My semester is only starting on during next month which is like a long break. I am not complaining much but I dislike the fact that I feel that maybe I am not doing much. Maybe I am a workaholic or sadist but I like to keep myself busy somehow with things and projects and interact more with some regular people with a certain structure. Doing something productive gives meaning.

I am reading up some "Gnostic texts" -- the ones that were rejected as non canonical when the early church; this sound strange but I am always hungry to learn more about things and I am thinking more lately. Now we have, recovered from the desert of Egypt, a 26-page "Gospel of Judas,"* written in Coptic script about 300 years after the events it purportedly describes. I do not think it is a bad thing to doubt because it makes you learn more in some sense.

I have discovered such rich wisdom in all ancient cultures, philosophies and teachings. I do not emphasize any particular teaching but it seems that there is such a vast spectrum of wisdom that it provides something for everyone. I read a quote today in a book which summaries well where I am at this point of time:

Wisdom is not having it.
Wisdom is in the seeking.
Always seek wisdom and you shall have it.

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Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it
Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held
Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books
Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin
Believe nothing just because someone else believes it
Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true

-- the Zen master

The Zen tradition believes that three elements are needed to make spiritual progress: great faith, great doubt and great perseverance.

Faith is required to discover and trust the inherent truth.
Doubt is necessary to challenge and overcome superficial understanding.
Perseverance allows you to continue despite distractions, hopes, and fears.

In my own spiritual journal, I have found blind faith in anything or anyone to be a death knoll to progress. This may be because it is also the end of seeking and personally generated thoughts, ideas, and discoveries.

Today the world have wars and other such things, some of it is because of massive numbers of people who blindly follow any religious tradition which promises absolute truth. And, whether that religion is Christian, Muslim, or others, depends mostly upon geography and the culture where they were raised.

It is easiest to question the teachings of others but more difficult is the questioning of my own thoughts and actions.

Nah, these are some thoughts and I thought of writing it down.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Judas

Labels: God and religion, Reflections and thoughts