Charles Krauthammer said that politics reigned above all else: above the arts, sports, marts, entertainment because politics dictates the conditions in which these pursuits exist (or don't). It's difficult to argue with the sagacity of
Heartbreak and setbacks have a way of seismically reducing lesser concerns or preoccupations to rubble leaving how you really feel about yourself and the world. If the cataclysmic has made impact, again and then again, have you been confronted with "Good-time God" syndrome? Faith holding until institutional walls fell; intact as long as your illusions were maintained; paradigmatic scaffolding never questioned until crumbling with assumptions that never served truth, although serving as insulation for one not yet prepared for Reality beyond opinion? While suffering can be very painful and seem inevitable, after the initial response to tragedy comes that space between loose cannon reaction and conscious choice. Things happen: terrible accidents, travesties of justice and man's inhumanity to man continues. It's incumbent on each individual NOT to perpetuate this unfairness unto one's self. A human's inhumanity to her/himself is arguably the root cause of most strife & crisis is the opportune moment to address this inherent inner conflict.
What have I done to deserve this? Why is this happening to ME? I'm doing everything right, I'm trying so hard and THIS is what happens??! These questions along with, "All is lost. We're going to hell. Doom, nothing but doom on the horizon," can quickly takeover a person's thoughts and feelings in a spiraling frenzy fueled by sincere grief over occurrences that should be sincerely grieved but we cannot leave it there. Your pain is justified but should you succumb to it it will immobilize you in bitterness, Crying may be cathartic but on a continued basis it's emotional incontinence which can bring forth more destruction than the incidence(s) that first catalyzed such crying.
If there were ever a time to learn from the man that's called Jesus, it's now: not that he died for your sins but that he proved beyond horrific torture and death, there is nothing God nor Love can't overcome. If you experience knee-jerk negativity upon hearing the word God or the name Jesus, please don't fault either for their bad P.R. Religion shouldn't become defensive either but learn to adapt to a modern world where platitudes and teachings of the past leave people with more questions or affirmed presumptions relegating religion to the superannuated along with horse & buggy, fax machines, but apparently anti-Semitism and Birkenstocks never go out of style.
Growing up Buddhist there was neither indoctrination nor taboo re: Jesus. Even a stint in Catholic school shed no more light on this Great Light of the World, who, in effigy upon the cross appeared morose and maudlin, a shrine to suffering. This is the same man who decided his first public miracle would be helping a young married couple and their families not lose face but making the wine even better at the end of the party! No need to ration or run out, no cutting wine with water to make it last, this was a man who loved a good celebration and his kindness and consideration in this instance reminds us that his trials and public immolation were for witnesses eyes and not his own. Even before this incredible act of trust he reassured those around him: "I have overcome the world." He was ready to change the world through his death and resurrection, his suffering proving his future actions no trick: He really had overcome the world.
And so will you. And so will I. And what setbacks or heartbreak you may be experiencing could also be the very avenue for a much greater revival in your life - and who knows who else you may effect! When the man called Jesus prayed in Gethsemane he asked for this cup to be taken from him if at all possible. Who would want to go through that? After prayer/communion at the highest level with Spirit and Higher Souls it was clear that no other path could fulfill his special mission to bring to the Earth, now and forever, a message of Love, the power of Love coming through us as us and the fabulous festival of Christmas honoring this fact in our hearts through its season, and better still, from moment to moment throughout the years. Can you imagine a world without this marvelous conspiracy of giving and goodwill? It didn't exist before Jesus and took hundreds of years to manifest afterwards but look how it has become a fixture in our world and one I would not want to live without.
Buddhists are generally open to all kinds of philosophies. Buddhism does reflect the Oriental mind of its time in its analysis and meticulous rule book for enlightenment. Buddhism's dominance of the Eastern world had a lot to do with a man of royalty eschewing his position and let us not underestimate how his experiments with asceticsm only added to his credibility. To sacrifice his wealth and title and enter into deprivation made him a man of the people, they felt understood by him because of this, and though he would reject the ascetics recognizing that either extreme promotes imbalance, these poles brought him to the crux of Buddhism which is to walk the middle of the road - everything in moderation - including moderation!
Living to an old age and ready to ascend under the famed Bodhi tree surrounded by his devoted followers, Buddha by example showed how far humans can go on their own -- no godhead required. However, when we see this same individual in another iteration further down the line, we can also observe his advancement from those teachings to the penultimate level achieved in that lifetime where 3 Kings of the Orient came to honor his birth. Jesus, coolest dude ever said it: "Why praise me? It is the Father and me that doeth the work." I'm not going to get all Bible verse-y with you, his words will live forever in their simplicity and expansive truth that only grows in depth as we do. No rules of religion is required to fall in love with this guy. The more you learn about him - on your own using your intelligence and meditative abilities - the more you will find to admire. Whether you do it is up to you, when, at all, or never matters not. We have all the time in the universe.
Knowing this, knowing withing you is this undeniable indefatigable force for good - the Source of all YOUR good - if you elect to continue down a willful path of pain and punishment (of yourself), you are inhibiting this power to come through you, you are choosing death over life. Even at your lowest moments when hope isn't even on the table, we completely limit how we can move forward when we hold that hurt and attempt to handle all on our own. You're not enough on your own. NO ONE IS. God exists even and especially in those dark moments and to see the magical results for all of Earth's progeny from the most famous injustice ever documented gives us absolute proof that any and everything can be used for good, and the very worst things for the very best good of all.
