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The Scott Shaw Guide to International Travel: Part I

By Scott Shaw

 

As I spend a lot of time out there on, “The Hard Road,” as I like to refer to it, I am often asked questions in regard to how to best travel internationally. To answer, here is, Part One…

One of the main things that I have to say, before I go into particulars is, look nice—dress nice. Westerners are commonly looked down upon, across the world, because they do not respect customs and dress so shabby. This being said, what you wear at home, should not necessarily be your fashion choice for international travel. This is to say, if you dress shabby at home, because that is your style, don’t do it internationally. So, forget about the tee-shirts, no matter how accepted they are where you live or how much they cost. Pack a polo shirt instead. They are just as comfortable and they look so much nicer.

The reason for this is simple; there are a lot of restaurants, religious shrines, and even museums that will not let you in if you are not wearing a collared shirt. It is fine to be overdressed but you should never be undressed.

This is the same with shorts. I never recommend wearing shorts. First of all, you will not be admitted into many places if you are wearing shorts. So, save yourself the embarrassment of being turned away. But, more importantly, they do not protect you from the sun, the elements, or even scrapes and scratches. When you are traveling you want to be able to experience all the sights and the sounds as best as possible. So, you do not want to damage your body in any way, shape, or form. Wear pants!

This brings me to jeans. No!

Again, though you may wear them at home, you will not be let into many restaurants and higher end establishments if that is what you are wearing on the international circuit. This is true, no matter how much they cost. And, we all know, some jeans can be very expensive.

Why bother holding back your options, simply to embrace your style? There are a lot of very comfortable pants out there that are very functional, while being fashionable, (if that is what you are after). This, while still being acceptable in all establishments.

Shoes… Since I was a teenager and throughout my adult years, tennis shoes have been my mainstay. I wear them with suits, tuxes, everything… Why? It is simple. They are comfortable.

Here in the States, culture and fashion is very different from many other countries. We, in many cases, allow room for the artist and the fashionista. Other cultures do not. They find it disrespectful if you show up in casual attire, like tennis shoes. For this reason, though I highly recommend you bring a comfortable pair for walking, have a back up.

Long ago I realized if you want to wear tennis shoes to do all of your walking, and you do not want to weight your luggage down with a traditional pair of hard shoes, there is a great alternative, dance shoes. Companies like Capezio make black dance shoes that literally squish down to almost nothing in your suitcase. When you need to go out to a nice establishment, they look as good as any dress shoe.

The other style of shoes I recommend for international travel is, walking shoes. In the mid 1980s a company called Rockport and later Dexter began to make these shoes that were designed externally to look like dress shoes but internally they are like tennis shoes. In more recent years, companies like Sketchers have followed a similar path but made their shoes much more fashion friendly. If you have limited space and want to travel light, go for a pair of shoes like these. Then, you can have comfortable feet while walking and still look good when you go out to dinner.

The main thing is, wear shoes that have a rubber style sole. You never want to wear shoes with a slick sole. And, for women, do not wear high heels. I can tell you from personal experiences, as I have been attacked a few times out there on the hard road, if you have to fight and kick someone in the groin, the head, or run, you do not want to be wearing shoes with slick soles or you may fall. You need to always be wearing sturdy shoes that you can maneuver in, and if necessary, kick ass.

This leads me to the case of sandals and flip-flops. No! Do not wear them. They are not good for long walks. They do not look nice, and you will not be allowed to enter many establishments if you are wearing them. But, more importantly, they offer your feet no protection. If your feet are damaged, much of your trip may be ruined.

Also, always make sure your shoes are well broken-in before you bring them on a journey. A funny, (well not that funny), story happened to me in regard to this situation. Since they were introduced, I loved Nike hiking shoes. Every pair I had were very comfortable and durable. In fact, on one occasion, just before I was on my way to East Asia, I purchased a new pair, assuming that they would be like all of the other pairs I had. I arrived and begin to walk. But, this pair destroyed my feet so bad that it was painful to even take a few steps. As high-end tennis shoes were very expensive where I was and I couldn’t even find a pair of tennis shoes that was big enough, my journey really suffered. So, break-in your shoes!

