The Spark Part 2... Ending in Poetry

Hello Readers and welcome back! I hope the new year is going well for ll and that everyone is keeping their resolutions... ;-) Just make them resolutions, because in my experience those work better than New Years resolutions. You have to be motivated no matter what right? Enjoy!

This is actually the first time I have written a Part 2  to any of my former Blog posts for any reason, however, The Spark seems to have changed that... I want to point out that all of us... all human beings... have The Spark. It is only rare that it gets ignited and is their t shine ever so bright to those around them and possibly the world. How does it get ignited? I have pondered this question and come up with one underlying trait. Motivation to do what they see as right and do everything they can to make everything “right”... Agreed? Now I know most are thing yeah, thank Captain Obvious but you have to keep breaking it down. 

Where does this motivation come from? There are numerous correct answers to this question. It various by those who answer it. What did MLK Jr.’s motivation come from? Equal rights for African-Americans, so motivated that he was willing to die to get progress, which unfortunately he did, however, that is the degree of motivation you need to ignite The Spark... We can look at the opposite spectrum to the savior of billions proclaim by his believers, Jesus... Some would argue that it was divine and it may be, but wither way it was a form of motivation. He was motivated to die on the cross for your sins... His beliefs drove him to do so... and Christianity has done a lot of good, but also bad, but regardless he did do good and there is proof of his existence... 

Whatever our cares our we need to draw the kind of motivation that these great people in history and/or spirituality had, and we will see great things happen. Meditate on that thought, it is very powerful.

Keep on your path

Regardless of any wrath

Only you will know what is truth

Nothingness with physical proof

Follow the path that is right for you

Trust that there is more than one for you

There are so many paths to Gods

None of which will hear applaud

Maybe the Atheists are the ones that are right

However my thoughts will not go down without a fight

So I go with understanding Karma and what The Buddha taught

Finding the real truth and reality I eagerly sought

My path I chose to take because it is what is right for me

The path you should take is right for thee, but not necessarily right for me...

-automachi

The Logical Spiritualist, and yes I wrote that poem... and think I still have a knack for it...

Keep thinking...

The Spark

Hello Readers and welcome back! I am not sure what is possessing me to write so frequently but I am for whatever reason and taking advantage of it. Hopefully it makes you think... about something... Enjoy!

The Spark? What does that mean? It can mean a lot of things but for the nature of this Blog post it is just something you see in a person that makes you know that they are different... that they are breaking a mold... Gandhi had The Spark, Jesus had The Spark, Moses had The Spark, many prophets of many faiths, if not all faiths, have had The Spark. The Spark is what makes you a leader of nations, alive or post-humus, in spirituality or just for the Greater Good.

There is something to consider about The Spark, some have it greater than others but that is not to discredit the one who may have a more “minor” Spark. Martin Luther King Jr. had The Spark, he was a great man... Rosa Parks had The Spark... John Smith had the Spark. Gandhi in the previous paragraph is another example, and the purpose of this paragraph. The Spark can be big or small and can bring many things, many great things... but for the purpose of this Blog post I am referencing religious figures with the “greater” Spark, no disrespect of any kind intended. 

Lets analyze these prophets... what is the most common denominator... I personally think that there is a combination of things that make up said denominator, their personalities, their charisma, their charm, their whatever... that is what it (The Spark) is made of and does not come along all that often. The last big prophet that I consider as a prophet (prophet as defined by me (everyone is entitled to their own and I respect your right to), one who brings truth to a lot of people, not necessarily truths that I believe) was Mohammed given his timeline, 700ish CE (I cannot remember exactly), prior to that Jesus, then prior to that Eastern Prophets like The Great Teacher Buddha, and predecessors to him, the line goes back nearly 10,000 years of some type of prophets within humanity. Bringing new truths with each, until the truth was discovered nearly 2500 years ago, but that is my opinion, Christianity changed the planet for the good and bad depending on time frame and topic... but has had a huge impact of humanity then followed by Mohammed. I have named 2 people that half the nearly half the world (3 billion) people believe in wholeheartedly as their saviors at this very minute. 

The world today is a lot different then when Islam was rising... when Christianity took hold in Europe and the Middle East... and when Buddhism was the religion of the Indian empire nearly 2000 years ago... and so on... The jump in technology, social engaging, revolution, one voice really making a true difference... 

Time has taught us one thing... Hist does and always will repeat itself... Agreed? So with that in mind.... When will The Spark come once more... Who will have the next great impact on society on their own... Will it be you? Will it be me? Will it be us, together? I guess only time will tell... Just as it always has and always will...  

