am I Buddhist? am I Christian?
no, I am not.
why so, wanderer, why aren't you fraternal and social, and join one of these groups, partake in the communion of souls, why do you insist on trekking it out alone, with knottled staff in hand, bearing the brunt of a cold headwind, never ceasing in your travels, constantly confronting obstacles and the settled order? Why sir, do you insist on this hard path?
I do, because the Truth has to be living, and has to be lived. The problem with doctrines and theosophy is that they are ancient and unreliable.
The Buddha lived, the Jesus lived. They lived, and they influenced. But what did they write? Nothing. Not that survives.
So what did they teach? What did Buddha and the Jesus teach mankind? Nothing. Not directly.
everything we know of 'Buddhism' and 'Christianity' is based on someone else's hearsay. Granted, they may have been close followers, and trusted disciples, but it is their word that we are going by. And it wasn't even in English!!
so, it was written and rewritten throughout the centuries ... over vast spans of time ... over many parchments and continents. The word was spread; by hand, by foot, by boat, to the wider world.
How much of these scriptures should we trust? Zero. Zero per cent. It is not the word of Buddha or the Jesus; it is the word of someone else. Interpreted, translated, massaged.
So what's the point?
the one saving grace is that the Truth is Universal. If there is anything of value in the so-called teachings of the Buddha or the Jesus, then it should be amenable to independent and multiple confirmations. Belief should NOT be an issue. Validity SHOULD.
so, the Truth is in YOUR HANDS. Test it out, give it a run.
SEE FOR YOURSELF.
love and light,
wanderer7
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I'm a convert to the Rays. I've been following the Tigers for the past 2 years (they had such a good first half last year!) but they're a real shambles this year. I blame it all on the Miguel Cabrera trade; all those prospects swapped away for an over-rated player and a poor pitcher; just bad team management in my mind.
The Tigers came so close in 2006 ... and were doing well until the All-Star break in '07 ... then Sheffield got hurt, and that just killed them. That intimidating Home Run Bat just died with that shoulder injury; he still hasn't come back.
But the Rays ... what a surprise! they lead the AL East at the halfway point of the season, and are beating up on Boston as we speak (2 out of 3 in the current series ...)
they've got the pitching, the timely batting, some power, and most of all, the Team Spirit. A very exciting team to watch; and full of coastal energy!
a convert from cricket,
wanderer7
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we tend to idolise greatness; be really impressed by it. Scale and size impresses us no end.
The Big Players, the Big Money, the Big Stage. This is what first comes to mind when we think of Success or Achievement.
I tend to have a slightly different view.
To me: success to relative to the challenges faced. By this, I mean, what skills and abiliies does a person bring to a task, and then how well do they perform or achieve?
A person with lots of talent needs a big challenge to 'succeed' or be 'satisfied'; an ordinary task for them is nothing; they can do it with their eyes closed and their hands tied in knots. The BIG STAGE, certainly, for these individuals.
But equally, if you have lesser abilities and talents (or are handicapped, perhaps) a smaller challenge is also a measure of success. You have less to bring to the table, and so if you do 'succeed' at your task or job, then that can be as equally an impressive victory; it is all about the RATIO between YOU and the TASK.
so even simple things (like learning to read, controlling one's anger, staying off drugs) can be enormous, gigantic SUCCESS STORIES in the lives of ordinary people; of course, these are not the tales that lace our newspaper columns or make it to the broadcast news; we have to go to the well of social media to read about these. But these STORIES OF ORDINARY MEN AND WOMEN can be as INSPIRING and REVEALING as the 'Big Picture' stories we so often see in films and novels.
There is a certain magic in the lives of the ordinary; it is all about the Relative Challenge that each of us faces on a Daily Basis.
Each life is a living human experiment; an experience in adversity.
blessings, and be well
wanderer7
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back on Oct 1
take care, w7
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wisdom
July 2008 
wanderer7