Since 9/11 the rules about what you can and cannot take on airplanes, in regard to shampoos, shaving creams, sunscreen lotions, and the like are continually changing. So, you will need to check that out with your particular airline before you travel. I can tell you about one experience I had. I was flying into Shanghai for an extended stay in the mid 1980s. When I unpacked, I discovered that my shaving cream had exploded. Now, this was not my first trip to Shanghai and I knew everywhere to go to buy necessary items. But, nobody had any shaving cream. What I ended up doing was that each day, in the shower, I would soap my face up and in association with the water and the steam I was able to get a pretty good shave. The point is, while traveling, you will forget things, lose things, or things will explode and you will not have all of the amenities that you have at home. What you need to do is not shut down but explore your options and make new things work for you.

Many people either over pack or under pack when they are preparing for an international journey. Both can cause you to not have an ideal travel experience. Following is my normal packing list. I have used this for journeys that have lasted one week, onto trips that have gone on for as long as two months. Though this clothing segment is designed mainly for men, (as obviously, I am a man), it can, however, be easily adapted for women. And, this list includes what I am wearing while I travel.

 

Here it is:

One suit (matching pants and a coat)

One sport coat

Two pairs of pants

Five shirts

Five underpants

Five tee-shirts

Five pairs of socks

One pair of tennis shoes (running or cross training)

One pair of dress shoes

Two neckties

One belt, black

One pair of sweatpants

One pair of swim trunks

 

Here are the particulars of this list:

Sport coats or suit coats are great for men (and women) because they allow you to look nice while carry necessary items in your pockets.

Two pairs of pants (in addition to the one pair that is associated with your suit). You can intermingle them as necessary.

Choose five shirts that you can intermingle and match with your pants and jackets. This way you will always be able to present a fresh look.

One thing to keep in mind when choosing your clothing for travel is that dark colors and prints hide stains much better. As we all periodically spill things, and when you’re traveling you may not have the opportunity to change right away, it is best to wear clothing that conceals stains. This is why solid whites and light colors are not ideal travel colors.

Five underpants. Wear either briefs or boxer-brief style. As you will probably be walking a lot, you really need the absorption of sweat provided by this style of underwear. Boxers just will not do it and you can easily develop a rash.

Five under or tee-shirts. Wearing an undershirt is something that I discovered in India many years ago. If you only wear a shirt, all of your sweat soaks through the shirt and your shirt looks very bad. If you wear an undershirt, however, all of the sweat is absorbed before it gets to your shirt. I personally wear tank tops. But, whatever style works best for you. It is your choice.

Five pairs of socks. Ideally, I recommend black workout socks, because they are absorbent, comfortable, and they look fine if you are wearing a suit. But whatever color or style you choose, it is best if they are all the same color. In this way, if you lose one, (as socks always seem to get lost), you can easily intermingle your remaining pairs.

The reason I bring one pair of sweatpants is that they serve two functions. One, you can sleep in them in association with a tee shirt. Two, you can work out in them with a polo shirt.

The swim trunks are obviously for swimming. They can also be used to work out in. And, if it is warm where you are, you can also sleep in them.

When packing all of your stuff there is an endless choice in suitcases. Choose what works best for you. One thing to not pack your items in, however, is a backpack. Across the world, everyone associates backpacks with hippies. And, nobody likes hippies.

A word of warning… Women do not carry a purse, particularly a designer handbag. There is a lot of thievery across the globe and if your purse is loose in your hand or on your arm, you are just inviting a purse-snatcher to steal it. If you must carry a purse, carry a small one with a long strap that you can wear over your shoulder and across your body.

There are also a lot of pickpockets out there. And, they are very good. You will never know that your wallet or your passport was stolen until it is too late. So for both men and women, if you are carrying things in your pocket, either keep them in deep front pockets or use the button to latch down your back pockets. This is the same with sport coats. Many sport coats have a button on at least one of the inner pockets. If you need to carry your wallet or passport with you, put it in that pocket and button it. Even if it is a bit of hassle to open and close it, it is worth the trouble to keep your items safe.

