Book of Mercy #11-15

lazariuk · Post by **lazariuk** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:47 am

Simon wrote:Life is Suffering is the first Noble Truth of Buddhism.

I'm never too sure what that fat little man is saying

Is it LIFE is suffering

or life is SUFFERING?

Is it always suffering? Is it suffering everywhere? Was it just suffering when he said it? Can there be pain without suffering?

The constant anticipation of innevitable pain is suffering. It is 'disempowering'.

I can see that. One time a pain came to me so fast and so strong that some very interesting things happened. First I couldn't cry out. Crying requires time. You need to see a space for the cry to go into and there was no space for it.
Second, time seemed to stop or rather move so slowly that I could see the light moving toward me from the lightbulb. when I looked at it it seemed to be particles and when I looked away it appeared to be waves.
Third I got to the point of thinking that I can't possibly be experiencing that much pain and still be alive and so I entertained the idea that I wasn't and believe me that really opened a floodgate of possibilities. You would be surprised by how bound your thinking becomes when you are holding on to the notion that you are alive and what that means to you.
The point of this is that although the pain was enormous there was no suffering involved. Suffering seems to require time and the anticipation of pain.
That wasn't the last time I took LSD but it was close to it.

I have a friend from Montreal named Harriette Fels who once told me "Jack, pain is the door to bliss" She is one of the wisest people I know and so I think of that from time to time.

mat james · Post by **mat james** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:30 am

Life is Suffering is the first Noble Truth of Buddhism.

Life is trouble, only death is not. To be alive is to unbuckle your belt and look for trouble!

Zorba.

Zorba, is by far my favourite literary "character".
And don't tell me his faults. I love him with all his faults.
While I am a fan of Buddhism, Nikos Kazantzakis' Zorba embraces life and all its torment and mystery, with enthusiasm un-paralleled in literature that I have read, to the point where the Buddha can only be politely placed back on the book shelf.
There are references to the Buddha in this book.
But give me Zorba crying over his santuri, or dancing through his pain.
Ah! Zorba

"Teach me to dance, will you?"

Matj

lazariuk · Post by **lazariuk** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:45 am

mat james wrote:the Buddha can only be politely placed back on the book shelf.

Matj

Oh don't be so hasty to set him aside. The reason that he doesn't appeal to you is that he spent too much time getting people ready for the dance sitting around talking to whoever had questions for him. If they had ipods in those days he would have prepared meditation lessons for people to listen to while they danced and climbed mountains and then went off and did these things himself. As it was, the atmosphere necessitated all this sitting around business. It might be that if it were not for the Buddha's head you wouldn't have any place to dance.

Diane · Post by **Diane** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:37 am

I'm never too sure what that fat little man is saying

Is it LIFE is suffering

or life is SUFFERING?

A better translation of what he said, Jack, is that life is unease; that you either don't have what you want, or that when you do get what you want, you are afraid of losing it.

Get Johnny Clegg to teach you how to dance.

Diane

lazariuk · Post by **lazariuk** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:08 am

Diane wrote: Get Johnny Clegg to teach you how to dance.
Diane

Oh Diane, you should have caught me in my prime. I trained with the Montreal Contemporary Dance Theatre with Hugo Ramero. At the time in Montreal every wed evening dancers from a lot of the different troops would go to this country and western bar with an enormous dance floor, they would let us bring our own music and some awesome dancing would happen. I looked mighty fine in those days. Johnny Clegg could only wish.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:19 am

mat james · Post by **mat james** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:32 am

I'll stick with Zorba

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:42 am

Well, now that everyone's chosen their dance partner; perhaps, we'll see I.15 moving into formation

.

Goodnight.

~ Lizzy

Diane · Post by **Diane** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:43 am

Yes, bring on 1.15, now that everyone is dancing

.

DBCohen · Post by **DBCohen** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:15 pm

For those of you who missed it, let me point out that I.15 was introduced on p. 14 above, and briefly discussed, before the discussion drifted back to I.14. So you’re all invited to pick it up again.

~greg · Post by **~greg** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:50 pm

Diane wrote:Get Johnny Clegg to teach you how to dance.

lazariuk wrote:I looked mighty fine in those days. Johnny Clegg could only wish.

mat james wrote:I'll stick with Zorba

lizzytysh wrote:Well, now that everyone's chosen their dance partner; perhaps, we'll see I.15 moving into formation

Diane wrote:Yes, bring on 1.15, now that everyone is dancing

DBCohen wrote: For those of you who missed it, let me point out that I.15 was introduced on p. 14 above, and briefly discussed, before the discussion drifted back to I.14. So you’re all invited to pick it up again.

this is better than monty python.

i gotta start reading these threads! : )

Diane · Post by **Diane** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:05 pm

I am laughing so much I have tears in my eyes, Greg. Thank you for that last post. I love this place

.

DBCohen · Post by **DBCohen** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:20 pm

And they say LC is bound to depress you…

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:38 pm

And they say LC is bound to depress you…

Yes... I was laughing, too

~ Can't help but wonder on the content of your book, Greg.

Someone needs to lead, Doron. Isn't that how dancing goes

?

~ Lizzy

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:05 pm

~greg wrote:
Diane wrote:Get Johnny Clegg to teach you how to dance.

lazariuk wrote:I looked mighty fine in those days. Johnny Clegg could only wish.

mat james wrote:I'll stick with Zorba

lizzytysh wrote:Well, now that everyone's chosen their dance partner; perhaps, we'll see I.15 moving into formation

Diane wrote:Yes, bring on 1.15, now that everyone is dancing

DBCohen wrote: For those of you who missed it, let me point out that I.15 was introduced on p. 14 above, and briefly discussed, before the discussion drifted back to I.14. So you’re all invited to pick it up again.

this is better than monty python.

And than I.15 starts with:

This is the way we summon one another...