Transcendence and the Collective Self

When we grapple to understand life's most puzzling mysteries, we can often look to nature to find the basic patterns that illustrate the most complex aspects of human behavior and psychological development.

As we've demonstrated earlier in this blog, bamboo provides a reliable model for understanding some of human nature's highest qualities and greatest aspirations.

A perennial grass that grows from a prolific system of rhizomes and adventitious roots, bamboo finds strength in numbers. A single root system can produce hundreds of high-flying shoots, each stretching for the sun and spreading its leaves in the fresh air. At times these individual shoots may compete for resources, but more often, the greater intelligence of the rhizome network knows to spread and avoid such self-destructive competition.

Over the years, a patch of bamboo can grow exceedingly thick and excessively dense. For the collective advantage of the grove, individual shoots may be crowded out, or they may need to be removed through selective harvesting. Enter the blade of the scythe, universal symbol for the Grim Reaper: man's worst fear and the greatest nemesis of human consciousness.

But when we recognize our role in a larger system and understand our relationship to something higher and more meaningful, then we see for ourselves the overall unimportance of the individual. Detaching from our own selfish identities, we free ourselves from the bounds of the ego, and elevate to a higher state of consciousness, to find ourselves serving a healthier and more functional community.

This holistic model functions on every level. In our own bodies, cells are constantly dying and decaying, by the hundreds and thousands. The individual's significance has limitations. In about seven years, not a single molecule in our body will remain. Each will be replaced by a younger, fresher one, and we will go on living.

And when a tattered old stalk of bamboo meets its end and falls to the ground, a vigorous young shoot will be there to fill its place - or perhaps it will find an even better place where it can thrive and bring good to the grove. So the cycle of eternal return repeats itself, again and again, as it has since the beginning of time.


In memory of Donald William Hornaday (2/7/1941 - 1/21/2009)

If the shoe fits . . .

It'll take a mighty big man to fill these shoes.

Iraqis recently erected this statue to honor their countryman, Muntazar al-Zaidi, who catapulted to fame after hurling his footwear at George W. Bush on the president's farewell visit to the occupied nation in December.

Elsewhere, a protester in the UK has copied this manner of protest by throwing his shoes at Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao who was speaking at Cambridge University on Monday. The 27-year-old dissenter also shouted a litany of epithets and commanded fellow audience members to "Stand up and protest. . . . This dictator here, how can you listen to the lies he's telling?"

Happy New Year!

Y5K is almost here! Who's ready?

We're talking about the Chinese calendar, of course. They've been recording the days since long before Europeans even knew how to count. If they'd been counting the years, they'd be up to about 4705 or 4706, depending how you reckon. But they don't reckon that way.

One thing's for certain anyway: in the Chinese 12-year zodiac cycle, this is the Year of the Ox. It started on Monday. So if you're born this year (between now and Feb.14, 2010), or if you're turning 12, 24, 36, 48, etc., then you're an ox.

Oxen are renowned for their tenacity, stubbornness, and good looks. Just consider a few famous ones, Napoleon, Walt Disney, Richard Nixon, Rosa Parks, and yours truly. We're also known for our dependability and the innate ability to achieve great things.

Meet the new Mr. Jones

Is the economic meltdown keeping you up at night? Are the morning news bulletins from Gaza adding a bitterness to your breakfast cereal? Are the Dow Jones closing reports bringing wrinkles to your forehead?

Well, forget about the Dow, and put your trust in the Tao!

As the wise and knowing Lao Tzu has said:

When the great Dow is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body's intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into choas,
patriotism is born.

I leave it to you to contemplate this randomly selected passage from the Tao Te Ching. By the time you've reconciled these paradoxical words of wisdom, this little economic disruption will be nothing more than a distant memory.

SLO Inaugural Ball

Don't let yourself be lied to any longer. Turn off the TV, turn on your mind, and celebrate with us on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

For eight long years we've endured disasters of every race, color and creed - natural, manmade, military and economic. News anchors and political pundits will tell you it has weakened our nation; on the contrary, this arduous struggle has made us stronger than ever.

Together, let us embrace the diversity of our obstacles and challenges, and congratulate one another for having survived an age of indelible ineptitude.
SLO Inaugural Ball: Tuesday at the Grad
Celebrate the dawn of a new era as Barack Obama is sworn into office next Tuesday.

SLO Grassroots Democracy is hosting an Inaugural Ball at the Graduate on Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Tickets for only $10 available here at
Bambu Batu, the House of Bamboo,
1127 Broad, in downtown San Luis Obispo.

Cost of admission includes appetizers and desserts, and music by DJ Malik. Other food and drink will be available for sale. And don't miss your chance to enter the drawing to win a dinner for four at Big Sky Cafe or a brand new Buddy 50cc scooter from Central Coast Mechanics.

Reaching Forward: 2009

A new year has begun, and change is underway. What better time to take a pause in the quietude, to open your ears to the emptiness inside, to the true self that lies beneath the illusions and distractions of ego, identity and appearance.

Quiet your mind and listen... Who is that innocent bystander who observes all the words and thoughts that echo inside your head? Who is that inner witness who carries no preconceptions and beholds all with equanimity?

Reach out and make yourself at home with that formless entity. Let your mind come to rest in this empty place, and let this emptiness form a doorway in the framework of your mind, opening to the pastures of infinity.

(image courtesy of Alex Grey)

Panda Bear does a hand stand

What we have here is a great opportunity to view Giant Pandas behaving naturally, as never seen before.