Stumbling along in my usual fashion I've lost track of exactly why I ever concerned myself with the theist/non-theist conundrum. "The contact of two liberties" which Thomas Merton once said was the necessary prerequisite of a true mysticism - well, I could have done with Merton himself living a few years longer and helping me out, but it's over now. A "true" mysticism?
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| What IS mysticism? |
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| Is there anybody there? |
As Suzuki has always insisted, zen is NOT mysticism. No it is not. Which is a bit of a relief, not really being the mystical type myself.
More and more I know/see/realise that we have to return to the very beginning - not a beginning in time, just the "beginning". All is empty, all is nothingness, yet complete in itself - or herself, or himself. Resting in the complete peace, freedom, grace of the time before time; or better, timelessness. Having found rest, having known the ultimate gift, to then enter the world of differentiation, the world of the intellect, all unified by love. And "what we have to be is what we are", as Thomas Merton said.
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| The unity of love |
Which is the rambling, perhaps nonsensical prelude to a recent observation. That many in our current world are truly awash in samsara, floundering about, never having known that moment of rest, the return to the Source, which Merton called the Palace of Nowhere, "where all the many things are one."
Nowadays, many appear to go shopping for a "reality" with which to clothe themselves; and having found it, search out the facts that suit their garment, rejecting the rest. (Which can seem much like the "enlightened" perspective, though such seems more "the appropriate statement", made just once in each moment) Yet without ever having known the heart that makes all things cohere, we are lost rather than found.
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| Shopping for reality |
Getting back to current affairs, this observation comes from watching the Donald Trump phenomena, that man who claims to "tell it like it is"; and again from witnessing his supporters whose own chosen "reality", the one they will to be, is confirmed by Trump. No matter the lies, the "telling it as he sees it", that continue to stream from his mouth.
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| The Donald |
I have been dipping into a few reports of the Republican Nomination Campaign trail and the subsequent race for the White House (or was I reading about the Keystone Cops?) Whatever, the reports were from the pen of Matt Taibbi, who is a contributing editor for "Rolling Stone" and winner of the 2008 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary.
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| Matt Taibbi |
Taibbi had spoken a few years before, in "The Great Derangement", about a trend in American politics, that:-
1:- The country's leaders are corrupt and have become unresponsive to the needs of the population.
2:- People all over are beginning to notice.
3:- As ordinary people tune out their corrupt leaders, they will replace official propaganda with conspiratorial explanations even more ridiculous than the original lies.
For me, this entire scenario, the tragic reality of it, has been highlighted by just having read the biography of Harry Truman. A man of genuine integrity, moving in a world where the realities of that world were actually reflected in the policies and commitments of the candidates for office.
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| Harry Truman ( WW1 Photo) |
How far from that have we come in our "information age", when the whole parade of the Presidential wannabees becomes a ludicrous circus, reduced to even a parody of "The Appentice." With the added tragedy that while virtually all laughed at the contestants of "The Apprentice", a very large core of those watching the Presidential race actually saw Donald Trump as a man who could "make America great again". He confirmed their fondest wishes of what Reality must be.
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| Liz joins in the fun |
Well, Taibbi tells of two "yahoos" who beat up a Hispanic homeless guy. When arrested, one said that "Donald Trump was right, all of these illegals need to be deported."
Trump, when told of this, said:- "That would be a shame."
But right after, he went on:- "I will say, the people that are following me are very passionate. They love this country. They want this country to be great again. But they are very passionate. I will say that."
There it is. What can you say? As Taibbi himself comments, "when the Donald said that he ceased to be funny."
Lest this all seem a disparaging summing up of the "Leader of the Free World" and an assault upon our American friends only, I will just finish with the latest summary on the UK's move towards Brexit, straight from the mouth of our very own PM Theresa May. Today, 5th Sept 2018, speaking to our parliament she said:- "Let me say this, what we are doing is what we are doing, and let's be clear about this, what is important is that we will be getting on with the process of getting on with what we are doing."
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| Let us be clear about this! |
Brexit here we come. The world has gone mad.
Related Quotes:-
"The intellect looks outward, taking an objective view........it is unable to look inwardly so as to grasp the thing in its inwardness.........the unifying principle lies inside and not outside. It is not something we arrive at; it is where we start. It is not the outcome of postulation; it is what makes postulation possible."
"Without unification, division is not possible."
(Both D. T. Suzuki, from the essay "The Buddhist Conception of Reality")
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| Suzuki |
"Trump is a watcher, not a reader - it's all mixed up in his head..............when he says,"I have a great relationship with the blacks," what he probably means is that he liked watching The Cosby Show."
(Matt Taibbi)
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