There are times in our lives when we shift. When we become so aware of the beliefs in our lives that are not helpful and we are able to find the courage to release them. Many of us have experienced a crisis of faith, or simply a longing for something more, something that resonates deep within our minds and souls as real. We long for more than doctrine and dogma, we long for a real experience of existence itself. We want a direct experience of the Divine with no intermediaries.
This feeling of being unsatisfied with our current paradigm, this longing for more is called samvega. Stephen Cope illuminates Samvega in his book, The Power of Yoga:
“Yogis call this state samvega — a complex state involving a kind of disillusionment with mundane life, an a wholehearted longing for a deeper investigation into the inner workings of the mind and the self. Samvega, as described by the contemporary Buddhist monk Thanissaro Bhikkhu, involves, “at least three clusters of feelings at once”: – – the oppressive sense of shock, dismay, and alienation that come with realizing the futility and meaninglessness of life as it’s normally lived; a chastening sense of our own complacency and foolishness in having let ourselves live so blindly; and an anxious sense of urgency in trying to find a way out of the meaningless cycle. —
A classic Buddhist teaching story describes this realization: A dog stumbles across a bone that has been exposed to the elements for many months, and is therefore bleached of any residual flesh or marrow. The dog gnaws on it for some time before he finally determines that he is “not finding” any satisfaction in the bone, and he thus turns away from it in disgust. It is not that the bone is intrinsically disgusting; it is rather the case that the dog’s raging desire for meat just will not be satisfied by the bone … when he wakes up to the truth that the bone is empty of anything that will offer him satisfaction, he becomes disenchanted, and spits it out in disgust.
Of course, the symptoms of samvega arise only after extensive experimentation with “the bone”. Tibetan teacher Chogyaam Trungpa Rinpoche says it elegantly: “The shoe of the ego is worn out by walking on it.” For many of us, objects of longing gradually reveal themselves to offer no real happiness. No matter how hard we gnaw on them, we find no meat on the bone. Samvega then arise with a inked complex of symptoms…. “
- A puzzling failure of previous sources of satisfaction
- A heightened concern with authenticity
- A deepening pull toward an intuited interior world
- A sense of urgency about realizing deeply hidden gifts and talents
- A global and diffuse sense of internal disorganization — equal parts psychological and spiritual
- A deeply felt internal imperative to stop business as usual — or to “get quiet”
- A call to explore a path that might give transcendent meaning to the enigmas of life.
“Samvega is a kind of passion that does not create suffering — but, rather, generates the happiness that comes with the sure knowledge of freedom. Because the state of samvega is so full of possibilities, it is often referred to as a state of “emergence”.
This experience of Samvega is a shift in awareness, a shift in knowing, a shift in reality. We know there is something more, and we can almost taste it. It is more than a spiritual experience, it is an irreversible peek through delusion. This peek gives us enough of a glimpse of enlightenment that we cannot reverse it. It is the beginning of life as a seeker.
Last Sunday, my husband and I were well into our Satsang with Adyashanti when he dropped one of his famous big questions on us. “Are you chasing God, or is God chasing you?” he asks.
He explained that we begin as the hunter, stalking God. We seek out our idea of the divine, some way we can benefit, feel better, and obtain bliss and ecstasy. We seek some way to free ourselves from suffering and discomfort. Somewhere along the journey we experience a profound shift and the deepest spiritual impulse within us transcends this desire for pleasure. We become entirely aware that awareness wants to become conscious of itself more than it wants pleasure and relief. Unexpectedly, the game shifts – we become the hunted, the chased. Suddenly, we realize that existence itself wants to know itself through us. This is the end of life as a seeker and the beginning of life as the “discovered”.
It’s a crazy circle, this rotation of craving pleasure which is eclipsed by a trade of sorts – a willingness to give up all of this desire for pleasure in order to find truth. This switch is exactly what leads us to liberation. The bi-product of that liberation is — you guessed it — pleasure! It is right in front of us the whole time.
When we experience these types of shifts, it’s common to feel a lot of fear. It’s as if we know, deep down, that to really shift, to really wake up — we will experience a death of sorts. We begin to understand the pithy bumper sticker, “my karma ran over your dogma.”
Dogma is a word that is often misused. What exactly is dogma? Wikipedia says, “Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization: it is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from.” When we really drop dogma, we go through a process of unlearning.
