Spin in the Cycle

Originally written Thursday, April 27, 2000

#4 Grounded


I

Let us first establish that all life on earth-- both animal and vegetable-- is constructed of exactly the same substances. The simplest definition of life is that it is a substance which in a nutrient solution has the ability to subdivide itself into two identical parts. This process is governed by a substance we call DNA. By DNA we mean chromosomes, or hereditary structures, that are found in all living cells... the question is, then, how the first molecule arose.

The earth was formed when the solar system came into being 4.6 billion years ago. It was a glowing mass that gradually cooled and where modern science believes life began some three or four billion years ago.

Since there was no life, there was no oxygen in the atmosphere. Free oxygen was first formed with the photosynthesis of plants. The fact that there was no oxygen is important. It is unlikely that life cells-- which form DNA, could live in an atmosphere containing oxygen. Oxygen is strongly reactive. Long before complex molecules like DNA could be formed, the DNA molecular cells would be oxidized. That is how we know no new life arises today, not even so much as a bacterium or virus. All life on earth must be exactly the same age. An elephant has just as long a family tree as the smallest bacterium. You can say that an elephant-- or a human being-- is in reality a single coherent colony of monocellular creatures. Each cell in our body carries the same hereditary material.

Since there was no oxygen in the atmosphere, there was no protective layer around the earth. That means that there was nothing to stop the radiation from the cosmos. This is also significant because this radiation was probably instrumental in forming the first complex macromolecule. In summary, at least two conditions for life to form must be present: no oxygen, and access to cosmic radiation.

After aeons of time, one of these monocellular organisms connected with a more complicated multicellular organisms, thus the photosynthesis of plants also began, and in that way oxygen was introduced into the atmosphere. This had two results: first, the atmosphere permitted the evolution of animals that could breathe with lungs. Second, the atmosphere protected life from harmful cosmic radiation. Strangely enough, this radiation, the "spark" in the formation of the first cell, is also harmful to all forms of life.

Life began in the primal seas, and now we sit in a hut in the woods, looking back at a process that has taken three or four billion years. And in us, this long process has become aware of itself.

In Darwin's theory, we are part of something all-encompassing, in which every tiny life form has its significance in the big picture. We are the living planet. We are the great vessel sailing around a burning sun in the universe. Each and every one of us is also a ship sailing through life with a cargo of genes. When we have carried this cargo safely to the next harbor-we have not lived in vain.

-abridged excerpt from Gaarder's "Sophie's World", pp. 389-92.


II

Does that assuage your angst over your temporary strut on this stage of life?

Probably not. To add salt to it, I read recently (newspaper....hmm) that ultrasound scans of the universe reveal it is actually flat, it will not entropy and snap back to its original form as previously thought, and that it is actually 10 to 20 billion years old. Does this knowledge add any more dimension to your life?

Darwin. I have nothing bad to say about Darwin at all. In fact, for sheer observation and insight, what a seminal discovery he made in 1859 with his "Origin of Species". At least it allowed for another perspective on existence that hitherto was carefully guarded by the smoke of ignorance. Till 1859, for those in the Judeo-Christian religious traditions anyway, the world began 6,000 years ago-- derived by counting backwards all the progeny mentioned in the Bible.

So, we know a little more about when we came to be and what we consist of. We've abstracted this knowledge into creative uses, such as replicating DNA and sorting out how to construct life--the thought nowadays being we can perhaps even make it "better" (better than what?!).

But in all this zealous hubris (hubris simply means excessive pride), we've overlooked the most fundamental question--why? Why is life? And since "why" lies beyond the abyss of our rational mind, we leave it out of the equation. But simply ignoring "why" won't make it go away, nor will we conquer it through rational thought. In fact, thinking about "why" is leading in the wrong direction anyway. It is an unnecessary reflection that leads only to more suffering.

Nonetheless "why" is present. It is within every one of us. It is the penultimate driving force in the human condition (the ultimate is cessation, the extinguishing of the fire that burns, burns, burns).

