manitou

It's also helpful to remember that you Are the other person. Makes loving them a lot easier.

Going back to the As A Child mindset for a minute, I'm not convinced that means the very same thing as letting the inner child out to play once in a while. I hate to use my prior mindset as an example, but it's all I've got to work with. As an anal-thinking police person and Coast Guard reservist, there was nothing of the inner child in me at all. In fact, the survival instinct for a cop entails instant judgment; just opposite of what we aim for here. My cynicism, sarcasm, and distrust of anyone that wasn't another cop was palpable. I had become a master of going for the jugular before you could get to mine; this seemed to be the way it was. Then booze kicked my butt and I had to get sober, this was 30 years ago. The getting sober process, which has entailed nothing but inner work, has kept me sober for this entire time. The result of the inner work is that I no longer look at things cynically; rather, I see the best in things rather than the worst in things; it was just a different choice of mindset, that's all. But an offset of this has been a type of return to innocence, at least in my thinking. I am aware of my thought patterns and when one creeps in that is undesirable for me, I can identify it. But it is the innocence that this develops that I think we're talking about when we're talking about returning to the mind of a child. Not that it's being stupidly innocent and letting people get over on you, or being naive and taken for a sucker. It's just loving people for what they are. And letting them have the foibles they have, just loving the golden essence of them that is the same golden essense of you. It's also rediscovering my sense of humor, my Real sense of humor. The one that can get pretty silly at a moments notice. I never allowed this out before. But mainly....it's not being Afraid anymore, and trusting that the Universe is a friendly place. Knowing that it really does take care of us if we let it. Yes, I think one has to go through the inner child to find the uncarved wood. After all, it was the child, our actual young selves, that got all twisted around, thanks to the beliefs and mores of others. I mean, it wasn't like we were equipped to evaluate the stuff that was handed down to us. What a strange system we're stuck with. The original uncarved wood gets all carved up by the seemingly good intentions of others. I've previously mentioned this line from "Hope Floats" with Sandra Bullock, but it seems appropriate again: "Childhood is the thing we spend the rest of our lives getting over."

Vivid appreciativeness would equate to extreme gratitude for that which we have, for life in general. For the fact that the trees give us oxygen, and streams give us water. To truly appreciate our friends, to honor them, to appreciate the dwelling that we have manifested for ourselves. To love our dwelling, to keep it up - to be grateful for the mysterious circle of life and how all things rise and fall. Gratitude for the cycles. As to psychological maturity or immaturity, I don't think it's the same thing as becoming As A Child in our outlook toward the world's ways. Psychological maturity goes more to our inner dynamics; are we hateful, jealous, a victim, a bully? Are we gluttons, or prideful, or arrogant? These things are worked out with the Inner Work, and attachments are examined and disposed of. We get down to the Pure, the Genuine, the uncarved wood - and yes, I do think on that level that our psychological immaturities have straightened out greatly because we had to get through them to get to the core anyway. It is then that the outlook of the child can be attained.

Yep, this is one way of looking at it, Actually, I think this is pretty valid. It goes right along with the concept of the straw dogs within the Dao - the rain fall equally upon all. I don't think the Dao much cares who lives and who dies - it is an IMPERSONAL force. But we have the choice of alignment with the Dao or non-alignment. If the concept and the infusion of Love is at our core, then the dynamics of the Dao are free to flow within us, within every conversation, every thought, as much of the day as we can stay within Awareness. Damn! Life is Good when it's viewed through loving eyes.

Chop wood, carry water. The only way I can think to say it, is that the answers come from within. There is no longer a point of view, because a point of view is of the mind and is limiting to only that which is within the point of view. The stuff that comes up from the inside is quite mysterious. I have a 12th grade education, that's all - but I can See things that I have no business knowing because it lays out in geometric form behind me somewhere and a little bit to my right. It's a situational triangulation that is always at my disposal. When people are talking about things scientific, somehow I can See exactly what they're talking about and see how it triangulates. Mysterious stuff, this kundalini and 3rd eye situation.

No aversion to books here, lol. My brain is just tired. I've read so many books for so many years. I'm just taking a break. Thanks for the recommendation.

I don't think the sage would have beliefs at all.

Nicely said.

