One can, annd people often do, analyze the spread of ways of living among thinking beings as being subject to evolutionary dynamics. The spread of Buddhist meditation through the world is a good example that is relevant here. A decent percentage of people that are exposed to sitting take it up into their life and tend to spread it, even as electronic forms of distraction spread into daily life more and more. Ideas such as "do not take lives" has had a lot of reproductive success in the last hundred years or so.
No reason to bring genetic evolution into the argument. Ideas and behaviors spread quite outside of the individual's intent. Thanks, --Chris 301-270-6524 On Apr 9, 2013 6:33 PM, "Bill!" <[email protected]> wrote: > Joe and William, > > The engine of biological evolution is mutation. It is not gradual but > sudden. > > I can't comment on 'spiritual evolution' because I believe spirituality to > be illusory. It's meaningless to me to try to define how illusions wax and > wane. > > ...Bill! > > --- In [email protected], William Rintala <brintala@...> wrote: > > > > Catastophists beleive that the mutations currently exist, that the > catastrophic > > event needs only to occur to eliminate those least fit to survive, > allowing the > > mutation to dominate. Take virology. We now have created > bacteria such > > as MRSA, VRE and CRE > > who exist because they survived their Holocaust. This evolutionary > development > > has happened has appened within a human lifetime. I didn't cite > Auschwitz as a > > specific event but to pose the possiblity of a Global Holocaust, say the > rapid > > spread of a disease with no known cure. Something catastrophic, say for > > instance the deaths of 3/4 of life on the planet. Something that > affects us all. > > What of Spiritual Evolution then? I'm really just arguing on Merle's > side. > > Firstly that Evolution, as a process, is gradual but that Evolutionary > change on > > a broad scale is sudden. Secondly, what does it take to get people to > drop all > > of their conventional, rote, belief systems and question things like the > > existence of God and the meaning of Life? Can't we equate this last > part to an > > Evolutionary process? > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Joe <desert_woodworker@...> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Tue, April 9, 2013 1:24:02 PM > > Subject: [Zen] Re: evolving consciousness > > > >  > > William, > > > > Of course, they both operate. Gradualism is slower. But catastrophes are > just > > major changes thrown into the conditions that Gradualism works within. > > > > But for either, Selection is at play. And so remains the speed-limit. > > > > Maybe the speed of light will be exceeded at some time by some means. > And maybe > > it's possible in the working of catastrophism to incur a mutation or > niche by > > wiping out a whole region or class of people, or a species. We might as > well > > admit the future possibility of it. I'm an Asteroid-Scientist, and can > point to > > instances of major sudden change that affected the entire biosphere. > > > > Between incidents of dramatic catastrophe, Gradualism continues to do > all the > > work. Does it not? > > > > A change in thought or feeling occasioned by Auschwitz is not evolution > of the > > kind we are talking about. It's not even "spiritual" evolution, in the > very > > vaguest sense. If it has caused evolution, we certainly don't see it > working, > > even in Israel or Palestine. Anyway, I don't think so, there. It should > never > > have been expected. > > > > > > Selection is very slow. Not because that's better. But because that's how > > Selection works. > > > > And it's not happening with consciousness, therefore, at a speed such > that we > > will ever live to see any changes. > > > > But, ...that we can uncover our true inherent Human inheritance is still > the > > greatest single miracle and discovery of the past 2500 years, to my > mind. The > > uncovering of it happens suddenly; not gradually. ;-) Although a good > basis of > > methodical and regular practice always precedes and supports the > awakening. The > > results of all the evolution by selection are in the safe-deposit box; > the key > > to open it is merely to slough-off the metal hide. And this we can do. > There is > > no future time better than now in which to do this. > > > > --Joe > > > > > William Rintala <brintala@> wrote: > > > > > > Joe: > > > > > > There are 2 schools of thought regarding Evolution the Gradualists, > which you > > > espouse, and the Catastrophists, who believe that evolution is > precipitated by > > > > > catastrophic change, e.g. the extinction of the dinosaurs. Could a > similar > > > catatrophic change occur in our spiritual evolution. Auschwitz, > Buchenwald, > > > Hiroshima, Nagasaki on a Global scale? > > > > > > Auschwitz > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are > reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links > > > >
