I was feeling a bit ornery a few moments ago, so I was wishing for a reading that would have allowed me to rip into some ancient philosopher, spewing all of the ire and fire I could muster. Unfortunately, I read Philo and now I feel at peace with the world, wanting to spread love, joy, and good will to the entire human population. Well, maybe that’s a little extreme…
What really happened is, I skipped to the last selection of the reading and was reminded of my place in this drama, reminded of the grace that has been bestowed upon me by whatever one chooses to call “higher power.”
“When the righteous man searches for the nature of all things, he makes his own admirable discovery: that everything is God’s grace.”
It would be very easy to read a statement like this and make a grand assumption that a man must be on a holy quest, a mission to seek and know the greatest of all mysteries, to attain supreme enlightenment, or become privy to secret and ancient knowledge. I don’t think that is necessarily the point. As I interpret this, when a man finds enough humility or truth in himself to ask for help, to seek a different path than the one that has limited or harmed him, then does the face of God reveal itself.
In this moment, a man rises above his egoist fray and attempts to know and feel courage, opens the door to a greater understanding of his life, and begins to sense a power and strength previously unknown to him. This courage, this power, this desire to be free opens the portal behind which lies grace. The word 'righteous' may seem out of place here, but in looking past the traditional connotation, the man who seeks a better way is the righteous man. The man who can trust in something unseen is the righteous man. The man who is sick and tired of being sick and tired searches out peace and serenity—this is the righteous man.
“Every being in the world, and the world itself, manifests the blessings and the generosity of God.”
Although I believe this to be true, at times I convince myself it isn’t. The worst of men commit horrible, barbaric acts of violence and yet by this logic, they too “manifest the blessings and generosity of God.” How can this be? Like all men, they are able to be drawn so far into themselves, they lose touch with humanity, and by that, humility. How can I judge another man when I too suffer from the same symptoms; maybe they aren't as severe, or lead me to the same acts of depravity, but do I not know the malaise of an overblown sense of self that leads me to make mistakes when dealing with my fellows? Of course I do.
Nevertheless, hope springs eternal. With each moment of discomfort or shade of misery, we decide whether we want to remain in desperation or seek solace from it. When we reach out, or reach within, we find release. This is God. This is the blessing and generosity of the passage: grace.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
On The Hermetic Writings
"Leap free of everything that is physical, and grow as vast as that immesurable vastness; step beyond all time and become eternal; then you will perceive God."
This writing brings home the argument I discussed in my previous blog--does God create anew, or is God merely rearranging matter as God sees fit? Now I see the error of my thought, even if God is just moving a bit from 'Pile A' to 'Pile B', God still created both piles, is in both piles, and just is both piles. In fact, I am a part of God, as are you, which means that we should have known this all along!
I hate being wrong. Of some 40,000 books, articles and papers that comprise the Hermetic Writings, the one selection Mitchell chooses is the one that spurs me to realize that I don't know everything. Bah.
If I had a Dirk Dastardly mustache, I would be twirling it between my thumb and forefinger about now...
------------------------------------
What really intrigues me about this particular snippet is the very first line, that "If you don't make yourself equal to God, you can't perceive God." I spoke of my mantra in an earlier post, but have since discarded it for a different repetitive meditation. It has resurfaced.
How does one make themself like God? "Recognize that you too are immortal and that you can embrace all things in your mind..." I like this, I really do. We have come full circle, back to Buddhism and the Dao. This is the bridge. We begin to realize that nothing is inconceivable (a word that makes no sense whatsoever--once something is conceived it is conceivable so nothing is, in effect, inconceivable--but I digress), that everything is knowable, and in learning this we realize that none of this matters--we eventually return to the immortal state from whence we came.
If we are a part of God, and thus God, and even more, a bit of everything else, why is this concept so hard to comprehend? It turns out that God can indeed create a rock so heavy that even God can't lift it--but only because God believes he can't. In truth, the rock is but a pebble.
At this point the Buddhist laughs, the Christian prays, the athiest nods his head, and the agnostic goes back to work and picks up his check on Friday.
