In my early days as a student of the Western Mysteries I would stop and consider what I had learned. I would look back over the handful of years and wonder what if anything had my efforts and time garnered me. Had my efforts resulted in any life changing insights or illumination?

 

As is the case with most of Life's important events and occurences...it came quietly in the most unexpected of ways. I am friends with a practicing master of Shaolin Gung Fu and philosophy, who had taken my measure and presumably deemed me a sincere seeker of light. He must have felt me worthy of his time and effort and decided to contribute something towards my goal of Self Illumination. Thus he approached me one day after a Gathering and asked me a simple and very curious question..."is a white horse a horse?".  He told me to think about his question carefully everyday for the next few months, not focusing on it too much but rather letting the question roll around my mind. A few months I said?...I was ready to answer it right now! He instructed me not to try to answer the question for at least a month and offered to point me in the right direction but only after two or three more months. 

 

Clearly this was some type of koan that would presumably not be answered too easily and would require some logic. A month passed and I thought about the question a few moments of every day. When I saw him again I answered "yes...a white horse is a horse". Regardless of color the animal itself is still a horse. His response was "you are on the right path but facing the wrong way". Hmph! What difference does color or any other physical attribute have to the animal itself? A few more months passed and I answered the question a few more times, each time the response was the same "looking the wrong way".

 

Finally after about six months my friend sat me down and explained that his answer to the question was "No. A white Horse is not a Horse". He explained that the koan was not meant to be unlocked using Logic alone, when Logic failed the individual needed to make an intuitive leap to come to his own personal understanding of the question. He went on to say that the human mind is naturally geared towards categorizing things into neat little boxes. That quality though seemingly innocent at first is what causes soo many of us to take polarized and dualistic views on everything in this world. I am Muslim and you are Jewish. I am a Liberal and you are a Conservative. I am Black and you are White. You are different and I hate you! People tend to categorize their fellow human according to their differences rather than seeing what they share in common.

 

The koan was originally contemplated (in my estimation) by the ancient Chinese philosopher Kung-sun Lung, who shared many of the same ideas as Plato in his Theory of Forms. In his Theory of Forms Plato discusses the idea of a true and perfect version of everything that exists in this mundane and physical world. Beauty for example is an idea that exists in a higher sense in our mind but is reflected in the physical world through the creation of art, music and physical beauty. Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the idea of beauty was understood by all.

 

I think the same can be said for a person. If you substitute the word "horse" in the koan with your name and the word "white with any other adjective you will see what I mean. Although my name is not John I will answer the question for my Self:

 

Is white John = John. No.

Is black John = John. No.

Is rich John = John. No.

Is poor John = John. No.

Is American John = John. No.

Is Russian John = John. No.

 

None of those adjectives define me entirely or even accurately. The bigger question becomes...who is John? What does John represent. In asking my Self that question I suddenly came to understand that none of the labels that Society placed on me were accurate. When I looked within my Self I found that who and what I was...was much simpler and more common than I had ever realized. There is something simple and divine within me that connects me to everyone else in this world. When all the labels are cast away what is left...the atheist, humanist or agnostic might say being Human...a person of faith might say a Soul. Whatever your specific answer you may discover that this realization suddenly is able to cut through much of the bias and bigotry of this world. This realization connects us with everyone and everything. I am no longer a "White, Hispanic, Poor Man" and you are no longer a Rich, Asian, Muslim Woman"...we are just two human beings...we are just two divine souls.

 

I don't know about you but that thought makes me happy because I am no longer an outsider amongst any people. I am one of you, and we are connected like family by this idea. If only the rest of the world could feel the same way.

 

 

Just the late night thoughts of Unus Multorum...a humble unknown philosopher.

 

Peace and Blessings be unto you my Brothers and Sisters in the Light!