Human Nature Scott Shaw

Human Nature

Scott Shaw

As human beings we each have a very specific set of emotions and desires. These emotions and desires spread out across the entire human race. We each hope to be happy, (not sad), safe, secure, protected, well-fed, (not hungry), intellectually and artistically stimulated, fulfilled, and supported by people we love and who love us. Though there are many more attributes that could be added to this list, these are the basic ones that can be used to define us as human beings. In association with these generalized parameters, each individual lives a life that is acutely focused upon one of more of these factors.

When one enters the spiritual path they are continually told that if one is to be truly spiritual they must leave behind all of the trapping of the human mind and body and enter into a space above and beyond all of the factors that define human existence. It must be understood, however, that each religion and each philosophic school of thought has their own set of parameters about which of the above defined human conditions are acceptable and which ones must be shunned. The problem with this whole negating philosophy is, however, that it sets one apart from the natural progression of human life and removes one from what actually defines us a human beings.

The response that is made by many religious pundits when presented with this fact is, "But this is what the spiritual path is all about. The truly spiritual person is not defined by the constraints of human definition and, therefore, need not be bound by these or any other human factors."

But, it must be understood that if that were the case, these primary human emotions and desires would not be the defining factors of the entire species. Therefore, for all of the various schools of religious thought to teach the practice of renunciation is, in fact, against the essence of humanity. Furthermore, if what these ascetic sects taught were elementally valid, than they would all be teaching the same philosophy. But, this not the case. They each have a different set of teachings with a different set of foundational logic for what they teach their members to overcome and leave behind. In fact, throughout the history of humanity, there has been no one emotion or desire that has been universally rejected. Each society and each culture, throughout time, has laid down their own set of definitions for appropriate human and spiritual behavior. Even at this specific juncture of time, how many churches, religious sects, and philosophies propagate vastly different philosophies?

This being stated, virtually anyone who walks the spiritual path is programmed to hold onto the belief that to be more, better, or more holy, that they must reject all things human and leave behind all emotion and desire. From this, every time a person on the spiritual path has a desire for love, for sex, for a better life, or whatever, they instantly believe that they are somehow less holy than their teacher, their guru, or some saint who lived a thousand years ago. But, at the true heart of spirituality this is all nonsense.

Fierce Grace
One of the great things about this modern age of the internet is that you can watch movies on your computer. Recently I was watching the film they made about Ram Dass soon after he had suffered his stroke. At the beginning of the movie he discusses, when he was experiencing the stroke, they took him to the hospitable and he felt nothing spiritual. He stated in essence, "There I was, Mr. Spiritual and there was nothing. It made me realize I still had some work to do."

My first thought to this scene and statement sent me back to my teenage years, when one of close spiritual friends and I actually sat around discussing and questioned the true spirituality of Ram Dass. This was when he and western spiritual was at its height in the mid 1970s. As Rolling Stone magazine put it, he was, "Riding the Holyman Circuit." For a moment, my mind said, "I thought so…"

As the documentary progress, Ram Dass is talking to an audience from his wheelchair and he is running pray beads through his fingers. My mind thought, "What a poser…"

The movie progresses further and it goes to archival footage when Ram Dass had first returned from India and was hosting a large numbers of people at his father's estate. It was almost as if I had forgotten how beautiful this period of time was. When spirituality was blooming. Everybody had long hair, didn't shave, and was truly attempting to embrace the spiritual essence of life. It was a truly glorious period of time. Love was in the air and the possibilities were endless.

There, at the center of this scene, was Ram Dass, walking around with his all-knowing persona -- having taken acid for years and having return from India with a new knowledge. He was the center of it. He was the center of the birth of the teachings. He was the vehicle.

Yes, the affluence he had grown up within allowed him to walk the life path he had chartered. But, this was simply his karma and he made the most of what he was given. Think about how many other people have grown up with affluence and have done nothing with their lives but fulfill their own momentary desires. This was and is not the case with Ram Dass.

Spirituality
Spirituality always came easy for me. I guess that was just my karma. We each have our own karma or destiny and it is our choice what we do with it. I was always able to instantly embrace the spiritual and to see the spiritual in what appeared to be just the opposite. And, from the moment I heard the Zen Buddhist philosophy that we are ALL already enlightened, we just have to realize it, I immediately comprehended this ideology. So, when someone questions their own spirituality, their own enlightenment, or holds onto the belief that they have more spiritual work to do, it sets a different set of thoughts off in my mind, than may be experiences by another person who simply accepts what the individual who is speaking has to say.

In any case, for Ram Dass to question his spirituality is simply mind-stuff. And, we each have our own set of mind-stuff. That is simply his. Why does he need more work? Look at what he unleashed. He helped to usher in a mindset that positively changed the world forever. And though, in many ways, the patterns of the world have shifted away from the essence he brought from India, that is just the nature of life and society. But, it does not diminish what he achieved.

Humanity is a desire driven species. For some of us, our desire was and is to spread the essence of spirituality. And, for a time in our recent history, it was embraced. But then, the masses were guided down another road. And, this is just the way it is. Life changes, society changes… But, for those of us who lived through that period of time, the essence will never be forgotten.

Perhaps in some time in the future, the essential elements of universal spiritually will again be remembered and embraced - a space where whatever religion you are is fine, all that mattered is that we walk together, holding hands, and embracing each other's uniqueness. Hopefully…

The Teacher
Though great sages like J. Krishmurti choose to renounce their path as a formal guru. They none-the-less lived the path of a teacher. This too is the case of Ram Dass.

When you live the path of a teacher, your teachings are out there. What you say becomes public record. And, with this, the masses, (including myself), are allowed to judge, question, and reflect upon your words. Why? Because this is the essence of human nature and it is the curse of the teacher. This is human existence.

Which brings me back to the primary point of this writing. We are Human! No matter how hard we try to fight this fact. No matter how hard we try to transcend the limitations of this factor. No matter how many times we are told that we can ascent to some abstract realm of universal enlightenment and sainthood, we are still human. We are constrained by the factors of human nature. For this reason, we must stop trying to alienate our true nature. We must be who we are - Human.

This is not to say that we should not strive to be more - to be the best that we can be and to help humanity, by and means possible, within the constrains of our society, our culture, and our specific point in history.

What this does mean is that we must reject all of the people who pretend to be all-knowing. Who tell us all of the things we should not do and the things we must do to cause our consciousness to ascend. Why? Because throughout history it has been proven time and time again that the people who claim this all-knowingness have universally be found to be the ones who are simply basing their perceptions upon borrowed knowledge and ego-gratification. And, inevitably they are proven to be the ones who have fallen prey to all things they have condemned.

As I always say, "Let go and be Free. Trust yourself. Hurt no one. Do good things. From this, your life and all of humanity will fall into perfection."

Scott Shaw.com