Johannes Scotus Erigena

The other reading that stuck with me this week was by Johannes Scotus Erigena. I totally agree with Johannes Scotus Erigena when he wrote “we ought not to understand God and creation as two things distinct from each other, but as one and the same.” I agree with this statement because of the belief that God created the Earth and all that is on or around the Earth, therefore one can conclude that without God there would be no Earth or universe for that matter. It can also play in the part with the belief that God is in and around us all, that he is everywhere and nowhere, “invisible making himself visible.” By this I mean how some religions believe that God is the Earth or his essence is a part of the Earth. “God is the source, the well of creation…the mother of the universe: unknowable, unthinkable, unnamable, yet at every moment inexhaustibly present.” I think this can apply to what happened when humans went up to space, in the past people believed that past the clouds lived God, then people went into space and some people began to doubt God. And I think that the introduction deals with these doubts very well when it states that to believe God is in only one spot is to “already stirred up mud in the clear water.” There is no one spot for God he is everywhere and if we try to think otherwise we are mudding up the clear water. I guess that is the main reason for this reading to stick in my head. The introduction really got me to think and its viewpoints can be connected to many different religions. The last part of the introduction reminded me of the Hindu and Buddha religions (mainly the Buddha) about stepping out of oneself and recognizing God everywhere.

Huang-Po

I really enjoyed the reading of Huang-Po. The way he was explaining that the “mind is everything. The mind is nothing.” Yes you use your mind as in your thoughts or your subconscious to think and process information, but you never see or physically touch your thoughts or subconscious. In this way the mind is everything at the same time it is nothing, very similar to belief in God. Just because you cannot see or touch God physically does not mean that he does not exist, it all just depends on your own personal beliefs. Huang-Po also gave another example that really stuck with me after the reading. It was about the warrior going around looking for a pearl that was stuck to his forehead and ended up wasting a lot of time, energy, and effort when all anyone needed to do was point it out to him. When I read about this I immediately connected it to the saying that you can only find happiness within yourself, that no one can buy or give you happiness, you have to get happiness yourself. It can also be connected to the belief that God or spirituality is within us and no one but ourselves can bring us closer to God.

Heraclitus

I decided to write about Heraclitus because it seemed to be along the same viewpoints as most of the other readings I previously wrote about. The idea that God is within us, “The way to God is the way through the self.” I also like how they kept it simple but meaningful. Even though each line was only a sentence long, each sentence held thoughtful ideas. For example “Opposition brings together, and from discord comes perfect harmony.” To me this is the equivalent to opposites attract, the yen yang symbol, you must have both to have complete harmony and peace because one can not exist without the other. One of my other favorite statements was “You can’t step twice into the same river.” This is completely true and it brings to surface the idea that everything is changing even though we may not be able to see it. Even the river is not the same because there is new water coming in and it is carrying new things, it may be slowly changing direction, it may be getting wider or smaller, and we have no natural control over it. Another line I enjoyed was “To men, some things are good and some are bad. But to God, all things are good and beautiful and just.” I believe this is referring to Gods willingness to forgive and to forget, also to the fact that he looks for and at only the good, pure, and beautiful parts of everything. I also enjoyed the last line but more from a scientific viewpoint then a religious one; “The way up and the way down are one and the same.” I look at this in a way that since the world is round there is no up and down because what we call up others call down and what we call down others call up, meaning the direction not the name. I guess this can go back to what Jason said in class about a pen having a different name and the name not giving it is identity but only its actions giving it its identity.

