finding purpose in infinite reality
Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
If you could get rid
Of yourself just once,
The secret of secrets
Would open to you.
The face of the unknown,
Hidden beyond the universe
Would appear on the
Mirror of your perception.
-Rumi
Each spiritual traveler is born into a world of expectation. Daily, behavior and societal standards are presented by family, friends, co-workers, country, religion and self. (more…)
Buddha's assertion that the self does not exist was first described in the famous "Discourse on the Not-Self". It is a fundamental principle of Buddhist philosophy and is said to be the second sermon delivered by the Buddha after his enlightenment.
Buddha defined five "aggregates" that together constitute the entire person. These are: form (body), feelings (positive, negative, neutral), perception, mental formations (thought, emotion, will), and consciousness.
Buddha declared each aggregate in turn (like most of reality) to be impermanent, and therefore not identifiable with 'self'. This implies Buddha's concept of self has (a degree of) permanence.
Considering the aggregates again, he declared that each is not controllable (we cannot control the fate of our body, our emotions etc), and is therefore not self. This implies Buddha's concept of self is controllable. (more…)
By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
Q:  How can you claim there is a Plan for humanity? Just look at the mess out there; surely somebody is not doing their job.
A:  Many would assert the world is in chaos and daily we continue to destroy ourselves. Further the idea of a spiritual plan for humanity is absurd; just look at our track record and the growing materialism, addictions, and physical and sexual abuse/exploitation of our young. Additionally, historically, so-called spiritual leaders have been responsible through war and greed for some of our greatest suffering. In fact today many of the churches continue as some of the richest corporations on earth.
This description of humanity’s self-destructive capacity is true; however it describes only part of the picture. It neglects our higher nature and the unselfish efforts of billions. (more…)
By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
In viewing individual spiritual teachings, sometimes, travelers forget the timeliness or context in which a specific teaching is Given.
A majority of spiritual teachings are Given or prescribed for a specific person/audience, in a specific time and a specific place. Trying to generalize individual teachings may be like trying to put a ‘square peg in a round hole’ or working under the rule that ‘one hat size fits all.’ (more…)
I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us... John Lennon
Atheists do not believe God exists. Agnostics believe it impossible to know anything about God, including existence or otherwise. In contrast numerous religions with billions of followers believe in the existence of one or more deities of various forms.
The concept of God has existed for millennia, believed in by billions across cultures around the world.
Despite the undoubted success of science as a means of understanding reality it has made little to no progress in answering several fundamental questions, eg:
By Dr.Stewart Bitkoff
When life becomes confusing and over whelming, there is a management technique I use that has been very helpful.
I learned this technique while working at the psychiatric hospital and we were getting reading for our routine four year inspection by The Joint Commission; during our leadership meetings one of our Directors offered a personal leadership technique that has stayed with me. He said, every day when he comes to work, he has 4 things/goals that he works on and these will help prepare us for the inspection. (more…)
Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed. Jesus (John 20:29)
In this quote Jesus expresses the importance of faith - belief in that which has not / cannot be "proven". In actuality, much of what we think we know relies in varying degrees upon faith.
Descartes remarked in the 17th century: I think therefore I am. This effectively defined the bounds of certainty, since all else beyond one's own existence could be illusion.
Scientific quantum theory in the 20th century discovered the inherent randomness at the most fundamental level of the material universe. Heisenberg's "uncertainty principle" set a limit in principle on what it is physically possible to know.
It seems overwhelmingly likely that the true nature of reality is very different to that which is perceived through the physical senses.
I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness. Max Planck, Nobel Prize winner, originator of quantum theory.
The consequence of key concepts from quantum physics (observer effect, collapse of the wave function) suggest that consciousness (yours, others', God's?) doesn't just passively receive information about the universe but may play an active role in shaping/creating reality (eg see The Self-Aware Universe by theoretical physicist Dr. Amit Goswami).
By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
This piece has not been an easy one for me to write or think about. There is much that I would like to forget and get past.
Also, I searched my motivation for this piece and concluded:Â it is based primarily upon the belief- life is the great classroom and we learn much from personal, every day experience.
About 2 months ago I was in hospital with a heart attack; now after the shock waves have subsided a bit, I have had time to reflect on all of this. Also, I am still occupied with the after effects. I am in cardiac rehab, changing certain life habits and still don’t have all my strength or heart capacity back; in multiple ways, this experience has clearly affected members of my family.
Some learning happens right away and other lessons take longer; both the doctors and EMT’s said I was lucky to be alive. There was a 100% blockage in my major heart artery and 60% in another; they have a nick- name for this particular attack: ‘the widow maker.’
Fortunately, I was at a family Thanksgiving dinner when this occurred and people acted quickly.
Sometimes, I still wonder why I am here. Perhaps there is more that I have to do, accomplish and enjoy. (more…)
by Sheelagh McGrath
It is of the utmost importance to instill in our offspring the values of right and wrong. With the evil that is sweeping our world at this present time we need to teach them our civilized values and teach them that they can change the World by positive thought and manifestation. We must teach them to stand tall and fight for freedom so that we can maintain our civilized way of life. And add into the mix, a belief, in a greater power than ourselves. (more…)
By: Lt Col R K Langar
In Bhagavad Gita Divine qualities are enumerated wherein fearlessness is placed on top of all divine qualities. If there is fear in our heart we cannot realize our true Divine nature. Fear is our worst enemy which causes, among other things, inefficiency within us and we cannot give our best in any situation. In this article we shall examine as to what are the causes of fear and how fear can be overcome. (more…)
