Entropy: the gradual but unstoppable movement from order to chaos.
I wasn't expecting to reflect on this well known concept from physics. But, hey, I'm on vacation - I'm getting lots of time to reflect on things.
I was visiting a Temple this morning. It's not quite the case that "when you've seen one . . ." but there does develop a certain fatigue. A bit like the prospect of visiting yet another fabulous Chateau in the Loire Valley (must I?) or another fascinating medieval village church in rural France.
9.00am. We have already traveled for an hour on the truck and here we are at (another) Temple: bemused monks (from 7 to 70), snarling deities painted in garish relief on sacred shrine walls, prayer wheels rotating, the faintly soothing chant of devout monks of millennial old verses and a decaying temple structure.
Now I am not a Buddhist so the contents of these temples hold no religious significance for me. The same can be said (for me) of the grand Catholic cathedrals; but at least the craftsmanship there commands reverence and respect. Bold architectural realisations, paintings of the grand masters, ornate gold and silver work, intricate carvings in hard wood and more. But the temples: the majority seem to be crumbling before our very eyes.
I asked why they were not restored? maintained? respected?
I got a Buddhist answer: everything in life is impermanent. All is decay. That is why detachment is so important. if you're adoring the structures you've already missed the point.
It made me stop and think.
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Thursday 20 October 2011
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Too soon old, too late smart - Thirty true things you need to know now
This is a little slim volume written by Gordon Livingstone, a psychiatrist who has spent his professional career providing psychotherapy to his patients. He distills a broad range of professional insight with a personal story filled with tragedy, the loss of not one but two children.
I have picked a few of the ideas that particularly caught my eye and my reaction to them.
1. People to avoid, and qualities to nurture in ourselves and seek in others - the notion of avoiding certain people goes against the grain of the typically Christian ethos many of us were taught. But Livingstone is emphatic - an ability to recognise these traits (and avoid them) would save a lot of heartbreak, he maintains. The quality he most promotes is kindness - the ability to give of oneself to another. (I reckon the Dalai Lama would agree (although he might prefer lovingkindness, the close english translation of a vital Buddhist notion).
2. We are what we do - which he paraphrases as "when all is said and done, more is said than done". Need I say more? (Livingstone does add that we are entitled to receive only what we are prepared to give. Now there's a challenging thought.)
3. Logic won't shift something not established by logic - confronting deeply held feelings with logic just does not work. Criticism, in particular is destructive, begetting only anger and unhappiness. We must identify our own emotional needs and those of the ones we love. (how often do we stop and reflect on this before plunging in with size 14 boots?)
4. The statue of limitations has expired on our childhood traumas - this is not to deny they happened but insists that WE (no one else) are responsible for most of what happens to us (if only in how we react to what life throws our way).
5. Life's two most important questions are Why? and Why not? The trick is knowing which one to ask - to take risks in pursuit of a goal is an act of courage. To refuse to take them, to protect our hearts against all loss, is an act of despair. (Playing safe is far easier than being brave).
6. The most secure prisons are the ones we construct for ourselves - before we do anything, we must be able to imagine it. Then we have to take the plunge. (All about getting out of the Comfort Zone and into the Stretch Zone)
7. The only real paradises are the ones we have lost - to know someone fully and love them in spite of, even because of, their imperfections is an act that requires us to recognise and forgive, two very important indicators of emotional maturity. More important is the fact that, if we can do this for other people, we may be able to do it for ourselves. (It's too easy to imagine some other 'perfect' individual - the right thing is to face imperfection, our own and others)
Yeah, yeah, yeah! is probably the easiest reaction. Taking the two above (or picking from the other 23 in the book) that present the biggest personal challenge - and doing something about it - surely, is the way to go?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I have picked a few of the ideas that particularly caught my eye and my reaction to them.
1. People to avoid, and qualities to nurture in ourselves and seek in others - the notion of avoiding certain people goes against the grain of the typically Christian ethos many of us were taught. But Livingstone is emphatic - an ability to recognise these traits (and avoid them) would save a lot of heartbreak, he maintains. The quality he most promotes is kindness - the ability to give of oneself to another. (I reckon the Dalai Lama would agree (although he might prefer lovingkindness, the close english translation of a vital Buddhist notion).
2. We are what we do - which he paraphrases as "when all is said and done, more is said than done". Need I say more? (Livingstone does add that we are entitled to receive only what we are prepared to give. Now there's a challenging thought.)
3. Logic won't shift something not established by logic - confronting deeply held feelings with logic just does not work. Criticism, in particular is destructive, begetting only anger and unhappiness. We must identify our own emotional needs and those of the ones we love. (how often do we stop and reflect on this before plunging in with size 14 boots?)
4. The statue of limitations has expired on our childhood traumas - this is not to deny they happened but insists that WE (no one else) are responsible for most of what happens to us (if only in how we react to what life throws our way).
5. Life's two most important questions are Why? and Why not? The trick is knowing which one to ask - to take risks in pursuit of a goal is an act of courage. To refuse to take them, to protect our hearts against all loss, is an act of despair. (Playing safe is far easier than being brave).
6. The most secure prisons are the ones we construct for ourselves - before we do anything, we must be able to imagine it. Then we have to take the plunge. (All about getting out of the Comfort Zone and into the Stretch Zone)
7. The only real paradises are the ones we have lost - to know someone fully and love them in spite of, even because of, their imperfections is an act that requires us to recognise and forgive, two very important indicators of emotional maturity. More important is the fact that, if we can do this for other people, we may be able to do it for ourselves. (It's too easy to imagine some other 'perfect' individual - the right thing is to face imperfection, our own and others)
Yeah, yeah, yeah! is probably the easiest reaction. Taking the two above (or picking from the other 23 in the book) that present the biggest personal challenge - and doing something about it - surely, is the way to go?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Bhanu Path,Gangtok,India
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