Michael M. Masuda, John Lam, and Eric Stokely
IF YOU WERE BORN INTO AN ESTABLISHED RELIGION OR BELIEF SYSTEM, AND ARE ALLOWING YOURSELF TO LIVE WITHOUT EVER QUESTIONING IT, YOU COULD BE SLEEPING THROUGH THE POSSIBILITY OF EVER FINDING YOUR TRUE SELF AND YOUR LIMITLESS CAPACITY AS A CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL.
NEVER LET THAT CAPACITY BE REMOVED FROM YOU AND EXTERNALIZED, FOR IT IS TRULY YOUR OWN. YOU ARE THE ONE AND ONLY CREATOR OF YOUR OWN REALITY. START FROM WITHIN! WAKE UP!
Okay, so I startled you. Sorry about that.
Ha: The Basic System
I. Define HA as "all that is". The body HA is the universe, and we are all a part of HA's body; whether we choose to be a good cell or a bad cell is up to us. Existence of HA is absolute--and we cannot exist outside of HA.
II. HA is the cosmic joker.
III. When you laugh, you are channeling HA.
IV. It is okay to laugh at HA, for HA is self-referentially humorous.
V. HA also loves to be questioned--it keeps HA's mind busy.
VI. Life is one big cosmic joke.
VII. The meaning of life is to get the punchline.
VIII. Alas, there is no punchline to the cosmic joke. That, in itself, is funny.
IX. That's the punchline. If you don't find yourself laughing, it is because you don't get it yet.
X. When you realize that life is totally absurd, love is totally absurd, and existence is totally absurd, you made the first steps in understanding the meaning of life.
What separates you from the existentialists is that you are laughing about it all--if you got it--and that there is a higher entity called HA that is posing the penultimate query to you. Existentialists think everything is absurd and then you die--that sucks.
Getting the "ultimate" joke is the Enlightenment (of Buddhist fame).
All mirth brings you closer to HA.
So LAUGH--you'll live longer and be happier anyways!
By the way, HA is the last syllable in BuddHA's name. Buddha is your higher self--sort of the AC adaptor box between you and HA (don't want to go over your head!). Also, comedy and tragedy are two sides of the same coin--absurdity. Absurdity is a joke with no punchline. If you don't get it, it's a tragedy. If you get it, it's a comedy. Brood on that for awhile!
Associated Texts and Letters
A letter to my friend Michelle May:
Michelle,
Christian, eh? That's cool. Being a Buddhist and a physicist, there are a lot of things I don't believe about the Bible, I'm sorry to say. But deep down inside, I do share some of the spiritual commonalities of Christian beliefs, tho to any other Christian they may sound too "New Age", if anything. The belief system I've settled upon for now is that God is "all that is", meaning every bit of matter, energy, and idea that this Cosmos contains--and that this collection has its own collective consciousness. The collective consciousness of the Earth has two polarities-- The positive (Christ) and the negative (Satan). Anytime one feels guilt or doubt or fear of one's own actions, that is the negative consciousness taking over. Christ seems to override these feelings and "saves" one in this manner. We are all manifestors of reality, and that is how one is made in the image of God. My belief system is very well contained, yet it is open to any new concepts, which makes it difficult for others from established religious backgrounds to understand initially. To me, spiritualism should be a growing and ongoing process, and should not be limited to what one group believes. The Buddhist part has become more clear for me over summer. It's a simplistic philosophy, but it seems to work for me:
1. Laughter is God's voice.
2. Life is totally absurd.
3. Sometimes, one has to laugh at life itself.
4. God has a great sense of humor.
5. Life is God's Joke told to us.
6. Life is THE Joke and the meaning of life is to "get the punchline".
7. "Getting the punchline" is the ultimate Enlightenment sought after in Buddhism.
8. Analyzing the Joke is futile--to do so is to lose the humor of it. Just get the Joke.
9. Once you get the Joke, one has finally attained Enlightenment, and all of life will fall into place. It's silly, but it makes perfect sense to me to enjoy life and laugh at the bits that bring us down for their absurdity.
If God were as serious as most people make God out to be, we wouldn't be here anymore. God isn't anal retentive--God is a good being with a great sense of humor. That's why life is so absurd.
There you go, my belief system in a nutshell. I'm happy with it for now until I find it unusable. I hope I didn't put down your religion in any way--I didn't mean to do so. Everyone's faith is valid to them. I should know--I am also a religious studies minor. God be with you,
Mike.
Pray: (verb) To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy. (Taken from the Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce)
I found this statement amusing in its skeptical nature. The whole idea of being in contact with the Creator at all times is nothing new--it's just that we, as humans, have ritualized this natural process of prayer to death, to the point where we are terrified to speak to the one being we must put our faith into and love for all eternity. What's wrong with communicating with the Creator? The language barrier? Not really, for Ha speaks to us in the language of absurdity and humor. As we laugh at our shortcomings, we are speaking Ha's voice through us, and we are speaking TO Ha. The laughter goes both ways, at the same time! It is our prayers, and our meditation, simultaneously.
Teach someone to laugh at themselves, with integrity, and you shall heal their spirits.
Live. Love. Lose. Learn. Laugh. That is the cycle of Ha. Live--the unending momentum of life. Love--the unification of life. Lose--the purging, Ha's way of testing you by creating for you a joke with no punchline. Learn--getting the punchline. Laugh--connection with Ha, the Enlightenment.
