Prospectus

"Far better it is to dare mighty things... even though checkered by failure,
than to take rank with those poor spirits who live in the gray twilight that
knows neither victory nor defeat."

-Teddy Roosevelt

We've all pondered that existential question: What do I do with my life?  Since childhood I've had a rather murky vision of my purpose, which I've often lost sight of.  In recent years, that vision has gradually reified, becoming more distinct and apparent. Although its intricacies remain elusive, I have a clear direction and aim to pursue it with varying rigor.

Through the course of my life, I have pursued notions of The Truth through a variety of avenues and with varying degrees of critical thought.  Since my relatively precocious escape from the trappings of the Christian church, I have sought a higher being or divine patron in one form or another.  At times, I've abandoned the quest altogether and endorsed notions of Atheism (literally no-god/s) and Nihilism (there is nothing at all). I have meditated on mountain tops, fasted, prayed, pondered, read, searched inside and out, sequestered myself, taken various "sacred" medicines, and underwent many manners of religious or spiritual rite and ritual. I have found no one answer, but rather many answers that lead to one conclusion.

The Truth cannot be known.  

The complexity of The Truth is such that it cannot be written in a book or in volumes, but its simplicity is such that it can be summed up in two words:  It is.  Yet, the truth is best described with no words at all.  Knowing this has caused me a great deal of frustration in the past few years.  I cannot say I know The Truth, since the it is unknowable.  I cannot describe it, because it is beyond description.  The Truth does not need me.  It is, was, and always will be whether or not I share my part.

People write to teach, inform, or entertain.  I aim to bring comfort, joy, and peace.  I aim to share what I've found on mountain tops and riverbeds.  Whatever The Truth is, whatever gods there are, whatever enlightenment or righteousness is, despite whatever existence may await those who relieve themselves of Samsara, wherever Heaven is, we are right here.  Here we have needs.

With my existence, I wish to seek The Truth, share what I know of it, and bring comfort to others on their life journey.  I want to build a place where people can go and be fed and have a warm bed in a safe place among friends and kind strangers.  This place of compassion- this temple- shall be called The Way Station.  This is a play on many terms.  The Tao means "The Way" and Taoism is my most beloved philosophy.  The Way of was of Christ's claims ("I am the way, the truth, and the life").  When truckers cross state borders, they have to stop and weigh their load.  And this place will exist for folks that are on their way- whether as indicative of a life journey or a physical journey or both.

I do not yet know where this temple will be. It will be on privately owned and publicly accessible land.  It will be self-sustaining, relying on renewable energy such as solar power and perhaps hydroelectricity.  It will have a farm and garden.  There, residents and visitors can seek The Truth or not, as they see fit.  The details are yet to come.

I am constructing a non-doctrine scripture, neither guidebook nor rulebook, detailing my thoughts on The Truth.  Once it is complete, I will make it available.

This blog will serve to share thoughts and ideas as they come to me, concerning the text, the temple, and the constructions thereof.  It may later move to a website of its own.

I am here to spread the word.  The word does not need spreading, but it's what I'm called to do.   

Preface

My understanding cannot be categorized or named.  That is not to say that it's beyond these things.  It is essential to the premise that it remains unrestricted by titles.  It's titles that have landed us in our divided world.  From the name of a nation, through the names of religions, states, parties, and committees, to the names of individual people, each one separates itself from the others.  Through these distinctions we define ourselves and from our definitions, conflict grows.  All "isms" lead to cataclysm. It may also be important to note that these teachings, these thoughts, and these words are not mine alone, but have been harnessed from the beginning of understanding.  I can't take credit.  I can only recite.

The Truth I speak of has no name.  It is beyond description.  It cannot be told or known.  Instead of calling it "The Truth" perhaps I should call it "The Mystery".  In fact, it would be better not to call it anything, but since I want to share, that's just not an option.  One may wonder why I would want to talk about something that can't be talked about.  I see a world rife with pointless confrontation.  I see people arguing the same point from different angles and killing each other over it.  I see new powers taking old stances and its supporters cheering as though it was revolutionary.  If I can do something to help, I would like to.

Speaking of revolutionary, proponents of revolution often overlook the reference to the circuity of the notion. Revolution comes from "revolve" meaning to turn.  Revolution's implication and historical facts have been that those near the bottom go to the top only to be overthrown again.  Thus, revolution is redundant.  While I'm upset with the status quo, I'm not interested in revolution.  I would prefer to see a society based on equality, with no top to overthrow and no bottom to stand on.  I believe these teachings, harnessed and applied, have the potential for a political use toward that end.

With that in mind, I'll inevitably contradict myself.  My hope is that the receiver of these messages will look past the surface of my words and try to grasp the meaning.  For reasons that will hopefully become apparent, I don't believe in the value of systematized moral codes.  If I say that one should do something, I mean only that I think it will benefit them and the community.  Any suggestions I offer are not orders or divine mandates. Although I do believe in punishment and reward (because they are certainly real things), I don't believe in sin. These words are no more the Word of God than anyone else's words.

