Mr. Ray, Part 4

Mr. Ray
by Scott Bradley

If you haven't read Parts 1, 2 & 3, this final part won't make as much sense!

My faith had long been at risk and it was not my time at the House of the Dying Destitute that led to its demise. But it was the final pull of the trigger that put an end to that particular misery. My day of liberation from the bonds of at least one belief was nigh at hand. The long journey through the dark tunnel of disbelief toward primal trust and thankfulness was about to begin. I began to reel. I staggered in a wilderness of doubt and despair. My commitment had been total. My fall complete.

Mother Theresa. A saint. God’s best effort. A scour woman mopping up the foul leavings of the devil’s revelries. No. Theism no longer bore the ring of truth or the consent of conscience. Nietzsche opined that every great religion outgrows itself. And though there are none that have not, their bonds endure.

The Temple of Kali lay close at hand and I joined the pilgrims passing by her ghastly image. There was no face to be seen, but three huge eyes and a long, lolling tongue of gold. Yes, and a golden ring where might have been a nose. Four arms she had. In one hand was a sword and in another a severed head. This is the Sword of Divine Knowledge, scholars tell us, and the head the human ego which must be slain before moksha, liberation, can be had. I know not. I know nothing. Only I was struck by the symmetry between these two temples dedicated to Mothers proclaiming the divine, one bringing compassion and the other a sword. Yet the suffering went on indifferent to both.

It has been said that there is a divine light that sometimes shines in Nirmal Hriday. And indeed, I have seen such a light. But there are well placed skylights high above which shed a peculiar ephemeral light that ever seeks unsuccessfully to penetrate the brooding gloom.

Long have I pondered Camus’ Stranger, awaiting the dawn and the sure guillotine. He peers through the bars at the fast fading stars and for the very first time bares his heart to the ‘benign indifference of the universe’ and finds there a brother. Empty of purpose. Empty of meaning. Empty of caring. Empty of virtue. Empty of belief. Empty of self. Zen masters tell us it is ever right before us, Reality. And so it is — if only we have eyes to see. If there is liberation from our universal bondage, it comes not through the pursuit of purpose or meaning, the attainment of saintliness, or the exercise of virtue , but through the realization of the hollowness of all things and every human endeavor.

Thankfulness arises, from an empty heart.

Chapter 4, Verse 20 - Sun Tzu

The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

Tao Bible - 1 Kings 16:33

And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
~ King James version ~

Tao cannot be provoked.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~

Following in a long line of predecessors, Ahab angers God by erecting altars to serve other gods.

Tao treats all things with impartiality. What could provoke an essence that has neither desires nor expectations?

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

Chapter 4, Verse 19 - Sun Tzu

A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

Thinking Out Loud: Trap or Ploy?

With the debate raging about whether or not to extend all of the "Bush tax cuts," a lot of Republicans really are feeling good about themselves these days. One scenario that is making the rounds is that the GOP laid a trap for Democrats in 2000 and the Dems are falling into it today.

When the tax cuts were enacted, with an expiration date, Republicans and Bush officials understood the political advantages of the “fiscal time bomb” they were setting. As Kurtz puts it: “At some point in the way distant future, Democrats could be accused of raising taxes if they tried to undo the Bush breaks and return to Clinton-era levels of taxation.” Democrats understood this, too: Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) told the Washington Post at the time that “[Bush is] going to be out of office when the roof falls in.”

There was a more sinister motive for sunsetting the tax cuts beyond politics, as well. It allowed the administration to pass the bill with a lower vote count in the Senate than would otherwise be necessary. Card freely admits to Kurtz that the administration wanted “the law to be permanent but couldn’t muster the votes to trump the Byrd Rule,” which would have required a 60-vote margin for a measure that significantly increases the federal deficit more than 10 years in the future. By setting the tax cuts to expire just short of ten years, the measure passed with 58 votes...

Okay, that's one way to look at this situation. Of course, many of us on the left pointed this out in the year 2000, but the Democratic leadership waved their hands at us as if to say, "Don't worry your pretty little heads!"

