The Pyramid of Self Evolution.

This is an idea i'm going to develope and fine tune further in a more extensive article in the future.

                           

I got to talking with a friend the other day who is going through a period of self evolution, like myself. He was describing his frustration because it feels like he has boundless energy to create, but can't find a productive outlet for it all. He told me that he has so much energy he “feels like he wants build gigantic pyramids”. Then, while thinking about that, it struck me, how weak the idea of monuments really are. Rulers throughout time (including the Egyptian Pharaohs) have enslaved thousands upon thousands of workers and forced them to create gigantic stone monuments in memorial of their lives. Take a step back and think about that... they are using forced labor of others to create something that is supposed to signify their greatness, instead of using their supposed greatness to create something themselves. Well, of course a lone man couldn't have built the Pyramids of Giza by himself, to prove his mettle, but then again, maybe he wouldn't have to. I told my friend “You are the Pyramid, build yourself”.

The same idea that the Pharaohs implemented (creating something grand to prove yourself) can be used in our own lives, on an individual basis to help us become better human beings. In fact, the pyramid itself is a perfect symbol to demonstrate it. When I think about my life, as a creative person I have many interests. I love photography, painting, writing, music, philosophy, staying physically active, being close to nature, etc. The problem with that is, it never seems like I have enough time to achieve things in all of the fields I am interested let alone have time for my responsibilities of trying to support myself, doing well in college and being there for the people I care about. I will pick one up, dive headfirst into it for awhile and then move onto the next. This creates a lack of continuity in my life. Using the pyramid of self evolution though, we can simply look at these separate, individual aspects of our lives as the large stone blocks at the very bottom. They are distinct and can exist in their state individually of the other blocks, but when laid in the square shape at the base of the pyramid, they create the foundation of what makes you, you.

Now, think about the next layer of blocks that is laid when building a pyramid. Their elevation is contingent upon the blocks beneath them, and they are laid at a point where two of the blocks from the lower foundation meet, to create structural integrity. This is an important step in our self evolution model as well. When we find ways to bridge our passions and interests in life, it creates a personal continuity, and gives more importance and integrity to those initial founding blocks. For example, I love writing, I love music, and I very much love hiking, especially on wooded paths. When coming up with an idea for a new musical project, I wanted to make the themes personal and important to me. So when I started writing lyrics for it, I began going on even longer, extensive walks in the woods at night and in doing so, the inspiration began to flow and the songs now have nature based themes. So in that, I combined my love of writing when creating the lyrics, my love of music when writing the instrumentation for the project and my love of nature, which I turned to for inspiration. I laid the second layer of bricks down in the pyramid of self evolution.

When you have laid that series of bricks that comprised the second layer, the next step is to learn to somehow bridge the division between them and lay another layer and create further continuity in your life. For many, this level is when they find out how to bridge the “interests” portion of their live to the “career” portion of their lives. For example, if someone was very interested in health and wellness, as well as spiritual practice, and also needed to find a career path for themselves, perhaps they could become a Yoga instructor. It combines the health benefits of the practice of Yoga and the spiritual benefits it has given people for thousands of years with a career, to support yourself and meet your responsibilities as an individual.

This process continues on and on, bridging more and more parts of your life, creating more an more individual continuity until you are able to feel satisfied as an individual. When you can feel that you have all aspects of your life in order (a lofty goal, I'll admit, but not an impossible one), passions, financial responsibilities, spiritual health, socialization, ect., then you have reached the top of the pyramid. The top stone is your true self, that you have reached by building yourself, brick by brick, into a strong, happy and content person. You have built a pyramid, but instead of forcing others to build one to prove how powerful you are (like the Pharaoh's of Egypt did), you have built one yourself, out of yourself, to become the best person you could be. A much more noble goal, that's much more worth remembering.

The Heart Sutra

The Sutra at the very heart of what is Zen Buddhism; The Heart Sutra.

*When reading, remember, "Emptiness" or "Sunyata" in Buddhism is referring to the fact that nothing in life is permanent, or independent from everything else. Full individuality is an illusion in a world where everything is interconnected, so there is no singular solid thing, instead, there is emptiness, and connectedness.


The Heart Sutra Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, meditating deeply on Perfection of Wisdom, saw clearly that the five aspects of human existence are empty*, and so released himself from suffering.  Answering the monk Sariputra, he said this:

Body is nothing more than emptiness,
emptiness is nothing more than body.
The body is exactly empty,
and emptiness is exactly body. The other four aspects of human existence --
feeling, thought, will, and consciousness --
are likewise nothing more than emptiness,
and emptiness nothing more than they.
All things are empty:
Nothing is born, nothing dies,
nothing is pure, nothing is stained,
nothing increases and nothing decreases.
So, in emptiness, there is no body,
no feeling, no thought,
no will, no consciousness.
There are no eyes, no ears,
no nose, no tongue,
no body, no mind.
There is no seeing, no hearing,
no smelling, no tasting,
no touching, no imagining.
There is nothing seen, nor heard,
nor smelled, nor tasted,
nor touched, nor imagined.
There is no ignorance,
and no end to ignorance.
There is no old age and death,
and no end to old age and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering,
no end to suffering, no path to follow.
There is no attainment of wisdom,
and no wisdom to attain.
The Bodhisattvas rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
and so with no delusions,
they feel no fear,
and have Nirvana here and now.
All the Buddhas,
past, present, and future,
rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
and live in full enlightenment.
The Perfection of Wisdom is the greatest mantra.
It is the clearest mantra,
the highest mantra,
the mantra that removes all suffering.
This is truth that cannot be doubted.
Say it so:

Gaté,
gaté,
paragaté,
parasamgaté.
Bodhi!
Svaha!

