ReReReincarnation

Ta-Wan

I poke fun at reincarnation and karma.

The best explanation of reincarnation must trace its roots to the Vedas, those ancient Indian scriptures, the oldest known of all written works. Many sects of Hinduism and most branches of Buddhism are very attached to the concepts and so, as I studied both, I felt the need to trace these concepts to their core.

On tracing the ideas back I found numerous times that the concepts are not literal but simply parts of stories which vary from people caught in endless loops of existence to gods living out dreams. The height of Vedic understanding though is right in bed with Tao, undivided oneness.

In no version of the concept of reincarnation is it ever denied that it is this Oneness which is taking on apparent form after apparent form. It is never stated in the purest sense that there are true individual souls or entities reincarnating, ideas as such are only stories used to make other points. The purest Vedic teachings have no room at all for separate entities. (or time, linear or cyclic, for that matter)

What seems to be separate selves reincarnating for whatever reason is really an inconceivable, formless, shifting, changing Oneness.. Apparently being separate forms, but always being undivided Tao.

You can check out Ta-Wan's other musings here.

The Wrong Way

The Wrong Way
by Scott Bradley

I call the path I follow the Simple Way. I would not have to inquire long among those more 'spiritually advanced' than I, however, to be told it is the Wrong Way. And I suppose it is. Of course it is. But is there a Right Way? If not, then every way is 'wrong' and thus no way is wrong.

In a sense, the Simple Way is a concession to my failings, a lack of discipline, and an inability to believe. For example, most all the paths I study declare that rendering the mind quiescent is the only way to attain the panoramic consciousness of enlightenment. This sounds easy enough, but it is not so. It requires a lifetime of disciplined practice, and even then, very few ever attain the goal. I've already spent a lifetime of run-away thought and am unable to buy into many of the presumed realities that motivate the endeavor to overcome it, and thus have little hope of ever beginning such an arduous campaign. So, I follow a left-handed path.

There is a tantric Buddhism, I believe, which follows a left-handed path, but I know very little about it. Its salacious aspect is what most appeals to me, of course. Sex becomes a means to enlightenment, and that beats sitting in a cave and staring at a wall for a decade all to hell. But the books I've perused that pertain to this 'method' seem very superficial — candles seem more important than understanding.

Hinduism is well known for its left-handed paths. One of the most celebrated is the way of the thugee from which we get our word 'thug'. These were devotees of the goddess Durga who, like her sweet sister Kali, represents the dark side of the force. Death and destruction. So these thugee would go about ritualistically strangling people so as to summon the presence of the goddess. Ah, such sweet communion.

More generally, the left-handed path within Hinduism seeks union with the Absolute, which includes all evil as well as good, by pursuing a path of evil. Most of this evil is rather mundane, like getting drunk, for instance. Some, like necrophilia, are not all that appealing, at least to me. But even the fun stuff is no fun, because if you do it for the fun, the intended union is not realized. You've got to render it ritualistic and mechanistic, like sex through a hole in a blanket. So, frankly, even if I were to pursue this way, I'm sure I'd make a mess of it and end up enjoying myself, and thus doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons.

There is, of course, something askew with these attempted expressions of the moral transcendence of Oneness. Harming others is not, I believe, an expression of our true humanity. That's my moral ground. In any case, society has the role of stopping those who do harm others.

Yet, there is a sense in which the Simple Way, by virtue of its concessions to my failings, is a left-handed path, a Wrong Way. I can live with that. And if I promise not to harm others (and not have sex with the dead), maybe you can, too.

You can check out Scott's other miscellaneous writings here.

