World Beyond

Beauty as Evidence of God

I'm not sure it's possible to convince someone God exists.  I think it's a realization everyone must come to on their own.  Arguing won't do it, logical reasoning won't do it.  I don't know the figures on how many people world-wide are agnostics or atheists, but I have a feeling the percentages are small.  I believe anyone who's ever  taken some time for contemplative thought must believe in some sort of higher power.

We may disagree on the nature of God, on specific attributes, but most all of us (especially those taking the time to read this) believe God exists.  What evidence do we have?  Again, I think it's a personal issue and varies from one individual to another.  We've probably all had personal spiritual experiences, or witnesses that God exists.  While these experiences may not be used as evidence in a court of law to prove God is real, to us, the experiences and feelings are real and cannot be denied.

Even if we've had several strong spiritual experiences in the past, we're in constant need of renewal.  We need to recharge our spiritual batteries.  Reading an uplifting book, prayer, meditation, and serving others can all be ways to feel the spirit of God (and God's love) in our lives.  Another method that works for me, is taking the time to appreciate the many beautiful thing in this world.  Why was such a beautiful world created?  Why are we endowed with the intellect and senses necessary to appreciate beauty?  I argue it's to tune us in spiritually back to God.

Many religious thinkers bemoan man's physical nature.  They recommend we deny our physical selves to approach God.  I think we're here precisely because we need physical experiences for our spiritual development.  By using our physical senses to appreciate the beauty around us, we become closer to God. 

Each of us have different standards of beauty, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  There are also various places to find beauty.  For some it may be music: classical, jazz, country or rock and roll, whatever speaks to your soul.  Maybe for you it's all types.  From Antonio Vivaldi to Trisha Yearwood to Lenny Kravitz, all types of music can inspire.

Beauty can also be found in nature.  There are so many scenic locations throughout the world, and you can experience them while driving, or hiking, camping or even fishing.  My personal favorite is traveling on a motorcycle.  I feel more a part of the surroundings, and it also satisfies my "need for speed".  I've found beauty in the deserts, in the mountains, and near the ocean.  Sunrises, sunsets, forests, rock formations, the stars at night, have all drawn me closer to God.  On a past family vacation to Arizona while admiring the beauty of the mountains near Scottsdale, I was inspired to write the following meditation:

Open heart
open mind
loving heart
wise mind
touch the creator
feel the love
soak it up
send it out again
receive
transmit
share with others
god's wonders.

I also like images of space.  I'm awestruck by them, and have included a few on this site.  Most of these pictures have only been made available in the recent past, due to scientific and technological advances.

Works of art can also inspire.  Even though art and architecture is man-made, good art definitely displays the inspiration of God.  Take the time to go to a museum or enjoy an art book.  I've been fortunate to live in Europe and visit some of the museums there.  I've also seen some architectural triumphs, from the Alhambra to Notre Dame, and every time I felt closer to God.

For myself, (I'm a man, I admit it) the beauty of a woman can also be very inspiring.  A shy smile, a sultry voice,  intelligent   eyes, soft hair, nicely curved body, all make me thank God for the beauty that surrounds us.

I often feel closer to God in the presence of small children.  I feel a vital energy force coming from them, and when I hold a child, I feel a little younger, and a little more innocent through them.

I could go on, but I think the point has been made.

As you can see, you can feel closer to God in a church, or outdoors, with others around, or alone.  The most important thing is to take time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you.  Take time to contemplate the meaning behind the beauty, absorb it, and slowly God will be revealed to you.

Attitude

He who has no opinion of his own, but depends upon the opinion and taste of others, is a slave.  --Frederich Klopstock

Calm self-confidence is as far from conceit as the desire to earn a decent living is remote from greed.  --Channing Pollock

Is life so wretched?  Isn't it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddled?  You are the one who must grow up.  --Dag Hammarskjold

That which does not kill me makes me stronger.  --Friedrich Nietzsche

Approach life each day as if it were your last day on earth.  --Mike Morrill

When bad things happen, don't wallow in self-pity, ask instead: "What should I be learning?"  --Mike Morrill

Tao -- Two

When people see things as beautiful,
ugliness is created.
When people see things as good,
evil is created.

Being and non-being produce each other.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low oppose each other.
Fore and aft follow each other.

Therefore the Master
can act without doing anything
and teach without saying a word.
Things come her way and she does not stop them;
things leave and she lets them go.
She has without possessing,
and acts without any expectations.
When her work is done, she takes no credit.
That is why it will last forever.

