This and That
Reflections on Buddhism and Zhuang
Zi
Rawley Creed Confesses
Sensual pleasure
Who captivates my interest?
How to evoke the shattering of the
psyche
Theoretical history of apophaticism
What is a mystic?
The advantage of doubt
Is evil a plausible notion?
Not to reify the divinity
Gain and loss
Emotional appeal
Divinity = hyperconductivity?
Reflections on Buddhism and Zhuang Zi
In his excellent book, Tibetan Buddhism In Western Perspective, Herbert Guenther has a chapter entitled "The Levels of Understanding in Buddhism." Here he writes:
"The actual process of spiritual development and maturation, however, begins when the individual feels necessitated to change his outlook. It is at this moment that again three different cognitive situations can be distinguished. These three situations are: first to think about the goal, then to apprehend it and thereby to be in a more intimate contact with it, and finally to have a clear view and knowledge of it in a purely non-conceptual manner."
Later Guenther provides the comments of Padma-dkar-po:
"At the beginner's stage there is only discursiveness; at the stage of interested practice there is the apprehension of reality in a general way; at the final stage there is pure intuition. Since through it there is no chance that doubts will not be destroyed, it is the attainment of what is called the dispelling of doubts from within, independent of syntactically formulated sentences." (pages 64, 65)
This dispelling of doubts is the reaching of enlightenment, and is something that makes the Buddhist spirituality something different from the spirituality of Zhuang Zi.
In Buddhism, realizing enlightenment is implicitly, if not explicitly, valued as an attainment that has absolute worth. Another way of stating this is to say that the value of enlightenment, when reached, is recognized with finality; when attained there remains no doubt in the adept's mind regarding the absolute validity of this accomplishment.
For Zhuang Zi, a brilliant apophatic, the aim of the adept is simply to respond to the changes of her world with optimal efficacy within any particular context. And even this relative (contextually dependent) goal is given only provisional validity. Putting a higher value on anything is always held subject to doubt. In Zhuang Zi there is no metaphysical finality (ding). There is always a possibility for further doubt. (bu zhi: not knowing anything for sure.) For Zhuang Zi the constant potential for doubt is essential to the generation of "de" (creative power)
Having two such contrasting attitudes toward doubt predisposes the respective adepts of the two traditions to an attainment of two quite different modes of spiritual sensitivity.
Rawley Creed confesses his belief system:
"Regarding agnosticism, and any other
forms of knowing and not knowing, believing and disbelieving:
Unlike deists, I see no compelling reason to believe that a supernatural
order exists.
Unlike atheists, I see no compelling reason to rule out the existence
of a supernatural order.
Other than the undeniability of my awareness of my existing, I
see no compelling reason to believe or disbelieve that anything
else is factual.
I pray fervently, something agnostics don't do.
I am simply a pragmatic, responding to a world of phenomena, basing
my responses on the results from my previous responses, expecting
anything or nothing to happen next."
"The enigma in the sensual pleasure of esthetic appearance is that despite its attraction, it has so little to do with experiencing the intimacy within this very moment, the primordial passion of simply being here, an enjoyment that continually lies hidden but everywhere, an exquisite thread running unbridled, wonderfully amok, coursing resplendently through the fabric of this world." Rawley Creed
Whenever I put aside my pre-judgments and am able to look intimately within another being, I invariably see mirrors of myself. I recognize myself, my deepest motives and aspirations, my joys and fears, within each of these others. On these rare occasions there is no one who does not captivate my interest. In these uncanny moments there is no creature I dislike.
How to evoke the shattering of the psyche
If you think you would benefit from psychic shattering, a relatively dangerous spiritual process, here is one way it can be done:
Have someone reliable who can understand you and listen to what you need to discuss before and after the experience. This should be a person who is a good listener, not someone who acts like a guru. This should also be someone who will not be afraid to suggest that you get expert help if you become too disorganized after the shattering.
Lay down on a table belly up, with pillows under your head, knees and other places that may need support so that you can be completely relaxed. This is to be almost floating. Be in a darkened room with a background of silence or barely audible music playing with a repetitive chant or rhythm. Or the sound of falling water.