It’s really easy to feel like we are the exception to the rule, one of the few people on the planet who don’t buy into dogma. Yet, living without dogma is a radical commitment. Living dogma-free means that you are ready at any moment to drop any and all of your beliefs. You have no attachment to them. You walk around happy to be wrong at any given moment.
Most spiritual cultures encourage us to be all-knowing and authoritative. We are constantly judged by the quality of our dogma. Even Oprah has a column in her magazine called “What I know for sure“. If she were dogma-free, her column would say, “nothing” every month, or would be titled “What I think I know today”. Often, we do what Ethan Nicturne refers to as “Dogma Shopping”. We hold our beliefs, maybe even somewhat loosely, until a newer and better generation of dogma comes along so we can upgrade – a sort of spiritual materialism, if you will.
But when our soul is compelled to have a direct experience with reality, we are finally ready to move through fear and find the courage to fully examine our beliefs, and let go of our dogma. It’s this type of release, this willingness to embrace the death of our unconscious beliefs, which brings us to freedom and enlightenment.
Tao #72:
When they lose their sense of awe,
people turn to religion.
When they no longer trust themselves,
they begin to depend upon authority.
Therefore the Master steps back
so that people won’t be confused.
He teaches without a teaching,
so that people will have nothing to learn.
Yes, it’s a wild ride for sure! If you’re not careful, it will blow your mind. And that, I think — may just be the point!
So this week I have some big questions for you:
- Have you felt this experience of samvega? Can you describe it for us?
- What is your favorite dogma, one that you’d like to keep? (c’mon, we know you have one)
- What have you “known for sure”, that you have later come to unlearn?
Wow – what a wonderfully challenging post for a Sunday morning! I’ve always considered myself to be someone who enjoys being open-minded, and discovering new ways of looking at and enjoying the world. However – the idea of having no attachment to my beliefs – that is really radical! Even the belief that dogma is unhealthy – ? One of my problems is that I’m always looking to get the formula to life ‘right’, so I can get on with living ‘the good life’. Of course, I’m not going to get that magical formula any time soon.
‘Samvega’ sounds like a beautiful and grand experience – however, I do feel like it’s something I’ve felt. I like the term ’emergence’, which captures something of the forward momentum that accompanied that height of ‘samvega’, as I became disillusioned with many of my youthful preconceptions. I re-experience elements of the feeling of samvega (as described above) regularly, as I look back on ideas and practises that for much of my life, satisfied and sustained me – and that reminder helps move me forward. I need to be careful to keep in mind that, as you say, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the ‘bone’ – but this is just a natural process for dogs like me. :)
My favourite dogma? Probably, as I say, the idea that the liberal, open-minded way of life is better. After all, it’s worked for me, so far! Part of me expects to have an experience that shakes things up a bit, and makes me start ‘understanding’ Sarah Palin better, etc.
“Spiritual materialism” — what the …? You mean, our anti-idolatry dogmas might be idols themselves? Heh.
Many new ideas for me here, Laurie. Thanks!
Have I felt the experience of samvega? Yes. I very often live this cycle and it drives my people crazy. Yet, I think as Mormons we have this so heavily saturated in our ancestral memories that it’s really painful for some to be mired in authoritarianism and dogma. We come from seekers — people who sacrificed ancient customs, homelands, communities, and even family ties to follow a path of samvega. There’s a reason why we are so often tempted to worship our ancestors.
But I’ll describe just a very narrow example of samvega: I often feel the need to escape the history of my own written expressions and start anew. How many times have I started a new web log with so much vigor and enthusiasm? Only later to lose interest and eventually go so far as to delete the entire enterprise (all inbound links and ties to other web logs included) with a feeling of relief and renewal. I’ve seen others do the same thing and so I think this is a fascinating example of samvega.
Dogmas in the from of certain writings entombed as scripture block this process of samvega in vital areas of our lives (Robert Wright makes a great point about this in “The Evolution of God”). It might initially seem shocking that one would need to be set free from “the word of God” but this is not so surprising when one realizes that scripture is not so much “the word of God” as an idolized collection of what some folks have said is the word of God. And being set free from this is not the equivalent of being set free from God. In fact, it’s an opportunity to discover God for one’s self.
My favorite dogma? For a very long time it was all things fundamentally Mormonism. Then samvega struck me. Now it’s likely the notion that one can live without dogma. I think I’d like to keep this but suspect that samvega will strike soon enough and have me seeking a formal form of spiritual discipline.
