Wings of The Phoenix: Walking the Sacred Path Leading to Joy, Mindfulness & Enlightenment

By Cagri Dorter

“They did not give you the opportunity to be yourself...
And you refrained from being yourself, your entire life...

The traditions, customs, beliefs, habits, obsessions and taboos lived through you; but only ‘you’ yourself, did not...
Isn’t it the moment to break free?
Isn’t it the time to born anew from your ashes?”

“Wings of the Phoenix” is the first book of a series that treats wisdom, mind yoga, meditation, enlightenment, sacred teachings, root of all religions, Sufism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zen, Shamanism, philosophical doctrines, spirituality, new age & self-development from an inter-disciplinary perspective, explaining the core teaching that is at the heart of all while providing a map of the path that leads the individuals, who are in search of their own truth, to their deepest roots...

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“Wings of the Phoenix” is the narrative of an individual who –just like everyone he knows– was, at the end of an unquestioned life, to depart from the earth without having arrived at any satisfying answer about his own existence and the greater creation, yet who enters through a “gate” that becomes visible to him after he starts questioning himself and the world, while this mysterious journey he embarks on, transforming his whole existence...

The elusive dialogue about existence, life, death, the meaning, religions, philosophies, enlightenment, the human being and the Truth that underlies all, enwraps the reader within the characteristic atmosphere of the existential teaching –which gave birth to Rumi and Yunus Emre– to reach profound depths while the identity of “The One”, the answering end of the dialogue which transcends space and time, remains a mystery that awaits to be unveiled by none other than the reader...

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From the Introduction: "If engaged in search of the Truth, one first acquire a scholarly depth to be able to find the link between the root of all religions, spiritual traditions, philosophies and science. As “The One” can only be approached via a holistic (comprehensive) understanding. It is only possible at the end of such a path that seemingly separate parts (religions, philosophies, teachings, thoughts, paths, scientific branches) can unite to form a compass. And subsequently, it is necessary to arrive at the gate pointed by the compass, to be forged within that experience and to go through a genuine transformation... The absence of one of these processes leaves the seeker with only one wing, crawling on the ground instead of gliding freely in the skies. They may think that they are covering a distance when struggling on the ground, as they clap their wings...

“Wings of the Phoenix”, the book series that is born out of a journey which lasted more than 20 years and included this quest, experiences and processes, is written to transmit the essence distilled from them and to make comprehend -from an interdisciplinary perspective- the Truth that centres all...

In the beginning, the seeker makes a stock of the forms and symbols she/he loves, when embarking on the journey... However; when walking toward the ‘Formless’, all forms fall out of her/his hands; without her/him noticing it..." / Cagri Dorter

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cagri Dorter
• Release date: Aug 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310752353

