Returning From The One
Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat. My shoulder is against yours. You will not find me in the stupas, not in temples, nor in synagogues, nor in cathedrals; not in masses, nor kirtans, not in legs winding around your own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables; When you really look for me, you will see me instantly; You will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says: "Student, tell me - what is God?" He is the breath inside the breath. ___
These words were written 600 years ago by the mystic poet Kabir, a spiritual master revered by Muslims, Sufis, Hindus and Sikhs, although he criticized all religious sects.
Kabir was born in 1398 AD. He was raised in Varanasi, India by Muslim parents. Early in life Kabir became a disciple of the famous Hindu saint, Ramananda. Of course, it was unheard of for a Hindu master to accept a Muslim student, but tradition says the young Kabir found a creative way to overcome this sectarian problem.
One special day each year anyone might become a disciple of a great master by having the master speak the name of God over him.
On this special day, Satguru Ramananda walked to his pre-dawn bath in the Ganges, as he did every other day. As he climbed down to the steps to enter the waters, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the saint's big toe. Ramananda was so startled that he cried out the name of God. Then, looking down, the great master saw the hand of the child Kabir. Ramananda adopted Kabir as his son and disciple, and brought him back to his ashram, to the protests of his Hindu students, some of whom left.
It is said that what made this meeting so special was that only after Kabir's enlightenment did Ramananda, his teacher, father and guru, became enlightened himself.
It's the task of the mystic to unite with the One and return to instruct others on how it can be done.
Kabir never abandoned his worldly life, choosing to live as a householder and a mystic, a tradesman and a contemplative. He was married, had children and made his living as a weaver.
Although Kabir devoted much of his life to unifying the faithful of Islam and Hinduism, he was disgusted by professional piety and repelled by organized religion, and he was not afraid to say so. This earned him the persecution of the religious authorities, and at age 60, this gentle man was denounced to the king. Because he was a Muslim, he was spared execution and instead was banished.
Kabir is the most quoted author in India. The "Bible" of the Sikh religion, the Guru Granth Sahib, contains over 500 verses by Kabir, even though he was not a Sikh.
Saat Shri Akaal.
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Skeptic - Lovely post. It is the same message Jesus often spoke of when he told stories like the one about the vineyard owner. God so often goes unseen, by the very people who profess to know Him...if only we had eyes to see and ears to hear...
ThosPayne; I found these words odd coming from you... "Are you looking for me?"
Based on all of your posts on this blogsite as either Skeptic, ThosPayne, or your many other names...you always seem to putting out the idea that you do not look for God, but rather mock the concept of God.
Make up your minds.
Yosemite - I beg to differ with you. I believe Skeptic has a better concept of who God really is, than most of us...
"In order to know the Truth, it is necessary to desire to know the truth, especially the truth that you do not know" - G.K. Chesterton
Skeptic
Thanks for stepping up with something inspirational and educational on Sunday morning.
Observer
I hope Sir B is doing well
YS
Some posts should be allowed to stand for what they are. Some days may be we should just give it a rest.
CA I think we are suppose to rest 1 day...Today is a good day!
Thanks, Skeptic. I have been missing BB, so this is very welcome.
Skeptic: I think is frustrating when you put up a post such as this one after you have interjected mocking comments about Christianity into comment threads that have nothing or little to do with religion and some of us have said, "Why bring up religion? We are talking about..." OK, so you may have a bone to pick with Christians and how they are inconsistent (who is?? we all have our faults, right?).
But it is easy to come at a religion which is exclusive (which I, personally, believe Christianity is) when you adhere to religions that are all-inclusive and basically teach things like, "All paths lead to God." Well, if ALL paths lead to God, then Christianity is one of them so us Christians are not "wrong" - right? Wouldn't it be more consistent on your part to just stay silent about Christians than to try to change them or ridicule with mocking comments? We are all just seeking God in our own personal way, right? Why get worked-up about it?
BTW I looked into your comment history and I can't find the comment you made about a week ago that some of us scratched our heads wondering why you would go after Christians when it didn't really have anything to do with it...kinda like playing the race card when it doesn't apply (but it is nice to have something to blame).
What would Kabir do?
CA04 - Sir B is doing well and adjusting. He finds himself somewhat tired from all the medication they are giving him and he is saving his energy for school.
Skeptic - Birch asked me yesterday if I wanted to continue the Sunday posts and I said yes, but didn't. It was nice to see you having done so. I believe it is God's Will that we should all have it, to meditate, to contemplate...thank you
Gail - I didn't read Skeptic's post so I can't comment on it. I do believe that God' wants us to have and show great respect for each other and our religions. We can't know this unless we seek it, or are atleast open to see it. I also believe that there is common truths in all of the great religions and that God would like us to arrive at that understanding, whether we are still on this planet or not. Jesus said he had no place to lay His head and I believe I am starting to understand this...
Perhaps it is "Christianity" as it is practiced as a religion that Skeptic has issues with more than the message of Jesus himself. I think that we tend to forget that Jesus was not a Christian and also not an American.
jayber - well well said! Was it not Ghandi who said he liked our Jesus...but just had problems with the Christians he knew
...as an afterthought, let me make it perfectly clear that I have contributed much to the negative image of Christians so I stand in judgment of no one...
Existence is beyond the power of words
To define:
Terms may be used,
But are none of them are the Absolute.
In the beginning, there were no words;
Words came out of the womb of matter;
And whether a man dispassionately
Sees to the deepest core of life,
Or passionately
Sees only the surface,
The core and the surface are essentially the same;
Words make them seem different,
To express the appearance.
