Arrr! See CONTENTS for links to the 125 chapters of The Monstaville Memoirs plus introductions, conclusions, postscripts and appendices. This treasure trove also includes a collection of articles offering further insights into the themes explored in the trilogy. Namely, managing suffering and conflict (dealing with hostile people if you are nervous, sensitive or shy) and learning not to react
2013: tumblr goes into overdrive! young women are inspiring and guiding each other across the globe like never before, weaving a new world right before our very eyes!
**PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE TEXT, IT WILL NOT SHOW UP ON YOUR BLOG** The Disordered Network
This network is to prove that someone is not alone in their struggle
Rules:
(First chapter of The Dhammapada, sayings of Buddha).
Translated from the Paliby Acharya Buddharakkhita.
1. Mind precedes all mental
states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an
impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel
that follows the foot of the ox. 2. Mind precedes all mental
states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure
mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his
never-departing shadow. 3. "He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me." Those who harbor such thoughts do not still their hatred. 4. "He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me." Those who do not harbor such thoughts still their hatred. 5. Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal. 6. There are those who do not realize that one day we all must die. But those who do realize this settle their quarrels. 7. Just as a storm throws down a
weak tree, so does Mara overpower the man who lives for the pursuit of
pleasures, who is uncontrolled in his senses, immoderate in eating,
indolent, and dissipated. [1] 8. Just as a storm cannot
prevail against a rocky mountain, so Mara can never overpower the man
who lives meditating on the impurities, who is controlled in his senses,
moderate in eating, and filled with faith and earnest effort. [2] 9. Whoever being depraved,
devoid of self-control and truthfulness, should don the monk's yellow
robe, he surely is not worthy of the robe. 10. But whoever is purged of
depravity, well-established in virtues and filled with self-control and
truthfulness, he indeed is worthy of the yellow robe. 11. Those who mistake the
unessential to be essential and the essential to be unessential,
dwelling in wrong thoughts, never arrive at the essential.
12. Those who know the
essential to be essential and the unessential to be unessential,
dwelling in right thoughts, do arrive at the essential. 13. Just as rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, so passion penetrates an undeveloped mind. 14. Just as rain does not break through a well-thatched house, so passion never penetrates a well-developed mind. 15. The evil-doer grieves
here and hereafter; he grieves in both the worlds. He laments and is
afflicted, recollecting his own impure deeds. 16. The doer of good rejoices
here and hereafter; he rejoices in both the worlds. He rejoices and
exults, recollecting his own pure deeds. 17. The evil-doer suffers
here and hereafter; he suffers in both the worlds. The thought, "Evil
have I done," torments him, and he suffers even more when gone to realms
of woe. 18. The doer of good delights
here and hereafter; he delights in both the worlds. The thought, "Good
have I done," delights him, and he delights even more when gone to
realms of bliss. 19. Much though he recites
the sacred texts, but acts not accordingly, that heedless man is like a
cowherd who only counts the cows of others — he does not partake of the
blessings of the holy life. 20. Little though he recites
the sacred texts, but puts the Teaching into practice, forsaking lust,
hatred, and delusion, with true wisdom and emancipated mind, clinging to
nothing of this or any other world — he indeed partakes of the
blessings of a holy life.
From The Dhammapada: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom, translated
from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita, with an Introduction by Bhikkhu
Bodhi (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the
print edition in 1996 by a volunteer under the auspices of the
DharmaNet Transcription Project, with the kind permission of the BPS.
Terms of use: You may copy, reformat,
reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever,
provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge
and, in the case of reprinting, only in quantities of no more than 50
copies; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work
(including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3)
you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives
of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. For additional
information about this license, see the FAQ.
How to cite this document (one suggested style): "Yamakavagga: Pairs" (Dhp I), translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita. Access to Insight, 23 April 2012, www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html . Retrieved on 28 March 2013.
Humanity is on a roll! Yes, you really are. The pace of change in
attitudes and behaviors all across the world is gathering momentum as
the newly engaged-with energies that were released to you in December
2012 strengthen your collective intent to awaken and eternally enjoy
Reality — your normal fully conscious and fully enlightened state.
In that wondrous state, Love is the engine, the creative energy, the
divine power grid that maintains, supports, and makes possible all that
exists. It is totally clean, infinitely abundant, fulfilling, and
available, and from It all of creation receives everything it could ever
need or conceive of to maintain infinite quantities of live, loving,
intelligent consciousness, creating further abundance in perfect beauty
and harmony, eternally.
