[This essay was originally posted to my former Weebly site. In transferring it I have updated and made corrections where necessary.]
The Path is a way of seeing that leads to personal peace--in other words, happiness--through
Who doesn't? But it isn't easy.
A Question-and-Answer "FAQ"
[This essay was originally posted to my former Weebly site. In transferring it I have updated and made corrections where necessary.]
Spirituality need not involve a concept of God--it can be completely earthly, another term for Neo-Perennialism.
For quite some time I was attempting to hustle something I called "Humanistic Spirituality." But what exactly is it? Here are some answers to that question.
What is "Humanistic Spirituality"?
"Humanistic Spirituality" is an inclusive philosophy that connects one with oneself, others, one's society, nature, the universe, and "everything."
Buddhist lunar Days of Observance
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Many Buddhists undertake extra discipline on days related to the moon cycle, called Uposatha Days.
Here are the "eight precepts" for Uposatha days; they are explained more fully at the link above. Note that the first five are the Five Precepts kept by many Buddhists at all times; the other three are added on Uposatha days:
You can also read the sutta in which the Buddha is said to have originally laid out these practices.
The old Journal Index Page once had the year's Uposatha dates, and a handy image showing the current phase of the moon in your time zone. It's memorialized here.
A consideration of centeredness in the world's religious symbols
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Throughout the world, across cultures and across time, the world's people have often used symbols the emphasize the importance of the Center. These symbols signify the psycho-spiritual idea of The Stillpoint that lies at the Center of everything.
The Center
When we think about the symbols of the world's religions, we are often so familiar with them that we fail to see what they really signify.
One of the Eight Days of the Great Wheel of the Year
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Just a few words about the Summer Solstice: what it is, astronomically, culturally, and mythologically. Whew!
The Summer Solstice is in June in the northern hemisphere, in December in the southern. It's the longest day of the year in either. But let's speak from the perspective of the north.
"Just" the Table of Contents
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Best known as the author of such works as Brave New World and The Doors of Perception (a quote from William Blake, and the inspiration for the name of the L.A.-based group The Doors), Huxley was a "dweller on the threshold," what Campbell called a "Master of Two Worlds." The title of this book popularized a religious term that appeals to many.
Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy is a tour de force. After an introduction, he groups passages from saints, mystics, and other religious thinkers together by the topics below, each beginning with its own introduction and ending with a sort of synthesis, with brief comments between most entries. Lots of favorites are represented here--Sri Ramakrishna, Aquinas, Otto, Laozi (here "Lao Tzu"), Augustine, the Upanishads, Kabir, Hui Neng, Eckhart, Rumi, Patanjali, the Buddha, the Gita, D.T. Suzuki--as well as lesser-knowns. But what a treat it is to see them all jumbled together!
God Without Form As Portrayed in Stained Glass at
The Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Sierra Madre, CA
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
On June 21, 2006, I mentioned the Church of the Ascension in Sierra Madre, California, where I worked back in the late '70s. In those days I considered myself an Evangelical Christian and a Western Man, with a worldview shaped by Plato, Jesus, Leonardo, and so on.
But even then, I had inklings of something more waiting for me out there.
At the Intersection of Science and Religion
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
[This paper was originally originally written for Religion 600 at Hsi Lai University (now The University of the West). The professor was my favorite, Dr. J. Bruce Long, and the paper was submitted on December 17, 2003.]
Before considering the question, "What Do We Gain or Lose by the Historical Approach?" I wish to clarify what I mean here by "the historical approach." I mean the effort to arrive, through the use of modern historical methods, at an assessment of the historical verity of narratives recounted by various religions. Was the Buddha a prince, and what did that word mean in the context of his time? Was Jesus crucified, and if so, what was the social and cultural significance in such an event? Such questions are the proper province of history. However, they have ramifications beyond the historical considerations: If Christ was not crucified, what happens to the faith of the Christian in the saving power of that act? If the statements regarding the Buddha's earthly biography in the Pali Canon are false, what does this mean for those who have lived their lives according to the teachings of those documents?