Those who are most serious about their religion will be passed over by Ha. The Cosmic Joker needs to be surrounded by spirits with a sense of humor!
Who else but Ha would put the so-called Holy Lands of three different religions on the SAME GEOGRAPHICAL LAND? The Cosmic Joker MUST have a sense of humor!!
Any religion that tells you that they are the best and forget the rest, is a religion that revolves around ego and fear. Ego and fear are human shortcomings, not that of an infinite Creator. Ha doesn't demand that you be his sheep. Ha only asks you to be an intelligent, responsible being capable of making decent decisions, and that you can laugh at yourself at times when you make the wrong decisions.
Rules and rituals are for religious zealots, bean counters, anal-retentives, and compulsive-obssessives who will never get the cosmic joke and be enlightened. If there is a place as Hell, it will be full of people who cannot laugh at themselves.
Take a step back and look at your life, lose your footing in all of the absurdity, and fall on your ass! Now, laugh at the absurdity of it all! Congratulations, you just got the punchline to the Cosmic Joke!
Imagine in the future, humans finally realize that Jesus didn't die on the cross--that the message Jesus preached was only that of Love and Understanding, not of resurrection, and that ALL OF THE CHRISTIAN FOLLOWERS FINALLY REALIZE THEY WERE BLINDLY BELIEVING IN A MISCONCEPTION. How sad would that be? They meant well, but they killed millions upon millions of people over this misconception. Ha will only let those who swallow their pride and admit their wrongdoing to be by Ha's side. Those who still cling to the resurrection idea will be placed in a fishbowl-like existence. "How do you keep a fool in suspense? I'll tell you tomorrow."
I have the utmost respect for Jesus and his teachings. However, I don't have the faith to believe in the resurrection story. I think he was drugged on the cross with vinegar and mandrake (gall), and was resuscitated in the tomb with aloes and myrrh by his peers. He appeared to have died on the cross, but it was all a front, so that he could continue teaching after his recovery. The Muslims believe this too. I wholeheartedly believe in Jesus' teachings on Love and Understanding. However, the resurrection story is a misconception that was handed down through the centuries and blown way out of proportion. Ha is laughing from a distance at all this. In the end, none of this can be taken seriously anyways.
above passages written on May 13, 2001 by Michael M. Masuda.
How to Become a Messiah, and Not Be Misunderstood
by Michael M. Masuda
I am truly grateful for living in a place and time where life is so full of eclectic experiences. I vow to live each successive year by surpassing the adventures and experiences of the previous year. The date I commenced this note is December 29, 1993 at 11:30 pm--it is not a special date, so please do not attach any meaning or relevance to it. In time, the calendar format under which I live may change, and this particular date and time may be shifted to accommodate perhaps another more popular day of celebration--Saturnalia, or perhaps, Christmas. Let it be known that I do not want my birthdate or the date of this writing to be celebrated in any manner, if it should come to this.
I find it so strange the way the human race has a tendency to accept belief systems, either by conformity or by habit. I guess this is how the term "sheep" arose from certain religious texts. Why is it that the human race has the knack to accept belief systems because it is deemed "sacred" or "holy"? Who are we as humans to judge what is sacred and what is not, especially if the judgment would affect billions of people? I think that one should judge for ones self what he or she wants to believe (with integrity, of course), and not let it be decided by an external entity (e.g., an established religion, a priest, a divination process, etc.). Now let me address this matter of conformity in a documented psychological example. You are in a room full of people. On the floor before you are four stones. When asked, the people in the room say they see three stones. Chances are, in fear of being a non-conformist and not being accepted by the people in the room, you will also say you see three stones. And when people are born into a culture with a belief system based on myths and stories, they grow to accept these myths and stories as sacred truths and will do most anything to keep their belief system from being taken away or jeopardized (as in the case of a "Holy War"). It sounds totally absurd, but this is what happens to most people in this world. What makes the stories and myths more believeable is positive reinforcement (habits)--rituals, sermons, ceremonies, etc., and eventually, the sense of reality is lost because the stories paint a more appealing picture than reality. When something comes along that disproves a portion of this belief system, a denial of physical reality takes place, and the observance of reality is suppressed, as in the case of religious suppression of the sciences during the Middle Ages.
I also find it strange how the actions of spiritual masters are misunderstood. Both Jesus and Gautama suffered from this fate in the religions that arose from their words. Neither of them wished to be worshipped--the way I see it, their main goal was for people to learn from their actions and experiences. Jesus essentially wanted to free the masses from the materialistic and ritualistic ways of the Judaic religion and still be considered worthy before God; he didn't expect the outcome of his actions to spawn another religion that now does exactly what he was rebelling against! Jesus wanted to spread a simplified version of Judaism--without the materialistic mannerisms of having to pay for salvation, and without the endless ritual habits that Judaism had accumulated over the centuries. Gautama (better known as the original Buddha), after attaining Enlightenment, did not want to be worshipped--he wanted others to experience for themselves the way in which Enlightenment can be attained through personal elevation of consciousness. And yet people hoard his bones... And the established religions that came from his teachings also suffer from ritualism, mostly due to the fusion of the previously existing belief system with the Buddhist ways. Rituals are for the absent minded and the forgetful--they focus the consciousness of the person to remind them to be faithful. As sentient beings, humans should have shed this practice a long time ago. The belief system of a person should be there with them constantly--one should not have to be reminded to be "good", or reminded that God is keeping an eye on them. In my view, if such practices are habitually focused into yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, or ever hourly segments, there will be some who will find this an excuse to rebel against conformity and forget to be "good" all other times. Others will just become numb to the rituals and their respective meanings and will eventually "go through the motions" of these rituals without giving thought of what they mean anymore. Still others may tag new meanings to these rituals, or fuse these rituals with other belief systems, and the process may become bastardized over time. I also find it strange how the human race has a habit of attaching significance to the messenger, and not the message he/she puts across. Ho, Ho, Ho....
