my spiritual path in brief

No two spiritual paths are the same. Mine has had many influencers over the years.  A quick brainstorm this morning generated the following key points:

·         Start:

o   Make time ‘to stand and stare’ (or ‘just sit’)

o   ‘Stop the mind from wandering’

o   Be mindful of fleeting thoughts and feelings – be the witness

o   Let the mundane mud settle – appreciate the inbuilt clarity

·         Engage in basic conditioning:

o   notice what your are noticing – be the witness

o   accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative – be the director

o   take time to mindfully respond rather than mindlessly react

o   Just sit; drop off body and mind; calm down

·         Consider and appreciate:

o   Interbeing and connectedness (eg biogeochemical cycles)

o   Multicause and multieffect (from quantum to cosmos)

o   the impermanence of all created things (yin/yang)(birth/life/death)

o   the Oneness (vital force) that manifests in so many ways (evolution)

·         Experience:

o   the joy/bliss that accompanies the non-egoic state

o   the joy/bliss that accompanies being out of space and time

o   the inadequacy of words to communicate the nature of joy/bliss

o   the ‘higher/better/wiser’ thoughts and feelings that originate in the unconscious (the numinous muse)

o   the present moment as a wonderful moment (your true home and refuge)

Born again and again and again

I have recently been exchanging views with an evangelical Christian, and a ranter against the limitations of most New Age groups. In what follows I have used the story lines and linked them through evolutionary psychology

The Christian View

There is an omniscient, vital force (metaphor = good parent = God). It tells true ‘believers’ (metaphor = good children) what to think, say and do. There is thus a dualism of self and other (Metaphor – parent and child, shepherd and sheep). 

Christian believers obey the ten commandments. Sinners ignore them. This is because another omniscient, vital force (metaphor = bad parent = the devil) tells them what to think, say and do. SO - there are two parents. Two possible ways of thinking, speaking and doing.

People are initially ‘once  born’ – and they are born as sinners (?). The bad parent is the first to shape what the child will think, say and do. But, if the good parent so decides, certain people can be ‘born-again’ and, in their enlightened state, they will then obey the ten commandments.

The evolutionary view

There is a vital force. (Metaphor (words) cannot do it justice.) Through evolution it shaped the human brain and mind. The shaping initially enabled social life as hunters and gatherers.  Contemporary human brains and minds are shaped by the vital force manifested as nature (genes), nurture (socio-cultural learning) and serendipity (luck) – ie by geo-historical happenstance. Systems of morality are part of what evolves.

A wide range of shaping forces governs what people think, say and do. But the system is not totally deterministic. At any given moment at any level (quantum through cell, body, social group, ecosystem) there is an almost infinite number of possible futures. People have the free-will to choose which future becomes real. In theory the choice will be determined by past causes and effects but in practice there are far more of these than the brain can know or cope with. 

So most human decisions (social, technological, environmental, economic, political, legal, ethical and spiritual (STEEPLES)) are in effect based on inadequate evidence and serendipity; but, arguably, humanity is progressing in terms of being conscious of its consciousness (is born again) and of making changes for the better (for the greatest good of the greatest number).

The eastern view

Over the last 3000 years a wide range of views have been developed concerning philosophical and religious matters in the East. Many schools of thought have developed. The brief summary that follows is my own.

There is a vital force that is responsible for ongoing cycles of creation and destruction. Life is best when it accords with the natural cycles. The human mind does not initially appreciate the natural way of things. But the mind can be turned around (born-again?) by behaving well (eg by following the 8 fold path and the 14 precepts) so that there can be peace of mind in meditation and thus (a) release from the illusory notion of an individuated self and (b) appreciation of the Oneness in cosmic consciousness.

effortless effective action

People seem destined to be immersed in ever-changing patterns of thought, speech and actions. Some patterns are unique to individuals while others are shared with family, community, fellow workers and playmates. And the patterns are reinforced and embellished by the silver tongued devils of the non stop media and advertising industries.

While we are awake, and possibly when sleeping, our attention jumps around looking for patterns and agencies. The mind seems to have an energetic mind of its own. And most of us are addicted to this busy-ness: especially the younger folk who are easily bored. We seek endless distraction in increasingly large doses. We work ourselves into a state of frantic burn out.

The problem is not new: and neither is the solution.

all men's miseries derive from
not being able to sit in a quiet room alone

Back in the 17th century Blaise Pascal reckoned that “all men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.” Back in the 13th century Dogen Zenji, saw a similar pattern in Japan and reckoned that recovery would follow if only people would “just sit” and “drop off body and mind”. We have to get off the egoic treadmill so that we can know the deeper, non-egoic peace. But real world action is still going to be necessary.

