Ripples

2023, October, Issue 68

We see our actions,

karma emanating

forever;

What is this heartfelt

intention

in

all

these

little ripples

we send out,

throughout

time?

~Robert Aho~

A simple poem created on the shore © 2023.

It may sound overly simple; however, our actions really do make a difference.  When we have positive intentions, those actions create positive results, sometimes great, sometimes small.  When we have harmful intentions, it changes our world in ways that we might regret one day.  This is a very simplistic explanation of karma; however, we can see the truth in this for ourselves.

Sometimes it makes sense to see things in a more simplistic way, even though the complexity of what we do can boggle the mind.  Causes and conditions have been generated in each of our lifetimes.  These are nothing other than ripples sent throughout time and space, creating new worlds, new realities.

Our limited point of view barely scratches the surface of this multidimensional reality that we think we know.  Simple kindness in this vast field of energy should not be underestimated.  When we choose to be kind, even when we don’t feel like it, the ripple-effect makes a big difference, making it possible to have a Spiritual Path, and eventually awaken.

Why is it that so many spiritual masters from all these various religions advocate for the same thing, which is simple kindness?  We sense that they know something important, something timeless and universally true.  We’re certain of it; and, perhaps, this is the reason all these religions were created in the first place.

My root master said that even the Buddha never created a religion.  After he passed away, there were eighteen different types of Buddhism, created by various individuals who heard things slightly differently.  The only thing that they could agree on was that they had heard profound truths, and they would do anything to follow such teachings in order to awaken.

Today, only one of those first schools of Buddhism exists; although, many others have appeared since then.  Buddhism has traveled to many lands, with the outward appearances changing according to each culture, as well as the many different types of students that exist.  One thing that can be agreed upon today, however, is that there are many ways of looking at such amazing teachings and that the core truths remain unchanged.  One such truth is kindness.

We find ourselves in a world that seems to be unraveling, there is no doubt about that.  We have political turmoil, climate disasters, pandemics, war, all sorts of terrible things happening.  I recently, over several weeks, taught a class, The Ethics of Sustainability, at the University of Minnesota Duluth.  I utilized the books, Ecology, Ethics and Interdependence, as well as The Geography of Nowhere.  As part of our discussions, it was determined that all of our problems have been self-induced.  This can and has been proven with well-documented facts. 

Much of what is driving climate change really started in the 1950’s, and it accelerated.  The philosophy of Modernism drove urban sprawl, along with greed and an attitude of really not caring.  By spreading people out, breaking communities apart, requiring people to drive long distances in order to make a living, we created a landscape that became somewhat nihilistic, living only in order to make a buck or two, wasting away what is truly valuable.

By creating these impersonal landscapes, by creating transitory communities, we began to change the climate, largely because this required vast resources, and it contributed to rather catastrophic atmospheric changes.  The people who made these decisions knew that it would not end well for us.  The understanding that adding carbon to the atmosphere would heat things up significantly was not new in 1950, it was simply ignored.

Now, the reason that I mention this is because it has become apparent that we need to evolve.  We need to all become kind.  We all, together, need to start creating positive ripples, thus changing our landscape into something we care deeply about.  If we don’t do this, we simply won’t survive.

When I died, part of the pain that I was talking about, regarding this return to this world and this life, was that I wasn’t sure that humanity had enough sense to stay alive.  I wasn’t sure how to deliver this warning, how to find ways to help people evolve through this light.  It’s a crucial task that we all face.  This idea of starting with Bodhicitta applies to us all, as a matter of survival.  If we don’t have a world like this, then we won’t awaken.  In order to awaken, we need to take care of this life.  We need to bring the light of love and compassion into the world with every breath we take.  It’s not just my efforts. This is what will save the world. 

When we think about each action we take, every breath, the food we eat, when we speak, even our thoughts, it is important to see that all of that complexity is sending out ripples into the universe.  Every action changes our world.  It’s important to not give up, but to realize that this is some real power that you wield.  The power of Bodhicitta will change the world for the better.

Blessings in Light,

Robert Aho