Pai-Chang

“You realize that what you have found is your own and doesn’t come from anywhere outside.” To me this means that it is inside us, we do not need to go on a quest that goes on for many days and over many miles, because if we do not find it in ourselves we will not find it anywhere else. “After enlightenment you are still the same as you were before. There is no mind and there is no truth. You are simply free from unreality and delusion.” Our appearances do not change, we just realize an inner strength given to us by God. “To behold the Buddha nature you must wait for the right moment and the right conditions.” This means that even if we go seeking the Buddha we will not understand it until we are meant to understand it. In order to reach the Buddha nature we must understand what it is meant to reach the Buddha nature and to cherish the Buddha nature. Meaning that we must be put to the test to see if we will be willing to live without. Like the boy with the ponytail, he did not become a student of the teacher until he was willing to give up his ponytail. I know what I am typing is confusing but it makes sense in my head. I mean that we can not completely give up something if we do not know what we are giving up, thus we can not fully understand something unless we fully understand it. So you can not have reached the Buddha nature only when it suits you, if you have reached the Buddha nature you must stay in the Buddha nature. Meaning do not be two-faced about your beliefs, do not follow your belief only when it pleases you, follow them continually and whole-heartedly. “When you have arrived at this recognition, please hold on to it.”

Tzu-ssu

“What is bestowed by heaven is called human nature. The fulfillment of human nature is called the Tao. The cultivation of the Tao is called true learning.” To me this is talking about our basic human, natural instincts that we have and that we need to answer to. The need to eat or worship. It is apart of us no matter where we are or what we are doing at that precise moment. Living for the moment and living only in the moment, not worrying about tomorrow or the past, no planning or scheduling only living and understanding. “Once we find the center and achieve harmony, heaven and earth take their proper places, and all things are fully nourished.” To me this means that once we fully understand that we have no control over tomorrow and that we can only look at the now and be grateful for the now we will reach harmony, Tao. Everything is already decided for us we are just acting it out, it is all Gods will and only what God wants will happen. “This means that there is no place where the Tao doesn’t penetrate. For the mature person, the Tao begins in the relation between man and woman, and ends in the infinite vastness of the universe.” This to me means that in order to fully understand and appreciate Tao you need to first understand that it is in ourselves. Then we need to understand that it is inside all living people. Only when we understand that it is in everyone will we be able to believe and trust that it is also in everything, therefore it can only end, begin, and be throughout the universe. Meaning that it is everywhere. “To find the Tao, there is nowhere you need to search, If it is not inside you, it is not the Tao.”

Shunryu Suzuki

“If your mind I empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” To me this means that if we go about the world with an open mind we will be more open to new ideas and ways of doing thing. However if we have an expert’s mind our own way will be the only way we will ever discover. By this I mean, if someone is try to tell us a new way to say skate board or trying to teach us a new trick and all we are thinking about is how our own way is better we will never learn all there is to learn, we will never be able to broaden our horizon so to speak. If you go into the world ready and willing to learn new things you will be able to understand the world and the people better. You will understand and appreciate that there is more than one way to do everything and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Another good point made was that there is no “I” and the example given of breathing. “When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no “I,” no world, no mind or body; just a swinging door.” This has to do with meditation and completely controlling your mind and concentrating on only the present which is breathing. And the only time you will ever have complete control over your mind and its thoughts is when your mind is clear of all thoughts and the only thing you see is the breath going in and out. I also like the use of the “swinging door” to describe how we are all tied to each other and to the world we live in. Because the breath that comes into us also goes out into the world and into everyone else all around the world. We all need it and we all depend on it.

The Buddha

“You are all Buddhas. There is nothing that you need to achieve. Just open your eyes.” This idea that we are all Buddhas goes along with the idea that God is inside each of us and is all around us. The second point that we do not need to achieve anything is another good point. Most of the time you only hear people complaining or saying things like they need this or that, when in reality they should just try and look at the bright side of their situations. If they concentrate on the good they will see the good and they will be able to find the good easier. We just need to open our eyes. Another good point that the Buddha brought up was not to follow blindly but by what you believe to be the best way for you. It is well known that if something is bad or dangerous we should do whatever is in our power to stay away from it. But if something is good we should continue to do it. This is easier said than done, just ask the people that smoke, do drugs, or drink. It may feel good when you are doing it, but does it feel good afterwards. It may lead to addiction or a sickness yet people continue to do it. Also people may not do what is good for them because it is harder. For example going to a late night party when you have a test in a 7 am class the next day, you should have probably gone to bed early. The Buddha also said that once we are done with something or once something has happened it is not good to continue to carry it with you, but to let it go. It has held its purpose and now it is done, you got everything you were going to get out of it already so just let it go, “…but that once he has arrived, it is proper to leave the raft behind and walk on without it. This is using the raft appropriately.

