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creativity
November 2008 
Poetry, Music, and Art -- The Current
Posted on Oct 14th, 2006
by 
dragpa gyaltsen
dragpa gyaltsen
Giving rise to poetry, or to music and art--as an expression of Bodhichitta--is a blessing. It is a curious thing to percieve, and learn to turn, that ‘valve’ in ourselves from which such expression arrises; to do so conciously, and with skillfull means, rather than as an event triggered by some external circumstance; some odd coincidence of ‘inspiration’.
I believe that every human being, inately, has a capacity to give rise to the beautiful, the meanigful, the sublime. It is only a function of their relative degree of delusion, ignorance, and poisonous emotions that inhibit their giving rise to such expressions.
Likewise, even those who may have great facility for allowing such inspiration to arrise are so often tragically ill prepared to handle the power of the 'current' that flows through them. It is such a tragedy to see examples of this in the lives of people such as: Edgar Allen Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, Billie Holiday and so many more…
http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/dying3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicides#Alphabetical
When I was a young man, I only wrote poetry when I was miserable. In retrospect, I see now that it was only when such strong emotions, as I felt under such circumstances, that caused this ‘valve’ to open and give rise to expression as poetry. In my 30s I gained some awareness of this ‘valve’ and that it could be turned; that one could alow poetry to arrise; that one could just allow the words to assemble ‘themselves’. Yet, I only turned this valve rarely. I believe it may be that I was not ready to do so; that the current would have burned me up completely had I done so, being utterly unprepared to handle its power at the time; being ignorant of my true nature; of the nature of the world.
I’m begining now to realize that my ‘electrical system’ is ready for the 'current' for a greater and greater flow of it. That most of the obstructions that would have caused the ‘friction/resistance’ and the resulting unmageable ‘heat’ of giving rise to this ‘current’ of poetry have been cleared, the kinks in the cables unraveled, through Buddhist practice and mediation, through merit and Guru devotion, and through an ever increasing understanding.
I will still feel the ‘heat’, and experience the pain of feeling so deeply; but, it will not burn ‘me’; for I am not my thoughts; am not the subject of any of the emotions that are felt. The I that is giving rise to the current is but a conduit. A joyful conduit, in service of the current.
I believe that every human being, inately, has a capacity to give rise to the beautiful, the meanigful, the sublime. It is only a function of their relative degree of delusion, ignorance, and poisonous emotions that inhibit their giving rise to such expressions.
Likewise, even those who may have great facility for allowing such inspiration to arrise are so often tragically ill prepared to handle the power of the 'current' that flows through them. It is such a tragedy to see examples of this in the lives of people such as: Edgar Allen Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, Billie Holiday and so many more…
http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/dying3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicides#Alphabetical
When I was a young man, I only wrote poetry when I was miserable. In retrospect, I see now that it was only when such strong emotions, as I felt under such circumstances, that caused this ‘valve’ to open and give rise to expression as poetry. In my 30s I gained some awareness of this ‘valve’ and that it could be turned; that one could alow poetry to arrise; that one could just allow the words to assemble ‘themselves’. Yet, I only turned this valve rarely. I believe it may be that I was not ready to do so; that the current would have burned me up completely had I done so, being utterly unprepared to handle its power at the time; being ignorant of my true nature; of the nature of the world.
I’m begining now to realize that my ‘electrical system’ is ready for the 'current' for a greater and greater flow of it. That most of the obstructions that would have caused the ‘friction/resistance’ and the resulting unmageable ‘heat’ of giving rise to this ‘current’ of poetry have been cleared, the kinks in the cables unraveled, through Buddhist practice and mediation, through merit and Guru devotion, and through an ever increasing understanding.
I will still feel the ‘heat’, and experience the pain of feeling so deeply; but, it will not burn ‘me’; for I am not my thoughts; am not the subject of any of the emotions that are felt. The I that is giving rise to the current is but a conduit. A joyful conduit, in service of the current.
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Energy currents flows through this series of blog links charging us up to enlightenment.
(This blog has been chosen to be a part of Samme's Project that started here Linking The World One Blog At A Time. A project to link wonderful and thought-provoking blogs to each other in a long thread of links to bring awareness of love, joy and peace and propagate creativity to the world. Namaste! )♥♥♥
Thank you SAMME. All in the service of beings.