The Edgy Dharma : Beauty Like A River

The Edgy Dharma : Beauty Like A River: Trust is the hardest thing Believing that with enough Silence, enough stillness Our earthly tethers will Slacken their hold just eno...

The Edgy Dharma : Brook And Sparrow

The Edgy Dharma : Brook And Sparrow: Brook And Sparrow I come to work the earth, my heart To shape this precious stillness And exchange sad stories For the fragrant humus,...

The Edgy Dharma : Hawkscry (A Poem By Linda Metzner)

The Edgy Dharma : Hawkscry (A Poem By Linda Metzner): New Hawkscry Poem by Linda Metzner via  Hawkscry  by William on 8/26/12 This poem was written at Hawkscry on Saturday, August 25th, 2...

The Edgy Dharma : L'école des ruisseaux

The Edgy Dharma : L'école des ruisseaux: L'école des ruisseaux by Zsolt Miklya Animation by Peter Vcaz Une montagne parle, Une vallée murmure, Le ciel écoute, En silence...

The Edgy Dharma : Falling Heavenward

The Edgy Dharma : Falling Heavenward: Falling Heavenward All around signs of expectation Sound deep within... A lone string grown slack On a forgotten instrument Vib...

The Edgy Dharma : Richard Blanco One Today

The Edgy Dharma : Richard Blanco One Today: Richard Blanco was chosen to read the inauguration poem for Barac Obama. The choice of Richard is very meaningful to me personally as he rep...

The Edgy Dharma : Mary Oliver

The Edgy Dharma : Mary Oliver: Oh, to love what is lovely, and will not last! What a task to ask of anything, or anyone, yet it is ours, and not by the century or th...

The Edgy Dharma : Daffy Duck In Hollywood by John Ashbery

The Edgy Dharma : Daffy Duck In Hollywood by John Ashbery: For lovers of language! I am smitten by the impeccable use of language so beautifully recited by Tom O'Bedlam (SpokenVerse). I love the ...

The Edgy Dharma : Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

The Edgy Dharma : Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

The Edgy Dharma : Birdsong From Inside The Egg

The Edgy Dharma : Birdsong From Inside The Egg:   Birdsong From Inside The Egg Sometimes a lover of God may faint In the presence. Then the Beloved bends And whispers in his ear, “Be...

The Edgy Dharma : The Honored Guest

The Edgy Dharma : The Honored Guest:      The Honored Guest Outside my window  An invitation to dance Sways in the wind and The warm hand of that light Smooth...

The Edgy Dharma : Hommage To The Oaks

The Edgy Dharma : Hommage To The Oaks:   Lately I saw you standing,  brilliant, naked sun everywhere  streaming incandescent photons like Threads of silver  On your knotted bo...

The Edgy Dharma : Lost (Poem by David Wagoner)

The Edgy Dharma : Lost (Poem by David Wagoner): I found this lovely reminder on Krista Tippett's blog .  It seems to capture the truth of what it means to be in the present as apposed...

The Edgy Dharma : What Time Is It Where You Are? (William Stanhope)

The Edgy Dharma : What Time Is It Where You Are? (William Stanhope): What time is it where you are? Here leaves fall in golden showers Leaving branches one by one A miracle of delicate grace Falling in...

The Edgy Dharma : Lost (Poem by David Wagoner)

The Edgy Dharma : Lost (Poem by David Wagoner): I found this lovely reminder on Krista Tippett's blog .  It seems to capture the truth of what it means to be in the present as apposed...

The Edgy Dharma : What Time Is It Where You Are? (William Stanhope)

The Edgy Dharma : What Time Is It Where You Are? (William Stanhope): What time is it where you are? Here leaves fall in golden showers Leaving branches one by one A miracle of delicate grace Falling in...

The Edgy Dharma : The Hardest Work In The World

The Edgy Dharma : The Hardest Work In The World: This spontaneous prayer jumped into my head this morning while walking: Lord, let all that I do, and say, and thi...

The Edgy Dharma : Bowl of light

The Edgy Dharma : Bowl of light: The thought came to me this morning walking on the Biltmore Estate: Our experience of the world is largely dependent on our intention. If we...

Baba Center Visit in June 2022

We took a little trip to the Baba Center with Claire, Sam, Cosette, and Willa. Everyone enjoyed playing in the warm ocean, though the sea was rough and the undertow considerable limiting water activity to the edge mostly. Cosette and Willa visited Baba's house and Cosette had a chance to lay on Baba's bed, an honor reserved for little babies. This is always a somewhat emotional experience for those in the room watching. There is a kind of magic energy in the stillness and children are quite aware of it too and do not resist the calmness with their own energy.

PSA - SNL

The Power of Authenticity

I have been discovering lately the freedom that comes with radical acceptance. As I grow older (now 70!) I realize more and more that it is not healthy to ignore or sidestep authenticity in favor of taking care of the other persons prercieved feelings, ideas, or individual perspective on any given topic. This does not mean running roughshod over another persons individual take on the world such as challenging it or judging it. It simply means looking deeply into my own truth and responding (possibly) rather than reacting. Often the response is increasingly the position of not responding. Just listening and reflecting privately can lead to a more fruitful and positive interchange and mutual understanding. A simple response such as "That's interesting!" rather than launching into my own take on an issue or position can diffuse the confrontational nature of reacting where each party tends to shift into defensive postures. Is it authentic to not react? In today's hyper divisive world reacting seems to be the go to response, the quicker the better! But these quick reactions often seem to lead to unsatisfying, if not catastrophic, results. There can be a quieter contemplative authenticity that is very powerful that can shift the energy towards a more positive place. For me at least, the failure to respond authentically has sometimes been linked to fear of exposing my truth; my authentic self. Contrary to what is seen culturally as being powerful, especially for a man, namely a sort of hardened emotional aloofness, authenticity involves revealing vulnerabilities, typically seen as weak for men. I have been extremely lucky to be a part of a long standing group of men dedicated to opening up pathways toward being more authentic, and this has certainly helped me to grow emotionally. I can say without a doubt that these men have helped me claim my authentic self without fear. And every time I respond from that place of authenticity, it feels powerful and liberating!