Okay, there you have it. The first installment of the Scott Shaw Guide to International Travel. Hope it helps and gives you some food for thought.

Copyright © 2011 — All Rights Reserved

 

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The Student Becomes the Master By Scott Shaw

 By Scott Shaw, Ph.D.

 

There is the tradition on the Buddhist path that one is a direct reflection of their teacher—that one possesses no authenticity unless they can document the transmission of enlightenment from their teacher to themselves and from their teacher to their teacher's teacher, back to the Buddha. Though this method of transmission is commonly accepted, there is many flaws in this path to enlightenment.

 

First, and perhaps most important, is the fact that enlightenment is not something which can be given. Enlightenment is not a rank which can be earned. Enlightenment is a personal process of progressing towards the ultimate understanding of human consciousness. Though a teacher is commonly used as a tool to lay the foundations which ultimately achieve this end, a teacher cannot give you Nirvana as if it were some sort of gift or an earned distinction.

 

Student consciousness is obvious throughout the Spiritual Path. When one is initially drawn to the path, the first step is oftentimes the seeking of a Guru. Once one becomes a disciple, they often times idolize this individual to the degree that they believe them to be so all encompassingly holy that obtaining their level of consciousness is a virtual impossibility. Due to this fact, students become locked into, “Disciple Consciousness.” Though they become great at performing the techniques of worship, they do not develop the necessary mental elements to let go of this limited understanding and move onto the realm where Nirvana may actually be embraced.

 

Christians are the ideal example of, “Disciple Consciousness.” They have attached such a great singular obtainment to one figure, Jesus Christ, that how could anyone ever hope to become, “The Son of God?” What is misunderstood by many modern Christians and is revealed by Middle East, Judaic, and Biblical scholars is that the term, “Son of God,” or more precisely translated, “Child of God,” was a term which was assigned to everyone from the Jewish faith of that era who were persecuted by the Romans. As time evolved and translations of the writing of the disciples of Jesus took place, the term “Son of God” took on the singular connation of being assigned solely to Jesus Christ.

 

When an ideology becomes singularly obtained by one individual, it obviously cannot be experienced by any other person. Buddhism is no different.

 

Siddhartha Guatama, The Sakyamuni Buddha lived over two thousand years ago. Numerous legends have come to be attributed to his life and his enlightenment. With a being so distant and so immaculate, how can anyone hope to achieve the same level of consciousness?

 

Whereas Christianity has evolved to the level where it is, in fact, blasphemy to contradict the totality of holiness, which is solely held by Jesus Christ, the Buddhist should not be bound by this mentality. Yet, in many cases, they are.

 

Certainly, from a Christian perspective, it may be argued that, “Enlightenment is not God-hood.” But, it must be kept in mind that the Buddhist does not want to become the, “Son of God.” The Buddhist seeks enlightenment: oneness between the individual self, the universal self, and the cosmic whole.

 

In India, where Buddha found his enlightenment, there are an untold number of Sadhus, Yogis, and renunciates everywhere. They do the most abstract things to their body and mind in order to alter their consciousness so that enlightenment may enter. They vow to stand only on one leg for a lifetime. They walk naked through the streets, never wearing any clothing, even in the cold of the Himalayan winter. They lock themselves away in caves, refusing to interact with any other human being. This is all done as a pathway to enlightenment. Though these beings may have been initially initiated by a Guru, who gave them a mantra or a specific spiritual practice, they have let go of “Disciple Consciousness,” and have forged their won pathway to Nirvana.

 

Legend states that Buddha himself had two primary teachers. But, he found no enlightenment from them. So, he moved forward and achieved Nirvana by his own method.

 

Immaculate Connotations

Whatever immaculate connotation you assign to your teacher, it is must be understood that as long as you unduly idolize them, you will never reach Nirvana. Nirvana can only be experienced by the individual who lets go of the definitions of Better and Worse, Higher and Lower, Less and More, and relinquishes themselves to the fact by letting go you can become one with all that is: nature, the teacher, and the universe. This is Nirvana.

