Those readers of my blog, I am sure have noticed, the lack of blog publishing coming from me in the last four months. The reason I have been derelict is I had major surgery on June 11, 2010. I had total hip replacement surgery. I needed to devote my time to recovery, and frankly, I didn't feel like writing. At this time (approximately 4 months) my recovery is doing very well. Most of all the functions that were interfered with: recovering from the effects anesthesia, of weaning from pain meds, bowel movements, retarded sleep patterns and eating patterns, the nerve awakening of cut and atrophied muscles, tendons, ligaments, all, to use computer jargon, came back on line. These are the effects that I am aware of; how many effects am I not aware of? It is amazing to me that anyone recovers their health after having been through surgery.
This blog will be on , "hope." I am still ruminating about my experience under the knife. When I sort things out, I will write about.
"Hope springs eternal in the human heart"... So writes Alexander Pope, in his poem, an "Essay On Man." Then he continues with, "Man never is, but always to be blessed"... From Pope's point of view, hope is an innate, eternal attitude of the human heart springing up whenever expected blessings do not appear, which he says never do. Thus hope springs always eternal in the human heart. Given the fact that human blessings never appear, but are hoped for nevertheless, Pope suggests a strategy on how to conduct human life.
Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar;
Wait the great teacher, Death, and God adore.
What future bliss, he gives not thee to know,
But gives that hope to be thy blessing now...
Pope's view on hope seems to me, to be at best semi-fatalistic, and at worst none-sense. To him human life is a continues movement through suffering, with no respites except for hope. Hope is nothing more than a wish that fell circumstances will improve. But under Pope's truth, they will never improve. Pope and many of his generation, no doubt, came to this view under the direct influence of Christian Doctrines and science: even before we faced our earth life, we were marked with original sin, we also became under the direct influence of the Prince of Darkness, the incarnate Devil, and became under the influence of popular scientific theories especially on the genesis of our Cosmos and of human beings.
Christianity teaches that humans will be judged by God Almighty on the conduct of their one life on earth, and upon such judgement, sentences will be set for an eternity. Omniscient God created humans with an immortal element and knows the outcome of each soul's life as to salvation or damnation. Since the average human knows in his or her heart that he or she is far from perfected, even if he or she lives an extraordinary long life, and that salvation seems to reside exclusively with those rare perfected souls, the saints. The vast majority of human beings feel eminently threatened by eternal damnation of the most horrific kind.
The chances for eternal salvation under the parameters of these Christian teachings are slim at best, while the possibility of eternal damnation seem emanate. Hope for the intervention of Almighty God's mercy becomes the only chance for a human life to be more then fatalistic. The only other path open to humans under the ideas of these teachings is to accept the inevitable, completely abandon hope, and "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die," and will be eternally damned.
Science, in its investigation of the phenomenal world adds its own brand of fatalism to the already fatalistic mix of religion. It theorizes that the Universe runs itself by mechanistic processes, that there is no spiritual power controlling or guiding it, and that things happen by chance, not by spiritual law. Science provides humans with a belief system that seems to produce a tangible and practical truth out of its study of Nature; truths that can be demonstrated and proved. Thus the hope of science, as viewed from human perspective, seems to be of a more substantial and forthcoming nature than does the hope of Christian teachings. For instance, to humans it seems only a matter of short duration before science can create an inexhaustible source of energy without environmentally damning earth, and in this one discovery save the resources of Mother Earth for us and our children, or that it is only a matter of time before science finds cures for all the deadly diseases, and will thus extend our life-spans, perhaps indefinitely.
Because science's focus is exclusively on the phenomenal world its promise is always greater than its delivered reality. As science aids in curing disease other diseases become active, and science must once again start from the beginning to find a cure. Most of science's applications, aside from commercial practicability, add little to the comprehensive quality of human life. Even the extraordinary findings, such as atomic fission, have been horribly misapplied. As long as science neglects to include the metaphysical world in its inquiry, it will be comprehensively blind; its promise, like the kind of hope Pope wrote about will never be, but always to be.
So! what is the condition of hope in our day? We still hope, but without any great depth of perception. We hope for a new car, a better job, to win the lottery, to relieve our suffering, etc. Materialism has completely overtaken the attention of our minds, so much so, that hope has relevance only within the narrow parameters of our daily, "getting and spending" lives. What of hope in the larger context of our life and death relationship to the Cosmos? Our hope now, meagerly rests on the theories of science. We hope that science will find a cure for old age, and release us from those diseases that bring us great suffering and the shortening of our lives. Thus what little hope we express on a cosmic scale comes from science, replacing the little hope of God's Mercy; giving Hope little hope, but Hope springs eternal.
There is an old Greek story about a certain very curious and inquisitive person who opened a box and all the evils in the world fled out, and the only thing that remained in the box was, Hope. Amid all the perilous conditions and desperate states of our present social position, Hope lives. From what source does Hope eternally spring? We are all children of the Universe, not only of its physical side, but also of its spiritual, divine side. Within each one of us then, there is something divine to which cling, and thus there is in every human heart a perpetual fountain, not only of Hope but of the highest ideals: truth, morality, justice, wisdom, love. As long as a human has Hope he or she will not despair. Weak or strong, it matters not; where there is Hope there is no despair. Where there is Hope a human can become a builder, and a worker with the Universe, and will have the possibility and capacity to progress.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
salvation
At this time of the year, when Nature is about to restore dormant life, our sense of renewal also quickens. We see the buds of the awaking flowers and trees, feel the squishy ground and smell the pungent odor of earth's reawakening, hear the celebrating songs of the birds, and we understand that this is the time for renewed life.
Also embedded and well positioned within this reawakening time of year is the Christian celebration of Easter. It celebrates Jesus the Christ's defeat of physical death, his resurrection, and his ascension into heaven. The Christians say, God the Father sent his only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ to Earth to become the divine link for the salvation of humankind. Jesus took on to himself the sins of the world in order to provide a way for Christians to follow to redemption and finally to salvation. I am not clear how Jesus took on the sins of the world, but I have heard that it is analogous to the ancient Jewish sacrificial tradition of the scapegoat. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would confess the sins of the people over the head of a goat, after which the goat was allow to escape, usually in the direction of the enemy. The effect of Jesus the Christ as the scapegoat for the sins of the world was the reconciliation of God the Father with human beings. The reason reconciliation was necessary was because of Original Sin. Original Sin is the tendency towards sin and depravity that is inherent in humankind. This sinful position was occasioned by Adam and Eve's sin of disobedience while in the Garden of Eden, and consequently led to the loss of the direct stream of God's grace. By believing Jesus the Christ to be the savior, the conduit between God's sanctifying grace and humankind is restored, thus allowing humankind a way to salvation. This is way Christians the world over, extend their hands high above their heads in prayer invoking and beseeching Jesus the Christ to forgive their sins, in the name of God the Father, so that they may repent and be saved.