Have someone place their hands lightly (they should use pillows to support their limbs so that they are comfortable and not placing too much pressure on you) on various parts of your body for periods of five to ten minutes, moving from place to place. If you have done Reiki you will know this experience, but knowing Reiki is definitely not necessary for you or your helper.
The above is to be done for 40 to 50 minutes, and will produce a semi-dream state, you will probably go in and out of sleep. The intermittent placing of hands on your body will keep you from going into a deep sleep. You don't have to be perfectly still, and can give the person feedback if the places they put their hands, the position you are in, etc., are making you uncomfortable.
During the ritual, make periodic intentions that petition whoever (sacred animals, gods, spirit guides, God, ancestors, archetypal beings, your inner light, etc.) to give you an huge shift in spiritual direction and to clear away anything that is keeping you from accelerated progress. Use visualization, perhaps of your guides, if that is a common practice for you.
You might notice that you don't ask for "shattering" per se, for you may not be ready for the disintegration of key parts of your personality. In that case, if you are lucky you may be prevented from having it happen if you are not ready. But that is not guaranteed, if you ask for something huge, you may very likely get it ready or not.
Theoretical history of apophaticism
In their experience of being conscious of this world of phenomena, the apophatic mystics found through empirical exploration, that one particular type of experience of theirs was profound. The experience was extremely rich, comforting, and often joyous. They noted that what seemed to be in several aspects similar to this experience, had been identified by the term "God" by other experimenters. (This "God" was said to have created all experience everywhere.)
The apophatics experimented further and discovered something quite useful about their data. The singular experience could be greatly enhanced by not identifying it is as anything specific, neither God, nor atheism, nor anything else. In other words, by forgetting "this or that," whatever it was manifested itself with the most compelling power.
Everyone more or less has mystical ability. Perhaps it is useful to call someone a mystic when their mystical ability can be reliably summoned whenever it is needed.
This mystic is a person who has a clear visceral sense of the mystical dynamic, a palpable presence in the body which Tibetan mystics have called "the wish-fulfilling jewel." This subtle dynamic is ubiquitous in the flow of the world we inhabit, a world inside and outside the skin. The dynamic is analogous to a fulcrum. Holding to the fulcrum, by a keen inner sense of its continual presence, the mystic summons what appear to be spontaneous transformations within any particular situation. Such changes obtain fruition; the mystic, as Zhuang Zi says, "brings a springtime from every situation."
The mystic's seemingly effortless summoning
of fruition is sometimes called grace. Daoists call the dynamic
fulcrum "the trigger of the dao."
Not being sure of anything gives you the perceptual freedom to observe exactly what is going on in this moment; and to respond to this moment on that basis alone. Perceptual freedom is the mother of congruence; it allows us to be accurate to the task at hand.
I think it is worth reflecting on why some folks believe that the idea of "good and evil" is plausible. Indeed all of us probably carry this mistaken burden at some deeper level of awareness.
The belief in a dual moral order is often called manichaeanism. There has probably been a "manichaean" moral sense of the world ever since humans became conscious beings. The religious term "manichaean" comes from the name of an ancient sect founded by a fellow named Mani. Mani started a religion which was primarily based on the idea of good and evil.
Manichaeanism is good for people who need to construct what they mistakenly believe is a "rational" order for the world they experience. People who join manichaean sects are likely to be folks who have endured immense spiritual suffering. They need to find a rational reason for this suffering. If they thought that they might be responsible for their continued suffering, the discovery of that information would initially make them suffer more. Hence, they "don't go there."
These folks do not realize that spiritual suffering and spiritual contentment are spiritual conditions which can be placed entirely under the control of the individual. They mistakenly think that if they are held responsible for their spiritual suffering, then they will/should be blamed for their suffering. They confuse "blame" and "sin" with responsibility. They need to see evil in the world, for they see no other acceptable reason for the suffering they endure. They are too spiritually weak to take responsibility for their condition.
Incidentally, it does not make sense to blame these people for not taking responsibility for their suffering, for they do not realize that it is possible to continually generate contentment no matter what happens.
The need these folks have to continue to blame outside forces for what is happening to them is another reason why they are fond of the concept of "evil." Evil is an especially handy word to have at your disposal if you want to condemn another person. It very handily excuses any obligation to be kind to people you don't like.
