Kingdom of Heaven, or maybe Nirvana

On a plane again, so I took in another movie. Have you heard of it or seen it? I hadn’t — "Kingdom of Heaven".

It's a Hollywood production of the Crusades around 1200 A.D., but also somewhat about virtue. You know the story: unconscionable acts in the name of God (oh yeah, both sides worship the same God, but follow different messengers). How do we let this occur? You and I play a part in this. You may say "that was then, and this is now," but I don’t know — there seems to be some of that going on as we speak in Iraq or Afghanistan. Certainly other objectives and motivations, and certainly not black and white. But for all our progress in the last 1000 years, it seems to me that “Religion” is getting in the way of God, or god-like behavior, rather than the other way around.

I’m reading another book, given to me by my sister (thanks Linda), called Awakening the Buddha Within, by Lama Surya Das (formerly Jeffrey Miller). You may recall a previous e-mail describing a retreat in Cambridge that Jim Pennington and I did last year. Well, it’s coming up again, so if anyone is so inclined, check here: http://www.dzogchen.org/retreats/index.htm

And by all means, feel free to join us (Jim and I are going to try it again -- some people are slow learners ;-) in Cambridge, MA on 4-5 November. Come on, we can all carpool to Alewife and enjoy the weekend in Cambridge.


I must say, for whatever exploring I've done of various religious practices, there is something particularly attractive of Buddhism. I just keep coming back to its teachings.

> The thought manifests as the word;
> The word manifests as the deed;
> The deed develops into habit;
> And habit hardens into character;
> So watch the thought and its way with care,
> And let it spring from love
> Born out of concern for all beings ...

> As the shadow follows the body,
> As we think, so we become.

-- from the Dhammapada (Sayings of the Buddha), as quoted in Awakening the Buddha Within, by Lama Surya Das

I think Buddhism's attractiveness to me stems from two aspects. First, it is inherently experiential and not dogmatic, and second, I think "it scales". You may have a hard time accepting some of its premises (karma, rebirth, no-mind, etc.), but they are grounded in the experiences of yogis, lamas, and sages over many years, and you need not accept them on blind faith, but can try to experience them yourself. How many of us can live our lives with the intention to never harm any living beings? Try it some time -- save the fly, liberate the spider, and eat some veggies.

Consider this Janist prayer:

> Peace and Universal Love is the essence of the Gospel
> preached by all the Enlightened Ones. The Lord has
> preached that equanimity is the Dharma.

> Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me.
> Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.
> Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world.
> Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage.
> "Do not injure any living being".
> This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life.

> A weapon, howsoever powerful it may be, can always be
> superseded by a superior one; but no weapon can, however,
> be superior to non-violence and love.

In closing, and trying to segue, let me quote from one of my favorite people, who practiced what he preached:

"I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love."
-- Mahatma Gandhi

I hope all is well with each of you,

S-