.
Going far beyond depression – rarely, if ever, letting it flower – is an essential function of a stable, healthy, compassionate mind.
.
Together in nature. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
On depression
1 comment
All Posts Tagged ‘meditation’
False center
.
In most minds, the thought of “I” or “me” is the most exalted, elevated and high-ranking; but it is just another thought; real wisdom happily exists beyond such projections.
.
[Black Turpentine Beetles eat the inner, lower bark of pine trees.]
Tree eater! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
On hatred…
.
The left arm can hate the right arm and think that it is separate… but it isn’t. Peace takes intelligence.
.
[A unique variety of Heal All Plant growing on a river bank.]
Heal All. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Babbling…
.
I’d much rather listen to a natural, babbling brook than the babbling from all the bourgeois, self-important, stale politicians and bureaucrats.
.
[Close-up of a natural, babbling brook that one was passionately listening to.]
Alone again… naturally… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Timelessness…
.
True enlightenment — not all of that phony stuff — involves being beyond the “conditioned”; few ever exist in (and “as”) the timeless, the “unconditioned.”
.
[A female Cabbage Butterfly resting. They were introduced into the U.S. from Europe at around 1860. Well… we’re used to immigrants!]
She’s not a legal citizen… but I won’t turn her in! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Revolution!
.
The only true and profound revolution worth fighting for is a nonviolent, spiritual one.
.
[A Meadow Spittlebug weathering out the rain. They are very small and feed on a variety of weedy plants. Adults readily jump or fly when disturbed.]
Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Warmth…
.
Happiness isn’t a warm gun; happiness is a warm (compassionate) heart.
.
[Red Milkweed Beetles, I think, are among the most evolved and “intelligent” insects in our area. As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes when I approach Milkweed Plants these beetles will deliberately fly at a rapid rate into me, striking my face repeatedly to entice me to leave. Some panic and fly away. This one decided to “play dead.” It fell from a Milkweed leaf above. After I backed up and watched from a distance for a while… it subsequently straightened itself out and flew away. I laughed at its ruse!]
May he rest in peace! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Poise
.
Poise is the elegance and sound balance that a truly aware and, hence, compassionate mind has… without following blueprints.
.
[A Blue Bottle Fly and a Lady Bug. Blue Bottle Flies are most active during spring and fall. Lady Bugs are active spring through fall.]
A lady and her bottle. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Away
.
In a big way, everyone in the whole world is facing in one direction.
Can you turn around?
.
[These are Tetras in one of our aquariums… all facing in one direction. The ones with the red dot on their sides are called Bleeding Heart Tetras. The others are Black Tetras. The plants are a type that grow on rocks or logs and do not need soil; they are called Anubias coffeefolia.]
One direction. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
States…
.
True happiness is not merely an acquisition… it’s a wise, intelligent, aware, and blissful state of being and non-being.
.
Go beyond grasping. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
False conflict…
.
One need not wince at one’s fears and endlessly run away from them if one intelligently realizes that one is not at all separate from what they are.
.
[A couple of Fruit Flies and a hiding Lady Bug. Though the Lady Bug is carnivorous, the Fruit Flies need not worry; they are too large. The Lady Bug goes after even smaller insects, such as Aphids.]
A good day to explore. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
The small and frail…
.
If you bully the small one… you are bullying the whole, bullying life’s child.
.
[A Hover Fly and a couple of other small insects on a wild Chicory Flower.]
Little and frail. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
The Learner
.
The learner is the learned; the controller is the controlled; the reader is the read.
.
[A Red-winged Blackbird informing me that I’m in “his” territory. I promptly departed.]
This vast spot is not big enough for the both of us! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Timeless…
.
True insight is instantaneous (and timeless)… no time (or practice) is involved for it to finally come about.
.
[From earlier this year… these are the Stamen of a red Lily Flower. The Anther is the top part of the Stamen and contains the Pollen, the male reproductive cells. The Filament is lower down and holds the Anther.]
Pollen machines. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Beyond psychologically blind…
.
Please don’t neglect the bountiful beauty of nature… which includes your own natural body and taking good care of it (and mother earth).
.
[Polyporus squamosus , called Dryad’s Saddle or Pheasant’s Back Mushroom, is a mushroom that is low growing and has very scaly caps. This mushroom cluster is commonly attached to dead logs or stumps at one point with a thick stem. This mushroom is in a log crevice as the logs floats in a local river. It causes a white rot in the heartwood of living and dead hardwood trees. The name “Dryad’s saddle” refers to legendary creatures in Greek Mythology called Dryads who could conceivably fit and ride on this mushroom, whereas the pheasant’s back analogy derives from the pattern of colors on the bracket matching that of a Pheasant’s back.]
