The Lion's Roar in the Eyes of a Skull: Serve Up the Greatest Truth from the Platter of Your Soul

A monk asked Tosu, “Is there a dragon howl in a dead tree?”Tosu said, “I say there’s a lion roar in a skull. ” ~ Zen master Dogen Zenji (1200-1253)

Somewhere inside most of us is a belief that living from the truth of our essence is somehow in conflict with worldly success -- that we must suffer long and hard before we can enjoy the fruits of this life. It's an old belief that carries through from our ancestors and ages of hardship and struggle through time.

And perhaps there is some truth in this. The yin and the yang -- darkness and light.

But have you not suffered enough already?

It is my experience that has showed me, that has demonstrated time and again, that the choice I make to transmute this darkness determines the outcome. It is a process of life, death and rebirth. And only through my conscious choice to complete this cycle from darkness and back to light again, am I able to serve up a great feast of love and abundance.

Having experienced the sadness of suffering and dissatisfaction in your life, you are free to choose your lessons from a great platter.

From this great platter you serve up the wisdom of Truth. That which you have chosen to transmute through your seeing.

This is seeing from the eyes of your primordial truth -- the essence. Seeing from the face of your essence, through the illusion of your victimization.

The suffering transmuted, it is gone -- dead -- burned in the fire of love. What will you serve up from these great ashes?

This is the lion's roar in the eyes of a skull.

Share the feast of your heart -- that thirst which can only be quenched by bringing it out to the light, and offering it up to us. Let us feast on the light of your truth. The Fire of Love.

Perhaps you can feel the emptiness and dissatisfaction inside you now.

Why not ask, 'what is this great thirst inside?'

It is only waiting to be quenched by the light of your heart -- the eye of love -- to be seen and plucked up from the darkness. Served up from the platter of your soul...

The Fire in your heart -- the great thirst -- is the Dragon's howl. It is the lion's roar in the Eye of Love.

We are thirsty too. Let our thirst be quenched from the light of your wisdom -- the wisdom of transmuted suffering.

A monk asked Kyogen, “What is the Way?” Kyogen said, “A dragon howl in a dead tree. The monk said, “I don’t understand.” Kyogen said, “Eyes in a skull.”

dragon howl & lion roar: ‘the great life following the great death.’ Rediscovery & reawakening of the whole potential after liberation from bondage to conditioning [thought-forms and belief systems]. Seeing the truth in things. dead tree & skull: nirvana, the great death. Is there life after the great death of awakening? What does the dragon say?

Eyes in a skull: seeing after enlightenment; understanding, but not in (of) the ordinary mind. [...]

The dragon howl, the lion roar, are never completely hidden. What is hidden is ‘Who is hiding it?’"

~ Thomas Cleary, Rational Zen: The Mind of Dogen Zenji (quoted from the zen site).

In Love and Truth,

..

From the eye of love -- the lion's roar -- I offer this now:

Fire of Love Healing and Life-Work Whispering -- private sessions to guide you through the transmutation of sadness, confusion and doubt into clarity, strength and the flow of your life's great work. (Limited availability -- in person or via skype.)

Lion Heart Immersion -- a deep immersion into your soul's fire to create paid offerings, and offer up your truth to the world via the web and in person. (Limited availability -- in person or skype, with an upgrade option to have one of only three more websites we build before Feb. 9th 2012, the end of the Year of the Dragon.)

Both of these new offerings are available by application. See the consulting page for more info.

..

Share this if it resonates with you -- on Facebook, or Twitter, Email or Google+ -- thank you. :)