I hope it is soon, being one who walks a path of the Dharma, sort of, you are probably thinking why does he care he sides with Buddha?, as that is true I still look at all spirituality as a whole, per se... it is hard to describe. Those who subscribe to Eastern Thought know what I mean. I really could dig seeing an outpouring of goodness unleashed on the world from The Spark. Unfortunately, I could see the Christians seeing him as the Anti-Christ, wouldn’t that be a twist... but you never know, but know what they say...

Keeping you thinking since early 2010...

sukhi - attanam pariharami

-automachi

The Logical Spiritualist, who would not mind having The Spark, just saying ;-)

Deja Vu, Rebirth, and Christ and Samsara on the Side...

Hello Readers and welcome back. I am enjoying writing more frequently... which is good but this one is just because I really want to write... so this piece could be a real piece, I guess we will see... Enjoy!

Reincarnation is a topic that a lot of people try to stay away from in the West, at least in my experience... likely due to the predominance of Christianity in the U.S. As I have mentioned numerous times in my Blog I studied and practiced Judeo-Christian for 23 years, until I was “enlighten” in late 2010, however, I always have believed in reincarnation... i lied every time I was asked the question under the Faith but I always believed in this “idea”. Even in that Faith I could not shake that reincarnation is real and now being a Buddhist I can answer the question wholeheartedly... Déjà vu is a unique feeling that some people attribute to a phenomenon in the brain, but I truly think it is more than that, especially those who get it very frequently... like I do. That feeling used to send a chill down my spine, but... not anymore. I actually like the feeling because it just reasserts my belief in this idea.

Let’s state reincarnation does not exist and we look through the eye of a Christian (Some form of Protestant). They make mention of animals in heaven as well as humans, angels, the Godhead, etc. Are the dinosaurs tramping around near the Mercy Seat in heaven? I doubt it. Or every animal being up “there”? Not to mention all the lives of good “hominids” throughout time? Wouldn't Heaven have a serious over population problem, I am sure Hell would have the same problem as there is more bad than good using the Bible as a guide as to what defines the truly good <true, but with sarcasm>, but it is Hell right, so I guess overcrowding is a fitting torment added to all the other things that the Bible actually mentions about Hell itself? It just does not sit well with me. Think about all those separate entities just floating around praising an deity forever and on the flip side a bunch more entities in torment forever... When you sum it up like that if it does not make you have questions your blind... Oh, and highest cause of death for centuries was this religion... The Pope was a Don for hundreds of years with the Church being the Commission bleeding corruption and sin itself. In one lifetime it is highly unlikely you will make it to pure happiness or pure torment... no matter what you want to call them... 

Got a little off base there... sorry even those who have had a small enlightenment still has a lifetime left for improvement... I wish I would have been following the Dharma for now for nearly 25 years instead of 23 years on the Judeo-Christian path and 1.5 years following the Dharma... Hindsight is always 20/20 though. Now I would not cast all my learning of Judeo-Christianity (11 years Charismatic Christian and 12 years Messianic Judaism with gentile blood) because I did learn a lot of good things from the Bible. I truly believe that if you follow Christianity properly, as you see fit, and are good to yourself and others you will go to a better place, likely not the heaven you had expected but you will never know that, or at least not for some time on the plane. The stories in the Bible bring a lot of good things and can make great people, unfortunately most stay very close minded and OVER ANALYZE. Within various times of my following of this Faith I thought the Bible was meant to be taken literally, metaphorically, hypothetically, somewhere in-between, misinterpretation of events timelines, and other items. Now being a Buddhist I look at the book metaphorically for the most part except for the New Covenant dealing with Jesus prior to his sacrifice that I do believe happened under the conditions of which he thought he did. I think that MAN was a great one and had spectacular power(s) but I do not think he was the son of a “Creator God”, as I do not believe in one all powerful entity ruling this universe, or any other for that matter, that can do anything at anytime and has created everything that “is”. Some of us have already been gods ourselves in previous lives in different planes of the Samsara (Google it). Bottom line, Yeshua (Jesus) was a great guy all the way around... period.

I think my want and need to write has passed for now... I have always used this Blog as my primary outlet for creativity, ironically it just happens to be about religion... go figure... but sometimes it is hard to come up with something that makes sense and is worth reading at times... I will be digging more into Buddhist Scriptures in the coming weeks and will probably do other topic digging as well... and if an impulse post would happen to happen. So new stuff to come... that is not all over the place like this one turned out to be... He is a fact, and 2 quotes until next time.

Some Buddhist views on Jesus including Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama regard Jesus as a bodhisattva who dedicated his life to the welfare of human beings. It was recorded in 101 Zen Stories that the 14th century Zen master Gasan Jōseki, on hearing some of the sayings of Jesus in the Gospels, remarked that he was "an enlightened man", and "not far from Buddhahood".