This writing brings home the argument I discussed in my previous blog--does God create anew, or is God merely rearranging matter as God sees fit? Now I see the error of my thought, even if God is just moving a bit from 'Pile A' to 'Pile B', God still created both piles, is in both piles, and just is both piles. In fact, I am a part of God, as are you, which means that we should have known this all along!
I hate being wrong. Of some 40,000 books, articles and papers that comprise the Hermetic Writings, the one selection Mitchell chooses is the one that spurs me to realize that I don't know everything. Bah.
If I had a Dirk Dastardly mustache, I would be twirling it between my thumb and forefinger about now...
------------------------------------
What really intrigues me about this particular snippet is the very first line, that "If you don't make yourself equal to God, you can't perceive God." I spoke of my mantra in an earlier post, but have since discarded it for a different repetitive meditation. It has resurfaced.
How does one make themself like God? "Recognize that you too are immortal and that you can embrace all things in your mind..." I like this, I really do. We have come full circle, back to Buddhism and the Dao. This is the bridge. We begin to realize that nothing is inconceivable (a word that makes no sense whatsoever--once something is conceived it is conceivable so nothing is, in effect, inconceivable--but I digress), that everything is knowable, and in learning this we realize that none of this matters--we eventually return to the immortal state from whence we came.
If we are a part of God, and thus God, and even more, a bit of everything else, why is this concept so hard to comprehend? It turns out that God can indeed create a rock so heavy that even God can't lift it--but only because God believes he can't. In truth, the rock is but a pebble.
At this point the Buddhist laughs, the Christian prays, the athiest nods his head, and the agnostic goes back to work and picks up his check on Friday.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
On Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali
For me, there is nothing better than spiritual writing presented logically, almost scientifically. The formation of an argument, supporting data to corroborate the claim, empirical evidence and observational relationships, and an incontrovertible summation I find to be very effective. Needless to say, Al-Ghazali immediately caught my attention.
In this first passage from the selected readings, a logical proof for belief in a loving God is represented, and is done so beautifully.
"All beauty is loved by those who are able to perceive beauty." This lays down a groundwork for the argument.
"Beautiful forms are loved for themselves and not for any end..." This is observable evidence.
"It cannot be denied that where beauty is percieved it is natural to love it, and if God is beauty, he must be loved by those to whom his beauty and his majesty are revealed." This is the point.
"If, where beauty is found, it is natural to love it, and if all beauty consists in perfection, then it follows that the All-Beautiful, who is absolute perfection, must be loved by those to whom his nature and attributes are revealed." This is the summation of logic and argument. Claim and data are united.
I realize that to read this type of poetic dissertation with such a critical eye may do a disservice to the message, but most of the time, this is how my brain works. I find great joy in logic and reason, thus I appreciate (more than some, less than others) a more academic approach to spirituality.
Occasionally I moved by the pure beauty of lyric praise, and magnificent composition to that which is true and right. Althought I do not discount the virtue of this selection, I found myself more impacted by the manner in which is was presented. Regardless, the result was the same--I found joy in this exposition, which I believe was the author's point all along.
In this first passage from the selected readings, a logical proof for belief in a loving God is represented, and is done so beautifully.
"All beauty is loved by those who are able to perceive beauty." This lays down a groundwork for the argument.
"Beautiful forms are loved for themselves and not for any end..." This is observable evidence.
"It cannot be denied that where beauty is percieved it is natural to love it, and if God is beauty, he must be loved by those to whom his beauty and his majesty are revealed." This is the point.
"If, where beauty is found, it is natural to love it, and if all beauty consists in perfection, then it follows that the All-Beautiful, who is absolute perfection, must be loved by those to whom his nature and attributes are revealed." This is the summation of logic and argument. Claim and data are united.
I realize that to read this type of poetic dissertation with such a critical eye may do a disservice to the message, but most of the time, this is how my brain works. I find great joy in logic and reason, thus I appreciate (more than some, less than others) a more academic approach to spirituality.
Occasionally I moved by the pure beauty of lyric praise, and magnificent composition to that which is true and right. Althought I do not discount the virtue of this selection, I found myself more impacted by the manner in which is was presented. Regardless, the result was the same--I found joy in this exposition, which I believe was the author's point all along.
