John of Evangelist

I’m not a fan of picking apart peoples beliefs. They are ours to cherish or to grow into or out of. Our beliefs are ever changing, as we are. Some peoples beliefs may resonate with you, and others may not. I much prefer talking about what moves me, and maybe an explanation of why something else might not.

We all believe something slightly different, even if we believe in the same thing. For example, a passage of a religious text- Reading and understanding the text, and understanding what the author meant by it, is a challenge. And, we all have are own interpretations of what it all means. Our minds are very creative. Think of the colors- Mauve and Taupe, for example. Have you ever tried to describe these colors to anyone? We all say them differently and often people mix the two up- but more then that, the color we see is slightly different seen from each eye, even our own eyes. Close one eye and look at something colorful. Now, open and close the opposite. Is it obviously different? Now try describing that color. I use to work in design- color was always a challenge for people. One women wanted a “flesh” color sofa. Imagine the possibilities! So, the point I’m trying to make is that we see, hear, imagine and learn things differently and our words can be very limiting, they may inspire or offend.

Saying this, the words chosen by John of Evangelist do not resonate with me. His language seems very limiting to me. What feels right with me is that we are all God’s children- no one can take that away from us, not even God- In my heart I feel that God would never want to do this- even to a “sinner” or a “saint”. Although some times, maybe more often that not, you may not feel God’s “presence”, instead of hoping and wishing that God is there, I say- know it, own it, trust it. God is in and through everything. This “God” that I am speaking of is the earth, the air, the trees- everything you can see, taste, touch and hear- and all that is invisible as well. This “God” I like to call energy.

John of Evangelist writes “ Love comes from God, and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God, those who don’t love, don’t know God, for God is love.” Yes, God is love, but God is disease and death, pain and anger, God is rock and fire, air and bird, corn and field, happiness and hope- God is all- And God is here not only for the do gooders.

What Would Jesus Do?

What would Jesus do? I think this question is right on. I wouldn’t call myself a christian, but I like to ask myself this question when a problem arises. I think of Jesus as a humanitarian. I like to imagine Jesus caring deeply for all people. From the stories we all have heard about him, he cared about people and not financial gain. This seems so opposite in today’s world. But, Jesus wouldn’t walk away from a poor sickly man. He would give the old man his clothes and his food and heal the man with his own hands. He might get a little dirty, he might be a little cold and hungry, but Jesus would make a difference. This is an example of a great man. Why don’t people care for each other this way? The other day I spoke with someone who obviously knew more of the bible then me; she assured me that the stories from the bible were actual occurrences. The bible wasn’t written until years after the death of Jesus. The stories with in the bible could be factual, but during the times, they seem like they may be folklore, with truth and fable intertwined. The bible is full of statements that contradict Jesus’ words. However there are some passages that are written about for from Jesus “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven: for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain to the just and to the unjust.” I wish there were more passages in the bible that read like this one. Jesus is saying be fair to one another, treat each other like equals- that is what you are. Jesus was a compassionate and considerate man.  We seem to have veered away from his teachings, I trust we will once again return to his teachings.

I Want To Reach Nirvana Too

Like a cranky toddler we’ve become a self-indulgent society wanting to have everything for ourselves. We are so preoccupied with what we a searching for we miss the very essence of what we’re looking for. I think we have a tendency to want newness- new things, new activities. This newness has become a disorder- we’ve got short attention spans, becoming bored more frequently and wanting to be instantly gratified. We’ve got overflowing garages- yet still feel the need for newest editions- cars, clothes, and electronics, etc… Once the newness has gone, we move on to the next new thing to make us happy. Here is an example, have you ever heard a song on the radio that you just loved?  Every time you’re in your car you turn on the radio hoping to hear that song. You look forward to the song and scan the radio until you get even the last verse of it. You finally decided to buy the song; you just can’t get it out of your mind. – So you play it a few times, but it’s not the same, it’s not as exciting to hear it. You play it a few more times, and then you never listen to it again. It seems to me the more convenient things become the less we appreciate them. I’m telling you all this, because when I read the passages from the Diamond Sutra I said, “I want the reach Nirvana too!” I was so astonished with myself, treating it like a song I heard on the radio.  There is a long process you must go through to reach Nirvana. A passage from the Diamond Sutra says, “When I attain perfect wisdom, I will liberate all sentient beings in every realm of the universe, and allow them to pass into the eternal peace of Nirvana." and “When I attained Absolute Perfect Enlightenment, I attained absolutely nothing. That is why it is called Absolute Perfect Enlightenment.”

