Wednesday, August 23, 2017
A Dose of Dharma
From the Fairytale Tarot, the King of Swords; from the Tree Affirmation Cards, Monkey Puzzle:
The tale of "The Maiden Tsar" is a story of love thwarted by magic. For the tsar and the young man who loved her, their relationship involved a constant attempt to unravel the mystery of what kept them apart. Had they been led by emotions rather than their minds, the end of this story would have sounded more like that of Romeo and Juliet than the happy one their efforts created. The complex symmetry of Monkey Puzzle tree is an example of the mathematics underlying the natural world. How do you put together a jigsaw puzzle? Do you start with the edges or look for similar patterns and colors? This is the kind of logic this tree's message brings. To apply this in the real world is to see that neither destiny nor self-determination are the only factors in how things turn out. Is it logical to believe that a certain group is predetermined to be leaders, or that another group lives in need simply because they fail to pull themselves out of it? From a Buddhist perspective, life is shaped through cause and conditions. The cause is a deliberate, conscious action: I plant a seed. The conditions are the right circumstances that allow it to grow: the right amount of sun and rain as well as the correct climate and nutrients in the soil. It's not simple, which is why correcting the imbalances in our world won't be either. But we've got to start somewhere, using wisdom and compassion rather than opinions and passion.
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Life has its ups and downs, crops grow or wither but as long as we keep planting seeds, on and off the conditions will be right enough for them to grow
ReplyDeleteIt helps when we plant the right seeds in the right conditions instead of just anywhere that's convenient. :)
DeleteBut we'll never know when these conditions will change. it might seem like it is the right season until something unexpected happens and washes our crop away
DeleteYou're right, we can't control all the conditions. But I wouldn't try to grow oranges in Antarctic, nor would I attempt to teach a child to read who's so tired he can't hold his head up. Sometimes we can try to change the conditions (or find a place where there are better conditions) to give our seed a fighting chance. :)
DeleteI think at this point of the world, a leader of compassion and wisdom will never cut it. Jimmy Carter came the closest in modern day and simply spun his wheels as an outsider. The one president I can admire.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately our leader has to work with Congress, and that's like trying to nail jello to a tree.
DeleteI grew up under thatcher/Reagan and fully absorbed the message that if you're successful you must have worked hard and if unsuccessful you must be lazy and feckless. I'm ashamed of that black and white view now...
ReplyDeleteI think all of us got brainwashed temporarily with that dogma. It sure makes it easy to point the finger of blame when you think that way instead of looking at what lies beneath all the layers.
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