I read excerpts from the 1492 journals of Christopher Columbus. It is amazing that the Spaniards could land on a clearly inhabited island, state a few declarations and, thereby, claim that place and its people as possessions of the King and Queen of Spain.  Columbus noted that the people were very friendly, were unfamiliar with weapons such as swords, and would make good servants.  There was never a thought that this was a sovereign land with people of equal worth, free will, and determination.

This is the way that the world was and is conquered.  The violent intruders succeed, prevail, and prosper.  The indigenous people are killed, enslaved, and assimilated by blood and culture.  Where is Spirit in all of this, I frequently ask?

During my meditation, an answer came that Spirit endures.  It continues as men and regimes come and go.  Destruction and creation occur, even without mortal intervention, in the forms of fires, earthquakes, floods, asteroids falling from space and other disasters.  Life ends, begins, and constantly regenerates itself after every trauma.

What then should our response be in the face of threat?  There is no one right or wrong because everyone believes in their right and the other’s wrong.  There is only action and the consequences of that action.  Because Spirit endures, there is no eternal loss or death.  Each generation, each re-emerged life, repeats the struggle of trying to birth what is deemed good and fair and productive and creative.  At some point and somewhere, an evolved species emerges, but the cycle repeats itself again and again – creation and destruction indefinitely.  Because that is Life.

So how should we behave? What is the point of trying to live with virtue and integrity?  I want to behave as I am able, with the knowledge that I have at the time, and not judge myself or others.  I want to always seek to evolve into more awareness and more enlightenment so that what I destroy is not more than I create.  I want what I create to not overwhelm what exists and cause the extinction of seeds that will ensure the survival of what will be.

Nevertheless, I have to accept that whatever is material will fade away at some point, no matter what I do or don’t do.  If I internalize this Truth, then I won’t be so very affected by the situations and circumstances of my current life.  I know that these are not enduring.  They will pass eventually.  Thus, any actions that I take can be based upon forethought and insight and not on irrational and uncontrolled emotion.

My constant desire and search for knowledge, understanding, guidance, and awareness will eventually result in a new consciousness.  However, this elevation will not be an achieved goal, as growth is neverending.  When I think I’m close to “there,” it keeps changing.  This realization points to my trying to understand with intellectual perception.  I try to mentally comprehend by analyzing known data.

I am learning to let go and gain understanding from an unknowing mind, from the Buddha’s empty mind.  This concept is becoming more real to me.  I’ve starting stating that I have a “don’t know mind” because I don’t know why many things happen.  People who shouldn’t die, do.  Those who cause immense harm live long and prosper.  Incompetent people become leaders.  Skilled people are unemployed.  Peaceful and loving people are conquered and enslaved.  Why? Why?  I don’t know and it hurts my head to keep trying to figure it out.  So I just accept that I don’t know.

I guess that my next evolutionary step is to go from I Don’t Know Mind to Empty Mind.  I’m beginning to see that an empty mind can become a vessel that is open and receptive.  It is not filled with illusionary certainties or arguments and rationalizations.  It is merely open.  In its best sense, perhaps Empty Mind is not even a mind or vessel.  It may represent the fluidity of energy, like Spirit itself.  Maybe Empty Mind is a oneness, a beingness, an indescribable comprehension and knowingness.

If we could see the infinite picture, would we see that, like seeds underground, out of darkness comes plants, flowers, fruit, and trees?  Often, during times of ease and pleasure, we don’t feel the need to move beyond.  When a seed struggles to break ground and is then exposed to sun, wind, and rain, it becomes what it was meant to be. Sometimes, dark clouds can be precursors to goodness.

By conquering fear, we learn to trust and stay calm.  By persevering, we see the fog dissipate and the sky clear.  Our hearts open.  We gain the resolve to deal with whatever comes, knowing that as the tide ebbs, so it must again flow.