On Muhammad
(*Can't believe I forgot to post this week. Aaargh.)
I have gone back and forth on a certain debate with friends. I have an understanding, as do they. The issue is not to be right or correct, just to more clearly understand each others and our own belief systems. It really is a win-win scenario, although it does get rather heated. The contention lies in the creation myth, and more specifically, how it relates to spiritual matters.
I am of the opinion that, if there is a creator God, a sentient being at the center of all creation, then he/she/it does not create "new" matter. It merely pulls material from itself and reforms that material into a manifestation that pleases it (I use the word it as it is non-gender biased). My friends seem to lean the other way, that God has the ultimate power to bring new material into existance, at will.
Unfortunately, Muhammad supports neither argument.
"Do not despise the world, for the world too is God."
"Wherever you turn is God's face."
Damn you, prophet. You were supposed to take my side! Hah! Regardless of the argument over minutiae, the principle is the important matter. Whether or not God creates anew, or reforms matter from himself, the outcome is the same: that which exists is of the world, and that world is of God. Every man, woman, and child; every tree, stone, and droplet of water; every mountain, ocean, and breath of wind; all is glorified and holy in the eyes of the creator for, "He is the first and the last, the manifest and the hidden, and has knowledge of all things."
Oh well, I suppose I will have to find a different prophet to quote when among my peers...
I have gone back and forth on a certain debate with friends. I have an understanding, as do they. The issue is not to be right or correct, just to more clearly understand each others and our own belief systems. It really is a win-win scenario, although it does get rather heated. The contention lies in the creation myth, and more specifically, how it relates to spiritual matters.
I am of the opinion that, if there is a creator God, a sentient being at the center of all creation, then he/she/it does not create "new" matter. It merely pulls material from itself and reforms that material into a manifestation that pleases it (I use the word it as it is non-gender biased). My friends seem to lean the other way, that God has the ultimate power to bring new material into existance, at will.
Unfortunately, Muhammad supports neither argument.
"Do not despise the world, for the world too is God."
"Wherever you turn is God's face."
Damn you, prophet. You were supposed to take my side! Hah! Regardless of the argument over minutiae, the principle is the important matter. Whether or not God creates anew, or reforms matter from himself, the outcome is the same: that which exists is of the world, and that world is of God. Every man, woman, and child; every tree, stone, and droplet of water; every mountain, ocean, and breath of wind; all is glorified and holy in the eyes of the creator for, "He is the first and the last, the manifest and the hidden, and has knowledge of all things."
Oh well, I suppose I will have to find a different prophet to quote when among my peers...
Friday, October 10, 2008
On Jesus of Nazareth
Commenting on the words of an avatar, Jesus, Buddha, and Krishna, is a futile gesture. How about if I just say, "this reading is beautiful," and call it a day? Instead, I am going to tell you things I will not do with this blog, so that you may find them yourselves. There are much better people than I to advise you.
What I will try and do is not attempt to apply the readings to famous Christians throughout time and try to point out their failures to follow the message. "Don't judge, and you will not be judged; don't condemn, and you will not be condemned..."
I also will not be telling you how to live your life, for there are much better authorities on the matter. "...don't worry about these things and say, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will wear?' For this is what worldly people seek; and your father knows that you need these things. But first seek the kingdom of God, and these things will be given to you as well." Even more to the point, "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you..." Like I said, I won't be giving you any advice that someone else hasn't proposed better.
I will not be telling you how to find God, or even find a connection with him. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Finally, I won't tell you how to gain eternal salvation or glory. But I read somewhere that "unless you change your life and become like a child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." So you have that going for you, which is nice.
-------------------------------------
As one who has had his troubles with Christianity, I cannot in good faith, respond to this weeks writings with a sense of objective distance or fair play. I tried that in a blog you will never see. What I have done here is toed the party line, and tried to be the person Jesus speaks of, never knowing, always seeking.
Today, I want to look for similarities in people, rather than point out flaws, differences, and failures in them. I enjoy coming across wisdom like never before. Still, my initial inclination is to scream, "HYPOCRITE!!" as I watch television or walk throught the bookstore, or even drive by a Christian church. Change will come if I remain diligent, but Rome wasn't built in a day (although it took only 3 to burn down... go figure!).
