All materials are from:
Vulcan Information Centre
http://www.marketaz.co.uk/StarTrek/Vulcan/Vulcan.html
“We have differences: May we, together, become greater than the sum of both of us.”
“There is no offense where none is taken.”
“Nobility lies in action not in name.”
“The spear in the Other’s heart is the spear in your Own: You are He.”
“He talks peace if it is the only way to live.”
“There is no other wisdom and no other hope for us but that we grow wise.”
“Time is a path from the past to the future and back again. The present is the crossroads of both.”
“Wide experience increases wisdom, provided the experience is not sought purely for the stimulation of sensation.”
“In my time, we knew not of Earth men. I am pleased to see that we have differences. May we together become greater than the sum of both of us.”
Summary of Surak’s teachings
Some of the Material here has been taken and published without my knowledge and without reference to either this page the other sources used here.
Cast out Fear. There is no room for anything else until you cast out fear – this does not imply rejection of fear, by pretending not to be afraid. To cast it out you must first ACCEPT it; you must admit it is there. Say: “I am afraid.” and through this be reduced to total helplessness, this point is potentially the most powerful. Just past it is the great leap to true power: The move through fear, to bejond fear. Especially go past the fear of the Other, the Unknown.”Ideally, do not harm. Harm speeds up the entropy of the universe, and indirectly, your own. More practically, do as little harm as possible. Harm no one’s internal, invisible integrities. Leave others the privacies of their minds and lives.Intimacy remains precious only insofar as it is inviolate; invading it turns it to torment. Reach out to others courteously: accept their reaching in the same way, with careful hands.
Do not murder. All action has equal reaction: what force you inflict, inevitably returns.
As far as possible, do not kill. Can you return life to what you kill? Then be slow to take life.
Cast out Fear. Cast out hate and rage. Cast out greed and envy. Cast out all emotion that speeds entropy, whether it be love or hate. Cast out these emotions by using reason to accept them, and then move past them. Use in moderation emotions that do not speed up entropy (e.g. compassion).
Master your passions so that they are used to slow entropy.
Do no harm to those that harm you – offer them peace: then you will have peace.
Learn reason above all. Learn clear thought. Learn to discern that which seems to be, and that what you wish it to be, from what truly is. Learn the truth of reality, the reality of truth C’Thia. What is – is. This will set you free.
(These guideline have been adapted from Diane Duane’s rendition in “Spock’s World”.)
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C’thia and what is necessary for it.Abstracts from the Vulcan-mailing list.Respect: This may actually be a subset of logic. Respect for others would seem to be necessary in order to achieve peace and is of course the foundation of IDIC. Respect for oneself is necessary before respect for others can be achieved. Plus, we have seen examples of how Vulcans respect elders in the clan and their parents.
Compassion: To me this is summed up in “The spear in the other’s heart is a spear in your own”. Is that not an ultimate statement of compassion for others? We also see that Vulcan’s have great compassion from their reluctance to take life – sentient or not.
Desire for knowledge: This is actually just a Vulcan trait, and not necessary for Surak’s philosophy. However, how can one have logic if their is no knowledge on which to base it? We see this in almost every Vulcan. They see it as a waste not to learn as much as they can.
Discipline – Practicing the emotional control of c’thia or the rigors of Kolinahr requires a considerablde amount of self control and meditation.
Similarities to ZEN
Well here are a few more ideas on the Zen and Vulcan philosophies…
In Zen initial training for a monk includes training of WILL and INTELLECT, complemented by a simple diet, physical work for recreation. Punctuality, conscientiousness, SELF-CONTROL, and physical discomfort are demanded as part of training. Great value is set on Moral character, patience, and observence of ethical order.
Spiritual training requires the pupil to percieve everything that IS (C’Thai), in all its fullness, including displeasing matter – total imersion of perception is demanded. Now Spock does this as part of his meditation in "Dwelllers in the Crucible" by M.W.Bonanno:– ‘The sufferings of the universe passed across his viewscreen and Spock reached out for them and embraced them, reached into them and took them into himself, became one with them.’ While in the "Method of Zen" by E.Herrigel, it says;- Again and again you have to immerse yourself in the contents of perception to learn to raise above it, to apprehend and accept what you are looking at as if from inside, to look through it and grasp the essence.
Also a Zen-priest (a Vulcan?) should be a total, impartial observer of life, he should neither hate nor love but that does not mean become indefferent, rather compassionate. Freedom in Zen means: Remaining INDEPENDENT, UNCONSUMED by emotions such as joy, suffering, love and hate, although you need to accept them. While SURAK said (D.D. Spock’s World):- “Cast out all emotions that spreads entropy, whether love or hate, by using reason to ACCEPT them and move past them.”
Syvak's Museum of Heresies 