Dear Will, I'm so grateful that you introduced me to John O'Donohue! I looked him up after I read his "blessing" which you included at the end of your piece. I aim to take that blessing to heart. I believe it can help me get through my long, tedious "To Do List" so that I can get on with YOUR inspiring idea of "learning how to make the last chapters of life our best chapters"!
I send you and Tashina my prayers for blissful health, wondrous happiness, deep peace, and sweet love now and forevermore.
The core principle in Buddhism is "attachment is the root of all suffering," not most suffering, not almost all of it, 100% of it. In other words, Gautama Buddha realized that happiness is the most important thing in life and attachment is the only thing that can and will reduce it.
The king who dropped the vase and was miserable as a result, is a perfect example.
It was only when he was able to let go of that attachment and enjoy another vase that he was able to find happiness again.
Does this have anything to do with love? I don't know, since love is such a vague concept which everyone defines differently.
I personally believe that the concept of "love" is a major distraction because it is so nebulous.
Why do I say that?
Well, if people actually take to time to dissect the word, they will find that probably the biggest component is safety. If you don't feel safe with someone, you can't love them, no matter how focused you are on loving them.
Next is usually trust. If you don't trust someone, it is hard to "love" them.
I believe that focusing on something much more concrete like "attachment is the root of all suffering," which is really easy to understand with little interpretation needed, has been much more helpful for me.
I really honor your shift to sharing your experiences of how you personally find happiness and maintain it. I bet you will find out that letting go of attachment is the answer.
Hey Will, thanks for your heartfelt words. EveryBody dies, but Everyone lives forever. I have been blessed with a lack of fear of dying, since I learned about life after "death" when I was 15. It resonated deeply in me, and then was reinforced by all the beautiful accounts of N.D.E's. If anything, I have a fear that I will not live up to my divine mission before that time comes. But I remind myself that I am not the one to make that judgment.
BTW, I do not agree that you need to take responsibility for the reaction of your readers. What they do with any emotions of that pop-up is their responsibility and Journey. You and I just need to take full responsibility for offering our words and expression in the highest light that we are capable of at this time (knowing it will change!).
Blessings to you in this next phase of your "ministry".
Not striving to put the broken vase back together I find is a helpful analogy to life experiences that one may feel some regrets about. Remembering that I am a loving individual melts away all the doubts and missteps.
I guess this cannot be explained to others who do not share the same worldview.
You have to have been raised by people who only believe in life, to have a worldview that has no real concept of death.
"Preparing for death" and making 'the last chapters of life the best ones" is not meaningful terminology in my worldview.
Yes our physical bodies will wear out and "die".
But we will go on living in brand new, perfected, indestructible, eternal bodies, the specific nature of which we cannot be fully aware of, until we experience living in our brand new bodies.
There is no death as an end to life.
Death is just a door into another far fuller manifestation of life.
We are conceived in our mothers' wombs.
When we are born we enter one phase of a fuller life.
When we "die" - leave this life - we just enter another fuller life phase.
I am not saying what I believe is necessarily right or wrong.
I am not saying what anyone else believes is necessarily right or wrong.
I am just saying this is what I believe.
This is what my people believe.
This is our worldview.
My people just do not believe in death as an end to life.
So far on my life journey, I have found no reason to believe otherwise.
Those I love, who love me, will be waiting for me in the next life.
I am absolutely certain of this.
This does not mean I cannot be wrong.
Just means I am rock solid, totally settled and at peace in my life view.
Others are completely free to believe whatever they want to believe.
To find their peace and rest wherever they choose.
If others make judgements as a result of my input, is my love imperfect?
Some believe that the One, sent the Son, to be the Saviour of the world.
The world rejected salvation and crucified the Son.
The Son was the perfect expression of the love of the One for every person.
Perfect love does not perfect judgement.
Negative judgement does not mean imperfect love.
Not in this revelation at least.
Will, you continue to amaze me! I dearly love and admire your spirit and commitment!!
