ROLAND R. ROPERS TRANSFORMATIVE PHILOSOPHY & PUBLISHING INTERNATIONAL GANDHI & GRIFFITHS SOCIETY
DedidicatedtoVen.ZEN-Master
ThichNhâtHanhontheoccasionofhis75thbirthday
11thOctober2001
BeyondDis-Ease&Suffering
Life–Lightness–Liberation–Love “Wherethereisnoinnerpeacethereissuffering”.
(Buddha) “Thefastesthorsetowardsheavenissuffering”.
(MeisterEckhart)
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“Wedonothavetowaitforourphysicaldeath, wecanalreadynowentertheworldofeternity”.
(BedeGriffiths,O.S.B.)
“Physicalforceistransitory,evenasthebodyistransitory.
Butthepowerofthespiritispermanentevenasthespiritiseverlasting”.
(MahatmaGandhi)More than ever before we are shaped by words and concepts, we absorbthemwithoutreflection,sothattheysubtlyinvadethedeepestlayersofourunconscious. We are incessantly bombarded by flashbulbs of information(newspapers, journals, television,advertising, intercommunicationetc.) thattransformourbodieswiththeircomplexemotionsintoabattle-groundofanalmostunbearableplayofforces.Theoncefearfultheatresofwar,visibletousallinmanypartsoftheworld,haveshiftedinthemaintoamoreinvisibleterrain.NewYork,September11,2001standsasahorrifyingexampleforthat. Themicrocosmofhumankind, the innermostrealmofevery individual, isatarget for irresponsible dictators in politics, business, the church etc., theirpurpose to orientate behavior towards authoritarianism and to abuse andcurtailspiritualfreedom.Addiction to a consumer society dominates somany of our countries, andluxuriesaresoavailablethattheydeadenalloursenses.Theyarenotasignofprosperity,butratherthealarmingexpressionofspiritualpovertyandafrighteningdecadence,comparabletothedestructionoftheRomanEmpireunderNero and his successors.Quo vadis? Wemust askwhere ourwayleads in our own country, where poets, thinkers, and outstanding scholarshavelitbeaconstoorientatethefurtherdevelopmentofhomosapiens.Themagicwordsatthetimeofquovadiswerepanemetcircenses,breadandplay,entertainmentinsteadofcreation,thenarcosisofconsumerisminsteadofdevelopmentof consciousnessand spiritual freedom;quantity insteadofquality. These factors inevitably lead to disease, suffering, guilt anddepression as states that have to be furthered and maintained by everypossiblemeanstopreventusliberatingourselvesfromdependenceuponthesystem.
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Illusion ispraisedasreality, consumergoodsso temptandenticeuswiththeir availability that we set them on an equal with freedom. Disease isoffered for sale with medical insurance cards in appalling advertisements.And suffering is part of the status symbol of a society that threatens todevelop fromhomosapiensto“HOMOSIEMENS”(theGermanproducerofhigh technologygoods).Frombeingan intellectual,divine species,wehavebecomeacollectionofpuppetsmanipulatedbyhighperformancetechnique,ouroriginaltaskanddestinyhiddenbehindamask. Diseaseandsufferingaredisturbancesofbalance,andrevealthemselvesphysically,psychicallyorintellectually.Ourgrowingignorance-informationisdiametricallyopposedtoknowledge-makesourapproachtotheoriginofpermanent health extremely difficult. On one hand the varied healing andtherapeutical systems, orthodoxmedicine, natural healing, and eastern andspiritualmethodsaimtorestoreourtotalhealth,whereasontheotherhand,arestitutioadintegrumisasgoodasimpossibleaslongaswedonotfixourgazefirstandforemostonahigherorder.We live in a world of seemingly irreconcilable opposites that constantlydistanceusfromtheexperienceofabsolutereality.Diseaseandhealtharenomoreoppositesthanlifeanddeath.Forcenturiesourworld,shapedbytheoccidentandwitharegrettablyfatallinearthinkingandfeelingstructure,hasperceiveddeathastheoppositeoflife.Inouruseoflanguagewespeakoflifeanddeath,butatthesametimeweaimandfixourpaththroughlifeupondeathandwhatweimagineittobelike.Fullofillusionsandspeculationswemovealongafalsepath,bearingtheheavy