--- In [email protected], "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Turq, excellent post brother! Really insightful.
The power of other people's stories is one of those things that storytellers obsess about. :-) > One of the therapies in NLP was to try to extract a person's > internalized metaphors that were guiding their lives. Sometimes > they are unconscious but it comes out in language. So much of > the business world is driven with sports metaphors. These might > be appropriate for the sales staff but disastrously simplistic > for an investment portfolio manager. Not to mention in the world of spiritual debate. Did you read that article that Vaj posted about the Tibetan tradition of debate? I found that marvelously refreshing (and I've actually done it, and the practice itself is even more refresh- ing). The idea is not to "win" (sports metaphor). The idea is not to "devastate" one's opponent in the debate (war metaphor). The idea is not to "prove" one's stance "correct" (religious metaphor). It's to have fun and try to defend one point of view *for* fun, and learn something in the process, not only about that point of view about about its opposite. Anyone who declared themselves the "winner" in such a debate in a Tibetan Buddhist setting would be either laughed out of the room or pitied or both. They've missed the point. That's what I think goes on sometimes with the myths that constitute much of the body of scripture. They are supposed to inspire -- from a certain POV, and towards a certain end. And often they do. I can see the Rama story I riffed on as almost inspiring (almost), if looked at from a certain POV. That is, the POV from which the Bad Guys really were Bad Guys and the Good Guy in the story really was a Good Guy and there is such a clearcut thing as Good and Bad. But from another POV (mine), it's clearly a story that is *intended* to convey a powerful message about class warfare. It's what we call a cautionary tale. The "moral" of the story is, "This is what happens to people who challenge the status quo, especially the parts of the status quo that involve the caste system. These low-vibe scum (and we know they are low-vibe scum because they're not in the same caste that we are) *deserved* what they got. They *deserved* to be killed -- not just once, but 21 times each -- because they DIDN'T KNOW THEIR PLACE. They mistakenly thought that they were worthy of ruling a kingdom, whereas we all know that only Brahmins are so worthy. Remember this cautionary tale, you low-casters...it'll happen to YOU if YOU don't KNOW YOUR PLACE." And look at the *disparity* between the "offense" and the "punishment." The Bad Guys stole a cow and (after having been provoked) killed one guy and had the uppitiness to think they were as worthy to rule as the Brahmins. The Good Guy killed (according to the myth) every adult member of their caste on the planet. That'll show 'em. :-) > Finding out if "life is here to enjoy" (tip O' the turban to > Maharishi) or "life is here to annoy" is a person's underlying > world view can predict their happiness level I suspect. I completely agree. > I've been working on myself to see what unconscious metaphors are > running my life. Writing can be a way to detect them as I know you > are vividly aware. Oh, so vividly. The other day when I said to Jimbo that the purpose for ranting was the rant itself, I was completely serious. I *learned* from that rant. I learned from this morning's rants. The process of organizing the data into words helped organize them in my mind. > Most of us (me especially) have such a kitchen > junk drawer approach to the myths and metaphors that guide us that > your call for more consciousness in selection hit a cord with me. > Thanks for the reminder to get in there and throw out some of that > old crap to make room for some new crap. Exactly. :-) And then throw out the new crap when its time has come. > Staying conscious is such a cyclical event for me. > I need lots of reminders! As do I. So sometimes I write them to other people, just so that I can read them, too before pushing the Send button. :-) > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > Please don't interpret my three previous rants this > > morning as indicating I don't like myth. I *love* > > myth. I see a good myth the same way that Joseph > > Campbell did, as a kind of "consciousness battery" > > that "stores" the essence of a certain state of > > attention, a certain level of consciousness. > > > > The best myths can elevate and inspire higher states > > of consciousness. But the worst can *lower* states of > > consciousness. I'm a proponent of being careful about > > WHICH myths one chooses to be inspired by. > > > > For example, many of the myths in the Bible and in > > the Gita and in the Vedas are about the glorious nature > > of *revenge*. I'm sorry, but I don't see those myths > > of warfare and genocidal slaughter as uplifting. I see > > them as a way of perpetuating a *low* state of conscious- > > ness by glorifying