Tag Archives: paradox

The 40 Watt Lightbulb Analogy

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The 40 watt lightbulb analogy, what is it? Well, it’s actually something I’ve written about before, but not for many years. What has prompted me to revive this concept is the state of the world and where we as a race appear to be heading (not that old chestnut again, yawn!) When I first read about this analogy, probably around 12 years ago, it made a lot of sense; but, it is probably even more relevant today. At the time, there was a lot of crazy things going on in the world and you just wouldn’t have thought that things could get any crazier; how wrong can you be? To quote Neal Donald Walsch, our species seems to be going to Hell in a handcart. There is untold suffering going on in our world, and it isn’t just our species that is suffering, it’s also the animal kingdom and our very planet, Mother Earth. The craziest thing is that most, if not all of the terror, is being inflicted by humans.

Right, let’s get back to the actual analogy.

Imagine you had a storeroom, lit only by a 40W bulb. For years you were happy with this rather dim light, doing its best, but struggling to light up the space. Then suddenly, one day, you decide to brighten the place up and you change the 40W bulb for a 100W bulb. You flick the switch for the first time, and to your horror, you now see that the storeroom is filthy; it’s covered in dust and cobwebs. The reality is, that the dust and cobwebs were always there, it’s just that within the light of a 40W bulb they could not be seen. The 100W bulb hasn’t by some miracle created a mess, it’s simply highlighted the mess that was already there. And so, it is the same with what is happening now.

All of this crazy stuff has always been going on. Humans have been inflicting pain and suffering on humans since the beginning of time. The reason it seems so much more prominent these days is because our species is evolving…fast, it would seem. The light of Consciousness is awakening within humankind. Of course, there has always been ignorance, and I’m sure there always will be. But, the level of consciousness within our species is being raised; even as I type. A big difference I have noticed since I was growing up is that back then, you were told “this is how it is and there is no other way” and people just accepted this. A good example is religion. Of course, I can only speak from my own experience, but at school, we were indoctrinated in a particular way. When you became old enough to think for yourself, you either carried on with what you were told or you rejected it. Back then, it wasn’t easy for younger people to “seek” and there didn’t seem to be any alternative. Nowadays, people in the main do not accept this, and we have given birth to “The Seeker.”

I am of the view that some religions have shot themselves in the foot. So many different factions and even different holy books within one religion, all the factions interpreting their scriptures differently and all claiming to be the only truth. People are just not having it anymore and are seeking out there own pathway.

Because the general level of awareness is gradually rising, in other words, we are getting closer and closer to experiencing our true nature, we are noticing more and more all the horrors that exist in the world. Because our true nature is that of Love, these horrors affect the way we feel in a negative way, because they are the polar opposite to who we really are. Things are not helped by the mass media that seems to delight in sensationalising negatives. I personally believe that our world is full of wonder and beauty, and there are lots of positive things happening all over. Unfortunately, this is not newsworthy.

The 100W bulb (light of Consciousness) has replaced the 40W bulb (ignorance) in so many people now, worldwide. Also, if you consider relativity and the fact that our planet is a living, breathing paradox, I think it is safe to say that we are going in the right direction.

 

 

Without Blinking An Eye

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A long, long time ago in Japan, it was quite normal for marauding armies to ransack villages, with the villagers having to flee or be killed.  In one such village an old Zen master sat peacefully in his very humble abode as chaos reigned outside.  All of a sudden, a fearsome soldier kicked the master’s door open and stood menacingly in the doorway; the master was unmoved.  The soldier sneered and said, “what are you still doing here, are you not afraid?  All of the villagers are either dead or have fled, yet you remain here.”  The master replied, “what have I to fear, and besides, where would I go?”  The soldier became angry, and drawing his sword raged, “don’t you know that I am a man who can run you through without blinking an eye?”  The old master looked at him and said, “don’t YOU know that I am a man who can be run through without blinking an eye?”

With a body or without a body; it is all the same to one who has realised.  Live or die; the master knows there is no death and therefore remains unmoved.  There is also the paradox here between the polar opposites of “doing” and “being”.  The soldier wants to “do” (kill) the master, but that in itself is a fruitless task, as the most he can achieve is to be the cause of the master’s body evolving (effect) into a different form.  You cannot kill anything in reality as all is consciousness and is in a constant state of flux.  What would happen to the body?  If buried it would eventually decompose and merge with the earth.  If cremated, the cremation process would cause the flesh to evolve into heat energy and be absorbed back into the total energy mass.

The master remained in a state of pure knowing, enlightenment, awakening, bliss or whatever description you wish to use; all are just terms for “Being”.  The master remains blissful regardless of which action the soldier chooses to take.  He says, “besides, where would I go?”  Indeed, where would the master go?  There is only here and now; it is all we have.

 

The Mustard Seed

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The disciples said to the master, “tell us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.”  He said to them, “it is like a mustard seed; smaller than all seeds, but when it falls on the tilled earth, it produces a large tree and becomes shelter for all the birds of Heaven.

This parable demonstrates a great paradox.  The tiny mustard seed contains the mustard tree, which can grow up to about 25′ high.  The shell of the seed represents the line between the unmanifest (consciousness) and the manifest (the world or universe).  If the seed falls onto a concrete path it will simply die away, but in the correct (tilled) ground it will develop and grow into a magnificent tree.  This aptly describes the human journey.  We all start off as seeds in the womb, and as we go through all the stages of life we seek the relevant tilled earth (guru, mentor, teacher etc.) in order that we may grow.

The mother is the first nurturer of the seed; the first bigger tree in which we take shelter.  At this stage the seed disappears and dies and is reborn as a sprouting plant.  Then there are various stages, where as the plant steadily grows, teachers come and go.  These teachers can be in the form of school teachers, peers, partners, friends and even enemies.  Then in the same way that the seed must die in order to know itself as the tree, we ourselves have to die (eradicate the ego) in order to be reborn in all our glory (realise the Self)

At some stage the growing plant might decide that it wants to delve deeper and gain greater meaning to its existence, and it will seek shelter in the form of a guru; a Buddha tree, a Jesus tree, a Lao Tzu tree or a Krishna tree.  The master, in the form of whichever tree the seeker has chosen to take shelter in, will then nurture the growing plant until it becomes a magnificent tree in its own right.

At this point the newly emerged magnificent tree realises that all along it was itself the very Buddha, Jesus, Lao Tzu or Krishna tree in which it sought shelter, that all the time the tiny mustard seed and the magnificent, fully grown tree were One and the same.

This is the great paradox that is the parable of the mustard seed.