The most practical form of allegory I can use to give you some tiny
comprehension of Love is to compare It to electricity. Electricity
flows easily and powerfully in many strengths and intensities to bring
to life many systems, appliances, and convenience items that you
nowadays consider absolutely essential to maintain an acceptable
standard of living. However, unlike Love, the downsides of mere
electricity are numerous: it can burn or kill you if incorrectly
handled; it can destroy the item it is driving; it uses up vast
quantities of non-renewable energy sources in its manufacture, which
pollute your environment in their harvesting and burning; and of course
without it, modern life, as you have become accustomed to living it,
comes to a standstill. Your situation without it is not comfortable,
but you would most definitely survive – and remember, many billions
still live successfully without it.
However, without Love – an absolute and utter impossibility – there is nothing!
Love is the Oneness of the divine Source of infinite and eternal (just to be absolutely clear: no beginning and no end), loving, intelligent consciousness, creating harmonious and stunningly beautiful abundance just for the pure joy of it.
To awaken from the illusion is to re-enter that blissful state, and
that is the process that humanity is undergoing, has been undergoing
since the moment of apparent separation from the Godhead. The illusory
world you built was very cleverly constructed because you wanted to be
separate, independent, free to ignore your Source of Life and
Consciousness. And it does seem that you achieved what you set out to
do, except that existence separated from that Source is eternally
impossible. You built an illusion that depends completely and utterly
upon your collective belief in it, and while you maintain that belief
the illusion is well-supported and enables you to play the games that
you have been playing within it since you built it.
But it has brought you much suffering because you were created out of
that Oneness for an eternal life of joy in the harmonious Oneness that
is All That Exists – the Supreme Intelligence, the divine Source, God.
One could allegorize again and suggest that life in the illusion is what
life would be like for a human body devoid of its own working systems
of the fluids and air essential for it to have a living conscious
existence – permanently on artificial life-support in the intensive care
unit of a large hospital – totally unaware of the intense hive of
activity going on all around it.
Life like that has to be only temporary. Machines cannot keep
a human body alive. They may give an impression of aliveness, but
without the life-force it most definitely is not alive. It is being
maintained. Some of you have had, or know someone who has had, an NDE
(near death experience), and those artificial life support systems at
the hospital enabled you to return the life-force to your bodies and
continue life in the illusion. But the choice to return was a difficult
one, because while you were out of your body you experienced a
tantalizing glimpse of what life could and should be like. Others have
been in that state but have returned with no memory of a heavenly
experience, and that has always been their personal choice, as they
decided that to return to the illusion with memories of heaven would be
too crushing to endure.
Just remember that everyone on Earth at this time is here to assist
in the awakening process, no matter how unaware they may appear to be of
life in any form other than one embodied as a human being. You are all
spiritual beings of vast knowledge and intelligence, created from and
eternally one with the divine field of Love, of eternal existence, and
you are going to be free to discard those artificial and inadequate
forms, should you choose to do so, that you presently confine yourselves
within and return Home to Reality.
Daily relaxation in your inner place of peace is essential to the
awakening process that you are undergoing, because it is there that you
are most receptive to and best able to hear the guidance and intuitive
insights that you need to maintain awareness of, in order to awaken from
the illusion. Those messages of guidance, those insights are as oxygen
to a spark, inflaming the Light of Love that is within each of you and
enabling you to bear it on high for all to share and enjoy. Love
demonstrated is an energy of incredible power, and each one of you has
that power within you in infinite abundance. Don’t hoard It, share It,
and help to bring humanity Home.
P'taah:
Wherever you perceive lack, you are coming from a place of fear. Because the
truth is that you really are Gods and Goddesses. It is not too grandiose a name
for you, you know. You are really Gods and Goddesses. Mightily powerful.
If you doubt
your power, my beloved ones, simply look at your world. Because no matter how
you judge your world to be, you indeed have created it! Mmm? You have created
it all--co-created indeed. Mmm?
If ever you
doubt your power to change your reality, simply stop and look at your life
because no matter how you judge it, it is your creation and whatever you create
is valid. There is no judgment about that, not anywhere. No judgment.
