Reincarnation is debated as a theory in Buddhism, by this zandtao means that many Buddhists believe in reincarnation but others don’t. This presents a conflict with a major tenet of Buddhism – one of the three characteristics anatta (other two being anicca and dukkha). What is popularly presented is a notion that if we do well in a past life we are born “better” in this; within Hinduism this meritorious past life has contributed to the appalling caste system.
It is perhaps better to avoid the anatta issue by looking at Sacred Wounds. It is generally accepted that there is a spiritual law that we choose our parents, as zandtao deepens his study the importance of this law becomes more important. Within his Seeker Story egos arising from upbringing become more and more significant with techniques such as Inner Child work being used to recognise trauma and arising egos - thus releasing them. The concept of Sacred Wounds integrates this better. The wounds we grow up with were intentional, the intention of consciousness – Karma; the egos that arise were developed by Karma’s intention and in the life of that consciousness were intended to be released. If the egos are arising from consciousness, then they are sacred.
In choosing to see wounds as being sacred we avoid the need to support a theory or idea – thus avoiding ditthupadana clinging to an idea, and we have no conflict with anatta – a soul transmigrating from life to life. It does of course mean that we are ascribing beliefs to karma but how and why we are born is a mystery of consciousness. If we accept a spiritual law "we choose our parents", it is not a great leap to say that the sacred wounds that arise from that choice are intentional. Our choice leads to recognition of wounds the healing of which evolves consciousness.
Avoiding that dilemma we do have an integration with one Buddhist characteristic – dukkha. Why is suffering necessary? To overcome Sacred Wounds. What do Sacred Wounds teach us? What egos we need to release. Our Sacred Wounds are our roadmaps so understanding this law - the choice and recognition of Sacred Wounds - shows our autonomy what it needs to heal.
Most significantly this also integrates with the increasing recognition of trauma arising from upbringing. In the past the home was considered to have an idyllic image with parents loving and caring for children, such a conditioned ideal is being recognised as a fiction as psychiatrists recognise more and more the problems adults bring into daily life as a result of childhood issues. Such issues tend to be placed at the hands of parents (parents are blamed) as they choose to have children. Building a family is a norm that can be seen as arising from instinct – propagation of species etc. In a caring society, approaches need to be adopted that help young people become parents - such as education for parenting, and measures to help parents in their home once they have children. Almost the opposite happens in patriarchy. The home is used as a means of trapping the workforce; maintaining the home has become increasingly more expensive forcing both parents out to work making upbringing issues more severe. Conditioning has increased towards this model of both parents working with a major focus on the role within the workforce. With this emphasis how can a child not develop issues once they are adult?
By recognising these issues as Sacred Wounds we can target what is best to be released. In this way psychiatry and the path can be integrated with the recognition and release of these egos possibly leading to the liberation of the path. This also vindicates Nicola’s position concerning trauma and spirituality here – not surprisingly given the direction zandtao is now taking.
For Teal these Sacred Wounds arise as part of Ancestral healing. Culturally the importance of ancestors has been understood by the indigenous (intergenerational in this talk) and the Chinese, but our patriarchal system avoids such recognition holding to the myth of a caring family as it suits economic accumulation. Through the recognition of intention, as adults we can ask what egos did our upbringing give us without seeing this as a reflection on parenting. With further recognition of this intentional process, we could work towards an understanding of childhood issues by helping understand issues parents, guardians and society bring to the “mix”. By seeing this trauma as intentional we could begin to ask as young adults leaving home “what issues are likely to have arisen?”, but without any blaming of parents because they have been “chosen”. For most adults conditioning means that there has been no trauma arising in family except for the “mentally ill”, with this blinkered approach trauma is carried through adult life even reinforced by ongoing parental relationships. Whilst zandtao is mostly considering this trauma as restricting the spiritual path, he also sees it as unknowingly contributing to mental difficulties such as depression as discussed by Ruby Wax and Alex Scott. On the spiritual path Buddhists have always recognised that there is suffering – dukkha. Whilst this 1st Noble Truth is simply a spiritual recognition that suffering arises, it would be no great stretch to say that suffering for all can arise in upbringing through family as this is a process we all go through.
If there is an impact of personal suffering through our ancestry then there can be considered the arising of trauma and need for healing on a collective level. In patriarchy there has been intentional exploitation of women and black people, such intent can be observed as a trauma-element in upbringing – again reflecting on conditioning and not parents. Tirzah Firestone recognises the possibility of such "Sacred Wound" trauma coming from the holocaust history of the Jews, resolving such trauma would alleviate some (much?) of the suffering that is ongoing (transferred?) in the Middle East. When Serene Thin Elk discusses the treatment of her ancestors we can understand trauma currently being experienced amongst her people - her brother.
On the spiritual path it is understood that ego restricts awareness, and that the release of ego is the way forward. But when it comes to releasing egos there comes a problem of recognition, we’re often unaware of egos especially as shadow. Buddhism indicates these egos with their numbers – 3 kilesa, 4 upadanas, attachment to 5 khandhas, 5 nivarana – hindrances etc. Seeing such egos as arising in upbringing would be helpful in recognition, subsequent release and the liberation of the path.
What can be shown to our autonomy as Sacred Wounds? Emotionally love in the family is central to a balanced upbringing, yet when we consider the inimical relationship between patriarchy and love immediately we can see a source of trauma. When we consider Sacred Wounds we can recognise them in family but the boundaries between familial conditioning and patriarchal conditioning are just not clear. When zandtao sees wounds in his own upbringing he does not see any distinction in those wounds as being his father's chauvinism or that of patriarchy. It is his view that neither does karma. The wounds zandtao is meant to heal can be clearly seen in family but the forces that created that would are not family as distinct from patriarchy but family within patriarchy.
As with Tirzah it is important to see our own responsibility in contributing to stereotyped oppression. In the Manual zandtao began this with "Embracing the MAWP", zandtao has a responsible duty with all Sacred Wounds - those that get recognised in family and those recognised in society. But there is one wound that zandtao has not previously considered - he was born catholic. Why was he born catholis, rejected at 11?, became Buddhist after mid-life review, and after crossing the threshold of autonomy is not considering catholicism. He is beginning a catholic diary. Zandtao hopes he has taken sufficient note of Karma's roadmap.
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