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NDhighlights #1288 - December 14, 2002 - Edited by John
the
pain of birth is only pain
and because it is only pain
it should not be confused with rejection.
this is your home
you cannot be rejected by your home
only another human can reject you.
even then, we all hold up the sky.
Dave Mason LiveJournal
Gene Poole being_one
On the
contrary... there are many 'persons/identities'
(yet, no 'egos'!) hopelessly trapped in the hopeless
trap. If you want evidence that this is true, look for
people who are working their way out of the trap, by
dint of spiritual practices of every sort.
Philosophers have identified exactly what makes
the trap; and this factor is called by them, to be
the error of thinking called 'logical fallacy'. It has
nothing to do with spirituality, but everything to do
with 'languaging'... IE, semantics, semiotics, grammar...
in other words, how we have been trained to think.
* I have found it to be of very great interest, that
the 'remedies' offered by advocates of spiritual
ways and means, are ''nothing but" indirect ways
to nullify or correct the various logical fallacies.
One who wishes to make this study, will find
information aplenty on the web. Just use
Google to find the lists of logical fallacies, and
in your mind, read the comparisons of the
'fallacious' with the 'correct' versions, while
thinking of the advices given by spiritual
types. You will soon come to realize the
nature of the 'hopeless trap'.
Further, I will point out that for me, the whole
process of self-seeing has been greatly
simplified by an acquired understanding that
'moral error' is in itself, a subset of logical
fallacy. It is permissible to simply close that
folder and label it as 'research reference',
and to move on.
So much of what is defined as 'spiritual
awareness' has to do with defined 'moral
error'... what it is, how to avoid committing
it, how to undo it, how to repair it, how to
be forgiven for committing it, how do deal
with others who commit it, and what punishments
are justified for what level of 'sin', how to
escape those punishments, etc, etc, etc.
Logical fallacy is not a fallacy that is logical,
but rather, illogic which masquerades as
logic. Logical fallacy abounds in thought
and speech, and this list (and most others)
virtually explode with evidence that this is
so.
For those who experience a visceral
aversion to matters which allude to
the mind, to thinking, to intellect, to
understanding, to the time and trouble
of research, learning, study, and honest
inquiry... I can only say, enjoy your time
in the hopeless trap. If you expect answers,
you must be open to hearing them; you
must be alert to your own internal censor-
habit, the guardian of your static
identity/memory files.
If the presentation, the style, the flavor
of an offering is not to your taste, then
by all means, ignore it and if you have
the impulse, look elsewhere.There are
abundant stocks of information for you
to pick and choose from. Just be careful
that you do not choose any of the 'remedies'
which involve blame ('your problems are
the fault of others') or those that will
lull you into an ever-deeper sleep,
replete with sweet dreams of peace,
love, and personal power.
My warning to anyone who is open to
it is this: Life is movement without
ceasing. What is called 'stillness' is
defined as such because the baseline
of conscious awareness is set above
the threshold over which normal
background movement can pass...
Movement without ceasing, and yet
to escape the torment of unwanted
sensations, the process of 'conclusion'
is used to close the book on the
very issues which call for actual
understanding. Deciding what is what
and such is such does nothing but
put yet another mote in the eye of
one who claims to want to see.
Movement is life, and yet, as life
does bring pain, so does the act
of concluding bring death. You may
teach yourself to experience pain
(in this case emotional pain) as
a goad to wisdom; finding wisdom
ends pain. Bliss is the 'default',
and is the waiting reward for
successfully quenching the painful
fires which are fueled by logical
fallacy.
Open-ended non-concluding is the
same as 'not knowing' and it is an
enactment of a ceremony of respect
for nature, that we do, when we allow
ourselves to understand significances
without pulling the drawstrings and
bagging the loot... the coin of the realm
(language in all its forms and applications)
must be allowed to run through your
fingers; if you grasp, you lose.
Perhaps by now you are gaining
an appreciation for my particular style;
unlike many others, I do not offer
bagged coinage, but instead, an example
of relatively effortless passage of
symbols, not designed to lead to
conclusion, but to an open iris,
which operates not on the priority of
validation by referencing to the past,
but instead, simply on the basis of
staying open.
Gary Merrill Consciousness Is All
I can honestly
say that a lifetime of spiritual search, search for
some bliss, self transcendence, enlightenment, of 30 years (give
or take a
marriage)has left me at square one.
Worse than this, not even at square one.
Though, before square one isn't really better or worse.
What a game of squares by squares and for squares! Called
spiritual,
but only a seeking for self interest, for pleasure, for escape.
Legitamized by calling it Buddhism, Advaita, self-lessness,
truth,
whatever.
One of the features about being a square is being in a particular
box
or area or state, compared to the other squares. There are
squares at
the beginning 'beginners', 'starters', squares at the end,
'finishers', 'winners'. I know where I am in my square compared
to
where someone else is in theirs. I can claim to be just starting
or I can claim
to have finished. If I'm just starting I can find one who has
finished
who can tell me how to play and to win.
According to beginners and winners, there is only the game.
Vicki NDS
I don't aspire
to buddhahood--it would just make me look fat
I gave up seeking enlightenment when I realized that buddhahood
would just
make me look fat.
We are told to kill the buddha if we meet him on the road.
Judging from his
depictions in art down through the ages, we are more apt to meet
him at The
Waffle House. I bet the buddha liked buttah.
But kill him at The Waffle House?--c'mon. I couldn't kill anybody
at the
Waffle House, especially Buddha.
