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EXCERPT FROM THE
BOOK:
VINCE'S GYM
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Neo compares many human
activities religion, education, and differing physical needs to
sitting and eating at a buffet
Two
weeks after the exiles from Delp’s joined my gym I went on
another over night camping trip with Neo. This time we only had
to go about ten miles past Oakridge, Oregon. I had been to
Oakridge before just to hangout in the cozy little town. Through
the lenses of my Philadelphian eyes Oakridge still appeared to
be a rustic frontier town. The elevation of Oakridge is between
1,200 to 1, 600 feet and in 1853 it was called “that jewel or
a city in the mountains.”
Its original name was Big Prairie and later Hazeldell but in
1912 it was final name became Oakridge. Today the population is
about 3,680 and If I remember correctly back in 1982 it was
about half of that. The town is nestled just above the fog line
and below the snow line that it has often been called the
Shangri-La of the Cascades. Most of the people that lived in
Oakridge were lumber jacks, mill workers, and ranch hands. In
the early 1980’s the crash in the wood products industry struck
a crushing blow to the majority of the inhabitants of this neat
little town.
We left on Saturday night after I closed the gym. It took us
only two hours to reach the base of the trail located ten miles
past Oakridge from where we would start. I had assumed that we
would sleep at the base of the trail in the back of his truck
until morning. Neo had other ideas and he grabbed his usual
hunting tools and he handed me a type of skin covered drum to
bring with me. This time Neo did not strip down to his
loin-cloth but keep his jeans and logging boots and grey long
underwear shirt and over this a flannel shirt that hung open.
This time of year was not cold at this elevation during midday,
but nighttime was different.
I was
wearing similar clothing but because of the plummeting
temperatures my flannel shirt was buttoned up and over this I
kept a moderately thick jacket zipped up. In my ruck-sack I also
brought my one-piece snow mobile outfit that I had worn on my
cross-country motorcycle trek…just in case. If I remember
correctly we hiked at an elevation that was past the snow line
at about 2,500 feet.
I was uneasy about hiking that time of night for what I felt
were good reasons. It was very cold and without the moon it was
very dark. I was also exhausted and I wanted to sleep. I told
Neo we should stop and sleep for those reasons. He said I could
use my flashlight if I wanted, but he claimed that he could see
quite well in the darkness. He claimed he had uncountable hours
of experience with night time jaunts.
I kidded with him and said, “What the hell are you a friggen
Vampire?” I had the flashlight pointed towards his chest just
below his chin and I could see his big teeth flashing in the
periphery of the light.
The
way his prominent teeth flashed from the shadows and indirect
light with their slight unusual imperfection my mind could
almost see them as vampiric.” A chill ran up my spine and the
hair on my neck stood up.
Neo just laugh and he grabbed the bottom of his open flannel
shirt which he pulled the shirt up and over in front of his face
as if he pretended it was a cape and in a good Bellalugosi
voice, he said, “Be careful…the blood runs cold, sooo follow
me...”
His
levity snapped me out of my chill of the supernatural.” He
turned away and started to hike at a pretty fast clip.
He said, “Keep the light on me mate and just follow.
The hike took only a little over an hour. We set up camp well
above the snow line. In this area, during the day the air
temperature would not hit the freezing mark yet the snow still
lingered even though winter had not begun. The snow at this
elevation could stay all year round.
The shade from the trees and the limited amount of fairly warm
temperatures never got a chance to melt all of the snow before
winter came again. I blew up my air mattress as quickly possible
and threw my sleeping bag on top of the mattress crawled in as
fast as I could and went right into blissful sleep. I woke up in
the middle of the night and as I looked around the camp…I could
not see Neo. I assumed he was wandering around playing at the
being the nocturnal savage. I went quickly back to sleep.
I woke up with the sun and I saw that Neo was still not in
sight. I lingered in my bedroll for another hour or more
sleeping off and on. Finally I woke up again and looked around
the camp. I still did not see Neo and I did not see any of his
stuff. For a minute I started to panic…perhaps he played a joke
on me and left me up here playing his odd version of a snipe
hunt. I tried to calm myself by telling myself that would be
illogical on his part because it would not be hard for me to get
back to Oakridge and then back to the gym.