burden of past and future projections, unable to shake it off ourbacks.Clevermaintainersofpowerinpolitics,business,thechurchandotherareasof influence -and increasinglyesotericmarketers - takeadvantageofthe illusory realmofour ignorance (Sanskrit:Maya= illusion,Avidya =ignorance) so that although we are created in the image of God, we areprevented fromentering theHeavenlyParadise that canbe foundhereonearth.Re-thinking and a change in attitude are the necessary prerequisites for afinalescapefromthejungleoftemptationsandillusions.BirthandDeatharethepolaricpairofoppositesaroundwhichourliferevolves.Wefindourselvesinanendlessstateoftensionbetweendyingandbeingre-bornateverymomentofourlives.Theprocessiseternal,
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withoutbeginning,withoutend.Wecall thiswondrousprocesseternal life,andit isnot limitedbybirthordeath.Allspeculationandhopesof lifeafterdeathmeanthateithercon-sciouslyoroutofignorance,werefusetoseizeholdoflife,hereandnow,beyondthepast,beyondthefuture.Ifthetraditionsofwisdominourgreatreligionsarenottrulyproclaimedandmadeavailable tousasabasis for life, inwhich theworldof experience isessentiallyconcernedwithcarpediem,hicetnunc,thehereandnow,man,yearning for Paradise, falls into the vortex of dangerous dependencestructureswhosenatureisdemonic.Life always embracesbothbirth anddeath at the same time; andlife itself isvirtually the thirdessentialdimension that transcendsthe duality, overcomes the world of the opposites, and makes itpossible for us to realize heaven on earth, transforming fear andhopelessnessintoblissfulexperience.That is why what isnecessary, that is, the way and direction changed bynecessity,meansthatwehavetocontinuemovingthroughlifebydevelopingconsciousness and the greatest attention. Life runs cyclically, and not in alinearlyselectiveorfinalway,andcanonlybeexperiencedinallitsfullnessinthepresentmoment(see:John10,10).AlthoughtheDivineLight,thisParadisesurroundingus,isconstantlyatourdisposal, disease, war, destruction, sorrow, pain and guilt are our dailycompanions along the way. The Prologue to John's Gospel (John 1, 5)expressesoursituation,thusdistancedfromGOD:"TheLightshinesinthedarkness,andthedarknesshasnotovercomeit”.Butifweputamatchtothesmallestofcandlesinthegreatestdarknessandgloamingsurroundingus,wesuddenlyhavelight.Wecannotcomplainthataroomwithdirtywindowsisdark.Cleaningthewindowsmeansthatthelight,thatisalwaysthere,canenterourroomagain.Eachoneofusiscalledupontoactandtoreflect,andthismeansthatwehavetochangedirection.Diseaseandsufferingaresignsuponourwaythatcanorientateus towardsa lifeof spiritual freedom andblessed contentment.Orientation means looking eastwardwhere the sun rises, fromwhere thelight comes. (Ex oriente lux). But we live in an occidentalized Western
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World,whereformany,sunsetseemstobemoresignificantthansunrise.Itistime we re-read Oswald Spengler's visionary book “The Decline of theWesternWorld”.Wesooftenusethewordorientationanditwouldbewelltoreflectuponitsdeepermeaningasitisthesameinsomanylanguages.InEnglishtherearethreewordsfordisease:
illness,sickness,diseaseThe latter ismost frequentlyused today.Theword "sick" is etymologicallyrelated to the German “Seuche” (pestilence or contagious disease). InNorwegianwe find theword“sykehus” (German:Seuchenhaus =houseofcontagious diseases).Words of this nature have a profound effect on theunconscious.In present day German the emphasis is laid upon illness (Krankheit,Krankenanstalt,Krankenhaus)indescribingillnessorbuildingswherehealthis restored; and unfortunately too little upon Hospital = hospitableaccommodation (Latin:hospes=host). All thewords likehotel, hospital,hospicederivefromthisroot,whichiswarmandloving.Whentaken literally, theEnglishword“dis-ease”meansnon-easeorease-less, “Nicht-Leichtigkeit” in German, that is, heavy. Being sick is beingdiseasy. It isour task tocomeoutof thestateofpainfulheaviness into thelight thatallholyscripturesspeakabout;and tobecome light. Interestinglyenough, English uses the same word “light” for Licht (light) and leicht(easy).Paradoxically, our education and school system is built up on grades ofdifficulty,sothatthewaytoperfectionleadsupaladderofdifficultiesandheaviness, to the distress of the person involved. It is the path to animaginaryplaneofthehighestorder,whereneitherlightnoreasearefound.We have raped and abused the beauty and profundity of our languages sothatwehavebecomeprisonersintheTowerofBabel,wherethesignificanceofGOD`swordanditsmanifoldformsofexpressionarenolongerfamiliar.Intheendthestateofdisease(non-ease)isdelusionandignorance.Naturally this opens the way to big business; many large concerns andbusinessgroupsprofitfromit.Herewe have to raise the time-honored question of the element of fate indisease, suffering and unhappiness. According to some pseudo-intellectualhealers,diseaseorunhappinesscanbeself-determined,but this is tooeasyandsuperficialaview,andithasseldombeensubstantiated.
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Disease, unhappiness and suffering cannot be explained away byexchangingorsubstitutingtheirpolaricmanifestationintotheiropposites;otherwisewewouldbeheldfast indualityandcontrast.Theycanonlybeexplained by overcoming bipolarity; and this is the Path to Paradise,whereGOD`spresenceiseffectiveandbeyondtheoppositesofsubjectandobject,rightandwrong,goodandevil,positiveandnegative.Lifeisfulfilledinitsentiretyandbeneficialityinundividedbeing.Personally,forthisreasonIrejectthetendencytowardsthePositive;thetrapofillusionhiddeninthisattitudeissogreatthatithasbroughtaboutthe
downfallofmanypeople.Abatterycanonlyfunctionthroughtheinter-actionofnegativeandpositivepoles,andbyovercomingtheseopposites,itcreates
ENERGY=LIFE.JesusChrist,formanythemodelofspiritualhealing,oftenhealedthesickindirectly,inthathehealedthenextofkinandtheirenvironment.Thepersonaffectedbydisease,sufferingorunhappinessisnotalwaysalone,butthereisnoplaceheretorepresenttheguiltofothers.Disease,unhappinessandworldpollutionarealwaysbothan individualaswellasacollectivephenomenon.Todayweliveinanever-tighteningwebofrelationshipswithallhumankindonthisplanet.John'sGospel(17,21),sayscategorically....”thattheymayallbe one”. This heartfelt wish refers to all human beings, all races and allreligionswithoutexception.ItisnotconfinedorreservedonlyforChristians.Inordertofreeourselvesfromtheprisonofthesediversediseases,therapy(whichmeansaccompanyingalongthepath)isofprimeimportance.Leicht&Lichtigkeit- light - leadto life, toa lastingstateofwell-being.Wemustgivewordsbacktheiroriginalmeaningsothatwecanlivemeaningfully.Slogans,thecurrentwordsusedinasupposedlymoderncultureofcommu-nication,kill.Infacttheyaredangerous,andoftenmerelyarousefear.Wejusthave to think of thewordCANCER. In a tragicway, the addictive accumu-lation of information, facts and dates bars us from deep wisdom and theactualmysteryoflife.Wisdom is the expression of greatest joy in the senses and taste(Lat. sapere = to taste; sapientia = good taste, wisdom; Greek:sophia) and it has been nauseatinglymanipulated in a culturallydeprivedCoco-Cola&MacDonaldSociety.People should not allow themselves to be played with like undignifiedmarionettesbymultinationalswhoseonlyinterestisprofit.Theyhavebuiltabiggamblingcasinoandtheypermittheirreductiontoananimalniveau.