In any particular point being made there are several cogent angles from which to view. Usually there are two basic views that appear: a literal, fundamental, orthodox, exotic view, and an expanded, esoteric, spirit of, view. For instance, in Law, there is the "letter of the law" and the "spirit of the law," in Buddhism, there is the Eye Doctrine and the Heart Doctrine, in politics there are the liberals and the conservatives, etc. The view taken from the above explanation would be considered fundamental, because of the literal interpretation of the Bible. There is, obviously then a "spirit of view" of salvation. It has ancient roots and goes back before the solidification of Christian Doctrine. The basis of this view is the idea that all things ( human beings included) have at their core the spark of Infinite God, and salvation appears when one becomes aware of this spark, connects with it, and finally unites with it. The Buddha admonishes us, "Be lamps unto yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves...Those who, either now or after I am dead, shall rely upon themselves only and not look for assistance to anyone besides themselves, it is they who shall reach the very top most height, but they must be anxious to learn."
Ironically, if we look to the Bible there we will find an echo of the "spirit of view" relating to salvation. It is in the New Testament, St. Paul, 1 Colossians v 24-27, (fyi, the 13 letters of St. Paul make up a quarter of the whole of the New Testament) St. Paul writes, that his task is to ..."fully proclaim His (God's) message, which is the secret he (God) hid through all past ages from mankind but has now revealed to His people ...And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God"... St. Paul didn't present this New Testament secret in a manner that suggests that the historical Jesus is literally in us or can be some how imposed in us through some standard rituals or worships, but that the Christ principle exists in our living make up, here and now.
The word "Christ" isn't a personal family name of Jesus, but an appellation granted and earned by spiritual achievements. Jesus is the Christ because he, through spiritual initiation and self-becoming united with the divine spirit, his Father within, "I and the Father are one," to quote Jesus. The "Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father." The name Christ is derived from the original Greek, christos, meaning literally, anointed. Jesus, because of his union with the Father becomes the Anointed One or the Christ, just as Gautama the Buddha, (Buddha-Sanskrit word meaning, "to awaken") because of his union with Paramatman becomes the Awakened One or the Buddha.
Here we have two views on salvation. The literal or fundamental view says, salvation is gained by acquiring a belief, a faith, that the historical figure Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was designated by God as the savior of humankind. Thus, if you desire salvation you must accept Jesus the Christ as your savior. Because of this faith you will reap eternal salvation during the "end of times," when Jesus the Christ will reappear again on Earth, judge the purity of your belief, and on the Day of Rapture Jesus will raise all those truly faithful, into the Kingdom of Heaven. All non-believers will however, on that day be doomed to the fires of Hell for eternity.
The "spirit of" or esoteric view says, salvation is gained by recognizing, connecting, and uniting with your divine essence, with the Face of God, that which lies as the core of your being. 'The kingdom of God is here and now, for those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear.' All that is necessary is to turn inward and use your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear your divine essence.
Which of these two views is the "good news."
Also embedded and well positioned within this reawakening time of year is the Christian celebration of Easter. It celebrates Jesus the Christ's defeat of physical death, his resurrection, and his ascension into heaven. The Christians say, God the Father sent his only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ to Earth to become the divine link for the salvation of humankind. Jesus took on to himself the sins of the world in order to provide a way for Christians to follow to redemption and finally to salvation. I am not clear how Jesus took on the sins of the world, but I have heard that it is analogous to the ancient Jewish sacrificial tradition of the scapegoat. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would confess the sins of the people over the head of a goat, after which the goat was allow to escape, usually in the direction of the enemy. The effect of Jesus the Christ as the scapegoat for the sins of the world was the reconciliation of God the Father with human beings. The reason reconciliation was necessary was because of Original Sin. Original Sin is the tendency towards sin and depravity that is inherent in humankind. This sinful position was occasioned by Adam and Eve's sin of disobedience while in the Garden of Eden, and consequently led to the loss of the direct stream of God's grace. By believing Jesus the Christ to be the savior, the conduit between God's sanctifying grace and humankind is restored, thus allowing humankind a way to salvation. This is way Christians the world over, extend their hands high above their heads in prayer invoking and beseeching Jesus the Christ to forgive their sins, in the name of God the Father, so that they may repent and be saved.
In any particular point being made there are several cogent angles from which to view. Usually there are two basic views that appear: a literal, fundamental, orthodox, exotic view, and an expanded, esoteric, spirit of, view. For instance, in Law, there is the "letter of the law" and the "spirit of the law," in Buddhism, there is the Eye Doctrine and the Heart Doctrine, in politics there are the liberals and the conservatives, etc. The view taken from the above explanation would be considered fundamental, because of the literal interpretation of the Bible. There is, obviously then a "spirit of view" of salvation. It has ancient roots and goes back before the solidification of Christian Doctrine. The basis of this view is the idea that all things ( human beings included) have at their core the spark of Infinite God, and salvation appears when one becomes aware of this spark, connects with it, and finally unites with it. The Buddha admonishes us, "Be lamps unto yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves...Those who, either now or after I am dead, shall rely upon themselves only and not look for assistance to anyone besides themselves, it is they who shall reach the very top most height, but they must be anxious to learn."
Ironically, if we look to the Bible there we will find an echo of the "spirit of view" relating to salvation. It is in the New Testament, St. Paul, 1 Colossians v 24-27, (fyi, the 13 letters of St. Paul make up a quarter of the whole of the New Testament) St. Paul writes, that his task is to ..."fully proclaim His (God's) message, which is the secret he (God) hid through all past ages from mankind but has now revealed to His people ...And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God"... St. Paul didn't present this New Testament secret in a manner that suggests that the historical Jesus is literally in us or can be some how imposed in us through some standard rituals or worships, but that the Christ principle exists in our living make up, here and now.
The word "Christ" isn't a personal family name of Jesus, but an appellation granted and earned by spiritual achievements. Jesus is the Christ because he, through spiritual initiation and self-becoming united with the divine spirit, his Father within, "I and the Father are one," to quote Jesus. The "Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father." The name Christ is derived from the original Greek, christos, meaning literally, anointed. Jesus, because of his union with the Father becomes the Anointed One or the Christ, just as Gautama the Buddha, (Buddha-Sanskrit word meaning, "to awaken") because of his union with Paramatman becomes the Awakened One or the Buddha.