I guess everyone has a cross to bear.
What I will try and do is not attempt to apply the readings to famous Christians throughout time and try to point out their failures to follow the message. "Don't judge, and you will not be judged; don't condemn, and you will not be condemned..."
I also will not be telling you how to live your life, for there are much better authorities on the matter. "...don't worry about these things and say, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will wear?' For this is what worldly people seek; and your father knows that you need these things. But first seek the kingdom of God, and these things will be given to you as well." Even more to the point, "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you..." Like I said, I won't be giving you any advice that someone else hasn't proposed better.
I will not be telling you how to find God, or even find a connection with him. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Finally, I won't tell you how to gain eternal salvation or glory. But I read somewhere that "unless you change your life and become like a child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." So you have that going for you, which is nice.
-------------------------------------
As one who has had his troubles with Christianity, I cannot in good faith, respond to this weeks writings with a sense of objective distance or fair play. I tried that in a blog you will never see. What I have done here is toed the party line, and tried to be the person Jesus speaks of, never knowing, always seeking.
Today, I want to look for similarities in people, rather than point out flaws, differences, and failures in them. I enjoy coming across wisdom like never before. Still, my initial inclination is to scream, "HYPOCRITE!!" as I watch television or walk throught the bookstore, or even drive by a Christian church. Change will come if I remain diligent, but Rome wasn't built in a day (although it took only 3 to burn down... go figure!).
I guess everyone has a cross to bear.
On The Cloud of Unknowing
If I ever think I know what God is, that's the time to find a new God. I am not meant to know what God is, only that I should love God.
--Overheard at an AA meeting
----------------------------------
It's a funny thing when it comes to the All; the more I seek to know what that thing is that runs this whole show, the less I get to know. The universal abstracts are never definable, which makes logic very difficult for the believer. By abstracts, I mean those things that are not physically tangible: emotions, ideas, literary characterizations, etc. An apple can be described, death cannot. The same goes for love, fear, life, and even God.
What we learn from the greatest teachers is how to define the undefinable. We do so by describing what God is not. A friend recently told me about an image in her art class, a depiction of Jesus, suffering. I told her that to describe God, she could have said, "See all the stuff inside the frame? Everything on the outside of it is God." This makes sense to me.
An anonymous monk published a spiritual "manual" entitled "The Cloud of Unknowing" and from this we read, "...upon God himself, no man can think. And therefore I wish to leave everything I can think, and choose for my love that thing which I cannot think." In recognizing that God cannot be thought of or visualized, except by the power imbued within us to love, we are faced with an uncomfortable option: do I continue to trust my human ability to conceptualize, or do I trust my God-given ability to feel? Not an easy question for men whose lives are built upon such lofty ideals founded in reason, logic, science, and pragmatism.
Let me offer you this definition of faith, from Merriam-Webster Dictionaries:
faith: 2b) firm belief in something for which there is no proof.
The core value in faith lies in one's willingness to accept that something exists without possessing any practical knowledge of it's reason. I can tell you that I know not how electricity makes my lights turn on, or helps my refrigerator keep my food cold, yet when I walk in the front door, I have faith that flipping that little switch on the wall will illuminate my entryway. Faith exists in all of us, in some way or another. Faith in God is not entirely different from that example.
I can purchase wonderful soil, build a functional planting box, buy the best seeds, ensure that my garden gets plenty of clean water and manage that it gets the proper amount of sunlight; still, I cannot make a seed become a flower. I have faith that the order of the universe works. I think we all do. The real trick, and one I believe is inherent upon every human, comes in whether or not one wishes to trust that the universe works for a reason.
What we learn from this weeks lesson is simple: if you have come to believe that there is a creator of what has been created, it behooves you to know that you cannot know what it is. All you can do is love that it is. If you have not, or cannot, believe that this universe has an order beyond random chance, I earnestly implore you to keep an open mind and remain willing to concede that human knowledge has yet to develop the power of creation. You may one day be amazed.
"Do not stop, therefore, but keep laboring in it till you feel delight."