Seriously:  Don't take this too seriously.

Faith

All things are related to one another.  I wish to write here and find myself wrestling with a tangled web of ideas and thoughts that are heavily ingrained without our society and consciousnesses.  I am going to propose radical notions that will invariably drive some away, while intriguing others.  My desire is to introduce things gradually, so as not to seem as though I'm attacking anyone.  Despite my own experiences, hang-ups, and frustrations, I recognize the need to refrain from logical assault.  In so doing, I hope to present approachable statements that can be received by the reluctant. In their totality, these interwoven ideas will stand up to cynicism, scrutiny, and skepticism.  Unfortunately, I cannot show the entire contents of my mind one moment.  This, I believe, is a good launch point:  Faith.

There are many understandings of the word faith.  It's taken to mean belief in something that you can't see.  It means knowing something that you can't know.   For some, it means believing that God is there, even though you can't see it.  It means knowing things will work out for the better, even when there is no evidence.  Faith is an excellent tool, but it is a tool that can be abused.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Faith is taking the first step when you can't see the top of the staircase."

It's an apt metaphor.  We take that first step, knowing that there's something at the top, but not being able to see the top, we don't know what is up there.  Taking that first step, we believe that there is something at the end of the staircase.  We don't know where it leads, just that it leads somewhere.

Faith is an often misused tool.  This beautiful product of the human mind and heart is turned against us.  Instead of using our faith to get us up the staircase, we are coaxed onto the first step and told to believe what is at the top.

"Take my word for it!" They say, "I have seen it.  I know it!  Have faith!"

And we stop at the first stair.  We listen to the one who "has been there" instead of going and seeing for ourselves.  We are blinded by our belief and our faith is twisted on us until it's no longer faith in the existence of something we don't know, but rather belief in the words of someone who claims to have seen it.

I'm asking you now to have faith once again.  If you never hear me again, it will be enough if you just let go of knowing what God is and have the faith- in yourself and in The Truth- to look at the world without knowing and actually consider, for yourself.

Faith isn't the blind obeisance to someone else's words.  That is being fooled, fleeced, had.  As soon as you think you know what God is, you have lost faith.  Faith is knowing without knowing.  To have faith is to explore the mystery, knowing that there's an answer but never knowing what that answer is.  



*photo borrowed from www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk

Dispelling "God"

Here I focus on the Christian and Hebrew god, as adapted from his original image in the Zoroastrian (Abrahamic) religion of prehistory.  I do not do so in an attempt to single out this god for dissolution, but rather because he is the one with which I am most familiar.  The statements below apply to all idolatry, whether Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Taoist, or any other religion that appeals to an outside deity.  Although the Hindu system of belief originally held the fact that all the deities they worshiped (including Jesus Christ) were manifestations of the All-One being, Brahman, I don't know whether or not it is still widely understood.  As Jayne put it, "Let's not go excluding people.  That would be rude."

There is a common conception that God is a man that lives in the sky (Heaven), passing judgement and meting out punishment.  He sits in a big gold throne listening to people's concerns.  He knows everything, he's everywhere, and he can do anything.  He has a plan.  His word- The Bible- is infallible.

This image is perpetuated through channels of learning that use and abuse people's fear of death and the resultant state thereof.  It was cultivated and solidified throughout the middle ages as a means of controlling the population, conquering and unifying nations, and amassing wealth.  To this day, the image is still used for all of these means, although the prevalence of counterpoised people have challenged its effectiveness.

This image of God is mutable.  He cannot stand up to time and change.  He is presently besieged by science and reason.  His infallible word is challenged by logical contradictions and historical evidence.  One may choose to ignore these things and pursue the blind hope that this man is The One True God.  Often those who turn a blind eye are claiming that, despite all opposition, they have faith.  I hope that one would look at my thoughts on faith, here, and give serious consideration as to whether or not one has been misled through such enchanting terms.

The Bible, which translates from Latin to "The Book", is said, in its entirety, to be the absolute and irrefutable word of God.  One is encouraged by members, and especially leaders, of the church to study The Bible and meditate on its passages.  Since I was a member of the church, I did so.  I studied multiple versions of that book:  The King James, The NIV, The Journey (adapted from NIV), and ESV.   I've also studied the English language and history.  Doing so, one will find that The Bible was written by men.  Genesis is thought to have been written by Adam, Noah, and Shem.  The book Isaiah was written by Isaiah.  The Gospel of Peace was written by Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Corinthians I and II were written by the Apostle Paul in response to troubles that a temple in Corinth (Greece) was having.

Many will say that although these books were written by man, they were inspired by God.  Yet, they will also claim that every word within The Bible is directly from God's mouth, despite the fact that many passages are the direct quotes of a person who was not God.  For example, in the passage Luke 22:58 (NIV), it reads, "A little later someone else saw him and said, 'You are also one of them.' 'Man, I am not!' Peter replied."  Basic English informs us that these are not the words of God, but the words of some man and Peter.  It's not that people lack an understanding of English that causes them to ignore these revelations.  We are deliberately misled.  

