IS IT POSSIBLE TO VIOLATE JUST ONE OF THE "THREE GATES"?
IS IT POSSIBLE TO VIOLATE JUST ONE OF THE "THREE GATES"?
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PRACTICALLY speaking…yes. Ultimately…perhaps not.
In conversation with my ex-Military Right-wing friend, I realized that I couldn’t trust him to admit he was wrong about core positions, even if it was in black and white right in front of him.
He also attacks verbally. I tested to see what the MEANING of the attempted insult might be, by answering in kind. It stung him. He didn't like it. Oh, ok, THAT'S the meaning. He was trying to bully me.
At one point the Three Gates came up, and he said that he uses them in his personal life, but not as a soldier. That makes sense, because in war, it is "true" that cruelty is efficient and effective…within a range. Killing but not torture, for instance: no voluntary increase in the amount of suffering necessary to accomplish a goal. Soldiers I've known who stepped over that line, who had to do things that violated their sense of honor and decency, that were nonetheless viewed as necessary in a particular pressure situation, seemed more ruined by their experience. Haunted.
Only at war, he said. But even though he has retired, he still defines himself primarily as a soldier, and considers us to be at war, culturally.
It would be foolish not to consider the implications: He will violate Honesty, and Kindness if he considers it Useful.
I have to assume he's willing to lie. But I asked myself the question: is cruelty an indication of a person who is willing to lie? Is it reflexive, that the presence of one is evidence of a tendency toward the other?
I don't know. But I decided to look at the question both inductively and deductively. What sort of view of the universe would be suggest that Honesty and Kindness are the most Efficient/Effective means of action? That dishonesty is ultimately the root of cruelty, and also ineffective long term? That cruelty is only possible for those who fail to grasp certain truths of reality, and also ineffective long-term?
What view of reality suggests that it ISN'T just that the Three Gates are a test of character, but ultimately a path to the most effective way of living? That's a pretty high bar. I'm not wise enough to have any certainty about anything, but wanted to lay out the "spiritual tensegrity" between them, just to see if I could make it make sense.
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If the entire universe is connected, and all human beings connected, this would make sense. If we're like mushrooms--apparently separate, but really all part of the same mycelial mass, it would make sense.
Our greatest leaders have certainly encouraged us to see the connections rather than the differences. Certain very popular leaders did this within certain groups, "othering" non-members, and even vowing to exterminate them, have won popular support. It seems that human beings have a longing not just for independence but community. This would make sense to me, as if we are sensing both realities simultaneously: we are One. I am Individual.
If this were true, that we have both drives, to join in a solid group, but also to thrive as individuals, that would explain much of the tension in society, without demonizing either drive.
Now…from that perspective, let me try to see if there would be a relationship between the three points: they aren't just individual goalposts, but actually DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SAME THING.
That Honesty leads to Kindness and efficiency.
That Kindness leads to honesty and efficiency
That efficiency/effectiveness leads to Kindness and Honesty.
Could this be true? And what were the implications if necessary?
Let me lay out a couple of things I'm willing to bet my life on.
1) All living things attempt to move away from pain toward pleasure.
2) Human beings are happiest when living with joy and service
3) On a deep, unconscious level, all human beings want it to re-connect to that sense of peace we had in the womb…or with whatever ultimate life force permeates the Universe, including but not limited to the "God" concept.
4) Anger is a mask over fear
Over the years, I've tested these notions. The third one comes from a discipline called "Core Transformation" and it is testable through hypnotic trance. REALLY fascinating.
With your permission, I'm not going to defend these three positions: I've done that endlessly elsewhere. I'm going to ask whether, if these things were true, it makes sense of the Three Gates as a way to develop characteristics that are unusual in the world…and also answer the question of "why are they unusual." Because I'm dealing with things larger than my own mind, all I can do is tip-toe around the edges and see if the general "shape" makes sense.
1) Does honesty lead to kindness? Well, if we are actually all connected, then resolving the ILLUSION of corruption within ourselves would lead to self-love. Everything everyone has ever done has been in an attempt to stop hurting, and find love and peace. NO MATTER HOW VILE. They were lost. And may be so dangerously lost that there is no practical way to redeem them: they are lost in illusion and therefore frightened. And mobilizing that fear with anger. Dangerous as hell--either they DON'T see the connection between themselves and others, or DO feel the connection, but secretly hate themselves, and externalize that hatred onto other, with a violent outcome. Dissolution of that illusion internally and externally would lead to treating all beings with love. WHY IS THIS DIFFICULT? Because there ARE predators in the world. You "open your heart" to every stranger, and if 1 out of a 1000 people is a predator, they will gut you. The natural reaction to such damage is fear, and even associating pain with openness, rather than with lack of insight on YOUR part: if you really connect with self-love, you have to work your way through all the ugliness. Once you see that every bad thing you've done was a matter of being lost in illusion, you also know how hard it is to gain that insight, and how rare it is. You won't expect others to have it. In fact, from that perspective, being naïve about the potential for human predation is simply due to lying to yourself about your own instincts and actions.
