[Faith-talk] The Principle of Wu Wei

[Brandon A. Olivares]

Debby,

The world is chaotic, etc, because of the stories and beliefs the mind creates about it. When we come to accept life as it is, without exception, the world becomes beautiful, perfect as it is. That doesn’t mean suffering doesn’t exist, but it’s simply how we approach it that makes the difference.

Certainly your way of dealing with what your mind perceives as chaotic and unsafe is to believe in a being that is orderly, safe, and loving. But it doesn’t mean that such is essential.

The following is said as an observation and generalization, not in response to your own personal beliefs, since I don’t know you. With that in mind, it’s been my observation that most people believe in a personal, all-powerful God, because it’s frightening not to do so. They see that the world is unpredictable, dealing out pleasure and pain equally, and so they come to believe that it’s all part of the perfect will of a higher being, and that one day all the pain will be gone. I think it’s a feature of the human psyche in general: I’m not speaking about any one particular religion or culture. Hindus blame bad circumstances on karma, so it must be your fault that you are suffering. Christians blame it on Satan, and have the belief that he’ll be destroyed in the end. It’s all the same, in different variations on the same theme.

Again in my experience, true spirituality (and I say that for lack of a better term), is painful. It’s downright terrifying. It’s not safe, or orderly, or comforting at all, until you cross to the other side of that fear and realize you have nothing to lose. When you realize there is absolutely nothing life can do to you, then the chaos becomes order and the danger becomes safety. Until that happens, religion just becomes a bandage to put off the inevitable.

Again, the above is my own, admittedly blunt views, with no offense intended to those who believe otherwise. I’m overjoyed that we’re having such a civilized discussion on this list, so I want to make that abundantly clear.

---
Peace,
Brandon

Awaken To Silence <http://www.awakentosilence.org/>: Awaken To The Silence That Has Always Been Within You

Facebook: AwakenToSilence <https://www.facebook.com/awakentosilence>
Twitter: @awakentosilence <https://twitter.com/awakentosilence>
Tumblr: awakentosilence.tumblr.com <http://awakentosilence.tumblr.com/>
> On Jan 10, 2015, at 12:36 AM, Debby Phillips <semisweetdebby at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Okay, I get what you're saying, but I think if I held this view I would be in despair.  The world, without God is a very sad, chaotic, turbulent, messed up place.  With God, it is still all of that, and yet His comfort and love reach out and encompass all of that.  He envelops us with His love.    Blessings,    Debby