Cagri Dorter

If engaged in search of the Truth, one first acquire a scholarly depth to be able to find the link between the root of all religions, spiritual traditions, philosophies and science. As “The One” can only be approached via a holistic (comprehensive) understanding. It is only possible at the end of such a path that seemingly separate parts (religions, philosophies, teachings, thoughts, paths, scientific branches) can unite to form a compass. And subsequently, it is necessary to arrive at the gate pointed by the compass, to be forged within that experience and to go through a genuine transformation... The absence of one of these processes leaves the seeker with only one wing, crawling on the ground instead of gliding freely in the skies. They may think that they are covering a distance when struggling on the ground, as they clap their wings... “Wings of the Phoenix”, the book series that is born out of a journey which lasted more than 20 years and included this quest, experiences and processes, is written to transmit the essence distilled from them and to make comprehend -from an interdisciplinary perspective- the Truth that centres all... In the beginning, the seeker makes a stock of the forms and symbols she/he loves, when embarking on the journey... However; when walking toward the ‘Formless’, all forms fall out of her/his hands; without her/him noticing it... *** Eğer bir Hakikat varsa; insanın onu tüm dinlerin, manevi geleneklerin, felsefelerin, öğretilerin ve bilimin içinde birleştirici olarak bulabilmesi ve bu Kaynak üzerinden hepsini yerli yerine oturtabilmesi gerekir. Bunun için önce (yapılabildiği oranda) tüm dinlerin, öğretilerin, felsefelerin ve geleneklerin ilmi olarak incelenmesi ve hepsinin derinlerindeki Hakikat'in tespit edilmesi gerekir. Sonra da; tüm bilgilerin ışığında o diri geleneğe dahil olunması, o yaşantının içinde yoğrulunması ve hakiki bir dönüşümün yaşanması... Bu süreçlerden birinin eksikliği, Anka'nın Kanatları'ndan birini kaybetmek anlamına geleceğinden; denge, insanın kendine öncelikli olarak öğretmesi gerekenlerin başında gelir... Bu araştırmaları, yaşantıları ve süreçleri içeren 20 seneyi aşkın bir yolculuğun açığa çıkardığı Anka'nın Kanatları kitap serisi, süzülen özün konsantre olarak okura sunulması ve -disiplinlerarası bir noktadan- hepsinin merkezindeki Hakikat'in anlaşılması niyetiyle kaleme alınmıştır... Kitapların yazım dili; inancı, düşüncesi ve yaşam tarzı ne olursa olsun, herkesin açık seçik deneyimleyebileceği ve yaşamı içinde sağlamasını yapabileceği özel bir yapıda olduğundan; Anka’nın Kanatları, birbirine zıt görüşe sahip okurları arasında dahi hiçbir ayrım yapmaz ve taraf tutmaz... Aranılan Hakikat’in tarafların ve ezberlerin ötesinde olduğu açıkken; şekil, şemal ve kalıplarla O’na ulaşılamayacağı da aşikardır... Başlangıçta eline en sevdiği şekilleri alıp evinden çıkar yolcu... Ancak; şekilsize yürürken, şekiller düşer, ellerinden... Kendisi dahi farketmeden...

Book preview

- After their make-up springs come to an end, people's leaves shed… For they do not know how to bloom flowers, they try to gather withered leaves from the ground and paste them on their branches, one by one. Though they catch a breeze of good feeling for a short while, every time they do this, deep inside, they remain aware of the vanity of their efforts…

- …

- Billions of years in the universe of globes… Hurling from one realm to another, each time… Each time, when you feel you are about to succeed, the dream collapses… When you have forgotten how to draw a breath, the rhythm stutters… Then, your eyes fixes on the mystery of the fall that breathes beneath falling leaves… That sorrow holds your hand and takes you, like a parent, right at the door of ‘The One’ you are looking for…

You have found, at last…

Welcome…

- Thank you…

- ‘Reading’ and ‘comprehending’ are two different things… ‘Looking’ and ‘knowing’ are two different things… ‘Finding the path’ is something but ‘walking the path’ is something else… The seeker often does not know what to do in the beginning… But at least, a few words has to come from his mouth to explain the trouble that haunts him… Tell us, then, what do you want from us? (Writer’s Note: The phrase ‘us’ refers to the Whole Being (instead of a crowd) in enlightenment traditions. The One’ in this case is the dwelling of ‘The Whole’ in a particular body, not an individual, who would voice nothing but the words of the law of existence in response to questions)

- To remember…

- Have you eaten your fill of wheat? (Writer’s Note: The word wheat refers to Yunus Emre, an Anatolian peasant, who travels a long distance to get wheat for his suffering village. The master of the temple offers him the wisdom instead of wheat (3 times) but he refuses each of them because of the urgency of the situation. Then the master orders triple times of the needed wheat is given to him. He thanks & leaves. But then he realizes what he ignored & missed. He turns back and embarks on his quest for wisdom & enlightenment… Today, Yunus Emre is canonized and revered as one of the greatest enlightened masters in Anatolia. His life story & impressive poems serve as sources of inspiration for millions of people)

