existential soft rock

Clarify the Waters

2012-01-24T12:09:00.000Z

Andrew Olendzki

"It can be exceedingly difficult to entirely shut off the source of toxic influxes into the mind, especially those that flow in from the deepest reaches of the psyche. This is finally accomplished only by an arahant or a buddha.

Yet there are plenty of ways in which we can stem the flow, working each moment to calm the waters, siphon out the debris, and catch glimpses of what the world looks like when the mind is able to let it all come and go without attachment, appropriation, or interference.

Everything becomes luminous when we clarify the waters and let all things be just what they are."

Green leaf or mobile phone?

2012-01-23T23:51:00.000Z

I have been remembering stories from my biology teaching days but they are now coloured with ‘interbeing’. There was and is some amazing life-forms on the planet: they interact in incredibly sophisticated ways - but ‘intelligent’ is not a good word for them.

We think of intelligence in terms of how we understand ourselves to operate (and that may have very little to do with the ‘real’ reality). That which evolved since the Big Bang had no designer and no planning committee. There are many more extinct species than there are extant ones. There was, is and always will be ‘churn’ - but it is not useful to think of it as intelligent.

Bits of order appear within the chaos and complexity of the cosmos – then they fade away. This is true at cosmic, biological (ecological) and cultural levels. Before long the sun will go out and the solar system will collapse – but this will not be noticed in the immensity of the universe. If there is to be a future beyond that time then by what means will it be realised? Does it make sense to think of an intelligent witness?

250 million years ago the Age of the Dinosaurs came to an abrupt end (due to asteroids) and made room on the planet for mammals. 2.5 million years ago the first Hominids came into existence as small groups of hunters and gatherers. 3,500 years ago agriculture was developing and the first civilizations were established. 20 years ago personal computers became quite common. Last week there was news of the potential collapse of the global financial system.

Which is the more miraculous – a green leaf or a mobile phone?

Language and Uncommon Sense

2011-12-06T15:57:00.000Z

George G Clark, 20 November 2011

I have grey hair and am retired from ‘making a living’. These days my ‘work’ involves making the inner journey by turning the mind around. Metaphorically this involves (a) draining the muddy pool and exposing the hidden treasure; (b) letting the mud settle so that clarity returns; and (c) reprogramming what passes for common sense. The end point is to know the peace that passes all understanding.

But there is more to this ‘work’ than merely cracking norms and shifting paradigms. It involves more than just replacing one world view with another in a culturally relativistic manner. All options are not equal.

We can imagine (a) a continuum of ‘normal’ world views, and (b) various independent ‘abnormal’ world views that are beyond the continuum. But, when cultural trappings are removed from the various ab-normal (spiritual) world views, they are the same – there is what Aldous Huxley famously called the perennial philosophy.

There are many ways to climb the mountain but there is only one summit.

The perennial philosophy recognizes that ‘Reality’ is other than what appears to our culturally conditioned sense organs and brains. The idea is that IF you disengage from your culturally given ‘normal reality’ (which is but one of many on the cultural continuum) THEN you will appreciate the nature of the ‘spiritual reality’. This is the same for all people who manage to strip away the cultural accumulations by which they have been caught.

Language evolved late in human evolution. Arguably it improved communication and the teaching of sophisticated skills amongst competing tribes of hunter/ gatherers. It was so successful that humanity quickly spread across the planet.

But this involved evolutionary emergence rather than managerial predetermination. There was no forward plan (at least before there was consciousness of consciousness). Variations of words and concepts arose and some survived better than others. (see Box 1)

Language would have helped with understanding cause and effect and thus the idea of agency. There would have been practical questions about ‘how’ and philosophical questions about ‘why’. (see Box 2). And the pattern of answers would have evolved through various stages of human evolution (see Box 3)

Box 1: The Beginnings of Language.	Box 2: The Six Questions
Thought experiment – try to guess what some of the first nouns would have been. Then have a go at the first verbs and then the first sentences (Subject Verb Object)	My six good friends are with me now Who, why, what, when, where and how

Box 3: Stages of Human Evolution
Pre-modern (Traditional)	Modern	Post modern
Magic and Myth	Science and Truth	Social constructivism (anything goes)
Priest and King	Technocrat & Businessman	New age hippie

Language appeared a few seconds before midnight on the 24 hour clock of human evolution. Language is new born. As an infant it has served us well. We made stone axes, invented war and agriculture, and put a man on the moon. But language has some serious limitations. But these can be overcome (see below).

There are causes and conditions for all the mental formations that appear in consciousness and in the unconscious. The basic scaffolding is genetic (nature) but the filling in is cultural (nurture). We are hard wired to learn a language but culture controls which specific language we learn and thus our world view.

Eskimo language has fourteen words for snow but none for butterfly!

Different cultures have different languages. When we have a word for a thing it ‘exists’. If there is no word for it then it does not exist.

Language does not offer names for things as they ‘really’ are. ‘Things’ are cultural creations. Children have to be educated/ indoctrinated to carve up the world in socially acceptable ways. Sexism, ageism, racism etc.

But, in this global age, we need to rethink our condition. We need to rise above parochial xenophobia. We need to reconsider the concept of agency and the boundaries of belonging. The good news is that we do not need to begin from scratch. We can put a new spin on the perennial philosophy. Its longevity suggests an element of hard wiring. (Have neurologists really found a God-spot in the brain?)

Cultures have shamans, seers and mystics. They go-between the people and their Gods. They deal with the cause/effect links between the natural and the supernatural worlds. Magic and myth abound and sacrifices are made to placate the dangerous forces of nature and the Gods. But, as we developed, black magic gave way to institutionalised religion and then to science. In the post-modern era we have the existential nihilists. (What’s it all about Alfie?) (See Box 3).

Often the ‘priests’ are closely linked to the powerful, high status groups in developed cultures. There is then a massive outpouring of mumbo jumbo and mellifluous spin. The King/ Emperor/ Pope/ Parent Figure is in touch with the Divine and passes on His/ Her messages to the lowly and obedient workers. But that is aberration.

Some individuals are ‘called’ to the life of a hermit, recluse, or mystic. Some become sages whose understandings are coopted by the power elites to serve their personal ends. But that is aberration.

Mystical loners from various times and places have been to the peak of the spiritual mountain. By sitting quietly doing nothing they clear away their cultural clutter. It becomes apparent that the ‘reality’ (world view) espoused by a particular culture and language is not the ‘real reality’.

Round and round and round in the circle game.

Language supposes boundaries that limit ‘things’. But there is a type of ‘knowing’ that lies beyond words and things. It appreciates the interconnected Oneness which has no beginning or ending but is nonetheless in a constant dance of creation and destruction.

Our infantile language did not evolve to talk of these ‘mystical’ ‘things’ but they can be ‘intuited’. Those who recover the ability for supracultural intuition talk of freedom, of enlightenment, of a release from bondage. They come to know a peace that passes all rational understanding. The best they can do using baby language is to create poetry and paradox. Here are some examples:

The reality that can be described is not the real reality.

Those who speak do not know
Those who know do not speak.

Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form

The impermanence of all created things.

Be still and know (Stillness Speaks)

When one sees Eternity in things that pass away and Infinity in finite things,
then one has pure knowledge.

