The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness- No need for religion in spirituality

by OnTheWayOut 52 Replies latest jw friends

  • BurnTheShips
    BurnTheShips
    There's a wonderful story about this.

    Reminds me of the Wise men from Hindustan.

    There were six men of Hindustan,
    to learning much inclined,
    Who went to see an elephant,
    though all of them were blind,
    That each by observation
    might satisfy his mind.

    The first approached the elephant,
    and happening to fall
    Against his broad and sturdy side,
    at once began to bawl,
    "This mystery of an elephant
    is very like a wall."

    The second, feeling of the tusk,
    cried, "Ho, what have we here,
    So very round and smooth and sharp?
    To me 'tis mighty clear,
    This wonder of an elephant
    is very like a spear."

    The third approached the elephant,
    and happening to take
    The squirming trunk within his hands,
    thus boldly up and spake,
    "I see," quoth he,
    "the elephant is very like a snake."

    The fourth reached out an eager hand,
    and felt above the knee,
    "What this most wondrous beast
    is like is very plain" said he,
    "'Tis clear enough the elephant
    is very like a tree."

    The fifth who chanced to touch the ear
    said, "E'en the blindest man
    Can tell what this resembles most;
    deny the fact who can;
    This marvel of an elephant
    is very like a fan."

    The sixth no sooner had begun
    about the beast to grope,
    Than seizing on the swinging tail
    that fell within his scope;
    "I see," said he, "the elephant
    is very like a rope."

    So six blind men of Hindustan
    disputed loud and long,
    Each in his own opinion
    exceeding stiff and strong;
    Though each was partly in the right,
    they all were in the wrong!

    without making any judgment.

    Well, I am all for not judging people, but not so much for a complete suspension of judgement, despite the fact that we can't see all things.

    BTS

  • Mad Sweeney
    Mad Sweeney

    Good stuff. Thanks for posting it!

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    I believe what the majority of the evidence I can experience points to. And for me, that is that Jehovah is nothing more than an Almighty Lowlife Scumbag, a Tyrant, very mean-spirited (infinitely so). Why doesn't He just kill us all, if He is that mean? Because doing so would limit His entertainment of watching people suffer for some 60 or 70 years and then die unfulfilled.

    And I need no Bible or religion. If I experience bad things consistently enough, I believe that bad things are expected--were that not the case, it would be impossible to learn anything. And, if they are so consistent despite everything I do about it, and the reasons are thoroughly entrenched throughout the whole system, I have no reason to believe other than God put it there, just to prevent me from being all I could have been.

    As for Jesus, I believe he was actually doing the liberating work that Satan got punished for starting. Satan saw God's tyranny before anyone else could have, and tried to thwart it. God got pxxxed about it, and implemented His tyranny anyways. Jesus also tried to set mankind free from God, only to pay for that attempt with his life. Difference: Satan had no one to twist his message into a pro-God message. Jesus did.

  • WalkTall
    WalkTall

    Me too, wildflower. The Tao has so much wisdom, some of which can be found in the Bible as well, but minus the fairy tales and gory history.

    Thanks so much for posting this, OTWO. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And, Burn the Ships, I enjoyed your posting too. I continue to learn from this board all the time. I have done more thinking, and soul searching, from reading this board, than I ever did in my over 30 years as a Witness.

  • AK - Jeff
    AK - Jeff
    I'm going to start my day with reading a verse from the Tao.

    I have my personal copy on the way - I have used an online version for a while now - but look forward to the printed version.

    The Tao Te Ching creates a new pathway without sending you down that pathway. Everyone's Tao is their own.

    Jeff

  • awildflower
    awildflower

    Jeff, you'll love it. I bought Wayne Dyer's Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life. He took a year of his life and gave away everything he owned and lived the Tao. He would read a verse and meditate on it for four days and then write up his thoughts on it. Of course the Tao will speak to us individually, it just helped to have someone explain to me, at the time, what some of those verses were talking about. But it is one of my favorite books. To me it's way more powerful than the Bible and it was written 2,500 years BEFORE the Bible! 81 verses of 'enlightened' information! The Tao on it's own is great but people made a religion out of it and in my opinion ruin the Tao. It's better to let it speak to us individually. Just like people should let the Bible and other writings speak to them individually and not make religions out of them! Therein lies the problem.

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut

    AWF, I think I really like your thought. People made a religion out of it and ruined it. Let it speak for itself to the individual.

  • awildflower
    awildflower

    And people can make a religion out of anything, even their own opinions! That's why living without attachments is so important. One can idolize thoughts and opinions and beliefs just as much as images and books etc. Even the Tao teaches that once you've "named it" you've lost it because it can't be named. And once you name it, it turns into a belief system and takes off from there. The paradox again is once you "get it" you can't speak about it!

  • PSacramento
    PSacramento

    When Jesus said that the truth would set you free, I think he meant freedome from organized religion and that the truth was, indeed, liek he said, the kingdom of God is within EACH of Us.

    Following the commandments of Jesus SHOULD liberate us from organized religion, too bad it doesn't for so many.

    Excellent post ON the Way out.

    If only more people would simply "love others as we love ourselves".

  • bythesea
    bythesea

    I've read several of Pema Chodron's books....they really resonate with me and I keep Wayne Dyer's CD on the Tao in my car to listen to (alone) as I drive....it all makes so much sense. Wildflower, we share the same feelings.....wish you lived down the street so we could share!!

    Great comments here and also on the thread on Awakening that someone started.....keep it up, it's what so many still need to be considering for their healing and moving on.

    bythesea

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