tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56993002427071660012024-03-16T12:06:19.562-07:00Mindfulness Quotes & ThoughtsMay you seek, discover and embody, the profound peace, kindness and wisdom that is within us all.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.comBlogger1340125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-41491322101144053802024-03-10T01:16:00.000-08:002024-03-10T01:28:47.166-08:00Knockin on Heaven's Door<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Very recently, two of my fittest friends, both life-long athletes, both in their late 70s, came <u><i>very</i></u> close to death with pneumonia. Thanks to ready access to the wonders of modern medicine, both now are recovering - one at home, the other still in hospital. "Knockin on heaven's door" for some, suggests closeness to "the end" - </span><span style="font-size: medium;">perhaps imagining concrete barriers at the end of a "dead end" street.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> But Zen talks about a "gateless gate" - a koan</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> or open question </span><span style="font-size: small;">(<u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">transcending the </span>left-hemisphere</b></i></u>)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> to ponder deeply, until - like </span><span style="font-size: medium;">plainly visible, tangible </span><span style="font-size: medium;">water at 100°C suddenly transforms into subtle vapor - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">everything changes</span></b> ... </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"Life <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only</span></b> makes sense</i></u> when you perceive it as <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>mystery</b></span> and it <u><i>makes <b>no</b> sense</i></u> to the <b>conceptualizing mind</b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Anthony de Mello SJ</i></span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span> </span><u><i>Everything is driven by</i></u> the magnetic pull toward <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Oneness, our true Self</span></b>, and this we sense with our <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right</span></i></u></b>-hemisphere-dominant consciousness<span style="color: #2b00fe;">.</span> <b>BUT <u><i>when we're out of touch with</i></u> </b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">our true nature</span></b>,<b> then we're driven by LACK -</b> <u><i>gnawing frustration & dissatisfaction</i></u> which activates our <b><u><i>left</i></u></b>-hemisphere-dominant mindset, <u><i><b>the function of which is exclusively to help us survive & reproduce</b></i></u> - so we try to <u><i>grab, hold & keep 'things, people & experiences</i></u><i>.' </i><u><i><b>This</b></i></u> (sadly common) <u><i><b>obsessive self-centeredness invariably fails</b></i></u><i><b> </b></i><i>to provide peace & lasting happiness</i><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">: </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.johnlovas.com/2018/12/towards-intimacy.html">http://www.johnlovas.com/2018/12/towards-intimacy.html</a></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> <br /></span><i><b> </b></i><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><i><u>Iain</u></i></span></span><i><u> McGilchrist</u></i> spent 30 years of meticulous research, study, writing & speaking about the <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">crucial importance</span></b> of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right</span></b>-hemisphere dominance</i></u> which includes a useful subservient, supportive role for the <u><i>left</i></u>-hemisphere. He <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">put all the ducks ("parts") in order</span></b>, to satisfy the most fastidious, materialist, skeptical of linear thinkers so that they might<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> have a glimpse of "the whole"</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in two masterworks:<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Iain McGilchrist "The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World" in 2019.</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Iain McGilchrist "The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World" in 2021.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>“Since 2006, <u><i>Jeffery A. Martin PhD</i></u> and his team have spearheaded <u><i>the largest global scientific effort to understand forms of human experience such as</i></u>: <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">awakening</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enlightenment</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">non-duality</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">God consciousness</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">peace that passeth understanding</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unity consciousness</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">persistent mystical experience</span></b>, and hundreds of similar others. Academically, we refer to these as types of Ongoing and Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience. Publicly, <u><i>we most typically call them</i></u> <b><span style="color: red;">Fundamental Wellbeing</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Dr. Jeffery A. Martin. “How to Safely, Reliably, and Rapidly Reach Fundamental Wellbeing: Lessons from the Largest Scientific Project Ever Assembled on Awakening, Enlightenment, Non-duality, Unity Consciousness, and Other Forms of Fundamental Wellbeing.” Integration Press, 2020</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> (free e-book)</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> <span> </span>“If you stop and truly examine <u><b><i>the average person’s life</i></b></u>, it becomes obvious that it comes down to <u><i>tradeoffs</i></u> that are <u><i>being made to mitigate</i></u> their <b>fundamental <u><i>discontentment</i></u></b>. It’s <u><i>the foundation</i></u> that <u><i>all of their experience is built upon</i></u>, and they <u><i>spend a great deal of time & energy trying to pacify it</i></u>. People <u><i>will do almost anything to get as much distance from it as possible</i></u>. <br /> <span> </span>Sometimes they make the decision that the best option is <u><i>pleasure in the moment</i></u>. Other times, they <u><i>might sacrifice for</i></u> what they perceive to be <u><i>a more substantial or durable gain in the future</i></u>. <u><i>Every moment</i></u> involves <u><i>a carefully calculated move</i></u> in an overall strategy <u><i>to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">minimize</span></b></i></u><b> fundamental <u><i>discontent</i></u></b>. <br /> <span> </span><b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Finders</span></i></u></b> <u><i>have this discontentment replaced with</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a deep-seated foundational, inner peace</span></b>. Just like the discontentment is for others, this <u><i>peace simply seems to be there</i></u>. However, also just like discontentment, there are things that can pull it closer or create some distance to it. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The inner game for Finders is about this peace</span></b>, <b>though</b> <i><b><u>some miss this</u></b></i><u><i> because of their former habit of focusing on & managing discontentment</i></u>.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Dr. Jeffery A. Martin. “The Finders.” Integration Press, 2019.</i></span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><u><i>Michael A. Singer</i></u> is imho a wise man with 50 years of deep spiritual practice, and an excellent communicator. His regular talks are freely available. Here are the closing 3 minutes of (at this time) his most recent talk: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It's All Energy” - </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday March 7, 2024</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://tou.org/talks/">https://tou.org/talks/</a></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>“‘<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Are you willing to <u><i>let go of</i></u> your</span></b> <b>self?</b>’ … But <b>you’re just lost in your self</b>, aren’t you? <b>If you think that <i><u>things should be the way you want</u></i>, you’re lost in your self</b>. ‘Why is it raining on my birthday?' ‘Oh my God, there you go again. Why did it have to rain today?’ ...<br /><span> </span><b>That’s ego</b>. It’s not just people who are boisterous who have big old egos. That’s ego, you think it’s you. <b>You look at it all through <u><i>the veil of ‘you</i></u>.’</b> <br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The great ones</span></b> <u><i>do <b>not</b> do that</i></u>. … they <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">look at things from the center of Consciousness</span></b>, and realize everybody else is the same as me - it’s the same Consciousness, but it’s looking at something different. And we’ve all had different experiences. Yogananda, an enlightened being, used to say, ‘But by God’s grace, there goes myself.’ That’s how he looked at wrong in this world. Had I not been brought up by my mother, in my tradition, in this, & that food to eat, and so on. How dare you judge somebody else. And Christ is the same way, ‘May you without sin, throw the first stone.’ Wake up! <br /><span> </span>These are the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deep traditions</span></b>. They’re <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">about stepping out of your</span> self</b> enough to realize we’re all in here, but we’re lost in the stuff the psyche built over the course of our lives. <br /><span> </span>Next time you feel low in energy, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">just remember who you are</span></b> - five hundred trillion times the brightness of the sun. And you can’t even see it. One star in the spattered sky, and that’s what it really is. And they’re everywhere. And that’s who you are. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><b>But you’ve limited yourself</b>. You’ve limited yourself to stare down at this thing. And the trouble is, <u><i>if you don’t get what you want, you’re not comfortable</i></u>. A heroin addict once said that to me. ‘You know I’m much nicer when I get a hit. And I’m really strung out and terrible when I don’t.’ Well, okay, fine. That’s not a nice thing to talk about is it? But it’s the same thing. You’re addicted to your psyche. <u><i>You’re addicted to the patterns that you have within your mind</i></u>. All right. <br /><span> </span>The beauty of it all is that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">you are a very great being</span></b>. And you’re <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">capable of returning to that state</span></b>, gradually, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">by letting go of </span>staring at yourself</b>. The more you let go of staring at yourself, the more you <u><i>let go of getting all caught up in</i></u> ("<b>preferences</b>") <u><i>what you want & what you don’t want, what you like & what you don’t like</i></u>. <br /><br /><span> </span>And <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>just start honoring & respecting the flow of life</b></span>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">serving it to the best of your ability</span></b>. … You don’t interact with life to make it do what you want. You see something happening, and you <u><i><b>feel a reaction</b></i></u> – <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let go of </span>the reaction</b></i></u>, and <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">then see if there’s something you can do to help!</span></i></u></b> How nice would it be if every single moment, instead of asking, ‘What I want & how do I get it?’ you were asking, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">‘How can I help this moment? How can I serve?’</span></b> ("<i><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Nurturing</u></span></b></i>") Whoa. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>That’s</i></u> the beauty of the path!</span></b>” </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Michael A. Singer </i></span></span><i><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It's All Energy” - </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday March 7, 2024</span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - </span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://tou.org/talks/">https://tou.org/talks/</a></span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> </p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"At times we are hidden, at times revealed. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are Muslims, Christians, Jews, of any race. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Until our hearts are shaped to hold all hearts</span></b>,</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>We show these different faces to the world.</b>" </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jalaludin Rumi </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span></div><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZgAoe1o2134" width="320" youtube-src-id="ZgAoe1o2134"></iframe></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Knockin on Heaven's Door</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap" role="text"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">This version was recorded in memory of the Dunblane Massacre 13 March 1996, where 16 children and one adult were killed.
A new verse was written</span></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap" role="text"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">, and the children who sing the chorus are brothers and sisters of the victims.
The song was released 9 December 1996. Proceeds went to charities for children. </span></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap" role="text"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">Ted Christopher - vocals,
Mark Knopfler - guitar.
</span></span></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-69549060413325430922024-02-29T03:08:00.000-08:002024-02-29T03:17:07.354-08:00Small separate self and Big Mind<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>There are many ways of expressing "<b>separate self</b>": small self, narrative-self, ordinary mind, personal mind, pain body, egocentricity, noisy ego, fearful hurt child, etc. All of these reveal aspects of the <i><u>common</u></i>, and for many, the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><u><span style="font-size: medium;">default </span></u></i></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><u> self-concept / worldview</u></i></b>. This worldview is <u><i>fear</i></u>-based; conflates survival of the <i><u>ego</u></i> with survival of the body; assumes we're all "<u><i>alone in a competitive, hostile world</i></u>" where one's <u><i>external circumstances</i></u> rigidly, mechanically <u><i>determine quality of life</i></u>; where <u><i>perfect control of</i></u> one's <u><i>external environment</i></u> means everything to the <u><i>left-hemisphere-dominant mind</i></u>. But since perfect control is <u><i>never achievable</i></u>, "<u><i>ordinary unhappiness</i></u>" is as good as it gets. Nevertheless, when <u><i><b>anxiety, fear & unhappiness</b></i></u> dominate, this <u><i><b>ordinary mind rules</b></i></u> - much like how <u><i>during emergencies</i></u>, the <u><i>fight, flight, freeze instinct</i></u> kicks in; and also like how </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><i>during times of war</i></u>,</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> right-wing <u><i>dictators</i></u> find it easiest to <u><i>cling to power</i></u>.</span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span><span>“<i>No one can tell you </i><u><i><b>what</b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">awakening</span></b> is</i></u>. I could use a lot of words to describe what it’s like. I could say it’s kind of like wakening from a dream. Suddenly you’re not who you think you are. You are not the dream character, the person or personality that you’ve been playing all your life.” </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Dan Schmidt</i></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Nevertheless, "<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Big Mind</span></b>" has been <u><i>experienced</i></u><i> <b>&</b> </i><u><i>pointed towards</i></u> in many ways & words, such as: Awakening, Awareness, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">true self, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Self, Universal Consciousness, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Source, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Buddha nature, the Divine, high-plateau experience, enlightenment, Christ consciousness, God, Fundamental Wellbeing, Ongoing Non-Symbolic Experience, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Juingong, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">etc.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the better books describing <u><i>how people</i></u> - whom Martin calls <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Finders</span></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;">- </span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <u><i>from around the world have experienced this</i></u> is:</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Dr. Jeffery A. Martin. “The Finders.” Integration Press, 2019</i></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">. </span></span></span></p><p>
</p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>“Every <b>word</b>, every <b>image</b> used for God is <u><i>a distortion</i></u> more than a description.” </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><i>Anthony de Mello SJ</i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>"Another name for God is <b><span style="color: red;">Surprise</span></b>!" </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Brother David Steindl-Rast</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /> <span> </span>“As soon as you look at the world through an <b>ideology</b> you are finished. <u><i><b>No <span style="color: #2b00fe;">reality</span> fits an ideology</b></i></u>. <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Life is beyond that</b></span>. … That is why people are always searching for a meaning to life… Meaning is only found when you go beyond meaning. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Life only makes sense when you perceive it as mystery</span></b> and <b>it makes no sense to the conceptualizing mind</b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Anthony de Mello SJ</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></i></span>
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{page:WordSection1;</style><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> Those</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> who experience <u><i>higher states of consciousness</i></u> for <u><i>sustained periods</i></u> report</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>extraordinary levels</i></u> of </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wellbeing</span></b>. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Regardless of geographic location, ethnicity, spirituality / religiosity, education etc, there is <u><i>remarkable similarity in "Finders'" descriptions</i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>More & more such people are sharing their experiences in <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>serious, in-depth interviews</b></span></i></u>: <a href="https://batgap.com/">https://batgap.com/</a> and <a href="http://conscious.tv/">http://conscious.tv/</a> and <a href="https://cac.org/podcast/turning-to-the-mystics/">https://cac.org/podcast/turning-to-the-mystics/</a> and <a href="https://www.guruviking.com/">https://www.guruviking.com/</a> etc. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Finders</span></b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> “have moved past their moments of doubt & frustration. They have found exactly what everyone else has been seeking their entire life. For them, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">each moment feels <u><i>perfectly okay</i></u> at a deep & fundamental level, <i><u>regardless of</u></i> </span><span>actual life circumstances</span></b>. There individuals <u><i>do <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not</span></b> dwell on past regrets or glories</i></u>, <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">nor</span></b> worries about future hopes & dreams</i></u>. They <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">live peacefully in the present</span></b>, while everyone else around them seems intent on trying to escape it. They’ve not only found <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fulfillment</span></b> but a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deep & fundamental sense of wellbeing</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Dr. Jeffery A. Martin. “The Finders.” Integration Press, 2019.</i></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>As soon as we notice that we're <b>confused & </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">suffering</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>, as if we were alone</b>, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>struggling</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> to survive </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>in a hostile world</b>, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Zen advises that we</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> "<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>take the backward step</b></span>" </span><span style="font-size: medium;">and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ask</span></b> ourselves, "<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Who </span><span>is confused?</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Who </span><span>is suffering?</span></b> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Who </span><span>is struggling?</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;">" This <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"self-inquiry" practice</span></b> will increasingly serve to <u><i>snap us out of</i></u> <b>the <i><u>illusion</u></i></b> of being this<b> small</b> "<b>separate self</b>" - the pawn in some cruel cosmic game, and back to our <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>true self</b></span>, <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>ONE</b></span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> with everyone & everything, the Source,</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Universal Consciousness</span></b>. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Gradually, as wellbeing becomes stabilized, Finders <u><i>can opt to shift into</i></u> a "quiet ego" ("doing mode") <u><i>to perform certain practical tasks</i></u>, then <u><i>effortlessly</i></u> return to Awareness ("being mode") again. As an aside, Iain McGilchrist's <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>right-hemisphere dominance</b></span> <u><i>accommodates both</i></u> of these (while left</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">-hemisphere dominance is equivalent to "noisy ego" - much higher levels of self-centeredness).</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> Martin's book is quite detailed, providing insight into Finders' <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">profound qualitative change in perspective, self-concept & worldview</span></b> after which they (other serious meditators, mystics & saints) say / write <u><i>seemingly</i></u> opaque, confusing & even paradoxical statements, such as this well-known <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unequivocal declaration</span></b></i></u>:</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>"All shall be well, <br /> <span> </span>and all shall be well, <br /> <span> </span> and <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>all manner of things </b></span><span style="color: red;"><b><i><u>shall be well</u></i></b></span>." </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><i> Julian of Norwich (1342 – 1416) English Christian mystic</i></span></span><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> Just as</span><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i>Bessel Van Der Kolk</i></u>'s excellent book, <i>“The Body Keeps the Score. Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma”</i> helps us <u><i>look back</i></u> and <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">understand self-compassionately</span>, the effects of past traumas</i></u> on our lives,</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i>Jeffery Martin</i></u>'s valuable book, <i>"The Finders"</i> helps us <u><i>roughly locate <span style="color: #2b00fe;">where we are</span></i></u></span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i> now</i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i> on our spiritual journey</i></u> and <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">provides an important map for the <b>joyful trails awaiting</b></span></i></u> us.</span></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span><span> </span>“But by my love and hope I beseech thee: <br /><span> </span><span> </span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>cast not away the hero in thy soul!</b></span> <br /><span> </span><span> </span><span style="color: red;"><b> Keep sacred thy highest hope!</b></span>”<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><i>Friedrich Nietzsche “Thus spoke Zarathustra”</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><i> </i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezGa34zV2zeur5Ac-uXlg4L7j2YTMyzjn4rnZ3ZsY1mjNgiGN7JYz2t3Sf1UAvPSM_qhkifhcBX8bSR5ORTL6mRKYHlrLoOwmtI2Xb_c0_48wpsAUNBASN2zLGqGIu1dzX7xcAVWE0Lbw2bb7DrMECLYfQBMgzdtqJqA5otfBat7M9f7WPiI2cR4OB5i6/s1158/Follow%20the%20Light...%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1158" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezGa34zV2zeur5Ac-uXlg4L7j2YTMyzjn4rnZ3ZsY1mjNgiGN7JYz2t3Sf1UAvPSM_qhkifhcBX8bSR5ORTL6mRKYHlrLoOwmtI2Xb_c0_48wpsAUNBASN2zLGqGIu1dzX7xcAVWE0Lbw2bb7DrMECLYfQBMgzdtqJqA5otfBat7M9f7WPiI2cR4OB5i6/w400-h400/Follow%20the%20Light...%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" width="400" /></a></i></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><i><br /></i></span></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Molly Hahn <a href="http://buddhadoodles.com">buddhadoodles.com</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-79511052353434683392024-02-23T05:41:00.000-08:002024-02-24T09:42:18.881-08:00Who Am I? - Really!<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> Most of us <b>assume</b> that our <b>identity</b> <u><i>is defined exclusively by</i></u>: our name, age, body, family of origin, education, job, successes, failures, illnesses, ups & downs - ie <i>"<b>the story"</b></i> about us that we keep telling ourselves & others. We've become habituated to an almost continuous level of <b><u><i>self-concern</i></u></b> - <b>anxiety & fear</b> about our <u><i>comfort & survival</i></u> as if <b>alone in a hostile world</b>. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>One of the foremost experts in PTSD wrote: “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">If you feel safe & loved</span></b>, your brain (is) specialized in <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">exploration, play, & cooperation</span></b>; <b>if you are frightened & unwanted</b>, it (is) specialized in <b>managing feelings of fear & abandonment</b>." </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Bessel Van Der Kolk. “The Body Keeps the Score. Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.” Penguin Books, 2015.</i></span></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> </span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>But what Van Der Kolk observed <u><i>after severe trauma</i></u> - <b>preoccupation with managing fear, anxiety & unworthiness</b> - is <b><u><i>now almost ubiquitous</i></u></b> in our society. This widespread <b><u><i>unbalanced</i></u> mindset, self-concept & worldview</b> is what <u><i>Iain McGilchrist</i></u> has been studying, researching, writing & lecturing about for the past 30 years.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> He's found that our</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> <b>anxious self-concern</b> <b><u><i>activates & keeps us in</i></u> left-hemisphere-dominant thinking </b><i>WHICH</i><b> <u><i>overrides</i></u> </b><span>our <b><span style="color: red;">much</span></b></span><b><span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: red;">wiser, more balanced</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> right-hemisphere-dominant perspective<span>. </span></span>O</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>ur current, as well as 3 previous <span style="color: red;">global crises</span></b>, arose due to </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>left-hemisphere-dominant thinking.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>Below is part of a <u><i>recent interview</i></u> with Iain McGilchrist MD, PhD about <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>his perspective on </b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>the huge problems we face</b></span>, based</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> on his <u><b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">extensive studies & research findings</span></i></b>,</u> described in <i><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;">2 monumental, critically-acclaimed books</span></u></i>: </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"<i>The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World</i>" in 2019, and "<i>The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World</i>" in 2021. Here's a <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>greatly abbreviated snapshot</b></span></i></u> of, imho, his <b><span style="color: red;"><u><i>extremely important work</i></u></span></b>:</span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“I see my work as essentially philosophy rather than something about the brain, but I think the divorce between philosophy and science has been a disaster for both parties, and I want to try and bring them together a bit in a way that I think could be helpful. <br /> <span> </span>Just a little bit about my progress or lack of it. I started off wanting to study philosophy and theology at university. I thought I would probably be ordained and go into a monastic order. But I discovered during the three years I was at Oxford that I wasn’t a very good candidate for monastic life. It wouldn’t have been good for me, and it wouldn’t have been good for the monastery. <br /><span> </span>So that was ditched, and I got a fellowship which allowed me to explore all sorts of things. And I had a problem about the academic study of literature, because people took something that somebody had written in the past, that had great meaning, and that they had left to communicate something to us, and instead, we sat in the seminar room and took it apart. The piece of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">literature had its value because</span></b> it was <u><i>unique</i></u>. The message was <u><i>embodied</i></u> and also <u><i>implicit</i></u>, not explicit. <b>When you made it <u><i>explicit</i></u></b>, <u><i>you lost the point completely, like explaining a joke</i></u>. And <b>in the seminar room we turned this</b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">implicit, embodied, unique thing</span></b> <u><i>into something that was</i></u><b> explicit, disembodied & with a message you could find anywhere</b>. And that led me to write my first book, ‘<i>Against Criticism</i>,’ and I decided that what I needed to do is to find out more about the mind-body problem, because <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">it seemed to me we were </span>just too disembodied</b>. I spent a lot of time in philosophy seminars on the mind-body problem, but it just seemed to me that the philosophers were far too disembodied in their approach. <br /><span> </span>And around that time, Oliver Sacks had written a book called ‘<i>Awakenings</i>’ which I thought was very important. And he did two very wonderful things there, he <u><i>went into individual cases in great detail, in order to show general points</i></u>. This is a Goethean phenomenon. One of Goethe’s most important philosophical contributions is the idea that <u><i>you <b>don’t</b> find the general by turning your back on the particular or the individual</i></u>, <b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">but by</span></i></b> <u><i>going deeper into the particular in the individual</i></u>. And he also seemed to me to be talking about what happened when the mind and body interacted in an odd way and <u><i>something happened to the body and it changed the mind</i></u>, or <u><i>something happened in the mind and it had effects on the body</i></u>. And the only way to know more about this was to study medicine, and so I did. <br /><span> </span>And when I had qualified in medicine and was working at the Maudsley Hospital in London, which is probably the foremost psychiatric hospital in Britain, I heard a lecture one day by a colleague (John Cutting, whom I considered the most interesting living psychiatrist) who’d been <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">studying the <i><u>right hemisphere</u></i> of the brain</span></b>. It had never been my intention to study it, but he had done what lots of neurologists hadn’t done, which is to sit at the bedside of <b>people who had had strokes, tumors or other injuries to the <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right</span></i></u> hemisphere of the brain,</b> and discovered that actually their <b>consequences of this were <u><i>more devastating</i></u> for their ability to understand themselves, the world, or what was going on around them</b> than a left hemisphere stroke, <b><u><i>even though</i></u> the <u><i>left</i></u> hemisphere most commonly made it difficult for them to use their right hand, to write, and to use language</b>. So this was fascinating. <br /><span> </span>And he told me in this lecture certain things that were based on a book, which was published by Oxford University press called, ‘<i>The Right Cerebral Hemisphere and Psychiatric Disorders</i>.’ He told me certain things that explained to me that the <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hemisphere</span></b> alone, <span style="color: #2b00fe;">really understands a unique case</span></i></u>; that the <b><i>left hemisphere</i></b> has already taken whatever it is into a category, put it into a box, made it a representative of something rather than something unique in its own right. Also that the <b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span></i></b><i> </i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>understood implicit meaning, irony, humor, metaphor, poetry, ritual, body language, facial expressions, the tone of voice</i></u></span>, but the <b><i>left hemisphere</i></b> didn’t. It was more like a computer taking a book of syntax rules and semantics, and dictionary, and working out what people meant. And the third thing was that the <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span></i></u></b> was <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></i><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">much more in touch with the body</span></i></u>; the <b><i>left hemisphere</i></b> was effectively less so. <u><i>I have to cut corners here enormously</i></u>, but just to give you an idea which I think helps to explain why I ended up in this area. <br /><span> </span>I went up to him afterwards and said this is very interesting, and I told him about the book I’d written about the philosophy of literature, and he wanted to read that. And that started a working relationship in which <u><i>we researched hemisphere differences together</i></u>. And I knew very, very well that this was <u><i>a very risky thing to do</i></u>. But I’ve got a perverse streak in me that if I think that there’s something here that’s really important, I’m not put off by people who say, ‘Oh that’s all rubbish. The thing about their brain hemispheres, it’s all been exploded. It’s all nonsense. It’s all pop psychology.’ Everyone warned me, ‘Don’t go into this.’ But of course it was true that what we then believed was wrong, but it didn’t mean that there were no differences, and the differences were fascinating. And it was the next <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">20 years of research, including neuroimaging at John Hopkins, & acquainting myself with the literature, & examining patients that led me to understand these hemisphere differences</span></i></u>. <br /><span> </span>And so these experiences were as an adjunct to a philosophical question about <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">how we see the world, and what are the effective differences</span></b>. I can put this as quickly as I can. <b>For reasons of survival</b>, all living creatures <b>have to do 2 <u><i>incompatible</i></u> things <u><i>at once</i></u></b>. They have to be able to <b>focus their attention on a detail</b> so as to get it, and grab it, and eat it, or pick it up and use it, faster than anyone else, accurately. So a very clearly targeted, narrow beam of attention needs to be paid. <b><u><i>But</i></u>, if that’s the only attention you pay</b>, <b>then you don’t see</b> the <u><i>predators</i></u>, you don’t see <u><i>your kin</i></u>, <u><i>your conspecifics</i></u> (organisms belonging to the same species), <u><i>you just don’t understand where you</i></u> are and <u><i>you will <b>not</b> survive</i></u>. <br /><span> </span>So all the neural networks that we know, <b><u><i>all</i></u> the creatures</b>, not just humans, but all the way down through mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, insects, everything that we know seem to have at least <b><u><i>two</i></u> centers of attention, dedicated to these <u><i>two differences</i></u></b>. And we think this goes back very anciently from examining fossils of trilobites and the most ancient living creature still extent ... And it’s already asymmetrical. <br /><span> </span><u><i>So <b><span style="color: red;">there’s something very, very important about different attention</span></b></i></u>. Effectively, <b>if you pay attention to the world in one way, you will see one thing</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and if you pay a different kind of attention, you will see another</span></b>. One of the things I would say is that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">attention</span></b> changes the world. It <b>actually makes the world that we experience</b> – the only world that we can possibly know – <b><span>different</span></b>. And <b><u><i>it also makes <span style="color: #2b00fe;">us</span> different</i></u></b>, because <b>if we pay a certain kind of attention, we can become <u><i>alienated</i></u> from the world</b> <u>OR</u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we can become <u><i>connected</i></u> with the world</span></b>, for a start. <br /><br /><span> </span>What do these two kinds of attention result in in phenomenological terms? Well, the <b>left hemisphere’s attention</b> builds up a picture of a world that is <u><i>made of isolated fragments</i></u> that have <u><i>no context</i></u> and <u><i>don’t mean anything</i></u> <b>until</b> they’re <u><i>put together by us</i></u>. We arrange them, and we probably <u><i>put them in a little category</i></u>. The left hemisphere is very keen on putting things in a little box where they all belong together. And so you have <u><i>a world</i></u> which is <u><i>simply made of fragments</i></u>. The fragments are <u><i>static</i></u>. They’re <u><i>frozen</i></u> by this gorgon-like stare of the left hemisphere to capture it. (in Greek mythology, the Gorgons were 3 monstrous sisters with snakes for hair who could turn someone to stone just by looking at them). And they <u><i>have <b>no</b> particular meaning</i></u> for us. We are <u><i><b>not</b> connected with them</i></u>. We are <u><i>very distant from these things</i></u> because <u><i>we’re observing</i></u> them and <u><i>ready to attack them</i></u>. And they have <u><i><b>no</b> </i></u>sort of <u><i>implicit meaning</i></u> or <u><i>connection with other things</i></u>. <br /><span> </span>Whereas the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span></b> sees <u><i>a world in which everything is flowing</i></u>, <u><i>changing all the time</i></u>, in which <u><i>everything is ultimately connected to everything else</i></u>. <u><i>Nothing is ever completely isolated</i></u>. And that <u><i>when you take something out of its context, you radically change what it is, completely change it</i></u>. You can in fact reverse the take, or the meaning, or the impact of what it is you’re looking at by decontextualizing it. <br /><span> </span>So <b>these 2 ways of looking at the world</b> are in a way <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">both necessary</span></b>. They both <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">have a use</span></b>. <b>BUT</b> they <b>have <u><i>contradictory</i></u> effects</b>. And what I began to see was that <span style="color: red;"><b>in the world we live in, we <u><i>ONLY use</i></u> the <u><i>left hemisphere’s kind of attention</i></u></b></span>. <br /><br /><span> </span>When I was in Baltimore at the Johns Hopkins Hospital I was imaging brains and looking at the abnormal asymmetry in the brains of people with schizophrenia. <u><i>There is a normal symmetry in the brain</i></u> that is absolutely normal – the brain is bigger at the front on the right, and bigger at the back on the left. <u><i>But in schizophrenia</i></u>, it’s <u><i>often reversed or absent</i></u>. And we think that is <u><i>connected with the phenomena of the illness</i></u>. While I was there, I got a message from my colleague John Cutting to say that there was a fascinating book ... called, ‘<u><i>Madness and Modernism</i></u>’ by Louis Sass, a psychologist at Rutgers in New York. What he showed was that <b>in the modern period, people thought that their poetry, their stories, their paintings above all, & even their music, showed an aspect of something that was like what happens in schizophrenia</b>. And in schizophrenia <b>the world makes no sense. Things are no longer coherent</b>. And he points to <b>about 25 different phenomena</b> that are <b>seen in schizophrenia</b>, but <b>are also replicated in the last hundred years of philosophy, literature & art</b>. I thought that this was absolutely fascinating. It’s a brilliant book and very well written. It may sound rather glib, but it isn’t. It’s extremely thorough and well thought through. <br /><span> </span>And I began to think, if that’s happening now, we can’t all be getting schizophrenia, but I had already discovered that <b>people with schizophrenia </b><u><i>are very like people with</i></u><i> </i><b>a left hemisphere <u><i>in overdrive</i></u></b> and a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span> </b>that is <b><u><i>not functioning properly</i></u></b>. And again, I haven’t got time to go into that. But that led me to think, <b><i><u>what’s happening </u></i><u><i>now</i></u> </b>is that<b> <u><i>we are not listening to</i></u> what our <span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span> tells us</b>, <b><u><i>only to</i></u> </b>what <b>our left hemisphere</b> tells us</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>And then I thought, maybe there were other times in history when the balance was better. And I found in short that three times over Western history, starting with the Greeks and working forwards to post-modernism, <b>there have been <u><i>three times</i></u> when a <span style="color: #2b00fe;">flourishing society</span> </b>began to <b>drift more & more to the take of the left hemisphere before collapsing</b>. So that is quite relevant for us, because I believe <b>we’re in that terminal phase now</b>, <u><i>unless we <b><span style="color: red;">wake up</span></b> and see what it is we’re doing</i></u>. It’s not enough to have a list of things to do, because <b><u><i>if we don’t</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">change in our heart & our mind</span>, <i><u>if we don’t</u></i> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">change the whole way we look at the world</span>, <u><i>we can’t survive</i></u></b>. That in an incredibly brief & simple way, is to try and explain why I think <span style="color: red;"><b>this subject is important</b></span>.” <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Interviewer</span></b>: “The way you describe it now, and in your books, really shows how <u><i><b>our technological relationship to reality</b></i></u>, <u><i>what defines modernism</i></u>, and also <u><i>the kind of effectiveness of modernism</i></u>, and the <u><i>particularity of modernism</i></u>, is <b>very much related to the phenomena described with</b> <b>the left hemisphere</b> of the brain. And ... that <b>our crises</b> may be related to the <b><u><i>one-sidedness of our culture</i></u></b>. …” <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>“<b>The central thing is to do with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">values</span></b>, because the <b>value of the left hemisphere</b> is in <u><i>getting things, grabbing things, possessing things, having power over them, having control</i></u>, and all the rest. It sees this tiny thing. It’s dedicated to something it already knows at once. <br /><span> </span><u><i>But all the rest</i></u>, the uncommitted <u><i>attention to the whole</i></u>, <u><i>is yielded by the</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span></b>. And I sometimes put it like this, that the <b>left hemisphere helps us apprehend the world</b>, … whereas <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the right hemisphere helps us to comprehend the world</span></b>, which is <u><i>really to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hold it together</span></b></i></u>, perhaps to Big Life, but it’s a bit more than that. … This is the difference between them in their values, and so <b>there’s something addictive about the left hemisphere</b>, because it gives you <b>power</b>, it gives you <b>control</b>. <b>Technology</b> is the tool of the left hemisphere. But the important thing about <u><i><b>technology</b> is</i></u> it’s <u><i>neither good nor bad</i></u>, it <u><i>depends on the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wisdom</span></b> of the person</i></u> who’s <u><i>wielding it</i></u>. And <u><i>wisdom is what we’re leaving out of this picture</i></u>. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wise</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sees a lot</span></b>. The <b>left hemisphere </b>is<b> <u><i>relatively ignorant</i></u></b>, so it <b>sees literally <u><i>less</i></u></b> than the right hemisphere, <b>understands <u><i>much less</i></u></b> and <b><u><i><span style="color: red;">doesn’t see the need for</span></i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">what the right hemisphere knows</span></b>. <br /><span> </span>Whereas the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span></b> <u><i>seeing more</i></u>, <u><i>knows that its knowledge is limited</i></u>, & <u><i>knows that it needs the left hemisphere</i></u>. So they have an <b><u><i>unfortunate inequality</i></u></b>, in which <u><i>the one that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">should be in control</span></b> – the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right hemisphere</span></b></i></u>, the master as I call it, <u><i>the one that can see where we need to go</i></u>, <u><i>that can exert wisdom</i></u>, <span style="color: red;"><b><i>isn’t</i></b> in control</span>. <b><u><i>Instead</i></u>,</b> we’re <b><u><i>driven by</i></u> </b>the<b> desire for stuff</b>, for <b>acquisition</b>, for <b>power</b>, for <b>control </b>which is <b>the left hemisphere</b>’s raison d'être.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">” <br /><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>The</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Brain, the Sacred and the Soul - Iain McGilchrist & Thomas Steininger of Evolve <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5g4tOu6Hgk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5g4tOu6Hgk</a> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> So <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">when we're finally fed up with </span>"the story of me</b>," and are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ready & courageous enough to experience </span><span style="color: red;">who <i><u>we really are</u></i></span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">who has been <i><u>witnessing</u></i></span></b> all the changes over this lifetime of ours, <b><span style="color: red;">who has been <i><u>consistently aware</u></i></span></b> of all the changes taking place in that mirror of ours, start <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>meditating</b></span> in earnest, including <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"open questioning"</span></b> or <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"self-inquiry</span></b>," and <b>instead of being ruled by fear & aggression</b>, <b><span style="color: red;">loving wisdom</span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">will guide</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <b>us</b></span>.<br /></span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -21.6pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Excellent 25-minute (<u>from</u>
11:50 <u>to</u> 37:00) <b><span style="color: #0432ff;">Guided Self-Inquiry Meditation</span></b><span style="color: #0432ff;"> </span>by <span style="color: black;">Helen Hamilton</span></i>:
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT52rqB4wHM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT52rqB4wHM</a> (<i>see below</i>)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection</font></style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Ramana Maharshi. "How to Practice Self Inquiry." 2014.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -21.6pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel. “The Power of an Open Question.</i><i><span> The Buddha's Path to Freedom."