 

The Pali Canon of Buddhism describes twenty-eight Buddha which lived before Siddhartha Gautama. Throughout the centuries in in India, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand, Japan, and now the Western World, there have been cases of others who have also achieved the highest level of consciousness. So, it is doable! But, it is ultimately only doable by you.

 

Do you wish to be a student or do you wish to be enlightened? If you say you are not good enough, knowledgeable enough, pure enough, or holy enough—you never will be. Your teacher may know more than you, but that is information and knowledge. Information and knowledge are nice, they are even useful to present a point of view, but they are not enlightenment. Enlightenment is steeping beyond all that is believed and that is known.

 

Let go of your teacher and become enlightenment.

 

Copyright 2000—All Rights Reserved

Scott Shaw Writings on Zen, Yoga, and Human Consciousness

The Pathway to Enlightenment By Scott Shaw

By Scott Shaw

 

            I frequently write and speak about enlightenment.  I explain that we all ARE enlightened, we simply have to embrace this consciousness and remember this fact.  From this, I receive an untold number of questions about just what do I mean.  Many people come up to me with the statements,  “I’m not enlightened, but I want to be.”  “I have practiced meditation for many years and I still don’t feel enlightened.  Or, “I can never be as enlightened as my guru.”

            To hopefully clear a few things up for those who walk the spiritual path it must initially be detailed that first of all enlightenment is not about desire.  If you desire enlightenment you will never know enlightenment.  Secondarily, meditation is not a pathway to enlightenment—though many teachers throughout the centuries have claimed that it is.  Meditation is a “Mind Thing.”  It is a great tool to calm the mind and bring you into communion with your inner self and the god that resides in you.  But, it will not provide you with enlightenment. And finally, you can not find enlightenment by following a teacher. Though teachers may guide you to higher consciousness, ultimately, “Following” keeps you from enlightenment—as you are defining your own cosmic understanding by that of your teachers.

            Okay, you say, “Then just what is the pathway to enlightenment if you can’t want it, practice for it, or study to obtain it?”  Well first of all to comprehend the answer, the essence of enlightenment must to be understood.

            Most people, those who are unenlightened, depict enlightenment as a mystical abstract thing that can be HAD.  But, anyone who believes this incorrect ideology is entirely missing the point.  Enlightenment can not be HAD.  Because if it can be HAD, that means it is missing in you.  If it is missing in you, then it is not a natural occurrence and should not be sought after anyway.

            Enlightenment IS.  Thus, it is never something to gain.

            Many teachers also detail that you must possess a certain level of high incarnation to gain enlightenment.  Teachers who detail this fact, also state that it will take you many incarnations to even come close to embracing enlightenment.  By stating this, they immediately prove that they do not understand enlightenment and are, in fact, completely keeping their students from ever embracing the naturalness of enlightenment.

            Now certainly, it is much easier for a person to embrace the total-ness of enlightenment if they are walking the spiritual path—because those who walk the spiritual path have a rudimentary understanding of enlightenment and what to expect.  This is not to say, however, that anyone EVERYONE can not know enlightenment.  Because, if it was only available to those who walked the spiritual path, who embrace this sense of pure consciousness, then one would have to be spiritual to know.

            But, being spiritual is not the defining factor of enlightenment.  Being WHOLE is.

            This is all very ZEN, I understand.  But, let me make it more understandable.  When I first heard Ram Dass detailing that his guru Neem Karoli Baba had gone eye-to-eye with him and asked him, “Don’t you see everything is perfect,” it really touched a place in me.  Yes, all the good and even all of the bad in this life is perfect.  It all happens in accordance with its own perfection.  Now a Christian may say the good is a gift from god and the bad is a test.  But, they are really missing the point.  Good and Bad are all a point of view.  If you love Hell, then it becomes Heaven.

            What I am saying is that you cannot gage life. You cannot say that one particular expedience that you felt was very negative may not lead you onto a very NEW and positive place of growth and personal understanding.

            Life is Life and things are going to happen that we do not like.  But, if you can step back long enough to embrace a divine understanding, they you can see that this action leads to the next and the next and the next.