--Overheard at an AA meeting
----------------------------------
It's a funny thing when it comes to the All; the more I seek to know what that thing is that runs this whole show, the less I get to know. The universal abstracts are never definable, which makes logic very difficult for the believer. By abstracts, I mean those things that are not physically tangible: emotions, ideas, literary characterizations, etc. An apple can be described, death cannot. The same goes for love, fear, life, and even God.
What we learn from the greatest teachers is how to define the undefinable. We do so by describing what God is not. A friend recently told me about an image in her art class, a depiction of Jesus, suffering. I told her that to describe God, she could have said, "See all the stuff inside the frame? Everything on the outside of it is God." This makes sense to me.
An anonymous monk published a spiritual "manual" entitled "The Cloud of Unknowing" and from this we read, "...upon God himself, no man can think. And therefore I wish to leave everything I can think, and choose for my love that thing which I cannot think." In recognizing that God cannot be thought of or visualized, except by the power imbued within us to love, we are faced with an uncomfortable option: do I continue to trust my human ability to conceptualize, or do I trust my God-given ability to feel? Not an easy question for men whose lives are built upon such lofty ideals founded in reason, logic, science, and pragmatism.
Let me offer you this definition of faith, from Merriam-Webster Dictionaries:
faith: 2b) firm belief in something for which there is no proof.
The core value in faith lies in one's willingness to accept that something exists without possessing any practical knowledge of it's reason. I can tell you that I know not how electricity makes my lights turn on, or helps my refrigerator keep my food cold, yet when I walk in the front door, I have faith that flipping that little switch on the wall will illuminate my entryway. Faith exists in all of us, in some way or another. Faith in God is not entirely different from that example.
I can purchase wonderful soil, build a functional planting box, buy the best seeds, ensure that my garden gets plenty of clean water and manage that it gets the proper amount of sunlight; still, I cannot make a seed become a flower. I have faith that the order of the universe works. I think we all do. The real trick, and one I believe is inherent upon every human, comes in whether or not one wishes to trust that the universe works for a reason.
What we learn from this weeks lesson is simple: if you have come to believe that there is a creator of what has been created, it behooves you to know that you cannot know what it is. All you can do is love that it is. If you have not, or cannot, believe that this universe has an order beyond random chance, I earnestly implore you to keep an open mind and remain willing to concede that human knowledge has yet to develop the power of creation. You may one day be amazed.
"Do not stop, therefore, but keep laboring in it till you feel delight."
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Let's go on holiday!
Mommy? Why is there a Santa Claus?
Well, dear, Santa was born on December 25th, the same as Jesus. Since Jesus came to give the gifts of life and forgiveness to all men, Santa figured he, too, should bring presents to the world.
So he went to Australia and loaded a bunch of Pygmies onto his ships, put them in funny costumes, and called them elves. He taught them to speak English, trained them in carpentry, metalworking and welding, electronics, tailoring, book binding, and general contracting and instructed them to build a factory that rivaled even General Motors!
Santa then collected the catalogs from Sears, Macy's, Toys R Us, KB Toys, Brookstone, and all the other stores and instructed his elves to make many, many duplicates of all the items therein. Living at the north pole excluded Santa from copyright or trademark infringement.
Then he went to M.I.T. and, after some heated negotiation, convinced the good doctors there to make 12 flying reindeer. He brought these back to his compound at the north pole, which coincidentally is not under any country's jurisdiction in regard to labor laws (and surprisingly, PETA is not willing to travel that far), and placed his animals in a stable also built by his "elves." One of the reindeer, Rudolph, had a drinking problem, but luckily it made his nose glow bright red which helped on foggy nights so he didn't have to be put down.
You see, son, Santa needed to bring gifts to all the world, just like Jesus did! That is why Santa does not bring toys to North Korea, Iraq, or Iran.
Santa is a lot like the Easter Bunny. When Jesus was crucified by the Romans and Jews, there was a little rabbit that sat at the foot of the cross. That rabbit was given magical powers by Jesus to lay multi-colored eggs, which he did all over Calvary Hill. Later that week, all the good Christian children came up and found the eggs, and placed them in a basket, after which they counted them up to see how many each child had. The child with the most eggs was the most loved by God and he got to eat as much ham as he wanted because, as it turns out, he was not a Jewish convert like his school chums.