Shambhala, 2011.</span></i></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</font></style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CT52rqB4wHM" width="320" youtube-src-id="CT52rqB4wHM"></iframe></div><br />
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p><p><span class="rush-component s-latency-cf-section" data-component-id="4" data-component-type="s-search-results"><span class="a-declarative" data-action="puis-card-container-declarative" data-csa-c-func-deps="aui-da-puis-card-container-declarative" data-csa-c-id="ccf8d2-qiklvt-bch7u7-thkx1t" data-csa-c-type="widget" data-render-id="r2ydo5rvq7erwf278bwcdj13tnh" data-version-id="v2laelakto18k82o7cy47f2sjt0"></span></span><span class="rush-component s-latency-cf-section" data-component-id="4" data-component-type="s-search-results"><span class="a-declarative" data-action="puis-card-container-declarative" data-csa-c-func-deps="aui-da-puis-card-container-declarative" data-csa-c-id="tdyp18-ffphaq-hbvpbu-9f403l" data-csa-c-type="widget" data-render-id="r2ydo5rvq7erwf278bwcdj13tnh" data-version-id="v2laelakto18k82o7cy47f2sjt0"></span></span></p><h2 class="a-size-mini a-spacing-none a-color-base s-line-clamp-2"><a class="a-link-normal s-underline-text s-underline-link-text s-link-style a-text-normal" href="https://www.amazon.ca/Master-His-Emissary-Divided-Western/dp/0300245920/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31MW4155FTZHJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PIeTUR2aP712XzTGq97ENYs82bVYiws-64QANYu2idzfsmihedVzBHTyt7bFB8MnjM9Tv9VOmDGUu-cV8MugUwMiw_uDgpvWdD2apRfe4oYQ3SNM7XDK71JpuXDHEvaZECE7CZIx5XUXcaEq_BTg9qodlHlba7bXtD2JlBEuDX2jbsfoyi1WwX4EeZ1nUqv1ereGQcuevAzumnUXrx2daw8qkEou19MM0kWUJZbS8eM.jG6k0wI2-9QYUxtelCx_hl8EqeobmskA2dYCjWuV1uM&dib_tag=se&keywords=Iain+McGilchrist&qid=1708627057&s=books&sprefix=iain+mcgilchrist%2Cstripbooks%2C137&sr=1-1"><span class="a-size-medium a-color-base a-text-normal"></span></a></h2>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><p></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-12167821859135626112024-02-16T05:45:00.000-08:002024-02-18T06:02:14.181-08:00The BIG Picture<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Many of us are <b>wrapped-up & lost in</b> the <u><b><i>details</i></b></u><b><i><u> of our personal life</u></i></b> - 'the story of me.' Naturally, we all want happiness, but our experience tells us that happiness is fleeting. Keeping our attention on our own relatively minor personal concerns at least<b> distracts</b> us from the <b>great global human-caused problems</b> we now face.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>M</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">any remain <b>dubious about, even </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>disinterested in </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>the</span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> BIG PICTURE</span></b> - why we're here, what we're doing, or where we're going. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We're <b>disoriented</b>, <b>lost without a map</b> - almost as if we've been <i><u>plucked </u></i><u><i>out from the fabric of real life</i></u> & <i>as some movie fans propose</i>, locked into "<b>the Matrix</b>.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b>When</b> we are</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u><i>narrowly focused</i></u> on </b><b>surviving <u><i>as if we were</i></u> alone, in a harsh, meaningless world</b>, <b><span style="color: red;">we actually bring about</span></b> <b><u><i>suffering</i></u>, and <u><i>can only perceive</i></u> a harsh, meaningless world</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> present oddly <b>cynical,</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> fearful, narrowly-self-centered culture </b>makes it <u><i>challenging even to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">consider</span></b></i></u> the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> BIG PICTURE</span></b>.
No wonder more & more nations are democratically electing "strong-men"
(dictators) to rule, and then allow them to become "president for life."
</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rest in peace <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Alexei Navalny</span></b>. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"Every nation gets the government it deserves." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Joseph de Maistre</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">IF</span></b> we have the </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><i><u>wisdom, courage & spaciousness to be </u></i></b><b><i><u>connected to the BIG PICTURE,</u></i></b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> </b></span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">feeling intimately connected to other people & Nature in a loving, nurturing way</span></b>, we <b><span style="color: red;"><i><u>CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER</u></i></span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> <b><i><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Fortunately</span></u></i></b></span> respected scholars, researchers & increasingly others are becoming deeply interested in & open to the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">BIG PICTURE</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">, <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>integrating</i></u></span> the <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">direct experience</span></b> of ancient <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wisdom traditions</span></b></i></u> with <u><i>research data of</i></u> <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">modern science</span></b></i></u> :</span></p><p>
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"The author Frank White conducted interviews with a range of <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>astronauts</b></span>. Based on his findings, he coined the term ‘<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">overview effect</span></b>’ to describe <u><i>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">paradigm shift in consciousness</span></b> that many of them reported when they viewed the Earth from space</i></u>. The most dramatic was that of Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon. In 1971, two days into his homeward flight, he was lying in the console of Apollo 14, monitoring the spacecraft’s systems & peacefully contemplating the scene through the small capsule window. Because there is no atmosphere in space, <u><i>almost ten times more stars are visible to the naked eye than on Earth</i></u>. As the craft rotated, multitudes of stars and planets, including Earth, tumbled in and out of his view. He had <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a wondrous sense of ‘being swaddled in the cosmos.’</span></b> He <u><i>felt tranquil & relaxed, safe</i></u> after his foray on the unforgiving surface of the moon. Then, without warning, something happened that would change the course of his life. <br /><span> </span>‘Somehow <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I felt tuned into something much larger than myself</span></b>,’ he writes, ‘something much larger than the planet in the window. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Something incomprehensibly big</span></b>. Even today, the perceptions still baffle me … looking beyond the Earth itself to the magnificence of the larger scene, there was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a startling recognition that the nature of the universe was not as I had been taught</span></b>. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">My understanding</span> of the separate distinctiveness and the relative independence of movement of those cosmic bodies <span style="color: #2b00fe;">was shattered</span></b>. There was an upwelling of fresh insight coupled with a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">feeling of ubiquitous harmony</span></b> – a sense of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">interconnectedness</span></b> with the celestial bodies surrounding our spacecraft. … <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I was part of a larger process than I’d previously understood, one that was all around me</span></b> in this command module as it sped towards Earth through 240,000 miles of empty black space.’"</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Maria Coffey. “Explorers of the Infinite. The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes – and What They Reveal About Near-Death Experiences, Psychic Communications, and Touching the Beyond.” Jeremy P. Tarcher / Penguin, 2008. <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>EXCEPTIONAL BOOK!</b><br /></span></i></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><span> </span></i><u><i>Rupert Sheldrake PhD</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“One of the most obvious findings of research on the effects of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">psychedelics</span></b> on the brain is that psychedelics <i><u>shut down</u> the </i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">default mode network</span></b> – those regions of the brain that are linked together that are concerned with <u><i>mental chatter</i></u>, discursive thoughts & the internal dialogue. And <u><i>as soon as that’s shut down</i></u><i>, </i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">you become much more present</span></b>. They <u><i>also lead to</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">connections</span></b> <u><i>between different brain regions</i></u> that wouldn’t normally be connected. It’s not very surprising really if one’s had these experiences where very unusual things can happen.<br /> <span> </span>More recently, there have been a lot of studies on the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">therapeutic use of psychoactive substances</span></b>, for example <u><i>psilocybin</i></u> & its effects on <u><i>chronic long-term depression</i></u> & on <u><i>addiction</i></u>. What’s interesting about these studies is that <b>it’s <u><i>not</i></u> <u><i>the drug itself</i></u> working at the purely chemical level <span style="color: #2b00fe;">that’s helping people</span></b>. And they’re <u><i>much more effective at relieving long-term depression than any of the standard anti-depressants or talk-therapies</i></u>. It’s not the drug itself, <b>it’s the<span style="color: red;"> experience</span></b><span style="color: red;"> <b>it induces</b></span> – it’s really that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sense of being connected to a greater consciousness</span></b> – a kind of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mystical insight</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">changes people</span></b>. Some <u><i>chemical companies</i></u> say they’re going to try and make versions of these drugs that don’t have these ‘<u><i>undesirable effects’ of visionary states, mystical union, etc</i></u>, ‘<u><i>just stick to chemicals</i></u>.’ But I think if they do that, they’re almost <i><u>doomed to failure</u></i>, because it’s the experience which is what changes people. And sometimes people who’ve been depressed for 25 years, resistant to all known forms of therapy, after a couple of experiences with psilocybin, together with a therapist helping them integrate this, have proved much more effective than any other treatment at changing their state. <br /> <span> </span>And</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> the usual interpretation of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mystical experiences</span></b> is <u><i>not</i></u> that our brain produces these experiences, it’s that they’re <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><u><i>always there</i></u>, <u><i>available</i></u> to us</b></span>, <b>but</b> we <u><i><b>normally block them out</b> </i></u>[[[<i><u>by the </u></i></span></span><i><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Default Mode Network</span></span></u></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">]]] because we’re <u><i>so busy worrying about all the things we worry about, obsessed with our preferences</i></u> and so on, so we block them out. But if we shut down the bits of the brain that block them out [[[</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Default Mode Network</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">]]]</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, then they can come through. So I personally prefer the idea that there are experiences coming through, and the effect on the brain is really to permit these experiences to come through, rather than blocking them out through our 'normal' mental activities [[[repetitive self-centered chatter]]]. <br /> <span> </span>Of course with peoples’ <b>world views</b>, you <b>can’t in the end persuade them just through logic</b>, I mean it’s really <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">experience</span></b> that <u><i>will have to tell us which is true</i></u> in the end. <br /> <span> </span>What I find perverse about the <b>materialist point of view</b> is that it <b>claims to be based on <span style="color: #2b00fe;">science, reason & empirical evidence</span></b>. <u><i>Empirical evidence</i></u> means literally the <u><i>evidence of experience</i></u>. The Greek word empirical means experience</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>So if you’re going to have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">empirical evidence about consciousness</span></b>, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>has to be based on</i></u> conscious experience</span></b>. And <b><u><i>to dismiss</i></u> conscious experience <u><i>in favor of an ideology</i></u></b> – that says it’s all about molecules, & consciousness doesn’t do anything, it's just an epiphenomenon of the brain, or an illusion produced by brain activity – seems to me <b>utterly perverse & deeply anti-empirical</b>.” </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Rupert Sheldrake "Psychedelics and Consciousness, University of Sussex" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tqe6xE7WEE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tqe6xE7WEE</a></i></span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSectio</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><i>Iain McGilchrist MD, PhD</i></u><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span>“I’ve become more & more convinced, that <u><i>none of the things that we desperately need to do to solve</i></u>, the various problems that we face and that we talk about a great deal, <u><i>none of this in the end will matter</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>unless</i></u> we are able to get back to the </span><span style="color: red;">spiritual ground of our being</span></b>. In other words, by some sort of a miracle we could reverse the pollution of the seas, we could perhaps do something to at least slow climate change, we could make it harder for people to carry on felling ancient forests. All this I believe in powerfully, but I also think that none of it will add up to a hill of beans <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>unless</i></u> we re-engage with the </span><span style="color: red;">spiritual basis of human life</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /> <span> </span><b>I don’t think we any longer know <span style="color: #2b00fe;">what it is to be </span><span style="color: red;">a human being</span></b>. I think people haven’t got the foggiest idea <u><i>what they’re doing here</i></u>, <u><i>what the cosmos</i></u> in which they come into being <u><i>is like</i></u>, and <u><i>what their relationship with the Earth</i></u> that is their home <u><i>is like</i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>In</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> the new book I wrote, “<i>The Matter with Things</i>,” I suggest first of all, that <u><i>many of the ways in which we look at the constitution of the cosmos are upside down or back-to-front</i></u>. So, in other words <u><i>we tend to think</i></u> for example that, <u><i>first of all there are things, and then there are relations between them, some of which we make in our minds, and that’s the way it is</i></u>. Whereas I argue throughout a very long book that, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in fact <u><i>relations</i></u> are absolutely primary</span></b>. There is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">nothing that truly exists that is not a relation</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and is not in fact in process</span></b>, as Whitehead pointed out</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>So </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">in other words, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relations & processes are primary</span></b>, <b>not places & things</b>. And I also believe that for example, it’s not that there’s literal truth, and that’s the really important thing, and metaphorical truths are just some kind of semi-imaginary extension of literal truth. In fact I believe that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all fundamental truths are <u><i>metaphorical</i></u> in nature</span></b>, and that <b>literal truth is just a very special kind that we’ve invented to describe a small subset of things that occur at a very everyday level</b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>But</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> for the purposes of what we’re talking about now, I want to suggest that it’s not that somehow there is inanimacy and then there is life, and then there is consciousness, and then there is a sense of the great values: goodness, beauty, truth and the sacred. I think it’s the other way around, that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">what actually exists fundamentally, is a field of consciousness which is divine</span></b>, which has the qualities of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">attending to & drawing us towards goodness, beauty & truth, and the sense of the holy & sacred</span></b>, and that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">it’s for this that we’ve developed our complexity as human beings</span></b>, since we are not better than animals, but we are in this sense, above them that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we can hope to respond to, to receive, to resonate with, and to give a full & fulfilling response to those leading values that draw us forward</span></b>." </span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><i></i></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span></i><u><i>Rupert Sheldrake PhD</i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I think of it in a very similar way</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>so do most people in the world</i></u></span></b> for that matter. We in Western Europe live in a particularly Godless part of the world. But it’s not quite the same if you go to Africa, India, Iraq, Iran, the Middle East, or many other parts of the world. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Most people in the world are religious</span></b>. And this kind of <b>secular, humanist, atheist-tinted culture that we have is a historical anomaly</b>. Most people were religious in Europe. As Charles Taylor in his wonderful book, ‘<i>A Secular Age</i>’ points out, in the year 1500 in Europe, everyone believed in God. Everyone believed in the kind of vision you’ve just put forward. It was almost impossible not to, not because people were coerced into believing that, but because there was just no credible alternative. <br /><span> </span>And what’s happened is through the growth of first through the Protestant Reformation, and the disenchantment of the world that happened in part through the Protestant Reformation, a lack of emphasis on Nature, a focus entirely on human consciousness, and then through the Scientific Revolution – the mechanistic materialistic worldview that’s grown out of it, we now have this very secular world where people think that evolution & life starts from the bottom up – from molecules, genes & cells and everything builds up until you’ve got big enough brains where the light of consciousness mysteriously comes on, and then we start thinking about bigger things like God, but they’re just inventions inside our own minds, and hence inside our own brains, and you’d be able to tell us exactly where. <br /><span> </span>This is what you & I are discussing, and what in fact the whole scientific medical network has been concerned with right from the start is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trying to find a way back to a world view that is still consonant with science</span></b>, because science isn’t going to go away, and we’ve learned a great many things about nature through the scientific process, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">but to recover a sense of this connection which is actually there in all traditions</span></b>. Shamanic traditions all just assume that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">there are realms beyond</span></b>, that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">what we see is <u><i>not</i></u> all there is</span></b>. And as my main teacher, Father Bede Griffiths used to point out that <u><i>the center of all religious & spiritual culture is</i></u><i> </i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a direct experience of our minds, our consciousness, being a part of something vastly greater than ourselves</span></b>. And as he pointed out, <u><i>all religions start from that experience</i></u>. It’s <u><i>not a dogma</i></u>, it’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">an experience</span></b> – <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a central experience of unity</span></b>, and <u><i>then it’s interpreted in different cultures, in different traditions, different languages, different interpretations</i></u> of this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">primary unitive experience</span></b>. This sense of ultimate unity which are interpreted in all these different cultural ways. But that is the central foundation of all these religious traditions. <br /><span> </span>And as far as we know, this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intuition</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we’re part of something greater than ourselves</span></b> is very ancient. All these cave paintings from 20, 30, 40 thousand years ago, the practice of burying the dead, dealing with the dead in a ritual way, and so on, all these things suggest that this <u><i>has been part of human consciousness for a very, very long time</i></u>. No doubt the forms have changed, and the development of the great religions has put a more unifying aspect on these insights, but it seems to me that it’s been <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">foundational to human life throughout almost all human history</span></b>, <u><i>with the brief anomaly of Western Europe & parts of North America, in the last 150 years</i></u>.” <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Dr Iain McGilchrist & Dr Rupert Sheldrake - Intersection of Consciousness and Matter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAvwy2LTLMM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAvwy2LTLMM</a></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBUAAVmBT0i4CLOx5lg14YlfNISirRTAUOLZwA9AZnujOG3J8JXL1-_drSxDnarcR-yNNPeNAc8-5crOZhz1yFSIR7ryJufYbFJErgDyJ-fzrTp3BMz5R5Z2qtqVnhfjjln0TYUVcf8tEq3cVs5hu3zeMnwaqmSV1Fxf5kR_kJocke7h5u8gpyw-cVWCU/s672/Rumi%20quote%20Molly%20Hahn%20buddhadoodles.com.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="668" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBUAAVmBT0i4CLOx5lg14YlfNISirRTAUOLZwA9AZnujOG3J8JXL1-_drSxDnarcR-yNNPeNAc8-5crOZhz1yFSIR7ryJufYbFJErgDyJ-fzrTp3BMz5R5Z2qtqVnhfjjln0TYUVcf8tEq3cVs5hu3zeMnwaqmSV1Fxf5kR_kJocke7h5u8gpyw-cVWCU/w398-h400/Rumi%20quote%20Molly%20Hahn%20buddhadoodles.com.png" width="398" /></a></i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Rumi quote - artist: Molly Hahn <a href="http://buddhadoodles.com">buddhadoodles.com</a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-27863541976237860012024-02-11T06:06:00.000-08:002024-02-11T06:33:16.432-08:00Beyond Fear<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Most of us like to have some <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">control</span></b> over our lives - some <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">freedom</span></b>. To actually <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">exercise this freedom</span></b></i></u>, we need <b><span style="color: red;">courage</span></b>. <b>Fear</b> can <b>block all of this</b>. Fear <b>can keep us <u><i>stuck</i></u></b> as if in quicksand - for lengthy periods, <u><i>even for life</i></u>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Caution</span></b> is entirely reasonable. Climbing into a shopping cart on a city street, on top of a steep hill, then riding it down to see what happens is guaranteed to result in severe injury, pain or death</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Extreme</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> sports</span></b> are <u><i>far less ridiculous</i></u>, yet <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>offer transcendence</b></span>:</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <i>Maria Coffey. “Explorers of the Infinite. The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes – and What They Reveal About Near-Death Experiences, Psychic Communications, and Touching the Beyond.” 2008</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span> My blogs quoting this <u><i>SUPERB book</i></u>: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.johnlovas.com/search?q=Coffey">http://www.johnlovas.com/search?q=Coffey</a></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Mercifully, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deep spiritual practices</span></b> eg deep meditation, are the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>safest, most tried-and-true paths</i></u></span></b> by which seekers have, for thousands of years, attained <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">transcendence</span></b> - <span class="NA6bn UiGGAb ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">gone beyond ordinary limitations. ... a spiritual or religious state or condition of moving beyond physical needs & realities.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> </span>The</span><span class="NA6bn UiGGAb ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">height of spiritual transcendence</span></b> is described as a state of <u><i>continuous, unshakable</i></u> peace, joy, love & oneness that is <u><i>independent of</i></u> external circumstances</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="NA6bn UiGGAb ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">BEYOND FEAR!</span></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Again</span><span class="NA6bn UiGGAb ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> mercifully, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">regular meditation practice</span></b> gradually brings about <u><i>progressive <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">felt improvements</span></b> in our life</i></u> reassuring us that we are indeed <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">making progress</span></b> along this well-trodden path.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“The voice of the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intelligence</span></b> is drowned out by the roar of <b>fear</b>. It is ignored by the voice of <b>desire</b>. It is contradicted by the voice of <b>shame</b>. It is biased by <b>hate</b> and extinguished by <b>anger</b>. Most of all it is silenced by <b>ignorance</b>. </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Karl A. Menninger MD, psychiatrist </i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>The advice to '<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be curious</span></b>,' and <u><i>instead of avoiding</i></u>, to '<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>lean into challenges</b></span>' cannot be overemphasized</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>The </span></span><span class="hgkelc" style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN;">process of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0432ff;">facing </span>fears</b> is called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0432ff;">exposure</span></b>. <b><span style="color: red;">Exposure therapy</span></b><span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">involves gradually &
repeatedly exposing patients to feared situations until they feel less anxious</span>.
