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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by dj on June 7, 2000, at 15:24:53
Back in March, after I had taken leave from this board I copied an article I had written a couple of years ago, to Dr. Bob as well as other folks whom I know off-line. It was an re-affirmation of some of my core beliefs.
Dr. Bob encouraged me to post it here but I decided to focus on cleaning up my home and mental space, a never-ending task, before considering posting it.
Instead I've decided to post another piece I wrote, even earlier when I was grappling with various issues, including my father's (who was very Catholic, a faith I rejected) impending death and the meaning of humanity Christianity and other faiths. And though I may return for a brief visit this is basically just another step in my own going house-cleaning and airing out...as I move on to whatever is next, one step and breath at a time. Make of it and do with it as you shall...
As T.S. Eliot elegantly wrote in Four Quartets:
"We shall never cease from exploration and the end of your exploring will be to arrive back where we first started and know the place for the first time."
----- Original Message -----
Date sent: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 14:27:33
Subject: Stone Games...> The Stone People Stirred
>
> "Where the earth shows its bones of windbroken stone and the sea and
> the sky are one. I'm caught out of time. My blood sings with wine. And
> I'm running naked in the sun. There's God in the trees. I'm weak in
> the knees and the sky is a painful blue. I'd like to look around but
> honey, all I see is you." -- Stan Rogers *Forty-five years* from
> *Fogarty's Cove*
>
> They call them the stone people --- grandmother and grandfather rock.
> Here long before the First Nations. They preside at the centre of the
> earth -- a place to truly feel the heat and the heart. Just like the
> stone people's lodges, which is what native north americans called
> them before we came up with our name for them -- sweat lodges.
> Changed it on them. Change happens though, doesn't it. And still there
> remains the spirit. The spirit of the lodges. The spirit of the stone
> people, who endure these many years and indignities. They stand firm
> and solid at the centre of the earth. And here in the fire because
> this too must pass. And that's the point isn't it, whether you wield a
> feather, a crucifix, a star of David or whatever. Suffering is not the
> point. Letting go of suffering is the point. And that's the lesson of
> the stone people. This too can we endure, with patience, acceptance,
> acknowledgment and time. Rather than holding on to our suffering let
> us toss it into the flames and let it go. The embers may glow and be
> painful for a time but it is only when we attempt to hold on that we
> suffer, because we make that choice. And we can choose again.
>
> Stones can communicate many things, if we let them. They have many
> tales to tell. About the Christians who they pulverized in the past,
> and the Jews, Iranians and others today. Stones have long been weapons
> of abuse across many cultures, continents and centuries. Just like
> words. Both can break your bones and your heart, if you let them. Some
> do, some don't. Saint Paul and other Christains were stoned many times
> and kept on their paths, preaching their message by their actions as
> well as their words. And their descendants doubtless used these same
> weapons to injure and abuse the natives, of many places. Christian but
> not Christ-like, these abusers. If they were, they would have followed
> St. Paul's example. But he started by persecuting the Christians too.
> Coversions do happen, on the road to Damascus and elsewhere. Amazing
> Grace was written by a former enslaver of Africans who saw the light
> as have others. But first they have to open to the darkness. And let
> it go...
>
> And conversions happen through the stones too. Through stone games.
> Like the one that Joseph organized between the Sikhs from Newton and
> the Legionairres that had banned them from there. Long after that
> story was national news Joe brought them together to play the stone
> game (www.jamocha.com. -- the "Try it" page links to Joe's intro.
> pages) and to communicate with each other. On a human level. To see
> beyond the turbans, skin colours, narrow view points and pre-judgments
> to the shared joys and sorrows, to the shared humanity. And that's
> what can happen in the stone people's lodges too. Humans being,
> sharing and caring. Opening up, e-moting, letting go and surrendering.
> Surrendering their fears and fatigues to the recognition that they are
> not unique. That they are shared, along with higher emotions. That
> others too have been here and will be again. And many have survived
> and many have thrived. But first they had to surrender to the stones
> and themselves. And the stones blessed them and they blessed the
> stones. And Jesus wept. And rejoiced, for he was not alone. He was
> joined.
> ------- End of forwarded message -------
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> The mere athlete is brutal and philistine, the mere
> intellectual unstable and spiritless. The right
> education must tune the strings of the body and
> mind to perfect spiritual harmony. -- Plato
> ><
Posted by Lurker on June 7, 2000, at 16:07:36
In reply to Stone Games..., posted by dj on June 7, 2000, at 15:24:53
I went to jamocha.com and there is no try it page. Whassup?
> Back in March, after I had taken leave from this board I copied an article I had written a couple of years ago, to Dr. Bob as well as other folks whom I know off-line. It was an re-affirmation of some of my core beliefs.
>
> Dr. Bob encouraged me to post it here but I decided to focus on cleaning up my home and mental space, a never-ending task, before considering posting it.
