So I would like to share the form my spiritual philosophy has taken recently. It's nothing new, really. I just thought I would share my personal interpretation of Zen and Taoist philosophies and the principles and practices that have arose around it. Let me begin with an outline before expanding.
Principles
1) Change is constant
2) Perception is relative
3) Time is eternal
4) Presence is flowing
Practices
1) Meditation
2) Mindfulness
3) Moderation
4) Compassion
5) Gratitude
Principles
1) Change is constant
Everything evolves endlessly. You never step into the same river twice and it's never the same "you" stepping into the river. It seems like the only thing that can be said to be constant is the act of change itself moment by moment. Things are arising, falling apart, shifting, shaping, re-arranging, and evolving on and on. It's an endlessly creative process where new things are made and old things are destroyed. It enables the potential for things to arise into being that our imaginations cannot even conceive of due to the infinite possibilities present within constant change.
2) Perception is relative
It is also constant. When consciousness arises, it begins to sense and perceive the changing state of things. Reality is multifaceted, complex, and dynamic so our perceptions tend to always be relative and dependent upon our human conditioning. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it should be acknowledged and apprehended. We're all experiencing the changing state of things on a relative basis and, as social animals, our views are codependent upon the views and perceptions of others. In this manner, we create useful maps of reality.
Some might say that when one becomes Enlightened, then their perception is no longer relative. I don't find this to be the case as they are still dependent upon their human conditioning and the perceptions of others. So even an enlightened perception is relative to the changing nature of things. They just may be able to offer better modifications to the mind maps we use as well as instruction, of course, on how to approach the nature of reality through experience.
3) Time is eternal
It is also relative and constant, but why bring 'time' into this? It is illusory in a certain sense because it is relative, but I wouldn't say it is delusional thinking or that it isn't useful. The best I can figure is that time is our attempt to measure the associations and differences between changing states. It is flawed and could probably be improved upon greatly but, like perception, I don't feel it should be abandoned. The notion of time is useful because it enables us to make sense of changing things. The principle illusion it seems to create is that of definite beginnings and endings to existence. Let me explain...
It used to be that the beginning of the world was synonymous with the creation of the universe and everything. It was the beginning and the end to all things. Then it became that the solar system was the center of the universe and the focal point of definitive beginnings and endings. Then it expanded to the scale of the galaxy and then to the observable universe. Then it was said that the Big Bang was the beginning of everything, but wait... now physicists are talking about what happened "before" the Big Bang. Before the Big Bang? But I thought that was the beginning of time. How could anything have happened before it? The definite beginning of things, along with their subsequent endings, keeps getting pushed back further and further into infinity.
This seems to be a persistent illusion that we experience ever since our ancient ancestors thought that the world ended on the other side of the mountain or at the end of the ocean. I can't say that I know for sure that there are no definite beginnings and endings to existence. All I'm saying is that there isn't sufficient reason to believe that there was a single beginning and ending to begin with, if that makes sense. Why should I accept the premise of a first cause? Existence seems to go back into infinity and flow forth into eternity. I don't know where it came from or where it is going. For all intents and purposes, time is eternal until proven otherwise.
4) Presence is flowing
It is also eternal, relative, and constant. Presence refers to the occurrence of things around us or to existence itself. In the context of consciousness it means "being there". When one meditates or practices mindfulness, they become intimately familiar with the changing nature of things. With persistence, one may begin to flow with one's surroundings. The sense of self dissolves into the thoughts, words, and actions that one is performing.
I know some folks believe that thoughts are wrong or should always be completely silenced, but I don't find this to be the case. I don't really believe in ego-death or that we should completely eliminate desire. The ego does need to be transcended, but with transcendence comes transformation. The ego changes. Desire simplifies and eventually finds its proper place in the eternally changing flow of things as they are. There is no definitive end state. There is only the continuous process of waking fully to each changing moment of being. Everything becomes an end in-and-of itself as it rises and falls, ebbs and flows, wakes and sleeps, lives and dies, etc, etc, into eternity.
Practices
I won't expand much on my practices yet, but I will say that they arise from the principles and that they are all interconnected with one another. Meditation, mindfulness, moderation, compassion, and gratitude express everything necessary to cultivate both an ethical understanding as well as the foundation for lasting happiness and contentment.
