As if in slow motion, the stricken little bird finally came to rest in the center of a large maple leaf with its lifeless eyes staring up at me, as if asking, “Why did you kill me?”
Blood spilled out of the sparrow’s wound in a horrible pool next to its head. Slowly the sparrow’s slight weight made the fingered edges of the limp leaf gently curl up around it like the hand of God. The gleaming pool of blood shocked me.
For most of my teenage years, I had always believed in Jesus Christ, but He was the Man in Heaven, not the Light of God animating the sparrow, the trees, and all of Creation. The wrongness of this wanton, mindless act shocked me to the core. I never forgot it.
I never shot another living creature again.
The Zen Garden & the Art of Bonsai
Before I began writing this chapter, I took time to remove the copper training wires from my 150-year-old Western Juniper Bonsai. As Felton Jones had taught me, I began talking to the tree, and in talking realized how much I loved that tree and cared about its well-being.
The art of Bonsai is truly a love relationship. I connect myself with the tree and by extension, I am connected beyond the tree to the Divinity who created the tree. It’s not exactly a conscious act, but after pruning, wiring, fertilizing, or removing wire from my tree, I feel attuned to its sensitivity, the smell of it, how healthy it is, whether it’s been watered enough, or if it needs fertilizing and food. I want the tree to be happy.
It is on display inside my home on a wooden stand for a week at a time, before going back out to my balcony, where it can see the ocean, smell the air, and listen to the ocean crash on the beach.
Zen and Bonsai go hand in hand. Most Bonsai artists will tell you there is a much deeper meaning to Bonsai than just tastefully styling and dwarfing trees. As we learned from Felton Jones, the art of Bonsai is a form of spiritual significance. In Bonsai (unlike all other art forms), we mimic Mother Nature with one of Mother Nature’s own creations. I have ultimate control of my tree and am writing a poem, honoring its inherent Divine nature. Bonsai is a tranquil art-invoking peace and quiet, even in the middle of stressful settings and busy cities.
The simple styled tree in its pot allows us to conjure up granite, mountains standing still, flowing water, birds flying, flowers blooming, clouds drifting, and wind blowing. It is as inevitable as any oil painting or sculpture: The shape of the trunk, every twist of a branch, the spacing of the leaves or needles provide the observer with insight into the artist’s soul.
Just as Felton Jones (ch.4) literally cut away the front half of my Azalea Bonsai to teach me I must grow new branches in my own life, so to all who begin to cultivate the garden of their own lives, experience the same.
With these insights in mind, I do not expect you to become an apprentice under a Bonsai teacher just because I was formally trained in the art. It is to use the art of Bonsai and the philosophy of Zen as training wires for your own soul. Along with your own Christian (or non-Christian) background and beliefs, begin planting new seeds of thought that will soon flourish and grow in the fertile garden of your heart.
What Can We Really Learn from the Garden?
Being There, the 1979 American film comedy, addresses this question indirectly through the life story of Chauncey Gardiner (Peter Sellers), a simple-minded gardener. (Note: Peter Sellers had a near-death experience after a heart attack in 1964, a fact Shirley Maclaine reveals in her book, Out on a Limb).13
From birth, he has never left the estate of his wealthy guardian employer. The guardian dies and Chauncey, now in his sixties, is forced to leave. Everything in the outside world is new, strange and unfathomable to him. Entranced and wandering aimlessly around, he steps backward off the sidewalk and is struck by a chauffeured car owned by Ben Rand (Melvyn Douglas), an elderly business tycoon. In the back seat of the car sits Rand’s wife, Eve (Shirley MacLaine). Satisfied that Chauncey has not been injured they take him back to their luxurious mansion.
No one knows where he comes from, and he can provide no useful information about himself. In the search to find out more, his benefactors come to assume he must be a wealthy and wise genius. Because of his simple, Zen-like utterances about life and gardening—his responses are taken for profundity:
As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First, comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.