Now the rabbit also saw that the cross Jesus was on was made of wood. What color do you think the wood was? That's right it was brown! What else is brown? Chocolate! The very next year, the Easter Bunny not only hid eggs all over Jerusalem, but with some of them he hid chocolate. Eventually, Jesus inspired the Cadbury company to make cream filled eggs, as the magical Jesus rabbit was not granted eternal life...
Silly rabbit, tricks are for ids!
So you see, Christmas and Easter are really about the spirit of giving, and how Jesus came to save the world. But not dirty, terrorist Muslims.
-----------------------
I wasn't going to post this but Ja-File said I should. Blame him... LOL
Well, dear, Santa was born on December 25th, the same as Jesus. Since Jesus came to give the gifts of life and forgiveness to all men, Santa figured he, too, should bring presents to the world.
So he went to Australia and loaded a bunch of Pygmies onto his ships, put them in funny costumes, and called them elves. He taught them to speak English, trained them in carpentry, metalworking and welding, electronics, tailoring, book binding, and general contracting and instructed them to build a factory that rivaled even General Motors!
Santa then collected the catalogs from Sears, Macy's, Toys R Us, KB Toys, Brookstone, and all the other stores and instructed his elves to make many, many duplicates of all the items therein. Living at the north pole excluded Santa from copyright or trademark infringement.
Then he went to M.I.T. and, after some heated negotiation, convinced the good doctors there to make 12 flying reindeer. He brought these back to his compound at the north pole, which coincidentally is not under any country's jurisdiction in regard to labor laws (and surprisingly, PETA is not willing to travel that far), and placed his animals in a stable also built by his "elves." One of the reindeer, Rudolph, had a drinking problem, but luckily it made his nose glow bright red which helped on foggy nights so he didn't have to be put down.
You see, son, Santa needed to bring gifts to all the world, just like Jesus did! That is why Santa does not bring toys to North Korea, Iraq, or Iran.
Santa is a lot like the Easter Bunny. When Jesus was crucified by the Romans and Jews, there was a little rabbit that sat at the foot of the cross. That rabbit was given magical powers by Jesus to lay multi-colored eggs, which he did all over Calvary Hill. Later that week, all the good Christian children came up and found the eggs, and placed them in a basket, after which they counted them up to see how many each child had. The child with the most eggs was the most loved by God and he got to eat as much ham as he wanted because, as it turns out, he was not a Jewish convert like his school chums.
Now the rabbit also saw that the cross Jesus was on was made of wood. What color do you think the wood was? That's right it was brown! What else is brown? Chocolate! The very next year, the Easter Bunny not only hid eggs all over Jerusalem, but with some of them he hid chocolate. Eventually, Jesus inspired the Cadbury company to make cream filled eggs, as the magical Jesus rabbit was not granted eternal life...
Silly rabbit, tricks are for ids!
So you see, Christmas and Easter are really about the spirit of giving, and how Jesus came to save the world. But not dirty, terrorist Muslims.
-----------------------
I wasn't going to post this but Ja-File said I should. Blame him... LOL
Friday, October 3, 2008
On The Diamond Sutra and The Book of the Great Liberation
A Buddhist says to the hot dog vendor, "Make me one with everything."
---------------------------------
Read the following with caution. There is humor at work and many have been lost to its process. I know of no other way to write of such things without being light of heart.
---------------------------------
Coach Brown, my elementary school phys. ed. teacher said constantly, "there's no 'I' in 'Team'." Some part of me (rhymes with me-go) wants to hunt him down and explain that there is no 'I', period. Then I laugh and realize that I would only be ridiculing myself, practicing no spiritual principle whatsoever.
"...no Bodhisattva who is a true Bodhisattva entertains such concepts as 'self' or 'others'."
I wonder, again starting a sentence with a capital letter i, how the true Buddhist ever speaks, since all functional communication employs me, I, we, you, and they. We read that "The truth is ungraspable and inexpressible. It neither is nor is not." Says you...
