the nerve of the monkey

"... for you are the temple of the living God" (2 Corinthians 6:16)

Hoo! Now there's a powerful statement! Startling! At the inner core of the temple is the Holy of Holies, the place where even the spit of sardonic humor evaporates, the site of the bone marrow of the cosmos, of the central nervous system and its core Nerve that no one dares or wishes to touch.

At one time It was hidden by a veil. The one priest / attendant / servant who went behind the veil to this awe full place risked his life each time. A rope was tied to one of his ankles in case he was struck dead so his body could be pulled out.

This holy fire burns at the core of us. We are too busy being monkeys to see or notice it, even though the veil of the temple has been split in two, torn apart, and all that is holy has been revealed -- in all cultures and traditions.

All secrets are out in the open. We are the temple of the living God, the springing of the Wellspring, the embodying of Spirit. And still we monkey around.

Now I'm all for the monkey. I'm an excellent monkey myself. But the monkey has his place. Reminds me of the story of the monkey and Buddha. As I recall, it goes something like this. The monkey was bragging of his prowess to Buddha. He told Buddha that since he was a magnificent leaper, he could leap beyond Buddha (who in this story was a manifestation of Spirit, of Awareness with a capital A).

Mister Awareness smiled and said okay, do it. But how will I know where you have leaped? You have to leave some sign. Mister Monkey said, I will take a piss at the exact spot of my landing. And zoom! Off he went in a mighty leap, passing through infinity after infinity, and landing at a pillar surrounded by vast nothing. He peed upon it and jumped back.

Well, how was that, Mister Awareness Dude? he swaggered. The Buddha held up his hand. At the base of one of his fingers was what looked and smelled suspiciously like fresh monkey piss.

We are not so great as we think we are. We are greater. Because at our core is the sacred altar, the altar of the Holy Fire. And no matter how much we piss around, It continues to Burn.