A few men in all times have longed for Eternity and have attained Eternity,
but only a few.
When the light seen by a few becomes the light of the many,
then man will be able to fulfil himself on this earth.

What has been a Light for a few shall be in time a Light for All.

We are such stuff as dreams are made on:
and our little life is rounded with a sleep

SO:
IF I am to urgently make the inner journey and turn my mind around to find peace, THEN I had best get on with the work of reprogramming my common sense.
OM.

Practice Conscientious Compassion

2011-12-05T10:25:00.001Z

Each of us has some task, some way to practice conscientiouscompassion. The question is: How do we find that task? To find it, a specificmethod can be prescribed.

At the outset, practice the usual meditation on compassion,perhaps for 20 or 30 minutes.

Then focus your attention on several of theformidable problems that loom before humanity today:

futile and self-destructive wars,
rampant military spending,
global warming,
violations of human rights,
poverty and global hunger,
the exploitation of women,
our treatment of animals,
the abuse of the environment, or
any other concern that comes to mind.

Reflect briefly on these problems, one by one, aware of howyou respond to them.

At some point, you will start to recognize that one of theseproblems, more than the others, tugs at the strings of your heart. These innerpangs suggest that this is the particular issue to which you should dedicateyour time and energy.

- Bhikkhu Bodhi, "The Need of the Hour"

PARANOID ABOUT PREDATORS

2011-11-29T23:34:00.000Z

There is a creative writing technique that involves producingstories that link seven words picked at random from a dictionary. The last word becomes the title of the pieceand the first three words must all be used in the first paragraph. Try for lessthan 250 words in total.

The procedure fascinates me. Plausible fictions can bequickly cobbled together from a small number of randomly selected elements. Howis this possible? Why is this possible?

The mind is trying to ‘make sense’ of the various ‘bits’ of ‘mentalstuff’ that are available. New stuff is continuously arriving through the sensedoors and being categorised as ‘similar’ to stuff in the ‘memory’. Pastknowledge of cause and effect relationships (whether ‘right’ or ‘wrong’) canthen be used to guide responses to the external stimuli.

Consider what might be going through the mind of a Thompson’sGazelle. “What is that smell? Why have the birds stopped singing? What is thatspotty thing moving slowly through the long grass?” There are the makings of a nothing-butformula –

smell + sound +sight = cheetah = death = panic response = enhanced ability to run away

But we can dig deeper into this thought experiment and createa more subtle set of links and of cause and effect chains.

We need a lot of coding and decoding to move informationfrom here to there. Physical inputs from the sense doors move along the sensoryneurones to ‘appropriate parts’ of the brain where they are ‘conceptualised’, and‘judged’ (pleasant, neutral, unpleasant). And they are then passed on to the partsof the brain that deal with responses in physiology (hormones), psychology(thoughts and emotions) and movement (muscles and bones).

The system evolved rather than having been designed fromscratch. ‘Redundancy’ is to be expected. Traces of the main stimulus/ responsechains will diffuse to other areas of the brain where they contribute to the brain’sever-changing, integrated ‘world view’.

We can imagine what the Gazelle might be feeling andthinking. Panic attack, red alert, cheetah (or is it?) in the long grass to thesouth. Head north at warp speed – shut down other life support systems so thatall energy can be used for running.

But it might be a trap. Keep a look out for other cheetahswaiting in the north. Keep yourself between the cheetah and the young calves.Be prepared to counterattack if need be. Consider if there might be otherdangers – unleash the paranoia. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Making sense of the world involves combining sensory inputswith memories. From the past and the present we create all manner of imaginedfutures with incredible speed. The human brain and its language ability arefine tuned story telling instruments. They have served us well over theancestral years. Perhaps it is time to rethink restlessness, anxiety, stress, depression,neurosis and paranoia. In these changing times real sanity rests with those whoare abnormal in a creative sort of way.

ACTIVITY:Drag out a dictionary and write a seven word story.
WARNING :You willbe stunned by what your brain produces.

Sounds True

2011-11-23T19:47:00.000Z

Sounds True A lot of good stuff

my booklets available for download

2011-11-23T12:31:00.000Z

story of story

2011-11-14T16:25:00.000Z

BBC World Service - “A short history of story”

(Noah Richler) (programme1 and 2)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ldy9q

IPlayer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00ldy9q

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00lf0gh

Podcast

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/docarchive_20111105-1900a.mp3

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/docarchive_20111111-1525a.mp3

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Part 1.

Noah Richler traces the development of storytelling from theearliest creation myths through to today's online gaming and the recording ofour personal lives by way of social media.

In the first programme he shows how creation myths andcautionary tales were created to explain humans' place in the world, and how weshould conduct ourselves in it.

And when groups came into contact with each other, myths andepics were invented which showed how they might deal with the threats and dangerthat sprang from conflict.

The arrival of the novel he argues came at a time whensociety felt less threatened and so could explore the highways and byways ofliving our lives.

Among those taking part in the series are Steven Pinker,Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, anthropologist Hugh Brody,Canadian poet Robert Bringhurst and artificial intelligence expert DavidFerrucci.

Part 2

Noah Richler traces the development of storytelling from theearliest creation myths through to today's online gaming and the recording ofour personal lives by way of social media.

The second programme looks at how creation myths and epicsin the 21st Century continue to be part of our experience of storytelling, andthat through computer games and social media people assume different identities– hero, villain, warrior, and peacemaker.

The series ends with the thought that perhaps we humans arethe servant of the story, the vessel through which story lives, and it's thesurvival of 'story' that is paramount.

When You Prepare Food

2011-10-25T10:05:00.000Z

When you prepare food, do not see with ordinary eyes and do not think with ordinary mind.

Take up a blade of grass and construct a treasure king's land; enter into a particle of dust and turn the great dharma wheel. Do not arouse disdainful mind when you prepare a broth of wild grasses; do not arouse joyful mind when you prepare a fine cream soup.

Where there is no discrimination, how can there be distaste? Thus, do not be careless even when you work with poor materials, and sustain your efforts even when you have excellent materials.

Never change your attitude according to the materials. If you do, it is like varying your truth when speaking with different people; then you are not a practitioner of the way.

– Zen Master Dogen, "Instructions for the Tenzo"
Tricycle Daily Dharma October 25, 2011
http://www.tricycle.com/-food/instructions-tenzo

magnificent moaners

2011-10-22T19:31:00.000Z

In the old days those who were prone to anxiety, stress and depression were less likely to get eaten by lions than were the cheery, rose-tinted optimists. So the morose had more children and morosity mushroomed. Paranoia is in our genes for a reason.

So, let us put our hands together for the mutterings of the moaning morose. They are the bright hopes for the future. Or, if that seems over the top, then let us at least give them credit for being critical of and resistant to the status quo. As R D Laing (more or less) noted, in an insane world the truly sane are labelled as nutters.

Free Shopping for Elders

2011-10-12T14:29:00.000Z

George G Clark, 12 October 2011

There is a small supermarket 325 footsteps east of my front door. Every day a cornucopia of goods is delivered by the invisible hand of commerce and a series of large trucks. The goods are attractively arranged on the shelves where I go hunting and gathering for the bits and pieces of plants and animals that I need to survive. Then I use a plastic card to connect to a computer that links to the data clouds of cyberspace to arrange the magical movement of funds from my bank account to that of the supermarket.

