Saturday, January 29, 2011

Satsang

Satsang is Sanskrit and means to sit in company with the highest truth or to sit in company with a Guru. The Guru lectures and his devotees are listening in awe, then he answerers questions.

Human beings are pack animals. We are like chimpanzees. We are lost without a leader. We have lived in groups with leaders for maybe two hundred thousand years. This way of living has proved to be an efficient evolutionary strategy. Together with leaders, we were strong. Loners didn’t make it and they didn’t get any offspring.

However, the coin has also a backside. Because the majority is following the leader blindly, a mad and power-hungry leader can lead them to hell if he wants to. Hitler is of course the best example, but also many religious leaders, cult leaders, CEOs and politicians have created tons and tons of miseries because of their mad craving for more power and our inborn tendency to follow anyone who takes the lead.

Nothing is more important today, as I see things, in this stage of the evolution, than to stop following leaders. When we lived in small groups of hunters and gatherers, a mad leader wasn’t able to create too much damage. Today, with all kind of weapons of mass destruction the leaders are our greatest danger. Today we have to learn how to think our own thoughts. It’s not easy and it’s not always pleasant but it’s important.

Therefore, today, if we meet together to discuss the highest truth, the Guru should be dethroned. We urgently need to learn how to be together without following a leader. This is very important. To build a bridge or an airplane we need leaders who know how to do it but in spiritual matters, we are all equal. Priests, mullahs and preachers belong to the past. We are all on the same level now, at the beginners’ level.

There are also many female Gurus on the market but this makes no difference. No one should follow what any spiritual teacher say, male or female. And no one should sit on a throne and lecture others from above. If you can’t accept that we are all equal, if you insist to sit at the feet of a Guru, you are still living in the old world. You are then not yet awakened.

The truth will not set you free

If you are sincere in your search for the truth,
you will eventually come to a place
where you are able to see the cruelty of life clearly.

To put up with this unintended discovery
you will now have to find a drug,
a tranquilizer, a religion, a belief system, a hobby
or some other form of delusion that can carry you through
or you will have to kill yourself.
It is too hard to see things clearly.
You don’t need the truth.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Not even the fittest survive

The law of the jungle still applies.
Everybody knows this.
However, life is not about to eat or be eaten.
This is a serious misunderstanding.
In the jungle are all eaten,
everybody end up as food for someone else,
rich or poor, strong or weak, good or bad.
We will all end up as food for worms and plants and insects.
This is an impartial system.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Philosophy

Your philosophy of life is extremely important.
It has the power to make your life miserable.
You can end up as a wreck.
It can also create endless miseries for other people.

Therefore, take a close look at your beliefs,
your worldview and your ideas
and try to figure out if they are useful in some way, or not
if they make your life easier
or if they create serious problems for you and others.

Maybe you are a complete idiot, maybe not.
Maybe you are the only one who has found the truth.
Maybe it is a good idea to get involved in drug or sex trafficking.
Maybe nothing is more important than dollars.
Maybe you have to reach the top.
Maybe life is about success.
Maybe life is about to eat or be eaten.
Maybe skin color is a relevant issue.
Maybe you’re right.
Maybe life is totally meaningless.
Maybe you have not been fooled.
Maybe you have not been hypnotized by your ideas.
Maybe it is important to work hard to become someone.
Maybe it is better to relax and do as little as possible.
Maybe the thinking mind is there to invent excuses and lies.
How knows?

There are so many useless ideas to be obsessed with.
What if they are not really your ideas?
Maybe you have picked them up somewhere,
at home, at school, from TV, from friends.
Maybe you are hypnotized.
Maybe you live your life in some kind of trance.
Maybe you are playing your old Bee Gees cassettes
over and over,
or Elvis Presley, or Frank Sinatra.
Why don’t you throw them away?
Has this thought ever crossed your mind?

Persona

Our Personalities are like clothes, covers.
Also awakened people wear clothes in public.
So what?

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Duality

I can observe my own thoughts.
This means that I am not the one I think I am.
I am something separate from my thoughts.

Similarly, if you insult me I feel hurt
and if you flatter me, I feel proud.
I can observe my own ego reactions.
This means that I am something separate from my ego.

I can also observe my bad habits, my poor self-esteem,
my stupidity, my irritation
and the stories I create about the world and myself.
This means that I am something separate from my bad habits
my poor self-esteem, my irritation and my stupidity.

A part of me is stupid; a part of me gets irritated
and I have many of bad habits
but this is not me, the one I am
my real self.

Are you following?
You are not the one you think you are.
You are someone or something else.
Isn’t this a strange thought?