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Liberationandchange(Greek:metanoia)arethewayhometoParadise.Buthere we have need of conscious and responsible therapists who can betrusted to lead and accompany those who suffer because they themselveshavebeenthroughanacuteexperience.Thehealthy,sanepersonmustcometotheforegroundofourconsciousness-andthisisalongandburdensomeprocessoftransformation.Oureconomicand social system in this industrial society, marked by affluence and theterrorofmaterialism,offersnochanceofsurvival.Sickandsufferingpeoplein the so-called “ThirdWorld” smile a lot, and are often happier in them-selvesthanourcompatriots,whosedailylivesaresodrivenandledastraybytheir desires and fantasies that they havemissedwhat is essential in theirdivinedestiny.Disease,howevertragicitmayseem,alsomeansbeingsepara-ted fromDivine Paradise. But where the spirit is alive, bodily or psychicdysfunctions can have no effect upon the feeling of heavenly bliss. Butbecauseweplacethedualityofbodyandsoulsomuchintheforegroundofourvariousmethodsoftreatment,spiritualunfoldinghasbeengrantedlittleroomandsignificance.Instead of physio - (Greek: physis = nature) and psycho (Gr:psyche = soul) in the future I want to use the term pneumatherapists(Greek:pneuma=spirit,wind,thebreathofGod).The Trinity of Body, Soul and Spirit (the whole cosmos is a trinitariannetwork of relationships: in Sanskrit: Sat-Chit-Ananda = Being,Consciousness,Bliss;Birth,DeathandLife)willbecomethefieldofactivityinhealthresearchandtherapy.Untilnowtreatmenthasbeenpsychosomatic(treatment of body and soul), but it has been superseded by a growingknowledgeoftheconceptoftheTrinity.Healthisareasonforjoyandthankfulness.InEnglish,alanguagewehavereferredtoalready,theGermanwordgesundhas two meanings - healthy and sound. The English for “eine gesundeNatur”is“asoundnature”.SoundalsomeansKlangandTon(soundandtone).Sobeinghealthydevelopsintoasoundortonephenomenon,andthisalso means to swing, vibrate, radiate. Tone becomes Tonus = tension orpitch,moodortuning. Justasamusical instrumentneedstobewelltunedandconstantlyregulated,soourbodiesrequiretuningandregulation.Falsetensionleadstoalackofequilibrium,anunhealthyimbalanceinbodyorsoul.Highbloodpressure(hypertonia=toomuchtension)isjustasunbeneficialas hypotonia, low blood pressure. These extreme conditions of mood or
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tension(depressionoreuphoria; “uponeminuteanddownthenext”)areexpressionsofdis-equilibrium,ofafeelingofimbalance,andpreventastateofease.The permanently goodmood (eutonia=well tuned, equal tension) is theareaoflifewhereharmony,concord,andfinallyhealth,areathome.Tensionormoodbalance isadynamicequilibriumthatisfundamentallyinfluencedbyourbreathing,andthisisaspiritualactivity.Weourselvestuneourdivineinstrument,ourbody.Breathingisaspiritualprocess,necessaryforsustaininglife;takingairinissimply a physiological process, subordinate to the divine act of breathing.Lackofknowledgemakesmostpeopleconfusebreathing=inspiration,withbreathingin=inhalation.TheGermanwordAtem(breath)hasitsrootsinthe Indian Sanskrit wordAtma = spirit. We have all heard ofMahatmaGandhi;MahaAtmameansGreatSpirit.And so breathing is living spirituality, the eternal link with thespiritoftheuniverse.Wehaveleftthecleaningofourwindows,therestoringofourbodies'healthtoothers,andaresurprisedhowheteronomous(subjecttoexternallaw)wehavebecome-inatragicway.Thehumanbodyisnowarewardingobjecttoberepaired,withafascinating“ersatz”-potential.Humanmedicinehasgivenwaytoamonstroustechno-medicine.Manhasbeenrobbedofhisdivinegod-like