On the subject of money …
My girlfriend Roberta drove me from my mobile home in Carpinteria, California, to her cabin in Ojai (in 1991 or so).
When we arrived we met a man moving into a nearby cabin on the same estate, the equivalent of a city block away from the cabin Roberta inhabited.
We exchanged greetings, saying we’d get together sometime and visit.
I had a sudden realization the moment Roberta and I entered her cabin – the rent was due on my mobile home the next day, and it had completely slipped my mind.
I exclaimed, “My rent is due tomorrow and I’m $50 short. I don’t have any more money, so I’m gonna let God pay the $50.”
“But how are you going to earn the money?” asked Roberta.
“How CAN I earn it? I’m out here in the woods with you. It’s now God’s responsibility. GOD owes the $50.”
“What if you get evicted? What are you going to do? Live on the street?”
“You’re unclear on the concept. It’s God’s responsibility if I end up on the street. It’s HIS job to take care of me if I lose my mobile home. I don’t owe the $50. It’s God’s share of the rent. GOD owes the $50!”
Roberta threw up her hands in exasperation, and we dropped the subject completely.
There was a knock on the door five or ten minutes later.
Roberta opened the door, and there stood her new neighbor holding up a $50 bill.
He looked past her and said to me, “This is YOUR $50.”
Roberta’s eyes opened wide, and I must admit I was also taken aback.
There was an awkward pause, but the neighbor persisted. “You DO know what this is about, don’t you?”
I reached out for the $50, and replied, “I certainly do. Thank you very much. I really need this. The money will be put to good use.”
The neighbor told us he had studied with a Zen Master in Big Bear, California.
He said, “The Master gave me a koan. Do you know what a koan is?”
“Yes, I’m familiar with the concept.”
“I meditated on the koan, and I astral projected. Do you know about astral projection?”
“Yes, I’m familiar with that too.”
“I thought it was the answer to the koan. Next time the Master asked me about the meaning of the koan, I replied by leaving my body. He yelled at me, ‘Get back in your body! That’s NOT the answer!'”
We talked some more, then he left.
I never saw him again, and promptly forgot his name … but not his generosity or the EXPERIENCE.
And just who the heck was that Masked Man, uh, Zen Master, anyway???
The next day I paid the rent on my mobile home with a few hours left to spare. :)
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'God Owes the 50 Bucks! (& One Reason I Like Ojai)' have 3 comments
June 13, 2012 @ 3:44 pm atomb
80% of the time money follows the lyrics of The Rolling Stones …
“You can’t always get what you want, but it turns out, if you try sometimes, you get what you need.”
But 20% of the time we’re entitled to the lyrics of Bob Dylan …
“Your debutante knows what you need, but I know what you WANT.”
June 14, 2012 @ 10:56 pm Jim
A protocol I have heard recently. A 3 day cycle. A day of dominance, a day of discipline and a day of direction. Have you heard this before? or Where might this have come from? Maybe add a day of rest and repeat the cycle to make 7.
June 14, 2012 @ 11:52 pm atomb
Yes, Jim, the universe is built out of mathematics, and three-day cycles and seven-day cycles may be the two most predominant ones.
Gurdjieff called The Law of Three the Sacred Law of Triamazakamno and the Law of Seven the Sacred Law of Heptaparaparshinokh … with the emphasis on SACRED.