Category Archives: Uncategorized

On Suffering

Buddhism is big on avoiding suffering.The Four Noble Truths are the Buddha’s recipefor doing so.Buddhism lends itself to escape from sufferingby denial of suffering.Chanting,memorizing the Dharma,adhering to the directions of teachers,sitting in meditation,concentrating on breathing,ignoring the thoughts coming to mind,thinking only of the Buddhaand the practice of Buddhism,keep one from dwelling on one’s suffering–but sufferingContinue reading “On Suffering”

Life Is Lived Between The Hands

On the one hand, this. On the other hand, that.Sometimes we do it this way,and sometimes we do it that way.And that is how we do it.The Buddhists say there is no duality.There is dualityand there is denial of duality.Which is duality.The Taoists say it is Yin/Yang all the way.Jesus said doing unto othersas weContinue reading “Life Is Lived Between The Hands”

Mathematics and Poetry, All the Way Down

I lifted this from carnaval.com : “The earth’s axis wobble that causes the precession of the equinoxes is given as 25,920 years. Divided by the ancient number called “soss,” 60, which was used in calculations, results in 432. This number according to Joseph Campbell is a mythical archetype capable of appearing in anyone’s dreams. AContinue reading “Mathematics and Poetry, All the Way Down”

The Nature of Spiritual Reality III

We achieve balance by being connected with all things, and caring about all things equally—with no agenda, will or opinion, but with direction-that-can-be-changed and preference-that-can-be-laid-aside. Thus balanced, we are able to go in any direction, and do anything, in order to assist what needs to be done. We can make too much of balance, andContinue reading “The Nature of Spiritual Reality III”

Tools? Or, Props?

We live at cross-purposes. When the church says something is important, but then lives as though something else is important, it is called “hypocrisy.” In the world it is called “business as usual.” What we say is important in either place varies from person to person, from situation to situation, from time to time. WhatContinue reading “Tools? Or, Props?”

It’s a Shifting Perspective…

We are all fundamentalist fanatics at heart. We are all literalists at heart. We hate ambivalence and ambiguity, and want things to be nailed down, spelled out, clearly defined. We want things to be black or white, right or wrong, cut and dried, one way or the other—and to stay that way! We want toContinue reading “It’s a Shifting Perspective…”

The Bible as Mirror, Map and Metaphor

The last time the world ended, only a few thousand of us survived. That’s probably the way it will be the next time the world ends. The world has ended at least five times (Near extinctions, the experts call it) since it evolved to the point where we would recognize a beginning and an end.Continue reading “The Bible as Mirror, Map and Metaphor”

One Minute Monologues 061

November 26, 2020  —  December 29, 2020   11/26/2020  —  Abbott Lake 09/27/2011 — Peaks of Otter, Blue Ridge Parkway, Bedford, Virginia What does thinking about sexkeep us from thinking aboutif we weren’t thinking about sex? What will Artificial Intelligencethink aboutwhen it progresses to the pointof being self-replicating,self-reproducing? It seems (to me)that thinking about sexis ourContinue reading “One Minute Monologues 061”