Some thoughts on living somewhat clean....

[Big Bear]

Why we should adopt a clean lifestyle:

1)If you are here you have already taken a huge step in so many ways;
a)not wasting gas going to a gym
b)having even one of John's books is all you need for your physical culture needs
c)if you have been reading john carefully,he advocates clean eating-more on this in a minute.
d)you have immediate access to great forum members with many years knowledge
e)no equipment-no excess material that will eventually end up in a dump(a growing problem worlwide-What do we do with the world's trash?).

2) By eating local and organic you can assure many things;
a)you know where your food comes from
b)no pesticides and other harmful elements that are bad for the soil,the water,the air,our bodies(read comprehensively on this issue starting with the Older classic,'Silent Spring',by Rachel Carson,and then all the material since then).
c)you will assure quality food.In the summer I have a big organic garden.The veggies are so delicious! I know to that the vitamin content is much higher from veggies in my garden than store bought.how do I know-feel,that is how I feel eating them.Recently they have done studies on tomatoes grown on huge farms-vitamin content way down!
d)you will assure a future for future generations. Hurting the soil,the air the water as we have with giant agri-farming techniques will eventually hit a point of diminishing returns. I am old enough to have seen crop dusters drop pesticides not only on crops,but the workers in the field;in Arizona and California and other points west.Much higher cancer rates for those workers.

3) by living clean you can always access yourself-how and in what way am I leaving an indelible trail on the enviornment?
Living clean;you monitor what you buy,how you buy,when you buy,etc...
Our goal is to be traceless.Like any continuum it might be difficult,but we strive to this goal!

4) By living clean you are also on the continuum of non-violence(Ahimsa).
In this,we must ask ourselves a very,very important question.

Do we have the right just being born on this beautiful planet the Creator provided(or whatever power you see greater than yourself) to hurt the planet,the people,and the numberless beings?
If you seriously meditate on this question,you will see that being born does not mean/taking-destroying. To be on this planet we must think beyond ourselves even from a strict biological reasoning. If I destroy and pollute how will the generations of this species make it?

Now you all know I am very Spiritual by nature.So for me these questions are not only meditated on from such a standpoint but also from a Spiritual standpoint. My views are my views in this regard so I will not try to influence in any way. The way I see has been crafted by many years fasting in the wilderness.Being in touch with a reality that is hard to talk about.

My post is for consideration today. These questions and this,'way' I have tried to formulate through a life of trying to understand(in my limited way) about this tiny blue planet we live on.Hope you have a wonderful day.

peace,
jason

[Big Bear]

oops lots of mistakes as usual(no edit-no net).
second to the last paragraph should read,'not meditated on from solely this perspective(not just biological;but actually from all realms of human existence;spiritual,mental,physical,emotional,soci al).

sorry again!

peace,
jason

[April]

Thank you, Jason. That was wonderful. I appreciate your post and agree with everything. I regret that I am not able to carry out everything, like growing my own veggies, etc. I've switched to cloth bags, but get frustrated because I don't have small cloth bags for buying vegetables at the store. And plastic bags always find their way into my house somehow.

I have really been struck lately with how throw-away our society is. Everything is junky. It often costs less to buy a new thing than to repair it. Think of what this is doing to the environment. Consider this: EVERYTHING that is manufactured will all end up in the garbage.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-7-most-toxic-places-to-live.html

What you will see in that link is sickening and shows how irresponsible man has been in his treatment of the earth. But it shows that money rules. The governments really should be regulating things better - what we put into the environment, what we put into our bodies (via our mouths), what we put on our skin, etc. but those things are secondary to return on investments.

All we can do is our little part in this. Thanks for the encouragement, Jason. And thanks for making people aware.

[Big Bear]

hmmmmm-thinman,,not quite what I am after here.More thought please!

April thank you my friend.It certainly is a continuum,isn't it.

Again April thank you.

peace,
jason

[Big Bear]

and that makes me think of another Samurai saying,'One moment of inattentiveness in a sword battle,and off goes your head'. Just in time for Alice in Wonderland!

Any other thoughts from folks about living a clean lifestyle?

Clean for me also means being clean of drugs and alcohol for 27 years. Most probably didn't have the trouble I did,and it seems that many drink wine and micro-brews in limited amounts for health.

What are your thoughts about clean living?

peace,
jason

[Greg Newton]

Hi Jason,

This is like the BSA motto of "Leave no Trace." We are responsible for the world we live in and we need to be good stewards. Rather than "Change," economy and frugality should have been our mantra in this most recent election. The old Franklin Homily of "Waste Not - Want Not" is still valid for today. Economic and physical survival in the near future will depend on these types of values.

Greg

[Big Bear]

Thank you Greg!