Always challenge your Teacher - The Buddha

abyapajjha hontu (Pali),

Always keep your mind open... it gives you room to move around 

-automachi

The Logical Spiritualist

See you in 2013?...

Hello Reader, and welcome back. Happy 2012... 

The year most have pointed to at the last one we are going to have due to some type of doom is here! Quick hide! I doubt we will see the end of our species this year but I do think something will happen other than just astronomical event being lined up to the center of our galaxy (The Milky Way galaxy). Surprising not because of Mayan calendar directly, more the Web Bot Project given that I am in the IT industry, now that is creepy (look it up). There could be something unique that happens when there is a perfect alignment of the Solar System and the Super Massive Black Hole at the center of our universe, past times there where some type of phenomenon that happened... Like around the last time when Neanderthals had seemed to have disappeared and then we came along. So what will happen this year? Will 2013 not come? I doubt it... I think we will see a 2013 but I do think it will be a little more than just a standard yearly transition, like we just saw for the 2011 switch to 2012. What are we going to see? I have no clue, but in my gut I know something will happen... something...

I am going to sound like an evangelist of a religion I no longer subscribe to but look at current events we see in the news and the differences in society and such... Things are changing, some for the good, however, there was loss at the same time though. I am referring to the civil revolutions in countries with oppressive governments... Our troops (U.S.) are coming home from Iraq, they should all be on their way home now, I believe. The war is another topic away from spirituality, and relevance, but I am glad they are coming home as I think we did everything we could without occupying for even longer, like decades, which cannot be done. Anyway, life is different these days and it seems to be changing so much faster with each passing day. Change is the only constant anymore...  Hopefully the world starts a path of good and we will finally break down certain walls and work as an entire world on huge issues like clean water, famine, etc... I think I am being optimistic but I know what we could do this as a people but we don’t care enough too. A more realistic way things will go is that there will  be continued protest until we get a President that actually produces good, fast results... Yet, another topic. 

Here’s what I predict will happen this year. Crazy campaigning on both Democrat and Republic camps, that will fill most of the media, including a big degree on social media as well. There will be other media stories too... there will be unfortunate tragedies more than last year like usually, tallying  more each year. Likely via massive traumas of some type, tsunamis, earthquakes all that, probably a little worse than. There will be some advancement in technology of some sort. Crazy times before election and maybe some tension due to the December “Prophecy” of 2012 occurring, maybe, and I think Obama will get voted out, which is good, I think, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions. The GOP will then be able to pass better laws, maybe, but that again is a different topic, for a different place. Then all eyes after the election will be looking towards 12/21/2012 to see what will happen when the Mayan Calendar “expires”... That will be an interesting time frame from early November to 12/21/2012 because I look for there to be a lack of other issues (just how I see it) so there may be rioting at most in some of the biggest cities of the world depending on how Occupy and other movements that will be raging by November of next year and how the outcome of the election goes. Wow we have really got political here, I digress, there will still be Christmas shopping, actually, I look for spending for the Christmas season in 2012 to be the highest in 15 or more years, I just have this feeling... Then 12/21/2012 will go by and Christmas will come and go then  2013 will be here shortly thereafter. Yep, that’s what I see. I could be wrong though... maybe we will get hit with a solar flare knocking out communication and causing widespread terror and damage and it will be like Mad Max style stuff... or even a Solar Mass Ejection leveling most of the planet, there was a recent movie that this was in but it must have been crappy because I do not remember the name... We just never know do we? Did the dinosaurs have any idea that they were going to be wiped out when they were, I doubt it... They thought what is that in the sky and that was the last thought for many... then the ash cloud from the volcano that erupted that was massive and the meteor strike shortly thereafter killing most living organisms on the planet, allowing us to come into being after millions of years... 

I just do not see this year being any different than any other Summer Olympics year, leap year, a very unusually astrology event, an election year, a lot of social unrest with more protesting being done in some time, I think it will be a year like 2010 was or maybe even better, or it could be like the last leap year when another recession slapped us in the face... Who really knows what is going to happen? No one, big shots will roll the dice and react like normal, poorly...

So... I guess what I am trying to say is that 2012 will probably suck for some and not others, or everything could change for the good!... Or the Earth could pop like a pimple, Time will be our only judge... So let’s not make 2012 suck huh? We can revisit this topic in 2013... seriously most of us will still be here.... ;-)

Aham avero homi

-automachi

The Logical Spiritualist 

There is No Grey in Good...

Hello Readers and welcome back! Life is so busy isn’t it? I know it has been for me... I took a 2 week stay-cation and am already nearing the end of it already. The last 2 days I actually was able to relax a bit, even reflect. I hope I get a few more days like these within the last 5 days of vacation...