Which means...

Gone,
gone,
gone over,
gone fully over.
Awakened!
So be it!

A thought on balance.

In my life, I am struggling to get out of a trap that our social psychology has created for all of us. The constant battle between two ideological concepts.

The first being the concept of goals, aspirations and eventual success. The quote that first comes to mind in trying to explain this is "The future belongs to those who plan for it". Now, I know this isn't ONLY an American concept, but it is a typical American concept none the less. We have this notion that life is a great, long tunnel, and that at the end of it there is going to be some shining light, a reward perhaps for all of our struggles. More often that in this country, people view that as wealth, a comfortable job, and respect amongst peers. So we send our kids to elementary school, then on to middle school and highschool, followed hopefully by college and for some graduate school. Then perhaps they get an entry level position at a job that pays decently, but has room for advancement. So you work and work and work your way up the corporate latter, trying to get to that point where you've done it, you've achieved whatever that nebulous thing you have been chasing after is, but you eventually realize that thing you've been searching for is a sham. It's a social concept, to have what ever that thing is, but once you have it, you feel no different, you don't really have anything more than you had before, at least not anything that could provide happiness or self worth. What was the point? You've missed everything along the way by only focus on something great that was to come. But without that aspiration, is there really any point in living? What's to help us push on through the hard times if we have nothing to look forward to? And would our society not collapse if we didn't have that old "American Dream" ideal, that if you just work hard enough, you will get everything you want in the end?

The second concept is that of "Living in the now". This is the mind set that life is not about the destination, but about enjoying the journey. Now from the outright this seems like a much better idea. If you can be happy and content the entire way through life instead of working your way towards happiness and contentment then why wouldn't you? The initial problem I see is that often when viewing life in this way, you are very able to not think about the future what so ever and you can make impulsive decisions that will negatively effect you for the rest of your life. It might seem like a fantastic idea to take 10,000 dollars and take a trip through Europe, but when you do that instead of going to college you could be throwing away a better future for yourself and a series of happy moments for something that is limited and will end, leaving you only with memories. It can also be a dangerous way to live if you suffer with depression, as I have for so long. If you try and live like this moment, right now, is everything, but that moment...and the moment after... and the moment after that leave you feeling emotionally destroyed, then you may have no hope that the future may bring better days.

So I feel trapped between these two things. The pragmatic and logical mindset that you should work towards specific goals in your future to achieve happiness, and the whimsical and care-free mentality that begs you to just enjoy the moment, whatever else may come. Although I lean in one direction, neither one really seems like a totally better lifestyle in totality. So it seems to me, that like in every other realm, Balance is key. You must have a healthy balance of pragmatism and impulsiveness to live a fulfilled life. Think about who you would like to be in the long run, and then find enjoyable things to do to get there. Make the journey it's own reward, but keep the destination in mind as well. This, to me, seems like the only true way that I can be the best person I am capable of being, and the only way I can be happy and fulfilled. Alan Watts said "Life is supposed to be a musical thing and you were supposed to sing, or to dance while the music was being played". So indeed, it looks like we should enjoy the song, but keep in the back of your mind that if we keep the crescendo growing, the finale can be something really special.

Even when accustom to the beauty of nature, it can still surprise you without a moment's notice. I took this photo as the sun set cast a golden reflection onto the still partially frozen river.

The Beginning

Hello, you can call me Grim, that will be the name I go by on this blog. I asked a number of people to pick five words to describe me, serious or grim came up in almost every list, so I suppose it's an appropriate title. The first thing anyone should know about me is that I am an artist. Art, in it's many forms, is my life. I am a photographer, painter, writer, poet but most importantly I am a musician. I play The guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, harp, ocarina, kalimba and am working on learning a few others. Although the term "artist" may best define me, my most beloved pass time is spending time in nature. It is the only place I feel I truly belong; wandering on wooded paths, away from walls and doors, where the only light comes from the sun or stars. It is the only thing that really cures my ails. In places less touched by the hand of man is where I find divinity. I follow a Monistic path, the belief that there is no god or creator seperate from the Earth, but instead the Earth and everything in it, from the smallest of insects to the tallest of the Redwoods is connected at a fundamental level. It is all natural, it is all divine, and it all deserves to be loved. So in accordance, I try to live an environmentally friendly life, and I try to treat all animals with the respect and dignity that I would give a human friend. For that reason I am an animal rights activist and vegetarian.

This blog will be to help express my thoughts and feelings on art, poetry, music, philosophy, nature, spirituality, environmental protection, animal rights, literature and any other ideas that like-minded people might be interested in reading and/or discussing.