Thanks yifu, keep posting, I like your artistic explorations.
--- In [email protected], "Yifu" <yifuxero@...> wrote:
>
> from the blog of Rabbi Rami Shapiro:
> ...
> Rabbi Rami's Manifesto
>
>
> * Everything is a manifestation of the one thing I call God.
>
> * God is not good; good and bad are human categories about which God cares
> not one bit.
>
> * Life is not controllable, but you can learn to navigate it, and do some
> good in the process.
>
> * Thoughts and feelings are not controllable directly by the will, but you
> can do what's right regardless.
>
> * Religion is a human invention designed to give us the illusion of control
> from which we can then create a sense of meaning and purpose without
> admitting we are creating it. In truth, we have no control, we invent what
> meaning there is, and purpose is only a story we tell to hide from the
> specter of randomness that haunts us.
>
> * Life has no purpose; life is purpose.
>
> * Sacred texts always reflect the bias of their authors and intended
> audience. Don't be surprised that the Torah's Jews are God's Chosen; that the
> Gospels make Jesus the Christ; that the Bhagavad Gita sees Krishna as God;
> that the Qur'an holds Mohammad as the final Prophet; or that Harry Potter
> makes Harry rather than Hermione the hero.
>
> * Priests, rabbis, pastors, imams, swamis, lamas, and gurus sometimes have
> your best interest in mind, and always have their best interests at heart.
> Learn from them, but never turn your life over to them.
>
> * At its best religion is about personal freedom, social justice, and
> compassion for all living things. At its worst it is about power and control.
> Religion is rarely at its best.
>
> * Human beings can be taught to see through propagandareligious, political,
> commercial, etc.overcome its divisiveness, create loving communities, and
> glimpse the truth through science, art, music, literature, and spiritual
> practice. What we lack are the teachers to do this.
>
> * Spiritual practice cuts through self and selfishness, reduces conflict, and
> increases compassion. And that is the best we can do.
> Posted by Rabbi Rami at 12:54 PM 5 comments:
>
