16 December 2015
30 July 2015
The Despicable & The Odious In The Light Of The Work (reprinted, re-edited for today)
The Despicable & The Odious In
The Light Of The Work (rewrite from 5/30/2011)
Many years ago a dear friend of my, ex-husband was robbed, beaten and raped in her own home. This terrible crime
and the anguish it caused her and the whole community who knew and loved her triggered a great deal
of confusion about what to do with the outrage and anger felt. My ex-husband took his anger and grief to his dear friend, Mrs. Lois Bry, a wonderful older woman who led
his group in the early 80's.
Her response was: "Never fear to despise the
odious."
I had tremendous regard and respect for Mrs. Bry's wisdom. Her simple answer brought
many questions for me (as well as a great deal of inner work) over the years.
What is odious?
What is despising?
Who or what in me despises?
How does this idea fit in with the
work and the idea of being non judgmental?
How does it fit in with the teachings of Christianity and Christ?
How does this fit in with the idea
of impartiality?
What is anger?, Who hates, who
loves, etc.
My mind and emotions grappled with
these questions for many years. Of course the only way to examine
questions like these is while trying to be present to oneself, sensing
oneself and being the observer as the different parts struggle to work
together, to understand these experiences.
Some years later I experienced an
interesting phenomena in myself while witnessing the capture of a terrible
criminal on television while I was in an awakened state of presence. I saw and
understood that some human, even children, and other animals are so
broken and damaged or simply just not there at all that they so truly are
beyond any remedy and that for the good of all they must be put away
permanently or put down for their particularly heinous crimes against humanity.
Every time I witness one of these unfortunates, the most despicable, odious criminal or the most damaged and un-salvageable being captured or taken to his or her final punishment, I simultaneously experience feelings of overwhelming understanding
and overwhelming compassion - even for the very worst of them. Through these experiences I have come to understand how Christ could say in his last moments on the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." as 'they tortured and vilified and crucified him.
As I witness, I am awakened. I sit still in the middle of the reality of that duality, in the
reconciling fire, in indescribable waves of emotional pain and sorrow, and incredible waves of unconditional
love for the wasted essences, the wasted human beings and their lost possibilities.
It is not possible to experience
true understanding like this without real compassion. Not a compassion that
comes from the mind, but from one's entire unconditionally loving Being.
There,
but for the Grace of God, go I.
It is the act of the crimes against others that is odious and
despicable. It is the wrong work of centers that is odious. It is what
caused the damage in the essence, if they weren't already born damaged, that
is despicable and odious.
It is possible, when you see a
person or animal being caught and or being tried and punished for heinous
crimes against humanity. You must become very still inside, and very present to
catch a glimpse - sometimes at the very last moments of the unfolding drama -
of a very small child who is frightened and terrified; a child who lived inside
the person and was covered over by the terrible monster they became as they
developed. You will see the child suddenly wake up. It has no idea what has
happened. For several moments, sometimes for much longer, they are no longer
the beasts or monsters they've been almost all their lives. They are simply fully
awakened in those moments, fully present to where they find themselves in those moments.
Intellectually they can make no sense of what is happening. It does not
compute. After a few moments of bring thrust into an awakened state, if you are very very still, you can see them retreat back into
the illusion they have been living - into the roles and fantasies that have
been their realities for a majority of their lives. .
Nevertheless, punishment for heinous
crimes must be enforced.
This list of these monsters seems to grow every day. Will it ever stop?
This list of these monsters seems to grow every day. Will it ever stop?
What would have to happen here on earth, in each one of us to stop this trend on earth.
28 July 2015
LAST CHAPTERS ©Slippery Mind
SLIPPERY MIND
 | |
©Finding Balance, 2008, Laura Lopez |
... it searches for what it had a grasp of only a moment ago.
This slippery mind is a wonder
... so easily distracted
... so easily forgetting... what?
Let it go, I suggest as the fog rolls in ...
now smiling,
I feel newly born
In awe of each moment of this new reality
Hah!
Slippery mind."
~ From:
©LAST CHAPTERS,
chats with myself about the reality of MY situation
by, Laura Lopez, July 2015
17 July 2015
In every moment we have a chance to begin again.
"PRECIOUS HUMAN BIRTH"
"All
of us have this precious human birth. We’re fortunate enough not to be
starving; we’re fortunate enough to have food and shelter; we’re
fortunate enough to hear the teachings and be given methods to wake up;
we’re fortunate enough to have good intelligence and the luxury to
explore and question why we and others suffer.We have a tremendous amount going for us, so this is the crucial time to practice."
~ FROM: Start Where You Are, by Pema Chödrön,
"We all wish to be free of the inner critic and judge.
It is never too late to work toward that goal.
~ L.E. Lopez
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