doc benway

Why the apology?

In the interest of full disclosure that is not me in the avatar but I love the pic and it snowed here 2 days ago so it seemed apropos... Thanks for the comments everyone.

The mind by and large is composed of its contents (memories, knowledge, experience, desires, sensory experience, dreams,...). These contents are exclusively within the realm of the known for, if it is not known, how can it be in the mind? There is something that is outside of the known and outside of the mind, however. There is something that animates awareness. It is a brilliant spark that defies description although it can be hinted at by the poets and artists (and yes even the scientists) of the world. Call it what you want, I'm guessing this is what the word mindstream is pointing to.

Is compassion an emotion? Or is it empathy in action? I feel empathy but I act in a compassionate manner. I think the two are intimately related. It's all just word salad anyway. It is good to take the time to be considerate of others and act accordingly. I agree that this has been a nice a thread. I rarely participate anymore but Aaron's wonderful initial post got my juices flowing again. Namaste.

First, I've spent years chipping away at what makes me tick. I've been able to expose a lot of my conditioning and self-deceptive patterns. Next, I try to be honest with myself regarding my motivation and intention. Consequently, I've been able to identify some of my core values through this process. What seems to work for me is to act in accordance with these values. When I do so, I invariable feel "right" about my decisions and actions. When it comes to discussion about where certain lines should be drawn in terms of what is acceptable or tolerable and what is not, I don't think there is a clear answer that everyone will ever agree upon. Too much is a result of parental, cultural, and societal conditioning and other influences that are too numerous to discuss. These variances are simply a reflection of the infinite variety of manifestation (the 10,000 things). Perhaps if all of humanity could strip away the conditioning, we would all agree on the basic human values (and to be fair most people do agree on the basic core values). Until that happens (I'm not holding my breath) we will struggle with our varying ideals and values. There is nothing unnatural about this, it is the human condition. Struggling against this is a source of suffering, accepting it is Wu Wei or non-attachment.

Yes, that is what I'm saying. When someone commits violent acts, it not only is harmful to the victim but also to the perpetrator, his/her friends and family and future generations. It has karmic consequences, psychological consequences, emotional consequences, etc... Intervening through prevention and/or punishment is an act of love and compassion in my view. At least such a perspective helps me to reconcile these paradoxical ideas of love and equanimity.

Compassion doesn't equate to ignoring or condoning violent acts. Someone who acts in such a way is deeply disturbed and suffering greatly. It is a compassionate act to respond to their suffering and the suffering of their victims by taking appropriate action, whatever that may be. Severe punishment for violent acts is a reflection of love and compassion in my mind.

And that is why you are having trouble with Aaron's point of view. Be well, Steve

Aaron - What a beautiful and thoughtful post. There is not much to add. Why are humans able to and, in fact, prone to ignore suffering in others? Simply because of the profoundly conditioned illusion of separation and independence. It is the same thing that allows us to be calloused towards all life and the earth itself. I used to puzzle over the distinctions raised between true love and more mundane and superficial emotions that are generally regarded as love. This is something discussed by all of the mystics. Once the true connection of all life, matter, and spirit is experienced (rather than simply imagined and explored intellectually), true love (which is the root of compassion) is readily understood. You certainly seem to have had that insight. Namaste brother _/\_

If you are interested in this you might like a book I just read called Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue. It is a story told from the perspective of a five year old boy who has grown up in a small room with his mother, both of whom are held hostage. He is not feral, per say, but his limited life experience makes for interesting possibilities.

Loved the books myself. I read them when they were first published and re-read all of them a few years ago. It was an interesting experience - while reading through one of the books that talked a lot about dreaming, I realized one day that I would have a completely lucid dream that very night. Sure enough, became lucid in my dream and spent the time traveling around and doing a bunch of fun stuff. Haven't had a lucid dream since.

Nice quote. When we find something that makes sense to us, I think it is very natural to become enthusiastic about our insights. It can be a subtle boundary between sharing something that excites us and making someone else feel that their own values or beliefs are being challenged. I don't follow the goings on much lately so I don't know of anything specific but its always good to be reminded about courtesy and civility. Thanks 3bob

I recently went out to dinner with some friends and family for a birthday celebration. At one point, I looked around the table and EVERYONE had their mind buried in their cell/smartphone.... uggghhh!

Dear Hagar, Your posts are such a breath of fresh, cool air. I'm glad I visited today. _/\_

Hi Stig, I've been scarce lately but I stumbled on this. You're a good person and whatever went down, I'm sure that hasn't changed. Sorry to see this is causing you pain. I'm there if you ever need to chat. Be well, Steve

I once read a cool book called Time's Arrow and Archimedes' Point (or something like that) by an Australian scientist of some sort. It talked about the symmetry of time and how most experience and measurement of asymmetry relative to time may be more a function of our perception rather than any absolute asymmetry. Very interesting stuff and similar to this paper. Then there are the experiments that seem to show that our neuro/musculo/skeletal system takes action before we are ever consciously aware that we've decided to act. For all of our knowledge and investigation, there will always be mystery. And BTW, I try to maintain a healthy skepticism. Nice post forest.

Gibran and Krishnamurti - Thank you both for sharing these words of wisdom - two beautiful quotes from two beautiful minds.

My top three - 1. To Be Human - Jiddu Krishnamurti 2. Awareness - Anthony Demello 3. When the Shoe Fits: Stories of the Taoist Mystic Chuang Tzu - Osho

Just finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz - Loved it! Very personal yet universal. Deeply disturbing yet life-affirming and hopeful. The only problem is that it's full of Spanglish and Dominican euphemisms. Fortunately there is a great annotated guide on the web. Highly recommended.

Very nice Jane - thanks for that. I've found the water method to be a very nice compliment to the fire method that I've practiced for a long time. The fire method is very effective but seems to lack a component of love/compassion/stillness that the water method has at it's core. That's my experience anyway. Yeah, Bruce looks great. I'd like to meet him someday. Steve PS I just finished practicing some standing meditation and Chen Pan Ling Taiji in Olympia, WA. The mist and fog and Puget Sound were wonderful stimuli for dissolving

I'm going to use pin yin spelling and assume that you are asking about Tai Ji Quan, not just Tai Ji. First, I'll define Tai Ji as the principle of balance and mutual interdepence in Daoist cosmology. My attempt at a concise definition of Tai Ji Quan: Tai Ji Quan is a martial art based on applying fundamental principles of Daoist cosmology, Tai Ji, to combat. The Tai Ji Quan forms are often mistakenly equated with Tai Ji Quan but comprise one small facet of Tai Ji Quan training and have been effectively adopted by many as Qi Gong methods for health and fitness. Is it mystical? Hell yes Is it simply bio-mechanics? Absolutely In a word? Natural

I've had feelings similar to what you describe. For me it seemed to be related to a loss of security. That feeling of self and the normal day to day reality provides a certain predictability and security, albeit artificial. Opening up to reality means letting go of certain conventions and accepting unpredictability. Eventually the lack of security becomes less uncomfortable for me because of the understanding of the fact that there is no security, only illusion. Tough to use words for this stuff...

If the mind is truly and completely still, how would you know?

Au revoir. Nothing wrong with moving on. Be well.

I just started reading "The Self Aware Universe: how consciousness creates the material world" by Amit Goswani. It really seems to be a worthwhile read. It's written by a physicist who finds reason to believe that the universe is a product of consciousness, rather than the other way around. He supports his ideas with Quantum Mechanics. I think it would appeal to cultivators and physicists alike. I'll say more about it when I'm finished reading it.