But the computer does many clever things apart from shifting cash. For example it keeps track of stock and lets ‘HQ’ know how much of what needs to be delivered in the next few days and therefore how many bananas to buy from Belize.

The computer also keeps track of what you have bought in the past and provides you with customised recommendations for items that match your profile. This can be seen as either (a) very useful or helpful or (b) as unwelcome interference in what occupies your attention. This raises the issues of advertising and the manufacture of desire! If you don’t know it exists you won’t buy it. Beware of fads and fashions!

In the old days families would grow most of their food in their own gardens. These days most gardens are landscaped with low maintenance, lifeless gravel; and with cement and tarmac to give parking space for the family car(s). The subsistence economy is now well gone as is the freedom from the need for money. We are all now wage slaves in the cash economy.

We need food. We need money to buy food. We need a job to earn the money. Many modern jobs are boring, repetitive and do not pay well. The workers grunt for peanuts and the managers and shareholders slurp the profits. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

I am now entering the post-work stage of life. I was always careful with money and now have savings and a modest pension. And - I am not a dedicated follower of fads and fashions. So - I no longer have to work for shopping money. I have unlocked the chains of wage slavery. I am FREE FROM all of that.

But what am I FREE FOR?

To wholeheartedly breathe, eat, pee and poop?

I am a fleeting item in the global ecosystem. Commerce conspires to bring Belizean bananas to a small supermarket. 650 footsteps there and back. Peel it, pop it in my mouth, extract the goodness. The remains are in the faeces that are flushed into the sewerage system that runs past my front door and leads to the North Sea and thus back across the Atlantic in the Gulf Stream to Belize.

Round and round and round in the circle game.

[Joni Mitchell]

bandw

2011-10-11T19:12:00.000Z

What is it?

From Bothy CC B&W

Attending to Attention

2011-09-19T21:23:00.000Z

George G Clark, 18 September 2011

Cerebral stuff includes conscious, semi-conscious and unconscious thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is logistically impossible to capture it all and this begs some tough questions - (a) which bits are, or are not, featured in your attention centre?; (b) what are the decision rules that govern the choice?; (c) what is the action agency?; and (d) is the system open to change and, if so, by whom and how?

We are not wired for 24/7 busyness. We need time out for sleep and for waking stillness. We can then process our inputs by reacting and responding to them in a considered and appropriate way. Your vital brain is forever churning the cerebral stuff, linking new bits to old, and creating story fragments with feeling tones ranging through pleasant and neutral to unpleasant.

BUT those who were neutral to signals from nearby lions were soon dead. The same fate awaits those who challenge the hierarchy and the groupthink. It is better to overreact by being hyper vigilant. Nervousness and paranoia are useful for survival in nature and will therefore have been cemented in place by evolution.

BUT there is often division of labour amongst ‘social’ animals. Hamadryas baboons appoint particular individuals as vigilant watchmen and the rest of the troupe can therefore drop their guard. Some individuals can thus be at ease and focus attention on other, important things (eg screenwriting for popular soap operas).

BUT then consider the ‘gated’ compounds for the human haves (them) when they live close to the dangerous have-nots (us). Then consider ‘who guards against the compound guards’? – evolved paranoia wins again! They are out to get us. The price of authenticity and freedom is to pay attention to, and thus have some control over, the cerebral stuff that passes through your attention centre.

Socrates reckoned that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living.’ But he was a boring old fart who lived in ancient times. Is it not better to be a conscientious, capitalist consumer and a fanatical follower of frivolous fads and ephemeral fashions? What sort of cerebral stuff tends to occupy your attention centre? Do you feel a need for change? Are you paranoid enough to survive in modern civilisation?

Hegemony doesn’t seem to rule - OK

Peace begins with a smile

2011-08-28T11:15:00.000Z

Peace begins with a smile

Suffering is not enough

2011-08-28T10:19:00.000Z

“Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time.

“If we are not happy, if we are not peaceful, we cannot share peace and happiness with others … If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace … If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it.”

(Thich Nhat Hahn (1987) Being Peace)

Maslow 2.0: A New and Improved Recipe for Happiness - Hans Villarica - Life - The Atlantic

2011-08-26T12:38:00.001Z

Maslow 2.0: A New and Improved Recipe for Happiness - Hans Villarica - Life - The Atlantic

Righteous Mind

2011-08-23T08:02:00.000Z

Jonathan Haidt has a new book out “The Righteous Mind - Why good people are divided by politics and religion”. http://www.righteousmind.com/ This could be hugely influential

Oxytocin: could the 'trust hormone' rebond our troubled world? | Science | The Observer

2011-08-21T11:31:00.000Z

Oxytocin: could the 'trust hormone' rebond our troubled world? | Science | The Observer

brushwork

2011-08-15T13:07:00.000Z

brushwork

What is there to be scared of?

What defines Western Buddhism?

2011-08-11T11:00:00.000Z

The defining characteristic of the emerging Western Buddhism is a basic pragmatism, rather than an adherence to some philosophical system or sectarian viewpoint. What most characterizes the One Dharma of the West is an allegiance to a very simple question: What works? What works to free the mind from suffering? What works to accomplish the heart of compassion? What works to awaken us from the dream states of our ignorance?

- Joseph Goldstein, "One Dharma"
http://www.tricycle.com/feature/one-dharma

No Exits

2011-08-07T13:38:00.000Z

Monastic life isn’t tough because you have to work hard all day long. It isn’t tough because you don’t have any time for yourself. It isn’t tough because there is no time to practice. It’s tough because there are no exits and you come up so close to yourself.”

—“No Place to Hide” by Pema Chödrön

Community Media - Interactive World: If the World were a Global Village ...

2011-08-07T10:58:00.000Z

Community Media - Interactive World: If the World were a Global Village ...

milgram's should

2011-08-01T18:49:00.002Z

Cutting Ties: The Fruits of Solitude | Tricycle

2011-07-05T10:37:00.000Z

Cutting Ties: The Fruits of Solitude | Tricycle

Cutting Ties: The Fruits of Solitude - Pema Chödrön walks us through Shantideva's prescription for solitude, verse by verse.

BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - All in the Mind, 21/06/2011

2011-07-03T11:33:00.000Z

BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - All in the Mind, 21/06/2011

Buddhism In America: What Is The Future?

2011-06-16T23:49:00.000Z

Buddhism In America: What Is The Future?

the brain - a user's manual

2011-05-17T15:01:00.000Z

As thinking beings we are how the Universe is becoming conscious of its(our)self.

So don’t waste your brain by driving it like a crawling sportscar forever in first gear.

Where can we find a user’s manual for the brain?

concept cobbling

2011-05-05T12:34:00.000Z

I no longer have ‘lessons’ ready to deliver. These days I prefer dialogue. It is not as if there is a truth out there - it is a matter of individual brains (existences) cobbling together a few stray inputs from genes, culture and serendipity. (Clark)

apprehend religion

2011-04-19T17:39:00.000Z

"Religion, therefore, as I now ask you arbitrarily to take it, shall mean for us the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine.

Since the relation may be either moral, physical, or ritual, it is evident that out of religion in the sense in which we take it, theologies, philosophies, and ecclesiastical organizations may secondarily grow."

