Abu Sa’id Ibn Abi’l-Khayer

I like this reading and especially the part about the souls. “Four thousand years before God created these bodies, he created the souls.” I haven’t every heard this before but it is interesting to think about it that way. Giving people a deeper connection of brotherhood before this body. That when we were without bodies we were connected and friends. We are all still connected even though we now live apart. Thinking in this manner can give a deeper connection to you and other people around the world a common love for god therefore for each other. We should all speak well of each other, we must show the same face to all, to bring joy to a single heart is better than to build many shrines of worship. I liked this example of brotherhood and how regardless of our differences we are all the same and we all need to show compassion to everyone.

Huang Po

So I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out these readings about the “Original Mind” “pure mind” and getting rid of conceptual thought the whole time reading and getting more confused about how that is done. You can’t think about it or seek it or even know it. It is all extremely confusing for me and it is starting to get repetitive. Although, I really enjoyed the analogy of the warrior looking for his pearl and that simple thing helped me figure some of this out. He could look everywhere forever and not find it because it is on his own forehead, which he cannot see. “But if someone simply pointed it out to him he would immediately realize that the pearl had been there all the time” That put the search for enlightenment that way it seems to make more sense to me, or at list as much as it can for me. I was wondering if we need someone else to show us or if it could be known without some one showing you.
I also enjoyed the part about your true nature and how it is never lost, even if you are in moments of delusion. It can never die and it shines through the universe. I liked that thought so its there even if I don’t understand it and live in a more permanent delusional life. “It does exist, but in a way too marvelous for us to see”

Albert Einstein

I know that we all grew up learning that Albert Einstein was a brilliant man, but I think this was the first time that I every got to experience his great mind through my own reading. This was great. I really liked they way that he explained that when you are no longer awed by this universe you might as well be dead. Its true that even with as much as science has taught us there are still so many things that just blow you away with amazement. And I love the mystery of things. That is one of my favorite parts about being a parent is watching my children be completely amazed with things that have become so normal to me that I forget how amazing they are, things like why trees grow or the fantastic way that flowers blow in the wind, my daughter spent an hour today picking up and looking at different kinds of rocks, she really studied everything about them how they felt, the sound they made when she dropped them, their size, shape and weight. Watching my children experience these things for the first time reminds me to appreciate this amazing world and remember the existence of the mystical, those things that I am usually too busy to notice. I also liked they way that he gave us our task and I think that I will try to live like that more “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living beings of nature.” It seems like a simpler task to expand our circle of compassion instead of saying we need to be liberated from ourselves.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Although there was quite a bit of this reading that I didn’t understand (at least to the extent that he meant it) I really enjoyed it. The part were he said that man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present was another good reminder for me. Especially now with everything that is going on and I have this feeling of complete overwhelm its good to sit back relax and enjoy today with out thinking about the things you have to do tomorrow or the mistakes we made yesterday. Really enjoy today and LIVE. It’s hard to do. “There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.” I don’t agree completely that we should forget about history or past. I think that it is helpful to the soul to learn from history and from ancestors, to learn about their mistakes, and their accomplishments. I agree that we should not live in shame or be afraid to say “I think” or “I am”. I think that our history shapes who we are but it doesn’t have to be a trap that means that is who we have to be. If we use our past and our history to really enjoy this life history is good. I also think that we need to live mindful of the future, not only ours but the future of this earth and of our children.
I also got a lot out of the sentence: “Crime and punishment grow out of one stem. Punishment is a fruit that unsuspected ripens within the flower of the pleasure which concealed it.” I have never really thought about cause and effect this way or about the laws of nature for that matter. I have always had knowledge of “what goes around comes around” but never really thought of it that way. I really like the way he put that.