------------------------------
"Since there is really no duality, separation is unreal. Until duality is transcended and at-one-ment realized, enlightenment cannot be attained."
I suggest there is no enlightenment, as that implies a state of unenlightenment. We read that there is no duality. There cannot be a 'state of' and a 'not state of' when it comes to the abstract, there just is.
I may try this the next time I get a parking ticket. The meter expired? Time does not exist, officer, it is merely illusion. See you in court.
There is a simple wisdom at play in this reading that challenges every convention known to the modern thinker. There are two states, original and clouded, yet the clouded state only obscures the mind so long as it is allowed to. We are once again shown the power of the ego, the uninvited houseguest that seeks to separate the mind from truth by any means necessary.
According to Buddha wisdom, our mind already has the keys to the kingdom, has the power to see truth from falsehood; in it's true state, it "is naked, immaculate, transparent, empty, timeless, uncreated, unimpeded..." What happened? I want that back! When did I allow this barricade to build itself? Why did I? More importantly, what can I do to return to that state of purity?
Turns out, its like returning from Oz to Kansas--I could have gone back anytime I wanted! It was there all along. My mind is not separate from itself, it is what it is. For some reason, I have chosen the path of most resistance. I have made the false world attractive, built a house in the clouds and promptly moved in.
The point is, I think I like sex. And food. And driving fast, and playing hockey, and watching movies, and reading books, and arguing over the trivial. Turns out that I like them because I want to like them. I identify myself with them. They give me joy because I lack inner peace and a true connection with the universe. Others seek God to accomplish these same feelings, identity and connection. Regardless, until I decide that these no longer sate me, this is the course I follow. At least I am not alone.
In the meanwhile, I write about pure states and clarity and enlightenment as though I have an idea of what they are. Like you, I don't, but writing gets me closer to willingness and that is all I can ask for at this moment. I am willing to be willing.
Still, I wish sex would stop feeling so good. That would sure make the transition easier...
---------------------------------
Read the following with caution. There is humor at work and many have been lost to its process. I know of no other way to write of such things without being light of heart.
---------------------------------
Coach Brown, my elementary school phys. ed. teacher said constantly, "there's no 'I' in 'Team'." Some part of me (rhymes with me-go) wants to hunt him down and explain that there is no 'I', period. Then I laugh and realize that I would only be ridiculing myself, practicing no spiritual principle whatsoever.
"...no Bodhisattva who is a true Bodhisattva entertains such concepts as 'self' or 'others'."
I wonder, again starting a sentence with a capital letter i, how the true Buddhist ever speaks, since all functional communication employs me, I, we, you, and they. We read that "The truth is ungraspable and inexpressible. It neither is nor is not." Says you...
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"Since there is really no duality, separation is unreal. Until duality is transcended and at-one-ment realized, enlightenment cannot be attained."
I suggest there is no enlightenment, as that implies a state of unenlightenment. We read that there is no duality. There cannot be a 'state of' and a 'not state of' when it comes to the abstract, there just is.
I may try this the next time I get a parking ticket. The meter expired? Time does not exist, officer, it is merely illusion. See you in court.
There is a simple wisdom at play in this reading that challenges every convention known to the modern thinker. There are two states, original and clouded, yet the clouded state only obscures the mind so long as it is allowed to. We are once again shown the power of the ego, the uninvited houseguest that seeks to separate the mind from truth by any means necessary.
According to Buddha wisdom, our mind already has the keys to the kingdom, has the power to see truth from falsehood; in it's true state, it "is naked, immaculate, transparent, empty, timeless, uncreated, unimpeded..." What happened? I want that back! When did I allow this barricade to build itself? Why did I? More importantly, what can I do to return to that state of purity?
Turns out, its like returning from Oz to Kansas--I could have gone back anytime I wanted! It was there all along. My mind is not separate from itself, it is what it is. For some reason, I have chosen the path of most resistance. I have made the false world attractive, built a house in the clouds and promptly moved in.