What have I known for sure but later unlearned? At one time I knew for sure that I was already aware of the only path that truly mattered in this life. That if I just kept to that path and endured to the end, I’d be rewarded with unimaginable glory. But I’ll tell you from experience — there’s no greater recipe for a bout of samvega. You know, if you’re ultimately inclined to such things which I think we human beings naturally are so.
I’ve been thinking more about this, though… Laurie, can you help us on a question? Is ‘Samvega’ a one-way street? I think I understand the concept of thirsting for something more satisfying, and that aspect of what’s described… but taking the other points about looking towards a more interior world, desire for transcendent meaning, etc… ‘samvega’ would never move us away from those values – or would it?
The link to Adyashanti was useful… I checked out his website, and was struck with his claim that he encourages towards a place of ‘unlearning’ everything – ! To go so far in this direction sounds like an admirable and exciting journey – but then I catch myself wondering if, in order to stay so long on that path, I would have to hold myself to a certain way of seeing the world, that would approach dogmatism. I guess that’s because I’ve never experienced what you describe as the feeling that ‘God is chasing you’. I would love to know more about how that might come about! In my experience the universe seems wonderful – but indifferent to my existence.
Andy,
Yes, the idea of no attachment to beliefs is a radical one, and it’s pretty central to the teachings of Buddhism. Thought is referred to as a “form” – and is where most of our attachments actually lie. This is why one of the 3 great jewels of Buddhism refer to “great doubt.” The master teachers always encourage their students not to believe them, but to practice and find out for themselves.
Belief, as form, keeps us in a dream state – or a state of ego. Samvega can be a catalyst of sorts, and the emergence is an awakening of it’s own. We come to recognize that we are in some type of dream state – that we aren’t seeing things clearly anymore, and we have a sense that we might be able to find more. I think for most people I know who have had a real experience of Samvega, that it has not been reversible. Maybe it depends on how strong the awareness is, I’m not sure. I just know that once real understanding sets in from a place deeper than mind and language, it’s awfully hard to ever go back to old ways of thinking. It’s almost like we’ve rewired the brain or the soul.
Yes, I favor your version of dogma too – Open-minded living is best! LOL – Just like when Samvega hits us, we can’t help it. If we’re close minded, we can’t help it. It is what it is, and everything happens in its own time. The fact that we are inclined to put our value system over it is actually kind of funny!
Matt – great thoughts.
Yes! Beliefs as idols themselves – very insightful.
I had an a-ha moment just now when I read your thoughts on our Mormon heritage. It explains why I love all things pioneer, and why I relate so well to being Mormon. We come from seekers! Of course. Why have I never recognized that before?
I also see the scriptures as a way to block out samvega. Somehow though, samvega seems inevitable for some of us – like trying to hold back the tide. It’s a strong feeling of being compelled.
I really relate to this. My current path is very rooted in the idea of a boy going into the woods to seek God and the radical thought that he could experience God directly. My pioneer heritage informs everything I do now.
I’m still absorbing this post, but I want to take a stab at answering your questions.
I have felt the experience of samvega. For me, it was a dark period filled with fear and then coming up for air and finding the world felt opened up to me. Everything felt more fluid, but I wasn’t frightened.
My favorite dogma — I would echo the others and probably say that it is believing in being open-minded and open-hearted. Loving one another is also huge, but loving human beings gives me lots of natural opportunities to stay flexible and constantly challenges all the things I think I know.
The main thing I’ve “unlearned” is the importance of certainty. I used to put a great deal of importance on sure knowledge. When I lost that, my world became happier and more full, not confused and scary.
I think I’m currently in the process of samvega? Can you be in the middle of it and still see clearly? It’s been long and slow, but I’ve been moving from a conservative view to a more liberal one, and resisting the whole way, even though a more liberal paradigm seems comforting. I think my hesitation stems from something that my mother taught me; that we can only hold on to our view of the world for so many years and that in her experience, our perspective – including the way we see ourselves in relation to the world around us – alters at regular intervals. But that the change is subtle, so that when we look back 5 years, our vision of reality seems radically different. I’ve seen this to be true, and every time I come upon attaching myself to a belief strong enough to be defended, I begin questioning if it’s worth it. I ask myself how likely it is that I will feel the same about this conviction in 5 years from now? It makes it much harder to feel strongly about one side of an issue or another, and even when I feel that I truly believe something, I’m uncomfortable “testifying” of it because of the likelihood that new information will change how I feel.
