The Seed of my Quest ....Blast From the Past

 In 1958, when I started college, If began to examine my beliefs and realized many of them were not based on reality or facts. The first big kick in my beliefs came from a book with the forward by Albert Einstein, "Man and His Gods" by Homer Smith. In my later years, I found the science, history, and archeology had moved way beyond what was known by the end of the 19th century where this book ends. 

However, some of the basic ideas about religion broadly apply still. Humans across all of our history, possibly all 350,000 years of it, have felt and believed in something More. Myths, rituals, talismans, magic, sacrifices, art, and most traces of us show our propensity to seek A Higher Power, THE Higher Power,  or an array of Higher Powers . 

It was eye opening to me to discover all currently practised religions are very recent - Hinduism in various versions and the Vedic probably the oldest almost 4,000 years ago, Judaism perhaps starting with the Moses story about 3,200 years ago, Buddhism and Taoism 2,600 years ago, Christianity 2,000 years ago, and Islam 1,400 years ago. Compared to human history, all of these are extremely recent.

As a naive young woman, it had seemed to me Christianity had been here for a long long time. But it hasn't. We got a newly ordained woman as our youth minister. She told me I was so spiritual that I should go to Africa and save people. I said to her, Do you mean some woman who is a good person, A good wife and mother, is going to hell because she's not a Presbyterian? She told me that was the case and wasn't it sad? I told her it was crazy and took my membership out of the church. I was horrified that she also condemned to hell those who have been on this earth before 2,000 years ago -  all of our ancestors, no matter how good and kind they had been.  My mind was in a whirl. 

That was the seed of the quest I've been on ever since. It was the seed of this blog and the name I choose for it. Thank you so much for being on this quest with me!

As you read my thoughts over the years, you know my heart and my life and how I live my life are all about The More, about striving to live as Jesus taught. Following his particular path for me is not about the superficial, it's about the goal of becoming as Christ-like as possible.  I believe fervently that if we lived his teaching, we would have peace and plenty for all. 

Two vs ONE

 Language can give us clues to spiritual truths.  Greek prefix dys- (as in dyspepsia) and the Latin dis- (as in dishonorable) are both derived from “duo” meaning two.  Dubious and doubt mean two minded. 

Great mystics speak of oneness. Scientists tell us of rapidly circulating atoms that make up everything visible. In one year 98% of the atoms in our body are different atoms.  Theoretically we have in us atoms that were once in every other person, animal, and plant that ever existed. 

At the cosmic/spiritual level we are One, one in Spirit, one in God. At the physical level we are one. It is our opinions, whether true or false or muddled, that seem to divide us. 

C.  S. Lewis spoke of people getting bent. The extremely bent are tipped over the edge by fiery and extreme language of the mistaken shouting hatred and horrid name calling.  

I call on humanity to pull back from the cliff of extremism and turn to dialogue that is civil. Remember our actual oneness. As a pebble thrown in a body of water makes outgoing ripples, so too our words and actions make ripples in the world.  Make ripples of love, of thoughtful and calm dialogue, of peace and kindness

If you say you are a Christian, follow Christ by striving to be Christ-like. If you admire Buddha, strive to be Buddha-like. The word Islam means peace and submission to God. The core of Judaism is One God. the Torah and ethical living.  The core of Taoism is harmony with nature and effortless living. 

None of the great religions teach twoness,violence, murder, strife as virtues. Let us turn to these higher truths and attune ourselves to them.

Freedom or Not?

 Epictetus makes interesting points about freedom. One example is a lion caught and in a cage. He is fed and given water and his basic needs are taken care of, but can he said to be free?  What cage or cages do we find ourselves in?

If we think we absolutely require something or someone, we are not free. That someone or something holds us captive. If we get upset and weep and wail, it could be a sign we are captive. 

It seems to me that quite a few people are captive to an unexamined idea adopted from others. Civility seems to be out of style, so it is difficult to have an honest and calm debate about ideas. 

I suggest that, if we get upset over an idea, that is a signal we need to look at all sides.  If we are sure of something, we are calm. A simple example My name is Marlene, I know that without a doubt. If someone calls me say Gertrude or more typically Marilyn, I simply correct them, or just carry on. If someone accuses me f something I am not,, and if I am at peace with who I am, I am able to respond rather than react. I might say something like That's interesting, how did you come to that conclusion? Or I might just ignore it. Their opinion is not putting me in their cage. 