Okay, so what is left? Ethics and Metaphysics, I gather. The moral code should be simple and not shrouded in mystery. As Aliester Crowley put it, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" is fitting, but it doesn't really draw a line between accepted conduct and perversity. Every time and place has its own ethics drawn by its people. What may be right for you may not be right for someone in another part of the world. But can a global ethical code be made? If all the people in the world were allowed to speak their minds, I believe we can, but that is physically impossible at this time. Basically, one must look at ones self and cast judgment in the following manner: Suppose the entire world was populated by clones of you--would the world prosper or die? I'm not saying that each clone moves at the same time--what I mean is that each clone thinks in the same manner and acts in the same manner and does what you would do if put in the same situation or occupation as you. Would social interactions be smooth? Would life become boring or stagnant? Would there be harmony and peace? Would the Earth become overpopulated or polluted? In thinking this scenario out with integrity, a simple code of ethics should arise for your own personal use and for use in interactions with your peers. Communicate with your peers on what they would do in this scenario and cherish the commonalities. There will be differences--people are indivduals; ask why they would differ, but ask yourself this question at the same time. Learn from the differences and respect the values of others. But most importantly, don't preach to others what they should believe--that's what started the whole established religion fiasco in the first place.
Metaphysics...pure speculation. The origin and demise of the Cosmos, the Godhead, the Meaning of Life, Love, Death, Afterlife--all intangible subjects upon which all societies construct myths. I cannot claim to know for certain anything about any of these things, but with what little I know, I can construct a working model for myself.
The origin of the Cosmos? The modern theories about the Big Bang and the evolution of Life on Earth are what I accept as true, until better theories come along.
The demise of the Cosmos? According to science, it won't happen during my lifetime, so I don't worry about it. If it were, there would probably be sufficient technological advances by then to deal with the problem.
The Godhead? In my humble opinion, God (for lack of a better name) represents all that is. All thought, all action, all matter, all energy--everything conceivable in the Cosmos. The Cosmos is God's physical body. Does God have consciousness? That's another question...
Consciousness is a strange anomaly. There is no theory to explain why we have it. There is no theory to decide if all things have it. There is no way to measure it quantitatively. But it does exist...at least to me (and Descartes). Let me propose that all things have consciousness at some level. Let me propose also that all things have some form of awareness of itself and its surroundings at some level. I could throw physical catch words, like energies and fields into the picture, but these mean totally different things to a physicist like me, so I will not do that. Let me propose also that consciousnesses from separate similar bodies can be categorized together as "collective consciousnesses", for lack of a better term. The collective consciousness of the Cosmos is God's consciousness. We humans are some of the metaphorical "cells" in God's body--how we choose to act (as "good" cells or "bad" cells) determines the overall health of God.
God is genderless. It would be fruitless and egocentric as a race to presume that God is male or female. We humans just happened to split into two sexes somewhere down the evolutionary path--it doesn't mean that God has to be male or female. God is whatever God is. On Earth, however, this is a different story.
As God is the collective consciousness of the Cosmos, one can group the consciousness of the Earth and its inhabitants as one thing also. Let me call this the Geo consciousness (for lack of a better word). Geo can be split into two further sets of consciousnesses. The positive collective consciousness of the Earth, and the negative collective consiousness of the Earth. Positive and negative? Let me elaborate...
All physical bodies have positive and negative consciousnesses. Positive consciousness is that which is constructive and beneficial to the body. Negative consciousness is that which is destructive and malignant to the body. It is all a matter of attitude and perspective--how you look at things. All events are neutral. You tag a meaning to the event as soon as you are aware of it. Will it be positive or negative? That's up to you, but if you want your consciousness elevated, you should try to think positive. Negative consciousness consists of guilt, doubt, destruction, and all the other feelings that tend to drag you further down. This is where the concept of hell comes from--you construct your own hell on Earth. Positive consciousness consists of love, compassion, the willingness to learn, the ability to adapt and adopt, creative construction, happiness, and all the feelings that tend to pull you up higher. This is where the concept of heaven comes from--Heaven on Earth is a matter of collective conscience. Heaven will not be handed to us by God, for we are an active part of God. It is up to us as conscious entities to pull ourselves (this is where the phrase "the Christ in you" and "6 billion Buddhas" originates) and others (this is where the term Bodhisattva originates) upwards in consciousness and awareness. The positive collective consciousness of the Earth is what I call the Christ, and the negative collective consciousness of the Earth is what I call Satan or the Devil. Yes, there is a Devil, but it does not exist independent of us. The Devil thrives on negative consciouness--every time a person sends feelings of guilt to another person, the Devil is said to "have taken control" of the sender. Of course, since positive consiousness is a higher consciousness, the negativity can be turned around. There is always at least two ways to look at any event in space-time. It all depends on your perspective.
