Skip to main content

A dream within a dream

 



It is a grand party in the backyard

Money is splurged with credit card 

Many guests are attending the party

Some are punctual, some are tardy 

Multiple servers are hired to serve

Many dishes kept on the reserve


Various entertainments are planned

Esteemed artists are lined

A magician, a fortune teller,

A musician, a dancer, a psychic

All agreed to be the sidekicks


Pool is lit by the shining moon 

Backyard is filling up very soon 

Suddenly it grew into a stadium 

I am standing right at the podium

People greeted with gifts

that are bigger than arm span

Everyone is having a great time 


buzz buzz buzz....

iPhone alarm rang

I woke up from sleep

oh! It was a dream!


In the dream

Everything is me!

Guests are me!

Unwanted pest is me!

Back yard is me!

Beautiful pool is me!

The server is me!

The entertainer is me!

Dream came out of me!

Sustained by me!

Resolved in me!

All of them are me!

But I am not anyone of them!


Everything appeared 'as though'.

Everything is gone back 'as though'.

No trace of the party

No piece of food on the tray


On the individual level,

This is a nightly experience.

On the collective level, 

Universe is 'as though' variance.

 

If the focus is on the objects, 

'I' is forgotten.

If the focus is on words and meanings,

the truth is forgotten. 


Name is Brahman

Brahman is not the name.

Form is Brahman 

Brahman is not the form.

All that are seeking refuge is Brahman. 

But Brahman is not any one of them. 

It is a one-way road.

Om is everyone's abode.

Meditate on the names and forms as Brahman!

Year End retreat AVG  12/26/23

Chandogya Upanisad Chapter 7 

Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 27, 2023 at 7:27 PM

    not just beautiful poem with potency to convey but also well put together as sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva. Excellent

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Tale of Two birds

  A   Tale of two birds Old Īśvara had a farm, And on this farm He had a tree, And on this tree there sat a bird, With a  coo coo  here, and a  coo coo  there, Here a  coo , there a  coo , Everywhere  coo coo ! This bird eats the berries, Some are bitter, some are sweet. Fluttering here, fluttering there, Restless in its endless search. Old Īśvara had a farm, And on this farm He had a tree, And on this tree there sat a jīva, With a  glub glub  here,  and a  glub glub  there , Here a  glub,  there a  glub   , Everywhere  glub glub   ! The jīva whines in sorrow, The jīva whines in fear. Forgetting its true nature,  It suffers birth after birth. Old Īśvara had a farm, And on this farm He had a tree, And on this tree the jīva met the Guru, And the jīva turned into a bhakta. She asks, “Give me this, give me that,” She prays in sorrow and distress. She makes her bargains and deals Slowly c...
3 comments
Read more

Opening the Inner Temple of Knowledge

Opening the Inner Temple of Knowledge The rain falls at the Bay, yet no single drop claims authorship. Clouds gather -dense and dark, but none declares, “I give.” Oceans rise as vapor, trees breathe out their offering, sunlight fuels the cycle— and yet none stands apart as the doer Where does money truly flow from? From the labor of the body? From the power of thought? From the ego that claims ownership? Who is the giver? Who is the receiver? The body moves, the mind conceives, the ego asserts— while I simply witness. Everything resolves in Me- There is no separate giver, no separate receiver all arise as one, within one,  from one. When everything arises from one indivisible source, the giver and receiver dissolve; Action happens, without an actor Aim for Seva continues , the window of opportunity lights up from within, the door of the inner temple opens to the truth of knowledge.
1 comment
Read more

Tiger’s Nest Monastery Hike — An Adventurous Awakening Journey Within

Tiger’s Nest Monastery Hike — An Adventurous Awakening Journey Within Paro Taktsang , famously known as the Tiger’s Nest Monastery , is one of Bhutan’s most sacred and breathtaking places — perched on a cliffside at an altitude of around 3,100 meters (10,200 feet) in Paro, Bhutan.  It’s not just a hike; it’s a pilgrimage.  We began our hike from the base around 7 AM. Wooden walking sticks rented from locals in hand, Strava app turned on, and spirits eager, we followed our guide, Kinzan, who kindly guided us along. We took a “before hike” photo — smiling, unaware of the lessons waiting ahead. The winding path stretched ahead, shaded by tall trees, strings of prayer flags, with hundreds of steps ascending through the forest.  Around us, travelers from all over the world climbing along—each group led by its own local guide. Step by step, one foot before the other, the hike began.  With every upward step, doubts crept in —  Will I make it?   The walking stick ...
1 comment
Read more