The Brown Book Commentaries

―Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn‘t do
than by the ones that you did. So throw off the bowlines and sail away from your safe harbor …
Explore -- Dream -- Discover.‖ ~ Mark Twain
First & foremost, it is important for us to distinguish the difference between fulfilling a
―Bucket List‖ (what this quote seems to encourage – namely, the fulfilling of as many personal
dreams and lifelong desires as possible before one dies) and FULL-filling one‘s ―Oh Shit List‖
(namely, atoning for all past harms caused, apologizing for all past wrongs done, and at least
initiating all the acts of service that are at least partially renderable) … The former is selfish &
hollow & provides nothing more than the weakest form of solace on one‘s deathbed, while the
latter is selfless & challenging & provides a full-fledged sense of meaning-full Contentment during
one‘s last reflective moment of consciousness … The former expresses gratitude for past blessings
of abundance or ease or pleasure, while the latter feels a profound Gratitude for all those who
guided us toward Kindness with their annoyances and all those who enabled our Love with their
enmity … The former expresses regret for all adventures uncommenced and all excitements not
yet experienced, while the latter expresses humble repentance for all friends ignored & all enemies
condemned … The former boldly leaps into the lives of loved ones & admirers, while the latter
boldly leaps into the lives of strangers & passersby … The former perform acts of open Kindness
for friends & family members, while the latter enlivens anonymous acts of Kindness for friends &
enemies alike … The former
seeks the presence of the famous,
the beautiful, and the powerful,
while the latter immerses fully
into the lives of one‘s
neighborhood downtrodden.
―If you enter the Temple for no other purpose than asking,
you shall not receive anything.‖ ~ Kahlil Gibran
Entering Temples to sightsee is a complete waste of time (You could have been looking for
those nearby in various states of despair) … Entering Temples to tell others you entered them is an
entrenchment of current pain & hardship (You could have been leaving gifts for the down trodden
&/or doing anonymous deeds of Kindness for friends) … Entering Temples to pray for yourself is
a guaranteed escalation of suffering (You could have been praying to be of service to those in need
– and you could have been uttering that prayer with ―moving feet‖) … Entering Temples to pray
your deepest Gratitude, on the other hand, to enter Temples while asking God (or the Universe, or
the Source) for more opportunities to serve others, to beautify said Temple, &/or to assist those
worshipping therein – is the very Liberation your Soul has always sought … And what are these
Temples? Are they always religious in nature – always places of spiritual repose? Far from it …
They are political conventions and workplace meetings; they are sitting in the coffee shop with a
close friend and they are hanging out with associates at the local pub; they are asking a bank teller
for a withdrawal of ―hard earned cash‖ and they are waiting in line at the local supermarket; they
are checking your watch to make sure you are ―on time‖ and they are worrying over keeping
promises to a loved one; they are judging your worth based on social norms and they are judging
others based on your own self-esteem (or lack thereof) … Temples are everywhere in our lives;
everywhere we choose to set aside
spontaneous Caring in favor of conforming to
convention; everywhere we choose to follow
the whips of fear & the whims of desire
instead of having the courage to BE the
Loving ―Child of God‖ we have always been.
Image 441 (Page 158b - main image) … This picture shows a Greek ruin – the Temple
of Juno in Agrigento Valley (Sicily, Italy). It reminds me of the Truth that Love
perishes violently as soon as it is turned into a complex concept or an arduous journey
of ―personal growth‖ or ―spiritual development‖ – self-focused choices that allow the
ego to weaken Love‘s walls and tear its temple apart pillar by pillar. Enlivening (and
thereby sustaining) real Love is remarkably simple: Don‘t think about Love, LOVE …
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