It is seemingly more satisfying to answer the easy questions as they are proposed in a materially-minded world-- what is it? how is it? when? where? (and the one of much interest to us these days, "how much"!). The solutions we can see all around us-- mundane (worldly) knowledge, not so difficult to see. No fault, no blame in that. But supermundane wisdom is also there, yet more difficult to see. It's very subtle. Very fragile. We teeter on it from time to time. A sense of the mystery of life, the shock of realization that a pattern we've become used to is just that. A pattern. That's all. Not the truth. A spin in the cycle.

There is one question worthy of your attention, one that we can answer- how. Not how was this or that made, or how big or how small, but rather how to live this life fully?

So, it is with wise reflection we recognize the world for what it is-- no more, no less. It is the stilling of the mind, the opening of the heart, the humbling of our ego, and the insight into the true nature of things that will provide the answers to our questions. In these quiet reflective moments we will see glimpse of the way it is (Dhamma!), and this insight will lead to the wisdom on how to live. That is the reward of such a practice.


III
I don't smoke dope much. In fact, I hadn't smoked dope in Thailand on this tour of duty at all.

But after ten days of a silent retreat, it's nice to jump into the world with two feet. Last year I was very cautious coming into society again. Way up in the stratosphere of mind, and still not really having a body--recall I shrunk it down from 80kg (176lb) to 60kg (132lb)--I really was hovering above the ground. But this time I was fully grounded and felt great. After the ten days of silence, we had a group discussion. And man, I loved to talk! I just couldn't stop talking to the point of annoying fellow meditators who were in a similar stage of airiness as I last year. In the group was some pretty interesting guys. One was Marcel, the roadie from Germany. He had an odd British accent for some reason, crewcut as is the style these days, and tattoos of garish characters and symbols which are mandatory it seems amongst those in the under-25 set. But he was a swell guy, interested in Reiki, and obviously meditating. Another was Lee, the Canadian horticulturist. During these discussions I befriended Lee, an upright, spiritually-leaning fine young man, and he intimated his horticultural passion was growing prime-grade hybrid strains of sativa buds. He passion for his work and knowledge were worthy of attention. He was as dedicated to his work as anyone--maybe more so because he loved his job! The rewards of his labor are recognized as far away as the capital of legal weed-- Amsterdam, where he is well-known for his primo hybrid "white skunk" and the ever-popular "schwag". A true artist who has harnessed nature's natural wonders to satisfy the human mind's cannaboid receptors. Oh yes folks--cannaboid receptors. You have them in your brain. The brain has a yearning to be stimulated by THC.

I learned much from this grow artist. For you who enjoy smoking bud, or for those of you that have not but will at some time, here is some info from the grow guru. Before that, I would like to say this: like anything in life, moderation is the key. Don't wash your hands compulsively until they bleed, don't run until your body collapses in spasms, don't spend all your time behind a desk and you lose the feeling in your body, don't watch TV until it is cluttered with useless junk, don't scold your kids in an excessive manner, don't work so hard you have no time to spend with your loved ones, and don't smoke dope to escape from your problems. Like all these things (and the million other things we do in life), enjoy. A useful meditation is to observe your actions in life and come to terms with them--see them clearly, and see if they lead you to awareness. If not, your either avoiding something, afraid of something, or deluded. No fault here...it happens to all of us. It's just becoming aware of our patterns of living, gaining some insight about them, and wisely adjusting to ensure we are on the right path to happiness. If not, do something about it. All states and things are transitory and impermanent, so see that. Don't attach. Enjoy. On with the guru's knowledge:

1. Sativa strains (originating form India or Asia) produce a head high.
2. Indica strains (originating from Africa) produce a body high.

Depending on your temperament, choose carefully the one that best suits your personality. If that heady stuff makes you feel paranoid, don't use it. If the body stuff makes you a slug, don't use it. If you cannot derive something useful from smoking buds at all, don't bother. Don't smoke because it's cool, hip, or that nonsense. Don't smoke to avoid the day, to escape from plans, or unconsciously light up in haste. Smoking cannabis has gone on for thousands of years, and although it's been hyped as some sort of condiment in religious rituals, it simply does things to the mind that might be of use. Recently its been hyped as a help for medical conditions and so on, but fundamentally the reason for smoking is to watch it interact with the mind, and the beneficial effects can lead to body calmness and awareness, perceptual clarity and/or temporary alteration for a different perspective on things that can be useful for insights. It is no substitution, however, for meditation, which requires nothing at all except sitting down upright in a quiet place and watching the breath. As Pope John Paul II wisely said, "there are no shortcuts to heaven."

