an Art of Dying fragment
Over the years I have come to realize how Right Our Prince actually was. About many things. And also, how Wrong. About many things.
Right —
I’ve mentioned the Factors in a separate fragment, along with Axion 25, as examples of brilliance; at least partial brilliance.
Wrong —
On the other hand, He claimed, in His long poem “Hymn of Asia”, to be the historical Buddha reborn in our times, yet pursued a spiritual philosophy that ran 180 degrees counter to Gotama’s, for the Buddha was unequivocal about the self — no such creature. Ultimately, maintained Gotama, all is emptiness. And I don’t think that Gotama would have so drastically changed his mind since he then danced the earth.
Our Prince begged to differ, big time; we are all, each and every one of us, He preached, eternal, individual selves. We have always been and always will be.
Interesting change of heart, that, if that’s what it was — which I doubt.
No, I’m coming down on the side of the historical Buddha on this one.
The thing is: I do not believe LRH actually KNEW what he claimed was the case, but simply assumed, guessed, posited, asserted (pick your verb of choice) the individual, eternal spirit. And, in my book, worse (far worse) than being incorrect in such an assumption is to preach it as indisputable Truth — that is far more wrong (by many orders of magnitude) that just being incorrect, for now you mislead so many trusting souls, souls who deserve the truth, not your version of it or personal preference.
I’ve tried to logically conceive of an immortal — always been, always will be — soul. One soul, okay, no problem. A trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion et cetera, et cetera souls, big problem.
In His Factors, even LRH seems to have a problem conceiving of eternal, individual souls: Before the beginning was a Cause, He says. Not a trillion et cetera causes, just the one. Tracking with Gotama so far.
Then, in Factor Eleven, He springs the multitude on us: “But there are other viewpoints [souls]…” out of an apparent nowhere. We’re very much in the Land of Nod here, the Cain’s-Wife conundrum.
