I love that speech, if you haven't heard it you should listen sometime, for now I'll quote it.
"Spirituality is a particular term which actually means dealing with intuition.In the theistic tradition there is a notion of clinging into a word.A certain act is regarded as displeasing to a divine principles. A certain act is regarded as pleasing for the divine … whatever.In the tradition of non-theoism, however, it is very direct — that the case history are not particularly important. What is actually important is here and now. Now is definitely now. We try to experience what is available there, on the spot. There is no point in thinking that a past did exist that we could have now. This is now. This very moment. Nothing mystical, just now, very simple, straight forward. And from that nowness, however, arises a sense of intelligence always that you are constantly interacting with reality one by one. Spot by spot. Constantly. We actually experience fantastic precision, always.But we are threatened by the now so we jump to the past or the future. Paying attention to the materials that exist in our life — such rich life that we lead — all these choices takes place all the time, but none of them regarded as bad or good per say — everything we experience are unconditional experience. They don’t come along with a label saying ‘this is regarded as bad’, ‘this is good’. But we experience them but we don’t actually pay heed to them properly. We don’t actually regard that we are going somewhere. We regard that as a hassle. Waiting to be dead.That is a problem. That is not trusting the nowness properly that what is the actual experience now possesses a lot of powerful things. It is so powerful that we can’t face it. Therefore, we have to borrow from the past and invite the future all the time.Maybe that’s why we seek religion. Maybe that’s why we march in the street. Maybe that’s why we complain to society. Maybe that’s why we vote for the presidents.It is quite ironic. Very funny indeed." - Chögyam Trungpa
Sometime I'll break this down and really explain what I like about this speech/quote, mainly the stuff I have highlighted.
Sometime I'll break this down and really explain what I like about this speech/quote, mainly the stuff I have highlighted.
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3 comments:
We have the ability to think about the past and to ponder the future. So far as we can tell, this makes us different from other animals, part of what makes us "anthropoi". To speak against that which makes us unique is dehumanizing.
To focus only on the "now" is to cripple ourselves and our society. It is selfish and individualistic - both attributes of our nature, and yet contrary to our well-being. We are "people-in-the-world" - nobody stands alone. We can think about the past and learn; we can think about the future and the children who inherit our decisions. It is brutally scary, so to focus on the "now" is actually the happiest, because we can remain oblivious to the truth.
"There is no point in thinking that a past did exist that we could have now. This is now. ... And from that nowness, however, arises a sense of intelligence always that you are constantly interacting with reality one by one. Spot by spot. Constantly."
Case in point - Adam and Eve, The Garden of Eden.
This speech does not implicate that we have complete disregard for our children and their future, it simply means that we pay too much attention to the future trying to obtain something that we think existed in the past (Garden of Eden).
So, when faced with overwhelming circumstances NOW we use drugs, alcohol, relationships, religion to escape from the NOW, but...now is NOW. Live in the now. I feel more complete now that I have accepted my nephew's death, that I have accepted my own mortality. I feel free to live my life, to love myself, my family and my friends as myself because I am living NOW, not living life trying to please some divine "something" for a future that may or may not exist (Heaven/Garden of Eden).
There's nothing perfect or imperfect with regard to the length of time it takes for the earth to revolve around the sound being equally divisible by the length of time it takes to rotate on its axis. It just does what it does.
You're quote reminds me to not frame my days around one or two daily goals where those goals are the only things I find value and and reward in. That's how people end up in such bad poor attitudes when they are stuck in traffic for 45 minutes or when things don't go according to plan.
Our lives here are amazing every second of the day. It's a wonderful gift (from whomever or however you believe we've received that gift) to be interacting and sensing every ounce of our lives. These are things we must remind ourselves when we get fooled into thinking that our goals for our days and lives are what drive our happiness.
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