[Buddha-l] Re: Greetings from Oviedo

[Joy Vriens]

Chan Fu wrote:

> What I've seen is all the mind-noise obscuring clarity,
> but that doesn't say much, does it? Perhaps "spiritual
> things" can be understood in the psychology of self -
> of being human with this marvelous mind/brain gadget.
> Personally, there is so much to be amazed at that I can't
> help but be amazed. Is that spirituality? I don't know.

Sorry for the two issues per sentence, my mind goes often faster than my 
writing. Being a bit of an idealist I guess spirituality is anything 
left when the homo economicus, the calculating human, is removed. When I 
say I find the world is disenchanted and that it needs enchantment, I am 
probably talking about myself and you are right to point out that 
enchantment is an individual matter too. But it does help when one feels 
more stimulated by one's environment. Yes, your continuous amazement 
probably is a sign of enchantment or spirituality.

> Are these capabilities of mind spiritual? Perhaps they are.
> In any case, for me, this moment of being is enough to be joyful about.
> Is that spiritual? I don't know. I don't know if not being able to
> fit all this beauty into some intellectual construct is spiritual.

I personally manage to find beauty and fullfillment in some intellectual 
constructs too and find it hard to get by without them. But there is 
more peace (dare I say opiate?)  if one doesn't indulge in them.

> All I know is that it's beautiful, and that includes all our knowledge,
> perceptions, thoughts and actions, as part of it.
> So, maybe, my choices are the spiritual part of it?

There are times, like the present time, that my "worldy" activity is 
quite overwhelming. I am closely involved in the Justice system in this 
country (France) and find that it is not contributing to build a better 
society, on the contrary I often find it very destructive and 
disruptive. And through my wife I am pretty directly confrontated with 
the failures of the education system. These institutions are two 
essential pillars of society and if their principles are flawed the 
society it supports doesn't function properly either. They both are 
punitive systems, that only judge on performances in a negative way. The 
objective of education here is to prepare to enter one of the elite 
schools, in this following the ambitions of most parents. This means the 
school career of most students, that gradually drop out of the race, 
becomes a series of failures. Right from Kinder garden schools (4 
years), you get rapports about how the child is doing, compared to 
general statistics and in view of the highest end goal. I could give 
other exemples but I will try and limit the issues. :-) This has always 
been like this, like you pointed out, and probably even worse, but with 
the lack of another, more spiritual, dimension, in which one can find 
development it becomes more claustrophobic.

> As for friendship, I've found that I must be very careful about
> claiming that. But that wariness doesn't discourage hope.
> I'm very happy to see you again, though.

What do they say? The best way to have a friendship is to be a friend or 
somesuch.

With friendship,

Joy