Buddhism And Dinosaurs
As long as there are only two explanations for life on earth, there will be conflict. Controlled opposition that promotes beliefs causes more problems, and is used to distract, ensuring that people do not think too deeply. As Lenin said, “The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves.”
If you ever wondered whether there was another possibility other than creationism (God create us) and evolutionism (we evolved out of the swamp), the following view may be worth considering.
Nature works in its own way – it always has. In an infinite universe, life didn’t start with this planet, as nature is eternal. The physical universe works its own magic, as conditions arise from previous conditions and life adapts. The destruction of one system is the energy for another. When conditions are right, sentience is attracted. The universe is full of sentient beings; even on Earth, with 7 billion people, it is unimaginable how many other sentient creatures are here. The universe is a big place, but the code to life is very simple.
The code to remember is:
Consciousness never changes.
Everything else does.
And how does evolution take place?
Consciousness never changes, but it clarifies.
Through our propensity (our karmic make up) consciousness (for that is what we are) is attracted to this or that. All the while, consciousness is one eternal continuity that has never changed throughout our life.
When the body wears out, consciousness continues with a store of karmic potential. This is the blueprint, and consciousness takes on another body with latent tendencies.
Consciousness is animate nature which instills or gives inspiration to life, and manifests in the right conditions. As we are unenlightened, we merely go round in cycles and experience birth and death. That is nature – it works like clockwork.
On Earth, primitive consciousness was attracted to primitive micro-organisms 3-4 billion years ago. For these to thrive, there must have been consciousness of some sort. Through attraction, consciousness evolved, over time, into specific forms such as cold-blooded reptiles, and if food was was plentiful, larger reptiles developed, which led to dinosaurs.
Nature came into play, making way – around 252 million years ago – for warm-blooded creatures that attracted an appropriate consciousness.
Gradually, humans evolved, ready for the journey to enlightenment. Looking around, however, we are not all the same sort of humans, as some of us are still very aggressive 😀 while others ponder the meaning of life. In these ways, we evolve to higher realms.
We are born with certain traits – where did these come from? If consciousness leaves the body, it stands to reason that it can enter a body (some say at conception).
We don’t have to accept this whole scenario, but just consider it. It may answer the question of the meaning to life for some, but not for everyone.
There’s a bit of a dinosaur in us all 🙂 It’s called ‘reptilian’ or primitive brain – fight, flight and freeze.
This is merely nature at work:
we desire, fear, and are indifferent.
The wise know the essence of these negative responses to be wisdoms.
There is no higher evolution than enlightenment.
The alternative is that we continue squabbling, while on autopilot.
😀
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. In this way, Dzogchen is practical - no bells and whistles required. 
Hinges on aspects of quantum psychology
Subtler and subtler…!
Interesting. I arose out the weave of the universe and will return to the weave. I cannot “know” the future, nor can I “know” eternal continuity. What often happens is that I start owning “Belief’s” and fail to recognize them for what they are, beliefs. Beliefs are no more real than any other conjectures, and for me “thought” is not reality, only ABOUT reality. Thanks for this post. I enjoyed reading. Take care of you, my friend.
Hello Bryan,
Yes, that which sees this non-reality is the reality.
Tony
For me nothing is seeing from a separation. (There’s no “that.”) There is no separation, only the weave, I can’t examine the weave, that’s a story, I am the weave. If there is a doer doing, there is duality, a separation, and a separate self. I’m Looking forward to your future posts! Take care.
Fascinating. If there is no separate self and no permanent self, there is no seat of consciousness except a temporary fleeting glimpse when attention is directed in these moments. However, I possess a perspective that indicates sensing and engaging from the same system, and that perspective is the baseline for ego, that sense of self. I often question the separate self’s input; how do I know when I’m telling myself a story? I did so most of my life without a clue. Take care my friend, thanks for this.
Hello Bryan,
Appearances and recognition are simultaneous by virtue of consciousness. It is consciousness that sees the story of a karmic self.
We are consciousness pure and simple. Consciousness cannot be found as we are what we seek.
Tony
So, you are placing “consciousness” outside of the universal transient state. Consciousness can only be of something, a duality. Interesting. All the different beliefs about something that only exist as a concepts and belief’s as in “We are consciousness.” That’s a belief, Belief’s aren’t real. Beliefs are stories about what we want to be real. But we all believe what we want to believe anyway. Take care, Bryan
Hello Bryan,
From a Buddhist point of view that which sees the machinations in the mind and the transient universe is called consciousness, or the spirit of awareness. In meditation we realise this truth.
When consciousness identifies and relates to ideas and the physical world that is called relative truth. That relating is the duality. When consciousness holds onto concepts, those concepts are beliefs from an absolute point of view.
On an ordinary level we believe in stories, and yes, want them to be real.
In deeper meditation, consciousness look in on itself and finds nothing else, that is pure consciousness of non-duality. In Buddhism it is called emptiness, but still cognisant.
We each have to come to some conclusion to what is real (constant) and what is not (impermanent).
There are many paths, but they all arrive at pure consciousness, that goes by many names.
All is revealed in meditation.
Tony
If something labeled “consciousness” holds onto a belief, it’s another way of saying consciousness is paying attention to a belief. Beliefs are not reality, they too are a mental construct.
Then from a Buddhist perspective we find types of consciousness. For me consciousness what is in attention. I often use the phrase from Cheri Huber, “The quality of your life depends entirely on the focus of your attention.”
Truth is a word that denotes permanency, nothing, in my experience, is permanent, anything I can conceive of will be relative.
Thanks for the dialogue. Fascinating.
More will be revealed.
Bryan