--Gabriel came back to the Tree before I left and spoke a lot about how the culture of life is not about a war against the culture of death, but about raising consciousness and transforming others. You can't win by spreading hate. That only contributes to the problem.
--I asked about what to do in a situation where you are being attacked, since it is easy for us to speak of this in a safe room in Patagonia, AZ. He said it is not that you can't do violence to defend yourself--if you must, you should (and though he respects Gandhi, it was inappropriate of him to ask Hitler to please stop the war--it was an action that didn't make sense or help anyone). But doing unfortunate things (like killing in self-defense) should be a necessary action, not one out of hate and fear. He told of a samurai that was hired to kill someone for the emperor. The man spit in his face before he went to kill him, and he turned around and left, sparing the man. A few months later, the samurai caught up with the man and went to kill him. The man asked to know why he had spared him earlier. The samurai said that if he had killed him in that moment, it would have been out of anger (since he was spat upon) and he is not to kill out of anger. But now he is not angry so he can go ahead. So he did kill the man then.
I had heard that story before, but this time it made sense to me.
--There was a person who arrived at the Tree who obviously had had some plastic surgery done. She was very nice, but obviously had fake breasts and possibly collagen-filled lips and other work done. I just wonder why someone who went to the Tree would be interested in those things. I can see changing your mind and accepting yourself afterwards, but wouldn't you get the toxic things removed then? I don't mean to gossip. I was just confused, I am just wondering what brings certain people to the Tree. I didn't speak enough to her to be sure. I know she never went to temple because she didn't like rituals, she said.
--Gabriel is also kind of a nerd, which is funny. He makes comparisons between the current situation and Star Wars, apparently. In satsang (spiritual Q and A), he compared things to Iron Man--Iron Man was an arms dealer who became good. He transformed, versus being killed or conquered, and that's what Gabriel is talking about. Not personally into comics, but I thought it was cute that he makes those comparisons. It will be a "party-cipation", a party, with participation--I guess the book Sacred Commerce has more on this.
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