I told
myself, ”He would not jeopardize our friendship for a weird
prank…or would he?
I asked myself, “How much do you really know of this guy?”
I thought, “He was a guy with a few different forged ID’s, --
that did not bode well for his character...did it?”
I ripped off my sleeping bag and hurriedly put on my boots. I
ran this way and that on the perimeter of the camp looking for
some sign of him. It was silly…I knew that I could find my way
back to the base of the trail, it was no more than an hour
away…probably less since it would be a down hill trek. I was
confident that from there it would not take me longer than six
hours to walk back to Oakridge. Still I felt more anxious than I
am comfortable to admit.
I
walked briskly around the camp calling out, “Neooo!” “Yo Neooo!”
After calling him several times a voice right behind me mocking
my Philly accent says, “Yo Vinny!”
Startled I yelled, “Aghh!!” “Damn it Neo, you scared the shit
out of me.”
My anger came out to mask my fear and relief of seeing him and I
said, “Where the hell were you?” “You should have left a note.”
Neo just laugh and in the voice of a contrite little boy he
says, “I’m sorrie momma, I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Being mock angered me, but his little boy voice was funny as
hell, so anger and laughter waged a war. Laughter won out and
took me over in gut wrenching convulsions.
After I recovered from my convulsions I noticed that Neo was
not barefooted, he was wearing what appeared to be a type of
sheepskin boots or moccasins the length of them ran up to the
bottom of his large muscular calves. In addition to the
moccasins he was also wearing his cossie sock as he liked
to call it.
I said, “What’s up with the moccasins?” “I thought that you
liked to go native.”
Neo said, “Yeah I do…but I will be hiking in the snow.” “I can
handle the cold, and even the wet and cold…but I’ve have gotten
a little soft and I can’t see some of the sharp stuff under the
snow.” “So that is why I brought me ugg boots with me fer
this walkabout.” In his right hand he was holding on to two
plump but very dead squirrels.
I said, “What in the hell do you got there?”
He said, “Breakfast.”
I said, “How did you get them?” He shows me his trusty slingshot
and smiles.
I said, “Aren’t you afraid that they may be out of season?”
He laughed and said in his Yogi Bear imitation, “I’m a sorry
a Mr. Ranger man sir… are ya going to turn me in mister Ranger
man sir.” Shit, the guy was a crack up.
“Neo said, “Ya don’t have to eat them if ya don’t want Mr.
Dudley Do-right.”
Remembering the delicious squirrel meals that my Uncle VD use to
cook up my mouth watered and I said, “Are you kidding I could
eat ten of those.”
Neo laughed and said, “That’s a good bloke.”
Looking around I remembered that I could not see his belongings
and I mentioned that to Neo. He walks over to a tree and climbs
up with the agility of an orangutan and brings down all of his
belongings.
He said, “I didn’t want the coyotes to snatch me stuff away.”
Neo had gathered all of the materials for the fire during the
night.
I said, “You must have the eyes of a lemur. He just smiles and
said, “Build the fire while I clean these little buggers.”
I put the materials together pretty quickly and I said, “It will
take me hours to start a fire with a bow drill, you better jump
in.”
Neo comes over and leans in with his automatic fireplace lighter
and he said a Pepe’ La’pew accent, “Viola’.”
As he starts cleaning the squirrels I told him I wanted to
resume our conversation about Buddhism and that I had many other
questions.
Neo looks at me and says, “Ya remember our deal, don’t ya Vinny?”
I said, “Yes, and I have done some reading.”
Neo said, “And…?”
I said, “I went to Smith’s Family Bookstore and I pick up a
little book on the Eightfold Path…and I think I have a handle
on remembering what Buddha was trying to teach.”
Neo said, “Well let’s see what you have learned.”
Sitting across Neo I felt like a student reading my essay and
that my entire grade point would be determined from how well I
could get across what I felt I had studied. I breathed in deeply
to calm the anxiety.
I said, “The Noble Eightfold Path describes ways of
ending suffering.” I said, “They were guidelines set up for the
mental and ethical development of any person that takes up the
quest.”