This has at times made me feel weak and wishy-washy, but I’m coming to appreciate not feeling conflicted in conversations about subjects that I don’t take a stand on. It’s nice to know that my “facts” of today can easily be deleted for the “facts” of tomorrow.
But is this different for things we know versus things we feel? How do we ever acknowledge absolute truth, or that something may be correct regardless of what we learn here? Are revealed truths really any different than observed ones? I’m still working on that one.
Part of me still wants to be obedient to all rituals of the church and to find my answers there. I still want to find a position to argue from – but maybe I need to let that go. Maybe that’s my dogma: that truth can’t be found or verified outside of prescribed methods taught by religion. More concretely: I struggle with formal prayer being the only way to connect with God. My heart tells me this isn’t so, but my *training* makes me feel that God won’t listen until I get the words right. In a way, I’m struggling between wanting to chase God with my ritualistic actions, and wanting God to find me where I am and to know my intentions as if I had spoken them.
I’m not sure what I used to know for sure, because I don’t recall ever telling anyone that I absolutely “knew” something. Even my testimonies at church when I was into sharing were very guarded in that area and focused more on gratitude. I’ll be thinking more on this today “for sure”. Thanks for the wonderfully probing post.
I recognize the signs of samvega in my life. Thanks for the verbiage to describe it.
As for dogma, I guess the dogma I’m making use of right now is the notion that one can resist dogma.
Corktree – what insightful thoughts.
I think you are discovering something big. A part of you is telling you to find a position, a way to be sure, a way to argue. This causes you to be uncomfortable. And, while you feel wishy-washy about acknowledging your lack of knowing for sure, you recognize that it is less conflicting. Perhaps you are feeling better when you acknowledge that there isn’t one “right” side? Perhaps the less we separate ourselves from others, even in ideology, the more at peace we feel?
Wow. Seriously wow. What an incredibly helpful post. Yes I know this thing you are describing. It could not better describe the transition I am currently experiencing. It has fluctuated for me between glimpses of profound peace and awareness and extreme isolation and pain. My heart tells me that I have nothing to be ashamed of in my exploration but the more I allow myself the freedom to go in the direction I am guided, the more I feel misunderstood and abandoned by those who previously attempted to provide this nourishment. Sometimes my heart aches and I don’t know if my goal should be to do what is necessary to make that pain go away quickly or if I should go into it defenseless and hope that I will somehow break it apart by seeing it for what it really is. Either way this road can be very lonely and the question arises, “Is great wisdom only obtainable by compromising that shared identity with others?” Is it odd when your understanding of a deeper connection with others makes them distance themselves from you (because they are in love with the idea that they are separate)?
The thirst for silence is also very true to my experience. I have practiced martial arts in years past and all of a sudden I wanted to do something more traditional like Kung Fu (even though it is clearly not one of the best defense styles) that was about inner-exploration. At this point I had zero experience with Eastern thought. I wanted to find a practice that gave me permission to search inside while appearing to be about something else to the rest of the world. I don’t know why it was so hard for me to allow myself to sit quietly by myself and just be but I have felt such rewards for eventually succumbing to that desire for silence .
I felt beckoned to go for a walk late one night when the moon was shining brightly which became one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. It was so quiet except for the sound of wind in my ears and an occasional ruffling leaf or distant muffled car. My house overlooks the salt lake valley from the West and the lights were all shimmering. My senses were heightened and I was captivated by things I had seen thousands of times. I was really there in those moments. I was not lost in thought. There was no “answers” given to me as I had always expected to receive in the past in prayer. There was just a realization that it was all me. I know I sound like a crazy person (seriously I do. I can only write this because I don’t know any of you :) but before my walk was over I had both laughed and cried and felt like my heart would explode. The thing that brought me back to my house was the desire to walk into the bedroom of my two boys and kiss them on the head before laying down next to my beautiful wife.
There are so many dogmas that I struggle with…The idea that my realization is not valid unless it is shared by others. The idea that I should hold to something with unwavering trust until it crumbles. The idea that God only wants us to be happy and any discouragement or uneasiness with an idea is a sign of evil. there is so much more but I will have to think about it….