The Christ can be further split into two collective consciousnesses--male and female. The male Christ (Jesus, for lack of a better name) is the assertive polarity. The female Christ (Mary, for lack of a better name) is the nurturing polarity. Yes, I am stereotyping the sexes, but all entities--regardless of gender--have both polarities in them. Both are important in maintaining a healthy balance in life on Earth. The Devil is polarized also, but both are negative and consequently, do not amount to ample speculation.
The following was written on January 25, 1994 at 1:26 am.
I have been scouring through the Bible and through other Christian texts for the reasoning behind Jesus' so-called death on the cross. One thing is clear--Jesus did not die on the cross, as believed by the masses. As it is said in the text, Jesus was given vinegar to drink from a sponge on a stick. In some translations of the Bible, and in other texts, such as Nicodemus, the vinegar also contained a second ingredient--gall. It has been speculated that this gall is actually a sedative derivative made from the gall of the opium poppy or the mandrake plant--enough to knock Jesus out for a short period of time. There were many who conspired to save Jesus from death on the cross, and to drug him was one way to do so. When he "gave up the ghost" (passed out), they took him down for the Sabbath and wrapped him in linen concealing various herbs which were to revive him from the sleep. The soldiers did not break his legs, because he was "already dead". While in the sepulchre (tomb), an angel (Essene translation: a person of saintly ways dressed in white) arrived to rescue him from the tomb. The soldiers who guarded the tomb were petrified by fear at the sight of the "ghost dressed in white"., and either did not notice Jesus being rescued, or were also part of the conspiracy/cover-up. Jesus was revived and shortly taken to Galilee to meet up with his disciples. A simple illusion of "resurrection from the dead" was achieved and thus propagated by his disciples to the public.
What Jesus wanted to symbolize in his coming back from the dead was not a resurrection from the grave, but in my conceptualization, a resurrection of the spirit of the human race as a whole. Jesus needed to demonstrate to the masses physically what he meant, for that was all they could fathom--they were not philosophers--they were sheep herders. The kingdom of Heaven is not a place you go after you die a physical death, but rather a state of mind that you and you alone must induce, and that is the misconception that has propagated since his "resurrection". The kingdom of Heaven is equivalent to the Buddhist Enlightenment for all. Jesus gives a simple solution:
1. "Put faith in the Christ to save you," i.e., positive consciousness, which includes helping others to become positive also.
2. "Believe in one God," i.e., in reference to the movement from pantheism to monotheism, do not segregate the forces of the Cosmos--unify them as one force; All is One and One is All. There is a simple strength in unity. There is no need to divide the forces into smaller and smaller sanctions.
3. "Put your faith in God," i.e., the Cosmos will give you all you will need, no more than you can handle, and as much as you ask for, as long as you are being true and honest to yourself. Do these things, and you will be an Enlightened being--in the "Kingdom of Heaven."
Buddha gives a different approach to the same problem:
1. Suffering is a condition of existence--there is negative consciousness.
2. Suffering comes from being materialistic and self-centered.
3. It doesn't have to be this way.
4. The Eight-Fold Path can help you correct your negative ways, and can steer you in becoming a more positive being.
Both deal with overcoming the hardships of existence.
1. Know or rediscover your true self.
2. Apply positive consciousness.
3. Know that the Cosmos is there for you.
Heaven is a state of mind--you can't pray for it, you can't wait for it, and you can't expect it to manifest itself without your intervention. You have to make it happen, because no one else is going to do it for you. "Christ" (positivity) is inside you--"he" can't possibly help you until you act on your own accord--"Christ" is alive if you are, for "he" is your positive consciousness. That's how the concept of "saviour" is supposed to work. Reading the Bible, confessing sins, and praying to an external force is not going to give you strength--the strength must come from within, which is why many Christians are so weak inside--they take the power, externalize it, and deem themselves powerless when it is not there--really absurd. The saviour is within, and the Cosmos is willing to help you help yourself, but only if you start taking on a more positive attitude. Put your faith in "Christ", dammit! You don't need a church to pray in, you don't need rituals to remind you that you are in control of your own destiny, and you certainly don't need a priest to intervene between you and the Cosmos. Accept the power, and your "kingdom of Heaven" will open up for you! And remember, it is never too late to admit to falling to a misconception--at least you found out about it in time. The worst thing you can do is stubbornly adhere to the external saviour concept, for that is a sign of unwillingness to change for the better. It can be scary to be shown you are wrong, but you will gain so much by unifying your own forces and accepting positive consciousness as an internal entitiy within you that you can control at all times!
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always a positive thinker. I'm human, and I still have a lot of negative habits to undo. I still feel guilt and still spread guilt. But at least I am aware of what I do, and I am trying to change it slowly.
Sexual guilt was my first negative habit. I felt guilty for masturbating privately, because it was deemed an immoral act by my peers. A lot of my social hangups came from this, and to some extent, still haunt me in the form of not being able to secure a relationship for fear of rejection or for fear of the unknown. On the other side of the spectrum, when I do feel comfortable enough to open up my feelings to a woman, I do it so swiftly that it scares them away, thus propagating my fear of rejection--in this case, it is they who are afraid to let things happen, or are just observing me from the vantage of a bigger picture which may include several other prospects. Solution? All I can offer is my personal solution, which is to try and remain or be more positive. It is their guilt ridden past that governs their morals, and it is with this that they judge me unjustly. My involvement in the relationship prohibits me from attempting to "reorient their saviour" enough to help them see me for who I really am, and so they are on their own. It is not my style to go around and preach my views to all my friends, anyways. It is the woman's loss, for not putting faith in me, and I reconstruct my circle of friends to accommodate a more positive set of peers. I lose a valuable friend, but I gain time to aquaint myself with others "worthy of my friendship".
