Dave has sent a comment to the post about Osama Bin Laden’s death, saying in part:
…Therefor, why not take it that this [life and death] is an intended process that we, and all other living things are subjected to. If this truly is the case, stop judging this process that forges on ahead whether we like it, agree with it, or not. Instead, accept it as it is, study it, and learn from it. This means dump all the religious dogma that we’ve been hampered with, albeit that some truth is contained within. However, real truth cannot be fully convayed by mere words, it’s something you feel, and enables you to act accordingly.
The real truth we seek is found through sensing the creative force within us (God), and from that perspective, experiencing this process (school) that we’re all involved in…
Every one of the enduring religious traditions has originated not in the intellectualized rules of a religious dogma but in the personal experiences of a single individual. Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism–all began with an individual who so powerfully felt and studied his own encounters with that creative force that other people were drawn to hear and then follow, from which sprang teachings–which, because human beings love to keep memorabilia so they won’t forget, became formalized into dogma.
Always, at the center, is the clear spring of encounter. It is our task to remember that doctrine is simply the clothing of direct and intensely personal experience, and to apply to our own experiences the same careful study and discernment that will prove them worth keeping. Really knowing a religious tradition and understanding deeply how it works can be a big help with this. (It’s more than being bossed around!)
Nan wrote,
Really knowing a religious tradition and understanding deeply how it works can be a big help with this. (It’s more than being bossed around!)
Dave,
I totaly agree in principal, and for sure these religious traditions are here to stay. However, at this point, they are far removed from their original sources. Relavent things were omitted, and political manipulation also took place. Also the spiritual maturity of those who read them is a factor. “God helps those who help themselves” means self improvement to one person, and breaking a pawn shop window to steal a watch to another.
People put God on their side in order to justify war, torture, you name it. This comes from twisting the meaning of scripture to serve their own ends. Osama and the Koran are a good example of this. The early Christian church burning people at the stake, and the Inquisition is another.
But again Nan, I agree with you. If the motivation of those who study these traditions is love, and the desire to focus,clarify, and expand that love, these can help. However, people who thump the Bible or whatever book as a means of agrandizing themselves make me sick. I’ll stay out here in the street where I belong.
Dave Woods
Dave,
I’m grinning. Thanks for your thoughts! Beautiful weather here this week to be out there on the street; hope yours is likewise.
Nan
Nan wrote,
teachings–which, because human beings love to keep memorabilia so they won’t forget, became formalized into dogma.
Dave,
Don’t let your karma run over your dogma. Trauma like that in life can leave you flat