The world will never be cured of manichaeanism. But individuals who want to find what the mystics of many different religious traditions call "sovereign contentment," need to seek the cure for this spiritual disease.
"Here we pray God that we might be free of God." Meister Eckhart
An apophatic view of this world assumes that we can't know anything for sure beyond direct conscious experience. We cannot even be sure there is anything beyond our individual experience. Therefore the apophatic mystic does not employ words to establish the purported existence of any independently existing reality. In theological terms, she does not "reify" anything.
The apophatic uses words only to describe and to then enhance experience. Words that would be used to describe anything that cannot be directly experienced, are useless to the apophatic. To the apophatic "divinity" is an experienced divinity, not an independent entity whose nature can be ascertained and defined, but not experineced, by humans.
For the apophatic, all words used to describe "reality" are simply metaphors. They describe experiences of something that cannot be known to independently exist. Words help us convey to one another what we are experiencing, or to propose a phenomenon which we could potentially be experiencing.
To say the divinity is viscerally experienced, is not to claim that there is an independent human body, nor is it to claim there is an independently existing divinity. "Viscerally experienced" is simply a metaphor used to describe and communicate the feeling of an experience. To communicate the idea that something is "viscerally experienced" is to communicate an experience, not to claim the independent reality of the human body.
To claim that the divinity is "beyond visceral and mental experience," is to claim nothing that is meaningful to an apophatic. (Such a claim is meaningful for a fundamentalist.)
In the darkness of knowing nothing for sure, the apophatic experiences the radiant manifestation of the divine experience; this unconditional love is a quite ordinary experience to her.
What fills the mystic is Love. In this context, the effects of good fortune and disaster are not nearly sufficient to rock the foundations of her soul. She celebrates and suffers, she gives and obtains blessings from both experiences. Both gain and loss are healing (making whole) experiences. Both taking and giving are precious gifts when Love pervades all of one's perceptions.
Emotional appeal
To get all the help you want from a spirit guide simply make an
emotional appeal to her. It may be wise not to make it too strong,
to start with, for she may give you more help than you are ready
for. My experience is that my ego, with its beloved karmic habits,
does not usually like the advice that my spirit guide gives, which
is a clear indication that the advice is right on the mark.
Is the divinity best characterized as a supernatural entity, or is it better characterized as a hyperconductivity of natural phenomena? To the pragmatic it makes no difference, at least philosophically. For the pragmatic the only thing that matters is obtaining the result she/he intends. The pragmatic will go with whichever characterization brings the best results.
The hidden road
The hidden road ahead lies ever within inscrutable flux. Currents of life wrought from a complexity of forces makes any of my hopes refractory to guesswork. But the sacred road here under my foot becomes crystalline just as I rest my presence within its moment. The uncanny clearness of this realized moment nurtures the soul and summons a continual blessing from the opaque mystery of the unknown.
Hi Bao Pu
Imo
The daoist's only intention is to "yang de." In order to yang de (cultivate/nurture an uncannily creative power) one has to "wang" (forget). Wang (forgetting) does not mean eliminating all knowledge. It means subordinating/suspending conscious discursive thought. Bu zhi (not knowing) means eliminating all notions of "final (ding) knowledge". "Bu zhi" means I don't consciously know what I had better do next, and I have no absolute conclusions about what is the best thing to do with my life (or any life). This includes that, unlike the Christians, Buddhists, Jews, and Islamists, I do not know the ultimate meaning of life.
Therefore I have not absolutely decided that preserving life is what I want to do. I have not decided that not preserving life is what I want to do. With this liberation from ideology I can flow very effectively with whatever comes my way. (yin ziran ) This might mean preserving my life, might mean giving it up, might mean wasting it with alcohol, etc.
To yang de I must have no a priori conclusions and no single intentions dominating my consciousness. In order to yang de , I must even forget(wang) the idea that yang de is what I best do. And I must eliminate any idea that yang de is the ultimate goal. (It is not to be ultimately valued like the Buddha mind's finality of realization)
The "no way" (wu dao) Zhuang Zi's man used in the whirlpool escape, was executed by forgetting (wang) about escaping.
Raymond