Here we have two views on salvation. The literal or fundamental view says, salvation is gained by acquiring a belief, a faith, that the historical figure Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was designated by God as the savior of humankind. Thus, if you desire salvation you must accept Jesus the Christ as your savior. Because of this faith you will reap eternal salvation during the "end of times," when Jesus the Christ will reappear again on Earth, judge the purity of your belief, and on the Day of Rapture Jesus will raise all those truly faithful, into the Kingdom of Heaven. All non-believers will however, on that day be doomed to the fires of Hell for eternity.
The "spirit of" or esoteric view says, salvation is gained by recognizing, connecting, and uniting with your divine essence, with the Face of God, that which lies as the core of your being. 'The kingdom of God is here and now, for those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear.' All that is necessary is to turn inward and use your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear your divine essence.
Which of these two views is the "good news."
Saturday, March 13, 2010
failure
How many of you know someone who is perfect? The only person I know that comes the closest is Mary Poppins, and she is only, "almost nearly perfect." Perfection as a manifest quality in human nature is impossible. However, what is common among human beings is widespread imperfection. Each individual human being while conforming in general to a particular form and similar set of faculties also possess unique adaptions to these general natural outlines. So too with all things manifested in this world. Each species of plant and animal, although similar in general form and function is specifically unique as to individual expression of those general conditions of Nature. If Nature worked in an absolute perfect manner, then all areas of her manifestation would be flawless. All species would conform atom for atom, with no variations. Any watcher of Nature knows that it is not her way. Nature works imperfectly, yet her ultimate aim is perfection.
Nature is flexible. She is like good parents who give their children plenty of space in which to discover, to learn, and to develop, but aways under their watchful eyes. The ultimate aim, both with Nature and good parents is the "good" development of their children. That is the development in the light of expressing the higher principles that lie within each being and entity. However, the progress of Nature toward her ultimate goal is never by leaps and bounds, but ever so meticulous and with enormous patience, she moves forward toward full expression of the highest principles- the spark of the Kosmic Spirit within all manifested things.
Nature is flexible. She is like good parents who give their children plenty of space in which to discover, to learn, and to develop, but aways under their watchful eyes. The ultimate aim, both with Nature and good parents is the "good" development of their children. That is the development in the light of expressing the higher principles that lie within each being and entity. However, the progress of Nature toward her ultimate goal is never by leaps and bounds, but ever so meticulous and with enormous patience, she moves forward toward full expression of the highest principles- the spark of the Kosmic Spirit within all manifested things.
"Love is all we need."
"How are you going to live? You are pregnant. You and your boyfriend have no jobs," said the parent. The daughter replies, "Love is all we need." There is a humorous retort to the above statement which goes, "Love is all you need, if one of you doesn't eat."
Parents clearly understand that there are practical considerations necessary to be aware of in order for a relationship to grow and develop on a healthy track. However, beyond the practical considerations, there is the quality and expression of the kind of love the relationship is built upon. The expression, "Love is all we need," may be absolutely true, if the quality and expression of the love in that relationship is of a high quality. If in fact love is expressed by both parties in a high, unselfish quality, then this couple will succeed, because they will sustain and nurture each other, and their relationship.
This high quality of love is not fully functional merely by the passage of time, nor by keeping alive some movie fantasy, but by an unbending awareness of becoming a loving being. A diamond just mined does not instantly show its luxurious qualities. It must be refined. Just so with love. It must be honed, nurtured, and refined over time, and even that kind of constant effort does not grantee its purity. The purity and sincerity of your desire to become a loving being is the barometer that measures your love's quality. When you become a truly loving being, you will resonate with the Source of Love. This love resonance would be the greatest of achievements for a human being.
Parents clearly understand that there are practical considerations necessary to be aware of in order for a relationship to grow and develop on a healthy track. However, beyond the practical considerations, there is the quality and expression of the kind of love the relationship is built upon. The expression, "Love is all we need," may be absolutely true, if the quality and expression of the love in that relationship is of a high quality. If in fact love is expressed by both parties in a high, unselfish quality, then this couple will succeed, because they will sustain and nurture each other, and their relationship.
This high quality of love is not fully functional merely by the passage of time, nor by keeping alive some movie fantasy, but by an unbending awareness of becoming a loving being. A diamond just mined does not instantly show its luxurious qualities. It must be refined. Just so with love. It must be honed, nurtured, and refined over time, and even that kind of constant effort does not grantee its purity. The purity and sincerity of your desire to become a loving being is the barometer that measures your love's quality. When you become a truly loving being, you will resonate with the Source of Love. This love resonance would be the greatest of achievements for a human being.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
addendum to blog on death
On December 1, 2009, my sister Rosemary died. She was fighting ovarian cancer for several years. The symptoms of the cancer, mostly the build up of fluid in her stomach, made her nauseated to the point that she didn't have an appetite, and her chemo therapy, although it destroyed cancer cells, left her extremely weak. The protocol used by the medical profession is to increase the potency of the chemo, if the previous effects were not working. The effects of her caner and chemo therapy cancelled the period of time she needed to heal. In other words, she was always in a state of recovery from cancer and her treatment giving her no time to heal. This kind of situation is popularly known as a "catch 22;" without nourishment and the general weakening of her constitution with every treatment, the out come was inevitable. Although, we her family and also she held on to the hope of a complete recover
I had traveled, by car, from Minnesota to the Chicago area. I arrived about 7:00pm Monday, November 16, at my sister Flo and my brother-in-law Mel's house; after having something to eat, we drove to the hospital. My visit was supposed to be a surprise, but my 5 year old niece Katie 'let the cat out of the bag,' and told her Aunt Ro I was coming.
My sister Ro was on a floor in the hospital which was designated for the immediate terminally ill, so the general rules for visitor hours were excused. My sister Ro had been in the hospital for several days prior to my arrival. She had fallen down in her apartment and could not get up. She lied there for about 20 minutes before my sister Flo, my cousin Frank, and his son Rocky came to the rescue. They got Ro to the hospital where she was diagnosed as having a blood clog in her left leg. As I sat next to my sister Ro, in my heart I knew this was a death watch.
My sister Ro was never left alone. Someone from the family was always at her bedside. She had good days, especially when the fluid in her stomach was drained. Three to four liters were drained, but as soon as the fluid was drained more fluid appeared. Her son, Chris arrived from Arizona Friday Nov. 20th. This was another good day for my sister. Chris, as a good son should, stayed and cared for his mother from his arrival to his mother's death.