- …

- Regardless of the amount eaten, it offers no balm for one's hunger, does it? Purportedly they may know what will happen every time, nevertheless, their mind remains fixed there… Those who sold their lives for cheap, in exchange for objects that will end in trash, those who fell for the trick, can get nothing more than a finger full of honey, in the end… Don’t be deceived by the exterior look… For those who do not hear the gnashing of teeth that come with it, they are rewards to be chased endlessly... But for those who do ‘hear’, they are not more than a pile of empty gift-wraps that can only be ignored… The loudest gnashing of teeth comes right before the last moment of one's life, just before their eyelids fall… Even though under golden domes, the human being feels the hunger of his first day on earth… Even if an entire life passes after the moment of the enflaming of the ‘very first desire’; isn’t it that unchanged, unsatisfied ‘hunger’ that truly serves as the scale of the distance covered or the stasis enjoyed on the path?

Expecting ‘the keeper of the barn’ to produce a wheat that will fill the stomach forever, would be a naive wish, even on the part of children; nevertheless, the entire human family founds their finite lives on this very promise…

- Just like a theatre where the curtain never drops…

- And you… Are you bored of playing these ‘never ending games’? The colours of the toys that breed firm attachments in others, don’t they fascinate you anymore? Have you grown aware of the ‘end of the movie’ and started to see, from this moment, the withered states of those which glow in the most vivid of colours now? Tell us… What it is you want, for real?

- I want to understand everything… My own existence and who I really am… ‘Where am I coming from’ and ‘where am I headed to’… The system of creation… Its working principles… And more important than the ‘how’, the ‘why’… Is it possible? Does such a possibility really exist?

- They say even for God, it took six days to create the universe...

A short while after that tryst, he could not help going there again…

At the first opportunity, he found the means to go there again…

- What am I supposed to do?

- What are you supposed to do? in a land where doing is not the currency?

- They tell things so different everywhere… And almost all of them are about doing…

- If all of them are about doing, then what makes them different from each other, basically? Are they really different, in essence? Changing your painting technique, or developing it continuously, only to arrive at a ‘white page’... Do you think this could be a meaningful thing to do? Tell me, which drawing technique can be pure enough to arrive at a ‘blank white page’?

- ...

- Only the ones who are not satisfied with what you mentioned, can arrive at this gate… The scent of this place only attracts those who suffer from that affliction... It repels the ones who do not dare to ask the ‘right questions’... It repels those who are not ready to destroy their ‘own idols’ & face their ‘own lies’... It repels whose are addicted playing with their ‘spiritual toys’… Even if they seem to desire the Truth on the surface, their feet go back… Obstacles block their path… These obstacles are filters which provide them excuses at each turn, for them to go back… Those without the ‘sufficient sincerity’ and ‘will’, get stuck at these filters… And after a while, they forget about ‘the path’…

Each temple requires a different ‘cleansing’… Those who did not cleanse themselves for here, those who are not pure enough to enter here, cannot set foot in this temple… And those who purified themselves and entered, are expected to continue that purification, for their own good…

- I can understand as far as my comprehension reaches… But I am too foreign to these concepts & symbols… I feel that my comprehension will fail… What can I do about this?

- Each patient requires a different medicine… Another’s cure cannot make you well… Your remedy can strike another down… The history of mankind is full of lives wasted on the illusion of someone’s cure can and should redeem everyone… The same thing also applies to the path you intend to walk… If we are to walk, then we will take ‘the most fitting path for you’…

- How?

- Every time you visit here, you will return with ‘a story that carries the keys to the answers of your questions’… Stories are the most tender way to learn to read ‘the symbols’… Between the lines, they hide gifts everyone can cherish, according to their own understanding… For this reason, they are welcoming to almost everyone… They come comfortable at first, but don't forget: They are not as tender as they seem… Only after that comfort dissolves, you find yourself solving the meaning of the story; not before… If you read and let go, you bury not only a story underground, but also the answers that comes with it… You’ll behold that things are stressed over and over in them… Remember that none of these are random... And, remember that no emphasis is repeated for its own sake… Completing a new piece each turn, the function of what you thought (a repeating) will change, too…

- Wouldn’t it be more lucid & immune to misunderstandings; if straight answers were given?

