The Myth of Sisyphus

For those mortal there’s birth, life, and death. Sisyphus was not happy. He wanted immortality. As the Supreme Trickster of the realm, Sisyphus tricked Hades, chained him up, and gave man immortality. Nobody on Earth would die with Hades chained up in Hell. War was going to be boring. The Gods were angry.

So, they devised a suitable punishment for him. He was made to push a rock uphill everyday for eternity which rock was enchanted to suddenly roll back down the hill just before reaching the top requiring Sisyphus to repeat the task everyday with no chance of success. Does this sound familiar in your life as you have experienced it? It sure does to me.

By this punishment the Gods are revealing to Sisyphus that immortality for one such as he is useless because his life as he is living it is monotonous without lasting meaning. Death is his friend. He was better off as a mortal. At least his misery had an end.

Looking at it, I see that Sisyphus’s punishment seems grave to us because we have acquired a desire to succeed in our labors. Should he be able to end the sorrow stemming from his failed labors he would thereby be both immortal and happy.  What is required of the Trickster Supreme, then, is to end the source of his suffering, the impossibility of success, and thereby to end his suffering. He can end his suffering. So can you and I. By seeing the fact that he, Sisyphus, is the sorrow he feels the sorrow will fade away and he will be free of suffering and immortal which is what he wanted to begin with. These gods certainly loved Sisyphus. 

It can be seen that as Gods who are always going to do good these Gods actually gave us the answer to life’s riddle without the necessity to trick Hades or anybody else. For any mortal on Earth who sees the futility of a life attached to success and the avoidance of failure there is a revelation that opens a door to freedom from suffering. Whatever one does thereafter will be joyful! Which is better, a temporary success or an eternal life in joy doing only what you really want to do for no hoped for result? Easy answer. But who knows? You may wish to suffer awhile longer.

When there is no longer a reason to strive to find happiness all will be done joyfully, including death, which, if eternal, means only that we will be happy forever. And if death is not eternal, we will be happy forever! That Myth is worth its weight in the gold of real treasure!

Suppose I love making fine shoes. And I make them because I make them and not to succeed in a shoe business. I create a beautiful pair of shoes. And another and so on as long as I am enjoying doing so. Will you, Sir, have need of money to buy shoes when you have such a friend as me? I do not want your money. Have no use for it because of my many friends. And what about all the rest of it? Financial concerns would just be a nuisance. If I love to play the guitar I simply play. Someone will listen and  want to play with me. What is the problem? Is it not obvious the ones who promoted the money game were after power? What is power to me? I am happy forever.

 

These three-birth, life, and death. Birth has happened. In life there is much confusion. At death all confusion ends. Creation is all about a possibility. Can anyone end confusion before dying? If so, what a life! That makes it worthwhile. Can you?

 MESMERIZED

We are mesmerizing ourselves in societal jungles made out of imagination. Possibly they were concocted from a first story told in linear time open to interpretation after interpretation that keep minds busy without noticeable movement to agreement after thousands, perhaps millions, of years. Stories are told and retold and men do not live by them. Men go on killing, lying, cheating, hating, discriminating with no end in sight. Look into it. We claim to govern ourselves and each other by some “normal” or “reasonable” standard upon which there is complete disagreement, and always will be, to the point of death. 

Only that which everybody knows is true. This much we all know: we co-exist in hopeless disarray. Always banking on “someday”. There are feuds based only in a story from numerous quite limited memories told and retold with uncontrolled changes by self-centered idiots to other self-centered idiots which last centuries and longer used to justify genocide. Following every crisis, inevitably, without exception, everybody knows it is only a matter of time until the next. Is that not chaotic? Is it not chaotic enough to move someone to change?

What if we were to agree finally to disassemble life in these separate societies fabricated from nonsense and to live instead on the ground of truth; that being, only what nobody denies. At times of disagreement we talk until we reach that true place where disagreement vanishes.

Case: Cain hates, is threatened by, Abel. The two talk until they find agreement then both go on living on that basis. There is always a common ground upon which both will agree. Invariably, will it be seen the conflict has arisen from a matter that has nothing to do with these two but is driving confusion. I was once punched in the nose by a kid I had been tormenting with words. He could take no more. He struck out. I placed blamed on the kid who hit me for years. Later, I saw clearly I was tormenting that kid in order to gain the approval of an older boy who was listening to my words. I wanted to be admired by that older boy who I was attached to as a hero of mine. It had really nothing to do with whether the kid who struck me was right to do so or wrong. My issue was within myself. It will turn out to be that in every argument. Moreover, I saw that the kid who struck me was being tormented by a strong desire within himself for the approval of the same older boy as was I. That is what we are going to discover if we want to live truly more than we want to continue to fight each other. It is so simple, folks. The cause of every disagreement is within us. No bloodshed is required to discover that and each time we do it the relationship between us will be strengthened and new, lasting friendship developed. A Soviet spy was defended by an American lawyer in an American court and in the process a bond developed between these two strangers from different societies so strong each would lay down his life for the other. Each is to be watched over by the other. How strong is that? See film “Bridge Of Spies” Steven Spielberg.