I’m very grateful for everyone’s thoughts and contributions to this post.
Chris – thanks so much for sharing in such beautiful detail your experience and your feelings on your transition. You don’t sound crazy at all – I think many readers on this site will identify with what you’re describing. All I can offer is my experience – that if you keep walking forwards, as much as you can, you’ll find even greater views and liberation ahead.
I also really admire your work with martial arts. It makes a lot of sense to me that you should be able to conduct an inner exploration through training your body. I’ve found a similar thing with my running in the last few months.
Fear is such a strong driver of human behavior. We decry it on the one hand, then fall back on it when convenient. And we’re all guilty of it. It’s how dogma is created, and how dogma persists.
One of the strongest fears – in my mind – is the fear of death, and what lies beyond (or, in many cases, what may not). It may be perfectly natural, but brings dogma to a new level. Rather than becoming part of a process that provides some measure of happiness and security now, it takes on a “cover your ass” significance that is much more difficult to re-process.
Funny thing: I, too, spent last weekend with Adyashanti. When I was able to take my mind off the gorgeous babe I had convinced to come with me, I caught an interesting exchange he had with a patron who expressed his fear of death and wondered why Adyashanti didn’t share it. Adyashanti replied that he didn’t see the relevance, then added “Whatever you believe about spirituality, the part of you that fears death will not last past death.” So why be afraid?
Awesome post!
This Adyashanti guy sounds really cool. I just bought his book “Emptiness Dancing.” I envy that you guys get to hang with someone like that in person. :)
Samvega. A beautiful idea that captures much of my recent life. Gaining by letting go. Thank you for this post.
Dogma I’m having a hard time releasing: that someday God will give me some overwhelming experience (like we teach that JS had) to know that all this is “true”. As I’ve focused more and more on emptiness, or the space between, or watching my thoughts, or whatever term you might use to describe something that is hard to describe, I have felt much less longing and much more peace. In the back of my mind, there is still the conditioning that I will someday have that “God experience”, but I can simultaneously see how that longing leads to suffering.
It is strange that such an “unsettling” phase can be so peaceful.
Life is about the shift. We are not making progress when we don’t continue to learn and grow. Sometimes the dogma does not allow growth beyond a certain point. It takes strength to reach out and try something new. The world is a big place, we need to try harder to get it. To have those experiences that allow us to be the adults and not the babies nursing any longer.
-Have you felt this experience of samvega? Can you describe it for us?
I had a very personal crisis that helped me review my entire life in one instant. I was so shaken that everything I believed was gone in a few seconds. Amazingly – I was still alive and felt quite calm. What I knew could NEVER happened – did and yet, I was still productive and authentically happy. How could this be? My culture had strongly dictated that was only one path? Then I realized – it was a lie. I was like billions of people who had lived on the Earth . . . trying to find my way without my family or my church. And I was still ok.
-What is your favorite dogma, one that you’d like to keep? (c’mon, we know you have one)
I like the logic in 2 Nephi chapter 2 – Jesus came so that we might be free to choose. . . wickedness never was happiness. However, I would say here. . . I have an entirely different spin on what is wickedness and I’m sure my God is fine with that.
-What have you “known for sure”, that you have later come to unlearn?
Families are Forever . . . they can’t be forever if they disown you. I would have placed my life on it that my family, my parents, my siblings were an Eternal Truth. I can love them but that doesn’t make them love or want to be with me. I have to be fine with this if I want to have a life. Now I can come to see the value of all sorts of relationships and people and its very, very nice. The core of my world looks very different because the Mormon core rejected me. In some ways I’m happier than I’ve ever been with such diversity and happy people surrounding me and encouraging me in ways my family never did.
I felt drawn in and immediately connected with the opening statements above, having simply googled “chasing God” as I am writing an essay of the same title. It all rang true to me and, having a friend who is a warrior in the Bhuddist tradition, I wanted to share this via various social sites.. until I came upon the association with “Mormon”. Please explain why this lable is attached to such a forum and site of seemingly progressive and open insights.
Peace
You seem to be implying that there aren’t any progressive and open Mormons? That doesn’t seem very open or progressive. . . Seriously, though, people are people, regardless of what religion they’re born into. . . I hope you’re not suggesting that Bhuddists have a monopoly on openness–that would be, well, pretty closed-minded.
