the bursting of the bubble

Jesus said: Once there was a rich man who had lots of money, and he said, "I will invest my money so that I can sow, reap, plant, and fill up my silos with crops so that I won't lack anything." So he thought, but that night he died. He who has ears, let him hear. Saying 63, The Gospel of Thomas.

We can invest in material matter and in spiritual currency in order to feel secure. It is the "in order to" that does us in. No wrongness exists in either monetary or spiritual success.

Buddhist lore speaks of the spiritual quester who floats off into an isolated pocket of self satisfaction and remains there believing s/he is snug and secure, that this state is nirvana. Once the self-blown bubble bursts, s/he has to come back to the point of bubble entry and start all over.

Jesus is pointing to the same phenomenon. For both types of security-seeking investor, death comes. Unexpectedly. This is a blessing, for the way they were pursuing was false. Death is an ally, removes all falsity. As Carlos Castaneda reminds us, death sits on our left shoulder and is to be consulted in our plans and moves. Death is part of who we are and does not lie.