When you
look at your world and you say but look at the horrors that are wrought in this
world, how can there really be no judgment? We say to you indeed we do not use
the words Gods and Goddesses lightly. You are not judged. There is nobody to
judge you. You are in every way perfect, a Perfect and Eternal Extension of the
Mind of Creation. No matter how your society may judge, we say to you there is
no universal judgment. You are Gods and
Goddesses playing a game and the game in this Now is simply called My Human
Life Now, however it is.
That is truth. My Human Life Now and however you
create it to be is valid. You may say that each aspect of your life is a
learning process. However we say to you really you did not come here to learn
lessons. You came here again simply for the experience of it. Why? Because in
this realm called "your reality," the experience is so vibrant and so
intense, everything else really pales beside the experience.
The intensity of the E-motion is why you keep
coming back. That you judge it to be a good experience or a bad experience
really is neither here nor there because the greater part of you does not judge
it to be bad no matter what. And no matter what the experience, how does it culminate? In death?
Well, what is death?
What is
death? It is one of the grandest illusions of your realm. One of the greatest
illusions is death because you are eternal beings. You come forth in your
lifetimes, you take on a body and it is of this gender or that gender. It is of
this or that or the other color. This race or that, of this society or that, or
this country or that or that, of this socio-economic situation. You say
"why would anybody want to be born where they are going to starve to
death?" For the experience of it.
Why would
anybody want to be birthed and know holocaust. Why would anybody want to be
birthed to experience genocide? (Pause) For the experience. And from those
experiences you garner more and more.
And we say
whenever you are in judgment of your historical events or indeed those events
that you see daily on your television, we remind you that you indeed have been
everything. You have been the perceived victim and the perceived perpetrator.
And we remind you that the truth is there are no victims, beloved ones. There
are only volunteers for the experience. So if you look at it all in this light
you begin to understand your own power, your own power of creation.
“I've reached in darkness and come out with treasure, I've laid down with love and come out with lies. What's it all worth only the heart can measure, It's not what's in the mirror but what's left inside.” - From ‘Sometimes It's A Bitch,’ sung by Stevie Nicks, written by Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Falcon, from the album Timespace, 1991).
By Saul Channelled through John Smallman, 2 January 2013
The moment for feeling disappointed is over. You have moved into the New Age and its benefits will become increasingly apparent as the year progresses. You have all done an amazing job in bringing it in, and you are greatly honored for that. The divine energy field enveloping the planet and all the life forms she supports is now much more intense and effective than ever before in your human history because your New Age allows it to be so. The more aware and awake you become the greater the energy you can carry and use for the greater good of all.
Humanity is most definitely moving forwards spiritually after eons of stagnation and hopelessness that the constant conflicts and disagreements among you encouraged. When you are in conflict you are coming from ego, from a sense of isolation, abandonment, and fear, and your ego wants to put that to rights by fighting the enemy, whoever or whatever it may be, and destroying it. Millions of egos fighting for supremacy do not provide an environment in which love, compassion, acceptance, respect, or healing of one another can grow and flourish.
With humanity’s rapidly increasing desire for all on the planet to live in harmony, even if only to avoid further destructive wars, the way to enormous spiritual growth has opened up because a desire to live harmoniously with others allows love’s influence to expand and become a major aspect of all human relationships. This growth in the influence and power of love in every individual who desires it has become self-sustaining, and consequently you will see enormous changes occurring all across the world as the New Age becomes ever more firmly established in the hearts of those who would choose peace instead of conflict.
The New Age is an aspect of yourselves, of each individual, that shows itself as love, respect, and compassion for all with whom you interact, and it leads unerringly to peaceful and harmonious exchanges of ideas that will bring an end to the suffering and deprivation that has been endemic on Earth for eons. And as a result trust among you will grow, be honored, and become the norm, just as it should.
You are still seeing many conflicts across the planet, but the new energies with which you are all engaging will assist those involved in them to start negotiations that will successfully bring them to an end. Then there will indeed be great need for many of you to take part in the rebuilding of what so many wars have destroyed by repairing the infrastructures on which modern civilizations depend – healthcare, education, clean environments, and abundant supplies of clean water – and respect for all of humanity’s treasure trove of different cultures which make you what you are: ONE.