The point is, I think I like sex. And food. And driving fast, and playing hockey, and watching movies, and reading books, and arguing over the trivial. Turns out that I like them because I want to like them. I identify myself with them. They give me joy because I lack inner peace and a true connection with the universe. Others seek God to accomplish these same feelings, identity and connection. Regardless, until I decide that these no longer sate me, this is the course I follow. At least I am not alone.
In the meanwhile, I write about pure states and clarity and enlightenment as though I have an idea of what they are. Like you, I don't, but writing gets me closer to willingness and that is all I can ask for at this moment. I am willing to be willing.
Still, I wish sex would stop feeling so good. That would sure make the transition easier...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
On The Buddha
A man is at his doctors office and says while poking himself in the eye, "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
The doctor says, "Well then, don't do that."
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"But when you realize that something is unwholesome and bad for you, give it up. And when you realize that something is wholesome and good for you, do it."
We have offically left the realm of religion and moved into right thinking and right acting. Granted, in this context Buddha speaks of the virtue of trusting in self versus trusting the message of the preacher, the scriptures, or mere observation; but taking it further, is this not an axiom by which one would live a decent life?
One might say there is a precursor here that goes unmentioned. You ask, "What if the person is a complete buffoon, or worse, a serial killer, and what if what is wholesome or good to them is abhorrent to the rest of us?"
We are confronted with the total paradox of personal growth, one which religion has debated for millenia. Many religions have a clearly defined father figure, one who said from the beginning, "This is right. That is wrong. Go about your business." But for the spiritualist, total harmony is reliant upon the individual and his ability to let the world behave as it will. The more suited he is to accepting that some people do traditionally awful things, the more at ease he finds himself. The more comical he finds this puny drama, life, the more he laughs.
I would say that what is fine for the serial killer is in fact fine for the serial killer, if it makes him happy. Sounds absurd, doesn't it? Yet, who am I to say what should make another person happy? Am I not just another person, suffering in my own way? Do I not struggle with my own fears, doubts, and worries? Do I not seek peace within and without? I do. Letting go of the world about me is often the only thing that allows this world, and my life in it, to make any sense. This is not an easy path to take, yet for my life it has been vital in every way. To quote Robert Frost, "I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference."
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"Be a lamp to yourself. Be your own confidence. Hold to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth."
From the entrance arch to the temple at Delphi comes an inscription, one that mirrors the Buddha similarly, yet simply. Carved in Alabaster is the phrase: "Know Thyself." A pretty good beginning.
The doctor says, "Well then, don't do that."
------------------------------------------
"But when you realize that something is unwholesome and bad for you, give it up. And when you realize that something is wholesome and good for you, do it."
We have offically left the realm of religion and moved into right thinking and right acting. Granted, in this context Buddha speaks of the virtue of trusting in self versus trusting the message of the preacher, the scriptures, or mere observation; but taking it further, is this not an axiom by which one would live a decent life?
One might say there is a precursor here that goes unmentioned. You ask, "What if the person is a complete buffoon, or worse, a serial killer, and what if what is wholesome or good to them is abhorrent to the rest of us?"
We are confronted with the total paradox of personal growth, one which religion has debated for millenia. Many religions have a clearly defined father figure, one who said from the beginning, "This is right. That is wrong. Go about your business." But for the spiritualist, total harmony is reliant upon the individual and his ability to let the world behave as it will. The more suited he is to accepting that some people do traditionally awful things, the more at ease he finds himself. The more comical he finds this puny drama, life, the more he laughs.
I would say that what is fine for the serial killer is in fact fine for the serial killer, if it makes him happy. Sounds absurd, doesn't it? Yet, who am I to say what should make another person happy? Am I not just another person, suffering in my own way? Do I not struggle with my own fears, doubts, and worries? Do I not seek peace within and without? I do. Letting go of the world about me is often the only thing that allows this world, and my life in it, to make any sense. This is not an easy path to take, yet for my life it has been vital in every way. To quote Robert Frost, "I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference."
---------------------------------
"Be a lamp to yourself. Be your own confidence. Hold to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth."
From the entrance arch to the temple at Delphi comes an inscription, one that mirrors the Buddha similarly, yet simply. Carved in Alabaster is the phrase: "Know Thyself." A pretty good beginning.
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