Back about 600BC the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu reckoned that we can “do nothing and yet nothing is left undone”. The key idea was of “wu-wei” which is not easy to translate. Some attempts are "non-action", "nonpurposeful action", and "effortless doing." But it is not to be thought of as inertia, laziness, laissez-faire, or mere passivity. It refers to an uncommon sense and to paradox. It involves selfless, non-egoic, effective non-doing.

When work gets done in non-egoic flow there is no consciousness of a doer. There is no forcing; no gritting of teeth. It is more a case of going with the grain, rolling with the punch, swimming with the current, trimming sails to the wind, and taking the tide at its flood. The athlete is in the Zone. The musician is in the Groove. The poet has his Muse. There is high quality, effortless action by an existentially still and peaceful non-actor. Many people know it through housework or gardening – numinous times when they are blissfully comfortable in their skin in the immediate here and now.

May the peace be with you.
“Don’t just do something, sit there.”

self-made

Self-made millionaires and mystics

George G Clark,  2012-11-09

self-made - having achieved success or recognition by your own efforts; "a self-made millionaire; a self-made mystic"

It is estimated that there are 1210 billionaires in the world as of 2011. 412 (34%) of these are in the US. In second place comes China with 95 (10.6%). The UK is in 9^th place with 33 (2.7%)[1].

Biography.com lists 146 millionaires with celebrity status in the US. They are in 36 categories that include Computer Programmers, Engineers, Fashion Designers, Inventors, Legal Professionals, Military Leaders, Musicians, Philanthropists, and Politicians.

The Biography web site notes that “The American Dream is the notion that, with hard work, any individual can emerge from poor circumstances to a life of wealth and security. Despite the economic ups and downs of modern times, the notion of lifting one's self up is still ingrained in our mindset.

Some of our most famous celebrities are, in fact, people who came from nothing. Talent, hard work, and good fortune aligned to make these individuals successful business leaders, actors, athletes and more.”[2]

In China, it is estimated that there are close to a million millionaires and six hundred billionaires. And those numbers are rising: half the world's billionaires will come from China within the decade[3].

And the key elements of talent, hard work and good fortune are not restricted to the US. They are also well appreciated in China as can be seen in often reproduced rags to riches stories such as that by Wu Changjiang the present day chairman of NVC Lighting[4] 

rags to riches lifting one's self up people who came from nothing any individual can emerge from poor circumstances

The millionaire work ethic has religious (mystical) roots – Presbyterian in the west (after Christ, Luther and Calvin) and Confucian in the east (After Lao Tzu, Mencius and Confucius).

The Buddha consulted many of the spiritual teachers of his day but none of them offered the answers that he sought. So he found them for himself. The system that he developed and promoted was a psychology of perception rather than a religion. Blind faith had no place is his system which was based on ‘suck it and see’. The ‘truth’ is self evident to those who are prepared to embrace it. There is no magic. All that is required is an attitude of being awake to what goes on in your mind and willing to lift oneself up[5].

So the Buddha was a self-made mystic. Bureaucrats followed. Dharma lineages record the “family tree” of the Buddhist tradition. Genealogical charts show how the Buddhist Dharma or true teachings have been passed down through the ages[6]. Dharma lineages usually begin with Sakyamuni Buddha and extend down through a line of Buddhist Masters up to the present day. By investigating the Dharma Lineages of the Great Buddhist Masters, we catch a glimpse of how Buddhist schools have evolved through the ages[7].

But the potential for awakening is ever present and it need not involve the lineages. Mystical entrepreneurs can blossom forth from the humblest of circumstances and at any time (see the following box for some recent examples)

Three recent self-made mystics

Master Xu-yun (1829 – 1959) was very much a ‘self-made man’ who, in China, re-established Zen buildings and teachings on the strength of his own insight - without teachers[8] Ramana Maharsi (1879-1950) did not claim to be anything special but he became the centre of a spiritual cottage industry with international outreach. He was largely self-taught. Eckhart Tolle (1948 – present) is a German-born Canadian resident, best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. After his epiphany he slept rough for a couple of years before becoming an influential author and teacher. Largely self-made.

So there are self made people in both financial and spiritual spheres. Extra-ordinary people who have humble beginnings but who, in time, stand out from the crowd. The millionaires accumulate wealth and power for themselves (although some become philanthropists later in life). The mystics know the non-egoic peace and, often despite themselves, radiate calm, walk the talk of renunciation, and thus make the world a better place.

Those who are self-made are by definition not other-made whether the other be natural (social) or supernatural (religious). We could hypothesise a gene for entrepreneurship, for standing out from the crowd, for thinking, feeling and acting different, for being a nutter. (He thinks too much, such men are dangerous.[9]) Such weirdos help maintain the variety that natural selection can act upon to make evolution possible. More creative thinkers would be useful during times of crisis but they would have to be kept well in their place during stable times. The immediate context is crucial as it derives from the geo-historical happenstances of a particular time and space.

