I've been told I'm.....

.....eclectic.

I'm going to admit that's probably quite true about me. Although I have a few major interests, about which I can stay pretty focused, I have quite a few minor ones. In other words, there is much yet to learn in this lifetime.

When I saw this beautiful collage created by my longtime, sweet school-friend Debbie, I asked her if I could borrow it for our blog. It represents such a wonderful variety of wonderful, inspirational ideas, don't you think? I'm so glad she agreed to let me use it, because today I was sitting here feeling like I might have something to say, but couldn't quite land on any particular thought. Actually, I remember having some really nice conversations with her back in the day. She's always been a person who was cheerful, with a good attitude and wonderful sense of humor. I remember her lovely smile just lighting up the room and she always made me feel better about things when we took time to chat. It doesn't surprise me one bit to find her as nice a person as she was back then, and these pictures reflect that personality, to me. (Thanks, Deb!)

I don't have a lot of my own stuff to share, really. The stuff that I might need to really talk about wouldn't really be bloggable. (Hey, a new word?! LOL) I guess the biggest news I have right now is that I quit my job and am working on getting back into full-time domesticity (note I didn't mention the word 'goddess'-- that would be a bit optimistic at this point, and I don't want anyone getting the idea that I'm anywhere near full-on, full-tilt mojo). I enjoyed my desk job and loved working with my Man in our home office, but I'm really glad to be freed up to do and be more of what I used to think I was good at doing and being....

A sad note on the ex-job front is that we found out we lost a dear, wonderful lady over the weekend. Our friend was a super Human Resources Angel, and she all-of-a-sudden stepped into her next life, leaving behind a sweet family, and we grieve for and with them.

Goodbye, Beth.

Shawn
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Photo courtesy of DSH ;~)

Rational naturalistic mysticism....

The creationists, of course, you have with you always.

We may develop fusion energy, make the deserts bloom and colonize Mars, but someone still will object to evolution theory taught as science in the middle schools there.

The traditional creation/evolution discussion always has tried to allow for being nice, for the kindly argument that science and religion need not be at odds.

More than ever in this latter day, our options extend beyond the polarity of scornful atheism versus passionate investment in the factual veracity of the Books of Moses.

Here at our station between such extremes (see Middle Way), Buddhists heartily believe in the Big Bang, abiogenesis and organic evolution, and all such discoveries of ever-honest and beneficial science — since these attest to a living universe in which all things and beings are interdependently meaningful and good.

After all, scholarly Buddhism's characterization of the true nature of phenomena, many centuries old, is remarkably like theoretical physics. Just as chalkboards of calculations work out to give us Einstein's good equation, sutras of grand sweep come down to a formula made up of five or seven Chinese characters.
In both cases, we obtain glyphs of concentrated meaning that name the universe and unlock awesome stores of power.

For believers in Moses (who lived perhaps 700 years before the lawgiver Gautama Buddha), something of the Dharma is referenced in Exodus 3:14, when Man receives a title for invoking G_d, styled in all capital letters like Sanskrit: "I AM THAT I AM." The fundamental reality or law is not a result, not the effect of any prior cause, but a perfect and eternal singularity that contains its own purpose.

My faith tradition likens this sovereign absolute to the lotus, wherein flower and seed — which cause one another — appear at the same time. Sure enough, quarks have a similar arrangement, revealing how it might be that the intelligent design and the intelligence doing the designing are, as we Buddhists are fond of saying, "not two."

Left to their own devices, quarks and leptons make the atom, a living engine of order that carries construction codes in its heart.
From there, stellar birth-death cycles cook up the hundred elements out of just hydrogen and helium, ordaining the phenomenon we call chemistry.
Thus, a basic proposition about forces and particles has been blueprint sufficient for all the intricacy and value we see around us, and all purpose. How wondrous!

These splendid and interesting things, pleasing as they may be to you and me, just make the creationists mad.
Their comic book depicts the old evolutionist as scowling and shaking a fist, but it is they who have been cranky for a hundred years. It must be mighty irksome to have your paradigm humiliated, long before you were born.

Creation "science" is distinguished as the only branch of science to consist chiefly of desperately persuasive commentary — no findings as such, no experiment done nor discovery made in the field, no; it appears that they would substitute fervor for data.

I am counting on the science-inclined of today's youth to see ludicrous propaganda for what it is, just as I did so long ago, and choose the path of reality and reason.

From there, some may come to consider Buddhism and take faith in it. Glory!

SGTex

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This article was published in the local newspapers on Sunday, February 19, 2012

Paix de mon cœur ...Vrede van my hart ...Frieden in meinem Herzen ...שלוות לבי ...Peace of my heart....

For as long as I've had this picture in my file, I've thought what an absolutely great experience it would be to participate in an event like this.... What a great day!

On the other hand, my heart tells me that, while it would have been important and all, to be a part of such a project, it might be nothing more than a project on a great day if I didn't take home some of that special feeling and apply it to my corner of the world on a day-to-day basis.

In other words, one doesn't have to be part of a peace exhibit to make a real big deal, a significant difference in this world.

And I've been thinking about conflict. There are some real problems in the world these days, not the least of which is happening right here in the USA. All the trauma and the melodrama about idealogy and who thinks what about who....who is giving their money for what and can we believe what this person says or that person? Boyhowdy.

I've decided that people tend to fight about what they fear...I've had some interesting conversations lately (and yes, I have said some angry words) on meaningful topics that can get heated in a hurry, because I actually do care and I actually do want to be understood. Sometimes, it seems like people just have a mental (or emotional or spiritual) block and can't for the life of them (us) see the other (my!) side, have a little empathy, or at least pretend to have a little sympathy, lol. Do those things really matter that much? I mean, do I really care what So-and-So thinks about my life or idea so much that I get mad and huff off ? Is What's-His-Name's problem something I care about and will I be helpful and encouraging, or...??

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. LOL!

So much to think about, it gives me a headache. It's a pick-your-battle kinda thing. Where can I do the most good? Honestly, I'm not exactly sure.

I will not pretend to disbelieve something I consider to be true, and that is this: When angry thoughts or words are spoken, a spark flies, and that wee spark is all that is needed to start something burning that takes hold....Before too long, we've got a Syria on our hands...

Peace out.......

Shawn

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