The other way to look at this situation -- one that I contend history bears out -- is that this gambit was no "trick" at all, it was a conscious ploy. The Democrats agreed to it in 2000 because it would provide them with later political cover. In this way, they can now take the ideological stance that they don't favor tax breaks for the egregiously rich, while voting to grant those tax benefits in the same breath.

If a person doesn't accept the ploy rationale, then it leaves us in a very uncomfortable position. It means that Democrat legislators, by and large, are imbeciles!! It was common knowledge in 2000 (for anyone with a functioning brain, that is) that the scenario that is playing out today was built into the tax package. If the Democrats in Congress in 2000 truly didn't see this coming, then they had no business being in congress in the first place.

I simply don't accept the notion that the entire roster of Democratic senators and representatives in 2000 could be so cerebrally-challenged. Therefore, I think most of them KNEW how difficult it would be to allow any portion of the tax cuts to expire, including those that have bankrupted the country.

In other words, while a lot of progressives are vilifying the GOP for this sad state of affairs, the Democrats are just as, if not more, culpable.

Chapter 4, Verses 17 and 18 - Sun Tzu

In respect of military method, we have, firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances; fifthly, Victory. Measurement owes its existence to Earth; Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation to Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation; and Victory to Balancing of chances.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

Happy to Oblige

I noticed this morning that someone visited this blog who was looking for the following information: Taoism in one sentence. While I don't pretend that I can conjure up an authoritative answer, I am more than happy to offer one attempt. So, here it is:

Tao is.

Line by Line - Verse 15, Line 11

and dull like muddy water.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Opaque, like muddy pools.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Opaque, like muddy water
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

and their hearts were as clear as spring water.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

It's interesting that Ron Hogan's rendition states the opposite of the three translations. Opaque (impenetrable by light) is not the same thing as clarity.

I'm going to turn to John Lash again because his explanation of this line really speaks to me.

The Tai Chi person is difficult for the world to understand. He follows no ordered pattern of behaviour. His action are not motivated by ambition or desire for possession but arise spontaneously from the free flow of nature. A world motivated by selfishness and greed will not be able to understand such a person.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

Chapter 4, Verse 16 - Sun Tzu

The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

Go Tribe!

At 7:30 pm tonight, the South Bend High School team will square off with the team from Colfax to decide the state football championship in Class 2B. This marks the first time in the school's 100 year history that the football squad will play in the championship game. I'm sure it will be a stern test as the Colfax Bulldogs have 85 players, while the South Bend Indians field only 22.

Needless to say, I'm rooting for the hometown team. I've never attended one of their games and I only know a handful of the student athletes, but that's beside the point. In small towns across America, the town's school often serves as a focal point for the community's identity.

South Bend RARELY makes the nightly news in Seattle or Portland. About the only time we get a mention has to do with the weather. Since we frequently record the highest rainfall total or wind speed in the state on any given day, that seems to be our main claim to fame.

The year after I graduated high school, my alma mater completed a perfect season (33-0) and won the state championship in basketball. While it was certainly a big deal to those of us who attended or graduated from Center High School, it didn't monopolize the news in our fair city. That's because I grew up in Kansas City, MO, a metropolis of over 1 million souls in the metro area.

On the day our team won, I'm sure there were countless murders and serious crimes committed, political intrigue at city hall, numerous traffic accidents, and all the myriad things that occur in a large metro area. So, while Kansas City residents were proud that one of their schools won a state championship, there were plenty of other things to occupy their attention.

It's not that way at all in small towns like South Bend (population 1,700 or so). We haven't had a murder in town (or the surrounding area, for that matter) in several years and you can count the number of serious crimes committed per year on one hand. There's not much intrigue at City Hall because there's not much going on there. Serious traffic accidents occur only every now and then.

There are no TV or radio stations in our whole county. News comes by word of mouth or from our two crappy weekly newspapers. (Heck, we don't even have a stoplight here.) So, when our small high school football team goes to the Tacoma Dome to play for a state title, it's a BIG DEAL, whether you care one whit about football or not.

GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Ray, Part 3

Mr. Ray
by Scott Bradley

If you missed out on reading Part 1 & Part 2, you might want to go back to read them first!