Love Life

Several years ago I was able to take a three day motorcycle trip to Southern Utah with my son, who was 10 at the time.  I've loved to ride motorcycles ever since I was his age.  I love the sensation of speed as the world rushes by.  I feel more a part of things as I travel, compared to being in a car (or a "cage" as they are referred to by bikers).  You can smell things, feel things, hear things you normally wouldn't experience.  When I'm riding, I feel more alive.  I'm more focused.  Often, for me, it's a meditative, near spiritual experience.

My son and I were able to visit many wonderful, scenic areas, national parks and monuments.  It was great to spend some father-son time, it was great to get out and ride the motorcycle, it was great to see so many beautiful places.  We drove by rivers and lakes, mountains and valleys, beautiful green areas and spots so barren the landscape turned to a moonscape.  We went on a couple of spectacular hikes.  I know I enjoyed the trip, and my son says he did too.  I was proud of him then and am even more so now as he continues to grow.  Time goes by so quickly.

On our return trip, traveling over a very isolated mountain pass, at least 40 miles from the nearest town, I saw a peculiar sight.  An middle-aged man, I'd guess at least 50, was walking towards us, pulling his possessions in a small cart behind him, carrying a large backpack.  Affixed to the top of the backpack was a sign with large letters that read simply, "Love Life."

As we sped past him, a solitary motorcycle on a lonely road, I waved, and he grinned broadly and gave a huge wave in return.  It was a surreal, almost magical moment, time seemed to slow down for me.  Would it have been the same if I'd been in a car?  No.  Would it have been the same if I hadn't had a wonderful weekend with my son?  No.  If we hadn't just experienced so many beautiful natural wonders?  No.  Everything came together in that one moment.

What was he doing there?  He was miles from civilization, along an empty mountain road.  He was far from interstates, far from the busier side-roads.  If he'd wanted to reach the greatest number of people, he would have picked a different more popular route.  I'd like to think he had a message special for me, and in turn a message for all of you.

I have no idea who he is or where he was traveling from or to.  As I think back, I wonder if he was even really there.  Could I have imagined the whole event?

Love life! That's what it's all  about.  No matter where you live, no matter what your occupation, no matter what your interests.  Take the time to be in the moment and love life.  Take the time to appreciate life.  Love the hot summer days.  Love the cold winter nights.  Love your work.  Love your leisure.  Love your family.  Love your friends.  Love your co-workers (even the really annoying ones!)

For a few people, this attitude comes naturally.  The rest of us have to work at it.  As we make the effort, not only do we make ourselves happy, but we spread happiness to those around us.  We've all known people who possess that quality.  People who've inspired us.  Perhaps we can inspire others to love life a little more each day, just as one solitary traveler inspired me.

Tao -- One

My plan for this category is to routinely post single chapters of the Tao as a study/meditation aid.  I take a pocket Tao with me whenever I travel...I can't say that I understand more than about 10% of it, but it's truly beautiful and speaks to me.  If you keep up with some of the latest discoveries in Astronomy and Physics, some of the inexplicable ideas contained in the Tao make more and more sense.  Enjoy.

Here's a link to the entire Tao if you want to read more.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tao that can be described
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be spoken
is not the eternal Name.

The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of creation.

Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery.
By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real.

Yet mystery and reality
emerge from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness born from darkness.
The beginning of all understanding.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Some random thoughts about our overall philosophy I wrote down while on my last visit to the Votkinsk Portal Monastery Facility:

1. Find your own Zen.
2. Find your own creative outlet.
3. Love unselfishly, help good causes.
4. Spiritual guideposts (good people or good books) can help your journey, incorporate what rings true in your heart and discard the rest.
5. For optimum performance, balance spiritual, physical, emotional and mental pursuits.
6. We all get the life we need and deserve.
7. No gurus!  No priests!  No church!  No violence!  No hatred!