I said, “This is done with the goal of freeing ourselves from
attachments and delusions which hopefully is suppose to lead to
the understanding all things.” I said, “The eight parts of the
path do not have to be learned or understood in any particular
sequence, because they are interdependent principles that Buddha
said, had to be seen in relationship with each other
Neo was efficiently cleaning skinning the squirrels peeling the
skin of like pulling the socks of an old man’s feet.
He said, “Not bad…but we covered that last time…go on.”
I said, “The first path is having the right view and it
is regarded as the beginning and the end of the Eightfold Path.”
I said, “This means to see and understand things as the way they
really are and to realize the Four Noble Truths. “ I said,
“Buddha teaches that we must really think and see things through
and to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly
material things and ideas and to know about the law of Karma and
Karmic conditioning. “ I said, “Buddha emphasizes that right
view is attained, maintained and enhanced through all capacities
of the mind.” “Buddha said, that right view begins with
intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and
then ends with complete understanding of the true nature of
everything.” I said, “Buddha said, that since people’s view of
the world forms our thoughts and actions and the right view
yields right thoughts and actions.”
Neo had gotten the skins off and now he was cutting out the
entrails.
He said, “So far so good.”
I said, “The next path is right intention and this does
not deal with our cognitive abilities but it refers to an aspect
of our mental energy that controls our actions; much the same
way as my intent to perform a certain way when I intend to
commitment myself to lift a certain amount of weight for a
certain number of repetitions.” I said, “Or much like when I
focus my intention and commitment on a woman I see at a club and
act to engage myself with her.”
Neo laughed and said, “It figures that you would find some way
of finding comparisons with weightlifting and the hunt fer sex.”
I just smile back and I said, “Buddha would say that right
intention is commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement.”
I said, “Buddha recognizes three types of right intentions and
they are; the intention of renunciation or the resistance to the
temptations of desires; the intention of good will or the
resistance to feeling anger and aversions; and the intention of
harmlessness, -- to not think or do cruel, violent or aggressive
things or actions and to strive to develop compassion.”
Neo
now had the squirrels on a log that was covered with leaves that
he had gathered and he was pouring water over the squirrels
cleaning off any stray hairs.”
He said, “Keep going mate.”
I said, “The third part of the Eightfold path is right speech
and it is considered the first principle of ethical conduct in
the path.” Buddha wanted ethical conduct to be viewed as a
guideline to moral discipline which he said supported the other
principles in the Eightfold path.
Buddha believed that the cultivation of ethical conduct was used
to help attain mental purification.” I said, “Buddha taught that
the need for right speech is obvious because words can break or
save lives, make a person friend or enemies, make peace or start
wars.”
I said, “Buddha told his followers to abstain from false speech,
whether it by lying willfully or to speak in deceitful manner;
to abstain from committing slander or malicious words; to
abstain from words that will offend or hurt other people and to
abstain from idle chatter that lacks depth or good purpose.”
Neo was now carefully pouring and rubbing a liquid that he later
told me was a mixture of wine vinegar and olive oil with various
herbs added in. It looked like he was massaging the little legs
muscles and the entire length of the trunk of the squirrel’s
body.
Neo said, “That’s three…can ya keep going?”
I said, “Buddha said the fourth part of the path and the second
ethical principle is right action which involves the body
as a natural means of expression.” I said, “Buddha believed
unwholesome actions lead to unstable states of mind, and
wholesome actions lead to stable states of mind.” I said,
“Buddha abstain from harming people by stealing, fraud, lying,
sexual misconduct…basically much like the Ten Commandments. Neo
looked up sharply with a pleased look on his face.
He said, “Did you read that in yer book or is that yer feeling
about the Ten Commandments?”
I laughed at his surprise and said, “Give me some credit
buddy…that was my interpretation.”
Neo said, “That’s right on mate…very perceptive.”
I felt pleased by his praised…but from experienced I knew what
sometimes came after one of Neo’s praises.”
He said, ‘Yer doing great so far…keep going.”
I said, “Next on the path is right livelihood which means
that a person should earn their living in a righteous way which
means by legal and peaceful means.” I said, “I think Buddha
meant that jobs that exploit others or the environment is not a
right livelihood and occupations that violate the principles of
right speech and right actions should be avoided…so I guess
politics is out for me.”
