The New Year dawns chilly and dry, leaving icy patches in places and snow still adorning the high fells ... usual early walk extended as rising Sun warms the face ... forecast later not so bright ...
Reader feedback encourages the writerly role and confirms that more than one human being is following the rambling ... whether this response suggests a slip into solipcism after so many words about no-self is reflected upon without undue alarm ... equanimity quite firmly established and previous insight showed the beauty of the paradox ... after all the skin encased trillions of ever changing cells held together by thought still has the strong illusion of selfhood and the propensity to over-identify with attendant emotions ... not to mention feeling pain (happily not at present)...
For readers recognising some Buddhist influence above, holiday reading has been mostly that, laced with some lightly held magical Yogi tales ... and previously cited author Peter Harvey became a Professor since the success of his book, though a causal link is not proposed, due to lack of further investigation (a common trait in this unscholarly rambler) ...
Since reincarnation is a key concept in Buddhism, along with other systems and amongst individuals with personal insight through experience, there are questions arising about the mechanism for this phenomenon. .. for example in one of the Buddhist texts there was talk of karmic traces in the brain ... of course the brain decays along with the rest of the body once the vital spark has left it, so how can traces on it carry forward to subsequent incarnations? This and other questions suggest a trip to Harnham Theravadan Monastery sometime soon, to consult an expert ... (any experts on here, please contribute via the comment function) ...
Not that any particular religious system is calling ... the formless still holds here, though Buddhism and Taoism resonate strongly, with the rather austere and sometimes scathing Krishnamurti keeping watch ... though not always easy to follow ... Alan Watts as deep and more accessible and humorous perhaps ... anyway, two of his books are due soon, via the ethical online bookshop, Hive, which donates part of your purchase price to a local bookshop of your choice ... another example of the options we have to act and shop ethically ... and whilst simplicity suggests less shopping, compassion offers a way out of the vice of Mammon ... Farmers' Markets, Good Energy, Charity Shops, Co-ops (though a little research is needed to uncover any greenwash or other undercover faux-ethical activity - Cooperative Bank, having fallen into the trap of greed like most other banks, epitomised by a fallen Methodist Minister CEO with a penchant for champagne and loose women, required a US hedge fund to revive it and now claims the long and illustrious heritage ... hmmm ...) hey ho, roll on the day when Fair Trade is the norm and greed understood as damaging to all who indulge in it ...
This search for the Truth is fascinating and maybe endless. .. what seems apparent from personal experience is that even seemingly transcendent incoming information is still filtered through a conditioned mind ...giving rise to higher level illusions , yet illusions nevertheless ... clearing away the years and maybe lifetimes of cultural baggage, therefore, is essential .... what better way to spend these blessed retirement years?
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