God On A Chalkboard?

Dictionary.com defines ism as “a distinctive doctrine, theory, system, or practice:
This is the age of isms."

It sure as hell ism.

People often ask me if I believe in God, or they may ask what religious belief or philosophy I follow or observe. If pressed, I would say that I am a Pantheist; regardless of how different or diverse things appear, it seems obvious to me that everything arises from One. However, I loathe labels and prefer not to place an identifying stamp on anything which is continually evolving, including myself. 

Life is dynamic. Words and names are static. They are used as tools, so to speak, to define or describe that which is, but they fall pitifully short in that regard. To put a static label on something that is constantly changing is to deny its true nature.

Then we have that ism suffix; a suffix which somehow reduces every such word to a relatively insignificant belief or theory, due to the overabundance of those so-described philosophies. Pantheism finds its place alongside panentheism, pandeism, monotheism, monodeism, monism, deism, nondualism, dualism, agnosticism, atheism, et cetera ad nauseamism.

Words are a problem. We get so lost in them and so easily bamboozled by them.

Gurus, mystics, spiritualists, and the like must use words in any attempt to reveal Truth to their readers and listeners. But words can only represent the Ultimate Reality or Truth. They can never, ever reveal it; just as they can never truly describe the ever changing you.

The mystic Theoron Felson said, "There is nothing wrong with asking "What is God?" or "What is the meaning of life?" — go ahead and ask. Humans, by their very nature, want answers to all of life’s mysteries. The problem lies in formulating a satisfactory response through the use of language, which is little more than an expression of the limited egocentric mind."

One can dissect and analyze virtually any subject to the point of exhaustion, and still not come up with a definitive conclusion. This is particularly true in philosophy and spirituality. When one gets to that unfathomable subject of the Silent Source, the Eternal, or God if you will, then all the world's available data and words fail miserably. 

A Wikipedia article about the great philosopher Alan Watts, says in part:

His lectures and books gave Watts far-reaching influence on the American intelligentsia of the 1950s-1970s, but Watts was often seen as an outsider in academia. When questioned sharply by students during his talk at U.C. Santa Cruz in 1970, Watts responded that he was not an academic philosopher, but rather "a philosophical entertainer."

What has academia to do with spirituality?  In what manner would these questions — however “sharply” posed — have influenced the musings of a mystic such as Mr. Watts? (I've joked that many of these students likely wouldn't have known a sutra from a suture, or a satra from a Sinatra.)

There seems to be an erroneous assumption that through analytical thought, intense study, investigation, scrutiny, and dissection, we can find the Source. But the Truth has never been and never will be found through a series of chalkboard equations pored over by the world’s greatest physicists. Nor will colossal volumes of intelligent discourse from the most brilliant minds bring any seeker closer to the Way.

---

Joshu asked the teacher Nansen, "What is the True Way?"
Nansen answered, "Every way is the True Way."
Joshu asked, "Can I study it?"
Nansen answered, "The more you study, the further from the Way."
Joshu asked, "If I don't study it, how can I know it?"
Nansen answered, "The Way does not belong to things seen: nor to things unseen. It does not belong to things known: nor to things unknown. Do not seek it, study it, or name it. To find yourself on it, open yourself as wide as the sky."

---

A master was asked the question, "What is the Way?" by a curious monk.
"It is right before your eyes," said the master.
"Why do I not see it for myself?"
"Because you are thinking of yourself."
"What about you: do you see it?"
"So long as you see double, saying 'I don't,' and 'you do,' and so on, your eyes are clouded," said the master.
"When there is neither 'I' nor 'you,' can one see it?"
"When there is neither 'I' nor 'you,' who is the one that wants to see it?"

---

Questions, conjecture, and theories abound;

Some of them groundless, some of them sound.

Born of desire, the mind feels compelled,

To reach out and grasp what cannot be held.

The past and the future are offsprings of thought;

I must attend to the present if I am to be taught.

Questions, thoughts, theories — best placed on a shelf,

When attempting to know the Unknowable Self.

The Seeker And The One

Many of us seek an answer to the mystery of life; an ultimate goal. However, that search will bear no fruit. The seeker and that which is being sought are one and the same. We seek communion with God, or a sense of oneness without realizing that we are already one with the Universe. There is no goal to be reached but, rather, a realization needs to take place.

