Aloha Friends
If you aren’t aware of Baoism, please take a moment to explore it. It’s a syncretic spiritual philosophical framework with an unlimited number of holidays, gods, and rules – because they are up to you. Explore more here (https://www.baoism.org)
I hope that everyone is doing well and feeling the joy of life. I say that, but I’m certain that it’s not the case for everyone because humans have created a messy, traumatic, and challenging world in 2024. The blame for this goes too far back to do any actual finger pointing, but the evidence is all around us. Totalitarian despots, violence in the name of religion, climate disasters, disinformation campaigns on a level that will make even those who can see the truth the most clearly – question whether it is real or not.
We are approaching one of the most important holy days in Baoism – here in Japan where I write from Satoshi Manor, that day is tomorrow, for those of you on the other side of the dateline, it will be two days hence. The day is SKEPTICS DAY and it takes place on October 13th every year.
Skeptics Day is a day that we question *EVERYTHING including our beliefs, our current way of life, our relationships, our political powers, our ‘common sense’, and even the bigger questions like do we exist? Is there a god? Is there a meaning of life? Is our life lining up with our values? I encourage you to question everything with skepticism – including me, Baoism, your politics, your religion – every-fucking-thing.
I can tell you that I’m deep within that process right now. I know that from one perspective, I’m sure it looks like I’m living some kind of a dream and from another it looks like I’m living some kind of a nightmare. I think it’s the same for everyone.
We need to look at the island from all places on the shore in order to know what it truly looks like. Then, we need to dive into the water and swim there to explore what we could not see from afar (if you are a boat builder, no need to swim). The island is your reality and the view from the shore (our consciousness or awareness) is limited depending on where you stand (your worldview or belief system).
Between the island (our reality) and where we stand on the shore (our consciousness or awareness) is a big gap. The water, the fog, the waves, there may be hidden dangers that we will encounter on the way there. It’s perilous to even try to get there. Most people aren’t even aware that it’s possible. Among those who know it is, only a few attempt the journey. Even if you reach the island and pass all the perils of the journey to get there, that is not the end of it. There is a world of exploration to be done on the island itself – peaks and valleys, caves, mountains, rivers, jungles, and still there are many dangers. I want to be honest, many of us who have reached the island find it to be too much and retreat. We go back to the shore, the relative safety of our consciousness listening to what others tell us our reality is, looking at the island from afar and having to face only the most surface of the dangers.
This is where our world lives.
The good news is, once you’ve seen the truth – the illusion will never have the same hold on you. The bad news is that when the illusion embraces you, life becomes a sensory experience where you play a game of plug the hole with things that ultimately bring only temporary satisfaction. Skeptics Day is the day to question all of that. Question everything. Be merciless in your demands for proof. Spend time in meditation winnowing the real from the illusion. I beg of you, be merciless in your quest for the truth. True satisfaction and peace await you (and me). Happiness that rejuvenates can be yours (and mine).
Question everything friends, if only for one day of the year. Center yourself in what you find to be true. I will be doing the same. I’ll happily share what I find with you in the hope that at least one of you might find joy in the meaning I discover. Be well friends. Please remember, all Baoists are welcome at Satoshi Manor here in Otaru, Japan. The longer I am here, the more I realize that this is a sacred place. The spring, the water source, the mountain, and the energies that gather here. Satoshi Manor may be my home, but it does not belong to me, even the name should tell you from where this came. However, you should also question all of that, as will I.
Be skeptical friends! And be happy!
~CD