After a while, anxiety naturally lessens</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Meditation</span></b><span class="hgkelc"><span lang="EN"><span style="color: #0432ff;"> </span>is
<u><i>a form of exposure therapy</i></u>. Our <b>basic fear</b> is<b><span style="color: #0432ff;"> honestly
meeting & being intimate with ‘the other’</span></b><span style="color: #0432ff;"> </span>- our Self, people, animals, environment, life itself. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="hgkelc"><span lang="EN">We use gentle <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mindfulness practices</span></b> to slowly ease ourselves back into <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intimacy</span></b> with ourselves & others. </span></span></span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“<b>Avoiding danger</b> is no safer in the long run than <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">outright exposure</span></b>. The <b>fearful</b> are caught as often as the bold.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Helen Keller</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="hgkelc"><span lang="EN"><i><span> </span></i><u><i>All of life</i></u> is exposure therapy - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">if we allow it</span></b>. It is well-known that people who suffer from anxiety are most anxious about being anxious; those who suffer from depression, are depressed about being depressed. Can we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>be less</i></u> afraid of</span></b> our <b>fear</b>? Can we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">take</span></b> all of <b>our neuroses<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <u><i>far less seriously, less personally</i></u>?</span><br /></b></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="hgkelc"><span lang="EN"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“The only thing we have to <b>fear</b> is <b>fear</b> itself.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Franklin D. Roosevelt </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“<b>Fear</b> keeps us focused on the <b>past</b> or worried about the <b>future</b>. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">right now we are okay</span></b>. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Thich Nhat Hanh </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>“Thinking will not <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">overcome fear</span></b> but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">action</span></b> will.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>W. Clement Stone </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>“I’m <b><i><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not</span></u></i> afraid</b> of storms, for I’m <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">learning how to sail my ship</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Louisa May Alcott </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>With <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>loving awareness</b></span> we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">do what is appropriate</span></b>, which is always <b><span style="color: red;">nurturing</span></b> whoever & whatever is around us, so that we may all <b><span style="color: red;">flourish</span></b>. We must </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">FIRST</span></b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">learn to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let go of </span>fearfully obsessing over 'me, myself & I.</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">' <br /><span> </span>This</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> is <u><i>a far more profound step</i></u> than can be accomplished by a guilt-tripping sermon to stop being so selfish & self-centered. It requires <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a qualitative shift in consciousness</span></b>:</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><i>Dr. Jeffery A. Martin. “The Finders.” Integration Press, 2019. </i>My blog on this <u><i>PROFOUND book</i></u> : </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><a href="http://www.johnlovas.com/2024/01/seriously.html">http://www.johnlovas.com/2024/01/seriously.html</a></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> .</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>“What is <b>fear of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">living</span></b>? It’s being preeminently <b>afraid of dying</b>. It is not doing what you came here to do, out of timidity & spinelessness. The antidote is to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">take full responsibility</span></b> for yourself – for the time you take up and the space you occupy. If you don’t know what you’re here to do, then<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> just do some </span><span style="color: red;">good</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Maya Angelou </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“See how we are called to <u><i>not run from</i></u> the <b>discomfort</b>, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />and <i><u>not</u></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><u> run</u></i><u><i> from</i></u> the <b>grief</b> or the feelings of <b>outrage </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">or even <b>fear</b>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If we can <i><u>be fearless to be with</u></i> our <b>pain</b>,<b><span style="color: red;"> it turns</span></b>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">It doesn’t stay</span></b>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>It only doesn’t change if we refuse to<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> look at it</span></b>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When we look at it, when we take it in our hands, </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">when we can just be with it, </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">when we keep breathing, then it turns. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">It turns </span><span style="color: red;">to reveal its other face</span></b>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And the other face of our pain for the world </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">our </span><span style="color: red;">love</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> for the world</span></b>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Our absolutely inseparable connectedness </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">with all life.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Joanna Macy</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“<b><span style="color: red;">Love</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cures</span></b> people – both the ones <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">who give it</span></b> and the ones <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>who receive it</b></span>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Karl A. Menninger MD, psychiatrist</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>“… one of the experiences people have on (meditation) retreats is a very intimate experience with the breath, with the body, with emotions, because there’s no separation. That’s kind of the essence of <span style="color: red;"><b>intimacy</b></span>: nonseparation. It’s<u><i> just oneself getting out of the way</i></u>. The Chinese poet Li Po ended a poem with these words: ‘We live together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains.’ So that’s kind of meditative. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">When we take ourselves out of the picture, then all that’s left is everything</span></b>. To me, that is the definition of intimacy.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><u>Joseph Goldstein</u></i></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> <br /></i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzklFWVsetss6sa0Jv-5-S-PvVtuDXp0H1TA-ks11PSta01BAk4SZkp0F5NzAsx1DpWC13ufU3xMCu4e5_89f8UXEi-0dkc-EE7ukISRvKoOdky7wlWbH9QMUsRYnrECjS7F13Fc_2tUxt7mIJnu955tDfy5pBvwcUgoInStrcu5TbNzQJTCNCtZxwm_h/s746/Love%20and%20Acceptance%20to%20All%20Feelings.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="746" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzklFWVsetss6sa0Jv-5-S-PvVtuDXp0H1TA-ks11PSta01BAk4SZkp0F5NzAsx1DpWC13ufU3xMCu4e5_89f8UXEi-0dkc-EE7ukISRvKoOdky7wlWbH9QMUsRYnrECjS7F13Fc_2tUxt7mIJnu955tDfy5pBvwcUgoInStrcu5TbNzQJTCNCtZxwm_h/w400-h366/Love%20and%20Acceptance%20to%20All%20Feelings.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist<span>: Molly Hahn <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">buddhadoodles.com/new-gallery/</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-53168105916857519112024-02-02T06:24:00.000-08:002024-02-03T05:28:04.759-08:00Mystics, Saints & Meditators ??<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Mystics</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">saints</span></b> & <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>serious </b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>meditators</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> are considered - <i>by some</i> - to be models of wise, fulfilled, mature human beings. Many, however, are quite certain that <u><i>anything beyond</i></u> our <u><i>current conventional materialist understanding</i></u>, including <u><i>conventional level of religiosity</i></u>, is nothing more than wishful thinking, delusional or insane</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /> <span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>BUT</b>, who in their right mind would <b>NOT</b> want </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">to <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>find ultimate meaning & purpose in their life?</b></span><b> Who </b>is <b>NOT</b> interested in<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> </b></span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace? </span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.johnlovas.com/2024/01/going-with-flow.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">http://www.johnlovas.com/2024/01/going-with-flow.html</span></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Our society seems to have forgotten that this short life of ours is meant for us to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mature & evolve</span></b> as much as we're able to. We haven't got a clue about mysticism and meaningful spirituality, so we ridicule these as "too deep for me!" and rush back to meaningless distractions.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>This</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> recent interview with imho a very intelligent, highly-educated, serious spiritual practitioner, Swami Medhananda (SM), might shed enough light to soften rigid barriers :</span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">SM</span></b>: “<b>Prove</b> to me <b>that your experience</b> <u><i>of whatever you see in front of you</i></u> <b>is NOT <u><i>just your own personal experience</i></u></b>. Prove to me that it makes some connection with an ontological reality." ('<u><i>ontology</i></u> seeks the classification & explanation of entities') </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Interviewer</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">: “Ten people could be in my room here, and they could all see what’s in front of me. So there would be some kind of subjective agreement among us.” <br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">SM</span></b>: </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The problem with that is, <i><u>all those people</u></i> occur <u><i>in your perceptual field</i></u>. So that’s <i><u>also part of the subjective perception</u></i>. Imagine I’m in a dream, and I’m wondering if this tree I’m seeing is a real tree or a tree in a dream. Then I ask these eight dream-figures around me, ‘Tell me, am I dreaming or is this really a tree in front of me?’ They go, ‘Yeah, it’s a tree. It’s a real tree.’ And then, lo and behold, five hours later, I wake up and realize all those people cross-checking my experience with the tree were part of the dream</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>There’s no independent cross-check. <u><i>There’s nobody who can come from outside your dream to verify that it’s not a dream</i></u>. That’s a real problem, and you end up with <b>epistemic circularity</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /> <span> </span>The moral of the story is <b><u><i>not</i></u> that everything’s a dream</b>. The moral of the story is that <u><i>almost everybody</i></u> in the world who’s sane <u><i>accepts</i></u> that <b>when we perceive something</b>, like a laptop or a tree in front of me, it <b>actually exists</b> and that I’m <b>actually making contact with</b> an <b>objective reality</b>, <b><u><i>even though</i></u></b> we can’t prove it to anybody. <b><u><i>There’s no non-circular way of proving that</i></u></b>. And <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so</span></b>, it makes <b><u><i>no sense </i></u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>to hold</i></u> </span><span style="color: red;">Mystics</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <u><i>to a higher standard than we hold ourselves</i></u> with respect to sense perceptions</span></b>. That’s the lesson.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Interviewer</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">: </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“One way I think of it is, if everybody experienced what Mystics experience, then we would take for granted those realities, just as we now take for granted the realities of cars & trees. But the fact is that <u><i>Mystical realities</i></u> are so <u><i>comparatively rare</i></u> that it’s <u><i><b>not part of popular understanding</b></i></u>. <u><i>So it’s easier to dismiss them</i></u> as aberrations or lunatics or hallucinators etc. <br /> <span> </span>But what I would say, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">if you don’t believe that God exists, do the experiment</span></b>. <u><i>Do specific practices for 15, 20 or whatever number of years, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and you may arrive at that experience</span></b></i></u>. There’s something scientific about that. <br /> <span> </span>You might compare this to the <b>Higgs Boson</b>. They say they’ve discovered the Higgs Boson. <u><i>I kind of believe them</i></u>, <u><i>because they seem like they know what they’re talking about</i></u>. <b>But I couldn’t confirm that for myself</b> <u><i>unless</i></u> I went through decades of study, gained special expertise, and had special intellectual abilities. But <u><i>that’s the way science works</i></u>. There’s a kind of <u><i>collective agreement based upon what the experts say</i></u> and it’s <u><i>always open to challenge</i></u>.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">SM</span></b>: </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“<u><i>Absolutely</i></u><i>, </i><u><i>go ahead and follow these methods</i></u> which are pretty tough. It’s not as easy as mixing this chemical with that chemical. But if you do it, <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">if you put in the time & effort to establish the ethical & spiritual pre-requisites needed for that spiritual experience, then you should have the same experiences</span></b></i></u> that I’m having. So that is kind of <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>a cross-check</b></span> but it’s more complicated & elaborate maybe than typical cross-checks.<br /> <span> </span>Another factor is, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>observe the life</i></u> of the person who claims to have undergone that spiritual experience</span></b> or that alleged spiritual experience. Does that experience seem to have transformed him or her. That’s a very important criterion. As Swami Vivekananda used to say, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a person going into a very high state of samadhi spiritual experience <u><i>will come back a</i></u> </span><span style="color: red;">saint</span></b>, <u><i>even if he goes into it as an ordinary person</i></u>. That’s another criterion. You can just look and see whether that person is really saintly. If he or she is not, then you have some reason to believe that maybe it wasn’t a genuine experience. But again, it’s <b>not hard & fast</b>, because some saints actually hide themselves, and behave like ordinary people, so as not to attract attention.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Interviewer</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">: </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“These days, there have been so many examples of famous gurus & other spiritual teachers behaving reprehensibly. …" </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">SM</span></b>: </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m giving a talk on ‘<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Self-deception in Spiritual Life</span></b>’" This is <u><i>now available</i></u> : </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PObbWJxLpc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PObbWJxLpc</a></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">” <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Swami </span>Medhananda interview: </i><a href="https://batgap.com/swami-medhananda/">https://batgap.com/swami-medhananda/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Of course all human beings, whether wearing <u><i>your</i></u> clothes, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">business suits, aprons, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">surgical scrubs, monks' robes, priests' vestments, or scientists' lab coats, are subject to errors, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">misdemeanors, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and even outrageous criminal behavior. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">AND WE ARE MEANT TO, AND <u><i>CAN LIVE</i></u>, </span><span style="color: red;">SO MUCH DEEPER ...<br /></span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“So
long as one is merely <b>on the surface of things</b>, they are always
<b>imperfect, unsatisfactory, incomplete</b>. <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Penetrate into the substance &
everything is perfect, complete, whole</b></span>.” </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><i>Philip Kapleau. “The Zen of Living and Dying. A Practical and Spiritual Guide.” Shambhala, 1998.</i></span></span></span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibB68UXFPdXdIhj0O7ytIuqBEOGEsY-PLzaQURl_K066xkjEN9692CVy3Tu0t6H72IwQ93wHPY0N-__TthBYwBsjJN3eaBvW94b3tdwc4SF0yvQDUjCHSdBWGrBdU2skFPU4QrCM1RNksWtBM1LO384hBRfAYcHa8VWdvUiU39k9BbS0E-Fdk9s5krhO6B/s730/%22Your%20Happiness%20Serves%20the%20World%22%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="730" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibB68UXFPdXdIhj0O7ytIuqBEOGEsY-PLzaQURl_K066xkjEN9692CVy3Tu0t6H72IwQ93wHPY0N-__TthBYwBsjJN3eaBvW94b3tdwc4SF0yvQDUjCHSdBWGrBdU2skFPU4QrCM1RNksWtBM1LO384hBRfAYcHa8VWdvUiU39k9BbS0E-Fdk9s5krhO6B/w400-h343/%22Your%20Happiness%20Serves%20the%20World%22%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">"Your Happiness Serves the World" - by Molly Hahn <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">www.BuddhaDoodles.com</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-3100239365151949392024-01-28T07:17:00.000-08:002024-01-28T07:25:38.035-08:00Going With the Flow<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span> "<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Going with the flow</span></b>" has a <u><i>far more</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">profound</span></b> and <u><i>surprisingly more</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>practical</b></span> meaning than might be assumed</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. It involves <u><i>cultivating <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>continuous respectful mindful curiosity</b></span> about present-moment reality, moment-by-moment, as it unfolds</i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span><b><u><i>We</i></u> block <span style="color: #2b00fe;">this wondrous capacity</span></b> as soon as we </span></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">prioritize </span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"self-concern."</b> The <b>primitive, survivalist part of our brain</b> is <u><i>meant to take over when our life is in danger</i></u>. <b>BUT</b> today, our life is rarely if ever in danger. Today, it kicks in many, many times per day, for the <u><i>most minimal of threats to our ego</i></u>, and when there's even a chance that <u><i>our preferences will not be met</i></u> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Michael Singer)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. This <b>constant chronic over-reaction</b> has the <u><i>same negative effect</i></u> on us <b><u><i>as if</i></u> our lives <u><i>were actually</i></u> continuously threatened! </b>This is how<b> most of us live - <i><u>trapped in the survivalist</u></i></b><i><u><b> </b></u></i></span></span><i><u><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>perspective</span></span></b></u></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>of "<b>personal mind</b>" </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Michael Singer)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>"<b>separate, small self</b>".</span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“It’s <b>our erroneous belief in a separate selfhood</b>, with its insistent refrain of 'I, me, mine,' that <b><u><i>keeps us from</i></u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> hearing & seeing directly</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Shinge Sherry Chayat Roshi</i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"</span><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Taking the backward step</span></b>," a well-known Zen phrase, is the act of <u><i>shifting from</i></u> the usual, "<b>personal mind</b>" </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Michael Singer)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> or "<b>separate, small self</b>" perspective with its "<u><b><i>noisy</i></b></u> ego," <u><i>to</i></u> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">transpersonal, Unitive Consciousness</span></b> perspective. <u><i>A</i></u></span><span><u><i>dvanced beings of all traditions</i></u></span><span> are well-known to be <u><i>able to shift seamlessly,</i></u> as needed, <i>between</i> the <i>"</i><u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">quiet</span></b> ego</i></u>" of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">optimally-functioning</span></b> "regular folk" <i>and </i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><u><i>transpersonal, Unitive Consciousness</i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span><i><u>EVERYONE</u></i></span><span><i><u> dearly wish to be happy</u></i> <b>YET</b> <b>most of us are ignorant of the fact that</b> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">advanced beings</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> are </span><span style="color: red;">consistently the happiest</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> of all people</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>T</span><span style="font-size: medium;">he <b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>excellent 39 minute podcast</u></span></i></b> (below) delves deeply into this & closely related matters</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>I</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> include a bit of information to hopefully provide a bit of context & perspective. The "<b>noisy ego</b>" of our </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>"separate, small self" is <u><i>activated very easily</i></u>, as mentioned above. One of the <u><i>many triggers</i></u> for this activation is perceiving <u><i>anything that makes us feel <b>uncomfortable</b></i></u>: something <b>different</b> from our usual experience, something "<b>foreign</b>," something we <b>don't understand</b>, can't be bothered to delve into & investigate, and <b>are apt to immediately label "crap"</b> etc</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span>In</span><span> this category, "<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spirituality</span></b>" is right up there among topics that <b><i>shut us down</i> & make us <u><i>move on to</i></u></b> 'lighter,' more entertaining <u><i><b>distractions</b></i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: red;">Spirituality</span></b>, broadly defined, is “<u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>the basic desire to find ultimate meaning & purpose in</b></span> one’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">life</span></b></i></u>.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">” </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>Spirituality I take to be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">concerned with</span></b> those qualities of the human spirit – such as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">love & compassion, patience tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony – which brings happiness to both self & others</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Dalai Lama </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /> <span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The beginning of freedom</span></b> is the <i><u>realization that you are <b>not</b></u></i> the possessing entity – <b>the thinker</b>. Knowing this <u><i>enables you to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">observe</span></b></i></u> the entity. The moment you <u><i>start watching the thinker</i></u>, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">higher level of consciousness</span></b> <u><i>becomes activated</i></u>. You then begin to realize that there is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a vast realm of intelligence beyond </span>thought</b>, that thought is <u><i>only a tiny aspect of intelligence</i></u>. You also realize that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all the things that really matter – beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace – arise from beyond </span>the mind</b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Eckhart Tolle </i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span>"Spirituality is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the <u><i>innate human need to connect with something larger</i></u></span></b> than ourselves, something that is considered <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sacred or divine</span></i></u></b>. Inherent in this definition is the assumption that the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>need to transcend</i></u> </span>the limited self</b> is just part of who we are as a species – it is ‘innate.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">’<br /><span> </span><b>Not everyone ‘wakes
up’<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to this self-transcending facet of human nature & acts on it</span></b>. <b>But</b>
<b>we tend to be <u><i>miserably unhappy</i></u> when we do <i><u>not</u></i> address this need</b>. We
need an active process – a relationship – with whatever we call the
Divine.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span><b><span style="color: red;">Spiritual intelligence</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the ability to behave with altruistic love</span></b> <u><i>through wisdom & compassion while maintaining inner & outer peace (equanimity)</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">regardless of the circumstances</span></b> – <u><i>coupled with the skill, competence, or ability to comprehend or make sense of things or situations & then bring adaptive, creative approaches to solve problems that humans face</i></u>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">” <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>L.W.</span><span class="hgkelc"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Fry & C.G Wigglesworth. “Toward a Theory of Spiritual Intelligence and
Spiritual Leader Development.” </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">International Journal on Spirituality and
Organizational Leadership Vol 1, No 1, 2013, pp</span></i><span class="hgkelc"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica;">47-79.
</span></i></span><a href="https://www.iispiritualleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/SLTISOL_SI.pdf#page=47 "><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">https://www.iispiritualleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/SLTISOL_SI.pdf#page=47
</span></i></a></span><span class="hgkelc"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></i></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I <u><i>HIGHLY RECOMMEND</i></u> LISTENING TO THIS</span></b> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>excellent 39 minute podcast</u></span></i> :</b> </span><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSecti</style><span><br /></span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K01VFylMvRk" width="320" youtube-src-id="K01VFylMvRk"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-65894761658572827312024-01-19T10:30:00.000-08:002024-01-20T02:55:10.425-08:00Seriously??<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> Sporadically,</span> I've <u><i>unintentionally</i></u> triggered an <b>over-the-top, enraged reaction</b> from more than one long-time friend. What horrible offence did I commit? I <u><i>questioned</i></u> their<u><i> worldview</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">!<br /><span> </span>The surprising</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> intensity of their reaction was that of a trapped creature <b>fighting for its</b> <b>life</b>. Their verbal response voiced their <u><i>adament resistance to change</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /> <span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I surmised their worldview from their chronically pessimistic outlook, cynicism, aversions & nihilism. Most people seem to lack training, knowledge & interest in psycho-social-spiritual matters, but this outburst suggested a real <b>gut-level aversion</b> to spirituality, philosophy & worldviews in general</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>So</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <b>why</b> would anyone <b>defend</b>, <b><u><i>as SERIOUSLY, as if</i></u></b> their <b><u><i>life depended on it</i></u></b> - what appears to be a <b>sad, hopeless worldview</b>?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>An old <b>taboo</b> cautions against '<u><i>discussing money, politics & religion</i></u> in polite company.' </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even today, some still <u><i>quickly avoid</i></u> such topics by labeling them, <b>'Too deep!' </b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">At the same time, <i>some</i> (wiser?) <i>cultures</i> maintain that these are the <u><i>only topics</i></u><u><i> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">worth</span></b> discussing</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">! <br /><span> </span>Then</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> there are well-known cases of children being removed from <u><i>abusive homes</i></u> by child-care services. But when offered the choice between going to a foster home <u><i>or</i></u> returning to their abusive home, these children <u><i>most often choose</i></u> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>'the hell they know</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">'</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> - at least in part </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">due </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">to <b>fear of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">the unknown</span></b> (foster home).</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /><span> </span><i><u>In the same vein</u></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">, one of the reasons <b>we resist change</b> is due our <b>tendency to cling to an 'identity'</b> - <u><i>even one that's</i></u> (mostly) <u><i>miserable & heading for disaster</i></u>. "But if I'm no longer '<i>the drunken party animal</i>,' <u><i><b>who will I be</b></i></u><i><b>?</b></i>" No matter how <u><i>vague, </i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><i>uncomfortable & </i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><i>confining</i></u> a self-concept & worldview is, '<b><i><u>it's how & who I am</u></i></b>, so <b>don't mess with what ain't broke - broke real bad!' </b>- reminiscent of, "<b><u><i>My</i></u></b> country - <b><u><i>right or wrong</i></u></b>!"<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>I'm always excited to see something I’ve been teaching in my MBSR courses for a long time, expressed in a <u><i>more easily accessible</i></u>, and hopefully <u><i>more widely credible language</i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span>I'm</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> also happy to see the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">clearest explanation</span> for my friends' violent reactions to my <span style="color: #2b00fe;">attempts to point them towards</span></b><span> imho </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a far healthier worldview & wellbeing</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">***</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> :<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"Since 2006, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jeffery Martin PhD & his</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> team have collected <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">data from thousands</span></b> of people across six continents <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">who have <u><i>extraordinary levels</i></u> of </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wellbeing</span></b>, trying to figure out <u><i>what makes them so different from everyone else</i></u>. What this <u><i>first of its kind global academic research</i></u> <u><i>project</i></u> has revealed is nothing short of remarkable. Outwardly, these individuals form a true cross section of humanity.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">" <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Dr. Jeffery A. Martin. “The Finders.” Integration Press, 2019.</i></span></span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;</style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"</span></b>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b><u><i>gist</i></u> of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Fundamental Wellbeing</span></b> (Awakening, Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience, etc) is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a shift in the human nervous system</span></b> <u><i>away from</i></u> what we think of as a kind of <u><i>old, outdated wiring</i></u>. <br /> <span> </span>So if you’re sitting in a café and <b>a bird</b> lands near your table, and you toss it a crumb, what happens? Well, the bird generally <u><i>looks around first and makes sure it’s not going to get killed</i></u>; and then it pecks at the crumb; and <u><i>then it looks around again to make sure it’s not going to get killed</i></u>; and it takes another peck at the crumb. <br /><span> </span>As humans, we think, ‘Ah, what primitive behavior. Look how the bird is so jittery.’ What we don’t realize is that <b>we have the <u><i>same wiring</i></u> inside of us</b>. All animals have the same wiring, we have <b>the <u><i>same cycle</i></u> playing out in our nervous system</b> that is in every moment – in our case, <b><u><i>at least every 90 seconds</i></u></b> or so – basically checking in & making sure, ‘Hey, is the ceiling I’m under right now, raining plaster – do I need to run for my life?’ or whatever else, right? So there’s <b>the sense that <u><i>something is just not quite right</i></u> in this moment, or <u><i>potentially not quite right</i></u> in this moment</b>. And that’s at a very foundational level of the nervous system. That’s in birds, and everything else, in those <b>old parts of the nervous system</b>, and it’s been <b>built on</b>, layer over layer over layer, as our nervous systems modernize, as our brain grew, as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new structures grew </span>on top of old structures</b>, to a point where now, when we live relatively safe lives. I mean, I’m not really thinking the roof is actually going to fall in while I’m sitting here. You’re probably not worried about some wild animal ripping your arm off or somebody rushing in with a gun and killing you where you are. We live safe lives, our food is safe, right? I’m not worried about food poisoning from my next meal, or anything like that. <br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We are living fundamentally safe lives</span></b>, <b><u><i>with</i></u> </b>the <b>programming that says</b>, ‘Wait a minute, <b>you might <u><i>not</i></u> be safe in this moment</b>,’ right? So what happens, <b>this program</b> basically <b><u><i>maps over</i></u> other areas of our life</b>. <u><i>So when your boss says, ‘You’re fired,</i></u><i>’ or </i><u><i>your spouse says, ‘I’m leaving you,</i></u>’ <span><i>it </i></span><span style="color: red;"><u><i><b>feels</b></i></u></span><b><span style="color: red;"><u><i> like</i></u></span></b> a <b>tiger is ripping your arm off</b>, or <b>somebody emptied a shotgun into your chest</b>. So we have these <b><u><span style="color: red;"><i>inappropriate</i></span></u> nervous system <span style="color: red;">responses</span> </b>that are <b>all based & grounded in <span style="color: red;">survival</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>[[[ </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">*** THIS</span></b> is how my friends <b>MISTOOK</b> <u><i>mere questioning of their sad worldview</i></u> (about which they seamed to know little) for a </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u><i>DEADLY SERIOUS </i></u></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><b>ATTACK</b></u><b>!</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">***</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> This must be<b> </b>the same<b> <u><i>primitive reaction pathway</i></u></b> by which merely<b> </b><i>"</i><u><i>looking at someone the wrong way</i></u><i>," especially </i><u><i>in a bar</i></u>, can</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> result in</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> being severely beaten, or worse! As Michael Singer suggests, <b>we</b> tend to <b>take</b> <b>simple preferences <u><i>far too seriously</i></u></b>. ]]]<br /><br /><span> </span>What happens <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in Fundamental Wellbeing</span></b> is that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">there’s a </span><span style="color: red;">shift</span></b> in that. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">So instead of</span></b> the <u><i>nervous system cycling</i></u> through & saying, ‘Hey, <u><i>something might not be right, right now</i></u>; <u><i>something might not be right, right now</i></u>;’ with the corresponding <u><i>cascade of worry & anxiety</i></u>, and all the things that are kind of endemic in normal human society building & sitting on top of that rising to conscious awareness, and so on; <span style="color: red;"><b><span>instead</span></b></span>, you have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a sense that everything is fundamentally okay</span></b>,<i> </i><u><i>even if</i></u> your boss did just say, ‘You know what, you’re fired, and I’m going to make sure you never work in this industry again,’ or your spouse says, ‘I’m leaving you, and I’m taking the kids, and I’m taking everything.’ <u><i>These things that would normally, at a surface level, understandably produce concerns, fears, worries, sadness</i></u> – it’s not that they can’t still do that in Fundamental Wellbeing, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deep down</span>, </b>instead of<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b>it feeling like a tiger is ripping your arm off or a shotgun just went off into your chest, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">somehow, paradoxically, things seem okay</span></b>. So <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">even in extreme situations</span></b>, there’s this peace if you go and look for it. <br /><span> </span>At its core, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Fundamental Wellbeing</span></b> is basically <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a rewiring in the nervous system</span></b> in <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>how it looks at & deals with</i></u> </span><span style="color: red;">survival</span></b>, & <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>how it makes us feel in the moment</i></u></span></b>.”