The odds against us ?

Entry for 14 July 2006 The odds are against us folks.

The odds that things will go wrong for human beings outweigh the odds that everything will go right, so we as individuals are playing against a cosmic house of death and destruction that plays its hand with better odds than we have. Right?

Las Vegas casinos consistently make money on games of chance because the odds are in favor of the house by the very nature of the game. The laws of chance are highly consistent over time and on a large scale. A few individuals get lucky for awhile, but over time even their good luck runs out. Despite his great wealth, even legendary singer/actor Frank Sinatra called himself a "loser" in his final years because he was subject to old age and ill health just like everyone else.
If a six mile wide asteroid suddenly hits the earth and destroys all human life, it would not mean that everyone in the world had developed "bad karma." It would only mean that our collective luck as life forms on planet earth had run out, just as it had run out for so many other species who existed here before us.

If you drink too many beers today and have a hangover tomorrow, it means your foolish behavior caused a negative reaction in your body which you pay for with a splitting headache. That is simple action and reaction, not supernatural karma.

If you eat and drink in moderation, get adequate exercise, and do good deeds for yourself and for others, the chances are you will have a healthier and happier life. Good behavior and positive actions usually do result in positive reactions. Unfortunately, even right action can be overpowered by bad luck.

BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE FACT.

Life is much more of a casino than most of us would like to admit, so the myth or concept of supernatural karma was developed to wallpaper over the unfair and often scary facts of life with a fictional philosophy of supreme justice.

Could it be that there is no all-seeing eye of karma that directs events in this life as well as events yet to come in a mythical future life. The idea of ultimate justice through karma and reincarnation is heartwarming, but life cannot live up to our lofty expectations for goodness and reason.

Is man a product of life on earth, not the creator and architect of life on earth. Could it be that we must play by cosmic rules of chance that are often as cold and cruel for us as they are for the animals we eat and the bugs we squash.

The ancients invented myths of immortal souls and a variety of heavens in order to lessen the fear of death, a fear which creates a continuous burden on the minds of intelligent animals who understand the inevitable time-death equation.

It would appear that plants have no past or future, no goals, no desires, and no attachment to life. They exist right here and right now. The worlds of trees, shrubs, and grass have no problems because plants are not aware of themselves as individuals. They are full of life energy, but they have no soul or do they.

In meditation, the human brain falls back into a simpler vegetative state where complex cerebral capabilities become inactive, and this has been demonstrated by functional magnetic resonance imaging scans (fMRI scans) of the brains of Buddhist monks and Hindu yogis.

There is no reasoning, planning, measuring, or owning in meditation. Because so many energy intensive portions of the brain are turned off during meditative practice, the brain stores up large amounts of unused neurotransmitter energy.

This saved energy is transformed into pure consciousness, and this is part of the reason that the practice of meditation takes so much time. Time is needed to store up sufficient excess energy, and time is also needed to gradually relax and let go of the thinking functions of the brain.
In meditation the brain deeply relaxes at the basic level of energetic neurons, which form a sea of consciousness without personal attachments. The mind-brain then feels like cosmic life essence without any individuality.

It is the individual that suffers, and plant consciousness reduces suffering, not by solving problems, but by diverting our attention away from life's inherent conflicts and the constant struggle to survive. This diversion of attention works beautifully, right up to the moment a tiger eats you, your family starves, or your country is invaded by a hostile foreign power

The vegetative meditative state feels good, but has little survival value unless you use your plant consciousness power of presence to become a guru selling religious myths to the masses. Meditation often sparks religion, and religion always becomes a business.

Human beings are biological creatures and part of the earth's carbon cycle, not part of any cycle of reincarnating ghosts that haunt the world for all eternity. There is nothing mystical about the carbon cycle, but it does unify all life on earth, from bacteria to man.

Scientists and mathematicians have calculated that the carbon atoms in the atmosphere become so mixed up over time that when we take a deep breath of air we are inhaling at least a few of the carbon atoms, in the form of carbon dioxide, that Siddhartha Gautama exhaled during his last dying breath.

Our bodys contain recycled carbon atoms that were once part of the bodies of Lao-tse, Genghis Khan, Jesus, and millions of other deceased humans, plants, animals, insects, and bacteria. The farther back in time an individual existed, the more likely the chance some of their carbon atoms are living again as part of our own body.

Our DNA code structure is carbon based as well, and we all share many common DNA code sequences with other animals, plants, insects, and bacteria.

Human suffering is inevitable and predictable because of the basic mathematical structure of the universe.
There are ways to reduce the suffering of life, but there is no way to escape suffering entirely as long as you are alive and have a pulse.

Even the "enlightened" continue to suffer on the physical level until the moment of death, and even the "enlightened" have at least some psychological suffering, disappointments, and regrets.

Famous gurus usually don't like to talk about their personal suffering because they have a public image to uphold. If you look into their eyes and analyze their life histories, you will find that they do suffer psychologically, but less so than the average human being.

Suffering is dramatically reduced by the enlightenment phenomena, but it is not eliminated completely. There is no state of 100% freedom possible for flesh and blood animals living on planet earth.

Meditation is a great cosmic convergence with many benefits for the individual and for society as a whole. Meditation can bring peace and psychological balance, and meditation can become a beloved refuge of serenity in the stormy seas of social conflict and politics.

It is important to remember that the practice of meditation should always be balanced with the need for social responsibility in order to ensure the survival of family, friends, nation, and the planet itself.

stick that in your pipe n smoke it!