Afternoon Matinee: Hinduism is Not a Religion

On the Table

"I support intelligent design," Bachmann told reporters in New Orleans following her speech to the Republican Leadership Conference. "What I support is putting all science on the table and then letting students decide. I don't think it's a good idea for government to come down on one side of scientific issue or another, when there is reasonable doubt on both sides."
~ from Bachmann: Schools Should Teach Intelligent Design by Peter Hamby ~

The most obvious point to make about Bachmann's assertion is that intelligent design is not science -- it is belief! It isn't based on empirical formulations; it is based on a book written over two thousand years ago by nomadic tribesman. These same primitive people thought that disease was caused by evil spirits, not germs.

That was my initial reaction. However, after further thought, I have decided that I would love to put Bachmann to a test. If she truly doesn't believe the government should come down on the side of science OR belief, would she favor opening up the discussion to a multiplicity of beliefs about the creation of the world?

The Christian version is only one of many. Almost every religion and/or society has their own creation myth. Many of the adherents to these various religions and philosophies believe their rendition is a form of science too. If we don't desire to prejudice the children of this nation blindly to accept the Big Bang Theory, then we need to put all of the them on the table and allow the kiddies to wade through each one.

For example, what about the creation story of the Diné?

According to the Diné, they emerged from three previous underworlds into this, the Fourth, or "Glittering World", through a magic reed. The first people from the other three worlds were not like the people of today. They were animals, insects or masked spirits as depicted in Navajo ceremonies. First Man ('Altsé Hastiin), and First Woman ('Altsé 'Asdzáá), were two of the beings from the First or Black World. First Man was made in the East from the meeting of the White and Black Clouds. First Woman was made in the West from the joining of the Yellow and Blue Clouds. Spider Woman (Na ashje’ii 'Asdzáá), who taught Navajo women how to weave, was also from the First World.

Once in the Glittering World, the first thing the people did was build a sweat house and sing the Blessing Song. Then they met in the first house ("hogan" in English, "hooghan" in Diné) made exactly as Talking God (Haashch’eelti’i) had prescribed. In this hooghan, the people began to arrange their world, naming the four sacred mountains surrounding the land and designating the four sacred stones that would become the boundaries of their homeland. In actuality, these mountains do not contain the symbolic sacred stones. The San Francisco Peaks (Dook’o’oslííd) represents the Abalone and Coral stones. It is located just north of Flagstaff and is the Navajo’s religious western boundary. Mt. Blanco (Tsisnaasjini') in Colorado represents the White Shell stone, and represents the Navajo’s religious eastern boundary. Mt. Taylor (Tsoodzil) east of Grants, New Mexico, represents the Turquoise stone, and represents the Navajo’s religious southern boundary. Mt. Hesperus (Dibé Nitsaa) in Colorado represents the Black Jet stone, and represents the Navajo’s religious northern boundary. Pictures of these sacred mountains can be found by going to http://www.lapahie.com/Sacred_Mts.cfm.

After setting the mountains down where they should go, the Navajo deities, or "Holy People", put the sun and the moon into the sky and were in the process of carefully placing the stars in an orderly way. But the Coyote, known as the trickster, grew impatient from the long deliberations being held, and seized the corner of the blanket where it lay and flung the remaining stars into the sky.

The Holy People continued to make the necessities of life, like clouds, trees and rain. Everything was as it should be when the evil monsters appeared and began to kill the new Earth People. But a miracle happened to save them by the birth of Ever Changing Woman (Asdzaa Nadleehe) at Gobernador Knob (Ch’óol’í’í), New Mexico...

After giving the Diné story careful consideration, what about one version of the Hindu story? There are millions of people throughout the world who claim Hinduism as their religious and/or philosophic belief system.

This is not the first world, nor is it the first universe. There have been and will be many more worlds and universes than there are drops of water in the holy river Ganges. The universes are made by Lord Brahma the Creator, maintained by Lord Vishnu the Preserver and destroyed by Lord Shiva. Since the universes must be destroyed before they can be recreated, Lord Shiva is called the Destroyer and Re-creator. These three gods are all forms of Supreme One and part of the Supreme One. The Supreme One is behind and beyond all.