</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><i>Dr Jeffery Martin on A Scientific Approach to Awakening and Fundamental Wellbeing: Part 1</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmsLdIH8nzU&t=1881s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmsLdIH8nzU&t=1881s</a></span></span></p><p><span> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">how does one acquire this <u><i>exceptional level of</i></u> </span><span style="color: red;">wellbeing</span></b>, so we won't need to bite a friend's head off for trying to help, and perhaps not starting all those bar-room brawls? Well, <u><i>immersing</i></u> oneself in Michael A. Singer's book</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><i>“<u>Living Untethered</u>"</i></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">is a superb practical start.</span></span></p><p><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRvm7V0Sk9L56jEA2IL2ptMF7itcNQI8PVW9-EINufS10cqNIRcdfEKlbOT4OevjIv3OX1Z23G5MtjAf_ubwrhgFHhHxFlqUciU-ck5_UFmegjIC907A9anAv7VJC5VgEe56KrTXcht68UdwORX5IA1uOtYRmOFThU-Sf5x-h1lJOj4uM0e6a83r9-tga/s1280/Seek%20Stillness%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="1280" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRvm7V0Sk9L56jEA2IL2ptMF7itcNQI8PVW9-EINufS10cqNIRcdfEKlbOT4OevjIv3OX1Z23G5MtjAf_ubwrhgFHhHxFlqUciU-ck5_UFmegjIC907A9anAv7VJC5VgEe56KrTXcht68UdwORX5IA1uOtYRmOFThU-Sf5x-h1lJOj4uM0e6a83r9-tga/w400-h399/Seek%20Stillness%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Seek Stillness" - by Molly Hahn <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">www.BuddhaDoodles.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></i><p></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-48019923545761050802024-01-10T03:45:00.000-08:002024-01-16T07:16:27.290-08:00Objectifying?<div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>When we hear about "objectifying" we immediately think of knuckle-dragging men who see & treat women "like a piece of meat." Google tells us,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> "The sexual objectification of women involves them being <b>viewed primarily as an object</b> of male sexual desire, <b>rather than <span style="color: #2b00fe;">as a whole person</span></b>." <i><u>Other forms of </u></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><u>objectification of women</u></i> would be seeing them mainly for other self-serving uses (bearing children, cooking, cleaning, etc), instead of</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">c</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>omplex</b></span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> human beings with inherent worth</span></b>. So being objectified <b>feels demeaning</b>, like other forms of prejudice, which is always based on a <b>shallow stereotype or classification</b> system that <b><u><i>denies</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">human dignity</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>There's</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> a critical underlying <b><u><i>presumption</i></u></b>: if we get to know any individual well, then we'll realize that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">everyone has</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">far, far greater depth</span></b> than we assumed, <u><i>and also</i></u>, that we have <span style="color: #2b00fe;">a<b> great deal more in common</b></span> than our differences. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>I</i></u> fully agree with this presumption, </span>BUT <i><u>MOST</u></i> WOULD <u><i>NOT</i></u>!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span> Why not? Because <u><i>most will not</i></u> rise above </span></b><span>our </span><b><span>society's prevailing 'glass ceiling'</span></b><span>:</span><span> scientism's <b>materialis</b></span><b><span>t dogma</span></b><span> that, <b><u><i>life itself, </i></u></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span><u><i>everyone </i></u></span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span><u><i>& everything</i></u> is </span></b><span>nothing more than</span><b><span> a meaningless accident </span></b><span>in a cosmos of </span><b><span>matter </span></b><span>- stuff, and </span><b><span>only stuff</span></b><span>. If</span> everything, including ourselves, is mere matter, then we are all in fact, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>objects</b>.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> So women, like ourselves, have <b>NO depth, NO inherent worth</b>, <b>NO dignity</b>, and <b>'a whole person' is</b> literally<b> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>just</b> </span><b>meat</b>. And of course <b>relationships</b> are merely '<b>transactional</b>,' <u><i>or at best</i></u> '<b>relational</b>.'</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> Again Google: "...</span> <b>transactional</b> means you <u>expect something in return</u> for your contribution <u><i>in a short time</i></u> frame <u>and if not, you will not provide your contribution</u>. <b>Relational</b> means you are willing to be patient <u><i>for a longer-term</i></u> mutual benefit and it is okay if you don't get the full return in the short-term." Such <u><i>mechanical arrangements</i></u> <b>work fine </b>for model railway sets<b> & robots,</b> <i>and so so for us</i> <b>'meat</b>.' This same level of thinking proposes that <b>AI is a great improvement</b> over the human mind. AI <b><u><i>would be</i></u></b> better <b><u><i>BUT ONLY IF</i></u></b> human beings <b>were</b> mere </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><i>meat-puppets</i></u></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span>Those who make do with </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">materialist dogma as their guiding light actually <u><i>have <b>FAR more in common</b></i> with</u> the much-maligned <b>knuckle-dragging male</b> than they realize.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span> <span style="color: red;"><u>HOWEVER</u></span></span></b><span>,</span><b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">HUMAN LIFE </span><span style="color: red;"><u><i>ONLY </i></u></span><span style="color: red;"><i><u>BEGINS</u></i></span></b><span> to </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">FLOURISH</span> <span style="color: red;"><u><i>ABOVE</i></u></span> scientism's GLASS CEILING! </b>Life <b><u><i>below this ceiling</i></u></b> is "<b>solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short</b>." E</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">ven in</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Canada -</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> a paradise</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> compared to most countries - </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u><i>how many</i></u></b><b> live in utter<span> despair</span></b><span>, as expressed through the many forms of </span><b><span>depression / anxiety, addiction, cruelty & violence inflicted on ourselves, others, the environment</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>? </b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Why?</b></span><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span> </span><b>Most</b> of us are, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>to some degree,</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> <b>psychologically & spiritually wounded & stunted</b>. But <u><i><b>instead of recognizing this</b> as <b><span style="color: red;">a cry for psychotherapy & deeper, more meaningful spiritual practice</span></b></i></u>, <b>we instinctively run & hide</b>, <u><i>angrily branding anything of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">depth, meaning & real significance</span></b></i></u> (above the 'glass ceiling') "too deep, confusing, un</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">scientific, unsubstantiated, subjective, etc</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>," and <b>sink back into the familiar</b> <u><i>grim 'ordinary unhappiness</i></u>,'<b> assuming</b> that this is '<i>as good as it gets</i>.' We <u><i>simply cannot see</i></u> how <b>woundedness</b> locks us into </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>a 3-year old's</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> level who yells, '<i>I hate you Mommy & Daddy! I'm running away from home now!</i>'</span></span></span></span></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“We become <b>disabled, unable to function</b> in areas of our lives that <b>evoke <span style="color: #2b00fe;">feelings</span> </b>we’ve<b> never learned to tolerate</b>. <b><u><i>Turning away</i></u></b> from this <b><span style="color: red;">primary pain</span></b> creates a <b>second, ongoing level of suffering</b>: <u><i>living in a state of <b>contraction</b></i></u> & <u><i><b>constricted awareness</b></i></u>.” </span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>John Welwood</i></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span> </span><u>SUPERB</u></span></b><span> 53-minute </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Michael A. Singer</span></b><span> podcast:</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Your
Highest Technique: Relaxing Behind Your Inner Disturbance."</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span>
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</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYGBrG_fDoo"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYGBrG_fDoo</span></a></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span><p>
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">than in the human<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><span style="color: red;">heart</span></b>, </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">in the human <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">power to reflect</span></b>, in human <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">meekness</span></b>, </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and in human <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">responsibility</span></b>.” </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech Republic, in his historic address to the U.S. Congress</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span></div><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span> </span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u><i>How few</i></u></b> of us <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">experience <u>our birthright</u>:</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> the joy</span></b> of </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">knowing our true nature, feeling</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">'at home,'</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spontaneously</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">nurturing</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> people, creatures & the environment</span> </b>so <u><i>we may all</i></u> <span style="color: red;"><b>thrive</b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">? <br /><span> </span>We may</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> have a vague sense of this possibility, <b>BUT</b> <b>the momentum of our individual lives & that of our culture</b> <u><i>powerfully pushes</i></u> us <b>towards</b> <u><i>immediate comfort & distraction</i></u>; and <b>away from</b> <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>depth & meaning</b></span></i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. So we <b><u><i>wrongly</i></u> become resigned</b> that our <b>anxious, twitchy, 'ordinary unhappiness'</b> is <b>'<u><i>as good as it gets</i></u>.'</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Living </span><span style="color: red;">a deep, meaningful life</span></b><span>,</span> with increasing consistency, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">IS </span><span style="color: red;"><u>ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE</u></span></b>. <span>It does require that we start </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">freeing ourselves from </span>our neuroses</b> - <u><i>blocked energies, trapped in our bodies, from past unprocessed emotions</i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <span>Freeing ourselves</span><span> </span><b><span style="color: red;">MUST become our <u><i>FIRST PRIORITY</i></u></span></b>.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span> </span>Michael</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span>A. Singer “Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament.” Sounds True, </span><span>2022</span><span> - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a <u>WISE, DETAILED GUIDE</u> to a </span><span style="color: red;">LIFE WORTH LIVING! </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Immerse yourself in the skills required to</span><span style="color: red;"> </span></b></span></i></span><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b><u>BE MORE THAN</u></b></i></span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b> </b></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b>A SAD, HOPELESS MEAT-PUPPET!</b></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></span></b></span></i></span><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b></span></i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> </span>"<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Beyond</span></b> <b>the clouds</b>, <span style="color: red;"><b>the</b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>sun</b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> never stops shining</b></span>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Gavin Pretor-Pinney</i></span></span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe3UMvHWf93XYDLh68-fD-UgxMybdk1DzJJXeXxin3WJ6-TFh89-Cv13SuLwRspP0WM2GUfxxVAq6NZjjoNjdcpa5sMtIk1cQfSmMU-Vqhlb_PzFAIOjIdeazqXoeNZ0qkMbJ7LYNyu_i3WhVAoE3scb0Cg7SNELpp3QYGhSArfr6xOQhVIU5yoXuiou8/s1404/Answers%20-%20Simple%20but%20Wrong.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="1404" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe3UMvHWf93XYDLh68-fD-UgxMybdk1DzJJXeXxin3WJ6-TFh89-Cv13SuLwRspP0WM2GUfxxVAq6NZjjoNjdcpa5sMtIk1cQfSmMU-Vqhlb_PzFAIOjIdeazqXoeNZ0qkMbJ7LYNyu_i3WhVAoE3scb0Cg7SNELpp3QYGhSArfr6xOQhVIU5yoXuiou8/w400-h391/Answers%20-%20Simple%20but%20Wrong.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-56123183491538972832024-01-08T06:39:00.000-08:002024-01-09T15:12:00.995-08:00The Body Keeps the Score<div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Yesterday I was <b>clever</b>, <br />so I wanted to <b>change the world</b>. <br />Today, I am <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wise </span></b><br />so I am <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">changing myself</span></b>.” <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Rumi</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>An ancient myth tells us of a queen who one day orders her people to cover the earth with leather, so that she may </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">comfortably </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">walk
everywhere in her bare feet. A very brave subject gently suggests to
her that perhaps covering her feet with leather might be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a better
solution</span></b>. </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>This metaphor is about our <b>instinctual drive to control the outside world</b> for <u><i>survival</i></u>. But in our affluent Western culture, it's almost entirely about '<u><i>preferences</i></u>' seeking <b>comfort & pleasure</b> eg the perfect cup of coffee, and <b>avoiding discomfort</b> eg a disappointing vacation spot. <u><i><b>Usually</b> we're totally wrapped up in our preferences</i></u> because <b>we (wrongly) assume that this will make us feel OK</b>.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /> <span> </span>A part of us gets “<b>triggered</b>” many times each day, to varying degrees, even by (to an outside objective observer) <u><i>trivial daily experiences</i></u>, which happen to <u><i>remind us of past events</i></u>, that at the time we <b>were unable to handle</b> (<u><i>could not fully ‘physically process</i></u>’). The physically felt energy of most emotions – happy or sad – <u><i>can feel disturbing</i></u> to a <u><i>very young child</i></u>. As a result, these intolerable energies are <b>pushed down into our bodies</b>. Bessel van der Kolk describes this <u><i>in major trauma</i></u> – ‘the body keeps the score’ – <b>but</b> Singer (below) imho very convincingly argues that this same process occurs <b>with ANY emotion</b> one is <u><i>unable to fully process while experiencing it</i></u>. <br /><br /> <span> </span>Furthermore, Singer argues that <b>much of our life</b> is devoted to <b>attempting to control the external environment</b> so that it will <b>not trigger our many stored blockages</b>. So we are <u><i><b>either</b></i></u> living our lives as <b>slaves to our unresolved emotional issues</b> (neuroses) - <b><u><i>or</i></u></b> we can <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intentionally learn to release these blockages</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">. <br /><span> </span>This </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">is NOT common knowledge. Most will continue to chase after happiness from the external world, and settle for</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> "ordinary unhappiness."</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> HOWEVER, <br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“Everything is workable.”</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Only have no preferences." </span></b> </span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /> <span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Meditation practice</span></b> - <u><i>formal sitting & informal daily life</i></u> - is essentially about experiencing, learning to stabilize in & live as, that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">other part of us</span></b> which CAN objectively perceive & handle ANYTHING the world presents us, AND learn from it. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>We stabilize in this higher <b><span style="color: red;">Self</span></b> by <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intentionally releasing blockages </span></b><u><i>each time these arise</i></u>. Now, <u><i>as mature adults</i></u>, the <u><i>physically-felt unpleasant disturbed energy</i></u> associated with a blockage that arises is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">NOT so difficult</span></b>. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span> </span>Each time we stay with the physical feel of an old or new emotion, until it resolves naturally</span></b> (less than a minute to complete the physical processing) <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we diminish its power over our lives</span></b> (much like a transient hunger pang while dieting). <br /><br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: red;">You will deeply appreciate</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">how much better life becomes as you progressively free yourself from</span> the tyranny of blocked emotions</b>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>While most of us are unfamiliar with & somewhat averse to delving deeply into new, unfamiliar areas, I nevertheless HIGHLY RECOMMEND<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">slow, careful, immersive reading</span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of this</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> imho <u><i>wise, practical, well-written book</i></u>: <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Michael A. Singer “Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament” </i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>2022</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>. </i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>The Halifax</span> public library has a copy; but <u><i>well-worth owning</i></u> $29. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">from Bookmark on Spring Garden or amazon.ca</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bh6FpdVwvMI" width="320" youtube-src-id="bh6FpdVwvMI"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> </div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-52285277676487736822024-01-01T06:25:00.000-08:002024-01-03T00:00:18.941-08:00Starting Fresh<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Welcome to a brand new year! This <u><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">can</span></b></u> be <u><i>the best year we've ever lived</i></u>. And yes, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>is entirely</u></span></b> up to each one of us</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><br /><span> </span>Forget</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> about past New Year's resolutions. What I'm suggesting is on an <u><i>entirely different level</i></u> than losing weight, or consuming less booze or weed. How about <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">initiating a radically positive shift in your life?</span><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>How often do we catch ourselves <b>repeating</b> a set of <u><i>thoughts, speech</i></u> or <u><i>other behaviors</i></u> that we <b>regret</b>, <b>feel ashamed of</b> - that make us <b>feel like bratty kids</b> rather than mature, evolved adults? These tend to <u><i>start as</i></u> <b><span style="color: red;">critical, </span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">disparaging, </span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;"> demeaning thoughts about others</span></b>. It's best to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intercept & stop</span></b> these frequent slips at the earliest thinking stage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>So what's with all this criticizing self talk? We're very, very familiar with these <b>story lines</b>, because <b>we repeat them many times every single day</b>! They're like a trail we walk many times each day, where there are <u><i>very slippery downhill slopes</i></u>, and we know where these are, can feel the downward incline immediately, and know that if we take just one additional step, we'll slide all the way down to the bottom</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>Once</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> we start criticizing, we have <b>unconsciously assumed </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">a <b>separate identity -</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> our 'small self'</b> (</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">neurotic </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">pain body),<b> </b>from which we can look down on inferior <b>'others.'</b> It's <b>an embarrassingly dumb, messed-up sense of self</b>, but it's <u><i>the only one most of us</i></u> (incorrectly assume we) <u><i>have</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>This</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> is very much like children who've been removed from abusive homes. When asked whether they wish to be placed in a foster home, or return to their abusive family, most choose the latter - because they <b>fear<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> the unknown</span> </b><u><i>more than</i></u> '<b>the devil they know</b>.'</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">W</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">e also get a <b>sick sense of comfortable familiarity</b>, as we sink into our crappy little assumed 'separate self' - almost a sense of '<b>being right</b>' - like a destitute homeless person crawling back into a crumbling, wet cardboard box under a bridge. The question, '<u><i>Would you rather be</i></u><b> right <span style="color: #2b00fe;">or happy</span>?</b>' applies here. When strong emotions like fear, anger or hatred take over, we <b>may</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> (<i>briefly</i>)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> feel absolutely sure we're 'right'</b> <u><i>but</i></u><b> are actually miserable</b>.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Most of us are <u><i>completely unaware how incessantly we tell ourselves</i></u> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">what we don't like vs what we do like - </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">our <b>'preferences'</b> -</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> the chief purpose of which is <b>to reassure ourselves that we have a solid, permanent identity</b> - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">which deep down we know is </span>false</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>As</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> we gradually learn to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">notice & keep letting go of </span>self-talk about preferences</b>, we gradually learn to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">become </span><span style="color: red;">intimate with everyone & everything</span></b>, <u><i>rather than remaining alienated, due to reality being severely distorted & edited by our preferences</i></u>.<br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“… <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">live in reality</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enjoy the moments</span></b> that are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unfolding in front of you</span></b>. That’s what you can do. Use your mind to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be creative</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">inspiring</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">do great things</span></b>. <b>Don’t let the mind always be thinking about itself and what it wants</b>. Learn to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enjoy life <u>as it is</u></span></b> – <b>instead of limiting the ways you can enjoy it to serve your past impressions</b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Michael A. Singer</span></b> “Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament” Sounds True, 2022. </i></span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><i><b>A <u>VERY</u> USEFUL GUIDE TO LIVING</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><i><b> JOYFULLY - </b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><i><b><u>HIGHLY</u> RECOMMENDED </b></i></span></span><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We can only appreciate reality when we no longer look at it through </span>the dense fog of our preferences</b>. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We can gradually learn to recognize, accept, and stop being slaves to </span>our preferences</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span> </span>We are</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">free</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">choose the quality of our lives</span></b> because it is <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">independent of </span>external conditions</b></i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>as perceived through our preferences</b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincpXRP6nvM8j34YKxKb3RfR0a6cPeh4NwGOxxNSbqtZSCYjsyn7D-IZXg_vsFMjqJoaxT0p1EvI6RvSdadG2iQ8N2bC-JmFyh4IqjY_2xmSvZW7E0YbROhqp1OjB01xq7VPk2aOkIdMumEIPJqSGlQCtE5vzob40AGZOpw_gnhV_WzNQN0GfEGnalWsZT/s4032/Portrait%20in%20Baie-Saint-Paul%20IMG_4296.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincpXRP6nvM8j34YKxKb3RfR0a6cPeh4NwGOxxNSbqtZSCYjsyn7D-IZXg_vsFMjqJoaxT0p1EvI6RvSdadG2iQ8N2bC-JmFyh4IqjY_2xmSvZW7E0YbROhqp1OjB01xq7VPk2aOkIdMumEIPJqSGlQCtE5vzob40AGZOpw_gnhV_WzNQN0GfEGnalWsZT/w300-h400/Portrait%20in%20Baie-Saint-Paul%20IMG_4296.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait in L'Harmattan gallery <a href="http://lharmattan.com"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>lharmattan.com</b></span></a> Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-55129514472058230232023-12-18T05:29:00.000-08:002023-12-20T08:08:44.251-08:00A New Relationship<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“The <b>loss of a relationship</b> is not the same as the <b>loss of a life</b>. Suffering a sudden <b>betrayal</b> is not the same as dying from heart failure. Yet <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>both</i></u> can teach us how to cultivate a new relationship</span> </b>to<b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">surrender</span> </b>and<b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">acceptance</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Sunita Puri MD</i></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Jesus cried out in a loud voice, '<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">My God, my God, why have you </span>forsaken<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> me?</span></b> ' ” </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Betrayal</b> by the Divine, Nature, Source, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">God, the Force, Ultimate Reality; by a human being we love dearly; or even by a pet that 'suddenly turns on us,' is perhaps <b>the ultimate shock</b> to the system. Even the death of a loved one is a kind of betrayal. Even dropping & breaking something we've worked so hard to make for someone else is a kind of betrayal. We assume that if we're doing good, surely <u><i>then</i></u> the Force is with us. <u><i>Nope, not necessarily</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Nature</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> is constantly reminding us</span></b> <span style="color: red;"><b>who we <u><i>already</i></u> ARE</b></span> - <b><span style="color: red;">to BE who we are, have <u><i>always</i></u> been & <u><i>will</i></u> be</span></b>, and <b><u><i>not</i></u></b> to be so busy trying <u><i>to do more, trying to become someone else, to go somewhere else</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>We</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> resist <b>hard truths</b>. To the extent we attempt to <b>resist reality</b>, we <b>suffer needlessly</b>. <b>We demand</b> <u><i>not</i></u> 'a spoonful of sugar' to make the medicine go down, <u><i>but</i></u> <b>gallons of syrup</b>. In the 1992 movie "<i><u>A Few Good Men</u></i>" Jack Nicholson's character famously yells,<b> 'You can't handle the truth!</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>'</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span> </span>In the 2016 movie, "<i><u>The Dreamseller</u></i>"</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><span> (Netflix)</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> the <span>main character, once a workaholic billionaire who prioritized his business over his wife & young daughter, sees his <b>wife & daughter perish</b> when his private jet explodes. At the same time, he loses his business empire when</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span> his best friend & colleague <b>betrays</b> him. These events <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">completely transform</span></b> him - which <i>many see as</i> '<i><u>madness</u></i>.' <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">He now understands</span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">true success</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">attaining what money </span><i><u>can't</u></i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> buy.</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b> <span> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Spiritual</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> maturation</span></b> or evolution or 'pulling up our big boy pants' involves <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a new relationship with reality</span></b>. Aging involves </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>losing EVERYTHING</b> we've worked so hard all our lives to learn, master, accumulate, depend upon etc</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span><b>NOW</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> we must <span style="color: #2b00fe;">learn to accept</span> loss after loss, after loss, till we have <i><u>no thing</u></i> left to lose </b>- the <i>material</i> <i>evaporates</i> -<b> <span style="color: red;"><u>ONLY THEN</u> the Mystery!</span></b></span></p><h1 class="style-scope ytd-watch-metadata" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Leonard Cohen - Anthem</span></span><br /></h1><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c8-BT6y_wYg" width="320" youtube-src-id="c8-BT6y_wYg"></iframe></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><p></p>
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{page:WordSection1</span></style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-37529024236323946072023-12-15T03:56:00.000-08:002023-12-15T04:12:09.008-08:00Release, Be and Share!<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span> </span>OK, here's a major problem alluded to in the Tower of Babel story in the bible. <b>What makes 'perfect sense'</b> <i><u>to each one of us</u></i> <b>differs!</b> What constitutes rational thinking, speech & behavior is <b>unique to each individual</b> - we speak different languages, we're 'on different wavelengths.' And THAT is because of our <u><i>unique personal histories</i></u>, different <u><i>traumas</i></u> experienced, which in turn give rise to an array of different <u><i>defenses</i></u> (armoring)<i> & <u>preferences,</u> neuroses</i> etc. So <b>what each of us see</b>s is<b> <u><i>not</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">the world <u><i>as it is</i></u></span></b>, <b>but essentially a cartoon of</b> <b>our personal psychological 'baggage' or 'personality.'</b> BUT, because we all do the best we can to survive, each of us is quite <b>certain</b> that <b>WE see perfectly clearly</b>, <u><i>while <b>others</b></i></u> (especially those weird mystics!) need glasses or are blind</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>“We <u><i><b>don't</b></i></u> see things as they are, we see them as <u><i><b>we</b></i></u> are.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Anais Nin</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><u>THIS</u></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> is why, on rare occasions, when we briefly <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">drop all our</span> defences & neuroses</b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and are momentarily our </span><span style="color: red;">true Self</span></b>, we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">perceive the world accurately, as it really is</span></b>, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>everything, including the most mundane things, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so amazingly bright, glowingly beautiful, other-worldly & unforgettable</span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>. Perhaps this is how we experience everything - for a while - as newborns.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>“Many people have intimations of their <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">true nature</span></b> in childhood – the sense of <u><i>a benevolent presence guiding their life, a radiance that shines forth from all things, or a current of love that unites us all</i></u>. … <br /> <span> </span>But we lose touch with this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">luminosity</span></b> as we age … <b>we forget who we really are</b> and <b>succumb to the way others see us</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">...<br /><span> </span><b>By</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> adulthood</b> we've more or
less forgotten who we truly are, and have passively absorbed the <u><i>current
cultural fad</i></u> of being <b>frozen in the <u><i>armor</i></u> of materialism,
meaninglessness & cynicism</b>. Not surprisingly, <b>something in all of us 'continues to weep over the barrenness of modern life</b>.'"</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Stephan Bodian. “Wake Up Now. A Guide to the Journey of Spiritual Awakening.” McGraw-Hill, 2008.</i></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>Humanity now faces<b> crises</b> on </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b>multiple fronts</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>: climate, pollution, wars, 'ethnic cleansing,' over-population, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>economic, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>addictions, colonialism, many forms of xenophobia (eg patriarchy, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>misogyny, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>racism, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>religious exclusivism, etc</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>), </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>loneliness, meaninglessness & spiritual. Our <b>left-hemisphere-dominant</b> society, '</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>frozen in the <u><i>armor</i></u> of materialism,
meaninglessness & cynicism</b>,<b>'</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> <u><i>created & exacerbates this dystopia</i></u>. This ancient part of the brain that we share with reptiles is <b>ONLY concerned with personal & tribal </b></span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>survival / supremacy - 'my <u><i>tribe</i></u> </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>(color, 'religion' & politics), </span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>right or wrong</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>' - <u><i>the 'partisanship' paralyzing the US</i></u>. This <b>narrow, primitive level of thinking & behaving</b>, while essential & useful mainly in <b>emergencies, <u><i>short-term</i></u></b>, is - much <b>like the caveman-like leaders we tend to elect in times of war</b> - is <b><u><i>NOT capable</i></u> of <span style="color: red;">nurturing</span></b> all that is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deeply meaningful & valued</span></b><span> so </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">human beings</span></b> can <b><span style="color: red;">evolve & flourish</span></b>. </span></span></span><a href="http://www.johnlovas.com/2022/02/more-than-one-way-of-knowing.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>http://www.johnlovas.com/2022/02/more-than-one-way-of-knowing.html </span></span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span></span></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>Einstein long ago warned that we <b><u><i>cannot</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">get out</span> of this mess using the same level of thinking that got us into it</b>.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“We have created <b>a Star Wars civilization</b>, with <b>Stone Age emotions</b>, <b>medieval institutions</b>, and <b>godlike technology</b>. We thrash about. We are <b>terribly confused</b> by the mere fact of our existence, and <b>a danger to ourselves and to the rest of life</b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Edward O. Wilson</i></span></span></p><p><span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Wisdom</span></b> comes when we live from the <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>heart</b></span>. It’s the recognition that <b><span style="color: red;">love</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> is the only power</span></b> that is moving any of this." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Jac O’Keeffe</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p>