You cannot live divided, judging others as worse than or better than. You tried it for eons and it most definitely did not work. Now, with the New Age firmly established, along with all the amazing energies it has brought, you can develop societies that creatively work together for the good of all on your beautiful planet. A one-size-fits-all approach is not the way forwards. Your new abilities to communicate very rapidly with anyone anywhere in the world have demonstrated to you very powerfully that cooperation works and can bring diverse groups together to solve issues that could not be solved alone – open-source computer applications is a wonderful example of this kind of cooperation in action – and that sort of enthusiastic and friendly cooperation is set to increase. There is an incredibly bright future ahead of you, just waiting for you to grasp it and run with it for the satisfaction and delight of all of humanity.
Now is the time to release any sense of anger, disappointment, or resentment that you may have experienced since the New Age arrived, and to engage with it completely by opening yourselves fully in love to all your brothers and sisters, especially those whom you believe have offended you or taken advantage of you. True forgiveness occurs when it is offered instead of blame or judgment, whatever the situation. No one can honestly say that they have never caused offense to another (justification for doing so has no place here!), but holding on to the resentment it causes and dwelling on it is like filling yourselves with corrosive liquids that will destroy you. Forgive, thrive, and truly enjoy the gift of life so lovingly bestowed on you by your Father as you move fully and joyously into this New Age for which you have been yearning.
Professor:
My brother died of cancer even though he
prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who
are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor:
You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student :
Yes.
Professor:
Is satan good?
Student :
No.
Professor:
Where does satan come from?
Student :
From … GOD …
Professor:
That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student :
Yes.
Professor:
Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student :
Yes
Professor:
So who created evil ?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor:
Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred?
Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student :
Yes, sir.
Professor:
So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor:
Science says you have 5 Senses you use
to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you
ever seen GOD?
Student :
No, sir.
Professor:
Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student :
No , sir.
Professor:
Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your
GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD
for that matter?
Student :
No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor:
Yet you still believe in Him?
Student :
Yes.
Professor :
According to Empirical, Testable,
Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you
say to that, son?
Student :
Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor:
Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student :
Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor:
Yes.
Student :
And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor:
Yes.
Student :
No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theatre became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student :
Sir, you can have lots of heat, even
more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat.
But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below
zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is
no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the
absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the
opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student :
What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor:
Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student :
You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the
absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright
light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have
nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t.
If it is, were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor:
So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student :
Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor:
Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student :
Sir, you are working on the premise of
duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and
a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite,
something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It
uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me,
Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor:
If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student :
Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student :
Since no one has ever observed the
process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is
an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you
not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student :
Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter.)
Student :
Is there anyone here who has ever heard
the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to
have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical,
Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor:
I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student :
That is it sir… Exactly ! The link
between man and GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and
moving.
“The one law I would like to
introduce would be difficult to achieve, but it would be to nip bullying in the
bud. It should be dealt with very early on. It makes people’s lives a misery.
Bullies tend to succeed because they scare the living daylights out of people.”
- Jo Brand (Interview by Heather Nicholson,
The Times, 7 June 2005).
The Dhammapada. Path of Truth -
Wisdom of the Buddha. Translated from Pali by F. Max
Muller.
Chapter
17. Anger
221. Let a man leave anger, let him
forsake pride, let him overcome all bondage! No sufferings befall the man who
is not attached to name and form, and who calls nothing his own. 222. He who
holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; other
people are but holding the reins.
223. Let a man overcome anger by
love [or gentleness], let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome the
greedy by liberality, the liar by truth! 224. Speak the truth, do not yield to
anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go
near the gods. 225. The sages who injure nobody, and who always control their
body, they will go to the unchangeable place (Nirvana), where, if they have
gone, they will suffer no more. 226. Those who are ever watchful, who study day
and night, and who strive after Nirvana, their passions will come to an end.
231. Beware of bodily anger, and
control thy body! Leave the sins of the body, and with thy body practise
virtue! 232. Beware of the anger of the tongue, and control thy tongue! Leave
the sins of the tongue, and practise virtue with thy tongue! 233. Beware of the
anger of the mind, and control thy mind! Leave the sins of the mind, and
practise virtue with thy mind! 234. The wise who control their body, who
control their tongue, the wise who control their mind, are indeed well
controlled.
The
Actor Factor
Conceal your power, skills and
talents.
Employ them only when necessary.