Spiritual Life

So remember, my meaning of discipline is not that of any Ten Commandments...Your discipline has to come from your very heart, it has to be your own--and there is a great difference.  When somebody else gives you discipline, it an never fit you; it will be like wearing somebody else's clothes.  Either they will be too loose or too tight, and you will always feel a little bit silly in them.  --Osho

It does not matter whether you paint, sculpt, or make shoes, whether you are a gardener, a farmer, a fisherman, a carpenter--it does not matter.  What matters is, are you putting your very soul into what you are creating?  Then your creative products have something of the divine.  --Osho

Life in itself has no meaning.  Life is an opportunity to create meaning.  Meaning has not to be discovered; it has to be created.  You will find meaning only if you create it.  It is not lying there somewhere behind the bushes, so you can go and search a little bit and find it.  It is not there like a rock that you will find.  It is a poetry to be composed, it is a song to be sung, it is a dance to be danced.  --Osho

Spiritual perception must be an individual quest or it has no meaning...Even steps in the wrong direction give us insight into the many paths designed to teach us...On the road of life we must take responsibility for all our decisions without blaming other people for life's setbacks that bring unhappiness.  --Michael Newton

Important elements of Life are communal, but ultimately Life is experienced alone.  --Mike Morrill

Monday Haiku

   Life's mysteries unfold
   In diligent seekers' hearts
   Live rich, study always

Heart and Mind -- By Osho

The following is an excerpt form the book "Courage" by Osho.  Over the past several years I've been wondering about the roles of the heart and mind in our daily lives.  I think this passage explains it all beautifully. 

Intelligence is intellect in tune with your heart.  The heart knows how to trust, the intellect knows how to seek and search. 

There is an old Eastern story:  Two beggars used to live outside a village.  One was blind and one had no legs.  One day the forest near the village, where these beggars used to live, caught fire.  They were competitors of course--in the same profession, begging from the same people--and they were continually angry with each other.  They were enemies, not friends.

So when the forest was on fire those two beggars thought for a moment.  They were enemies, not even on speaking terms, but this was an emergency.  The blind man said to the man who had no legs, "Now the only way to escape is that you sit on my shoulders; use my legs and I will use your eyes.  That's the only way we can save ourselves."  It was immediately understood.  There was no problem.

The man without legs could not get out; it was impossible for him to cross the forest--it was all on fire.  He could have moved a little bit but that would not help.  An exit, and a very quick exit, was needed.  The blind man also was certain that he could not get out.  He did not know where the fire was, where the road was, and where the trees were burning and where they were not.  A blind man....he would get lost.  But both were intelligent people; they dropped their enmity, became friends, and saved their lives.

This is an Eastern fable.  And this is about your intellect and your heart.  It has nothing to do with beggars, it has something to do with you.  It has nothing to do with a forest on fire, it has something to do with you--because you are on fire.  Each moment you are burning, suffering, in misery, anguish.  Alone your intellect is blind.  It has legs, it can run fast, it can move fast, but because it is blind it cannot choose the right direction in which to go.  And it is bound to be continually stumbling, falling, hurting itself and felling life meaningless.

That's what the intellectuals of the whole world are saying:  "Life is meaningless."  The reason why life seems to them meaningless is that the blind intellect is trying to see the light.  It is impossible.

There is a heart within you, which sees, which feels, but which has no legs; it cannot run.  It remains where it is, beating, waiting...someday intellect will understand and will be able to use the heart's eyes.  When I say the word trust I mean the eyes of the heart.  And when I say the word doubt I mean the legs of your intellect.  Both together can come out of the fire; there is no problem at all.  But remember, the intellect has to accept the heart above its shoulders.  It has to.

The heart has no legs, only eyes, and the intellect has to listen to the heart and follow its directions.  In the hands of the heart the intellect becomes intelligent.  It is a transformation, a total transformation of energy.  Then the person does not become an intellectual, he simply becomes wise.

Wisdom comes through the meeting of the heart and the intellect.  And once you have learned the art of how to create a synchronicity between your heartbeats and the workings of your intellect, you have the whole secret in your hands, the master key to open all the mysteries.

Hope this message helps you.  Please share what you think.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

Over the past seven years, I've probably read at least 50 different books on various spiritual topics.  None were more enlightening than Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".  It was recommended by a friend and I highly encourage you to read it.

Tolle has masterfully fused and explained insights from psychology, Buddhism and early Christianity.  He explains quite clearly the nature of the ego, the collective impact of the individual ego on current events and the importance for each of us to overcome our ego.  Tolle's secret of happiness: "Be one with life."  We need to forget about the future and the past and focus on the "power of now".  He recommends a simple practice of concious breathing to allow ourselves to go beyond the ego and tune into the universal conciousness.  The purpose of mankind is to express universal consciousness into this material realm. 

Pick up a copy for a great read, and great perspective into your potential and the future of mankind.