Just Un-Do It

The Distortion Field

2011-11-13T09:19:00.004+01:00

OK folks,

There is something you know in your head, or your heart, or maybe just your gut.

Well, here, let me shed a little light on that gut feeling you have.

Just watch this clip from the movie The Corporation.

It's 11 minutes long (less if you skip the ad at the end).

I think you will find it fascinating. Every bit of it.

See what you think. And feel free to share your thoughts.

To hell with grammar (and other conventions)

2011-10-06T06:16:00.005+02:00

World's shortest obituary: "Think Different"

'Nuff said.

And here is an iconic Apple ad, which when aired was narrated by Richard Dreyfus. However, this one is narrated by the Man himself. Thank you Steve, for being our generation's "crazy one".

"And just one more thing" ;-)

Many times I've thought about what it must have been like to live during the time of da Vinci, Michelangelo, Mozart or Beethoven. Pure genius right before your eyes.

And only now, as I stop to reflect about Steve Jobs, do I realize we've been having breakfast together all these years. MacBook Pro, Apple Cinema display, iPod, iPhone, iPad are all before me along with my hot tea and toast.

I sit in the presence of his genius. Every day.

Can you even imagine what world we might be inhabiting had he not graced our planet for 56 insane years?

Well, he helped us understand that alternative universe as well, on just one day, long ago:

Rest in peace Steve. You deserve it.

Update -- I came across this interesting graphic while reading many of the tributes to this special man. With credit to Jonathan Mak ... somehow, like the Apple products we love, it "just works":

Thinking Big

2010-12-23T06:45:00.001+01:00

This seems like a pretty logical "big thought".

First, the best way to help someone is to enable them to help themselves. That was also discussed in the TED talk at the bottom of this post.

Second, recognize that information is the great enabler. People with access to information can educate themselves and think independently (and recognize when they are being fed propaganda).

And third, conclude the best way to make this happen is to provide access to the internet for those that currently don't have it. Some would even call it a human right.

I like the bold thought and initiative you can sense in this young man and his team of idealists.

And I think they created a good short web video to explain their idea. Check it out (above), and then follow the link to their website, where you can see a longer TEDx video that gives some more background (and a few interesting statistics).

Bravo for thinking big.

Boys with rulers

2010-12-22T06:47:00.005+01:00

Racing Mark Spitz, Outdoor photo exhibition, Madrid, Spain, May 2002,

Sony Cybershot, Focal length 10.4mm, Exposure 1/250 sec @ f6.3, ISO 100, no flash

© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

So, how long is your telomere? Would you like to see how it compares to the next guy? I kinda thought so ;-)

Well, I just came across this interesting article on how exercising keeps your cells young. And by extension, will keep you feeling and looking quite a bit younger than your sedentary counterpart.

Of course we pretty much assumed that to be true, but this study actually measured the length of four groups' telomeres (young/sedentary, young/active, old/sedentary, old/active).

As they say, "youth is wasted on the young", and that was reinforced here where there was no real difference in cell age (i.e., telomere length) between the younger groups. But for the older groups, the sedentary folks saw their poor telomeres shrivel up by 40%, while those active seniors had only lost about 10% length. That's a 75% difference based on your level of activity.

So go ahead, jump in the pool like Mark Spitz (does anyone remember his "gold medal" poster? Yeah, yeah, I heard something about a kid named Phelps, but look, Spitz kept his mustache ;-)

Or maybe take up running. Or biking. Or nordic skiing (great exercise when its cold and snowy outside). Just get out there on a regular basis and exercise vigorously. It may be the closest thing there is to the fountain of youth.

Remember Your Mortality

2010-12-13T07:01:00.002+01:00

Remember Your Mortality, Schönenberg Church, Ellwangen, Germany, February 2010,

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, Focal length 12.85mm, Exposure 1/20 sec @ f3.5, ISO 1600, no flash,

© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

"Life is tough ... What do you get at the end of it? A death. What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backward.

"You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old-age home.

"You get kicked out when you are too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement.

"You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school.

"You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating -- and you finish off as an orgasm."

-- George Carlin

Blind Faith

2010-12-12T18:36:00.006+01:00

Blind Faith, Portion of the Old Bridge statue of Minerva, Heidelberg Germany, October 2010,
Panasonic DMC-ZS7, Focal length 10.3mm, Exposure 1/400 sec @ f4.5, ISO 80, no flash
© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

A funny thing happened during a get together with some friends/colleagues of mine. We started talking about religion (we are a spirited group). All were Christians; one was born again, another seemed to be asking new questions, and the third accepted those parts of the faith that felt right, and did not worry about the rest. And if you were to ask, I am a-religious (against organized religion), but if anything, my leanings are toward Eastern and Buddhist teachings.

I asked if anyone had read Sam Harris' book, "The End of Faith." No one had. So I explained my recollection of his thesis that any religion that relies upon "blind faith" is problematic, and needs to be challenged. The popular example, of course, are fundamentalist muslims, which some would say take their interpretation of the Holy Koran to an extreme, and the result is jihad against the infidels.

But what makes Sam Harris' book so provocative is that he equally challenges the fundamentalist Christians. And he does not stop there. He goes on to challenge even moderate Christians, because they implicitly endorse a belief system (based solely on faith) that can lead to these extreme and fundamentalist views.

Well, this really upset a good friend of mine. The view was basically, "Hey, just because you lack faith, that's no reason to challenge mine." A fair accusation, I suppose, although my intent was only to have each of us examine that premise. It seems credible to me that problems may result out of what some might choose to call "blind faith". And since we have different religions, with different holy scriptures, and each teaches they are the one and only true religion and path to God ... well, we clearly are in for some conflict, now aren't we?

So anyways, my friend and I made amends, and we took a walk the next day, up along Philosopher's Way and back into Heidelberg, Germany across the Neckar River via the Old Bridge. That's where we noticed the base of a statue pictured above. And immediately, we interpreted it as depicting "Blind Faith." We both got a good laugh and perhaps a little insight out of that.

Fast forward to another friend whom I've only met on-line. I was reading a blog of hers last night, and came across a video of John Shelby Spong, a retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark, New Jersey. Boy, what an interesting perspective this gentleman has.

So I offer you two options. You can watch the video at the end of this post (which is about 45 minutes long, followed by some 30 minutes of Q&A (and I do recommend it). I've also added another rather long lecture before that one, which is also very good. But I realize those require a large chunk of time.

But after watching that video, I "Googled" John Shelby Spong and found some short YouTube videos. They will give you a feeling for the messages and beliefs that Bishop Spong espouses (and the running time is shown in the title).

Either way, I encourage you to dig in a little deeper, and mull these ideas over in your head. I can tell you that they make a lot of sense to me, and resonate deeply. And if really embraced, seem to put Love and God (or The Divine, if you prefer) at center stage, emanating from within each of us, if we will only wake up.

Namaste, my friends. I hope you enjoy the perspectives below.

Beyond Theism -- John Shelby Spong (2:41)

Does Hell Exist? -- Interview segment with John Shelby Spong (3:17)

Honest Prayer, Part 1 -- John Shelby Spong (5:39)

Honest Prayer, Part 2 -- John Shelby Spong (6:21)

And here are the long ones if you have such interest (each more than an hour). First is a lecture by Spong, that discusses rather graphically, problems caused by the some texts of the Holy Bible. At time, it is as hard to listen to as it is to argue with. It illustrates our tribal mentality, but also tries to show a path forward by rejecting these cultural, human, fallacies. And, I think, it is quite lucid and insightful (and interspersed with humor and poignancy).

Burke Lecture: John Shelby Spong (1:23:26)

And this is the one that got me digging in the first place. Thanks Pat. I always appreciate your insights and your pointers.

Exploring the Mystery of Life: John Shelby Spong (1:16:41)

What to do about those "Talking Heads"?

2010-11-28T05:22:00.001+01:00

Silencing the Talking Heads, Mönchehaus Museum, Goslar, Germany, August 2010,
Panasonic DMC-ZS7, Focal length 10.3mm, Exposure 1/40 sec @ f4, ISO 200, no flash
© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Yes indeed, what to do about those "Talking Heads". You know the ones I mean ... it doesn't matter if you sit to my right or my left. Both sides have them. Has it always been this way? I think not.

Before the advent of the 24-hour Cable News Network (thanks Ted ;-), things seemed, well, so much newsier. Interesting how with only a limited time to learn about the days and weeks events, journalists and anchormen had to prepare well-edited, news stories.

Now it seems to me like some strange combination of entertainment, infomercial, and biased-opinion masked as news, stuck on a treadmill of repetition, interspersed with some BREAKING NEWS story that as often as not turns out to be TV's equivalent of tabloid journalism (anyone remember "Balloon Boy"?)

It really doesn't matter if the Talking Head knows what he's talking about ... just so long as he keeps on talking. And frankly, the more outlandish and provocative his uninformed pronouncements, the better. Makes for really good sound bites in the next 24-hour news cycle.

There is good news in all of this, however. A lot of folks realize these "news" channels provide nothing that benefit them directly. And they are starting to turn off the TV. Some are going so far as to get rid of the TV. What a life-affirming step that would be. Worried about your lack of time? How would you like to have all those hours laid before you each and every day to do with as you see fit? That's pretty empowering.

And what of the "real news"? Once again, the internet has come to your rescue and offers it up to you in whatever size, shape, and bias you want. You are in charge. And you can scan the headlines and only read about (or watch and listen in video clips and podcasts) those stories which really do matter to you. Or maybe those that will motivate you. Or inspire you.

You know this is true, deep down. You are fully, entirely, empowered. The next step is up to you. What steps will you take to silence the talking heads?

Do you think it's a Mad World?

2010-11-27T11:47:00.004+01:00

My wife heard this song on the TV, and asked me if I knew what it was. She said it was beautiful. I found this noteworthy, as she generally is not someone that listens to music. So I wanted to track it down.

I found it in just seconds after a quick Google search of just a couple of words from the middle of the lyrics. Ya gotta love having our collective consciousness literally and instantly at our fingertips! How often do we take that for granted?

Anywho -- I also found the above video on-line, and I think it provides a interesting visual to go with the song (not to mention you get to hear the song for free ;-). I recommend you also read the lyrics below. And if you are so moved, please let me know what you think of the message.

Mad World by Gary Jules

Songwriters: Orzabal, Roland

All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for the daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression, no expression

Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles its a very, very

Mad world, mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good

Happy birthday, happy birthday

And I feel the way that every child should

Sit and listen, sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous

No one knew me, no one knew me

Hello teacher tell me, what's my lesson?

Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles its a very, very

Mad world, mad world, enlarging your world

Mad world

A Life Connected ... with your values

2010-11-09T23:10:00.021+01:00

Do you have time for a cup of tea? If so, please go pour yourself one, sit back, and take in this video. I think you will find it eye opening.

Don't worry. I'll wait. ... Great, welcome back.

Did you watch the movie yet? Go ahead. Really, I'll wait ;-)

So I want to tell you a little story about my own adventure in this direction. It came to me in different stages, and I find it interesting as I look back on it now, how I came to these realizations.

First, the power of intention became clear to me. I realized that if we wish to change our behavior, especially if these might be deep-seated habits or cultural biases (aka, indoctrination), we need to tap into the power of intention. In fact, I posted a short blog entry on just this topic.

I applied this idea to myself. I made the decision, and then explicitly considered it my intention not to personally kill any sentient being (animal, insect, etc). I did this when I observed myself indiscriminately killing a house fly once because it was "bothering me", and wondered, "what gives me the (moral) right to do so?" What I found was not that I immediately stopped killing (for habits and conditioning die hard), but at least I now noticed it when I did it. And slowly, but surely, there became a small gap between the stimulus (a buzzing fly) and the response (slapping my hand). Eventually, this enabled my brain to be rewired (yes, neuroplasticity is real, and an awesome tool).

Now somewhere in this process I came to realize that by eating meat, I was indirectly causing animals to be killed. But wow, by the time I grilled up that hamburger, or swallowed that sushi, the animal was already dead, and my decision to forego that food was not going to bring it back, right? (Isn't it amazing how we can deceive ourselves?) Of course I was directly contributing to the demand for these animals to be killed. And finally, I read something that pushed me over the edge. It was about a woman named Peace Pilgrim and that aspect of her life story just resonated with me. I just knew it was time to give up eating meat of any kind (beef, pork, chicken, fish, etc.)

When I told one of my intellectual friends about my change, her first rejoinder was something like "you know, the only logical conclusion of such a step is to become Vegan." I politely told her I was not ready to go that far, and that I believed this partial step was better than no step at all. Such arguments (you are not going all the way) become the excuse to make no change at all, and thankfully, I wasn't falling for that trap.

I found it very easy to go Vegetarian. And thankfully, without any pushiness on my part, my wife (who is the cook in our family) decided to cook Vegetarian at home. For a while, she would still eat meat when we ate out, since Vegetarian choices can be rather limited, depending on the restaurant. I encouraged her to order whatever she wanted, so she didn't feel "trapped" by my decision. But then one day, after getting her hair done and having a chat with her hairdresser (who was also Vegetarian), she had her own epiphany and made the (moral) choice to not be responsible for unnecessarily ending the life of an animal.

Somewhere over the last two years, I had mentioned the idea of "going Vegan". And she said to me ... that is just too far to go. We regularly ate eggs and cheese, and drank milk, and frankly thought being Vegan was just too impractical.

Then, my wife was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), which for those who don't know, is generally accepted to be an autoimmune disease, which is incurable, and will get progressively worse, eventually resulting in severely impaired functionality (with a corresponding reduction in quality of life). To make matters worse, doctors do not know what causes RA, and therefore, how to prevent or cure the disease. At best, they can only treat the symptoms, and generally speaking, use powerful drugs that can have serious side affects. In short, my wife was pretty worried after conducting her on-line research about her recent diagnosis.

My first reaction was ... let's look for an alternative treatment. Either something from Eastern medicine, or perhaps something based upon diet. So I started researching as well. I came across a very interesting book: The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. I commend it to your reading list. I think it is a great wake-up call on the standard Western diet. It also raised the alarm on the possible negative consequences of consuming animal protein (including dairy). And also postulated a theory of how animal proteins might cause auto-immune diseases by a process of molecular mimicry and gut leakage. I was pretty hungry for a potential cause and effect, and this seemed plausible.

And exactly what would be the downside? Carol was planning to continue her doctor's prescribed medication so we weren't risking unnecessary disease progression. Furthermore, based on continued research, I also came across the website and videos of Dr. John McDougall. It looked likely that a Vegan diet might well contribute to weight loss and improved health in general, and may well reduce the need for certain pharmaceuticals.

So Carol and I gave this some serious thought and read quite a few books (and many more on-line resources). We had already started to make changes in our diet -- specifically eliminating processed foods and buying organic products whenever possible. But what about all the dairy and eggs that we were eating? On one of our shopping trips, we picked up a liter of soy milk, rice milk, and soy yogurt, and put them in the refrigerator. After a week or two, I decided to give them a taste. I really expected them to be rather undesirable -- and I was very pleasantly surprised. So was Carol. We realized we could easily substitute these into our diet, and eliminate cow's milk products.

It took us longer (over here in Germany) to find soy or rice alternatives for cheese, but we are now finding some ~~(and they are also quite tasty)~~. Update [11/19/2010]: Funny story -- we found something called Reissen Käse. And boy was it yummy! We thought that was "Rice Cheese" (oops); really that translates to "Shredded Cheese", Ha! No wonder it was so tasty. We finally found some Soy Cheese, but it was truly unedible. We are still on the lookout. We have yet to find an egg replacement, but have enough alternatives for breakfast, that we are not finding that to be a big problem.

So now, after about 3 weeks, I am happy to report ... we are Vegans.

And here's a very interesting, unexpected, and as yet, unexplained benefit. Both Carol and I have noticed our sugar cravings have significantly dropped off. This is big news for me. I have been a candy addict for probably 45 years. We're talking rot-your-teeth addiction in my case. I have tried and failed to will myself to give up sugar and candy before, many times, and failed miserably. The eventual craving makes me cave in and usually gorge myself on an entire (big) bag of candy.

But now, it is virtually gone. Still a little craving after dinner (habitual), but easily an order-of-magnitude less than it was just 3 weeks ago. Wow. What an unexpected blessing.

Well, I've rambled on and on. I guess I just wanted to show how the decision to become Vegan can evolve over time, is not really that radical an idea, and can be rooted by many motivations (animal welfare, social justice, resource management, physical health and longevity), or in our case the final push came in a desire to search for a cure for a complex disease process. The results of Carol's personal trial will surely take time to observe; but in the meantime, we are gaining first-hand experience with what it means to be a Vegan.

Oh, and one more really important point. There are thousands of Vegan recipes out there, and the food tastes wonderful. In all seriousness, the food we are eating now is more varied, interesting, and better tasting that our previous diet. And much better for our health. I can heartily recommend two books for great recipes and to help cover some of the important aspects about a Vegan lifestyle: 1000 Vegan Recipes and The Kind Diet. If you are considering becoming Vegan, they are well worth the money.

Enjoy the food! Love the lifestyle! Live your values! And get healthy!

(p.s., just to be clear, I receive nothing from any of these links or recommendations -- I just highly recommend them each.)

Whoda Thunk It -- Spiritual Rap

2010-08-28T10:30:00.003+02:00

I think this is just great. Please take the time to watch and listen.

Gandhi really was an amazing soul. And now we have a rapper telling his story.

Wow. Whoda Thunk It?

Mankind is no Island

2009-08-27T13:47:00.002+02:00

Mankind Is No Island from B2GYouth.com on Vimeo.

Please watch the video before reading the text below. Without a doubt, this is a "visual poem", and needs to be seen and heard, not just read. I've just reproduced the text from the video if you wish to study it afterwards, but the real power is in the video.

Mankind is no Island. (text taken from video)

This story is about two cities
divided by a great ocean
united by hope ... hunger

Through your eyes
our city is famous ... happy
You can feel the
love
love
love
love
love
I love Sidney
I love NY

But what is it we love today?
Do we love the people or the place?
Do we measure empathy by donations?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walk by you today
I always look away

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well worn boots with
No standing
No standing
No standing
Do you reason with your condition?

Our city says
"we'll look after you"
your very own family
turn blind
when did you last see your
dad
boys
mother
brothers
child

No fortune to indulge
No sunflower
No rainbow
No successful life

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walk by you today
I did not look away

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A story around every corner
The gentle art of hearing
your truth
your thinking
your inner spirit
no different to me

This is Freedom?

Mankind is no island ...

End

The Mirage

2009-01-11T21:32:00.007+01:00

You've all seen a mirage, right? Check it out -- it looks like the road just falls away or is covered with water. But we have come to learn that what we see with our eyes may fool us into believing something that isn't really there.

Take the current crisis in the Middle East. On both sides (Hamas and Israel) there are calculations and strategies, coupled with frustrations and the need to "do something". And on both sides, there are innocents caught in the middle of these actions. And yet, what each one sees, I fear, is but a mirage.

What is the root cause? The underlying reality that is masked by the mirage? I think it is this ... "do unto others as you wish them to do unto you" -- the Golden Rule, a version of which exists in all the great traditions.

Sure, Hamas was launching rockets into Israel. But Israel was placing severe restrictions on Gaza in the hopes of turning the people against Hamas. In both cases -- they were not doing unto others as they would have liked to have had done unto them. And yet, in a strange karmic-twist sort of way, they are in fact reaping what they sowed. Hamas in terms of the violence against Gaza, and Israel in terms of the negative press, and most certainly in the perpetuation of another generation of future Hamas fighters.

