The Music We Are

By Jelaluddin Rumi (1207 - 1273)

Did you hear that winter's over?  The basil

and the carnations cannot control their

laughter.  The nightingale, back from his

wandering, has been made singing master

over the birds.  The trees reach out their

congratulations.  The soul goes dancing

through the king's doorway.  Anemones blush

because they have seen the rose naked.

Spring, the only fair judge, walks in the

courtroom, and several December thieves steal

away.  Last year's miracles will soon be

forgotten.  New creatures whirl in from non-

existence, galaxies scattered around their

feet.  Have you met them?  Do you hear the

bud of Jesus crooning in the cradle?  A single

narcissus flower has been appointed Inspector

of Kingdoms.  A feast is set.  Listen: the

wind is pouring wine!  Love used to hide

inside images: no more!  The orchard hangs

out its lanterns.  The dead come stumbling by

in shrouds.  Nothing can stay bound or be

imprisoned.  You say, "End this poem here,

and wait for what's next."  I will.  Poems

are rough notations for the music we are.

--translation by Coleman Barks

Einstein's View On Religion

Albert Einstein is one of the greatest thinkers in the history of humanity.  He is generally known for his thoughts on theoretical Physics.  But since Physics is concerned about the nature of  (physical) "reality," its greatest thinkers cannot avoid pondering on metaphysical questions in their quest to seek answers to explain Nature and the Universe.  I think, Einstein's views on Religion and God are just as facinating and as relevant as his thoughts on Space and Time.  Here is a brief excerpt of an article he wrote for the New York Times Magazine on November 9, 1930.

"The Jewish scriptures admirably illustrate the development from the religion of fear to moral religion, a development continued in the New Testament. The religions of all civilized peoples, especially the peoples of the Orient, are primarily moral religions. The development from a religion of fear to moral religion is a great step in peoples' lives. And yet, that primitive religions are based entirely on fear and the religions of civilized peoples purely on morality is a prejudice against which we must be on our guard. The truth is that all religions are a varying blend of both types, with this differentiation: that on the higher levels of social life the religion of morality predominates.

Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.

The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in the world of thought. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole. The beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the Psalms of David and in some of the Prophets. Buddhism, as we have learned especially from the wonderful writings of Schopenhauer, contains a much stronger element of this.

The religious geniuses of all ages have been distinguished by this kind of religious feeling, which knows no dogma and no God conceived in man's image; so that there can be no church whose central teachings are based on it. Hence it is precisely among the heretics of every age that we find men who were filled with this highest kind of religious feeling and were in many cases regarded by their contemporaries as atheists, sometimes also as saints. Looked at in this light, men like Democritus, Francis of Assisi, and Spinoza are closely akin to one another.

How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it."

Knowing God

How can we know God/the Divine?  Here are some clues...

O my God, how does it happen in this poor old world that Thou art so great and yet nobody finds Thee, that Thou callest so loudly and nobody hears Thee, that Thou art so near and nobody feels Thee, that Thou givest Thyself to everybody and nobody knows Thy name? Men flee from Thee and say they cannot find Thee; they turn their backs and say they cannot see Thee; they stop their ears and say they cannot hear Thee.

Hans Denk, 16th Century German Theologian

Disease is not cured by pronouncing the name of medicine, but by taking medicine.  Deliverance is not achieved by repeating the word "Brahman," but by directly experiencing Brahman...

Shankara, 8th Century Indian Mystic and guru

The seed of God is in us.  Given an intelligent and hardworking farmer, it will thrive and grow up to God, whose seed it is; and accordingly its fruits will be God-natured.  Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God seed into God.

Meister Eckhart, 14th Century German Mystic, Philospher and theologian

The astrolabe of the mysteries of God is love.

Jalal-uddin Rumi, 13th Century Persian Mystic, Poet and theologian

We make an idol of truth itself; for truth apart from charity (Love) is not God, but his image and idol, which we must never love nor worship.

Blaise Pascal, 17th Century French Mathematician, Physicist and philosopher

He who knows does not speak;  He who speaks does not know.

Lao Tzu, 5th Century BC Chinese Mystic and Philosopher

It is only when you hunt for it that you lose it; You cannot take hold of it, but equally you cannot get rid of it, And while you can do neither, it goes on its own way.  You remain silent and it speaks; you speak, and it is dumb; The great gate of charity is wide open, with no obstacles before it.

