Anekantavada

Many years ago the book Siddhartha was a huge revelation for me, and it led to many books written by Hemann Hesse that would forever change my way of looking at the world and myself. Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, Demian, and The Glass Bead Game in particular are monuments towards self-critical thought, and the falling out of step with ones surroundings. I have never heard of Jain philosophy but am about to embark on another adventure down the road of self-discovery. I had already gained an interest in the Vedas. I do believe we are born with innate traits that we keep with us our whole lives, and no matter how hard one tries to deny those traits throughout life, they will always return in everything you are and do. The road to self-discovery I believe comes from the recognition, acknowledgment, and development of those innate traits, not through attempting to assimilate and be like others.

Anekantavada - click here for the original Wiki page.

Anekāntavāda (Devanagari: अनेकान्तवाद) is one of the most important and basic doctrines of Jainism. It refers to the principles of pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, the notion that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth.[1][2]

Jains contrast all attempts to proclaim absolute truth with adhgajanyāyah, which can be illustrated through the maxim of the "Blind Men and an Elephant". In this story, one blind man felt the trunk of an elephant, another the tusks, another the ears, another the tail. All the men claimed to explain the true appearance of the elephant, but could only partly succeed, due to their limited perspectives.[3] This principle is more formally stated by observing that objects are infinite in their qualities and modes of existence, so they cannot be completely grasped in all aspects and manifestations by finite human perception. According to the Jains, only the Kevalins—the omniscient beings—can comprehend objects in all aspects and manifestations; others are only capable of partial knowledge.[4] Consequently, no single, specific, human view can claim to represent absolute truth.

The origins of anekāntavāda can be traced back to the teachings of Māhavīra (599–527 BCE), the 24th Jain Tīrthankara. The dialectical concepts of syādvāda (conditioned viewpoints) and nayavāda (partial viewpoints) arose from anekāntavāda, providing it with more detailed logical structure and expression. The Sanskrit compound an-eka-anta-vāda literally means "doctrine of non-exclusivity"; it is translated into English as "scepticism"[5] or "non-absolutism". An-ekānta "uncertainty, non-exclusivity" is the opposite of ekānta (eka+anta) "exclusiveness, absoluteness, necessity" (or also "monotheistic doctrine").

Anekāntavāda encourages its adherents to consider the views and beliefs of their rivals and opposing parties. Proponents of anekāntavāda apply this principle to religion and philosophy, reminding themselves that any religion or philosophy, even Jainism, that clings too dogmatically to its own tenets, is committing an error based on its limited point of view.[6] The principle of anekāntavāda also influenced Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to adopt principles of religious tolerance, ahimsā and satyagraha.[7]

deafening silence

It's very difficult to start and even more difficult to finish anything when confidence is low.

I know what I want, but I don't know why.

The games in life are a bore! Competition and formalities set in and instead of jumping up over the heap anymore, I lose confidence and become overwhelmed with boredom. I'm bored with trying to "win", bored with trying to "impress", bored with politics and the notion of "responsibility" – so many parts of life are a crapshoot. Will breaker. Life simply blows if you’re not doing what you love, whatever that may be.

Money is a different issue. The darker issue. The pressure point. Turning a dime. The issue people aren’t supposed to talk about! It can change what you love. You come to depend on money (health insurance), if what you love is your paycheck (health insurance) it is bound to be threatened (the loss of health insurance) at some point. After cancer I wouldn’t just jump off the cliff back into self-employment unless it was a forced issue (loss of job/health insurance).

The road ahead for me is unclear. I know that if I had still been buried in my studio working 17+ hours everyday, without medical insurance, I would have been ruined financially. No one I was working for would have stepped up to help pay those bills. It wouldn’t have even been appropriate to ask, which is kind of sad. There is no way I could ever go back to that lifestyle, or working for those types of people (you know the ones that insist you give them everything, but don’t feel they have any responsibility to give you anything in return?).

It took cancer to break an unhealthy drive to succeed.

Isn't that the opposite of what you'd think cancer would do? Shouldn't it shake me right back into getting busy (stressed), causing me to SUCCEED in ways I wouldn't have been able to otherwise?

Nope.

If succeeding means giving up all the little things in your life, you’ll find a big ‘ol hole on the other side after all those little things stop adding up.

Note to self: remember to care about why your doing what it is you want to do.

Don't just "get'er done!"

Belize

(shameless post of a googled image of Blue Hole, Belize)

Well this years international trip is finally decided upon. I'm going to Belize. I'ts been a few months of babbling about all sorts of destinations. I've watched airfare and resort reservations go up in price and availability dissappear. Travel warning this...travel warning that - then there is this cusp where you start to realize availability and flights are vanishing overnight. That's when I finally jump. I guess I will always crave impulse of some sort to make the bigger decisions. But at any rate, I'm up for 4 nights in the jungles of the Cayo district-cave tubing, river kayaking, jungle trekking; and 4 nights at Ambergris Caye island drinking rum and swimming with sharks and stingrays - diving/snorkeling/kayaking the reef.

Next year, New Years into 2010, will be Iceland. I think I'll be ready to pass on an island trip to make way for fire and ice, spas, snowmobiling, northern lights, wine, and lobster!

Jalama Beach

more on this later...