If people claiming that The Bible was the absolute word of God actually believed it, they would be walking around with only one arm, for it is written:  "And if your hand- even your stronger one- causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Hell."  (Mathew 5:30, NLT)  The original version of the text read "if your right hand..."  but it had to be changed.  When the original was written, it was thought that most people were right handed and left handed people were evil.  This difference in versions further illustrates my point.  

The Bible, as it is now, was created by men in power.  The New Testament was assembled into a book by the same people that killed Jesus.  It's said that The Bible was written by man, but inspired by God.  It's fair to say that, but man is fallible.  If man is fallible, so is his work.  Once written, it's easily abused.  A hammer fashioned may be used to build anything.  The "word of god" is used to move people to do horrible things.

I do not aim to destroy faith or hope.  It's not my goal to cause harm.  It's as Jesus said, "The truth will set you free."  I aim to free as many people as I can.  We don't need this idol (God or The Bible) to tell us how to live good lives.  In fact, more often than not, it's led people to be mean to each other.  I offer a new understanding.  The thing which was supplanted by this false image is far greater.  It's not limited by the confines of religion.  It's not as still as a book or as graven as this "God" idea.

I offer The Truth which has been spoken of by all the great teachers:  Buddha, Jesus,  Krishna, Lao Tzu, Mohammed, Moses,  and many many more.  There is a thing with a plan that created us all.  There is a thing that is beginning and end.  There is an ever present force guiding us.  In order to find it, though, we must have faith enough to step away from the confines of our understanding.  We don't need blind faith.  We need the faith of a child:  an unknowing, ever-mindful way.



*I wanted to refer to God as "god" at first, and found that too offensive.  After dropping the quotations, I wanted to leave "God" as god, but I realized that this is referring to a proper noun and is, thus, grammatically incorrect.
**Image: God The Father by Ludovico Mazzolino

God Is...

Embrace with me now, a conundrum; a serious mental question.
One may resist, saying that God is not something that can be explained rationally. God can only be believed in, with faith, etc. I would agree. So, believing that God unquestioningly exists and having faith that God always was, always is, and always will be, our inquiry cannot harm God. So, let's lend faith to our curiosity and proceed.

It is this last line of defense (that God cannot be explained rationally) which led me to my understanding of God as they exist today.  It is my present understanding of God that God cannot be understood! God is beyond reason, logic, and certainly beyond words. Including these words!  It cannot be honestly said that God is beyond words because those are words. To know God is to not know God.

In order to know God, one must relinquish every preconception.

It sounds so simple. Yet, here I am trying to explain it. My first reaction is to delete everything I've just written, unsay everything I've said, and never say anything on the topic again, but that would be counter productive. In an attempt to share my view, my understanding, and my knowledge, I must use words. Perhaps I'm repeating myself, but I would like to reiterate my initial disclaimer:

If one reads these words and says, "Yes! That is right! This is what I've been looking for! This is the truth!" that person has been deceived.
Without further delay, I will describe my experience of the truth of God. But know this: What God is cannot be told.

Place the conundrum on hold and picture with me a basic sushi roll: a California roll on plate in a restaurant in Albuquerque.
The ingredients are: seaweed, rice, avocado, and cucumber. The tables are wood, likewise the chair and the chopsticks. There is a napkin, a glass of water, and various decorations. For simplicity's sake, we will say there is one other person: Manager/Chef/Server.

God is the entirety of this picture and all that it implies.

The seaweed came from Japan. The rice, avocado, and cucumber all came from California. To keep things simple, we'll say all the wood came from a Forest in Colorado. Now, what we have is a web of places, people, activities, things, and timelines that are all connected to bring this sushi roll to this plate in Albuquerque.

There is the restaurant, of course, which implies a city, which implies people, which implies a number of things. God is all of those things.  The landlord, the money that pays the rent, the action of paying the rent, the electricity, the people, wires, and fuel that provides that electricity, and the idea of a restaurant itself.

God is the land (or ocean) the ingredients grew on (or in). God is the act of growing. God is the people who harvested them. God is the act of harvesting. God is the people who transported them, the means of transportation (trucks, fuel, power, etc). God is the act of transporting. God is the parents of those people (harvesters and transporters). God is the act of parenting.

We can go on! Think of 3 things that I've left out; 3 things that conspired to bring this sushi to this plate.  God is that, as well.

And it's not limited to things, because God is not limited to things. God is the taste of salt in the seaweed, the tang of the rice vinegar. God is the color of the world.

God is all of the things that make the world what it is.
God is even the things that aren't that make the world what it is. In our example, God is the non-existence of a Crunchy Roll. God is the lack of ice on the world that allowed that truck to bring the rice to the restaurant.

If God is infinite, everywhere, all-powerful, and all-knowing it is because God is all things and the absence of all things.

Look for God everywhere and you will find It. The only way to know God is to experience It. I would like to conclude with something superfluously profound sounding like "God Is", but the truth is that's too restrictive. God Is and God Isn't... but there's more to it than that.