            If you lay a positive pathway for your life—not hurting, criticizing, or demeaning others, then from the nature of this universe, you attract positive energy.  Additional, just the opposite is true if you live in space of unhappiness, where you place yourself at constant odds against the world around you—if you embrace negativity, no matter how subtle, then negativity will find you and bad things will occur.

            What does this have to do with enlightenment you ask? It has everything to do with enlightenment.  Enlightenment is about you accepting the perfection of the moment.  If you are criticizing, judging, (be it good or bad), or measuring your amount of “Feel Good-ness” in an particular moment of life, then you are setting yourself at odds with the perfection of the universe and you are keeping yourself from enlightenment.

            Life is life.  We like what we like.  We don’t like what we don’t like. But, you cannot allow this to define you. It just is what it is.

            Accept what you like as what you like, what you don’t like as what you don’t like.  Know it, but do not allow it to control you, define you, or hold you back.

            Understanding the perfection of the universe is not saying that God, Allah, or Buddha, is waving some controlling hand and making all of the elements occur.  Understanding perfection is simple settling into the perfection and knowing that it all is as it is.  This is, also, not to say that some Supreme Being made it that way.  It just IS.

            When things just ARE, that is the root of enlightenment.

            It is often detailed when a person dies that their life flashes before their eyes.  Having been a person who has come very close to physical death a couple of times in my LIFE TIME, I can categorically state that this statement is not true.  What occurs is that when you are at the gates of leaving your physical body, you immediately embrace the perfection.  You see how this thought lead to that desire—how that desire lead to this choice—how this choice lead to that action—how this action lead to this outcome.  Ultimately, you see how all of life was perfect.  How everything falls into its own space of perfection and you lived exactly what you were suppose to live—whether you liked every moment of it or not.

            This is the source point for enlightenment.  Initially understanding, then accepting, and finally embracing THE PERFECTION.

            Embrace THE PERFECTION and know enlightenment. 

 

Copyright © 2004—All Rights Reserved

The Pathway to Enlightenment @ Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Writings on Zen, Yoga, and Human Consciousness

Buying Into Their Own B.S. By Scott Shaw

By Scott Shaw

 

            As I have often stated, for whatever karmic reason, I have walked the spiritual path for most of my life. And, I use the term, “Spiritual Path,” for lack of a better term. But, I am referring to those of us who have decided to make the evolution of human consciousness and tuning into and understanding of the great-beyond their primary focus.

            As someone who has been on this road for a lot of years I have witnessed many things about people on the path. Perhaps most disconcerting is those who buy into their own bullshit. But, I’ll get into that in a moment.

            People are drawn to spirituality for an untold number of reasons. Some enter the path at a young age and some much later. Most, when they decided to, “Get Spiritual,” find their pathway in organized religion—which is very pervasive and universally accepted in all cultures. So, it is easily at hand. Then, there are the more abstract realms of spiritually which call out to people like me. In either case, the person who has newly found the path is generally the most fervent about it.

            I remember when I was a young boy of about eleven or twelve and I was sent to summer camp. One of my campmates was a young boy who used to love to make flavored toothpicks and chew on them. He brought his little bottle of liquid cinnamon spice and he would daily dip a few toothpicks into it to keep in his mouth throughout the day. Though this seemed a bit strange and bizarre to me, what was more curious about the boy was that he had already decided what he wanted to do with his life. He was going to be a minister. While most children of this age group have little idea of what they want to become, he had decided. Me, I wanted to grow up and be like Neil Young or Jimi Hendrix. In any case, he had set upon his path very early in life. Whether or not he ever became a minster, I don’t know. But, what I do know is that youth who enter the spiritual path possess a deep belief in the possibilities of what it has to offer.

            In fact, this is not only true for youth but for others who enter the path at whatever stage of their life. Once upon the path, the first step is generally to seek out a teacher to guide you down the road to your ultimate end-goal. This is where the problems begin.  I have seen it so many times. A person new to the path is full of anticipation, promises, and belief. Thus, they are quick to believe whatever they hear and are easily taken advantage of.