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span><span> </span>“There are <u><i>only two ways to live</i></u> your life. <br /> <span> </span><span> </span> One is as though <b>nothing is a miracle</b>. <br /> <span> </span><span> </span> The other is as though <br /> <span> </span><span> </span> <b><span style="color: red;">everything is a miracle</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Albert Einstein</i></span></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> Michael Singer does a wonderful job illustrating how the evolution of the cosmos is <u><i>equally</i></u> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">miraculously wonderful</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> from a scientific <u><i>and</i></u> spiritual perspective</span>:<i> </i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Michael A. Singer “Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament” Sounds True, 2022. <u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>HIGHLY RECOMMENDED</b></span></u></i></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span><span> </span>"The Great Way is not difficult <br /> <span> </span><span> </span> for those who <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">have <i><u>no</u></i></span> preferences</b>..." </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sengstan</i></span></span><p><style><font size="4" style="font-family: inherit;">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</font></style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Much of our '<b>self-talk</b>' is repeatedly telling ourselves, 'I like this - I have to have it' or 'I don't like this - I don't want it.' This <u><i>unconscious brainwashing</i></u> creates a <b>false small self</b> made up for meaningless likes & dislikes ie '<b>preferences</b>.' Most of us are so used to the burden of our '<b>psychological baggage</b>' - a big part of which are '<b>preferences</b>,' that we actually <b>mistake it for who we are</b>. No wonder low self-esteem is rampant! <i><u>Psychotherapy helps us let go of </u></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><u>'psychological baggage</u></i>.'</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>In this same book, Singer recommends <u><i>practicing intentionally letting go of our</i></u> '<b>preferences</b>.' </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Instead, he advises that we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">accept*** everything</span></b> we encounter, and do our best to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">nurture ourselves & others</span></b> helping us to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">flourish</span></b>, with <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no </span>personal gain</b> in mind. Again, <u><i>it's a very wise, helpful book</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>***Acceptance</b></span> – “open to seeing & acknowledging things as they are in the present moment; acceptance <u><i>does <b>not</b> mean passivity <b>nor</b> resignation</i></u>, rather a clearer understanding of the present so one can more effectively respond.” <br /> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Shapiro SL, Schwartz GE. “Intentional Systemic Mindfulness: an Integrative Model for Self-regulation and Health.” Adv Mind Body Med 2000; 16(2): 128-34. </i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Everything</span></b>, even things that terrify us, such as death – our own & that of our loved ones – is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">best dealt with in a friendly, open mind & hearted</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">way</span></b>. If we “lean into” (rather than keep avoiding) even such scary things with <u><i>curiosity, self-compassion & acceptance</i></u>, at our own pace & possibly with expert guidance, we benefit greatly in the long run!</span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;</style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The light within</span></b> you, when resolutely recognized in all circumstances, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has the capacity to embrace everything</span></b>. This <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>uncompromising</b></span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">acceptance</span></b> is, in fact, your <b><span style="color: red;">true nature</span></b>." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Amoda Maa</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>Mystics
& saints operate from a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>qualitatively</i></u> higher level of
consciousness</span></b>, able to directly experience ultimate
reality. Such wise elders repeatedly tell us something that drives many 'bat-shit-crazy' angry:</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Everything is perfect just the way it is</span></b>." Of course our <b>reptilian level of mind cannot cope with paradox & helplessness</b> in the face of our own (& everyone) <b>suffering</b>, that we (& everyone) age, get sick & die, AND that <b>we can't fix it</b>. After all, the <b>small self</b> is <u><b><i>exclusively</i></b></u> about <b>controlling</b> so as <b>to survive</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">! <br /><span> </span>We're</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> dealing with <b>TWO</b><i> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></b></i><u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">qualitatively different</span></b></i></u><i><b> </b></i><b>LEVELS of reality</b> - consensual, every-day, shallow, <b>relative reality</b> of the <b>small self</b>, AND <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>ultimate reality</b></span> of the <b><span style="color: red;">true Self</span></b>. Our <b>usual level of thinking</b> <u><i>cannot make any sense of</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ultimate reality</span></b> <u><i>because</i></u> our <u><i>psychological baggage</i></u> and <u><i>energies</i></u> are focused almost exclusively on <b>survival & thriving on the material plane</b> of existence, the <b>noisy, stressful busyness</b> of which veils or hides the <u><i>much more subtle, peaceful ultimate reality</i></u>.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>“So long as one is merely <b>on the surface of things</b>, they are <b>always imperfect, unsatisfactory, incomplete</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Penetrate into the substance</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">everything is perfect, complete, whole</span></b>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">” <br /><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Philip Kapleau “The Zen of Living and Dying. A Practical and Spiritual Guide.” Shambhala, 1998.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> <span> </span><u><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">HOWEVER</span></b></u>, when we learn to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">accept</span></b> the laws of Nature (which like gravity, are <b>impersonal</b> ie <u><i>have nothing to do with our individual preferences</i></u>), and learn to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be curious & grateful about EVERYTHING</span></b>, we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">eliminate all </span>unnecessary suffering</b> and discover that <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>life is filled with joy</b></span> rather than 'ordinary unhappiness.'</span></span></span>
</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"There’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only one happiness</span></b> and it’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">who you are</span></b>. There’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only one place to find lasting happiness</span></b>, and that is to <b><span style="color: red;"><u><i>know</i></u></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> who you are</span></b> and to <b><span style="color: red;"><u><i>be</i></u></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> who you are</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Francis Lucille</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"I would’ve claimed to be pretty awake prior to the<b> cancer diagnosis</b>. I’m much more awake now. There’s no reason that we can’t all wake up. That’s the overarching message that I want to broadcast is ‘<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Join me in the celebration, the appreciation of this</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">miracle</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">that we all find ourselves in</span></b>.’ ” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Roland Griffiths PhD</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> </span>“The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">whole point of spiritual practice</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to discover that </span><span style="color: red;">we’re already good enough</span></b>. That <u><i>we <b>don’t</b> have to prove a thing</i></u>. That’s the fundamental purpose of all spiritual practice." </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Henry Shukman</i></span></span><br /></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">By giving up our</span></b> attachments (<b>preferences</b>) in life, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we open ourselves up to</span></b> more opportunities, more spontaneity, and more chances to cultivate <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deeper connections</span></b> with others.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> Lama Tsomo</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>“If you <u><i>abide in</i></u> this state of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">acceptance</span></b>, you create no more negativity, no more suffering, no more unhappiness. You then <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">live in a state of nonresistance</span></b>, a state of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">grace</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lightness</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">free of struggle</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Eckhart Tolle “The Power of Now”</i></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><span> </span><u><i>Many of us spend a large portion of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">our short & precious life</span></b>, <b>bitterly unaware</b></i></u> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we're all <i><u>honeybees</u></i> swimming in a cosmos of <u><i>honey</i></u></span></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">. <br /><span> </span>The</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span> <b>bitter distraction</b> is <b>wanting some experiences & wanting to avoid others</b>. We take our preferences dead seriously, <b>actually believing that a cocktail of neuroses is our actual identity</b>. And because of this common delusion, <b>we forget <span style="color: #2b00fe;">who we truly are</span></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">. <br /><span> </span>By</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span> <b><u><i>not</i></u></b> taking preferences seriously, and instead, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">engaging intimately with all that we're presented with</span></b>, a <b><span style="color: red;">QUALITATIVE SHIFT</span></b> occurs: the veil lifts, and we<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> embody</span></b> our <b><span style="color: red;">true self - Self</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">One Source of honey</span></b> AND see that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">every</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">One is swimming in honey</span></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. At this level, we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">DO</span></b> see things <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as they are</span></b>, <u><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">AND</span></b></u> as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">WE</span></b> are!<br /><br /><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">RELEASE more & more </span>unnecessary suffering</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">BE your </span><span style="color: red;">Self</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">SHARE </span></b>your<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> nurturing presence!</span><br /></b></span></span></span></p><p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt;"> </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKkyUwv7nf4eCjMqAoXqC9TQ_mt1kdpKVozE2ySZVlsd54nlhwmlNASLasUlGS1V1hNO4PRrHoyYCgBPFd5vj1ldsTx1ljj4BjAwbKPtfG5AZFdmTpVWLCqmZrb8TyMBiWZwXzVYlDtEk5QFC0UZdoRKAbvxozpZ1kX1_Tye6P9233Y2JS-_M_YfpDit3/s1376/24%20Brand%20New%20Hours!%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="1376" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKkyUwv7nf4eCjMqAoXqC9TQ_mt1kdpKVozE2ySZVlsd54nlhwmlNASLasUlGS1V1hNO4PRrHoyYCgBPFd5vj1ldsTx1ljj4BjAwbKPtfG5AZFdmTpVWLCqmZrb8TyMBiWZwXzVYlDtEk5QFC0UZdoRKAbvxozpZ1kX1_Tye6P9233Y2JS-_M_YfpDit3/w400-h360/24%20Brand%20New%20Hours!%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">24 Brand New Hours! - by Molly Hahn <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">www.BuddhaDoodles.com</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-40642852306325620302023-12-07T05:52:00.000-08:002023-12-08T01:26:13.965-08:00Power Tolerance<div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Ultimately, we know that matter, including our own body, is a form or expression of energy. <u><i>Each of us operates at</i></u>, and thus is able to <u><i>safely handle</i></u>, <u><i>benefit from</i></u>, <u><i>understand & resonate with</i></u>, <u><i>a</i></u><i> <b>specific level</b> </i><u><i>of</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">energy</span></b> or <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">power</span></b>. <u><i>Too far above</i></u> one's level feels unpleasant, disorienting, dangerous; <u><i>too far below</i></u> feels uninteresting, has little benefit</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And the </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><i>power or energy level</i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> at which each of us operates is somewhere along the spectrum, from <b>brutishly greedy & destructive</b>, to <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>sublimely nurturing & creative</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spiritual evolution</span></b> appears aimed towards <u><i>progressively increasing</i></u> our vibrational energy, <u><i>ultimately to <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>perfect harmony with</b></span></i></u> <b><span style="color: red;">the Divine</span></b> <i><u>nurturing, </u></i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><u>creative source</u></i>.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>There are some who, for example, <b>dogmatically believe</b>
that the earth is flat; that science is just one of many conspiracies
of the intellectual elite, etc. Most of us (in a generous moment)
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>would </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>consider such beliefs to be caused by <i>lack of education</i>, resulting in </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><u><i>scientific</i></u></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><i><u> </u></i><u><i>naivete</i></u><i>.</i></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>"<u><i>Knowledge is power</i></u>" has long been the mantra for those hoping to get rich & powerful ASAP. <b>Materialism</b> is exclusively concerned with this <u><i>base level of knowledge</i></u>. According to materialism, nothing exists beyond the physical. Again a</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>ccording to materialism, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spiritual</span></b> or <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>metaphysical</b></span> are nothing more than irrational wishes like children's belief in Santa Clause. <u><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></i></u></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>So <u><i>many</i></u> <b>materialists</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b>dogmatically believe</b> that <u><i>if something can't be measured / counted, then it can't exist, can't be 'real</i></u>.' Not only <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>spirituality</b></span>, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all the other <u><i>most meaningful aspects of life</i></u></span></b> fit this category: <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">love, empathy, generosity, beauty, inspiration, creativity, all of the arts</span></b>, etc. No problem, because <b>materialists consider life itself</b> to be <b>completely meaningless</b>. <b><u><i>Many of us</i></u></b> simply have <u><i><b>not had any </b></i></u></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><u><i><b>education</b></i></u> in even the social sciences, never mind <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spiritual matters</span></b>, so <b>our society </b></span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>as a whole</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>lacks basic knowledge & understanding in these fundamentally important matters - we are stunningly</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><i> </i><u><i>naive</i></u></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><u><i>spiritually</i></u></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span><b>Scientism's dogmatic exclusivist claim</b> (if science can't prove it's existence, then it doesn't & can't exist. Anyone who says otherwise is childish, irrational, or delusional.) is a reaction to theistic religions' <u><i>equally problematic</i></u> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>dogmatic </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>claims of </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> <b>religious exclusivism</b> (every religious sect asserting exclusive claims on <u><i>their one & only true 'God</i></u>.' All other 'Gods' being labelled heretical, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>wrong, evil</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>). <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span> </span>Legitimate science</span></b> has nothing to do with dogma. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spirituality</span></b> has nothing to do with dogma or religious exclusivism.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Science</b></span> clearly has a very important role to <u><i>help us survive in comfort & safety</i></u>.<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Spirituality</span></b> is crucially important, <u><i>allowing us to understand our true nature, the meaning of life, and how to live together in love & harmony</i></u>.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><u></u><span> </span><u>BOTH</u></i> science & spirituality</span></b> are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>absolutely necessary</i></u></span></b> for a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wholesome, healthy, balanced life</span></b>. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span><b>Our almost exclusive reliance</b> on the left hemisphere's <b>narrow materialistic perspective</b>, <u><i>while </i></u><b>disparaging</b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">broadly inclusive perspective</span></b> of the right hemisphere of our brain <b>is</b> our<b> <u><i><span style="color: red;">present global</span><span> blind spot</span></i></u></b> & the ultimate <b><u><i><span style="color: red;">cause of our </span></i></u></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><u><i><span style="color: red;">present</span><span> </span></i></u></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><u><i><span>global crises</span></i></u></b>, that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Iain McGilchrist </span></b>has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">researched, written & spoken about most intelligently & eloquently</span></b>: </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><a href="https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/" target="_blank">https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/ </a></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ours is a world of <b>nuclear <span style="color: #2b00fe;">giants</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ethical</span> infants</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">. We know more about <b>war</b> than we know about <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">peace</span></b>, more about <b>killing</b> than we know about <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">living</span></b>. We have grasped the <b>mystery of the atom</b> and rejected the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sermon on the Mount</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Omar N. Bradley, General US Army</i></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> </span>“Although <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the final breakthrough</span></b> is not in our power, yet we move toward this end when we <i><u>strive for</u></i> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">open mind</span></b>. Striving for this <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>objectivity</b></span> is a <u><i>difficult</i></u> movement, it means <u><i>leaving behind mental constructs & security blankets</i></u> that, until now, we never knew we had… I know of no other path than that of the open mind which leads to this end.”<i> </i></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Bernadette Roberts, “The Path to No Self” </i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /></span> <style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Many<span> are <b>only capable of</b> resonating with <u><i>their own sect</i></u> which is <u><i>personally & tribally</i></u><b> self-serving</b></span> ("spiritual materialism"). We build up a lot of creds in our tribe over a lifetime. So <u><i>thinking</i></u> & especially <u><i>speaking & behaving outside</i></u> of <b>our tribe's narrow little box</b> requires a lot of <u><i>strength & bravery</i></u>. One <b>identifies</b> with & <b>depends</b> <u><i>more than one realizes</i></u> on one's <b>public persona</b>: 'respected church elder,' 'respected man of science,' 'secular atheist cynic,' etc. The thought of being being <u><i>excluded</i></u> from & <u><i>shunned</i></u> by one's tribe, being labelled 'heretic,' 'fallen' or 'irrational,' 'soft in the head' or 'senile' is <b>often</b> considered <b>too high a price to pay</b> for <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">becoming authentic</span></b> - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">true to oneself</span></b>.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Mystics</span></b><span> </span><span>& rapidly increasing numbers of </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spiritually-independent seekers of Truth</span><span style="color: red;"> </span></b> - like Rami Shapiro - are sufficiently <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>open mind-hearted</b></span> to clearly see what <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mystics of all traditions & ages</span></b></i></u> have been pointing to</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.johnlovas.com/2015/06/perennial-philosophy.html">http://www.johnlovas.com/2015/06/perennial-philosophy.html</a></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> <span> </span>“A Judaism <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>without</i></u> tribalism</span></b> accepts as true only those Torah teachings that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">promote justice & compassion</span></b>. <b>Everything else</b> we understand to be the pronouncements of <b>tribal leaders in search of</b> (self-serving) <b>power.</b> <br /><span> </span>Both, however, are worthy of study. We study the Torah of justice & compassion to see <u><i>the best that we are capable of</i></u>. We study the Torah of power to see <u><i>the worst</i></u>.”</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Rami Shapiro. “Judaism Without Tribalism: A Guide to Being a Blessing to All the Peoples of the Earth” Monkfish, 2022. <br /></i></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> <span> </span>"Once we have died to the <b>false self</b>, we have a hope of <u><i>getting out of our own way</i></u> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">meeting the Holy One face to face</span></b>.” <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Mirabai Starr. “Caravan of No Despair. A Memoir of Loss and Transformation.” Sounds True, 2015.</i></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span></i></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span>
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“<u><i>Within each of us</i></u>, in the ground of our being, <b><span style="color: red;">powers</span></b> reside <u><i>for the healing of our world</i></u>. These powers do not arise from any ideology, access to the occult, or passion for social activism. They are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">inevitable </span><span style="color: red;">powers</span></b>. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because we are part of the web of life, </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">we can draw on the strength — and the pain — of every creature. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">interconnection</span></b> constitutes our ‘deep ecology’: </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">it is the source of our <u><i>pain for the world</i></u> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">as well as our <u><i>love and appetite for life</i></u>.” </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Joanna Macy</i></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 8pt;"> <br /></span></i><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"><span> </span>"These
grace moments that happen to all of us are <b><span style="color: red;">very powerful</span></b>. Sometimes there’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a
moment of oneness</span></b>, in the aftermath of which we’re never quite the same. But <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0432ff;">almost always
these moments are extremely delicate, very subtle</span></b>. And we can’t make
them happen. The thing is, we can freely choose to <b><span style="color: #0432ff;">assume
the stance</span></b><span style="color: #0432ff;"> <b>that offers the</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">least resistance</b> <b>to</b></span> being
overtaken by the <b><span style="color: #0432ff;">oneness</span></b><span style="color: #0432ff;"> </span>we can’t attain.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><i><span style="color: black;"> </span></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>James Finley: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMgm9547hQE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMgm9547hQE</a></i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“In <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Presence</span></b>, you are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">One with all life</span></b>. And <u><i>from this place</i></u> of fullness, completeness, wholeness, you create - or rather, <b><span style="color: red;">you allow creation to happen</span></b>. You manifest – or rather, you <u><i>allow manifestation to move through you</i></u> - with a spirit of playfulness, ease, lightness. You <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let go of</span></b> <u><i>goals, comparisons, all ideas of success, even the idea of manifestation itself</i></u>! <br /><span> </span>Manifestation through <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relaxation</span></b>. Creation through <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">surrender</span></b>. Building up through <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">letting go</span></b>. Power through <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">effortlessness</span></b>. These are the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wonderful paradoxes of your creative heart</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> Jeff Foster</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Surrender</span></b> – what an amazingly powerful word. It often engenders the thought of weakness and cowardice. In my case, it required all the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">strength</span></b> I had to be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">brave</span></b> enough to <u><i>follow the invisible into the unknown</i></u>. <br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Do whatever is put in front of you with all your heart & soul without regard for personal results</span></b>. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Do the work as though it were given to you by the universe itself – because it was</span></b>. <br /><span> </span>By now, I had become thoroughly convinced that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the constant act of <u><i>letting go</i></u> of </span>one’s self-centered thoughts & emotions</b> was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all that was needed</span></b> for <b><span style="color: red;">profound personal, professional, & spiritual growth</span></b>.”</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Michael A. Singer “The Surrender Experiment. My Journey into Life’s Perfection,” Harmony, 2015.</i></span><p class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"The beautiful thing about <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">compassion </span></b><br />is that when it spontaneously arises in you, <br />an <u><i>inner door opens</i></u> into an experience of <b><span style="color: red;">love</span></b>, <br />which is our part of fundamental reality.... <br />When the inner door opens, <br />it becomes <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">effortless </span></b><br />to <u><i>reach out & connect</i></u> with others. <br />This is why the <u><i>greatest antidote</i></u> to <b>insecurity </b><br />and sense of <b>fear</b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">compassion</span></b>. <br />It brings one back to the basis of one's <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">inner strength</span></b>. <br />A truly compassionate person embodies a carefree spirit <br />of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fearlessness</span></b>, born of the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">freedom <br />from </span>egoistic self concern</b>." <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Dalai Lama</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>“‘Alo’ means ‘in the presence of’, <br /> <span> </span>‘ha’ is the ‘breath.’ <br /> <span> </span>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">power of the breath</span></b> is identified by Hawaiian people as more than the air one <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>draws in and expels from the lungs - <br /> <span> </span>It is the impulse to breathe, <br /> <span> </span>the very <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">life force</span></b> itself, <br /> <span> </span>the <b><span style="color: red;">divine</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> spirit in us</span></b>." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Alice Holokai</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>And now, a <u><i>simple yet powerful</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">breathing practice</span></b> for you. <u><i>With each in breath</i></u>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">feel</span></b> the <u><i>nurturing energy</i></u> you attract. <u><i>With each, much slower exhalation</i></u>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">feel</span></b> the <u><i>warm energy</i></u> rising from the base of your belly (<u><i>hara</i></u> / dantien), up your spine, further warmed up by your <u><i>heart center</i></u>, spreading outward to all the <u><i>rest of your body</i></u>, and finally up to and outwards from between your eyebrows (<u><i>third eye</i></u>)<span>. <br /><span> </span><i><u>Keep</u></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><u> repeating</u></i> gently, patiently, effortlessly, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">nurturing</span></b> your <u><i>entire body</i></u>, and the <u><i>world</i></u>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g9S-sFRGnmceC8OJUyLgJ8qgmgx1Si_MO9qmQNRfTnD_ZMDjKpxnx7j09RjMtQdt9txvInjRvMqo1Hu_gSMRsAmbJcMT4nLDRfQ9ByF3BzD0mOiHBT52tnlaUKjHag16b23sMykN6Dnu9He2_AkJPokZ2FtetXtdDPPTp7YBtUw26yu-4DP_t69W6z0r/s1160/Make%20Your%20Own%20Music%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com%20.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1160" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g9S-sFRGnmceC8OJUyLgJ8qgmgx1Si_MO9qmQNRfTnD_ZMDjKpxnx7j09RjMtQdt9txvInjRvMqo1Hu_gSMRsAmbJcMT4nLDRfQ9ByF3BzD0mOiHBT52tnlaUKjHag16b23sMykN6Dnu9He2_AkJPokZ2FtetXtdDPPTp7YBtUw26yu-4DP_t69W6z0r/w400-h399/Make%20Your%20Own%20Music%20-%20by%20Molly%20Hahn%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com%20.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Make Your Own Music - by Molly Hahn <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">www.BuddhaDoodles.com</a></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p></div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-77987532615995085632023-12-02T03:50:00.000-08:002023-12-04T02:32:10.102-08:00Finding True Self, Peace & Joy<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span> </span>Advanced spiritual practitioners are well aware that we all have <b>two, <i>very different</i> operating systems</b>. The <b>egoic separate self</b> is one most of us habitually <b>contract into under stress</b> & tend to <u><i>stabilize in, even without stress</i></u>. The other is the <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>open, spacious, peaceful, timeless, silent</b></span>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unitive</span></b> state of </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>awareness</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> or <b><span style="color: red;">true self</span></b> that is always there, but for most is usually hidden, veiled over by our egoic self's <b>fearful striving</b> <b>to control</b> our lives <b>for survival & reproduction</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When people restrain themselves out of <b>fear</b>, their<i> </i><u><i>lives are</i></u><i> by necessity </i><b><u><i>diminished</i></u></b>." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Mihály Csíkszentmihályi PhD</i></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Our</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> <b>small, egoic self</b> (</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>& it's constant, very loud spokesperson, "<b>ordinary mind's self talk</b>")</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> can only see <b>consensual dualistic relative reality - </b>of adversarial relationships, competition to get to the top, which even includes war (rape, plunder & murder). <b>Small self</b>'s / <b>ordinary mind</b>'s natural byproduct is <b>dualism</b> & <b>rigid materialism</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - where <u><i>ego</i></u> can, or soon will be able to <u><i>control everything</i></u> (<span>"promissory materialism" - a joke for everyone, <u><i>except</i></u> materialists).</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Our</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> <b><span style="color: red;">true self</span></b>, when we don't drown it out by setting off our alarms, experiences <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ultimate reality</span></b>. We all experience this occasionally, at least fleetingly. We are most likely to <u><i>experience</i></u> our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">innate authenticity & ultimate reality</span></b> <u><i>when</i></u> we feel <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relaxed, open to & engaged with the flow of life</span></i></u></b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>Psychologist</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Csíkszentmihályi</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> researched the "<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">flow</span></b>" st</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">ate & summarized it as: "being <u><i>completely involved</i></u> in an activity <u><i>for its own sake</i></u>. The <b>ego</b><b> falls away</b>. <u><i>Time flies</i></u>. Every action, movement, & thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your <u><i>whole being</i></u><i> is </i><u><i>involved</i></u>, and you're using your skills to the ut</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">most.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">" </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Mihály Csíkszentmihályi PhD</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>An important component of "flow" was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">autotelicity</span></b> - performing acts because they are <span style="color: #2b00fe;">intrinsically rewarding</span>, <u><i>rather than to achieve external goals</i></u>;
learning to enjoy situations that most others mind find miserable; associated with <span style="color: #2b00fe;">curiosity, persistence, & humility</span>.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi </a> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> <span> </span>Despite the formality of scientific language, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"flow"</span></b> seems remarkably similar if not identical to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a common experience</span></b> shared by serious meditators, mystics, saints, extreme adventurers, surgeons, artists of every description, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all who <u><i>intentionally spend time</i></u> being </span><span style="color: red;">intimately engaged</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> with whatever the </span><span style="color: red;">present moment</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> holds</span></b> for them</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. A very <u><i>impressive real-life example</i></u> of this is detailed in the book :</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Michael A. Singer “The Surrender Experiment. My Journey into Life’s Perfection,” Harmony, 2015. </span></i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span style="color: red;"><b>Intimacy</b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> </b></span>is<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>a direct, heart-to-heart expression of unconditional love<i> </i>(</b></span><u><i>nothing to do with</i></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>reward / personal gain</i> ie <i><u>not</u> transactional</i>.)</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>The <b>huge <u>practical problem</u></b> in our lives is that <u><i>most of us live <b>as if</b> a fire alarm was constantly ringing</i></u>, resulting in our <b>small, separate mind running & ruining our lives</b>, and <b>completely <u><i>obscuring</i></u></b> our <b><span style="color: red;">authentic, true self</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“Once I <b>stop</b> <i><u>shaping reality into a theatrical performance with</u></i> <b>myself at its center</b>, mindfulness allows the world to surprise me. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">universe becomes </span><span style="color: red;">delightfully open-ended</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Belden C. Lane</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>"</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When the <b>mind </b><u><i>appears</i></u>, <b><span style="color: red;">reality</span> </b><u><i><b>dis</b>appears</i></u>. When the <b>mind</b> <u><i><b>dis</b>appears</i></u>, <b><span style="color: red;">reality</span></b> <u><i>appears</i></u>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Bodhidharma</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>So our <b>small mind</b>, by way of constant "<b>self talk</b>," is constantly telling us how <u><i>uncomfortable</i></u> we are, and <u><i>reminding us of our preferences</i></u>: all that we "must have", and all that we "must avoid", in order to survive & be happy. Fixating on these <b>attachments</b> keeps us <b>constantly self-centered, stressed & striving </b><u><i>to be somewhere else, do something else, become someone else</i></u> <b>RATHER THAN</b> <b><span style="color: red;">be intimately engaged</span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">with whatever the present moment presents us</span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /> <span> </span>“</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><i>By giving up our</i></u> <b>attachments</b> in life, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we </span><span style="color: red;">open</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> ourselves up</span></b> to more <u><i>opportunities</i></u>, more <u><i>spontaneity</i></u>, and more chances <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to cultivate deeper connections</span></b> with others.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Lama Tsomo</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“The <b>mind</b> is a wonderful gift, but <b>the voice inside our heads</b> ("self-talk") can also be a never-ending <u><i>source of suffering</i></u>. That’s the last thing we need when we’ve already got so much of the outside world challenging us. We <u><i>can spend our lives trying to change those external conditions to ‘be and feel OK</i></u>’ — when the <b>real problem</b> <u><i>is what’s going on inside</i></u>. <br /><span> </span>The solution? Surrender – the willingness to let go. To realize that ultimately, <b>our thoughts, emotions, & even our body are <u><i>not</i></u> who we are</b>. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We are the <u><i>indwelling consciousness</i></u> </span><span style="color: red;">witnessing</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> it all</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Michael A. Singer</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br /></span> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span></i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Much of our <b>repetitive thinking</b> is about <u><i>escaping discomfort by getting some things & avoiding others</i></u>. Our life experience has surely taught us by now that <b>no amount of getting & avoiding </b><u><i>can lift us out of </i></u><b>"ordinary unhappiness</b>." Buddhism teaches that this </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>obsessive </b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>self-centered <u><i>actually causes</i></u> unnecessary suffering</b>. Surely we're ready to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">start inhabiting</span></b> our far more evolved, <b><span style="color: red;">true self</span></b> - often just referred to as "<b><span style="color: red;">Self</span></b>.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">" <br /> <span> </span>"</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The thoughts change <br /><span> </span> but not you. <br /><span> </span> <u><i>Let go of</i></u> the <b>passing thoughts</b> and <br /><span> </span> <u><i>hold on to</i></u> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unchanging</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">Self</span></b>." </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sri Ramana Maharshi</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><style>@font-face