The Hermetic Writings

This reading was different. I don’t think that it common for people to say in order to know god you must make yourself equal to god. I think that most religions focus on how god is greater than, the almighty, and the creator of everything, and we are just human. How can you be expected to become equal to God. Is he saying that you can’t really know god because as a human we can’t make ourselves equal to god. We can’t (most of us humans anyway) Realize that nothing is impossible, or that we too are immortal, understand that we are everywhere. It would be great if we could just realize that and become everything and be equal to God. But if we are all equal to god than is there a God? Lots to think about in this reading. Then it changes to say that the path to god is an easy road to travel. Realizing that I am death and life at the same time doesn’t sound easy to me. Maybe I am just tiered. I did like how he said “he will appear to you everywhere at times and places when you don’t expect it, for there is nothing in which god does not exist” “God made all things so that through all things you can see him.”

Maximus of Tyre

I enjoyed this short reading. It was specific and to the point. What I got out of this reading is that it shouldn’t matter what or how people are inspired by god. Or what they use to remind them of god's existence whether they use art or idols or pictures it really doesn't matter. Because god is unnamable and there is no way to describe him people need a description they need a visual to have in their head when praying and worshiping some way to focus their energy to god. So they will fashion one. Weather it is in their mind or out of gold. It all to the benefit of reminding them of god and giving them something to picture. I got the impression that Maximus was telling people that it didn’t matter to what idol or inspiration people gave their worship that it was all for the same god, “the father and fashioner of all that is, older than the sun or the sky, greater than time and eternity and all the flow of being.”
“I have no anger for their divergences. Only let them know, let them love, let them remember.” You can’t tell someone how to believe, how to worship or how to have faith. They may do it your way but is it much more powerful and meaningful when they really believe it and it comes from inside that person.

Rumi
There were many parts of this reading that I enjoyed and agreed with and I enjoyed this one very much.
The first passage about talking to the embryo and trying to explain the beautiful world to someone who hasn’t experienced it. I think this is a great way of looking at people in all situations that you can talk about something as much as you want and tray to explain it to someone but it is difficult or sometimes impossible for them to picture it until they themselves have experienced it. They think you are crazy and you think they are blind. You are both just seeing and experiencing things from different view points.

The second part that I enjoyed is the part were Moses told the Shepard that they way that he was praying to God was wrong and God told Moses that it didn’t matter how someone talked or prayed to God that there was no wrong way to pray that God looks deeper than the words and inside the person for the humility and all he hears is praise. What a great thought that the way we pray can’t be wrong it is the right way if we believe it. “The Love Religion has no doctrine. Only God”
I also really enjoyed the part about beauty. “It is not the form of Laila that I love. Laila is not in the form. You are looking at the cup, whereas I think only of the wine I drink form that cup. Passion is present when a man can distinguish between the wine and the container.” This is one of the most beautiful passages about looking for the inner beauty in someone that I have every read. How great it would be if we could all see the wine and not the container.

Muhammad
I didn't really enjoy this reading as much as some of the others. It really was just another explanation of God. I agree that it is a very similar explanation that the other western religions have for God. And it is interesting to look at the similarities of theses religions since we usually look only at the differences. All this time they have all been talking about and worshiping the same God, who knew? But to me that was all the reading was. In the other readings that we have looked at there seemed to be more truth and meaning and basic guidelines for living life to the fullest, for finding a deeper happiness and inner peace. I enjoyed the readings that I can apply to my own life and I couldn't really get anything out of this one. Except for the reminder that God is in everything, that he made everything and that when you know yourself you know God. Maybe I missed something in this one.

Pai-Chang

PAI-CHANG
I loved the short and sweet version of things. This passage really says all that needs to be said. Lets just keep it simple we don’t need to confuse our minds with literal descriptions of “God” because there are none, words are too limited and the enlightened mind cannot be explained. This short passage is one of the best examples that I have heard of the enlightened mind and the Buddha nature. Most reading confuse me and make my head spin thinking and thinking and trying to pull out meaning making things more complicated than they are. I just want to say OUCH Because how can it be important if its not complicated. This one is just there another reminder that the enlightened mind is the original mind and that all of the words teachings and descriptions only confuse things more. Like in yoga when you quiet all of your thoughts and let go of all things taught that is when you can become enlightened. It comes from inside you nowhere else. Just your realization that the mind is perfect. “You are simply free from delusion and unreality.” “Be a lamp to yourself. Be your own confidence. Hold on to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth.” The Buddha. I can always come back to that quote.