>
> Instead I've decided to post another piece I wrote, even earlier when I was grappling with various issues, including my father's (who was very Catholic, a faith I rejected) impending death and the meaning of humanity Christianity and other faiths. And though I may return for a brief visit this is basically just another step in my own going house-cleaning and airing out...as I move on to whatever is next, one step and breath at a time. Make of it and do with it as you shall...
>
> As T.S. Eliot elegantly wrote in Four Quartets:
> "We shall never cease from exploration and the end of your exploring will be to arrive back where we first started and know the place for the first time."
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> Date sent: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 14:27:33
> Subject: Stone Games...
>
>
>
> > The Stone People Stirred
> >
> > "Where the earth shows its bones of windbroken stone and the sea and
> > the sky are one. I'm caught out of time. My blood sings with wine. And
> > I'm running naked in the sun. There's God in the trees. I'm weak in
> > the knees and the sky is a painful blue. I'd like to look around but
> > honey, all I see is you." -- Stan Rogers *Forty-five years* from
> > *Fogarty's Cove*
> >
> > They call them the stone people --- grandmother and grandfather rock.
> > Here long before the First Nations. They preside at the centre of the
> > earth -- a place to truly feel the heat and the heart. Just like the
> > stone people's lodges, which is what native north americans called
> > them before we came up with our name for them -- sweat lodges.
> > Changed it on them. Change happens though, doesn't it. And still there
> > remains the spirit. The spirit of the lodges. The spirit of the stone
> > people, who endure these many years and indignities. They stand firm
> > and solid at the centre of the earth. And here in the fire because
> > this too must pass. And that's the point isn't it, whether you wield a
> > feather, a crucifix, a star of David or whatever. Suffering is not the
> > point. Letting go of suffering is the point. And that's the lesson of
> > the stone people. This too can we endure, with patience, acceptance,
> > acknowledgment and time. Rather than holding on to our suffering let
> > us toss it into the flames and let it go. The embers may glow and be
> > painful for a time but it is only when we attempt to hold on that we
> > suffer, because we make that choice. And we can choose again.
> >
> > Stones can communicate many things, if we let them. They have many
> > tales to tell. About the Christians who they pulverized in the past,
> > and the Jews, Iranians and others today. Stones have long been weapons
> > of abuse across many cultures, continents and centuries. Just like
> > words. Both can break your bones and your heart, if you let them. Some
> > do, some don't. Saint Paul and other Christains were stoned many times
> > and kept on their paths, preaching their message by their actions as
> > well as their words. And their descendants doubtless used these same
> > weapons to injure and abuse the natives, of many places. Christian but
> > not Christ-like, these abusers. If they were, they would have followed
> > St. Paul's example. But he started by persecuting the Christians too.
> > Coversions do happen, on the road to Damascus and elsewhere. Amazing
> > Grace was written by a former enslaver of Africans who saw the light
> > as have others. But first they have to open to the darkness. And let
> > it go...
> >
> > And conversions happen through the stones too. Through stone games.
> > Like the one that Joseph organized between the Sikhs from Newton and
> > the Legionairres that had banned them from there. Long after that
> > story was national news Joe brought them together to play the stone
> > game (www.jamocha.com. -- the "Try it" page links to Joe's intro.
> > pages) and to communicate with each other. On a human level. To see
> > beyond the turbans, skin colours, narrow view points and pre-judgments
> > to the shared joys and sorrows, to the shared humanity. And that's
> > what can happen in the stone people's lodges too. Humans being,
> > sharing and caring. Opening up, e-moting, letting go and surrendering.
> > Surrendering their fears and fatigues to the recognition that they are
> > not unique. That they are shared, along with higher emotions. That
> > others too have been here and will be again. And many have survived
> > and many have thrived. But first they had to surrender to the stones
> > and themselves. And the stones blessed them and they blessed the
> > stones. And Jesus wept. And rejoiced, for he was not alone. He was
> > joined.
> > ------- End of forwarded message -------
> >
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > The mere athlete is brutal and philistine, the mere
> > intellectual unstable and spiritless. The right
> > education must tune the strings of the body and
> > mind to perfect spiritual harmony. -- Plato
> > ><
Posted by harry b. on June 7, 2000, at 16:51:58
In reply to Stone Games..., posted by dj on June 7, 2000, at 15:24:53
dj- I'd like to read your reaffirmation of
core beliefs. It would be of great interest to
me right now.hb
Posted by dj on June 11, 2000, at 17:59:47
In reply to Re: Stone Games... » dj, posted by harry b. on June 7, 2000, at 16:51:58
>
> dj- I'd like to read your reaffirmation of
> core beliefs. It would be of great interest to
> me right now.
>
> hbHere it is, Harry. I hope it is of some benefit to you.
Many of the folks and thoughts I've quoted are ones that have moved me and stirred my spirits when they have been lagging or seeminly lacking.
One quote I now have pasted on my computer pays tribute to the power of the human spirit. It is from a wonderful, small but powerful book by Carl Hammerschlag, MD: "The Theft of the Spirit - A Journey to Spiritual Healing" and it goes:
"It doesn't matter how long your spirit lies dormant and unused. One day you hear a song, look at an object, or see a vision, and you feel
its presence. It can't be bought, traded, or annihilated, because its power comes from its story. No one can steal your spirit; you have to give it away. You can always take it back. Find yours."Sante!