I am so proud of my family for unconditionally dedicating, their time, support, and love to my sister: their mother, aunt, grandma they called Mema, cousin, and son-in-law. In my family, family is on the top of the list of value. On Wed. Nov. 18, my sister's oncologist meet with my sister Ro and the immediate family to give a state of Ro's current health. She said that Ro was too weak for any further treatment, and at this time what Ro needed was love and support. This love and support she said would be very hard to deliver; to which Ro's grandson Matt, spoke out and said, "It will not be a problem." Although it was very hard to watch this person we loved slowly lose her life, we all remained dedicated to support her passing on.
On Dec. 1, 2009, with the Sun shining and the moon not quite full, at 12:40pm my sister passed. At her right side with his hand on her head, was Chris, I was next with my hand on her arm, next to me was her grandson Matt with his hand on her knee, at Ro's feet was her daughter Eliz, on her left side was her grandson Scott with his hand on her knee, next was Elina, Ro's daughter, with her hand on her arm, next was Ro's sister Flo, with her hand on Ro's head. As we surrounded her, my sister took her last breath.
As she exhaled her last breath, the body she lived in went inert. I was filled with grief and a feeling of release that her soul had passed on into another consciousness. That feeling of passing into another consciousness where her physical suffering was relieved, has given me great comfort. My sister's death was the first death I witnessed. Her last words to me were, "Thank you for being a good brother."
My Dear Sister
Your passing left a void, yet
it also left paste to fill it in:
You showed the same courage
our PaPa did at his death,
his only lament, "This will
be the end of our family."
You showed love and caring
by suffering in silence.
You showed faith in Jesus
Christ.
Farewell my dear sister.
It will be better next time.
I had traveled, by car, from Minnesota to the Chicago area. I arrived about 7:00pm Monday, November 16, at my sister Flo and my brother-in-law Mel's house; after having something to eat, we drove to the hospital. My visit was supposed to be a surprise, but my 5 year old niece Katie 'let the cat out of the bag,' and told her Aunt Ro I was coming.
My sister Ro was on a floor in the hospital which was designated for the immediate terminally ill, so the general rules for visitor hours were excused. My sister Ro had been in the hospital for several days prior to my arrival. She had fallen down in her apartment and could not get up. She lied there for about 20 minutes before my sister Flo, my cousin Frank, and his son Rocky came to the rescue. They got Ro to the hospital where she was diagnosed as having a blood clog in her left leg. As I sat next to my sister Ro, in my heart I knew this was a death watch.
My sister Ro was never left alone. Someone from the family was always at her bedside. She had good days, especially when the fluid in her stomach was drained. Three to four liters were drained, but as soon as the fluid was drained more fluid appeared. Her son, Chris arrived from Arizona Friday Nov. 20th. This was another good day for my sister. Chris, as a good son should, stayed and cared for his mother from his arrival to his mother's death.
I am so proud of my family for unconditionally dedicating, their time, support, and love to my sister: their mother, aunt, grandma they called Mema, cousin, and son-in-law. In my family, family is on the top of the list of value. On Wed. Nov. 18, my sister's oncologist meet with my sister Ro and the immediate family to give a state of Ro's current health. She said that Ro was too weak for any further treatment, and at this time what Ro needed was love and support. This love and support she said would be very hard to deliver; to which Ro's grandson Matt, spoke out and said, "It will not be a problem." Although it was very hard to watch this person we loved slowly lose her life, we all remained dedicated to support her passing on.
On Dec. 1, 2009, with the Sun shining and the moon not quite full, at 12:40pm my sister passed. At her right side with his hand on her head, was Chris, I was next with my hand on her arm, next to me was her grandson Matt with his hand on her knee, at Ro's feet was her daughter Eliz, on her left side was her grandson Scott with his hand on her knee, next was Elina, Ro's daughter, with her hand on her arm, next was Ro's sister Flo, with her hand on Ro's head. As we surrounded her, my sister took her last breath.
As she exhaled her last breath, the body she lived in went inert. I was filled with grief and a feeling of release that her soul had passed on into another consciousness. That feeling of passing into another consciousness where her physical suffering was relieved, has given me great comfort. My sister's death was the first death I witnessed. Her last words to me were, "Thank you for being a good brother."
My Dear Sister
Your passing left a void, yet
it also left paste to fill it in:
You showed the same courage
our PaPa did at his death,
his only lament, "This will
be the end of our family."
You showed love and caring
by suffering in silence.
You showed faith in Jesus
Christ.
Farewell my dear sister.
It will be better next time.
Monday, November 9, 2009
the meaning of life
The following blog will be a several page excerpt for the booklet I published, called "the meaning of life." If you are interested in purchasing it the details are on the left side information space.
...The idea that anyone could know, in a comprehensive manner, the meaning of life, seems to most people an absurd notion. Life qua life, is such an enormous, interwoven, complicated idea that it appears to defy comprehension, and further there is a general feeling today among Western Culture that a person searching for life's meaning is wasting scarce energy, scarce time, and being counter productive. Monty Python, a group of English funny men, created a satirical spoof, movie called, "The Meaning of Life." Of course, their title was meant to be sarcastic and to taunt the viewer with the high concept of "the meaning of life," then they immediately began to mock it in the most irreverent of ways. After many comedic skits that had little to do with the meaning of life, the movie ended with one of the Monty Python crew sitting in a chair saying, "Oh! you really expected to see evidence of the meaning of life?" Then he reaches over to a small table standing next to him, picks up the book setting there entitled, "The Meaning of Life," opens it and begins to read in a flippant manner, "Treat everyone as you would like to be treated, turn the other cheek, love your neighbor as yourself, blah, blah, blah," then throws the book to the side on the floor as the movie ends.
In contrast, Viktor E. Frankel, in a serious attempt to extract meaning from life, wrote a book entitled, Man's Search for Meaning. His presentation was taken seriously by millions of readers, owning to the facts that he was an immanent psychiatrist, and a survivor of Nazi death camps at Auschwitz and Dachau. On page 154 of his book, Frankel encapsulated his perception of the meaning of life, ..."Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stands up to them. In other words, man is ultimately self-determined. Man does not simply exists but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment"...Thus the meaning of life for Frankel expresses itself from man's innate capacity for self-determination. What is not made clear from Fankel's above perception or perhaps it was implied, is where the capacity of self-determination originates? The answer is, it originates from our self-awareness.
