Beauty in the Flowers of Another Garden

     As Vision says at the end of the second Avenger's movie, "A thing isn't beautiful because it lasts" stating why the humans are worth sparing.  He also makes mention of their mis-perception that order and chaos are opposed which seemed a very Buddhist thing to say.  I find that this sentiment is helpful in appreciating those who may hold different views.   Appreciating the beauty of what they are even though I might disagree.  I had good practice today as it was fast Sunday.
     One can appreciate the flowers of another gardener even though those flowers were not grown by us or might not even be our favorite.  We can appreciate them for what they are.  The man who gets up to talk about the destruction in the last days,  he is very fervent.  He pours forth his heart to all within earshot and ends.  The woman who gets up and talks of the trials she has and the word of God as a two edged sword.  She is sincere,  sincerity is something beautiful even if we disagree.  Another woman with an illness that should have taken her by now expresses gratitude to God that she has lived.   Gratitude is beautiful, and so is devotion to a being of compassion and love.  Flowers blooming on the pulpit.
     I cannot change nor should I, the thoughts and beliefs of others, but I can appreciate their sincerity.  Each month much is the same and yet individualized in nuanced ways within the tolerated spectrum of ideas.  The youth talk about their experiences at camp which touched them deeply.  They are also quite sincere and were obviously quite touched.  They are learning to care and feel cared about.  This is beautiful.  I don't have to agree with them to behold beauty.  I can appreciate beauty in the form even though I might not agree with the content.
     I think this concept is compatible with the principle of non-judgement.  Seeking to understand rather than judge.  Understanding we are all part of a greater whole.  There is a danger in becoming arrogant in this non-judgement of course.  One must not believe that their way is superior to the others as everyone is different and has different experiences.  Each psyche is a mental fingerprint and each has different needs.  There is not one solution for all I believe and I know many will disagree with this and that is fine.  Perhaps they need to believe that to carry on.  I suppose this also is a flower of sorts.
     People coping with life in the best ways they can find,  blooming in their own way.  To some this might be clinging to the concept of permanence in things and solid eternal foundations.  To others this might be impermanence and the constantly changing form of life and the universe.  Each has specific needs.  I find peace in solitude and interaction with others is often painful mentally, so this concept of letting go is of great benefit to me.  Others feed off interactions with others and so permanence in those relationships is of great importance.
     Each flower is different.  Each flower changes and blooms in it's season.  All are beautiful in their individual ways.  All can be appreciated with a bit of non-judgement and a bit of focus on the present moment and not their future or their past.  So I continue to practice,  and perhaps maybe, I may find more contentment in mixing with those who I might disagree with.  I may be wrong,  but I must live for today and not die for tomorrow.  I know many will disagree with that.  That's fine.  I hope we can still be friends.

Secret Commonality

General Conference weekend has passed.  Mormons meet bi-annually to hear the words of church leaders.  These talks will become the subjects of sacrament meetings until the next conference.  I won't share my opinions on that, suffice it to say I liked the old system better where the members shared their individual gospel knowledge with each other through preparing their own talks from scratch instead of rehashing what had already been said.  Ah well,  I suppose I am an old fuddy duddy.
That's not the point though.  Things are what they are and things move forward.  If you are reading this blog ,  you know I write about my perspective on the whole thing through my understanding of Buddhist philosophy.  From earlier posts you know my attitude towards missionary work , although I am softening.   It really doesn't affect me after all, and it may be of real benefit to some even if it isn't to others.  The other common subjects of course are obedience, scripture reading, priesthood power and  tithing of course.
I won't go into it all.  You can read the talks on lds.org if you so desire.  As a Mormon who sees things through a Buddhist philosophy I would like to take my subject from a talk Dieter Uchtdorf gave in the priesthood session.
It should not be hidden that I do espouse most of the things Jesus taught.  One of my favorite teachings is the concept of doing good things in secret and not for the purpose of showing off.   The concept of self righteousness is very converselly related and the saduccees and pharisees  took this to a new level, at least as it is recorded in the New Testament.  Inner conversion I think is another area Buddhism and Christianity have some crossover in.  Buddhism is by nature very internal  This doctrine President Uchtdorf addressed  is also very internally centered.  We have right mindedness, right understanding, right thoughts, right meditation, and right intention in the eight fold path.  It would seem half of it is centered on the internal development of a person.  Christianity would say that this is also important for it's believers.
If all this is not to put in harmony the inner self, what is the point really?   Whether you are a believer in God or not,  there really is no point if our belief system does not in some way help us be a better, peaceful person ultimately.  Any belief that does not replenish the believer in some fashion will eventually consume them and then what good are they to their fellow man, or God for that matter?  It's kind of like the good parasite bad parasite thing.  A bad parasite kills it's host and destroys it's own home.  A good one allows the host to continue supplying it with life giving nutrients.  In fact,  we humans actually depend on the bacteria in our intestines to function efficiently and benefit from this relationship even though we are completely unaware of it most of the time.  So too is the mark of a successful belief system for all involved.  Inner peace is important and not necessarily a selfish goal.
How can one who does not have inner peace show another what it is like?  It seems to me it is one of those things that requires example.  So I take this away from conference,  don't be afraid of not being acknowledged by other people,  you don't need that validation.  Truthfully, constantly seeking validation from others is a very unhealthy thing as you will always be pulled this way and that and never quite arriving at a firm footing.  It's actually one of the more damaging things people with OCD struggle with.  Jesus taught about this and President Uchtdorf reminded us of it.  We should not be hollywood prop sets with grand looking fronts and nothing behind them.  This helps no one.  We are all pieces of a vast humanity, and the universe if you take it that far, working to make things a little tidier in our portion of it and by working on the inside we create more strength and harmony on the greater whole we are all connected to.

Harmlessness

Am I better than others? Of course almost everyone says no to this, but do our actions match? To try to bring someone to your side, to condemn another, to take offence, to subjigate, to preach, there are many ways we can place ourselves above another through our actions despite what we think of ourselves. I often am tempted to take offense at others beliefs thinking they are being forced on me as I work to fit in with a system I don't completely agree with anymore.

Am I harmless? To others? To Myself? I am in constant practice. Practicing accepting others opinions and experiences as valid even though they may differ from mine. Have I been successful? Well, uh, no. I AM making progress though. Why do I often feel threatened by others with different viewpoints which may be extremely fulfilling to them, though I may have had a different experience? What makes me so darn special that I should know what is best for everyone else by a perspective generated through my own personal lense? Nothing. 

So knowing this, why is it so hard? I don't think I am alone in this, the world is full of it I think, to the point of people killing each other in the most extreme extents. Is freedom of religion the freedom for everyone to be different, or is it the freedom for everyone to eventually come to the light of my unrestricted belief? I think this is the core. The understanding that what works for me may not work for you and that is fine. With this ingrained, perhaps taking offense would be easier to avoid. Perhaps I would feel less threatened by other's opinions. Perhaps I could peacefully coexist and still be different. Afterall, there is no gun to my head, there is no inquisition, there is goodwill, there is good intent even though I may at times consider it misguided. Would it be different if everyone was aware of my beliefs other than a few? I would hope not. Eventually we will see I suppose as nothing lasts forever, perhaps even time. 

Of course what others think, should not cause me anguish unless they are inflicting real harm on myself or another. Most things have exceptions after all, even if they might be extremely rare. Harmlessness is coexistence in peace with our fellow beings and ourselves. When I stop desiring others to be like me, perhaps I will be killing two birds with one stone (pardon the expression), exhibiting harmlessness to others, and in turn myself.