Page 403 and further, from The Perennial Tradition by Norman D. LivergoodIn previous chapters we've encountered Perennialist teachers who with their unclouded wisdom were able to distinguish between the realities and unrealities of human existence. "Such stuff as dreams are made on," Shakespeare described it.
Their ability to discern spiritual realities within and above this terrestrial plane was gained as they began to "see" with the spiritual body. Boone, the author of Kinship With All Life,had studied many of these teachers, and understood that they sometime called this capability "the faultless eye of Truth," "the eye of the Soul," "the eye of the Mind," or "the eye of the Understanding." And Boone had spent sufficient time with American Indians to know that with their simple, direct approach they called this supernormal faculty "in-seeing," "in-hearing," or "in-knowing."
Boone developed this kind of faculty through his relationship with Strongheart, a German Shepherd dog who had starred in a number of American movies in the early twentieth century. Boone was taught this "inner seeing" through his long association with his truly fabulous canine teacher. Boone was actually able to see and discern Strongheart as a unique reality in the larger scheme of universal wisdom.
While Strongheart's "owners" were away, Boone had been tasked with caring for the dog. He could sense from the beginning that there was something extraordinary about Strongheart. Not just his trained ability to open doors and sense everything that was going on about him. Boone slowly came to realize that Strongheart was actually his teacher. Their shared journey into what Boone called "larger certainties" began when Boone started studying the special qualities that Strongheart evinced in everything he did. Boone simply observed the dog for hours on end and then itemized Strongheart's qualities with the aid of a book of synonyms and a dictionary.
"The more I did this the more I lifted my concept of Strongheart out of the physical and into the mental, and out of the mental into the spiritual. Thus I was constantly translating him into what he really was back of his physical appearance--an illimitable idea. . . "
Strongheart and Boone spent many hours on a high hill overlooking the valleys below, a spot Strongheart had picked out. During these times of silence together, Boone decided to interview Strongheart as though he were "a distinguished but difficult-to- understand foreigner." He spoke to him mentally in order not to disturb the sanctuary stillness in which they were both sitting. Boone aimed his soundless messages at the back of Strongheart's head, asking him questions having to do with Strongheart's personal life, with Boone, with human-animal relationships in general.
One day, as Boone was carrying on this silent interview procedure, Strongheart suddenly swung his head around and began staring at Boone, and right through him. To Boone, it was unexpected--and startling.
After an extensive period of time, Strongheart turned his head back to its original position and calmly resumed looking off into space as he usually did. Within himself Boone was certain that Strongheart had been silently answering his questions. And Boone suddenly realized that he was actually able to understand what Strongheart had said to him. The proof was that Boone instantly had answers to practically every question he had asked, answers that he subsequently verified in every detail.
"Sitting there on the ledge with his back in my direction, Strongheart had heard the questions I had mentally asked him. When I went into that blank state of mind, without knowing what I was doing I had become mentally open and receptive. Then, turning his head in my direction so as to get my full attention, he had silently answered my questions. I had spoken to Strongheart in the kind of speech which does not have to be uttered or written, and he had replied to me in the same language. Without the exchange of a sound or a gesture between us, each had perfectly understood the other. I had at last made contact with that seemingly lost universal silent language which, as those illumined ancients pointed out long ago, all life is innately equipped to speak with all life whenever minds and hearts are properly attuned.
"What made our silent conversations so easy and so rewarding was the invisible Primary Factor that was responsible for the entire activity. In order to understand this deeply hidden secret, it is important to know that what actually went on in those communion sessions of ours was not the hit-or-miss exchange of thoughts between the 'larger and more important brain of a human' and the 'smaller and less important brain of a dog.'"
"Not at all. Brains as such had no more to do with it than ribs. It was something far more authoritative. And that something had all the immensity, all the power, all the intelligence, all the love of the boundless Mind of the Universe moving back of it and in it and through it.
"Neither Strongheart nor I was doing any communicating as of ourselves. Neither of us was expressing himself as an original thinker or an independent source. On the contrary, we were being communicated through by the Mind of the Universe. We were being used as living instruments for its good pleasure. that primal, illimitable and eternal Mind was moving through me to Strongheart, and through Strongheart to me."
Boone felt privileged to learn from his dog teacher how to get hishuman ego and intellect out of the way, how to blend his best with Strongheart's best, and how to let the Universe express itself through them, "as the Universe with its wisdom and long experience well knows how to do. . . "
As Boone became more skilled in this silent communication he experienced the answers to his questions coming to him with a gentle kind of impact, as a "still small voice" "whispering the needed information within . . . or a sudden awareness . . . or a revealing suggestion . . . or swift enlightenment . . . or a clear direction for solving a particular problem."
In the transitions from not-knowing to knowing, Boone was never conscious of having to make any particular mental effort. He simply became as still and as receptive as possible--and listened to Strongheart's messages. Sooner or later the messages came. The experience for Boone was as if he were suddenly remembering something he had always known but temporarily had forgotten in the fogs and confusions of human experience.
"Thus did Strongheart and I share in that silent language which the Mind of the Universe is constantly speaking through all life and for the greater good of all life. Thus did we make use of that wondrous inner route from mind to mind and from heart to heart. Thus did we cross each other's boundaries, only to find that there were no boundaries separating us from each other, except in the dark illusions of the human senses."
