But I want to debate this particle cube thing...

If you've read Nate's blog, and by this point I'm pretty sure you all have. You will know that he and I attended a speaking event hosted by Dr. Robert Thurman (he teaches at Bone's School). My interest was peaked when I read that the Dustin Hoffman character in I Heart Huckabees (or I Love Hucklebee's, as an anonymous film teacher put it) constantly espoused the theory of inifinity made popular by Dr. Thurman. In other words, the Bernard Jaffe character was sort of based on Thurman. The lecture was titled Buddhism the new enemy of the church, a title about which even Thurman was confused, he was just there to talk about buddhism straight up.

There was so much stuff in there last night, to try to distill it all down to a blog entry would be useless (and from a friendly critique given to me by Gezus, far too much reading) Although, not to get sidetracked here but didn't you, gabe, write an entire nba pre-season out look in your blog, those were kinda long right? Practice what you preach is all I'm saying. And...

Whoop that trick.

Anyway, one of the things that really interested me from last night's talk was this idea of the deconstruction of our identity. Thurman framed it as one of the noble truths of the Buddha, but I forget exactly which one it was. The idea being that we as human beings are absolute in our physical identities. I'm me, that's who I am, and you are you and so on. This kind of thinking however, allows us to partake in the notion that if that is indeed true, and we are so absolute in our one-ness, therefore, by definition, we must be the center of the universe. The problem comes when you think about what are the basic goals for human life, one of them is to be happy. And for a lot of people that happiness only comes by making those around you happy, or when the people you love are happy.

Thurman cited a more speciific example of two people in love, for when a relationship is kicking in high gear you and your partner think the other is the center of the universe, the most important person in the world. What happens next is doubt begins to creep in because of our concrete isolated identities, you begin to think well does he/she really love me the same way I love them. Because in order for you to satisfy your "others" sense of self worth and their own self centered universe, you must sacrifice your own and it is from this dogged pursuit of happiness that suffering is born. The Buddhist ideal is founded in the notion that there is no identity, you are you, but connected to everything that lives, breathes, and dies in this plane of existance. You may not be the center of the universe because you are the universe and therefore your happiness does not depend on a select few feeling a similar state of mind.

I feel like a lot of the time, we are motivated into the me oriented thinking involving own little universes and what not. So, it's actually almost soothing and comforting to think that everything and everyone around you all exist within the confines of infinity, which has no confines! It means the possibilites are endless and a wealth of knowledge about all things awaits you like items piled into a bottomless shopping cart on one of those televised shopping sprees nickelodeon used to show.

Sorry to ramble on, I'm sure I dumbed down whatever fascinating insights Dr. Thurman provided. But check out one of his books, re-watch I heart huckabees (I had to last night after the lecture because it made me giddy in remembering how comicallly alive and curious that film was in exploring the very ideas dr. thurman touched upon) I think it's pretty cool that a movie motivated me to pursuit the quest for more knowledge. Hopefully next time I won't need the movie...

Yoda: Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side.
Anakin: I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda.
Yoda: Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.
Anakin: What must I do, Master Yoda?
Yoda: Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.