Written on April 9, 2008 by Tom Stine
Why do you write? What got you involved in spirituality? Leave your answer in the comments.
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But beauty, real beauty, ends where intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of a face. The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid. Look at the successful men in any of the learned professions. How perfectly hideous they are! Except, of course, in the Church. But then in the Church they don’t think. A bishop keeps on saying at the age of eighty what he was told to say when he was a boy of eighteen, and as a natural consequence he always looks absolutely delightful.
Intelligent practice always deals with just one thing: the fear at the base of human existence, the fear that I am not. And of course I am not, but the last thing I want to know is that.
Q: Since all is pre-ordained, is our self-realization also pre-ordained? Or are we free there at least?
A: Destiny refers only to name and shape. Since you are neither body nor mind, destiny has no control over you. You are completely free. The cup is conditioned by its shape, material, use and so on. But the space within the cup is free. It happens to be in the cup only when viewed in connection with the cup. Otherwise, it is just space. As long as there is a body, you appear to be embodied. Without the body you are not disembodied — you just are.
So the most important thing to realize is this: Your life has an inner purpose and an outer purpose. Inner purpose concerns Being and is primary. Outer purpose concerns doing and is secondary…. Your inner purpose is to awaken. It is as simple as that. You share that purpose with every other person on the planet – because it is the purpose of humanity. Your inner purpose is an essential part of the purpose of the whole, the universe and its emerging intelligence.
Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denying the existence of a Soul, Self or Atman. According to the teachings of the Buddha, the idea of self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding reality, and it produces harmful thoughts of ‘me’ and ‘mine’, selfish desire, craving, attachment, hatred, ill-will, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilements, impurities and problems. It is the source of all troubles in the world from personal conflicts to wars between nations. In short, to this false view can be traced all the evil in the world.
The disappearance of this fundamental question [How do I know the state of an enlightened one?], on discovering that it had no answer, was a physiological phenomenon, a sudden ‘explosion’ inside, blasting, as it were, every cell, every nerve and every gland in my body. And with that ‘explosion’, the illusion that there is continuity of thought, that there is a center, an ‘I’ linking up the thoughts, was not there anymore.
on April 10th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I got into it because I became intensely curious. I wanted to know if it was at all possible to write about the realization with clarity. It hasn’t happened yet. But when I say “clarity,” I mean in the expression of writing. What has happened – this realization – is clear, but it has not been expressed in words with the purity of direct living.
I am not even sure if it is possible. But one can only try one’s best.
I wanted to write it as a real expression, with concrete language, without turning it into a concrete and unchanging state. Because it is not a state to be had, or an idea to cling to. It is life in its most…reduced form. (I am not sure that “Reduced” is quite the right word.)
Because I receive a good amount of e-mail, many of my posts are written as a question and answer type dialogue. But I do not think of it as giving an answer. A question is posed, and whatever arises is written in response. But it isn’t “me” giving a definite conclusion.
I think the problem might be, the word is not the thing, but at the same time, the word IS the thing. It is and it isn’t, and language may not be suited to a direct, timeless, and pure expression; at least in a way that can touch everyone that reads it.
I may be, as my brother would say, pissing up a rope.
I write all the time, but I do not post everything. It has reached a point where there are fewer and fewer words to reach the point. There are some days I sit at the cafe to write, and only manage one sentence. There is no disappointment, though. Sometimes a sentence is as good as a book.
A friend of mine died recently, and afterward, my writing took a new dimension. But I have not posted much since that happened. I have talked a little bit about it on my blog, and am nearly ready to resume a posting schedule. But I am not sure how well it will go over.
But, long story short, I guess I write in order to discover.
Thanks for asking the question, Tom.
Takuin Minamoto – Tokyo, Japan
Takuin Minamoto’s last blog post..Dr. Quantum and the Slit Experiment (Re-Post)
on April 10th, 2008 at 2:28 am
There are a couple of different levels to why I write.
The first answer is because it is my natural way of expressing myself. I’m very wordy: when I understand something the understanding comes in a phrase, when I think something through I use words.
The second answer to why I write is to make contact with people. I find connecting deeply with others to be profoundly nourishing.
Another is that I hope to make my living as a blogger. The quest to make my living doing what I love has been a theme of my adult life.
Finally I hope that the information I provide will help people live more healthy and joyous lives.
What got me involved in spirituality?
I was brought up in a church, which was mostly a positive experience for me. However I found that the disciplines we were meant to engage in (’prayer’) didn’t ‘work’ for me. So I eventually gained the courage to stop pretending. Instead I just read and then wrote about what I read. This was really the beginning of my own spirituality. It also lead me to get interested in how our physical selves are us.
Evan’s last blog post..Self-Improvement for Dummies.
on April 10th, 2008 at 8:28 am
@Takuin How to write about realization? A bit difficult. I find that the more concrete the subject I write about, the easier it is to write. When the topic gets more ephemeral, such as with awakening, I tend to get a tiny bit spacey and have a hard time writing! I’m thinking, therefore, of writing a bit more about practical spirituality, whatever that is.