I think it is possible to be sexually open and yet maintain a strict personal moral code, but our guilt ridden society is not equipped for such a notion. Sex is a chemical drive--it is natural and serves a purpose (to proliferate the human species). Curbing the drive for sex is unnatural and can have negative psychological effects on the person. On the other hand, allowing sexual intercourse at any given time is not a socially accepted item. Two rules should hold:
1. If the two consent to intercourse, let it happen, but always take the necessary precautions if pregnancy is not the desired result. And try to do it privately so that no one else is offended or aroused by your actions.
2. If only one wishes intercourse, do not force the other to follow suit. If release is desired, then masturbate privately. It is better to do so than imposing on another person's freedom to resist intercourse.
I believe in monogamous relationships--any more than this is unacceptable in our culture. Two parents for each child, and two children per family--except in the case of triplets, etc. Zero population growth is something we should all begin to consider. Marriage is the final step in bonding two people into a monogamous relationship--it should never be taken lightly, and should not be considered until the couple is absolutely certain that they are a match. Children should always be born after a couple is married, and divorce should not be allowed except for extreme circumstances. A child's birth should follow marriage, not the other way around, but if it happens, let them decide if they really want to be married. One should not get married for the sake of the child's welfare. Abortion should be left an option for rape cases, and single parenting should not be permitted (an average single parent spends 45 seconds a day with their child, as opposed to the 4 minutes an average two parent family spends). All options are flexible to individual conditions, of course.
I am tired--very tired--of religions. The violence that underlies two differing belief systems bores me to tears. I cry not for the dying or the dead; I cry for the absurdity of the ongoing ignorance of reality. How many times have I heard of people fighting over a sacred land, or sacred treasures that would be utterly meaningless to the uninitated. population. How many times have I heard of new religions being invented, to cast out the horrors of the one it was attempting to replace.
There is only one truth for me. Life is totally absurd. There is no denying it. Even Buddha said that all of life is suffering, and we all need to find a way out of it. Buddha's way worked for him and his followers but as Lao Tzu understood, time passes on and things change. One cannot be steadfast in one's own beliefs--one must always adapt and adopt to the circumstances. In modern times, we create our own scenarios of confusion and suffering and we deny its existence regardless of how much pain and stress it impinges on us. Instead of solutions, we come up with salves and elixirs to soothe the pain; the pain never leaves us, it is just put aside for a brief moment. Life could be so much simpler if we stopped awhile to really think about what we are doing everyday to ourselves. Ha gave us the gift of creativity, and we have created a monster. And Ha laughs, because the Joke is really funny. We must look like ants to Ha, marching around in a circle going nowhere. The Hindustani religion calls this circle the samsara. We are in a samsara--a cosmic rut.
In the Beginning, when there were no bars for entities to walk into, there was Ha--the primordial laugh. The absurdity of non-existence was too much, I suppose, and something had to break the metaphorical ice of silence. Ha was and is quite a big laugh, for Ha brought forth a plethora of states known now as energy, with "simple" rules to accompany it--rules of which we humans are still trying to figure out. In time, some of the energy recombined in ways to form what we consider Life here on this planet Earth. Not that Earth is the only place for it--it's just that the sampling was localized around this weensy region. For all we know, there could be Life everywhere. In any case, Ha came into existence, and there was nothing anyone could do about it, for there was no one else.
Considering that Ha was a good laugh, Ha also was and is the greatest Joker of all time.
The best way to show your appreciation to Ha is to be yourself and to help your peers be themselves. No guilt, no control, no limitations, no expectations. From this starting point, you can begin your journey of achievement in whatever direction you wish to choose. It's your life--make the best of it.
The exploration of the human body is a natural exponent of our curiosity, do not suppress the need to find out more about yourself. Sexual exploration of the body is not a negative experience in itself, nor should it be viewed as such. All tools are valid. If two consenting single adults wish to explore sexuality together as long as they are absolutely aware of their situation and scenario, let them do so. Sexual suppression and repression causes tension in the community, which causes chaotic behavior. Sex is a natural stress reliever which Ha bestowed upon us (for our benefit or bane), and it should be used in private to release tension. Do not be afraid. Just be protected.
Original Scripture of HA
by John C. Lam, Michael M. Masuda, and Eric Stokely
Manifesto: To Simplify and Unify Spirituality
The funniest thing about religion is that it is supposed to benefit the human race. Instead, it fills followers with myths, rituals, and moreover, a religiocentrism that has continually harmed the progress of global awareness and unification. There is more time spent in argument over differences in belief systems than in overcoming such differences. Every religion has its own set of meticulous rituals which each follower is supposed to follow; in general, most people cannot spare the time to do all of them. Many have given up these rituals and fall into the category of "semi-religiousness"--a state of not knowing what to believe anymore. A few of these have decided to join cult religions to attempt to regenerate some state of unity and spiritual balance within themselves. I will not condemn any religion that works for any particular individual. My main quiff with religion is the full acceptance of the rituals and myths without question--a blind surrendering of freedom of thought and action.