Yung Chia, 7th Century Chinese Ch'an/Zen Master and Poet

James Arthur Ray's Mistake

James Arthur Ray was found guilty of 'Negligent Homicide' on the sweatlodge deaths of three of his "Spiritual Warrior" participants.  In October 2009, about 60 of Ray's followers crammed into a 415-square-foot hut heated with red-hot rocks. Ray, a charismatic guru, told his followers it would be a "rebirthing" but it instead turned into a fatal experience for three people.  According to prosecutors, one witness said, "20 people got sick. Overheated and throwing up."(http://abcnews.go.com/US/james-ray-found-guilty-negligent-homicide-arizona-sweat/story?id=13908037) 

Native American Elders and Medicine People have been warning the public of this danger for years.  The Inipi, what non-natives refer to as a sweatlodge, is a spiritual ceremony that should be treated and respected as such.  It must be conducted by a "real" Medicine Person, who was initiated into its sacred and ancient teachings.  Have you heard of a Mass being conducted by a lay person?  I'm sure most Christians will be shocked at this comparison, but God did not give Native Americans an inferior form of worship.  All of our Spiritual traditions around the world (the ones that espouse Love, Kindness and Oneness) are as valid as the other.  The Native American spiritual traditions are just as sacred as any Religious ceremony, and should be conducted as they have always been, lead by the valid and initiated priesthood (Medicineman) of that faith.    

I am actually shocked at how people readily adopt alternative spiritual ceremonies as if they are hosting a 'clam bake.'  I understand that most people do not really want to change Religions readily, because such descisions are hard to make.  But no one really needs to change their Religious affiliations.  Whatever Faith you were born with is actually adequate, if you just take the time and effort to dig deeper into its inner teachings.  Adapting the teachings (philosophy) of other Religions and spiritual beliefs to augment your own, is also acceptable (for we are still evolving towards a unified Faith).  But performing a mock ritual, immitating something we saw, read or heard can be dangerous.

Spiritual rituals and ceremonies are not only sacred because of their esoteric meaning and symbolism.  In some Faiths, particularly the shamanic kind, these rites also are charged with energies (or Spirits), both constructive and destructive.  These sacred ceremonies must therefore be conducted by people who were trained to handle these invisible and supernatural powers.  These qualifications cannot be earned by a diploma or a seminar, no matter how many you earn.  It takes years of training and acceptance, not only by a traditional practitioner, but also by the energies that you have to work with. 

James Arthur Ray's Spiritual Retreat in Arizon

James Arthur Ray may have had good intentions for starting out his Self-Help business, but Spirituality is never for sale.  Human Spirituality is the most sacred thing in our lives.  It is our connection to the Divine and it was meant to be freely shared -- just like breathing.  Charging people for salvation and peace in any way shape of form is his second mistake.  No one should make a business out of spiritual salvation, because profit taking is aligned to our lowest mental vibrations.  Having that mental state in a spiritual space attracts unwanted lower vibratory energies (Spirits).  Jesus was vehemently opposed to it, Buddha was a beggar and Lao Tzu was a hermit for a purpose.  My elders always warned me to never seek the guidance of anyone who charges for their services, because this was the most obvious sign that the person is not what they claim to be.

I have attended dozens of Inipi sessions, both secular (healing ceremonies) and initiatory, but since I have not specifically trained (as well as fasted and sacrificed) for the Inipi, I will never attempt to conduct one-- copy or imitate what I have seen or heard.  Spiritual training and the gifts they come with, must be approached properly (usually traditionally).  Spiritual energy is like electricity, it has a positive and negative charge.  The negative charge is always present, but to conduct the alternate positive current, you body, mind, soul and spirit must be a strong enough to withstand the shock.  Any blockages of any kind, will kill or maim you.   

"Seek and you shall be guided."  It does not say enroll or sign-up.  Seek spiritual truths inward, not outward.  Keep learning.  Keep praying.  Keep Meditating.  But always be humble.  Humility is the truest bench mark to Spiritual growth and maturity (and the truest conductor for positive energy).  When you are ready, the teacher or teachers will come, because your very own spiritual vibration will attract them to you.

