Ongoing (original) Poetry, Essays, Prose, and Short Stories relating to Perennial Philosophy, Indigenous Philosophy and Sacred Atheism.
Copyright: Francisco Luis Gonzalez 2024
What is the meaning of life?
An extraordinary phrase that retains its potency forever. This is because it has been the implicit question since the birth of inquiry in the primitive consciousness, where tongues were freed from the confines of evolution. It stands as the foundational phrase of all questioning, embodying every longing and fear; a principal axiom from a solitary universe - bequeathed to myriad realms of thinking beings, who, throughout the ages wrestle with it, and have equipped and sent forth vast legions of wise men to seek its resolution.
Yet, the answer remains elusive.
It is rumored that occasionally, a philosopher would uncover the answer but was too terrified to disclose it. Others, constrained by the era's tribulations, carried the secret to their graves, unspoken. Truth appeared to be a privilege of the influential few. And while they posed the paramount question, many shut their ears when the answer was presented on a gilded covered tray. "Do not open it!" the monarch's cry. "Leave it on our stately tables and depart the chamber!" Only the boldest sovereigns dared to lift the lid and gaze upon it. Invariably, they withdrew to their quarters with a heavy, forlorn face. Some tore their regal attires from top to bottom and forsake the halls of power.
They were the wise ones.
A young prince from earth did precisely that - he left behind the opulent comforts of his life to settle among the impoverished of his empire. He never disclosed what he had found. Instead, he advised his followers to rest beneath majestic trees and reflect on the lives of the lonely and the infirmed; to gaze at the towering heights of the tree canopies and observe the plentiful birds living freely and without worry. Truth, he proclaimed, is a jealous lover, with the ability to bestow happiness upon those she favors - to her alone you must pledge allegiance and endure any trials and injustices that arise. She never forsakes those she loves and holds near: She is forever wise and beautiful.
"Is she the meaning of life?" asked a disciple. "No," said the prince, "she is the delightful door by which you must enter, to find your answer, alone."
Tell me about death and rebirth?
Your body is a derelict boat seen from the vantage point of the life-raft where you lay battered from trying to save it, and yourself. Regaining your senses, you remember putting the most important mementos of your life in a box, as all else is quickly perishing beneath the waves. You find yourself adrift and wonder where the easterly winds will bring you. The distance and location of your landfall has been determined by the objects you placed in your salvage box - photos of your family, a medal, a notebook filled with business notes, a pocket watch, a sketch from your daughter when she was four, a gold ring.
The sea is kind; it provides rain for you to collect and drink, and winged fish that leap and give themselves to you. After a month, the waterlogged box and its contents have disintegrated, spilling its contents overboard: You no longer know who you are! But the sea, who swallowed your life, remembers, and is more than willing to give it all back.
Don't hate the sea, it is like you, it has a life with trials and tempests.
On the raft, its sloppy kisses are those of a mother, rocking you in the bosom of her longing. She gave you up many eons ago when you were crawling out from her, a guppy with stubby legs. Her blood is your blood, sugar and salt, bitter and sweet. She will labor to find you a beautiful island where you will be happy, marry, have children, excel at sports, and build a new, larger sailboat. She will do this because you are her only son, and a mother's love is infinite. And when you're old, sailing your last dream, she'll swallow you up again, and rescue you again, and bring you to yet another shore.
Don't hate the sea, it is like you, it has a life with trials and tempests.
Show me the meaning of salvation?
Would you take someone's answer but neglect your own? Even if I told you, you need confirmation from your heart. How do you know what you're looking for? To search for an answer, one must know the question.
"I was told what I must d0 - that I have no time - that to delay is a fool's gambit."
Why? Why the hurry?
"I am afraid of hell, afraid of never escaping it - I must not die in my sin!"
Life is inescapable; you are already in a place from which you cannot escape. The issue is the quality of eternity: Make hell your heaven.
I don't understand what you are telling me. Jesus is the way to heaven - and I need to call on him to be saved.
If he is good, wise and powerful as you imply, then call him.
"I have called, but I have doubts; friends say I am holding on to sin - please help me find my sin!
No one can approach that which he fears. When a person is in the midst of a sacred struggle, no one can touch him; the rescuer himself is in danger of being dragged in and drowned.
"Jesus save me! Save me from hell!"
You're paralyzed and afraid because of something that does not exist; others like you have convinced you this is real. If a father is knowledgeable on such things, and sees his son drowning, he will not listen to his son's screams but wait for his silence, only then will he jump into the water to save him, and in the case of God, who is incapable of fear, or of drowning, your salvation is in knowing that he understood and stood by you in your hour of dread; your morning light comes after your darkest night - there is no greater love than to share the darkness with a friend in order to lead him to the safety of the light.
Is time travel possible?
How will the world end?
Why does evil exist?
Can mental illness be cured?
Why is the natural world beautiful?
Do soulmates exist?
Where does love come from?
Is there a soul?
Are animals sentient?
What happens when we die?
Does my life matter?
Are there angels and demons?
Is music important?
Should I meditate?
Please define what sin is?
What to do with regret?
Explain sociopathy & psychopathy?
Is there a final judgement?
Will Jesus return in the clouds?
Who was Maitrayee?
How big is the universe?
Tell me more about reincarnation?
Why can't I fully embrace the sick and deformed?
Is there healing outside medical practices?
Are alien abductions real?
Is a nuclear war imminent?
How can I attain enlightenment?
Can I talk to my dead mother?
Define Consciousness?
Explain karma to me?