People will latch on to anything, seeking to confront the power and will within
you. They will find any excuse and shun responsibility for their actions. Avoid
persecution. Learn from the Pigsy situation to hide behind a mask of gentleness
and yielding. The external is all an illusion. The personality is but a mask
when you no longer identify with it. Wear personas (form) but do not involve or
identify yourself with them. More gifts will come and you must resist the
temptation to explore and display them. Transcend ALL. Any trace you leave, any
tracks, and the dogs will sniff and hunt you down. Keep a very low profile. Any
arts/skills/strength you have will reflect the power within you to others and
be associated with ego, for that is all they know - and they will attack you!
You need to learn to pretend; acting is only the expression
of latent personalities, alternative approaches/masks/personas/methods/mediums
to use to relate to others, to the world. You perhaps need to play roles. Learn
to express infinite love and flow with life all around you (play!). Not
surrendering to the flow so much as adopting flexible personas and concealing
your true self as it shines subtly and mysteriously through the external medium
of gentleness, humility and patience; i.e. adopt a passive, smiling, kind
persona and conceal all of your power and strength. Take things as they come
and don’t fear or worry, and don’t react (outwardly).
Divine
Love
And, then, there is the deepest
level of compassion and expression of Divine Love where you do not fear for
your own needs but love others, continue to love others even with love that
increases and deepens as they revel their weaknesses and human/animal failings,
their ignorance, their malice. The more they behave as animals the more divine
you become, the divine responding within you, evoked by the troubles around you
and accepted/embraced by you.
When there is menace below yet no
support above, one must transcend Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil, and just
be. Close every door to everywhere. Switch off all thoughts. Sit flickering
like a candle flame in a dark room, at peace, either enlivened nor dying,
forgetting all.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It
does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (Bible, Corinthians 13:4-8).
"LOVE
is our steady guide on this road full of hardships." - Rumi.
Retrospective
inserts.
Raynor C. Johnson says it wise to
regard those who hinder progress, and the collective good, as “spiritual
children, even though some of them seem to behave in a most violent manner.”
They behave this way, he adds, “because they are frightened and ignorant and
need your compassion as much as those who are suffering loss in another way.
That is the more difficult task, is it not, to send compassion to those who are
actually being aggressive? Your natural response is to want to punish them.
They will be punished, but in God’s time, and they are punished by the fact
that they are not aware of love, are filled with fear and anger and do
not know how to get out of their situations other than by fighting.” (In Touch with Raynor C. Johnson by
Sheila Gwillam, Light Publishing, London, U.K., 1996, p.145).
“All beings tremble before violence. All fear
death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm
can you do?” - Buddha.
“First, live a compassionate life. Then you will know.” - Buddha.
Caine (David Carradine): They laugh at me Master.
Master Po (Keye Luke): Good. To bring joy to other honours the giver.
Caine: But their laughter is not joyful,
for it derides me.
Master
Po: Are you hurt by
it?
Caine: Yes.
Master
Po: Because you
gave comfort here comfort is needed?
Caine: Was this not unmanly?
Master
Po: There is a
strength in us that can shatter an invisible object with a hand which comes
from a strong and disciplined body. There is another strength that allows us to
feel the pain of others and give comfort where comfort is needed. This comes
from a compassionate heart. True strength must combine both for that is in
harmony with the duality of our natures. For what you have done, you may indeed
take comfort in their laughter.
-
Kung Fu (Season 2, Episode 15, ‘The
Way of Violence Has No Mind,’ 1974).
Tibet
The
genocide in Tibet has included decades of violence, destruction and torture
which continues today. “How does on maintain compassion in the face of raw
cruelty?” asks the presenter of the film Yogis
of Tibet (directed by Jeffrey M. Pill, 2002). The Dalai Lama says that an
ancient text states that one’s own enemy is the best teacher. So, one example.
An old monk…who spent almost 18 years in a Chinese gulag after ‘59. So, after
he was released, eventually he joined me here. So, one day, I casually asked about
his experience in the gulag. Then he told me on a few occasions he faced some
danger. And I asked, ‘What kind of danger?’ I thought danger of his life or
something. Then he answered me, “Danger of losing compassion towards the
Chinese.” So, as a practitioner, we deliberately, you see, try to keep a
compassionate attitude towards one’s own enemy – is very essential.”