It's an odd phenomenon, this inner journey. When we do get to the point where we are no longer concerned with beliefs, which are a conclusion of the mind, the Knowing takes over because it is being taught from the inner entity (for lack of a better phrase). But the funny thing is that when we share our own self-awarenesses, the product of this inner dynamic, on this forum, somebody is always quick to want to refer you to a book. Books are wonderful. I've been reading them forever. But I've sort of sworn off them for now. Life (this inner manifestation that I call my life) is bringing to me exactly what I need to continue the honing of my inner cultivation. Life is the lesson. The guy cutting you off in traffic is the lesson. The long line is the lesson. The leaky pipe is the lesson (as I recently and dramatically learned). I think we get to a particular point sometimes, when we need to stop inputting stuff into our brains. By reading a book, you are spending time with another person's mind. As much as they may try and cater the understanding to your brain, it can never be truly done as the lens through which each one of us interprets the information is based upon different truths. But where I'm going with this is the well of Knowing, once the sight is developed. Beliefs then fade into the air, they are replaced with substantive knowledge of experience from the inner journey. It is difficult to put this type of Knowing into words; but it seems to dwell somewhere way deep inside and when needed, it is there. It is an absolute channel, actually. Beliefs are merely conclusions, and usually there is ego riding on beliefs. With Knowing, it doesn't matter if someone agrees or disagrees. You just Know.

Maybe the subconscious parts of the brain make the decision first and clue in the various body responses. The conscious part of us is the last one to know. What a lovely illusion, that we, the "I" that we sense, is actually making the decision. Apparently it is not. However, we can choose how to frame the thoughts that our subconscious sends; do we frame our thoughts with love, with judgment, with hate? This is the lens through which our subconscious (which I personally think is somehow the collective that we all share) manifests. I recently read somewhere that it has been proven that test scores are higher within certain control groups if they study AFTER the exam. Wow. Somehow, it's all just happening at the same time, and the illusion is that time is passing in a linear fashion.

The 12 steps of recovery go a long way to dissolving hate. Once we do a personal inventory and find out our long term angers and hates, then it's a whole lot of fun to make amends to those we've harmed - even in retaliation for something they did to us. It dissolves the hate, but the ego busting is the thing that really hurts.

This is weird. Sometimes I'll be laying in bed in the morning with the news on. I drift off into a lucid dream-type thing, and then there will be characters who are actually speaking the words that are coming out of the TV - in real time! Often times they are cartoon characters or stick figures, which is even stranger. But the words are synchronistically 'matched' with those coming out of the TV - I don't know how the heck it happens, unless maybe I'm watching the Synchronicity Channel.

Maybe it arises from an Inner Source. And maybe thought is the very thing that makes time seem linear to us. We may be the only species with linear thoughts, one word after the other. The state of Awareness, on the other hand, involves no thoughts - just to sit in the shining radiance of Knowledge. It just occurred to me that the Sun knows no time. There is no shadow, there is no day and night. It's all Now. Only things with shadows, as they revolve around the sun, displays time. (Although I realize that the sun is technically rotating within the universe as well - the metaphor only works up to a point). and maybe the real purpose of this grand experiment is for the humans to tame their thoughts and live in the appreciation of the moment. Without inner dialogue there would be no wars, and (whatever it wants to be called) would fully manifest.

Aaaah - things must inflate before they are deflated.

Maybe we know when we're infused with perfect love for all, regardless of any judgment.

...and belief, which is of our mind, is finally replaced by Knowing, which is of our heart. These are two separate things.

How very close this seems to saying the unsayable. Well done. To take it a step further, maybe the understanding of what we're doing here is merely the realization of the God-self. To realize Who we really are.

LOL.

Yes, if you look at function. The emptiness is the function of the cup. The hole is the function of the donut, if indeed you wish to twirl it around and fling it. Sorry, couldn't help it.

Twinner! I too used it as a daily meditation for 20 years! One small chapter is a perfect tool for meditation and inner understanding. I agree - at some point this must all be walked away from and direct experience takes over. Life becomes the teacher, every minute, every day.

I align with you on this, Marbles. But I think the concept of karma connotates the equation of time. In reality, it's all Here and Now. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all one, with just the appearance of one day after the other. When one gets down to the essence in one's own heart, I don't think karma even comes into play anymore. Secondly, the concept of karma necessitates and distinction between good karma and bad karma, and it may be that such distinctions aren't real. How often has apparently 'bad' karma turned into apparently 'good' karma? All the time.

Interesting, Mewtwo. It appeared that he was staring intently at the lower part of the glass, and yet the needle hit on the upper part. Imagine what he could have done if his aim were better, lol.

The hole.

In addition to any other meditative suggestions and inner work to discover the source of your self-hate (which is where it comes from), you might try a little trick that really works to turn the heart around. Do something anonymously for someone each day - something kind, something helpful. Do not tell them OR ANYONE ELSE that you have done this. It will help change your mindset, and it's really fun. You probably got the self-hate message early on because you weren't measuring up to someone's expectations.

My guess is that pretty much everyone else on this forum shares your views. Many of us got here by climbing through and transcending the structure of any organized thought-bubble. My particular conclusion, after everything's been read and said and done, is that we're pretty much It. We are the eyes and ears of the Absolute, as Steve F. so eloguently put it.