Who are we anyway? When I was a small child, perhaps seven or eight, I remember sitting thinking about the purpose of life, while my friends played. Over fifty years later the same thoughts still cross my mind. Meaning in the traditional sense is only meaningful to subject, or the “I.” Could meaning include both subject and object and be self-contained in the pair (which is really one)? So, the “I” can never know and the purpose of life will forever elude the “I?” And then meaning becomes Meaning. This blog is written to explore ways that we can move on and evolve our consciousness and consider how this relates to society and the planet. It’s also a personal journey for me and the reader as undoubtedly the road we take will be crooked, or maybe straight. A lifetime of meditation and yoga has been useful and Life itself has provided insights, insights that should be shared. This mystic does not claim to be enlightened, just another passenger on space ship Earth (or a “Bozo on the Bus,” if you will!). The blog is not about religion, but cannot help to touch on religion. From my somewhat limited readings it seems that there have been mystics of all faiths with the Buddha, in his time, encouraging people to retain their religious practices as they saw fit. See What Buddhists Believe. Another example — check out the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton’s writings from perspective of the Christian faith and with great observations regarding other traditions in Mystics and Zen Masters. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, truly one of my favorites– a wonderful human being and prolific author. He notes that for Zen Buddhism to “work” in the West, it must be adapted to western culture. Our culture is very diverse and rapidly changing, shaped by science, technology, and explosion of social media. Adaptation could and will take different forms and certainly Zen perspectives are active in the West. Can science and religion co-exist or more importantly can society use science to assist in areas other than material well-being? (OK, mental and material are interchangeable.) The following is not a new discovery, but nevertheless an important concept. The so-called physical world may be “over-rated!” Have you ever stopped to consider that we can never truly “hug” anything and that “our” World is all strictly mind stuff (and much more)? Our brains can be likened to “bio-computers” as author and truth seeker John Lilly explains in The Center of the Cyclone. And going further, the brain can be viewed a modeling tool for reality. Discussion of the brain as a modeling tool, in future blogs and what the heck is a mystic anyway? “Normal” is a lot weirder than in our wildest imagination! With Love, positive vibes, and don’t confuse the finger pointing at the moon with the Moon itself!
I Love This World
While there may be many troubling events in our world and in our lives, Life and this World forever intrigue me. I Love this World! The purpose of this blog will be to mutually (you the reader and myself) to explore the fundamental nature of existence and reality. About myself: mystic (why? what is the purpose of life?), science background, meditation, music interests, just retired (but still feel like a little kid), positive and hopeful. I am not enlightened, so if you are please show me the way. The fundamental premise in any blog that has spiritual, mystical, new-age or religious content is that words can only point the way to Reality. My leanings are toward Buddhism and Eastern Philosophies, but science behooves us to remain objective. Is this possible? In his day the Buddha encouraged locals to keep practicing their religion. Those of major faiths, I don’t mean to infringe on your beliefs or faith. Faith is a form of positive thinking. Just asking, do you think you are the wave or the ocean, or perhaps both?
Little Known Mystic 