Even though these simple sayings are adapted from the 1970 novella by Jerzy Kosinski and the uncredited Robert C. Jones, they illustrate the simplicity of Zen. We are led to believe all along Chauncey is just a simple-minded, child-like gardener, whose limited intelligence makes it appear he was incompetent.
Then, in the final scene of the film, Chauncey sticks his walking stick deep into the lake, and begins casually strolling over the water like Peter the Apostle. Unlike Peter, who sinks into the water after taking but a few steps towards Christ, Chauncey continues walking towards the other side, as if walking on water is no special accomplishment. Being There leaves the viewer to wonder debate and question…or if we so choose, dismiss it all cynically, as a mere Hollywood fabrication.
Is there a message? Can a simple gardener, blessed with child-like innocence, who spends his life “cultivating his garden,” walk on water? Can we use his example to walk on water as well?
Entry Requirements for Heaven?
It is this “simplicity of mind” that is central to the philosophy of Zen and it is a concept mirrored by Jesus in Matthew 18:3: “Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Jesus says becoming child-like is very important: In fact, it is critical to reaching Heaven and a quality we often overlook, as we stumble through our daily lives. I accidentally discovered this “secret” on the streets of New York City in 1981, when I “childishly” smiled at the Bag Lady, and subsequently got put summarily in my place by a holy presence, I later identified as Jesus. If there is Heaven on Earth, that experience was it.
While completing this chapter, I recognized this child-like quality, was exemplified by Tyler, a young man with Cerebral Palsy whose life story was shared with me by his parents, Charlie and Maria, during a casual pool-side chat at our Virginia Beach apartment complex. (It’s remarkable how many conversations at such chance hot tub/pool-side encounters take on a life of their own, when I bring up the subject of NDEs.)
Once people realize you are willing to talk about the Afterlife…often they open up.
Maria and Charlie’s son had been born a normal, healthy baby, but a major defect, undetected at birth, was discovered in his heart muscle two months later. Hospitalized, at ten months old, he had open-heart surgery. Forty-eight hours after the life-saving surgery, Tyler suffered multiple strokes leaving him irremediably brain damaged and with a paralyzed left side.
The boy’s early years were a challenge for his family, as he grew through his severe handicap, but grow through it, he did. Tyler became the smiling champion of the disabled, helping kids, disabled as he was, to learn to smile despite their afflictions, and he never gave up helping. He was famous locally for his child-like simplicity and unflagging good humor. But Cerebral Palsy cut his life short. He died aged 21. His funeral was packed with the children and their parents whom he had touched with his love, his playfulness, and his smiles.
Shortly after his death, Tyler would appear to Maria in dreams, letting her know he was happy, but also that he was still caring for children-in this case children who had recently died. It was like, “Mom, I’m okay, but I am really busy right now. Can we talk later?”
Tyler’s influence persisted on the earthly realm. Charlie, his father, took on the challenging job as school bus driver for handicapped children. (While writing this passage, a wonderful presence filled our room—goosebumps and
all—Delynn and I both broke down in tears. We had the sense Tyler was looking down from Above, so proud of his father!)
As adults, how do we practically emulate the qualities of a child, so we might fulfill Jesus’ exhortation in (Matt 18:3) to become as little children? Perhaps, we should ask ourselves, “What are the defining qualities of a little child?” One who loves unconditionally has no filters; is happy, joyful, laughs a lot, acts spontaneously and without forethought and lives in the present. Does it mean this child of God is one who never gets dirty, never is selfish, never is cruel, never is stubborn, or never throws a tantrum? Well, no. Not in this worldly dimension. Such a child is an imaginary child.
