tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127445009216853825.post5454358653365597626..comments2023-10-19T06:29:46.906-04:00Comments on A Seeking Heart: Ceaseless Craving, Invincible SustenanceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127445009216853825.post-35451637947630332402009-03-11T02:14:00.000-04:002009-03-11T02:14:00.000-04:00Okay, I'm back. Great response to my questions.I ...Okay, I'm back. Great response to my questions.<BR/><BR/>I think I see the search for truth or salvation or enlightenment as a delicate dance between the internal and the external, each always leading to and necessitating the other. That Buddha found enlightenment while sitting alone does not discount the community he had enjoyed up to that point. Perhaps it is just as likely that he could have achieved Nirvana while cleaning a friend's dishes or feeding a hungry stranger. At least, it doesn't seem unlikely to me.<BR/><BR/>I agree that the internal search is important, and intimidating - I remember that we spoke once of the 'chaos'. (And that chaos is multiplied when it is the lens by which we view others, who act out of their own chaos.) There seems to be Truth available to us, if only we'll be still long enough for the chaos to settle, but we rarely do, like a huge snow globe that we keep shaking so that we can't see what's inside.<BR/><BR/>That's all for tonight. Good discussion. Many thoughts.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10110656680614930816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127445009216853825.post-70450951951457023472009-03-10T17:46:00.000-04:002009-03-10T17:46:00.000-04:00Thanks for the thoughtful response Ker! I'm looki...Thanks for the thoughtful response Ker! I'm looking forward to giving you some follow-up thoughts soon. In the meantime, here's a really interesting 15-minute radio piece that is a bit of a rabbit trail from your post, but very interesting nonetheless. The video is amazing once you've listened to the piece!<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2009/03/09/mischel%E2%80%99s-marshmallows/" REL="nofollow">Radio Lab: Delayed Gratification</A>Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10110656680614930816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127445009216853825.post-79344855478589113782009-03-07T15:19:00.000-05:002009-03-07T15:19:00.000-05:00Thanks James! Glad you enjoyed your cinnamon roll,...Thanks James! Glad you enjoyed your cinnamon roll, just the mere thought of it ignites my own cravings...frick :)<BR/><BR/>In response to your first question, I'd have to say that we don't find what we're looking for when we look in the wrong places (that's nothing more than common sense). Looking inside of ourselves is often the last place we look in our search for God. We look to books, we look to religious leaders, we look to each other, and we look to doctrine. And while all of these places offer cues as to who God is, the words and the doctrine themselves are not God. They may be "living words," but they are not the living Being. <BR/><BR/>And I think part of the reason we do not go inward to find God is indeed cultural. I think some cultures, particularly those which focus on contemplation and meditation, encourage the exploration of the inner-self to find the divine. But I also think that in large part, the search for God inside of ourselves is really scary and intimidating. What if we don't find Him? What WILL we find if we look? Most of what we will find is not pretty. As we unearth the mud in our search for Gold, we realize we are needy, judgmental, worrying, untrusting, lustful, fearful, wounded, and so on. And this makes us stop searching inward because as we recognize our flaws (and our humaness), we are convinced that the Divine could not exist amidst all this errancy. So we stop looking and the separation between God and ourselves remains intact. <BR/><BR/>Additionally, I think we're fearful of the understanding that the Divine is within us. I mean, shit, what would that mean if our inner light was God. We would probably have to act differently, because any action in contrast to the divine would shadow that Light. And who wants to be held solely responsible for providing that shadow?<BR/><BR/>I truly believe, however, that if we push through that fear, and keep peeling back the layers of ourselves, we will find our true inner-beings and, therefore, God. <BR/><BR/>In response to your second question, I think yes and no. Yes, we can be truly fulfilled without community, but, no, I do not think we're supposed to live a life of solitude. Buddha achieved enlightenment by sitting alone in the forest, BUT then he returned to a monastery and spent the next 25 years serving as a community leader. <BR/><BR/>Community can be a huge component of our search inward because our interactions (whether good or bad) with each other teach us about ourselves. And by sharing in the knowledge, wisdom, and experiences of others, we are allowed to think about OWN knowledge, wisdom, and experiences. And this can help the "unearthing" process. I also think community brings us joy and I think joy is essential to the spirit. I think a distinction between joy and pleasure, however, must be made. Pleasure stems from the satisfaction of cravings, JOY stems from the holiness of LOVE. And ff community allows us an outlet to share our love for each other (and the divine), then we have also taken a step closer to God. <BR/><BR/>What do YOU think my friend? :)Kerry Dochertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03883794160530334739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127445009216853825.post-50432241784817270942009-03-07T03:52:00.000-05:002009-03-07T03:52:00.000-05:00Great post Ker! It makes me rethink that cinnamon...Great post Ker! It makes me rethink that cinnamon roll I just killed :)<BR/><BR/>Two questions that I've wondered about came up again as I read this: One, If everything we need is inside of ourselves, why do so few people seem to find it? Do you think it's just cultural? And Two, Does this mean that we could be truly fulfilled without community?<BR/><BR/>I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on these!Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10110656680614930816noreply@blogger.com