Is compassion nothing more than the cultivation of virtue at the expense of another? Does the saint use the suffering poor as monks might imprison thousands of chickens to fund their spiritual quest, or another raise cattle for the flesh on their bones?

He had one last thing to tell me as his mind steadily dimmed throughout the day, but I did not hear him clearly and fear that I did. “I raped my sister,” I thought I heard.

It was Durga Puja, ten days in which straw effigies of the mother goddess of Calcutta are carried and worshiped in long processions throughout the city. I jumped a trolley and slowly swayed back to the Brothers’ House through crowds of pilgrims coming to pay homage to Kali, goddess of time and change, and alter-aspect of the selfsame Durga, the Divine Mother as Warrior. Yes, there were other Mothers in Kalighat.

The next day was Saturday and I went on an errand to the old factory. Sunday was mass for the Brothers and a day off for me. Thus it was on Monday that my eyes immediately fell on the empty pallet. He was gone and I hadn’t said good-bye. I would find him behind the cistern. This was an experience I could have done without. Many things in Calcutta came to a halt during Durga Puja and the collecting of the dead was one of them. I did not expect to find a full house. Nor one so befouled by the stench of rotting human flesh. But I entered just the same.

I remember saying good-bye and sorry to Mr. Ray but in honesty I don’t remember his face. It is the image of twin stillborns that fills that place. One hopes they were stillborn. In any case they, like many before them, were left on the doorstep of Nirmal Hriday, “Pure Heart”, because the mother could not afford the wood to cremate them.

“Well, he got his wish — he left,” said Sister Luke when she saw me leave the morgue.

Chapter 4, Verse 15 - Sun Tzu

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

Tao Bible - 1 Kings 14:22

And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
~ King James version ~

Tao is envious of nothing or no one.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~

God becomes jealous when the people of the tribe of Judah worship and by tribute to other gods.

As Tao is the essence of all things, what could Tao be jealous of?

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

Chapter 4, Verse 14 - Sun Tzu

Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

Oh So Clever

As bad as all the bailouts were, we have now received evidence that it was even more egregious than the government was leading us to believe. While the deficit hawks keep screaming about cutting spending and wrangling over the chump change needed to extend unemployment benefits, Team Bush-Obama literally has been giving away the store to those who already have more than they know what to do with!!

With the lifting of the "veil of secrecy at the Fed," in response to a legislative push led by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, reveals that the Federal Reserve gave banks, multinational corporations and foreign financial institutions - many of them with limited ties to the United States -- an estimated $3.3 trillion in emergency loans and other forms of assistance during the course of the current financial crisis.

"We now know that Fed loaned trillions of dollars at zero or near-zero interest rates not only to the largest financial institutions in this country, but also to many of our largest corporations - including GE, McDonalds and Verizon. Most surprising, the Fed also lent huge sums of money to foreign private banks and corporations" says Sanders, who since the 1990s has, with Texas Congressman Ron Paul, Florida Congressman Alan Grayson and a handful of others, been an ardent critic of the Fed's secrecy, unaccountable financial manipulations and coziness with Wall Street.

The document dump confirms that the $700 billion Treasury Department bank bailout out signed into law under President George W. Bush in 2008 was a small down payment on an secretive "backdoor bailout" that saw the Fed provide roughly $3.3 trillion in liquidity and more than $9 trillion in short-term loans and other financial arrangements. With hundreds of billions in U.S. money going to foreign financial institutions, Sanders asks: "Has the Federal Reserve of the United States become the central bank of the world?"...

While reading this story, I thought of two lines from Verse 65 of the Tao Te Ching.

Rulers who try to use cleverness
Cheat the country.

The last two administrations have proven to be very clever. As WikiLeaks has exposed, they say one thing in private and quite another in public. In terms of the bailouts, we were told that it HAD to be done, but we would only give the behemoths just enough to get them back on their feet. Now we learn that this was yet another ruse to siphon off even more money than usual from the public coffers.

No wonder we're in such an economic hole!!!

Of course, the new ruse being peddled by the president is that EVERYONE must sacrifice now to fill the gaping chasm. What he really means is that you and I must suffer, not the wealthy elites.

