Perception through the lens of true self is truly an EYE opening experience and a glimpse into the supernatural realm of infinite possibilties as the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics suggests.

From the point of view of Stillness, Balance and Harmony, we experience no time, no spoon, No thing. We experience neither This nor That, only an overwhelming intuitive oneness of everything that ever was, is or shall be. I like the Hekhalot's use of the idiom "to descend to the chariot" describing the otherworldly journey to the celestial throne-chariot of God, or what I like to refer to as the Omega Point.

Buddha talked of this when he said,

 'Straight' is the name that Road is called, and 'Free From Fear' the Quarter whither thou art bound.  Thy Chariot is the 'Silent Runner' named, With Wheels of Righteous Effort fitted well. Conscience the Leaning-board; the Drapery Is Heedfulness; the Driver is the Dharma, I say, and Right Views, they that run before.  And be it woman, or be it man for whom Such a chariot doth wait, by that same car into Nirvana's presence shall they come.

And Jesus simply says,

                                          "The Kingdom of God is within you."

Experiencing these states is one thing, sustaining them is something altogether different. I suppose that explains my facination with the way of the Samurai Fencing Masters who maintained a constant state of awareness. A clarity of mind able to stare down a 4 ft. blade of the worlds sharpest steal. 

 The Martial Arts or the Middle way has much to offer us today so I thought I would share this from Takuan Soho whose vow was the enlightenment and salvation of all sentient beings. He was a zen Priest who was invited by the Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–51) to become the first abbot of Tokaiji Temple in Edo, which was constructed especially for the Tokugawa family.

Takuan Soho
"To think, "I will not think" -
This, too, is something in one's thoughts.
 Simply do not think about not thinking at all."

Takuan died in Edo (present day Tokyo) in December of 1645. At the moment before his death, Takuan painted the Chinese character for dream, laid down his brush and died.

 Here he speaks on the words of Yagyu Munenori of the :
 The Life-Giving Sword: Secret Teachings from the House of the Shogun

"Presumably as a Martial Artist, I do not fight for gain or loss, I am not concerned with Strength or Weakness and neither advance a step nor retreat a step. The enemy does not see me. I do not see the enemy. Penetrating to a place where heaven and earth have not yet divided, where Ying and Yang have not yet arrived, I quickly and necessarily gain effect."

Yagyu Munenori

Originally, this character was read with the meaning "lid." For example, when a lid is put on a tier of boxes, although we do not know for sure what has been put inside, if we use our imaginations we will hit the mark six or seven times out of ten. Here also I do not know for sure, but figure tentatively that it must be so. Actually, this is a written form we use even about things we do know for sure. We do this to humble ourselves and so as not to seem to be speaking in a knowing manner.

Martial artist is as the characters indicate.

Not to fight for gain or loss, not to be concerned with strength or weakness means not vying for victory or worrying about defeat, and not being concerned with the functions of strength or weakness.

Neither advance a step nor retreat a step means taking neither one step forward nor one step to the rear. Victory is gained without stirring from where you are.

The me of  "the enemy does not see me" refers to my True Self. It does not mean my perceived self.

People can easily see the perceived self; it is rare for them to discern the True Self. Thus I say, "The enemy does not see me."

I do not see the enemy. Because I do not take the personal view of the perceived self, I do not see the martial art of the enemy's perceived self.  Although I say, "I do not see the enemy," this does not mean I do not see the enemy right before my very eyes. To be able to see the one without seeing the other is a singular thing.

Well then, the True Self is the self that existed before the division of heaven and earth and before one's father and mother were born. This self is the self within me, the birds and the beasts, the grasses and the trees and all phenomena. It is exactly what is called the Buddha-nature.

This self has no shape or form, has no birth, and has no death. It is not a self that can be seen with the aid of your present physical eye. Only the man who has received enlightenment is able to see this. The man who does see this is said to have seen into his own nature and become a Buddha.

Long ago, the World Honored One went into the Snowy Mountains, and after passing six years in suffering, became enlightened.  This was the enlightenment of the True Self. The ordinary man has no strength of faith, and does not know the persistence of even three or five years. But those who study the Way are absolutely diligent for ten to twenty years, twenty-four hours a day. They muster up great strength of faith, speak with those who have wisdom, and disregard adversity and suffering. Like a parent who has lost a child, they do not retreat a scintilla from their established resolution. They think deeply, adding inquiry to inquiry. In the end, they arrive at the place where even Buddhist doctrine and the Buddhist Law melt away, and are naturally able to see "This."

 Penetrating to a place where heaven and earth have not yet divided, where Ying and Yang have not yet arrived, I quickly and necessarily gain effect means to set one's eye on the place that existed before heaven became heaven and earth became earth, before Ying and Yang came into being. It is to use neither thought nor reasoning and to look straight ahead. In this way, the time of gaining great effect will surely arrive.

In waking up to Martin Luther King Day its hard not to envision his historical speech, “I have a Dream” so I went over to You Tube and watched the entire speech a couple of times.

The Complete "I have a Dream Speech." 11 minutes

In listening to his impassioned voice of faith and reason, justice and equality, I couldn’t help but think of the central point of his “vision of a completely integrated society, a community of love and justice wherein brotherhood would be an actuality in all of social life.” Or what he called "The solidarity of the human family"

I like to believe his Legacy lives on in more then a sound bite once a year, or a token acknowledgment of a man most have never heard. That by his life, actions and words we continue to seek after the Dream of a “Beloved Community”.

 Martin Luther was an integralist who believed we are all dependent upon one another, that "the concept of brotherhood” was “a vision of total interrelatedness.”

"Whether we realize it or not, each of us lives eternally ‘in the red.’ “Recognition of one’s indebtedness to past generations should inhibit the sense of self-sufficiency and promote awareness that personal growth cannot take place apart from meaningful relationships with other persons, that the "I" cannot attain fulfillment without the "Thou."

"It is . . . essential to notice that the two elements, the holy outcast
and the blessed community, must go together. Without the vision
of restored community, the holiness ascribed to the poor would fall far
short of politics and result in a mere perpetuation of charity and
service activities’’ [On Not Leaving It to the Snake (Macmillan, 1967). P. 133].

 “Our lives begin to end the day we

become silent about things that matter.”

 “Let Freedom Ring”