Live and let live

---

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_the_number_of_US_dollar_billionaires

[2] http://www.biography.com/people/groups/wealth/self-made-millionaire/

[3] http://www.businessinsider.com/china-wealth-2012-4?op=1

[4] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20088092

[5] The Indian emperor Ashoka ruled almost all the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BCE to 232 BCE. Latterly he promoted Buddhist values

[6] In Christianity there is the apostolic succession http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_succession

[7] http://eng.buddhapia.com/_Service/BUDDHAPIA/0000000163/

[8] http://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/Translations/Empty-Cloud_The_Autobiography_of_Xu_Yun.pdf  

[9] "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous". (Julius Caesar) Act I, Scene II)

silence

"Silence is meditation without mental activity. The inner silence is self-surrender and that means living without the sense of ego.

Silence comes into being when the individual is completely free from ego, when they surrender themselves totally to their higher Self."

Ramana Maharshi

bee lotus morality

The Busy Bee and the Languid Lotus -

reflections on the material origins of morality

George G Clark, 8 Nov 2012

Languid Lotus

Peacefulness is a self supporting mental state. The more that you engage with it the easier it is to engage. It results in stillness. The image is of a languid lotus with its roots in glorious mud. There is an easy peace that is non-egoic and outwith time and space. There is a realisation of the Oneness that is everything. There is enlightenment and release from the incessant promptings of the busy mind. The numinousness of what is here and now shines through.

Busy-ness on the other hand is egoic and immersed in the past and future. The image is of a busy bee with no time to stand and stare. The mind is stirred up by external and internal stimuli (thoughts and feelings) which create mini flash floods of excitatory neurotransmitters and hormones.  The busy bee’s monkey mind has a mind of its own as it tries to see patterns and agencies in its geo-historical happenstances.

Busy Bee

Busy bees cannot always see the point or purpose of the languid lotuses. Most bees view stillness and bliss as wasteful illusions. “The devil finds work for idle hands to do.” Some of the more thoughtful bees fear that through stillness they might lose track of their ‘selves’ – they fail to grasp the point that selflessness is the point.

Most languid lotuses were once busy bees and can thus empathise with their condition. But it is not easy to change other people’s minds. At best they can present a lived example. It is said that “pacified people pacify people” (languid lotuses). It is also said that “hurt people hurt people” (busy bees).

‘Reality’ is not as clear cut as the above paragraph suggests. But here, at least for the moment, we will keep things simple. The goal is easily enough stated –

 promote more pacification by selfless languid lotuses and
 reduce the amount of hurting by selfish busy bees.

This goal makes assumptions and takes a stand on good and bad. The main assumption is that ideas about what is good and bad (ie morality) are hard wired into human brains in outline (as is the case with language) but that the geo-historical happenstances of our modern times leads to putting bad details (hurtings) on the good outline (pacification).

Shaman

In ancient times of hunting and gathering there were Shamans who practiced stillness and were thus seen as wise elders and betters whose actions (and eventually words) promoted pacification. (Note – there were different moralities for dealing with in-groups and out-groups)

In more recent times of settled agriculture, cities, nation states and transnational corporations there have been mystics and priests. To summarise brutally, the better mystics practiced stillness and promoted pacification and some were influential in creating, but not for developing and maintaining, major religions. And then there were the Priests who colluded with the Kings, Politicians and Businessmen to hurt and exploit ordinary people by convincing them to become busy-bees, wage slaves and consumers.

the 12 sided coin

Objectivity and rationality are powerful tools that are necessary but not sufficient. There is need to balance them with subjectivity and creative gut feelings. Two sides of the same coin?

Only two? MORE

shelves of words

Over the last few days I have been compiling a database of books that I have read. There are more than a thousand on my bookshelves and they cover more than twenty main topics. There is a mood associated with the project. It verges on the pleasant.

Memories are stirred of times past when I was excited by ideas that were new to me. They swept me off my geo-historical and happenstantial feet; they pointed to alternatives beyond xenophobic parochiality; they oozed vague promises of better ways to be human; they cracked norms and provoked a paradigm shift.

And all this was managed using words. Many remarkable people from a wide range of times and places have realised the impotence of words but presented some anyway. The paradigm shift results in pioneers climbing the spiritual mountain; and the lead climbers feel obliged to utter words to help others elevate themselves and experience the grander and more beatific world view.

The compilation and the climb continue!

Hammarskjold

When asked by a journalist the requirements of somebody who wished to contribute to the development of peace and reason, second secretary-general of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjold responded, "He must push his awareness to the utmost limit without losing his inner quiet, he must be able to see with the eyes of others from within their personality without losing his own."

Marking the 51st anniversary of his death, in the current issue of Tricycle author Roger Lipsey commemorates Hammarskjöld, a disciple of Meister Eckhart and a great appreciator of Buddhism. Read the article.

geo-historical happenstances

Does reading set you free from your geo-historical happenstances?

Or does it simply lead to new enculturation and thus to a new imprisonment?