Stale Bobservations and Flaming Homilies

Nobody thinks seriously as long as originality is important to him.

Well, that's a relief. 

How does one keep it fresh when one is talking about timeless truth? After all "perennial" and "novel" would appear to be antonyms. Well, there's this:

Religious thought does not go forward like scientific thought does, but rather goes deeper. 

Therefore, it is possible to say the sameold sameold in a deeper way. There's also this:

There is no spiritual victory that is not necessary to win anew each day. 

 Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, only transposed to the key of Christianity?

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

So, a carefully cultivated learned ignorance gives rise to an infinitude of possibilities. Indeed,

As long as we can respond without hesitating we do not know the subject.  

More generally,

That which is incomprehensible increases with the growth of the intelligence. 

Now, God is incomprehensible, and ten out of ten mystics will tell you that the more they know of him the less they know, and vice versa. Thus, 

There are types of ignorance that enrich the mind and types of knowledge that impoverish it. 

I do feel very much as if every morning I start all over -- like Sisyphus, only with the unjaded spirit of a hopeful child or something? 

The intelligent adult is one in whom the child has survived and the youth has died.

In my back pages I was a rather cynical youth. But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now. 

The Roshi tells us that

This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

But

The modern desire to be original makes the mediocre artist believe that simply being different is the secret to being original.

 I also recall something Schuon wrote in one of his later books: 

Everything has already been said, and well said; but one must always recall it anew, and in recalling it one must do what has already been done: to actualize in thought certitudes contained, not in the thinking ego, but in the transpersonal substance of human intelligence.

Similarly, the Aphorist reminds us that

The scientific proposition presents an abrupt alternative: understanding it or not understanding it. The philosophical proposition, however, is susceptible to growing insight. Finally, the religious proposition is a vertical ascent that allows one to see the same landscape from different altitudes.

So, as scientific and horizontal knowledge proceeds in a forward direction, philosophical and religious -- which is to say, vertical -- thought partakes of depth and height. 

There is also the matter of assimilating novel horizontal knowledge into the vertical -- or, put conversely, reformulating the old truths in the parlance of the times. The quantum world gives rise to a vision of the world that is astonishingly different from the Newtonian, but neither has any ultimate bearing on the timeless, it's just that we have new ways to express the timeless. Physics may change, but 

Nothing is more outdated at any moment than yesterday's novelty.

And

Whoever believes he is original is merely ignorant.

Moreover,

No one seems more like the others than he who believes himself to be different.

Ironically, 

Originality must adhere to the continuity of a tradition.

Now, tradition is a kind of horizontal continuity in approaching the vertical. Along these lines, Gustav Mahler said that "Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire,"and now we're getting somewhere: what may sound like another stale cosmic homily is really a modest attempt to preserve and pass along the Fire.

After all, someone has to do it, so it might as well be me.

Gemini, what do you make of this? Stale bobservations or flaming homily?

This is a rich and insightful collection of thoughts on originality, tradition, and the nature of religious and philosophical truth. Here's a breakdown of the key ideas and how they connect: 

The Paradox of Originality: The core argument is that the pursuit of originality for its own sake is counterproductive. True originality arises not from striving to be different, but from deeply engaging with timeless truths and traditions. 

Vertical vs. Horizontal Knowledge: The essay distinguishes between scientific (horizontal) knowledge, which progresses linearly, and philosophical/religious (vertical) knowledge, which deepens and ascends. Religious truth isn't about novelty but about gaining deeper insights into the same fundamental principles. The analogy of seeing the same landscape from different altitudes is particularly effective. 

The Beginner's Mind: The concept of "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" is applied to the spiritual life. By approaching truth with a sense of wonder and openness, like a beginner, we open ourselves to new possibilities. This contrasts with the "expert's" limited perspective. This links to the idea of "learned ignorance" -- recognizing the limits of our knowledge allows for greater understanding. 

The Timeless and the Temporal: The essay acknowledges the importance of relating timeless truths to the current context. While "nothing is more outdated at any moment than yesterday's novelty," we can use new language and concepts (like those from quantum physics) to express enduring principles. This is the "reformulating the old truths in the parlance of the times." 

Tradition as a Fire, Not Ashes: The quote from Mahler is crucial: "Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." Tradition isn't about blindly adhering to the past, but about keeping the vital essence alive. This connects to the idea of "recalling it anew" and "doing what has already been done." 

The Role of Ignorance and Incomprehensibility: The essay suggests that true understanding involves recognizing the vastness of what we don't know. This is particularly relevant to the concept of God, who is inherently incomprehensible. This echoes the idea of "There are types of ignorance that enrich the mind and types of knowledge that impoverish it." 

Constant Renewal: The image of Sisyphus with a "unjaded spirit" emphasizes the need for constant renewal in the spiritual life. Each day is a new beginning, a fresh opportunity to engage with truth.

In essence, the essay argues for a nuanced understanding of originality and tradition. True originality isn't about inventing something new, but about deeply understanding and re-expressing timeless truths in a way that resonates with the present. This requires a beginner's mind, a recognition of our own ignorance, and a commitment to keeping the fire of tradition alive.