- William James

be the happiness

2011-04-14T12:42:00.000Z

Rhinoceros

2011-04-12T14:24:00.000Z

Fare lonely as the rhinoceros?

More ...

timely entanglement

2011-04-11T12:19:00.000Z

Time is a straightjacket that ties up your day.

to the woods

2011-04-08T11:33:00.000Z

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau

LiveReal.com - Adventures in Modern Spirituality, Psychology, Self-Help and Relationships

2011-04-03T23:52:00.000Z

LiveReal.com - Adventures in Modern Spirituality, Psychology, Self-Help and Relationships

language chains

2011-04-01T10:34:00.002Z

Language is not brilliant but it is more or less all we have by way of communicating with others (or, is 80% non-verbal?)

More ...

connections

2011-03-31T12:06:00.001Z

March 31, 2011
Tricycle Daily Dharma

The Illusory Nature of Phenomena

When we look around us, we can see that nothing exists in isolation, which is another way of saying that everything is interdependent. Everything depends upon an infinite number of causes and conditions to come into being, arise, and fall away moment by moment. Because they are interdependent, things don’t possess a true existence of their own.

For instance, how could we separate a flower from the many causes and conditions that produce it —water, soil, sun, air, seed, and so forth? Can we find a flower that exists independently from these causes and conditions?

Everything is so intricately connected, it is hard to point to where one thing starts and another ends. This is what is meant by the illusory or empty nature of phenomena.

Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche, "The Theater of Reflection"

whose reality counts

2011-03-27T16:12:00.000Z

enoughness

2011-03-27T10:52:00.000Z

Celebrating the concept of "enoughness", Silva (Rohan Silva, senior policy adviser to the prime minister) claimed that "the three pillars of the 'big society' are all consistent with Schumacher". These pillars are,

the decentralisation of power;
public service reform; and
social community reform helping people to come together to work responsibly for the common good.

We have, said Silva, "an urgent sense of needing to embrace enoughness".

More ...

beautiful

2011-03-27T10:39:00.000Z

Man's task is twofold, first "to fully develop oneself" and second, "to form one's relationship to other people – family, groups, one's countrymen, mankind – sensibly, ethically, or expressed quite simply, with joy." (Schumacher, 1948)

"We can, each of us," (Schumacher) writes, "work to put our inner house in order." The guidance for this task, he concluded, should not come from the state, or from science and technology, but from humanity itself, "the traditional wisdom of mankind".

More ...

right might?

2011-03-20T11:57:00.000Z

“How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!” 2 Samuel 1:27

???

approaches

2011-03-14T09:47:00.000Z

There may be only one mountain top but there are endless approach roads and partial maps. (Clark, 2011)

More ...

invisible realities

2011-03-11T11:53:00.000Z

Free Yourself from Ego

Even if we have a well-organized outer life, it can be very difficult for us to find inner happiness because we can never be satisfied so long as we have not cut the attachments due to ego. There is no end to it — it wants more and more — without any limit.

The ego is insatiable. So it seems necessary to work on that, to free ourselves from ego, with the help of teachings, especially the Buddha's teachings ... (There) we will find all kinds of ways and means of developing peace both externally and internally.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, "Invisible Realities"

graceful blisters?

2011-03-10T11:57:00.000Z

In life as in dance: grace glides on blistered feet. (ALICE ABRAMS)

No pain, no gain.

The devil finds work for idle hands to do.

Arising and Passing

2011-02-15T12:18:00.000Z

February 15, 2011, Tricycle Daily Dharma
Arising and Passing
Whether pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, gross or subtle, every sensation shares the same characteristic: it arises and passes away, arises and passes away. It is this arising and passing that we have to experience through practice, not just accept as truth because Buddha said so, not just accept because intellectually it seems logical enough to us. We must experience sensation’s nature, understand its flux, and learn not to react to it.

—S.N. Goenka, “Finding Sense in Sensation”

wasted life

2011-02-13T12:46:00.000Z

"Don't waste your life". Our lives are made of days and hours, and each hour is precious. Have we wasted our hours and our days? Are we wasting our lives? (Thich Nhat Hahn)

Wisebrain.org

2011-01-19T15:22:00.000Z

Wisebrain.org: "Welcome to WiseBrain, bringing you skillful means for happiness, love, and wisdom – from the fertile common ground of psychology, neurology, and contemplative practice."

maps

2011-01-18T10:47:00.000Z

The map (object) is not the territory (concrete referent).
I live in a world of home made maps.
I am free to draw and redraw those maps at will.
I am also free to ignore them.
So much freedom when you think about thinking!

More ...

mindfully responding

2011-01-18T10:27:00.000Z

Normal life is subject to an ongoing and ever changing set of causes and conditions rooted in parts by nature, nurture and by random events. These channel our automatic reactions and mindful responses to external and internal stimuli. The ever changing nature of the system allows ‘you’ to mindfully respond this way rather than that. The freedom to be creative and original is therefore rooted in being mindful. (Clark, Jan 2011)

primrose path to peace

2011-01-01T14:47:00.000Z

The reality which can be described is not the real reality. There is only spin from human minds. And all human minds are erratically conditioned by time, place and parents and so are chaotic, jumbled and trippling with inconsistencies. Pose value and spin, even when perpetrated with integrity, is all there is. Or is it? (Clark, 2000).

To read more click here

moments

2010-12-31T10:42:00.000Z

The Italian poet Cesare Pavese wrote in his journal that we never remember days, we remember only moments.

nature nurture options

2010-12-22T13:55:00.000Z

Nature v nurture – the options
George Clark, 16 July 2008

The nature v nurture debate is likely to be around for some time. The following table might help to inform discussion by injecting shades of grey into what is often a polarised, black v white confrontation.

There are causes and conditions for our nature and our nurture and in both cases these can be thought of as
good, neutral or bad. By plotting these options on a table we can generate nine viewpoints.

Viewpoint 1 is of rosy optimism while viewpoint 9 is of gloomy pessimism. The other viewpoints take intermediary positions. People choose their ‘facts’ and argue accordingly.

I tend to viewpoint 1 but with reservations. Our natural hard wiring suits as to live harmoniously in tribal society and many patterns of nurturing have evolved to fit us intimately to our particular social and physical environments. But, in our modern globalized world, our natures are having a hard time keeping up with our novel patterns of nurture.

The good news is that there are those among us who begin to understand what is going on in a holistic, multi-disciplinary and systematic way. With a better understanding of our natures we can tweak our nurturing forces so as to better adapt us to the many aspects of the modern world with which we have to deal – Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic, Political, Legal and Spiritual (STEEPLeS).

All seven factors interact but it is perhaps useful to note that the ‘spiritual’ factor has been largely ignored in recent times. This factor can be seen as linked to mindfulness meditation and thus to a new psychology of perception. This takes it out of the shadow of ‘religion’ and, arguably, helps give practitioners the experience of human nature being in essence good – we evolved to live in harmony with each other and with our physical environment.

fuzzy churn

2010-12-21T14:46:00.000Z

I have a reconditioned mind. I will hang around at the keyboard to see what it turns up. I now have total faith in ‘my’ ability to create something to occupy the attention centre. There is thus no need to fear boredom. The mind’s ability to lock on to issues and activities is totally dependable.

