Inquirers into truth

Yesterday I invested my embodied presence in a kitchen chopping vegetables, doing dishes, serving food, and listening while twenty-nine people inquired into the truth.  Why was I there, at this retreat center?  Quite simply because I was asked to fill in for someone who did not feel well, but what I realized was I had a choice.

I have worked with a teacher, Bhuvaneswari Devi (www.bhuvaneswari.ca), who said, "Need nothing, desire everything, and choose what shows up."  When I first heard this phrase it made no sense and sounded like a bunch of spiritual mumbo jumbo to perpetuate, as I judged at the time, an infantile view that everything is perfect exactly as it is.  I'll jump ahead now and say I do see the world this way now -- well, this world and every other one I'm currently experiencing... but that's a story for another tavern as Michael Torresan (www.alinow.com) is want to say.

So yes, I chose to be in that kitchen for all of yesterday and for the breakfast prep and clean up this morning.  I needed nothing to be different than it was.  I desired the fullness of my experience in this life.  And, I chose what showed up... the request to be the chef's helper.  Now, to be clear this little phrase does not mean you stay in an abusive relationship because "that's what showed up", but it does mean by stopping needing that abusive relationship to be different, and desiring to experience the fullness of this precious human experience, you can choose to show up and realize you can make a different choice and get the support needed to leave that relationship.

Chopping, washing, serving, listening, and witnessing... I saw people becoming embodied.  The not so simple task of inquiring into the truth was resulting in people suddenly finding themselves in their bodies, along with the requisite portions of pain and joy that go along with being embodied.  It was beautiful to see and hear.  And I had the privilege of supporting these embodied souls by chopping peppers and making sure they had clean plates each time the eating contemplation gong sounded.  And I had the joy of witnessing their soft faces, confused minds, and open hearts laid bare before me.

If you've ever been on a farm or a wild piece of land very early in the morning, while the mist is still clinging to the ground, with only the sound of your own footsteps you'll have a sense of the stillness we can experience in the middle of absolute beauty.  That's what it was like witnessing the quiet, embodied souls of those twenty-nine inquirers into truth.

Edward