A person creates what they defend against.
-- Buddha
Prayer and love are learned
in the hour
when prayer becomes
..... impossible
and the heart has turned
..... to stone.
-- Thomas Merton

Mystic is what they call me.
Hate is my only enemy;
I harbor a grudge against none.
To me the whole wide world is one.

Whatever you wish for yourself
Wish for the others,
This is the meaning of the four books (Torah, Psalms, Gospel, Koran)
If there is any meaning.
- Yunus Emre, Turkish Medieval Humanist Mystic

"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
-- Martin Luther King Jr., December 11, 1964

Eye Am

2009-01-01T16:26:00.005+01:00

This is the eye from an incredibly large and personable Morgan horse, that we met at a Quaker roadside store. We just loved visiting with him.

This photo of his "eye" made me think of this simple yet profound quote, which I think really does sum up how one should look at life:

So much fear and desire come from that commitment to 'I am' -- to being somebody. Eventually they take us to anxiety and despair; life seems much more difficult and painful than it really is.

But when we just observe life for what it is, then it's all right: the delights, the beauty, the pleasures are *just that*.

-- Ajahn Sumedho, "Seeing the Way"

Doesn't that really make sense. Avoid the attention on 'I am' -- your need to have an opinion, to have a plan, to be right -- and instead simply observe life with an openness, a willing expectancy, a freshness.

Life is so beautiful -- just as it is -- when you do that.

Give it a try. See if you can notice the difference in your experiences. See if you become a part of the flow.

The Dharma of Wildflowers

2008-12-31T21:54:00.007+01:00

Searching for the Dharma

You’ve traveled up ten thousand steps in search of the Dharma.
So many long days in the archives, copying, copying.

The gravity of the Tang and the profundity of the Sung
make heavy baggage.

Here! I’ve picked you a bunch of wildflowers.
Their meaning is the same
but they’re much easier to carry.

~ Xu Yun ~

(From Empty Cloud: The Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master, Trans. Charles Luck, ed. by Richard Hunn)

This is your brain on bliss

2008-12-30T09:29:00.010+01:00

Perfect sincerity and transparency make a great part of beauty, as in dewdrops, lakes, and diamonds.
-- Thoreau, from the Journal (June 20, 1840)

OK, so it's hard to show you your brain on bliss. But that is certainly a tranquil picture (Crater Lake in Oregon), and that's how your brain can be as well -- very tranquil.

I read this excellent article by Matthieu Ricard. Ricard is the French translator for the Dalai Lama, a former scientist turned Buddhist monk, and a well-published author. The article demystifies meditation, and shows how it is simply training of the mind. Very wise training, perhaps, but simply training nonetheless.

Authentic happiness is a way of being and a skill to be cultivated. When we first begin, the mind is vulnerable and untamed, like that of a monkey or a restless child. It takes practice to gain inner peace, inner strength, altruistic love, forbearance, and other qualities that lead to authentic happiness.

Practice indeed. And an ability to detach ourselves from our emotions.

The point here is that you can look at your thoughts, including strong emotions, with a pure mindfulness that is not associated with the contents of the thoughts.

That's really the secret, isn't it? A detachment from our emotions. Not a numbing of them -- but an ability to recognize them, and -- more importantly -- recognize that we are distinct from them.

It's all really so very simple. But it does take realization. And it does take practice. And it sounds like it is worth cultivating to me.

It's just a Plumaria, right?

2008-12-29T01:24:00.009+01:00

Can you see it -- there, in the picture. Look closely. Squint if you have to. Do one of those Magic Eye tricks where you focus "beyond" the picture. Look through it. Look into it. Look before it. Come on, tell me what you see.

Sunlight? Yep, I see that too. Rainwater? Well, actually I see an early morning dew. The gardener? Oh, he is a happy fellow, with light brown skin and old tattered sandals. He is gently pruning the plant, rushing a bit now, as the call to prayer has begun. Off like a shot, he's headed toward the mosque. It's only a few steps from the courtyard where this Plumaria grows.

It was tradition that moved him out of the garden. Only tradition. For surely he was visiting with God just a moment ago. You saw that too, didn't you? You see that when you look deeply into that photo, don't you? That is why I took it, and that is why I posted it here. And why you are visiting now.

God changes appearances every second. Blessed is the man who can recognize him in all his disguises. One moment he is a glass of fresh water; the next, your son bouncing on your knees, or an enchanting woman, or perhaps merely a morning walk.
-- Nikos Kazantzakis

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.
The strength of the fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars.
-- Chief Dan George
If you don't find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further.
-- Mohandas K. Gandhi

Walk a mile in her shoes

2008-07-22T11:05:00.003+02:00

In the past, I've wondered where all of the "enlightened" people have gone. We all reference Christ and the Buddha, but that was sooooo long ago. Many make reference to more recent luminaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Mother Theresa. But for those that are household names, the list is very short, don't you think? And we can use all the help (pointing the way) we can get.

Well here is one more that I just stumbled across the day before yesterday. The gentleman in this video (which is just my "teaser" -- I liked the short video) mentions a woman called Peace Pilgrim. Strange name, perhaps, but a fascinating story of modern-day enlightenment (at least that's how I see it). There is no doubt in my mind that she was in tune with that which prophets and sages and gurus and yogis describe. Her words and actions illustrate the results of attaining inner peace (loving-kindness, boundless energy, unbridled joy).

For those that wonder what modern-day, western-oriented enlightenment might look like ... what expressions it might result in ... what actions one might take ... what are some practical repercussions in the work-a-day world ... and the like, I commend this story of her life. It's really just a collection of her thoughts and insights, both written and spoken, pulled together in one place by some of her friends along her journey.

Read it with an open mind, and see if any of these messages resonate somewhere deep inside. I suspect we'll talk more about Peace Pilgrim in the future.

Namaste.

You can't make this stuff up

2008-03-12T11:29:00.006+01:00

Are you familar with TED? T=Technology, E=Entertainment, and D=Design topics. The tag line is "Ideas worth spreading". They hold a conference each year, and cover an eclectic array of topics. They are always sold out. And the tickets cost $6,000.00 each.

The TED conference for 2008 was just recently held. They are just now beginning to post the talks online -- this wasn't so in the beginning, but thankfully, has now become the norm. This was the first talk they published this year.

I found it fascinating on a personal level. First -- because my father had a cerebral hemorrhage, and so, I wonder "what if". Second -- because I have briefly experienced this sense of oneness, and find it both comforting and encouraging when others experience it as well. Third -- because we get to hear it from a scientist, whose training is in this field. She sure doesn't talk like a scientist.

But rather than hearing my reactions, perhaps you just want to check out the talk for yourself. It runs 18 minutes -- so I suggest you get yourself a cup of tea.

Religion vs. Spirituality

2007-12-21T09:15:00.000+01:00

It is a common perspective. Certainly, I've viewed the world from this perspective for much of my adult life. If someone were to ask me, "are you a religious person?". I might say, "No, though I consider myself somewhat spiritual." What the heck does that mean, anyway?

And why, do I find myself coming back time and again, to castigating most religions -- or at least their dogmas? I guess it is the anti-consumer in me. I really don't like being "sold" anything. I don't like someone telling me what it is I need. I'd rather just figure it out for myself. Maybe that's what leads one to the contemplative side of the religious world.

I came across this video clip (be forewarned, it is about 15 minutes long), that seems to get at this issue. It blends one of my favorite spiritual thinkers (Ken Wilber) with a more traditional religious contemplative (Father Thomas Keating). Check it out and see what you think.

The Greatest Danger Before You

2007-11-20T12:00:00.000+01:00

I received this in the mail today. E-mail of course ;-) It is from Nipun Mehta of charityfocus.org, and is his "thought for the week". It just seemed to be worth sharing with others. Have a read and see what you think.

The Greatest Danger Before You (by Granny D)

In the end -- and it will end -- your life will seem to have sped by like a fleeting dream. Much of your story will be the age-old but ever joyful human experience: romance, family, satisfying work, and happy completion. I wish you a great fountain of successes. You will also be provided with all the failures and tragedies necessary to deepen and widen your soul -- sufficient, I hope, to make you wise and forgiving of all human frailties. I pray that these necessary troubles will never long crush your optimism nor your love for this magical life.

The greatest danger before you is this: you live in an age when people would package and standardize your life for you -- steal it from you and sell it back to you at a price. That price is very high.

You have already been selected for this program. You have its credit cards and designer labels already expensively around you. In the months ahead, you will find yourselves working long hours, too exhausted for community life or even good friendships -- too compromised to take a stand against the abuses of the system you serve. A great treadmill has been devised for you, and its operators do not care much if it wears you out or kills you. A system is in place to steal your life from you, if you will let it. Don't let it.

Read, study, meditate and think for yourself. Let your most serious education now commence, if it has not already done so. Refine and hold your own values, and pay the high price necessary to live those values. Decide what is important to you, and hold your ground against all temptations and tortures. From the pink granite of your own values, build a fortress against the world's ethical compromises, or you will soon be among those dead of eye who stand next to you in elevators but who are not alive. Don't let them steal your life. This is the only warning you will receive.

WTFO?

2007-05-09T11:57:00.000+02:00

People who know me understand that Big Pharma is not on my Christmas list. I am not the type of person that gets too worked up (these days) about the various dramas going on out there in the real world, and that I believe tend to be over-sensationalized by our media (the OTHER group that's not getting a card from me).

But when I read this NY Times article this morning, I was taken aback.

The thrust of the story is that there is a legal rebate program, where drug companies pay doctors to use their products. But that wasn't the point of the story. The point was that in so doing, they might be using excessive dosages that are proving to be unsafe.

But wait a minute here. Can we back up the truck? Why is there a legal rebate program in the first place?

Federal laws bar drug companies from paying doctors to prescribe medicines that are given in pill form and purchased by patients from pharmacies. But companies can rebate part of the price that doctors pay for drugs, like the anemia medicines, which they dispense in their offices as part of treatment. The anemia drugs are injected or given intravenously in physicians’ offices or dialysis centers. Doctors receive the rebates after they buy the drugs from the companies. But they also receive reimbursement from Medicare or private insurers for the drugs, often at a markup over the doctors’ purchase price.

Medicare has changed its payment structure since 2003 to reduce the markup, but private insurers still often pay more. Combined with those insurance reimbursements, the rebates enable many doctors to profit substantially on the medicines they buy and then give to patients.

The rebates are related to the amount of drugs that doctors buy, and physicians that agree to use one company’s drugs exclusively typically receive higher rebates.

Does this make any sense? So apparently, we have the same thing going on in our hospitals and with Big Pharma, that we have in fast food restaurants and soda machines around the country -- negotiated prices for exclusive use of a specific brand (e.g., Coke vs Pepsi), and increased payments with larger usage patterns.

I don't know about you, but my hope/expectation was always to get the minimum amount of drugs pumped into me, and to have the selected drug reflect the best thinking of the medical community, and not be profit motivated or corporately incentivised.

Now I'm not that naive, and I have also always had some aversion to Western medicine in general for being too prescription-happy, and not holistic enough in concept. But to imagine there is a legal program that lets rebates be paid to doctors that provide financial incentive to select one drug brand over another, and to use more rather than less medication, strikes me as something of an outrage. Am I missing something here?

Dr. Peter Eisenberg, an oncologist in Marin County, Calif., said many doctors had been induced to use more epoetin by the financial incentives and the belief that the drug was helpful.

“The deal was so good,” he said. “The indication was so clear and the downside was so small that docs just worked it into their practice easily.

“Now it’s much scarier than that,” he said. “We could really be doing harm.”

Frankly, I'm saddened that the only way this is a reportable "story" is that there are harmful effects now being detected. The fundamental practice itself is just rife with conflict of interest. So where shall I place my blame for this -- FDA or Congress? Somewhere else? Let me know what you think.

(Oh, and the picture? Yes, that is a giant spider sculpture in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan, and yes, it is carrying "eggs", and yes, that is just about what I think of when I think of Big Pharma ;-)

The Prayer

2007-04-10T12:14:00.000+02:00

So, tell me, how is your commute? This snapshot is from a drive heading out of New Dehli on India’s national highway (OBTW, this is in the morning, going the opposite direction of most commuters ;-). In this particular photo, you cannot see the pedestrians, camel-drawn wagons, sacred cows wandering off the median strip, and occasional vehicle coming at you in your lane, but trust me, they are part of the commute too.

What’s my point? Only that everything is relative, of course. What you bemoan against, another would shout “hallelujah” for. And vice versa, of course.

And so, that leads me to this alternative “prayer”. I can't remember where I found this, and it did not come with any acknowledgement of the author. If you are tired of your usual prayers, or perhaps praying is not your thing, give this one a read and see what you think. Perhaps help open your eyes and your heart, and maybe even help you with gratitude. And that sounds like enough to me.

The Prayer
(author unknown)

Help us remember
that the jerk who cut us off in traffic
last night is a single mother who
worked nine hours that day and
is rushing home to cook dinner,
help with homework,
do the laundry and spend a
few precious moments
with her children.

Help us to remember that the
pierced, tattooed, disinterested
young man who can't make
change correctly is a worried
19-year-old college student,
balancing his apprehension
over final exams with his
fear of not getting his
student loans for next semester.

Remind us,
that the scary looking bum,
begging for money in the same
spot every day (who really ought
to get a job!) is a slave to addictions
that we can only imagine in our
worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the
old couple walking annoyingly
slow through the store aisles
and blocking our shopping
progress are savoring this
moment, knowing that,
based on the biopsy report
she got back last week, this
will be the last year that they
go shopping together.

Remind us each day that,
of all the gifts we receive,
the greatest gift is love.
It is not enough to share
that love with those
we hold dear.

Open our hearts not to
just those who are
close to us,
but to all humanity.
Let us be slow to judge
and quick to forgive,
show patience,
empathy and
love.
Or perhaps you'd like a shorter version ...

"If the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you,' that would suffice." ~~ Meister Eckhart

Global Warming - take 2 (lengthy)

2007-03-21T10:01:00.000+01:00

Earlier I posted a entry about a global warming debate that had been going on between some friends via e-mail. Well, in the spirit of all good natured warfare, let's kick it up a notch.

One of the friends (the "global warming is not caused by humans" proponent), found this documentary running on British television. It's an hour long, and I do recomment you view it. The rest of this post will comment on the movie, and try to make some additional points about this debate. So if you want to take this in order, you will need to have a nice cup of tea and watch the video first.

Anyways ...

I sent my thoughts back to the friend that had recommended viewing this movie. For it largely had validated his intuition about the global warming "myth". At his suggestion, here are my thoughts, then, shared more broadly for those that might be interested ...

First, thanks for sending me the link and encouraging me to view it. It is a well-done piece of work, and it provides the needed “balance”. I’ll come back to that balance later.

The story here corresponds with much of my intuition, as it does with yours from what you’ve said. For me, the intuition comes from the realization that we are but bit-players in this evolutionary process called life. But our egos assume we are the driving force, top o’ the heap, created in God’s image, and able to dominate and rule our dominion. I don’t find that to be a healthy attitude. Also doesn’t fit real well with humility.

Let me comment on a few of the show’s themes as I recall them.

On the role of mass media. Yes, I agree that the mass media has done a lot to hype global warming. And I must confess I am a bit curious about one fact. You know my theory is that the mass media is all about conflict for conflict’s sake. Heck, they will even create conflict where none exists if needed in writing a story. But here is a situation where they could pit group against group. I’m not sure why they haven’t done that. Perhaps it is just too early. And perhaps they are still quite comfortable pitting “environmentalists” against “big business”, “capitalism”, and “progress”.

On undeveloped countries being the victims. Well, I have to tell you, I think this is a disingenuous message. I think it is there to give pro-development forces virtue and righteousness. In the (admittedly small amount of the) greenhouse debate that I’ve heard, I’ve not heard any serious suggestions of trying to hold back developing nations. Indeed, you could say that one of the prime arguments that the US and AUS made against the Kyoto Protocol was that it did nothing to restrict developing nations, who were likely to dramatically increase production of greenhouse gases in the future, and hence fuel their development, at the same time we’d be limiting our own growth and cost-effectiveness. In short, we opted out because it is we who were being more disadvantaged by the accord.

I found this (rough) quote particular interesting: "Africa has coal, and Africa has oil, but the UN is campaigning that rather than use these cheap sources of electricity, they should use solar or wind."

To me, the wealthy nations have shirked their responsibilities to lead the alternative energy movement, precisely because we are exploiting the finite fossil fuel energy sources. Responsible policies would have (and still can) produce more cost effective and viable energy sources than the limited (and increasingly costly) fossil fuels. These are complex trade-offs. Do you remember acid rain? Smog warnings? Are they not real to you? Do you believe our dependence on foreign oil plays no role in our Mid-east politics? The canary in the mineshaft came in 1972 (Arab Oil Embargo) and how have we done developing alternative energy policies? Do you think we have the technological prowess to have done that in the past 35 years? It is one area I am not so humble on our intellectual abilities. And I say shame on our policies and our politics for not making that happen.

On the point that human contribution is a negligible (and irrelevant) part of climate change. I think the key question to ask yourself then is “so what”? Assume this argument is 100% correct. Should I therefore be doing anything different tomorrow? IMHO if you answer “no” to that query, then you are just as guilty as the Global Warming mongers of misleading the public. Why? Because humans (and particularly Americans) are living non-sustainable lives. IMHO non-sustainable is irresponsible. We need to make prudent choices. About the use of natural resources (since when did they become ours?) About the use of fossil fuels (limited supply and pollution contribution). About the use of nuclear power (lengthy half-lives and no viable disposal strategy). About consumption, or better, over-consumption (Madison Avenue). Etc. Etc.

On anti-capitalism and anti-modernity. I happen to agree with [my friend's] premise that we have probably gathered a bunch of former anarchists and Marxists into the Global Warming camp that have as their primary belief that progress for the sake of progress is a bad thing. And that wealth for the sake of wealth is a bad thing. And that the divide between the haves and the have-nots is a bad thing. And hence, the argument has become a populist one, and a political one, rather than one based primarily on science.

But you know what? I’m not anti-Marxist nor anti-Capitalist. I’m not anti-anarchist nor anti-modernity. I’m not anti-poverty, nor anti-wealth. There are many important lessons we can learn from the fears and realities of each “side”. This takes me back to balance. Balance is more important, and more helpful, than choosing sides. Balance will help shape your individual decisions, and hopefully help to make them wise ones. In the end, decisions that are taken from the spirit of reducing suffering to all sentient beings will be wiser than the alternatives, certainly in the long run. And if we must consider anything to avoid selfishness, it must be the long run.

Bottom line: I enjoyed the movie. It reminds me once again how little we really understand about our world and by extension, this wondrous universe we are blessed to be a part of. It will be interesting to see if the science of this story holds up. Very neat theory that climate change is based on solar wind that diverts cosmic rays that form clouds that provide our climate.

But it reinforces to me the absurdity of becoming attached to “positions” and “opinions”. The references to religion ring true to me. Think of what we have done to our fellow man with the simple word “heretic”. One belief killing another belief — the human cost ignored as rounding error in the transaction.

If we are but ignorant beings, tricked from the womb into the fabric of maya, what possible value can battling beliefs possibly have. Let us take notice of that absurdity, and use it to propel us toward an awakening. And through such a path, gain the wisdom to deal with these issues without emotion, and with compassion for all sides.

What's wrong with this picture?

2007-03-09T11:50:00.000+01:00

OK, I know I am going to run afoul of the free-market capitalists out there (and I suspect that is most Americans, perhaps most of the world).

But I was just reading an article about Victoria Hale and her non-profit pharmaceutical company known as the Institute for OneWorld Health.

