#7. The Chicken or the Egg?

"What's the sound of one hand clapping?"

This is called a koan in Zen Buddhism. It is a pithy, but illogical statement intended to free the mind from its rational mode of thought in meditation.

An American koan might be: Which came first -- the chicken or the egg? Without an egg, there can be no chick. Without a hen, there can be no egg. Apparently, there is no logical answer to this koan, so the mind becomes discombobulated, surrenders, and becomes receptive to the inspiration which comes from the indwelling Spirit.

Story #1:
Eve said to God in the Garden of Eden, "I'm lonely--I'm tired of eating apples by myself." God said, "OK, I'll create a man for you."

"A man! What's that?" Eve said.

"He's a creature with aggressive tendencies and an enormous ego. He won't listen very well. He'll get lost easily, but never stop to ask for directions. However, he is big and strong, he can open jars and hunt animals. And he's lots of fun."

"Sounds great!" said Eve.

"Oh! -- one more thing," God said. "He will insist that I made HIM first!"

Story #2:
God formed man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The man came alive -- a living soul! ... God said, "It's not good for man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." ... God put the man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the man to make woman and presented her to the man. (Genesis 2)

Question: Is your mind now ready to let go and trust God? Or are you determined to hang in there and figure it all out -- even if it drives you crazy?

#6. Life in the Fast-Lane OR Slow-Motion?

In the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, they're racing lickety-split downhill in a wagon. Suddenly Calvin yells out: "We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are!"

What is the pace of your life? Are you in a race to get to 'somewhere'? Do you take time to smell the coffee (or the roses)? Do you find time each day just to be with youself -- doing nothing? Do you like being all alone with you?

Questions -- why all these questions? Because inquiring minds want to know! I want to hear lots of answers ... from you. Share how fast you're cruisin' through your life -- or how time seems to be standing still? And how do you feel about it?

Hurry up and tell me now, tell me now. I'm wait-ing . . . . .

#5. About Setting the World Right

"We're not here to set the world right,
but to see it rightly."

This quote is from the classic "Discover the Power Within You", written by Eric Butterworth, a Unity minister of 55 years.

Are we not here to make the world a better place? And just what is the right way to see the world? What if we are wrong about the way we see the world out there?

Out of fear that the U.S. could be attacked by Iraq using weapons of mass destruction, our governmental leaders decided to invade that foreign land to prevent such an event. Out of fear that a battered wife could be attacked again by her abusive husband using fists of mass destruction, she decided to shoot him in his sleep to prevent such an event. One is considered patriotic and the other is considered murder.

We look upon the world around us from within the scope of our minds and hearts. By that, I mean our perception (and interpretation) of the outer world is colored by our inner world of experiences, memories, beliefs, etc. So the way we interpret our reality may not be as accurate as we think it is! How can we therefore change or improve upon the outer if we misinterpret it from the inner?

Do you agree with this quote? What does it mean to you? What do you make of my comparison. Give me your comments now
(just be careful about trying to set me right).