Since we are sentient beings our lived lives are exposed to us every moment. We see, hear, smell, and touch our lives. It is like a continuous life-long movie, where we are the producer, director, actor, and audience or more accurately, the watcher. It is the fire of self-awareness that allows us to see our nakedness, to learn from our experiences, to extract general insights and understandings, to create wisdom, and where from meaning to our lives. This self-awareness process that extracts meaning from our lived experiences could be termed an "elemental imperative." The human race, from its origin has continuously searched, discovered, and added to its meaning. For instance, twenty five hundred years ago Gautama the Buddha had put on all the spiritual practices and techniques of his time and found them unsatisfactory. A bit despondent he sat under a Banyan Tree, determined not to get up until he became enlightened, and as the saying goes, "The rest is history." As part of our human heritage, the Buddha left an accessible and simple pathway for all truth seekers to find meaning and value in their lives. At the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo, at Delphi, over the door entrance was a crosspiece carved with the phrase, Gnothi Seauton, "Man! know thyself." The phrase was meant as an admonition and as a reminder to all that entered, that within the structure and operations of their own being lie universal principles of life. Thus humans have an ancient heritage of not only searching for the meaning of life, but also finding the meaning of life.
There is an ancient world view from India that relates a time, millions of years ago, where the gods walked the Earth among nascent mankind. The gods instructed mankind in principles of life, science, and the arts. Then when it was time for the gods to leave, they took the highest developed members of mankind and trained them to be the keepers of what is called the Mystery Schools. The Schools were meant to be the crucibles of the cosmic truths taught by the gods to fledgling mankind, and through a strict initiation process were meant to establish a trough of truth to feed evolving mankind. Some of the truths have been, over the millennia, let out through masters teachers, especially in periods of darkness, to act as beacons of light for struggling mankind. Some of the truths remain within the Mystery Schools, even today, to be let out as necessary to aid humans unfold their spiritual evolution, but to those humans whose desire for truth is unwavering, whose hearts are pure, and whose minds are highly trained these teachings are available in full.
When studied comparatively and comprehensively, those truths that have been let out compose the basis for understanding the origin, nature, purpose, and destiny of our lives. There is however, a caveat. The ancient teachings are conceptually difficult to understand, owing in part to their universal nature, and their web of interconnections and interrelationships. It is best to remember that the universal nature of these teachings relates and reflects the same universal nature at the core of each human. Therefore, by simply affirming one's own universal nature one will open a contact point to begin to comprehend these wondrous and most satisfying teachings. However, this opening is gained by pressing through the present thought forms or mind molds of our own minds These mind molds have been caste there and habituated by an intense exposure to our system of education (see blog on education in archives), our cultural customs and mores, and our religious and spiritual beliefs. Changing these mind molds is not an easy task. It is some what analogous to changing directions while driving automobile, tremendous force and energy must be brought under control before the directional change can be made. It is difficult, but not beyond the capacity of ordinary humans like you and me. There is another necessary step of preparation, and that is in considering the idea of, "expectations." These teachings are so vast they touch the outer reaches of our Home Galaxy, and the smallest particle of our earth.
Exploring such a vast body of wisdom it is best not to expect any final understanding or definition, as we are accustom to expect from our traditional educational system. Thus to know such teachings on one level is vital, but a relatively small step in an ever progressive advancement towards the truth. One last word, I promise, these teachings are not just for intellectual viewing, but are meant to be put on and practiced. They are intimately wrapper around the highest ethical principles and conduct.
Here is a list of some of the teachings let out as a part of our human heritage"
...The idea that anyone could know, in a comprehensive manner, the meaning of life, seems to most people an absurd notion. Life qua life, is such an enormous, interwoven, complicated idea that it appears to defy comprehension, and further there is a general feeling today among Western Culture that a person searching for life's meaning is wasting scarce energy, scarce time, and being counter productive. Monty Python, a group of English funny men, created a satirical spoof, movie called, "The Meaning of Life." Of course, their title was meant to be sarcastic and to taunt the viewer with the high concept of "the meaning of life," then they immediately began to mock it in the most irreverent of ways. After many comedic skits that had little to do with the meaning of life, the movie ended with one of the Monty Python crew sitting in a chair saying, "Oh! you really expected to see evidence of the meaning of life?" Then he reaches over to a small table standing next to him, picks up the book setting there entitled, "The Meaning of Life," opens it and begins to read in a flippant manner, "Treat everyone as you would like to be treated, turn the other cheek, love your neighbor as yourself, blah, blah, blah," then throws the book to the side on the floor as the movie ends.
In contrast, Viktor E. Frankel, in a serious attempt to extract meaning from life, wrote a book entitled, Man's Search for Meaning. His presentation was taken seriously by millions of readers, owning to the facts that he was an immanent psychiatrist, and a survivor of Nazi death camps at Auschwitz and Dachau. On page 154 of his book, Frankel encapsulated his perception of the meaning of life, ..."Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stands up to them. In other words, man is ultimately self-determined. Man does not simply exists but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment"...Thus the meaning of life for Frankel expresses itself from man's innate capacity for self-determination. What is not made clear from Fankel's above perception or perhaps it was implied, is where the capacity of self-determination originates? The answer is, it originates from our self-awareness.
Since we are sentient beings our lived lives are exposed to us every moment. We see, hear, smell, and touch our lives. It is like a continuous life-long movie, where we are the producer, director, actor, and audience or more accurately, the watcher. It is the fire of self-awareness that allows us to see our nakedness, to learn from our experiences, to extract general insights and understandings, to create wisdom, and where from meaning to our lives. This self-awareness process that extracts meaning from our lived experiences could be termed an "elemental imperative." The human race, from its origin has continuously searched, discovered, and added to its meaning. For instance, twenty five hundred years ago Gautama the Buddha had put on all the spiritual practices and techniques of his time and found them unsatisfactory. A bit despondent he sat under a Banyan Tree, determined not to get up until he became enlightened, and as the saying goes, "The rest is history." As part of our human heritage, the Buddha left an accessible and simple pathway for all truth seekers to find meaning and value in their lives. At the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo, at Delphi, over the door entrance was a crosspiece carved with the phrase, Gnothi Seauton, "Man! know thyself." The phrase was meant as an admonition and as a reminder to all that entered, that within the structure and operations of their own being lie universal principles of life. Thus humans have an ancient heritage of not only searching for the meaning of life, but also finding the meaning of life.
There is an ancient world view from India that relates a time, millions of years ago, where the gods walked the Earth among nascent mankind. The gods instructed mankind in principles of life, science, and the arts. Then when it was time for the gods to leave, they took the highest developed members of mankind and trained them to be the keepers of what is called the Mystery Schools. The Schools were meant to be the crucibles of the cosmic truths taught by the gods to fledgling mankind, and through a strict initiation process were meant to establish a trough of truth to feed evolving mankind. Some of the truths have been, over the millennia, let out through masters teachers, especially in periods of darkness, to act as beacons of light for struggling mankind. Some of the truths remain within the Mystery Schools, even today, to be let out as necessary to aid humans unfold their spiritual evolution, but to those humans whose desire for truth is unwavering, whose hearts are pure, and whose minds are highly trained these teachings are available in full.