The search for spiritual fulfillment is part of a great drama of Life, as is the result of that search: the state of enlightenment. However, this great drama is not being presented to anyone outside of the One. We, as individuals, do not exist. That is an illusion created by dualistic thought. You can’t separate yourself from the Whole. The world and your environment are as much a part of you as is your heart or your brain. If you don’t believe me, just try living on the Moon or Mars (that is without artificially recreating an Earthlike environment).

So we are a part of the Earth. The Earth is part of the Solar System, which is part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is part of the Universe. We exist because the Universe does, and the Universe exists because we do. It is mutual. In fact, it is One.

A social website once posed the question, "If you were enlightened, how would your life be different?" I posted the following quotes:

Strong wine, fat meat, peppery things, very sweet things, these have not real taste; real taste is plain and simple. Supernatural, extraordinary feats do not characterize a real man; a real man is quite ordinary in behavior. 

From "The Gospel According to Zen"

Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.

- Old Zen Proverb

What is enlightenment? Who is enlightened? Who is not enlightened?

The distracted or unenlightened mind is filled with anxiety and thoughts — wondering "How long will it take to complete these chores?", "How will these actions affect the rest of my day?", and "Oh, I wish I were doing something else".

The undivided or enlightened mind is only concerned with this moment — carrying out tasks as simply as any other present moment activity.

What is referred to as enlightenment is simply that realization wherein the illusion of ego and a world of separate individuals and things vanishes. It cannot be attained by seeking, as it is the seeker (the ego-image) that must vanish.

If it’s spiritual enlightenment you're after, you won’t likely find it through your meetings with a spiritual coach or through some enlightenment seminar. If you are promised as much, then those making the promise should be treated with skepticism. They may not be the enlightened beings they claim to be (and they may have an ulterior motive; namely, the acquisition of some of your hard-earned cash).

A truly enlightened person is not likely to refer to themself as such (i.e., an enlightened individual) to the exclusion of all others. The answers you seek are all within you at this moment and a true guru will urge you to look inward for your True Self.

The light of the One shines now; and it does so on Its own. Nothing needs to be done but to experience it as it is in this moment.

No More War?

 

The little girl saw her first troop parade and asked,
'What are those?'
'Soldiers.'
'What are soldiers?'
'They are for war. They fight and each tries to kill as many of the other side as he can.'
The girl held still and studied.
'Do you know . . . I know something?'
'Yes, what is it you know?'
'Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come.'

- Carl Sandburg from his poem The People, Yes

Wouldn't it be nice if that little girl was right? Sadly, with our current global mindset, I fear that it is just a pipe dream.

Surely, if enough people decided not to participate in war, then we might see an end to these senseless large-scale conflicts. But how do we go about creating this widespread acceptance of peace over war?

In a Remembrance Day post of mine, I stated that if I am to mourn those who died due to the madness of war, then I mourn every soldier who died; regardless of which “side” they were on.

I refuse to support “our” troops or to take place in a military ceremony commemorating “our” fallen comrades, lest “we” forget. I refuse to oppose those dirty rotten “others”. This “us” vs. “them” mentality is what brings about war in the first place. Is it not obvious that this is the source of all conflict?

As Jiddu Krishnamurti said, "When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind."

On the other hand, the poem  In Flanders Fields exhorts us to “Take up our quarrel with the foe...”

What foe?

All persons on this planet are my brothers and sisters. We are undeniably tied to everyone and everything. When we fight someone else, we fight ourselves. We create enemies that don’t really exist.

To put an end to war forever, we need a new direction. But where do we go? Who do we turn to? The UN? NATO? Our elected “leaders”? Organized religion? (God help us). No. None of these have ever demonstrated the ability to bring about lasting peace, and they never will.

We need to realize our connection to each other; and not just realize it intellectually, but actually feel it and live it. It must be a full time occupation. We must abandon our egocentric thoughts and behavior in favor of an identity with the Whole of existence. This is the only thing that will prevent large scale conflicts altogether. Only you, the individual — who, in reality, is not an individual but a part of the Whole — can create peace. It must come from within.

Only peaceful souls can effect a peaceful world.

How To Effect Real Social Change

An iron-handed government is toppled. A war ends. Rights are granted to an oppressed minority. These are results that have been gained through social activism. But, a new despot lurks in the shadows, and a new war is brewing over some idiotic cause. Prejudice, fear and hatred toward others continues.

