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Why Don't Animals Have Religion?
MMMmmm... That's curious. I can't imagine having our Taoist Sunday meeting here and not sharing the Taoist viewpoint on life. :?
On the other hand, maybe so few show up to our meeting here because we plunge into 'it'.
Perhaps in that situation it was more understandable? Any thoughts... why or why not? Are you planning a return trip?
On the other hand, maybe so few show up to our meeting here because we plunge into 'it'.
Perhaps in that situation it was more understandable? Any thoughts... why or why not? Are you planning a return trip?
Comments
Words, and the thoughts they form, allow us to imagine possibilities. Thus consciousness for us has become a war zone in an endless struggle between our ideals of what might be, and how things actually are. The illusion of self and it's free will is a manifestation of this split awareness. The 'self' being the sum of our imagined possibilities, and the desire that drives us to realize these dreams. It is exhausting isn't it?
Religion is symptomatic of just how exhausting the struggle for control is for us. Most, if not all, religions offer believers a path to surrender and peace, or at least the imagined possibility that peace is possible, e.g., Nirvana in Buddhism, Salvation in Christianity, Paradise in Islam, the Tao with a capitol 'T', and so on.
Do these work? Do symptoms cure disease? Religion is a symptom of our split consciousness and resulting sense of disconnection. How 'it' is vs. how we imagine 'it' should be. Thus, religion, any religion, works only if it helps us become aware of the source of our disease. It fails if we merely use it as another means to get what we desire - [chref=14]control[/chref]. In the end, it all boils down to this 'choice': surrender vs. struggle. Every fiber in us says struggle. Yet, it is only through surrender, taking the lower position, and [chref=14]holding fast to the way of antiquity[/chref] that we can 'win' our war. Jesus put it well: "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."
How do we live these teachings? How do we convert understanding into practice? When will it happen? Only when we are ready to practice the teaching. Words remain in the realm of imagined possibilities. They are not real, they are not 'it'. That is [chref=43]the benefit of the teaching that uses no words[/chref]. What is the teaching that uses no words?...
Look into the mirror of the mind,
Look for the [chref=14]shape that has no shape[/chref],
Look! [chref=64]It is easy[/chref], [chref=2]easy[/chref], [chref=53]easy[/chref], [chref=63]easy[/chref], [chref=70]easy[/chref]!
Regardless of what most physicist think, Schrodinger's cat is the reality of human consciousness. We must deal with the fact that the 'cat' is both real and illusion, i.e., both dead and alive simultaneously. No wonder [chref=78]words[/chref] fail us in the knowing. But, they are great for socializing chit chat!
Whenever I get the chance to see the Dalai Lama on tv, I do. His simplicity is inspiring to me. So how we live these teachings is by returning to simplicity.
Have you heard the quote "Be the person your dog thinks you are"? I say "be your dog!" I heard that they have monitored the brain waves of a sleeping dog and guess what...there are none! There is nothing going on in a dog's brain when he is sleeping. Sounds like the perfect meditation session to me!