When studied comparatively and comprehensively, those truths that have been let out compose the basis for understanding the origin, nature, purpose, and destiny of our lives. There is however, a caveat. The ancient teachings are conceptually difficult to understand, owing in part to their universal nature, and their web of interconnections and interrelationships. It is best to remember that the universal nature of these teachings relates and reflects the same universal nature at the core of each human. Therefore, by simply affirming one's own universal nature one will open a contact point to begin to comprehend these wondrous and most satisfying teachings. However, this opening is gained by pressing through the present thought forms or mind molds of our own minds These mind molds have been caste there and habituated by an intense exposure to our system of education (see blog on education in archives), our cultural customs and mores, and our religious and spiritual beliefs. Changing these mind molds is not an easy task. It is some what analogous to changing directions while driving automobile, tremendous force and energy must be brought under control before the directional change can be made. It is difficult, but not beyond the capacity of ordinary humans like you and me. There is another necessary step of preparation, and that is in considering the idea of, "expectations." These teachings are so vast they touch the outer reaches of our Home Galaxy, and the smallest particle of our earth.
Exploring such a vast body of wisdom it is best not to expect any final understanding or definition, as we are accustom to expect from our traditional educational system. Thus to know such teachings on one level is vital, but a relatively small step in an ever progressive advancement towards the truth. One last word, I promise, these teachings are not just for intellectual viewing, but are meant to be put on and practiced. They are intimately wrapper around the highest ethical principles and conduct.
Here is a list of some of the teachings let out as a part of our human heritage"
- Composite organization of all beings and entities
- Indwelling consciousness of all systems, entities, and beings
- Karma and reincarnation
- Cyclical revolving of all things
- Hierarchical arrangement of all things
- Innate characteristics of all things
Thursday, September 24, 2009
"I've seen the Eternal Footman hold my coat and snicker"...
My mind has been on death for the last couple of months. I am sure that my wife's mother's death, and all the recent high profile celebrity deaths helped turn my mind towards death. These current deaths bare on me more heavily because I am becoming ripe for death. I don't have a terminal disease, unless you call aging a terminal disease. Aging stunts your youth and reduces your physical prowess, but death is the Doomster that gets you. A Zen Master said, paraphrasing, 'When I was young I was like a tiger. Now that I am old, I am like a cat. I am happy to be a cat.' Aging gives you an opportunity to redefine your life within your wrinkled skin. I don't have morbid thoughts of death nor do I have a great fear of death. Its a curiosity about my life, its stages, its processes, and its meaning, that prompts me to search for meaning of my life by discovering the meaning of my death. The moment you are born into this world so is your physical death. Death is your constant companion, so instead of denying and fearing its relationship with you, why not embrace it and investigate, and learn its nature. I have hear it said, that if you find a new definition of death you have also found a new definition of life. Life and death are intimate contraries, and as such, any consideration of one is a corresponding consideration of the other. The fact of death, places the question,"Who am I, and why am I here?" in unobstructed, plane sight.
From the dawn of human self-awareness humans have pursued the meaning of their life by discovering the meaning of their death. Some where I read that when Plato was on his deathbed his pupils asked for one final word of advice, and he responded, "Practice dying." Dyland Thomas, a Walsh poet, in his poem, "Do Not go Gentle into that Good Night," tells his dying father:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light"...
In the Zen Buddhist tradition, when a Zen Master was about to die, he writes a poem. The Master's poem serves as a summation of life, and as a parting gift to inspire his disciples. Below are two poems from, Teasho and Dogen respectively; feel the great anticipation and exultation of the Master's poetical expression, as they slip consciously into their physical death.
Finally out of reach-
No bondage, no dependency
How calm the ocean,
Towering the void.
Four and fifth years
I've hung the sky with stars.
Now I leap through-
What shattering.
In his book, "A Christmas Carol," Dickens has his character, Scrogge completely transform his life because of his experience with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The Spectra merely points to the gravestone with Scrooge's name on it to create in Scrooge an immediate, full transformation. There has been testimony from many people, the world over, who experienced a mystical, "near death experience," that instantly and completely transformed their lives. Thomas Hardy, a novelist and poet, brings yet another out look, in his poem, "The Subalterns:"
..."Come hither, Son," I heard Death Say';
"I did not will a grave
Should end thy pilgrimage today,
But, I too, am a slave!"
We smiled upon each other then,
And life to me had less
Of that fell look it wore ere when
They owned their passiveness.
In India there is a group of universal stories intended to inspire and bring wisdom to spiritual seekers, dating back 5000 years, called the "Upanishads," meaning, "at the feet of," an enlighten one. In one story, called the "Katha Upanishad," a young boy, Nachiketa wanted to know the truth beyond the cultural, spiritual rituals and ceremonies, and went to see Yama, Death, to find the truth.
..."Having tested young Nachiketa and found him fit to receive spiritual instruction, Yama, the king of death said:"
"The joy of the Atman (the highest spiritual consciousness achievable in this life cycle), ever abides. But not what seems pleasant to the senses. Both these, differing in their purpose, prompt man to action. All is well for those who choose the joy of the Atman, but they miss the goal of life who prefer the pleasant. Perennial joy or passing pleasure? This is the choice one is to make always. The wise recognize these two, but not the ignorant. The first welcome what leads to abiding joy, though painful at the time, the latter run, goaded by their senses, after what seems immediate pleasure"...
(the ignorant)..."Ignorant of their ignorance, yet wise in their own esteem, these deluded men proud of their vain learning go round and round like the blind led by the blind. Far beyond their eyes, hypnotized by the world of sense, they live in darkness, unaware of any higher good, or goal, they fall life after life under my sway..."
And here is my poetic contribution about our relationship to death, called, "The Hearse:"
The Hearse travels through live streets
and all pause to pay respect.
The young, caste a wistful glance then
continue their play.
The somber, stop, bend down their head
in anxiety over their day.
The old, captured in a moments reflection
knowing soon their flesh will too decay.
The wise, let death pass unattached, with
out losing their sense of the day.
The Hearse travels through live streets
and all...pause to pay respect.
