IN ENLIGHTENMENT WHO ACCOMPLISHES WHAT?Ron Porter*

See www.desmoinesmeditation.org & click above on “More from this Publisher”

A writing class instructor told us to write about an accomplishment.I threw the question out to the Universe, “Who am I to write of accomplishments? There were none I had to speak of before hisrequest, and there is no wish for any to come.” This was theresponse:You are a handful of feathers thrown to the wind, not something youcan keep or grasp or hang on to. One feather may land on a flower,even if just for a short time. Smell it, then touch it. Enjoy it for what itis, and know it will not be in your life forever. A breeze will comealong and blow this feather here or there. In the meantime know youare

all

those feathers, some floating up and some down. One may getstuck in a thorn bush or a thistle for awhile. One may land on aflower, maybe for a long time, maybe a short time. It will fly away too.You are not the thorn, just as you are not the flower. You are thefeathers! And the handful of feathers that you are will run into ahandful that is another. And it may be wonderful, and it may notbe. Maybe your feathers and theirs will write a poem together or sitand love together.Maybe you will have to deal with insurance companies and disputes,but the breezes come along. The breeze of Allah or God or whatever you choose to call it will come along and blow you up-and-away andscatter your life into sunshine and rain and night and full moon, andsometimes it may feel like all of these at once! And you’ll call this your story, and you will take credit for the triumphs and losses anddirection you’re blown in, and that’s OK. But the whole time it is thehand of God, of Consciousness, that has tossed you into the breezeof Love and Light, blowing you about both randomly and all plannedat the same time.Recognize your true nature. What is to regret? What is to miss? Whatis to have remorse for? Did you choose to and where you may land? Ihave seen the sorrow, the longing, the incompleteness all felt within,and these hold no reality – they’re what is false. The journey, the

wind, the Light and Love - this is what is real. There is no end to this, just as there is no destination. Be flower petals and feathers tossed tothe elements.Accomplish this: Recognize that it’s the breeze who accomplishes.Recognize the hand that tossed you. There is a higher degree anddeeper understanding of this. The pot can not exist without the clay,nor can the clay exist without the minerals. Recognize that you

are

the breeze and the hand that tosses.You want to accomplish something? Accomplish knowing who theaccomplisher is. For now laugh. Be the feathers. Enjoy the ride. Thisis the only thing to accomplish. ______________________ *Who is Ron Porter? Following is an email exchange I had with Ronafter he sent me the above essay.CHARLIE: When I put your essay on the website, Ron, is it all right todescribe you as “a meditator and spiritual friend who has had anenduring transformative experience.” I'm searching for terms that arebroad enough to be descriptive and contextual without unnecessarilydefining or solidifying the ego/self (with a lower case “s”) of either theauthor or the reader. I simply want to communicate that youexperience what you talk about. Communication is so difficult when itcomes to the inexpressible, but it's important that it be tried in order toencourage others to recognize their enlightenment experiences, their already enlightened nature, and to help them differentiate suchexperiences from those the illusory ego/self takes credit for.RON: I understand what you’re saying about searching for terms todescribe the inexpressible. No wonder Buddha so often spoke of what it isn't. Ha! In addition to experiences the ego/mind takes creditfor is the Understanding that all experiences have a beginning and anend. The Self (with an upper case “S”) has neither of these and is theonly True permanence. The Awakening is more of a beginning, thetrue beginning, than an end or goal, a beginning into that which nomind can comprehend. In this place is the awe, standing in the faceof All, God, Consciousness, Allah, with the humility of a child whoknows nothing. Very likely the word "fear" of God was misinterpretedand more accurately means "awe".