The purpose of her company is to produce drugs for treatable diseases in developing countries. Drugs that are viewed by Big Pharma as not having much profit potential. Now let me disarm the critics first by acknowledging that this company was started by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (with Bill the icon of capitalism). And second let me note that the business model, as it were, seems to rely on gaining access to the drug R&D as a tax break for Big Pharma.

But could we not focus for the moment on the mechanics? Can we step back just a bit and see what is wrong with this picture? For one minute, drop your business guard, let go of your cultural indoctrination, and ask yourself if this represents your priorities.

We've created a world where Big Pharma decides what drugs to manufacture not based on how many lives can be potentially saved, but on how much money can be made.

Oh, I can already hear you out there. "Of course they do, how do you expect them to pay for the R&D". "Come on -- be a realist, what do you expect them to do?"

Well, for one I am certainly happy to read about Victoria Hale. But as "good" as that news is, it actually made me pause even more. Scraps off the table, still in their financial interest, to save lives. Of course this story repeats itself endlessly. I made reference before to the book and movie "The Constant Gardener" which is an intriguing LeCarre plotline and message that just ends up under your skin (at least it did mine).

So what? What do I suggest?

I really don't know. This problem, like the world itself, is so complex and intertwined.

But I think the first step to address this problem, like the world itself, is to awaken to the underlying reality. And then ask ourselves, given this realization, what intentions should we set for ourselves, and how will those scale in the world at large.

And everyone's answer will be different. I'll offer my thanks to Victoria Hale for looking inward when confronted by the reality that she saw, and taking action to help save lives. That is a noble purpose.

The carnival and the chatter

2007-03-07T11:19:00.000+01:00

I’m sitting in an airport terminal. Generally not a bad thing — it gives me time to read, or write, or relax.

Except, of course, for the incessant TV blaring out the “bad” news of the day. What a burden. Poisoness to the soul.

At home, one can take action and just turn of the TV (or better, never bother to turn it on).

But in a public space — the airport, a bar, a waiting lounge — someone has decided for you that this is what you want to hear. Or more likely, they have some sort of business deal that requires them to have it on, turned into a specific channel. That way you get news you don’t need to hear, surrounded by advertisements for things you just don’t need.

Oh, the drama of it all. I just a novice at this enlightenment stuff — it’s still very hard for me to tune out the background chatter.

But there is good news. Ah, the good news is that I see more clearly, each day, the futility and misdirection of paying attention to such chatter. It is but a distraction from real insight, real appreciation of the world, how it works, and what is meaningful.

Like the hawkers at the carnival, they try to draw you in to their show, and in the process extract some of your cash. And my recommendation would be that while you are awakening — pass them by. They will not serve you well, and they do not have your interests at heart. They themselves are fully captured by the carnival. Captive to the loud noise and freakish attractions.

Go instead into yourself, and consider things that really matter. Commune in nature and gain insights into the real world, not the sideshows.

But what of these constant bombardments? Surely you can not escape them entirely. And surely they add color and possibly even zest to life itself. Yes, and once you have awakened, you will be able to experience the carnival called life with equanimity and detachment. You will be able to experience these attractions (really ‘dis’tractions), and not be unwittingly captivated by them.

So for now, as you awaken, pass them by, tune them out, turn them off, and dwell in the everpresent silence within, and be at peace.

Global Warming?

2007-02-18T12:16:00.000+01:00

Want to make a hit at your next party? Just mention casually over a cocktail that global warming is all a crock. That'll liven things up!

I've been copied on some e-mail traffic among friends (at least, they were friends) and the conversation has devolved into diatribe. I'd like to say this is a healthy debate, getting both side's arguments out on the table. And I suppose it could be.

But I've seen this type of debate before. It seems that global warming is modernity's new religion. Either you believe, or you are branded a heretic. And by staking out one's position, and shoring up one's defenses (and constituents), we are simply drawing battle lines, and in the end, I think missing the whole point.

To carry the analogy further, the missed point in the religious debates was spirituality. Left battered and helpless on the doorstep of righteousness.

In this current debate, what is lost is the middle ground, and practical action that can and should be taken.

Free hand of capitalism, with no constraints on one side. Result — depleted natural resources, short-term focus, environmental degradation, monopolistic practices stifling alternative energy innovation (unless they can profit), etc.

Big Government and heavy taxation, with redistribution of wealth on the other. Result — inefficient markets, resulting uncompetitiveness, disincentivizing risk taking, and eventually congress or other bureaucracies picking the winners and losers of the business world, etc.

Nether extreme is a healthy place to be, IMHO.

I like many of the attributes of free market capitalism, but it needs to account for all of the “costs”. Then the efficient market can find those most creative at balancing all of the variables that we are talking about here. Environmental impact. Exploitation of limited, natural resources. Etc.

You can see it will require a wise combination of business and legislation to make this work, not only in the United States, but across the globe (since, after all, we are talking about global implications, global resources, and global ecosystems).

If we stop trying to divide ourselves into camps based on philosophical, political, and ideological grounds, and instead start to suggest the healthy compromises that will make the system and the markets truly accountable, we may get somewhere.

Otherwise, just a lot of fireworks. Which are fun to watch, but after the show, all you have is a cloud of haze, and a somewhat putrid smell in the air.

Wired like Medusa

2007-01-21T11:40:00.000+01:00

A good friend sent me this WSJ article: How Thinking Can Change the Brain. It makes the point that your brain can be fundamentally altered by your mind, your thoughts, if you will. Rather than the other way around.

That's nice. But I sent my friend this reply, which is based upon some of my current reading, and it seems to resonate within me:

Ken Wilber has some thoughts on this type of investigation. Good to do, but don’t expect to understand consciousness from it.

In his book “A Brief History of Everything”, Wilber makes a distinction between the surface of things, and their depth. Understanding the brain from this materialistic/empirical examination would be gaining insight into its “surface”. But understanding the mind, and even more so, the spirit that perhaps moves the mind, cannot be seen in this way.

“... he can know what every atom of by brain is doing, and he still won’t know a single thought in my mind. This is really extraordinary. ..."

“... The interior dimension can only be accessed by communication and interpretation, by “dialogue” and “dialogical” approaches, which are not staring at exterior but sharing of interiors. Not objective by intersubjective. Not surfaces but depths.”

“You can point to the brain ... but you cannot simply point to envy, or pride, or consciousness, or value, or intention, or desire. Where is desire? Point to it. You can’t really ... because it’s largely an interior dimension ... This doesn’t mean it isn’t real!”

He goes on to explain how the Enlightenment — for all of its good — placed all of the West’s focus on this materialistic/empirical approach. For example, if someone is depressed, the “lab technician” approach would be to determine a lack of serotonin in the brain, and prescribe some Prozac. Never mind that the depression was caused by a lack of values, a lack of meaning to one’s life, perhaps an existential angst that resulted in the physiological manifestation of a lack of serotonin. And of course, you can take all of the Prozac that you like, and it may make you feel better, but it won’t give you meaning to your life.

I think he is on to something — this integral approach. And as a result, I am now less interested for science to “prove” the unique aspects that come about through meditation. Why not just do it yourself and see? Why not just interact and talk with others that are very experienced in mediation to help guide you and interpret the results. Who cares of I’m generating gamma rays or alpha rays? What meaning is there in any of that?

Just a thought. Thanks for the article. The part I found interesting was this acknowledgment: "This positive state is a skill that can be trained” Had the author said “learned” rather than “trained” I would have been more impressed. He continues to see his “patient/subject” as just one more lab animal to be studied, objectively, empirically, and monologically. Sigh. Maybe he should try talking to them.

On the necessity of conflict

2007-01-15T11:26:00.000+01:00

OK, now here is an unpopular position. Life is conflict. Let’s deconstruct that.

So many people long for peace, or at least the absence of war. We wish to avoid the meaningless death of innocents. We ask to spare the children — what could they have possibly done to deserve this?

But what is life? It is evolution. And what is evolution? It is random genetic mutation, manifest into some quantum change, followed by adaptation to the environment, followed by natural selection — a weeding out of the less well-adapted beings, and thereby, a diminution and eventual pruning of some experimental branches, and the strengthening and growth of others. Over eons.

It is conflict that provides this selection process. Now this conflict can take many forms. Consider nature. It can take the form of inter- or intra-species struggle for food. It can take the form of famine or pestilence. It can take the form of natural catastrophes. Sometimes, you can see the selection process working, when an individual is not strong enough to survive. Other times it seems capricious and perhaps even unfair. But that is our ego labeling that which just is.

Consider the absence of conflict. Some see paradise. A return to the Garden of Eden, or the arrival of Heaven on earth. I see death. I see stagnation. I see the corrupting influence of gluttony, sloth, and apathy. Can you really be sure you would continue to advance, either consciously or physiologically if you were not challenged? And what causes this challenge, on a societal scale? Conflict (or competition — they are the same thing). So this "push" forward, if you will, is actually caused by conflict, not by peace.

So do not pray for an end to conflict. Pray for wisdom. Do not pray for avoidance of tragedy. Pray for compassion, love, and gratitude. For when you see conflict and tragedy, know that you see life, in all of its complexity and elegance; its simplicity and its beauty. To wish for a world without conflict is like wishing for a sun that never sets, a sky that never rains, animals that never eat, or humans that never die. Think for a moment and you can imagine the immediate catastrophe that would befall such an earth.

Instead embrace life (small “l”) while discovering Life (big “L”). See the beauty in the flow; the purpose of the process. The give and take. The gain and loss. The hope and fear. The joy and sorrow. Life cannot be another way. We are but humble actors in a grand play, and our progress — our evolution — may come from awakening to the noble truths that surround life as it is. Life is conflict. Life is suffering. (Some wise guy said that about 2500 years ago; we appear to be slow learners; not a good sign for our own evolution ;-) Awaken to that reality. Accept it and detach from your egoic desires. And from that Authentic Self — offer Love and Compassion to all sentient beings. While they struggle to awaken themselves. And yes, while they kill.

On Integrity

2007-01-14T11:28:00.000+01:00

I found this abridged quote somewhere on the ‘net, but can no longer find the source. At least I can attribute the thoughts to the correct individual. In what follows, Mark Gerzon does a nice job tying together the loose ends that make up our individuality, and on what it means to have integrity. I encourage you to consider his views:

Integrity Grows From A Humbling Realization, Mark Gerzon

"The purpose of life is ... to know oneself. We cannot do so unless we learn to identify ourselves with all that lives." -- Mohandas K. Gandhi.

I have never seen a conflict in which everyone could see the whole. On the contrary, I have only experienced conflicts in which some, and usually all, of the "part-ies" were identified with the "part." They were, literally, "partisan."

This is the basic human condition, the natural worldview of organisms that are born, live and die as seemingly separate entities. When our bodies shout "Me first!" -- we listen. We are wired to survive, and to put our survival before others (an instinct which can be trumped by only one other: protecting our offspring). As a natural extension of our survival instinct, we tend to care more about the welfare of those near and dear to us than those who are, by whatever definition, far away. Our language provides convenient words for each: the first we call "us;" the latter, "them."

The challenge of integrity -- or integral vision, which literally means "seeing" or "holding" the whole -- is to balance this very natural allegiance to the part ("partisan") with an allegiance to what it is but a part of. [...]

This intention toward integrity -- from the Latin integer, meaning "undivided, untouched whole -- is our first, critical step toward transforming conflict. Because of our commitment to "hold" or to "see" the whole conflict, we can become part of the solution to the conflict rather than just adding our energy to it. [...]

Integrity grows out of the humbling realization that there are many ways of seeing the world, and that we cannot take our worldviews for granted. Doing so blinds us to the possibility that our worldviews may be incomplete, skewed or -- to oversimplify -- "wrong." If this is so, then no matter how noble our intentions may be ("freeing the people," "creating jobs," "protecting human rights," etc.), everything we do will backfire.

--Mark Gerzon

The Window

2006-12-07T11:13:00.000+01:00

The Window -- author unknown

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

And so it is.

Listen to those who describe beauty, serenity, and peacefulness, for perhaps, they just wish to encourage you to see for yourself.

Symptoms of Inner Peace

2006-12-06T11:29:00.000+01:00

Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace.

The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs to look for:

A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

A loss of interest in judging other people.

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

A loss of interest in conflict.

A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)

Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

Frequent attacks of smiling.

An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

An increased susceptibility to the love offered by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Be Forewarned!!! If you have all or even most of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition may be too far advanced to turn back. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting several of these symptoms, remain exposed at your own risk. This condition of inner peace is likely well into its infectious stage.-- Author unknown

The chains that bind you

2006-12-04T11:58:00.000+01:00

These are some honking chains. I believe they are used for battleships -- each link is about a foot long.

We all have many chains that binds us from being what we want to be, or all we are capable of becoming. Of course, that depends on what you want, and ultimately, that may be to realize just what your biggest chains are.

I hope these quotes help you realize that in the end, the most significant chains are all self imposed, and while they appear real and substantial like the chains in this picture, in fact they are as insubstantial as gossamer, which you will understand with the proper insight.

"The important thing is this:
To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are
for what we could become."
-- Charles Dubois

"The fountain of content must spring up in the mind, and he who hath so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition, will waste his life in fruitless efforts and multiply the grief he proposes to remove."
-- Samuel Johnson

"The mind is your past. Die to your past and you will suddenly become fully conscious. The past is nothing but dead debris. Get rid of it and you will learn how to witness. When you die to your past, to your thoughts and your memories, then you will be fully in the present. When you truly exist in the present, you are simply witnessing. The past can only exist as long as there are thoughts. When the thoughts are eliminated, the past disappears and you abide in your own Self. The Self does nothing but witness. The Self is not a person - it is Pure Awareness. It is completely detached from all phenomena. It is the state of becoming the one subject, the core of your existence."
-- Mata Amritanandamayi

"Happiness is your choice.

Something will happen today.
You will be tempted to say that it made you happy.
It won't.
You will make you happy by taking pleasure in it.

Something else will happen today.
You will be tempted to say that it made you sad or angry.
It won't.
You will make you sad or angry by taking displeasure in it.

Lots of somethings will happen today.
Will you make them happy somethings?"
-- David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy

"Happiness is a butterfly,
which, when pursued,
is always just beyond your grasp,
but which, if you will sit down quietly,
may alight upon you."
-- Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Man does not know if he will live another moment,
Yet his thoughts are ten million and more."
-- Thirukkural

Restroom sign:
"At the feast of ego everyone leaves hungry."
-- Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea, Tucson, AZ

Oil or Water?

2006-09-29T12:38:00.000+02:00

You may have seen this photo on another of my blogs recently, but it just fit too well with this post not to use it again. Sorry for the duplication.

We hear a lot of talk about oil these days. Soaring prices (though we feel a temporary respite at the moment). The source of middle east strife, propped-up monarchies, reasons for war, etc. Increasing world energy demands, decreasing supplies, etc. Global warming, pollution, etc.

But let's talk about something that is only simmering on the back burner right now -- don't worry, it will come to a boil soon enough: water.

I recently visited India, in particular the city of New Delhi with a visit to Agra. This was a business trip, and as such, I was put up in the highest of the high rent districts, in amongst the diplomatic housing. For any that have traveled, even in this country, that is surely the nicest of the nice areas. And it was.

Sure, you could drive a short distance and still find slums and shacks, but this city looked like it had some modern potential. It looked like there was a plan. It seemed from this very limited perspective as if the tide was coming in, and perhaps it would lift all boats.

Then just today, I read this article in the New York Times. If you have a minute, I commend it to you.

Here is a brief abstract to make my point, and the rest of the article paints conditions significantly more dire. But this is how it appears to some in the middle class:

The quest for water can drive a woman mad.

Ask Ritu Prasher. Every day, Mrs. Prasher, a homemaker in a middle-class neighborhood of this capital, rises at 6:30 a.m. and begins fretting about water.

It is a rare morning when water trickles through the pipes. More often, not a drop will come. So Mrs. Prasher will have to call a private water tanker, wait for it to show up, call again, wait some more and worry about whether enough buckets are filled in the bathroom in case no water arrives.

“Your whole day goes just planning how you’ll get water,” a weary Mrs. Prasher, 45, recounted one morning this summer, cellphone in hand and ready to press redial for the water tanker. “You become so edgy all the time.”

In the richest city in India, with the nation’s economy marching ahead at an enviable clip, middle-class people like Mrs. Prasher are reduced to foraging for water.

Take a moment and close your eyes. Now just imagine that the basic infrastructure of clean, abundant water and functioning(out-of-sight) sanitation is gone or severely disrupted. Try to imagine how your life would be different. Lacking clean drinking water. Uncertain if you will turn on your faucet and get potable water, or frankly any water at all. And the situation gets worse over time, as the population around you swells, ground water supplies continue to shrink, and competition for this most basic of life's necessities increases. The stress would be unimaginable. You would start fighting for water (not oil) -- the lifeblood of mankind.

Source: NYTimes article cited above.

Of course it is so very hard to get into this mindset. We would just move if conditions around us got that bad. But you have to take a broader view. New Delhi is the most modern of India's cities. Elsewhere, things are worse.

Source: NYTimes article cited above. Click on the graphic to enlarge it.

So what is my point? First, as India promotes itself as the largest emerging democracy, it is sobering that so many basic necessities are still lacking. India has placed a premium on education as the means to bring itself out of colonial times and onto the world stage. It is, after all, now a nuclear power. And yet that technical prowess has yet to manifest into satisfying basic necessities. To me that seems to be the most basic role of Government and its leaders.

And second, now please consider your own situation. Perhaps worrying about whether to get the 42" plasma TV or the 44" LCD HDTV is really not worth fretting about.

I'm sorry. I don't mean to be snide. I just mean that when you think life isn't giving you everything you want, maybe that's because it has given you everything you need. So maybe boundless gratitude should replace any anxiety. And after reveling in that gratitude, think about what you can do to ensure that our sons and daughters will have at least as much of life's needs provided for them as well.

Now I think I'm going to have a nice cup of tea, from my magic faucet that just keeps providing and providing glorious, clean, refreshing, water. The true elixir of life.

Simply a world citizen

2006-09-25T11:55:00.000+02:00

In the past I have quoted from The Happy Guy, who kindly sends out daily e-mails if you are so inclined. This one came with a link to what David Leonhardt calls a World Happiness Manifesto. Have a look and see what you think, and see if any of it resonates somewhere deep within you. If so, feel free to copy it as per his instructions below. In any case, you may want to probe a little more deeply into this mindset.

World Happiness Manifesto

My personal manifesto for a better world

I am a member of the human race. The only race I recognize is my own -- the human race.

Members of my race are carbon-based bipods, with one head and one heart. They all smile. They all despair. They all feel anger and pain. They all feel joy and hope. They see. They smell. They hear. They learn. They love. They seek happiness for self and for others.

Members of my race speak many tongues, wear their skin and hair in a variety of hues, choose from thousands of occupations and live in a multitude of places. They are all good. They are all worthwhile. They are all human. In my world, the only racism is love of the human race.

I am a citizen of the world. I recognize my overriding responsibility to be a good citizen. To care for my fellow citizens. To share with my fellow citizens. To be a good steward of the planet and its resources, for the wellbeing of my fellow citizens and of future generations. The absence of a world government in no way diminishes my obligations of citizenship or my sense of belonging.

As a citizen of the world, I recognize local governments. I pay my local taxes. I obey local ordinances. I salute my local flag. I protect my neighbors and their rights. My responsibility to my neighbors and to my local government is part of my citizenship in the world.

It is a sad reality that many local governments do not recognize my citizenship in the world. I pray for the day when no person shall be called an “alien" anywhere in my world.