An Introduction to Some Important Ideas
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Elsewhere I discuss how Buddhist ideas came to play a significant role in my thinking. Here I give a more complete list of those ideas. (In the future each of these will be linked to an article on the topic.)
Being the Sixth and Last Part of the article entitled "This World and That"
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Literature teacher and "mythologist" Joseph Campbell looked deeply into myth as a This-World rendition of the things of That World. He noted this particularly in the cycle of the Hero's Journey found in every culture.
Campbell, like Jung and Eliade, was a prolific writer. His first major work was The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he described a single pattern underlying the myriad hero stories in the world. His magnum opus, The Masks of God, gave a similar treatment to the world's mythologies.
Being the Fifth Part of the article entitled "This World and That"
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Eliade speaks of the Sacred and the Profane and the relationship between the two. The discussion covers both Space and Time, both Nature and Humans.
Being the Fourth Part of the article entitled "This World and That"
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
"Somewhere deep in the background, I always knew I was two persons. One was the son of my parents, who went to school and was less intelligent, attentive, hard-working, decent, and clean than many other boys. The other was grown-up--old, in fact--skeptical, mistrustful, remote from the world of men, but close to nature, the earth, the sun, the moon, the weather, all living creatures, and above all close to the night, to dreams, and to whatever 'God' worked directly in him."--Psychologist Carl Jung
Being the Third Part of the article entitled "This World and That"
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Although the "Divine Ground" is often imagined as a person, it can also be a place. With some variation, both West and East picture a place that represents a Stillpoint.
Being the Second Part of the article entitled "This World and That"
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Huxley offers two definitions of The Perennial Philosophy. The first covers the metaphysical, psychological, and ethical ramifications; the second explores the relationship between humans and the "Divine ground."
Being the First Part of the article entitled "This World and That"
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
"This World" represents the material world, as opposed to "That," the world of spirit--which may or may not exist, but we live as if it does.
Let us start with "givens."
Being the Index to the article entitled "This World and That"
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
This article was originally written for a class at Hsi Lai University (now the University of the West). Since the original paper ran over 25 pages, I have broken it up into six unequal parts
The six parts are:
As you can see by the above outline, the article is an examination of the thinking of four seminal perennialists. True, it's a bit dry and academic. But I think it will serve as a good introduction to many of the ideas found throughout this site.
||| ||| Go to Part 1
Become aware and BE REAL
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
Realize! means both "to become aware of" and "to make real." Both of these ideas are crucial to the mission of Realize! You Are That.
Wake Up and Make It Happen
The name of this site--Realize!--has two meanings.
How Uncle Joe changed my life
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
This is a personal reminiscence on the importance of scholar Joseph Campbell's work to my thinking (and my life). For more on Campbell's life. works, and ideas, start here.
Me and Uncle Joe
[Note: down to the stars * * * * * * * * this article is identical to "The Influence of Buddhism."]
To understand the point of view expressed in the Realize! pages, you must understand two of the most important influences on my thinking. One of these is the work of Joseph Campbell; the other is my studies in Buddhism.
The world is my classroom--and yours, too!
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
We can learn from everything there is. But ultimately, perhaps, the greatest thing we can "learn" is just to experience the "whatness" of the things around us.
"All Things at All Times Teach"
I ran across this saying years ago--I can't remember where--and it perfectly captured one aspect of my attitude toward the world. It seems to me it was a line in a Buddhist sutra, but a search of the Internet has turned up nothing.
Nevertheless, my understanding that this world is permeated by that world provides a sound rationale for the method by which all things teach.
How a 2,500-Year-Old Teaching Changed My Life
[This essay was originally posted to YouAreThat.org.]
While retaining my Neo-Perennialist, universalist [2023: I would now add humanist] tendencies, I often express these in metaphors embedded in the Buddhist tradition. In this essay, I examine how I came to this wonderful worldview (or how it came to me), and I end with a list of the Buddhist ideas I find most compelling.
Me and the Buddha
[Note: down to the stars * * * * * * * * this article is identical to "The Influence of Joseph Campbell."]
To understand the point of view expressed in the Realize! pages, you must understand two of the most important influences on my thinking. One of these is the work of Joseph Campbell; the other is my studies in Buddhism.