Society is just another name for the ego-driven populace. So-called social change does absolutely nothing to drive the ego illusion from our collective minds: no real change takes place at all. Old problems are inevitably replaced by new ones.

No demonstration, march, social protest, or fight is going to bring about peace on this planet. Yes, we can defeat a Hitler by standing up and giving him a collective and well-deserved punch in the nose. But a new bully will surely appear somewhere and a new crisis begins. The up and down drama of life goes on.

I am not advocating passivity nor am I advocating action. Rather, I would suggest a passive action based on a shift in thought; a shift that will ultimately result in how you react to a situation.  

Peace can’t be forced. Peace and happiness are natural states that arise when we dwell in the silent Source. There, ego fades and the death of the “self” is replaced by the emergent True Self. 

The ego-mind is always searching, always struggling, always fighting, always looking ahead, never content. It’s easy to see that an ego-driven society is doomed to a state of unrest.

Abandon the image of a separate you. Identify with the One for meaningful change and true lasting peace.

An Effortless Life

They say that with age comes wisdom. But does it?

What knowledge do I possess now that I did not thirty, forty, or fifty years ago? Exactly who is it that is now wise, where he was once “unwise”? Was I not already endowed — from birth — with all of the essential qualities needed to fully experience and appreciate life? Have I not always been able to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? Have I not always been a “child of the Universe”?

Real wisdom is inherent in everyone. We know how to live; how to exist; and we do. Moreover, we live without effort; but our limited conscious minds tell us otherwise.

Does real living require any effort? It takes no effort to see, hear, touch, smell or taste. Really think about the following: no mental or physical exertion is required for your heart to beat; thoughts come and go — effortlessly;  the blood circulates; breathing goes in and out as the body maintains a proper temperature; food is digested and the body rids itself of waste; hair and nails grow; the mouth stays moist with saliva; cuts and bruises heal on their own. All of this, and more, happens with no conscious effort.

Everything which is done without conscious attention is done effortlessly. When ego and conscious attention get in the way, a struggle ensues and life seems difficult. 

Imagine trying, through force, to taste, hear, smell, feel, and see. Just try using your conscious attention to stop thoughts from entering your mind. It's impossible.

When restless thoughts do subside, they do so not by effort, but by an acceptance and appreciation of the present experience. Then we see beyond concepts, duality, and all the illusions created by the ego-conscious mind. Then we experience life as it is — an effortless expression of the True Self.

A Thief Leaves The Moon

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal. 

Ryokan returned and caught him. “You may have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.” 

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away. 

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

Wisdom From The Tree

 The following is from a post from the highly recommended site Pure Silence:

"I had a short discussion with a couple of co-workers this last evening and the question of "Well, why are we here? What is our purpose in this life?" came up. I didn't have a really good answer at the time so I really could not respond to the question, but later on this came to me..

What if we were able to speak tree dialect, and asked the same question of a tree "What is the purpose of life?" This tree might answer "The purpose of  this life is to blissfully abide in the loving silence of the Source of All. My purpose is to give back that love to all the other creations of the Source. For some, I would be shelter, for others food, and for still others, a home. In the silence, I don't "do" anything but simply BE. I realize pain, suffering and in some distant NOW, physical death will be my fate; the woodsman's axe may cut me and the winds of Spring may uproot me, but I remain silent and loving to the last. In return for the love for It's creations, the One sustains this object that I am with rain and sunlight and the nutrients of the ground. I grow strong and straight and become a useful instrument for the will of the Source. My life can not have a greater balance and purpose." 

If this same question was asked of the grass, the answer might be "the purpose of my existence is to be the silent carrier of the Will of the One. I and objects like me touch the lives of those who do not even know me. The oxygen I exhale sustains the whole world, to some I provide a source of nourishment, and even some of the smallest objects find me a haven and shelter. These objects from the Source need this loving gift and I give it freely through the Will of the One. I realize that there will, also be pain and suffering. Drought, fire and the hand of humanity may destroy this created object, but the Will of the Source supersedes all."