Chapter 4, Verses 11, 12 and 13 - Sun Tzu

What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

Line by Line - Verse 15, Line 10

vacant like a valley,
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Hollow, like caves.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Open, like a valley
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Their minds were as wide as a valley,
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

It's interesting to me that three of the four utilize the metaphor of a valley, while Feng & English utilize a cave. Even more interesting is that the adjectives used in connection with the "valley" are different still!

As with the previous line, the central thrust of this one has to do with emptiness. We need to offer space for Tao to occupy. If our minds and hearts are clogged with information, needs, wants and desires, there is no space available for the essence of wisdom. It is too easily crowded out by ignorance, stupidity, prejudice, pride and self-righteousness.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

Chapter 4, Verse 10 - Sun Tzu

To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
~ from The Art of War, Giles translation ~

Go here to read the introductory post to the verses of The Art of War.

More Than We Know

The science world is abuzz with the announcement of a life form on planet earth that does not contain what had been previously believed were the essential six compounds.

All life on Earth - from microbes to elephants and us - is based on a single genetic model that requires the element phosphorus as one of its six essential components.

But now researchers have uncovered a bacterium that has five of those essential elements but has, in effect, replaced phosphorus with its look-alike but toxic cousin arsenic...

This discovery is being heralded because it means that other life forms may be present here on earth as well as on other planets.

While I realize that science is based on "facts" that can be studied and replicated, I don't view this discovery as revolutionary at all. I see no reason not to believe that there could be a multitude of life forms based on criteria that humans have not and probably cannot fathom. There could easily be hundreds, thousands or millions of life forms around us every second of every day and, because of the limitations of our senses and imaginations, we simply don't know it.

In my mind's eye, since we still can't explain what life itself entails, why do we think then that life must meet the parameters that only we can conceive?

I'm just saying...

Mr. Ray, Part 2

Mr. Ray
by Scott Bradley

If you missed it, you should go back to read Part 1 first!

There was a boy still in his teens terribly afflicted by cerebral palsy who was doing well. He had been here several times before — a recidivism ordained by the gods. He graduated to the old factory where the recovering were received. But he was soon back and after great suffering his body went behind the cistern.

There was a man seemingly strong save for the grey-green puddle of gangrene that was his thigh. The French doctor, a volunteer with Medicins sans Frontiers, said he could still be saved and so we took him to the College Hospital in hopes of a speedy amputation. He died of dehydration a few days later, forgotten and without water in some corner of the ward. I remembered how thirsty he always was.

And then there was Mr. Ray. I felt that I got to know Mr. Ray. The Fasting Buddha was a dilettante compared to his fleshless body. He could not eat. He would not eat. “Please, let me starve,” he would plead when threatened with an IV. Yes, he spoken perfect English; how I don’t know. And he was well read. How so? I asked. “I got old books from the paper collectors,” he told me. And his occupation? He rolled bidis. Now a bidi is a uniquely Indian cigarette. It is a tiny bit of tobacco hand-rolled in a tendu leaf, is in the shape of an elongated cone, and costs about one tenth of a cent. There are more lowly occupations but they were done by the untouchable and unnoticed.

Mr. Ray made a point of telling me that he was soon to die. And he was. You saw it in his eyes, a distinct, but distant glow, like a light disappearing into the night on a mission I could not know. And as we talked he began to confide in me, his last witness. “Do not tell the Sisters,” he told me, “but I am a Christian and gave them the name Ray so they would leave me alone.” Now “Ray” is a venerable Hindu name in the State of West Bengal. “I don’t want their meddling and I don’t want a Christian burial.”

“Please, I need one favor, please,” said Mr. Ray on his last day save one. “Please take me back to the street where they found me. I did not ask to come here. Here, they rob me of my dignity. They profit from my suffering. It is what makes them holy. They are using me. Why should I not die as I have lived? I just want to die like a dog, as they found me.”

Was it cowardice or wise discretion? I don’t know, but I failed him. I did go to Sister Luke, the indomitable boss, and related his request without the commentary. I knew it would do him no good.