Shmelke of Nikolsburg (?-1778)

I enjoyed this passage by Shmelke of Nikolsburg the most out of all the readings so far. I believe that all religions say that God is everywhere and nowhere, that He is in all of us. This passage did a great job of explaining how God could be in everyone, even wicked people. He said that “For all souls are one. Each is a spark from the original soul, and this soul is wholly inherent in all souls, just as your soul is in all members of your body…the original soul came out of the essence of God, and that every human soul is a part of God?” People may be wicked, they may do wrong; but they are still human, they are still Gods creation, and they still hold God somewhere within them. So how can we so them cruelty even if we strongly believe that they deserve it, how can we ourselves go down to their level. If we see ourselves as faithful to God how can we ourselves show cruelty or hatred to his creation. If we see someone being wicked is it not in our power to show them the way to the light, should we just sit back and watch them be wicked or should we help them? We may not be able to forget their wickedness, but we should at least forgive them, so them mercy just as God would show us mercy if we did wrong. This idea is very easy to preach but very hard to follow. It is easier to tell someone else to forgive the person that has wronged them, but it is extremely hard for one to forgive someone that has wronged them. “It is our right to hate and evil man for his actions, but because his deepest self is the image of God, it is our duty to honor him with love.”

Dov Baer Of Mezritch (?-1772)

I choose to write on Dov Baer of Mezritch because his writing had a lot of profound meaning. I have to admit that when I first read the passage I thought that he meant that we should have blind faith. Meaning that we should not interpret the Bible or any spiritual sayings, words, stories, etc. in our own words. The second time I read it I looked at it in a different way. I did not just pay closer attention to what Dov Baer said in one sentence, “The moment you begin to hear what you yourself are saying, you must stop” but what he was saying throughout the whole passage. This is when I understood that he was not saying do not interpret the words, he was saying to not take credit for Gods work. Dov Baer began this passage by saying “When you gaze at an object, you bring blessing to it.” I think this is a very wise and true thing to say. If we just ignored something or did not realize that it was there it would not matter to us, we would be able to continue living without knowing its existences. But if we give that object or whatever it is importance we are blessing it. I especially enjoyed the last paragraph that Dov Baer wrote. In this paragraph he talked about “The creation of heaven and earth is the unfolding of something out of nothing, the descent from above to below…They change the something back into the nothing.” To me this means that those who are truly meditating on God and the spiritual meaning know that material things are nothing. Yes God has giving us a wonderful home, Earth, but Earth was not always here and it will not always be here, nor will we always be on Earth. God is the only thing that will be forever and that is who we need to meditate on.

The Upanishads

“Whatever lives is full of the Lord.” I think this is a great way to summarize this passage and most religions. “Unmoving, it moves; is far away, yet near; within all, outside all.” God is everywhere and nowhere, he is everything and nothing, you can see him but you do not really see him. In this passage the one sentence that really sums up the Hindu religion and belief is “the man who can see all creatures in himself, himself in all creatures, knows no sorrow.” If God is in everything than he is also within us, when we come to believe, understand, and respect this we will be able to achieve a great spiritual being. We will also begin to understand life and the cycle of life. With this new understanding we will no longer be occupied with the unimportant issues that we may face in our lifetime like obtaining possessions, we will be able to realize that no matter how expensive or new something is, its value is nothing compared to the value of holding God close to your heart and mind. Understanding this and striving for this will bring us great peace of body, mind, and spirit. So I end with something that was at the end of this passage that really made sense “ When you see that God acts through you at every moment, in every movement of mind or body, you attain true freedom. When you realize the truth, and cling to nothing in the world, you enter eternal life.” God is holding and pulling the strings he is the one giving you your choices, so just get use to it and live your life as purely as you can. Your story has already been written your just living it, so make the right choices not the easy choices.