We see above a variety of thinking about the human condition of death. Some of the wisdom of life and death comes from living an examined life, some comes from accepting the cultural wisdom. In the U.S., because of our cultural, belief context, conditioned by Christian doctrine, our orientation towards youth, and our materialistic philosophy, with its myopic view of objectifying everything, our concepts of what it means to live and die takes on these conditions. One concept of death originates from a completely materialistic point of view. It says, death is separate and distinct; a passive element or force. In other words, death is a force-entity, a "purblind Doomster," that destroys life. Under this view, the destruction of life is absolute; complete annihilation of all life's components, including all consciousness. Human life defined by this concept leads to a doctrine that places its highest values on material well-being, and on cultivating pleasure from all manner of sensual experiences, affecting a hedonistic and fatalistic out look. A second concept of physical death in the U.S., probably the most culturally accepted, originates from the doctrines of Christianity. It says, death is a condition in which an immortal soul leaves the physical body and subsists in some form of eternal fashion in one of three states: eternal bliss, eternal damnation, or a middle state of limited duration, for purposes of purification. The determination of the fate of the soul comes within the Providence of God. On the "Day of Judgement" all created souls will be sentenced by God, and their physical bodies will then reunite with their souls to serve out their sentences. Human life defined under the terms of this concept becomes, for most humans, excluding perhaps the saints, semi-fatalistic. Fear, guilt, and anxiety, become the central sensations of life; although just living life presents some small shadow of hope in terms of grace. That sprig of grace for eternal bliss is however, completely over shadowed by the inevitable final judgement, and the likely-hood of eternal damnation. The guilt, fear, and anxiety, that accompany this concept acts to resists and depress a view of life's greater possibilities. A third concept of physical death, the least culturally accepted in the U.S. is reincarnation. It says, death is a process that merely changes the form of life; from a spirit, soul, body, to a spirit, soul. At physical death, the essential consciousness, the spirit and its vehicle, the soul, leaves the body and commingles on higher planes corresponding to their qualities, something like a pool of water that changes into water vapor and then commingling with its kin water vapors. Life as life, cannot die nor be annihilated. Life is eternal, and as such always exists and always will. The annihilation of even an infinitesimal particle of life would brake the unity of the entire Universe, and be a lose to the Universe that could not be replaced. The death of a manifest thing or form is a natural withdrawal of eternal life from one form into another form. Human life defined under the terms of this concept of death becomes one of almost infinite hopefulness and possibility, where all beings and entities are fitted into the Great Cycle of Universal Nature, and are granted a virtual eternity to fulfill their divine destinies.
To me, of the three concepts of death, only rebirth satisfactorily corresponds with the cyclical principles set down by Universal Nature. When physical death accrues there ensues to the body, not a lose of life, but a loss of individualized coherence. In other words, the once individualized unity of the body after death, becomes diffused; it becomes diffused life without the dominating control of a centralized inner government. In truth, physical death is not an autonomous force, a purblind "Doomster" that destroys life, but paradoxically, it is life which is the cause of death. Life's unfolding field of consciousness spreads beyond the capacity of the physical body to contain it, consequently the body, over a period of time, gradually deteriorates to the point of being cast off; the entire process is what we call, death.
Ram Dass, a spiritual teacher and writer, stated in his book "Still Here" that after 30 years of sitting with the dying that there seems to be three primary questions asked by those on the brink of their death.
1. How do I deal with the processes of dying?
2. What happens to me at the moment of death?
3. What will happen to me after I die?
At the moment of death you bring the culmination of your believes with you, and as they represent the degree of your consciousness, that is what you reap. If you believe that you are only your physical body and your personality, death brings an annihilation of your body and personality. If at the time of death you have an expanded consciousness that includes a belief in life as having, spirit, soul, and body then as the natural process of returning each of life's components to their specific sphere, there will be a degree of consciousness. This is a difficult concept to explain and to comprehend. The important point is, death is a natural process and whether your consciousness is expanded or not the process of death is the same for all; just as the process of birth is the same for all. It seems to me that the process of death is a less traumatic experience than the process of birth. At birth you are taken from a relatively peaceful place and squeezed out, with great energy and force, into a completely different dimension, and made to breath on your own. I have hear it said, that if you want to know what it feels like to crossover at the moment of death, practice keeping your mind awake as you fall asleep. By keeping the bridge of awareness as you crossover from being awake to falling asleep you will replicate the experience of passing from life to death. The transition of life to death is a natural process. All that is really required of you is to let go and accept.
I have given an answer to questions 2&3 above, now I will give an answer to question 1: How do I deal with the process of dying? All that is essentially necessary to deal with death is to understand it as a natural process and to surrender and let Universal Nature take its course. The difficulty and resistance of death comes from the out and out fear of death, mostly the fear of the unknown, the anxiety about death, and the question of the pain that may accompany death. To squelch the fear and anxiety takes a conscious and consistent practice over time. Your fear and anxiety about death has deep mind grooves, and to fill those mind grooves in with harmonizing and universal ideas is not an easy task. There are mental and spiritual practices that can guide you to a change, but the most important first step is to be come aware of your fear and anxiety, face it head on, then begin the change. Remember, the first requirement of change is that you are aware of what needs change.
From the dawn of human self-awareness humans have pursued the meaning of their life by discovering the meaning of their death. Some where I read that when Plato was on his deathbed his pupils asked for one final word of advice, and he responded, "Practice dying." Dyland Thomas, a Walsh poet, in his poem, "Do Not go Gentle into that Good Night," tells his dying father:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light"...
In the Zen Buddhist tradition, when a Zen Master was about to die, he writes a poem. The Master's poem serves as a summation of life, and as a parting gift to inspire his disciples. Below are two poems from, Teasho and Dogen respectively; feel the great anticipation and exultation of the Master's poetical expression, as they slip consciously into their physical death.
Finally out of reach-
No bondage, no dependency
How calm the ocean,
Towering the void.
Four and fifth years
I've hung the sky with stars.
Now I leap through-
What shattering.
In his book, "A Christmas Carol," Dickens has his character, Scrogge completely transform his life because of his experience with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The Spectra merely points to the gravestone with Scrooge's name on it to create in Scrooge an immediate, full transformation. There has been testimony from many people, the world over, who experienced a mystical, "near death experience," that instantly and completely transformed their lives. Thomas Hardy, a novelist and poet, brings yet another out look, in his poem, "The Subalterns:"
..."Come hither, Son," I heard Death Say';
"I did not will a grave
Should end thy pilgrimage today,
But, I too, am a slave!"
We smiled upon each other then,
And life to me had less
Of that fell look it wore ere when
They owned their passiveness.
In India there is a group of universal stories intended to inspire and bring wisdom to spiritual seekers, dating back 5000 years, called the "Upanishads," meaning, "at the feet of," an enlighten one. In one story, called the "Katha Upanishad," a young boy, Nachiketa wanted to know the truth beyond the cultural, spiritual rituals and ceremonies, and went to see Yama, Death, to find the truth.
