Significance

 

Once, on another forum, someone expressed the opinion that a better way of speaking of a "personal God" was to say simply that God expresses Himself as persons. I see that as a good way of understanding, particularly from my own non-theistic perspective. Reality-as-is expresses itself as persons.

In that sense, no one is insignificant. All are expressions of Reality. All have significance.

I think that if we find ourselves capable of thinking on these things (unlike so many whose birth has brought them to famine, destitution and an early death) then we should seek to become a "person" who does seek to give significance to others. Develop empathy, a deeper capacity for compassion, a greater openess, a constantly increasing intimacy with the whole world around us.

My own Faith is that all shall be well and thinking about it (not always a good idea....) it is more acceptance, more that all is well. Simply that all is as it needs must be to bring forth the full compassion, wisdom, potential of Reality-as-is. "For the earth brings forth fruits of herself" (St Marks Gospel)

Which makes me think once more of Dogen, the 13th century zen master, who had his own quest for authentic personhood, his own questions. One question was, given that all have Buddha Nature, all are enlightened, then why practice? Why, in fact, do anything at all!

In zen speak, according to zen stories, he eventually found his own answer, and expressed it in his "Genjokoan" (the actualization of Reality)

Zen Master Baoche of Mt. Magu was waving a fan. A monk approached him and asked, “The nature of wind is ever present and permeates everywhere. Why are you waving a fan?”
The master said, “You know only that the wind’s nature is ever present—you don’t know that it permeates everywhere.”
The monk said, “How does wind permeate everywhere?” The master just continued waving the fan.
The monk bowed deeply.
The genuine experience of Buddha Dharma and the vital path that has been correctly transmitted are like this. To say we should not wave a fan because the nature of wind is ever present, and that we should feel the wind even when we don’t wave a fan, is to know neither ever-presence nor the wind’s nature. Since the wind’s nature is ever present, the wind of the Buddha’s family enables us to realize the gold of the great Earth and to transform the water of the long river into cream.