The Door

If you were called into the presence of the creator,

To Unite and become one,

What would you do?

There is a door,

It is open to All,

But no MAN OR WOMAN may pass through.

No physical bodies,

No pride, no greed, no sensual desire,

No names, no family, no possessions at all.

Would you go today?

Would you leave the drama called LIFE,

That is maintained in everlasting motion by those very things

That must be left behind?

It is funny what holds us to this earth,

Our loyalties and limitations keep us occupied

All of our days.

We have been given a gift in being able to witness

Both the birth of things, AND their eventual death.

We can see the continuance of this drama after life has left our bodies,

We can KNOW that we are more than physical beings

We can use this wisdom to free us from our limited Selves.

Peace,

Loren

Karma and Christ

A brief search for the words Karma and Christianity turns up many opinions of “those in the know”, about why Karma does not fit into the “Christian framework”. Most of these justifications combine the Law of Karma with a whole set of cultural traditions surrounding Hinduism as the Sole meaning of the term, without being able to separate the two.  (Admittedly, this almost always happens when people have a “need” to supply all knowledge to others, but don’t have the time to investigate things outside of a more honest context than a Wikipedia scan for ONE keyword.)

With widespread lack of knowledge over Eastern systems of thought I think it best that I share some of the insights gained from my investigation of Karma.

Firstly, Karma is an Observable fact about correlations between intentions and the experiences of an individual. This observation is neither a positive nor negative statement. It is empty of any permanent reality, as the path from one’s intentions to actions and experiences is changing moment by moment. One’s mental discipline, or lack thereof, plays a key factor in how successful one will be in bringing their best intentions into experience.

Contrary to the inaccurate depiction of the observation by leading Christian authorities, the reality of Karma tells us that at every moment our future experiences, both redeemable and un-redeemable, are rooted in our present and past intentions. “The power of life and death are in the tongue” if you will.

One who has turned toward God, should not contemplate the relationship between intention and action ONLY in the negative connotation. Our disposition toward the Light should allow us to see the benefits of acknowledging this reality, as it is the only way that we may inherit the Kingdom of God. It was by becoming truthful and aligning an intention toward Truth, that brought us to this wondrous life of goodness. When our intentions were, and are, less than perfect we could and DID only experience “the World”of suffering. This is observed by the reality that we must CONTINUE in the faith, or we suffer the life of a backslider. There is no in between, and temptation may hit moment by moment.

Why would anyone question this relationship?  “What you sew, that shall you also reap.” Once again, this is not negative ONLY; the positive acknowledgement of this is the Beginning of Wisdom. The Fruit of the Spirit is CULTIVATED. The seed is SEWN and then, only through intentional Cultivation does it bloom in the outer world. We are told to “work out our own salvation, with fear and trembling.” It is easy for us all to produce more worldliness in our experiences, as ignorance is the root of all destructive thoughts. (“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”)

The question is did we approach honest intention Once, at salvation ONLY? Or do we, through mindfulness of the inner world nurture the purity that was so apparent once?

All of Christ’s teachings are meant to stress the importance of how intentions rule the realm of our experience. He was dedicated to allowing the compassionate womb of his presence to cultivate insight into the Truth of our intentions. This is the definition of a True Servant.

Peace to you,

Loren

Blessed are the Poor

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." - Christ

The beginning of Christ’s teachings on connection with the in-dwelling Spirit, that provides the immediacy of God’s presence.

This first declaration is a Truth about how one gains access to “the kingdom”. As shall be described in the following words, the kingdom is the representation of wholeness provided by that very real presence.

To be “poor in spirit” does not mean to wear a frown on our faces, nor does it mean that we declare to other men our lack of things. It is a state of existential reckoning that all activity stemming solely from the external world is like eating food with no nutritional value whatsoever. There may be a lot of activity, but none of it will sustain us, nor give lasting satisfaction.

Anyone who has experienced poverty, has found their mind changing gears into survival mode. There are no more luxuries; all activities are based on necessity. Any activities that do not end in sustenance serve only to weaken you mentally and physically, eroding the possibility of your survival.

There is a natural, imminent, and coherent re-prioritizing of any previously held values that do not meet the criteria of survival.

What is it that creates this poverty of spirit?

During all ages, the mind of man has been conditioned into using modes of consciousness that create dualistic understandings of things, and then chooses one side or the other to cling to. This act of clinging, naturally creates blindness to two things; The real nature of things as we perceive them, and the complete realm of possibilities in which we can relate to these things.

The act of building unhealthy attachments creates a distinguished “self” with limited deterministic attitudes, intentions, and actions based off of the way in which we originally perceived that which was external to us. This fractures the continuity of being, that we were created to operate out of, and the realm of all of our actions, and the accompanying results, become ever increasingly drained of vitality.

In our age, the fundamental notions that we inherently cling to have their roots in materialism; the philosophical theory that regards matter and its motions as constituting the universe, and all phenomena, including those of mind, as due to material agencies. Our fascination with matter has birthed a paradigm where all things can be answered by and are validated by objects.

The study of materialism will have to wait for another day, but the point is that this prioritization of what the material world has to offer, even to the exclusion of that which is immaterial, is what creates poverty. In essence, one’s “self” generates this spiritual poverty by it’s primal instinct to maintain relationship with that which it thinks is sustaining its existence.

Is one “blessed” BECAUSE they are poor in spirit?

No. One is blessed when the existential realization of this poverty drives him to seek a way out of this cycle with such fervency that his life and well-being are unarguably dependent on it. One is blessed when he finds that LIFE is found ONLY in that which informs the materialization of matter; the Immaterial, the all encompassing, The Spirit of God, the kingdom of heaven.

Who has access to “the kingdom of heaven”?

ANYONE…. who has stumbled upon this immediate crisis of existence along their journey from birth to death. ANYONE….who challenges the roots of their own thinking, and looks inward to where the Spirit is waiting to be unleashed. ANYONE….who touches upon authentic intention in seeking from where the source of all existence comes.

Peace and Love to you!!

Loren