A Walk to The End of The Earth

The Path at the Edge of The Earth.

I went for a walk the other day. It was a sunny Summers' day, and after about an hour or so a thought struck me. Actually, not a thought exactly, more like a sensation. Here I was walking along this path, but as much as I walked I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. I was on this seemingly endless path that continually afforded me the same view ahead. Around me there were the sights and sounds, the trees, sunlight, birdsong, cover from the hot sun, and a dry path underfoot. It struck me as rather strange, to have all these sensations, and yet not to be at any particular destination.

It brought to mind an experiment I tried when I was in one of my early Lucid Dreams. While in the dream I thought I would try and walk to the edge of the dream. A silly notion really, since a dream isn't really a place, but even so I gave it a go. Obviously, no matter how far, or fast, I went I always had another horizon in front of me. I concluded the experiment with the conclusion, that is probably obvious to everyone else, that the dream is a state of awareness not a place. To get to the end you'd have to wake-up, but in the process loose all the sensations of the dream, and that place in the dream.

Five or six hundred years ago, and before that, there was the notion that if you could journey far enough you would reach the end of the Earth, at which point you'd probably fall off the edge. Early explorers had to contend with this possibility, and with so many 'lost at sea' this was probably quite a reasonable and terrifying fear. So much for the Flat Earth Theory.

There is no edge. There is no end. No matter how far you go, you won't get out of the dream ! Some say that you can be awakened, and some are. But for the rest of us, we only have to know one thing [at this point] - this is a dream of reason, experiment, and sometimes fear. With that knowledge you know you can't fall off the edge, because there isn't one. There is always 'another horizon'. Some, who dream, have gone much further and seen other places, or maybe realised that it's all a bit of an emotional ride [and to make it really work, don't be swayed by the emotions] on a perceptual, even existential, trip.

So much for The Reality Theory.

So, where did all the time go

Did you ever wonder what happened to all the time you spent, and all that living, and experience, in the past ? Have you now 'lost' it all ?, and no matter how much 'living' you do, you will always end up with just the memories, or the possessions, but not that 'time of experience'. Of course "time moves on", and some of the people may still be around, but that's a whole life (or maybe a big part of it) that's gone forever. So, you can't hang-on to time.

Actually you haven't lost anything, and it's still there, but while you think about this one and ponder on the nature of time, you'll only get deeper into a situation that not only keeps on changing and moving (your life) , but will continually elude you. When you step out of the 'thought provoking equation' you can make a remarkable discovery. Now, Zen monks spend a lot of time and practice on this one, so, to make it simple, you need to know one thing.

Time and place (the place you are in right now) are the same thing.

You can actually substitute the two terms for each other. The place you are in right now is (also) Time, and is perpetually around you and changing all the time. You haven't lost anything. It's still here.

"Released into the world, you'll find it's not the place you thought it was. There is a lot more going on around you right now in sound, light, and movement. Just stop what you are reading , and listen and look for just two minutes. The world around you, the weather, the environment, and the situations and relationships you are in, all provide you with opportunities, interest, support, and a place to be. When you get this, you enter a world that is spontaneous and full."

EXTRACT FROM " TAO I CHING THE MYSTIC GATEWAY "

O.K., so I didn't mention the cat, but if you ever visit you'll find some of us are still in the sun loungers, weather permitting.