LIFE … How Much Do I Really Know?

Is it possible for us, because this is where you start to become a student, when you can first say, "I don't know." How many of us can really say, I don't know? Jeez, that's, we can say it in the matter of speech, but we can't mean it. Because to actually admit to yourself that you don't know, that's a big thing. That's a really big thing. But it's what you have to do. Because without coming to the point of saying, I don't know and I want to know, because the child understands, that 14-year-old understands, that without standing in the line, he can't get on the ride. And he has to learn how to like to stand in the line to get to the ride, however big it may be. Because then he can, that is how he can get to that way. And this admittance, this admission to "I don't know" is not to me, but it is to your own self, for your own life, to begin to say, I want to know. I want to know everything about this man.

The Creator, through these incredible elements, creates the body. And with this incredible, un-describable everything, which appears to be nothing, the breath, that energy, the thing called life, and that Creator makes these essences come alive. It's a true feat of genius, believe me. You may not forget your birth, but that's pretty much how it happened. From nowhere, there was something. Something kept expanding and then boom, there was life.

And this, this Creator put inquisitiveness in this being. Inquisitiveness so that this being could know the thirst that the Creator put in this being, so that it could drink. And the Creator put love in this being, so that this being could love. And the Creator put in this being ignorance, so that this being could know, could be filled. And in this being, the Creator put understanding, so that it could understand. And in this being, the Creator put longing, so it could long. And in this being, the Creator put aspiration, so that it could aspire. All qualities, really, wonderful qualities. And in this being, the Creator put the question, the question, so that it could find the answer. And in this being, the Creator put so many wonderful things, and either one, because believe me, it is not the paint that makes an artist. It's not. Because you could buy the most magnificent, most incredible colors, paint, made out of the best possible materials, and hand them to an idiot. And if you expect that idiot to come up with a Mona Lisa, you yourself should join the club. Because it's not the paint, and it's not the brush, and it's not the canvas. Something else. It's something else that makes that painting, that painting. Start listening for crying out loud.

I am thirsty, in front of a waterfall, dying of thirst, and searching for which glass would be most suitable for a Monday afternoon. Well, something isn't right, something isn't real. If that's what I'm doing, I'm monkeying around. I, me personally, and you don't have to take this, but me personally, I would not, I would not ask any question. I just listen. Listen to what he has to say. Because in that listening, I start to see a whole another perspective emerge. I have my perspective, but my perspective may not be the perspective that I need. A very deep statement.

Let me give you an analogy. It helps. You're in a room, and there is a window. The height, four feet, the width, two feet. A chair. The room is in generous shape. If you sit down in one place, you look out the window, you see a certain picture. You see a sunrise, and then it disappears. But it doesn't have to be like that. If you keep changing your position, as the sun changes its, you can keep looking at the sun for a very long time. But if you stay stationary in one room, in just a few minutes, the sun would have disappeared. And I realize I have the freedom. The chair is not bolted. I can actually pick it up, and I can go right up to the window, and I can look, and I can see a much bigger picture. If I want a smaller picture, I can go to the back of the room. If the sun has gone over that way, all I have to do is move this way, and I can see it. And if it's over that way, all I have to do is move my chair over this way, and peek down that way, and I can see it. And if it goes up, all I have to do is go underneath, and I can see it. And all of a sudden, you begin to realize, my God, the window is not that limiting. A small hole would be fine as well. And you learn this incredible thing, the chair is not bolted. And yet, the people have the questions, don't they? How come the sun only lasts a few minutes, and then disappears? How come the moon only shines through the window for 15 minutes? It's unfair, isn't it? God is cruel, has to be. It's too small a window. Listen, the window is plenty big, you can stick your whole head out of it. It doesn't need to be any bigger than that. Any bigger than that, you'll start thinking about jumping out of it. That may not be so kosher.

But you can certainly stick your head out the window and look, look, look all around. And then you become an observer, observer of life. You start to, you start to understand certain things. You begin, you become a, you become a student. You start studying, you start to see, ah, life. You start to see, I have problems, I have problems, but I am not the problem. And so, one day you wake up, and you have your sheet, and on the sheet you have your name problem, name problem, name problem, name problem. And one day you wake up, and maybe the difference is extremely minor, but you put a line through the sheet, and you have excluded your name and your problem. And it becomes, nothing changes. Problems are still problems, what you realize is not me. It helps, it helps a great deal to know, to see, to open my eyes, to become a student. To start to feel, feel myself, that I can grow, that there is no limit to growth. That I enjoy knowing as much as I enjoy not knowing. But there is a place within me, in which I really am free. Not because somebody has put me in a situation for which I seek freedom. But I am free, because it is freedom. But there is a place inside of me, where I am happy, not because of anything, but because of happiness itself, and I love this place. In this place, there is a mirror, inside of me there is a mirror. And when I look in this mirror, I do not look at this mirror to straighten my tie out. I do not look in this mirror to comb my hair.