..."Having tested young Nachiketa and found him fit to receive spiritual instruction, Yama, the king of death said:"
"The joy of the Atman (the highest spiritual consciousness achievable in this life cycle), ever abides. But not what seems pleasant to the senses. Both these, differing in their purpose, prompt man to action. All is well for those who choose the joy of the Atman, but they miss the goal of life who prefer the pleasant. Perennial joy or passing pleasure? This is the choice one is to make always. The wise recognize these two, but not the ignorant. The first welcome what leads to abiding joy, though painful at the time, the latter run, goaded by their senses, after what seems immediate pleasure"...
(the ignorant)..."Ignorant of their ignorance, yet wise in their own esteem, these deluded men proud of their vain learning go round and round like the blind led by the blind. Far beyond their eyes, hypnotized by the world of sense, they live in darkness, unaware of any higher good, or goal, they fall life after life under my sway..."
And here is my poetic contribution about our relationship to death, called, "The Hearse:"
The Hearse travels through live streets
and all pause to pay respect.
The young, caste a wistful glance then
continue their play.
The somber, stop, bend down their head
in anxiety over their day.
The old, captured in a moments reflection
knowing soon their flesh will too decay.
The wise, let death pass unattached, with
out losing their sense of the day.
The Hearse travels through live streets
and all...pause to pay respect.
We see above a variety of thinking about the human condition of death. Some of the wisdom of life and death comes from living an examined life, some comes from accepting the cultural wisdom. In the U.S., because of our cultural, belief context, conditioned by Christian doctrine, our orientation towards youth, and our materialistic philosophy, with its myopic view of objectifying everything, our concepts of what it means to live and die takes on these conditions. One concept of death originates from a completely materialistic point of view. It says, death is separate and distinct; a passive element or force. In other words, death is a force-entity, a "purblind Doomster," that destroys life. Under this view, the destruction of life is absolute; complete annihilation of all life's components, including all consciousness. Human life defined by this concept leads to a doctrine that places its highest values on material well-being, and on cultivating pleasure from all manner of sensual experiences, affecting a hedonistic and fatalistic out look. A second concept of physical death in the U.S., probably the most culturally accepted, originates from the doctrines of Christianity. It says, death is a condition in which an immortal soul leaves the physical body and subsists in some form of eternal fashion in one of three states: eternal bliss, eternal damnation, or a middle state of limited duration, for purposes of purification. The determination of the fate of the soul comes within the Providence of God. On the "Day of Judgement" all created souls will be sentenced by God, and their physical bodies will then reunite with their souls to serve out their sentences. Human life defined under the terms of this concept becomes, for most humans, excluding perhaps the saints, semi-fatalistic. Fear, guilt, and anxiety, become the central sensations of life; although just living life presents some small shadow of hope in terms of grace. That sprig of grace for eternal bliss is however, completely over shadowed by the inevitable final judgement, and the likely-hood of eternal damnation. The guilt, fear, and anxiety, that accompany this concept acts to resists and depress a view of life's greater possibilities. A third concept of physical death, the least culturally accepted in the U.S. is reincarnation. It says, death is a process that merely changes the form of life; from a spirit, soul, body, to a spirit, soul. At physical death, the essential consciousness, the spirit and its vehicle, the soul, leaves the body and commingles on higher planes corresponding to their qualities, something like a pool of water that changes into water vapor and then commingling with its kin water vapors. Life as life, cannot die nor be annihilated. Life is eternal, and as such always exists and always will. The annihilation of even an infinitesimal particle of life would brake the unity of the entire Universe, and be a lose to the Universe that could not be replaced. The death of a manifest thing or form is a natural withdrawal of eternal life from one form into another form. Human life defined under the terms of this concept of death becomes one of almost infinite hopefulness and possibility, where all beings and entities are fitted into the Great Cycle of Universal Nature, and are granted a virtual eternity to fulfill their divine destinies.
To me, of the three concepts of death, only rebirth satisfactorily corresponds with the cyclical principles set down by Universal Nature. When physical death accrues there ensues to the body, not a lose of life, but a loss of individualized coherence. In other words, the once individualized unity of the body after death, becomes diffused; it becomes diffused life without the dominating control of a centralized inner government. In truth, physical death is not an autonomous force, a purblind "Doomster" that destroys life, but paradoxically, it is life which is the cause of death. Life's unfolding field of consciousness spreads beyond the capacity of the physical body to contain it, consequently the body, over a period of time, gradually deteriorates to the point of being cast off; the entire process is what we call, death.
Ram Dass, a spiritual teacher and writer, stated in his book "Still Here" that after 30 years of sitting with the dying that there seems to be three primary questions asked by those on the brink of their death.
1. How do I deal with the processes of dying?
2. What happens to me at the moment of death?
3. What will happen to me after I die?
At the moment of death you bring the culmination of your believes with you, and as they represent the degree of your consciousness, that is what you reap. If you believe that you are only your physical body and your personality, death brings an annihilation of your body and personality. If at the time of death you have an expanded consciousness that includes a belief in life as having, spirit, soul, and body then as the natural process of returning each of life's components to their specific sphere, there will be a degree of consciousness. This is a difficult concept to explain and to comprehend. The important point is, death is a natural process and whether your consciousness is expanded or not the process of death is the same for all; just as the process of birth is the same for all. It seems to me that the process of death is a less traumatic experience than the process of birth. At birth you are taken from a relatively peaceful place and squeezed out, with great energy and force, into a completely different dimension, and made to breath on your own. I have hear it said, that if you want to know what it feels like to crossover at the moment of death, practice keeping your mind awake as you fall asleep. By keeping the bridge of awareness as you crossover from being awake to falling asleep you will replicate the experience of passing from life to death. The transition of life to death is a natural process. All that is really required of you is to let go and accept.
I have given an answer to questions 2&3 above, now I will give an answer to question 1: How do I deal with the process of dying? All that is essentially necessary to deal with death is to understand it as a natural process and to surrender and let Universal Nature take its course. The difficulty and resistance of death comes from the out and out fear of death, mostly the fear of the unknown, the anxiety about death, and the question of the pain that may accompany death. To squelch the fear and anxiety takes a conscious and consistent practice over time. Your fear and anxiety about death has deep mind grooves, and to fill those mind grooves in with harmonizing and universal ideas is not an easy task. There are mental and spiritual practices that can guide you to a change, but the most important first step is to be come aware of your fear and anxiety, face it head on, then begin the change. Remember, the first requirement of change is that you are aware of what needs change.
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