Jesua (Jesus, Iesu, Joshua, etc.) Christ was an incredible spiritual leader; one of his main goals was to move people away from the ritual-laden religion of the old Judaistic tradition to that of a simpler, less cluttered spiritualism. Jesua saw that the Jewish tradition was becoming corrupted with materialistic greed (e.g., charging a fee for exchanging money and performing Baptisms), and decided to rebel against it. Jesua wanted to simplify spirituality--by not hiding it behind a wall of materialism and ritualism. Granted, there were still many rituals he wished to keep, but he wished to do away with the "big clutter" of the meticulous daily rituals in Judaism. It is funny how the religion that has evolved from his original plan had gradually adopted countless other daily and weekly rituals...
Okay, so what is my plan? Basically, the same as that of Jesua--to simplify and unify the worlds' religions by presenting an underlying commonality between them, and by stating that it itself is sufficient in providing a basis in individual/global spirituality.
Comedy and Tragedy are the two faces of Absurdity.
All-Encompassing Premise: Life is Totally Absurd.
Ha, the big picture
In the beginning, there was Ha, the primary source of the Cosmos, which is, of course the grandest practical joke anyone could ever execute--the Big Joke. Ha is "All That Is", meaning all matter, all energy, all thought, all action--everything. Regardless of who you believe runs the big show, Ha will always be there, and you do not need a vast number of meticulous rituals to remind you that you are eternally a cell in the body of Ha--all you need to do is to exist , and Ha will exist for you.
Ha is the quintessence of all monotheistic religions--the God, Allah, Krishna, Brahman, Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, Yahweh, Jehovah, the Big Daddy--all aspects of Ha are valid and all are equally important on understanding Ha. Ha has no gender, for sex is an artifact of life on Earth; it is extremely egocentric of us to believe that Ha is either male or female, gay or straight. Ha is beyond all of these confining definitions of gender.
Anyways, Ha is the greatest practical joker, and the Cosmos is Ha's greatest achievement in jocularity.
The Meaning of Life
The meaning of life is to get the Big Joke. In getting the punchline, all things in life become clear, and one becomes Enlightened. The Enlightened state of consciousness is the ultimate goal of all living beings. Enlightenment is the deepest and most meaningful laugh one can have over a joke, and is certainly the most fulfilling. Laughter is the true voice of Ha speaking through you.
Ha: Fear versus Ecstasy
By nature of the name, Ha is not a fear invoking name. Ha should not be feared or be left unquestioned, for such actions breed ignorance, which is a negative state. Ha is flexible and organic--as much as we are as a collective human species. Blasphemy of the name of Ha is not possible, because the only way one can truly enunciate the name of Ha is in laughter, and you cannot make fun of laughter for you are already laughing! You can make fun of a person's laugh, but that is only making fun of the form and not the spirit of the laugh. Thus, Ha cannot be blasphemed.
Moral Codes
There are no overall moral codes, for all events are inherently neutral without the intervention of human labeling. Hence, there are only personal moral codes, which exist by personal labeling of neutral events as positive and negative states. If commonalities exist between individuals, then a structured social code can exist, and a social collective consciousness can evolve. There will always be conflicts between individual moral codes in which both viewpoints are equally valid, and depending on the social collective consciousness' viewpoint, one or the other or both can be judged more positive or negative to the society.
Judging your own moral code (Judgment Day)
If the entire world was populated by clones of your personality--mind and spirit, each being independent in thought and action, what would this world be like? Would the world become polluted, overpopulated, lazy, or addicted? Would the world thrive on technological breakthroughs and have a drive to progress in a positive direction of outward exploration? Would social communication be suppressed, secretive, or will it be open? If you think that your world cannot survive for long, then you need to rethink your personal moral code, and rethink how you approach your existence on this world.
Rituals and Myths
Since your existence alone is proof of both the existence of Ha and the relationship between you and Ha, there is no real need for rituals to periodically remind you of these things. Myths and rituals were invented to help remind people of their placement in the Cosmos and to appease the great unknown into aiding their existence. They are not necessary, but they are constantly being created, because we are creative entities by nature. This is another great absurdity--we need to create myths and rituals, but if the myths are not viewed as equally valid in their existence, one will attempt to annihilate the other (e.g.: Christianity vs. Mayans). Hence, myths can destroy us--a creation that can destroy us...a great absurdity.
The only reminder you need is to try to be joyful (with integrity, of course), for in the context of Ha, happiness is the penultimate state of being. And if you are happy, then that small part of Ha will be happy, which is a positive thing for Ha, and Ha will be grateful to you. So laugh and invoke the name of Ha!
The Shinto of Japan and the Celtic Druids believe that Nature and its grand uncertainty should be revered and worshipped--they are correct. The body of Ha (i.e., the Cosmos) should be held in high regard in all aspects of Life. But it is not necessary to construct rituals and myths around each aspect/facet of Nature in order to understand it more clearly. One goal of the Ha spirituality is to demystify reality--to not cloud the events of reality with stories that can propagate irrational fear or ignorance of the unknown. Empirical science is a powerful tool to turn around such negative states.