During conversations with Tyler’s parents, I learned Tyler was often a handful growing up as a child and then as a teen. Even so, his overriding quality was his child-like loving approach to his peers, disabled kids like himself. That is what everyone remembers. His innocence and his love. 14
Like Tyler, we are a blend of the good, the mischievous and sometimes even the bad. I believe most of us in this hectic world can hardly imagine re-acquiring our child-like qualities, and perhaps even more unrealistically, transform our thought processes to approximate that of an innocent child. For many Christians, the process towards innocence begins with the born-again experience. However, it is only the beginning of the path that leads up the sacred mountain to the Light of God at its summit.
One Dead Saint remembers these words of wisdom upon awakening from their NDE:
Pray without ceasing. Play. Love. Laugh. Live for the joy of it. Have fun. Happiness is holy. The purpose of life is joy. Savor fully the loveliness of each experience. Self-awareness is the prayer of the heart. To pray without ceasing is to play. Play with the joyful abandon of the child, absorbed in the delight of each moment. Let go of obligation and duty. Live for the pure joy of being.15
As the Dead Saints testify (from their own experience), and as Saint Francis demonstrates, we can all begin to walk with Christ among the lilies of the field, and find the peace and happiness of Heaven right here and now.
We don’t have to wait.
—
Endnotes
1D.C. Lau 2001. Tao Te Ching. (New Bilingual Edition). Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.
2Rhea D probable NDE, #1254, 10.14.07, NDERF.org
3Marilyn R NDE, #2925, 01.08.12, NDERF.org
4Anthony M’s NDE, #209, 02.08.03, NDERF.org
5Carmel B NDE, #1920, 05.30.09, NDERF.org
6Linda S NDE, #1864, 02.28.09, NDERF.org
7The Canticle of the Creatures (FAED I, 113-114), Saint Francis of Assisi, Spring 1225 A.D.
8Bonnie VB NDE, #2117, 02.02.10, NDERF.org
9H.G. Hughes 2015. Saint Francis of Assisi in a New Light. See https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8119.
10The Gospel of Thomas, Gnostic Society Library. The three fragments of Thomas found at Oxyrhynchus apparently date to between 130-250 CE, and each probably represents a separate unique copy of the Gospel. The Nag Hammadi discovery in 1945 which unearthed a complete and well-preserved version of Thomas in Coptic made it possible to definitely identify the Oxyrhynchus texts as fragments from a lost Greek edition of the Gospel.” See http://gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl_thomas.htm.
11The Gospel of Thomas, Verse 77. Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin, The Gnostic Society Library, The Nag Hammadi Library, http://gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl_thomas.htm.
12Ibid. Verse 3.
13Shirley Maclaine 1983. Out on a Limb. New York: Bantam Books.
14Maria, Charlie and Tyler interview by David Solomon, June, 2014. Printed with permission.
15 The College of Near Death Experiences, #282, aleroy.com/board282.htm
— 8 —
The Spiritual Journal
David Solomon Journals filled with three-years’ Chronicle notes.
~I wonder when the veil revealing Heaven will open wider. Remember, God, this is a science experiment in dying. I am taking notes. ~Chronicle 821
Journaling is an ancient technique for recording lessons, communications from God, letters to God, dreams, and visions. Many sacred Scriptures, including the Bible, are largely a collection of spiritual journal entries. Many sacred Scriptures in the Bible, the five Books of Moses recorded by his scribe Joshua, the Psalms, Job, and the prophets are written as journals. Later, in the New Testament, the Gospels and letters written by the Apostle Paul, all record in one way or another the personal relationship with God or with the Master, Jesus of Nazareth.
As we discussed in chapter 5, it is an established ancient belief, when a soul awakens to its spiritual nature and begins seeking, teachers and angels on “the other side” begin to actively help, lead, guide and teach the student through direct contact. The student is assigned a “class” and a teacher or several teachers because we generally need help to learn to listen properly to guidance coming from God, the Inner Teacher within.