Buddhists and Hindus believe that
this part of us is reincarnating, I don’t.
Christians and Muslims believe that
this part goes to heaven, or hell.
I believe that this part of me will disappear when I die.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Evolution and the thinking mind.

Plants don’t think
and they don’t trot around as the animals do.

Animals and plants have no language.
Animals can communicate with sounds and gestures
but they don’t know how to philosophize,
make plans and crack jokes.

Without your thinking mind
you would have been some kind of thin-haired ape.

Language and the thinking mind is a precious gift
or an evolutionary invention
depending on how you look at it.
The thinking mind makes us human
but it is also driving us crazy.
There is so much suffering and despair in the world
because of mean thoughts and idiotic ideas.

The Buddhists say that the mind can calm down
only after many years of intense meditation practice.
(more than eight hours a day).
It is possible to end the suffering, yes,
but you have to put your back to it.

Eckhart Tolle believes that more and more people
will experience a spontaneous spiritual awakening
and that this awakening is another natural step in the evolution.
All the stupid and terrible thoughts that drag you down
will miraculously disappear overnight when you wake up
and you don’t have to do anything about it.

I believe that we can’t get rid of our stupid thoughts
no matter how much we try
and I am skeptic about the spontaneous spiritual awakening.
This happens obviously to some people
but to me it is just a concept.

What we can do, I have found,
is that we can learn how to deal with thoughts and ideas.
My experience is that things improve
when we discover that thoughts are just thoughts
and ideas are just ideas -not truths.
This is just a thought.
This is just an idea.
This is not the truth.

It is like when you wake up in the morning
and realize that the dream was just a dream.

You have to keep this in mind all day long.
When a thought pops up
and when you notice that you hold on to an idea
remember that they are just thoughts
fantasies, dreams.

This discovery makes life so much easier.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Do all spiritual teachers teach the same thing?

There are so many spiritual teachers out there,
pointing in different directions, saying:
-Don’t look at my finger.
Look at what I‘m pointing at.
There is the truth.
Can you see it?

If you ask four different Gurus
about which way to choose
you will get four different answers
and they will all sound as if they knew exactly
what they were talking about.
How is this possible?

One answer is that if you look deep enough
you will find that all spiritual teachings are very similar.
Yes, it looks as if the gurus are pointing in different directions
but in reality, they don’t.
They are all saying the same thing.

I don’t think this is true.
There are, for example, big differences in the way they look at
the everyday surface level.
Is justice an important matter?
Is it wrong to exploit poor people in order to get rich?
Is competition more important than cooperation?
Is capitalism and spirituality compatible?
Is it important how we live our daily life?
Are such questions something a spiritual teacher
should be concerned about?
The world is a cosmic play, is it not?
The real truth is to be found somewhere inside of you,
or up there, or out there, or in 3000-year-old scriptures
don‘t you think?

Monday, January 17, 2011

Reality is what comes and goes

Some people believe that there is a real reality
behind this everyday reality of constant change.
They believe that all this, which is constantly changing,
is an illusion, a mirage.
This is originally a Hindu idea.

I believe that the reality is always changing
and I believe that this changing reality is real.
Brahman is just a word to me
a mental concept.

However,
I have discovered that there are other dimensions
than this one.
I am not just the one I think I am
and the world does not work the way I think it works.
There are deeper levels in all of us.
To see this
was an awakening experience to me
a breakthrough.

I had, of course, read about the subconscious mind,
but I had not been able to put two and two together.
I couldn’t see that my conscious self, my ego, and all my ideas
were just a small part of me.

Today I am not shure of who I am
and I have no idea how this world is functioning.
Ten years ago I knew it all.
This is an important first step in the awakening process
as I see it.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Advaita Vedanta

The first person to explicitly consolidate the principles of Advaita Vedanta was Adi Shankara. (788 CE - 820 CE)

Shankara taught that access to Vedic texts, a prerequisite for liberation, should be restricted, in accordance with caste rules, to upper-caste Hindu males. He seems to have generally held that liberation can only be attained by a male renunciant of the Brahmin caste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta

Friday, January 14, 2011

Things are not always what they seem to be.

Negative thoughts are not necessarily bad.
The idea that negative thoughts are bad
makes them only more terrible than they actually are.

And positive thoughts are not always something desirable.
Positive thinking can be a defense mechanism
a way to gloss over and escape the depths of human existence.

However, sometimes silly fart jokes and stupid stuff
are absolutely necessary,
and sometimes they are simply too much.

It is good to be critical, to some extent,
about oneself and the situation in the world.
It can motivate you to change
and realize that you have to do something.
The problem is when you drown in criticism.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Not even the now is real.

