The Mystical Man

HBO's documentary about Martin Luther King:

I have now read all of Süskind's books. I'm looking for more great German literature. I want to read beautiful and intricate prose. Please recommend great German texts, even if they're translations. The German translation of Huxley's Heaven and Hell, for example, is amazing.

Süskind showed me how beautiful the German language can be. I didn't like German at all, until I read "Perfume". "Perfume" is a masterpiece of German literature, but, unfortunately, we know nothing about the author, because he lives as a recluse. I just finished reading his essay "On Love and Death". It's good. If you don't understand German, Süskind's work is worth reading in English. "Perfume" was required reading twice during my schooling, but I didn't read it. When I read it voluntarily, I fell in love with it.

Great song:

"If your life is a series of conflicts of having to be defensive, of being afraid of what life and people can do to you, all you have to know is to know that your present state is wrong, because it's a state of pain." - Howard "All you have to know is that your distress is wrong." - Howard "You don't have to serve false needs inside or outside anymore. You're free of them right now." - Howard "Christ's crucifixion and resurrection was a triumph of eternity over time." - Howard "Can you see some false action or duty which you can only suspect now was unnecessary?" - Howard

I had made a thread about Midjourney before. The beta is open to the public now. Join now, and post cool results in this thread.

This is a three hour movie, but it's not boring at all. It's very easy to watch. My favorite line: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it – always."

My favorite Resident Evil game is the remake of the first installment in the franchise. It's a beautifully crafted game. Exploring the mysterious mansion is an intriguing experience: It's a very challenging game. You need ink ribbons just to save the game.

Vernon is a great example of Fierce Love. How compassionate of him to point out the devilry of the mind.

"Whatever serves unconscious egotism defeats the spiritual life that you could have." - Howard "If I am agitated, I am wrong." - Howard "I'm talking about what you do to people inside your own mind." - Howard "If you are shaking, if you are nervous, if you are not one with yourself, whatever you are doing is wrong, because it is arising from a 'you'." - Howard "It is absolutely impossible to make a rude remark toward another human being or to hate them in your heart without you making yourself sick." - Howard

No one is nice unless he can be so without nice possessions and nice advantages. May heaven help you if you cling to your supposed advantages, your securities, your comforts. Anything you look forward to will destroy you as it already has. Time is my thoughts, my physical body, my attitudes. They are not part of my real nature. Neither are my past and future. When I understand that, then the sensing of nowness, which is eternity, takes its place. Nowness then directs the present time-nature intelligently without conceit or self-centeredness. Eternity can understand time but time cannot understand eternity. Nothing changes in time. Things change in the absence of time. Deliberately rob yourself of the pleasure of making that remark. Go through the hell of not saying what your old nature wants you to say.

One way in which we can create understanding is to make connections between ideas. Here are examples of how two ideas that don’t seem to go together can be put together, and your part is to see how all ideas are connected to each other. Connect: Demands with a dull life. Dizzy thinking with cunning. False values with confusion.

Stop being afraid of this sick world. Stop it! That man or woman can’t do a thing to you — not if you really understand. You have nothing, nothing to protect. Don’t you ever accept anger in yourself or others as being right.

For heaven’s sake grow up. You have to do the work yourself. There is no big daddy to do the work for you. You want someone to do your thinking for you, to tell you what to do, while you regress to a small child again. Let mama and papa make the decisions for you while you play. You can play with your toys of agitation and pretense, feeling that someone else is going to take care of you. When are you going to abandon infantile ways of living? When you don’t get what you want, you scream about injustice and how you have been put upon. To stop your infantile ways, stop fawning, worshipping, and admiring people.

Whatever you think — that is what you are at that moment. You will see there is no controller — just vagabond thoughts. You will also see that thoughts come to you rather than you promoting your own thoughts. Look at these thoughts as if they had no connection with your real nature, which they don’t. Watch how anything attractive or repulsive can take you away from yourself. If it seems difficult to work against your usual habits, remember this spiritual law: Do things the easy way and you perpetuate the hard life. But do things the hard way and you finally come to the easy life. A small negative incident happens and you allow it to grow and assume great importance. Be alert to this and go through the strain and pain of NOT getting carried away. See how much of your thought about others is invalid and start to break the chain.

Practice watching clearly an event in your life — an unkind remark for instance — and see how you are driven frantic to try and do something about it. Watch the urging to answer with a snappy, sarcastic remark. Begin to see that something, of which you are unaware, is living your life for you, and it will continue until you start to work. Wrong Way The event Wrong thought reaction Arising of false self Creation of problem Right Way The event Practical thought reaction No arising of false self No problem

A person might be dominated by: An attempt to appear wise by aggressive ignorance. Pouncing upon another’s mistakes. Pleading for acceptance. A demand for attention. Wishing to appear generous. Unconscious blabbermouthery. Anxious self-explanation. Pleasure over evil victory. Boasting about a trivial success. Wishing to appear important. Embarrassment over a mistake. A desire to hurt someone. Reluctant agreement. Not knowing what to say. Nervous indecision. A wish for flattery. A closed mind. Self-centered apathy. Sudden insolence. Pretense of happiness. Unloading his troubles. Suppressed hostility. General unpleasantness. Hinting for a favor. Unawareness of self. This knowledge of human behavior will lead you to God.

Do right even if tempted to do wrong. Do right even if it means losing a friend. Do right even if you don’t understand why you should. Do right even if you fear the consequences. Do right even if you don’t want to. Do right even if it feels strange. Do right even if it arouses criticism. Do right even if it’s you against the world.

Use the words that hurt. This shows us what we are really like.

You will start to stop letting others steal your attention. Because you are asleep, you think it’s natural and friendly. You don’t know how you resent it. Watch for instances where people attempt to steal your attention. You don’t want people to steal your money, but you let them steal your psychic energy. For one thing, you will no longer feel obligated to participate in a social conversation. Save your energy for the enormous task of waking up.

Don’t dump your trash on my desk. Who said I had to explain myself to you? If you want to fight, find another enemy. What if I made the demands on you that you make on me? I won’t lift a finger to solve the problem you have caused. I was not born to be the ear to your chattering mouth. No, I don’t owe you a thing. You are several years too late to play that trick on me. How evil of you to try to drag me down to your low level.

This is an attack on muttering. Speak loud and clear, with head up. This will tell our emotions and mind not to be a mutterer and not to be afraid of the consequences.

Have the courtesy and decency to let other people think the thoughts they want to think instead of you imposing your thoughts on them. The reason you do this — yelling, interrupting and wanting to be the center of the conversation — is because you want to try to prove to yourself that your thoughts are real; that they are important and that they back up a very real person.