TZU-SSU

TZU_SSU

I really enjoyed this reading. Like some of the others that we have read I like the ones that remind us the we have everything that we need inside ourselves and that we cannot escape our nature. We just need to act sincerely in accordance to our nature and stop trying to fight it or change it that is what creates conflict you cant fight your nature. Can you? We spend most of our lives seeking the greater “afterlife” that we often forget to live in harmony with nature and enjoy life. The readings that really mean something to me are the ones like this that remind us to live simpler and show us that we have everything that we need inside us already. And when we fail we need to look into ourselves to find out the why we failed and that maybe it wasn’t something we did wrong but only our definition of failure that was wrong and needs to change. I also liked the quote that “he makes sure that his own conduct is correct and seeks nothing from others; thus he is never disappointed. He has no complaints against heaven and no blame toward other people” Culturally we measure success by comparing what other people have and we find ourselves always disappointed and wanting something more or different but if we lived and acted by our own individual values and followed our own hearts desires and rules that is when we truly feel successful. “The mature person pays attention to what is happening in his inmost self” How many of us actually do this why don’t we trust our own judgment. Why are we constantly looking for someone else to tell us how to be? As this reading said we already know we just have to pay attention.

Dogen

Dogen

This explanation of the practice of meditation was the simplest and best that I have ever read. Meditation is not to learn something new or to become enlightened. It is used to quiet your mind get rid of all passing thoughts and bring it back to the beginners mind. Like Shunryu Suzuki said, “Our original mind includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within its self”
Meditation seems so simple but it is extremely difficult to let your thoughts come and go and not get involved with them. I can’t even read a book, watch a movie or write this paper without getting involved with my thoughts.
I like how he said if you can’t find the truth where you are where else do you think you will find it. It seems like everyone is always looking for someone else to give them the answers or the truth how powerful would it be if we could realize that it is already inside us.

The Buddha

I really enjoyed this reading from Buddha. He takes things down to such a pure and simple level. “When you realize something is unwholesome and bad for you give it up. And when you realize that something is wholesome and good for you do it.” It would be so nice if everyone could just live that way. I also liked that he said “Do not be lead by holly scriptures” why do we feel we need to complicate the simplest things by adding religious laws and rules? Why do we need someone else to tell us what is wholesome and what is not? Each of us already knows this deep inside ourselves. We are taught to doubt ourselves and that we need to follow someone else’s religion. I have always felt that religion and faith were things that were very personal that cannot be regulated by anyone else but you.
“Be a lamp to yourself. Be your own confidence. Hold on to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth.”

I also liked the part about the man crossing the river. I agree that we should use “truths” to help us through a point and only apply them at that point and then let them go. So many times people try to apply truths to all aspects of life or force their teachings onto other people out of context even when it no longer applies or doesn’t even make sense. “A reasonable man will realize that the raft has been useful to him in crossing the river and arriving safely on the other shore, but that once he has arrived, it is proper to leave the raft behind and walk on with out it.

Shmelke of Nikolsburg

“How do we deal with the wicked-the torturer, the rapist, the terrorist, the child molester?”
Question: “We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourself. How can I do this if my neighbor has wronged me?”
I think that this reading brings out one of the biggest questions that humanity has a question that according to this Rabbi has only one answer “Love your neighbor like something which you yourself are. For all souls are one.”
I am not sure that it can bee that black and white. I have heard of many people who have struggled with the concept of how can I love my neighbor when he has wronged me? No one really knows hoe they will react if someone wrongs them, their family or their children. Even the most religious people the law abiding citizens who have complete faith in God will sometimes take matters of justice into their own hands forgetting that “if you punish him, you only hurt yourself.” They forget their faith, their God and themselves.
But if people truly believed that it would hurt them to punish then would we have laws, jails and punishments at all? Could society function without these things? Would or could people really love and forgive the people who wronged them without man’s justice? Forgiveness is another extremely difficult process for people and I think that people in general need to know that the “evil” people will be punished in this life. Anyway this reading really brought up all of my questions about forgiveness and the whole concept of love thy neighbor. I know that this has always been a question, and that there will always be many different exceptions to the love thy neighbor rule.

