inside out….love you much, too….
It's good to know you,too,Larry…thank you.
A coda for today; this afternoon, my eleven year old son Lewis got sexually propositionned in the park where he was playing football with friends about one minutes' sprint from my front door….the incident was thankfully hands-fre but he was shaken up badly by this guy who is locally known for being socially intrusive to both police and mental health services…his pal had a mobile and phoned and I was on the scene within 90 seconds….Lew was badly shaken and close to vomiting with fear….I accosted the man in question and read him the riot act, barely restraining myself from laying into him with my fists…..he took flight….I called in the police…they took a statement from lew and I and are on the trawl for him as we speak…he lives al fresco in a pigsty close by….Lew is now with mum and with me next door he feels safe enough…the field where the kids play is adjacent to this pigsty…..now nobody wants to go play there….this man has an Anti-Social Probation Order on him which means they will bang him up in prison for seven days..and then release him back to the pigsty….close to where the children (used to) play….
I am working on staying in the Open Ground right now and the entropising effect of my rage keeps shrink-wrapping me into the ego-narrative….expansion/contraction…..no joy in the expansion but a sense of compassion for this man….this karuna is one of the Four Immeasurables I was blogging about….
I therefore see that when the expansion, or liberation into Open Ground state is incomplete, then certain Immeasurable qualities dominate….the more complete the sense of liberation from ego, the more those four qualities….lovingkindness, sympathetic joy, compassion, equanimity…are experienced in equal measure…like four overlapping watercolour-washes on the absorbent paper of awareness…. Lew and i were experimenting with watercolours in this way earlier in the afternoon…
Anyways, I feel less contracted for expressing this here so thanx for reading, those of you who are doing so.
warmly….sometimes rather heatedly…Jon x
sits in the center of that park
and waits…..
big hugs jon
We're with you. The 'stature' statement is from respect, which is of certain particular characteristics that I personally admire. One: humility and [sometimes tentative but perfect] openness, Two: self-reflection and honesty, Three: joie de vivre!! You wanna live, man. :)
I am just one person in possibly millions that will cross your path and might not be significant in the big scheme for you, which is ok. Just so you know why I respect as well as love you.
Friend, Sherri
Hey sherri, the person now in my frame is the most important person in my life..and right now that's you…..and thank you for such luvverly enunciation.
Friend back…Jon xxooxx
Jon, Thank you for sharing this experience with us… it is wondrous to witness your restraint and expansion, to hear your anger and compassion flow through it process of the spiral. Sending love and healing to you and to Lew as you process…I am Love, Jeff
Thanx Jeff..I've been hanging round on site for longer than i usually do and have picked up on the flow of goodwill around here and feel a lot more grounded. Thanx for yr concern
jon x
Jon,
I was quoting your own beautiful words…. each line picked out of your blog… seemed to flow perfectly together … i just felt compelled to parse out what i felt from the words YOU wrote. I should've placed -jon x below the words. :) hope that was ok?
*hugs*
Lisa
As I begin to consider what today's events might come to mean for Lew, for you, for the neighborhood, I'm certain only that Lew is so very fortunate to have you, his father.
I see metanoia in your response, even thusfar.
May this become one of those damages which, when given tender attentions, eventually show routes to repair, and habits of healing that Lew can apply as openly as you are today.
w / a hug around the whole mess,
Kerry
Lisa….LOL….uh…my own words,eh…well there you go….
Kerry….thank you, friend.
Lewis feels fine today, not in shock anymore, a little worried about venturing forth from the house on his own as to be expected….much of his beloved boy-stuff territory is within reach of this guy's bivouac….but Lew has friends here and there is strength in numbers…and maybe if enough people begin to kick up the dust around this bloke (whom a lot of folk secretly fear and that's certainly projective identification; I can feel it)…then he will receive the quality of professional attention he truely needs….I can say this evenly enough and yet i still want to hurt him for what he said to my son and the look of terror on my boy's face yesterday…..
A demain, Jon x
This was my answer too. Now how can I say the same thing in one sentence. Okay I'll work on it. Thank you!
How about “TANSTAAFL” ? J xx