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Post by karen on Nov 30, 2009 21:25:57 GMT -5
IMHO:
I think it is always verified 100%. That is to say the individual seemingly becoming enlightened has their absolute truth.
And I can't see how the scientific method could be used without duality.
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Post by ventura23 on Nov 30, 2009 22:29:56 GMT -5
Zendancer, Being a scientist you're familar with the" scientific method." I'd like your take on the possibility of applying the "scientific method" to the enlightenment experience. Might there be a single method where enlightenment is verified no matter how many times that method is used, since there are so many methods now and none of them are 100% Or am I talking apples and oranges?
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Post by klaus on Nov 30, 2009 22:48:00 GMT -5
Hello Souley,
Yes, your experiences sound similar to some I've had.
Times of understanding and then confusion to the point where all paths led to insanity and even insanity wasn't an option. Just naked existence and the terror of that existence. There was no exit.
And I reached that point after I'd had glimpses of IT (subtle and intense).
Recently, I see that enlightenment IS the process, and that change in perspective is the result, whether it comes all at once or little at a time to realize that you are IT from all perspectives.
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Post by zendancer on Dec 1, 2009 0:53:38 GMT -5
Klaus: I'm going to answer your question in a very roundabout way. Bear with me. I am totally into the scientific method, but we have to understand what the method really is and how it works. Edison tried something like 200 different filament substances before he found one that would make his light bulb work. 99% of the scientific method is experimenting with the unknown and being incredibly persistent in our search for what we want to know.
I'm going to use the story of my own approach to make the same point. Like many scientists, I got to a point where I doubted the conventional paradigm. I intuited that something was wrong with what I had been told about the nature of the universe. In my case, I began to doubt almost everything I had been told, and I knew that I didn't understand the truth. I knew that I had no satisfactory answers to any of the questions I considered important.
I started off with about ten basic existential questions. Is there a God? Where did I come from and where am I going? What is the meaning and purpose of life? How could life have appeared in a lifeless universe? Could there be some logical explanation for the miracles reported in the Bible? Is there a heaven or hell? Etc.
I began, like any good scientist trying to solve a problem, by reading, studying, and thinking about the issues that were bothering me. I took philosophy courses, and I thought and thought and thought, without success. Ironically, the more I learned, the less I seemed to know, and this struck me as somewhat bizarre. I remember writing a paper for a college philosophy class about "time." I read tons of stuff, and felt proud of myself when I turned it in. The professor gave me an "A", but wrote numerous questions in red ink on the paper. I read the questions and realized that after reading all of that stuff and writing a long paper, I understood absolutely nothing about time. I had no idea what it was. In fact, I knew less about time than before I began trying to understand it!
I spent ten years reading and thinking, and I was unable to answer a single question. Unfortunately (LOL), in the process of thinking so much, I added another twenty or thirty questions to my list. What is a photon, really? What is truth, beauty, logic, time, space, energy, gravity, electricity, etc? What could explain the observer paradoxes in physics? What could explain Bell's theorem (a theorem that implies that the universe is connected in some weird way)? How could the subatomic world be qualitatively different than the macrocosmic world?" How could subatomic particles move from one point to another without crossing the intervening space? How could an electron be both a particle and a wave at the same time? These are just a few of the questions that were bugging me. Like a good scientist, however, I just kept bearing my questions in mind and trying to understand, without success.
At the age of thirty-one I encountered Eastern Religions and realized that the Zen Masters and Sufi Masters and Taoist Masters were talking about the same thing that Jesus Christ had been talking about, but it was if they all lived in a different world that was not accessible to me. Like Christ, the lives of eastern masters seemed to be unified with their teachings. I was 99% certain that all of those people understood what I wanted to understand, but I could not find a doorway into their world. Unfortunately, my introduction into eastern religions added several hundred more questions to my long list! LOL. I wondered what a kensho experience was, what samadhi was, what satori was? After reading a lot of enigmatic Zen dialogues, I wondered what was going on behind the words? Zen has about 1800 formal koans, and I became familiar with at least fifty of the most famous ones, but I couldn't find an answer to any of them. The more I thought about reality, the more questions I came up with. What does a dog see when it looks at the world? What does a baby see? I read about a Zen student whose teacher had screamed, "Drop off your body and mind!" and the student claimed that upon hearing those words his body and mind dropped off. What in the hell did that mean? What kind of experience did the student have? The Buddha supposedly looked at Venus rising in the morning sky and he woke up. What did that mean.
