Intelligent Design

The universe is mostly bare
Cold hydrogen and space
With random plops of galaxies
Like pimples on its face


And stars are born in violent storm
In gravity's dark grip
As nuclei are crushed torn
In fusion forces rip


While on our tiny speck of dust
Of ancient nova scree
The rare phenomenon of life
Began haphazardly


Almost all the life life forms
That e'er drew breath or blinked
Have disappeared unheralded 
Forgotten and extinct


And still there are some bozos
Of religious frame of mind
Who think this mess in which we live
Is majestically designed

Destroying Idols

Many fundamentalist christians are vehemently, rabidly anti-catholic. Their main criticism is usually idol worship. After all catholic churches have all those statues. Statues are idols, right? Guilty as charged. Of course this shows a complete misunderstanding of the role of image in catholic theology. But something more subtle is going on in the critics' own backyard. Naturally critics don't like to look at their own backyard. They much prefer pointing out the flaws of others.

The commandment against idol worship is simple when it is restricted to physical images. But of course this is the most restrictive application of the commandment. By far the most dangerous idols are those of the imagination, the mental concepts we have of God that stand between us and the 'real' experience of God. When we think we know God, that He in some way 'belongs' to us, that he is understandable or understood, we cling to our conceptions of God.

This isn't faith at all, but a poor substitute which is more about intellectual knowing than trusting. As I have written before, it is the difference between clinging to wreckage in the water and learning to swim. Christian theologians have sounded this warning through the ages. They talk about the via negativa, the approach to God which depends on saying what God is not.

Buddhists have an interesting teaching in this regard. It is encapsulated in the saying: ' If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him'. The idea being that any Buddha you meet is a concept that leads away from realization of the self. We cling to concepts. Real mysticism is letting go.

I just get SO frustrated!

I get frustrated having the same debates over and over again for no good reason. The only thing that happens is that people entrenched in their view remain so. People (including me) come wrapped up their invincible capes of self justification and cannot really hear what is being said.

I get frustrated at people who want to justify their worldview with things I KNOW are patently false. Of course this doesn't preclude their worldview being true, but it sure reduces their credibility in my eyes. How could it not? I happen to have a reasonable education in science, physics in particular. This is not boasting, it's just the way it is. People without an education in this area need to be very careful making pronouncements in it seeking to justify their personal religious view. I think it's a simple rule: If you don't know about it, don't talk about it. I have a certain amount of theological education too, enough to tell a pony from horseshit. I accept that SOME believers can rationally and eloquently make a case for their belief. I may disagree with some of their interpretations but I recognize the complexity of the issues and respect their intelligence. Why on earth are there so few of you?

I get frustrated when people blithely think that their enculturated view is the 'natural' one and that anyone who thinks differently to them is evil. In this day and age of free information and travel such ignorance is inexcusable. (Americans, I'm looking at you.) Which brings me to willful ignorance.

I get frustrated at people who view knowledge as a threat, who think education is unnecessary, for whom curiosity is evil, intellect synonymous with false pride, learning is the same as elitism. You are dangerous to free thinking and civilization itself. You have made a virtue out of sloth and ignorance a badge of honour. When you celebrate lazy thinking you enslave yourself to any philosophy that is shiny enough to catch your attention.

I need to be able to divorce my intellect from this visceral reaction. If I was a better buddhist I could look with compassion on all those who have offered up their critical thinking skills on an alter of convenience.

But I get SO frustrated!

Buddhism 101

I've been reading a very interesting book: 'The Naked Buddha' by the Venerable Adrienne Howley, an Australian Buddhist nun. In it she tries to make the basic teachings of Buddhism plain and simple, removing from them the cultural accretions that have gathered around them over the years. I am inspired by this book. I am also reminded of how little headway I have made on my own Buddhist journey.

I'd like to summarize some of the things she says together with my own contemplations. Hopefully this will help some people to understand what Buddhism is to me. I believe it will also help me to clarify my own thinking on these subjects.

To begin with let's be clear on the Buddhist approach to dogma. Nothing should be believed on the basis of the authority of the teacher or scripture. The Buddha plainly asks us to try these things and keep those that work.

Buddhism rests on 3 ideas. You and I will certainly grapple with each of them.

1. Suffering. Everybody suffers. All living things suffer. Not just pain, but dissatisfaction, illness, death. Suffering is the basic problem of existence. Is it possible to reduce suffering? Buddhism tries to answer that question.

2. Impermanence. Things arise and fade away. Everything is in a state of flux, including you and I. It seems as if nothing lasts forever. Whatever it is, this too shall pass.

3. No-self. This is a tough one. Is there really a 'you' there? Is there an essential unchanging essence of 'you'? If you examine this one ruthlessly, you will see that the phenomena you call yourself is really the result of a constellation of physical, emotional and psychological factors, always changing and dependent on outside forces. We hate to give up the idea of a permanent self. No matter, you can just think about that one. Let it sit. Dwell on it from time to time. But above all be honest with yourself and follow your conclusions wherever they take with courage.