Heartbreak and setbacks have a way of seismically reducing lesser concerns or preoccupations to rubble leaving how you really feel about yourself and the world. If the cataclysmic has made impact, again and then again, have you been confronted with "Good-time God" syndrome? Faith holding until institutional walls fell; intact as long as your illusions were maintained; paradigmatic scaffolding never questioned until crumbling with assumptions that never served truth, although serving as insulation for one not yet prepared for Reality beyond opinion? While suffering can be very painful and seem inevitable, after the initial response to tragedy comes that space between loose cannon reaction and conscious choice. Things happen: terrible accidents, travesties of justice and man's inhumanity to man continues. It's incumbent on each individual NOT to perpetuate this unfairness unto one's self. A human's inhumanity to her/himself is arguably the root cause of most strife & crisis is the opportune moment to address this inherent inner conflict.
What have I done to deserve this? Why is this happening to ME? I'm doing everything right, I'm trying so hard and THIS is what happens??! These questions along with, "All is lost. We're going to hell. Doom, nothing but doom on the horizon," can quickly takeover a person's thoughts and feelings in a spiraling frenzy fueled by sincere grief over occurrences that should be sincerely grieved but we cannot leave it there. Your pain is justified but should you succumb to it it will immobilize you in bitterness, Crying may be cathartic but on a continued basis it's emotional incontinence which can bring forth more destruction than the incidence(s) that first catalyzed such crying.
If there were ever a time to learn from the man that's called Jesus, it's now: not that he died for your sins but that he proved beyond horrific torture and death, there is nothing God nor Love can't overcome. If you experience knee-jerk negativity upon hearing the word God or the name Jesus, please don't fault either for their bad P.R. Religion shouldn't become defensive either but learn to adapt to a modern world where platitudes and teachings of the past leave people with more questions or affirmed presumptions relegating religion to the superannuated along with horse & buggy, fax machines, but apparently anti-Semitism and Birkenstocks never go out of style.
Growing up Buddhist there was neither indoctrination nor taboo re: Jesus. Even a stint in Catholic school shed no more light on this Great Light of the World, who, in effigy upon the cross appeared morose and maudlin, a shrine to suffering. This is the same man who decided his first public miracle would be helping a young married couple and their families not lose face but making the wine even better at the end of the party! No need to ration or run out, no cutting wine with water to make it last, this was a man who loved a good celebration and his kindness and consideration in this instance reminds us that his trials and public immolation were for witnesses eyes and not his own. Even before this incredible act of trust he reassured those around him: "I have overcome the world." He was ready to change the world through his death and resurrection, his suffering proving his future actions no trick: He really had overcome the world.
And so will you. And so will I. And what setbacks or heartbreak you may be experiencing could also be the very avenue for a much greater revival in your life - and who knows who else you may effect! When the man called Jesus prayed in Gethsemane he asked for this cup to be taken from him if at all possible. Who would want to go through that? After prayer/communion at the highest level with Spirit and Higher Souls it was clear that no other path could fulfill his special mission to bring to the Earth, now and forever, a message of Love, the power of Love coming through us as us and the fabulous festival of Christmas honoring this fact in our hearts through its season, and better still, from moment to moment throughout the years. Can you imagine a world without this marvelous conspiracy of giving and goodwill? It didn't exist before Jesus and took hundreds of years to manifest afterwards but look how it has become a fixture in our world and one I would not want to live without.
Buddhists are generally open to all kinds of philosophies. Buddhism does reflect the Oriental mind of its time in its analysis and meticulous rule book for enlightenment. Buddhism's dominance of the Eastern world had a lot to do with a man of royalty eschewing his position and let us not underestimate how his experiments with asceticsm only added to his credibility. To sacrifice his wealth and title and enter into deprivation made him a man of the people, they felt understood by him because of this, and though he would reject the ascetics recognizing that either extreme promotes imbalance, these poles brought him to the crux of Buddhism which is to walk the middle of the road - everything in moderation - including moderation!
Living to an old age and ready to ascend under the famed Bodhi tree surrounded by his devoted followers, Buddha by example showed how far humans can go on their own -- no godhead required. However, when we see this same individual in another iteration further down the line, we can also observe his advancement from those teachings to the penultimate level achieved in that lifetime where 3 Kings of the Orient came to honor his birth. Jesus, coolest dude ever said it: "Why praise me? It is the Father and me that doeth the work." I'm not going to get all Bible verse-y with you, his words will live forever in their simplicity and expansive truth that only grows in depth as we do. No rules of religion is required to fall in love with this guy. The more you learn about him - on your own using your intelligence and meditative abilities - the more you will find to admire. Whether you do it is up to you, when, at all, or never matters not. We have all the time in the universe.
Knowing this, knowing withing you is this undeniable indefatigable force for good - the Source of all YOUR good - if you elect to continue down a willful path of pain and punishment (of yourself), you are inhibiting this power to come through you, you are choosing death over life. Even at your lowest moments when hope isn't even on the table, we completely limit how we can move forward when we hold that hurt and attempt to handle all on our own. You're not enough on your own. NO ONE IS. God exists even and especially in those dark moments and to see the magical results for all of Earth's progeny from the most famous injustice ever documented gives us absolute proof that any and everything can be used for good, and the very worst things for the very best good of all.