I think the problem that I have and I believe many people have the same problem, is that we are looking for a quick fix, or an accomplishment, or the next goal. I love the line “When I attain Absolute Perfect Enlightenment, I attained absolutely nothing.” This is precious and real. 

Get Out Of Your Own Way

I really enjoyed Buddha’s enlightened idea using the image of the raft– Can you picture a man coming to a river- collecting branches and making an enormously magnificent raft? Then once to the other side- can you visualize him standing on the beach looking up the embankment? Proud of what he’s accomplished he doesn’t want to leave the raft, the experience and memories behind he wants to take it with him and show it off to his people. Can you picture him standing there scratching his head in wonderment. Buddha suggests leaving it all behind, the raft, the experiences and the memories. Just as the thoughts that we collect, overtime can become burdening. We all have beliefs that don’t suit us any longer- these hidden beliefs may not helpful, they can actually hurt us if attached to them. Old beliefs can be anything from: I’m a failure, I’m only beautiful if I’m skinny and blond, or my dad loves my sister more then me. These old “hidden” beliefs can be devastating. They can ruin our lives; destroy our self-esteem and wound our spirit. Buddha suggests letting go- detaching from all the hurt and being at peace. Buddha says, “When you realize something is unwholesome and bad for you give it up. And when you realize that something is wholesome and good for you, do it”. People have often said to me, “Get out of your own way”, the constant chatter in our heads often keep us struggling. I like Gandhi’s poetic simplicity:

 

Keep your thoughts positive,

Your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive,

Your words become your behaviors.

Keep your behaviors positive,

Your behaviors become your habits.

 Keep your habits positive,

Your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive,

Your values become your destiny.

 

To be unattached to the out come of our own destiny is the objective, however challenging. One can’t just go through life with no plan- there would be disorder and confusion - right? There is a bigger plan then what our egos limit us to. This plan interconnects all of us. 

Love Thy Neighbor

Known for his charity Shmelke of Nokolsburg, a Moravian rabbi wrote these words of wisdom that I share with you “love your neighbor like something which you yourself are”. These words are nothing new, we hear them, over and over again, and I truly want to believe we hear these wise words, but we forget. However, Shmelke goes on to say “Don’t you know that the original soul came out of God? And will you have no mercy on Him, when you see that one of his holy sparks has been lost in the maze, and is almost stifled?” We all make mistakes- it is human nature. Though sometimes it is hard to forgive ourselves life goes on. If we could all be more understanding of one another and help each other if the other loses his/her way.
Shmelke says if someone where to cause you harm, or perhaps hurt your child, or even terrorize your country, “ if you punish him, you only hurt yourself”.  Since we are all from one source, the source of God, hurting another will end up hurting everyone. What is suggested is the honor all with love and compassion.

A friend once said something to me that really surprised me and at the time left me a little unsettled. He said that he could understand why rapist rape and murderers kill- I really considered this idea, although as ugly as the topic is I some how, by reading this article, started to understand what he meant. People are so different, some might be nurturing, compared to someone else might be neglectful- but this is just one part of who they are. Shmelke says “he wrongs you because he does not understand”, I think that if we would take the time and see the God like qualities in one, and try to connect, or at least acknowledge them, and try to understand  the world would be a safer place.

Shmelke had little to give, yet once when a beggar came to his door he took the gold wedding band from his wives finger and sent the beggar his way with the band. Shmelke’s wife astonished said, “Shmelke we have nothing but that golden band, which is worth about 400 ducats”. Shmelke ran after the beggar – just to tell him not to be cheated out of a fair price. I find the more I give the more I receive…

Awareness of Nothing

How does one really grasp to understand the meaning of “nothingness”? In our society when the word “nothing” is used, it leaves a feeling of emptiness. The Encarta World Dictionary defines nothingness as “the absence of life, existence, and all discernible qualities”.  However an Ukranian rabbi, Dov Baer of Mezritch explains nothingness as the origin of all. A simple statement which introduces and enormous thought “The creation of heaven and earth is the unfolding of something out of nothing… they change the something back into the nothing”.  Dov Baer of Mezeritch, was a disciple of Yisrael Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. Hasidism means “piety” or “kindness”. Hasidism is a religion that was influenced by Judaism, and was practiced in Eastern Europe in the 18^th century and in modern times has extended to parts of the United States and Israel. The Hasidic community mainly studies the Kabbalah and the Torah. While many Hasidic Jews were killed during the Holocaust, some still remain and practice Hasidism in large groups, called sects.

Hasidic Jews believe in refinement. Vast change to one’s character maybe necessary. They also believe in miracles. Their writings were often written so that everyone could share and enjoy them.