- Here, answers are seldom straight… They are often given as ‘seeds’… You being told the right and wrong, you abiding by these rules, are neither preferred nor valuable here… There are enough ideologies, institutions and spiritual schools out there, doing exactly this… Here, on the other hand, is ‘none of them’…

- Is it wrong for me to continue my other readings, in addition to the stories?

- For those with serious intention, your question points at a vital subject… When your self makes a habit out of gathering knowledge, this would turn this invaluable process upside down… It’ll turn it into a ‘toy of distraction’! For this reason, even though you continue your readings, the importance of paying attention to the fine line between ‘functional readings’ and ‘readings that began to serve as a means to postpone walking the path’ is beyond words…

During this process, it is essential to understand what you read, to contemplate on them, to deepen on certain concepts for the ‘meanings’ to open to you, instead of muddling your mind with ‘unnecessary knowledge’… If it is ‘water’ you seek, your aim is not to have a thousand dry wells; but to dig the earth until you find water, in that single well you have… Let the rest of the world confuse ‘perplexity’ with ‘wealth’… ‘Wisdom’ is not ‘toiling and slaving for a burden of knowledge’, but ‘embodying the knowledge absorbed’… ‘Devouring a thousand tomes’ means nothing compared to the ability to change a habit, or a facet of yourself to aid you on the path, in other words, taking necessary action on one sentence… If you are not able to absorb, the tomes you pored over and threw away makes you an ‘obese of knowledge’, not ‘a wise man’… If this was not true, it would be sufficient to mix all the ingredients in the world to come up with the best dish, isn’t it so?

- What is the essential difference between ‘stories’ and ‘direct transmission of knowledge’?

- The difference of ‘stories’ from ‘unmediated knowledge’ is that, they make their listener a part of their content… First they trigger a novel mechanism: ‘Discovery’… They hide subtleties, connotations, symbols… However if you do not open and discover these meanings within them yourself, they do not have much value… If you really want to embark on a real journey, it is essential to make the journey ‘your own’… Stories allow you to walk your own path and expand… We play our part as a fellow and whisper the necessary pieces when needed… But we do not intervene in the process… We hand your own responsibility to you, acknowledge and accept you possessing that level of maturity…

- So… Isn’t there any rules?

- No, there isn’t.

- …?

- If you, and no other, are the one to reap what you sow; why should we need rules? Schools, paths, ideologies that address their adherents as children (with regards to the level of consciousness) of course require rules, forms, templates; and this is appropriate to address that level of consciousness… Sometimes we speak the same language to those who stray from their paths and arrive here untimely… But we do not hold these souls who have gone through them, those who aim for virtue, back from the path of carrying their own responsibility and becoming free…

Each cause leads to an outcome… The law of gravity applies to everything and if you want to jump from the roof, you are free to do that… But you are the one to experience the consequences of your action, according to the particular law… Same dynamics apply to most abstract of fields… In these subtle realms, the ‘cause’ that will lead to a ‘consequence’ is sometimes ‘a thought’, sometimes ‘an attitude’… Sometimes it is ‘a word’, sometimes it is ‘a facial expression’… A propriety, a discipline, patience and (most important of all) ‘will’ is necessary to open a meaning, to give birth to an awareness, for a transformation of a state and to start an inner evolution… If these are absent, the gates that might lead to them stay closed…

We do not intervene slightest, if you want to leave everything behind and lose yourself in the ‘wheat barn’… If you decide to find us again, you may find everything here as you left, but what you have lost in the wheat barn will not be with you anymore…

In short; no, my friend… These ‘sempiternal laws’ do not spare even a particle and here, there is no rule that is set recently and doomed to vanish one day… That's why the path with no rules other than the eternal ones, exists forever; while each form, each method, each pattern are destined to get old, to fail to respond to the needs and to disappear in a universe that constantly evolves; the path prevails… This place is built on the ‘exact same dynamics that hold the creation’… Your relationship with these dynamics determine the quality of your own life and the meaning you find, not another’s… You establish this relationship and