Philo

“Today” means boundless and inexhaustible eternity. Periods of months and years and of time in general are ideas of men, who calculate by number; but the true name of eternity is today.”
These words really hit home for me. It seems that in my life and in our culture we are all living for tomorrow. Always putting off that trip until we have more money. Saying to the kids we will play later mommy is busy now. Never spending enough time with friends and family because there is work that needs to be done. I am always trying to remind myself: Live for today. Enjoy every minute. Life is short. But it never seems to work and I find myself at the end of the day or the week or the months asking myself were did the time go. If I keep up like that life will be over in a flash. I want to enjoy my life. Get to know my parents better before they are gone, and really play with my kids more. That is they way this reading took my thoughts.

I also enjoyed the part about his super abundant wealth in nature, more than enough for as many as wish to profit from it and that every soul the he created has goodness in it. This is also something that needs to be remembered. When there is too much bad news in a day its hard to remember that every one has goodness in them, and that the goal of wisdom is laughter and play. This reading gave me a lot to think about on how I spend my time, how I tolerate others and do I “play” enough. I am sure that I will read this piece again and again. When I am feeling overwhelmed and lost.

CHIEF SEATTLE (1786-1866)

CHIEF SEATTLE (1786-1866)

The first time I read this I thought to my self how sad that these great people are just giving up and saying goodbye agreeing to live on reservations because they had no other choice. They had lost so many in the wars that there were few left and they didn’t need much land. They were tired of their sons being blackened with hate and vengeance. Tired of fighting, wanting to live in peace. Believing that this was a generous offer instead of their people being destroyed completely. Then I read it again and realized that Chief Seattle wasn’t giving up or say goodbye to anything. He was more or less saying goodbye to their time on earth he had just come to accept his destiny and the destiny of everyman that they are going to die. “My people are an ebb tide, we will never return”. He believed that it was their fate, that his people would prepare for and welcome death. He had great faith that his spirit would be with his ancestors and once again flourish on the land that they loved, their “mother” Since there was no way that two groups who were so different could live together “day and night cannot live together” that maybe they could be brothers in the spirit world. That is was no longer the time for his people to be on this land.
I got a chill at the end when he said, “the white man will never be alone. So let him be just and deal kindly with my people. The dead have power too.” It was such a clear warning. “Can any decent white American read this without great shame?” I can’t. There were so many things that they could have learned had they came to this land and listened.

SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA (1752-1830)

SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA (1752-1830)

I enjoyed this reading and thought what SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA said was so simple, something that I was raised to believe that everyone should be able to worship in their own way. Were not telling you your wrong so don’t try to tell us that we are. Religious freedom was why the white men came to America in the first place and then they try to change others because theirs is the right way and everyone else is wrong. How do they know? I thought it was great the way he pointed out that even though their religion was written in a book they all still could not agree on the correct way to worship and that the “Red Men” never quarreled about religion. I agree that “forms of worship do not matter”, what “pleases him is the offering of a sincere heart”. I like how he mentioned that they might reconsider if the preaching helped their neighbors be “honest and less disposed to cheat the red man”
Would you believe in someone’s religion when you didn’t agree with how they treated others?
Think about this if someone came to your house and asked you for dinner you might help them. Then the next night they showed up with their family and asked you for dinner would you feed them? Then they came back with more people and asked you if they could stay, then they paid your family to fight you until you moved into the barn and they lived in your house. Then they came to you and said that they way you talk to god is wrong you need to do it their way. Would you believe them? Would you believe in someone’s religion when you didn’t agree with how they treated others? I don’t think that I would go against everything that I was ever taught by my ancestors for strangers who came in and took advantage of my hospitality, killed my brothers and lied to me again and again. After all that was taken from them I think that is was very respectful that they even offered their hand to the white men and blessed them on their journey.