May – June 2025 Advanced Studies Homework

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“Bowing to our Sacred Essence”

Inside or out, sit or stand in a mostly silent, comfortable place nearby. With eyes wide open, gently ease your gaze to a “space” between any two objects in the space where you are. “Allow” the space between objects to reveal the true dynamic nature of those “spaces.” Open to what happens to the integrity of those spaces and the panoramic dance of form and formlessness! The idea is not to look for an “experience” but to stay present and allow life’s essence to reveal itself to “us.” I have noticed that gazing into the bathroom mirror to start the day is an excellent way to “ground” myself in the light that mysteriously appears in and around “my” physical form. The simple act of bowing to the essence of the present moment is always the perfect time and place to bow to my/our true nature. It is the part of us that gracefully lives life as a balance of Self/self.

Bowing is a simple devotional practice in both Zen and Shamanic environments. Although eliminating self-centered ideas may seem impossible, it is not. Our true nature wants us to be true to ourselves. I have noticed how difficult it is for most people to bow to “objects.” This resistance is a feature of our psyches, not raised in a culture or environment to bow to anything. In Zen and Shamanic environments, there is a lot of bowing—sometimes just a brief movement at the waist, and other times a complete prostration. I suggest bowing at the front door when we enter our home. It is not so important to whom, or what, I am bowing to, as it is that I respectfully bow to the essence of the moment.

Bowing is not different from sitting meditation. Both express the need to relinquish our dualistic ideas and become one with everything else. Our first tentative bows to an altar may be out of respect for a teacher and his teaching, and the long lineage of Shamanic and Zen Practitioners. But if we persist in this practice, we see something else is happening. Bowing physically gives up our usual sense of self and others. No one is bowing, and there is no one to bow to! There is just a bow. When we bow, the entire universe bows with us. It is a natural expression of everything that is. Namaste.

Authentic bowing signals we are now—literally—lowering the flag of the sovereign I. When we bow, we give up our attachment to who or what we thought we are. There is now a clear intent to carry out the physical deconstruction of the ego. Over the years, I have noticed that I return to something unknown when I bow. I feel I am falling through time and space to return to what I was “before my parents were born.” Please post what comes up for “you” as you consciously surrender to your/our Eternal Essence!

Namaste…

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