Now ask the ego-driven humans this same question and they will write volumes and volumes of text, create numerous religions, name numerous "gods", designate gurus , masters, teachers, saints and saviors. They will theologize, rationalize, hypothesize and criticize. They will create tenets, dogmas, policies and procedures. They will argue, blame, attack and create wars for the privilege of being able to stand on their spiritual soapbox and proclaim their "god" is greater that your "god", while at their feet are the voices of  the objects of the other "gods" , yelling, shouting , SCREAMING.....

....and the tree stands tall and silent, blissfully abiding in the peaceful and loving silence of the Source of All while giving love to all equally and  unconditionally unshaken in the understanding of it's true purpose of life."

The First Two Editions

In Tetsugen's time the holy Buddhist books in Chinese had never
been published in Japanese, and Tetsugen thought they should be
prepared so for his own countrymen. He planned to have several
thousand copies printed from hand-engraved woodblocks, and went
from town to town to collect donations so this great work could go
ahead. After ten years he had the money needed, and started to
have the blocks cut.

Just then the Uji river flooded, and there was famine in the land.
Tetsugen took the money he had collected, and bought rice for the
starving people. Then he started out to collect his funds again.
Whether the donation was a little one or in coins of gold, he was
equally grateful. After some years, he had the money again.

Then an epidemic passed over the country. Thousands of families
were left without support. So Tetsugen spent all the money he had
collected, helping the helpless. When it was all gone, he started
collecting it again.

Finally his great project was accomplished, and he died content.
Tetsugen's edition of the holy books in Japanese can still be
seen. But those who know, say that the first two editions, which
have never been seen, far surpass the third.

 

 

 

 

The Church Welcomes Ram Dass

 I recently saw this post on a friend's Facebook feed. I think it fits in well with the theme of this blog so I've decided to share it.

Enter Empty

If you’ve not heard of it, Forest Bathing is the practice of taking a stroll in the woods for health and spiritual benefits. Clinical studies have documented those benefits.

I don’t think anyone would be too surprised to learn that a walk in the forest can supply such gifts. However, one should not expect much if one’s mind is filled with distraction
or negative thoughts. In his book A New Earth — which I highly recommend — the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle states, “When we go into a forest that has not been interfered with by man, our thinking mind will see only disorder and chaos all around us. It won’t even be able to differentiate between life (good) and death (bad) anymore since everywhere new life grows out of rotting and decaying matter. Only if we are still enough inside and the noise of thinking subsides can we become aware that there is a hidden harmony here, a sacredness, a higher order in which everything has its perfect place and could not be other than what it is and the way it is...

... In the forest, there is an incomprehensible order that to the mind looks like chaos. It is beyond the mental categories of good and bad. You cannot understand it through thought, but you can sense it when you let go of thought, become still and alert, and don’t try to understand or explain. Only then can you be aware of the sacredness of the forest. As soon as you sense that hidden harmony, that sacredness, you realize you are not separate from it, and when you realize that, you become a conscious participant in it. In this way, nature can help you become realigned with the wholeness of life.”

This also corresponds to an old Zen story:

The master Nan-in had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. But instead of listening he kept talking about his own ideas. After a while, Nan-in served tea. He poured tea
into the visitor’s cup until it was full, then he kept on pouring. Finally the visitor could not restrain himself. “Don’t you see that it is full?” he said. “You can’t get any more in!”
“Just so,” replied Nan-in, stopping at last. “And like this cup, you are filled with your own ideas. How can you expect me to give you Zen unless you offer me an empty cup?

The Zenrin-Kushu

Nothing whatever is hidden;
From of old, all is clear as daylight.

The old pine tree speaks divine wisdom;
The secret bird manifests eternal truth.

There is no place to seek the mind;
It is like the footprints of the birds in the sky.

Above, not a piece of tile to cover the head;
Beneath, not an inch of earth to put one’s foot on.

Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.

The water before, and the water after,
Now and forever flowing, follow each other.

If you do not get it from yourself,
Where will you go for it?

If you wish to know the road up the mountain,
You must ask the man who goes back and forth on it.

Falling mist flies together with the wild ducks;
The waters of autumn are of one color with the sky.

If you don’t believe, just look at September, look at October!
The yellow leaves falling, falling, to fill both mountain and river.

The wild geese do not intend to cast their reflection;
The water has no mind to receive their image.

Scoop up the water and the moon is in your hands;
Hold the flowers and your clothes are scented with them.

Mountains and rivers, the whole earth,
All manifest forth the essence of being.

