The Great Wheel

Welcome! 

Thanks for taking the time to read my writing. I don't take that for granted. This entry comes some time after I began - it struck me that I wanted to say a bit more about this than I originally thought.

Life is a wheel that turns and turns and we are all part of that motion. 

The Hub - the source, the cosmic energy drives everything and we are a part of that.The Spokes - the threads of connection between us and that source, radiating when eyes meet eyes, touch meets touch, emotions collide and decisions create a new life.The Rim - the outer limits towards which we stretch: the circle within which we are confined but nurtured.

As I understand it, the word "right" in this Buddhist symbol does not relate to the concept of "right-and-wrong" that pervades much of our thinking. It rather encapsulates the idea of 'balance'. The Buddhist "Eight-fold Path" leads to knowledge and understanding. While Buddhist belief tells us that suffering is something that we strive to eliminate by living through various lifetimes, Christianity suggests that suffering is part of life and won't end until we are all united in Heaven at the end of time.

I have the belief that real life cannot exist without suffering and our modern trend to attempt to eliminate pain and suffering separates us from our humanity and the opportunity to know our real selves. Once we truly accept that suffering is at the core of our existence, we have a chance of becoming free of it and this leads to a balanced life. Yin and Yang exist together.

In the same way, joy is at the core of our beings but, for some reason, we tend to veer away from its experience in our lives. We focus on pain and its suppression, rather than joy and its acceptance. Both exist in us in equal measure.

So, this blog might well be an exploration of a whole range of ideas, events and experiences that I encounter and I have no idea from where they might appear or how I might respond to them. 

Lastly, feel free to leave comments. I find it healthy and invigorating to share the ideas that life has put before us.