(no subject)
this isnt really for anyone, but im going to write it as if it is. its easier that way.
so basically here's the deal.
a few weeks ago i read this book called A History of God. It was really good. All of the stuff about Christian, Islamic, and Jewish mystics and what they taught i could totally relate to. I wouldnt call myself Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew, though, mainly because of what those labels tend to mean in our culture, and also because there are other things i dont agree with.
Then just the other day, thursday i think, i finished Ethics for the 21st Century by the Dalai Lama, and it got me thinking.
Now, ive always agreed with most of what i heard about Buddhism, but there were some basic things i didnt agree with. Mainly, Karma and reincarnation. This is where reading A History of God comes in. That book gave me a new respect for a lot of religious teachings, and encouraged me to look at things from a symbolic, not literal, standpoint, which is something ive known i should do, but i usually didnt do.
When the Dalai Lama mentioned the idea of Karma, he explained it in a way i could relate to. He explained that karma should not be thought of as an independent force, but rather an idea. The idea being that what we do has consequences; that we create our own future. I can relate to this, and i was glad to have that new outlook on the idea.
He failed to mention the idea of reincarnation, which is understandable for a book about ethics, but it still left me wondering. How the hell do i make sense of this reincarnation idea? Surely they dont mean it literally, or, if they do, surely some sort of wisdom can be found in the idea if it is not taken literally. Right?
so i started thinking.
this is what i came up with.
Basically, i think it should be taken much the same way as the idea of Karma. One of the most basic Buddhist ideas is that we "Universally Responsible", meaning we are all essentially connected. we are all made of the same basic things. Humans, animals, plants - its all the same basic thing. So when we are "reborn" it is not as if who we are physically right now is born again in a different body, but rather another human, another plant, another animal is created from the matter that we once were. If we neglect the earth, that which takes form when our physical bodies break down will suffer, and in a sense, so will we. We will not be here to experience that suffering, but we are responsible. The same holds true for other actions. If our actions bring negativity into the world, someone, something will suffer. Future generations of man will be born into a world with that much more negativity and suffering, and in the sense that we are all connected, we suffer as well.
When you look at it like this, it becomes less a means of punishment or reward for how we live, but an outlook of supreme responsibility and concern for others, recognizing our interdependence and our general connectedness.
wow. i just turned something i always considered to be a backwards crazy eastern way of thinking into sense of responsiblilty i truly admire. that feeling, its satisfaction.
Good. Just had to get that down somewhere.
so basically here's the deal.
a few weeks ago i read this book called A History of God. It was really good. All of the stuff about Christian, Islamic, and Jewish mystics and what they taught i could totally relate to. I wouldnt call myself Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew, though, mainly because of what those labels tend to mean in our culture, and also because there are other things i dont agree with.
Then just the other day, thursday i think, i finished Ethics for the 21st Century by the Dalai Lama, and it got me thinking.
Now, ive always agreed with most of what i heard about Buddhism, but there were some basic things i didnt agree with. Mainly, Karma and reincarnation. This is where reading A History of God comes in. That book gave me a new respect for a lot of religious teachings, and encouraged me to look at things from a symbolic, not literal, standpoint, which is something ive known i should do, but i usually didnt do.
When the Dalai Lama mentioned the idea of Karma, he explained it in a way i could relate to. He explained that karma should not be thought of as an independent force, but rather an idea. The idea being that what we do has consequences; that we create our own future. I can relate to this, and i was glad to have that new outlook on the idea.
He failed to mention the idea of reincarnation, which is understandable for a book about ethics, but it still left me wondering. How the hell do i make sense of this reincarnation idea? Surely they dont mean it literally, or, if they do, surely some sort of wisdom can be found in the idea if it is not taken literally. Right?
so i started thinking.
this is what i came up with.
Basically, i think it should be taken much the same way as the idea of Karma. One of the most basic Buddhist ideas is that we "Universally Responsible", meaning we are all essentially connected. we are all made of the same basic things. Humans, animals, plants - its all the same basic thing. So when we are "reborn" it is not as if who we are physically right now is born again in a different body, but rather another human, another plant, another animal is created from the matter that we once were. If we neglect the earth, that which takes form when our physical bodies break down will suffer, and in a sense, so will we. We will not be here to experience that suffering, but we are responsible. The same holds true for other actions. If our actions bring negativity into the world, someone, something will suffer. Future generations of man will be born into a world with that much more negativity and suffering, and in the sense that we are all connected, we suffer as well.
When you look at it like this, it becomes less a means of punishment or reward for how we live, but an outlook of supreme responsibility and concern for others, recognizing our interdependence and our general connectedness.
wow. i just turned something i always considered to be a backwards crazy eastern way of thinking into sense of responsiblilty i truly admire. that feeling, its satisfaction.
Good. Just had to get that down somewhere.