I am a child of God. I reside in my family home with my brothers and sisters. Some have heard the voice of God and some have not. I do not begrudge those who have heard the voice, nor those who have not.

To the best of my ability, despite my many weaknesses, I will endeavor to do God’s will. I recognize that most of my brothers and sisters also do their best to follow God’s will, even when the message they are following sounds different than what I have heard. I will not second-guess God’s message to others; I respect God’s divine right and wisdom to send different messages to each of us children.

I am an instrument of peace. Happiness and peace go hand-in-hand. Complete happiness might be unattainable on this planet, but it remains crucial that we never stop striving for it. Therefore, we must all be instruments of peace.

Members of every race sometimes fight amongst themselves. As a member of the human race, I will strive to promote understanding amongst humans and to reduce conflict within our race.

Members of every nation sometimes bicker amongst themselves. As a citizen of the world, I will strive to promote understanding amongst citizens everywhere and to reduce conflict across our planet.

Members of every family sometimes quarrel amongst themselves. As a child of God, I will strive to promote understanding amongst my brothers and sisters and to reduce conflict within our family.

Attribution

This world happiness manifesto is reproduced from the original World Happiness Manifesto, a production of The Happy Guy’s happiness center

Republish the World Happiness Manifesto

Not everybody will agree with every detail in the World Happiness Manifesto above. However, if the bulk of these principles speaks to you, you are invited to select one of the republishing options below for your website:

Click here for code to republish without changes. Please keep this code completely intact.

Click here for code to publish an amended version. If you choose this option, please keep the attribution statement intact.

On Unconditional Love

2006-09-20T22:11:00.000+02:00

I made a recent post over at Reflections of Beauty having to do with Love. And I've been having a dialog in the comment section with Mr. Anonymous. I thought I'd like to share some of that, since you might not have stumbled upon it. Here is an edited version of the conversation:

Mr. Anon: Now Love - there's a subject. What a power in our lives. Coming upon us unexpectedly, turning our lives over and over again. Takes us out of ourselves and makes us forget ourselves like nothing else can. But what is Love? It is Gift and Mystery - like Life itself. And when Love focuses on someone, it is one of the strongest addictions we can have, and one of the most difficult to deal with.

Thanks for the comment, and yes, I can see that such love as you describe can be a tremendous force -- a powerful emotion -- exhilarating or debilitating, depending on the outcome.

But for the record, I was going for unconditional love -- you've described something else entirely. Unconditional love can include passion, but at the same time, dispassion for the outcome. Detachment, selfless caring for the other's well-being. What say you about that?

Mr. Anon: Well, I guess I did not communicate well because I was talking about unconditional love. When I fall for these women in my life (except for times when I am just playing around, or recreating), it is unconditional, and total. And that is why it is so painful when it ends; these endings usually leave me so totally spent, lost, betrayed, and wandering in an unknown land, and of course, wondering at the meaning of life, and at this mysterious Human Condition that we are enduring. If it was anything less than unconditional, then ou might say, ah! then it does not end, you still have it! Forever, and always in your Heart. And of course, I agree with that. That love is still there. But the object of my love is not longer beside me - and that is the hard part. Not seeing his or her face beside me anymore when I wake up.

[Now you] say you wrote about something entiredly different than I did. That confuses me. I can't understand that comment. Are you confusing unconditional love with compassion? Love always has an object doesn't it? Are you talking about some kind of objectless love? I am pretty clear about the love I am pointing at. Been in and out of it enough times (and everytime is different). But now, I am getting confusing about what it is you are talking about, specially when you "entiredly something else" it throws me for a big loop.

I think many people do not understand what love is, or at least what is can be. Maybe we all make up our own versions of it.

I certainly do not mean to debate with you. And words are such a terrible medium to communicate about such intense feelings.

But when I refer to unconditional love, it is such that you will not have such pain. Do you feel pain when the butterflies migrate south? Do you have pain when your enemy becomes your friend? Do you have pain when your child grows up and begins his own life?

Unconditional love in my mind does not cause pain. You are giving it freely (unconditinoally -- expecting, needing, wanting -- nothing in return). You are happy to give it. So then how can it cause you pain? It has already caused you happiness to give it away?

The love you describe -- to me anyways -- sounds like a different kind of love. One that expects, however gently, to receive love back. For example, you would think I might have unconditional love for my wife, right? How can I offer unconditional love to others, if not my wife?

Becuase I so much want her love in return. It would wound me to the core if she did not love me back.

And that is OK. That's what makes a marriage. Which brings children that we want to let go -- to see grow in their own ways. To evolve to their own future. Which is of course, life itself.

Mr. Anon: Ah so! Your description above of unconditional love as being painless because it needs nothing in return, is interesting. It sounds like a riskless way to love. And you were right - that is not the "unconditional love" that I was talking about.

Actually, the unconditional love that you are talking about seems to me almost like a "state of being."

To my way of thinking, what you are talking about is something that not all of us can experience, but only some very lucky beings among us who happen to be (for some reason or other, maybe genetics) blessed with a state of being so complete, fulfilling, and pleasurable (if not ecstatic).

A great question is: for the many people out there who have no knowledge of this way of being, or for those who know it, but are unable to sustain it - is it possible to enlighten them? Possible to help them reach to that state, and maintain it? Or is it just something that you have, or you don't have (for example, like physical beauty)?

I definitely don't think it is genetic -- except perhaps differently than you imply (that some few have it, and others cannot). If anything, I believe everyone of us is capable of expressing this type of love, and yes, as you say I would describe it something as a state of being.

As for how to come to this realization. Well, I believe the primary action would be to have the intention to be in this state. Once that notion is internalized, I believe it will drive one to invesitgate what path would work best for them to uncover this inherent potentialilty. I suspect the path is different for everyone. Hence all of our religions, our cultures, our squabbles, etc.

I believe the insights, truth, beauty, englightement, call it what you may, exists within. Perhaps that is the "genetic" seed that we all share. Personally, I believe our egos tend to mask this insight, and actually work activtely to oppose it. Why you ask? Beuase, I suspect, of our current state of evolution -- we still carry this baggage of "survival of the fittest", and the ego is our tool to help us to survive and reproduce.

Ultimately, one needs to transcend the ego, and recognize that our individuality is but an illusion. Once there, unconditional love is rather a natural state -- why would you not love another, if that is just a different manifestation of your true Self.

But again -- your path may be different. As Jesus' was -- as Buddha's was -- as Gandhi's was.

I hope this help you understand my thinking; and I hope it is helpful for you as well. Namaste.

On Judgment

2006-09-13T13:55:00.000+02:00

Have you ever thought about judgment? Well, why not think about it for a minute. It is simply a human phenomenon — it doesn’t occur in nature.

Do you think this bird is worried about its hairdo? Are his friends embarrased to be around him? Animals don’t have bad hair days. Are you having a bad hair day?

It’s really rather profound, when you stop and think about it. Nature doesn’t think about “good” and “bad” -- it doesn’t judge things. Things just are.

As I consider this, I realize judgment is a purely human phenomenon. And boy are we good at it. Or bad at it. ;-) Either way, we certainly judge. We pass judgment on our past. We even prejudge things that haven't hapened yet -- and worry about what the future will bring. And with that come all of our prejudices. We judge both our friends and our enemies. We judge our lifestyle and most especially the lifestyles of others.

And then there is God. We’re not satisfied with all of the judging we are doing, so many of us define God (or accept others' definitions) as the ultimate judge and jury — guaranteed to judge every act you’ve ever done or not done — and sentence you accordingly. According to his beliefs about what is right and wrong, good and evil — which just happen to match your beliefs (or vice versa).

Newsflash: God, by whatever name you give him/her/it, doesn't judge. Leave behind your thoughts of everlasting damnation. Ultimate retribution. Or even eternal paradise. All of these attributes are the creation of man.

Consider what the world would be like if we escaped from this part of the human condition. If we opted out of all of the judging. If in the immortal words of Lennon and McCarthy, we just “let it be”.

Then you would see life as it really is. You would appreciate its splender as it unfolds. You would avoid the labeling, which is connected to judgment. You would just recognize your presence in the glorious creation, and be able to appreciate it all -- what others call both good and bad.

And you really wouldn't care what others might think of your hairdo.

How's the movie?

2006-08-26T06:17:00.000+02:00

Imagine you are watching a movie. It is a really good movie. You are caught up in the plot, the drama, the characters and their lives. It has that rare quality that totally draws you in, and makes you forget entirely that you are watching a movie. Have you ever seen one like that? OK, let’s keep imagining ...

So as the story is developing, as you are sitting on the edge of your chair, wondering what twist or turn will happen next, how the characters (George and Mary) will respond to this crisis or to that opportunity. The movie has been playing for a while, so you are engrossed in the plot. Then all of a sudden, George drops his movie persona, switches his facial expressions, reverts to his natural speaking voice and accent and, turning to directly face the camera (and hence the audience), says,

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I just have to tell you all something. I’m not actually George. I’m really Huston Smith, a movie actor, and none of what you’ve been watching is real. I’ve just been reading a script. And frankly, you’ve reached the end of the movie. The writers just stopped it there. The director told us to act right up until the last written word, and then to just stop. But I really had to explain what was going on, because that would be just too weird, don’t you think?”

As Huston Smith was giving that little out-of-character monologue, we notice the camera pan back and show the audience watching the original movie screen. They are shuffling in their cineplex stadium seats, wondering what the heck is going on. Then the camera moves in for a close-up of a older couple in the audience, looking rather perplexed, and the woman whispers to the man,

“Jim, what the heck is going on? Why did he just break out of character like that? I really wanted to see what happens next.”

Jim, with a somewhat detached, pensive look in his eyes, says,

“Wait a minute Patty. I think I get it. The whole point of that movie was to shock us in our own lives. To make us realize that those actors and that situation is a metaphor for our own lives. We are living, breathing, thinking that we are caught up in a complicated drama, but in fact, that is not reality. That is only a ‘movie’ if you will. Can’t you see that? The director was trying to shock us out of our unawareness. This is some kind of attempt to help us reach a spiritual insight.”

As Jim is finishing his little revelation, the camera pans back and reveals that this couple is also on a movie screen. This time however it is on a large drive-in movie screen, and we see a number of cars parked watching the movie (it continues with some more dialog fading into the background). So there is yet another audience (in cars) watching Jim and Patty perform that dialog. This is obviously a different audience, once more removed. And now the camera zooms in on another couple — sitting in a convertible — and the guy says to the girl,

“Chantel, what kind of a lame movie did you bring me to? Is this what they call a chick-flick? It doesn’t make any sense. Actors dropping out of character, audiences becoming the actors in another movie. What is going on?”

This time Chantel, also looking pensive, says,

“No Dan, don’t you see — the whole point of both of those surprise transitions was to reinforce to all of us in the audience that we shouldn’t trust what we see as our own ‘dramas’. None of it is real. In fact, how do you know that you and I right now aren’t just characters in yet another movie, that some audience out there [she points toward the camera] is watching right now.”

Dan says,

“Chantel, have you gone completely nuts. We’re sitting right here in this car. Touch me — I’m real. You’re real. Look back [he looks at the camera] -- there is nobody out there. Just a bunch of crickets [sound of loud crickets]. It is only us, sitting here in this car, in this drive-in.”

Chantel then sees some white light coming in from the edges of the frame.

“What is that? Dan, What’s going on? I see a bright light, don’t you?”

Dan says,

“Don’t worry Chantel, it’s some car or some guy with a really powerful flashlight, or something.”

As the white light gets brighter, the camera fades back and takes you back toward the drive-in projection booth, where you see the flickering white light coming out of the projector. The camera keeps zooming into the white light, as you hear movie dialog fading in the background, until the screen is nothing but white light. Finally, just a solid white screen (as if you’ve gone into the light).

Long, pregnant pause. Pure white. Pure silence.

After about a minute (and this is very awkward to sit through), there is some movement, as the camera pans back off the white screen and you see it set in an ornate old-time movie theater. You see people getting up and leaving the movie theater. They appear very confused, agitated, some of them a little disgusted. Others are trying to wait to see what comes next. You watch people leaving the theater for some time. Finally, only one couple near the front remains in the theater. The guy looks over to the woman, and says,

“So Carol, what did you think? Did you get it?”

And Carol says,

“Sure Steve ... at least I think so. First we were shown that our lives are no different from an actor playing a movie role. We identify with the character in our drama, but we’re not that. We are aware of that. So we don’t need to get caught up in the drama — we can be detached. Then comes another surprise, and we learn that it isn’t that simple. Even if we think we are detached from the drama, that’s not real either, for we could just as easily still be an actor playing out yet another meta-drama. We must continue to look for a deeper understanding, deeper insight. Is that right?”

Steve says ,

“Wow, that’s amazing, Carol. I didn’t figure any of that out the first time I saw it. Now tell me, did you understand the final ending?”

To which Carol says,

“Well, it could mean that none of those perspectives can be correct, because in each case we keep attributing our awareness to ‘me’ the individual. If those characters aren’t real, then I have to accept the fact that none of the people are real, and that’s probably because they artificially and incorrectly perceived themselves as individuals, each with separate egos. The white light — continuing the movie metaphor — indicates that we are not just actors playing dramatic roles. But that we are the light itself that projects these characters — that projects the entire movie. We are, in fact, just pure awareness. And in fact, you and I are not separate individuals, but we are really the same pure awareness.”

Steve says,

“Carol that’s fantastic. You must really have an open, receptive mind.”

At that point, the screen once again begins to lighten, this time because the film celluloid is starting to burn from the center outward, and we see that on the screen. As it burns it is leaving a pure bright white in its place, and Carol’s voice continues (fading),

“No Steve, not an open mind. Rather, no mind at all. Just This.”

And you are left once again with pure whiteness. And that is the end of the movie.

Hey, I hoped you liked the movie. I think it would be really neat to see this actually made into a movie short. If someone wants to do that (I don’t have the wherewithal) then by all means, please do so. Just point them back to my blog when you get to the credits ;-) The egoless, undifferentiated, non-separate being known as ‘me’ ;-)

Just Dance

2006-08-26T05:59:00.000+02:00

I went to a wedding the other day. It was a lovely “at home” affair, and was a wonderful ocassion. There was much obvious love between the couple, and very deep emotions as they shared their feelings about their new commitment together, and their new families. I have no doubt they will have many years of fearless love and happiness.

At the wedding, there were two flower girls, one of them quite young. I really do love to watch children. As the wedding ceremony began, she noticed she still had flower petals in her basket, so she started flinging them with abandon. And when she had used up her collection, she asked the older flower girl for some more, which she happily gave. More launching of flower fireworks. Wonderful.

As evening came, and the dancing started, I saw this little girl take note that the bride and groom had just made their appearance on the dance floor. Certainly a special occasion to be watched from afar, right? Heck no, it’s time to dance, and she started to do just that. Spinning around with the biggest smile upon her face. She was in the moment, unworried what someone else might “think” and just freely expressing herself. Also wonderful.

I think of how she would likely react as she grew older. She’d learn about decorum, about proper behavior, about being reserved. Why do we teach these lessons? Where does this inhibition creep in? And then, many years later, we are (re)learning anew to live in the present, to relish this moment, to dance when we feel like dancing. I suppose it is just human nature. It was interesting that I never noticed the parents of this little girl during the entire wedding and reception. She was free to express herself, and she did so with wonderful innocence and joy.

I think there is a lesson for all of us there.

When you love a person all fear disappears. And when you are afraid all love disappears.

-- Osho Rajneesh

Dance like no one is watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like no one is listening,
Live like it's heaven on earth.

-- William Purkey

Whatcha Reading?

2006-08-23T10:39:00.000+02:00

See my friend here? He's looking over your shoulder, asking you what you've been reading. Why? Because he knows of a book that you might find worthwhile. A little book, small like my friend, that you can read in less than two hours -- and he guarantees it.

My wife gave this book to me for my anniversay (along with many others -- she is very thoughtful -- much more so than me I'm afraid to say ;-). Anyways, the book is Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh. He covers many different subjects, all geared at what would help each of us become more peaceful, as the necessary step to creating a more peaceful world.

For those that have never read Thich Nhat Hanh, I commend you to pick up any of his books; this one is now 20 years old. If you have read this book, I encourage you to dust it off and read it again. Thay (meaning teacher, as he is often called) writes with a very simple style, and also avoids all of the complicated Buddhist philosophy that might lead more to confusion than insight.

He is very direct in applying his insights to daily life -- no worries about what is 'real', and what is not. Practical, common sense, but clearly wisdom-filled advice, meant to be applied right here, right now, in every day life.

Here is a poem to whet your appetite. The nature of compassion is complicated, and in this poem, Thich Nhat Hanh identifies with what we would tend to call the victim, as well as the perpetrator, making the point that they both deserve our compassion, for we are all interconnected, and hence the title of the poem illustrates that we all share the responsibility for the health and welfare of each other:

Please Call Me By My True Names

A Poem By Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow --
even today I am still arriving.

Look deeply: every second I am arriving
to be a bud on a Spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
to fear and to hope,
the rhythm of my heart is the birth and death
of all that are alive.

I am the mayfly metamorphosing
on the surface of the river.
And I am the bird which, when Spring comes,
arrives in time to eat the mayfly.

I am the frog swimming happily
in the clear water of a pond.
And I am also the grass-snake
that silently feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks.
And I am the arms merchant,
selling deadly weapons to Uganda.

I am the twelve-year-old girl,
refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean
after being raped by a sea pirate.
And I am the pirate,
my heart not yet capable
of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the politburo,
with plenty of power in my hands.
And I am the man who has to pay his
"debt of blood" to my people
dying slowing in a forced labor camp.

My joy is like Spring, so warm
it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.
My pain is like a river of tears,
so vast if fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughter at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up
and the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.

This poem illustrates a concept Thay teaches about "interbeing". It reflects the notion not that "I think, therefore, I am", but rather, "I am, therefore you are; You are, therefore I am". Indeed, Thich Naht Hahn has created an Order of Interbeing with a set of Mindfulness Trainings that well embody this profound concept.

Again, I hope you take the time to read this book. It's simple, easy, and may just have a profound affect on your life, and by extension, on the world.

Namaste. And my tiny frog friend says "ribbit", which means the same thing ;-)

Meet the Joneses

2006-08-06T14:57:00.000+02:00

You’ve heard the phrase, “Keeping up with the Joneses”. That spiraling process of acquisition and materialism to keep step with your neighbor's new car, new riding lawnmower, new swimming pool, etc. Perhaps you’ve considered the phrase and the sentiment, and concluded, thankfully, that it is not something you wish to do.

Well, here's a news flash, and something for you to consider. For 90+ percent of people living on this earth — your last name is Jones. That’s right. Even your modest, measured, restrained, middle-class, balanced, comfortable-but-not-affluent lifestyle is precisely what the Joneses have that so many of the rest of the world need to “keep up with”.

And here’s another news flash. It doesn’t scale. The world today does not have the natural resources for everyone to have the same standard of living as you enjoy. And even if it did, it is not the way you want to live.

Hey, so what? I work hard for my money, see? I deserve this lifestyle. Why should I care? Well, if you are a native born American, then one reason is your good fortune. By accident of birth, you live in a place that immediately elevates your lifestyle above the masses of the world. In short, you were lucky. And you should consider that when you believe you have “earned” it. Of course you work hard to earn your money, but probably no harder than billions of others that do not have the opportunity to earn 1/100 of what you make — due not to your efforts or inherent talents — but to your zip code.