I spent ten years reading about Zen and eastern religions, and never found a single answer. Twenty total years of thinking didn't help me at all. At the age of forty, I had a list of more than two hundred questions that were driving me crazy, and I could not find one answer! That should have given me a clue, but I was too stupid. (It never dawned on me that thought is useless for seeing the answers to existential questions.) I became somewhat depressed. I had always been an optimist, but my optimism faded as I realized that I might die without ever understanding anything. I felt like a rat in a trap. I was also under a lot of stress from running a small business, and I had no peace of mind. In fact, my mind had begun to run amok. I worried about customers, I worried about projects, and I worried about money. At some point I even started calculating what my interest expenses were running per hour! I had read the Carlos Castenada books, and I became aware of my internal monologue. My thinking had become so incessant that I had no internal silence at all. That led to even another question: was it possible to turn off the internal monologue (as Castenda had implied)? Now I had 201 questions!
Then, I got lucky. I read about a breath awareness exercise that reportedly could be used to calm the mind. I started practicing breath-counting for an hour each day at lunchtime in an attempt to alleviate the stress I was experiencing. After about ten days, my mind had not slowed down at all, but I realized that when I was focused on my breathing, I was doing something different than when I was thinking. I therefore added a second hour of practice each day, and things began to happen. In essence, I was performing an experiment upon my own consciousness. After three months, I could see that my practice was revealing a world that I dimly remembered from my childhood--a world that had been obscured by thoughts. I therefore added a third hour of practice each day. At times I felt a bit stupid to be spending so much time watching my breath or looking at the world around me, but I intuited that what I was doing might be having an effect below the level of my conscious mind. I persisted, and five months after starting to meditate, I began falling into deep states of unity consciousness in which "I" disappeared. Shortly thereafter I had a mind-blowing kensho experience and seven of my questions were instantaneously answered. The answers did not come through the intellect; they came through some unknown source of perception. It did not happen linearly. It was as if I had accidentally energized some kind of direct downlink to Reality.
Prior to that experience I had had a secular orientation; afterwards, I was a mystic. Prior to that experience I had thought that the universe was a dead place full of rocks, stars, galaxies, and empty space; afterwards, I knew that the whole damn thing was alive. Prior to that experience, I thought that the universe was composed of things; afterwards, I knew that it was a unified whole. The entire direction of my life changed instantly and forever. From that day until today, the truth of "what is" has been the focus of my attention.
That experience showed me that everything I was searching for was somehow inside me, and that silent awareness was the key to understanding. At that time I pictured it as if the brain had an internal switch. In one position, the perception of thoughts is dominant; in the other position the perception of reality is dominant. I therefore concluded, like any persistent scientist, that I needed to do whatever was necessary to flip that switch permanently into the "Reality" mode.
I continued meditating, started going on silent three-day Zen retreats, and spent increasing amounts of time walking in the woods while looking at "what is." I had more unity-conscious experiences during which "I" was not there, and I found the answers to more and more of my questions. I wanted to speed things up and get enlightened fast, but that wasn't in the script! LOL. At first, I thought I could beat Rinzai (it took him three years to get enlightened). After three years went by, I consoled myself with the possibility of beating the Buddha (it took him six years). After six years, I understood a lot, but I still wasn't enlightened. Then, I concluded that samadhi was the key, and I worked to get into deep states of samadhi. I was successful, but I still didn't get enlightened. I tried all kinds of things (think of Edison's filaments), but nothing worked. While all of this was happening, more and more of my questions kept falling away. I occasionally encountered books that shocked me, and made me realize that some aspect of my understanding was incorrect, but I kept at it. I finally encountered a book that made me realize that what I was searching for had to exist here and now rather than in the future, and this increased the intensity of my focus upon "what is." I would look around and think, "It has to be right here in front of my eyes because there is no time, so, where is it?" I resolved to spend however many millions of years it might take, but I was going to find what I was looking for no matter what!
As I've related on another thread of this website, I finally found the answers to every question that had bothered me, except one. I had had many unity-conscious experiences, but I always seemed to return to a "me in here" looking at "a world out there." I wondered how I could stay in a unity-conscious state of mind permanently? I was asking, in essence, "How can I become permanently enlightened?" I finally concluded that there was nothing I could do other than what I was already doing. I was spending a fair amount of time directly perceiving the world through my senses. My mind had become relatively silent as a result of my many years of meditation, and I continued to experiment with lots of different practices.
