Breaking the Cultural Spell - Mark Griffin

[Aetherous]

Is he okay? I like the talk, but seemed like maybe he had a little facial droop on the left. Wondered if that and the pauses were due to something neurological?

 

I think it truly can be a neurological problem, when you have so much spiritual energy that it causes your face to do unnatural things, and makes you literally lose your mind (go into silence) when you're trying to use it.

 

He does the pauses because he's at loss for words

 

Getting lost in pure awareness. But is that a good thing? IMO, depends on what you're after. For me, it's extremely annoying when I lose all train of thought during a conversation.

 

But others are more willing to sacrifice things for what is considered to be spiritual.

[Creation]

Creation, my take is the SP blast came from yourself as a reaction to the pause.

I agree that the blast was my own reaction because the first two times I watched the video I felt the same thing and the next two I did not. But I do not think it was a reaction to him pausing; something else was happening in the silence.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Creation

[konchog uma]

just wanted to point out that he doesn't "lose his mind" or forget what he's talking about.. he just pauses. Theres nothing wrong with stopping to collect your thoughts when youre talking for an hour and a half without any notes, as he tends to.

 

One of the points of promotion of his material is that he is one of the few western teachers to attain the state of formless samadhi or nirvikalpa... so from the beginning he is not coming from the same place his listeners are coming from. But he isn't spaced out or heedless, he just likes to pause while he talks, i imagine to let things sink in, and to give his next thought room to arise.

 

i know he has a folder in his sheet-music-holder (whatever they're called lol) up there in this vid, but he usually talks from the space of the modality of consciousness he is talking about, so many of his lectures are moreorless spontaneous.

 

Interesting reactions that people have to him, i have never felt much but grounded and calm when listening to him, and also inspired to meditate. I don't think his face does anything unnatural either, but i could be wrong.. i think its just not tense. hmmm

[Aetherous]

But he isn't spaced out or heedless, he just likes to pause while he talks

 

Well, I disagree completely.