If you value freedom, have the courage to unlock your cages. Cease being controlled by outside influences. Practise responding rather reacting. Think things through What God and you think of you is what matters. 

A Zen Thought

 The one Moon reflects itself wherever there is a sheet of water, And all the moons in the waters are embraced within the one Moon.

 In the 1980's I sat Zen, that is did Zen meditation. Many profound ideas touched me. I share the above idea with you today. 

So imagine with me it is a full moon overhead, and we are near several ponds, buckets, and puddles of water. We look in them and see a reflection of the moon. They are all the same moon. They seem separate, but are of the one moon. 

So it is with God and us. We may appear separate, but the light of God, the same God, is in us all. Our job is to clear ourselves of the debris of anger, hatred, ignorance, fear, ego, and so forth, so that the light of God shines back to God and to all. Let your light so shine that it glorifies your Father in heaven...

Finding Essence

 There is an ancient story of a father teaching a son, who puffed up by his education, thinks he knows all. The father first tells his son to look at a lump of clay and tells him if you know clay, you know all things made of clay. Then the father asks him to pick a particular fruit and to break it open. He sees tiny seeds. The father tells him to break open a seed and asks what he sees.  The son realizes that he sees nothing. The father says "Yet there is the essence of the tree."

So too with God, the essence of all, in all. You cannot dissect to find God, you must go within, be still, and let the knowing rise. Be still and know that I am God.

I Just Have to Share This Quote

Though GOD is everywhere present, yet He is only present to thee in the deepest and most central part of thy soul.The natural senses cannot possess God or unite thee to Him; nay, thy inward faculties of understanding, will and memory can only reach after God, but cannot be the place of his habitation in thee. But there is a root or depth of thee from whence all these faculties come forth, as lines from a centre, or as branches from the body of the tree. This depth is called the centre, the fund or bottom of the  soul. This depth is the unity, the eternity—I had almost said the infinity—of thy soul; for it is so infinite that nothing can satisfy it or give it rest but the infinity of God. --- William Law

William Law has been an inspiration to many, including me, and I hope you.  I suggest reading this quote several times, slowly, letting the understanding seep into your soul. Be still with it. Co template it. Write insights. Reread your writing.  

For too long many have relied on those without deep knowing to tell them what to believe. There is the analogy of using our eyes to describe what we see in outer space and convincing others that what is seen is all there us, plus making assumptions based on what is seen with the eyes --- versus looking through a powerful telescope, or better yet traveling into space. What we see hen we look at water gives us no clue it is made up of two gases. We have to farther to know more.

Many who speak about God and spiritual things are repeating what they were taught and join the ranks of those only looking with human eyes.

It seems to me there is a spiritual famine on earth because of this. Open to the More, to experience of the More. Go beyond the surface skim of what the eyes can see. It is a thrilling adventure.  I guarantee it. 

Whose Fault?

remember that nothing else is the cause of our disturbance or loss of tranquility except our own opinion --Epictetus

He goes on to say we have been trained to place blame outside of ourselves from childhood on. A small child trips on a rock, falls, and cries. Epictetus says the nurse (nanny) then blames the rock, Did the naughty rock hurt you? she says, and  on and on it goes. 

Know thyself...  judge not by appearances, but judge righteous judgement... an in examined life is not worth living, --- words of wisdom from across time come to us now. 

It seems to me that part of being in charge of oneself is to examine ourselves, ask ourselves questions. Where did this idea/belief come from? Why do I believe it? What are other views about it?  etc.

I have noticed that it is particularly urgent for us to examine that to which we attach strong emotion lest we join fanatics everywhere and every time who believe in far fetched things or resist new discoveries. Extreme examples often are wrapped up in religious fervor, think Inquisitions, witch hunts, Crusades, etc; or politics, think wars both physical and verbal; or science, think flat earth, Galileo, Copernicus, Darwin. Pick any area and you'll find fanatics.

We don't have to go all the way to those extremes to still be captive to our emotions. Whatever issue gets your blood boiling, pull yourself back from it and explore other ways to see it. Maybe your one-sided view has distorted what is actual and has led you to invest your emotions into a false or partially false position.

So a couple more questions to self: Am I willing to seek Truth? Am I willing to be wrong? Or am I just stubborn and insist everything has to be the way I see it whether or not it is true? Do I have the courage to genuinely ask myself these questions and seek sincere answers? I hope and pray you do!