Lost Coin Meeting Minutes 2/20/07

A woman from California with Diamond Heart group experience will share next week's meeting with us.

We began with an exercise, first taking off our shoes and lining them up in the center of the circle. We took turns describing the person the shoes might reflect, then tried to match the shoes to their owner.

Daniel associated Almaas' term "personality" with our shoes, and then asked if "essence" was evident on any of our persons. "Essence" was defined as *existential being*.  Daniel said his Zen monk haircut reflected his commitment to essence. A necklace symbolizing a belief, or jewelry worn to remind one to self-remember might objectify essence.

Daniel sees Almaas' choice to not have a teacher as a choice made by personality, not by essence.

"The Land of Truth" story on page 81 of *Diamond Heart: Book One* was read. Immortal beings don't think they're going to die. Mortal beings see truth, essence. Starting to think about death awakens the essential.

For our task this week: What is essence? What is personality? related to transience.

Daniel reviewed the five Buddhist hell realms:

   1) lowest is "fight realm": about power,

   2) animal realm -- lazy, self-satisfied, Homer Simpson,

   3) hungry ghost realm -- ambition, desire for more, at its worst is untempered,

   4) realm of gods -- rock star, pain at loss of career is unbearable,

   5) human realm -- can aspire to, attain enlightenment, growth, understanding of worth, of effort, what Ouspensky called "householder,"  aka Buddha realm--realize who you really are

Essence is the only part that can see realms; that can stop personality from running the show.

What can nurture essence:  meditation, reading Almaas, self-remembering triggers such as incense. Ask of impressions you receive, are these feeding personality or essence?

Discussion of Chinese character for *avoidance* is like a crouching figure running away. Personality runs from the moment. Essence knows the truth--the power of now.

We did a couple short meditations, first thinking about everyday stuff we're involved in; then about big issues, life, death, transience, getting older, a blip in infinity. Discussed the difference in feeling.

Buddhist sutra: God tells Goddess she can't become enlightened through a female body. They switch bodies and she (now he) agrees, neither/either sex cannot/must be beyond duality.   To Woody Allen life is either "terrible" or "horrible," without place or weight.
