[How are you doing? I am feeling worn. Battered, kneaded—left to rise in a proofing oven. Our beloved cat has a yeast infection in her elder ears. It is being treated with eardrops, which she loathes. We also loathe to restrain her and drop them in her complicated canals. The shape of a cat’s inner ear is labyrinthine, and it is not at all clear which way is in, except generally—especially when the patient is wriggling. I, too, am wriggling. This latest wave left me on the floor in a pile, surrounded by scribbled notes and writings in the dark, delirious and not fit to drive far distances or at all. I am holding on. I am holding on to joy—there is much in life to love! Can we hold a practice of unconditional love in this ‘24(kt) refining crucible? Can we not hold onto it, but rather give it, freely, widely? The very thought has me shaking my head. We are worn thin. Just about everyone I talk to is here. In The Threshold. Collectively, Individually, Intrapersonally, Impersonally. We are holding each other here.
The receipt of this missive short circuited me. I could barely stand for hours after. It also had me in ecstatic wide-eyed stammering at my beloved partner, who was enjoying something of a gentle morning waking process until I burst in with a storm of enthusiasm about words and Vimalakirti and silence and joy and transmission. There is excellent humor in all this, all smiles, alongside exasperation. Life. Living. Being alive to it all. I hope you enjoy this long missive, which features Jābir ibn Ḥayyān’s Kitāb al-Sirr al-Maknūn (a 9th century Persian alchemical text that is likely the oldest surviving source of the ubiquitous Emerald Tablet), a hearty dose of Delphic Maxims, and a potent tale or two from the Vimalakirti Sutra, which has long been one of my favorite texts and ever lives in my thoughts~ ] Received 1/27/2024 | 5:30-6:19am
Listen to the Recitation:
THE THRESHOLD
Coursing racing pumping through my blood vanities
A dragon’s icy breath furnacing furnishing finishing
Joints, cracking, into place hammered tight
Locked and loaded, course curriculums of
Dried rosemary, marjoram, motherwort, sage
Bundled in large, tightly woven arrays, hanged
Upside down to dry, a holy fool’s allotment,
Perched and precarious, at the edge of
Destiny’s cliff, chalky white and crashing
Into sea stones below, facet rough, stashed and
Squirreled away in an alchemist’s hoard of troves,
Tropes and archetypes, soldered in complex filigree,
Socketed with archaic glyphs in the languages of
Invisible friends from childhood, monsters under
The bed, no longer creaking, no longer buckling
But sturdily bearing the weight, of so many
Dreams undreaming themselves on the canvas
Of our dreamers’ decree, decried and despised
For so long, so many years of sleepless nights,
Dreamless or monochromatic, or else inundated
With every technicolor dreamcoat interwoven with
Gold and Palladium thread, coated ribbons splayed
At the edges, frayed and fraying, unbarreled and
Unrolled at the seams. The weaver sings
While they pluck the individual threads of
The tapestry before them, each singing in
Dissonant accord, a harmony to nonhuman
Ears, rich spikenard and amber, vetiver notes
Coiling at the Atlas-shaped base of the skull,
The head a globe, the spine a carrier, a
Courier pidgin, translating diasporic songs of
Enough. Enough! That would have been enough.
That would be enough. Hallelujah! And behold.
The end of the desert. The winding willow’s
River valley, far now from Sinai’s mount
The jubilee song is sung, by every bird,
By every rolling boulder, every craggy
Outcropping, field sown and tilled,
Tilling the end of time, the end of one time,
The beginning of another. We sing, we sing,
We sing! Praise and glory, praise to glory.
The fool trembles, one foot raised, half
Looking back, half looking forward, and
Down. Two-faced Janus at the doorway,
The threshold of one’s destiny, the destiny
of One. Balinas mentions the engraving on the
Emerald Tablet in the hand of Hermes, which says:
"Truth! Certainty! That in which there is no doubt!
That which is above comes from that which is below,
And that which is below comes from that which is above,
Working the miracles of one.
As all things were from one.
Its father is the Sun and its mother the Moon.
(Its mother is the Sun and its father the Moon.)
The wind has borne it in its body, and the earth
has nourished it. It is the fathermother of all
Works of wonder in the world. Its power is complete.
As Earth which shall become fire.
Feed the Earth from that which is subtle,
with the greatest power.
It ascends from the earth to the heaven
and becomes ruler over that which is above
and that which is below. (or, It rises
from earth to heaven, so as to draw the
lights of the heights to itself, and descends
to the earth; thus within it are the forces
of the above and the below; ) Because
The light of lights within it, thus does the
darkness flee before it. The force of forces,
which overcomes every subtle thing and
penetrates into everything gross.
The structure of the micro cosmos is in accordance
With the structure of the macro cosmos.
And accordingly proceed the knowledgeable.