I used to sit in an easy chair at night and just look at the backs of my hands. I would begin by saying, "I don't make this body's heart beat; I don't circulate the blood running through these veins; I don't control the growth of these hairs I see; and I don't control the seeing of any of this, so why do I think that I am separate from all of this?" I would then sit and just stare at my hands for an hour. The muscles of my legs would twitch and jerk as I fell into deep states of contemplation. I would often take hikes in the woods and stare at things--the trees, the leaves, the weeds, the rocks, the moss, etc. Occasionally, I would go on two-day silent retreats and just walk around looking and listening. Finally, fifteen years after I gave up thinking and began focusing upon "what is," I had a rather mysterious experience one day, and my search came to an end. I realized that the one who had been looking for enlightenment had never existed. It had all been a huge illusion. There was no little me; there was only "what is." On that day I realized that I am "what is." There is no "other."
The bells and whistles experiences were so powerful that they led me in the wrong direction for a long time. I kept looking for a permanent bells and whistles kind of thing and never realized that my ordinary everyday life was part of the same continuum. "What is" includes everything, from bells and whistles to brushing our teeth or carrying out the garbage. In retrospect, it seems pretty simple, but it surely didn't seem that way during the thirty-five years I was searching for it!
In retrospect it now seems obvious that there are innumerable paths that will lead us to the truth and free us from our common illusions. We can focus upon breathing, our body, or the "external world." We can repeat a mantra, practice devotion or loving-kindness, or feel the "I am." We can do self-inquiry or work on koans. All of these different practices take us out of our habitual thought patterns and cause us to focus upon "what is." If we focus intensely enough, we sometimes lose ourselves in the process. We may lose ourselves for five minutes or five hours, but afterwards we will usually return to the sense of being an entity located somewhere behind our eyes that looks out upon an external world. That's okay. That's perfect. That's to be expected. The key factor is persistence. If we continue to look at "what is" long enough, eventually we will discover that who we are is "what is" looking at "what is," and our old identification with name and form will be seen as a kind of mirage. Afterwards, it doesn't matter what the body/mind does. We simply watch the way we manifest. It's mysterious and unpredictable. This is what "what is" is. This is what "what is" does. Right this moment "what is" is typing these words, but who knows what "what is" will do next?
Now, with this story and these thoughts in mind, let's look at your question. "Might there be a single method where enlightenment is verified no matter how many times that method is used, since there are so many methods and none of them are 100%?" First of all, who would need to have anything verified? Anyone who sees through the illusion of selfhood is free of the illusion and doesn't need to have anything verified. If you saw through the illusion of a desert mirage, would you need to have someone verify that you saw through the illusion? Of course not. The truth is self evident.
If, instead, you are talking about some sort of objective verification that SOMEONE ELSE is enlightened, then the only way to be 100% sure of his/her understanding would be to get inside that person's mind--an impossibility. However, people who see through the illusion of selfhood can generally tell if someone else also sees through it. This is what dharma combat is all about. "What is" enjoys playing with itself (no off-color aspect implied--LOL). "What is," in the form of particular body/minds, often enjoys sparring to find out how deeply another body/mind has seen into the isness of "what is."
Two years ago I took an enlightened friend to visit a Zen Master (we'll call him John Doe) in another state. This Zen Master travels around the world teaching, and he has answered all of the major Zen koans. We spent the night at John Doe's Zen Center and the next morning my friend spent an hour or two talking to him. After we left and headed home, I asked my friend what he thought about ZM John Doe. My friend said, "You mean Cloudy John?" He had reached the same conclusion I had because of one comment John Doe had made to him. With someone else it might have required more conversation and a lot of questions and answers, but this guy revealed his lack of understanding with one single statement. After telling my friend how important the Zen tradition is and how important Zen meditation is, they got onto the subject of popular music. John Doe said, "I can't understand why musician X is so popular with so many people." My friend replied, "It's for the same reason that this tree beside us is growing here and not somewhere else." John Doe became silent, and my friend could see that he wasn't able to get into gear and get up to speed. In Zen we say, "The arrow had already passed him by."
So, what happens after one's search comes to an end? Bottom line? There is no more searching. One is at peace. The entire intellectual inquiry of the past is simply gone. The truth shines everywhere "just like this." You eat breakfast, you go to work, and you do whatever you have to do. Thoughts appear and disappear. You talk with people about things just like before, but you know that thingness is as imaginary as lines of longitude and latitude. You can choose to see and interact with "what is" in a not-knowing state of mind, or you can imagine "what is" as if it were composed of ten thousand different things. Philosophy is boring because abstract thought is like dead meat compared to the aliveness of "what is." I think it was Hui Neng who summed it up, "Without hindrance, let the mind function freely." The highest spiritual activity--chopping wood and carrying water. Tra la la la. LOL. What was the question again?
