Shunya (Part 2)
(c) Robert Neil Boyd
[Meera]:
Kumarila, a scholar (about 7th can.A D), of the Mimamsa school of Logic,refutes God as the creator of the world. He asks what is the purpose of God in creating the world fraught with misery? The explanation of past karma is not available since, there is no creation prior to it...If he is limited by other considerations, then he is not omnipotent.
If it be said that atoms act under the will of God(which is said by the other school of Logic viz.Nyaya), how does God's will arise?
If we introduce the will of God, that is enough to account for the world, & Karma will sink into insignificance, (Shlokavartika). This school assigns the causation to Adrishta i.e. an Unseen principle.
Vishishtadvita, is a sister school of Advaita, which argues like Neil, said why should there be a beginning or end of the world.....since human beings born & die doesn't mean that the universe also should go through the same process.
[R. N. Boyd]:
What is misery? It is the intellect, primarily. It is not the Creation, but the interpretation of it, that causes misery amongst humanity. The degree of misery observed in Nature, where humanity has not intervened, is very small. Nature is a vast interwoven fabric of co-operation and Lives in perfect harmony and an Order which is beyond the capacity of the intellect to comprehend. I have seen, over and over, the creatures offering their physical forms so that others may live. This is absolutely beautiful to witness. Is humanity in their cuture of intellectual predominance capable of such activities? I would say this behavior would be considered rare in the culture of the mind.
I find that the Universe is vastly beautiful, almost beyond comprehension, so deep is the beauty of It. But in order to find this immense and fulfilling beauty, one must abandon the intellect as a vehicle, at least for certain spans of time. In my experience, everything is Sacred. Everything has the spark of the Creator in it. This can be perceived *directly*! I am not involved with concepts and conjectures here. I can show any relatively sane person how to have such experiences.
These involvements with limitations, are arising from the culture of thought. There are conditions where thought is not involved and there are no limits on what can be accomplished. The stronger the Alignment with the Cosmic Harmony, the larger is the number of abilities and events which are possible to the unique Being. This is partly because, as an individual elminates the interferences with Unification with the Divine, then the Divine will use the individual and act through them to bring about Miracles in the world. Individuals such as Sai Baba, are in Unity with It, and can perform almost limitless wonders. Wallace Black Elk, Fools Crow, and other Holy Men in the Indiginous spiritual traditions, are able to manifest various types of miracles with various purposes.
Any limits are due to intellectual thought. Also, the intent of the Creator is that each Unique Being will have available to them the most beautiful and fulfilling experience they can have, while they are in the material form. But the Creator does not interfere with the expressions and activities and preferences of the individual. Every creature, including humanity, is given built-in instructions which enable that living Being to be self-sufficient and independent.
Then the culture steps in, for the majority of humanity, and begins removing these qualities at an early age, teaching such behaviors as comparison, and judgement, and the need for approval. These qualities are innate, to some degree. But they are distorted by the various cultural predelections, causing separations form that which is innate. This leads to various abberant behaviors, some of which are culturally approved, although vastly destructive.
The global culture of intellectual dominance is a failure, as a means of obtaining an existence filled with Joy and Peace, and Blessings, and Graces. I met an Indiginous African man who had come to the US. It took months to obtain the opportunity to speak with him. When we spoke, the first thing he said was, "We don't need this *money* where I come from. I don't like it. When you can show me a store where I can buy true Happiness, then I'll believe in your *money*." The same sentiment applies to the intellect, where I come from. It's fine to have an intellect, if it is used properly. But right use of the mind is not so common.
Being comes first, before all things. The first manifestation of Being is Emotions. Then comes perception [experience]. Last, comes thought.
Let me ask a question. If you were the Creator, how would *you* deal with all these crazy people, while allowing them Uniqueness and free will? I reckon you'd hope that they would Wake Up, and remember how to Live. And remember what Nature Harmony is, and stay aware of It.
I see it, that the Creator helps those who want to help, and those who are seperated, due to constant thought, are on their own. Trapped in their intellect. Not much you can do with those, except provide them opportunities to Wake Up. That's the way I see it working in this world.
Another question. If the Creator were all these things ascribed to It, under what circumstances would these various capacities be applied? Or why would they be applied? Or not applied? We can't dictate to the Creator, when and where and how It will Manifest Itself. It does what It wants. Remember, It has free will too! We can ask It for help. But, what are the criteria? What tendencies make it more likely that the Creator will get involved and do something directly, or through the use of an open conduit which carries It's Intent, such as Holy Men, or the Sacred creatures of Nature?
I think that the intellect is making a muddle out of this. Let us find out what is True, rather than projecting our intellectual disabilites onto the Creator.
It is not visible to normal sight. *But*, It's activities are discernable and are directly visible under certain circumstances. Once I experienced the marvel of occupying a space in the Mind Of God, from which beautiful vantage point, I was able to watch all of the Divine Intentions for Fulfillment, and Beauty, and Harmony for every living thing. What the Creator Intends, is not always what poor mind-locked humanity always chooses. But they are always and constantly presented with the opportunity for the Beauty to take Form in their reality.
Many of these things are simply a matter of what we are doing with our attention. If the attention is on the thought, the world of the senses vanishes, and the world of the Trancendental also vanishes. If the thought which has accupied the Attention is a negative thought, that becomes the experience, the reality of that person. When the attention is in the senses, or in the Beauty World, life is much more pleasant.
So nice to know I'm not alone in my views. :)
Neil

Shunya (Part 3)
(c) Robert Neil Boyd
[Nilanjan]:
Above the intellectual-mind there is spiritual-mind. Spiritual-mind does not seek truth, because it possesses truth. It possesses truth but does not describe truth. It has no language. It is silent. Between the spiritual-mind and the intellectual-mind, there lies the *abyss*. Schools, colleges, universities, degrees, businesses, wars, games,... intellectual- mind is involved in all; spiritual-mind is involved in none. The former is attached , the latter is detached.
Science may be seen as an intellectual ladder (remember ladder operators in QFT ?)in whose last step , man now finds himself to be. One thing he can do, kick the intellectual ladder and jump into what is above it - namely the spiritual-mind, a luminosity.
He(she) may or may not cross the abyss. But the jump has to taken in - in individual capacity. Then what? Ask the person, who has taken the jump!
[R. N. Boyd]:
Rather, language is inadequate. [Although it is silent] it can Act. You are talking about the Essence here. To quote a Zen saying,
"Whether sitting or walking,
Silent or talking,
The Essence Itself,
is always at ease."
I am referring to a different kind of thought, which lives in the zone you have called the abyss. For me, there is no abyss. This kind of thinking can best be described by the term "direct perception", as there is no analytical filter imposed on the understandings which arise from this. This form of thought naturally arises from the practice of Harmony Dynamics titled "The Penetrating Insight. http://www.rialian.com/rnboyd/insight.htm
This kind of intellect is what I would call the spirtual-mind, because it allows direct apperception of the Spiritual Realms and activities.
Can we call this the "Essence-Mind"? There must be some distinction made here from my point of view, regarding the kind of thought which has been referred to as "direct perception", which fills in the "abyss".
The analytical thought is observably, absolutely *detached* from reality! It has nothing to do with the NOW. It is based on the past, on the "known".
The kind of thinking which has been called "direct perception" is absolutely attached to Reality, immersed in it as a participant. "Direct perception" does not get lost is intellectual abstractions. It is easier to go into the Direct Perception first, then into the Luminosity, the Essence Mind.
For me, there is no abyss. There is continuity. OM MANI PADME HUM The Sound of All Life As One Life.
Neil