12/Dec/09 - Random rumination: The problem of Pain and Evil.

A few 'insights' (if they can be called that!) have happened along this path that I am trundling along. I tend to call them 'insights' because they appeared spontaneously, without, any active thinking on my part; they appeared as though suddenly plucked out of space and put into my mindspace - with no prior thinking involved. The words simply appeared....

'All pain is Resistance, all evil is Ignorance'.

Once this appeared, then, began the thinking - the looking from all directions, to try and verify the accuracy of what had appeared. To apply it to every life situation and to check the validity of the 'insight'.

It is because we refuse to accept any given situation as it exists and then attempt to change it to what we think is an ideal situation and fail miserably to do either, that there consequently is pain. Acceptance is key to any situation. That of course does not mean that we stop 'doing' anything, or stop taking appropriate action to try and rectify a situation or bring about a solution. Karma forms a part of the experience of life but we must inevitably accept that, which cannot be changed. Of course this is a well - known psychological fact, which it is, but for me, the above arose spontaneously with no prior active thinking whatsoever. The appearance was non-contextual wasn't a thought, it was just that - An Appearance.

The second half was a bit more difficult to fathom. 'Evil' can appear in many ways and takes many forms. I took the worst possible scenario and the most obvious form - people killing each other - wars, murders, terrorism. In each case, the act arises out of one person or group, wanting to prove a point to another; wanting to prove themselves superior to others and out of plain hate; this hate again arises out of ignorance of the 'other'; each reason thus has its root in the inherent ignorance - of the truth of a situation; ignorance of the nature of other's reality; ignorance of another's situation; ignorance of the other's motivation; ignorance of the other's culture, religion and; ignorance of the purpose of being human and finally and the root of all roots - Ignorance of our 'true' nature.

And that leads to the questions - what IS my true nature?

Who am I?

(to be contd...)