Roberta Shaw
Dear Will, I'm so grateful that you introduced me to John O'Donohue! I looked him up after I read his "blessing" which you included at the end of your piece. I aim to take that blessing to heart. I believe it can help me get through my long, tedious "To Do List" so that I can get on with YOUR inspiring idea of "learning how to make the last chapters of life our best chapters"!
Dear Will. I love your writings. Your desire to reach, to discover, to share and to love. 💕 love the poem immensely
Beloved Will,
I send you and Tashina my prayers for blissful health, wondrous happiness, deep peace, and sweet love now and forevermore.
The core principle in Buddhism is "attachment is the root of all suffering," not most suffering, not almost all of it, 100% of it. In other words, Gautama Buddha realized that happiness is the most important thing in life and attachment is the only thing that can and will reduce it.
The king who dropped the vase and was miserable as a result, is a perfect example.
It was only when he was able to let go of that attachment and enjoy another vase that he was able to find happiness again.
Does this have anything to do with love? I don't know, since love is such a vague concept which everyone defines differently.
I personally believe that the concept of "love" is a major distraction because it is so nebulous.
Why do I say that?
Well, if people actually take to time to dissect the word, they will find that probably the biggest component is safety. If you don't feel safe with someone, you can't love them, no matter how focused you are on loving them.
Next is usually trust. If you don't trust someone, it is hard to "love" them.
I believe that focusing on something much more concrete like "attachment is the root of all suffering," which is really easy to understand with little interpretation needed, has been much more helpful for me.
I really honor your shift to sharing your experiences of how you personally find happiness and maintain it. I bet you will find out that letting go of attachment is the answer.
Thank you so very much for sharing Will,
Lorenzo
Dear Lorenzo - this is Juliet and I have thought of you so many times since your visits in Ashland. How are you? Pls email me. Will has my email
Love...our life together as One...
May we see the Love of other as fun...
You are the living example, of how we want to be in the world around us. Thank you.
Hey Will, thanks for your heartfelt words. EveryBody dies, but Everyone lives forever. I have been blessed with a lack of fear of dying, since I learned about life after "death" when I was 15. It resonated deeply in me, and then was reinforced by all the beautiful accounts of N.D.E's. If anything, I have a fear that I will not live up to my divine mission before that time comes. But I remind myself that I am not the one to make that judgment.
BTW, I do not agree that you need to take responsibility for the reaction of your readers. What they do with any emotions of that pop-up is their responsibility and Journey. You and I just need to take full responsibility for offering our words and expression in the highest light that we are capable of at this time (knowing it will change!).
Blessings to you in this next phase of your "ministry".
Not striving to put the broken vase back together I find is a helpful analogy to life experiences that one may feel some regrets about. Remembering that I am a loving individual melts away all the doubts and missteps.
Thank you for the introduction to John O'Donahue. So many thoughts to think, books to read and questions to ponder...
I do not believe in death, only in life.
I guess this cannot be explained to others who do not share the same worldview.
You have to have been raised by people who only believe in life, to have a worldview that has no real concept of death.
"Preparing for death" and making 'the last chapters of life the best ones" is not meaningful terminology in my worldview.
Yes our physical bodies will wear out and "die".
But we will go on living in brand new, perfected, indestructible, eternal bodies, the specific nature of which we cannot be fully aware of, until we experience living in our brand new bodies.
There is no death as an end to life.
Death is just a door into another far fuller manifestation of life.
We are conceived in our mothers' wombs.
When we are born we enter one phase of a fuller life.
When we "die" - leave this life - we just enter another fuller life phase.
I am not saying what I believe is necessarily right or wrong.
I am not saying what anyone else believes is necessarily right or wrong.
I am just saying this is what I believe.
This is what my people believe.
This is our worldview.
My people just do not believe in death as an end to life.
So far on my life journey, I have found no reason to believe otherwise.
Those I love, who love me, will be waiting for me in the next life.
I am absolutely certain of this.
This does not mean I cannot be wrong.
Just means I am rock solid, totally settled and at peace in my life view.
Others are completely free to believe whatever they want to believe.
To find their peace and rest wherever they choose.