When contemplating the nature of evil, I find it helpful to contemplate the question "What in human experience creates the most long-lasting destruction?"
To this question my answer is this: self-serving opportunism that involves betrayal of a sacred trust.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Delicious Serenity #2
Am I actually tasting the jasmine flower in my green tea? Or is this a delight for my nose alone? How delicious is this moment and the presence of mind to wonder!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Think On These Things (Thanksgiving 2010)
"My cup runneth over."
This is the metaphor that David, the biblical writer of the 23rd Psalm, chose to express his personal joy and gratitude for his sense of personal contentment. I thank him for the expression. It so very elegantly communicates my own sense of the same; my joy in my current state of affairs.
At this time of year we tend to focus our gratitude on things we have: whatever our measure of prosperity, whatever our measure of health and love. This is good. May the tradition continue.
In fact, I believe that, in making a daily practice of our annual tradition of gratitude, we have the power to shape the very trajectory of our lives in a most positive manner. I believe that, as the Buddha said, "We ARE what we think." The biblical writer, Solomon, echoed the same sense of things in Proverbs 23, verse 7: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
I offer the quotes above not in deference to some authoritative cachet of their sources; i.e., not to suggest that "These really important Wise Men wrote these things, therefore these things are true." I offer the quotes because I have found the principle verified in my own experience, and I could not express it more powerfully and succinctly.
And in extension, I would offer another biblical quote as "words to live by" — the apostle Paul's exhortation to the "church" at Phillipi:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things."
I am grateful that we all share the power to shape our personal worlds and the trajectory of our lives with our own thoughts, our own contemplations.
As we all think in our own hearts, so are we. Is there a more profound blessing than this?
This is the metaphor that David, the biblical writer of the 23rd Psalm, chose to express his personal joy and gratitude for his sense of personal contentment. I thank him for the expression. It so very elegantly communicates my own sense of the same; my joy in my current state of affairs.
At this time of year we tend to focus our gratitude on things we have: whatever our measure of prosperity, whatever our measure of health and love. This is good. May the tradition continue.
In fact, I believe that, in making a daily practice of our annual tradition of gratitude, we have the power to shape the very trajectory of our lives in a most positive manner. I believe that, as the Buddha said, "We ARE what we think." The biblical writer, Solomon, echoed the same sense of things in Proverbs 23, verse 7: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
I offer the quotes above not in deference to some authoritative cachet of their sources; i.e., not to suggest that "These really important Wise Men wrote these things, therefore these things are true." I offer the quotes because I have found the principle verified in my own experience, and I could not express it more powerfully and succinctly.
And in extension, I would offer another biblical quote as "words to live by" — the apostle Paul's exhortation to the "church" at Phillipi:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things."
I am grateful that we all share the power to shape our personal worlds and the trajectory of our lives with our own thoughts, our own contemplations.
As we all think in our own hearts, so are we. Is there a more profound blessing than this?
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sin and blessings are all empty
Sin and blessings are all empty. The Snake swallows the frog. The toad sucks up the worms. The hawk eats the sparrows. The pheasant eats the snake. The cat catches the rat. The big fish devours the smaller one. And everything is all right. The monk who offended against the commandments does not fall into hell.
— Zen Saying
— Zen Saying
Friday, November 19, 2010
All Is Right with the World
(copied directly from one of my favorite sources of introspective thought provocation, the book "Awareness" by Anthony de Mello—a Catholic priest who spent most of his life as a missionary in India.)
(snip—except I have edited for punctuation I thought more appropriate)
When you awaken, when you understand, when you see, the world becomes right. We're always bothered by the problem of evil. There's a powerful story about a little boy walking along the bank of a river. He sees a crocodile who is trapped in a net.
The crocodile says, "would you have pity on me and release me? I may look ugly, but it isn't my fault, you know. I was made this way. But whatever my external appearance, I have a mother's heart. I came this morning in search of food for my young ones and got caught in this trap!" So the boy says, "Ah, If I were to help you out of that trap, you'd grab me and kill me." The crocodile asks, "do you think I would do that to my benefactor and liberator?"
So the boy is persuaded to take the net off and the crocodile grabs him. As he is being forced between the jaws of the crocodile, he says, "So this is what I get for my good actions." And the crocodile says, "Well, don't take it personally, son, this is the way the world is, this is the law of life."
The boy disputes this, so the crocodile says, "Do you want to ask someone if it isn't so?"
