Playing with Perspectives

[UnbornTao]

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Nothing can be gained by extensive study and wide reading. Give them up immediately.

– Dōgen

Why would he say that (in the context of contemplation and enlightenment)?

Edited July 18, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Your approach to happiness is backwards.

You treat it as a byproduct of external factors - as a function of achieving desired outcomes or being affected by agreeable circumstances. In this model, happiness is always contingent on events turning out a certain way.

But consider: whenever you've felt happy, where did that happiness actually come from? What, in your personal experience, truly makes you happy?

Two angles to approach this contemplation

1. A pragmatic angle, dealing with what is conventionally considered happiness.
2. An existential angle, seeking to uncover the source of happiness itself.

The trap of pursuing happiness

Pursuing happiness implies being unhappy. The very search presupposes its absence - and that, somehow, one day it will "arrive." That’s an ideal. Stop chasing it.

Instead, learn to be happy regardless of your experience. This takes our notion of happiness beyond its common meaning, doesn't it?

Fully embracing the experience you're having - not just intellectually but actually - can sound like a fantasy, or at least threatening. You might ask: Does that mean I will stop pursuing my goals and become complacent? No. It simply means you're happy, and you continue experiencing this or that.

If happiness isn't an effect or a result of successful self-survival, then what is it?

A sobering realization

When you achieve the things you thought would make you happy, and yet true happiness doesn't seem forthcoming, it can be a sobering realization.

It reveals a mistaken assumption: that happiness was to be found in, or produced by, external factors. But upon closer inspection, you may find that true happiness has never been circumstantial. It has always been a matter of embracing your experience exactly as it is.

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If you want to be happy, be.

— Leo Tolstoy

 

Edited July 9, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

If an expression sounds familiar to you in the context of consciousness work, watch out! Consider that there might be something deeper to understand about the experience or consciousness than what your intellect makes of it - especially if it comes from an authentic source.

Edited June 10, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

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Nowadays, people are shallow and their resolution is not in earnest. They dislike the strenuous and love the easy from the time they are young. When they see something vaguely clever, they want to learn it right away; but if taught in the manner of the old ways, they think it not worth learning.

–– Issai Chozanshi

Edited June 23, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

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The ultimate reality is not an object of perception but the very consciousness that perceives.

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True freedom is the liberation from the bondage of thought and the realization of the infinite nature of consciousness.

– Franklin Merrell-Wolff.

Edited May 29, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

[UnbornTao]

Something

Edited May 27, 2025 by UnbornTao

[Leo Gura]

@UnbornTao Lots of wisdom here. Good work!

[UnbornTao]

@Leo Gura Thanks Leo, appreciate it.

[UnbornTao]

Stop Avoiding Pain

A few consequences of avoiding pain:

1. Numbness; decreased sensitivity and awareness
2. Lack of depth and profundity
3. Childishness
4. A growing shadow
5. Weakness and fragility
6. Loss of presence and vitality
7. Addiction
8. A reduced capacity for wisdom

Therefore, contemplate, and embrace, pain. 

• What exactly is the distinction "ouch!" in your experience? What function is it serving?
• Can you notice how you might be conceptually superimposing mental "stuff" onto the raw sensation?
• What is the relationship between what you do with your mind and the degree of pain you experience?
• Does a willingness to look directly into your suffering (a form of pain) reduce its impact somehow?

Here are a few suggested practices to begin exploring your experience of discomfort—and therefore, of pain:

1. Cold showers
2. Semen retention
3. Fasting
4. Intense meditation
5. Physical exercise
6. Deep stretching
7. Doing nothing - sitting alone in a room for several hours
8. Eliminating an addiction

Edited August 5, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

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Awareness of your frantic state gives you power over it. You see, you cannot control a state that you are identified with, that is, a state you do not observe in yourself. But there is a calm self within you that can actually stand aside and observe another self, the frantic one. This is self-awareness. This is what gives you command.

Do you see the tremendous power here? Listen carefully: When you become aware of a frantic state you can then see the difference between a frantic state and a calm one. You see that there is an alternative to pressure.

That alternative is calmness. When you are unaware of your pressure-state, you mistakenly think that it is the only state that exists. But now you are aware of the other way — calmness.

-- Vernon Howard

 

Edited May 28, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

One thing is what you "say" (think, believe, intellectualize, speak about), and another is what you actually experience, live as, and do. Notice the discrepancies between the two.

Edited May 29, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Insight must be generated by you and requires that you let go of your current knowledge. Insight isn't merely a conviction, concept, or belief; it is a personal encounter with the reality of something, like grasping what an emotion or principle is.

Edited June 3, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Thinking that your experience should be some other way generates resistance and suffering - even if subtly. By definition, a desired, imagined experience not currently occurring is contrasted with your present one, which is then "found" (interpreted to be) lacking.

Conversely, embracing your experience fosters a deep sense of presence and aliveness, since the moment is allowed to be as it is. Being fully engaged in an activity increases your vitality and sharpens your focus. Your relationship with the present becomes one of joy and lightness because your "self" is put on the background, at least temporarily.

Edited August 5, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

 

ADHD brain mode at night.

Edited June 1, 2025 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Impressionist paintings by GPT:

 

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Edited May 30, 2025 by UnbornTao

[Rishabh R]

@UnbornTao I could suggest that you could read the book Tao Te Ching which I have on Amazon Kindle as your name contains Tao . Great dude.

[UnbornTao]

6 hours ago, Rishabh R said:

@UnbornTao I could suggest that you could read the book Tao Te Ching which I have on Amazon Kindle as your name contains Tao . Great dude.

I've read it and it definitely is one of those books that need to be reread and contemplated multiple times.

Edited September 19, 2024 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Renaissance-style painting:

 

An impressionist version: 

[UnbornTao]

Different characteristics between the two art styles pictured above, by ChatGPT:

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Renaissance-Style Painting:

1. Chiaroscuro Technique: This technique involves the use of strong contrasts between light and dark to give the illusion of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects and figures.

2. Detailed and Realistic: Renaissance art is known for its attention to detail and realistic representation of subjects. The Mars rover in this style is depicted with intricate designs and textures.

3. Warm Color Palette: The use of deep reds, golden hues, and rich browns creates a warm, inviting atmosphere.

4. Heroic and Formal Composition: The subject, in this case, the Mars rover, is positioned in a noble and heroic manner, similar to portraits of explorers or knights.

5. Perspective and Depth: Renaissance paintings often have a strong sense of depth and perspective, making the scene look three-dimensional.

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Impressionist-Style Painting:

1. Vibrant Brush Strokes: Impressionist paintings use short, quick brush strokes to capture the essence and movement of the scene rather than focusing on fine details.

2. Light and Airy Atmosphere: The overall mood is lighter and more ephemeral, with an emphasis on how light affects the colors and forms.

3. Blend of Warm and Cool Tones: The Martian landscape is depicted with a mix of warm and cool tones, creating a softer and more varied color palette.

4. Sense of Movement: The rover is portrayed with a sense of motion, making the scene feel dynamic and alive.

5. Dreamlike Quality: Impressionist paintings often have a serene and dreamlike quality, emphasizing the impression of the scene rather than a precise depiction.

These differences reflect the distinct artistic philosophies and techniques of the two movements, with the Renaissance focusing on detailed realism and formal composition, while Impressionism captures fleeting moments and the play of light and color.

 

Edited May 29, 2025 by UnbornTao