The Religion of Discovery

Dennis Prager raised a good question today and that is, “who do you think is great?”  The assertion being that you can tell a lot about a person by their answer to that question, and that it is worth asking on a first date.  I thought it was a good question.  As such, here’s who I think is great, in no particular order and with no explanation or reason for each choice right now.

• Paul Foster Case
• John Lennon
• Geshe Michael Roach
• The Dalai Lama
• Jesus
• Dennis Prager
• Manly P. Hall
• Tom Waits
• everyone in my family
• all my friends
• no, those last two are not cop-outs, I really feel that way.

Who do you think is great? Please comment.

This video clip showing the transformation of a normal human female into a commercial idol worthy of pop-culture worship is definitely worth checking out. It only takes a minute, it’s worth the click.

via BoingBoing

This has to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard [from the London Daily Mail]:

“A teenage schoolgirl was arrested by police for racism after refusing to sit with a group of Asian students because some of them did not speak English.”
…
“She said I had to sit there with five Asian pupils,” said Codie yesterday.

“Only one could speak English, so she had to tell that one what to do so she could explain in their language. Then she sat me with them and said ‘Discuss’.”

According to Codie, the five - four boys and a girl - then began talking in a language she didn’t understand, thought to be Urdu, so she went to speak to the teacher.

“I said ‘I’m not being funny, but can I change groups because I can’t understand them?’ But she started shouting and screaming, saying ‘It’s racist, you’re going to get done by the police’.”

… and she did:

A complaint was made to a police officer based full-time at the school, and more than a week after the incident on September 26 she was taken to Swinton police station and placed under arrest.

“They told me to take my laces out of my shoes and remove my jewellery, and I had my fingerprints and photograph taken,” said Codie. “It was awful.”

After questioning on suspicion of committing a section five racial public order offence, her mother Nicola says she was placed in a bare cell for three-and-a-half hours then released without charge.

Does this make sense to anyone?

I hope to write much more about this soon, but I’m really tiring of the conspiracy mindset which seems to be spreading like wildfire. Here’s one excellent example I just heard by a caller into Michael Medved’s show. The caller expressed the belief that this whole North Korea missile test is a “smokescreen” to cover up the Michael Foley scandal.

Right. Because we of course control North Korea. *head smacks desk*

There’s no shortage of examples of fanatical, violent response from a certain segment of the Islamic community whenever they feel slighted in some sense. My concern is that well meaning people misplace the cause for these people’s violence and expressions of hatred, and that this only silences legitimate voices of dissent while appeasing the very violence we abhor.

The cause of hatred truly is not external, but internal. Listen to the sublime wisdom of the Buddha in the first section of the Dhammapada:

‘He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,’–in those who harbour such thoughts hatred will never cease.’

He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,’–in those who do not harbour such thoughts hatred will cease.

Amen. May we all work to remove the causes of suffering within ourselves and so help all fellow beings.

Please note that in posting this I am not pitting one tradition against another. It is my deep feeling that we MUST learn from each other and so help each other to become better, more loving and more compassionate, beings. As such there is much to be gained from internalizing the wisdom above. Just as there would be much gain in internalizing the teachings of Jesus where he says to “Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who persecute you.” Also to “Resist not those who oppose you. And whoever strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other.” (I’m paraphrasing)

I reject completely the idea that one religious tradition will dominate all others on this planet, and I say this as a Christian. It is a ridiculous idea. I firmly believe that Knowledge of the Truth can and must become dominant if we are to survive together in peace. However, knowledge of the truth is not synonomous with this or that set of religious beliefs.

“For the believer there are no questions, for the non-believer there are no answers.”  - Hebrew saying

One who uses religion as an excuse for agression towards his neighbor
does not understand True Religion.  One who uses religion as an excuse
to not restrain the agressor also does not understand.

When I link to stories that appear to be political in nature, it is usually because what I am interested in is the spiritual reality behind the political appearance. The type of violent intolerance that is exhibited by this story is certainly a spiritual sickness and deficiency and I maintain that it must not be allowed to spread further. For this reason I am promoting awareness of what is happening here. May G-d be with the authors of these articles.

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To hallow begins with acknowledgment and moves to veneration. We must acknowledge Our Uncreated Father’s Divine Presence in his abode of Heaven which is, as we have said, everywhere. Acknowledge Him burning in the stars, roaring through rivers, singing joyfully through the birds.

Let this acknowledgment turn to wonder and amazement at the beauty of it all, and realize that you are an inseparable part of it! You are as beautiful and necessary as the sunrise and sunset. You are just as much a function of this whole universe as the falls of Niagara.

Acknowledge and venerate the Presence of the Holy Eternal One that dwells within you with just as much Power there as there is at any point in the Universe. It is THAT which lives within you and without you. Its power pumps your heart, energizes your brain, sees through your eyes, hears through your ears, and opens your mouth to speak.

This is hallowing the Name of God, not putting on airs of solemnity and false piousness devoid of all natural goodness and joy, which is simply putting on a show of spirituality in order to deceive others and exalt ones sense of personal superiority.

I’m writing a commentary on the Lord’s prayer and will post it in installments here. Here is the first such:

“Our Father, who art in Heaven”

As is the case in all Scripture, every word is of importance, so here let us consider the first word of this prayer from the lips of Our Master: “Our.” This first word serves to remind us that Our Father is Father of All. It should broaden our awareness as we begin this invocation. In saying, “Our Father,” we should bring into our awareness the people passing by on the street, the construction workers laboring nearby, enemies near and far, and those family members closest to us. ALL are children of Our Father and, truly, we draw near to the Divine more for their benefit than for ours, in order that we might be vessels of His Infinite Light, aimed and directed into this finite work of creation.

As to the second word, Father, what is the point of using the male assignation? Is this mere patriarchal chauvinism? Do we truly believe in some mythical grandfather figure sitting in a golden throne far off in space with long white flowing hair and flaming eyes? Certainly not. Then is there any reason to say “Father” here and not “Mother?”

Simply, yes. When we speak of the Father here, we are speaking of the husband and director of Nature. He is unchanging and un-manifest, She is the reflection of His will projected into the realm of the manifest which undergoes ceaseless modifications. The two are, of course, One in essence but different in activity. He, as Father, is unchanging and constant, the Source of All that is, Giver of all Good Gifts, the Mover of the waters of creation, and it is for this reason that it is He we invoke and not His servant, Nature. She can only give what He wills.

Now we come to the abode of Our Father, the uncreated Source of ALL: Heaven. All too often this word is glanced over and misunderstood by newcomers to the Path who push Heaven out as some future reality, too distant or disconnected with current circumstances to be of much present use. However, if we recall Jesus’ admonition to repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, or is here now, then perhaps we can re-examine the idea of heaven more closely.

The Greek word for heaven here is Ouranos, or Uranus, the Greek God of the sky, husband of Gaia, the earth. Esoterically, Uranus is connected with Superconsciousness, boundlessness and timelessness, the numeral Zero, and the first letter in the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, Aleph (א). Also connected with this idea is the ancient statement that God can be likened to a circle with its center everywhere, and circumference nowhere, a simple yet effective definition of Omnipresence.

What this means for us in this prayer and in our lives is to serve as a powerful reminder that “we do not serve a God far off, for in Him we live, move, and have our being.” Our Father in Heaven indwells this entire creation and supports it with the Eternal Flame of His love and attention. So when we say “Heaven” in this prayer, let us turn our attention inward into the core of our being, for He is just as much there in all His power as he ever is, was, or will be at any point in space or time.