Bang

(OB1 observes)

In defining oneself,
everyone defines others:
in or out,
enemy or friend,
good or bad,
trying to decide who is safe or not.

There is no escape from death,
as we think we know it.
It isn't a matter of "if,"
but "when,"
sooner or later.

There are no enemies.
We do not point nuclear weapons at others,
but at ourselves:
we point the gun
at our own head.

The circle includes everyone.
And everything.

All Forms from the One

(OB1 learned)

All-that-is manifests from one essence,
Continually changing forms.

Lao Tzu expressed it this way:
"From wonder, into wonder
Existence opens."

Tao Te Ching

This Blog's Purpose

(Consider this)

The purpose of this blog is to explore spirituality
as a common phenomenon among all people,
placing it in the context of human primate experience and expression,
with the essential understanding that we are an example of the universe
that is awake and aware as us, seeking to know itself, in us.

I believe, in my experience, that the ultimate question for human primates is about identity. Everything we experience flows from our sense of self.

My questions have shifted from, "Who am I, and what is my place in the universe?" to "What is the universe, and how are we a manifestation of it?" "We" includes all that is, as we are capable of seeking and perceiving the all-that-is.

Curiosity is certainty's spiritual guide.
Scientific exploration is today's spiritual practice, and produces a sense of awe and wonder.
Awe and wonder are the most profound expressions of spiritual experience.

You are the universe,
in primate form, in primate mind,
awake and aware of itself,
seeking to know itself,
as best it can,
in you, as you.

Quick, Close Your Eyes

(OB1 said)

The simple-minded
will not inherit the earth;
They just govern it.

Waiting for Godot

(Bishop Keller said)

There are floaters
And there are sinkers,
And I'm somewhere in between.

(OB1 wondered)

I'll bet there's a difference
between the trip up
and the trip down.

Awakening Somewhere in the Middle

(Bishop Keller contemplated)

I've spent all this time
trying to rise to the top,
only to discover
I have become a floater
in the cesspool of life.