Wednesday evening: Feb 16, 1994, 11:02 pm
Notes of a conversation with John Lam: Our sketchbook first draft on the
Book of HA
Organic process
You cannot be an atheist
there will be no more rituals
you don't need any reminders because once you do, you separate yourself from Ha
the evil is the guilt and the self-doubt
when you laugh, you are speaking Ha's voice
incredible joke = universe
when you laugh, there is enlightenment
eternal enlightenment = a great laugh
everything is neutral, we attach meanings to it, we are labelers by nature trying to reconcile buddhist/christianity + my personal path
all of this absurdity, it must be a big joke; that is the final enlightenment
it makes life easier, it lifts load
Feynman at the end, said universe is simplified, life is simple to understand
You are living in Ha, so why not question its validity?
There is no way to blaspheme the name of Ha, the voice of Ha is laughter, you can't make fun of laughter, because you are already laughing, you can make fun of the laugh's sound, but not its essence
In context of Ha, there is no absolute moral system, we can each create our own moral system via positive and negative consciousness
abortion: existence is universal in the context of Ha so there exists no killing, everything is living and has eternal consciousness so by definition, there is no death
is killing valid? there is positivity and negativity all things are neutral. that's why we need myths circular reasoning, existence of myths are absurd, boils down to absurdity
absurdity: a joke has a punchline, absurdity is a joke without a punchline, it leaves you hanging with no resolution, and that in itself is the punchline, and that's what makes you laugh
there is no need to create a moral system
Life is not complicated, it just seems complicated to us.
The Ten Absurdities:
1. Life is Absurd.
2. Love is Absurd.
3. Work is Absurd.
4. Pain is Absurd.
5. Luck is Absurd.
6. Ignorance is Absurd.
7. Guilt is Absurd.
8. Sacrifice is Absurd.
9. Evaluation is Absurd.
10. Ha is Absurd.
1. Life is Absurd. No doubt about it, it cannot be denied how absurd the cycle of life can be. Animals kill each other. Life must kill life to sustain life. In human terms, life is absurd in many other ways. Life is inherently simple, yet we as humans make it so difficult by cluttering it up with ultimately meaningless endeavors. Life is meant to be a learning experience; it is a classroom meant to be exciting and full of vibrance--not boredom and endless cycles. Take a step back and look at the big picture. Look at all the absurd things you are allowing and exposing yourself to do. Look at all the things you can avoid doing if you just patiently stop for a brief moment to organize your life into something that you feel comfortable living. Listen to common sense. Don't fall prey to being a marionette for a non-existent puppeteer. Get your shit together.
2. Love is Absurd. There are two kinds of Love--one which is simple and unconditional, and the other which is impossible, egocentric, guilt-ridden, self-destructive, violent, unnerving, illogical, abusive, narcissistic, materialistic, idealistic, superficial, avaricious, uncompromisingly stubborn, and unrealistic.
Sometimes it is hard to shed all of the negative connotations of this vast emotion. Some people desire the former, but act in the latter manner for that is all that they can visualize or believe that they can achieve or acquire. True Love circumvents pettiness by being simple and unconditional; there is no ego involved. It is not a matter of surrendering personal freedoms either-- rather, it is a mutual and cooperative interest in seeking Enlightenment, the ultimate happiness.
When I say, "I Love You," I mean it in the first manner. Do you?
3. Work is Absurd. People get into the lousiest jobs just to pay off their debts. The absurdity is that it does not have to be this way. Do what excites you the most with integrity, it shall reward you with the abundance to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Be true to yourself. Be prepared, for the skills you learn will stick with you for a lifetime. Don't be an accountant if your calling is to be an artist. If you want a job in your area of interest, try to find an internship in it. When there is a will, there is a way--you cannot sit on your ass and assume that it will fall on your lap. Get into your life, for you don't want to waste your precious moments in life succumbing to flipping someone else's burgers. Your life is worth saving and living, but you have to be willing to make the moves and make it happen.
4. Pain is Absurd. All kinds of pain: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual--are absurd. Pain is a warning flag to tell you to stop doing something in your life that you should not be doing at that time, for you are going against the flow--the grain--of your life. And that will definitely give you splinters. Readjust, adapt, adopt, revise, and rethink your circumstance under which you are feeling pain. Change it in a positive manner so that you can live more in harmony with your surroundings. Sometimes the thing which you do everyday without thought is the cause of pain--ask for the opinions of others, for they may see your life better than you can. Pain can also be caused by unwillingness to change for the better--this pain will stay even after the changes have been made, to teach an important lesson not to fool with the flow of life. Also, a lack of something needed in life can also incarnate itself as a physical pain.
5. Luck is Absurd. We rely way too much on this hidden variable called luck. Luck is believing that your arms are longer in reach than they really are, in grasping your life's many adventures. Instead of hoping that your arms are longer, why not focus on what you got already within reach? Luck is virtual control over one's own life, and it does not really exist, no matter how many myths one devises to help them get what they want. It is self-deception, and it is a surrendering of control to a non-existent unknown. This is why science evolved. Science helps us to narrow the odds and predict and control outcomes. Does Ha have control over us? Not really, but Ha does get a big kick out of watching us make fools of ourselves, by praying to Ha and asking for better luck. Ha helps those who help themselves to manifest their own path of reality. Ha will listen, but will not make any promises. Ha will not manipulate dice rolls.
