This reading was my favorite. I really liked Ramana Maharshi and everything he had to say. I liked reading all his different thoughts about things.
“Reality is simply the loss of the ego. Destroy the ego by seeking its identity. It will automatically vanish and reality will shine forth by itself.” I think he’s trying to say that most people are mostly thinking about everything physical, whether it’s your own physical appearance or all the things money can buy you. But happiness doesn’t come from anything physical. I think if you can truly let go of only thinking about yourself, then it’ll be easier to find happiness.
“Silence is perennial flow of language, interrupted by words.” I think that line is so clever. Thoughts are always going on through everyone’s head, but when you start talking, the flow of your thoughts come to a stop to focus on the conversation. I think that’s why people that don’t have many friends or keep to themselves a lot more than others start talking about things that either seem weird to us or things that we’ve never really thought about before because they have more time to think than people who are constantly talking.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Padmasambhava
From the Tibetan Book of the Dead, they are told to use a guru or a disciple of a guru, or a Dharma-brother, to help them focus on their own enlightenment and perceive their own consciousness. They are supposed to help them keep their thoughts from straying back to the present world and all the things they will be leaving behind. They believe that the mind is more than just emptiness after death; it is a great luminosity that goes forth. I see the luminosity as a spirit or soul going towards another life, or “heaven” as most people will call it.
The Book of the Great Liberation tells us that we are all one and we are inseparable. It keeps telling us that until we are able to grasp that idea, we will not be able to reach enlightenment. The Book says the mind is the unity of all things, yet not composed of them. It says the mind is without beginning or end and has been shining forever, like the sun. It says the ultimate goal is to understand your mind.
I think our “light,” or I like to think “spirit” or “soul,” will always “shine on” so to speak. I agree with the ideas from the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Book of the Great Liberation, that our light has always been there and will always live on.
The Book of the Great Liberation tells us that we are all one and we are inseparable. It keeps telling us that until we are able to grasp that idea, we will not be able to reach enlightenment. The Book says the mind is the unity of all things, yet not composed of them. It says the mind is without beginning or end and has been shining forever, like the sun. It says the ultimate goal is to understand your mind.
I think our “light,” or I like to think “spirit” or “soul,” will always “shine on” so to speak. I agree with the ideas from the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Book of the Great Liberation, that our light has always been there and will always live on.
Shankara
The Atman is an understanding of what you are and what you are made of. It’s not just your physical characteristics; it’s also the inside of you: your thoughts, your dreams, and your beliefs. “Therefore, know that you are the Atman, ever-blissful, one without a second, and find the ultimate peace.” I agree with that correctly. Nothing can make you happier in this world than knowing what you are and who are you and truly knowing one self. Almost everyone in this world is constantly trying to figure out who they are or what their purpose is.
Tu-Shun
This reading was confusing at first, what I think they are trying to say is basically: We are all one. Whatever happens to one person happens to everyone else. Everyone is a reflection of everyone. That statement makes me want to be a nicer and better person since my reflection is also a reflection on everyone else. I think that your friends and people, even strangers that you come across, all make an impact on you. When you come across a stranger that does something nice for you, whether it’s flash a smile and offer a dollar when your short for coffee, they can make a day better. And my being in a better mood, you’re more likely to do something nice for someone else as well. Or if they’re rude or shove by without apologizing, they can turn a day sour, or at least for me it can. But I tend to be sensitive towards other people’s emotions and feed off of other people’s energy.
I don’t think that everyone is an exact reflection on everyone. There’s definitely more a connection to the people that are closer to you. Who you’re friends are and the choices they make in their lives can make a huge difference in your world. You’re more of a reflection to them then a reflection to someone you don’t know on the opposite side of the world living a completely different life style.
I don’t think that everyone is an exact reflection on everyone. There’s definitely more a connection to the people that are closer to you. Who you’re friends are and the choices they make in their lives can make a huge difference in your world. You’re more of a reflection to them then a reflection to someone you don’t know on the opposite side of the world living a completely different life style.
The Upanishads
This reading was nuts. When I read this reading, the “force” came to mind. (Star Wars)
I think what the Upanishads are trying to say is that God is untouchable and indescribable. The more you think you know God, the less you actually do. His presence is everywhere but not in any one describable location. “That is perfect, this is perfect. Perfect comes from perfect. Take perfect from perfect, the remainder is perfect.” Those lines would make more sense is the word perfect was replaced with “God.” Essentially, I feel that’s what the Upanishads are trying to say.
I think what the Upanishads are trying to say is that God is untouchable and indescribable. The more you think you know God, the less you actually do. His presence is everywhere but not in any one describable location. “That is perfect, this is perfect. Perfect comes from perfect. Take perfect from perfect, the remainder is perfect.” Those lines would make more sense is the word perfect was replaced with “God.” Essentially, I feel that’s what the Upanishads are trying to say.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Chief Seattle (1786-1866)
Once again, the white man has come to take advantage of the nice Indians. Chief Seattle was pretty sarcastic about the offer to give them a reservation and safety for their land when it was inevitable anyways.
