Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893
(OMG – another think coming!)
Contemplating the savage wisdom of one of my major mindshifters…
If you can forget it or remember it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can experience it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can know it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can be it, it is not you therefore discard it.
… I find myself scribbling some lines that say pretty much the same thing, but employ some of the more common jargon spinning around the contemporary seeker’s scene:
If you can surrender to it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can invite it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can activate it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can practice it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can lean into it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can rest in it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can embody it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can point to it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you can master it, it is not you therefore discard it.
If you think you can discard anything,
you’ve got another think coming.
It cannot be invited; it is quietly present when you are absent.
The opening words are from Nisargadatta Maharaj. I have heard that when the realised teacher sees the efforts of the student towards their ’emptying’, they are filled with delight. Niz was not known for his patience with fools; would my application of some of the common lingo that shows up in the spiritual circus these days get his nod? Thank god it doesn’t matter.
The final words are not a quote, but my paraphrasing of the way my teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti would address the ultimate conundrum.
The image needs no introduction: Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893 – I am solely responsible for the sub-title, “OMG, another think coming!”
For those who might not be familiar with colloquial English usage:
“Another think coming” is the original form of the colloquial phrase aimed at someone who has a mistaken view. It comes from the old comical expression, “If that’s what you think, you’ve got another think coming.”
echoes from emptiness 
Reading this out loud to Al in the car as we return from our Lighthouse walk. We love it and we love you. Thank for sharing your scribbles. 🙂 Mx
Oh, how lovely to be able to picture you and Al, and the Lighthouse… thank you dear M for taking the time to share your appreciation. I’m lovin’ you right back!
❤
first I wanted to slap you. Then I discarded it
I wonder where it went Nina? 🙂
it did not exist in the first place dear -giggle
I liked it very much and felt the need to slap no-one. Which probably evens things out I’d say.
– esme getting it and enjoying the words upon the Cloud
Esme isme Esme isme… whew, good to have that flutter of potential violence evened out.
And you got it! You are now #1 Cloud Dancer; rainbows halo your curls. (Do you have curls?) 🙂
Ah sweet miriam *beams* thank you! And yes, esme has long curls, and so the rainbows fit perfectly.
– esme #1 Cloud Dancer tap dancing happily upon the Cloud
I seriously thought the saying was, “you have another thing coming”
Quietly present when you are absent…Shhh, I watched a butterfly entirely open its wing span to display it’s mimicry today