Opus 2026-237: Not So Parallel Thoughts

Nirvana does for the soul what the ocean does for a person who falls overboard, dies and is eaten by the fish.  The body does not cease to exist as atoms but is dissipated through the entire world. In that thinking the soul does the same in the universe.  And of course this step comes after a long series of reincarnations gradually working you up to being worthy.

The Bible teaches a totally different explanation of what happens after death.  The individual never dissipates or disappears.  The person remains intact whether they are destined for heaven or hell.  You will be aware of yourself and God.  I assume there will also be some recognition of others.

The method of sorting is also different.  Eternity is not based on a long series of lives based on personal effort but on the acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  The two beliefs can be parallel.  That does not mean what you think it does.  Reach back to your high school geometry.  Parallel lines never touch each other.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that all religion is the same.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-349: Advent Calendar: Day 17, The End Is Near

Behind today’s door is a little star.  It obviously represents the Star of Bethlehem.

We are told in King James Version language that the wise men followed the star.  The wise men were a group of men who studied astronomy, astrology and natural science.   The Greek word for this is magos from which we get magi.  It is the astrology part that comes into play here.  It is common among cultures to think that the objects in the heavens influence life on earth.  The advanced civilizations east of Israel were no exceptions.

Years ago I read a book by Taylor Caldwell.  I can’t remember if it was the one about Paul or the one about Luke, but in the opening chapters she goes through all of the indicators that astrologers and sooth sayers were coming up with that something was going to happen and it was going to happen in Israel.  You can’t always tell when an author is making things up whole clothe or adapting what they find.  I got the feeling that Caldwell had done her homework and what she was recounting was historically accurate.  It would seem that there were spiritual forces moving to tell those who followed such things that a king was coming to Israelp.

Spooky.  

God does give warnings and indicators.  One of the common discussions today is the return of Christ.  One of the big roadblocks in the past was the existence of the nation of Israel.  That is in place.  The next big problem is the temple being rebuilt.  There are all kinds of rumors and gossip about that.  Who knows?  Maybe we will be around to see the end times unfold.

Merry Christmas, maybe the last time.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-162: Epoch Times: Star Wars Hope

In my search for a reliable print newspaper I finally succumbed to the advertising of the Epoch Times.  I am now on a one year subscription.  I will refer to articles featured in the print edition and try to link them online for anyone interested.  Some posts will deal with the news shared and others will deal with my odyssey of deciding if the Epoch Times is a reliable source of news.

Star Wars was a cultural event, or at least the first three films were.  The first three told a rousing story of adventure set in a new world of special effects.  I really enjoyed the original three but I am not sure if I have seen any of the others all the way through.  Even today my son and I refer to what we call the “Star Wars Effect”.  This came from some of the battle scenes where the good guys in their X-wing fighters would do World War I Sopwith Camel style rolls in a vacuum.  If you know anything about physics you know that ain’t gonna happen.  We didn’t care.  It was a fun visual.  Who cared what the laws of the universe said.

I also read a lot of the books about the characters.  I noticed that eventually someone with some knowledge of physics got hold of them and they came up with some kind of explanation of how the roll was achieved.  Eventually fiction catches up with life.  Many of the books I would not bother finishing.  I find the concept of The Force an insult to my intelligence for a couple of reasons and if the story had too many forced Deus ex machina moments it meant the author needed to take a writing class.  If the force was just a background theme to set the venue, okay.  All I ask it quit trying to turn Star Wars into a cheap fantasy novel.

A second factor drained the joy of the story.  I figured it out in the first movie and saw it growing as we went along.  The Force is simply another face for Eastern religion.  You have the Ying and Yang of the good side and the dark side of the force.  Both are impersonal, as in Buddhism.  When Obi Wan appears to Luke he explains how he will be fading into Nirvana so his time is limited.  He didn’t use those terms, but that was what it was about.  

The Epoch Times explains this.  I don’t know if I have seen it anywhere else.  In an article called “The Wisdom of a Jedi Master” it gives some insight that proves my insight correct.