Arguing Against Stephen Hawking's Views on God and the Afterlife

I saw this article in Yahoo last Monday and I immediately wanted to comment on it:

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking recently explained his belief that there is no God and that humans should therefore seek to live the most valuable lives they can while on Earth.

Guardian writer Ian Sample asked Hawking if he feared death in a story published yesterday. This was his response: I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

Hawking's 1988 book  "A Brief History of Time" sold 9 million copies, and in it Hawking referenced God metaphorically as the force that could fully explain the creation of the universe. But in 2010, Hawking told Diane Sawyer that "science will win" in a battle with religion "because it works."

"What could define God [is a conception of divinity] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible."

Hawking's latest book, "The Grand Design," challenged Isaac Newton's theory that the solar system could not have been created without God. "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to ... set the Universe going," he writes.

Hawking was diagnosed with the degenerative Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 21. He lost his power of speech and for decades has talked through an electronic speech synthesizer. The device has allowed him to continue his research and attain a top Cambridge research post, which was previously held by Newton. His most famous theory explains how black holes emit radiation, according to The Guardian.

So if everyone is destined to power-down like computers at the end of their lives, what should humans do to lend meaning to their experience? "We should seek the greatest value of our action," Hawking told the paper.

Unknown to a lot of people, Isaac Newton studied the Bible passionately.  As a matter of fact, he devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science.  But he was an Arian (believed that God the Father and Jesus the Son did not exist together eternally) theologically and would have been considered a heretic by mainstream Christianity. Yet Newton saw God as the masterful creator whose existence could not be denied in the face of the grandeur of all creation. Nevertheless he rejected Leibniz's' thesis that God would necessarily make a perfect world which requires no intervention from the creator.  He warned against using the law of Gravity to view the universe as a mere machine, like a great clock. He said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion.  God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."

Albert Einstein on the other hand, cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures.  Neither does he believe in an Afterlife.  But he agrees with Spinoza's belief in a God who reveals Himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, as opposed to a God who concerns himself with the fate and actions of human beings.  According to him the religion of the future will be a cosmic religion.  That it should transcend personal God, as well as avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity.

Are Physicists becoming more and more cynical as Science develops? I guess it just goes with that territory.

By design, the discipline of Science operates with the assumption that everything that exist is governed by the laws of nature (the laws that they have so far defined).  For this reason, a scientific minded individual would be less inclined to believe that events can be influenced by a Supernatural Being (or defy logic).

But I believe this to be a limited perspective.  Do we already know everything there is to know?  Have we penetrated all the mysteries of the Universe?  Is logic the limit of all Creation or is it just the limit of our (human) mind?

I am astounded by Stephen Hawking's certainty about God and the Afterlife.  I think it is unbelievably arrogant to come out in public with a statement like that.  I prefer Newton's and Einstein' opinions on religion, since they left some space for "humility."  Einstein was known to have said, "that he does not share the crusading spirit of the atheist, whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth."

I also agree that religion (or Spirituality in my definition) should be more cosmic.  But unlike all of them, I believe in a personal God and I believe, that someday, we will eventually come close to proving this.  We just have to understand that we are more that just atoms, energy and forces, there is also an Intelligence or Mind that determines which particular elements specifically combine with each other to give birth to individually unique entities.  In other words, there is an intelligent order to existence that reflects a sophisticated "Mind," which confounds mere randomness (chance).

I know this, because every spiritually (mystically) inclined person, from the Buddha to your average modern day medicineman, will tell you that God exists simply because they have a personal relationship with the Divine.  He (or She) is within us, as well as without.  God defies logic and encompasses paradox.  God is personal and impersonal at the same time.

If we box God in a humanistic frame... having a physicality of some sort and having a limited mind, we will surely get tangled in a puzzle of our own making.  We should leave God to be God, unknowable, infinite, undefinable.  We are all connected as One.  By looking within ourselves, into that ineffable depth that defies all logic, we will discover a thread that leads back into the center of Creation, that is God.

Einstein said it best, "It is very difficult to elucidate this (cosmic religious) feeling to anyone who is entirely without it. . . The religious geniuses of all ages have been distinguished by this kind of religious feeling, which knows no dogma and no god conceived in man's image; so that there can be no church whose central teachings are based on it ... In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it."  I guess Professor Hawkings is just entirely without it.  I really feel sorry for him.