I really enjoyed your comment. I welcome more.
on April 10th, 2008 at 8:30 am
@Evan thanks for writing. I enjoy reading your comments and your blog posts. I too have enjoyed making contact with people through writing. It has been a lot of fun.
on April 10th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Hey Tom Stine,
I really like your videos!
It feels like you really talk from the heart; it feels very honest and profound. I like that.
You’re also really “steady”, and you even have a nice calming voice. Couldn’t get better than that.
I love the fact that you feel that blogging and helping other people is your “life mission”, I feel kind of the same way.
Maybe not as deep as you, but I definately see where you’re coming from.
Great video, great archive, and I just look forward to reading and hearing more from you mate!
- Alex
Alex Kay’s last blog post..How Learning to ?Talk Woman? will Triple Your Success with Women
on April 10th, 2008 at 10:54 am
@Alex Hey, I really appreciate the compliments. Thanks. The videos are a blast to do. I just turn on the camera, clip on the mic, and see what arises. Very in the moment. And thank you, it is from the heart.
A pleasure having you here. I’ve been enjoying your blog, too.
on April 10th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Some may enjoy the webcomic I made about Tom’s videos…
http://mojo1000.com/1000cuts/i-want-my-zen-tv.html
MonkMojo’s last blog post..i want my zen TV
on April 10th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Hey, nice cartoon. Everybody, repeat after me: I want my zen tv. I think I will change the name to zen tv.
on April 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Tom
After our podcast I have loved your blog posting and this video. I feel as though I know you. You didn’t mention before that it was Norm Shealy who you first found on your healing journey! Nothing like starting at the top.
Michelle Vandepas’s last blog post..How to Be Inspired To Keep Going
on April 10th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
@Michelle Thanks, Michelle. Yep, Norm Shealy. I keep meaning to write an autobiographical “my spiritual journey” article or series of articles. Norm plays prominently. He really did get me started. He is an amazing man, and he has lived here in southwest Missouri for 25 years (or more). He loves it here. He has a farm north of town and his “energy healing” school. How do you know about Norm?
on April 10th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
This is the first video I’ve ever viewed on your blog and it was quite fitting for the moment that I am in now as well as the curiosity/pull that I feel
I can feel the magnitude of how spiritually has come into your life though the way that you describe its impact.
Thanks for sharing Tom.. you help put a contented face into this subject that I am now exploring. Keep it up (looking forward to your podcasts!)
JEMi | Tips for Life, Love, You’s last blog post..Half-Assed: Becoming Half Your Size
on April 10th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Thanks JEMi. Glad to have you here!
on April 10th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the video.
I really love what you have shared with us all this while.
Keep them coming.
Raymond Chua’s last blog post..You Probably Have Seen This But …
on April 11th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Hi Tom,
Glad you liked the comic. You have a nice comfortable way about yourself, and it shows well on camera. I too look forward to more.
MonkMojo’s last blog post..i want my zen TV
on April 11th, 2008 at 8:10 am
@Raymond Thanks so much. My goal is a video each week. We shall see!
@MonkMojo Again, thanks. You guys are making me glad I’m doing the videos. And about the comic: I LOVE comics and cartoons. When I taught high school a billion years ago, one of my students did a caricature of me and another teacher. I’m 5′6″, and the guy I taught with was 6′4″. We taught science and math together. So, the student draws me very tiny standing on a lab stool with other guy towering off the page patting me on the head. The kid was nervous at first for me to see it, but when I started laughing and couldn’t stop, he relaxed. It was hilarious. I had that drawing for years until my dog, well, pee’d on it. Damn dog!
on April 12th, 2008 at 3:51 am
Thanks, very interesting video. Whilst i may not share your views on spirituality, it did make me think, especially about what I do and why I write a personal development blog.
David Rogers’s last blog post..Start Making Friends
on April 12th, 2008 at 9:22 am
@David. Glad you liked the video. I’m glad it made you think. And, no, we don’t need to share views on spirituality. But we do share the world, and it is fun for all its diversity. Thanks for stopping by.
on April 13th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Great passion Tom!
That’s why I appreciate bloggers very much. You are very passionate about your topic, and you are spending so much time and energy sharing them to the world.
I believe your blog will be growing and successful.
Keep up the good work!
Robert
PS: I need to learn Podcasting from you =)
Robert | reason4smile’s last blog post..How to be successful, uniquely yours
on April 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
@Robert Thanks! I’m having a blast doing this. It is the most work I’ve done in a long time, but I’m not putting out a lot of “effort” to do it. Hey, I’d be glad to share what little I know about podcasting and making videos. It really is pretty simple if you don’t worry about the details too much. I got to noticing that a lot of good stuff in audio-video land is very poor quality, so I thought, hey I can do at least that well.