Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Fall
If you are one of the few people who read my blog, you are aware that I enjoy thinking and writing about the Creation story. In this case, I have been think a great deal about the Fall; I have come to believe that a consequence of the Fall is a dualistic mindset. One of the interesting characteristics of great thinkers like Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi is that they offer us a third option. According to the gospels Jesus taught in parables, which to the dismay of the Pharisees offered a new way to be in the world - rather than embrace the law as a way to show God love through obedience, He taught us that the law was made for us, and we could us it to include each other and love each other, rather than exclude and exalt ourselves for being obedient. The Buddha offer us the middle way - being an ascetic is not going to bring peace, neither is going to the other extreme of being hedonistic, instead he offered a third option. Gandhi taught a paradox - nonviolent protest - rather than fighting with violence as many people would have done and rightly so in their position, Gandhi provided a combination of protest and non-participation - a third option. The third option always demands a merciful response - it always demands the best of our humanity. Jesus rightly taught that He is the way the truth and the life - our salvation lies in the third way, which requires a flexible and humble mindset. Only our true selves can follow in the path of the third way.
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Great insights so many need to see. When reading this post, it occurred to me, "Is there a way that is not the left, right or the middle?" Maybe there paragons in spirituality were suggesting, "There's a way you haven't tried. That one is it." For Zen this makes sense. Once the "Middle" becomes a way, it's no longer a "the Way" because it has become mentally defined and form. Yet, we need form! At least in the beginning. So, could my way be non-right, non-left, non-middle? What is that way?
ReplyDeleteThat is really interesting! I think you are right - we need to rely on a flexible mindset to experience peace and meaning in our lives. Once we get comfortable relying a particular way of thinking or being we run into trouble.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience we need something to hold on to, but grasping tightly isn't so good either. In LDS scripture, there is the idea of holding onto the "iron rod" tightly to get one through the "mists of darkness" yet there is also the story of a divine compass that guides us through a much more flexible and wandering process, with awareness of the present. I probably fall more into the latter category. Sometimes though, I miss having a solid anything to hold on to (not just spirituality, but academics as well) and also have found that it is possible to be "rigidly flexible." And now I'm talking in circles, haha.
ReplyDeleteHaving something to hold on to seems common to us all in one degree or another and depending on our state of mind and circumstances.
ReplyDeleteWe can argue with our minds, but it hard to argue against the heart...