So what is your point? Should I feel guilty for all that I have? Guilt would not be the emotion I was going for. You should feel grateful. Grateful beyond belief. And if you really feel that way when you consider all that you now have, it will have two effects: first, it will stop your ego’s tendency to need to keep up with the Joneses around the block; and second, it may cause you to pause and consider that larger inequity. Why does it exist? What are the implications? What things that you don’t like about this world today are in some way connected to that disparity? And I think, if you consider these questions with a reflective, contemplative, introspective attitude, and one that starts on a foundation of gratitude for all that you have been given, it will be an eye-opening experience.

So where does this road lead? Only here: to a recognition that you have enough — more than enough. Just that realization can change your life. What are you working for now? What are you worrying about now? If there is a monetary component, then you just solved your problem. You already have enough.

Now wait just a minute. Yes, I can believe that maybe after I get my dishwasher fixed, and we get an air conditioner (did you see how hot it was last week?), and we replace our old jalopy, and my second kid gets through college, and we take that vacation we’ve been planning — maybe then well have “enough” and consider your point. Perhaps, like many others, you believe if you just earned 20% more money, you could eliminate your financial worries.

Another news flash: everyone believes that, and it doesn’t matter what their income level is. And even if you increase your income BY 20%, your “wants and needs” will go up by the same amount, and you are right back where you started. Just roll the calendar back 10 years and ask yourself how you felt about the money you earned then. Now consider the extra money you earn now. Where does it all go? Has it eliminated your wants and needs? Or has it just changed them into a different set — the same ones that the Joneses next door needed too.

You know where this comes from. It is the only reason Madison Avenue exists. To create in your mind a want and a need for that new “stuff”. Hey, now hold on just a minute. Maybe I do want that stuff. So what? It’s my money. You’re not taking it away from me. So if I want to buy more stuff, what’s it to you, anyway?

Don’t worry, I’m not advocating for a massive redistribution of wealth to help out the poor. But I am advocating for you as an individual to consider the consequences. How do you like the terrorism today? Don’t think that is tied into our Western lifestyle? Tied into the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’? OK, perhaps you’ll find more agreement in what our lifestyle does to the environment. Are you satisfied with our stewardship of the planet? Will you be when China or India works to raise its standard of living to a commensurate level? Where do you think wars come from? Competition over resources. Not ideology. In the end, it is about who controls the resources — and in some cases, those resources are human.

So what do you expect me to do? One person in a sea of more than six billion. Just leave me alone, let me be comfortable. Yes, let me want the next cool gadget, and I’ll be happy. Ah, but what about the children. And their children. Everyone of your ancestors can say they helped to make the world a better place for you — gave you a better lifestyle. It is, in fact, why we live. To have children, so that they can have children. It is called evolution, and it is the ultimate journey we are on. And so, we owe it to our children to make sure that the planet is here for them to decide how to make it better.

Yeah, so what? You still didn’t say what I can do about it. Well, here is where your faith is needed. No, not your belief in your God. Your faith in yourself. You need to decide just what you should do. Consume less, reduce the excess you already have. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Spend your new-found, reduced-stress time on things that matter. Spend more time with your family. Show them what choices they can make, and how those can make a difference. Spend time with yourself, and continue to reflect, contemplate, and perhaps meditate on just what is important, on overcoming the ego, on respecting all life, on beauty, on peace, on gratitude.

I believe there is tremendous power within each of us. And we use it however our mind thinks is best. But our mind has been tricked by our ego into what it thinks is best; in short, what is best for me. But that is not what is really best, because it does not scale. Indeed, it is the source of all conflict. If you seriously consider the world around you, you will realize that you are not a separate being — cut off from everything else. You cannot use everything else to better your own situation, or in the end you will damage yourself just as you damage the world around you. You are a part of the world. You are intimately connected to everything around you. So what ultimately is best for you, is what is best for those around you. Once you realize this — once you gain control over your ego (and your mind), you can use that wisdom to make new choices.

There is so much more to say about these new choices. How they will make you feel. But that should be left for another time. In short, they can give you inner peace — a foundation so solid that you will not be shaken by the inevitable storm. They can give you inner bliss — letting you see the beauty in everything and everyone around you. And then you will know unconditional love — what it feels like to offer it, and to receive it. Once you have tasted just a sampling of these things, you will no longer wish to follow the Joneses. But instead to help them see what you have seen. And from there, it will spread.

You can see another post that asks the question: Do you have enough?

On Evolution

2006-07-31T23:24:00.000+02:00

OK, now here's an interesting article. Perhaps you read about this in the New York Times. A PhD student is breeding a bunch of mean rats (and nice ones too), to see what he can learn.

I really wish I had taken more biology in school. Back then, it was just a little too squishy for me. I needed harder sciences and math -- you know, the ones with right and wrong answers. I couldn't handle the ambiguity of it all. If only I had understood this would be an essential life skill.

I find particularly interesting the reference to humans. And the notion we may well be effecting our evolution through societal norms that punish those that do not conform. Of course, in the good ole days we really were thorough in our punishment, and so you could see how this would directly effect the gene pool; now we are somewhat kinder and gentler, so it is not as clear. But I guess when you are in jail, you are not procreating.

You can see where this leads, however. We fought a world war over this (at least in part), didn't we?

And what about selective societies. That share common beliefs (let's say in deep spiritual matters), and only let others join the community that share these beliefs and practice their rites (meditation, etc.). And banish those that stray off the path, and therefore, relieve the (local) gene pool of that potential progenitor. Is there any genetic trait -- a "God gene" if you will -- that has ever been seen manifest in the resultant generations? Are the progeny more likely to attain enlightenment? Or talk to God? Surely someone has studied this. Any pointers?

I ask this not just because of the article. But also because of a teaching I attended by Andrew Cohen a while back. He would have us believe that we are now at that point in evolution where as beings aware of our own consciousness, we can participate in the evolutionary process of consciousness itself. I'm still trying to wrestle with that. And I keep coming back to some tiny bits and pieces of biological evolution -- that process of modifying our genetic makeup -- to really "participate" in the evolutionary process.

Social constructs, higher awareness, greater tolerance do not seem to really affect consciousness on an evolutionary scale, at least to me. I wrote about this elsewhere, and haven't gotten past this point. But this article did intrigue me. The notion that we are (as societies) participating in our own domestication -- helping us all to "play nice", at least within our own society. Alas, we see how poorly this works across societies at present. (Upon reflection, it ain't working so well within societies either. But I suspect that depends on the reference point.)

Anyways, that would seem to lead one to believe we just need to "up" the level of society to a "world view". Many have made that point. I wonder if that would have the intended effect given our pluralistic attitudes that are de rigueur. Remember, "domestication" was enabled through societies weeding out traits they found unacceptable. If we "accept everything", without judgment, then nothing is weeded out (except those that are unwilling to accept everything). Interesting.

Here's an interesting extract from the article:

When dogs were developed from wolves, selection against fear and aggression "may have been sufficient to produce the unusual ability of dogs to use human communicative gestures," Dr. Hare wrote last year in the journal Current Biology.

Dr. Hare believes that wolves probably have the same cognitive powers as dogs, but their ability to solve social problems, like picking up human cues to hidden food, is masked by their fear. Dogs, after their fear is removed by domestication, see humans as potential social partners, not as predators, and are ready to interact with them.

Selection against fear and aggression. What a concept (especially the fear aspect, which does not seem so obvious, and yet we know fear motivates many undesirable behaviors). Anyway, I'm glad someone is doing this research. And I welcome inputs, comments, and pointers from those that have some basic education or serious summer-time reading under their belt to help me better understand evolution, and specifically, the concept of evolution of consciousness.

Are You The One and/or Are We All One?

2006-07-11T05:40:00.000+02:00

I’ve been having some interesting conversations with a couple of people I met through my blogs. Just visitors, that left a comment, and that I replied to, and now we have a conversation ongoing. Fascinating individuals.

And after these conversations, we come to the question: What should we do? Yes there is injustice, religious intolerance, corrupt businesses, pandering politicians, out of control media ... So what should we do? One answer is to work on ourselves. Another answer is to hold fast to our beliefs, because they are right. And yet another is to stop bitchin’ and start a revolution.

So how do you see it? And what are we to do?

I saw an interesting movie on the plane over to Japan. It is called “V for Vendetta”. (And yes, it is based on a comic book, but don’t let that influence you.) It is about a government (in this case Britain, but that’s not the point) that has become Big Brother, and ultimately has become the problem (the connections to Iraq snd America are not so subtle, but don’t let that bother you either). And about one man who has harbored legitimate grievances for 20 years, and is now carrying out his Vendetta. And about one innocent civilian – also touched by the injustice — carrying on his crusade (probably a bad choice of words). It is about your role as a member of that society, and whether you would stand up against such injustice. It is about fear, and about transcending it. About death, and no longer fearing it. It’s a bit over the top as a movie, but I think that is OK (after all, it’s based on a comic book ;-). It wants you to ask — just who is the terrorist, anyway?

So whatever your grievance, your concern, your favorite injustice, the question remains ... Just what are we to do?

I came across this quote recently, and I offer it as at least one possible reaction. But I’d welcome hearing about yours. Please feel free to comment.

Let us be One

May all humanity be one, and we be one with them. And may we feel our kinship now with all living things, as well: with the creatures of the land and sea and sky, and feel our common bond with our Mother, the Earth we share together.

O Creative Spirit of Life, whom the people of the world call by many true names, we give thanks this day for the wonder that is all around us: for the human quest for meaning; for the poetry and myth of the human imagination; for the bright stars in the night; for the joyful sound of voices uplifted in song; for the company of friends; for the bonds of those we love.

We would be mindful, especially now, of the great pain still within our world: the loneliness, the poverty, the hunger, the disease, the injustice that yet remain. Just as in the solstice season, our globe swung back toward the light of longer days, so, too, we pray, may human history once again swing out of darkness and toward the light -- toward the light of peace and justice, reason and compassion.

We join now in the hope that in the midst of all that besets us and our world, we can yet be faithful to Life, and faithful to one another. The spirit of all the celebrations we have commemorated this season-- and other celebrations the world's people observe-- is the spirit of faith in the amazing possibilities that Life always offers unto us: possibilities of new light, new life, new freedom, new hope. May we plant the seeds of this hope deep within our souls this day. And through the winter yet before us, may we tend to these seeds, and nurture them, and care for them -- so that they, too, may come to flower like the spring that already beckons -- come to flower in those blessings we offer back to Life.
Amen.

Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz

On Change and Conflict

2006-07-04T15:09:00.000+02:00

On this Independence Day, I'm thinking of the birth of our nation. Not a peaceful enterprise. So what?

We were having a nice conversation -- you know -- the kind that stimulate thinking, beget opinions and reactions, and possibly even amplify voices. As my father once asked of my mother and me, "would you please stop arguing?"; to which we both replied in unison, "we're NOT arguing!" Anyway ...

So my brother-in-law posited that increased global communications would inherently bring about greater conflict. I challenged by suggesting the opposite -- increased multi-cultural exchange of views, presented by the people rather than by institutions, could actually reduce conflict by wearing-down our parent's (and societies') stereotypes and prejudices.

Upon reflection, I believe it was only a semantic argument. And here is why. What the internet brings to the 21st century seems to me to be as influential as oceanic steam ships and intercontinental jet planes to world travel; as revolutionary as Johannes Gutenberg's printing press to mass communication; and as transformational as the transistor and ultimately the PC on which you are reading this blog. What that translates into is Change, with a capitol "C". The internet provides the means (which of course can be exploited or denied) to give voice to individuals all over the globe. True, it represents only the developed, interconnected world, but surely this is orders of magnitudes larger than each of us practically had available before hand. And an extremely diverse set at that. And those nations, tribes, peoples that do not have access, will likely be given at least an occasional voice, or at least a distant whisper, by those that do.

So what of change and conflict? Charles Darwin said,

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change."

It seems to me that what the internet, and global communications in general, really brings to our species in the 21st century is Change. And taking the long view, evolution's "interest" in this change is our adaptability. If we adapt to this change, we may survive to evolve further. If we do not, we may extinguish this flame. But my point is not apocalyptic.

I believe there will be increased understanding, and the growth that naturally follows from exposure to different ideas and new information. AND, I think there will be conflict from those that cannot -- or really choose not -- to adapt, and try with all of their might to interrupt our slow, steady, increased planetary integration. Because that is what is really underway, is it not? The world is getting smaller and smaller by all measures. Fewer resources (and more people). Exposure to cultural differences developed over millennia -- instantaneously. And in some, perhaps very few, a growing awareness of the only constant when seen from above (or within): Change.

So will there be conflict? Yes, indeed there will be. Because some of us will choose to embrace this change, and others will (literally) choose to fight it. Is that good/bad, right/wrong, just/unfair? You know -- it is none of those judgments. It just is.

So expect (continued) conflict as the world adapts (or not) to the continual change, amplified by noteworthy advancements like the internet. You may be asked (or feel the need) to take up arms (physically or mentally) to defend this new reality from forces that wish to deny it. Can conflict be avoided all together? I doubt it. I think that is Life. I think that is Evolution. I think that is Reality.

Is there another way? I think there are many ways -- Christ showed one, Gandhi showed another, as did MLK. You cannot deny there was conflict there -- but that does not imply that violence is the only answer. However, do not be too sanguine -- consider their personal outcomes. And of course there was Buddha and Lao Tzu. So beliefs and behavior in the face of change have been modeled for or explained to us.

So what of this reflection on change and conflict? Only this: that both will surely continue. The more we take advantage of this change (global communications), the more we can adapt as a species to a more integral view of life. In the end that may reduce conflict, but that will require that we take the long view. In the mean-time, do not be discouraged by conflict. Accept it as reality, and decide how you will deal with it. Wishing it away will not help. Believing it can be forever avoided, or willed away, will only result in a fool's paradise. So embrace the change, and begin to adapt.

Inspiration from a 6-year old

2006-06-21T11:44:00.000+02:00

This cute girl from Thailand is not the subject of this post. She is simply pictured here to help us recognize the power each of us has, including the children. I read the story below (from charityfocus.org) and was amazed at the selflessness, generosity, and wisdom demonstrated by a 6-year old. And for the media, I ask, why isn't this story on the nightly news?

Inspiration of the Day:

6-year-old Ryan Hreljac listened intently as his teacher talked about how without access to clean water, people become ill and sometimes even die. "Every penny helps," the teacher said, explaining that a penny buys a pencil, "and $70 pays for a well." Ryan ran home and begged his parents for $70. They told him to earn it through extra chores, and so while his brothers played, Ryan cleaned for two hours. He got $2. Instead of watching a movie with family, he washed windows. Another $2. Months later, he finally had $70, and his parents set up a meeting to donate the money. Ryan nervously handed over the cookie jar holding $70. "There's an extra $5 here," he said, lowering his voice. "You might want to buy some hot lunches for the people making the well." And Ryan hasn’t stopped there: now 14, he has helped raise over $1 million for wells! This inspiring profile is from 2001.

Read more about this story if you are interested. What would you give up, in time or money, to help those so much less fortunate than yourself have clean drinking water? A fair question I think, and one I am asking myself.

Addendum. Here is a more complete, and it appears accurate, story of Ryan's Well. interestingly, it is even more moving to me. Please read it and realize what impact any one of us can have on the world and humanity.

Reflection on Intention

2006-06-19T11:50:00.000+02:00

Intentions can be good, and they can be bad (so what’s new?) Well, of course — they are neither good nor bad — they just are. It just depends on what you value at the moment as to how you will gauge their benefit or regret. Consider the following:

If I make the “intention” to do no harm to sentient beings, that can help guide me, and prevent “reactions” that would be contrary to that intention — for example, killing a mosquito, ant, or fly.

Also, if I make the “intention” to live in the Now, to be present to all possible experiences as they arise, I will see life and its beauty in a flowing stream, a blazing crimson sunset, a blustery cold November day that takes your breath away. Life will become the tree frog’s song as it crescendos above the orchestra of crickets, or the purple martin’s erratic flight as it scouts and snatches insects for its young.

That’s the good news, so to speak.

The bad news, so to speak, is if I make an “intention” to get all of the things on my “to do” list accomplished today (especially when there are many more than can reasonably be accomplished). What then happens to the free moments when I’m not actually working on my chosen task. I’m thinking of my other tasks, or rushing to get on with the next activity. In such a world, I might be curt with the receptionist (hey, I’m on a mission). I might not notice the box turtle about to cross the road, and rather than stop and enjoy his visit, and steer him toward safety, I might be simply oblivious and — worst case — run over the 40 year-old turtle. Oops.

Now don’t get me wrong here. Since there is no absolute “good” and “bad”, the more practical intention of getting things crossed off my to do list is not inherently “bad”. When you make a conscious (with full awareness) choice to get those things done, you are putting your mind under your control, and accomplishing what you set out to do. This is what time-management experts get paid to tell us to do. But many of us have unwittingly stepped onto a treadmill, which manages to simply produce more “to do’s” than you can ever accomplish. And so, we keep working harder, going faster, and in the process, mindlessly missing life.

Here’s another consideration. What “should” you be doing right now? I hope you should be reading this blog. But if not, then you are not fully present. Somewhere in the back of your mind, there is “something else” you should be doing. You realize it when that latent intention takes control of your mind, and you start thinking about something else while you are reading this blog. In that case, your mind just became the master, and you are now the servant. Thinking what it wants, rather than what you want. (BTW, this can also be “good” if it is a spontaneous new thought that was triggered by what you read.)

Take another example. Have you ever been working inside an office on a beautiful spring day, and decided that you would take a break to enjoy the outside. Once out there you breathe in the fresh air, perhaps revel in the sun’s warm rays. Maybe you notice some spring birds gathering nesting material. Just as you start to really get into the present moment, a nagging thought comes into the back of your mind -- “I really ‘should’ be working”. Doesn’t that rather spoil the experience you are having? Once again, your mind has commanded, and as the servant, your are now responding. You need to make sure you keep your mind as the faithful servant. So when you take that break, be fully present to enjoy the experience. It will be much more refreshing and rewarding.

So consider your intentions. What behaviors do you wish to exhibit? Pick them very carefully, for they can help govern your existence. And that can be “good” or that might be “bad”.

Reflection on wholeness

2006-06-16T04:35:00.000+02:00

There was a time when I was a manager at a medium size consulting company. I always saw the activity in my department as above average (or maybe even better than that ;-). Of course, to be above average, then at least half of the other departments, had to be below average. And so there was “us” and “those other guys” that didn’t quite get it, or get it as well.

Of course, management styles changed and people saw the need for better collaboration, working more like a “team”. I always thought we operated as a great team — it just depended where you drew the boundaries. There were always those who we wanted to have on our team, and “those other guys”.

Now you may think this was the sign of immaturity, or naiveté, or even egocentricity. But then ask yourselves the following questions:

Perhaps it was inappropriate to draw the boundaries around my department. So where should they be drawn? Upper management might say the Division (those are now gone, kinda), or the Center (we really should share across those boundaries). Well, then how about the entire company — yes, that’s it — let’s make sure that the company stays “above average” and not like “those other guys”.

OK, perhaps you are getting my drift. We need to think bigger. After all, my company is here to assist our Government, and we are all “one team” so we must include our civilian and military members of Government. After all, this is the United States. And we are certainly way above average, and not like “those other guys”.

Hmm, perhaps you are detecting a pattern. OK, our country is actually not that old, and we’ve seen some nation-states have their boundaries redrawn many times just in our own lifetimes. So maybe we should draw the boundaries on ethnic grounds. Or cultural grounds. Or religious grounds. Hmm, maybe you now see the problem.