The mind conjures up topics for attention - endlessly. If the external environment (as internally interpreted) does not appear to have much to offer, then the internal environment (as if there was anything else!) is a bottomless pit of images, emotions and story lines.

Daydreaming is like channel hopping on the telly except that (a) there is no telly and (b) there are no channels. The rational brain tries to set up dualities and construct categories and preferences but, in reality, one thing slides into another in that great, fuzzy churn which is the flux as interpreted by my reconditioned mind.

(Clark, Nov 2002)

walk it yourself

2010-12-21T13:34:00.000Z

The task is to switch off the conditioned automatic pilot that has been guiding you since infancy and to take control of your own life; to live intentionally rather than robotically. The task is to become mind-full rather than mind-less. Doctor heal yourself.

The good news is that all you need is already within. The bad news is that the automatic pilot is rigged so that you rarely glimpse the underlying mechanisms and, when you do, you are conditioned to ignore them.

The further good news is that, through the centuries, there have been heroes and heroines who managed to re-condition themselves and leave guidebooks. These are readily available and, in these uncertain terms, are in increasing demand.

The road has been charted and remains in excellent condition. All you need is an increasing awareness of its existence and a growing urge to travel along it. As Woody Guthrie said, "Nobody here can walk it for you, you gotta walk it by yourself."

(Clark, Nov 2002)

large TV

2010-12-21T12:44:00.000Z

"The word ‘God’ is a label for a state of mind. There areunusual states of mind – the muse, being in flow, being awestruck and/orentranced etc. In contrast there is the ‘ordinary mind’.

The ordinary mind is aguest at the inn of the non-ordinary mind which is the host. All humansuffering results from the guest having usurped the host and locked him/her inthe basement. Peace of mind and the wisdom which results will appear once aseemly balance between host and guest has been re-established.

How to re-establish the balance?

The guest is like a large television setplaying at full volume in the corner of a small room in an infinitely largemansion. The task is to switch off the telly and pay attention to the smallroom.

You will soon realise that the walls are illusions and that what at firstappears to be a large mansion has no more substance than a passing cloud. Thehost is the everywhere and always that is the here and now. The Life Force isthe ceaseless churn of birth and death. There is only an ongoing stream ofcreation and destruction as fleeting and fluid manifestations of the Onenessdoing what the Oneness does." (Clark, Nov 2002)

passing clouds

2010-12-21T11:16:00.000Z

"We rarely indulge in bare sensing of reality; we invariably make the raw 'thing' part of a story where it is linked to all manner of other thoughts and feelings." (Clark, 2008)

More on tethering clouds

on whims

2010-12-20T10:16:00.000Z

"I now live mainly in retreat where I embrace stillness and sometimes know the peace that it brings. But the mind has a mind of its own - old habits flare up and die hard. Mindfulness illumines the dark side where demons lurk. Many that used to be hidden can now occupy the foreground of attention. There is the uneasy transition to transcendence where mighty whims contend. It is a common pattern - " (Clark, 2008)

"Come to the path as humorously aware as possible of the baggage you will be bringing with you: your lacks, fantasies, failings and projections. Blend with a soaring awareness of what our true nature might be, a down-to-earth and level-headed humility, and a clear appreciation of where you are on your spiritual journey and what still remains to be understood and accomplished."
Sogyal Rinpoche (1992) The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (p131)

More on the 'power of whims at http://dodclark.blogspot.com/2008/01/power-of-whims.html

true freedom

2010-12-19T11:58:00.001Z

December 19, 2010; Tricycle Daily Dharma; http://www.tricycle.com/

What is True Freedom?

"When I look for freedom today I find it not in fantasy orin dreams, but in my sitting practice. What kind of freedom is it that existsin doing nothing?

It is the freedom not to interfere or react. It is thefreedom to merely observe. I don’t have to judge the trauma that arises inmind. I don’t have to get involved with the hundred narratives that might tryto occupy my mind during the day.

In not clinging to thoughts and ideas, wants and desires,hatreds and resentments, the bondages of my most negative thoughts and emotionshave faded into a haze that still arises but no longer dominates my life. Ihave found freedom: it is the freedom of nonattachment, the freedom to notcling and to not resist. It is the freedom to allow myself to be with myself."

- Ananda Baltrunas, "A Prison of Desire"

plus-minus

2010-12-10T18:05:00.000Z

“By bringing about a certain inner discipline, we can undergo a transformation of our attitude, our entire outlook and approach to living … one begins by identifying those factors which lead to happiness and those factors that lead to suffering. Having done this, one sets about gradually eliminating those factors that lead to suffering and cultivating those that lead to happiness. That is the way.”
Dalai Lama (1998) “The Art of Happiness”

coffee ceremony

2010-11-29T10:25:00.000Z

This morning I really noticed the coffee as I wasdrinking it. My attention was caught by the steam rising from the cup and Icould smell the aroma. Then I sipped it and the warm, sweet liquid coated thefront of my tongue before sliding to the back of my mouth and disappearing downthe gullet. A mini coffee ceremony.

mind made

2010-11-21T13:18:00.000Z

Reality is mind made and short lived.
One thought moment after another.

20 Amazing Examples of Co-dependence in Wild Animals

2010-11-11T10:24:00.001Z

20 Amazing Examples of Co-dependence in Wild Animals - nature astonishes!

spiritual reading

2010-10-25T11:06:00.000Z

Lectio Divina

"You will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading. And as to him who neglects it, the fact will soon be observed by his progress."

-- from an Easter letter by Saint Athanasius.

creative quietude

2010-10-22T18:39:00.000Z

Creative Quietude

Huston Smith (1958,1991) The World’s Religions;
isbn 0062508113 (p207-209)

Creative quietude combines within a single individual twoseemingly incompatible conditions - supreme activity and supreme relaxation.These seeming incompatibles can coexist because human beings are notself-enclosed entities. They ride an unbounded sea of Tao that sustains them,as we would say, through their subliminal minds.

One way to create is through following the calculateddirectives of the conscious mind. The results of this mode of action, however,are seldom impressive; they tend to smack more of sorting and arranging than ofinspiration.

Genuine creation, as every artist knows, comes when themore abundant resources of the subliminal self are somehow tapped. But for thisto happen a certain dissociation from the surface self is needed. The consciousmind must relax, stop standing in its own light, let go. Only so is it possibleto break through the law of reversed effort in which the more we try the moreour efforts boomerang.

“Doyou have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?”
Tao Teh Ching (ch 15)

my spiritual journey

2010-10-20T20:22:00.002Z

My spiritual journey

George G Clark, 20 Oct 2010

At a recent meeting of my meditation group I was paired with Wendy to share thoughts and feelings about our spiritual journey. We quickly realised that neither of us had ever dealt with our spiritual journey as a story. This article thus offers a brief outline of my yarn.

I am over 60 and my spiritual journey is ongoing. The causes and conditions that guided it began with conception and will end in the coffin. I no longer remember the earliest steps but for the last 45 years I have kept a journal. I can therefore check for distortions that might appear on memory's faulty mirror.

I grew up in a fishing village in the north east of Scotland and was involved with archaeology while at school. This began an ongoing fascination for cultural evolution and thus for change and thus for the possibility of 'better ways to be human'. While at University I studied psychology and zoology and my interests drifted towards primate social behaviour, the social sciences, and the creative works of Jack Kerouac and Herman Hesse.