After each old universe is destroyed nothing is left but a vast ocean. Floating on this ocean, resting on the great snake Ananta, is Lord Vishnu. Some say that a lotus flower springs from his navel and from this comes Lord Brahma. And it is from Lord Brahma that all creation comes.

How does Lord Brahma create? Some tell of how he grows lonely and splits himself in two to create male and female. Then he becomes one again and human beings are created. In the same way he creates all the other living things, from the great animals to the tiniest insects. Others say that everything comes from different parts of Lord Brahma's body. All the different animals and all the people come from his mouth, arms, thighs and feet.

Everything comes from one - Lord Brahma, who is part of the Supreme One - so everything is part of the Supreme One. For this universe, this world and this Lord Brahma, like all those before and all those to come, will be destroyed by Lord Shiva.

How long is the life of a universe? Its length is beyond imagination. One day to Lord Brahma is longer than four thousand million of the years that we know. Every night when Lord Brahma sleeps the world is destroyed. Every morning when he awakes it is created again. When the Lord Brahma of this universe has lived a lifetime of such days the universe is completely destroyed by Lord Shiva.

Everything disappears into the Supreme One. For an unimaginable period of time chaos and water alone exist. Then once again Lord Vishnu appears, floating on the vast ocean. From Lord Vishnu comes forth Lord Brahma of the new universe and the cycle continues for ever...

These represent but two competing "theories" with the Big Bang and Intelligent Design. Many more can be found here and here.

If Bachmann favors allowing Intelligent Design to be taught in America's classrooms, I sure hope she is willing to allow all these other stories as well. If not, wouldn't that mean that government is taking sides?

Afternoon Matinee: The Tao of Physics I

Parallels - Wisdom and Knowledge

Do not offer to dogs what is sacred, or they will tear you to shreds. Do not throw your pearls before swine, for they will only trample them underfoot.
~ The Gospels of Matthew & Thomas ~

The wise man should not disturb those of little understanding, who are deluded by the phenomena of the material world.
~ The Bagavad Gita ~

Even though a fool gains the company of a wise man, he does not comprehend Truth any more than a spoon tastes the flavor of the soup.
~ The Buddha ~

The wise person teaches without speaking.
~ Tao Te Ching ~

All selections from Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings by Richard Hooper.

Parallels - Enlightenment and Liberation

Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
~ The Gospel of John ~

He who works for Me alone and has Me for his goal, is devoted to Me, is freed from attachment, and bears enmity towards no creature. He enters into Me.
~ The Bagavad Gita ~

He will go to the other shore and stand on dry land if he has realized liberation and hidden knowledge in this life.
~ Catukka Nipata Pali ~

Knowing that which does not change is enlightenment, not knowing it is blindness...to be one with Tao is divine. Though you may die, you will not perish.
~ Tao Te Ching ~

All selections from Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings by Richard Hooper.

Parallels - Love and Compassion

Love your neighbor as yourself.
~ The Gospels of Matthew, Mark & Luke ~

The true Yogi applies the same standards to others as he applies to himself. Seeing what is pleasure and pain for himself, he knows what is pleasure and pain for others. Thus, he wishes good to all and evil to none.
~ The Bagavad Gita ~

Being immersed in the highest state of consciousness, the disciple's heart is connected to compassion. He sees himself in all beings, and is free from negative feelings toward others.
~ Doctrinal Formulas ~

If we sacrifice this body for the world's benefit, then all things will come to that person who loves others as he loves himself.
~ Tao Te Ching ~

All selections from Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings by Richard Hooper.

Parallels - The Great Way

Many are called but few are chosen.
~ The Gospel of Matthew ~

The way of the transcendent is hard for mortals to obtain.
~ The Bagavad Gita ~

It is hard for the strong and rich to observe the Way.
~ The Kavaddha Sutra ~

The Way receives with gladness those who will walk in its way...Abandonment will greet those who abandon it.
~ Tao Te Ching ~

All selections from Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings by Richard Hooper.