Contemplation: Part 2

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SPEAKER_03 0:09

Welcome back, Time Weavers. This is a continuation of the episode A Contemplation, seven passages on spirituality and time. This will be part two, and it's a discussion of different passages in the book A Connoisseur of Time and the chapter called A Contemplation. In this next episode, as you'll hear very shortly, we talk about this particular passage from the Quran, Chapter 103, Al-Azur, it's sometimes interpreted as the even tide. And I'm going to read it before we get into it so you know some context. It actually says in this one interpretation or one translation, again, it's called chapter 103, Al-Asr, the Even Tide. And I am not an expert on Islam and the Quran, so I'm going to translate as I see it here in the book. I swear by the time the evening tide, everyone is in a state of loss, except those who believe and do good and join together in truth, patience, and constancy. There's a number of interpretations here on the Wikipedia site for this particular verse, and I will provide that note for you in the text. One of them is by the declining day, lo, everyone is in a state of loss, save for those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth, and exhort one another to endurance. It's sort of this every everything is in a state of loss except those who help each other find faith. And when you look at the various interpretations of this passage, the summary here is it's a terse reminder of the importance of time. It's a terse reminder of the importance of time and care in its utilization. In fact, this is called a surah. It says here from one of the commentaries, it's a matchless specimen of comprehensiveness and brevity. A whole world of meaning has been compressed into its few words. In fact, one of the famous imams has said that if people only considered this particular verse, it alone would suffice them for all guidance. It's one of the most popular and famous verses in the Quran. So I took a little bit of time with that because this is an area that we all need to, as you'll listen to this episode, an area we need to embrace. Just the verse, the diversity of messages that all come back to the same message. How can we be present? How can we be present with each other? I hope you enjoy this episode. I think you'll get a lot out of it. See you soon.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Welcome to the Quest for Presence podcast. This is an intentional community of time weavers. Many of us have been burdened by clock time. We forget that there are so many wonderful and beautiful features in this gift of time. Come join us. There is a treasure for you in every episode.

SPEAKER_03 3:49

So to me, that's another beautiful passage. That's a different, it's a different than the Hafez. It's different than Matthew. It's different than the Course in Miracles. And it I think it speaks to the heart of Islam. And I think it speaks to this notion of we're never alone, which Christy talks about, there is no separation. But now, okay, great, let's join together. Let's gather together.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

I think that's what commune is. Commune to commune is to come together. Community is to come in unity. It says commune with me. And it's to come in unity. And and you take community and you look at universe, unum meaning one, verse means song, to come in one song in unity, in one love song, being present, being there in the love, to commune with that oneness, you know, this this universe of what we ended up this one love song. And it's so beautiful when you experience that and and and embrace it for the essence.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

So do you guys currently believe or have um I don't I'll use the term faith, that we are headed toward this unit of consciousness that we're describing. Um is that where we're headed?

SPEAKER_04 5:47

We gotta be, right? Because in the hearts of most humans, we all want the same thing. Or at least most of us, right? Well, is that concept alone unitive?

SPEAKER_02 6:03

I think we all have uh an aching inside, um, a yearning. And and that causes us to seek, but it also tells us to seek. Seek and you shall find. I think the important part is what are you seeking? What are you seeing like in and I think that I think you're right, Ronnie. I and I think you're right. I think we we're we are seeking a higher way of being. You know, and but what we don't realize is we're there. When you're present, you're there. You don't have to seek, you don't have to look for it. You just have to be here now in the moment. It was never separate for you from you. You don't have to dig through the closet for it, you don't have to read through all the books for it. You just have to be in the moment. And you're right there.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

You know that song, uh What's Your Verse by Tony Jones? Oh, we'll put that in the uh notes. It's a it's amazing. Um and I think what we're talking about here, what's your verse meaning universe? We're in this together. Whether we realize it or not.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

The universe means one verse, one lyric, or song. All knowing, thank you for helping me. Find the notes to play my part. I found my rhythm, I am my song, and I buy to the beat of my drum.

SPEAKER_03 8:08

You know, everything that's happening right now, I mean, the reason the doomsday clock has now advanced to its most closest point to midnight since it was developed. You know, this is the doomsday clock from the Atomic Scientist Society, is because of what Russia is doing in Ukraine. And that sense of separation, that you have something that I don't have, and I'm going to get it from you. And and I'm saying, no, you're not, because we have our sovereignty, is causing this tremendous ripple effect throughout the entire planet. In terms of people not getting grain, talk about threshing, they're not getting their nutrition. Oil is now coming back more heavily than it should be because of climate change, because of this. So this sense of separation is the source of not joining together. So the whole idea of common ground, of unity, of everything that Christy talks about, that's part of this presence in that particular quote. So the the point I'm making, I guess I want to make about these this particular contemplation, and it really is the first contemplation of many contemplations, is that you can come at this idea of presence through any path. The other one I'm gonna just end with because I want to make sure we we cover the Buddha. And in the in the Diamond Sutra, it says, Thus shall you think of all this fleeting world. So there's that notion again, everything is in a state of loss, everything is fleeting. You see that in every one of these passages, there's this idea that things are going away, we are going to die. There is impermanence. Um, of course, the Course of Miracles says it's an illusion. Impermanence is an illusion because it's only from the ego. In Buddhism, it's different. It is true. Everything really is impermanent. Thus shall you think of all this fleeting world: a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream, a flash of lightning in a summer cloud, a flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream. So there, time is an illusion as well. And you shall think of this, meaning that in your enlightenment, in that moment when you're in the now, everything falls away. And you're in that moment of just being, of conscious, pure consciousness, enlightenment, and satory. So there may be people who are listening who are deeply into mindfulness meditation, or who are following a path of the Buddha or a related path, and there is well, this idea of impermanence as the core entropy that the scientists talk about as well. The ground of reality is impermanent. The basic, basic fundamental source of everything is impermanence, and it's when the ego subsides, and there's an experience of that, that one enters into nirvana, one enters into heaven, where there is eternity, it's all timeless, there is no time. So I think it's important to also bring that into the conversation, to make this as an inclusive invitation as possible, that no matter what your orientation is, and we have the atheist quote as well, that this is the idea. The invitation to presence is about joining together and to make room. Because we don't want to clock time divides, clock time segments, clock time, the calendars, the schedules, the next task that I have to get done in the calendar, all of that tends to divide our consciousness. But with whole time, we can join together. And we've been here the whole time. Whether we did our homework or not.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