The voice of the mountain torrent is from one great tongue;
The lines of the hills, are they not the Pure Body of Buddha?

In the vast inane there is no back or front;
The path of the bird annihilates East and West.

From of old there were not two paths;
"Those who have arrived“ all walked the same road.

Day after day the sun rises in the east;
Day after day it sets in the west.

Ever onwards to where the waters have an end;
Waiting motionless for when the white clouds shall arise.

Wind subsiding, the flowers still fall;
Bird crying, the mountain silence deepens.

To save life it must be destroyed.
When utterly destroyed, one dwells for the first time in peace.

Take up one blade of grass,
Use it as a sixteen-foot golden Buddha.

Heat does not wait for the sun, to be hot.
Nor wind the moon, to be cool.

To be conscious of the original mind, the original nature —
Just this is the great disease of Zen!

Like a sword that cuts, but cannot cut itself;

Like an eye that sees, but cannot see itself.

Perceiving the sun in the midst of the rain;

Ladling out clear water from the depths of the fire.

Ride your horse along the edge of a sword;
Hide yourself in the middle of the flames.

You cannot get it by taking thought;
You cannot seek it by not taking thought.

It is like a tiger, but with many horns;
Like a cow, but it has no tail.

Draw water, and you think the mountains are moving;
Raise the sail, and you think the cliffs are on the run.

The blue hills are of themselves blue hills;
The white clouds are of themselves white clouds.

In the landscape of spring there is neither high nor low;
The flowering branches grow naturally, some long, some short.

Alive I will not receive the Heavenly Halls;
Dead, I fear no Hell.

He holds the handle of the hoe, but his hands are empty;
He rides astride the water-buffalo, but he is walking.

Entering the forest he moves not the grass;
Entering the water he makes not a ripple.

If you meet an enlightened man in the street,
Do not greet him with words, nor with silence.

Meeting, they laugh and laugh —
The forest grove, the many fallen leaves!

We sleep with both legs outstretched,
Free of the true, free of the false.

For long years a bird in a cage,
Today, flying along with the clouds.

Soothe Your Soul

Here are a few excerpts from The Gospel According To Zen. Read them and see if they don't have a soothing effect:


"If your heart is without stormy waves, everywhere are blue mountains and green trees. If our real nature is creative like nature itself, wherever we may be, we see that all things are free like sporting fishes and circling kites"


“When in the mood, I take off my shoes and walk barefooted through the sweet-smelling grasses of the fields, wild birds without fear accompanying me. My heart at one with nature, I loosen my shirt as I sit absorbed beneath falling petals, while the clouds silently enfold me as if wishing to keep me there.”


"Just as a whirlwind roaring down a valley leaves nothing behind it, so the ear is to have nothing to do with right and wrong. Just as the moon only reflects its light in a pool, so the mind, empty and unattached, does not know itself and the outside world as two things."

"A solitary cloud comes out of a mountain cave; it stays or departs without reference to anything else. The bright mirror of the moon hangs in the sky; it is aloof from both quietness and clamor."

Take A Hike!

Greetings and welcome to the Church of the Pine Forest.

I am your pastor, Guy Thomas.

I encourage you, dear congregation, to take a hike. Yes, you heard me, take a hike — vamoose, am-scray, hit the road Jack, and find a nice trail to get yourself closer to nature.

Many times have I hiked on a trail leading into a forest of red pines. That is my church. Fallen logs are pews. Feathered friends sing in the choir, reciting the twenty-bird psalm. A copse is an apse where trees stand and preach in silence. Breezes whispering through the pines deliver hushed sermons.

From an old Zen saying:

"The song of birds, the voices of insects, are all means of conveying truth to the mind; in flowers and grasses we see messages of the Way. The scholar, pure and clear of mind, serene and open of heart, should find in everything what nourishes him."

And this excerpt from Aldous Huxley's wonderful novel Island, talking about St. Francis of Assisi:

"Just imagine," he went on, "preaching sermons to perfectly good thrushes and goldfinches and chiff-chaffs! What presumption! Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut and let the birds preach to him?”

Why waste your time sitting in a stuffy structure on a hard wooden bench listening to some dubious spiritual authority recite words from some ancient text? Communion with nature will serve you much better. 

So take a hike, earnest seeker. Your mind, body, and spirit will thank you for it.