My teaching career began in Edinburgh where I befriended Andy who was an economist and had worked as a volunteer in Africa. We spent many long evenings putting the world to rights: and I began to read the wisdom literature (east and west) and to build my 'spiritual' library. I had the scent of 'the fearless peace that passes all understanding' - but my appreciation remained largely intellectual.

Then there was a busy secular period. I served as teacher, curriculum developer, teacher trainer, examiner, inspector, education advisor and plain language editor in six tropical countries. But I also took time out for deep reflection while working towards two Master degrees, and making five lengthy 'retreats' back in the village.

Over the last 15 years I have been recording my thoughts about the spiritual path and making them publicly available. This began in Lesotho (95-98) where I wrote words of faith (eastern versions) for a local newspaper. I subsequently put the 16 short pieces online as "The Essence of Faiths - Whispers from Everywhere"[1]

The wheel of spiritual writing was then in motion. After Lesotho I web-enabled a set of 68 short pieces under the title "Let it begin with me - A rough guide to mind training and meditation"[2]. This includes four sections dealing with classic eastern, recent eastern, western, and home grown.

In 2002 I began an ongoing blog called "existential soft rock - mental re-construction through just sitting - be still and know"[3]. This is a mix of quotes and links with a sprinkling of more recent, home grown 'spiritual' articles (386 posts at 20 Oct 2010).

So what ground has my spiritual journey covered so far?

It cannot be cleanly separated from my overall journey as a facilitator of learning. But I now appreciate that there are two distinct modes of learning that should be in balance (a) the rational, objective mode (head) and (b) the intuitive, subjective mode (heart).

Spirituality need not involve 'religion'. It is best seen as a psychology of perception. The key task is to make time for stillness and thus to notice what you are thinking and feeling; and thus to be mindful (aware) of mental habits in the present moment; and thus to freely respond, rather than automatically react, to the stuff that enters the attention centre.

I am now adjusting to retirement. This includes a dis-eased feeling of world weariness and burn out - a downturn on the roller coaster ride through life. But I now appreciate the impermanence of all created things and it is thus possible to go peacefully with the ongoing flow while sitting with the meditation group or increasingly by myself. I draw inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh's thoughts on 'being the peace you seek'. The key, initial, spiritual recommendation for beginners is "Don't just do something - sit there!" Thus will be found fearless peace and better ways to be human.

[1] http://www.toonloon.bizland.com/whispers/

[2] http://www.srds.co.uk/begin/

[3] http://dodclark.blogspot.com/

three-lights

2010-09-24T12:07:00.000Z

"We have not one Enlightenment project but three: a Western one based on rational thought, an Eastern one based on seeing through the illusion of the Self, and a Postmodern one based on the concept of socially constructed reality. And despite their many differences, they share the common goal of liberation." [Anderson] more ...

http://www.srds.co.uk/begin/third_light.htm

poo

2010-09-22T15:08:00.000Z

Healthy dump - good size, colour and consistency.

Mindfulness of poo.

The other end of eating.

ranting-editing

2010-09-21T19:54:00.001Z

Ranting - and editing the word of God

George G Clark, 21 September 2010

For our present purpose rants can be thought of as "high energy linguistic outbursts". These can be rational or emotional, and they can be written or spoken.

In rational written rant mode you begin with a brainstorm from which you develop an outline and then flesh it out. In emotional written rant mode you just write the story as it flows from the unconscious: it is as if there is an independent inner author, as if you are just channeling the outputs from the muse, as if you are taking dictation from the word of God (or the devil!)

Ideally the output from the muse would be flawless but, at least in my case, this rarely happens. Most often there is interplay between the rational and the emotional. When being rational there can be 'Aha' moments that greatly enliven the basic story. And, when being 'creative', the emotional outbursts can normally benefit from pruning and rearranging by a cool-headed editor.

Spoken ranting is similar to written ranting but is more immediate and is less susceptible to editing after the event.

Gifted spoken ranters are in essence high energy story tellers who have learned to marry the rational and the emotional. At the other end of the spectrum are those uncontrolled ranters of whom it might be said that 'they open their mouths and let their bellies rumble'. And in the middle position are those more balanced conversationalists who heed the request to 'please engage brain before opening mouth'.

Daily life offers an endless stream of more or less engaging rants from family and friends. And, if that is not enough to meet your need for animated communication, you can always top up on outputs from the media, and increasingly from ICT assisted social networks. Humanity is not short of ranters who are prone to high energy linguistic outbursts and to expressing the word of their God This is a living example!

heart-sing

2010-09-21T19:51:00.000Z

What makes your heart sing?

George G Clark, 20 September 2010

When your heart is singing you enjoy what you are doing and willingly go the extra mile. You are kindly disposed towards everybody and everything. You act with grace rather than with a grudge. You are happy and smile a lot. So what is the root of that hallowed state of coronary operatics?

It varies from person to person but there are some underlying principles. Your ‘personality’ and general attitude to life will have their causes and conditions. These are rooted in (a) nature (your genes), (b) nurture (your culture, sub culture, community and family), and (c) chance (whether the lightning strikes you or your neighbour).

You cannot do much about nature and chance but the nurture door is wide open. Like most people you will be driven by habitual ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’. By taking thought you can recognise and transform these and be born again. You can unleash the muse that lies waiting in us all and then move effortlessly with the natural flow of things in your new world.

The key is to set aside some quiet time to be a witness to what goes on in your head. You notice what you are noticing and feeling and you think about what you are thinking. This allows you to respond thoughtfully rather than react automatically. Such freedom and control is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face.

But there is more. Mystics of all times and places tell us that ‘witnessing’ leads to appreciation of (a) the illusory nature of the self, and (b) the churning vital force that is the Oneness. From this point of view we are each integral parts of an immense, timeless and benign universal process. Is it any wonder that such realisations set the mind free and make the heart sing.

wild elephant

2010-09-18T10:09:00.000Z

"Ancient Pali texts liken meditation to the process of taming a wild elephant. The procedure in those days was to tie a newly captured animal to a post with a good strong rope. When you do this the elephant is not happy. He screams and tramples, and pulls against the rope for days. Finally it sinks through his skull that he can't get away, and he settles down. At this point you can begin to feed him and to handle him with some measure of safety. Eventually you can dispense with the rope and post altogether, and train your elephant for various tasks. Now you've got a tamed elephant that can be put to useful work.

In this analogy the wild elephant is your wildly active mind, the rope is mindfulness, and the post is our object of meditation -- breathing. The tamed elephant who emerges from this process is a well trained, concentrated mind that can then be used for the exceedingly tough job of piercing the layers of illusion that obscure reality. Meditation tames the mind."

Henepola Gunaratana
http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english_9.php

deconditioning

2010-09-10T09:20:00.000Z

"Deeply habituated cultural, social, religious, familial, and personal karmic conditionings dominate the untrained mind. Awareness practice brings these forces into view for observation."

- Steve Armstrong
- http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/got-attitude?offer=dharma

in praise of solitude

2010-08-26T16:35:00.000Z

“In praise of solitude”. Lots of people have written about it. The following list begins with four individual impressions then moves on through Thoreau and official psychology to a couple of Buddhism sources. The transpersonal dimension is not always appreciated. Contemplatives unite - yoh!