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</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>So what am I learning, if ever so slowly? It's ridiculously easy & common to <b>remain overwhelmed by our past traumas & resultant reactivities</b>, which <b><u><i>guarantees</i></u> continuous unnecessary suffering</b>. Though many assume that this is '<i>just the way life is</i>,' and '<i>nothing can be done about it</i>,' that's <b>just a 'helplessness & hopelessness' slump</b> <u><i>we all need to get past, from time to time</i></u><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>Even</span> in the absolutely most horrible cases of suffering, it's been shown that it's best to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let go of our</span> 'hurt child' identity</b>, and instead direct our energies toward <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">embodying our </span><span style="color: red;">'wise elder'</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> identity</span></b> (</span><span style="font-size: medium;">transpersonal Self or divine identity), and thereby <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">nurture</span></b> <u><i>ourselves & others</i></u> so we may all <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">thrive</span></b> ie be the best version of ourselves ie <span style="color: red;"><b>true self </b></span>or <b><span style="color: red;">Self</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Being</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <span style="color: red;">authentic</span></b> is <u><i>our only way to</i></u><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> peace & joy</span></b>, that is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>independent of</i></u> </span>life's constant ups & downs, aging, sickness & death</b>.<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Finding</span></b> the True Essence of You</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> (<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">Self</span></b></span></span>)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> - Eckhart Tolle Explains (20min)</span><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KmbVYaBVmHU" width="320" youtube-src-id="KmbVYaBVmHU"></iframe></div><br /> <p style="text-align: left;"></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-89569355872717222302023-11-24T09:49:00.000-08:002023-11-25T11:57:38.963-08:00What is Trustworthy?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>"Einstein was asked what he thought <b>the most important question</b> was that <b>a human being needed to answer</b>. His reply was, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">‘Is the universe a friendly place</span> or not</b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">?</span></b>’</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /><span> </span><u><i>Our answer</i></u> to that question <u><i>is <b>the cornerstone</b></i></u> on which many <u><i>of our values & beliefs</i></u><i> </i>inevitably rest. <b>If we believe that the universe is unfriendly</b> & that <b>our </b>very <b>souls are in danger</b>, <b>peace</b> will be <b>elusive at best</b>." <br /> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Joan Borysenko. “Fire in the Soul. A New Psychology of Spiritual Optimism.” Warner Books, 1993.</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span> </span>Many years later, one of the world's foremost PTSD experts expanded on the same topic</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">: <br /><span> </span>“<b>If you feel <span style="color: #2b00fe;">safe & loved</span></b>, your brain (is) specialized in exploration, play, & cooperation; <b>if you are frightened & unwanted</b>, it (is) specialized in managing feelings of fear & abandonment.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">" <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Bessel Van Der Kolk. “The Body Keeps the Score. Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.” Penguin Books, 2015.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"The Great Way is not difficult <br /> <span> </span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">for those who have</span></b> <b><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>no</i></span></u> preferences</b>..." </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sengstan</i></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>We all have many, perfectly harmless </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">preferences,</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> like enjoying one flavor of ice cream more than another.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> But why </span>does<i><b> <u>not getting</u><u> what we want</u></b></i> so powerfully <u><i>grab our attention</i></u>? Perhaps it's because many of us live under the (mostly subconscious) <b><u><i>assumption</i></u></b> that <b>survival & safety</b> <b>depends entirely</b> <b>on <u><i>our</i></u> ability to <u><i>control</i></u> our environment</b>. We live in <b><u><i>fear</i></u></b> that failing this, will quickly bring <b>chaos, sickness, starvation & death</b>. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No wonder <b>we're triggered every time </b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>life appears indifferent to our personal preferences</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span><b><i>Yet</i></b> realistically, how often does our every wish (preference) come true? Rarely, & then only briefly. So most of us spend our lives <b>striving mightily against </b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>reason &</b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> reality</b> by trying to capture & sustain personal preferences.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> We <b>cling to our preferences</b> like drowning people cling to bits of wood floating by. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><i>This is how we create</i></u> <b>most of our suffering</b>, and it's </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>completely unnecessary!</b></span></span></p><p>
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Life</span> <u><i>rarely</i></u> unfolds exactly as we want it to</b>. And if we stop and think about it, <u><i>that makes perfect sense</i></u>. The scope of life is universal, and <u><i>the fact that <b>we are not</b> actually <b>in control of life’s events</b> should be self-evident</i></u>. The universe has been around for 13.8 billion years, and the processes that determine the flow of life around us did not begin when we were born, nor will they end when we die. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">What manifests in front of us</span></b> at any given moment is actually something <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">truly extraordinary</span></b> – it is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the end result of all the </span><span style="color: red;">forces</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> that have been interacting together for billions of years</span></b>. <u><i>We are <b>not</b> responsible for even the tiniest fraction</i></u> of what is manifesting around us. <b>Nonetheless, we walk around constantly trying to control and determine what will happen in our lives</b>. No wonder there’s <b>so much tension, anxiety & fear</b>. <u><i>Each of us actually believes that things should be the way we want them</i></u>, instead of being <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the natural result of all the </span><span style="color: red;">forces of creation</span></b>. <br /> <span> </span>Every day, <u><i>we give <b>precedence</b> to our mind’s <b>thoughts</b></i></u> <i>over the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reality unfolding before us</span></b></i>. We regularly say things like, ‘It better not rain today because I’m going camping’ or ‘I better get that raise because I really need the money.’ Notice that these bold claims about what should and shouldn’t be happening are <u><i><b>not</b></i></u> <i>based on scientific evidence</i>; they’re <u><i>based solely on</i></u> <b>personal preferences</b> made up in our minds. Without realizing it, <u><i>we do this with everything</i></u> in our lives – it’s <u><i>as though we actually believe that the world around us is supposed to manifest in accordance to our own <b>likes & dislikes</b></i></u>. If it doesn’t, surely something is very wrong. This is an <b>extremely difficult way to live</b>, and it is the reason we feel that we are <b>always struggling with life</b>. <br /> <span> </span>The question is, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">does it <u><i>have to</i></u> be this way?</span></b> There is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so much evidence that life does quite well on its own</span></b>. The planets stay in orbit, tiny seeds grow into giant trees, weather patterns have kept forests across the globe watered for millions of years, and a single fertilized cell grows into a beautiful baby. <b>We are <u><i>not</i></u> doing any of these things <u><i>as conscious acts of will</i></u></b>; they are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all being done by the </span><span style="color: red;">incomprehensible perfection of life itself</span></b>. All these amazing events, and countless more, are being carried out by forces of life that have been around for billions of years – <b><span style="color: red;">the very same forces of life</span> that we are consciously pitting our will against on a daily basis</b>. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">If natural unfolding of the process of life can create and take care of the entire universe</span></b>, <b>is it really reasonable for us to assume that nothing good will happen unless we force it to?</b> <br /> <span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">There must be another, more sane way</span></b> to approach life. For example, what would happen <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>if we respected </b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>the flow of life</b></span> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">used our free will to </span><span style="color: red;"><u><i>participate</i></u> in what’s unfolding</span></b>, <i>instead of </i><b><u><i>fighting</i></u><i> it</i>?</b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">”</span><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Michael A. Singer “The Surrender Experiment. My Journey into Life’s Perfection,” Harmony, 2015.</i></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> <br /></span>
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{page:WordSection1;</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>A few more insights from Singer - a meditator & businessman, who maintained a very deep meditation & yoga practice <i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>WHILE</u></span></b></i> creating & running highly successful companies:<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> </span>“the personal mind (with it’s <b>neurotic chatter</b>) always returned once I got up (from sitting Zen meditation) and became active. … one day in a flash of realization it dawned on me that perhaps I’d been going about this in the wrong way. <u><i>Instead of</i></u> trying to free myself by constantly quieting the mind, perhaps <u><i>I should be asking</i></u> why the mind is so active. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">What is the motivation behind </span>all the mental chatter?</b> If the motivation were to be removed, the struggle would be over. <br /> <span> </span>This realization opened the door for an entirely new & exciting dimension to my practices. As I explored it inwardly, the first thing I noticed was that <u><i>most of the mental activity revolved around my</i></u> <b>likes & dislikes</b>. If my mind had a preference toward or against something, it actively talked about it. … it was these <b>mental preferences</b> that were creating much of the ongoing dialogue about <b>how to control everything</b> in my life. In a bold attempt to free myself from all that, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I decided to just stop listening to all the chatter</span></b> about my personal preferences, <b>and instead</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">start</span></b> the willful <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">practice</span></b> of <b><span style="color: red;">accepting</span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">what the flow of life was presenting me</span></b>.<br /><span> </span>I would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let go of my preferences</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let life be in charge</span></b>. … If life brought <u><i>events</i></u> in front of me, I would <u><i>treat them as if they came to take me beyond myself</i></u>. If <b>my personal self</b> complained, I would use each opportunity to <u><i>simply let him go</i></u> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">surrender to what life was presenting me</span></b>. This was the birth of what I came to call <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">‘the surrender experiment.’</span></b> <br /><span> </span><i><b><span style="color: red;">Surrender</span></b></i> – what an amazingly powerful word. It often engenders the thought of weakness & cowardice. In my case, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">required all the strength I had</span></b> to be brave enough<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to follow the invisible into the unknown</span></b>."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Singer's experiment was <u><i>very</i></u> successful. His suggestion?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“Do <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">whatever is put in front of you</span></b> <u><i>with all your heart & soul without regard for personal results</i></u>. <u><i>Do the work</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as though it were given to you by the universe itself</span></b> – <u><i>because it was</i></u>.” <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Michael A. Singer “The Surrender Experiment. My Journey into Life’s Perfection,” Harmony, 2015.</i></span></span></p><p><style><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>It's understandable, especially if we've had a rough childhood & a harsh life in general, for us to be <b>flailing frantically for control</b>. And yes, it's almost impossible to teach more effective swimming techniques to someone WHILE they're drowning. Nevertheless, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">there ARE MUCH wiser ways of being</span></b> in the world <b>than remaining trapped, identified with our neuroses.</b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCwElQ85hDw1zA2C7J48ON3Dnta3PSJhFay524pyytpkbHt3x6JznV0Q25wpbc-qiT_5p0oRA8y5umfNITHRhVhXguaCsmwZMOW-ldbfmVNg9OTpb0ON-yCH_fUdP3oDhpQ036OXii6EeAX2hysw4ifzP5uNk-bJH_YbISVPoiI02YSsoRwmTr_i3Sxkk/s640/Friction%20Noise%20Tolle.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="640" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCwElQ85hDw1zA2C7J48ON3Dnta3PSJhFay524pyytpkbHt3x6JznV0Q25wpbc-qiT_5p0oRA8y5umfNITHRhVhXguaCsmwZMOW-ldbfmVNg9OTpb0ON-yCH_fUdP3oDhpQ036OXii6EeAX2hysw4ifzP5uNk-bJH_YbISVPoiI02YSsoRwmTr_i3Sxkk/w400-h341/Friction%20Noise%20Tolle.png" width="400" /></a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br /></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-1170054327164457132023-11-13T04:13:00.000-08:002023-11-13T05:07:40.539-08:00What Do I Stand For - No Matter What?<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>We live in <b>wildly tumultuous, perilous times</b>, even the very fortunate living in the <u><i>relative</i></u> safety & sanity of Canada. The war in Palestine / Israel, like all conflicts, demands infinitely more than knowing how to defeat 'the enemy.' The <b>level of thinking</b> which <u><i>builds & sustains</i></u> colonial empires, multi-national corporations, & billionaires; <u><i>also estroys</i></u> the air, water, land, plant & animal species, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">human relationships, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">quality of life; </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> & <u><i>promotes conflict & war</i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">. This <b>reptilian 'rape, pillage & plunder'</b><span><b> mentality</b></span> favors <u><i>only</i></u> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">the short-sighted </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">ultra-rich & puppet politicians</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jem Bendell PhD</i> <a href="https://batgap.com/jem-bendell/">https://batgap.com/jem-bendell/</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> <span> </span>Sadly</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">, we've been conditioned to at least partially believe the 'American dream' sales pitch: <b>owning stuff</b> <b>IS happiness</b>. Otherwise, we're repeatedly told that life is supposed to be meaningless. Immediately</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> after 9/11, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">then US President George W. Bush told </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">New Yorkers,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> "go show those terrorists what we're made of - and shop</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">!"<br /><span> </span>But</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> Einstein suggested we <b><u>NEED</u></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>qualitatively higher</i></u> level of intelligence</span></b> <b><u>THAN</u></b> <b>the one that got us into this mess</b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>The current Palestinian / Israeli war provides <b>a pressing <span style="color: #2b00fe;">opportunity</span> </b>to decide <b>WHICH MENTALITY </b>we take - the old</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">reptilian 'eye for an eye' reaction <b>- OR -</b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">our evolved wise loving nurturing intelligence</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">personal experience of </span>suffering</b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unites us</span></b> with other people: it is the dynamo that <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>generates compassion</b></span>, which, by its nature, is <u><i>transpersonal</i></u>." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Dean Rolston</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Below</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Jack Kornfield</span></b> - former Buddhist monk, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">beloved </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">meditation teacher, retired clinical psychologist, parent, husband & senior citizen - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reminding us</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">of our true nature</span></b> & <b><span style="color: red;">what we stand for</span></b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(transcribed from his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">EXCELLENT</span></b> 61min YouTube video bottom of page)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> :<br /></span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“From Yuval Harari, one of our great thinkers & historians</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>‘</i></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">For right now, most Israelis are psychologically incapable, at this moment, of empathizing with the Palestinians. The mind is filled to the brim with our own pain, and no space is left to even acknowledge the pain of others. And most Palestinians are in a similar situation. Their minds too are so filled with pain and loss that they cannot see our pain. But outsiders like you, who are not themselves immersed in pain, should make an effort to empathize with all suffering humans, rather than lazily seeing only one side of this terrible reality. It is the job of outsiders to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">help maintain a space for peace</span></b>. We here in Israel and Palestine deposit this peaceful space with you, because we cannot hold it right now. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Take good care of it</span></b>, for us, so that one day, when the pains begin to heal, Israelis and Palestinians and you too might inhabit the space of peace together.'</span></i></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>If you go into certain Zen temples in Japan or elsewhere, there’s this weird thing, they have little, low doors. We find them in Tibetan temples too, & other places. You have to bow to go into the temple. You can’t stride in. You <u><i>actually have to lower yourself, with a certain sense of reverence & humility</i></u>. And often by the gates of the temple are (<u><i>statues of) the </i></u><b>demons</b>, that represent <b>all that keep us from</b> that place of <b>peace & stillness</b>. And you have to pass through them & acknowledge them. <u><i>You can’t just ignore them</i></u>. They’re part of the price of admission: to face the demons, to bow low. And then when you enter, <u><i>you’re invited into a timeless reality</i></u>. In Zen they say, ‘This is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the reality of who you were, before your parents were born</span></b>.’ That’s one of the great koans: ‘Show me, tell me, who were you before your parents were born?’ <br /> <span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">There’s a liberation amidst birth & death, joy & sorrow, war & peace, that is beyond it all</span></b>. And this is <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>the sacred openness of </b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>love</b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> & </b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>awareness</b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> itself</b></span>. And you know this. You know this as sure as you know your own name – even if you forget it – <u><i>you do know that </i></u><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">there is something bigger & majestic & timeless</span></b>. And this is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the opening to </span><span style="color: red;">the cosmic dance</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>Remember the famous poem by Thich Nhat Hanh, ‘Call Me by My True Names’? <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">'I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,<br /> my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,<br /> and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,<br /> who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,<br /> and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,<br /> and I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to, my people,<br /> dying slowly in a forced labor camp.'</span></span></i><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I am them all</span></b>. I am <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the joys & the sorrows</span></b>. I am born again & again. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">This is the cosmic dance</span></b>. And from this perspective, <b>fear & ignorance & hate <span style="color: #2b00fe;">are seen in the vast ocean of </span><span style="color: red;">love & understanding</span></b> because <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we are part of creation unfolding itself</span></b>. And if you take a Bodhisattva vow, as I’ve done, ‘O nobly born,’ it reminds you, ‘may you remember this freedom, and may you commit yourself, o nobly born, to alleviate the ignorance and suffering and fear in beings, the suffering of beings wherever you are.’ And then you say, ‘How long?’ As long as it takes. <br /><br /> <span> </span>So this is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a shift of consciousness </span><span style="color: red;">for refuge</span></b>. This is the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">timeless refuge</span></b>. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>‘Who is your enemy?’</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> it says in the Buddhist texts. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>‘<b>Mind is your enemy</b>. No one can harm you more than <b>your own mind untamed, filled with greed, fear, confusion & ignorance</b>. Who is your friend? <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Mind is your friend</span></b>. No one can help you. Even the most loving parents & friends, as much as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">your own mind, tamed & trained & filled with goodness</span></b>.’</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> So then you sense the outer refuge and the sacred refuge and it becomes your refuge inside.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>What else is a refuge for us in these times? <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Ethics</b></span>, <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>virtue</b></span>, whatever language you want to give it, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">morality</span></b>. Here from a Buddhist text that I love: <br /><br /><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>‘Others will be cruel. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We shall not be </span>cruel</b>. Thus we shall incline our hearts. Others will kill beings. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We shall not </span>kill beings</b>. Thus we shall incline our hearts. Others will be violent. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We shall not be</span> violent</b>. Thus we shall incline our hearts. Others will take what is not given and steal. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We will abstain from </span>taking what is not ours</b>. Thus we shall incline our hearts. Others will speak falsely. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We will abstain from </span>false speech <span style="color: #2b00fe;">and speak that which is true</span></b>. Thus we will train our hearts. Others will be envious. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We shall not be </span>envious <span style="color: #2b00fe;">but respectful of all others</span></b>. Thus we shall incline our hearts. Others will be fraudulent. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We will be honest</span></b>. Thus we will train our hearts. Others will be arrogant. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We shall be open-minded with humility</span></b>. Thus we will train our hearts. Others will be harsh without compassion. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We will be established in compassion</span></b>. Thus should we incline our hearts.’</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <br /><br /><span> </span>That’s a really powerful call isn’t it? To say no matter what happens, what is your refuge? <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">What do you stand for, no matter what?</span></b> Integrity, honesty, non-harming, respect, and in it <i><u>there’s so much truth & mercy</u></i>, because it knows that <i>‘hatred never ends by hatred, but by love alone is healed</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>.</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">’</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>And</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> you look at Palestine and Israel, and it’s <b>one traumatized people traumatizing another traumatized people</b> from the displacement of the Palestinians and the Holocaust. And we may <u><i>weep</i></u>, and <u><i>stand with others</i></u>, and <u><i>understand the cycles of trauma</i></u>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">see with the eyes of wisdom</span></b>, <u><i>tenderness</i></u>, and <u><i>tears</i></u>, and <u><i>courage</i></u></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>Like</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> Longfellow who says, <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span> </span>‘If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we would see sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.’ </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deep forgiveness</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">allowing the heart to break</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opening to this dance of joy & sorrow</span></b> that is given to you, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">it is </span><span style="color: red;">who <u><i>you</i></u> are</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">, is </span><span style="color: red;">who <u><i>we</i></u> are</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>And</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> I think of these lines from Ellen Bass in her poem, ‘If You Knew,’ </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i>‘What would people look like <br />if we could see them as they really are <br />soaked in honey, stung and swollen, <br />reckless, pinned against time?’ <br /></i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>How could we not see, with the eyes of love, everybody? </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>So what supports you in living your values? Reflect for a moment, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sense what it feels like to stand up for what matters</span></b>. Others will do other things, we shall not.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection</style><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Jack Kornfield</span></b> on <b><span style="color: red;">the Heart of Refuge</span></b> - Heart Wisdom Ep. 211<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EUrmcffnYg&t=19s"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EUrmcffnYg&t=19s</span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EUrmcffnYg&t=19s"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6EUrmcffnYg" width="320" youtube-src-id="6EUrmcffnYg"></iframe></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EUrmcffnYg&t=19s"><br /></a> <br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> </p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-73892701344125744442023-11-10T03:49:00.051-08:002023-11-10T04:20:28.342-08:00What Can We Do?<div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><span> </span>Imagine
<u><i> shortly after your birth</i></u>, you were cold, hungry, thirsty, wet, uncomfortable & unhappy. So you cried as
loudly as you could for help. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>You had no way of knowing or comprehending why you were <b><u>no longer</u></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> being</span></b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> held in safety & unconditional love</span></b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span> like you (<i>more or less</i>) were for your timeless 'eternity' in the womb</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">.<br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>W<span>hat</span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span> went through your completely innocent mind? <b>Overwhelmed by the primal fear of abandonment & death - attachment trauma</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span>. </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>“Children can be traumatized, not just by terrible things happening to them, but just by not having their needs met – by <b>not being seen</b>, not being <b>heard</b>, not being <b>held</b>. Those <b>are wounding for a child</b>.”</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><i><span> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span>
<span style="color: black;">Gabor
Maté</span> MD </span></i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><span> </span>Now imagine <u><i>as an adult</i></u>, waking up <b>alone</b>, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>in <b>great pain</b>, lying <b>helplessly</b> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>in the recovery room, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>immediately following major surgery</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>. So you ring the button to call for help - even start yelling, and wait, and wait ... You have no way of </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>comprehending</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span> why nobody comes to help</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">. <br /><span> </span>What</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span> goes through your mind? <b>Fear, anger, frustration - abandonment, dying alone</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span>.<br /> <span> </span>"</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">Trauma
is not so much what happened to us, but rather <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">what we hold inside <u><i>in the absence of</i></u> <span style="color: #0432ff;">an
empathetic mutually connected witness</span></b>."</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter Levine PhD</span></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><span><span> </span>Imagine <u><i>watching the evening news</i></u>: escalating war in the Gaza / Israel; endless war in the Ukraine; enthusiastic "proxy" participation by most of the world's dictatorships <i>&</i> "friendlies" - with repeated threats of nuclear weapons; thousands killed by yet another earthquake in Nepal. Meanwhile, </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><span><i><u>in the world's most privileged countries</u></i>, </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><span>escalating numbers of homeless "living rough" in severe winter conditions; rapidly increasing deaths by drug-overdose, direct suicide <u><i>even of children</i></u> & insane levels of "gun violence". Then, '<u><i>in other news</i></u>': much faster-than-anticipated global warming, rise in sea levels, rise in CO2 levels, extinction of species, toxic air pollution, etc etc. Reptilian world leaders continue playing colonialist 'rape, murder & plunder' games, as they confidently destroy our one-and-only earth</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">. <br /><span> </span>What</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span> goes through your mind? <b>Fear, anger, frustration, disgust, cynicism - am I alone in a hostile, </b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><b>meaningless </b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span><b>universe?</b></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span> </span>Indeed, what can we do</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span>? <br /><span> </span>Many <b>refuse to watch or listen to the news</b> - "It's too depressing!" Well yes, but immature & unhelpful.<br /><span> </span>Then some aspire to <b>at least be "well adjusted."</b> However, <br /> "</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">It is <b><i><u>no</u></i> measure of <span style="color: #2b00fe;">health</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to be well adjusted to</span></b> <b>a profoundly sick society</b>" </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span>Krishnamurti</span></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>Which brings to mind a</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span> scene from the Viet Nam war movie, <i>Apocalypse Now</i>, showing </span><span>Lt. Col. Kilgore, shirtless, cigar in mouth, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>practicing golf drives into the South China sea, surrounded by his young soldiers in uniform. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Behind him, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>American fighter jets rain down bombs, evaporating countless</span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span> Vietnamese in the jungle below. With great gusto </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Kilgore</span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span> says, <b>“I love the smell of napalm in the morning</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><b>.”</b><br /><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>This</span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span> timely topic:</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“<b>The Myth of Normal. Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture</b>.”</span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> is carefully examined by Gabor Maté MD & Daniel Maté, in their excellent 2022 book.<span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span> </span>How, one might wonder, does a sweet, innocent, loving & lovable little baby turn into a Kilgore? <b>None</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span><b> of us are born to ideal parents</b> who are able to make us feel <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">consistently safe & unconditionally loved</span></b>. Therefore, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>very early in life</span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>, most of us experience some degree of <b>attachment trauma,</b> and <b>learn to escape the present moment</b> <b>by dissociating</b> whenever we find situations unbearable. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span>Many other forms of trauma occur later in life.<br /> <span> </span>“</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Pathological <b>dissociation</b> generally results <b>from being psychically overwhelmed by trauma</b>. Trauma is everywhere & highly prevalent." </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>Elizabeth F. Howell. “The Dissociative Mind.” Routledge, 2008.