            The reality is, when a person is new to the path they are full of exuberance. Belief equals exuberance. But, what comes next?

            In this state of exuberance many desire to go out and spread this emotion to the world. They want others to be as full of joy as they are. Me too… When I was young I wanted to tell all my friends and family about what I was experiences and guide them to experience the same. This, even though most people do not desire to walk down this road.

            As time progress, however, and a person’s knowledge becomes deeper, they generally no longer need to go out and spill it onto people who are not of the same mindset and do not desire to walk down the path.  They simply become who they are and embrace their cosmic understandings in a more pure and personal space. But then, there are the others. Those, who as they get older decided that they have something unique to give. They have found their calling. They possess something; a deeper knowledge that others do not hold. Thus, they decide to become teachers. And, oh yeah, that usually equals them getting paid for what they teach or, at least, being provided with other various favors.

            In formalized religious, there are generally schools that a person must attend to rise to the level of a teacher. On the spiritual path, this is generally not the case. So, anybody can go out there and claim that they have had a particular revelatory experienced and that experience is what makes them so all knowing and the one that other people should follow.  But, their experience is generally not real. It is simply something that they have read about; something that they have projected as something deep and meaningful, or simply they have realized this is a good way to attract people to follow them to feed their pocketbooks and their ego.

            Mostly, what I have seen is that the people who do this spout knowledge that they have read from books written by other people or have heard at lectures. But, whatever it is, their knowledge is based upon, “Borrowed knowledge.” It does not rise from a pure, personal source—though they will, of course, argue that this is not the case till the end of their days. These are the people who buy into their own bullshit.

            Spirituality is an organic, uniquely individual space of consciousness. Even though two people may be following the same teachings, their interpretation and internal understandings are uniquely their own. People believe they need a teacher because people seek interaction and they seek affirmation that what they are thinking is okay.  But, is what you are thinking, what you are thinking, or have you been guided to think that way? This is the ultimate understanding of consciousness. Are you, you? Or, are you the creation of someone else’s belief system?

            Being you, you are free. That is nirvana. Being what someone else tells you to be is maya. That is illusion.

            Here are a couple of simply rules so you don’t step into someone else’s bullshit.

            Have you heard what they are saying before; from another source, perhaps said in a slightly different way?

            Are they charging you for their knowledge?  Knowledge is free. It doesn’t cost a dime.

            Are they calling you, “My child, my loved-one, my dead-one?” If they are, they are projecting that they are more than you. No one is more than you. You are the source of your own spirituality and enlightenment. Be you. Not a student of someone who buys into their own bullshit.

 

Copyright © 2012—All Rights Reserved

Scott Shaw Writings on Zen, Yoga, and Human Consciousness

Possessing Some Hidden Knowledge By Scott Shaw

By Scott Shaw

 

            I always find it interesting when there is a new figure that takes center stage in the mind’s of the searching masses and offers some new take on reality and how to live life. Many of these people offer the same knowledge that is written and spoken of all over the place, yet they somehow have moved up to the front of the class and begin spouting their truth as if it is something unique.

            The fact of the matter is, the majority of humanity is so locked into their own momentary reality (be it good or bad) that they could care less about someone who says anything. They immediately dismiss this realm of humanity as nonsense. Though the seekers of this life-place look down on that type of person—feeling superior due to the fact that they feel that they are the ONES, the True Believers, on the path of rising consciousness, the reality is, it is a much purer source of mental consciousness to disregard teachers and teaching than to seek them out. Why? Because then you are free. You are not lead down a pathway that can lead to financial or psychological disaster and/or a disillusioned mindset due to the fact that you will eventually seen through the guise of the person you were following; witnessing their flaws, understanding their lack of true knowledge, and encountering their egotism.

            The sourcepoint for anyone who steps to the pulpit is egotism. Whether they call themselves a priest, a reverend, a monk, a swami, a guru, a nun, a mystic, a psychic, a medium, a whatever… At the root of their attempting to teach is an egocentric ideology that, “I know something, I possess something that you do not and I feel I have been chose to impart that knowledge to you.” Bullshit…

… All of these people claim that they possess some hidden knowledge that you do not and step to pulpit base their reality upon what? I know but you do not. I am a teacher and you are a student. And, throughout history, there have been those who flock to these claimers of knowledge. Why is this?