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Post by zendancer on Dec 1, 2009 11:17:59 GMT -5
Karen: Non-duality includes duality, so there is no conflict that I can see in using the scientific method. Here are some of the truth claims that have been made on this board:
1. It is possible to look at the world for extended periods of time without thoughts. (It isn't necessary for enlightenment, but it is possible.) 2. It is possible to see through the illusion of "thingness." 3. It is possible to see through the illusion of selfhood. 4. It is possible to experience unity-consciousness during which all separateness disappears. 5. It is possible to directly experience the Absolute, God, Tao, etc.
The only question a scientist might want to ask is, "What is the recipe that, if followed, will allow me to verify these truth claims for myself?"
Maybe the recipe is, "Look at "what is" until direct perception becomes your dominant mode of mind, and thought-oriented perception becomes subordinate to that."
The question might then arise, "How long will it take, and how is that to be done?"
This would lead to further instructions and explanations.
A scientist would then have to decide whether or not she wanted to perform the described experiment upon her own consciousness. She would also have to decide how much time she would be willing to invest in such an experiment. (I am writing this from the perspective of someone who thinks that she has a choice in the matter. The truth is quite different, but it is unnecessary to emphasize that aspect in this discussion.)
Notice that when using the scientific method, faith is useful but not necessary. Even a skeptic will wake up if she follows the required injunctions. The reason that most scientists are unlikely to perform the necessary experiments is that they have already invested in the conventional paradigm and will not see any reason to abandon thinking as their primary mode for learning things. In the deepest sense they will remain locked out of the real world due to their unconscious habits of mind.
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Post by zendancer on Dec 1, 2009 12:58:57 GMT -5
Karen: One more note about scientists. My brother is a well-known science correspondent for one of the big three TV syndicates, and he refuses to acknowledge that there is a difference between traditional religious faith and the path we talk about on this board. He's a great guy, but he's bought into the conventional paradigm and can't get free of it.
One of my early questions was, "What is a subatomic particle?" After I realized that an "electron" is an idea and not a thing, I began talking to various scientists about this. I probably talked to twenty physicists over a ten year period, and I only found one guy, a professor of nuclear engineering, who understood what I was talking about. He totally understood that subatomic particles are ideas rather than particles, but when I casually mentioned that "trees" are ideas just like electrons, he couldn't see that the same realization extended to our everyday world. He had seen-through the illusion that quantum mechanics is describing some sort of separate things, but he couldn't see through the illusion of everyday objects as separate things.
Next month I'm scheduled to speak to a church group about this issue, and the illusion of thingness is the toughest challenge to communicate. I'm going to begin with lines of latitude and longitude because everyone can see that that particular grid is imaginary. Next, I'm going to remind them that there is no "state of Tennessee,"--that if we walk north from Nashville, we won't see a line out in the woods somewhere separating Kentucky from Tennessee. We'll discuss how the Mississippi River every moment of the day changes where the imaginary western boundary of the state lies. Then, we'll move on to the imaginary boundaries that define "hand," "wrist," and "arm." After we explore the illusion that those are things, we'll look at how the unified oneness of hand-wrist-arm includes our entire body, as well as the air in the room and the floor under our feet. From there we'll move from our body to the entire universe. I will ask them to shake their hand in the air to remind them of the truth. Later, I'll have them shake their hand/wrist/arm to reinforce the fact that the truth is unified. Later still, I'll have them move their shaking hand/wrist/arm to their shoulders and eventually to their entire bodies. I'll have them get out of their chairs, stand up, and shake all over to reinforce the silent unified truth. I have been thinking of all kinds of other graphic illustrations of oneness to use with people, so if you think of any good ones, send them my way. Cheers.
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Post by souley on Dec 1, 2009 14:49:28 GMT -5
Times of understanding and then confusion to the point where all paths led to insanity and even insanity wasn't an option. That's great! It's like "OK then, I admit I'm insane", but you really know that's not it either, it is just the mind looking for a way out, an explanation. But there is nothing to do, no explanations. No safety and no insanity But I haven't understood this "enlightenment is the process" thing. For me enlightenment would be no self, and the process is some kind of unwinding leading up to that. Of course things will develop further after enlightenment, and that might be a process, and the same process, but what does it mean that "enlightenment is the process". It is the same things that LM says right?