DJ
P.S. - The following is what I had sent to Dr. Bob as well as a variety of kin and kith whom I know off-line. Some of the on-line exchanges here in Babbleland had led me to these and other re-reflections. And now I am off to do more off-line re-organizing and re-alignment...
Some of you have seen this before, most of you haven't. It's an affirmation
of my core beliefs, which I am taking this occasion to publicly re-affirm a
year and a bit later, having strayed on occasion from them. And a
challenging year it has been. As a friend of mine would put it AFLO --
Another f****ng learning opportunity.The best to you all! If you are open to all options, all options are open to
you.Namaste!
DJ
----- Original Message -----
Date sent: Fri, 25 Dec 1998 13:25:19 -0800The following is what I have been working on this morning, and for
the past 43 + years . You have all been my mentors, in your own
unique ways. We build our world on each others shoulders and that
of our ancestors. I was asked to write this piece as part of a
anthology called Whispering Reflections which is a tribute to the
work and spirit of John Denver. The proceeds from the book will go
to various charities. Others who have contributed pieces include
David Suzuki and Ric Careless who are both leading Canadian and
international conservations -- the true conservatives and radicals of
our times. For to be radical means only to go back to our roots...Towards an Ecology of Spirit..
It's Xmas Day, 1999. The clay which is my body is on fire. It's
transforming. Becoming more resilient? I have faith that it is so.Seemingly I am alone as I type this, however like all of us I am
surrounded by ghosts. The ghosts of my ancestors and yours.
As Chief Seattle spoke in the mid-1800's: "In all the earth there
is no place dedicated to solitude. At night, when the streets of
your cities and villages shall be silent, and you think them
deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once
filled and still love this beautiful land. The white man will never
be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the
dead are not altogether powerless."Nor are the living, if they are truly alive.
Seattle's kith and kin surround me, as do mine and yours. In
what form you ask? Spirit, pure spirit!! The spirit of the land.
The spirit of nature. The spirit of our nature. Can you hear it?
Close your eyes and listen deeply. Listen to your heart beat.
Experience your own seismic shifts.When we truly connect with Nature and our own nature we
fully realize our impermanence and our inter-connection with
all. That is the source of being, true doing and transformation.
A deep realization that we are but one with the clay that forms
and informs us.The tide rolls in and the tide rolls out. And sometimes we are
washed clean and sometimes we are washed out. And often
times we miss it all, because we are not connected to the rhythm
of our souls to what the Buddha called our basic goodness.
These themes are explored and elaborated on in Buddha's
Nature by Wes Nisker where he quotes the authors' of What is
Life? who wrote: "We share more than 98 percent of our genes
with chimpanzees, sweat fluids reminiscent of seawater...We
carry our past with us."So what does it all mean? That we are mean, petty and evil
when we do not connect with our basic goodness. That the root
of all evil against self, others and Nature is based in a dis-
connection with that from which we sprang -- clay. That when
we sin against Nature, we sin against our selves, our ancestors
and our offspring. That it is not yet to late to begin again.As Tennyson wrote in 1833 in his epic poem Ulysses:
"Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world...
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."Pay attention. Show up. Tell the truth. Don't be attached to the
results. That's how Angeles Arrien summed up native wisdom in
The Fourfold Path. The Buddha would agree. So would Christ
and a holy host of other spiritual leaders. Join them. Join
yourself. Embrace your clay and your basic goodness and then
we can change our world, together. Global change, so we must
change. Join me. Embrace your spirit and our common Nature.
From here we can do no wrong.------- End of forwarded message -------
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The mere athlete is brutal and philistine, the mere
intellectual unstable and spiritless. The right
education must tune the strings of the body and
mind to perfect spiritual harmony. -- Plato
><
Posted by dj on June 11, 2000, at 18:24:20
In reply to Hey dj--What Try it page, posted by Lurker on June 7, 2000, at 16:07:36
> I went to jamocha.com and there is no try it page. Whassup?
>
>
> > ...the stone
> > > game (www.jamocha.com. -- the "Try it" page links to Joe's intro.
> > > pagesHey Lurker,
Seems he recently changed the server (cuz the url ahas changed) or something and the new page link for the Stone Game isn't currently working...
I sent him a note and will report back if he fixes it...
However, here is a link that does work for more background on Joseph Scaeffer and the great work he does in helping people connect with themselves and each other in deep and meaninful ways: http://www.grannyg.bc.ca/community/schaeffer.html
Sante!
DJ
Posted by harry b. on June 12, 2000, at 9:22:10
In reply to Core Belief Re-affirmation as per HB's request..., posted by dj on June 11, 2000, at 17:59:47
>
> The best to you all! If you are open to all options, all options are open to
> you.
>
> Namaste!
>
> DJ
Thanks DJ,
hb
This is the end of the thread.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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