            This is because of the fact that throughout society young people are trained to believe that they are lacking—that they do not hold the answers. And, if they want to find the answers they must turn to someone else who HAS them. This, in itself, is the sourcepoint for all of those people who have and come and gone, claiming to possess some hidden knowledge.

            The good news is, most of the people are a flash in the pan—most come and go with little applause, while others rise to the top of the game and then are allowed to make their living off of the money of others—charging for their supposed knowledge.

            At the end of the day, however, what is left. There are still the people who claim to be teachers. Apparently these types will always exist. And, there are still the people seeking. These too will apparently always exist.

            Here is the fact, if any of these people who claimed to hold knowledge were valid, their truth would spread to everyone. All would know. All would understand. All would no longer be seeking. But, people are still seeking. They are unfulfilled. The teachers who have claimed to be teachers are still out there trying to gather a flock, capture the money and the minds of others and, thus, feeling personally fulfilled by the fact that they have a new student believing in their particular brand of bullshit.

            But, there is one reality, the world ticks on and on. Each of our lives eventually ends. And, that is the end of that… It is all very simple.

            You can spend your time seeking. You can spend your time knowing. Or, you can spend your time embracing the perfection and seeing each life event for what it is—a transient life event. As in always the case, your life is your choice. Do you want to be free? Or, do you want to be under the spell of another?

 

Copyright © 2014 — All Rights Reserved

Scott Shaw Writings on Zen, Yoga, and Human Consciousness

Paying for Your Crime By Scott Shaw

By Scott Shaw

           

            Whenever somebody is sent to jail for doing something that has been deemed wrong by society, it is stated, “They are paying for their crime.” Or, when they get out, people say, “They paid for their crime.” But, whom did they pay?

            When criminals set about on a path to steal something or harm someone they know exactly what they are doing. They are setting about on a course that has a desired end result and they do not care who they hurt in the process. In fact, they generally do not even think about the impact that their actions may have on other people. They are simply thinking about themselves; what they want, want they need, and how they want to feel.

            In fact, many people who commit crimes do not even view their actions as criminal and deny their culpability to the bitter end. Or, they deny both publicly and internally that they did anything wrong and try to gather a following of people to support and proclaim their innocence.

            If you ever watch the shows that chronicle the time before a criminal is sentenced or the time they are spending in prison, little thought is ever given to the victims of the crime. Even if the victim or the families of the victim are allowed to speak at their trail, this changes nothing. What was stolen is rarely returned and the physical and mental injuries that are incurred by the victim can never truly be repaired. Ask someone who has been victimized by a criminal if their life was ever the same and most certainly they will answer, “No, it was not.”

            Criminals do what they do motivated by whatever distorted logic they may possess. What is left after their actions is the damaged life of their victims.

            Societies set up laws to deter criminals from committing crimes. Yet, this does not stop them. Courts hand out prison sentences that are felt applicable for specific crimes. Yet, that does not stop them. Religions allow people to find redemption for their crimes by confession their sin. That is just bullshit. Like I have long said, if I was going to be a Christian I would definitely be a Catholic. In that branch of Christianity you simply go confess your sins to a priest, they give you a few Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s to do and you are good with god. Sounds great but what about the victims? Again, I call, “Bullshit.”

            Have you ever been a victim of a crime? If you have then you know what I speak about. How has whatever happened to the perpetrator of the crime given you back the innocence you possessed before it happened to you? Yes, you may be glad they were sent to prison and are suffering while doing time but it does not give you back the you that you were before they did what they did to you.

            It is the same scenario for people who damage our lives and cry out, “I didn’t know.” Yet, the damage still remains. So, that is no excuse.

            There are some who claim, “Let’s go out and get an eye-for-an-eye.” I have known a few who have walked down that road, but then they too became criminals in the eyes of society. And, in a couple of those cases they ended doing jail time and encountering all of the bad things that are known to go on in those environments.

