Joseph Maynor

I feel like some people are more into an artform than others are which explains wider taste. People who aren't into music that much have a very different set of albums or songs they listen to. I'm the same with visual arts, I have very little interest in that so someone who is really into visual arts would look at the pictures in my house and probably cringe a little.

My honest answer is that all of us have a finite perspective we attach to so that we can know what a finite perspective is. So the Absolute contains all finite perspectives, including our own.

I never try to fight with people about taste. That's where you learn that everyone has their own unique perspective. Everyone loves music, but they differ as to what music they like. There's a lesson in that! We can value the same thing and expect to be different too. This is what I think musicians learn quicker than others do.

Does contemplation mean you're trying to control a contemplation or are you letting contemplation emerge more naturally?

Not on a daily basis, but I want to make better Indian food.

I guess it's understandable that most people have confusion with how deep artistry goes. Think of an artwork like a trip.

I have a different take. It's not to deactivate the self, it's to integrate aspects of the Self into the self. It's to realize the self is a character that can be modified to a degree by influence of the Self.

And then I guess the question is what are you communicating to them that they can hope to find? What is Absolute Truth, even in pointer form?

You can't convince anyone of Absolute Truth, they have to find it. You can point them toward the project at best.

This seems like it would be easy but it's actually the most difficult problem in self-help. The answer is you have to do work to develop the motivation to do clearly specified projects. My method of doing this is building up inspiration to do a list of projects in a specified time. But to make a long story short I try to build up a way to have fun while doing a list of tasks.

Yes. If you need to create this, I get it.

I feel like Ralston has an implicit notion of self that is very similar to Sartre. He thinks you have the ability to control your life. This is why he's so popular because he finds a way to bridge enlightenment with real life.

That's a good point. But how does one verify if they're in deep sleep or whether that is a fantasy or metaphor?

I get this and you're right. There's a split here where some people deny that there is such a finite perspective and chalk it up to a kind of attachment that is unreal.

What I mean specifically is the aspect of the self that is showing up in space and time.

Actually it's the inverse of abstract. What is abstract is denying the existence of how finite perspectives operate, including myself. There's a desire to deny reality here. And if you don't see this, you're going to react vehemently against this.

Ego is the way you show up in the world as a finite perspective.

Don't you feel there might be a balance with living a contemplative life and also being a successful human. I don't see these as at odds.

Respectfully, I'm curious why you seem to be obsessed with how corrupt things are. It's just a theme with you, and I want to understand.

The ego needs meaning. It's what creates your character in space and time.