Neo snorted at this comment and said, “Yeah…I can tell yer not
one to piss-fart around.” Neo is still massaging the oil and
vinegar on the squirrels and I start laughing so much that he
raises one eyebrow and says “What?”
I tell him what I was thinking and he starts acting like
Curly of the Three Stooges.
He starts to do massaging chopping motions with his big hands
and fingers until you could hear the slapping sounds of the
meat.
He makes like Curly, “La lee, la la, la lee…ya, ya, ya,
certainly….anna, skanna, anna fran!”
“Waa, amalgamated lint…up three point six…whooo, whooo, whooo!”
His perfect rendition of Curly had me in stitches.
I thought, “Rich Little has nothing on Neo.
Neo yells, “Hey!”
I jumped up and in a pretty good Curly I said, “Whaatt!”
Neo said, “Keep going with the lecture.”
I said, “Buddha’s six part of the path is emphasizing
right effort and it is necessary for the other principles.”
I said, “Buddha said, “Without effort nothing can be achieved.”
Neo takes the squirrels and put sticks through their entire
length and gets them ready for the fire.
Neo said, “Just a little more.”
I said, “Buddha seventh part of the path is right mindfulness
is a purposeful, controlled and flawless organized thinking.” I
said, “Buddha said, that right mindfulness is anchored in clear
perception and it penetrates impressions without getting out of
hand.” I said, Buddha said that there is four foundations of
mindfulness such as contemplation of the body, contemplation of
feelings whether they feelings are attractive, repulsive, or
neutral, contemplation of the state of mind and contemplation of
the all the phenomena that happens in the universe all around
us.”
Neo handed me a squirrel on a stick and said, “Put yer right
mindfulness on this mate.” He puts his squirrel on a stick over
the fire just like we had done the salmon.
He said, “It’s time to wrap it up.”
I said, “Buddha’s eighth principle of the path is right
concentration and this refers to the development of the
mental force that occurs in natural consciousness.” I said,
“This is described as a single focus of the mind where all
mental faculties are unified and directed onto a particular
object of idea.” I said, “Buddha emphasized that right
concentration means wholesome concentration of wholesome
thoughts and actions and this is achieved through the practice
of meditation.” Neo was holding his stick over the fire and
turning the squirrel just like a rotisserie.
He said, “Now it is time fer right concentration.”
When the squirrels were done I ate like a famish wolf while he
paced himself with his meal.
Neo said, “You did a good job with yer research and you seem to
have done more than to simply memorize the material…you seem to
have a real grasp fer it mate.”
I said, “I’m not so sure, I mean what’s with all of these
religions?”
Neo said, “I am not sure I follow you mate.”
I said, “Having all of these different religions with endless
viewpoints makes me wonder if we’re just not all guessing; for
instance how many different variations are there of the
Christian faith?”
Neo said, “I believe there are about two hundred and seventy
variants of Christian thought actively pursued.” “That is how it
is with all of the religions through out the ages.”
I said, “That’s my point…don’t you think that all of these
various creations of religious thought is a sign of the innate
silliness…perhaps even the foolishness of humans?” Before he
could answer I said, “I think this indicates that humans are
mostly fearful superstitious primates, trying to deal with the
uncertainties of life.”
Neo said, “That is the necessity of religions in that they are
created from the needs of the people of the time that create and
follow this line of religious thought.”
I said, “Don’t you think that lessens the value of religion…I
mean which one is the correct religion?”
Neo said, “It depends on the people and the circumstances.” “We
all have different biology…we have different social and personal
conditioned perceptions.”
I said, “What does that have to do with anything?”
Neo said, “All of factors have everything to do with the
creation of new religions and new spiritual thoughts.” “This is
how God or the supernatural stays personal for the people that
create the new religions or thoughts….and the people that fully
embrace the religions.”
I said, “Now I am confused…I was under the impression that you
were against organized religions.”
“Neo said, “Not necessarily…organized religions offer many
positive things.”
I said, “I think that history has shown that religious
organizations and their zealots have caused more bloodshed and
oppression than the comfort and deliverance from a god
that they have promised.”
