Tuesday, August 24, 2010

"SACRED" AND "HALLOWED" AND "HOLY": Dualistic Concepts That Inspire Chaos and Fighting and War

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An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, abiding naturally, the Oneness, the Nothingness, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.

Here, there is nothing that is believed, so there is no one here who wants you to believe anything, either. Here, the invitation is to be free of all that you have been programmed, conditioned, acculturated, and domesticated to believe so that you can be free, period.

FROM A SITE VISITOR: I have to guess that there is an Advaita message regarding the religious fighting going on in New York?

F.: Indeed. Consider:

The original meaning of "sacred" or "hallowed" or "holy" is:

** "different from"

or

** "separated or set apart from."

For example, "Holy Water" is said by certain Christians to be different from "regular water" and supposedly far different from "unholy water." The "Holy Bible" means "Different Book." The etymology of the words reveal that, at their root, "holy" and "hallowed" and "sacred" foster belief in duality.

The root of all conflict is duality (us vs. them, this tribe vs. that tribe, this party vs. that party, this nation vs. that nation). It is no wonder, then, that there exists an obvious connection between (A) the duality-supporting concepts of "holy" and "hallowed" and "sacred" and (B) conflict.

There is no greater source of chaos and fighting and conflict that the dualistic notions of "different from" and "better than," whether the notion is held by one or both members of a couple or by the members of any group or religion, or by the citizens of one or more nations.

Always the dualistic notions begin with adoption of an ego-state and are followed by the use of egotism to support a false identity; furthermore, when personas are at play, fear and desire will drive persons into a fight or flight mode. Nowadays, the fight dominates.

In all cases where beliefs exist about being "different from" and "better than," the result will be a manifestation of arrogance and a sense of separation, at which point emotional intoxication will be triggered. A study of the history of the last 5000 years shows that

1. no source has generated more dualistic beliefs than supposedly religious and / or spiritual persons, and that

2. no source has generated more conflict than supposedly religious and / or spiritual persons.

The majority of the near-endless list of dualistic beliefs that exist have been conceived by those persons, generated when they use their dogma and literature to codify all thoughts and words and actions as good or bad, as right or wrong, as moral or immoral, as ethical or unethical, as worthy or not,

as honest or dishonest, as decent or indecent, as proper or improper, as honorable or dishonorable, as principled or unprincipled, as correct or incorrect, as godly or wicked, as without sin or sinful, as virtuous or iniquitous,

as acceptable or unacceptable, as worthy of reward or worthy of punishment, as just or unjust, as deserving of life or deserving of being either stoned to death, beheaded, injected with lethal potions, or killed in some other fashion, ad infinitum.

For hundreds and thousands of years before Christ, there were battles in the Middle East over sites deemed "holy." Since the late 1940's, the nation called Israel and the "enemies of the state of Israel" have been in near-continuous fighting over land deeded "holy."

Christians talk of "The Holy Land," "holy" by virtue of the fact that it is where Christ walked. (Are a series of foot-sized pieces of soil "holy" where Jesus actually stood or walked, or is there a "radius of holiness" that extends outward and upward from those spots?)

Jews claim that the same land has always been theirs, their evidence being their "holy" writings wherein their God supposedly granted ownership to them. [Presently, a probate court is being dealt with. That evidence would be discarded instantly as hearsay.] Muslims claim ownership of the land, their claim based in writings in their "holy" book, the Quran / Koran.

So the Jewish people - per their "holy" writings - claim that the land was promised only to the descendants of Abraham's younger son Isaac;

Muslims - per their "holy" writings - claim that "the Land of Canaan" was promised to all descendants of Abraham, with Arabs claiming to be the descendants of his elder son Ishmael;

and in between those two claims, the Christians made their claim to the right of access to the land because it is "their Holy Land."

[Again, in any probate court, all of the claims over the disputed "holy" land would be tossed out, based as they are in the supposedly "sacred" writings of all three parties where a representative of each of the religions claimed to have heard a God talking to him and promising them sole ownership of the tract of land.]

VoilĂ . Thousands of years of fighting and killing, all because of the fact that over four billion persons believe in the conflict-generating concepts of "sacred" and "hallowed" and "holy" (that is, "different from" and "separated from" and "set apart from").

Fighting and conflict and killing, all based in beliefs about "sacred" and "hallowed" and "holy," continue around the globe at this very second, the latest battle over supposedly "sacred ground" taking place now in New York City as referenced in the e-mail above.

This debate has added a new twist to the thousands of years of religious-based, "holy"-based conflict, namely, the "radius of holiness" argument that illustrates the levels of insanity that are generated when duality and arrogance and "different from" are mixed with "sacred" and "hallowed" and "holy."

The area where the Twin Towers stood is now called "Ground Zero" and deemed to be "sacred ground" by some. Certain politicians are describing Ground Zero as "hallowed ground" (see S. Palin's website, or not).

As usual, when "sacred" and "hallowed" and "holy" are applied as labels to people or places, conflict will ensue, so there are those who are ready to fight over the proposal to convert a building already being used by Muslims for prayers into a multi-story Islamic community center.