The past is a memory and the future is a fantasy.
Don’t forget that also the present now is a mental concoction.
What you perceive is first cooked in your subconscious mind.
Perceptions, preconceived ideas and beliefs,
some prejudices and a pinch of complete misunderstanding
is cooked up to a soup in almost no time.
This soup is what you are served as reality.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Thinking

Why bother about endangered species, carbon dioxide emissions, climate change and toxic waste? No species survive forever. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.

Why bother about child labor, exploitation of poor people and injustice? Man is disturbed not by things but the views he takes of them.

Look for clever explanations. Be a wisecrack. Be like a surfer, wonderful, suntanned and witty.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Objectivity

Journalists and historians with right-wing views cannot be objective. The same is true, of course, for left-wing journalists or left wing historians. It would be better if they declared their views openly and didn’t play the game of objectivity or scientific accuracy. Journalism is never objective and history is not an objective science. Neutral, independent and objective people does not exist. We are all leaning left or right, forward or backward.

Biology is not an objective science either. A right-wing biologist will see the world through his right-wing glasses; and a left-wing biologist will see the world through his left-wing glasses. A right-wing biologist will emphasize competition and a left-wing biologist will emphasize cooperation.

It is indeed very difficult to look at things objectively.

Not even religion or “spirituality” is free from political bias. The Catholic Church and the different Protestant Churches have always supported the far right. We don’t have to wonder where we are with them. The problem is all the gurus and the spiritual teachers of today. Do they vote in the elections? Do they care about child labor and exploitation of poor people?

Many of the “spiritual people” believe that they don’t have a political view. This is a delusion. If they are voting in elections, they should declare whom they are voting for. And if they don’t vote, they should say so and give the reasons for it.

It is impossible, as I see it, to have no point of view.

“Racism is ok. White people are superior to the colored races.”
“It is ok to exploit small children in the third world in order to get very rich. This is how economic growth is created and growth is good. Greed is good.”
It is impossible to have no opinion about statements like these.
If you believe that these statements are wrong, you should be able to say so.

“Oh, I’m not siding with anybody. I don’t have an opinion. I’m above politics.”

If you had lived in Nottingham in the days of Robin Hood, would you have supported Robin Hood or the Sheriff of Nottingham?

“I would have taken care of my own business.”

And if Robin Hood would have needed your help, would you have helped him, or would you have helped the Sheriff’s men?

Friday, January 7, 2011

France and the Catholic Church were involved in the Rwandan genocide.

“At the end of 1950s, as decolonization swept through the African continent, king Mutara III and a group of his national council members vowed to initiate important reforms. In response to their demands for independence from colonial rule, the Belgian administration and the missionary church leadership adopted a new tactic: They shifted their support for from the Tutsi hierarchy to the Hutu elite and, in turn, blamed their divisive policies on the former. The Tutsi chiefs who had once been praised for their superiority and their natural born leadership qualities were now condemned as enemies of the Church and the white people and they were accused of being stranglers who had invaded the Hutu peoples land in order to exploit them. This colonial strategy sought to undercut the authority of the Tutsi, and, in doing so, position the Belgians as the true protectors of the Hutu people. Essentially, the colonial authorities, with the support of the Church played one group off of the other so that the real exploiters and invaders- the Belgian colonizers and white missionaries - could maintain their dominant position in Rwandan society.”
(The Catholic Church and the Nation-State page 176)

http://books.google.com/books?id=-8gqfwcbTaAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Catholic+Church+and+the+Nation-State&hl=sv&ei=z_MlTYXNE8vOswaSjfGiAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

France and the Catholic Church continued to support the Hutu regime also during and after the genocide 1994.

“In what was arguably the Rwandan bishop’s lowest moment, they published a letter in the April 1994 edition of the Osservatore Romano, which paid ‘tribute to the Rwandan Forces for taking security concerns to heart.’ Further, they expressed ‘their satisfaction at the institution of a new government ‘-The government that was using Hutus to kill Tutsis-’to which they promised their support. Finally, ‘they called upon all the Rwandans to ease the task of the new government by responding to their call favorably and help them achieve their mission.’ “

“Some priests and nuns were directly involved in the killings, while other members of the clergy acted as accomplices by gathering Tutsis into church buildings, where they were slaughtered. The Rwandan Church’s statements made no mention of the responsibility for these acts. To the contrary, the Church assisted those priests and nuns in finding safe havens in other countries to avoid facing trials in later years.”
(The Catholic Church and the Nation-State page 179-180)



http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4481353.ece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTWOIkX4N9k

http://www.afrol.com/Countries/Rwanda/backgr_cross_genocide.htm

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Ideas

Ideas are not just ideas. Ideas are extremely powerful. They can keep you stuck in the mud for decades but they can also change your life completely in a very short time. Look at the Islamic suicide bombers. Look at the people in dangerous religious cults or in extreme right wing movements. They often went through rapid personality changes. Look at the politicians. How come they can't see that they are stuck? Are they blind? And look at all those jerks who vote for them. Look at yourself. Aren’t all of us propelled or possessed by ideas?