Neo said, “True enough…but that is not the inherent nature of
organizations.”
I said, “How in the hell can you say that?”
Neo said, “I know it sounds outrageous…but the truth is
organizations are as good or as bad as the people who run them
and the people who belong to them.” “It is true that we witness
the tyrannies of bureaucracies within organizations all too
often, but these tyrannies are the product of the collection of
defective individuals caught up in mob mentality.”
I said, “But aren’t defective individuals attracted to being
part of organizations….or to be more accurate…aren’t they
attracted to putting themselves in key power positions within
organizations?”
Neo said, “True enough Vinny, and this common occurrence must be
guarded against and dealt with whenever tyranny happens.”
I said, “How do you expect people to do that?”
Neo looked at me with an expression of exasperation and
impatience and he said, “Vinny…I thought we talked about how
people could do that at the gym.” “If you can’t remember the
conversation we all had... I am sorry because I do not care to
repeat myself.”
I said, “Okay…your point is taken…so for the sake of
argument…what are the good things that organized religions have
to offer?”
Neo said, “They can offer a sense of community… and they can
provide centers of social interaction and a place to network
with other people not just for the greater good of the community
but a lot of contacts are made that help people to promote their
business.” “Religious organizations are responsible for raising
lots of money for charities, having youth groups and outreach
programs and they have been instrumental with salvaging
knowledge that would have otherwise been lost during many of the
dark ages throughout our history.” “Many of the Catholic orders
have also helped to spread knowledge and education by founding
churches.”
I said, “Yeah, but they also had censored a lot of people
particularly scientists by arresting them…torture and
execution.”
Neo said, “Yer right again…and those are the things that need to
be guarded against.”
I said, “Okay, I can see many of the advantages of these
religions and their organizations…and I can see how they can be
improved upon; but I had the impression that you were down on
most religious organizations and their cattle-like followers.”
Neo said, “I am against religious organizations and the
followers who become too fixated on the letter of the law and
lose the spirit of the law.” “I also detest people who submit
themselves to any religion blindly or only understand their
religion intellectually without questioning the dogma, or
without experiencing their religion in their heart.”
I said, “But isn’t the requirement for most religions that their
followers depend on faith in lieu of true knowledge?”
Neo said, “Only misguided people or politicians within a
religious organization would demand faith without intellectual
discourse and deny opportunities to feel a mystical unity with
the supernatural.”
I said, “I am not sure what you mean.”
Neo said, “Okay, we need to go back to the question of how and
why different sects within established religions develop…or why
new religions are created.” “New ideas or belief systems are
created to meet the sociological and psychological needs of
individuals or for populations of people that have to address
the issues of their time.”
Neo said, “Jesus became popular because the people of his day
needed someone like him.”
I said, “What do you mean the people needed someone like Jesus?”
Neo said, “The people during Jesus’ day were suffering from
crushing poverty and misery under the Roman subjugation and
Jesus was able to help many of the Jews to deal with their
misery by offering the Kingdom of Heaven now instead of waiting
until judgment day.” “Throughout history most spiritual leaders
were subjected to mystical experiences…a feeling of unity with
God or the cosmos.” “Their charisma, and their unflinching
belief of what they have experienced…and how their experience
should relate to the needs of the time is what determines what
new belief system is created.” “Jesus was no different.” “The
people that follow these charismatic leaders are often able to
understand intellectually what these leaders are trying to
preach.” “If they are really lucky the followers may even
feel…at least in a small measure the mystical rapture that these
leaders have experienced.”
I said, “Well then…what is it about the followers that you
despise if they understand and feel what the spiritual leader is
trying to share?”
Neo said, “What gits my goat is that most followers never feel
the mystical unity nor do they even have an intellectual grasp
on what their leader or the religion preaches….they just parrot
and follow blindly.”
I said, “Yeah and then many of these people will act in a very
jingoistic manner spouting dogma that they don’t understand
while demonizing people of other faiths.”
Neo clapped at my short rant and said, “Very good… sadly what
you just said is all too often the rule instead of the
exception, and it is the reason why we have so many problems in
the world today.”
I said, “So…are you saying that almost all religions and
spiritual beliefs have merit?”
