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Odd quote...
I got this quote in my email from Beliefnet this morning. These usually make some sort of sense to me, but this one has be baffled. Anyone here have an idea what this means?
:poke:
Compassion is the willingness to play in the field of dreams even though you are awake.
-Matthew Flickstein, "Swallowing the River Ganges"
:poke:
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Comments
:poke:[/quote]
It's in a language called 'laboured gnomic' and I would deconstruct it thus:
The world of samsara is a 'field of dreams', not, one imagines, Burt Lancaster's last film appearance, but meant to suggest that we are 'asleep' and dreaming the world. The expression mirrors the Gita's description of the world as a 'field of action' (kamma). It is assumed, also, that if one were to 'wake up' there would be a choice available: to act within the 'field of dreams' or to stop 'playing'. The writer deems that 'compassion' can be defined by the choice to continue playing.
Does that sound like a possible interpretation. It is a very dubious statement, imo.
It is speaking of impermanance and dependent origination .. that is if the world is in constant change and it's meaning also in constant change as we move through it then your nature IS "dream like".
In other words there is nothing to hold on to. Nothing to fight for or die for .. one is able to sit back and watch it and be free to move in the wonder of it all.
.. and that realization I think would be a basic reqirement for a bohdisattva.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzPk0QVr_nQ&mode=related&search=
Cheers ....