Parable

A solitary traveler, a man, walked through a cold mountain landscape until night began to fall. He found a cave in the hillside and entered it. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw a group of monkeys, huddled in the far reaches of the cave. They were shivering with cold, but they were also glaring at the man with obvious defensive rage. They began to howl and approached the man with bared teeth. They were there first and felt the cave was theirs, the man thought to himself. The man remained calm and took food from his travel bag. He extended the food to the monkeys and they grabbed it greedily. They fought among themselves and ate it all up very fast. They huddled again together in the back of the cave for warmth. They regarded the man with suspicion, but they no longer threatened him. The man was cold too. He gathered some kindling and branches from the area near the mouth of the cave. He did not want to travel any more in the cold and dark. So, he lit a fire near the mouth of the cave. He did this to respect the monkey group's space and to keep the smoke from filling the cave. The monkeys panicked because they did not understand that the man controlled the fire. They tried to drive the man off, but he brandished a blazing branch against them. They ran off into the cold night with howls of misery and anger. The man, accustomed to solitude, sat happily by the fire and wondered what would have happened if the monkeys had stayed.

Diet

I will share the Buddha's Pillow diet. It is guaranteed to work. It is this: Eat less and walk more.

Ugliness

Beauty is probably in the eye of the beholder. However, I have had some insight into ugliness recently. I was on the subway the other day and was in a mood to observe the other passengers closely. There was a generous cross-section of humanity on my car. The ugliest person on the train, as far as I could see, was a snarling businessman with movie star looks and an expensive suit who nearly knocked an old man to the floor in his aggressive leap for a seat while talking without a pause on a cellphone. In a society obsessed with money, big houses, celebrity, plastic surgery and physical appearance, I see ugliness everywhere in the pretty and the privileged. And, their ugliness infects the society which they dominate.

Possession

We truly possess nothing. Possession implies control over that which is possessed. At best (or worst), we make a social contract through Law to have the exclusive right to hold or use something. Yet, the Law can take that so-called possession away at the rap of a gavel. Even our own bodies are not solely controlled by ourselves in society. And, if you have ever yet dealt with a life-threatening or maiming disease, you know that possession of a human body is no guaranteed paradise or refuge. I recently watched a documentary about the removal of radical Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip. Indoctrinated by theology, these poor human beings went through hellish torment. Not at the hands of the Israeli army, which had the sad task of trying to help these people. In fact, their hell was a result of their religious gullibility and delusions. They simply could not let go without torturing themselves in the process. Learning to tread the Middle Path between possession and being possessed is a very crucial part of my own practice. It requires tremendous will to propel my spirit from the weight of fear, conditioning and the endless pressures of society to conform to the delusion of materialism.

Fear

Recent discovery of a plot to kill passengers on commercial aircraft has once again raised panic in the entitled developed world, which is hesitant to demand an immediate stop to the violence in the Middle East where civilians are being killed in considerable numbers daily. The fear is rational and well earned. If your government practices and supports unjustified violence against innocents, isn't it rational to expect retaliation by those who are horrified by this injustice? Of course it is. If you see death as a weapon, as a form of punishment, it is wise to fear it with your whole being.

Materialism

Pop singer Madonna, with all her erudite brilliance, once extolled the concept that it's a material world. Well, it appears to be a simply material world to those who do not look beyond the surface of things. In reality, the world, and the universe, actually seem to be composed of what we call energy. Matter, it seems, is really a form of energy. In any case, the impermanence of matter eludes those who are focused on the surface of things. Aggressive hoarders of material wealth and objects rule this world. That is indisputable. But look at the world they rule and how they rule it. Yet the oppressed and the exploited still look to the acquisition of material wealth as a solution to their personal problems. I suppose they deserve the world as it is. They will certainly keep it the way it is by subscribing to the engine of aggression and greed which currently dominates politics and economies. A core principle of my practice is letting go. This principle allows me to enjoy the more pleasant material realities of life without having to aggressively accumulate and possess more and more at the expense of others.

Religion

Religion is segregation. Religion breeds elitism. Religion fosters comparison and conflict. The hereditary nature of religion supports hierarchy, patriarchy and the oppression of the poor. Religion is not an opiate; it is a disease.

August

The temperature here is nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Animals are seeking water wherever it may be found. The squirrels look anorectic. The birds are quiet. The insects are slow. The cicadas are droning a complaint for all of us. The planet is getting our attention. We do not control it. It does not control itself. There is no control. The Universe is chaos. Happiness comes with knowledge (study), acceptance and determination to creatively live within this chaos. Personal evolution comes with sharing happiness and fostering compassion for all beings in our own lives.