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/garrison_keillor/2009/06/24/solitude
http://zenhabits.net/creative-habit/
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2009/02/16/in-praise-of-solitude/
http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org/library/in-praise-solitude

http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden05.html
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199802/the-call-solitude

Shantideva
http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/cutting-ties-the-fruits-solitude
Wander alone like a rhinoceros
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.03.than.html

secular acorn to spiritual oak

2010-08-18T11:11:00.000Z

To be an acorn is to have a taste for being an oak tree.
(Thomas Merton)

calm

2010-08-12T22:44:00.000Z

"Beware the barrenness of a busy life."
(Socrates)

time is a changing

2010-08-08T18:43:00.000Z

FAST TIMES, SLOW TIMES - An Interview with Moussa Ag Assarid

http://www.limglobal.net/readings/110.html

puddle drunk

2010-08-07T16:18:00.000Z

“The ordinary person is like a drunkard lying in a mud puddle. Someone arouses him and says, “This puddle is no place to be lying down in.” The drunkard glares angrily and says, “I have never drunk alcohol - why do you slander me?” These days the whole world suffers from the drunkard’s illness. How can I find one who isn’t drunk to talk with?” (Zibo (1543-1604))

discourse

2010-07-27T12:20:00.000Z

Post-modern discourse - utterances need hyperlinks that lead to other utterances that need hyperlinks … and so on - till silence takes over.

Language and Freeedom: Meaning in Zen - Book Review by John Crook

2010-07-27T11:30:00.000Z

Language and Freeedom: Meaning in Zen - Book Review by John Crook: "

What is the place of Zen in contemporary thought, the relation of Buddhist metaphysics to philosophy and the value of ancient texts to thinking people today? These and related questions form the subject matter of this intelligent, subtle and provoking book. Dale S. Wright, Professor of Religious Studies, Occidental College, Los Angeles, provides a thought provoking read especially for those of us concerned with problems of representing Buddhism, and Zen in particular, within Western culture today."

The Sound Of Stillness

2010-07-23T13:34:00.000Z

The Sound Of Stillness: "The Sound Of Stillness -
Exploring darkness and light at an eight-day silent retreat"

dharma gravity

2010-07-16T13:23:00.000Z

Gravity is present for all people in all places - whether or not there is an articulated law. The same is true of the dharma. Thus there might well be ordinary western people who are enlightened in the Buddhist sense although they know nothing about Buddhism.

idleness good

2010-07-12T12:02:00.001Z

"I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work.

First of all: what is work? Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. The second kind is capable of indefinite extension: there are not only those who give orders, but those who give advice as to what orders should be given. Usually two opposite kinds of advice are given simultaneously by two organized bodies of men; this is called politics. The skill required for this kind of work is not knowledge of the subjects as to which advice is given, but knowledge of the art of persuasive speaking and writing, i.e. of advertising ...The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery."

Bertrand Russell (1932) 'In Praise of Idleness' http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html

flow - challenges and skills

2010-07-08T17:55:00.000Z

in flow

2010-07-08T17:49:00.000Z

How does it feel to be in flow?

http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html

1. Completely involved in what we are doing - focused, concentrated
2. A sense of ecstasy - of being outside everyday reality
3. Great inner clarity - knowing what needs to be done, and how well we are doing
4. Knowing that the activity is doable - that our skills are adequate to the task
5. A sense of serenity - no worries about oneself, and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego
6. Timelessness - thoroughly focussed on the present, hours seem to pass by in minutes
7. Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces flow becomes its own reward

inward journey

2010-07-01T12:55:00.002Z

"The longest journey is the journey inward" Dag Hammarskjold (Swedish diplomat (1905 - 1961)

wise talk

2010-07-01T10:15:00.000Z

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something" Plato (427-347 BC)

On being normal

2010-06-19T12:55:00.001Z

On being normal

George Clark, 16 January 2008

Normality is a political idea. It makes it possible to label people as sub-normal (bad), normal (good) or supra-normal (excellent). So how do we recognise a normal person? There are many possible ways but they boil down to the idea that, "me and us are normal, 'they' are not". In what follows we will look briefly at two broad views of 'enlightened' normality and at a possible merging at the level of supra-normals.

Reasonably enlightened normality

In Europe there has been the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment. These created a view of normality that favours rationality and materialism in a clockwork, Newtonian universe. The 'scientific method' rules the modern world.

Sub-normal people are hangovers from pre-modern times. They are traditionalists who are superstitious and believe in magic. Normal people are thoroughly 'modern' and look for evidence to guide their rational, systematic and selfish thought processes. Supra-normal people are the lions of philosophy, science and economics who embrace post-modernism with its deep-rooted, radical doubt and its existential uncertainty - anything goes.

In this view the social paradigm involves dualism and debate. There are winners and losers. Competition. Humanity is seen as having dominion over creation.

Integrally enlightened normality

In the east there have been thoughts of enlightenment and thus of liberation and release for more than 2000 years.

Sub-normal people believe in the abiding reality of self and things. This is the root of their suffering. They are in the majority. Normal people appreciate (a) the impermanence of all created things and (b) the wisdom of renunciation and stillness. This leads to the end of suffering. Supra-normal people are the transcendent sages and gurus who fully embody the highest ideals and act as a role model for others.

In this view the social paradigm involves monism, discussion and silent meditation. We are enmeshed in a web of multiple, complex and intertwining causes and conditions. Viewpoints are held lightly. Partnership. Everybody can win release from suffering by changing how they think.

The merging of the supra-normals

The above sketch is brutally over simple. It serves to polarise world views and to point to the possibility of a merging - at least at the level of the supra-normals. This might lead to a more systematic and compassionate stewardship of ourselves and the planet. Anderson (1996) noted the potential for humanity to wake up -

"... we have not one Enlightenment project but three: a Western one based on rational thought, an Eastern one based on seeing through the illusion of the Self, and a Postmodern one based on the concept of socially constructed reality. And despite their many differences, they share the common goal of liberation.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau made the famous revolutionary pronouncement that "Men are born free, and everywhere are in chains." A couple of centuries later that still holds truth for us, but now we see that the strongest chains are symbolic ones, mind forged manacles." (p219)

Source: Walter Truett Anderson (ed) (1996) The Fontana Post-Modernism Reader; Fontana; ISBN 0006863701 see http://www.srds.co.uk/begin/third_light.htm

dukkha

2010-05-30T08:36:00.000Z

Dukkha is:

Disturbance, irritation, dejection, worry, despair, fear, dread, anguish, anxiety; vulnerability, injury, inability, inferiority; sickness, aging, decay of body and faculties, senility; pain/pleasure; excitement/boredom; deprivation/excess; desire/frustration, suppression; longing/aimlessness; hope/hopelessness; effort, activity, striving/repression; loss, want, insufficiency/satiety; love/lovelessness, friendlessness; dislike, aversion/attraction; parenthood/childlessness; submission/rebellion; decision/indecisiveness, vacillation, uncertainty.

