Sunday, September 23, 2012

Equinox in Abiquiu (Redux)

I went to Northern New Mexico last year to work on my Vision book, to try and see more clearly and camped at Abiquiu Lake. While I was there I met Cosmic Connie. This year we agreed to meet again, same time (Equinox) and same place. So, yes, I went to see Connie, but I also went to SEE. I still need to see much more clearly before I can ever think about writing the book. And, maybe I will never write it.  

Just before I left I was listening to some critic blathering on (on television) about his view of "The Master" movie. I really saw then how foolish it is to rant and pontificate. It serves no purpose. Idle chatter. WORDS, I realized, are as empty as Shunyata. What is that, you ask. Clearly seeing, or comprehending Shunyata, is a key milestone in Buddhist practice. Essentially you could say, "There is neither reality nor not-reality; only relativity." Don't worry if you don't "get that" immediately. There are monks and sadhus who have spent years in caves pondering these concepts. After all, if it was easy, it wouldn't be a problem ;) 
All phenomena are void of self-essence, but it is incorrect to say that phenomena exist or don’t exist. Form and appearance create the world of myriad things, but the myriad things have identity only in relation to each other. Beyond identity, shunyata is an absolute reality that is all things and beings, unmanifested.
After many years of pondering some of these philosophical quandaries, I SEE a glimmer of insight. And, insight = Vision. It is the Tibetan Tantric view that we don't teach or even talk about these insights, especially when we still have obscurations and afflictions.  I certainly still have both. All this rambling to say, I'm going to stop posting and pontificating about these concepts and just like a good writer SHOW not tell. 

A science by itself is neither good nor bad. What makes it good or bad is how it is applied.