Thanks Shiv for the pragmatic definition of the concept of religion and "faith". Sadly, we put more faith in our conscious mind than in the deeper, more incomprehensible aspects of the Self. We have created a 'false God' and misplaced the true object of our faith.
"There is no escaping the mind. There is no stopping the mind. There is no purifying the mind. The mind has a mind of its own and will do what it is designed to do. Yet, just like the sun is not affected by the clouds that gather in the Earth’s atmosphere, being - the source and the truth of who you are - pays no mind to the mind. It accepts and sustains unconditionally."
In psychology there is the concept of 'locus of control' - whether we are directed primarily from external or internal cues. The Abrahamic religious concept of an external God directs our focus externally and denigrates our internal sense of "isness". Our sense of 'faith' becomes detached from our personal being and a binary abstraction of "divine reason" rather than a 'felt sense' of security and belonging.
The problem with deifying the mind is that it endlessly changes. I am reminded of the Hindu god Ananta or Shesha who is almost always depicted as a naga, a serpentine deity. He is sometimes depicted with 5 to 7 heads, but more usually with several thousand heads. Placing our faith in such a fickle god will likely yield several thousands of sources of confusion and anxiety. So much for our illusion of monotheism...
Placing our faith outside of ourselves sabotages our sense of security and comfort. This misplaced focus on faith leads almost inevitably to a "loss of faith" or a "dark night of the soul" when our attempts to "purify" the mind-God fail us miserably. Being mortal naturally creates the ambiguity of the sacred and profane - Being and imagining. The two are intimately entwined and inseparable. This is why we need a concept of the divine with a thousand faces.
beautiful piece! (i almost wrote "beautiful peace." that too!)
these passages in particular leapt out to me today:
"While Jesus used the language of parables to illustrate this dynamic, the Buddha used a more logical and philosophical approach. The teachings of these prophets were tailored to the times, civilizations and the societies they grew up in. Unfortunately, when most people today read such teachings, they see irrational mumbo-jumbo because they miss the forest for the trees. They are so distracted by the format of these teachings and in doubting the veracity of their ‘facts’, they miss the truths that are encoded within them.
Faith is a necessary ingredient because perception is unreliable. The mind controls perception and so what we see is perpetually shifting from one moment to the next. The sun plays peekaboo with us through the cloud cover and if we base our understanding of reality on what the mind permits us to see - we remain forever lost with our heads in the clouds."
Picture's infos : "CIRCULAR MAP OF THE UNIVERSE" by Argentinian artist Pablo Carlos Budassi.
"Artist's logarithmic scale conception of the observable universe with the Solar System at the center, inner and outer planets, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, Alpha Centauri, Perseus Arm, Milky Way galaxy, Andromeda galaxy, nearby galaxies, Cosmic Web, Cosmic microwave radiation and the Big Bang on the edge."
Hey Shiv, I'm delighted by the beauty and content of your writing and thank you deeply for your reply. Now I was really practicing today what you suggested and I must honestly say the feeling of the underlying field is very vague for me. I'm not at all rooted there, not yet. All day long I was pregnant with various formulations on how to adequately reply to you but it basically boils down to one question. How to increase the sensitivity for the aspect of my being?
One of my favorite pieces you've ever written. As direct as it gets.
Glad it resonated, Earl
Utterly magnificent. Crystal clear.
Thank you, Eric
With profound gratitude, for the clarity of your writing.
Thanks Shiv.
Exquisite. 👌🏻 Thanks, Shiv.
This is beautiful, Shiv. Thank you! 🙏❤️
❤️
Thanks Shiv for the pragmatic definition of the concept of religion and "faith". Sadly, we put more faith in our conscious mind than in the deeper, more incomprehensible aspects of the Self. We have created a 'false God' and misplaced the true object of our faith.
"There is no escaping the mind. There is no stopping the mind. There is no purifying the mind. The mind has a mind of its own and will do what it is designed to do. Yet, just like the sun is not affected by the clouds that gather in the Earth’s atmosphere, being - the source and the truth of who you are - pays no mind to the mind. It accepts and sustains unconditionally."
In psychology there is the concept of 'locus of control' - whether we are directed primarily from external or internal cues. The Abrahamic religious concept of an external God directs our focus externally and denigrates our internal sense of "isness". Our sense of 'faith' becomes detached from our personal being and a binary abstraction of "divine reason" rather than a 'felt sense' of security and belonging.
The problem with deifying the mind is that it endlessly changes. I am reminded of the Hindu god Ananta or Shesha who is almost always depicted as a naga, a serpentine deity. He is sometimes depicted with 5 to 7 heads, but more usually with several thousand heads. Placing our faith in such a fickle god will likely yield several thousands of sources of confusion and anxiety. So much for our illusion of monotheism...
Placing our faith outside of ourselves sabotages our sense of security and comfort. This misplaced focus on faith leads almost inevitably to a "loss of faith" or a "dark night of the soul" when our attempts to "purify" the mind-God fail us miserably. Being mortal naturally creates the ambiguity of the sacred and profane - Being and imagining. The two are intimately entwined and inseparable. This is why we need a concept of the divine with a thousand faces.
Well put, John. An eloquent exposition
dear shiv,
beautiful piece! (i almost wrote "beautiful peace." that too!)
these passages in particular leapt out to me today:
"While Jesus used the language of parables to illustrate this dynamic, the Buddha used a more logical and philosophical approach. The teachings of these prophets were tailored to the times, civilizations and the societies they grew up in. Unfortunately, when most people today read such teachings, they see irrational mumbo-jumbo because they miss the forest for the trees. They are so distracted by the format of these teachings and in doubting the veracity of their ‘facts’, they miss the truths that are encoded within them.
Faith is a necessary ingredient because perception is unreliable. The mind controls perception and so what we see is perpetually shifting from one moment to the next. The sun plays peekaboo with us through the cloud cover and if we base our understanding of reality on what the mind permits us to see - we remain forever lost with our heads in the clouds."
thank you for sharing as always!
love
myq
The ways this former Christian bristles at the word faith is worth a smile.
For the record, I couldn't and wouldn't argue the usage of that word in this context. When I let go, I agree. It's the right word.
Thanks for the chance to notice the rising bristle. Smiling is so nice.
Beautiful. Thank you Shiv.
Wow. Spot on. Thank you.
Picture's infos : "CIRCULAR MAP OF THE UNIVERSE" by Argentinian artist Pablo Carlos Budassi.
"Artist's logarithmic scale conception of the observable universe with the Solar System at the center, inner and outer planets, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, Alpha Centauri, Perseus Arm, Milky Way galaxy, Andromeda galaxy, nearby galaxies, Cosmic Web, Cosmic microwave radiation and the Big Bang on the edge."
Learn more here : https://pablocarlosbudassi.com/2021/02/the-infographic-and-artistic-work-named.html
Hey Shiv, I'm delighted by the beauty and content of your writing and thank you deeply for your reply. Now I was really practicing today what you suggested and I must honestly say the feeling of the underlying field is very vague for me. I'm not at all rooted there, not yet. All day long I was pregnant with various formulations on how to adequately reply to you but it basically boils down to one question. How to increase the sensitivity for the aspect of my being?
One of my favorite pieces you shared (among so many other powerful pointers). Thank you Shiv.
👌👌👌
Thank you Shiv🙏 for someone like me who has a bully mind I'm in need of your constant reminder... your words today felt like compassion🙏
I write this so often it’s getting repetitive “couldn’t have come at a better time” (or words to that effect).
Life has me on my knees but this article has helped me stand up again.