This has been the first Christmas where I was no longer part of the Judeo-Christian faith and without the mental baggage that comes with that. That took longer to get rid of than other things that come with going through some type of “enlightenment” in your religious thinking. I might not be a Christian anymore but I do hold Yeshua (Jesus in his native tongue (Hebrew)) in high regard. He has the most followers out of any religion... ever. Most Christians seem to be actually paying attention to “The Good Book” realizing his birthday was really in the Fall, most likely in late October, not on 12/25/0000, unlike what I have noticed in past years upon reflection. His birth year being anywhere from 2 BC and 7 CE..., but I digress, that is a entirely different topic and direction. I think the majority of Americans (even the devout Christians) just looked at it for what it really is... a time for family getting together and spending time together... Yes, there is commercialism and it gets worse every year, but that will always remain, even in a Recession or otherwise, but it seemed like the gifts were just a bonus to an already great moment this year...

2 years ago I would have been thinking “what a pagan holiday” due to the holiday placement (12/25) given that I was subscribing to the Messianic Judaism faith (which they do not celebrate his birth, per se, they just know it is somewhere around the Festival of Sukkoth, as most devotees already know). That is just a morsel of stupidity that specific religion can cause. Either you are a Christian or Jew, period. There can be some grey but there is a requirement for the largest parallels of these faiths to remain parallel. Anyway, there are a lot of ancient pagan holidays or pagan holy days that are on or are around 12/25 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is what the majority of the world uses), and a lot of the Messianic Jews point this out as a pagan holiday due to them coinciding with each other. When I was “enlightened” (Keep in mind I am a Buddhist and no I do not mean I have reached Buddhahood or anything like that I am speaking in a completely secular tone) back in middle to late 2010 I started to “lose” this pagan idea, actually completely discarding it, but now it is completely gone and it feels so much better to view Christmas how it should be... a good gathering of loving family members that truly care about one another... instead of this pagan holiday that the Romans created after Christianity was made the Roman empire’s Official Religion with Emperor Constantine on the throne (which is inaccurate, just coincidental). 

Keep in mind this thread is not to make people look down on Messianic Jews (both of Jewish and Gentile bloodlines (who actually are the majority in this 70 year or so long movement)). It was what I heard at the local congregation and from its leaders (I am using that term loosely as I think he is a highway to a lower plane, and Karma will make sure they gets theirs) when I attended there with my mother. That is another topic too... the fact that they have brainwashed my mother by twisting the information she has mentioned to them to make her see their way. She was a powerful Christian woman before that and I have seen that Messianic Congregation tear people away from real truth from their good Christian selfs because they were looking for a deeper truth... I have a distaste for them, and I know Karma will give them what they deserve. What I cannot believe is why they cannot figure out why neither the Jews or Christian will claim the movement... hhhmmmm... I wonder why??? 

Both Judaism and Christianity are both good religions if applied CORRECTLY, which they usually aren’t but more and more are finally starting to realize you just need to be good to yourself and others, and that is enough, and if it isn’t and Buddhism is a false religion and either 2 are right I guess I will burn. However, I will gladly burn if being a good person to yourself and others is not enough because I will not serve a hypocrite. They is NO grey in good.

Throughout my Blog since its inception you have noticed me slam Christianity and the other 2 Abrahamic faiths hypocrisies but always holding the people practicing the faiths correctly in high regard. Know why? Let me tell you... I have noticed one thing specifically that I really do not like within the Abrahamic faiths. That being that the main institutions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity since their inception is about one thing... absolute control of everything you, and the world, does. How long did the Pope rule Europe and most of the world??? Yeah, that is what I thought... Anyway, people who apply the religion correctly are good people as the holy scriptures state you must hold yourself responsible for all actions and that there are consequences, creating high moral values... This holds true no matter what faith you subscribe to (at least for the larger ones)...

I respect all major Prophets that came from the “God” (I used quotes around God because I am a Buddhist and do not believe in a “Creator God”) of Abraham. I do not want anyone thinking I am disrespecting your faith because I am not... I hold your religion in as high regard as I do my own, and who knows we may both be right? My best friend(s) are Christians, so that should tell you something. I guess time will tell who is correct... What if we are both wrong?... That would make a whole lot pointless wouldn’t it?... for those who worry about caring. If you are acting as you should be in order to be a good person you should have no worries correct? Yeah, that is what I thought.   

So I hope I got your brain churning productively in some way. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it, Happy Kwanza to those who celebrate it, and a Happy Gregorian New Year to all!!!!

Santi,

-automachi

Thee Logical Spiritualist