And yet there is a mirror inside of me, in which I do not look for these things, I look at my own self in admiration, not to fix anything up. And there are oceans inside me, which I sail, but I sail not to go anywhere, but because it is so enjoyable. And the winds blow that favor me, and that boat is a vessel of my life itself, within this world, of life within me. And I enjoy, because it fills me, that is why I enjoy it. Because it makes me feel good, that is why I enjoy it. Do you know what it is like to feel good? Have you felt good, really good? Not because you just drank a beer, not because you got a phone call, not because the bird came and sat on your shoulders and dribbled or whatever, but have you really just felt good? And in fact so good that you did not even stand there and thought of a reason, why do I feel so good? So good, so consumed by life itself.

There is another love, a love that is really different, a love that is caring, a love that is sharing, a love that is understanding, a love, oh that is so different, a love that is so different, a love that does not work on expectations. But here is a little feeling, therein lies my fate, where you are. Upon the highest throne I place my love at your disposal. I am not talking about the love, the other kind of love here, I am talking about a very different kind of love. You put this into the other context and I do not know what you get, but if you put it in the context I am talking about, it makes a lot of sense, at least to me.

Therein lies my fate, where you are. Upon the highest throne I place my love at your disposal, for a heart so true will hold all that a love can give. Make me a vessel, thus that I may receive with no expectation the overture of your giving. Let me then contain all that you give, let me then submerge in the celebration of love. Let my heart never be content nor filled, let my longing be endless. Let it remain forever true till eternity, as it was the first day I felt mesmerized in your presence. Give me the strength to endure all that is in the love's path, give me the wisdom never to stray. Regardless of temptation, give me the vision to see love's glory. For my sake hold me tight, near you, where I can be in love.

So, love maybe means a lot of things to different people, but I'm talking about a very different kind of love and and and and and what else can I say, but I'm delighted that a love like that does exist. A real, real, true, true, true love. Well, if a love like that exists, and a life like this exists, and a Creator (raises his arms in identification) like that exists, that is, (applause for the Creator) then, I don't know, I don't see any reason to be miserable.

Song by Geoff Bridgford: Living Jewel Of Inspiration:

No green hills far away, no make believe, no hide-and-seek, no in the sun. No wait-and-see, no complication, you've got animation, a life in love. It's easy to love, easy to love, yeah, easy to love. It's easy to love, so easy to love, easy to love with you. I can be you, dreaming something, something, yeah, trusting you. Wearing a smile, will you rest awhile, you've got animation, a life in love. It's easy to love, easy to love, yeah, easy to love. It's easy to love, so easy to love, it's easy to love with you.

It's the best, it's the most incredible Gift that the Giver, the most incredible Giver could give to the most incredible recipient. It is the perfect trade, it could ever happen, and it has happened.

Priorities, that thing that made me happy when I was young, and my first (thirst), and my need, and my necessity to be happy when I was young, it's still true today. I still need to be happy today, I still need to feel that contentment today. That's a priority, that's not a luxury, that's a necessity.

What kind of a situation, truly, what kind of a situation have we created for ourselves? Are there any priorities in our life? Do we truly get up every morning and strive for something?

The heart rarely speaks, rarely. The heart rarely says anything, and the heart rarely says, "I want that." Very rarely, very rarely, but when it does, it means it. And, maybe in this world, you didn't trust anything, and maybe that's a good reason. But if there is one thing that you can trust, it's the heart. But before you can trust the heart, you have to know its language. It speaks a different language. It doesn't speak the same language as this.

It speaks a different language. It doesn't speak the same language as this. This talks all the time. You know, one example that I give, this empty bus. Get in an empty bus, this will start talking. Where are you going to sit? If you sit downstairs, it'll say, what about upstairs? If you sit upstairs, what about downstairs? If you sit in the back, what about forward? If you sit in the forward, how about the back? If you sit by the window, how about the aisle? If you sit in the aisle, how about the… It talks, talks, talks, talks, talks, talks.

The heart rarely says anything, but when the heart speaks, it means it, and it speaks. And the heart likes that feeling of being fulfilled. And it doesn't say much, but once in a while, and every so often, the heart says, fill me, fill me.

Happiness isn't being happy. You know, somebody asked me that question. And it's like, what makes you happy? And first I thought, well, Knowledge makes me happy. This makes me happy. And then I realized, wait a minute, happiness makes me happy. That's really the bottom line of it. Happiness makes me happy. And when do I feel this happiness in my life? It's not when all the other things are going on, but when I can truly be with myself in a very different way. When I can be with me. When I can feel that this beautiful, lovely cup inside is being filled. When I feel that fullness, that's when I feel happy. That's when I feel good. And what fills this cup? This is the only cup that cannot be filled with ideas.

Song by Kim O'Leary: Need to Feel It

Contemplation, I've been thinking tonight About my life and I need to feel it I need to feel it Just need to feel it I need to feel it Life carries on I need to go where it goes I need to see what it shows And I need to feel it