No Thou, NoTears, No Publishing Contract

Today I met a wonderful woman, kind and peaceful. She approached me about publishing her book. I get approached all the time since Here You Are became popular, and the "slush pile" in my office of all the book submissions we get at BoathouseBooks is full of "almost great" stories. We pass the stories around and summarize the feedback in a letter back to the potential authors. In addition to the comments about the writing, I then also take some time to make recommendations as to how the story could be stronger from a spiritual perspective. This takes time, but I consider it a worthwhile effort and people are very grateful. Because of our submission guidelines, the stories all have a strong spiritual element to begin with, so when I mention an area that could be improved it is recognized instantly, with very few exceptions.

The story I was handed today, which I read while we were sitting in the sun sipping our tea, was a spiritual gem and does not need any improvement. It moved me to tears the way people are moved when they read Here You Are. That is the criteria here at BoathouseBooks - no tears - no publishing contract! Those tears are tears of joy, gratitude and recognition, and of humility and loss - the loss that is required to gain spiritual wholeness. Many mothers have it. Unfortunately, not many start writing, but when they start writing children's books - often with their own children as editors - it is a great gift to future generations. Is there a market for those books? You bet! From what we have seen, parents are craving books for the souls of their children. That is why they are writing them themselves, too. Children's spiritual well being is endangered early, and persistently, in our culture. Often religions and churches are not an option for many families for a variety of complicated reasons. If we can reduce spiritual guidance to the fundamental and universal spiritual truths at the root of all the world's religions, and bring it to children and parents in the form of children's books, we feel that we are able to honor the "thou" in children, parents, and in BoathouseBooks. Children are little Buddhas that look to their parents, grandparents and teachers, to confirm to them what they know inside, so it doesn't get lost. If the only regular "spiritual practice" in our busy lives is reading a true book to our child - it will be enough. This tiny seed will grow.

Using Legs To Fly

There are so many books about "how to" meditate. Using words to go beyond the mind is much like using legs to fly. If you run fast enough you can fly - provided you spread your wings and allow your legs to dangle uselessly - until they are needed again when you land. That is how meditation works. Letting your mind go useless and idle - suddenly you notice you are free.

This is an inner process, and much like flying, the longer you meditate the better the flying, the weightlessness, the freedom, the vastness, the timelessness, the peace. When you return to the ground, you are changed. The many limits of flightless existence, don't depress you as they do others who know nothing of the sky. The nagging wife, husband or boss - the physical or emotional pain we live with - in other words all our suffering - is a minor nightmare in the context of the vastness of this, our inner freedom. The more we suffer in life the more inclined we are to look for this inner sanctuary.

Flying, like meditation requires the spreading of wings. As far as meditation is concerned this means opening our heart - completely. Some people's hearts are naturally more open in trust and love. Those are the ones who get easily hurt by harsh words and actions of others because their protection is thin. Others create a more protective tension around their hearts to avoid this pain and come across as tougher or meaner. Both of these "hearts", often paired in "sweethearts", suffer in their own ways.

In meditation the heart needs to be so wide open as to not provide any resistance at all. If someone came around to hurt us, there would be nothing there, as if their words were like a vicious fist striking thin air. "Thin air" may be too close to cold indifference - Sufis call it a heart "soft as wool" - as it is struck, it is met with warmth and softness - in other words, compassion and kindness. It is what Jesus meant with "love thy enemy" and "holding the other cheek" - not the martyrdom that we mistakenly turn it into. This compassion and kindness cannot be cultivated like a virtue. It is a side effect of being grounded in oneself because one knows how to fly.

Unlike just flying though, meditation is more like floating deep in the sea. In meditation, the light and the freedom of the vastness of the sky, is one with the power and the silence of the deepest depths of the ocean.

Seriously Humbling

Following is a post that was on Dr Laura Schlessinger's blog today. It is titled "Choosing Life", which, I am assuming rightly or wrongly, is intentionally misleading, making people expect a post about abortion. That in itself was interesting on many levels.

I was happily surprised to find it to be instead about the letter she read on her show the other day, that had created such a moment of truth in my car, that I turned the car off in the parking lot I was in, and stayed to listen, even though I was in a hurry "to get things done" before - well, all the other things that needed to get done.

While she was reading the letter, and talking about it, it was clear, that she felt that one of her readers was living what she preaches in her new book "Stop Whining, Start Living"- better than she is, or thinks she is, or could, without being in the same circumstances. She kept saying repeatedly, that it was "seriously humbling". "Seriously humbling" stuck in my mind. That is the way I felt myself, because of this reader's letter.

Her blog post unfortunately does not come close to convey the silent moment of universal truth that was created on the radio that afternoon. Such are the limits of blogging versus a radio show.

I think Dr. Laura's post would be stronger without the Satan story. If you are allergic to any mention of Satan skip that paragraph. What in ancient times was called Satan, now is often called "the illusion" or "maya", or the "Ego" that Eckhart Tolle tries to teach people to dissolve. In Christian Science it is called "mortal mind", versus "divine mind". Psychologists call it our shadow side. If your attitude is like the Dalai Lama's as in "My religion is kindness", Satan simply becomes irrelevant.

Irrelevance - ouch!

Here is Dr. Laura's post:

I want to share with you a letter I got from a woman who listens to my radio program:

Two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with a serious, progressive, degenerative disease, which will eventually end in a torturous death. That’s the bad news. Now for the great news.

I believe this may be the best gift I could have been given. Thanks to you and just the title of your book, “Stop Whining, Start Living,” I realize I have received knowledge most people never get-that is, that this is my best day. I will never feel better, so I CHOOSE to live it thoroughly, and wring out every last drop of love, laughter and giving that I can. Tomorrow, I will CHOOSE to do the same.

You can’t imagine how energizing this is, to know that each day is the best day of your life.

There is an old Rabinnic story lesson that Satan’s most potent weapon is to let humans believe they have “all the time in the world.” That’s because when we feel that time is limitless, we tend to put less value in each moment…in each day. When we don’t value the moment, we don’t tend to make the best, most noble decisions, and instead, follow our impulses - thereby making our souls more “available” to Satan, as the story goes.

When I received this letter, I was truly and deeply impacted. I wondered at first, as I suspect most of you would too, if I could dig that deep into myself to pull out that perspective and live it. I then realized that this woman’s thoughts would be in my head for the rest of my life, and would inspire and guide me if I have to face imminent and painful mortality. My final reaction, with a slap against my own forehead, is that we need to live each day with her mentality.

She isn’t ignoring or denying her disastrous fate. She is CHOOSING to live each day in order to make it the best she’ll ever have. In her case, it’s literally true. For you and me, it is figuratively true, and therefore, wholly dependent upon our choice of mood and behaviors.

Her letter is at the philosophical center of my book, “Stop Whining, Start Living.” It humbles me to be reminded of my own words by people who are struggling more than I. I am reminded of the values I hold most dear, and which help me survive the nonsense and villainy that tempt every day’s despair. Purpose is the antidote to despair. And teachers need to be reminded of that, too."

The woman is right - the title of the book is enough. But, if you need the book here is the Amazon link as well as the link to the blog.