Summing it up concisely, perhaps

I've wanted to contribute something to this thread. I can never find the right words to sum it up in a coherent, concise way. What I've been doing recently is writing songs, my own little 'catharsis' if you like, working out the kinks and exorcising my 'demons'. I came up with a little something tonight, it's going to be a song, but I would like to share the prose piece because I think it may be 'close'. It is based on my understanding of Zen, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophy, with a little bit of Christian mysticism thrown in. Think, a little bit like Alan Watts. Language is a tricky thing, an easy trap to fall into. Perhaps this may be close enough for someone to recognise and relate to, perhaps open a doorway for someone who is also 'close'.

so you want to heal the sickness in the world?
so you see a lot of suffering and pain?
can you bear the burden of the truth?
if the mirror screams that you're the one to blame?

perhaps the evil dwells inside of you,
and everything you've ever thought is wrong
what if, the premise you began with isn't true
could it be, you knew it all along?



the pain you see in others
the guilt, the fear, the sin -
the devil you project on other people
is the devil you refuse to face within



the dark is deep and seems-so never ending
while we barrack for the light to overcome
but absolutes are wrongly viewed and harmful
perceived dualities are aspects of the one

the conflict and the struggle ever rages
'til a grave expression grows into a grin
you know, the only way to end the battle
is to accept the fact that you can never win



the madness and the misery,
tears of joy and rage -
the pitfalls of the selfish and the hungry
are simply games and folly for the sage



emptiness is form, and form is empty
that's the way its written, you'll find it to be true
if you can embrace the change that's necessary
the truth in time reveals itself to you

Take a tip from this one, if you choose to,
for what its worth, if there is worth therein;
the pain in life will always be a constant
- it's magnitude is relative to the vessel that its in


the pain you see in others
the guilt, the fear, the sin -
the devil you project on other people
is the devil you refuse to face within

What does barrack mean in this line?

while we barrack for the light to overcome

Good question! I just Googled to make sure I didn't make a spelling mistake, turns out its an Australian colloquialism, I think (we use it a lot here). It means 'to root for', as in a sporting team or something. I meant it as a way of saying, we have this idea of 'good' and 'evil' as two fundamentally opposed opposites, absolutes. I feel that most people hope for the light to overcome the darkness eventually, something like the Christian faith, the great triumph of good over evil. What I'm suggesting is that neither contains more power than the other and can ultimately over come the other; in fact, they are two sides of the same coin, so to hold onto that idea of eventual complete triumph is wishful thinking and ultimately a wrong view that will set you back. Not a conflict and eternal battle of black and white, but a playful dance of light and shade in harmony.

Originally posted by 3n19m470
What does barrack mean in this line?

while we barrack for the light to overcome

barrack obama.

reply to post by Tasmanaut

Oh, well he is half black..

reply to post by NewAgeMan


Now that, is pretty funny!

reply to post by Tasmanaut

And he can dance and for many is the personification of all that is wrong with the world and evil.

Consider it a playful allegory!