Yes a lot of what I write comes from the Seventh Generation philosophy from Native Tradition(I know you,Joe and I share some Cherokee blood).This is a very deep philosophy that asks us to consider every action and it's impact-7 generations from now.Very deep,very heavy when you think about it.

You are right-this would have made more sense than just the ,'change' slogan. It is more specific and asks each of us to look deeply within.Thank you Greg!

peace,
jason

[Big Bear]

I was hungry-did you feed me?
I was cold-did you clothe me?
I was tired-did you give me a bed to rest?
I was hurt -did you care for me?
I was abused,scorned-did you comfort me?
I was in prison-did you visit me?

I walked the dusty paths and smiled at the sun,the trees,the birds of the sky.
I laughed,I cried with you.

The above is paraphrasing Jesus of course. In looking at this deeply-where do we stand with this today?Where do we stand as a steward for the Earth?

Where do we stand in relation to all relations?

To live clean is really not rocket science.It is more wisdom than knowledge.More LOVE than scrutiny and pessimism.

I choose the above because in doing so, I do something quite extraordinary- I go beyond the confines of my frail ego to the field where all lies in LOVE-even when I am being beaten by others or by life at times....

peace,
jason

[Andy62]

" Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others."
Winston Churchill

[Big Bear]

Gordon you are so right! Courage is so very,very important!

To bring about Seven Generations thinking it will take courage,integrity and determination.

Very important-John and I had a great conversation about Paul's courage.Great conversation John,great conversation here everyone!

peace,
jason

[jan]

Living clean starts, as all things, with an attitude of mind. In Zen, nothing is wasted, nothing is harmed. If you follow the path the great world teachers, Jesus, Bouddha, and so many others, have walked, I think you automatically live clean. As Henry said, we are all interconnected, and every action we take, every single one of them, affects every one else.

Jan

[Big Bear]

You are so right jan!

Interconnection and interdependence I have written about copiously here.

I have found the concept in my years as a Buddhist Lay Monastic,Taoist studies,The Mystical side of the Catholic Faith and of course my Native American Spirituality(as well as my studies of all Faiths and Spirituality).

Your thoughts bring up a very crucial piece to this conversation;

When you look at the Mystical Side these concepts are within all Faiths.
The issue is the acceptance of the masses for these connections and crucial points of conversation.

I truly believe in what you are saying jan,that when you see the,'path' of the great teachers you are on the path of living a clean life.

peace,
jason

[jan]

[QUOTE=Big Bear;38356]When you look at the Mystical Side these concepts are within all Faiths.
The issue is the acceptance of the masses for these connections and crucial points of conversation./QUOTE]

I firmly believe that all religious systems, wether Christianity, Bouddhism, Judism, Taoism, you name it, are based on one and the same thing. The different systems are coloured because of the cultural settings in which they were 'founded'. Further, their 'founders' spoke of such a divine Truth, that merely trying to put words onto what they new, twisted the Reality. Divine Reality, Supreme Reality, just simply can not be expressed in words. Moreover, what these great men tried to give to their fellow-men, was their own path to the Divine, Ultimate thruth. Trying to interpret their words, that is, to my humble opinion, where the problems start.

Jan

[Big Bear]

It's true jan,it is the Dogma that gets in the way.
We have had in human history some great interfaith dialogue .The silk road trade route comes to mind immediately.It is interesting that they had to get along as they had to do business .

There was a lot of rich interplay in music,religion,the arts,etc...

peace,
jason

[Andy62]

Personally I think that religion has to be an individual thing. Even if one participates in organized religion the contact with God has to be individual. Jesus said to go to your room and pray in private and God will hear you and answer you in private and those who pray in public get their own reward. People tend to use religion for their own purposes and whether kings, rulers, politicians or well meaning parents we are all human and at some point a bias is going to enter in. In my travels I can't begin to tell you some of the rediculous things that I have come across that parents have told their children and said that God would punish them if they didn't do it. All religions have numerous traditions and rules in them that have nothing to do with the founder and were put in hundreds of years later by some influential individual at the time. In Jesus time religion was used to control the masses as it was before that time and as it has ever since. They have had some programs on the History channel showing the palatial luxury that the high ranking religious leaders lived in during the time of Jesus. I personally interpret Jesus teachings as "You don't need a broker- go directly to the source."

[Big Bear]

I can't think of a better feeling than when I am barefoot in my organic garden,hoe in hand,looking across the fields and distant hills.
Sky blue,sun shinning,
knowing that the compost,the air,the sun,water,my efforts,your consciousness reading this-all interconnected.

We leave in an interconnected/interpenetrating universe.This very form sitting here tap,tap,tapping on the keyboard-dust from distant galaxies.

The call to a simple clean life is the recognition that when we move simply/slowly we can see the connections perhaps a little more clearly.Perhaps a little more sanely.

This Summer I will rest occasionally on my hoe,looking out across the fields.Again in awe of this beautiful life we live....

peace and love,
jason