There is no ‘us’, and there is no ‘them’. There isn’t even ‘you’ and ‘I’. It’s just One. And making these divisions, which I think you will agree are all conceptual (and inherently artificial by some yardstick — trust me — any boundary you create, I can find an example to show it isn’t absolute), is inherently harmful, because it reinforces a view of life which runs counter to reality. It breaks up our humanity (or the world, or the universe) into segments that artificially compete against one another, and thus brings suffering.

What we need, instead, are thought processes or paradigms that unite and integrate. That see life — Reality — as a whole. Everything interconnected and related to everything else. No absolutes, and nothing fixed. Nope, not even God (at least as distinct from us).

And all of this begins (and ends, really) with the self — with you, and your concept of “I”. If you are separate from the world, then we are all separate from the world and each other. If you are not distinct, but instead an integral part of the world, then so am I, and so are we together, ad infinitum.

It’s a very challenging concept. But I encourage you to examine your thoughts, beliefs, and their foundations. And to ask yourself if they scale. And if not, to ask yourself why, and if there are alternative paradigms that do scale. And I think you will be brought back to unity. Which will also bring you back to love. Give it a try and see.

The Flow

2006-06-13T12:11:00.000+02:00

We have created a pond, where previously there was only a seasonal swail. It's very nice, very relaxing, very meditative. Water flows in, and water flows out. The more it rains, the greater the flow. Is the pond the same before and after the flow?

Perhaps time is the wrong paradigm to apply to it. For as the Greek philospher Heraclitus (540 BC - 480 BC) once said:

"You could not step twice into the same river;
for other waters are ever flowing on to you."

This is the flow. This is life. Not static, segreagable "things" like 'ponds' and 'rivers'. Not set in time with 'befores' and 'afters'. Just the flow, at once the same and ever changing.

The same is true about you and me. We are not fixed entities with set personalities. This misperception is caused by the ego holding on so tightly to its own separate existence. However, "other waters are ever flowing on to you." We live within a universe which is nothing but flow. We are nothing but flow.

We haven't really created the pond. We adjusted the conditions surrounding seasonal springs, and have collected their waters into a holding area. We have manipulated the flow. That is what we do -- we stand in the river -- never twice the same -- and by being there -- affect the flow.

There is no way to say it when we search for the 'subject' and the 'object' in this new paradigm. We are both the subject and the object. There is no subject and no object. There is only the flow. Coming in and going out.

Do you have enough?

2006-06-10T19:01:00.000+02:00

I was having an e-mail conversation with my good friend Daniel a while ago, pondering the question how to get more people to step off the treadmill and positively change our society:

Steve:

"If the answer to propagate change is to summarily quit one's job, it will be reserved for the few that have the financial means to do so, or who wish to step back into poverty."

Daniel:

"Poverty? Oh Steve. Take a walk between two Sky Train stations in Bangkok. There you will see real poverty. But I suppose there are spots in Bangledesh that make that look like the Taj Ma Hal. My point is that each of us has to define enough. ... Only you can look at your own situation. By the way on that walk between sky train stations you can see beauty that will make you cry it's so beautiful, and I know you are aware of that."

Thanks Daniel for getting me out of my head and back into the 'real' world.

It's so refreshing to smell the wetness of morning grass, to see the tadpoles scurrying to and fro, to look again and find the Iris blossom when only yesterday there was nothing, to relax with a friend upon the lily pad, and to hear the water flow into and out of the pond, endlessly, ceaselessly, always the same, and yet always different. I certainly do have enough.

Here's a story that also makes the point that we all must answer the question "Do I have Enough?" Take a moment and read it. Yes, you have enough time ;-)

Something to Make Me Happy
By Sharon Palmer

     I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in a toy store and decided to look at Barbie dolls for my nieces.
     A nicely dressed little girl was excitedly looking through the Barbie dolls as well, with a roll of money clamped tightly in her little hand.
     When she came upon a Barbie she liked, she would turn and ask her father if she had enough money to buy it. He usually said "yes," but she would keep looking and keep going through their ritual of "Do I have enough?"
     As she was looking, a little boy wandered in across the aisle and started sorting through the Pokémon toys.
     He was dressed neatly, but in clothes that were obviously rather worn, and wearing a jacket that was probably a couple of sizes too small. He, too, had money in his hand, but it looked to be no more than five dollars or so, at the most.
     He was with his father as well, and kept picking up the Pokémon video games. Each time he picked one up and looked at his father, his father shook his head, "no."
     The little girl had apparently chosen her Barbie, a beautifully dressed, glamorous doll that would have been the envy of every little girl on the block.
     However, she had stopped and was watching the interchange between the little boy and his father. Rather dejectedly, the boy had given up on the video games and had chosen what looked like a book of stickers instead. He and his father then started walking through another aisle of the store.
     The little girl put her Barbie back on the shelf, and ran over to the Pokémon games. She excitedly picked up one that was lying on top of the other toys, and raced toward the check-out, after speaking with her father.
     I picked up my purchases and got in line behind them.
     Then, much to the little girl's obvious delight, the little boy and his father got in line behind me.
     After the toy was paid for and bagged, the little girl handed it back to the cashier and whispered something in her ear. The cashier smiled and put the package under the counter.
     I paid for my purchases and was rearranging things in my purse when the little boy came up to the cashier. The cashier rang up his purchases and then said, "Congratulations, you are my hundredth customer today, and you win a prize!"
     With that, she handed the little boy the Pokémon game, and he could only stare in disbelief.
     It was, he said, exactly what he had wanted!
     The little girl and her father had been standing at the doorway during all of this, and I saw the biggest, prettiest grin on that little girl that I have ever seen in my life. Then they walked out the door, and I followed, close behind them.
     As I walked back to my car, in amazement over what I had just witnessed, I heard the father ask his daughter why she had done that. I'll never forget what she said to him.
     "Daddy, didn't Nana and Paw Paw want me to buy something that would make me happy?"
     He said, "Of course they did, Honey."
     To which the little girl replied, "Well, I just did!"
     With that, she giggled and started skipping toward their car. Apparently, she had decided on the answer to her own question of, "Do I have enough?"

Doctor, heal thyself

2006-06-09T12:01:00.000+02:00

Here’s an interesting little story as told by Michael Josephson:

Doctoring With a Heart 456.4

When you visit a medical specialist, an emergency room or a patient in the hospital, are you ever struck by a sense that many doctors are so focused on the scientific aspects of diagnosis and treatment of illness or injury that they ignore, maybe even become annoyed by, things like pain, fear or anxiety?

In her book "Medicine as Ministry," Dr. Margaret Mohrmann, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia , proposes a dramatically different perspective. If accepted, it could drastically change the nature of medical training and treatment.

She contends that doctors tend to view their roles and responsibilities too narrowly. The ultimate object of medicine, she says, is not just to diagnose and cure disease, but to alleviate suffering. In other words, doctors should see themselves as healers, not merely scientists.

"The practice of the ministry of medicine," she adds, "is the practice of paying attention." Being attentive means sensing, treating seriously and responding appropriately to the myriad feelings that inevitably accompany illness and injury.

In her view, the most needed remedy for the kinds of suffering doctors face daily is not more or better painkilling drugs, but more genuine caring. She says doctors should listen more even if it makes them weep. She believes true compassion and empathy are healing agents for pain and anxiety. Genuine gestures of concern -- from a comforting squeeze of the hand to a follow-up phone call or visit -- can be as important as prescriptions and surgical procedures.

I think she's right. It takes a kind of moral courage for a doctor to keep an open heart. But what a huge difference it would make.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts

I find this interesting, because (although I haven’t read her book) she seems to be referring to some basic Buddhist concepts here (or perhaps they are simply inherent human concepts) such as to “alleviate suffering”, show loving compassion, etc. Also interesting because she recommends doctors treat their patients with “genuine caring” and “an open heart”. Most doctors are trained, either explicitly or through practical defense mechanisms, to do quite the opposite, so as to protect them from the vicissitudes of life (and death). I imagine the break room conversation for the new intern to be something like: “Don’t get to close to your patient”. “You need to remain independent and detached, or this job will eat you up inside”. “You can’t save everyone, so don’t kill yourself trying.”

Yet I have come to believe that they can in fact detach themselves from this movie of life and death, tragedy and victimhood, and terminal illnesses that can just as likely grab hold of the saint as the sinner. By seeing life for what it really is — its nondual nature, doctors (and the rest of us) can both operate in this world (excuse the pun) and remain somewhat detached from its drama. They (and we) can express loving kindness, incredible presence, and complete compassion without being consumed by the emotion, or mental constructs such as “the unfairness of it all”.

So what I find interesting, is that such practices which I relate to the Buddha (that's his hand in the picture above -- yes, a tenuous connection I know) would also help someone on the Western scientific cutting edge like our medical doctors do their jobs better (which should indeed be about healing rather than treatment, and where possible, healing as much of the whole person as he or she is ready for).

Missing my flight

2006-06-08T12:39:00.000+02:00

I arrived at the Santa Barbara airport after a short visit on a work trip, that had been marred by bad weather. But today, as I was departing, it was sunny outside. When I got to the ticket counter, I was informed that my short flight into San Francisco was delayed due to fog there, and I would miss my connection home, so they would have to re-route me. Have you felt that immediate reaction when things don't go as you planned -- don't meet your expectations, and you are attached to the outcome (I wanted to be home)? Yes, I was upset. I tried calling my travel agent, but there were no good alternatives. Finally, I accepted the rerouted itinerary that the ticket agent cheerfully and helpfully provided; but I was sullen.

So I went outside to kill time, bemoaning the fact that I would now be getting home later than planned, and probably with not as good seats as I had worked out previously (yes, I know how trivial it sounds -- what can I say -- it's how my mind was making me feel).

Then as I sat outside in the beautiful sunshine, listening to some music, I had this incredible wave of beauty just envelope me. This was not a conscious act on my part. I didn't "will myself" to start taking a different perspective. Something just clicked, and I was "spiritually forced" to get out my camera and start taking pictures (the one above is a building at the Santa Barbara airport). And then another stage, and I put away my camera and let my own eyes become the lens — the witness. I detached from my own thoughts and petty concerns, and everyone and everything I saw was so beautiful, so peaceful. I watched a little child, maybe 2 years old, holding on to a dandelion walking around on the grass, checking out all the flowers. She looked over to me and smiled. Later on, her father was out with her on the lawn with a tennis ball, teaching her to play catch (more like fetch ;-) and to throw it back. So gentle. Such love and compassion. Indeed, everyone I saw, all their interactions were nothing but friendly and peaceable.

I don’t know, I must have looked like a crazy man, just leaning against a tree smiling at everyone and everything I saw. Yes, it was a beautiful day, but what came over me was something very unique, and I've felt it only a few times in my life. It is a detachment from your thought process, and a detachment from your future expectations. You are able to just witness. And from that detached perspective -- not judging, not calculating, not thinking -- what you experience is the inherent beauty that exists in the world. I don't think this is something you can "strive" for, as I think it really is a stepping back from desire and expectation. It is "un-doing" all of your planning and preconceived notions.

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
-- Lao Tzu

Oh yeah, and the re-routed flight? Got me home earlier than I was originally scheduled, and the seats were excellent. Seems to me I just need to chill out more often and take each "detour" (aka, life as it is) as a blessing. Which I did that entire day. What a really nice experience.

Karmic Explosion

2006-04-07T14:02:00.000+02:00

My friend Dan and I have been having an e-mail conversation about a couple of worthwhile books (Awaken the Buddha Within, by Lama Surya Das and The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle). One point in that dialog had to do with a Buddhist priniciple that one of our purposes is to alleviate suffering in all sentient beings. Or maybe not -- maybe it is really just to work on our own enlightenment, and the rest will follow.

It is easy to find quotes from Buddhist sages that reinforce our lessons and points of view. So I like to see them from other sources too, and try to relate them:

Man can no longer live his life for himself alone. We realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all this life. From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe. -- Albert Schweitzer

This ties into the the duty/purpose of alleviating suffering in the world we were talking about. I think it is a reflection of our maturity in the world. We see that we do not live by and for ourselves. Nor for our families, or our clans/tribes, or for our countries. We do not even live for our God (don’t get me started). We live with and for everyone and everything, and it is all interrelated.

Don’t worry about the need to work on your own enlightenment first — yes it is essential, but it will come naturally once the seed has been planted, as surely as the mighty oak exists within the fallen acorn. And if that seed hasn't yet germinated inside someone, they will look at you kinda funny ;-)

So what motivates our action in this world? Today. Right now. Loving kindness, compassion, and a genuine desire to alleviate suffering of all sentient beings. Just think if that was the motivation of each one of our decisions, every day, in everything we do. Karmic explosion!

The Mirage of Life

2006-02-18T14:34:00.000+01:00

Hello all,

It has been much too long. I’ve been tied up in the work-a-day world, something I would rather not consume me. I don’t know what it is about a long plane ride (to Japan), that seems to bring out my other side. Maybe it’s the wine ;-) Maybe it’s the iPod. Or maybe reflection on a movie or two. Just saw a movie entitled “The Emperor’s Club” starring Kevin Kline. A movie about virtue, and about people using less-than-virtue (cheating) to get ahead in the real world. It does a reasonable job explaining the “grey” nature to life. Nothing is black and nothing is white. Be as concerned about the religious right as about the liberal left. It is a rare individual that is not caught up in one agenda or another. Among other points, it shows what can happen when you are caught up in (attached to) the outcome. Better, indeed, to let the chips fall where they may. To act out of conscience, but without need to control the outcome. The cost of not playing the game, and the virtue. Ah yes, life can be complicated. But oh, the indomitable spirit, and faith in our fellow man.

What causes one man to be righteous, and another to seek only gain? What causes one soul to grant forgiveness, while another seeks only retribution? Is it nature or nurture? Or is it a somehow a calling, hearing the whisper of an inner voice. Usually drowned out by the cacophony of the work-a-day world, of the competitive spirit, of the capitalistic media. Have you ever heard that voice? I can assure you it is all but silent in most of us. But somewhere deep inside it is speaking to you – always present. Your job, then, is to listen for it. And once you hear it, to wish to examine it, to understand its source. And for this, you will need a little solitude, a little reflection, a little contemplation, a little introspection, and perhaps a little meditation. I urge you to give yourself that space. To hear that voice, and wonder. In that moment, life is its most beautiful. It lacks judgment. It is rich with meaning, simplicity, and joy.

And I believe there is more. In that space, there is a new flow, a warmly embracing trade wind that calls to you to follow. Steer your ship, and let that breeze set for you a new course. It will take less effort, and it will feel right. There will still be rough seas, but you will fare much better running with the wind and with the current, rather than against it. You will realize that though you might wish to guide the breeze, in fact the breeze guides you. And this recognition, this surrender, is really the secret.

Life is what it is, but you – you have a choice. Do you wish to embrace life as it is, or do you wish to do battle, to try to conquer the forces of nature? One way accepts life in the present moment, while the other tries to build sand castles upon the shore. Once sees black and white, right and wrong, and accepts them all, while the other seeks to impose its righteous cause, for better or worse, and only in the eye of the beholder.

So on this occasion — the return of reflections of beauty — I turn to the mirage that is life. Your goal is to not only be in it, and a part of it, but also to transcend it, like this picture shows. There I am on the beach, but not entirely. I enjoy the moment, but recognize it is only a part of the picture, and as the image implies, the other is rather ethereal. Harder to grasp, but real, actually essential, nonetheless. And can you feel the warm breeze in the picture? Yes, it is blowing, and I am listening. And hearing the rustle of the palms, the breaking surf, and at the same time, the calm, inner voice.

Be there, and not there. And enjoy all that life has to offer.

S-

On Advertising and the Media

2006-01-07T14:55:00.000+01:00

According to Martin Avis, publisher of the e-zine KickStart Daily,

"By the time the average Western person has reached the age of twenty, they will have been exposed to over one million television commercials."

Jeez, I wonder how it is we in the West have this problem with materialism?

"Whoever controls the media - the images - controls the culture."
-- Allen Ginsberg

Do we have a new ally that might allow us to change this dynamic? Or rather, to help turn it in "our" favor. Via the web. Can we take back control of the media, and the message? That is, can we influence the "culture"?

Who is Steve Crisp?

2005-12-20T12:24:00.000+01:00

I find life so fascinating. I am (and always have been) learning something new every day. And now I’m learning just how cunning the ego is. Consider the following:

Who is Steve Crisp? Is he the same person that he was 10 or 15 or 20 years ago? By what definition and what yardstick?

By the yardstick of science, I look similar (but certainly not the same). Some of my measurable statistics have changed: though my height has remained pretty constant, my weight and waist size have gone up and come down. Most people would recognize me, certainly when coupled with my mannerisms and speech, but then the human mind is an amazing pattern recognition machine. So not the same, but quite similar according to science.

By the yardstick of art, most would say I’m quite different. Back then I’d be more known for a critical review of a requirements specification or development and presentation of a Powerpoint briefing. Now people may associate me more with photographs and web logs (almost sounds like a song title ;-)

By the yardstick of spirituality, I think it’s fair to say I’m a rather different being. In the past, I had no use for spirituality (and especially organized religion). Now I spend a significant amount of time “seeking” (or "un-doing") which for me really means various forms of contemplation. And I prefer to expose myself to spiritual or insightful material (books, discussions, etc.)

So again I ask, who is Steve Crisp? Am I the same person, really in ANY sense, that I was 10 or 15 or 20 years ago? Well you say, you may have changed your likes and dislikes, your areas of emphasis and attention, but surely you are the same person. That individual has been accumulating experiences and they help define who you are. Surely you (and no one else) can look back into your memory and relive or re-examine some past experiences.

But I wonder if even that is true. When I look back into my (admittedly blurry memory) I actually find myself reinterpreting experiences from my current vantage point. By this measure, something that at the time was painful, might now be seen as positive and developmental; and something that was pleasurable might be seen as hedonistic and unfulfilling. So even by the yardstick of my own memories, it seems to me I am a different person.

And at the risk of contradicting myself, this is consistent with a belief I’ve had for some time (which — once realized — has not changed). That at any instant in time, you can change who you are. You can “remake” yourself. And yes, it is possible by all of the yardsticks. You can go from being sad to happy, in an instant. You can go from being mean to being good, in an instant. You can go from not liking vegetables to liking vegetables, in an instant (trust me on this one). And yes, even some of your “measurable” characteristics can change, in an instant (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, etc.). We only have to believe (or know) that it is possible. And perhaps we have to learn some of the techniques and develop the right perspectives.

Now if this is all true, then what is the ego? Quite a clever fellow I would say. It is giving me the illusion of a single being, living a single life through a brief period of universal space-time. It has a series of beliefs, it has a history, it is your identify. Don’t mess with the ego. Bah, humbug — I’m not buying it. Considered carefully, I think I am who I am for the instant that I consider the question. And in that instant, I’m not the Steve Crisp you’ve all come to know (and love ;-). I’m a part of the infinite, the all, the source, Being, that has expressed itself in precisely this fashion at this time.

So hey, it’s me — the (always) "new" Steve, and I’m damn happy to know you. I hope you have a mind-boggling day!

S-

"Billions and billions ... "

2005-12-16T17:53:00.000+01:00

Most of us have heard the late Carl Sagan refer to "billions and billions" of stars in the Universe. But Carl's been gone awhile now, and the astronomers are still at work. So just how many do folks estimate? How about 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. The figure -- 7 followed by 22 zeros or, more succinctly, 70 sextillion -- was calculated by a team of stargazers based at the Australian National University, according to a 2003 report by CNN.

Now, we know a billion is a large number, and therefore "billions and billions" is really a lot of stars. But do you have any idea how many 70 sextillion is? Can you even imagine it? Try this "fun fact" from the same article: "It's also about 10 times as many stars as grains of sand on all the world's beaches and deserts." Say what?