And to this aspired Hermes, who was threefold
graced with wisdom.
And this is their last book, which they concealed
in the chamber." We have entered the chamber
And returned, hiera in hand, to tell the tale
In a new age, to those who would hear it
And remember. Remember the Telesterion
Of Eleusis, with eight tiers of seats
On four sides, openings on three sides,
Two entrances each. 42 columns arranged
In a 6 x 7 pattern to support the roof.
The interior chamber houses the sacred objects,
Hiera otherwise known, and is called
The Palace, or Anaktoron. Up to 3000
Could witness the ceremony’s proceedings
At once. The max that could understand at once
What was being shown to them.
Before a throng of disciples, the Buddha
Quietly held up a single flower: The Silent Sermon
at Vulture’s Peak. Not a one understood,
Save elder Mahākāśyapa, who smiled,
And the entire world dissolved into golden
Oblivion and enfolded out up beyond into
A narrow vacuum of every image, every
Feeling, every sensation and suffering, into
A riverfalling stream of colors, a hyperlight
Dark rainbow iris funneling exponentially
Through the mind of the enlightened disciple
Who in that moment had full understanding of
Nothing, which itself was everything, the key
And the door, and the threshold beneath the door,
And the guarded Gate of All Nations, built
By Xerxes in great Persepolis, from which
A broad stairway descends. This gate is
The only entrance to the terrace, and all
Visitors must pass through it on their way
To the Throne Hall, another Telesterion, to pay
Homage, to witness the ceremonial proceedings,
To be inducted into the next layer of the
Great initiation, into the mysteries which
Compound the Mystery which itself nourishes
The neverending initiation, a series
Undertaken by the serious, who know how
To smile, its value, its conveyance to the
Teacher, the Watcher, the Sage. It cannot be
Overstated. The sermon can only be transmitted
Silently. Vimalakirti, a wealthy merchant
Lay meditator, "contemporary" of Gautama
Buddha, lecturer of bodhisattvas, listened
To 31 bodhisattvas present on nonduality.
Each gave short yet potent accounts of some
Dichotomy or polarity and how they transcend it
To reach a state of nondual awareness.
Manjushri congratulates the 31, but
Proclaims that each statement provided was
Itself dualistic. Manjushri then decrees that
The real entryway into nondual awareness is
To not designate, explicate, proclaim, or say anything.
Turning then to host Vimalakirti, Manjushri
Says: “All of us have spoken; please tell us
What is the Bodhisattva’s initiation into
The non-dual Dharma.”
Vimalakirti kept silent without saying a word.
It was a “thunderous” silence; deafening, muffling,
Seated silently in itself; rooted; sure.
Manjushri exclaimed: “Excellent, excellent!
Can there be true initiation into the
Non-dual Dharma until words and speech
Are no longer written or spoken?”
Upon this, five thousand Bodhisattvas
At the meeting were swept up into
The full realizing awareness of the enduring uncreate.
Vimalakirti then said to Manjushri that it
Was time to go and see the Buddha at
Amravana park, where all those present
Had turned majestic and golden hued
From the impact of the Buddha’s expounding.
Manjushri replied: “Excellent, let us go;
It is now time to start.”
Then Vimalakirti used his transcendental powers
To carry the whole meeting with the lion thrones
On the palm of his right hand and flew in the air
To the Buddha’s place. When they landed there,
Vimalakirti bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet,
Walked round Him from the right seven times, and
Bringing his palms together, stood at one side.
The Bodhisattvas then left their lion thrones to bow
Their heads at the Buddha’s feet, and also walked
Round Him seven times, then stood to one side.
The Buddha’s chief disciples with Indra,
Brahma—both protectors of the Dharma—
and the four deva kings of the four heavens
also left their lion thrones, bowed their heads
at the Buddha’s feet, walked round Him 7 times,
and then stood at one side.
The Buddha comforted the Bodhisattvas and
Ordered them to take their seats to listen to
His teaching. The Buddha then proceeded to
Speak, at great length, with many words.
At the end, all in assembly were filled
With joy at hearing the words, which they
Had not heard before, and they praised
The Buddha for his skillful use of Upāya,
or Expedient Means, calling it "wonderful".
And so the Bodhisattva uses words, and
Lies to those in the Burning House that
There are wagons filled with treasure outside,
In order to get them to leave. Once outside,
They see no treasure, but a house on fire,
About to collapse! Glad to be safe, they
Are not upset by the deception, as nothing
Else had motivated them to leave before.
What follows words, is silence.
What follows silence, is a new appreciation
For words, for what they can accomplish
When employed skillfully, magically,
With full understanding of their limitations.
For we remember: limitation is the entryway
To liberation, to expansion. The thunderous
Silence brings us into the moment. The moment
Calls forth what words it wills. And we
Are entrusted with the destiny of expounding them,
Sharing them as flowers raining from the sky.
