IN A WORLD that is buckling under the weight of profit-making, that is overrun by the destructive sirens of techno-science and the power-hunger of globalization - that new brand of slavery - beyond all that, Friendship exists, Love exists.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1998
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Eternal Return
What if some day or night a demon were to steal after you in your loneliest loneliness and say to you:
"This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence—even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again—and you with it, speck of dust!"
Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus?
Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: "You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine!"
F. Nietzsche
"This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence—even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again—and you with it, speck of dust!"
Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus?
Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: "You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine!"
F. Nietzsche
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
About Now
Spirituality
"Spirituality is a particular term, which actually means, our dealing with intuition. In the theosophy tradition there's a notion of clinging into a word. A certain act is regarded as displeasing to divine principals and certain act is regarded as pleasing for the divine... whatever.
In the tradition of non-theosophism, however, it is very direct that the case history [sic] are not particularly important. What is actually important is the "Here" and "Now".
"Now" is definitely now. We try to experience what is available there, on the spot. There's no point in thinking that the past that exists, that we could have now.
This is "Now".
This very moment.
Nothing mystical, just "Now", very simple straightforward.... and from that "nowness" however, arises a sense of intelligence, always, that you are constantly interacting with the reality, one by one, spot by spot, constantly. We actually experience fantastic precision, always.
But, we are threatened by the "Now" so, we jump to the past or the future. Paying attention to the materials that exist in our life; such a rich life that we lead.
All these choices take place all the time but none of them are regarded as 'bad' or 'good per se. Everything we experience are unconditional experience(s). They don't come along with a label by saying "this is regarded as 'bad', this is 'good' but, we experience them but, we don't actually pay heed to them, properly. We don't actually regard that as we're going somewhere. We regard them as a hassle, waiting to be dead.
So that's the problem.
And that (problem) is not trusting the 'nowness', probably, but is actually experienced. "Now" possesses a lot of powerful things. It is so powerful that we can't face it therefore, we have to borrow from the past and invite the future all the time.
Maybe that's why we seek religion. Maybe that's why we march in the street. Maybe that's why we complain to society. Maybe that's why we vote for the presidents'. It's quite ironic though and very funny indeed."
- Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Lecture in Los Angeles (1983)
"Spirituality is a particular term, which actually means, our dealing with intuition. In the theosophy tradition there's a notion of clinging into a word. A certain act is regarded as displeasing to divine principals and certain act is regarded as pleasing for the divine... whatever.
In the tradition of non-theosophism, however, it is very direct that the case history [sic] are not particularly important. What is actually important is the "Here" and "Now".
"Now" is definitely now. We try to experience what is available there, on the spot. There's no point in thinking that the past that exists, that we could have now.
This is "Now".
This very moment.
Nothing mystical, just "Now", very simple straightforward.... and from that "nowness" however, arises a sense of intelligence, always, that you are constantly interacting with the reality, one by one, spot by spot, constantly. We actually experience fantastic precision, always.
But, we are threatened by the "Now" so, we jump to the past or the future. Paying attention to the materials that exist in our life; such a rich life that we lead.
All these choices take place all the time but none of them are regarded as 'bad' or 'good per se. Everything we experience are unconditional experience(s). They don't come along with a label by saying "this is regarded as 'bad', this is 'good' but, we experience them but, we don't actually pay heed to them, properly. We don't actually regard that as we're going somewhere. We regard them as a hassle, waiting to be dead.
So that's the problem.
And that (problem) is not trusting the 'nowness', probably, but is actually experienced. "Now" possesses a lot of powerful things. It is so powerful that we can't face it therefore, we have to borrow from the past and invite the future all the time.
Maybe that's why we seek religion. Maybe that's why we march in the street. Maybe that's why we complain to society. Maybe that's why we vote for the presidents'. It's quite ironic though and very funny indeed."
- Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Lecture in Los Angeles (1983)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)