The boy sees a bird sitting on a branch and says, "Bird, is what the crocodile says right?" The bird says, "The crocodile is right. Look at me. I was coming home one day with food for my fledgelings. Imagine my horror to see a snake crawling up the tree, making straight for my nest. I was totally helpless. It kept devouring my young ones, one after another. I kept screaming and shouting, but it was useless. the crocodile is right, this is the law of life, this is the way the world is."
"See?" said the crocodile.
But the boy says, "Let me ask someone else." So the crocodile says, "Well, alright, go ahead."
There was an old donkey passing by on the bank of the river. "Donkey," says the boy, "This is what the crocodile says. Is the crocodile right?"
The donkey says, "The crocodile is quite right. Look at me. I've worked and slaved for my master all my life, and he barely gave me enough to eat. Now that I am old an useless, he has turned me loose, and here I am wandering in the jungle, waiting for some wild beast to pounce on me and put an end to my life. The crocodile is right, this is the law of life; this is the way the world is."
"See?" said the crocodile. "Let's go!"
The boy says "Give me one more chance, one last chance." Let me ask one other being. Remember how good I was to you?"
So the crocodile says, "All right. Your last chance..."
The boy sees a rabbit passing by. He says "Rabbit! Is the crocodile right?"
The rabbit sits on his haunches and asks the crocodile, "Did you say that to the boy?"
The crocodile responds "Yes, I did."
"Wait a minute!" says the rabbit. "We've got to discuss this."
"Yes," said the crocodile (without releasing the boy).
But the rabbit continued, "How can we discuss it when you've got that boy in your mouth? Release him. He's got to take part in this discussion, too."
The crocodile responds, "You're a clever one! The moment I release him, he'll run away."
The rabbit counters "I thought you had more sense than that. If he attempted to run away, one slash of your tail would kill him."
"Fair enough" the crocodile conceded. He released the boy.
The moment the boy is released, the rabbit shouts "RUN!!!" The boy runs and escapes. then the rabbit says to the boy, "Don't you enjoy crocodile flesh? Wouldn't the people in your village like a good meal? You didn't really release that crocodile; most of his body is still caught in that net. Why don't you go to the village and bring everybody back here? You can have a banquet!"
That's exactly what the boy does. He goes to the village and calls all the menfolk. They come with their axes and staves and spears and kill the crocodile.
The boy's dog comes, too. And when he sees the rabbit, he gives chase, catches hold of the rabbit by the neck and throttles him.
The boy comes on the scene too late. And as he watches the rabbit die, he admits "The crocodile was right; this is the way the world is—this is the law of life."
-- (story ends. Anthony deMello comments further)
There is no explanation you can give that would explain away all the sufferings and evil and torture and destruction and hunger in the world. You'll never explain it. You can try gamely with your formulas, religious or otherwise, but you'll never explain it. Because life is a mystery, which means your thinking mind cannot make sense out of it. For that you've got to wake up and then you'll suddenly realize that reality is not problematic. YOU are the problem.
(snip—except I have edited for punctuation I thought more appropriate)
When you awaken, when you understand, when you see, the world becomes right. We're always bothered by the problem of evil. There's a powerful story about a little boy walking along the bank of a river. He sees a crocodile who is trapped in a net.
The crocodile says, "would you have pity on me and release me? I may look ugly, but it isn't my fault, you know. I was made this way. But whatever my external appearance, I have a mother's heart. I came this morning in search of food for my young ones and got caught in this trap!" So the boy says, "Ah, If I were to help you out of that trap, you'd grab me and kill me." The crocodile asks, "do you think I would do that to my benefactor and liberator?"
So the boy is persuaded to take the net off and the crocodile grabs him. As he is being forced between the jaws of the crocodile, he says, "So this is what I get for my good actions." And the crocodile says, "Well, don't take it personally, son, this is the way the world is, this is the law of life."
The boy disputes this, so the crocodile says, "Do you want to ask someone if it isn't so?"
The boy sees a bird sitting on a branch and says, "Bird, is what the crocodile says right?" The bird says, "The crocodile is right. Look at me. I was coming home one day with food for my fledgelings. Imagine my horror to see a snake crawling up the tree, making straight for my nest. I was totally helpless. It kept devouring my young ones, one after another. I kept screaming and shouting, but it was useless. the crocodile is right, this is the law of life, this is the way the world is."