Thanks for taking time to read this. I would appreciate any feedback and reflections on my spiritual philosophy. Take it easy!
Principles
1) Change is constant
2) Perception is relative
3) Time is eternal
4) Presence is flowing
Practices
1) Meditation
2) Mindfulness
3) Moderation
4) Compassion
5) Gratitude
Principles
1) Change is constant
Everything evolves endlessly. You never step into the same river twice and it's never the same "you" stepping into the river. It seems like the only thing that can be said to be constant is the act of change itself moment by moment. Things are arising, falling apart, shifting, shaping, re-arranging, and evolving on and on. It's an endlessly creative process where new things are made and old things are destroyed. It enables the potential for things to arise into being that our imaginations cannot even conceive of due to the infinite possibilities present within constant change.
2) Perception is relative
It is also constant. When consciousness arises, it begins to sense and perceive the changing state of things. Reality is multifaceted, complex, and dynamic so our perceptions tend to always be relative and dependent upon our human conditioning. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it should be acknowledged and apprehended. We're all experiencing the changing state of things on a relative basis and, as social animals, our views are codependent upon the views and perceptions of others. In this manner, we create useful maps of reality.
Some might say that when one becomes Enlightened, then their perception is no longer relative. I don't find this to be the case as they are still dependent upon their human conditioning and the perceptions of others. So even an enlightened perception is relative to the changing nature of things. They just may be able to offer better modifications to the mind maps we use as well as instruction, of course, on how to approach the nature of reality through experience.
3) Time is eternal
It is also relative and constant, but why bring 'time' into this? It is illusory in a certain sense because it is relative, but I wouldn't say it is delusional thinking or that it isn't useful. The best I can figure is that time is our attempt to measure the associations and differences between changing states. It is flawed and could probably be improved upon greatly but, like perception, I don't feel it should be abandoned. The notion of time is useful because it enables us to make sense of changing things. The principle illusion it seems to create is that of definite beginnings and endings to existence. Let me explain...
It used to be that the beginning of the world was synonymous with the creation of the universe and everything. It was the beginning and the end to all things. Then it became that the solar system was the center of the universe and the focal point of definitive beginnings and endings. Then it expanded to the scale of the galaxy and then to the observable universe. Then it was said that the Big Bang was the beginning of everything, but wait... now physicists are talking about what happened "before" the Big Bang. Before the Big Bang? But I thought that was the beginning of time. How could anything have happened before it? The definite beginning of things, along with their subsequent endings, keeps getting pushed back further and further into infinity.
This seems to be a persistent illusion that we experience ever since our ancient ancestors thought that the world ended on the other side of the mountain or at the end of the ocean. I can't say that I know for sure that there are no definite beginnings and endings to existence. All I'm saying is that there isn't sufficient reason to believe that there was a single beginning and ending to begin with, if that makes sense. Why should I accept the premise of a first cause? Existence seems to go back into infinity and flow forth into eternity. I don't know where it came from or where it is going. For all intents and purposes, time is eternal until proven otherwise.
4) Presence is flowing
It is also eternal, relative, and constant. Presence refers to the occurrence of things around us or to existence itself. In the context of consciousness it means "being there". When one meditates or practices mindfulness, they become intimately familiar with the changing nature of things. With persistence, one may begin to flow with one's surroundings. The sense of self dissolves into the thoughts, words, and actions that one is performing.
I know some folks believe that thoughts are wrong or should always be completely silenced, but I don't find this to be the case. I don't really believe in ego-death or that we should completely eliminate desire. The ego does need to be transcended, but with transcendence comes transformation. The ego changes. Desire simplifies and eventually finds its proper place in the eternally changing flow of things as they are. There is no definitive end state. There is only the continuous process of waking fully to each changing moment of being. Everything becomes an end in-and-of itself as it rises and falls, ebbs and flows, wakes and sleeps, lives and dies, etc, etc, into eternity.
Practices
I won't expand much on my practices yet, but I will say that they arise from the principles and that they are all interconnected with one another. Meditation, mindfulness, moderation, compassion, and gratitude express everything necessary to cultivate both an ethical understanding as well as the foundation for lasting happiness and contentment.
Thanks for taking time to read this. I would appreciate any feedback and reflections on my spiritual philosophy. Take it easy!
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