2) Does Honesty lead to efficient/effective action? I certainly believe so. In fact, I measure the accuracy (honesty) of your "reality map" in terms of how effcient/effective you are at reaching your goals. To the degree that you know yourself, and also see the world clearly, you SHOULD be capable of designing appropriate goals, paths to those goals, and calculate the risks, benefits and odds. An accurate map doesn't guarantee you'll reach the goal, but an INACCURATE map, followed, guarantees you won't. Statistics seems to verify that, over time, honesty and kindness create a healthier web of association, and greater long-term success in both business and relationships. So…yes, I can see it.
3) Does Kindness lead to Honesty? Wow. Does it? If you believe that an accurate map of reality, and an accurate assessment of your position thereupon optimizes your chance of reaching your goal, and the ultimate goal is freedom from suffering, then yes, you have to learn to be be honest, while still being kind. Short term, it might be effective to lie, but long term, the truth is all that saves us. Lies just anaesthetize. The disease remains.
4) Is Kindness efficient/effective? The most extreme challenge would be a fight or a war. If you have to fight, something has gone wrong. If the ultimate goals are those of joy and service, then the "Rabid Wolf" part of you is supposed to be leashed by the diplomat, the healer, the teacher. "Is there not another way for us to handle this?" Because the "dogs of war", once unleashed, ain't about kindness except in a very elevated sense: protecting the body public. Or getting home alive. Then, you have to ask an important question: how can we deal with horror without becoming horror? And that would seem to be a core spiritual concern: the business of war is emergent from the business of life. But RULES of engagement are necessary to avoid "total war" where you use literally anything and everything to eliminate the other tribe. So killing, yes. But cruelty…TWISTING the knife and enjoying the pain you inflict…that is known to be a corruptive. And traditional cultures often have ceremonies welcoming the warriors back into the bosom of the tribe. Helping them heal their own inner damage, recontextualize the actions they took on behalf of the tribe, and make peace with their ghosts. We do what we must to protect ourselves and our families. But if the ultimate meaning of life is to reconnect with the divine, it is easy to see how damaging these actions can be if the warrior loses their perspective on honor and standards of conduct. If you can grasp this, that even within such a savage context kindness must not be forgotten, and that those trapped in a situation where they must step into that shadow need to be nurtured and healed afterward…then the question of ordinary daily competition is easy. Yeah. We can be kind. In fact, I feel a commitment to kindness helps you in combat, because if you will do ANYTHING to avoid having to turn that wolf loose, the person who ultimately forces you to do it deserves what they get. Its just Karma…IF AND ONLY IF you have done all in your power to avoid it.
5) Does a commitment to effectiveness lead to honesty? Well, Musashi thought honesty was critical to being a great warrior: "do not think dishonesty." Reverse engineering that suggests that dishonesty is NOT a road to greater effienccy…on a mundane level. But the more elevated view asks us to consider that might be ULTIMATELY true, from the most mundane to the most elevated context. That the more honest you are with yourself, the better results you'll get. And the more honest you are with those around you, the better life works. And that would seem to lead to the notion that it is worth fighting for a world in which we can all be honest with each other…but also recognize that it will be difficult to get there. Why? Because of the persistent illusions of separation, that separation causing fear, that fear masking with violence.
6) Does a commitment to efficiency/effectiveness lead to kindness? I can see this. The "persuasion framework" says that the first step in influencing someone is to achieve rapport with them. Extend genuine respect and affection. There are extremely efficient and effective warrior disciplines that ask us to love, to connect, to live for the good of Mankind. If you seek truth to make your map more accurate, and ultimately the truth is that we are all seeking love, and you can forgive yourself for past errors about this path…if you then see the connection between yourself and others, then all you'll see is one loving spirit in many different bodies and life paths, some of them damaging. So long as you connect with your survival drive, love is the most wonderful, healing, and motivating experience in the world.
So FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, it is possible, even probable, that the Three Gates are interconnected, that they lead to each other, and that they offer a path to an extraordinary life. But the OTHER implication is that a person who is dishonest will ultimately be cruel and ineffective.
That a person who is cruel cannot be trusted to be honest and effective.
That a person who is NOT effective at reaching their chosen goals is not seeing the world honestly, and therefore not kind to themselves…or others. They think being kind means being clawless, and that is a delusion.
A lot of thoughts this morning. I can't necessarily justify them. But I have to admit that it doesn't feel silly. It feels like I saw something this morning I'd not seen before, and wanted to share it.
Apply the Three Gates to the Three Centers. I'm very close to feeling that I'd bet my life on the correlation. More than that I cannot say.
Namaste
Steve
www.stevenbarneslist.com