“The influence Eastern traditions like Buddhism and Taoism had on George Lucas can best be seen in Yoda’s attempts to teach Luke Skywalker. Lucas believed there was profound wisdom in Eastern teachings, and sought to share this wisdom with his Western audience. Looking back, I have a deeper appreciation for the words Yoda has to impart.”

So the author found Star Wars inspirational.

He elaborates more later.

“‘Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering,’ Yoda tells a young Anakin Skywalker in “The Phantom Menace.” In Buddhist thought, things such as fear, anger, lust, jealousy, wealth, and fame are attachments. Attachments are said to be the root of all suffering, and thus, must be given up. As Yoda warns, attachments are fraught with peril and lead to the dark side.”

Christianity agrees that life has its misery but for the Christian life is meant to be good.  The problem is sin and only the grace of God can deal with it.  In Buddhism life is miserable and you are to disassociate yourself from it.  In Christianity we are involved but the real source of strength is God Himself.  In Buddhism it is a matter of self-help.  

The author is obviously very much on the side of the life view encouraged by the Buddhist philosophy taught by Star Wars.  At the end he says this,

“The strength of the Jedi comes from selflessness, letting go, and becoming one with all that’s around them. This requires self-examination, for that’s how growth and learning occur. Like the Jedi, we should make the most of each day, striving always to improve, in our quest to be our best selves.”

Sounds good but he overlooks one thing:  At the beginning of Star Wars there are no more functional Jedi.  In other words, it only works for one or two out of the trillions of people in the Empire and Republic.

Not much of a message of hope.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-273: Book Review: Agendas to the Right of Me, Agendas to the Left of Me...

I enjoy science fiction.  I usually dislike fantasy.  Sometimes I find an author that develops plots and characters enough to make me put up with the lapses into deus ex machina that are so common in fantasy.  One of those has been Raymond E. Feist.  Most of his books I have been able to finish.  I don’t know if I will finish his latest offering because he has either come out of the closet or he is ignorant of what he is presenting.

Many authors have agendas involving philosophies that they keep under wraps until they are successful enough to bring them out in the open.  Even then, some are able to tell a good enough story to keep people reading.  Common agendas are environmentalism, evolution, eastern religions, and atheism.  I have even seen incest as a hidden agenda. 

Feist, in his latest book Magician’s End, reveals that he is an advocate of eastern religion.  This is common in fantasy but he gets really blatant here.  Or let me say, he either is an advocate or ignorant of the world around him and thinks he is being original.  It could be that he is planning this to be the last in the series so he needs to lay it on thick.

I am reading Magician’s End.  At the beginning of this story the main character’s, who are well known from previous novels, meet up with someone who takes the name of “Guide.”  In the conversation Guide shares this.

“We exist in a realm of energy, we who serve the One.  We are forever in the Bliss, part of the One until we are needed, and we are then given form and substance, given an identity commensurate with our purpose; to ensure efficiency, all memories of previous service in that role are returned.  So, currently, I think of myself as ‘I,’ a single entity, but that will dissipate when I rejoin the One in the Bliss.” page 10

This is a clear presentation of the Hindu/Buddhist concept of Nirvana.

The story goes on.  The basic plot I enjoy but there are repeated interludes that have these characters, who are all magicians, involved in some ethereal realm where the author seeks to demonstrate the reaches of his imagination. 

The general plot holds together.  The interludes are like evangelism tracts for Hinduism.  Toward the end he sums it all up.

“‘Nothing dies,’ said Macros.  ‘What they are, who they were, return to Mind and will manifest itself somewhere else at some other time.’” page 394

I asked myself, “If I skipped these chapters on Hinduism would it effect my enjoyment of the story?”  I was paying attention because I had seen this pattern in other authors.  The answer was, “No.”  They were totally unnecessary except to get across the real message of the author.

I enjoyed the basic story.  I will read his next book and hope he does not get drawn even deeper into his religious screed.  There will come a point where it isn’t worth the time.

Beware what you read.  Know the purpose of the author.  Enjoy if you can.  Get your money back if you can’t.

Feist, Raymond E.  Magician’s End.  New York:  Harper Voyager, 2013.

homo unius libri