it. > > > > Many of the myths of humanity are about "heroes." And > > many of those heroes prove their herohood in battle; > > they are warriors. Do I see upliftment and inspiration > > in tales of the warrior mindset? Sometimes. Being will- > > ing to fight to the death for what one believes IS > > inspiring, IF "what one believes" is inspiring in itself. > > > > The noble warrior fighting for justice is way cool, IF > > it's really justice. But if what the hero is fighting > > for is really INJUSTICE (for example, the perpetuation > > of the caste system, or the ascendancy of one race or > > religion over another), is it really "justice" that is > > being portrayed? > > > > I've seen people on this forum justify war by pointing > > to the Gita, and holding it up as an example of how an > > evolved and/or enlightened person does and should act. > > I've seen people on this and other forums point to > > stories in the Vedas about some supposed "hero" killing > > enough of his fellow human beings to fill lakes with > > blood as noble, and in accord with the laws of nature. > > > > I'm sorry, but I think those folks may be missing the > > *point* of myth by focusing on the *wrong* myths. > > Which is more uplifting and consciousness-transforming, > > the myth of Jesus' anger when he's turning over the > > tables of the money-changers in the temple, or the > > myth of him teaching people to forsake anger and revenge > > and turn the other cheek? > > > > Well, kinda depends on the reader of the myth and what > > they're *looking* for in a myth, doesn't it? For those > > who *get off* on righteous anger, the temple myth prob- > > ably gets their Clint "Make my day" blood pumping. But > > for those who might be looking for a more noble way of > > living one's life on planet Earth, the "Turn the other > > cheek" myth might be more uplifting. > > > > Gordon Charrick once said (wisely), "You know you've > > created God in your own image when he hates the exact > > same people that you do." > > > > I say (possibly not as wisely), "You can discern the > > extent of a person's spiritual progress by *which* > > myths he or she chooses to focus on." > > > > Most of us here are familiar with the plotlines of the > > myths that make up the bulk of Indian, Biblical, Jewish, > > and Islamic traditions. Most of them center on war and > > battle and righteous anger and "justified killing." And > > if you *get off* on those tales, so be it. > > > > Me, I get off on other myths. Some of them are about > > the Buddha, and since *his* story wasn't written down > > until centuries after his death, *they* might be *just* > > as fictional as some of the tales of gods and goddesses > > cavorting in Brahmaloka. But the Buddha myths -- if > > they are myths -- are often *cooler* than the myths of > > other spiritual traditions in my opinion. They center > > on *rejecting* warfare, on *rejecting* righteous anger > > (and anger itself), and focus instead on Finding Another > > Way To Live, one that isn't so damned barbaric. Here are > > a few lines of one of these myths, from the beginning of > > the Dhammapada: > > > > We are what we think. > > All that we are arises with our thoughts. > > With our thoughts we make the world. > > Speak or act with an impure mind > > And trouble will follow you. > > As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart. > > > > We are what we think. > > All that we are arises with our thoughts. > > With our thoughts we make the world. > > Speak or act with a pure mind. > > And happiness will follow you. > > As your shadow, unshakable. > > > > Look how he abused me and beat me, > > How he threw me down and robbed me. > > Live with such thoughts and you live in hate. > > > > Look how he abused me and beat me, > > How he threw me down and robbed me. > > Abandon such thoughts, and live in love. > > > > Cool myth. Not exactly movie material, though. You can't > > exactly imagine Clint saying this and the audiences in > > the theater cheering like they do when he says, "Go ahead, > > make my day," and then wastes the bad guy with the most > > powerful handgun known to man. They cheer at that, too, > > and then they leave the theater in a certain state of > > consciousness, and with a certain look on their faces. > > > > Compare and contrast to the look on the faces of the > > audiences leaving a showing of, say, Gandhi, after hearing > > Ben Kingsley say, "When I despair, I remember that all > > through history the ways of truth and love have always won. > > There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time > > they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. > > Think of it...always." Different look on their faces, and > > different state of consciousness behind those faces. > > > > Many, many spiritual teachers through history have said, > > "What you focus on you become." > > > > I'm suggesting that this focus extends to the myths that > > we revere, and that we should take some care about which > > ones we choose to focus on. > > >
