Daily Obstruction: Writing Material

 

Imitatio Dei[1]

 

There are many metaphors through which aspects of God are revealed: King, Savior, Redeemer, Master, Lover, Father, Mother, Ruler, Potter, Rock, Light, Lion, Eagle, Gardener.  However, God as author is the metaphor that should remind us that all these other metaphors are just that – metaphors.  Isn’t the best fiction the one that gets you to buy in so completely that you forget the central conceit and the author as well?

[1] The theological concept of the apotheosis of mortal man through the self-realization of one’s innate divine attributes.

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Daily Obstruction: Karma-Yoga

 

Karma-Yoga

 

“Karma” literally means “action.”  Bad karma is bad action.  The worst karma is when people pass along their bad karma onto you.  But you have a karmic choice: continue the chain of bad karma by passing it along to others, or stopping the chain with you.  Karmic transmission is symbolized by the image of the fire of a candle igniting the wick of other candles.  “Nirvana” literally means “blowing out” and is symbolized in this metaphor as “blowing the candle out.”  “Yoga” literally means “union.”  Thus Karma-Yoga could be understood very physically as the act of proper breathing: The union of Karma (inhaling) and Nirvana (exhaling).

Daily Obstruction: Metaphor

Metaphor

 

Sometimes the violent linking of two disparate things can be more distorting than illuminating.