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The Heart Of Understanding
by Franklin Jones (aka Adi Da, Da Free John)
from The Knee Of Listening
Death is utterly acceptable to consciousness and life. There has been endless time of numberless deaths, but neither consciousness nor life has ceased to arise. The felt quantity and cycle to death has not modified the fragility of flowers, even the flowers within our human body. Therefore, our understanding of consciousness and life must be turned to that utter, inclusive quality, that clarity and wisdom, that power and untouchable gracefulness this evidence suggests. We must cease to live in our superficial and divided way, seeking and demanding only consciousness and life in the present form we grasp, avoiding and resisting what appears to be the end of consciousness and life in death.
The Heart is that understanding, that true consciousness, that true life that is under the extreme conditions of life and death. Therefore, it is said, that One that is is neither born nor come to death, not alive (merely) as the limitation of form, not rendered in what appears, and yet it is the living One, than which there is no other, appearing as all of this, but eternally the same.
There is only the constant knowledge and enjoyment of the Heart, moment to moment, through the instant of all conditions of appearance and disappearance. Of this I am perfectly certain. I am That.
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by Mohandis K. Gandhi
The only devils in the world are those running around in our own hearts, and that's where all our battles should be fought.
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What Is A Seedball?
by Ano Tarletz
Can you imagine growing a garden or orchard without tilling the soil, digging holes, fertilizing, or even weeding? It’s entirely possible using seedballs – marble-sized mixtures of clay, seeds, compost, and other organic goodies. The way they work is exceedingly simple, yet so magical…
Seedballs can be made by hand in the comfort of your own home. It’s a wonderful activity to share with friends and family. The ingredients are: powdered red clay, a large variety of seeds, compost, soil microorganism inoculants, and hot pepper to repel insects and rodents. These all get mixed up with water and worked into a kind of dough. Once the right consistency is reached, the dough is rolled into little balls and laid out to dry. A day or more later, you’re ready to go! The seedballs can be tossed out anywhere there isn't already mature forest – on lawns, garden beds, empty fields, barren grasslands, even deserts – at the rate of a few balls every square foot or square yard, depending on the situation. It’s that easy – just walk around and throw them about!
Because they are encased in clay, the seeds are protected from rodent and insect predation, premature germination, and rotting or baking on the ground. They remain in the clay until enough rain comes to dissolve the seedball. Then the seeds get wet and buried in the moist clay and can safely germinate. The clay, compost, and inoculants all feed the sprouting seeds, getting them off to a strong start. Up to 100 different species or more can be sown at once, including native trees, shrubs, and grasses; nitrogen-fixing trees and ground covers; and/or edible vegetables, roots, fruits, and nuts.
What really makes seedballing different (as opposed to transplanting seedlings or tilling in seeds) is that we let Nature decide which plants are best suited to the exact conditions they’re in. Because a large quantity and variety of seeds are broadcast, we can be sure that something will grow (unless conditions are completely infertile or toxic). Plants who find a suitable niche will thrive; the ones that don’t will perish or not sprout. This process naturally promotes optimal plant and land health.
If we are doing wilderness restoration, we don’t need to be concerned with which particular plants grow, because the ground will become covered and Nature will guide the process towards a climax forest perfectly. If we choose to grow food, we would select primarily food-bearing plant seeds and a site where the soil can support the non-pioneering plants we are selecting. Regardless, over the years a healthy, abundant ecology “ designed” by Nature will emerge. Rather than imposing our plans onto the land (even very well considered ones), we instead harmonize our desires and will with Nature and allow Her to reveal which species is best suited to each particular spot. Once She shows her primary response to our seedballing, we can, as the system matures, favor some plants over others by cutting and pruning or re-seedballing with an updated seed selection. This way of planting is born of a fundamental trust that Nature, not man, is the wisest and most capable farmer and landscape designer.
Seedballing alleviates a tremendous amount of nursery and transplanting work in plant propagation, while still being productive. Because there is a high density and diversity of naturally selected plants and no tilling of the Earth, there is very little possibility of disease and no need for pesticides. Nature handles all the details with minimal human management. In fact, the rich tapestry that She grows is far more efficient, productive, and breathtaking than any human could design. All we do is select and gather seeds, make the seedballs, and sow them as we walk (or fly over) the land. That’s it! Nature handles it from there. What less can we do?
I see seedballs as a profound tool for transforming our world. Using seedballs, we can heal deserts, reforest abused lands, plant food-forests and gardens, and empower citizens to make real their dreams to heal and serve the environment in a direct, easy, and practical way. Even if you have no land or farming skills and live in the suburbs, you can still use seedballs on public or private lands, if you cooperate with the land-stewards and wildlife. Some people believe that money, government, and ownership are the main limiting factors to changing the world, but perhaps through creativity, time management, and cooperation we can circumvent these structures and accomplish “the impossible.” The seedball is in our court!