Chapter 10
of The Art of Happiness, which is
titled ‘Shifting perspective,’ begins with an anecdote about the disciple of a
Greek philosopher in the fourth-century AD who was told to give money to
everyone who insulted him. The story was taught by an assortment of eccentric
characters to “illustrate the value of suffering and hardship” by learning to
view situations from a different vantage point. (The Art of Happiness. A Handbook for Loving by His Holiness The
Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, Riverhead Books, New York, U.S., 1998,
p.1.72). The ancient Greeks used to practice a rite in which they would
collectively hurl insults at someone as they crossed a bridge to enter the
village as a general initiatory experience to help them to transcend their
egos. Back then, people recognised the personal and societal benefits of
crossing over the bridge from the separate ego to the whole Self. One could
find peace, joy and greater contentment as well as join others on a higher
level of consciousness as though travelling from a miniature island back to the
vast motherland where everyone enjoyed themselves in the Light without the
lower vibrations of fear and pride to divide them.
A post by a Republican lady on the
Internet (www.freerepublic.com) reads: ‘How's that whole Buddhism
thing doing for Tibet?’
Hmmmm...The world has changed. More nations and more individuals have power
than ever before. It is now more apparent than ever that we are all
interdependent. As His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, himself points out: “All
People and things are interdependent. The world has become so small that no
nation can solve its problems alone, in isolation from others. That is why I
believe we must all cultivate a sense of responsibility based on love and
compassion for each other.” Power is here to stay and that, to me, means that
power alone is no longer the advantage it once was. It must now be applied with
intelligence and it needs to be balanced with wisdom and compassion. Increased
awareness must surely bring about this recognition. The bull-in-a-china-shop
approach can only do so much...(damage).
Once the essence and deeper
understanding of a spiritual discipline has been lost it becomes less
effective. Chinese oppression in Tibet has perhaps robbed the nation
of its potency as a spiritual force. The principle of non-violence in the
existential world probably needs internal power, faith and conviction behind it
to succeed. Furthermore, it may require certain conditions too. In a changing
world, no region is safe from the encroachment of global forces. The wild
tiger’s jaws have snapped shut on this beautiful, gentle people, causing terrible
fear which only the most enlightened beings could withstand, I expect. It is
heart-breaking to observe persecution in ‘Tibet Autonomous Region,’ which
includes beatings, killings and imprisonment without trial. China’s
bullying also includes the sterilisation of Tibetan women and forcing them to
abort. One can appreciate that the March 2008 riots are the result of decades
of repression, with anti-Chinese feeling escalating through day-to-day
suffering. The rioters attacked Chinese shops and people who profit from
running businesses under Chinese rule while the Tibetan people are increasingly
marginalised and struggle in their own land.
In 1959, the Dalai Lama himself
staged an uprising against Communist rule and was forced to flee when it
failed. In an interview on Newsnight
in 1992, the Chinese Foreign Minister told Jeremy Paxman:
“In 1988, in
Stasbourg [addressing the European Parliament], the Dalai Lama proposed to make
Tibet a democratic political entity, governed by itself, which maintains
relations of alliance with China…the Dalai Lama advocates independence. And, we
have repeatedly said that China’s
sovereignty over Tibet
can never be denied. Neither independence, nor semi-independence or disguised
independence will be tolerated.” In
March 1989, some Tibetans again sought independence through violent protest.
When ‘resistance is futile,’ superhuman humility is required in order to
preserve the spirit and maintain a connection to divine power: to that which is
real as opposed to that which is illusory and transient. Once that connection
is lost, there can be no hope of influencing the oppressor. Perhaps it is
preferable to accept the external conditions that are being imposed whilst, at
the same time, fortifying the awareness of Pure Being within us. After all, it
is spiritual identity that endures, not cultural or national identity. Indeed,
the Dalai Lama seems to understand this: “...my main concern for Tibet is
preservation of Tibetan culture, preservation of Tibetan spirituality,” he told
Hana Gartner in an interview, “I'm not much concerned about political field,
whatever political status, OK, so long the preservation of Tibetan culture,
preservation of Tibetan spirituality and environment fulfilled, then political
status doesn't matter. Not much important. Personally, I have no interest in
the political status of these things. I made it very clear, I think in '92, I
made it very clear, when time comes for our return with certainty of freedom,
then I will hand it over, all my religious authority to the local government. I
have nothing to ask about myself." (www.cbc.ca/news/background/dalailama/interview.html).
Gartner
tells the ‘simple Buddhist monk,’ “There are a lot of young Tibetans who are now asking
themselves, can you really fight force with faith? Can you overcome hate with
hope? They've been trying that for half a century, and they say maybe it's not
working. Maybe the middle way doesn't work. They would like freedom in this
lifetime.” (ibid.). She goes on to point out that Tibetans have now become a
minority in their own country. The Dalai Lama replies: “So things are serious.