"See?" said the crocodile.
But the boy says, "Let me ask someone else." So the crocodile says, "Well, alright, go ahead."
There was an old donkey passing by on the bank of the river. "Donkey," says the boy, "This is what the crocodile says. Is the crocodile right?"
The donkey says, "The crocodile is quite right. Look at me. I've worked and slaved for my master all my life, and he barely gave me enough to eat. Now that I am old an useless, he has turned me loose, and here I am wandering in the jungle, waiting for some wild beast to pounce on me and put an end to my life. The crocodile is right, this is the law of life; this is the way the world is."
"See?" said the crocodile. "Let's go!"
The boy says "Give me one more chance, one last chance." Let me ask one other being. Remember how good I was to you?"
So the crocodile says, "All right. Your last chance..."
The boy sees a rabbit passing by. He says "Rabbit! Is the crocodile right?"
The rabbit sits on his haunches and asks the crocodile, "Did you say that to the boy?"
The crocodile responds "Yes, I did."
"Wait a minute!" says the rabbit. "We've got to discuss this."
"Yes," said the crocodile (without releasing the boy).
But the rabbit continued, "How can we discuss it when you've got that boy in your mouth? Release him. He's got to take part in this discussion, too."
The crocodile responds, "You're a clever one! The moment I release him, he'll run away."
The rabbit counters "I thought you had more sense than that. If he attempted to run away, one slash of your tail would kill him."
"Fair enough" the crocodile conceded. He released the boy.
The moment the boy is released, the rabbit shouts "RUN!!!" The boy runs and escapes. then the rabbit says to the boy, "Don't you enjoy crocodile flesh? Wouldn't the people in your village like a good meal? You didn't really release that crocodile; most of his body is still caught in that net. Why don't you go to the village and bring everybody back here? You can have a banquet!"
That's exactly what the boy does. He goes to the village and calls all the menfolk. They come with their axes and staves and spears and kill the crocodile.
The boy's dog comes, too. And when he sees the rabbit, he gives chase, catches hold of the rabbit by the neck and throttles him.
The boy comes on the scene too late. And as he watches the rabbit die, he admits "The crocodile was right; this is the way the world is—this is the law of life."
-- (story ends. Anthony deMello comments further)
There is no explanation you can give that would explain away all the sufferings and evil and torture and destruction and hunger in the world. You'll never explain it. You can try gamely with your formulas, religious or otherwise, but you'll never explain it. Because life is a mystery, which means your thinking mind cannot make sense out of it. For that you've got to wake up and then you'll suddenly realize that reality is not problematic. YOU are the problem.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Delicious Serenity
Last night James posed the question "What is serenity?"
What a delicious matter to ponder!
Serenity can be summoned simply. Just open the mind like the expectant mouth of a newborn bird. Roll the word (serenity) over and under the tongue of the mind — caressing it, sweeping it into proximity of the synapses of the various neural processing centers, spread wide and deep within the brain like tastebuds, set to sense the multivarious flavors of experience.
"What is serenity?"
Only our attentive tasting of each moment can answer.
What a delicious matter to ponder!
Serenity can be summoned simply. Just open the mind like the expectant mouth of a newborn bird. Roll the word (serenity) over and under the tongue of the mind — caressing it, sweeping it into proximity of the synapses of the various neural processing centers, spread wide and deep within the brain like tastebuds, set to sense the multivarious flavors of experience.
"What is serenity?"
Only our attentive tasting of each moment can answer.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
A Race of Somnambulists?
"Compared to what we ought be,
we are half awake."
— William James
Why do so many of us not treasure every moment of consciousness?
Why do we not eagerly and proactively seek to develop the depth and breadth of our consciousness; to explore and refine its subtleties?
we are half awake."
— William James
Why do so many of us not treasure every moment of consciousness?
Why do we not eagerly and proactively seek to develop the depth and breadth of our consciousness; to explore and refine its subtleties?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Creator
We each create our own experiences with our choices of thoughts and actions, responding to the situations and circumstances of our lives.
Friday, November 5, 2010
How to grow; even how to grow older
Sixty-six times these eyes behold the changing scenes of Autumn.
I have said enough about moonlight, ask me no more.
Only listen to the voice of pines and cedars when no wind stirs.
—Ryonen
I have said enough about moonlight, ask me no more.
Only listen to the voice of pines and cedars when no wind stirs.
—Ryonen