Whole without Holes
One of my teacher/firefighter friends "on the mountain" asked me if it's possible to be spiritual without being religious...
YES! There IS spirituality without religion. Much of my adult life & my wife's surrounds this truth! And Zen or Taoism are great ways to go past religion, finding something more Universal. Whole without holes -- i like to think.
Personally, i have to take from a variety of practices to make up my own sense of truth. Although, Zen is the strongest single system, then comes Taoism. i want to believe in Pagan beliefs, like Wicca, but they get caught by the thorns of a religious cycle. Worships to Gods & Goddesses. Sure, i can see the manifestation of Earth Energies into primitive structures, but then, i have to also acknowledge that they are strictly metaphors without deities. Does that make any sense? i believe in energy. Believe that there's a lot more than we understand working around us. In a way, that acceptance, somewhat humbles me. i need humbling. My writing & ego enjoy proclaiming me the Lord over all i perceive... "i" as utterly important. i can't be a socialist/communist, couldn't join a Commune, because "i" am important to me. And i want to be heard, to be understood, thus the writing & drawing. A dysfunctional childhood, thus an early adulthood, brings out many a writer. How could anyone be "well" & write, besides religious statements?
Now, does that make any sense? i, too, have a tendency to ramble, to ride the words, seeing where in hell they eventually take me.
One of my favorite "Zen stories" is about the Professor & the roshi. You've probably already heard it, but i'll tell it just in case you haven't. A professor went to meet a Zen roshi (priest/teacher). They are sitting at a table with green tea simmering in a pot. As the roshi talks, the professor interrupts him, saying that's just like this & that story from some other tradition. Whenever the roshi gets half way into a story, he is again interrupted. He stops & offers the professor tea. The professor does. The roshi fills the professor's cup & keeps pouring. The professor becomes anxious & finally says, "My cup is overflowing! STOP!" The meaning of this is the Professor was full of himself, so couldn't hear the roshi's words. First, one needs to empty one's cup before they can truly listen...
Okay, okay, i'll stop. Help me off my soapbox.
Personally, i have to take from a variety of practices to make up my own sense of truth. Although, Zen is the strongest single system, then comes Taoism. i want to believe in Pagan beliefs, like Wicca, but they get caught by the thorns of a religious cycle. Worships to Gods & Goddesses. Sure, i can see the manifestation of Earth Energies into primitive structures, but then, i have to also acknowledge that they are strictly metaphors without deities. Does that make any sense? i believe in energy. Believe that there's a lot more than we understand working around us. In a way, that acceptance, somewhat humbles me. i need humbling. My writing & ego enjoy proclaiming me the Lord over all i perceive... "i" as utterly important. i can't be a socialist/communist, couldn't join a Commune, because "i" am important to me. And i want to be heard, to be understood, thus the writing & drawing. A dysfunctional childhood, thus an early adulthood, brings out many a writer. How could anyone be "well" & write, besides religious statements?
Now, does that make any sense? i, too, have a tendency to ramble, to ride the words, seeing where in hell they eventually take me.
One of my favorite "Zen stories" is about the Professor & the roshi. You've probably already heard it, but i'll tell it just in case you haven't. A professor went to meet a Zen roshi (priest/teacher). They are sitting at a table with green tea simmering in a pot. As the roshi talks, the professor interrupts him, saying that's just like this & that story from some other tradition. Whenever the roshi gets half way into a story, he is again interrupted. He stops & offers the professor tea. The professor does. The roshi fills the professor's cup & keeps pouring. The professor becomes anxious & finally says, "My cup is overflowing! STOP!" The meaning of this is the Professor was full of himself, so couldn't hear the roshi's words. First, one needs to empty one's cup before they can truly listen...
Okay, okay, i'll stop. Help me off my soapbox.
posted by jimmy scoville at 4:43 PM
1 Comments:
Love to all.....
5:22 PM
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