TU-SHUN

TU-SHUN was very confusing to me when I first read it, but when I opened my mind and read it the second time more slowly I began to make connections. It was really interesting and profound what this person had to say.
To me TU-SHUN was talking about how we are all interconnected in everyway possible, “because the jewels are clear, they reflect one another’s images.” Each one of us is a jewel in the imperial net of jewels. We all have an effect on each other whether we realize it or not. It could be something big like WWI or WWII, or something small like Pay it Forward. If you do something for someone and then they do something for someone else pretty soon it will have an affect on the whole community; there is a bigger picture out there and the universe does not revolve around us, we just play a small part in that bigger picture. It may have started somewhere but we may not have a clue as to where, “the ‘universal eye’ is the union of knowledge and reality” it has to do with believing even if we ourselves don’t see it. It could be history repeating itself like how Gandhi helped obtain India’s independence from Britain peaceful and without violence and how Martin Luther King Jr. obtained freedom for all without the use of violence. I think that the jewels are a symbol for our being or our spiritual belief and if we try leaving that jewel we will lose ourselves that is the reason for being able to see all the other jewels but if we try leaving we would be lost. I also think that the one main jewel described in the question: “If there is only one jewel, how can you speak of tying it into a net” is a symbol of the universe and God or a creator because without them there would be no us, we are a result of the universe and God.

Chief Seattle

I think this speech was a bit heartbreaking. Chief Seattle knew that the Native Americans were out numbered and that they had no choice but to listen to the Americans and do as they were told. Chief Seattle also knew that the time had come that the Native Americans could no longer live alongside the Americans, “No, we are two separate races, and we must stay separate.” He did not expect them to show the same hospitality that the Natives showed to the first pilgrims. He saw that they had lived their time, they no longer needed all of the land since there were only a few Native Americans left; large tribes along with small tribes got nearly wiped out because of illness and/or war. He saw the benefit in moving away from the Americans and to be giving land when the Americans could have easily just taken all the land and not given the Natives anything but bloodshed. In his speech Chief Seattle really showed the love for the land that he and his people had, the respect they showed to it, and how they truly relied on it for their way of living. His only hope was that the Americans would be fair in giving them good land that would let them continue their lives peacefully, his and his peoples only condition was that they would be allowed to visit the graves of their families and friends whenever they wanted. What they got was the raw end of the deal. I like the way he gave the warning to the Americans that even if they were dead they were not gone, that the Americans would never be alone, and how he ended his speech by saying, “So let him be just and deal kindly with my people. The dead have power too.”

SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA

This speech was very interesting. SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA made really good points while he was talking to the missionaries. Him and the others showed nothing but respect for the missionaries. They showed them that they were really listening to what the missionaries were saying and by discussing it they even showed that they considered the missionaries position. SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA tolled the missionary the reasons they believed in the Great Spirit, how the Great Spirit has looked out for them, cared, and provided for them. I also liked how he pointed out that the pilgrims came to America to practice their beliefs freely, which was basically saying you came here to practice your religion because back in your country you were not able to do so and now you are the ones preventing others from practicing their chosen religion. I think that SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA showed his wisdom when he pointed out how the world is made up of different religions and how within the one religion there may be disputes; “You say there is only one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is only one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it?” He also pointed out how so many religions are the same in that it is handed down through generations, how it teaches us to be grateful for what we have, to love one another, and to be united. SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA also made his point that their way of worshiping must have been acceptable to the Great Spirit because he would be pleased that they were listening to their forefathers and that they were following traditions. He proved this by saying if the Great Spirit really did think of them as unacceptable why did he provide them with everything they needed to continue living the way they did and live comfortably. I agree with what SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA said about God making us differently and those differences have resulted in different beliefs, customs, and traditions. I think that SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA and the others handled themselves and the situation in a very good manner and I was a bit disappointed that the missionary did not shake SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA’s hand, so they could at least depart on the best of terms.