Seedballs were pioneered by Masanobu Fukuoka, a revered Japanese elder, farmer, teacher, and visionary, who developed The Natural Way Of Farming, a sustainable, organic-farming approach and spiritual philosophy. He has written several books; his best known are One Straw Revolution, The Natural Way of Farming, and The Road Back To Nature, which are all translated from Japanese. Though these books are currently out of print in the U.S., Pan Piper Press has found a source for them overseas, and these books are now available through this site! You also might be able to hunt some of his works down via libraries, used bookstores, and organic farming enthusiasts.
To learn more about seedballs and Masanobu Fukuoka:
• Read any of his books. (We currently stock The Natural Way of Farming, One Straw Revolution, and The Road Back To Nature.)
• Check out other websites about Fukuoka on our Links page.
• Attend a How Does Your Garden Grow? sustainable homesteading course which Ano leads several times a year on the Big Island of Hawaii.
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(all poetry from Transplant-Shock Therapy)
written by Ano Tarletz
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Farm Like We’ll Live Forever
I don’t live in the suburbs
I don’t live in the wild
I refuse to live in ignorance
I wish to be as true as a child
I don’t drive a tractor
I don’t crave a car
I refuse to buy these images
I wish to honor what we are
I was root-bound in the suburbs
I root and worship in the wild
I sow the seeds of peace
I don’t want to live exiled
I know how to end world hunger
By mini-farms not maxi-marts
My stocks and market are our soils
My health club is this farm
Give you food it only feeds today
Show you how to grow you eat for life
Farm like we’ll live forever
Live like we’ll die tomorrow
Love like we can’t say, “never”
Dream like all will follow
Farm like we’ll live forever
Or we might never dream tomorrow
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Oh, Weary Traveler
Oh, weary traveler put down your sails
Come into this harbor - we’ve heard all your tales
Oh, weary traveler come upon the shore
Forage in our trees until you want no more
Oh, weary traveler out at sea so long
Are you longing, longing to belong
Oh, weary traveler we’re all weary too
All coming home, and all missing you
Oh, weary traveler is your only rest
In a lonely mountain's vulture-stalked nest?
As a weary traveler I tried to make there a bed
But they feasted on my folded wings, taking me for dead
So now weary traveler I only lay my soul
At the hearth of dear mates who are kin of ol’
Here, weary traveler, let’s touch with our hands
Breathe and sigh, “I understand"
For weary traveler, I navigate the flights
Into my darkness and into my light
Oh, weary traveler leave if you choose
Go, fill your cups, I have mine too
And weary traveler if you choose to stay
Then by lord, you may, you may, you may
Oh, weary traveler put down your sails
Come into this harbor - we’ve lived all the tales
Oh, weary traveler let us fly the flights
Into our darkness and into our light
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Spirit Re-Quest
Spirit - Bring me to Thee
Spirit - I have so much, still I’m not happy
Just on creature power I feel weak
Grace and guidance I seek
Spirit – Bring me to We
Spirit – As a single unit I am weary
I am longing for what tribe gives
Cradle to grave relationships
Spirit – Bring me to Me
Spirit – Help me purge the demons in me
Been ruled by dark whispers in my head
Want to dance in the light of love instead
Spirit – Bring me to Intimacy
Spirit – With what I can and cannot see
Let me accept peacefully
How dreams meet reality
Spirit…Bring me to Thee
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I Party Naked
I party naked with my friends, it ain’t sexy, it ain’t Zen
I party naked with my friends, it ain’t trippy and it ain’t sin
I get naked at an ocean
I give naked in a park
Don’t matter if I’m in public
Can be daylight or moonlit dark
Can’t feel the sunshine in a building
Central heating ain’t like warm outside
Nature’s call is what I’m yearning
My birthday suit I don’t need to hide
Yeah! That’s more my style
I party naked with my friends, if you see my pee-pee the world won’t end
I party naked with my friends, and I’ll make amends if I happen to offend
I wasn’t born to cloak my feelings
Born to live where folks will meet my eyes
I like the breeze on my bottom
Feeling connected from Earth to Sky
Let’s all have a happy picnic
And hang our uniforms in the trees
We are born to party naked
With the groundhogs and bull froggies
Yeah! That’s more my style
I party naked with my friends - it’s your rite - you’re welcome to attend
I party naked with my friends - if it’s best for Bambi it must be meant for men
Naked is how I sing and dance
Naked - my tan is whole not half
Naked - I’m out of the fashion trance
Why, I get naked just to take a bath!
Yeah! That’s more my style
I party naked with my friends, it ain’t sexy, it ain’t Zen
I party naked with my friends, it ain’t trippy and it ain’t sin
I hope this song made you think and laugh
Yeah, I get naked…just to take a bath
I get naked…just to take a bath
I get naked…just to take a bath ;-)
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(All poetry from Transplant-Shock Therapy)
Webdesign by Blissland
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