</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><style><font size="4" style="font-family: inherit;">@font-face
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</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Dissociation is <b>almost universal</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">However, <u><i>while</i></u></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> <b>dissociating</b></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> we <b>can't be</b> <b><span style="color: red;">intimately</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> engaged </span></b>with </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><u><i>whomever</i></u> we're with, or </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><u><i>whatever</i></u> we're doing, because we divert attention elsewhere</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> - from urgent self-preservation to mere distraction</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">. For many, dissociation becomes habitual, occuring even in the absence of triggers.<br /><span> </span>"… studies on attentiveness show that people are only briefly & unpredictably attentive. Attention habitually diverts to unrelated thoughts & feelings, leaving any task at hand to be managed 'on autopilot.' These studies suggest that <b>mindlessness</b> ('mind wandering,' 'zoning out,' 'task-unrelated thought') is '<b>one of the most ubiquitous & pervasive of all cognitive phenomena</b>' and that it <b>often occurs unintentionally</b>, <b>without awareness</b>, <b>occupies a substantial proportion of our day</b>, and <b>leads to failures in task performance</b>." <br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Lovas JG, Lovas DA, Lovas PM. “Mindfulness and Professionalism in Dentistry.” J Dent Educ 2008; 72(9): 998-1009.</i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dissociation</b> due to <b>fear</b> is </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a <b>fundamental problem </b></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">- the precise opposite of <b><span style="color: red;">intimacy</span></b> arising from <b><span style="color: red;">love</span></b>. All wisdom traditions, through their saints & mystics, as well as artists </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(intermediaries between spirituality & materialism)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> have been trying to tell us this for thousands of years. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>As infants & children, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">numbing / being closed down</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> can be more important than <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0432ff;">feeling / opening up</span></b></span><span><span>. <br /><span> </span><i><u><b>But</b></u></i></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><u><span> </span></u></i><span><i><u>now, as adults</u></i>, </span><span style="color: #0432ff;">"it's time to pull up our big boy pants" and have </span></b></span><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span><span style="font-size: medium;">“the <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">spaciousness</b></span>
to <u><i>allow any quality of mind</i></u>, any <u><i>thought</i></u> or <u><i>feeling</i></u>, to arise <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">without</span> closing
around it</b>, <b>without eliminating <span style="color: #2b00fe;">the pure witness of being</span></b>. It is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;">an active
receptivity to life</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Stephen Levine</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>We get into & easily remain stuck in <b>adversarial relationships</b> - involving </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">even siblings, parents vs children,</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> intimate partners, co-workers, ideologies, races, religions, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">countries</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">. Our conflicts can & do lead to <b>horrific, prolonged, unnecessary blood-baths</b>. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0432ff; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0432ff; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>A short excerpt of Gabor Maté MD from a wise, compassionate recent interview: </span><span style="color: #0432ff; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span><style>@font-face
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</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">So what’s the way out?</span></b> <span style="color: red;"><b>Self-examination</b></span> is the first step. <br /><span> </span>Krishnamurti said that <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>action</b></span> has meaning only <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in relationship</span></b></i></u>. And without understanding relationship, action on any level will only breathe conflict. <i><u>The understanding of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relationship</span></b></u></i> is infinitely more important than the search for any plan of action. <br /><span> </span>It's so true, if we want to understand something, let's at least <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">begin with the willingness to look at our role</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">our own contribution</span></b> <u><i>to that relationship in which we're suffering</i></u>. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> </span>Again, that doesn't justify any particular action but at least it provides a context and it's not about taking the wrong path. <br /><br /><span> </span>Robert Sapolsky talks about the <b>absurdity of hating </b><u><i>any person for anything they have done</i></u>, given that in his view, <u><i>everything we do is determined by the past</i></u>. And he also says there's no such thing as free will, and blame & punishment are without ethical justification. <br /><span> </span>No, I don't I don't agree with him. I think <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">it </span><u><span style="color: red;"><i>is</i></span></u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> possible <u><i>to get to a position of</i></u> free will</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span> I <i><u>don't</u></i> think most of us have <span style="color: #2b00fe;">free will</span> <u><i>most of the time</i></u></b>.<br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">To get to </span><span style="color: red;">free will</span></b>, it takes<b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">extraordinary effort to become</span> <span style="color: red;">conscious</span></b>. To be conscious means you're <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">aware of what's inside you</span></b>. <br /><span> </span>So there might be <b>rage</b> inside you, <u><i>perfectly understandable</i></u>. There might be <b>hatred</b> inside you, <u><i>perfectly understandable</i></u>. There might be a <b>desire for revenge</b> inside you, <u><i>perfectly understandable</i></u>. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Understandable</span></b>? Absolutely. <b>But</b> they're <b><u><i>not</i></u> guides for action</b>. <br /><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The only guide for action is </span></b><i><u>when we're in </u><u>a</u></i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><span style="color: red;">non-defensive state</span></b>. An emotionally non-defensive state is <u><i>where</i></u> the prefrontal cortex, <u><i>the mid-frontal cortex</i></u>, whose job is to have <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">insight</span></b></i></u>, <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">empathy</span></i></u></b>, <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">self-regulation</span></b></i></u>, <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">compassion</span></i></u></b>, is online <i><u><b>THEN</b></u></i> we might talk about<b><span style="color: red;"> free will</span></b>. <br /><span> </span><b>But</b> <u><i>when</i></u> we're <b>regulated by </b>our <b>emotional reactions</b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, <u><i>collective</i></u> or <u><i>personal</i></u>, <b>there's <u><i>no</i></u> free will</b>.<br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>The Buddha <u><i>never</i></u> told his followers ‘<u><i>not to feel</i></u>’ hate, or not to feel angry, or not to feel grief, not to feel sadness, or fear. <u><i>He said</i></u> you will <u>notice when</u> there's fear in you; you will <u><i>notice when</i></u> there's hatred in you; you will <u><i>notice when</i></u> there's grief; you'll <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be aware of it, </span><span style="color: red;">so that it <u><i>doesn't</i></u></span><u><i> rule you</i></u></b>. <br /><span> </span>Those are <u><i>just human emotions</i></u>. They're going to happen. <b>The question is, <span style="color: #2b00fe;">what's going to govern our actions</span></b>?</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><style>@font-face
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</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Dan Siegel a psychiatrist, and Stephen Porges a psychologist, both point out that <b>at times of pressure & fear</b>, our <b>perspective narrows</b>. And <b>the part of our brain that takes over</b>, is more the <b>fear-based & defensive-based, fight-or-flight</b>, so <b>we lose the governance of our <span style="color: #2b00fe;">pre-frontal cortex</span></b>, <u><i>which is capable of taking a</i></u><i> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>broader view</b></span></i>. <br /><span> </span>An Israeli friend with a daughter, who lives in the North of Israel, where as a result of recent events, they had to evacuate some communities, owing to the threat of further violence not just in the South, but also in the North of Israel</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>And she wrote to me very honestly, she says, ‘Dear Gabor, I really appreciate the things you wrote. The days here are unbearable. We moved in with friends because we live in an unprotected ground floor, surrounded by gardens so beautiful usually, but home no longer feels like a safe place for millions right now.’ And she’s talking about Israelis. She’s well aware, by the way, of the Palestinian situation. But she’s describing her own situation</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>‘The rest of the time I work at a mental health center, and we collapse under the referrals, and the meetings, and the frantic courses we take to treat ongoing trauma. I’m exhausted. The </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(words of support) </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> you wrote are beautiful, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">perspective expands when people are <u><i>not</i></u> </span>under physical threat</b>. <b>And so, those close to me, and my point of view is very narrow</b>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">’ <br /><span> </span>That’s a very honest statement. She’s making no apology. She’s not taking a political stance. She’s saying, right now my perspective is very narrow. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">She <u><i>doesn’t want to</i></u> </span>identify with that narrow perspective</b>, <u><i>but</i></u> she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">understands</span> that under the pressure, that’s what happens</b>. Now <u><i>most people are <b>not</b> that self-aware</i></u>. <b>Peoples’ perspective narrows</b> of course, and it becomes <b>subsumed in group identification</b>, and <b>thoughts of revenge</b>, and <b>thoughts of hurting the other</b>.<br /><span> </span><b>Under threat</b>, or <b>what we perceive as being under threat</b>, <b>we go into this narrow place</b>. That’s <b>a place of slavery</b> – when we’re <b>enslaved to our unconscious</b>. Where we’re <b>governed by our emotions</b> and where <b>the heart closes down</b>. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>And if there was ever a time for people to <span style="color: red;"><b>actually open</b></span> their <span style="color: red;"><b>hearts</b></span>, to<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><b><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>not</i></span></u> get stuck in a narrow place</b>, to <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not</span></i></u> repeat the past</b>, to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>not</i></u></span> perceive themselves <u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only as</span></i></u> victims</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">but in relationship with the other</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">have the </span><span style="color: red;">willingness</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to examine my role in that relationship</span></b>, <u><i>which is all we ask for in any marriage or in any relationship</i></u>. ...</span>"</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> <span> </span></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A</span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> Call for Healing: Gabor Maté on Palestine / Israel</i> :</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WJM9RfRD8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WJM9RfRD8</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“The words of the Buddha offer this truth: <br />‘<b>Hatred</b> never ceases by hatred <br />but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">by </span><span style="color: red;">love</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> alone is healed</span></b>. <br />This is an ancient and eternal law.’ ” </span><br /><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Jack Kornfield</span></i></div><p style="text-align: left;"><style>@font-face
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</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xchrmKmq6gBZob-O2g6rE3KTYx3ziMzGJdlhg13LweMT6prnJ-gl9ViX_3T9VPNtYx_aRuC6TPdsJ0NU143hZ07pehfaRckdLwEK_KYSFbPghqH9jmX7uhpkYNQJvJ-ELltOHl6cjvHtIlvloiGEOy60ErThSmSsyIy-NIa85rGJd1gTgW-eL9F2bauB/s1058/A%20Walk%20to%20the%20Paradise%20Garden%20by%20W.%20Eugene%20Smith.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="892" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xchrmKmq6gBZob-O2g6rE3KTYx3ziMzGJdlhg13LweMT6prnJ-gl9ViX_3T9VPNtYx_aRuC6TPdsJ0NU143hZ07pehfaRckdLwEK_KYSFbPghqH9jmX7uhpkYNQJvJ-ELltOHl6cjvHtIlvloiGEOy60ErThSmSsyIy-NIa85rGJd1gTgW-eL9F2bauB/w338-h400/A%20Walk%20to%20the%20Paradise%20Garden%20by%20W.%20Eugene%20Smith.png" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Walk to the Paradise Garden by W. Eugene Smith</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-25201241175445482142023-10-31T03:56:00.003-07:002023-11-02T01:39:24.338-07:00The Reality in which We Live<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>The reality we can (<i>more or less</i>) manage, is the reality in which we live</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>Based</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> on world events on the nightly news, our "<b>consensual reality</b>" <u><i>is the chaos caused by a lot of</i></u> <b>hurt children, hurting other hurt children, so that they'll stop hurting them, and thereby achieve peace & harmony</b>. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>A good friend, who's fond of the singing group Abba, once <u><i>seriously</i></u> asked me to stop playing </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Abba's</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> greatest hits, because if he heard a certain song, he <u><i>wouldn't be able to get it out of his head</i></u> for the rest of the day. Most of us probably have our own "<b>ear worm</b>" songs. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>But by far the <b>most potent ear worm</b> for <u><i>almost <b>everyone</b></i></u> is "<b>the story of me</b>" - the saga of one's personal history, <u><i>dramatized & edited with every re-telling</i></u>,</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> mostly to <b>oneself</b> through incessant internal dialogue - <b>"self talk."</b> We're hypnotized by the drama of <b>"me, myself & I,"</b> asking why me? why not me? whose fault was that? We <b>demonize</b> - feeling regret, pain, anger, disgust, shame, rage, etc'; <b>OR</b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Disneyfy</b> - wistfully dreaming of "the good old days, gone forever"; <b>OR</b> <b>flip flop</b> between the two, according to "my" needs</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /> <span> </span>The</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> bottom line is that <b>self-centeredness</b>, while understandable, especially given the many & varied sources of trauma, <b>is</b> nevertheless <b>the major cause of suffering</b>. Life</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> can easily be <b>a perpetual roller-coaster of emotional highs & lows</b> <b><u><i>IF</i></u></b> we insist that the causes of our unhappiness are <i><u>purely external</u></i>, perpetrated against "me," <b><u><i>INSTEAD OF</i></u></b><u><i> mostly <b>internal</b></i></u> - our <b>unprocessed, closed-loop, "story of me.</b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">" <br /><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Western psychology is very good at <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">helping us step back from</span></b> & <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>get some perspective on</b></span></i></u> the "<b>noisy ego</b>" (the <u><i>hurt inner child <b>protesting</b> so <b>loudly</b></i></u>, that <u><i>our, & our loved ones' lives are dominated, distorted & unhappy</i></u>). </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> good <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>psychotherapist</b></span> can help us <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">see our past & present far more accurately</span></b></i></u>, allowing <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">acceptance & self-acceptance</span></b></i></u>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>forgiveness & self-forgiveness</i></u>, <u><i>compassion & self-compassion</i></u></span></b> to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">arise,</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">liberat</span><span style="color: red;">ing</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> us from </span>a life-sentence in a repetitive story-of-me</b> <b>echo chamber</b>. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We become <u><i>able to function</i></u>, with increasing consistency, <u><i>in a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">truly healthy</span></b> manner</i></u>, from a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"quiet ego</span></b>,<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>"</b></span> which is <u><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unburdened from</span> anxious / terrified self-concern</b></i></u>. <br /><br /><span> </span>“<b>In everyday life, we </b>normally <b>emphasize</b> the <b><u><i>content</i></u><i> </i><span style="color: red;">*</span> of experience</b> <u><i>at the expense of</i></u><b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>being</u></span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><b>In mediation or prayer</b></i></span>, we simply soften the focus of our attention from the content of experience. We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>allow </i><u>being</u><i> to emerge</i></span></b>, as it were, from the background of experience and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shine in the foreground</span></b>. <br /><span> </span><u><i>In time</i></u>, we begin to notice that the <b>content of experience <span style="color: #2b00fe;">loses its capacity </span>to veil or take us away from<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <u>being</u></span></b>. As a result, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">being shines</span></b> not just in the background of experience, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in the midst of <u><i>all</i></u> experience</span></b>. And as a result, the <b>distinction between everyday life and <span style="color: #2b00fe;">prayer or meditation begins to dissolve</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Rupert Spira in: Non Duality Roundtable - Adyashanti, Rupert Spira & John Prendergast : <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span> </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">* </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The "<b>content of experience</b>" above is "normally" (usually) dominated by self-referential anxiety in the form of continuous self-talk, distorting one's actual live experience</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /> <span> </span><span style="color: red;"><b>**</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b>"<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Being</span></b>" is who / what we truly are, usually completely hidden / drowned out by the "noisy ego."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Peace & quiet joy</span></b> <u><i>are the very nature of our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">being</span></b></i></u>, and <u><i>we share our being with <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">everyone & everything</span></b></i></u>. All that is necessary is to <u><i>understand</i></u> this, to <u><i>feel</i></u> this, and to <u><i>lead a life</i></u> to the best of our ability in a way that is <u><i>consistent with, & an expression of, this felt understanding</i></u>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Rupert Spira</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk</a></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“None of us are who we think we are. Who & what we are is beyond imagination, beyond comprehension by the ordinary mind, and yet <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>we are this non-separate, seamless reality that pervades everybody & everything</b></span>. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">realization of this is the greatest joy, the most beautiful discovery</span></b>. And <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to embody & live this in our ordinary life is the open challenge & invitation to each of us</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>John Prendergast</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk</a></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #0432ff; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“I
think the mystics are saying, ultimately, <b>we’re addicted to the finite</b>.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">**</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
We’re addicted to the finite as being an adequate base of operations</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>And
<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">when we learn to break the thread </span>of overly identifying with the
finite</b>, the <b><span style="color: red;">infinity ****</span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">that shines out through</span> the finite</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><u>can</u></i> be
realized</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jim Finley <a href="https://batgap.com/james-finley/">https://batgap.com/james-finley/</a> <u>HIGHLY RECOMMENDED</u> INTERVIEW</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span> </span>*</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;">**<span style="color: black;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">"The <b>finite</b>" refers to the material or finite world, or from a non-dual, mystic perspective, "relative reality,</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">" "consensual reality," ie how "ultimate reality" appears temporarily.<br /><span> </span><span style="color: red;"><b>****</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> "<span style="color: red;"><b>Infinity</b></span>" refers to "ultimate reality" or the non-material source of everyone & everything.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“One could say that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enlightenment</span></b> is simply <u><i>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">recognition</span></b> of the nature of our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">being</span></b></i></u>. The inherent emptiness of being, is experienced as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">peace</span></b>. The inherent fullness of being, is experienced as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">happiness</span></b>. The shared nature of being, is experienced as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">love</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rupert Spira </i></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH4CSrzlIsk</a> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9O97b1Y8nz8UKvZ3E0NyNLXC6ciz9fGZ_wXITvfSepf3F8eJOvHGz84vrZQEZW5-7Ccqm8CsTbKRxjxcVEF-zMvfuU6kPE-VePsTgLtz1eoxWk8YWfDD-7MDS901axK_ZL3JSfpelyj8HNE_U0h2RLURZAt8_zBvXSIvBwXnQQWVd5MMdhcbuTCae231/s1488/24%20Brand%20New%20Hours%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1488" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9O97b1Y8nz8UKvZ3E0NyNLXC6ciz9fGZ_wXITvfSepf3F8eJOvHGz84vrZQEZW5-7Ccqm8CsTbKRxjxcVEF-zMvfuU6kPE-VePsTgLtz1eoxWk8YWfDD-7MDS901axK_ZL3JSfpelyj8HNE_U0h2RLURZAt8_zBvXSIvBwXnQQWVd5MMdhcbuTCae231/w400-h331/24%20Brand%20New%20Hours%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Mollycules <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">www.BuddhaDoodles.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;"></span></b></span><p></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-1850474820297011262023-10-16T05:52:00.118-07:002023-10-17T03:56:06.344-07:00Accepting, Forgiving & Embracing<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Acceptance</span></b> is “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">being open</span></b> to seeing & acknowledging things as they are in the present moment; acceptance <u><i>does <b>not</b> mean</i></u> <b>passivity</b> or <b>resignation</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">rather a clearer understanding of the present so one can more effectively respond</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Shapiro SL, Schwartz GE. “Intentional Systemic Mindfulness: An Integrative Model for Self-regulation and Health.” Adv Mind Body Med 2000; 16(2): 128-34. </i></span></span><br /></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">MANY situations call for our acceptance – now! <br /><span> </span>Thoughts & emotions of <b>sadness</b> etc about <u><i>past events</i></u>, and <b>fear</b> etc of future <u><i>imagined events</i></u> need acceptance now. <br /><span> </span>The thought of <b>death</b> – our own & that of our loved ones – though frightening, is best dealt with a friendly, open mind & heart. These <b>existential fears</b> take time to fully accept, but there’s no wise alternative. If we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“lean into”</span></b> (<b>rather than keep avoiding</b>) even the hardest things with <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">curiosity, self-compassion & acceptance</span></b>, <u><i>at our own pace</i></u> & possibly with <u><i>expert guidance</i></u>, we benefit greatly in the long run! <br /><span> </span><b>Anger</b> over just having broken something or some other current mistake, needs acceptance now. Our <i><u>repeated outbursts</u></i> of anger - held within or vented - actually <b>cause <u><i>unnecessary</i></u> suffering.</b> This is <b>completely avoidable</b> by gradually learning to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">accept</span></b> that we cannot control the world to keep us consistently safe & happy. <br /><span> </span><b>Each bout of anger = non-acceptance</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">which we ALSO learn to gently accept</span></b>, knowing that <u><i>anger <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will</span></b> gradually diminish</i></u>, <i>replaced</i> gradually <i>by</i> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">equanimity</span></b> (imperturbable peacefulness, despite a constantly changing environment). <br /><span> </span>Even while participating in a meditation course, there are many things we’re called to gently accept. A great example is feeling the warmth radiating from our heart area! </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>The <u><i>first few times</i></u> I practiced <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Loving-Kindness meditation</span></b>, especially directed towards myself, my <b>heart area felt nothing</b> (remember the wrestler <u><i>'Stone Cold</i></u><i>'</i> Steve Austin?). That was some twenty-five years ago. Since then, I've <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">practiced</span></b> & guided others in this profound meditation hundreds of times. Over the years, my <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">chest very easily radiates warmth</span></b> with little or no coaxing</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>However, like myself originally, I find almost all those taking meditation (MBSR) courses have solidly armored hearts. This armoring process is a natural, background event akin to acquiring calluses - "growing a thick skin" - from prolonged hard manual labor. <u><i>For us to survive</i></u> <b>life's many & varied hardships</b> (war, homelessness, poverty, racism, physical / emotional / sexual violence, etc, etc, etc) <b>many of us toughen-up</b> <u><i>to an extent that even we ourselves are shocked</i></u>. As an extreme example, what (<u><i>armoring<b>-up</b></i></u>) changes must take place for a soldier to survive a year of combat in a war zone? For civilians, it's not possible to comprehend the extremely difficult <u><i><b>de-</b>armoring</i></u> such soldiers (should ideally) undergo before they could safely re-enter their home & civilian society</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span>We have <u><i>millions</i></u> displaced from their homes due to war, famine & poverty in refugee camps all over the world; <u><i>millions</i></u> who've suffered early childhood trauma (ACE studies); and <u><i>millions</i></u> <i>who continue to suffer</i> from poverty & racism. <b>A much larger proportion of our population</b> than we realize are<b> heavily-armored</b>. <b>Armoring usually includes a <u><i>strong</i></u> <u><i>aversion</i></u> to <span style="color: #2b00fe;">accepting, embracing & gradually shedding one's own armoring</span></b>! Once armored, we have <b>great difficulty realizing</b> that <b>armor<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b>is not only <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unnecessary now, </span></b>but that is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">actually blocks</span></b> our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ability to live a happy, wholesome life</span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span>If</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b><u>YOU</u></b> were now told, "You are armored", would you angrily deny it? And how would you interpret that response? OR would you reflect on it</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, "Well, I suppose I could be"</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> with gentle, relaxed curiosity?<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> WHEN</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> repeatedly </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">practicing <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Loving-Kindness meditation</span> is not able to <span style="color: #2b00fe;">set</span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">the heart free</span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, there is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Forgiveness Meditation" to help initiate this de-armoring process</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">. <br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span>Bhante</i></span></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt;">Vimalaraṁsi “Guide to Forgiveness Meditation: An Effective Method to Dissolve
the Blocks to Loving-Kindness, and Living Life Fully.” </span></i><span class="a-list-item"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt;">CreateSpace
Independent Publishing Platform,</span></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt;"> 2015</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /><span> </span>Of</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> course <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">consulting a trauma therapist </span></b>may also be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wise</span></b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">KINDNESS</span></b><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Naomi Shihab Nye</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Before you know what kindness really is<br />you must lose things<br />feel the future dissolve in a moment<br />like salt in a weakened broth.<br /><br />What you held in your hand,<br />what you counted and carefully saved,<br />all this must go so you know<br />how desolate the landscape can be<br />between the regions of kindness.<br />How you ride and ride<br />thinking the bus will never stop,<br />the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the<br />window forever.<br /><br />Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness, you must travel where the<br />Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road.<br />You must see how this could be you,<br />how he too was someone<br />who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple<br />breath that kept him alive.<br /><br />Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you<br />must know sorrow<br />as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow.<br />You must speak to it till your voice<br />catches the thread of all sorrows<br />and you see the size of the cloth.<br /><br />Then it is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only kindness</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">makes sense</span></b> anymore,<br />only kindness that ties your shoes<br />and sends you out into the day<br />to mail letters and purchase bread,<br />only kindness that raises its head<br />from the crowd of the world to say<br />it is I you have been looking for,<br />and then goes with you every where<br />like a shadow or a friend.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtjSsdkWqr3kxTA7cSSfg__6BI9YmQnh8mXz4YfJcgv3U-Kt3pL_xHPOsh0LTMKyKAh0ybwndZBOtbCzNP87sPTMEz3CPXdIZ6b3wHOwiMW9jGnqv3dh7AY5Z3_rhedpAqB-hBPsg2wn-jB02BeMqyQ0-IaCeQVBpsLLTHSoo4wsOfF3R8cpXeTAqHKhJ/s1158/Quiet%20Reflection...%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com%20.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1156" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtjSsdkWqr3kxTA7cSSfg__6BI9YmQnh8mXz4YfJcgv3U-Kt3pL_xHPOsh0LTMKyKAh0ybwndZBOtbCzNP87sPTMEz3CPXdIZ6b3wHOwiMW9jGnqv3dh7AY5Z3_rhedpAqB-hBPsg2wn-jB02BeMqyQ0-IaCeQVBpsLLTHSoo4wsOfF3R8cpXeTAqHKhJ/w399-h400/Quiet%20Reflection...%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com%20.png" width="399" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Quiet Reflection" ... by Mollycules <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">www.BuddhaDoodles.com</a></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-15593590647722314672023-10-11T09:14:00.129-07:002023-10-22T03:47:49.288-07:00What Do We REALLY Want?<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>"One way to think about <b>suffering</b> is as a <b>failure of getting what we want</b>." </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><i>Bokin Kim PhD</i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>I'm often reminded of stories </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(like </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">W. Somerset Maugham's</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> wonderful book, "The Razor's Edge") </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>about the idle, independently wealthy, who regularly migrate from one opulent getaway to another, 'because things get terribly boring.' A particularly wacky aspect of human nature is our tendency to 'double down,' <u><i>doing more & more of something that obviously doesn't work</i></u>, until we 'hit rock bottom,' or worse</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>. <b>Suffering</b> mostly arises from <u><i>wanting </i></u><u><i>people, </i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i>things </i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i>& experiences to</i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i> </i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i>provide lasting satisfaction</i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> ie <b>wanting the impossible</b>.<br /><span> </span>Many <b>simply</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b> can't stop</b> trying to control the world to make it provide permanent safety & happiness. Wanting to become a marathon runner is understandable. <b>BUT</b> if a <b>fish</b> has this desire, then even if it manages to get out of the water onto dry land, it just can't be happy. The whole idea of running a marathon simply <b>goes against the fish's <span style="color: #2b00fe;">true nature</span></b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>A</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> major gift of old age, <i>for some of us</i>, is having had ample opportunity to learn that we <b><u><i>cannot</i></u> get <u><i>lasting satisfaction</i></u> from <u><i>anything</i></u></b> - <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">EXCEPT</span></b><b><span style="color: red;"> love</span></b> - very specifically <b><span style="color: red;"><u><i>being the SOURCE</i></u></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b>of </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span style="color: red;"><u><i>unconditional love</i></u></span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">. <br /><span> </span>So</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a wise, mature orientation</span></b> will have us <span style="color: red;"><b><span>nurturing</span></b></span> all those we love, so that we may <b><span style="color: red;">thrive</span></b>. And 'those we love' <u><i>gradually expands</i></u> to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">embrace everyone & everything</span></b>. This <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">way of being</span></b> is probably more natural & essential to us than breathing, eating, sleeping</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> & our heart beat</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>ing. It is not something we <i>should</i> do in order <i>to</i> get something else, or go somewhere else, or become someone else. We are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">simply expressing our essential true nature - </span></b><i><span>who we are</span>, have always been & will be</i> - we're <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">just being natural</span></b>.</span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>Tony Parsons was a wealthy home builder when, at age 65, he underwent a dramatic liberation (awakening / enlightenment) expe</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">rience, after which "<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">there was no longer </span>a ME</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only </span><span style="color: red;">absolute love</span></b>." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>He expresses, imho, very similar </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>understandings to other evolved mystics I've read about & listened to. However, Tony uses <u><i>much more</i></u> <u><i>direct, uncompromising, </i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i>even provocative</i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><u><i> language</i></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>, that sometimes stimulates an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">energetic shift</span></b> in the listener, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">evaporating</span></b> <b>their 'me'</b> - their</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> <b><i><u>noisy</u></i> ego</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>. <br /><span> </span>Reading about</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> Tony's perspective <u><i>may cause your noisy ego angst</i></u> - <i>possibly even more </i>: </span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>“Basically,
<b><span style="color: #0432ff;">all there is
