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Spiritual "Awakening"
I don't really need to post small things such as this, but I feel pretty good about what I just went through, and I would like to share. For those interested by the topic title, might just be some rambling to some of you, but I'm kind of curious on Buddhist views on these subjects, mainly the idea of spirits (which I don't think will bring me bad karma or harm me in any way).
It all started with a dream that I had a couple of weeks ago. I posted in the Lotus Lounge asking for help in translating it, and a kind member was nice enough to take the time to assist me with translation, something that I would have never picked up on my own. It symbolized change and positive growth, and it's happened in a way I never saw coming.
I was slowly starting to get into some Arabic music that I got interested in, then it developed to a full blown genuine interest in the music, to the point where I received the album. Later, I had a discussion with a friend, and that led to some interesting topics, and in my spare time, given my dream and everyone that helped me with it, I started to analyze other religions, even reading parts of the Quran which gave me a positive outlook on Islam, being very respectful of a culture/belief system that is wildly different than my own (which makes me a true citizen of earth). What I kind of stumbled in to was the following :
All humans are a collective pool of spirits. When we analyze ourselves, deeper than a surface analysis where we deem ourself a "race", "nationality", or "culture", we find that all humans in the world are basically all the same. We should not judge others without a word with them, or a deeper analysis of who they truly are, because in effect, we are laying down parameters of an "acceptable" human in our minds. What we are intolerant of and fear in others can be directly attributed to fear of a culture wildly different than ours, one we may not understand or refuse to accept or tolerate. For those of us that try, we cannot consider ourselves true citizens of the world unless we are able to survive in a culture wildly different than ours.
Once in a new environment, we will learn just how similar we are to others as we observe them in their home, in their cultures. Once we observe the true nature and character of humans more so then their external appearance, then we can see the good and bad on this earth, allowing us to become more compassionate, wiser, and more tolerant of others. Removing the external classification of others will allow us to tap into our good nature, something we are born with, but many humans choose to supress.
I'm not really offering any argument here, but I am stating an opinion that I have used recently to preach tolerance and acceptance to others, doing what I can to make the world (as much as I can) a better place.
It all started with a dream that I had a couple of weeks ago. I posted in the Lotus Lounge asking for help in translating it, and a kind member was nice enough to take the time to assist me with translation, something that I would have never picked up on my own. It symbolized change and positive growth, and it's happened in a way I never saw coming.
I was slowly starting to get into some Arabic music that I got interested in, then it developed to a full blown genuine interest in the music, to the point where I received the album. Later, I had a discussion with a friend, and that led to some interesting topics, and in my spare time, given my dream and everyone that helped me with it, I started to analyze other religions, even reading parts of the Quran which gave me a positive outlook on Islam, being very respectful of a culture/belief system that is wildly different than my own (which makes me a true citizen of earth). What I kind of stumbled in to was the following :
All humans are a collective pool of spirits. When we analyze ourselves, deeper than a surface analysis where we deem ourself a "race", "nationality", or "culture", we find that all humans in the world are basically all the same. We should not judge others without a word with them, or a deeper analysis of who they truly are, because in effect, we are laying down parameters of an "acceptable" human in our minds. What we are intolerant of and fear in others can be directly attributed to fear of a culture wildly different than ours, one we may not understand or refuse to accept or tolerate. For those of us that try, we cannot consider ourselves true citizens of the world unless we are able to survive in a culture wildly different than ours.
Once in a new environment, we will learn just how similar we are to others as we observe them in their home, in their cultures. Once we observe the true nature and character of humans more so then their external appearance, then we can see the good and bad on this earth, allowing us to become more compassionate, wiser, and more tolerant of others. Removing the external classification of others will allow us to tap into our good nature, something we are born with, but many humans choose to supress.
I'm not really offering any argument here, but I am stating an opinion that I have used recently to preach tolerance and acceptance to others, doing what I can to make the world (as much as I can) a better place.
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Comments
I'm all for tolerance.
-bf
I like the nature of embracing acceptance myself.
Celebrin - reading the Quran together with readin the Islam forum here will open your eyes to the true nature of Islam.