Being a Generalized Mystic

OK so let's see here.

Oh.

How I went from?

Being a monk to a non Buddhist.

Uh.

And how I work through my various issues on the cushion who gave me this question at which issues where you think he hoped that could be several Dharma talks.

Pick one well now that's interesting we had, we have these.

We have these teachers meetings where the Western Buddhist teachers, meaning the People teaching Buddhism in the West right. But that nothing to do with your ethnic origin, so called Western Buddhist teachers. We have these periodic meetings next. One is going to be in 2 years in 2015.

And.

In the past, it's been 200 two 150. It's probably going to be twice as big next time it's awesome. These are all full time teachers.

So we have this we have this.

Meeting as we do from time to time.

And they took us through an interesting process.

Called crossing the line.

Anybody here know what this is.

I see only like 2 or 3 People that's interesting I had never seen it.

I don't know what is its origin?

It's I mean?

I don't know what? What would you even call it? It's

And empathy builder.

So what they do is you got this huge group of People.

And they put a line in the middle of the room.

And then they?

Everybody is on like one side of the room.

And then they call out.

Different.

Ways that People could be characterized.

A wide range in fact, the whole range OK.

Of things now this is I should say is.

Done with like this huge confidentiality.

Agreement thing OK.

Everybody knows that nothing is going to be revealed you know it's like never to leave this room.

And then People are safe to reveal who they really are.

Within that group.

Assuming they feel their safe enough to do that.

And People start doing that and so it's everything it's.

You know your how you think of yourself ethnically.

It's how you think about yourself sexually.

It's

You name it.

Have you ever been arrested.

I was one of the few that costs were many of the Buddhist teachers. That actually been arrested about that was sort of cool.

Let's see.

Well, you know.

Are you of Jewish origin while I was like absolutely?

And we meet Jack and Joseph all ended up of course, like we just crossed at the same place that we also to hard. ***** Alta Cocker Jewish teachers like this point, so anyway, but it was also things like.

Who believes in Reincarnation?

Well, not everyone cross the line.

Um, who considers themself a Buddhist.

Well, the great majority crossed the line.

But I didn't.

And I looked around, and I saw a couple of other People, you can probably guess who they were like no way am I going to reveal any day, if you know anything about who writes books about what you won't have too much difficulty, figuring out who was left back there with me because I couldn't really.

Say that I'm religiously a Buddhist.

Or identify myself that way.

Then.

How would I identify myself well actually we we went through it yesterday?

I'm generalized Mystic.

With a scientific mentality.

However.

Absolutely.

And hands down.

The biggest influence on me is from to his tradition. There's no doubt about that.

Why? Because I look upon the historical Buddha as the 1st and greatest mistake?

To attempt to have something like a scientific mentality to sort of say that Hey.

Mysticism doesn't have to be covered in mist that it could be logic and evidence base I mean. He obviously wouldn't use those words make puns in English, you get the general idea.

He he was scientist like.

And it was.

Not an animal on it was core to what he did.

So to me that's the model.

Um.

However, a Buddhist.

Is someone that follows the Buddhist religion? Which has all sorts of Gredos and all sorts of customs?

And.

Uh I wouldn't really put myself in that category.

I can think of at least 3 things that are pretty prevalent in the.

In Buddhism that to me do not seem to be evidence based.

Uh.

Then I've talked about that on occasion and so forth so don't need to belabor that but I would say you know.

I am certainly profoundly influenced more than any human on this planet. I'm influenced by the historical boot up.

And I just think that it's the job of.

Us too.

Build on what he discovered.

So.

Anyway, that's so.

But I wouldn't say I'm a non Buddhist OK. I'm just not say I'm a Buddhist I would say that.

Well, the.

There was once a Sufi Master.

Who said I'm in agreement with one hundred conflicting theologists I agree with everyone in these 100 conflicting schools of Islamic interpretation.

So.

I think that's how I would characterize myself, I am comfortable in anybody's church.

Uh I mean, really Catholic Protestant.

Muslim Christian Buitres doesn't make any difference it, it all seems the same to me.

I I I don't see the surface, I see the death.

Uh.

So anyway, there's that.