Polyporus squamosus Mushroom cluster. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
(Multi-Photo)*** Something 2 think about…
.
If you are very wise, every time you throw a rock it always lands in the same place.
.
[Photos of local river in the fall season.]
Always and never (1) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Always and never (2) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Pawn to King 4
.
Let the authoritarians keep their gobbledygook. Look and feel for yourself!
.
[Fall colors! That acorn may be the Oak Tree’s first move regarding continuing the game.]
Splendid fall colors. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Simply silent…
.
Being naturally/effortlessly silent – at times, throughout the day – is majestic and joyously deep, beyond words.
.
Searching together. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Timelessly…
.
Lucid wisdom doesn’t take time… but sequential, symbolic thought does.
.
[This Acrea Moth larva, also called the Salt-marsh Caterpillar, is eating heavily and preparing for winter. These caterpillars are relatively abundant in the fall and over-winter as pupae in cocoons. The Salt-marsh Caterpillar feeds on herbaceous plants. There are small rain droplets upon this one, as it was beginning to rain when the photo was taken.]
Salt-marsh Moth Caterpillar preparing for winter. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
What limitation and fragments?…
.
All true wise men have a propensity to understand the whole.
.
[Silver-Spotted Skippers are distinguished from true butterflies by the antennae, which are wider apart at the base and end in pointed, curved clubs. Silver-Spotted Skippers — and all Skippers — are so named for their erratic, skipping flight.]
Silver-Spotted Skipper with its curled proboscis. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Its essence…
.
The essence of love is deep caring (beyond the limited self).
.
[Lazy Susans at a Hospital Park… There are at least two Hover Flies resting upon them.]
Lazy for a good reason. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Little Miss Muffet…
.
Life is not dull or monotonous to a dynamic mind that inquires joyfully.
.
And frightened Miss Muffet away! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Plain and simple…
.
Have gratitude for the simple things in life… for they are usually the most precious.
.
[Morrow’s Honeysuckle, which now grows wild, is one of several honeysuckle shrubs that have been introduced from Eurasia. Morrow’s honeysuckle was imported in the 1800’s for use as an ornamental, for wildlife food and cover as well as for soil erosion control. This one is growing along the bank of a river… which helps against possible erosion.]
Red Gems. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Zen and beyond…
.
The Zen all-meaning circle… it’s just a symbol, but whoever initially came up with it was attempting to convey something profound.
.
[A dried, fall wild vine…]
Zen all-meaning circle… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Question
.
To wisely question may be more intelligent than having concrete certitude.
.
[Eyeing the camera (with a smile)…]
Captured by the Hopper’s lens. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
(Multi-Photo)*** Priceless…
.
You can buy stuff, but you can’t purchase integrity, compassion, and deep insight.
.
[Local Creek in Fall]
Local Creek Up Close. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Local Creek. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Beyond the ordinary…
.
Go beyond what all the pundits and so-called experts teach… and inquire for yourself beyond tradition.
.
[The Heal-all Plant (Prunella vulgaris) is edible, and can be used in salads, soups, stews, and boiled as a pot herb. The Cherokee cooked and ate the young leaves. The Nlaka’Pamux drank a cold infusion of the whole plant as a common beverage. The Heal-all Plant contains vitamins A, C, and K, as well as flavonoids and rutin. The Heal-all Plant is taken internally as a medicinal tea for sore throat, fever, diarrhea, internal bleeding, and to alleviate liver and heart maladies. Topically, a poultice of the plant can be applied to irritated skin, as from stinging nettle toxins. A poultice of the Heal-all Plant also serves well as a disinfecting agent and is used to pack wounds in the absence of other wound-care material. It has been cherished by the Chinese to “change the course of a chronic disease.”]
Native Americans loved it! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Don’t be their thoughts…
.
If one merely thinks according to what was taught by society — as most do — one is thinking and living their thoughts, which is rather second-hand. Live!
.
[Digger Wasps are often seen on flowers during the day. During the night, they rest upon vegetation, singly or in small groups, or burrow into the soil at the base of plants. Digger Wasps will readily sting if bothered enough.]
Digs sometimes. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
The beautiful space…
.
The mind can often be the beautiful space between two thoughts… without symbolic representations, without effort.
.
[Diminutive insects on a Viola Flower in the fall season. Despite the cold weather during each night, the Viola Flower and the insects seem to be thriving during the day.]
Impervious to cold. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
The real McCoy
.
