Category: Perceptions

Existence is In the Present
The Present Moment Contains Insight & Wisdom

I was reading an editorial in Newsweek that contain this quote from Marcus Aurelius:

If you’ve seen the present then you’ve seen everything – as it’s been since the beginning, as it will be forever. The same substance, the same form. All of it.

Very few of us really seem to understand the present moment. This is because most of the time we view and experience it from a linear perspective in time. The experience then becomes reified and the whole lot is reduced to the realm of dualistic thinking.

If we really see and experience the present in the NOW, we will experience it from the non-dual perspective which is beyond linear thinking and time. It is this timeless experience that Marcus’ words point to.

The article goes on to list what Marcus sees as characteristics of the rational soul:
- Affection for its neighbors
- Truthfulness
- Humility
The author, Jon Meacham, explains Marcus’ perspective:

Human beings, he writes, “were made to help others.” Nothing is good “except what leads to fairness, and self-control, and courage, and free will. And nothing bad except what does the opposite.”

A perspective still worthy of serious contemplation.

Items of Philosophical Interest

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February 9
Is Communication Key to Friendship?
Friendship is Deeper than an Open Mouth

Is communication needed for friendship? Do we need to know our friends thoughts, feelings and history to be friends?

The dictionary defines FRIEND as:
1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard
2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter
3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile
And FRIENDSHIP as
1. the state of being a friend; association as friends: to value a person’s friendship
2. a friendly relation or intimacy
3. friendly feeling or disposition
I can imagine that two people incapable of speech can become friends, so verbal communication is not needed for friendship. Yet, in most cases of friendship verbal communication is very important – even if it takes the form of texting or email.

I notice in my experience, that I often meet people who feel friendly though they have yet to speak a word. It’s the way they move, their body language, appearance or vibe. Sometimes I meet someone and see something “below the surface” that makes me feel friendly toward them. This is spite of the fact that they may be shy or uncommunicative.

When considering what friendship is perhaps the significant point is that the language of friendship is not words, but meanings as Henry David Thoreau said.

Items of Interest

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January 14
Slave to Theory
All Thought & No Action or Prisoner of Belief System

Saw this tweet from @CoachDeb – Growing up under the Protestant Work Ethic, I thought “sweating” was pious & the key to success. Then I realized I was slave 2 theory.

It seems to me that being a slave to theory can take a couple of forms:
- A tendency to live more in the conceptual world where we have more “talk” and less “walk”
- Living in a closed system – prisoner of our beliefs – little, if any, openness to outside influence or feedback
The conditioning of our mind by our early environment is a hard thing to break free of. Our minds, bodies, and consciousness were “impressed” by these “beliefs” hundreds and thousands of times a day in blatant and subtle ways. As infants and very young children the parental and environmental demand to “see the world as we see it” is a survival issue – who’s going to feed and house us if we don’t accept the party line?

The really difficult part is that much of this conditioning exists at a pre-verbal level in our consciousness – we don’t have the capacity for objective thinking until 5 to 7 years of age. That makes working with it, dealing with it and seeing through it very challenging.

This pre-verbal conditioning exists in the body and mind as tension patterns which also exist as an energetic comfort range. Many people think they are in control of their lives, that they choose what they want to do when in fact most actions they take are simply reactions to others,events or incessant mind-chatter. These reactions manifest within the constraints of the conditioning. The conditioning is actually in control and making the decisions. The conscious mind is mostly under the influence of the conditioning.

More could be said. Interesting to see the thoughts triggered by – Slave 2 Theory

Items of Interest

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January 6
What’s Wrong with This Life?

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I have always been more than curious about the concept of “creating the life I want.” The whole notion of “terraforming” my life so I can healthy, happy, wise, have the perfect mate and the perfect job seems a little – well, narcissistic to me.

I have known hundreds, if not thousands, of people over the course of my life that have said to me things like: I know I am going to be successful at….; I know I am going to find the perfect job; I know he/she is my soul mate.

More often than not, they did not succeed at what they were involved in, the job wasn’t as perfect as they hoped and either they or their soul mate moved on to the next soul mate.

On several occasions, I had the temerity to question their certainty. The usual response was that I was being negative. I didn’t feel negative, but I was curious as to why they had to be so positive, so certain. If chanting – “I am rich” – is the easy way to riches, then why aren’t their more miracle poverty cures? Why is there an endless stream of self-help books and extreme makeover courses for “the life I was always meant to have?”

What’s wrong with this life? Who is it that has a problem with my financial status, relationship status, or happiness index? Is there a “cure” for this life? Will a new coat of paint and a new roof address the dry rot and termite problem?

Maybe the more productive course of action would be to look into the root of unhappiness or dissatisfaction with this life instead of immediately expending time and energy in running away from it. Exploring our misery doesn’t make us miserable – we’re already miserable. It’s tragic to see so many people running away from themselves toward some fantasy they believe will make them more content and happy. I think at least 67.8% of the people in the U.S. believe that winning the lottery will cure the curse of this life.

Whether circumstances change or not, there is no cure for this life. Life is simply life – how we experience the experience of our life is what changes. As my buddy Jim says – we are prisoners of our belief system.

The way out is through – bringing into consciousness the unconscious material that forms our worldview and belief system. Endlessly repeating an affirmation will not free us from unconscious beliefs.

The holiday season always seems to give me just a little more time for reflecting on the blessings of this life. Regardless of my present set of circumstances, this life is a wonder – and it remains that way whether I am sad, unhappy, poor or rich.

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Past Post –

Why Affirmations Don’t Work

December 7
Holy Perfection Thoughts
Thoughts & Phrases from Holy Perfection

I attended part of the weekend on Holy Perfection. Here are some phrases I overheard and my thoughts.

The Missing Dimension:
- Most don’t realize it is missing from their experience
- Most would say their experience already includes it
- Many believe if it’s missing, they can/can’t find it
- Most are seeking it through misunderstanding
The Unthought Known
- Knowing without thinking
- Thoughts without a thinker
- Knowing when we really are only thinking, wishing or hoping
- How to know the unthought known?
Real Memory Missing in Action
- Not about the past
- An “intouchness”
- Can’t be applied as a corrective
A View into One Hand Clapping
- Non-Dual Dual
- Perceiver, Perceived, Perception
The Assumption of Imperfection
- Right/Wrong – Good/Bad as the ground for action
- Things can be improved toward a “better” standard
- Optimal doesn’t include everyone
Many Brains, One Mind
- Noise over Silence
- I’d rather be me than you
- Machine versus no moving parts
I’m not even going to try and explain how my mind works!

Items of Interest

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October 28
The Fulcrum
Resolving the Paradox of Being vs. Non-Being

The annual retreat for the Ridhwan School focused on The Fulcrum, a term A.H. Almaas used to explore the point or interface where one’s consciousness can hold being and non-being (duality & the non-dual). A couple of central question for the retreat were – What is the interplay between these two views of reality? and What is the connection between spiritual practice and enlightenment?

Here is the list of topics for the 16 sessions:
- Continual Practice
- Enlightenment Drive
- Motiveless Practice
- Practice to No End
- Opening Time & Space
- Uncaused Realization
- Non-Self Centered Practice
- Organ of Realization
- Paradox of Non-Doing
- Mystery of Emptiness
- Realization & Delusion
- Living Inquiry
- Living Dialectics
- Not One, Not Two
- Freedom
Items of Interest

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August 25