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Post by lightmystic on Dec 1, 2009 15:17:49 GMT -5
ZD, First of all, I love the novel that you wrote above. VERY well said. The reason, as far as I can see, why just one thing doesn't work for everyone has to do with the fact that Enlightenment is simply what's left when What Is is no longer being resisted. The problem is that everyone has different misconceptions about what is separate and what is not. Sure, there may be some fundamental misconceptions that most people share, but, in order to get to those, there are many other misconceptions that must be unwound. Add that in with the fact that unwinding these things appears to be threatening and it's no wonder the illusion is so powerful. All I've really found that works with everyone is listening to life and following it. If someone wants it bad enough life will provide...it always does.... Not that I'm saying anything you don't already know.... Karen: Non-duality includes duality, so there is no conflict that I can see in using the scientific method. Here are some of the truth claims that have been made on this board: 1. It is possible to look at the world for extended periods of time without thoughts. (It isn't necessary for enlightenment, but it is possible.) 2. It is possible to see through the illusion of "thingness." 3. It is possible to see through the illusion of selfhood. 4. It is possible to experience unity-consciousness during which all separateness disappears. 5. It is possible to directly experience the Absolute, God, Tao, etc. The only question a scientist might want to ask is, "What is the recipe that, if followed, will allow me to verify these truth claims for myself?" Maybe the recipe is, "Look at "what is" until direct perception becomes your dominant mode of mind, and thought-oriented perception becomes subordinate to that." The question might then arise, "How long will it take, and how is that to be done?" This would lead to further instructions and explanations. A scientist would then have to decide whether or not she wanted to perform the described experiment upon her own consciousness. She would also have to decide how much time she would be willing to invest in such an experiment. (I am writing this from the perspective of someone who thinks that she has a choice in the matter. The truth is quite different, but it is unnecessary to emphasize that aspect in this discussion.) Notice that when using the scientific method, faith is useful but not necessary. Even a skeptic will wake up if she follows the required injunctions. The reason that most scientists are unlikely to perform the necessary experiments is that they have already invested in the conventional paradigm and will not see any reason to abandon thinking as their primary mode for learning things. In the deepest sense they will remain locked out of the real world due to their unconscious habits of mind.
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Post by lightmystic on Dec 1, 2009 15:20:30 GMT -5
I think we're saying the same thing. Enlightenment is not a change in all the aspects of Reality but rather a completely different relationship to those aspects. And that change in relationship reveals a lot of amazing things about them that we would have relegated to the realm of "impossible" in light of past assumptions about it. Fulfillment is a verb, not a noun. Times of understanding and then confusion to the point where all paths led to insanity and even insanity wasn't an option. That's great! It's like "OK then, I admit I'm insane", but you really know that's not it either, it is just the mind looking for a way out, an explanation. But there is nothing to do, no explanations. No safety and no insanity But I haven't understood this "enlightenment is the process" thing. For me enlightenment would be no self, and the process is some kind of unwinding leading up to that. Of course things will develop further after enlightenment, and that might be a process, and the same process, but what does it mean that "enlightenment is the process". It is the same things that LM says right?