True enlightenment occurs as actual, immense energy… not as mere ideas, symbols, and patterns “about energy.”
.
[This Grasshopper has less “hair” (on his face, legs, and back) than I do!]
Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Illusory fame…
.
It’s likely best to be rather low-key and unnoticeable. For, in the long run, you will (especially if you are wise) really impress no one except yourself.
.
[There is, within this flower, and unobtrusive, little winged insect… a Hover Fly… having the time of his life! There’s also an inconspicuous ant there too!]
Beyond the Camera Eye and Superficial Fame! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Hugging trees is great…
.
Hugging trees is great. But hugging the elderly and those with handicaps is even better!
.
[This is a batch of Chicken of the Woods mushroom with little, winged-insects upon it. When I was out in the woods, photographing, I spotted this beauty from a quite a distance. One then thought: “Of course, it’s such a treasure, that it will be surrounded by my arch-enemy… poison ivy!” Upon approaching the Chicken of the Woods, I then observed that it was, indeed, surrounded by many patches of poison ivy. I carefully took each step towards the Chicken of the Woods, with extreme caution and deliberation. It was unreal; it was like walking through a puzzle (or working on a computer game)! Patches of poison ivy where everywhere! When I finally got to my prize, there was (of course) a big, tall plant of poison ivy right in front of it. I had to bend, with my camera, to get a decent shot. Getting out of the area was equally difficult; each step was a precarious, carefully calculated maneuver toward attaining freedom and safety! When I finally got home, I washed up using a special anti-poison ivy cleaning soap. I didn’t get any rashes! Whew!]
Chicken of the Woods surrounded by my arch enemy… poison ivy. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Beyond words… and all words are merely symbols…
.
No amount of words can ever relate the profound immensity of what true enlightenment entails; it is beyond words, descriptions, and beliefs.
.
[Fall Oak Leaves]
Fall Oak Leaves. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
(Multi-Photo)*** The Fall
.
Whenever nature may fall… it always springs back again. It is ever renewing.
.
Fall by the Creek. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Fall Creek Leaves. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Bending down…
.
There was a wise man… and every time he bent down, the whole world (including all the people, animals, and plants) bent down.
.
[This Goldenrod is being bent over by the wind… not by the weight of the Hover Flies upon it. Hover Flies seek nectar from wildflowers, such as this Goldenrod, which is growing along the periphery of a local, nutrient-rich, rural pond.]
Bending together. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Beyond the limitation or mere symbols…
.
Thought is a wonderful tool, but if that’s all you exist as… you are immured in the confines of your own, limited prison.
.
[This is the central part of a garden flower. The golden Stamen are holding up well to the recent cold weather. Stamen are the pollen filaments of flowers.]
Golden Stamen. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Ripples
.
The thrown rock creates the ripples, but the ripples of thought create the ego (i.e., the so-called central “I”).
.
[This is a Banded Argiope Spider – with ripples of colors – waiting for prey in a perfect web that she has spun. The Banded Argiope Spider is a large spider and is related to the Black and Yellow Argiope Spider (i.e., the Banana Spider). Their expertly woven webs have crossed, zigzag bands running through them that are very thick. It is thought that these have the dual function of attracting certain insects – since they reflect a lot of ultraviolet light that certain insects are attracted to – and for warning low flying birds. (Humans cannot see in the ultraviolet range.) I used to have a lot of these spiders crawling all over me when out in the fields photographing (and didn’t mind it at all); but now I am better at spotting and avoiding the webs and going around them. Many of these spiders are well over and inch long. It is common for them to wait in the web with their head down. Note the webbing to the left and right of this spider.]
A real tiger. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Beyond distorted observation…
.
Do not merely look through the screen of fragmentation that was instilled within (and “as”) your mind.
.
[This is not, as many might think, a Monarch Butterfly. It is a Viceroy Butterfly, resting at the base of an Oak Tree along some moss. Unlike Monarchs, Viceroy Butterflies do not migrate south for the winter. Viceroy Butterflies overwinter as caterpillars, resting inside rolled leaves. Once the weather gets a bit colder, this Viceroy will likely perish; but its caterpillar offspring will survive the winter to emerge as new, splendid butterflies.]
At the end of an excellent life! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Beyond decay…
.
Don’t lead a skeleton’s life. Ensure that your action has real meaning!
.
[This is the remnant skeletal framework of a plant growing along the river bank in the fall season. A diminutive spider can be seen with his handiwork.]
Plant Skeleton. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
No inner fragmentation…
.
What you perceive is not, psychologically, separate from what you are.
.