is this</span></b>. All there is is <b><span style="color: #0432ff;">wholeness</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #0432ff;">oneness</span></b>. I like to call </span><span>it ‘<b><span style="color: red;">boundless energy</span></b>.’ Boundless energy is all there is, and it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">arises as everything there is</span></b> and everything there isn’t. So this boundless energy is <u><i>immeasurable</i></u>, it <u><i>can’t be tamed</i></u>, it’s <u><i>wild</i></u>, it’s <u><i>chaotic</i></u> and it also <u><i>appears to be ordered</i></u>. <br /><span> </span>And <u><i>one of the things that it appears to be</i></u> is <b>a separate energy</b>, a <b>contracted energy</b> that <u><i>seems to happen uniquely to human beings</i></u>. Some way or another, <u><i>that sense of being separate begins a clock</i></u>. A clock starts ticking, and throughout the separate energies there, <b>the ‘me’ story begins</b>. And ‘the story’ and ‘me’ are both the same thing. ‘Me’ can’t exist without ‘the story,’ and ‘the story’ can’t exist without ‘me.’ And <b>that all happens in a separate reality</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>. <br /><span> </span><b>For</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b> the individual</b>, <u><i>it seems as though that reality is real</i></u>. The whole idea that the person has <b>free-will</b> and <b>choice</b> and that their life has <b>a purpose</b>, and that story also includes <b>cause & effect</b>, all of those things arise, and all of those things <u><i>seem real to the individual</i></u>. And so the individual goes into what it thinks is it’s reality, <u><i>but in some way or other that reality can at times seem dissatisfying</i></u>, <u><i>because of course the ‘me</i></u><i>’</i> is <b>living in a separate reality</b>. So the ‘me’ <b>never sees</b> a tree <b>naturally</b>, never sees the sky naturally, <b>never has feelings in the natural way</b> they are, <b>because all of those things are experienced through separation</b>, <b>as though</b> those things arise as if <b>through a filter</b>. So the tree is somehow <b>always an object out there</b>, everything else is an object because already <b>the ‘me’ has seemingly become a something</b>. So the ‘me’ <b>lives as though it is a real something</b>, and it <b>lives in a world of real somethings</b> – everything 'real' out there is something else that’s happening to this 'real' something here. <br /><span> </span>And <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">somewhere there’s a sense of dissatisfaction about</span> that</b>, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">feels unfulfilling to</span></b> somehow <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">live in this </span>separate world</b>. And so some people start to try to find an answer for that sense of dissatisfaction and they go to teachers, but of course they have with them that belief of free-will and choice, and the way they can ‘learn’ how to find that fulfillment, would be through their own choice, and through their own action. And so they go to teachers who also speak within the dream story about personal enlightenment and the way that that can be attained. <br /><span> </span>But of course what’s happening all the time is that <b>the ‘me’ is living in a circular world</b>, in a separate world, and those things that it experiences come and go because they are happening in a world of time only, they are just time-oriented happenings or experiences. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span>[Called by some, 'consensual reality' or 'relative reality']</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> So the things that people learn from teachers, like self-inquiry or meditation, bring up experiences that come & go. They are transient experiences and they never have any permanent or constant satisfaction about them. <br /><span> </span>So ‘<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the open secret</span></b>’ <u><i>basically is revealing the myth of</i></u> <b>‘me’</b> <u><i>and the myth of</i></u> <b>‘the story,’</b> and it’s pointing to the possibility that <b>all of that is an illusion</b>; that that whole story and the me is living in <b>an illusory world which is circular,</b> just with experiences coming & going, coming & going. And the strange thing is, that what seems to be happening when that is revealed at meetings, is that <b>the whole sense of ‘me,’ the whole idea that the ‘me’ is real, </b>or <b>the embodied sense that the ‘me’ is real</b>,<b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">seems to crumble</span></b>. And the other thing that happens in the meetings, and obviously this doesn’t have to be at meetings, this dropping away of the ‘me’ can happen anywhere and at any time, but in the meetings it seems that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">somehow the </span>contracted energy of the separate ‘me’ <span style="color: #2b00fe;">seems to melt back into the boundless energy of what is, and there’s nothing that’s left</span></b> in that. And that is what I would call <b><span style="color: red;">liberation</span></b>. It’s my term for liberation <b>from the illusory imprisonment of being a ‘me’ in a story</b>.” <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span><span> </span><i>Tony Parsons Feb 3, 2012 interview :</i> <a href="https://batgap.com/tony-parsons/">https://batgap.com/tony-parsons/</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtC9yoe8hz8qoEgbV9StJ6Mag_X8fbh4Dlm0YmQD2Yx_AUkxll9D6LOyioyrw_0OgF-TYr6DE1lo_Vjvgs5GoccZKG5wYvDDTcnGXq7ydqWf1i2Q5W_1i5Jm4s9KUkckSfRCG-9tgeSFyRwPl-6q_JV0jw-gCCEp0VTuXVwMWQ2kaQBQkhgZG_HS9Sfrn/s952/Slow%20Down%20www.sangha.live.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="952" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtC9yoe8hz8qoEgbV9StJ6Mag_X8fbh4Dlm0YmQD2Yx_AUkxll9D6LOyioyrw_0OgF-TYr6DE1lo_Vjvgs5GoccZKG5wYvDDTcnGXq7ydqWf1i2Q5W_1i5Jm4s9KUkckSfRCG-9tgeSFyRwPl-6q_JV0jw-gCCEp0VTuXVwMWQ2kaQBQkhgZG_HS9Sfrn/w400-h396/Slow%20Down%20www.sangha.live.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-8224376210921472242023-10-07T09:30:00.070-07:002023-10-13T00:50:39.348-07:00Ending Suffering Alone<div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“We need to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be aware of <i><u>what</u></i> we are practicing</span></b> in any moment. Because <b>whatever we practice, we get better at</b>, whether it’s the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">skillful</span></b> <u><i><b>OR</b></i></u> the <b>unskillful</b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Christina Feldman</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Sadly <b>most of us </b>(</span><span style="font-size: medium;">unconsciously</span><span style="font-size: medium;">)<b> routinely</b> <b>practice</b> <b><u><i>avoiding</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">the present moment</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">,</span> opting instead for all manner of distractions, as well as outright dissociation.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Something about the present moment gets us to <b>shut down</b>, run away & hide</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, often alone. <br /><span> </span>BUT when</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> we're suddenly hit with an <b>existential bomb</b> - the </span><span style="font-size: medium;">diagnosis of a <u><i>serious disease</i></u> like</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Parkinson's; or </span><span style="font-size: medium;">our world is rattled by <u><i>serious physical injury</i></u> eg </span><span style="font-size: medium;">our body crashing against a bus' windshield; or worse, being overwhelmed by <u><i>a whole series of serious challenges in rapid succession</i></u> - we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">MIGHT</span></b> actually <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">open up</span></b> to <u><i>ourselves,</i></u> <u><i>those close to us</i></u>, & possibly <u><i>mental-health specialists</i></u> about what we're going through, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">share</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> our experience</span></b> of</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> shipwreck</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> Such</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shared curiosity & examination</span></b> of <u><i>life's most challenging & most meaningful moments</i></u> is<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> precious intimacy</span></b> - with <u><i>ourself</i></u>, <u><i>others</i></u> and <u><i>life itself</i></u>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">feels refreshingly expansive, wholesome & healing! </span></b><span>Very recently, I had the </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">privilege of deeply listening</span></b><span> to two old friends </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">share their journey through major current challenges.<br /></span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"To be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enlightened</span></b> is <u><i>to be</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intimate</span></b> <u><i>with all things</i></u>." </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Zen Master Dogen </i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“It is the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">perspective</span></b> of the sufferer that determines whether a given experience perpetuates <b>suffering</b> <b><i><u>or</u></i></b> is a vehicle for <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">awakening</span></b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Mark Epstein MD</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“We <b>suffer </b><u><i>to the exact degree</i></u> that we<b> <u><i>resist</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">having our eyes & hearts opened</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Adyashanti </i></span><style><font size="2"><i>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</i></font></style><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span></i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether we're part of a joyous celebration, OR shoveling a large mound of sand from one spot to another, OR undergoing a searingly painful medical procedure, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we're at our BEST when we're fully open to & fully engaged with present moment reality</span></b> - <b><u><i>not</i></u></b> judging it in any way, <b><u><i>neither</i></u></b> trying to hold onto it, <b><u><i>nor</i></u></b> trying to escape it. This may <u><i>sound</i></u> weirdly counterintuitive & counter-cultural, however, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the <u><i>proof</i></u> is in <u><i>practicing</i></u> & <u><i>experiencing this for yourself</i></u></span></b>.<br /></span></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>Siddhartha Gautama was</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span> born over 2,500 years ago, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents. But <b>when he realized that despite his privilege</b> of youth, health, wealth, power & position, <b>he & everyone he loved</b> - like everyone else in the world - <b>are subject to constant change, aging, sickness & death</b>. He was shocked but inspired, leaving all that he had behind (his wife, young child, parents, possessions & kingdom) to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">search for the <u><i>cause</i></u> of </span>suffering<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> and the <u><i>way to end it</i></u></span></b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><span><span>After years of severe asceticism, and meditation, he succeeded, attaining enlightenment, after which he was called the Buddha.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"The Buddha stated the cause of suffering through his Four Noble Truths</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">:<br /> <span> </span><span> </span>• </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There are <b>suffering & dissatisfaction</b> in the world & in our lives.<br /><span> </span><span> </span>• The <b>cause & origin</b> of that suffering is <b>Craving</b>.<br /><span> </span><span> </span>• The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>cessation</i></u> of</span> Craving</b> <b><span style="color: red;"><i><u>is</u></i></span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>cessation</i></u> of</span> suffering</b>.<br /><span> </span><span> </span>• The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">eight-fold path leads us to</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">end of </span>that suffering</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>This is Buddhism in brief: suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and the path leading to the end of suffering</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /> <span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buddhism</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <b>is <i><u>not</u></i> about rites, rituals, prayers & incense</b>. It is <b><i><u>not</u></i> a religion</b>, <span style="color: red;"><b>but</b></span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a <u><i>scientific investigation</i></u> into <u><i>overcoming sorrow</i></u> </span></b><span>at all levels of mind & body</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> ...<i> <u>certainly beyond any religious belief system</u></i> ... as well as <u><i>beyond anything science currently offers</i></u>.<br /> <span> </span>... the Buddha made it clear that <u><i>if you follow the directions</i></u>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">awakening </span><span style="color: red;">can be</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> achieved</span></b> in a single lifetime, even in as little as a few days. This is as true today as it was at the time of the Buddha."</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">David C. Johnson. “The Path to Nibbāna. How Mindfulness of Loving-Kindness Progresses through the Tranquil Aware Jhānas to Awakening.” 2017. </span></i></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>"The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wisdom</span></b> that the <b>suffering <span style="color: #2b00fe;">doesn't belong to you</span></b> will itself get you out of suffering, without you having to do anything." </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Shri Atmananda</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>I stumbled on this insight on my first longish (10-day) silent meditation retreat. My suffering from <b>"meditation pain"</b> felt so <b>massive</b>, that I was certain it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">couldn't possibly be </span>mine alone</b>, and that I must somehow be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">helping</span></b> to process all of <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>humanity</b></span>'s burden of suffering. As soon as I gained that perspective, the suffering disappeared, replaced by <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">blissful ease & joy</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>So</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>suffering is </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>impersonal</b> - nobody's out to get us, we're not unlucky or cursed, etc.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Yet we take many things, especially suffering, VERY personally. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Learning to LET GO of</span></b> the <b>sticky mental habits</b> <b>that cause suffering</b> is considered <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">skillful practice</span></b> ie a practice that reduces our own & others' <b>unnecessary suffering</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.<br /><span> </span>A</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">long the same lines, the sense of being <b>a 'self' that's alone & separate from everyone & everything else</b> - <i>a lone wolf, me alone against the world</i> - is an <b>inherently cold, contracted, lonely, fearful</b>. Our <b><span style="color: red;">natural state</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">inherently warm, expansive, connected, joyous</span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>We</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">can actually practice</span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">residing in our </span><span style="color: red;">natural state</span></b>. And <b>when we retract into</b> <b>separate self</b>, we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">can learn to recognize & release this, and return to</span></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> our</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">natural state</span></b>.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“Suffering is not enough. <br /><span> </span> <b>Life is both dreadful and <span style="color: #2b00fe;">wonderful</span></b>. <br /><span> </span> To practice meditation is to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be in touch with both</span></b> aspects. <br /><br /><span> </span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Smiling</span></b> means that we are ourselves, that we have sovereignty over ourselves, that we are not drowned in forgetfulness. <br /><span> </span> How can I smile when I am filled with so much sorrow? <br /><span> </span> It is natural— you need to smile to your sorrow because <b><span style="color: red;">you are more</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> than your sorrow</span></b>.”</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Thich Nhat Hanh</i></span></span><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Happiness is </span><span style="color: red;">your nature</span></b>. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">it is inside</span></b>." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Ramana Maharshi</i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">the days pass slowly, </span></i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">but when you look back, </span></i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">you realize how quickly the years have flown by<span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr style="text-align: left;"><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8FeOH5bwteonR2B6BNAAo1gwfrzp_-T7pexXakanAo2KUEMygUS4ggrY9-IXzGY15EsBEbQRyRlXi38zUqwb6GPlKFV59GJBb_D9YHHdLEKrmOHUhnKf75IwSoKXuYaIw8yRHmSk6DQ_yN3n4jbPM4nYmzIlruU081_xWmElOJ8FlwDzG9u3AvLf790f/s1280/Michael%20Caine%20Anicca.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1280" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8FeOH5bwteonR2B6BNAAo1gwfrzp_-T7pexXakanAo2KUEMygUS4ggrY9-IXzGY15EsBEbQRyRlXi38zUqwb6GPlKFV59GJBb_D9YHHdLEKrmOHUhnKf75IwSoKXuYaIw8yRHmSk6DQ_yN3n4jbPM4nYmzIlruU081_xWmElOJ8FlwDzG9u3AvLf790f/w400-h216/Michael%20Caine%20Anicca.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Caine<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span><br /></span></i></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span></span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-42204899561663651292023-09-27T05:04:00.104-07:002023-09-28T02:18:47.132-07:00Reality - Beautiful and True<div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The truth</span></b> is a <u><i>difficult</i></u> concept <u><i>to define</i></u>... </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>We live in an era where it's becoming more and more difficult to </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>determine the facts and what's fake.”</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Gary Schwartz</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span>Most, perhaps all of us, are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">born with a deep intuitive knowing</span></b> of <span style="color: red;"><b><span>reality</span></b></span> that is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">indescribably</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">beautiful</span></b>,<b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">inconceivably vast,</span></b> and is therefore <u><i>impossible to put into words</i></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> But</span> society conditions us to agree on a <b>greatly-simplified <i><u>model</u></i> of reality</b> that most of us <i>can </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>understand, describe, work with & manipulate</i> - "<b>consensus reality</b>." Gradually, most of us <b>forget <span style="color: red;">reality</span></b> and start to <b>assume that our simplified working model </b>(</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">consensus reality ie our "common sense" understanding</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">) <b>is not just a dumbed-down model, but actually real</b>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> The </span>other <b>major distorting influence</b> on most of us is that of <b>trauma</b>. The <u><i><b>combined affect of consensus reality & trauma</b></i></u> is so potent, that as Anais Nin observed, <b>we <u><i>can't see</i></u> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">things as they are</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">.</span> We only see things <b>as <u><i>we</i></u> are</b> - ie <u><i>what's left behind after <b>trauma</b> & <b>forgetting <span style="color: red;">our</span> <span style="color: red;">true nature</span></b></i></u>. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"... <b>we live in the distortion</b> ... " </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Thomas Hübl</i> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Ktsi3KX2I">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Ktsi3KX2I</a></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span> </span>The greater our <u><i>distorting</i></u> influences</b>, <b>the more vehemently we defend the <i><u>accuracy</u></i> of our perception</b> AND the more <b><u><i>rigidly</i></u> </b>we <u><b><i>resist</i></b></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opening our mind-heart</span></b>!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“What you <b>resist</b> not only <b>persists</b>, but will <b>grow</b> in size.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Carl Jung</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Learning about <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>mystics, saints</b></span> and the increasing numbers of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">people who are serious about Truth</span></b>, <i>intrigues</i> us by <i>resonating with</i> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deepest intuition</span></b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>we still retain</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> about <b><span style="color: red;">reality</span></b>. It can't be directly expressed in words, but<i> only pointed towards poetically, by way of metaphors, stories, music</i>, etc.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“<b>Half of any person</b> </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">is confused and bewildered </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">and way off The Path. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Half! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The other half</span></b> </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">is dancing </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">in some Invisible Joy.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Rumi</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></div></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">As to which half of our self we choose to inhabit has most to do with <u><i>which of two, very different ways of being we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trust</span></b> more</i></u>: <b>fear</b> - or - <span style="color: red;"><b>love</b></span>. <b>Me alone against the world</b> - or - <b><span style="color: red;">pulling together for our collective well-being</span></b>. As long as we remain convinced that life & the world are basically hostile to ourselves & our loved ones, we remain fearful, tight, aggressive & alone. This <b>sad, hurt, angry mood</b> is <u><i>common, especially in old age</i></u>, when we finally realize that <b>craving</b> for <b>material possessions will never satisfy our deepest hunger</b> for <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">realizing what's true</span></b> - <b><span style="color: red;">reality</span></b>.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Many of us would deeply benefit from <u>BOTH</u> psychotherapy <u>AND</u> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deep</span></b> spiritual path. It's easier to wallow in<b> simmering discontent,</b> <b>ending life in bitter cynicism - "ordinary unhappiness."</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>BUT if we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let go of </span>craving</b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">open-up & lovingly nurture</span></b> those around us, we are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">re-born to be who we've always been</span></b>. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“<b><span style="color: red;">Walking the path toward the complete ending of clinging & suffering</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the noblest thing a person can do</span></b>. It <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opens the fist of the mind</span></b>, and allows a person to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">walk in the world with gift-bestowing hands</span></b>.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Gil Fronsdal</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhGMrHCg9PXHsiakEMLy25AZgpHoUQ8e3ufORakqD-pdZXBGp58EjUDAVi0owysDmYBdI49Eb-ubsW1dBquu2AheNmlqbSf6I6h0TpVoA3kiHJiFJhyphenhyphenQvJS_Y6SvvDIDJqpKkxKl3ngg7YvRT2ngtEGFWzxxHTm9_IGKv8HWScdH_noDyK3yjuJO_Z3LB/s1498/Shine%20Whatever%20the%20Weather%20...%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com%20.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="1496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhGMrHCg9PXHsiakEMLy25AZgpHoUQ8e3ufORakqD-pdZXBGp58EjUDAVi0owysDmYBdI49Eb-ubsW1dBquu2AheNmlqbSf6I6h0TpVoA3kiHJiFJhyphenhyphenQvJS_Y6SvvDIDJqpKkxKl3ngg7YvRT2ngtEGFWzxxHTm9_IGKv8HWScdH_noDyK3yjuJO_Z3LB/s320/Shine%20Whatever%20the%20Weather%20...%20by%20Mollycules%20www.BuddhaDoodles.com%20.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Mollycules <a href="http://www.BuddhaDoodles.com">www.BuddhaDoodles.com</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></div></div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-15864600522213592592023-09-13T03:29:00.283-07:002023-09-14T08:32:05.878-07:00Kindness and Humility<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“At every meeting we are meeting a stranger.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>T. S. Eliot, from “The Cocktail Party (I,iii)</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">”<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>“Speaking disparagingly about another person can have far-reaching effects. But on an even deeper level, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a mind</span></b> that is <b>seized by a frozen view</b> of another, whether the thoughts are spoken or not, <b>is <u><i>incapable</i></u> of being <span style="color: #2b00fe;">open & awake</span></b>. So, in a broader sense, this precept invites us to not only speak of but to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">meet even those we think we know</span></b> — such as our mother or father — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as if for the first time</span></b>, like Eliot’s stranger. ...<br /><span> </span>When we have the courage to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">squarely meet </span>what we hold on to</b>, to acknowledge & experience it with each new encounter, then over time we find that <b>the bondage of our holdings <span style="color: #2b00fe;">loosens</span></b>." </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Diane Eshin Rizzetto, “Meeting Others as Strangers”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span> This is a great teaching - to assume that <b>we know little or nothing about "the other."</b> Wiser people than I suggest that we <u><i>also</i></u> know next to nothing <b>about</b> <b>ourselves or "God." </b>What we <i><u>do know</u></i> about ourselves is that if we're honest, <u><i>we deserve to be very humble</i></u>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Many, including myself sense that the Source </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Nature, the Divine, non-dual emptiness)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> takes things far less seriously than we humans do. What if s/he is playing each & every one of our roles in the spirit of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pure creativity & fun</span></b> - like </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">s/he were</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <u><i>the creative writer, director, producer, set designer, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ALL OF THE ACTORS</span></b> in a play</i></u>. </span></span></p><div class="ujudUb"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>"What if God was one of us?<br /> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Just a slob like one of us<br /> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Just a stranger on the bus<br /> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tryin' to make his way home?"<span> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="ILfuVd c3biWd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><i>Eric Bazilian,</i></span></span><i><span><span><span><i> </i></span></span></span><span><span><span><i>"One of Us"</i></span></span></span></i></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>But as soon as s/he ("we") manifests in physical form, in our world of opposites (duality), <u><i>most of us</i></u> <b>completely forget <span style="color: #2b00fe;">who we truly are</span></b> - <u><i>otherwise</i></u>, finding our way home wouldn't be much of an adventure. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“<b>The human mind (ego)</b> was <b><u><i>not</i></u></b> designed by evolutionary forces <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">for finding truth</span></b>. It <b>was</b> designed <b>for finding advantage</b>.” </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Albert Szent-Györgyi, Nobel laureate</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>It takes a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cosmic joker</span></b> to <u><i>voluntarily manifest</i></u> as such <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">apparently</span> wildly opposite personalities</b>: the Buddha, Stalin, Mother Teresa, Putin, Jesus, Trump, Pol Pot, Gandhi, … <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and yet, in a way, are we not all</span></b> 'just slobs on a bus, tryin' to make our way home?'</span></span></p><p>
</p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Confucius 500 BCE</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><p><style>@font-face
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</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“The Golden Rule, ‘<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Do onto others as you would have them do onto you</span></b>,’ is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a part of every religion</span></b> we have. Every religion has something about this in their creed. It’s a <b>guideline</b> we have to follow <u><i>for most of us</i></u>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">but for near-death experiencers</span></b>, they’ve experienced it as <b><span style="color: red;">a law of the universe</span></b>. Let me give you an example of this: <br /><br /> <span> </span>Tom was in his mid-thirties when a truck he was working under fell and crushed his chest. He had a very elaborate near-death experience (<b>NDE</b>). There were many parts of it, but one part was his <i><u>life review</u></i>. He went back over every event in his life in <u><i>minute detail</i></u>. He said, ‘I could count the number of mosquitoes that were buzzing around me at this time, which he couldn’t have done during the event, but in the NDE he did. And he said, ‘Not only that, but I <b>experienced everything through</b> <b>my eyes</b> <b><i><u>and</u></i></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">through the eyes of other people involved</span></b> in the scene.’ He described one incident in particular, when he was a teenager, driving his truck down the street, when a drunk man wandered out in front of him. He jammed on the brakes, and was furious at the man for almost denting his truck. So he rolled down the window and started yelling at the man. And the man, being quite intoxicated, reached his hand in the window and slapped Tom across the face. You don’t do that to an angry teenager. <br /> <span> </span>So Tom got out of the truck, and started beating the man up. And he left him a bloody mess on the median strip. Now Tom tells me, when he relived this in his life review, he felt it through <b>his own eyes</b> – the adrenalin rush, the rage. And he also felt at the same time, through <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the eyes of the drunk man</span></b> – the humiliation of being beaten up by this kid, the 32 blows of Tom’s fist in his face. Now Tom couldn’t have told you it was 32, but reliving it anew in an NDE, he felt 32 of them. He felt the man’s nose getting bloodied, he felt the man’s lower teeth going through his lower lip. And <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">he came back realizing </span><span style="color: red;">we’re all the same thing</span></b>. There’s no difference between me & that man. It’s like if you’re looking at your fingers, they look like they’re separate things, but they’re really connected, and you can’t cut one off without hurting them all. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">So the Golden Rule</span></b> for near-death experiencers is <b>not a guideline</b>,<b> <span style="color: red;">it’s the way things are</span></b>.” <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><i>Dr. Bruce Greyson - "After" - WMRA Books & Brews Feb 2023 :</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViCWJWHR0a8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViCWJWHR0a8</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Recently I read that <b>what we all desire above all</b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to be seen & accepted for who we are</span></b>. This <u><i>seems to imply</i></u> by another person, BUT many feel that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we first & foremost need</span> </b>this<b> <span style="color: red;">deep self-acceptance & unconditional love <i><u>from ourselves</u></i></span></b>. </span></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“Love thy neighbour as thyself for the love of God” <b>is seen by some as</b> an impractical infringement on one's individual right to find & secure as much personal material wealth & comfort as possible. <b>Fewer & fewer</b> <b>see it</b> in a proprietary, religious exclusivist context.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b>Increasingly, people see</b> the Golden Rule </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">from a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">non-dual perspective</span></b> ie that <u><i>my</i></u> <u><i>neighbour, myself & God</i></u> are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">one & the same</span></b> - <b><span style="color: red;">ONE</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">entity</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">manifesting as infinite variety of appearances</span></b>, <span>including</span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><span style="color: red;"><i><u>everyone & everything</u></i></span></b>: spiritually independents, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">scientific materialists, agnostics, atheists, theists</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, "president-for-life" dictators, drug dealers, petty crooks, mosquitoes, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">dogs, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">birds, fish, trees, rocks, mountains, oceans, earth, sun, moon, clouds, sky & cosmos</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Divine non-dual infinite potential</span></b> <u><i>self-reflecting</i></u> by <u><i>manifesting as & exploring</i></u> <b>duality - the material world of opposites</b>.<br /><span> </span>On manifesting as humans, <b>we </b>tend to<b> forget </b>our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">true nature</span></b>, <u><i>AND also</i></u> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>forget </b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">most of our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wisdom</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <b><span style="color: red;">Awakening</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>remembering</i></u> who we truly are</span></b> - <b><u><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></i></u></b> -<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b>how to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">live appropriately</span></b> as 'dual citizens' of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">non-duality </span></b><u><i>&</i></u><b> duality</b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span>So, no matter who</span> we think we are, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let's</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">be kind, humble & pull together</span></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> like wise, nurturing grandparents</span></b>.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81x0JLKj_kwdVndNb62IH6E8U6cuBRPf-5-TZInG2QleFvRfzcLYUsxmbYDk1Qx8HZ-pXxk9lBTqkjdxnmpC_g8h3t9ljcUqcYosZjKPBAj4uJyWtMAEDF-4570Iu8LiKCAqm4PPZqj4u3iLCyTK4KVMe-ZljQCEIMa0hV9viaVPNeUzLp0W5Kd0DsWvk/s400/Masterpiece%20AND%20Work%20in%20Progress%20SIMULTANEOUSLY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="334" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81x0JLKj_kwdVndNb62IH6E8U6cuBRPf-5-TZInG2QleFvRfzcLYUsxmbYDk1Qx8HZ-pXxk9lBTqkjdxnmpC_g8h3t9ljcUqcYosZjKPBAj4uJyWtMAEDF-4570Iu8LiKCAqm4PPZqj4u3iLCyTK4KVMe-ZljQCEIMa0hV9viaVPNeUzLp0W5Kd0DsWvk/w334-h400/Masterpiece%20AND%20Work%20in%20Progress%20SIMULTANEOUSLY.jpg" width="334" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://awakeningartsacademy.com/">awakeningartsacademy.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span><span><span></span></span></span></i></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span><span><span><br /><i><br /></i></span></span></span></i></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt;"></span></i></p><i><br /></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699300242707166001.post-86108260126500240642023-09-09T02:08:00.027-07:002023-09-09T20:53:41.657-07:00Resistance, Baggage & Awakening<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span>We ALL KNOW </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>(at least subconsciously)</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> that there's something <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">more true, authentic & wholesome we yearn</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to experience</span></b>. <b><u><i>AND</i></u> PARADOXICALLY</b> <b><u><i>we ALL resist change</i></u></b>, naturally opting to keep thinking, speaking & behaving <u><i>the way we're used to</i></u>. This unique <u><i>pattern of habits</i></u> forms our (<b>mistaken</b>) identity - who / what we believe we actually are. The <b>major reason why we <u><i>resist</i></u></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shifting</span></b> to experience what we know to be </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">more true, authentic & wholesome</span></b>, is <b><u><i>fear of losing</i></u></b> this <b>'self'</b> - this <b>false, mistaken, small sense of identity. <br /></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“What I failed to realize was that my <b>resistance</b> was in itself <b>a pose, a stance – a result of my conditioning</b> ... I’d never been stripped of myself, and so I <b><u><i>mistook</i></u> a cleverly embroidered outfit of attitudes</b> <i>for my deepest self</i>, <b>which I had to ‘be true to.’</b> Through the path of negation of self, <b>I began to get an inkling of just how thoroughly cloaked I was in attitudes & platitudes – in my own bullshit</b> – and I also learned that despite this, I had to keep going." </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shozan Jack </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Haubner</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span> </span>Our personal ('<i>me, myself & I</i>') & collective <b>ego</b> ('<i>my</i>' religion, political party, race, color, etc) is <b>far, far more DOMINANT</b> in our thoughts, words & actions <b>than we realize</b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">UNTIL</span></b> we start <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">actively freeing ourselves from </span>ego's overriding control<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> by waking up</span></b>. Until then, the <b>'I'</b> and the <b>'we'</b> are <b>emotionally defended at all cost</b>, while everyone else is certainly at least childish, if not dangerously wrong. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">As we evolve spiritually</span></b>, <u><i>communication</i></u> becomes less & less an ego vs ego 'pissing contest,' and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">increasingly a heart-to-heart transmission</span></b> where words are less & less important</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Laurence Freeman is a wise Catholic meditation teacher, mystic & reformer. The <u><i>first 46 minutes</i></u> of this video is<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> WELL worth a listen</span></b> re the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>importance of meditation practice</u></span></b> to help us <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shift out of </span>personal & collective ego</b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">into oneness with God </span></b>: </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://wccmplus.org/programs/collection-7tvyeorb8d0?cid=2761089&permalink=monte_oliveto_silent_retreat_-_july_2021-540p-224f09">https://wccmplus.org/programs/collection-7tvyeorb8d0?cid=2761089&permalink=monte_oliveto_silent_retreat_-_july_2021-540p-224f09</a></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>“Simply stated, (<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">practice</span></b>) is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the act of <i><u>un</u></i>-practicing</span></b> <b>habituated tendencies that cause us to (mis)perceive <span style="color: #2b00fe;">reality</span> as divided into subjects & objects, pasts & futures, and problems & solutions</b>. When we slow down this momentum of the mind, we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">begin to remember (experientially) what it is to be unbound, vast, and intimate with all of existence</span></b>. In short, to practice is to undo habituated mental patterns that cause us to suffer. As long as there is a sense of a self-apart, (the one struggling to get life right, to wake up, and to solve the problem of being a suffering human), then directing the effort that arises out of that sense, to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">an investigation of your true nature, is a valuable undertaking</span></b>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">”<br /> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span> </span>Angelo</i><i><span> DiLullo MD. “Awake. It’s Your Turn.” 2021.</span></i><i> <span><span><u>Wise, gentle yet powerful guidance</u> <b><span style="color: red;">HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!</span></b></span></span></i></span></span></p><p><a href="https://wccmplus.org/programs/collection-7tvyeorb8d0?cid=2761089&permalink=monte_oliveto_silent_retreat_-_july_2021-540p-224f09"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span> </span>“Sensing how <b>caught up</b> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(the professor)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> was <b>in</b> <b>intellectual concepts</b> <u><i>rather than</i></u> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">benefiting from practice</span></b> in her own heart, Achaan Chah answered her quite directly, ‘You, madam, are like one who keeps hens in her yard,’ he told her, ‘and goes around <b>picking up the chicken droppings instead</b> of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the eggs</span></b>.’” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Kornfield J, Breiter P. “A Still Forest Pool. The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah.” Quest Books, 1985</i><i>.</i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> <span> </span><b>It's incredibly easy to wander off topic</b> - onto intellectual pursuits, daydreaming, surfing the web for related & completely unrelated topics, etc, etc, INSTEAD OF <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">being fully present & appropriate, here & now</span></b>. Another, almost as important point Chah's story illustrates is <b>how common & easy it is to listen only "from the neck up"</b> <u><i>instead of</i></u> "<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">listening with our whole body</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">" ie <u><i>using all of our intelligences</i></u>.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Adyashanti's very recent, excellent online presentation, on deep listening (& more): <br /> <span> </span>“<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The <u><i>quality</i></u> with which we listen, or engage in anything</span></b>, really <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">dictates how much we receive back from it</span></b>. This applies to anything you do – listen to a dharma lecture, doing any task around the house, any job, anything. If we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">really open ourselves</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">up</span></b> to anything that we’re doing, if we can <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">listen from that quiet mind</span></b>, those are the moments when <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we tend to also receive</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sometimes in quite unexpected ways</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <br /><span> </span>Remembering that we can always use our analytical mind, with its critiques & judgments – we can always do that later, if we want to do that. That’s totally fine, if we feel that’s necessary. <br /> <span> </span>But in the moment, just <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opening the whole body</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">listening with the whole body</span></b>. <i>Don’t worry if you don’t understand what I mean by ‘listening with the whole body</i>.’ It’s really <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">listening with all your senses</span></b>. And if you <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">just hold that intention</span></b>, over the days, it will start to clarify for you what that means, because it’s actually not that complicated. <i>We do it when we lay down in a really relaxed way</i>, or <i>if you ever just sat down listening to the rain drops fall</i>. You’re <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not</span> listening to the rain drops fall in an analytical way</b>. Your analytical mind is not leading then, it’s a part of the picture but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a much bigger spectrum of your being is involved</span></b> in something as simple as listening to rain drops.</span></span>”<br /><span> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 6<span>, 2023 Broadcast with Adyashant </span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Adyashanti">https://www.youtube.com/user/Adyashanti</a> <br /></span></span></span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><i>And finally</i> a <b>cautionary tale</b> re <b><span style="color: red;">resisting change</span></b>, <b>procrastination</b> & <b>remaining 'comfortably numb'</b>:<br /><span> </span>“A man found an eagle’s egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. <br /><span> </span>All his life the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air. <br /><span> </span>Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. <br /><span> </span>The old eagle looked up in awe. ‘Who’s that?’ he asked. <br /><span> </span>‘That’s the eagle, the king of birds,’ said his neighbor. ‘He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth – we’re chickens.’ <b>So the <span style="color: #2b00fe;">eagle</span> lived and died a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was</b>.” </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Anthony de Mello </i><i>SJ </i></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /><span> </span>At a certain stage in life, <u><i>some of us</i></u> realize that there's no time to waste on trivial pursuit: activities we now find </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">meaningless</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, small-talk, groups & individuals immersed in concerns that we've outgrown, etc. <b>There <i>seem to be</i> an awful lot of chickens around</b> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">- </span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><u>AND YET</u></i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> - we're ALL eagles</span></b>.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJZEA7eBNd5SO9UTGjOdVXxKcGg4ssz0vpdpbXLPLu0DSnA6yt1cEzfNLOCi4Ar_Wfk-CMLtMZMvn_XDJZXI89BLUOOtGAT-twYsgVIoe5YBzxHMDpNavlpovnWibskSe2jBbo5oj9OHkD-NUPDhSBxzN1Ecdg0yQuxGxD_faekBJvkPmi7AM_3buW2PQ/s1694/Bald%20Eagle%20www.pxfuel.com.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1694" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJZEA7eBNd5SO9UTGjOdVXxKcGg4ssz0vpdpbXLPLu0DSnA6yt1cEzfNLOCi4Ar_Wfk-CMLtMZMvn_XDJZXI89BLUOOtGAT-twYsgVIoe5YBzxHMDpNavlpovnWibskSe2jBbo5oj9OHkD-NUPDhSBxzN1Ecdg0yQuxGxD_faekBJvkPmi7AM_3buW2PQ/w400-h224/Bald%20Eagle%20www.pxfuel.com.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bald Eagle <a href="http://www.pxfuel.com">www.pxfuel.com</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655664232743136720noreply@blogger.com0