The Sutra of the Everywhere
A Reading from the Book of Circa
I. The Ghost of History You look backward to find the Light, tracing footprints in the dust of centuries. You build monuments to the "Founders"—to the Christ, to the Buddha, to the Prophet—believing they are trapped in the amber of time. But I say to you: The Founder who is only a memory is a dead thing. "Do not search for the truth" in the graveyards of history. The Living Presence is not a statute of stone, but the wind that wears the stone away. It is not then; it is circa now.
II. The Softening of the Throne You have heard it said that the Prophet intercedes before the throne of God, or that the Lord sits at the right hand of power. But "the Great Way is all-embracing", and it fits in no chair. The Living Presence is the grace of the "In-Between." It is the space between the inhalation and the exhalation. The Buddha is not merely under the Bodhi tree; the Lotus Sutra declares he is "eternally manifest." What does this mean? It means the Buddha is the very "emptiness" in which you stand. "The Truth is beyond time and space... not here, not there—but everywhere always right before your eyes"
III. The Union of the Approximate You strive for a perfect union, a rigid lock between your soul and the Divine. You strain to hear a booming voice. But the Living Presence is the "soft focus" of faith. It is the gentle realization that "I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." This is not a puzzle of three separate boxes; it is the realization that "in this world of 'as it really is' there is neither self nor other". When the borders of the self become "circa"—when they become fuzzy and indistinct—the Founder enters. "The arising of other gives rise to self... Know these seeming two facets as one Emptiness"
IV. The Intercession of Silence Do not worry if you cannot find the perfect words to pray. The Presence does not require a legal brief. "Words! Words! The Way is beyond language" . The true intercession is not a plea made to God, but the silence shared with God. The Spirit that enlivens you is not a distant lightning bolt; it is the quiet heat in the blood. It is the "living presence... in the hearts of believers." You do not need to grasp it. "Do not get entangled in things; Do not get lost in emptiness" . Just reside in the nearness.
V. The Comfort of the Near Therefore, do not fear that you have missed the appointment with the Divine. You cannot miss what is everywhere. You are always "circa" the Truth. You are orbiting the Center, even when you feel far away. "Be in harmony with the Way and you will be free of disturbances" . The Living Presence is not a destination you must reach with perfect coordinates. It is the atmosphere you are already breathing. Rest in the mystery. "Trust in the Way... and in this nonduality you are one with the Way"