So for every single grain of sand that get's stuck to your bathing suit and that you summarily wash down the beach shower, there are 10 stars in the universe. Perhaps that helps you appreciate the unfathomable vastness of the observable universe -- beyond that, who knows?

I thought perhaps you might also appreciate some of these quotes by Carl Sagan, which I stumbled across while doing a little web-digging (yes, for you, faithful blog reader ;-):

We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy which is one of billions of other galaxies which make up a universe which may be one of a very large number, perhaps an infinite number, of other universes. That is a perspective on human life and our culture that is well worth pondering. -- Carl Sagan, quoted in Dan Lewandowski and John Stear, "A Tribute To Carl Sagan"

Look again at that dot [referring to planet Earth]. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar", every "supreme leader", every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. -- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. -- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot

In our tenure on this planet we have accumulated dangerous evolutionary baggage, hereditary propensities for aggression and ritual, submission to leaders and hostility to outsiders, which place our survival in some question. But we have also acquired compassion for others, love for our children and our children's children, a desire to learn from history, and a great soaring passionate intelligence — the clear tools for our continued survival and prosperity. Which aspects of our nature will prevail is uncertain, particularly when our vision and understanding and prospects are bound exclusively to the Earth — or, worse, to one small part of it. But up there in the immensity of the Cosmos, an inescapable perspective awaits us. -- Carl Sagan, Cosmos, p. 318

The world is so exquisite, with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better, it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look Death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. -- Carl Sagan, Billions and Billions, p. 215

Madness of the Mind

2005-12-12T03:42:00.000+01:00

I like this photo, taken a few years ago while on a run in the Garden of the Gods (so appropriate), in Colorado Springs, CO. I kept being chased by this person -- sometimes he was ahead of me, other times behind me, and here, right beside me. So I thought I'd take a picture of him. Quite a good looking chap, don't you think?

And when we wonder about the future, or dredge up the past, he's right there beside us as well. Our mind invites our shadow to keep us company, on almost every journey we take, except when we tunnel deep into our own mystery, in the present moment.

I find this quote rather provocative, and also quite accurate; please comment and let me know what you think:

"People point their finger at insane people and call them 'crazy.' But they don't know that they themselves are actually crazy, as well. Whoever has a mind is mad, because the mind is madness. In the case of a person who is insane, it is clearly manifested and therefore you can see it. Whereas, in your case, it is not as clearly manifested and therefore not as obvious. But the madness is there, because the mind is there."

Mata Amritanandamayi

Perspectives from 30,000 ft.

2005-12-10T18:50:00.000+01:00

As I fly at 30,000 ft, I begin my journey by seeing nothing but white clouds below, with no gaps, as far as the eye can see. This expanse has texture — it is not uniform. But it blocks my view of the ground below, and their view of me. It might as well be impenetrable, and yet we know it is only gossamer.

Next I see two distinct cloud banks at different altitudes. These higher clouds have even more texture, more variation in height. I suppose this reflects the water composition of the atmosphere are these temperature gradients. Indeed, I see a circular rainbow projected onto the clouds from the sun refracted over the plane. In fact, if I look closely, I realize it is a triple rainbow, with a center, an inner and an outer loop of soft colors. Like an eye staring right back at me. Perhaps my mind’s eye.

What’s interesting is that without the clouds (and associated moisture in the air) I could not see this rainbow. And of course those on the ground do not see this rainbow.

Above the clouds, there is a beautiful blue sky, at once uniform but at the same time differentiated by shades of blue, beginning on the horizon with only a hint of color, to sky blue, and up higher to a deep azure.

I can also see how each cloud layer is like a filter that lets through only a portion (or nothing at all) of the reality below it. When a clearing comes into view, we get a glimpse of the world as it is (or as it appears to us). We look forward to those moments when we gain insights and see clearly. But the clouds themselves are beautiful, and reflect their own reality.

When the clouds are gone, I can see clearly the surface of the earth, but still from such a different perspective. Not only from above, but also though a scaling filter. Only what your eyes can resolve at that altitude. It too is quite beautiful, and seems to reflect the fractal characteristic of nature (see the photo).

Once again I am back over clouds, this time above an undifferentiated fog — I’m getting lower in altitude. My rainbow is gone, as is all texture. This is the atmosphere’s “white noise”, denying me any meaningful signal. I could be anywhere, and would not know the difference.

It is nice to get up, above the work-a-day fray, and gain some perspective. I can see why the astronauts so enjoy the view at the edge of space, or further away, seeing earth from outer space. I can appreciate how from that perspective, it is clear how “together” we all are. How in the words of one astronaut:

“When you're finally up on the moon, looking back at the earth, all these differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend and you're going to get a concept that maybe this is really one world and why the hell can't we learn to live together like decent people." -- Frank Borman, Astronaut

Can you see God?

2005-12-09T12:48:00.000+01:00

A small boy once approached his slightly older sister with a question about God. "Susie, can anybody ever really see God?" he asked.

Busy with other things, Susie curtly replied: "No, of course
not silly. God is so far up in heaven that nobody can see him."

Time passed, but his question still lingered so he approached his mom: "Mom, can anybody ever really see God?" "No, not really," she gently said. "God is a spirit and he dwells in our hearts, but we can never really see Him."

Somewhat satisfied but still wondering, the youngster went on his way. Not long afterwards, his saintly old grandfather took the little boy on a fishing trip.

They were having a great time together. The sun was beginning to set with unusual splendor and the grandfather stared silently at the exquisite beauty unfolding before them.

On seeing the face of his grandfather reflecting such deep
peace and contentment, the little boy thought for a moment and finally spoke hesitatingly:

"Granddad, I--I-- wasn't going to ask anybody else, but I wonder if you can tell me the answer to something I've been wondering about a long time. Can anybody--can anybody ever really see God?".

The old man did not even turn his head. A long moment slipped by before he finally answered. "Son," he quietly said. "It's getting so I can't see anything else." -- Author Unknown

What a fantastic sentiment -- to see God (insert your favorite term for the ineffable) in everything. Good viewing.

Just Over-Do It

2005-12-04T22:49:00.001+01:00

I received this Christmas Light video from my friend Dan, and just had to share. It has absolutely nothing to do with "Just Un-Doing It" (in fact quite the opposite), but so what -- it is just too cool. Check it out and see what you think.

Note: you need to have Windows Media Player installed (try opening it, if you are having problems). Mac users can download it here.

This was from the accompanying e-mail:
One of my former Corning, Inc. colleagues e-mailed me this video of his son's Christmas lights display.

His son is an electrical engineer and used a programmable logic controller to animate the display. He rented Bose speakers to blast the music on his front lawn. Wonder what the neighbors think?

p.s. from a subsequent article based on the publicity this light show received, I learned that they ended up broadcasting on a short range FM channel, so the sound could be heard in cars, but not in the neighborhood. I also learned that he was forced to discontinue this spectacle after it caused traffic jams in the area (surprise, surprise!)

p.p.s. in the spirit of "anything worth doing well is worth doing to excess," consider this quaint snowman.

You can read more here. Get a grip folks.

The Epiphany

2005-12-03T16:01:00.000+01:00

Nothing is new. Everything has been said before. Why do we find it so hard to figure it out ourselves? I wanted to share what seems to be a breakthrough for me, or rather, a realization of truth that was always there -- is always there -- but is lost in the commotion of the work-a-day world.

This also relates to an earlier post by Grasshopper on the Hi-Seekers blog, entitled "Who Are We in Between our Thinking?"

Here is the insight. To truly experience life, avoid pain and suffering, see beauty in everything around us, we must live in the present moment (aka, the Now).

OK, I've heard that before -- what the heck does it mean? What are the implications? Must I constantly meditate, or perhaps retreat to a mountain cave? Living in the Now is your natural state. News flash: that's the ONLY place life exists. The past is just one person's historical trajectory. The future is just one person's imagination of what might come next. Life lives, breathes, creates, in the present moment, and only there.

So what does it mean to live in the Now? Well first, it means you have to gain control of your Mind. Huh? Your mind is what causes you to focus on the past and on the future. To see the current moment as nothing but a means to an end -- maybe solving the next problem, getting to a clean house, earning more money so that someday in the future you can live happily ever after. Another news flash: you can never live happily ever after in the future, for two reasons: 1) you can't live in the future; and 2) once your current "lack" is satisfied, there will be more "want"; there always is.

So what? So getting control of your mind means recognizing your thoughts for just what they are: something created by your ego, and not by your true Self. They are there to create and live out your life's drama, as a separate entity, alone and cut off from God, Being, All There Is, Oneness, whatever you want to call it. And it is the source of your suffering, or if you feel that you aren't suffering, it is preventing you from realizing true joy, inner peace, and profound bliss.

What the heck are you talking about? Try this exercise. Close your eyes and concentrate; be totally aware. Quiet your mind. Watch for the next thought to materialize out of no where. Keep waiting for it, and just observe it when it comes. What did you notice? When I tried this, I found it took a while before that first thought appeared. And that is the key. You were the observer watching your mind create a thought.

How can that be? You are not your mind, and you are not your thoughts. This is the key to awareness, to presence, to living in the Now. It is what Buddhists call mindfulness -- being fully present in whatever activity you are performing, giving it your full attention, so that your Mind is not running off planning the next activity, or worrying about what you'll make for dinner tonight. Once you realize this, it is rather straightforward to quiet your mind.

Are you saying that my mind is the problem? Because I rather fancy it. Once again, you have identified the essential point. It is not that your mind is a "problem", it just "is". Your mind is a tool. You use it to get along in the work-a-day world. The question is, who is in charge? Do you (your essential Self) use your mind when you need it, and then "turn it off" (i.e., become present, aware) or does your Mind run amok? Thinking whatever thoughts just "pop" into your head, whether you want them there or not? Does your mind dredge up some past history and create pain? Does it worry about whether you'll get the next promotion, and bring you anxiety? If so, your Mind has taken control, and you need to realize it.

But this is how everyone lives, isn't it? Save for a few monks and sages, this is my reality, our reality, isn't it? It doesn't have to be. Did you try that experiment? You can take control back any time you earnestly want to. And with practice, the mind will become a noble servant, but a servant nonetheless. For you scientists and engineers who so depend upon your minds, consider this quote: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." -- Albert Einstein We're all talking about the same thing.

How shall I practice this, and refine this insight? For me, that's the beauty of my epiphany. I imagined much study, meditation, seclusion, retreats, needing gurus, and the like. But just turn your full attention on any activity you are doing. Full attention in the same way you were monitoring your mind for arising thoughts. Once again be fully present and aware. Observe, without judgment, what it is you are doing -- what you see, what you feel, smell, hear, taste -- everything. Leave no room for extraneous thoughts. It isn't 'good' and it isn't 'bad', it just 'is'. It is not a means to an end, it is your life in this moment. And when you give it your full attention, and quiet your mind (keep it under control, or in the toolbox as it were), I assure you that you will see beauty in what you are doing. It will gain new meaning. You will be at peace and feel bliss.

But why is that so? How can doing the dishes make me feel bliss? Because there can be no "problems" in the now. Nothing to "worry" about, since that implies a future concern, and you are not thinking about the future (you have quieted the mind). But what if there is a problem "in the now"? What if I cut my hand while washing the dishes? Well, first of all, it is less likely to happen when you are giving your full attention to the dishes, right? But if it were to happen, it is just a situation to be dealt with -- it just "is". You know what to do, right? So you deal with it. That's the beauty of the Now. You can cope with every situation that presents itself to you in the Now. And you don't build up anxiety, worry, dread, or other fear-based emotions. Because you have quieted the mind.

Sounds intriguing -- how do I know this is so? Why should I believe you? You shouldn't. It would do you no good whatsoever. You should only try to experience it. Only then will you really know what I'm trying to express. But I encourage you to do so. For continuing on the way so many do -- effectively asleep to this reality -- is the cause of great suffering, to ourselves, to our brothers and sisters, and to the world. Certainly you can see that when you pause and consider. As posted earlier, in the immortal words of the Eagles, "It's waiting for you to awaken."

If you wish to read more about this topic, I would recommend Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, 1999

Finding Buddha in the Garden

2005-12-02T12:10:00.000+01:00

I've made reference to my vacation in Thailand, so here's a post that talks about a small part of that trip. It was our last full day, and we had made arrangements to hire a 4WD vehicle and drive up to the hill tribe area, known as Doi Tung. This part of northern Thailand is known as the Golden Triangle, right on the border with Burma and Laos. This is where they used to grow poppies for opium production, and for many years, this led to an unhappy life for many Thais, and of course other countries that were the recipients of that export. In the late 1980s, there was a development project begun by the Princess Mother (Thailand is a monarchy) to eliminate opium production, and replace it with craftsmanship and revegitate the land that had been cleared using slash and burn tactics for growing poppies.

Materially "poor", but happier than I've seen in "wealthy" areas
Chickens everywhere ... bird flu anyone?
Drying coffee beans on porch rooftops

This is on the side of the mountain pass (1500 meters high) that divides Thailand and Burma, and there are military outposts along the road. Along this drive, we came to an Arboretum. What we had stumbled upon was nothing short of an enchanted garden.

Both Thai and Burmese military outposts just down the road
Magical paths lead from one vista to the next
Beautiful flowers of many types adorn the hillside

Here, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and in this quite poor rural location, we found manicured gardens and beautiful stone paths that go on and on, with hundreds of gardeners keeping the grounds immaculate. Oh yeah, and we appear to be the only people in this arboretum; just Dan, me, and 100 of our closest Thai gardener friends.

A mountainside arboretum in the middle of nowhere
More mysterious paths enclosed by ferns
I was simply awestruck and mesmerized

Indeed, after being awed by garden after garden, we found a sign that led to a tunnel. That tunnel, cleverly curved so that you walk out of bright equatorial sun into total darkness, and then round a curve to see the light again, takes you to the other side of the mountain pass, where an entirely different garden experience awaits. It was here, that we met (though could not directly communicate with) what turned out to be our gardener guide. After asking to take his picture, and trying to express how fascinated we were with this magical place, he insisted in giving us a "tour", pointing out things that were off the beaten path, but special to him. It was quite a remarkable time.

More paths, more steps, overlooking the mountainside
Our rightfully proud, and peacefully happy, Thai gardener guide
Pine tree forest on the other side

Before the Doi Tung Development Project started, this mountain site was barren of trees, and covered with one of the largest opium fields in Thai territory. Now it is a magnificent arboretum, and my pictures don't do it justice, as it was a rather hazy day. But I feel safe in speaking for both Dan and me that we were awestruck with the beauty and mystical nature of this garden. Also check out a related post on my Reflections of Beauty blog, Finding God in the Park post.

It's waiting for you to awaken

2005-11-22T09:11:00.000+01:00

Still gathering my thoughts regarding my recent vacation to the Golden Triangle in Thailand, right at the intersection of Thailand, Burma (aka Union of Myanmar), and Laos.

Listening to some old Eagles music as I was going though my many photos. Love the lyrics of their song "Learn to be still". It kind of says it all. Remember ... "it's waiting for you to awaken"

S-

EAGLES - Learn To Be Still Lyrics

It's just another day in paradise
As you stumble to your bed
You'd give anything to silence
Those voices ringing in your head
You thought you could find happiness
Just over that green hill
You thought you would be satisfied
But you never will-
Learn to be still

We are like sheep without a shepherd
We don't know how to be alone
So we wander 'round this desert
And wind up following the wrong gods home
But the flock cries out for another
And they keep answering that bell
And one more starry-eyed messiah
Meets a violent farewell-
Learn to be still
Learn to be still

Now the flowers in your garden
They don't smell so sweet
Maybe you've forgotten
The heaven lying at your feet

[Solo]

There are so many contradictions
In all these messages we send
(We keep asking)
How do I get out of here?
Where do I fit in?
Though the world is torn and shaken
Even if your heart is breakin'
It's waiting for you to awaken
And someday you will-
Learn to be still
Learn to be still

You just keep on runnin'
Keep on runnin'

Time to "Just Un-Do It"

2005-11-21T03:28:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

What a week (10 days actually)! I’m just now returning from my first trip to Thailand, where I visited my friend and new-found traveling companion Dan, and we spent our time up north in Chiang Rei. Wow! It was absolutely unbelievable. I will write more about that later. And pictures? I only took 900 of them, so my challenge will be picking out the few worth sharing.

OK, enough of my vacation (which, by the way, was really quite spiritual). You may have noticed that this post comes to you from a new blog: my “Just Un-Do It” blog, which refers to my counter-cultural message (that my family knows all too well). All we really need to do is “Un-Do” the various indoctrinations (be they cultural, social, familial, or even inherited, and certainly, un-do the media messages by which we are accosted).

As my first post to this new forum, I’m including, in its entirety, an article from Ken Wilbur, I believe taken out of the magazine “What is Enlightenment?” I have recommended that magazine before, and you can find the link over at the “other” blog:
http://hi-seekers.blogspot.com/
(I’m hoping that acknowledgement and pointer will mollify the copyright police ;-)

This article puts in black and white many of the issues that have gotten under my skin, especially the relationship of religion to spirituality or a higher truth. It also raises the seeker conundrum (to seek or not to seek). And it is put so succinctly, and to me rings very true. I hope you find it provocative as well as insightful. I very much enjoyed it.

I welcome and encourage feedback, and request you post your comments on the blog so others (not necessarily on this list) can benefit from them:
http://justun-doit.blogspot.com/

To non-seeking ... “Just un-do it!”

S-

p.s., and to those of you that are tired of my “long” posts, all I can say is “sorry”. Read it when you are “in the mood”.
=======

A Spirituality that Transforms

by Ken Wilber

Ken Wilber needs little introduction. A genius recognized in his own time, this prolific author is widely acclaimed for his innovative and critical synthesis of philosophies East and West, and has been hailed by many as one of the brightest lights of the modern spiritual world. With an ever growing influence, his ideas claim adherents from an enormous diversity of ideological camps—while he, a practicing Buddhist, remains fiercely independent, aligned only to the force of his own inquiry. Not afraid to take the risk of being controversial, he has been harshly criticized for his outspoken and fearless questioning of many of the most cherished ideas of the modern progressive status quo.

Yet it is this very quality in him, his unrelenting passion for genuine inquiry—a quality all too rare in the modern spiritual arena—that we find so refreshing. In the following original essay Ken Wilber shouts from his heart, imploring each of us to take up the challenge of embracing "a spirituality that transforms."

Hal Blacker, a contributing editor for What Is Enlightenment?, has described the topic of this special issue of the magazine in the following way (although this repeats statements made elsewhere in this issue, it is nonetheless worth quoting at length, simply because of its eloquence, straightforwardness, and unerring good sense):

We intend to explore a sensitive question, but one which needs to be addressed—the superficiality that pervades so much of the current spiritual exploration and discourse in the West, particularly in the United States. All too often, in the translation of the mystical traditions from the East (and elsewhere) into the American idiom, their profound depth is flattened out, their radical demand is diluted, and their potential for revolutionary transformation is squelched. How this occurs often seems to be subtle, since the words of the teachings are often the same. Yet through an apparent sleight of hand involving, perhaps, their context and therefore ultimately their meaning, the message of the greatest teachings often seems to become transmuted from the roar of the fire of liberation into something more closely resembling the soothing burble of a California hot tub. While there are exceptions, the radical implications of the greatest teachings are thereby often lost. We wish to investigate this dilution of spirituality in the West and inquire into its causes and consequences.

I would like to take that statement and unpack its basic points, commenting on them as best I can, because taken together, those points highlight the very heart and soul of a crisis in American spirituality.