So these other people, now more frustrations. So their patience now becomes
thin like that. But I always used to telling them, more patience, more
patience, and now, you see, here I am not fooling these people. I really feel,
look global level. The later part of 20th century, much positive things
changed. Much positive things happened. The totalitarian sort of systems,
including Soviet Union, have changed. Now
democratic society, although a lot of difficulties there. Now China, People's
Republic of China,
today's China,
compare 30 years ago or 20 years ago, much changed. There are awareness about
outside world and other values, including spirituality and individual freedom.
Now these also begin in their mind. So these are some kind of peaceful
evolution. Evolution gradually changes. This definitely will come. On the other
hand, due to too much impatience, what we'll do, what could do? Fight?...Us?
Fight? Self-destruction. Suicide. And whether we like it or not, in Tibet, they
have to live side by side with our Chinese brothers and sisters. Now, in order
to live harmoniously, happily, friendly, with mutual respect, we must carry our
struggle through non-violence and try to achieve mutually agreeable solution.
If we use common sense, I think that is the only way.” (ibid.).
Had Tibet embraced the notion of being
part of China
all along on the outside, its endearing ways might have shone from within to
affect the grumpy beast, injecting its cold heart with some love and light.
This ought perhaps to have become Tibet’s new dream and goal since
change was inevitable. It is easy to reflect on these things, of course,
especially in hindsight. However, we can learn from such events for the future
in which society could be much more individual-centred. It is harder to
maintain solidarity as a community centred in a religion but Tibet
exemplified this principle in an age when such collective mastery was
achievable. Now, we must work on ourselves and make collective progress as we
each attain a degree of self-mastery resulting in a new kind of social unity.
Why is the
Dalai Lama revered the whole world over (outside China, of course!)? Because he is
very much a man of our time. His concerns are justice and truth, freedom and
awareness, and friendliness to all. And, I believe, these are the very seeds
which future civilisation will spring from. “The Dalai Lama lost his entire
country,” says Sonia Choquette, “yet must serve as the spiritual light for
hundreds of thousands of displaced souls – this is very difficult stuff.
However, he is filled with absolute joy…Living your Spirit allows you to see
beyond life’s immediate drama and points you toward solutions. Self-love helps
you access your creativity and solve problems. It reduces conflict and eases
fear. Your Spirit is your best ally when facing pain of any sort. It gets you
past, through or over your ‘stuff’ more quickly." (The Answer Is Simple…love yourself, live your spirit, Hay House, Inc., Carlsbad, CA., U.S., 2008, p.140).
“Basically, universal responsibility
is the feeling for other people´s suffering just as we feel our own. It is the
realisation that even our own enemy is motivated by the quest for happiness. We
must recognise that all beings want the same thing we want. This is the way to
achieve a true understanding, unfettered by artificial consideration.” - The
Dalai Lama.
“Tibet will know its liberation around 2010-2011, and hopefully sooner.
Those who rule China are not necessarily the compassionate ones. Those who make
the decisions are ruthless and have absolutely no conscious understanding of
what Tibet stands for and the spiritual treasures this small country hold. On a
conscious human level, they perceive all this spiritual ‘stuff’ a waste of time
and a mind distortion. They see absolutely no value in it. At soul level, they
have a dark agenda of stopping the Light at all cost, no matter the amount of
suffering inflicted and the level of destruction they have to initiate. They do
not think and feel like you do. Those who hold so much Light and Wisdom in
their hearts and auric field represent a threat to them; persecuting and
getting rid of them is perceived as an easy and acceptable solution.
Soon, there will
be much devastation in China and the leadership will be in so much trouble,
that they will no longer have any interest in dominating Tibet. Then Tibet will
finally be Free, and eventually, will be able to share the treasures of her
knowledge and wisdom to the world.” - Adama (channelled
through Aurelia Louise Jones. Posted on 1 November 2006 on
www.2012.tribe.net/thread/a30c4cea-1419-4048-9bf9-1cf52f905d96. This article on
Expected Changes in 2007 includes some interesting information on China).
Uncle
Ben (Cliff
Robertson): Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. - Spider-Man (directed by Sam Raimi,
2002).
“Laughter is an explosion of psychic
energy.” - Ken Dodd.
