Dharma Message for 2015-2016: “THE BEST YOU CAN SAY IS NOT-TWO”

Our Dharma Message for 2015 is in honor of our beloved friend and SFTS Lodge comrade Chris Black, who transitioned from this plane of existence in 2014, after a three year struggle with cancer. In his many years of service and sharing at the SFTS Lodge, “Blackie” led numerous “Conversations in Theosophy” based on his favorite Dharma teaching, the Hsing Hsing Ming.

Here is the text of his preferred translation:

THE MIND OF ABSOLUTE TRUST…
THE GREAT WAY ISN’T DIFFICULT FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNATTACHED TO THEIR PREFERENCE LET GO OF LONGING AND AVERSION AND EVERYTHING WILL BE PERFECTLY CLEAR WHEN YOU CLING TO A HAIRSBREADTH OF DISTINCTION HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE SET APART IF YOU WANT TO REALIZE THE TRUTH DON’T BE FOR OR AGAINST THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL IS THE PRIMAL DISEASE OF THE MIND NOT GRASPING THE DEEPER MEANING YOU JUST TROUBLE YOUR MINDS SERENITY AS VAST AS INFINITE SPACE IT IS PERFECT AND LACKS NOTHING BUT BECAUSE YOU SELECT AND REJECT YOU CAN’T PERCEIVE ITS TRUE NATURE DON’T GET ENTANGLED IN THE WORLD DON’T LOSE YOURSELF IN EMPTINESS BE AT PEACE IN THE ONENESS OF THINGS AND ALL ERRORS WILL DISAPPEAR BY THEMSELVES IF YOU DON’T LIVE THE TAO YOU FALL INTO ASSERTION OR DENIAL ASSERTING THAT THE WORLD IS REAL YOU ARE BLIND TO ITS DEEPER REALITY DENYING THAT THE WORLD IS REAL YOU ARE BLIND TO THE SELFLESSNESS OF ALL THINGS THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT THESE MATTERS THE FARTHER YOU ARE FROM THE TRUTH STEP ASIDE FROM ALL THINKING AND THERE IS NOWHERE YOU CAN’T GO RETURNING TO THE ROOT YOU FIND THE MEANING CHASING APPEARANCES YOU LOSE THEIR SOURCE AT THE MOMENT OF PROFOUND INSIGHT YOU TRANSCEND BOTH APPEARANCE AND EMPTINESS DON’T KEEP SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH JUST LET GO OF YOUR OPINIONS FOR THE MIND IN HARMONY WITH THE TAO ALL SELFISHNESS DISAPPEARS WITH NOT EVEN A TRACE OF SELF-DOUBT YOU CAN TRUST THE UNIVERSE COMPLETELY ALL AT ONCE YOU ARE FREE WITH NOTHING LEFT TO HOLD ON TO ALL IS EMPTY BRILLIANT PERFECT IN ITS OWN BEING IN THE WORLD OF THINGS AS THEY ARE THERE IS NO SELF NO NON SELF IF YOU WANT TO DESCRIBE ITS ESSENCE THE BEST YOU CAN SAY IS NOT-TWO
IN THIS NOT-TWO NOTHING IS SEPARATE AND NOTHING IN THE WORLD IS EXCLUDED THE ENLIGHTENED OF ALL TIMES AND PLACES HAVE ENTERED INTO THIS TRUTH IN IT THERE IS NO GAIN OR LOSS ONE INSTANT IS TEN THOUSAND YEARS THERE IS NO HERE NO THERE INFINITY IS RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES THE TINY IS AS LARGE AS THE VAST WHEN OBJECTIVE BOUNDARIES HAVE VANISHED THE VAST IS AS SMALL AS THE TINY WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE EXTERNAL LIMITS BEING IS AN ASPECT OF NON-BEING NON-BEING IS NO DIFFERENT FROM BEING UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND THIS TRUTH YOU WON’T SEE ANYTHING CLEARLY ONE IS ALL ALL ARE ONE WHEN YOU REALIZE THIS WHAT REASON FOR HOLINESS OR WISDOM THE MIND OF ABSOLUTE TRUST IS BEYOND ALL THOUGHT ALL STRIVING IS PERFECTLY AT PEACE FOR IN IT THERE IS NO YESTERDAY NO TODAY NO TOMORROW

In Celebration of Light – Honoring the Life and Work of Light Devoy Edwin Harris – Video Archive

Light Devoy Edwin Harris in a San Francisco Opera production of Aida (circa 1980s).

On 12/22/14 at 11:13 p.m., our beloved friend of many years, Light Devoy Edwin Harris passed on from the physical plane, at the age of 81. Light was a great alchemist (in the technical sense of that term) as well as a great maestro and scholar of African-American spirituals.

Over the decades of his friendship and support for the Theosophical Society San Francisco Lodge, Light delivered many erudite lectures on the occult sciences and led many amazing performances by his choir, the Jubilee Singers. Light was a dear friend and ally of Joe and Guin Miller, and after their passing he was a dear friend and ally of those of us who kept that circle of light alive.

A celebration of Light's life and work was held at the SFTS Lodge in early 2015. The SFTS Lodge sponsored a video recording of this extraordinary wonderful event.

Here is a You Tube playlist of recordings from this magical night of LIGHT, SOUND and MOVEMENT --
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[NOTE: The seventeen video clips in the playlist include both excerpts from the formal program, and personal messages from some of Light's friends and students recorded after the end of the formal program, as well as a pre-recorded message from afar.]

Here is Phil Deal's Elegy for Light --

[NOTE: A recording of this original composition was played a continuous loop in the lead up to the evening's main program.]