I find Dov Baer’s writing very engaging.  I love the picture he paints in my mind when speaking about bringing awareness to the world around you. Dov Baer says “By means of awareness, you draw greater vitality to that object from the divine source of life, since you bind that thing to absolute nothingness”. Can you just picture intently bringing your awareness to a peanut, for example, and giving that peanut more “energy” from that vast nothingness that is all around. He also goes on to say that once you allow this energy you will be in sync with the universe, but as soon as you lose this awareness, you must begin again. 

It may be challenging for you to use the word nothing to describe everything. Think of all the counter parts: emptiness and fullness, darkness and light, goodness and evil. The universe is made up of everything- it’s negative and positive; which equals nothing. 

And So It Is

Ramana Maharshi is the man with loving eyes we saw in class. I took another look at his  photograph and it is astonishing how much love truly is in those eyes… and acceptance. Isn’t love and acceptance all anyone wants? Imagine if there were more great teachers such as Maharshi and, for example, better known Ghandi, alive today teaching peace. We could all learn a thing from these men. We could learn from Ghandi active non-violence and from Maharshi the value of Self-enquiry. “Wanting to reform the world around without discovering one’s true self is like trying to cover the whole world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. ” I wonder if we all participated in a day of what Maharshi called “Self”, how constructive we would feel at the end of the day.

What is “Self”? If you think of all the characteristics such as: Love, Honesty, Gratitude, Courage, Knowledge, etc…  these are the same qualities of God, Spirit, Self, I Am, what ever you call the energy that connects all of us, we all share these same qualities and they are good. That makes all of us “Self”. What if we only focused on all the good qualities and paid no attention to the mistakes we sometimes make? What then? How simple life might be. Why do make life so complicated? Maybe because we want to make sense of things- we try to understand this thought, that we are all one. Maybe if we start with ourselves and understand what’s going on inside us then we might understand the rest. Maharshi says “the ultimate truth is so simple” I like to think of the fish, swimming in their world never noticing their source of life. Spirit is that what surrounds us. However it’s simplicity is what brings doubt.

I propose an experiment. Do every activity with more optimism. Bring more joy to your life. Be actively involved in the way your life unfolds, not an onlooker. Be positive. My challenge will be refraining from name calling during my commute. Although innocent, these remarks add to the power we all create and the negativity of the world. If we could change our attitudes to be more respectful and not only concerned about our individual welfare I think there cold be a major shift in the world. Changing our thought from survival mode to believing, knowing and letting life just happen, stepping out of the way of your “Self”, if you will, and allowing your fate to unfold could change the world.

And so it is, it's just that simple.

Where did all the love and decency go?

This is not going to be anything profound. People in this class summed Sa-go-ye-wat-ha’s speech fairly well. I wont say anything that hasn’t be mentioned before. But this is a story about someone who we stole from. I'm ashamed. I'm a seventh generation Californian and I am part native american (a tiny smidge). But how did I become that way? Was it by force? We took Sa-go-ye-wat-ha’s land and then forced the Christian religion on his people?! I’ve heard about this. I don’t understand why anyone would impose this on a stranger. Religion seems to me to be very personal. Unfortunately, the reason that their culture is become non-existent is because of this. We tell them that their god is no good, or worse yet, doesn’t exist and lead them to “better” ways… Now, we’re all suffering for it. They are without their land and have lost most of people to more modern religions. These American religions are based on a more “convenient” ideas.

 Isn’t the history of religion interesting? That’s really all it is; history. People’s lives are so very different and we’re all trying to understand ourselves and each other. Our lives are so very different from people who were living back in the day of Sa-go-ye-wat-ha, it’s wonderful to read something that is so genuine and innocent. The people who are living in today’s world could gain a lot by modeling after Chief Sa-go-ye-wat-ha. For some it’s taken hundreds of years to learn acceptance of others beliefs. For others, such as Sa-go-ye-wat-ha, it comes naturally. He and his people seem to be more tolerant “We worship…it teaches us to be grateful for all the favors we receive to love of one another, and to be united. We never quarrel about religion… we do not want to destroy your religion or to take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.” It’s important to learn other people’s traditions & beliefs to understand people and where they come from.

I really want to believe that people are going back to the simpler ways. We’ve realized we haven’t always made the best choices. One example of this is that we’re planting native Californian plants- we’re going back to our roots, so to speak. In Sa-go-ye-wat-ha’s times people were content with their lives. If I were sent into the wilderness and needed food, water, and the other basic survival skills, I’m not sure I would fair well. I’m conscious of that and am working on it.

The indigenous ways are so simplistic. And, they we’re so willing to share and co-exist. How foolish Americans can be. Where did all the love and decency go?