Jesus was born a man. Seen through the eyes of a Christian, these words hold a different meaning--he was the son of God since the beginning of time, and then took the form of a man to free us of our sins.
To all else, Jesus was a man who did great things to become the son of God--a fact, a historical figure who achieved greatness.
In the latter, we stand a better opportunity to see the greater merit in his journey as a fellow human, in his quest to become one with the Holy Father. These lessons are more attainable for you and I in our flesh, than if we consider the former statement, and take him to be the son of God right from the very beginning. Nothing is impossible to God, so where is the merit in the very journey. There is no great transformation.
It is the suffering inflicted upon him leading to his crucifixion that connects him to the larger sentimentality of Christian believers. The feeling of oneness with the son of God, who had no reason to become a man and then take on all his sufferings for the greater cause of freeing man of all his sins.
This roots back to the story of genesis, of Adam and Eve. This is where the concept of original sin is planted. This is key to this feeling of guilt for perfectly natural and instinctive behavior. The concept of Heaven and Hell, of eternal life after death in one of the two leads to the heightening of one's stake. Even if this were false, and since there is no way to prove it one way or another, the stakes are so high that one would not want to take the risk. Hence, it is better to play the rules and hope to be in Heaven than in Hell.
These concepts intertwined makes for the psyche of a Christian to perfectly welcome the idea that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus, and hence the Bible etches the greatest Hero known to man. What greater Hero can there be, than the one who saves you from eternal damnation in Hell?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
YouTube - Root of All Evil - Episode 1 (1/5)
YouTube - Root of All Evil - Episode 1 (1/5)
A must watch!!!
Dogma has plagued humanity since it's intellectual course began towards becoming a civilized lot.
Nothing but violence, separation and feeling of isolation have emerged out of this.
Dogma cannot save an individual or a group from the truth. Though the belief of dogmatic practitioners is that they are being revealed the truth.
Children are easy targets and when exposed to high concepts, they are most vulnerable to turn dogmatic, as they cannot reason or question as they are programmed by nature not to.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Healing
Whatever problems come to us from beings or inanimate objects, if our mind gets used to perceiving only the suffering or the negative aspects of them, then even from a small negative incident great mental pain will ensue. For it is the nature of indulgence in any concept, whether suffering or happiness, that the experience [will be intensified by that indulgence. As] negative experience gradually becomes stronger, a time will come when most of what appears before us will become the cause of bringing us unhappiness, and happiness will never have a chance to arise. If we do not realize that the fault lies with our own mind's way of gaining experience, and if we blame all our problems on the external conditions alone, then the ceaseless flame of habitual negative deeds such as hatred and suffering will increase in us. That is called: "All appearances arising in the form of enemies."
-- Dodrupchen
The Healing Power of Mind: Simple Exercises for Health, Well-Being, and Enlightenment
When we cling to our wants and worries with all our energy, we create only stress and exhaustion. By loosening the attitude that Buddhists call "grasping at self," we can open to our true nature, which is peaceful and enlightened. This book is an invitation to the awakening of our inner wisdom, a source of healing we all possess. Like a door opening to this wisdom, we can bring in the sunlight, warmth, and gentle breeze of healing. The source of this energy is ours to touch and share at any moment, a universal birthright that can bring us joy even in a world of suffering and ceaseless change.
In Buddhism, the wisdom taught in the scriptures is mainly aimed at realizing enlightenment. However, spiritual exercises can also help us find happiness and health in our everyday life. There are extensive discourses in Buddhism on improving our ordinary life and having a peaceful, joyous, and beneficial existence in this very world.
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