Members of the religions that have been fighting for 1,300 years squared off last weekend in New York City, with the anti-mosque side waving U.S. flags and singing "God Bless America." [A quote from over seventy years ago suddenly seems to have modern-day relevance: "When fascism comes to America, it will be carrying a U.S. flag and a cross."]

The argument is that a religious site cannot be built within two blocks of "Ground Zero," the name given to the area where two towers / business properties fell on Sept 11th. (At least a non-Christian religious site cannot be built. As for the Christian church that is actually adjacent to "Ground Zero" - St Paul's - that one is deemed to be good enough to stand in the "holy zone," only about 150 yards or so from "Ground Zero.")

There have been no arguments over the years to a strip club located one block from "Ground Zero" or to another operating three blocks from "Ground Zero." Buildings with women taking off their clothes and dancing in the nude for men? Okay. No problem.

A community center including an auditorium, a theater, a performing arts center, a fitness center, a swimming pool, a basketball court, a childcare area, a bookstore, a culinary school, an art studio, a food court, a September 11th memorial, and a prayer space? Not okay. A problem.

As it is with the talk about "The Holy Land where Christ walked," there is a call now to define in NYC "the radius of holiness." Does such supposed holiness apply to one spot or does it extend beyond? If so, how far? Unlike in "The Holy Land," the "range of holiness" in the NYC case can be calculated to the foot, at least according to the insane persons engaged in this debate:

there is a mosque that already stands 2,000 feet from what is called "Ground Zero" and that one has been accepted without criticism about its location; the proposed site of a new community center is 1,314 feet away from "Ground Zero" (or two blocks away, if walking). Using those existing facts, one can calculate the actual "radius of holiness" being applied:

"holiness" extends less than 2,001 feet but more than 1,313 feet. At its maximum, per the thinking of the protestors, hallowedness obviously extends 1,999 feet, so a mosque 2,000 feet away has always been accepted without debate.

2,000 feet or more is evidently beyond "the radius of the holiness" that is being exuded from supposedly "sacred ground"; 1,314 feet away is still within the range of "holy soil" so the community center cannot be built there. So "holiness" has a fairly narrow range, radiating only 1,999 feet away from any epicenter of "sacredness" or "hallowedness."

That supposed emanation of holiness, therefore, requires that the Muslim community center be build on a site that is at least 686 feet farther away from the currently-proposed site, putting it 2,000 feet away from the "hallowed Ground Zero" and the same distance away as a currently-standing mosque.

Is it clear that (a) belief in the dualistic concepts of "sacred," "holy" and "hollowed" and (b) the condition of insanity cannot exist separately but will always manifest together?

As usual, these so-called "organized religions that are all about peace" are proving again that they are not really about anything close to peace. In fact, is there any greater source of insanity and chaos and conflict than that which is derived from the #1 source of dualistic concepts?

Similarly, Osama bin Ladin said: "Your brothers in Palestine (specifically, Jerusalem) and in the land of the two Holy Places (Mecca and Medina) are calling upon your help and asking you to take part in fighting against the enemy - your enemy and their enemy - the Americans and the Israelis."

So, in Muslim-dominated territories, or in territories claimed by Muslims to be "holy," there is also a perceived "radius of holiness," and it extends much farther than 1,999 feet. It covers the entirety of a city or nation, arbitrary boundaries of cities and nations be damned.

Yes, Christians and Jewish people must die if they are in what Muslims deem their "holy places," despite the fact that Christians and Jews are also members of one of the three religions of Abraham.

Is it clear how truly extreme the degrees of insanity are when "holy" and "sacred" are brought into play? Is it clear how crazy persons are once they believe that something or someone is "holy"?

And since "holy" means "different," is it clear what insanity manifests when one believes another is "different"?

** "When we married, I thought we were alike...I thought we had the same values. Now I see that we are different and I'm leaving you."

** "You are not a member of the majority religion in our nation, so you cannot build a building within the radius of holiness of our sacred ground."

The history of war and conflict for the last 4000 years on the planet is a history of one supposedly-holy group fighting with another supposedly-holy group over territory and over supposedly special places and dogma and beliefs and membership and control.

Beliefs about (1) "holiness" and (2) "egotism-inspired perceptions of differences" all generate the same results:

** a sense of separation

** a sense of "better-than-ment"

** the "breaking of relationships" (relatively speaking), and

** discord, disputes, quarreling, disagreements, clashes, conflict, struggles, fighting, battles, wars, and chaos.

Maharaj said, "Only that person will visit this place whose virtue and sin have come to an end."

It is said here, "The only seekers who will feel welcome are those who have transcended all notions about being holy, all beliefs about things or places being holy, all concepts about how special are the accoutrements used in their daily religious or spiritual exercises, all perceptions about being 'more spiritual or religious than most others,' and all ideas about some places being more special than other places'."

Please enter the silence of contemplation.

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Received 19 August 2010 from one that just completed the entire course:

I would like to extend deepest appreciation towards you for these teachings that you have offered. It has been most valuable towards what may not have been revealed throughout this manifestation labeled "anthony." Understanding Truth and finding words for gratitude are one as is all. Thank you again for pointing "me" to THAT and the understanding that came as well. Hopeful for future "contact"! Sincerely, Anthony M. W.

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