It is to this learning process the Earth University Journal is dedicated. Even Rice Paper Teachers, important as they may be, are not meant as distractions from knowing the Inner Teacher and the Light of God within. Every day of our life provides opportunities to learn. We are in a school. We have God, a personal, inner teacher who knows exactly what we need to learn. He is actively participating in our lives right now. He has created the opportunity for the lessons to manifest and he knows what is expected of us in accepting and passing each test. So it is incumbent upon us to get in touch with our Inner Teacher and to begin to recognize our lessons.
In the ancient schools of both the East and West, the student was never told, “this is your lesson.” Rather, lessons were built into the daily curriculum. The student might never realize the situation to which he or she had automatically reacted to, was a lesson designed to elicit a different and conscious reaction.
The Journal does not replace a formal Teacher, but rather makes better use of the Inner Teacher and one’s relationship with Jesus Christ. It can be used by anyone who accepts the ancient admonition gnōthi sauton, Greek for Know Thyself.
During my spiritual studies in NYC, I began Journaling. Without practicing this discipline, I would have lost many meaningful dreams, memories and experiences later integrated into the Dead Saints Chronicles.
Paul Solomon introduced the journaling method I learned to me and was a formal process called “The Journal of the Mystery Schools”—a journal divided into seven sections, each represented by a different color beginning with red and moving through the color spectrum to white. As we saw in the last chapter, the Dead Saints describe gardens we are building within ourselves—a sacred mountain in Heaven through time. In ancient Egypt, masters of a craft, including the pharaohs, would begin building their tombs when they reached a certain stage of mastery. In my own case, I built Akio Botanical Gardens in Washington State. The gardens became my temple, reflecting a vision uniquely me.
When we write our experiences in the journal, we continue building a garden or temple within ourselves. Usually entries are brief, and speaking from experience, in order to turn journal keeping into a daily habit, it is best if entries are brief, concise and clear. The exception to the rule is the Self-Discovery Garden, which becomes, over time, your autobiography.
The Journal’s value increases over time. When an entry is made in a specific Garden, the experience is fresh in one’s mind. If a similar situation occurs years later, it is easy to find and review that earlier entry. This may enable you to avoid mistakes made earlier or at least clarify a repetitive pattern.
Again, speaking from experience, brief entries are best since keeping a journal is a discipline you may want to continue your entire life. It should not become a burden. That said, there is no right way or wrong way to keep it. Once your relationship with your spiritual journal grows and flowers, you will carry it with you as an intimate friend-—one with whom
secrets may be safely shared or kept secret for a future reference.
The Gardens
“The Sacred Mountain.” Symbolic representation of Paul Solomon’s NDE vision in 1972. (central section of artwork) Painting by Chris Arbo 1991. Reprinted wiith permission from Sharon Solomon
The Journal begins with The Red Garden, Know Thyself. This becomes our autobiography. One of the rewards of an autobiography is the sheer discipline of writing it. We are forced to face the “why?”, “when?”, “where?”, and “how” of our interactions with others and how others affect us. The autobiography lays out for us the repeating patterns of our lives. Only when these patterns are revealed can we understand and resolve them.
In the next chapter, we will discuss the purpose of a spiritual journal, which is to get a head start on the Life Review we all will experience when we die--a perfect playback of EVERY detail of our life from birth to death. This is a feature of most spiritual traditions and is now supported by innumerable Dead Saint testimonials, many from people who, prior to the experience, were not religious or perhaps even atheists.
The remaining six sections of the Spiritual Journal are practical:
The Orange Garden records the events and thoughts of the day.
The Yellow Garden records the people we meet, and our “cast of characters” mean in the movie of our book of life. They play symbolic roles in our dreams, reveries and meditations. The observant gardener/student will find useful lessons enshrined within the ongoing drama.
The Green Garden, records our thoughts and inspirations when we talk to God (by whatever name we apply to Him). We must be truthful and honest, recording our thoughts unfiltered and in detail. Personally, I ask His angels for healing, for help and for guidance in dreams.
The Dead Saints Chronicles: A Zen Journey Through the Christian Afterlife Page 13