“This seems generous, since the red man no longer has rights he need respect.” It’s hard to tell if he’s being serious or just giving up cause there’s nothing him and his people can do to stop the white man. It seems all the white men would do was lie and lie to the Indians to get whatever they wanted.
“But I will not mourn the passing of my people. Nor do I blame our white brother for causing it.” I laughed out loud a bit when I read that line. The white men certainly didn’t do anything to keep the Indians from dying. When the young Indians would try to fight back they always lost, but at least they always died with pride.
“So how can we be brothers? How can your father be our father and make us prosper and send us dreams of future greatness? Your God is prejudiced.” He makes a valid point. God seemed to have given white men the Book, but he forgot the Indians? If the white men would call the Indians their brothers, then how come they get treated so differently than the way the way white men would treat each other?
“To us the ashes of our fathers are sacred. Their graces are holy ground. But you are wanderers, you leave your fathers’ graves behind you, and you do not care.” He seemed appalled that white men would leave the land where their ancestors had died and move clear around the world to start a new life. This really makes me think about how we think so differently about our great ancestors and could leave them so easily, when it’s so hard for the Indians.
The end of his speech scared me a bit, now I’ll be thinking of Indian spirits all around me when I think I’m alone. Spooky.
“This seems generous, since the red man no longer has rights he need respect.” It’s hard to tell if he’s being serious or just giving up cause there’s nothing him and his people can do to stop the white man. It seems all the white men would do was lie and lie to the Indians to get whatever they wanted.
“But I will not mourn the passing of my people. Nor do I blame our white brother for causing it.” I laughed out loud a bit when I read that line. The white men certainly didn’t do anything to keep the Indians from dying. When the young Indians would try to fight back they always lost, but at least they always died with pride.
“So how can we be brothers? How can your father be our father and make us prosper and send us dreams of future greatness? Your God is prejudiced.” He makes a valid point. God seemed to have given white men the Book, but he forgot the Indians? If the white men would call the Indians their brothers, then how come they get treated so differently than the way the way white men would treat each other?
“To us the ashes of our fathers are sacred. Their graces are holy ground. But you are wanderers, you leave your fathers’ graves behind you, and you do not care.” He seemed appalled that white men would leave the land where their ancestors had died and move clear around the world to start a new life. This really makes me think about how we think so differently about our great ancestors and could leave them so easily, when it’s so hard for the Indians.
The end of his speech scared me a bit, now I’ll be thinking of Indian spirits all around me when I think I’m alone. Spooky.
SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA (1752-1830)
I really enjoyed this speech. It seemed like Sa-go-ye-wat-ha really appreciated life and accepted people for their differences. He didn't want to push his own religion on him like the missionary was doing; he didn't even want anything from the white men. All him and his people did was help the white men when they needed it and in return, the white men took advantage of them.
“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? Why don’t you all agree since you can all read the book?” I love this quote. He makes a very good point and has really made me think. How can there be so much arguing about one religion if we have a book telling us all the same thing? I know many Christians that will argue about religion when they’re going to the same church and it makes no sense.
“He has given us a different skin color and different customs. He has give great powers to you; about these he has not opened our eyes. We know that these things are true. Since he has made so great a difference between us in other things, why shouldn’t we conclude that he has given us a different religion, according to our understanding?” Again, he makes a very good point. If the Great Spirit made everyone so different and made us all advance technologically at different paces, then why can’t our religious beliefs be different as well? How do we know what’s true and what’s not? Religion helps a lot of people get through each day, especially people living in poverty. So why not let people believe what they want to believe? I know these questions have been repeated a million times, but I just wanted to make my point.
I do not like that Christian missionary at all. People like him are afraid of anything different than themselves or anything that’s not usually in their everyday life.
“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? Why don’t you all agree since you can all read the book?” I love this quote. He makes a very good point and has really made me think. How can there be so much arguing about one religion if we have a book telling us all the same thing? I know many Christians that will argue about religion when they’re going to the same church and it makes no sense.
“He has given us a different skin color and different customs. He has give great powers to you; about these he has not opened our eyes. We know that these things are true. Since he has made so great a difference between us in other things, why shouldn’t we conclude that he has given us a different religion, according to our understanding?” Again, he makes a very good point. If the Great Spirit made everyone so different and made us all advance technologically at different paces, then why can’t our religious beliefs be different as well? How do we know what’s true and what’s not? Religion helps a lot of people get through each day, especially people living in poverty. So why not let people believe what they want to believe? I know these questions have been repeated a million times, but I just wanted to make my point.
I do not like that Christian missionary at all. People like him are afraid of anything different than themselves or anything that’s not usually in their everyday life.
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