A New Beginning

It is generally the belief of enlightened society to see itself as objective and rationale. We see our science as open minded, and welcome to divergent thinking. We believe our views are based in evidence, our ideas validated by experience, and that our science is the product of a cumulative process. Yet we must ask the question, is this just another dogma of the modern era? We live in a tradition that rejects all preconceived value as a bias towards an imperfect past. Yet this in turn becomes a new bias and a new tradition, which in turn must be rejected. This leads us to a never ending tide of nihilism.

Western society has been grounded in the tradition of the scientific method. This generally follows five basic steps. We determine a problem, we hypothesis a solution, we test the hypothesis, determine if the hypothesis led to the appropriate conclusion, we see if the problem is resolved, and then reevaluate the problem in relationship to the new data obtained. In this process we believe that we are objective. And this has lead to many wonderful and very positive results. We have landed on the moon, dissected the atom, advanced the information era. And yet with all this, we have never solved the riddle of human happiness.

Walled in by the dogma of a post modern society, we are ever looking for a new answer, somewhere that no one has ever looked before. Because somehow, maybe there is a creative spark just around the corner, and if we just reinvent the wheel we might find it. Perhaps it is time to see the world from a new direction.

In ancient times the world was seen as a mandala. We see it in the elements of the five rings. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and the Void. These correspond to different ways of seeing the world. It is in this that we can escape the prison of the paradigm that surrounds us.

Earth, a series of thought. Starting from the beginning, and following through to the end. It is the body of the book of strategy. Here we see the outline off all that is to follow. In this we see the four professions. The farmer who surveys the circle of life. The merchant who values commerce. The artisan who builds. The warrior, who's nature is two fold, the path of the sword, and the path of the pen.

Water, Parallel thought, the spirit. This is the element of science. Ever adapting to the changing needs of the moment. It is perhaps the most powerful of the elements, and yet it is limited in force. It is forever tied to the paradigm of what is known, and what is believed. As such it is subject to all the forces that surround it.

Fire, Creative thought, divergent thought, not limited to context. This is the book of fighting. To master it requires research, daily practice. Through discipline one becomes free from the self. What is big is easy to perceive, what is small is difficult to perceive.

Wind, Schizoid thought. Going round and round without going anywhere. This is the realm of tradition. How can one know themselves, if they do not know others? To see the future, one must see the past.

Void, Intuition, the sudden jump to a conclusion. No beginning or end. This is the way of nature. If what seems correct is not the way of nature, then it departs from the way. Know the spirit and the foundation.