Spirituality

Had a discussion with a friend about spirituality.

I said that spirituality exists only in the mind.

It is the soup of experience and DNA

in our separate brains that creates 

our separate spiritualities.

He disagreed.

Out of nowhere I said

"Spirituality is the comfort zone

that we build as a buffer

against the pure terror

of being alive."

Is my Buddhist philosophy part of my own buffer zone?

Yes, I think so.

Raccoons are remarkable beings.

They appear to use logic.

They certainly have memories.

They seem to have no abstract thought

so have no terror of life,

though they do all they can

to avoid death.

Is our terror of the enormity of beingness

A part of our "realm of thought,"

one of the "five aggregates"

and therefore illusory?

I think so.

Probably raccoons don't worry much

about such inconsequentialities!

Probably I am just getting old and jaded,

but recently I seem to be

repeatedly observing

that people who should know better

make no effort at all to live up to 

the teachings 

of

their supposed religion.

They're there for

the bells

and whistles

they

have the terminology down pat

but they make no attempt

to follow the teachings

of whatever prophet they follow.

This would be good if

their prophets were Hitler clones,

but when they follow

Buddhism

I would think

that a little practice

of universal compassion

no matter how 'unsuccessful'

would make

 a small improvement

upon this earth.

Of course I myself

am

perfect.

The raccoon has nothing to do with it!

A friend found this Buddha statue at a fund raiser for homeless dogs.

I'm not sure whether it's made of ivory or bone.

To the animal it came from it makes no difference!

This Buddha has a faintly sardonic curl to his lip.

I wonder if the carver intended it.