You know, it's I know we got to close here, but it's interesting, you know, that you had the first quote from Stephen Pinker from um The 100 Atheist Speak Out on joy and meaning in a world without God, which is kind of an interesting uh subtitle. But um it's like Pinker's among those, unless unless he's changed recently, that is very positive about where we're headed. Uh even with a blip like the war in Ukraine, he he he would see that, and I uh I want to pause and make sure you know the loss of one life is terrible. But he would he would say that based on historical accounting for these types of things, that uh even when these tragedies occur, they're a tragedy, they're occurring less and less and further apart as we go through whatever we want to call it, Kronos time, I guess. So it's interesting that he as an atheist is more positive about where we're heading based on the evidence from history.

SPEAKER_03 14:50

Yeah, I mean that that you're right. I mean, the whole that whole project is called a better life, you know, that that there is a better life that we can have. That's the that's the kind of cry of the atheists, right? So we don't have to have a better life only through religion and a theistic view. Um so I do recommend that. That's the name of that book, A Better Life: A Hundred Atheists Speak Out on Joy and Meaning in a World Without God by Chris Johnson. I think there's nothing nihilistic about atheism. There's nothing inherently, you know, nihilistic or doom and gloom about atheism.

SPEAKER_01 15:41

Well, that's that's a good um I mean that's a good point. I'm glad you've said that because uh otherwise I think I would have I would stay stuck in um a kind of a Bible belt paradigm that naturally says that. And I need I need to admit that I don't know what I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

Well, that's why we're here.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

I guess I have more homework to do.

SPEAKER_03 16:09

Well, I'm glad that you No, I'm gonna stop that.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

It's terrible. I think we've milked that as far as we can. Yeah, we did. We've made Ronnie and and and Christy feel as bad as we can.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

By the way, guilt, everyone, just so um I say this here. I grew up Jewish, and um how do you get how does a Jewish grandmother change a light bulb? Anyone? Because that's what I mean. By guilting it into well, it's this is my aspiration uh to be a Jewish grandmother. Yeah. How a Jewish grandmother changes a light bulb, are you ready? Yeah. What? You want me to sit here in the dock?

SPEAKER_01 16:59

Had a parent through guilt and shame.

SPEAKER_02 17:02

Right.

SPEAKER_03 17:05

Doesn't work. So sorry if I offended anyone. Uh but uh love you guys.

SPEAKER_04 17:12

Love you, Joe.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Ronnie, you wanted to say something earlier. I want to make sure that No, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

We were good. Um I'm glad you reeled us back because uh you helped me to realize what where I was about to go was just gonna not get us anywhere productive. So at least not for the context of this conversation.

SPEAKER_03 17:33

Well, I hope you're still feeling the joy from last night and that we didn't take you far away from that.

SPEAKER_04 17:38

No, no, it is confirming hearing uh all of this. So I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02 17:47

Well, thank you all. There is one thing I don't it matters, not whether you're atheist, Christian, Buddhist, or anything. There is one thing that we all long for. And there's one thing we all will acknowledge, and that is love. Whatever we put on it, name, call it, whatever. It's love. It's the essence of love. And I think that that's the one commonality.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

Say it loud and say it proud. I love you, Christy. Sunshine Ellison. I love you, Ronnie Gets It Gaitry. I love you, Art.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

What just happened, Wimberly. Isn't it appropriate or ironic that Burt Bakerak passed away in the last day or so who wrote what what the world needs now is what a great song. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

Ronnie, can we play all these songs?

SPEAKER_04 18:50

Yeah. I mean, if you send them to me, I'll go find them and I'll I'll stitch them in there for sure.

SPEAKER_03 18:55

Are we allowed to do that?

SPEAKER_04 18:56

Are we allowed to have uh we'll we'll talk more about that off air?

SPEAKER_03 19:04

Um as long as it's not frozen, the soundtrack to frozen and Disney comes after us.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Right, right. Let it go. Let it go.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

It's gonna it's snowing here. Is it snowing anywhere else, guys?

SPEAKER_04 19:24

It's definitely not snowing here.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:29

There you go, frozen.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

See, that was sweet love is the only thing that is just too little love.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

Welcome, please love is love, sweet love, not just for some but for everyone.