6. Ignorance is Absurd. There are two kinds of ignorance: the unwillingness to learn and the incapacitation of communication. To be steadfast and stubborn in one way is an indication that everything else in their life is believed to be beyond their control. All things that do not comply to their set rules is cast out, regardless of how down-to-earth they may seem. Information is lost, and valuable knowledge is deflected away from their hard shell. Keep your senses open for all possible bits of knowledge. Center your life, for if your life is unbalanced and uncontrolled, then you may be deflecting information that you could have prospered with had you utilized it properly. The second kind of ignorance must be deterred by starting at the source--let the information pass from the brain to the mouth.
7. Guilt is Absurd. Guilt is the lack of Love. Hate still implies that something somewhere is deserved. Guilt is the core of negativity--it stops us from doing things that we could be doing if we gave it a chance. Again, let me stress that life is a classroom and that we are merely students in the class, attempting to learn a little about our surroundings and ourselves. Guilt hinders this goal of discovery and prevents the natural flow of life to progress in the individual. "I can't do it." "I don't deserve it." "Why does he get all the glory?" It is at the core of envy, jealousy, and doubt. Can you imagine where we would be, if the Catholic faith did not impose so much guilt on the scientific world during the Age of Discovery? On the other hand, it plays an important role to make others realise if they are hurting other people. We would not be human, if we didn't stop occasionally to think over the horrible things we do to other people; sometimes, we need to be reminded if we are being reckless and destructive towards others.
A person who feels no guilt and thinks of others before one's self is a cool person. When they do preach to others, it is for a positive reason--something that will benefit both parties. The Two Commandments of Ha?... NO GUILT AND SELFLESS ACTION! Amen. Yes, if only everyone was like this, the world would be a more productive place, but there are three other kinds of personalities we must deal with--any of the four can switch in an individual, depending on mood, environment, etc. It is a personal goal of the author to try his best to be the first personality at all times--it is sometimes poses itself to be difficult, but it a worthwhile goal.
A person who feels no guilt and thinks of one's self before thinking of others is an asshole. They are selfish, have no courtesy, and they lose the respect of their peers.
A person who is guilt-ridden and thinks of one's self is a jealous person. They are possessive, and spread negativity wherever they go. In the Ha context of positivity and negativity, they embody the mission of the Devil, spreading unjustified guilt wherever they go. A dose of good friendship and encouragement can turn this around, but the individual must realise in time that being selfless in action is much more fulfilling in the end, because the goodness and positivity will come back as a reward a thousandfold.
A person who is guilt-ridden and thinks of others before one's self is an imposing person, always wanting to preach negativity wherever they go. It is hard to get angry at these people, because they are thinking of others first and letting them know what they are doing wrong in their eyes. Preaching positivity is one thing, but preaching unjustified barriers to other people's Enlightenments is another.
A goal is valid in any case, but if it hurts peers along the way, the destructive energy will eventually come back and haunt them. We all feel guilt at some point in time; the question we must ask ourselves is if it is something that can be dealt with in a positive manner, so that everyone can benefit from it, and not just the self.
8. Sacrifice is Absurd. If you were given a gift at birth, but allowed yourself to no longer have control over this gift, wouldn't you be upset? People give away the darndest things, because they believe they do not deserve to have it. Take Salvation, for example--the ability to save one's spirit. The Catholic faith has taken this power away from you and has externalized it in a mythical body called the Holy Ghost. Isn't it absurd to think that you cannot have control over saving yourself from negativity? To sacrifice this power of self-saviourism to an imaginary outsider is absurd. The power IS in yourself to save your own butt. No one else is going to do it for you. Ha helps those who helps themselves. Don't give away your only power to better yourself to a second party! ENDOSAVIOURISM--The Saviour is within. Jesus never preached exo-saviourism--this happened when others tried to put words into Jesus' mouth, trying to make sheep out of humans. It was done to make people feel guilty about what they believed in, but it was better than fragmenting the power to control nature and other things into a plethora of gods. Centralizing the power was an important step in spiritual evolution. The next step of this path is to internalize the power back into the self--back into the Garden of Eden.
9. Evaluation is Absurd. Evaluation is the act of casting judgment upon something. Humans are a race of critics--they have to attach meanings to everything they experience. In reality, there is no meaning. There are only events, and they happen, sometimes regardless of our ability to manifest it. One can attach positive meanings, or negative meanings to all events. How one reacts to the events is key here. Positive meanings will produce positive results. Negative meanings will produce negative results. Simple physics. If all else fails, take a step back and look at the big picture--if you still feel the need to attach meaning to it, give it a positive one. You owe it to yourself and the ones around you (why should they suffer along with you?).
10. Ha is Absurd. All salient beings have the ability to question themselves. We are all absurd entities. Why should Ha be any different? Ha is the origin of absurdity--and the finale. The alpha and the omega, so to speak. Ha must be able to laugh at itself for its uncertainties. Nothing is absolutely certain in the universe. All rules have some flexibility in their being. Even mathematics can be bent to produce absurd results. All things in the Cosmos of Ha which exist as matter or concept are absurd by nature. Richard Feynman said that "nature cannot be fooled"--nature, as it turns out, is the biggest fool--The Cosmic Joker (Ha), so you cannot fool a greater fool, for the greater fool is beyond the reach of the lesser fool. We can go on forever, but it's pointless.
Yes, I know that the texts are haphazardly thrown together, but that's Ha for you!