Freaky Buddhists, Buddhist Freaks, and Their Ilk

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 15:20:10 GMT

Roger Ebert: To die, be reborn, and know that one is NightRider with the password ledzeppelin is too depressing to contemplate. Have to agree with him there...

Uniqueness and Oneness

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 01:54:10 GMT

In a class I'm taking where we're reading Suffering is Optional by Cheri Huber, we were discussing a point she raises that "I am not the center of the universe". I had a real problem with this wording and the idea because, although I am not the center of the universe, I am the center of my universe. Things happen around me, I see out of my eyes, I feel what happens to my body. Unless I have an out-of-body experience, that will always be the case.

It seems to me that Buddhist teachers tend to say very broad general things, both to shock you into becoming aware, and because to them, they're being totally clear; I think they understand nuances or have made philosophical jumps that I don't make. That was the case with the phrase "you are perfect just the way you are, and you could use a little work" which I heard a Buddhist teacher say once. I've finally come to grips with that one, so I'm willing to entertain the notion that the same is true for "you are not the center of the universe" and that one day I will understand and believe it.

Until then, I have been thinking about individuality and uniqueness when your philosophy involves the concept of "oneness" with everything else in the universe. I truly believe that all things are connected, we are part of a larger whole, and we cannot exist separate from the whole. However, I also believe that every person, every animal, every rock has a different experience of the world. If you think about it, every atom is unique, even though it's just like every other atom of its element. Every human is unique, even though we are just like every other human. To me, this uniqueness of parts does not conflict with the oneness of all; we are one, but we are not the same. In class, I tried to liken it to different types of cells in the human body (all part of a whole, but a blood cell is not the same as a bone cell), but that analogy just seemed to confuse everyone.

The leader of our class suggested that I wanted to feel special by making myself the center of my universe. I think she also implied that belief in uniqueness was belief in separation. I'm certain that belief in uniqueness usually accompanies belief in separation, but I'm not sure they're cause and effect.

So, I guess I have two questions: 1) Must the idea of uniqueness be contradictory with the idea of oneness? 2) Does belief in uniqueness necessarily entail the belief in separation from the whole?

Sat, 04 Dec 2004 17:36:10 GMT

Why do you identify with Buddhism or related religions?

If a spiritual path is to be seriously pursued, it makes sense to pay attention to one's own mental filters. Plus I like the idea of a religion that doesn't talk about there being a god.

What other "Other(s)" do you think of yourself as?

Have to say american neopaganism, druidic, and/or wiccan.

How does that interact with your spiritual life?

It gives me some metaphors to work in, like paint on the brush.

It is not the Ice that is Broken, it is your Mind

Sun, 14 Nov 2004 06:49:01 GMT

So. Introduce yourselves, ideally in posts (so we can all comment on each other).

Why do you identify with Buddhism or related religions?

What other "Other(s)" do you think of yourself as?

How does that interact with your spiritual life?

I'll post sometime in the next few days answering these questions, but I hope someone else beats me to it.

d00d! f1rst p0st!!!!!!!!!!

Mon, 08 Nov 2004 08:04:21 GMT

I've been talking about creating this community for months, so tonight I finally did it.

I've had a long weekend, so I'm not as articulate as I'd like for a first post, but here's what I'm hoping for.

This community is a place for people who identify as Buddhist, or practice Buddhism, or engage in some sort of practice related to Buddhism, who are also in some way "alternative." Now, I don't know what that word means, and I don't really care; I just know some examples of it (punk, goth, rockabilly, straight-edge, queer, genderqueer, transsexual, asexual, polyamorous, polyfidelitous, swinging, BDSMNOPQRS, furry, whatever - if I didn't include it in this list, it doesn't matter because I don't know what the word means. Order of the list is arbitrary.) If you think this is you, please, join up or lurk or whatever. If you think this might be you but you aren't sure... join up or lurk or whatever; you can always stop if you decide you aren't interested.

I'm hoping to have discussions about the kinds of issues that rise out of being doubly "Other". And, I'm interested in hearing about how people's "lifestyles" inform their Buddhism (or their centering prayer or whatever), and how their Buddhism informs their lifestyle.

I don't really like to moderate, and so far I haven't had to in any community I've ever created. But just for the sake of completeness, here are a few guidelines:
1. Be kind.

Actually, I can't think of anything I want to add that isn't just another way of saying "be kind." So that's it.

Oh, and to give credit where it's due, the name comes from a fabulous book by Noah Levine.