If Buddha and I occupied a booth at the Waffle House, we would
probably say
nothing except "Pass the Syrup." And that
surreptitiously. Nothing of an
enlightening nature would be transmitted. His secret is safe with
me.
Oh, I might ask him to explain how some people try to put a head
on top of
their head. ( I think you must put a piece of cardboard between
the heads, but
that's just my opinion.)
I might secretly long for him to give me the transmission, and
maybe even an
extra set of windshield wipers), but I would never press him.
Frankly, the buddha is trying to get away from people. After all,
people don't
want enlightenment....they want a buddha pat. They want the
buddha to tell
them that they don't have to change. Don't you think he's getting
a little
tired of that? He knows that there is no one there to change.
(Btw, I hope they
don't have one of those no shirt, no shoes, no service signs
because the buddha
is barefoot ). I find myself trying to divert the waittress'
attention from
this fact, but she is looking at the buddha boobs--pretty
impressive for a man.
"Honey," she says to Buddha Man, "can I get you
some more coffee?"
Buddha just looks at her and winks. Wait a minute....could this
be Santa just
out of the sauna?
Whoever--
If you meet Buddha and I at the Waffle House, don't kill us.
We'll just get a
bigger booth.
Mark Otter NDSN http://www.innerself.com/Towards_2000_Plus/Death_of_the_World_Ego.htm
The hierarchical elite that has always controlled information and knowledge is in fact the world ego of the planetary group soul, of which we are all a part. Over the years to come, you will witness the grandiose and magnificent process of the planetary group soul breaking free from its ego’s dominance.
Jerry LiveJournal
this is my haiku
here's mention of cicadas
no room to mention
Mark
NDS
...no rules,no
winner, no loser, just a nudge to write haiku...
Try as I oft do,
I cannot force a haiku
Drizzle turns to sleet
My dear friend Shiva
has finished off the oak leaves
I'm ready for snow
A multitude of
small winged bugs search my store
for a place to die
Sweet summer ended
This leaf waits for gravity
to finish the deed ------------
[Editor's note to Mark: I hope people are still sending money for your boat... Here are pictures of my yacht and motor home...]
A
Net of Jewels
Ramesh S. Balsekar
http://www.advaita.org
December 14
Real understanding translates itself into spontaneous and
uncontrived
activity through the same latent power of virtuality that
exhibits itself in
the miraculous fruition of plants, the formation of eyes and
ears, the
circulation of blood and the subtle reticulation of nerves. Such
power is
generated without conscious direction, and the man who has it
will usually
be so steeped in ordinariness and anonymity as to go unnoticed by
others.
Yet his action will be the purest, most effective and powerful of
all action
precisely because it coincides with the universal process itself,
without
any sense of volition whatsoever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wisdom is inherent in the total acceptance of every situation as
it is, with
the awareness of witnessing everything as though in a dream,
keeping trust
in the basic and essential harmony that is the unpreconceived
natural
intelligence of the universe
Brother Void salon.com
"I don't do
this work to change the world, I do it so the world doesn't
change me."
-- A. J. Muste
Sometimes when you're involved in an idealistic crusade, you get wrapped up in your cause and lose perspective. If this happens, it's important to step back to better understand your motivations. Be honest with yourself: genocide, toxic waste and the AIDS epidemic are serious issue -- but at a deeper level, they're opportunities for personal growth. While it may seem that sacrifice in the name of a greater goal is noble and selfless, deep down it's really about egoism -- in the best sense of the word. In your attempt to change the world, you take control of how the world changes you. You're doing what you need to do to become who you want to be. So instead of laying self-righteous guilt-trips on those who stay aloof and apathetic, admit that you're in this for yourself. Then, with a clear conscience, you can approach any of your cynical, self-absorbed friends and invite them to be in it for themselves, too.
Toxic sludge can help me become a better person.
the ONION http://www.theonion.com/onion3846/fully_developed_person.html
Oh my God. You know what? I totally have to say something. Seriously, guys, you have to listen—this is way important. Kim? Erica? Amy? Are you listening? Okay, here it is: I am so not a fully developed person.
Shut up, Erica, it so totally is true, and you know it.
It's like Jung says. He's all, like, the primary task of a human is fulfillment through the process of individuation and the establishment of harmony of the conscious and unconscious. That's what totally makes a person, like, whole. Except for me. I'm so not my own person, it's not even funny.
Gill allspirit
Friends,
Just under a year ago, I closed all of the lists I was running -
I needed
a break. I started Allspirit again six months ago, but people
keep
mentioning to me that they still miss the quotations lists. With
that in
mind, I have created some new groups, discussion and quotes.
Allspirit has always been a quiet list, and I have moderated it
quite
firmly, not allowing much chat, off topic discussion or
dissension. I have
often likened it to a meditation room, and that seems to be how
people
like it, (me too) a place for sharing excerpts and quotations
and reflection on them. I now feel that I would like to have a
more open
list, with freer discussion and less moderation. I have, with
that in mind,
reopened the Spiritual Friends list, and if you would like to
take a look at
that it is at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritual-friends
Allspirit will continue as usual.
The other two new groups are Allspirit Inspiration, which will
share one or
two quotations, poems or excerpts each day:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/allspiritinspiration
and Rumi-Hafiz which will post one or two poems per day from
Rumi, Hafiz
and other mystic poets.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rumi-hafiz
Feel free to take a look at the groups, join as many as you wish,
and
feel free to try them out and see what fits for you. If anybody
has any
comments or suggestions, they are welcome.
Toth true vision