[These are Mycena haematopus mushrooms growing along a river bank.]
Far from the beaten path. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Beyond inner conflict…
.
Each day, effortlessly watch every moment of thought and perception… and do so without the needless and conflicting separation between the “perception” and the “perceiver.”
.
[These are soybean plants in a local farm field, dry and ready for harvest. (Soy milk in the making!)]
Ready for harvest! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
True freedom
.
True free will (i.e., freedom involving thought/thinking) is a phenomenon that — if it truly exists — breaks free from the cause & effect parameters of the cosmos… which, if one is at all honest, is not likely whatsoever, in any way, shape, or form. However, in profound and deep silence, an immense, timeless energy can appear (i.e., arrive)… that is truly free and not part of a conditioned cause-effect continuum.
.
[This is a Leopard Frog among the dead leaves of fall; interestingly, this frog croaked many times… and is still very much alive. 😉 ]
He kicked the bucket more than once! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Deeper dimension…
.
There is a much deeper dimension to life than what most people think or consider.
.
[These are a form of bracket fungus called Polypores on a fallen log (with some leaves of fall upon them). Most Polypores inhabit tree trunks or branches consuming the wood, but some soil-inhabiting species form myycorrhia – a symbiotic relationship with the roots of trees, wherein they blend with the roots intracellularly (i.e., within the wood-root cells) or extracellulary. Polypores and their relatives, corticioid fungi, consist as part of the most important agents of wood decay. Thus they play a very significant role in nutrient and carbon cycles of forest ecosystems.]
Some Bracket Fungus among us! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Wake up (with awareness)…
.
Wake up (with awareness) in the morning, bright-eyed and bushy tailed!
.
[This fly (bright-eyed and bushy tailed) is called an Early Tachinid Fly. Unlike the undesirable, disease-carrying, common flies, this species hangs around flowers and drinks nectar (as do butterflies). The Early Tachinid Fly is most often seen in meadows and open woodlands full of wildflowers.]
Bright eyed and bushy tailed. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Look with what is deeper than what can see; listen with…
.
Look with what is deeper than what can see; listen with what is deeper than what can hear.
.
[Leaf-footed Bug adults are active from late summer through fall in weedy fields and along the edges of woodlands. The Leaf-footed Bug is fond of a variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers, including hawthorns, goldenrods, and Joe-pye weed.]
Good at leaf walking! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Living and dying are one…
.
To psychologically die (each and every day) to endless fears and separative images… is living wisdom.
.
[This is, because of the enlarged pedipalps, a male spider… probably a Grass Spider. Pedipalps have sensitive chemical detectors and function as taste and smell organs, supplementing those on the legs. In males, the pedipalps are enlarged, functioning as organs for reproductive purposes.]
Oh, that movie-star face! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Direct perception is timeless; it’s instantaneous. Greed, hatred, envy, and comparison all take time.
.
Direct perception is timeless; it’s instantaneous. Greed, hatred, envy, and comparison all take time.
.
[This is a Potter Wasp, some Hover Flies, a small wild Fly, and a Soldier Beetle. Potter Wasps make nests of mud that are pot-like. (They were all circling around the flower cluster, but the Soldier Beetle didn’t get the direction right!)]
Time for nectar energy! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
There are no separate (isolated) pieces to the universal puzzle… once you see the golden whole.
.
There are no separate (isolated) pieces to the universal puzzle… once you see the golden whole.
.
[This is a Hover Fly on a wild Sunflower Plant. This Hover Fly is likely searching for flower nectar (and is distributing pollen as part of a symbiotic relationship).]
Psychologically, the perceiver and the perceived are one. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Stairway to Heaven
.
My biggest vice (according to my wife) — and the observer is the observed — is that of purchasing too many fossils. Perhaps, thinking a few words would be sufficient (instead of getting the fossils)… fossils being fixed impressions of the past. Words – all words – are symbolic representations from the memory bank (i.e., from the stored, dead past).
.
[These are Micro-mushrooms growing on a healthy Lichen covered, large Oak Tree. These diminutive mushrooms are around 2 mm in total length.].
Stairway to Heaven (lyrics & video by Led Zeppelin):
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,
And the forests will echo with laughter.
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now,
It’s just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.
And it makes me wonder.
Your head is humming and it won’t go, in case you don’t know,
The piper’s calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
Another Stairway to Heaven. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
The separation…
.
The separation between yourself and your fears is as illusory as the separation between the idea of “me” and the idea of “others.”
.
[Who has been eating these beautiful wildflowers? One need not look very far for the answer!]
At the scene of the crime. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 