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7525444/Peren ... Liver-Good
http://www.hermes-press.com/rebirth2.htmKinship With All Life (1976)
by J. Allen Bone
With their unclouded wisdom and their ability to define things as they truly are, these spiritual pioneers made clear-cut distinctions between the realities and unrealities of existence. From their pinnacles of discernment they recognized physical phenomena as not the real facts at all but merely counterfeits of the divine. And illusory, temporal, human concept. A mass-mesmeric distortion. "Such stuff as dreams are made on," as Shakespeare phrased it. They had various names for the inner capacity by means of which they were able to distinguish between the real and the unreal. Some of them called it "the faultless eye of Truth." Others preferred "the eye of the Soul," or "the eye of the Mind," or "the eye of the Understanding." The American Indian, with his simple, direct approach to the great verities of being, calls this valuable faculty "in-seeing," or "in-hearing," or "in-knowing."
This is the kind of faculty that I finally had to come to use with Strongheart [a German Shephard dog who had starred in many movies] in order to begin actually seeing and knowing him as he really was in the great over-all plan and purpose of life...
Our escape into these larger certainties began the day that I started hunting for his character qualities with the aid of the book of synonyms and the dictionary.
The more I did this the more I lifted my concept of Strongheart out of the physical and into the mental, and out of the mental into the spiritual. Thus I was constantly translating him into what he really was back of his physical appearance - an illimitable idea...
Then just for fun I decided to interview the dog ahead of me as though he were a distinguished but difficult-to-understand foreigner. I went to work on him as a reporter, talking across to him mentally in order not to disturb the sanctuary stillness in which we were both sitting, aiming all that I soundlessly said at the back of his head. I asked him questions having to do with his most intimate life, with me, with us, with human-animal relationships...
Suddenly, and without the least sound from me to attract his attention, Strongheart swung his head around and began staring at me, and right through me, with those big eyes of his. It was unexpected - and startling.
I do not know how long he kept those x-ray eyes focused on me. It may have been only a few minutes; it may have been much longer. My situation was something like that of the fabulous monk of long ago who, you may recall, went out one unusually fine spring morning to listen to meadow lark sing, and when he returned all his friends were gone; three hundred years had passed by. Such things as time and space disappear in the presence of greater realities.
Presently Strongheart turned his head back to its original position and calmly resumed looking off into space. And the - as easily and naturally as though such things were a regular part of everyday experience - I knew that Strongheart had been silently talking back to me. And I had actually been able to understand what he had said to me! The proof was that I had answers to practically every question I had asked, answers that were subsequently verified in every detail.
Sitting there on the ledge with his back in my direction, Strongheart had heard the questions I had mentally asked him. When I went into that blank state of mind, without knowing what I was doing I had become mentally open and receptive. Then, turning his head in my direction so as to get my full attention, he had silently answered my questions. I had spoken to Strongheart in the kind of speech which does not have to be uttered or written, and he had replied to me in the same language. Without the exchange of a sound or a gesture between us, each had perfectly understood the other. I had at last made contact with that seemingly lost universal silent language which, as those illumined ancients pointed out long ago, all life is innately equipped to speak with all life whenever minds and hearts are properly attuned...
What made our silent conversations so easy and so rewarding was the invisible Primary Factor that was responsible for the entire activity. In order to understand this deeply hidden secret, it is important to know that what actually went on in those communion sessions of ours was not the hit-or-miss exchange of thoughts between the "larger and more important brain of a human" and the "smaller and less important brain of a dog." Not at all. Brains as such had no more to do with it that ribs. It was something far more authoritative. And that something had all the immensity, all the power, all the intelligence, all the love of the boundless Mind of the Universe moving back of it and in it and through it.
Neither Strongheart nor I was doing any communicating as of ourselves. Neither of us was expressing himself as an original thinker or an independent source. On the contrary, we were being communicated through by the Mind of the Universe. We were being used as living instruments for its good pleasure. that primal, illimitable and eternal Mind was moving through me to Strongheart, and through Stongheart to me. Thus I came to know that it moves through everything everywhere in a ceaseless rhythm of harmonious kinship.
I was privileged to learn from my dog instructor how to get my human ego and intellect out of the way, how to blend my best with Strongheart's best, and how to let the Universe express itself through us, as the Universe with its wisdom and long experience well knows how to do...
I would ask him a specific question. When the answer came, it arrived with the gentlest kind of impact. It came as a "still small voice" whispering the needed information within...or a sudden awareness...or a revealing suggestion...or swift enlightenment...or a clear direction for solving a particular problem.
I was never conscious of having to make any particular effort in these transitions from not-knowing to knowing. I simply became as still and as receptive as possible - and listened. Sooner or later it just happened. It was like suddenly remembering something I had always known but temporarily had forgotten in the fogs and confusions of human experience.
Thus did Strongheart and I share in that silent language which the Mind of the Universe is constantly speaking through all life and for the greater good of all life. Thus did we make use of that wondrous inner route from mind to mind and from heart to heart. Thus did we cross each other's boundaries, only to find that there were no boundaries separating us from each other, except in the dark illusions of the human senses.