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Post by lightmystic on Dec 1, 2009 15:24:05 GMT -5
I also particularly like the pointing out the one dimensional, cardboard cut-out-ness of concepts. When we look at a tree, for example, our idea of what a tree is doesn't capture the innumerable processes going on in the tree, much less any specific tree. The actual reality of the tree has near infinite knowledge at every moment. And yet we classify it with our idea of what it is and assume that's good enough. It may be good enough, practically, but it causes a lot of problems if one assumes that one's idea of a tree can even hope to grasp the actuality of the tree. And a tree is one of the simpler things in life. What hope do we have with something more complex like relationships? Completely hopeless. No wonder putting stock in those thoughts and concepts cause so much suffering. Karen: One more note about scientists. My brother is a well-known science correspondent for one of the big three TV syndicates, and he refuses to acknowledge that there is a difference between traditional religious faith and the path we talk about on this board. He's a great guy, but he's bought into the conventional paradigm and can't get free of it. One of my early questions was, "What is a subatomic particle?" After I realized that an "electron" is an idea and not a thing, I began talking to various scientists about this. I probably talked to twenty physicists over a ten year period, and I only found one guy, a professor of nuclear engineering, who understood what I was talking about. He totally understood that subatomic particles are ideas rather than particles, but when I casually mentioned that "trees" are ideas just like electrons, he couldn't see that the same realization extended to our everyday world. He had seen-through the illusion that quantum mechanics is describing some sort of separate things, but he couldn't see through the illusion of everyday objects as separate things. Next month I'm scheduled to speak to a church group about this issue, and the illusion of thingness is the toughest challenge to communicate. I'm going to begin with lines of latitude and longitude because everyone can see that that particular grid is imaginary. Next, I'm going to remind them that there is no "state of Tennessee,"--that if we walk north from Nashville, we won't see a line out in the woods somewhere separating Kentucky from Tennessee. We'll discuss how the Mississippi River every moment of the day changes where the imaginary western boundary of the state lies. Then, we'll move on to the imaginary boundaries that define "hand," "wrist," and "arm." After we explore the illusion that those are things, we'll look at how the unified oneness of hand-wrist-arm includes our entire body, as well as the air in the room and the floor under our feet. From there we'll move from our body to the entire universe. I will ask them to shake their hand in the air to remind them of the truth. Later, I'll have them shake their hand/wrist/arm to reinforce the fact that the truth is unified. Later still, I'll have them move their shaking hand/wrist/arm to their shoulders and eventually to their entire bodies. I'll have them get out of their chairs, stand up, and shake all over to reinforce the silent unified truth. I have been thinking of all kinds of other graphic illustrations of oneness to use with people, so if you think of any good ones, send them my way. Cheers.
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Post by klaus on Dec 1, 2009 18:48:13 GMT -5
Zendancer, Whew! Ask a simple question get a simple answer. You search and search and you discover the end of the search was non-other than the beginning of the search. The difference being the realization that the beginning was the end. And you just smile. So to verify one's own enligtenment by the scientific method is a moot point since it is self-evident. To verify someone else's is impossible because you are not that person and only that person can verify for themselves because it is self-evident to them. To put dharma combat in other words: If you live in the same neighborhood you both know the territory. Lightmystic. I think we mean the same thing about "enlightment IS the process" I would say: Enlightenment is a verb, not a noun;not an end state.
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Post by karen on Dec 1, 2009 21:55:26 GMT -5
That's what I thought you meant: using the scientific method to determine someone else's enlightenment. How could someone else have enlightenment when there is only one?
I must learn to type better on my iPhone.
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Post by karen on Dec 1, 2009 22:06:32 GMT -5
BTW: ZD, thanks for your post. I am looking for my realization - for my proof. I don't know how far along I am. Though I don't formally meditate, and my mind is still quite active. I can fall for thoughts and lead around by feelings daily, but I often break lose with varying rates of speed. Never longer than a few hours.
It's quite clear to me that all my actions are not mine, but it doesn't seem that way when I'm doing.
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Post by Portto on Dec 2, 2009 10:25:24 GMT -5
I have been thinking of all kinds of other graphic illustrations of oneness to use with people, so if you think of any good ones, send them my way. Cheers. I may have one: the very fact that we can talk to each other, see each other, and touch each other is a good indication that we are [of] the same "thing." This is generally overlooked and not discussed, so it may not be a good pointer, but for me it can be quite intense.
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Post by zendancer on Dec 2, 2009 14:54:31 GMT -5
Porto: You understand it and I understand it, but most people do not. I'm trying to find ways to illustrate that all boundaries are imaginary. For example, I might hold up a cookie in front of an audience, give it to someone to eat, and then ask the audience when the cookie ceased to be a cookie and became the person I gave it to? Did the cookie cease to be a cookie when it passed between the person's lips, when it got swallowed, etc. etc. I'm trying to find graphic illustrations that help people "feel" the illusory nature of boundaries. Conceptual habit patterns are so powerful that it often takes several examples to shake up the conventional outlook. Alan Watts had several good examples in some of his books. One that I remember was his illustration that cause and effect are illusory. He said to imagine a cat walking behind a picket fence were one slat is missing. First you see the head, then the legs, and eventually the tail. One might conclude that a head "causes" a tail because a tail always follows a head. When I first read that illustration thirty-five years ago, I couldn't quite understand what he was pointing to, but gradually several example like this helped me sense that there was something odd about the way I thought about cause and effect. In college I had a professor who one day explained that you can't have "good" without "bad," but I didn't get it at all. It takes a while to see through dualism and a lot longer to get totally free of it. I've noticed during the last fifteen years of teaching that if I spend a fair amount of time getting people to think about obvious illusions, they become "softened up" or more open to seeing through the less obvious illusions.
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