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Post by robinleeds on Jan 20, 2022 17:21:38 GMT -5
"Every serious human being has a personal koan. It may be the purpose of life, the apprehensiveness of death, the torment of unjust suffering, the desire for freedom or immortality, the question of self-definition, the existence of God, the meaning of happiness, or the nature of love. For some it may be the curiosity about the world and life aroused by the awareness of unexplained phenomena, metaphysical happenings, or a drug experience that showed a glimpse through the veil. Yet, all such koans are really aspects of the one question, seen from different, personal perspectives: WHAT IS REALITY? " ~ John Kent p107 Chapter 6
So far
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Dan G
New Member
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Post by Dan G on Feb 4, 2022 23:19:35 GMT -5
This is an interesting point, both that every serious human has a personal koan, and that all are variations on what is reality? Thinking about if I were stuck in Groundhog Day over and over, I might start seeking experience, but would move to seeking truth eventually. And even the seeking experiences is still treating life as a schoolhouse - hoping to learn the limits of life or something like that. If they're all aspects of, what is reality?, are they all indirect and eventually need to get around to what is reality?
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Post by laughter on Feb 5, 2022 13:30:34 GMT -5
This is an interesting point, both that every serious human has a personal koan, and that all are variations on what is reality? Thinking about if I were stuck in Groundhog Day over and over, I might start seeking experience, but would move to seeking truth eventually. And even the seeking experiences is still treating life as a schoolhouse - hoping to learn the limits of life or something like that. If they're all aspects of, what is reality?, are they all indirect and eventually need to get around to what is reality? Dan, Putting this reply here to respect the rules of the book club. Hope you can forgive the intrusion.  Yes, I think of all of human culture as a sort of collective expression of subconscious self-inquiry. A few examples: science is a shadow of neti-neti, the arts are a tantric practice and philosophy seems to me similar to at least an element of the start of a traditional Advaita Vedanta path. People often express themselves with the intent - consciously or otherwise - of getting different perspectives on the content of their own mind, which is just another form of inquiry. So, in this sense, seeking is really just a matter of degree, and I'd say the vast majority of the people seeking the truth - most with no overt spiritual interests - aren't even aware to what degree they're doing so as they're doing it. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2022 15:59:39 GMT -5
Reading a bit of chapter 6, I'm reminded (I read Rose's books many years ago) how much more dark and confrontational he is than most modern teachers. Unlike Tolle, Spira, Adya, etc., he creates a kind of conflict with the illusion (lies?) of the world, and I wonder if that is a good idea or not. He pushed his students in a way that most don't. He was not going to be popular with a crowd of comfortable yuppies in Palo Alto the way Adyashanti can be.
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Post by robinleeds on Feb 17, 2022 18:26:38 GMT -5
Thanks Dan G, Laughter and RobertK
The book club is a slow burn
Totally agree that Rose can seem dark, but at the time that JKsD (1990) and many of his students were young men (some now TAT Finders) were working with Rose on his farm and Roses was seeking to generate tension and energy to enable internal change. According to the current view of those that knew him.
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