No “implication” intended Brent. Your defensive posture is unnecessary — I meant no attack. I am guilty only of perhaps ignorance regarding Mormonism, which I plan on becoming educated on :) That said, all I was probing for was a bit of enlightenment on the relationship between Mormon and the references to Tibetan, Hindu and Bhuddist teachings.
Certain things just seem to “ring true” on a visceral level thru, for one, the sharing of personal experience and ideas. The presentation by Laurie a year ago is one of those “things”. I’m here to wonder along with you, no prejudices or preconceptions. I consider myself a sponge for knowledge, or at least clues to help keep me moving forward, not stagnant or backward.
As a small part of my own spiritual growth and quest I was recently inspired to write a piece on how we as human beings, through a process of, in my opinion, devinely inspired creative forces, come into being, or existence and grow with an innate curiosity about our ultimate origins. We, as the stuff of stars on a physical, biological level, are apparently hard wired to seek higher understanding about our place in the universe and that fascinates me and holds me in awe and wonder. The malleability of the human mind exposed to socialization and the all-too-common practice of conditioning and prodding down narrow paths of firmly held belief systems in some cases can derail an open-minded journey. I appreciated very much the comments of Corktree above.
Welcome, Marcus.
Just as you ponder about the stuff of stars and the universal human quest for meaning in this life, so it is in individual form or group form and that’s much the way that the Mormon church began. You might say that here at D&S we share an origin of the Mormon church, the church being our initiation or genesis into this process of spiritual questioning. While all of the writers here have diverged from typical Mormon beliefs, we all share tribal root within the religion. Don’t let the underlying Mormon theme phase you – we are all just curious geeky types trying to expand past what our tribe offers theologically and culturally – as are most people in life. So, if you have ever worked to move through this world in a conscious way, rather than on auto-pilot, you will fit in here beautifully. I like your references to the malleability of the human mind and our human conditioning.
In response to your question specifically, as the author of the piece, I am no longer a person who believes in the Mormon theology, and am committed to my Buddhist practice. Hence, the references to Tibetan, HIndu and Buddhist teachings. I’m sure it can be a bit confusing when landing here at D&S to try to figure out the connection between the two! I just like to think of Mormonism as my roots, and Buddhism as my wings. Both have been extremely powerful forces for good in my life.
Please post a link to your piece when it is finished – I would love to read it.
Thank you so much for your welcomed and welcoming words Laurie! I feel glad knowing I can fit right in, as I have been a seeker of sorts for as far back as I can remember. Always questioning, in an effort to distill truth out of the array of dogmas I’ve either been fed or curious about. Any conversation in which contributors can share various insights or just toss out ideas is, I feel, the most special and growth-oriented type of dialogue humans can have. Lauguage itself is often taken for granted. Our ability to communicate that which arises within our hearts and minds, whether it be inquiries, the giving of knowledge or story telling, it is our chief vehicle for furthering the evolution of our own intelligence, not to mention how we come to know and, ideally, love one another.
So my exploration into “chasing God” arose as I thought to myself how often throughout my own life in my quest for nearness to the Creator of all things I had, either consciously and intentionally or unconsciously, sought this through things like drugs, alcohol, sex, or anything else that could provide (what my father would warn me about) instant gratification. It is a dilemma all too rampant and common, as we hear through every news outlet there is how prevalent drug use, substance abuse, is. People are dying to feel good. Literally! I often shake my head in astonishment that I have arrived at the dawn of my 50th year relatively intact :>) I can’t say “unscathed”, but for the most part intact. To NOT contribute what I can, in the form of lessons, or at least stories, from the journey thus far would be highly selfish, and with four children whom I love beyond words gradually probing the world at large (a scary prospect) ANY spot of light shone on the path in front of them I can only hope will help them see the signs that lie ahead.
Feeling good — Feeling God. It’s just an extra “o” added or omitted. We want, intrinsically, to feel how God feels, to think like God thinks. Whether it is me chasing God or God chasing me it is a circular dance, but it needn’t be a vicious circle. As the essence of Samvega ensues and guides our thinking it is in the state of “allowing” and being pliable that brings us peace and pleasure. Organic pleasure, increasingly easy to access and quite healthy!
I look forward to this new relationship. Thank you.
( there is a point in this text box where I cannot see the current line I am writing, the bar on the box’s right keeps jumping to the top or middle of the page. Any clues there?)