The Buddha is a symbol of what lives within us.
"Know thyself" say the Seven Sages of Greece—
Thales, Pittacus, Solon, Chilon, Periander,
Cleobolus, and Bias, semi-legendary minds
Guided by Apollo’s golden hand, engraving
Aphorisms as Maxims on the facades
of His temple in Delphi.
"Nothing too much" (or, "Nothing in excess");
"Give a pledge and trouble is at hand";
These three shown at the entrance, written in
Golden hued letters, glowing warm for all to see.
The third is oft interpreted "Trouble attends
The one who affirms anything in strong terms
and confidently." Itself affirmed in no uncertain
Language—we are no strangers to trouble.
Life, indeed, may flourish in trouble’s keep.
There are many more collected Delphic
Maxims, of various fame, to note:
"Honor the Hearth"
"Honor Providence"
"Love friendship"
"Cling to discipline"
"Pursue honor"
"Long for wisdom"
"Find fault with no one"
"Be kind to your friends"
"Watch out for your enemies"
"Exercise nobility of character"
"Listen to everyone"
"Be silent"
"Foresee the future"
"Despise insolence"
"Speak well of everyone"
"Be a seeker of wisdom"
"Choose what is divine"
"Pray for things possible"
"Consult the wise"
"Test the character"
"Give back what you have received"
"Use your skill"
"Do what you mean to do"
"Be jealous of no one"
"Praise hope"
"Master wedding-feasts"
"Recognize fortune"
"Speak plainly"
"Associate with your peers"
"Be happy with what you have"
"Revere a sense of shame"
"Fulfill a favor"
"Observe what you have heard"
"Work for what you can own"
"Despise strife"
"Detest disgrace"
"Restrain the tongue"
"Keep yourself from insolence"
"Use what you have"
"Judge incorruptibly"
"Tell when you know"
"Do not depend on strength"
"Live without sorrow"
"Live together meekly"
"Finish the race without shrinking back"
"Do not curse your children"
"Be courteous"
"Struggle with glory"
"Act without repenting"
"Repent of sins"
"Control the eye"
"Give a timely counsel"
"Guard friendship"
"Be grateful"
"Pursue harmony"
"Keep deeply the top secret"
"Fear ruling"
"Pursue what is profitable"
"Accept due measure"
"Accept old age"
"Do not boast in might"
"Exercise (religious) silence"
"Flee enmity"
"Acquire wealth justly"
"Do not abandon honor"
"Venture into danger prudently"
"Do not tire of learning"
"Admire oracles"
"Do not oppose someone absent"
"Respect an elder"
"Teach a youngster"
"Do not trust wealth"
"Respect yourself"
"Do not begin to be insolent"
"Crown your ancestors"
"Do not make fun of the dead"
"Gratify without harming"
"Grieve for no one"
"Beget from noble routes"
"Make promises to no one"
"Do not wrong the dead"
"As a child—be well-behaved"
"As a youth—self-disciplined"
"As of middle-aged—just"
"As an elder—sensible"
"On reaching the end—without sorrow".
You have been washed. We have been washed
Clean, cleaning the surfaces, resetting the altars.
Remember to re-set your altar.
Refresh your hearth, your home, your body
The Telesterion entrusted to your safekeeping,
Your palatial inner chamber where lie your
Own hiera, sacred objects, symbols of who
You Are. The mysteries, the top secrets of
Your youness. Every initiation is every other
Initiation, initiating us into the next initiation
Without sorrow, and filled with hope, with
Honor, with rigorous discipline, to be the
Darkenlightened Disciple, the one-who-smiles,
Who gets it, who values the silence, who
Becomes skillful with their speech, appreciative
Of words, appreciative of choosing not to use them—
So that when words are used, they are transcendentally
Powerful, transportive and expedient.
This is the Threshold of the present,
The Threshold right now, beneath our feet.
We, holy fools that we are, are rocking
Back and forth on the edge of the cliff
In not-yet-full acceptance of our destiny,
Full throated frankincense fumed, exhumed.
Take the chance. Break through the
Chiliocosm before us. Break into the
Field beyond, where wait the we
Who walk forth as one, together—
Meekly and with full enthusiasm, full
Self-possession. The journey is complete.
The journey is at hand. And the journey awaits.
Rama has dropped us at the door of Ravana,
Our destined dragon, the worm of destiny,
And given us a bow, a spear, a sword,
A shield, a quill, and a chariot, with room to sit
By Arjuna’s side and listen, two as one,
to Krishna’s wise, challenging counsel.
"Not One, Not Two" … the gate
Opened by Vimalakirti’s Silence. It stands
Before us, the Gate of All Countries,
For us to walk through—
Adapt, and fall, and do, and dance,
And dawn the day upon you.

