God, The Universe, and the Resulting Brouhaha

Order was never intended to fully conquer the nature of Chaos

Juan Mascaro wrote, in the introduction to his English translation of the Dhammapada, that the first great truth of Buddhism was that all is transient and therefore all is sorrow. The second great truth of Buddhism, again according to Juan, is that mankind's suffering comes from clinging to the transient. I think there are a couple of reasons for suffering in this world. I've been listening to a podcast series of Buddhist lectures from New York's Ethan Nichtern and while he is easing us into a better understanding of the basics of Buddhism I find myself standing back a bit, forever the argumentative skeptic. After a few weeks of thinking about this I'm not so sure I'm convinced that ridding our lives of 'suffering' (wrong thoughts, wrong impulses, unwanted experiences) will necessarily make them better or make us happier.

Admittedly, it's a bit of a counter-intuitive approach.

The universe, by its nature, is chaotic (at least that's my theory and I'm sticking to it). Things fall apart, they fall into confusion and perpetually disintegrate if not acted on by creative forces. It is the lifeforce (God, The Prime Mover Unmoved, the Great Mother, or whatever one calls the teeming gadzillion creative forces that seem to animate the universe) that imposes order into it, trying to ride the wave for a few glorious moments before being spilled back into the surf. And when you have competing lifeforces laying down patterns with differing intentions we end up with unexpected rivalries, or a situation where the dog eats the cat who ate the mouse. And these conflicts can lead to jealousy, anger, rule-making, and just plain grief.

And why create a world where these undesirable conditions can exist? I dunno but it might have to do with having as an inherent component that if you create a situation where you can feel pleasure you also create an opportunity to feel pain. Rick Blaine loves Ilsa Lund in Paris but loses her just as the Germans arrive and then lives bitterly and disillusioned in Casablanca. Had Ilsa stayed with Rick it would have been Victor Laszlo who would have been bitter and disillusioned (the competion for pleasure). Good can't be experienced without the chance of experiencing bad. And jealousy, while it's not super good, is not such a disaster; just knowing the components of how it works in you, where it comes from, etc allows you to experience it and then move on, sometimes instaneously. Same with anger; ditto with disillusionment. So, for me don't tell me how to avoid these emotions; I would prefer you help me understand their make-up, where they come from and whence they unfold.

I truly like this universe and while I deplore pain and suffering I also know it's only a matter of perspective; it's mostly my attitude that determines the difference between a good day and a bad one. In theory, anyway. In practice, I often prefer to change content rather than change attitude but curiously, sometimes changing attitude changes content for me. A willingness to experience bad means it often doesn't materialize or it dematerializes. Sometimes I'm a winner and sometimes I'm a loser in the competition of imposing my order in the universe. Sometimes you carry the ball and sometimes I'm running with it.

Of course this posting doesn't even address the idea of the (apparently mandatory) greater responsibility one has for all life forms, for all sentient beings, for all life but that's because I'm just way over my head on a lazy Saturday afternoon and because I'm more buffoon than Buddha.

All right. Now, seriously, you're on your own. Remember, when you wipe out there's always another wave; when you get killed there's always the reset button. And in the words of George Michaels, "there's a way back for every man."

xoxo

M