Limits

Hinduism: Kena Upanishad

“The Pupil asks: 'At whose wish does the mind sent forth proceed on its errand? At whose command does the first breath go forth? At whose wish do we utter this speech? What god directs the eye, or the ear?'

The Teacher replies: 'It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the breath of breath, and the eye of the eye. When freed (from the senses) the wise, on departing from this world, become immortal.’”

Commentary: The senses are evidence of something else. We see and hear what we can and what we experience is not exhaustive of what is actually present in the universe. Light and sound waves surround us unperceived. And so much more so things of the spirit.

Buddhism: The Dhammapada

“Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.”

Commentary: Limitations are often only perceptions….but how convincing they seem to us at the “moment” of their conception…

Zoroastrianism: Zend Avesta: Yasna 61

“And how shall we drive the Demon of the Lie away from us? And how shall we, the prophets who are yet to serve and save thy people, drive the Druj away, so that we, having power over such ones, rendering them powerless, may drive them away with blows from the seven Karshvars, that we may encounter and dislodge them from the entire world of evil?”

Commentary: So the question then becomes how to rise above the, beyond or through limited perceptions, to not “buy” into the “lies” regarding the absolute fixed nature of each circumstance. Evil here is the conviction that nothing can change, that limitation IS the true nature of reality….rather than a temporary ascertaining…

Judaism: Job 29

“Man grasps the flinty rock and overturns the mountains at their roots. He cuts out channels among the rocks, seeing every precious detail. He dams the streams so that they cannot trickle out and the thing that is hidden man brings into the light to examine. But wisdom, where is it found? Where is the place of understanding? Man doesn’t know its price, and it isn’t found in land of the living. The depths say ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says ‘It is not in me.’ It cannot be gotten for the price of gold, and no silver can be weighed out to purchase it.”

Commentary: And so enters the attempt to control what has been determined as being “limited anyway.” It is an honest and child-like moment….but it is not transcendental…

Christianity: Gospel of Matthew 6

“The light of the body is the eye; if therefore, your vision is focused seeing good, your whole body shall be filled with light. But, if your eye is evil, your body shall be filled with darkness. There fore, if your inward light is darkened, how great will that darkness be?!”

Commentary: Eventually, the subtle realization….limitation is also focus….and can be useful as well as dangerous…you experience who and what you are…..and this is true of everyone….

Islam: Sura 45

“When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, the Unbelievers say, of the Truth when it comes to them: ‘This is evident sorcery!’"

Commentary: Our true power lies in this…..seeming limitations are signposts telling us where we have focused our energies, change the focus and reality alter/altars. Trouble is, most folks just simply don’t want to believe that it’s really that simple.