Ideas can change your life. Ideas can turn you into a slacker or a workaholic. Ideas can make you unhappy, happy, grateful or idiotic.

The problem is that very few of our ideas are actually ours. We have picked them up from somewhere, from home, from school and from the society where we grew up. We have been indoctrinated. Most of our decisions are made in this conditioned and murky part of our brains.

It is impossible to live without ideas. A human being without ideas is like a bird without wings. It is ideas that make you go to work. It is ideas that make you drop out to sit on park benches instead, drinking beer. It is ideas that are ruining this planet with carelessness and greed. It would be so much better for humankind and life here on earth if the majority of us were possessed by environmentally friendly ideas and love for each other.

The conscious part of you, the ego, is just a tiny part of you. It is the tip of an iceberg. This tip is important, though. Here is where conscious decisions are made. Here is where conscious change originates. It is possible change your mind. It is possible to get a more optimistic outlook on life. “No! I no longer accept this nonsense. No! I don’t like racism. No! The meaning with life is not just to get rich.” Ideas like this are created in the conscious mind.

A human being without a conscious mind, without an ego, is a sleepwalker, a zombie, a programmed robot. Ego is not something bad as many of the “spiritual people” believe. The question is whose game you are playing, whose errands you are running. You can be clear and awake. You can stop drinking. You can leave your religious cult. You can replace your neo-liberal or social Darwinist views. You can make conscious decisions.

The Advaita-Vedanta concept of “No-self” is but a concept. Non-dualists believe that they do not exist, that the ego doesn’t exist. This is a silly idea. From a cosmic point of view is the ego of course not very important, I agree, but what is important from this point of view?

Saturday, January 1, 2011

The allure

 
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The title of this statue is "The Allure".

Turmoil

The brain constantly produces thoughts, judgments, excuses, questions, answers, ideas and explanations. I want this. I want that. How can I get it? Why did she say so to me? He's stupid. What the fuck is wrong with me?

The brain also produces images, reveries and fantasies, and at night, it is creating the most fantastic dream worlds.

The emotions are also created in the brain, sorrow, fear, love, happiness, anger, satisfaction, dissatisfaction... I believe that all this mind chatter and turmoil is part of being human. I believe that the idea that spiritual awakening is about being able to drop all the stupid and unnecessary thoughts is delusional. Stupid thoughts and ideas are there. You cannot get rid of them and keep only the clever and useful ones. Adyashanti is not quite right about this, I believe. I don’t think that Eckhart has it quite right either.

You don’t have less numerous thoughts in your head when you have awakened, I believe, but you are not so bothered by them because you don‘t buy in to them. You are able to see them for what they are, just thoughts. When you are able to see thoughts for what they are, just thoughts, they loose their power, like poisonous snakes without fangs.

Sometimes the weather is pleasant and clear but you cannot expect favorable winds and clear blue skies forever. Sometimes there are storms coming, sometimes you get stuck in the doldrums. Also, not all people have the same conditions and starting points. Some are sailing in calm lakes and some are rounding Cap Horn.

Jack Kornfield says that to learn how to meditate is like to learn how to surf. I believe that this isn‘t quite right either. We are not surfers. Meditation is not about training yourself as if you are training a dog or a horse or taking a class in surfing, as I see it. To wake up is not about getting rid of stupid thoughts or unpleasant emotions or surfing on them. To wake up is about not buying into all the stupid stuff, to be able to see that crazy ideas are just crazy ideas, not deep truths.

Do not worry about all the stupid thoughts in your head. However, do not trust them. Do not trust yourself. Be very careful when you are convinced that you are right about something. If you are convinced of something, you have probably got it all wrong.

To wake up is to realize that belief systems, ideologies, creeds and doctrines are nothing but thoughts. To think that having sex with the receptionist would be nice is not the same as actually trying to rip off her dress.

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” I found this quote by Scot Adams on the web.

It is possible that my exposition here is a complete misunderstanding. I have misinterpreted and misunderstood many things before in my life. Maybe Eckhart, Jack Kornfield and Adyashanti are right. Maybe it is possible to drop all stupid thoughts and unnecessary emotions. Maybe it is a matter of practice or a matter of spontaneous awakening. I don’t know. I have never experienced a spontaneous spiritual awakening were most of the thoughts suddenly disappear and I have not practiced meditation systematically long enough to say that Jack Kornfield is wrong.