Unfortunately, most of the stuff you will purchase will not be properly cured. The only thing worth smoking is the flower buds-- seeds, leaves, and stems contain nothing, so don't bother smoking them. Fresh bud will contain good levels of THC--the one active ingredient the brain's cannaboid receptors want--but to retain the THC content, keep it in an air-tight container. Oxygen will change the THC into other chemicals, and although these chemicals will trigger the cannaboid receptors, you may notice side effects like headache, sleepiness, hunger, and so on. A useful storage plan is to put small amounts in small air tight jars and kept in a dark place, as light too will affect chemical changes. That way you preserve the THC and have a daily stash as good as the first. Also fresh bud, if put into an airtight container and put in a dark place for 30 days, will then be properly "cured", and the THC content will increase by 25%.


A public service message from Lee.


IV
It's good traveling with someone like Lee especially on Ko Pha Ngan and its reputation as the scene of the wild, drug-crazed Full Moon Parties. We both were not into the scene at all, but if bud were available, I can't think of a better person to be with than Lee.

En route to Bottle Beach, a remote northwest outport of a few bungalows and no electricity, we stopped off at Hat Yao, a northeast beach where I spent some time about six years ago. The locals are quite good about bud and it's easy to get. We got some and of course Lee gave it the full test. "Sativa for sure, lots of THC...yeah, this is good stuff" was the verdict. We then got back on the pickup truck to the fishing village and took a boat across to Bottle Beach for a few days respite.

So, that's one foot onto ground. My other foot already landed on ground two nights previous.

After the good-byes to Molly and the rest of the other meditators at Surat Thani, Lee, Phil-- the East Indian Brit with an interest in Hopi Indian Shamanism--and I got the ferry to Ko Pha Ngan. Just as the ferry was about to land, a coy, young Japanese woman gave me the glad eye and as we got off the boat we chatted. She was there to meet a friend to go to the Full Moon Party (not for another four days) and since we landed at night, I invited her along with us. She did.

If you think any person from any nation is cut from the same cookie cutter, you are deluding yourself. Tendencies are to make broad sweeping generalizations of entire nations because of habits, culture, and traditions. It sometimes makes the world possible to comprehend that way, but individual variations within such arbitrarily prescribed parameters are as unique as are the fingerprints of the human hand. This young doe didn't much fit those traits that you readers in the west without much contact with Asia would stereotype Japanese women to show. To assume her to be the brow-beaten, stodgy, shy, plain office lady would be as accurate as describing a carrot when looking at broccoli--the right phylum, the wrong description!

Azasu is a hippie. A flower child in full bloom, all 19 years of her. Quiet, contemplative, even moody. Poor at school, good at art. Making things. Earthy jewelry. Tie dye sarong and braless budding breasts not well concealed in a "wife beater" t-shirt. Wonderful small thin carriage, a mouthful of too many ill-shapen teeth that only added to her mystery. What the hell is she doing traveling alone, hooking up with us, three guys, more specifically, with me?

At the bungalow Phil and Lee took one and Azasu and I the other. Nonchalant. Not a blink of an eye. Like it was just so.

At that time I thought, "This is a gift. She is an angel."

An Angel. And you thought Angels only appear in paintings and are like phantoms from heaven. That's the problem with myths--with religion. We don't see that these things are here now! Jesus is the gal sitting across from you at lunch. Abraham is your boss. Buddha is the paper boy. Mohammed is the cleaning lady. Vishnu the accountant. And the host of beings described in the four planes of reality--angels, devas, hungry ghosts, and devils--all are really present in our lives. You just have to watch and you can see them everywhere.

We spent a few days together and just as nonchalantly one morning her stuff was all packed up, she said good-bye and took the boat to join her friend at Haad Rin and the Full Moon party.

Azasu the Angel-- thank you for bringing me back to earth!

And so now with two feet solid on ground, I started my holiday.