Neo said, “Yes…if the people enjoy a stable society and if they
enjoy psychological stability from their religion or spiritual
beliefs; better still if they can experience the mystical awe of
the creator or the supernatural.”
I said, “If that is true…then what is the problem?”
Neo said, “The problem is that too many people within each
religious affiliation do not allow people of other cultures,
religions and spiritual beliefs the same courtesy and leeway
that they crave.”
I said, “What would you recommend?”
Neo said, “Simply this….that all people allow everyone to enjoy
their own view of God…the cosmos or what have you regardless of
how bizarre and silly other people’s beliefs appear to them.”
I said, “Providing of course that some of these people that do
not have beliefs that demand killing and raping other people for
salvation.”
Neo said, “Of course.”
I said, “It makes sense to me that we should allow each other to
believe what they want and perhaps to even engage in studying
and trying other religions so that we can better understand each
other.”
Neo said, “Many people are advocating looking at the
positiveness of all religions and directing people to judge them
by their moral, emotional and spiritual fruits.” “There is a
growing belief that all of the great religious are basically and
equally effective in the common good and goals or pursuit of all
the religions transformation and salvation from
self-centeredness of the unbalance ego into unselfish and loving
reality centered ‘Children of God.”
Neo said, “Since you brought up the idea of engaging in other
beliefs, how would you like to participate with me in a bit of
shamanistic drumming?”
I said, “I’m game.”
Neo brings out the drum that he had made me carry from the truck
to this campsite. He instructed me to center kneel and sit my
haunches back on my lower legs and to keep the rest of my body
upright but as relaxed as possible while staying in an upright
posture. He told me to breathe like I did when I prepared my
self for weight training and he instructed me to focus on my
chakras.”
Neo
knew that I had fiddled with Hatha yoga when I was in high
school so he let me to my methods. He started to beat the drum
in a very unusual and rhythmic pattern. He did this for about an
hour.
Neo stopped the drumming and softly said, “I am going to perform
a Hindu Invocation and I would like for you to repeat the
invocation after me.” “I want you to feel the words not just in
yer mind, but in yer heart as well.”
Neo said, “Are ya ready?”
I assured him I was.
He started the drumming again…but now it was a different rhythm
and not as loud.” He chanted and then he would during his
drumming he would hit the drum in a specific way such as one
loud resounding boom, (Louder than the other booms on the drum);
this indicated when he was finished and when I would have to
repeat what he said, with feeling. To the best of my
recollection this is what he chanted and what I repeated.
Neo
chanted, “All this is full. All that is full. From fullness,
fullness comes. When fullness is taken from fullness, fullness
still remains”
Boom!
I
chanted, “All this is full. All that is full. From fullness,
fullness comes. When fullness is taken from fullness, fullness
still remains”
Neo
chanted, “Om shanti shanti shanti.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “Om shanti shanti shanti.”
Neo
chanted, “The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all. The Lord
is the supreme Reality. Rejoice in him through renunciation.
Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all. The Lord
is the supreme Reality. Rejoice in him through renunciation.
Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord.”
Neo
chanted, “Thus working, may you live a hundred years. Thus alone
will you work in real freedom.” Boom!
I
chanted, “Thus working, may you live a hundred years. Thus alone
will you work in real freedom.”
Neo
chanted, “Those who deny the Self are born again blind to the
Self, enveloped in darkness, utterly devoid of love for the
Lord.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “Those who deny the Self are born again blind to the
Self, enveloped in darkness, utterly devoid of love for the
Lord.”
Neo
chanted, “The Self is on. Ever still, the Self is swifter than
thought, swifter than the senses. Through motionless, he outruns
all pursuit. Without the Self, never could life exist.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “The Self is on. Ever still, the Self is swifter than
thought, swifter than the senses. Through motionless, he outruns
all pursuit. Without the Self, never could life exist.”
Neo
chanted, “The Self seems to move, but is ever still. He seems
far away, but is ever near. He is within all, and he transcends
all.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “The Self seems to move, but is ever still. He seems
far away, but is ever near. He is within all, and he transcends
all.”
Neo
chanted, “Those who see all creatures in themselves and
themselves in all creatures know no fear.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “Those who see all creatures in themselves and
themselves in all creatures know no fear.”