            The answer? I don’t have one. I wish people would stop doing bad things but they probably won’t. I do know that all life begins with you and with me. Meaning, we must think of others before we do things that can knowingly or unknowingly hurt someone else or their life space. We must set an example of how people should behave by doing good things. But other than that, let’s just please stop saying and believing, “They paid for their crime.” Because they haven’t paid for, replaced, or fixed anything; at least not to the person it matters most to, the victim.

 

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Scott Shaw Writings on Zen, Yoga, and Human Consciousness

I Believe: Compounding Factual Inaccuracies By Scott Shaw

By Scott Shaw

Life is based upon a set of beliefs. These beliefs come to us from many sources. We gain them from what we are taught, what we hear and read, what we witness, and then; once we have been provided with a certain set of parameters given to us by our culture, our desires, and our placement in life and time, we decide what we believe.

Some people decide what they believe and then simply do the conscious thing; believe it. Others decide it is they who have the calling, the desire, the ability, the power, the gift, and/or the need to broadcast their beliefs to the world. From this, they spread their ideologies out, from within in their own mind, to others. Why do they do this? The simple answer is ego. They want to be seen as a knower. If they are not seen as a knower then, at least, they believe they will be understood to be a discontent, sewing the seeds of controversy and anarchy.

There is one essential problem is the conception of, “I believe,” however. Belief is opinion, it is not fact.

In a free society every one has the right to have their opinion. But, if a person lives a life of consciousness they understand that their, “Opinion,” is just that—it is not a fact. It is simply what they believe and belief is an interpersonal process, it is not a factual accounting of reality and something that someone should expound outwards to the world for then only one thing occurs; the compounding of factual inaccuracies which have the potential to negatively affect the life of others.

It is like the conspiracy theorists, they look for and try to find logical reasoning for what they believe to be an anomaly of life, time, space, and/or occurrences. But, there is fact and then there is theory. Some people attempt to broadcast their theories to the minds of other people. This does not make their ideologies fact; it simply makes them broadcasted theories. And, each theory is simply some-thing that a particular some-one hopes to make fact based upon what they, personally, believe. It is not fact, however, it is simply belief. Yet, they hope to pull others into the web of what they believe. This is how many of the falsehood that have been disseminated through societies, throughout time, have come to take hold. Not fact, simply belief that a large number of people have come to believe.

The fact is, some people are so locked into their beliefs that even if you present them with factual evidence that what they believe is wrong they will argue with you about the validity of your presentation and will not concede that their belief about a practical subject and/or their belief system in general may be wrong.

Some people become very lost between the concept of opinion and fact. If they do not possess an analytical mind they simply assume that there is no difference. People driven by ego, desire, jealousy, or anger often fall prey to their own undefined differences between these two mental concepts. They believe, so what they believe IS.  But, is it? Is your belief ever the defining truth for the entire world? Yes, it may be the defining truth for your world but should your belief be expounded to others? Do you ever ponder this fact before you spread your belief(s) outwards?

How much of your life mind-time do you spend pondering the fact of understanding where your belief system arose?  How much of your life mind-time do you spend actually contemplating why you are saying, what you are saying, when you are disseminating your beliefs outwards, beyond yourself? When you do speak of your beliefs do you only care about the fact that you desire your beliefs to be witnessed as the truth? In fact, do you ever think at all before you speak of your belief? Finally, what is your desired end result when you propagate your belief? Why do you discuss your belief(s) at all? These are all important concepts to think about as you pass through life.

It is essential to contemplate why you believe what you believe. Think about this, have you ever believed one thing and now you believe it no more? This is the simple formula to help you define for yourself the difference between belief or fact. And, it is also essential to keep in mind, just because other people believe something (even large groups of people like a religion) this does that mean that you are forced to believe it?

Belief is only what it is; an ideology formed in your own mind. As long as it is kept in your own mind, it can hurt no one. As soon as it is released chaos is given birth to.

Belief is never fact.

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I Believe: Compounding Factual Inaccuracies @ Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Writings on Zen, Yoga, and Human Consciousness