— Francis Story in Suffering, in Vol. II of The Three Basic Facts of Existence (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1983)

Open Stillness | Tricycle Magazine

2010-04-30T08:51:00.000Z

Open Stillness | Tricycle Magazine: "The state of not-knowing is a riveting place to be. And we don’t have to climb rocks to experience it. We encounter not-knowing when, for instance, we meet someone new, or when life offers up a surprise. These experiences remind us that change and unpredictability are the pulse of our very existence. No one really knows what will happen from one moment to the next: who will we be, what will we face, and how will we respond to what we encounter? We don’t know, but there’s a good chance we will encounter some rough, unwanted experiences, some surprises beyond our imaginings, and some expected things, too. And we can decide to stay present for all of it."

YouTube - Tapping into the Transformative Power of Yoga

2010-04-01T10:02:00.000Z

YouTube - Tapping into the Transformative Power of Yoga: "Tapping into the Transformative Power of Yoga"

this fleetingworld

2010-03-30T09:49:00.001Z

Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world

A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,

A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,

A flickering lamp, a phantom and a dream.

(Diamond Sutra)

reality zig zag

2010-03-29T18:33:00.001Z

http://twitter.com/dodclark/status/11263013898

what to think

2010-03-29T12:35:00.001Z

What do you think about xxx?
Hang on, I will look it up on Wikipedia
But I want to know what ‘you’ think
What for? My thoughts are just a subjective, media-soaked mush wrapped in a Scottish Presbyterian flag.

simple and difficult

2010-03-20T15:45:00.001Z

Practice implores us to do the simplest yet most difficult thing: to sit still and simply be present. In meditation, we let whatever comes up, come up. We invite it in. We welcome all of it, including the resistance, the boredom, the judgments, and the endless spinning. We let it all come up and just watch it.

- Ezra Bayda “Reflect, Without Thinking” (Winter 2009)

know-where-you-going

2010-03-17T09:41:00.001Z

Know Where You're Going

The quality of your action depends on the quality of your being. Suppose you’re eager to offer happiness, to make someone happy. That’s a good thing to do. But if you’re not happy, then you can’t do that. In order to make another person happy, you have to be happy yourself. So there’s a link between doing and being. If you don’t succeed in being, you can’t succeed in doing. If you don’t feel that you’re on the right path, happiness isn’t possible. This is true for everyone; if you don’t know where you’re going, you suffer. It’s very important to realize your path and see your true way.

- Thich Nhat Hanh from "The Heart of The Matter" (Winter 2009)

higher than thought

2010-03-07T23:38:00.001Z

"Is there anything higher than thought?
Yes, meditation is higher than thought."
(Chandogya Upanishad)

Oprah and Thich

2010-02-26T13:54:00.000Z

Thich Nhat Hanh: I know that we do not know enough. We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality. When you climb a ladder and arrive on the sixth step and you think that is the highest, then you cannot come to the seventh. So the technique is to abandon the sixth in order for the seventh step to be possible. And this is our practice, to release our views. The practice of nonattachment to views is at the heart of the Buddhist practice of meditation. People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don't suffer anymore.

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-Talks-to-Thich-Nhat-Hanh/1

only one way

2010-02-23T18:46:00.001Z

Wash out your brain waves, empty your mind
Flush out the bullshit, see what you find.

Go to the lyrics and sound track

thought tigers

2010-02-21T19:36:00.003Z

Once upon a time there was an artist who lived in a cave.
One day he painted a ferocious tiger on the wall.
Now every time he sees it he feels afraid.
Our thoughts are like painted tigers in our mind.

the noble quest

2010-02-21T13:09:00.001Z

The noble quest is about being rather than doing.
Being a cool dude and comfortable in your skin.
Being at peace in the present moment.

turn away

2010-02-17T12:29:00.002Z

Turn Away
George G Clark - 1969 Lyrics

I was only 20 when I wrote this song. Five years later I began my first overseas job. I left ‘my safe and cosy niche among the petty nouveau riche’. I stopped turning my face to the wall. I began trying to do something. Then time passed. What I have now seen is huge, wrinkled, under-resourced, and not at all easy.

What the hell should I care if the whole wide world is wrong
I look out for myself
I leave upon the shelf
All the trouble, war and pain of starving children in the rain.
Shut my ears to the big bad bomb
I don’t care if the wogs go home
What I don’t know can’t cause me pain
I turn my face to the wall again
I know it like I’ve seen it
But what I’ve seen is small, is smooth, is well-fed and is easy.

So half the world is starving what difference does it make
I can’t do anything
Just shut my mind and sing
About my safe and cosy niche among the petty nouveau riche.
Pick up crumbs in the tyrant’s wake
Follow those who are on the make
All that I want will come in reach
I wear a smile let the boss man preach
Life smiles upon the two-faced
And hypocrit I am, I’m smooth, I’m well-fed and life’s easy

energy-on-the-ways

2010-02-12T20:17:00.000Z

Energy on the ways

George G Clark, 12 February 2010

Being human we need not be driven by the blind forces of biology. Secular forces (biological and instinctive) may drive us downstream to this-world; but there are also sacred forces (also biological and instinctive) that allow us (if we so choose) to swim upstream to the other-world.

In terms of driven-ness, the following table recognises three energy levels and three ways of using the brain.

	Energy level
	Low	Medium	High
Secular ignoble	Lethargic	Engaged	Hell bent
Secular noble	Indolent	Life/work balance	Zealous
Sacred	Not convinced	Lay disciple	Monastic

Some secular ignoble types are totally egoic and hell-bent on power and fame. They indulge with enthusiasm in sex, drugs and rock and roll. Others are lethargic and wallow in sloth and torpor with short attention spans, weak wills and endless unfulfilled fantasies. Most ordinary people lie somewhere between these extremes; but all are oriented to this-world in which they selfishly lust after things that pass away. They are more or less mindless consumers.

Secular noble types are less common. They are mindful consumers who are concerned to some extent with the promotion of fair play, environmental stewardship, basic family values and respect for authority. The zealous types tend towards workaholism and the indolent types procrastinate regarding their good intentions. And there are many middle ranking types who manage a reasonable life/work balance. All are oriented to this-world of the senses and most are wary of the sacred types.

Sacred types are still uncommon. They pay attention to the other-world of the mind that is the foundation for this-world of the senses[1]. There are those who have glimpsed the sacred but who are not convinced enough to give time and energy to its pursuit. Monastics sacrifice their whole lives to the quest. Lay disciples walk the difficult middle way of changing their minds while in daily contact with the mindsets of their secular companions. The sacred types are inclined to frugality and selflessness as they try to swim upstream to the other-world.

This line of thought was inspired by the following quote:

“It seems that when consciousness evolves to a certain degree of conceptual self-awareness, we discover a curious freedom in which we are no longer driven by the blind forces of biology. We start asking questions like: “What is this existence?” “How can I lead a good life?” “Who am I?” As soon as we start exploring such questions … we find ourselves “going against the stream” of biological drives.”
Steven Batchelor - http://www.tricycle.com/essay/living-with-the-devil

Note that I take issue with the implied concept of a drive that is not biological. Where might it otherwise come from? The drive to ‘go against the stream’ has existed in a minority of people for most of human evolution as a ‘perennial philosophy’. Arguably the stage is now set for it to go mainstream. Are there enough people with the right kind of energy to have it evolve?

[1] Note that there are ignoble sacred types who perform the religious rituals but who do not try to change their minds. These are secular wolves in sacred sheep’s clothing.