If name be needed, Wonder names them both:
From wonder into wonder
Existence opens.
- Tao Te Ching
(note: Only wonder understands anything.)
Skeptic,
You get a little star by your name today! ;-)
Skeptic - If I was not a student of the masters, I would not know of what you speak. It's so awe...some. Thank you :-)
OK, over on the Shockley letter to the editor Skeptic talks about a "brand of Christianity" that Y_S adheres to and it is not spoken of in tones of love and peace. So Skeptic, can you tell us which brands are good and which are bad? I need to make sure I am in the "good zone."
But if it is just all about a little competition between you and Y_S, can you give it a rest? It is really not good for your soul to be so angry with someone like him. Remember: "Existence is beyond the power of words." Somewhere in all the writings of the gurus there has to be something about pointed angry words directed at people and it coming back to bite you at some point...oh yeah...karma?
GailBegin, The Buddha taught harboring anger is like throwing a hot coal at someone; you always get burned. But jayber (09/20/09) nailed it. Abandon Christianity. Become Christ.
Gail/Skeptic - I would not agree that one has to abandon Christianity in order to "become Christ." Some of the most Christ-like people I have ever met, go to daily Mass and NEVER read the Bible, outside of the readings at Mass. It's the self interpretation of those scriptures, by Christians, coupled with the darkness of the souls of individuals, that is the true source of the problems of Christianity. If we saw the deeper meaning behind our Gospel readings, we would see Christ where we would never expect to find Him...
Well said Skeptic/Observer
Skeptic - thank you for the post. I hope there will be more like it in the future. I took the time to look up some of Kabir's poems after reading your blog, it is not difficult to see why he is the most quoted author in India.
O how may I ever express that secret word?
O how can I say He is not like this, and He is like that?
If I say that He is within me, the universe is ashamed:
If I say that He is without me, it is falsehood.
He makes the inner and the outer worlds to be indivisibly one;
The conscious and the unconscious, both are His footstools.
He is neither manifest nor hidden, He is neither revealed nor unrevealed:
There are no words to tell that which He is.
Skeptic wrote: GailBegin: "Murder of the unborn" is a dead giveaway. Fundamentalist Christianity seems morbidly obsessed with what goes on in other womens' wombs. I believe it's a control thing.
Thanks for answering my question as to which brand of Christianity is bad.
Did you not come from a woman's womb? Aren't you glad someone cared enough to let you stay there long enough to be born? Now go forth and be Christ-like (not sure how we all *become* Christ...that is a while other topic).
I wonder what Kabir would say about taking the unborn child in the womb and killing it?
I wonder what he would say about making it a profession?
I wonder what he would say if those who made a profession of it, demanded that I pay for them to do it?
Do you have any quotes?
Y_S: A woman's womb is not Kabir's business.
GailBegin -
I never said any kind of Christianity was "bad." That was your word. Actually, I'm attracted to the Nazorean and Gnostic forms - - the wisdom of Jesus as it originally was - - before the Edict of Milan and the Council of Nicaea changed everything. Moreover, the issue of abortion morality has nothing to do with where I gestated.
I am more of a concatenation
Than a single designed creation,
But when I'm alone,
Avoiding the phone,
I thank my perverse aberration.
- Doesn't Christianity teach that God became man so that man could become God? It is written that Jesus said: "I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become drunk from the bubbling stream which I have measured out.... He who drinks from my mouth will become as I am: I myself shall become he and the things that are hidden will be revealed to him." (Gosp. Thomas: 108)
Yo'sam -
No. You don't wonder. If you did, you'd look these things up for yourself instead of asking me to give you an answer that you would reject in any case.
.
"Hey brother, why do you want me to talk?
Talk and talk and the real things get lost.
Talk and talk and things get out of hand.
Why not stop talking and ... think?
If you meet someone good, listen a little, speak;
If you meet someone bad, clench up like a fist.
Talking with a wise man is a great reward.
Talking with a fool? A waste.
Kabir says: A pot makes noise if it's half full,
But fill it to the brim -- no sound."
~ Kabir, the weaver
"Doesn't Christianity teach that God became man so that man could become God?"
No, this is not a Christian teaching. The gospel of Thomas is not a part of the Christian canon. It is actually considered heretical. If you are attracted to heretical forms of Christianity, then it is apples and oranges to compare it with orthodox Christianity.
The bottom line is that, as you well know, some Christians and even non-Christians have opinions about abortion (and other things) that are different from yours. If you seek to be a "wise man" then why don't you take Kabir's advice, "talk and talk and real things get lost"?
"If you meet someone good (read, someone you agree with already), listen a little, speak;"
"If you meet someone bad (read, someone you disagree with), clench up like a fist."
You got that part of the teaching down, I see.
Gail, a woman's womb might not be anyone's business but that woman's, however, the life inside it is not solely her business. It has two sets of chromosomes, and one of them is not hers.
We have laws against murder. The location of the victim is typically not at issue. (ie: If you kill your child in public its murder, if you kill it in private its just plain OK)
Its reasonable to acknowledge that abortion is complicated. Its reasonable to recognize that laws addressing abortion are going to be controversial.
But its also critical to recognize that a human life begins when 23X chromosomes join with 23Y chromosomes (or 23 different X) and becomes a unique individual human being.
We should have laws that protect all human beings regardless of race, age, ethnicity, gender, including when they are in the womb of another human being. We need to balance the right to life against the privacy of a woman, and her own personal safety.
Right now, with RoeVWade, this balance is not possible. Its forced from the federal government to ignore the life of the baby.