Neo
chanted, “Those who see all creatures in themselves and
themselves in all creatures know no grief. How can the
multiplicity of life delude the one who sees its unity?”
Boom!
I
chanted, “Those who see all creatures in themselves and
themselves in all creatures know no grief. How can the
multiplicity of life delude the one who sees its unity?”
Neo
chanted, “The Self is everywhere. Bright is the Self,
indivisible, untouched by sin, wise, immanent and transcendent.
He it is who holds the cosmos together.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “The Self is everywhere. Bright is the Self,
indivisible, untouched by sin, wise, immanent and transcendent.
He it is who holds the cosmos together.”
Neo
chanted, “In dark night live those for whom the world without
alone is real; in night darker still, for whom the world within
alone is real.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “In dark night live those for whom the world without
alone is real; in night darker still, for whom the world within
alone is real.”
Neo
chanted, “The first leads to a life of action, the second to a
life of meditation.” Boom!
I
chanted, “The first leads to a life of action, the second to a
life of meditation.”
Neo
chanted, “But those who combine action with meditation cross the
sea of death through action and enter into immortality through
the practice of meditation. So have we heard from the wise”
Boom!
I
chanted, “But those who combine action with meditation cross the
sea of death through action and enter into immortality through
the practice of meditation. So have we heard from the wise”
Neo
chanted, “In dark night live those for whom the Lord is
transcendent only; in night darker still, for whom he is
immanent only.” Boom!
I
chanted, “In dark night live those for whom the Lord is
transcendent only; in night darker still, for whom he is
immanent only.”
Neo
chanted, “That is fullness. Creation is fullness. From that
fullness flows this world’s fullness. This fullness issues from
that fullness, yet that fullness remains full.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “That is fullness. Creation is fullness. From that
fullness flows this world’s fullness. This fullness issues from
that fullness, yet that fullness remains full.”
Neo
chanted, “But those for whom he is transcendent and immanent
cross the sea of death with the immanent and enter into
immortality with the transcendent so have we heard from the
wise.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “But those for whom he is transcendent and immanent
cross the sea of death with the immanent and enter into
immortality with the transcendent so have we heard from the
wise.”
Neo
chanted, “The face of truth is hidden by your orb of gold, O
sun. May you remove your orb so that I, who adore the truth, may
see the glory of the truth.” Boom!
I
chanted, “The face of truth is hidden by your orb of gold, O
sun. May you remove your orb so that I, who adore the truth, may
see the glory of the truth.”
Neo
chanted, “O nourishing sun, solitary traveler, controller,
source of life for all creatures, spread your light and subdue
your dazzling splendor that I may see your blessed Self. Even
that very Self and I!” Boom!
I
chanted, “O nourishing sun, solitary traveler, controller,
source of life for all creatures, spread your light and subdue
your dazzling splendor that I may see your blessed Self. Even
that very Self and I!”
Neo
chanted, “My life merges in the immortal when my body is reduced
to ashes. O mind, meditate on the eternal Brahman. Remember the
deeds of the past. Remember, O mind remember.”
Boom!
I
chanted, “My life merges in the immortal when my body is reduced
to ashes. O mind, meditate on the eternal Brahman. Remember the
deeds of the past. Remember, O mind remember.”
Neo
chanted, “O god of fire, lead us by the good path to eternal
joy. You know all our deeds. Deliver us from evil, we who bow
and pray again and again.” Boom!
I
chanted, “O god of fire, lead us by the good path to eternal
joy. You know all our deeds. Deliver us from evil, we who bow
and pray again and again.”
We
repeated this chant for about an hour…I am not sure of the
length of time because it felt timeless…
Eventually I came back to normal awareness. I felt very
exhilarated, yet relaxed.
I said, “I think I can see your point that it would make good
sense for people to experience the different religions.”
Neo said, “Since our biology is different we have different
physical and mental needs.” “The same principle applies to many
aspects of our life.” “Life should be approached like a lavish
buffet’.” “I would encourage everyone to sample everything from
the buffet’ at least once.” The buffet’ principle applies to
education music, or any mind or body type of training or
pleasurable pursuit.”
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