dignity, and abandons himself unconditionally and helplessly to theinfluential play of power in industry; highly technical medicine, pharma-ceuticalmultis and foodstuffsmanufactured by tycoons. And these have tokeeptheireyesfocusedonandcultivatethecontinuedexistenceandgrowthofdisease. Paradoxically, a flourishing economy isdependenton an increa-singlysickor latentlyunstablepopulation -untilwecantakearadicalsteptowardschange.Wedonotfindtheworstcasesofpathologicalschizophreniainpsychiatricclinics-theysitaroundthecabinettablesofourpoliticians.IftheMinisterofHealthwantstostartcampaignsagainstalcoholandnicotine-anditisrightthatheshoulddoso-heneedsthesupportoftheMinisterofFinance.Butthelatterisdependantonhightaxgainedfromspiritsandtobacco,andreliesondrinkersandsmokerssothathecansupporttheMinisterofHealthinhisbattleagainst theMinisterofFinance'sownfaithfulentourage. Thissortofmega-schizophreniaisfoundinmanyareasofoursociety,whichhasfallenunconsciously into a soporific state, brought about by the vast number ofconsumer goods at its disposal -mouth-watering foodstuffs that no longer
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nourish, the media's flood, dubious religious groups and sects with theirmisleadingpromisesofhealing.In order to crawl out of this deluded and nauseating maze, we need“connaissance”(inFrenchthismeansknowledgeorrecognition).Yetagainwehavecomeacrossa fascinatingconceptandmust try to thinkof it in itsoriginalmeaning.Literallyitmeans“birthincommon,tobeborntogether”.Theprocessoftransformation,whichisemergingeverywhere,becomesare-birth of humankind;we shall all grow together and become one. If thesenseless accumulation of information in science and knowledge could betrans-formed,ifthedualityofbirthanddeathcouldbeovercomebyasecureexperienceofeternallife,ifthepainfulseparationfromtheDivineParadiseisnotputoffuntil tomorrow, thedayafter tomorroworeven later,diseasewouldloseitssociallyrelevantstatus,andallofuswouldbeabletoscaletheladderoflightonourwaythroughlife.So all humankind would become “Connoisseurs”; those who know, whorecognize,whoareunitedandreconciledinacollectivebirthtotheoriginalbasisofnature.Andweareallcalledtousemoreourheartsthanourbrains.
HEARTHEARt–hEARt–HeART
LearningbyHeart-TheArtofListeningThewordheartcontainsthreeremarkablewords:tohear,earandart.Itis fascinating todiscover thatto learnalsocontains thewordear. In thisworld ofmisleading images, of television, of projections toomany peoplehave lost the art of hearing, of using their ears.We are exposed to braintrainings, computer-like storages of data rather than learning by heart,memorizingessentialthingsoflifeinourinmostcenter.Inordertocommunicateatadeeperlevelwithothersweneedacommon,aglobalshift indirectingour livestowardsthegroundofbeing.Thiswouldbe a substantial conversion, which is not a change fromChristianity toBuddhismorsomethingalikebutaconcertedactionofeveryonefocusingon the same goal. Conversion stems from Latin: convertere = turning tosomethingincommon.The world must realize that the hearts of all sentient beings are to behealed;aprocessofhealingintowholenessandholiness.Allthesacredscripturesemphasizetheimportanceoflistening.Ifweundergo thenecessaryconversionprocessourheartswillbehealedbyaprofoundanddeeplistening.
