So what does it mean when men with long beards, living thousands of years ago, sitting still in Himalyan caves happen upon a notion of enlightenment. Is it to archaic for our pluralistic western scientism, or were they on to some deep inner-transformation, perhaps the key to mind evolution itself that revealed more truly the nature of reality? we'll have to "get there" to find out I suppose. Then again, the notion that we have to get there in the first place is inherently inimical to Zen, as we already are here and perfect now. We already have this inner-Buddha nature or Christ consciousness, we just need to uncover it from the dirt of attachment, hatred, delusion and false-imagining that have enveloped us. The cessation of the self, a regaining of that childlike innocence, abiding in a natural brightly shining womb of original pureness is open to us now.
It's deceptively simple yet gradually attainable, as Ken Wilber says, the task is to transform "higher states into permanent traits." Jim Carey discusses this higher-state as "being thrown into this expansive amazing feeling of freedom from myself and my problems. I saw I was bigger than what I do, I was everything and everyone. I was no longer a fragment of the universe, I was the universe. and ever since that day, I've been trying to get back there. It comes and it goes, its like riding a wave, sometimes I'm on, sometimes I'm off, but at least I know where I want to go, and I want to take as many people with me as I possibly can because the feeling is amazing!"
Once we swim in these streams, we understand what transpersonal psychologist Stanislav Grof meant when he said, "Spiritual intelligence acquired in the process of experiential self-exploration has the power to override the scientistic worldview of materialistic science while effectively acting as a remedy to counteract the dogmas of organized religions." Only then, is Our intrinsic, effulgent indwelling potency for becoming a Buddha, A Christ, a Wayshower realized.
Jim Carey Vid:
very interesting post. we've been learning about the introduction of buddhism in china. but its mostly about its influence on art being that it is an art in china class.
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