—K.W.

TRANSLATION VS. TRANSFORMATION

In a series of books (e.g., A Sociable God, Up from Eden, and The Eye of Spirit), I have tried to show that religion itself has always performed two very important, but very different, functions. One, it acts as a way of creating meaning for the separate self: it offers myths and stories and tales and narratives and rituals and revivals that, taken together, help the separate self make sense of, and endure, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This function of religion does not usually or necessarily change the level of consciousness in a person; it does not deliver radical transformation. Nor does it deliver a shattering liberation from the separate self altogether. Rather, it consoles the self, fortifies the self, defends the self, promotes the self. As long as the separate self believes the myths, performs the rituals, mouths the prayers, or embraces the dogma, then the self, it is fervently believed, will be "saved"—either now in the glory of being God-saved or Goddess-favored, or in an afterlife that insures eternal wonderment.

But two, religion has also served—in a usually very, very small minority— the function of radical transformation and liberation. This function of religion does not fortify the separate self, but utterly shatters it—not consolation but devastation, not entrenchment but emptiness, not complacency but explosion, not comfort but revolution—in short, not a conventional bolstering of consciousness but a radical transmutation and transformation at the deepest seat of consciousness itself.

There are several different ways that we can state these two important functions of religion. The first function—that of creating meaning for the self—is a type of horizontal movement; the second function—that of transcending the self—is a type of vertical movement (higher or deeper, depending on your metaphor). The first I have named "translation," the second, "transformation."

With translation, the self is simply given a new way to think or feel about reality. The self is given a new belief—perhaps holistic instead of atomistic, perhaps forgiveness instead of blame, perhaps relational instead of analytic. The self then learns to translate its world and its being in the terms of this new belief or new language or new paradigm, and this new and enchanting translation acts, at least temporarily, to alleviate or diminish the terror inherent in the heart of the separate self.

But with transformation, the very process of translation itself is challenged, witnessed, undermined and eventually dismantled. With typical translation, the self (or subject) is given a new way to think about the world (or objects); but with radical transformation, the self itself is inquired into, looked into, grabbed by its throat and literally throttled to death.

Put it one last way: with horizontal translation—which is by far the most prevalent, widespread and widely shared function of religion—the self is, at least temporarily, made happy in its grasping, made content in its enslavement, made complacent in the face of the screaming terror that is in fact its innermost condition. With translation, the self goes sleepy into the world, stumbles numbed and nearsighted into the nightmare of samsara, is given a map laced with morphine with which to face the world. And this, indeed, is the common condition of a religious humanity, precisely the condition that the radical or transformative spiritual realizers have come to challenge and to finally undo.

For authentic transformation is not a matter of belief but of the death of the believer; not a matter of translating the world but of transforming the world; not a matter of finding solace but of finding infinity on the other side of death. The self is not made content; the self is made toast.

Now, although I have obviously been favoring transformation and belittling translation, the fact is that, on the whole, both of these functions are incredibly important and altogether indispensable. Individuals are not, for the most part, born enlightened. They are born in a world of sin and suffering, hope and fear, desire and despair. They are born as a self ready
and eager to contract; a self rife with hunger, thirst, tears and terror. And they begin, quite early on, to learn various ways to translate their world, to make sense of it, to give meaning to it, and to defend themselves against the terror and the torture never lurking far beneath the happy surface of the separate self.

And as much as we, as you and I, might wish to transcend mere translation and find an authentic transformation, nonetheless translation itself is an absolutely necessary and crucial function for the greater part of our lives. Those who cannot translate adequately, with a fair amount of integrity and accuracy, fall quickly into severe neurosis or even psychosis: the world ceases to make sense—the boundaries between the self and the world are not transcended but instead begin to crumble. This is not breakthrough but breakdown; not transcendence, but disaster.

But at some point in our maturation process, translation itself, no matter how adequate or confident, simply ceases to console. No new beliefs, no new paradigm, no new myths, no new ideas, will staunch the encroaching anguish. Not a new belief for the self, but the transcendence of the self altogether, is the only path that avails.

Still, the number of individuals who are ready for such a path is, always has been, and likely always will be, a very small minority. For most people, any sort of religious belief will fall instead into the category of consolation: it will be a new horizontal translation that fashions some sort of meaning in the midst of the monstrous world. And religion has always served, for the most part, this first function, and served it well.

I therefore also use the word "legitimacy" to describe this first function (the horizontal translation and creation of meaning for the separate self). And much of religion's important service is to provide legitimacy to the self— legitimacy to its beliefs, its paradigms, its worldviews and its way in the world. This function of religion to provide a legitimacy for the self and its
beliefs—no matter how temporary, relative, nontransformative, or illusory— has nonetheless been the single greatest and most important function of the world's religious traditions. The capacity of a religion to provide horizontal meaning, legitimacy and sanction for the self and its beliefs—that function of religion has historically been the single greatest "social glue" that any culture has.

And one does not tamper easily, or lightly, with the basic glue that holds societies together. Because more often than not, when that glue dissolves— when that translation dissolves—the result, as we were saying, is not breakthrough but breakdown, not liberation but social chaos. (We will return to this crucial point in a moment.)

Where translative religion offers legitimacy, transformative religion offers authenticity. For those few individuals who are ready—that is, sick with the suffering of the separate self, and no longer able to embrace the legitimate worldview—a transformative opening to true authenticity, true enlightenment, true liberation, calls more and more insistently. And, depending upon your capacity for suffering, you will sooner or later answer the call of authenticity, of transformation, of liberation on the lost horizon of infinity.

Transformative spirituality does not seek to bolster or legitimate any present worldview at all, but rather to provide true authenticity by shattering what the world takes as legitimate. Legitimate consciousness is sanctioned by the consensus, adopted by the herd mentality, embraced by the culture and the counterculture both, promoted by the separate self as the way to make sense of this world. But authentic consciousness quickly shakes all of that off its back, and settles instead into a glance that sees only a radiant infinity in the heart of all souls and breathes into its lungs only the atmosphere of an eternity too simple to believe.

Transformative spirituality, authentic spirituality, is therefore revolutionary. It does not legitimate the world, it breaks the world; it does not console the world, it shatters it. And it does not render the self content, it renders it undone.

And those facts lead to several conclusions.

WHO ACTUALLY WANTS TO TRANSFORM?

It is a fairly common belief that the East is simply awash in transformative and authentic spirituality, but that the West—both historically and in today's "New Age"—has nothing much more than various types of horizontal, translative, merely legitimate and therefore tepid spirituality. And while there is some truth to that, the actual situation is much gloomier, for both the East and the West alike.

First, although it is generally true that the East has produced a greater number of authentic realizers, nonetheless, the actual percentage of the Eastern population that is engaged in authentic transformative spirituality is, and always has been, pitifully small. I once asked Katigiri Roshi, with whom I had my first breakthrough (hopefully, not a breakdown), how many truly great Ch'an and Zen masters there have historically been. Without hesitating, he said, "Maybe one thousand altogether." I asked another Zen master how many truly enlightened—deeply enlightened—Japanese Zen masters there were alive today, and he said, "Not more than a dozen."

Let us simply assume, for the sake of argument, that those are vaguely accurate answers. Run the numbers. Even if we say there were only one billion Chinese over the course of its history (an extremely low estimate), that still means that only one thousand out of one billion had graduated into an authentic, transformative spirituality. For those of you without a calculator, that's 0.0000001 of the total population.

And that means, unmistakably, that the rest of the population were (and are) involved in, at best, various types of horizontal, translative, merely legitimate religion: they were involved in magical practices, mythical beliefs, egoic petitionary prayer, magical rituals, and so on—in other words, translative ways to give meaning to the separate self, a translative function that was, as we were saying, the major social glue of the Chinese (and all other) cultures to date.

Thus, without in any way belittling the truly stunning contributions of the glorious Eastern traditions, the point is fairly straightforward: radical transformative spirituality is extremely rare, anywhere in history, and anywhere in the world. (The numbers for the West are even more depressing. I rest my case.)

So, although we can very rightly lament the very small number of individuals in the West who are today involved in a truly authentic and radically transformative spiritual realization, let us not make the false argument of claiming that it has otherwise been dramatically different in earlier times or in different cultures. It has on occasion been a little better than we see here, now, in the West, but the fact remains: authentic spirituality is an incredibly rare bird, anywhere, at any time, at any place. So let us start from the unarguable fact that vertical, transformative, authentic spirituality is one of the most precious jewels in the entire human tradition—precisely because, like all precious jewels, it is incredibly rare.

Second, even though you and I might deeply believe that the most important function we can perform is to offer authentic transformative spirituality, the fact is, much of what we have to do, in our capacity to bring decent spirituality into the world, is actually to offer more benign and helpful modes of translation. In other words, even if we ourselves are practicing, or offering, authentic transformative spirituality, nonetheless much of what we must first do is provide most people with a more adequate way to translate their condition. We must start with helpful translations before we can effectively offer authentic transformations.

The reason is that if translation is too quickly, or too abruptly, or too ineptly taken away from an individual (or a culture), the result, once again, is not breakthrough but breakdown, not release but collapse. Let me give two quick examples here.

When Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a great (though controversial) Tibetan master, first came to this country, he was renowned for always saying, when asked the meaning of Vajrayana, "There is only Ati." In other words, there is only the enlightened mind wherever you look. The ego, samsara, maya and illusion—all of them do not have to be gotten rid of, because none of them actually exist: There is only Ati, there is only Spirit, there is only God, there is only nondual Consciousness anywhere in existence.

Virtually nobody got it—nobody was ready for this radical and authentic realization of always-already truth—and so Trungpa eventually introduced a whole series of "lesser" practices leading up to this radical and ultimate "no practice." He introduced the Nine Yanas as the foundation of practice—in other words, he introduced nine stages or levels of practice, culminating in the ultimate "no practice" of always-already Ati.

Many of these practices were simply translative, and some were what we might call "lesser transformative" practices: miniature transformations that made the bodymind more susceptible to radical, already-accomplished enlightenment. These translative and lesser practices issued forth in the "perfect practice" of no-practice—or the radical, instantaneous, authentic realization that, from the very beginning, there is only Ati. So even though ultimate transformation was the prior goal and ever-present ground, Trungpa had to introduce translative and lesser practices in order to prepare people for the obviousness of what is.

Exactly the same thing happened with Adi Da, another influential (and equally controversial) adept (although this time, American-born). He originally taught nothing but "the path of understanding": not a way to attain enlightenment, but an inquiry into why you want to attain enlightenment in the first place. The very desire to seek enlightenment is in fact nothing but the grasping tendency of the ego itself, and thus the very search for enlightenment prevents it. The "perfect practice" is therefore not to search for enlightenment, but to inquire into the motive for seeking itself. You obviously seek in order to avoid the present, and yet the present alone holds the answer: to seek forever is to miss the point forever. You always already ARE enlightened Spirit, and therefore to seek Spirit is simply to deny Spirit. You can no more attain Spirit than you can attain your feet or acquire your lungs.

Nobody got it. And so Adi Da, exactly like Trungpa, introduced a whole series of translative and lesser transformative practices—seven stages of practice, in fact—leading up to the point that you could dispense with seeking altogether, there to stand open to the always-already truth of your own eternal and timeless condition, which was completely and totally present from the start, but which was brutally ignored in the frenzied desire to seek.

Now, whatever you might think of those two adepts, the fact remains: they performed perhaps the first two great experiments in this country on how to introduce the notion that "There is only Ati"—there is only Spirit—and thus seeking Spirit is exactly that which prevents realization. And they both found that, however much we might be alive to Ati, alive to the radical transformative truth of this moment, nonetheless, translative and lesser transformative practices are almost always a prerequisite for that final and ultimate transformation.

My second point, then, is that in addition to offering authentic and radical transformation, we must still be sensitive to, and caring of, the numerous beneficial modes of lesser and translative practices. This more generous stance therefore calls for an "integral approach" to overall transformation, an approach that honors and incorporates many lesser transformative and
translative practices—covering the physical, emotional, mental, cultural and communal aspects of the human being—in preparation for, and as an expression of, the ultimate transformation into the always-already present state.

And so, even as we rightly criticize merely translative religion (and all the lesser forms of transformation), let us also realize that an integral approach to spirituality combines the best of horizontal and vertical, translative and transformative, legitimate and authentic—and thus let us focus our efforts on a balanced and sane overview of the human situation.

WISDOM AND COMPASSION

But isn't this view of mine terribly elitist? Good heavens, I hope so. When you go to a basketball game, do you want to see me or Michael Jordan play basketball? When you listen to pop music, who are you willing to pay money in order to hear? Me or Bruce Springsteen? When you read great literature, who would you rather spend an evening reading, me or Tolstoy? When you pay $64 million for a painting, will that be a painting by me or by Van Gogh?

All excellence is elitist. And that includes spiritual excellence as well. But spiritual excellence is an elitism to which all are invited. We go first to the great masters —to Padmasambhava, to St. Teresa of Avila, to Gautama Buddha, to Lady Tsogyal, to Emerson, Eckhart, Maimonides, Shankara, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Bodhidharma, Garab Dorje. But their message is always the same: let this consciousness be in you that is in me. You start elitist, always; you end up egalitarian, always.

But in between, there is the angry wisdom that shouts from the heart: we must, all of us, keep our eye on the radical and ultimate transformative goal. And so any sort of integral or authentic spirituality will also, always, involve a critical, intense and occasionally polemical shout from the transformative camp to the merely translative camp.

If we use the percentages of Chinese Ch'an as a simple blanket example, this means that if 0.0000001 of the population is actually involved in genuine or authentic spirituality, then .99999999 of the population is involved in nontransformative, nonauthentic, merely translative or horizontal belief systems. And that means, yes, that the vast, vast majority of "spiritual seekers" in this country (as elsewhere) are involved in much less-than-authentic occasions. It has always been so; it is still so now. This country is no exception.

But in today's America, this is much more disturbing, because this vast majority of horizontal spiritual adherents often claim to be representing the leading edge of spiritual transformation, the "new paradigm" that will change the world, the "great transformation" of which they are the vanguard. But more often than not, they are not deeply transformative at all; they are merely, but aggressively, translative—they do not offer effective means to utterly dismantle the self, but merely ways for the self to think differently. Not ways to transform, but merely new ways to translate. In fact, what most of them offer is not a practice or a series of practices, not sadhana or satsang or shikan-taza or yoga. What most of them offer is simply the suggestion: read my book on the new paradigm. This is deeply disturbed, and deeply disturbing.

Thus, the authentic spiritual camps have the heart and soul of the great transformative traditions, and yet they will always do two things at once: appreciate and engage the lesser and translative practices (upon which their own successes usually depend), but also issue a thundering shout from the heart that translation alone is not enough.

And therefore, all of those for whom authentic transformation has deeply unseated their souls must, I believe, wrestle with the profound moral obligation to shout from the heart—perhaps quietly and gently, with tears of reluctance; perhaps with fierce fire and angry wisdom; perhaps with slow and careful analysis; perhaps by unshakable public example—but authenticity always and absolutely carries a demand and duty: you must speak out, to the best of your ability, and shake the spiritual tree, and shine your headlights into the eyes of the complacent. You must let that radical realization rumble through your veins and rattle those around you.

Alas, if you fail to do so, you are betraying your own authenticity. You are hiding your true estate. You don't want to upset others because you don't want to upset your self. You are acting in bad faith, the taste of a bad infinity.

Because, you see, the alarming fact is that any realization of depth carries a terrible burden: Those who are allowed to see are simultaneously saddled with the obligation to communicate that vision in no uncertain terms. That is the bargain. You were allowed to see the truth under the agreement that you would communicate it to others (that is the ultimate meaning of the bodhisattva vow). And therefore, if you have seen, you simply must speak out. Speak out with compassion, or speak out with angry wisdom, or speak out with skillful means, but speak out you must.

This is truly a terrible burden, a horrible burden, because in any case there is no room for timidity. The fact that you might be wrong is simply no excuse: you might be right in your communication, and you might be wrong, but that doesn't matter. What does matter, as Kierkegaard so rudely reminded us, is that only by investing and speaking your vision with passion, can the truth, one way or another, finally penetrate the reluctance of the world. If you are right, or if you are wrong, it is only your passion that will force either to be discovered. It is your duty to promote that discovery—either way—and therefore it is your duty to speak your truth with whatever passion and courage you can find in your heart. You must shout, in whatever way you can.

The vulgar world is already shouting, and with such a raucous rancor that truer voices can scarcely be heard at all. The materialistic world is already full of advertisements and allure, screams of enticement and cries of commerce, wails of welcome and whoops of come hither. I don't mean to be harsh here, and we must honor all lesser engagements. Nonetheless, you must have noticed that the word "soul" is now the hottest item in bestselling book titles—but all "soul" really means, in most of these books, is simply the ego in drag. "Soul" has come to denote, in this feeding frenzy of translative grasping, not that which is timeless in you but that which most loudly thrashes around in time, and thus "care of the soul" incomprehensibly means nothing much more than focusing intensely on your ardently separate self. Likewise, "spiritual" is on everybody's lips, but usually all it really means is any intense egoic feeling, just as "heart" has come to mean any sincere sentiment of the self-contraction.

All of this, truly, is just the same ole translative game, dressed up and gone to town. Even that would be more than acceptable were it not for the alarming fact that all of that translative jockeying is aggressively called "transformation," when all it is, of course, is a new series of frisky translations. In other words, there seems to be, alas, a deep hypocrisy hidden in the game of taking any new translation and calling it the great transformation. And the world at large—East or West, North or South—is, and always has been, for the most part, perfectly deaf to this calamity.

And so, given the measure of your own authentic realization, you were actually thinking about gently whispering into the ear of that near-deaf world? No, my friend, you must shout. Shout from the heart of what you have seen, shout however you can.

But not indiscriminately. Let us proceed carefully with this transformative shout. Let small pockets of radically transformative spirituality, authentic spirituality, focus their efforts and transform their students. And let these pockets slowly, carefully, responsibly, humbly, begin to spread their influence, embracing an absolute tolerance for all views, but attempting nonetheless to advocate a true and authentic and integral spirituality—by example, by radiance, by obvious release, by unmistakable liberation. Let those pockets of transformation gently persuade the world and its reluctant selves, and challenge their legitimacy, and challenge their limiting translations, and offer an awakening in the face of the numbness that haunts the world at large.

Let it start right here, right now, with us—with you and with me—and with our commitment to breathe into infinity until infinity alone is the only statement that the world will recognize. Let a radical realization shine from our faces, and roar from our hearts, and thunder from our brains—this simple fact, this obvious fact: that you, in the very immediateness of your present awareness, are in fact the entire world, in all its frost and fever, in all its glories and its grace, in all its triumphs and its tears. You do not see the sun, you are the sun; you do not hear the rain, you are the rain; you do not feel the earth, you are the earth. And in that simple, clear, unmistakable regard, translation has ceased in all domains, and you have transformed into the very Heart of the Kosmos itself—and there, right there, very simply, very quietly, it is all undone.

Wonder and remorse will then be alien to you, and self and others will be alien to you, and outside and inside will have no meaning at all. And in that obvious shock of recognition—where my Master is my Self, and that Self is the Kosmos at large, and the Kosmos is my Soul—you will walk very gently into the fog of this world, and transform it entirely by doing nothing at all.

And then, and then, and only then—you will finally, clearly, carefully and with compassion, write on the tombstone of a self that never even existed: There is only Ati.

Ken Wilber is author of The Spectrum of Consciousness; Grace and Grit; Sex, Ecology, Spirituality; A Brief History of Everything; The Eye of Spirit and other books.