Guest guest Posted May 12, 2003 Report Share Posted May 12, 2003 There is a road going nowhere. Some say it goes to Shangri-La, some say to Nirvana. The road is paved with words and on those words ride the four vehicles: faith, devotion, study and investigation. Faith comes first because on hearing of the destination, we must believe there is such a place, and that the road will take us there. Most, at this point hop on a train called devotion and hope the train will take them along with ease and comfort. Few take to studying the sacred books, and fewer still to investigation. But it’s only investigation that will dismantle the whole structure, which supports suffering. We must thoroughly understand how language has created a value system, which shackles to sorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 Pete, Did you write this yourself? For some reason I assumed you had cut and pasted it from elsewhere, or copied it from a book or something, just to pass it on as food for thought... If you did, in fact, write it yourself, very nicely written! Toby > > Bill Rishel [sMTP:plexus] > Tuesday, May 13, 2003 8:08 PM > Nisargadatta > RE: A Road Leading Nowhere > > Pete, > > My golly-gosh-darn. I'm impressed! > > This is very lucid and right on the mark. > You excell so as the Master of Merriment > and Wit that it is quite breathtaking to > behold this other side of you. > > Regarding the content: > Just today I saw something on the SufiMystic list > about mantras and was reflecting on how some people > seem to think there is a magical power in the > mantra itself and don't get the obvious point that > the constant repetition serves to tie up the > languaging part of the brain and to minimize the > mischief it can do. The point you are making is so > fundamental, and I have not known how to express > it. I've always been daunted at the notion of > expressing the tyrrany of words " in words " . And yet > you have done just that in this piece. Bravo! > > As for the lucid elegance of your writing, the > steady even build to a resounding final > statement... absolutely masterful! You have said > something very deep and profound, and yet in such a > way as to be accessible to a very wide reading > audience. This quality of what you have written > here is especially admirable in my view. > > Finally, I cannot end without commenting on one > particular juicy tidbit in your piece. You say: > " We must clearly see how the inordinate value > placed on words such as pleasure, and fun creates > suffering. " > Perhaps it is just my privae hallucination, but I > expect that for many who read this it will be very > difficult to truly grasp what you have said. I > think for many it will be hard to grasp that you > are *not* saying that pleasure is dangerous but > that the *word* 'pleasure' is dangerous. There is > absolutely nothing wrong with pleasure, desire, > even lust. There is nothing wrong with anything > under Heaven. It is words that are the manacles of > misery. But as words also become the spectacles of > perception, it can be difficult to see the source > of distortion. How does the languaging brain come > to see that *it* is the source of confusion? How > does its dominance ever come to be quelled in favor > of openness, presence, Light? Hence the need for > mantras in cases I suppose. > > Again, Bravo! > And Encore! > > -Bill > > PS: Am taking liberty of posting this to > SufiMystic. Maybe I'm psychic, because I seem to > sense your approving nod. > > > > Juansi Nulo [Juansi2] > Monday, May 12, 2003 10:26 AM > direct > Cc: nisar > A Road Leading Nowhere > > > There is a road going nowhere. Some say it goes to > Shangri-La, some say to Nirvana. > > The road is paved with words and on those words > ride the four vehicles: faith, devotion, study and > investigation. > > Faith comes first because on hearing of the > destination, we must believe there is such a place, > and that the road will take us there. Most, at this > point hop on a train called devotion and hope the > train will take them along with ease and comfort. > Few take to studying the sacred books, and fewer > still to investigation. But it> '> s only investigation > that will dismantle the whole structure, which > supports suffering. We must thoroughly understand > how language has created a value system, which > shackles to sorrow. > > We must clearly see how the inordinate value placed > on words such as pleasure, and fun creates > suffering. Somehow, in our pleasure oriented > culture a sense of duty has crept into the word> > fun. Having fun has almost become mandatory, not > having fun seems almost disgraceful, and having fun > is now another status symbol to strive for. We > don> '> t realize to what extend this attitude has sunk > into our psyche creating a pervasive restlessness, > a constant mental shifting of position to seek the > illusive ghost of comfort. Not even spirituality is > immune from pleasure seeking, many on finding bliss > become spiritual sensualists, always chasing the > next spiritual experience fix. For these people > Nirvana or Heaven is a spiritual Disneyland. > Ecstasy, and even love become just another ride to > squeal about. > > Few ever question why they have given words the > power to hurt or please. Why should a certain word > give offence and, provoke anger, and another give > praise, and provoke pleasure. Few ever realize that > by believing that words have intrinsic value they > have placed themselves at the mercy of others, > given even to strangers the power to hurt them. We > need to deeply question this naïve faith in the > magic of words in order to free ourselves from > suffering. > > Another word that has acquired mythical value in > our culture is > '> action.> '> Few questions the > compulsion to be active, to be on the go, to always > have something to do. Hardly anyone doubts that > there is an actor inside their heads and that they > have control over their actions. It is only when we > examine and see through this scaffolding of > motivating words that keeps alive the illusion of > an independent self that a deep rest sets in. In > this deep rest, we realize there is nothing left to > do. Nirvana, Heaven, whatever will come, when it > comes, if it comes. Suffering has ended because > without the value that words give, gaining and > loosing have no power to hurt. The road we traveled > leads nowhere because without the divisive power of > words Shangri-La is everywhere. > > > Best wishes, > > > > Pete > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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