So I spent the weekend with kind of a double dose of things I don't necessarily agree with and for the most part, I let it roll over and pass around me. I will not criticize here or voice my disagreements. I am an observer, a guest. I try to view things with what the Buddhist's call equanimity. To understand both sides. To me this is to understand that all of this, belief systems, thoughts, people, are all a natural part of the universe. There is nothing that is not natural or separate from the Universe. We are all pieces. Your piece and my piece are not necessarily better than the other, the Universe certainly doesn't respect either more than the other as the ultimate end is the same. This kind of reminds me of Fowler's stage six of stages of faith.
There is one thing I disagree with this chart on. It makes it look like a progression and that one stage is better than the other. I don't necessarily think this is true. Individuals find their needs met by different systems. Mine happens to be the basic non-supernatural tenets of Buddhism right now (Secular Buddhism). Could it eventually change? Well nothing is permanent. At this moment it is what makes the most sense to me and fulfills my needs. Which of course, ultimately, are not needs. How's that for an obscure Zen paradox?
So this community stuff the chart talks about seems a lot like the wider definition of a Sangha or the concept of oneness. It makes a lot of sense to me. We become more focused on the whole as opposed to a piece of it. To some there is a belief that peace is something you are that is given to you through devotion. This is fine. For others peace is something you cultivate, and ultimately, when you are able to accept things, experiences, fate, other people with their idiosyncrasies and beliefs, the natural bi-product is peace to some extent. Anyway, just some musings today. Do good, be kind, help where you can, build your community everywhere you go.
There is one thing I disagree with this chart on. It makes it look like a progression and that one stage is better than the other. I don't necessarily think this is true. Individuals find their needs met by different systems. Mine happens to be the basic non-supernatural tenets of Buddhism right now (Secular Buddhism). Could it eventually change? Well nothing is permanent. At this moment it is what makes the most sense to me and fulfills my needs. Which of course, ultimately, are not needs. How's that for an obscure Zen paradox?
So this community stuff the chart talks about seems a lot like the wider definition of a Sangha or the concept of oneness. It makes a lot of sense to me. We become more focused on the whole as opposed to a piece of it. To some there is a belief that peace is something you are that is given to you through devotion. This is fine. For others peace is something you cultivate, and ultimately, when you are able to accept things, experiences, fate, other people with their idiosyncrasies and beliefs, the natural bi-product is peace to some extent. Anyway, just some musings today. Do good, be kind, help where you can, build your community everywhere you go.
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