 To Be Watched Over

It’s an amazing feeling to be watched over. It is a state of mind, not something that can be acquired, possessed, earned or deserved. It dissolves aggression and the fear behind it. Is like a soft wind on the skin and the feeling goes vastly deeper than winning or accomplishing or forcing one’s will on any circumstance and carries no unwanted side effects. Freed from confusion and conflict and worry one is much more intelligent, genuine, and alert and much more effective as a living being. Such people are interesting to behold. Their movements fascinate. They draw you in.

As I see it there are two kinds of humans living here on Earth. One kind has seen as a fact that the observer is the observed and lives from that angle. The other kind thinks himself or herself to be separate from that which it observes and acts on that belief as if it were true. Persons of this second type are easily led to become scientists, physicians, lawyers, judges, politicians, teachers, jailers, wardens, priests, coaches, executives, officers, critics, scholars, librarians and the like. The rest of them become accomplished loafers, artists, and poets as described by Walt Whitman.

Now, whenever any life form is by another form of life (be it animal, vegetable or mineral) seen to be one who knows the observer is the observed that one is immediately accepted into a family, not a word depending upon a definition but a feeling of being watched over, to be watched over. Such a life, knowing itself to be watched over, is going to be seriously unwilling to be labeled at all or to serve anything but the whole of life. Such a way is true religion rather than superstition. 

I tell you many such creatures live among the population now often seen by others to be loafers who cannot be controlled and manipulated. Such ones are definitely not "company men" or "team players".  Seen by the other type as chaotic by their attitude  these watch the waters of chaos growing deeper and deeper around the others yet stay here with them with a life line knowing the observer is the observed. Truly, that is family.

 Ceasing Thinking of Ourselves

Some who think of themselves as religious will say some words like “We lift you on High, Oh Lord”.

They use these words but do not realize that the words were first uttered to mean  “We escape the bondage to thinking to meet with You, Oh Lord of Existence!” 

And, very importantly, we fail to realize to meet with such a One has nothing to do with concentration at all for we are always there. So we become joyous about actually lifting a veil of nothing, A newborn infant is aware. There is no effort to it. In fact, effort will lead to more confusion. 

We are but becoming aware of how we are the intellectual servants of words. By that understanding we awaken as who we are actually. And not by “practice”! We see the absurdity of thinking a “practice” can lead to truth. That error is assignable to the misuse of a brain to figure out a way to become what I am not rather than being a friend to my true nature.

At the beginning sentence above it was written that people “think” they are religious. Such people are slaves of thought which is mechanical. Thought is fine for finding an address to a meeting place but lousy as a boss of living. All such mechanical people are dangerous to children and animals and plants, all living things, including themselves. 

Out beyond right doing and wrong doing is a field where there is no such thing as distraction for there is no such thing as inattention, both mere words. Zero effort is required to be there where by nobody else’s system we playfully live lives of happy, pure, unconditioned  children. The mentioned field lies inside us way, way out beyond all thoughts. There will be found Heaven on Earth. I am not suggesting you think about this matter. That would be crazy! Doubt it! But check it out. Examine into how you use your own mind.

ATTENTION IS ALL THERE IS

Do not think about your God, rather pay attention to your thinking and lie wisely at home in the bosom of your living Lord in complete attention.

Life is sufficient unto Itself.

 

 CAN I BE THE LEGEND OF MY LIFE?

Perhaps the only thing you and I can agree upon without a reservation is the fact we are both alive now. I live as I write. You live as you read this. Do you know how to waste a life? You should. I will tell you. It is to spend it in a practice that is supposed to  lead you to a certain goal or dream of yours. Call it peace or enlightenment or contentment or true love or salvation or total security or a championship or retirement or whatever you like. To do that is to trick yourself out of a life. I listened to some folks talk awhile about the legendary outlaw Billy the Kid. All of them admired the Kid and most were convincing in stating “there was something about him I can relate to in me” but none could say what that was with the slightest degree of certainty. I have studied the Kid’s life and as I listened I felt what in me those people were trying without success to express about him. They ended pretty much all saying “well it’s what a legend is all about and we make a legend of him” then love him, adore him even. What is a legend? It never dies. It lives on and keeps on affecting people long after the death of the person who became the legend. Right? I suggest to you a legend is the truth about who we, you and I, are but deny. Is it not an obvious fact that as long as I deny who I am I cannot claim to be living? Look closely into that. And into the fact that who I am not is living my life. Billy the Kid it is told died quite young but he lived a life however short or long. Measurement or comparison is absolute nonsense here. Did I live? That is the question. 

Mother Teresa, Rumi, Robin Hood are some other legendary names. All religions trace from a legendary figure. Why are we so drawn to a legendary life? If I wasted my own better to worship someone who did not than live with the pain of such denial? Can you hear everyone of those legends we have made saying to us right this minute:  “Do not count on me. Save yourself. I did. The world needs you now!” 

It is about a ceasing, not about practice. Stop saying “I believe in blah, blah, blah.” Ask instead, “Can I cease wasting my life and live it?” It takes a lot of courage to do that. A certain intensity is required.