Playing With Perspectives

[UnbornTao]

Addictions are emotional, not rational.

That's why you can't think your way out of them no matter how illogical the behavior seems to be.

Edited October 15, 2023 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Direct experience is self-validating: it reveals and validates what's true, so that is what we should be after, not fantasy.

Edited November 6, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

The self's principle is survival. Death is not-self, so it is therefore inconsistent with the self's agenda and existence. Hence, self is terrified of no-self. No-self is the end of self.

We confuse what we actually are with a self. We think that we are a persona we've mostly crafted throughout our upbringing. We also take for granted the existence of other. But what's actually true in the matter?

We might say that common sense proves it. There's an objective reality and others exist within this world. It's obvious and perceived to be the case by our senses.

Once again, dig in. That conclusion might as well be false, something of which you're not directly conscious of but rather inferred from perceptions, which are inherently indirect.

Edited November 6, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Fear isn't what prevents you from doing dangerous things; knowing you would hurt yourself or die is.

Without fear, do you think you would jump in front of a marching train? No! You're not oblivious all of a sudden, you simply stopped creating the activity of fear.

Contrary to popular opinion, fear isn't needed. 

Knowing the potential consequences (dying, getting arrested, etc) of your actions is what prevents you from doing reckless things. Fear is just an unnecessary add-on to that process.

Edited November 5, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

What is listening?

Doesn't it look like you don't actually listen? You hear another's words and understand them but that's not the whole story, although as a society that is in fact assumed to be the only possibility.

I've been paying attention to this dynamic as of late. I receive a communication from another but it is as if there's a wall between us. In such cases, no deep listening takes place.

Listening goes beyond all of the above. So, what is it? In short, it's grasping another's experience as it is for itself.

Have you ever felt truly heard? Not only intellectually but emotionally and as an actuality -- two living events sharing each other's intimate experiences. These moments are rare, and treasured.

Addendum:

However, when looking into it, there are almost always deeper points to grasp experientially which I previously wasn't considering. The thing is, people don't seem to make that leap. For many, this act is limited to intellectual understanding.

True listening is grasping another's experience just as it is for her, not filtered through our self, concerns and agenda. It is often an exhilarating, profound and intimate experience, depending on the level of what's being communicated.

Listening comes from a place free of assumptions. Intent must also be present for it to take place.

Fundamentally, listening is about another's experience, not yours. This point bears reiterating.

"Am I interacting with my own interpretation, beliefs, desires and opinions relative to what another has said, or am I truly listening?"

Edited November 10, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Becoming “awake” involves seeing our confusion more clearly. -- Chogyam Trungpa.

In order to gain clarity, the nature of the matter or activity at hand must be grasped. Without knowing what it really is, clarity can't emerge.

Based on that, notice that you aren't conscious of the following:

• You
• Life
• Self
• Others
• Mind
• Emotions
• Existence

Pretty significant.

On a pragmatic note, knowing what you want requires self-awareness -- identifying your values, character and personality. 

To make good decisions, become conscious of what's true and clarify your desires.

Let what's true dictate your behavior.

Edited July 6, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Openness manifests as child-like qualities which our collective arrogance tries to shun off. Authentic curiosity and vulnerability may be considered weaknesses in social interactions. Being a grown-up is considered to involve removal of innocence. Of course, we know that it's an act.

The arrogance of knowledge: humanity often thinks it has it figured out. Certainty prevents openness. In the future, we might find that what we fervently believed was wrong or inaccurate, after all. This is what science is constantly up do: like on a car trip, whatever the current landscape is seen through the window is considered true. Then, the landscape changes.

Things we were certain about:

• The earth was flat
• Some women were witches
• The earth was the center of the universe

The bare truth most of the time is that we didn't know. As a collective, we're pretty averse to acknowledging that.

That act of bravery, in which dear beliefs are let go of, opens up the possibilities for genuine contemplation and research.

The wise confront not-knowing and are comfortable basking in it.

Edited November 8, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Power -- What is it?

A perspective:

The ability to make things happen; effective manipulation on you, circumstances and others

Edited November 6, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Decision-making:

Clarify your purpose and goals in order to become decisive. What do you want? What are your values? Who are you?

Not knowing what to commit your life to creates catastrophic consequences in the long-term that are not necessarily evident right now.

For example, by not choosing your career deliberately, at the end of your life you'll realize that you spent it on a mediocre job you didn't like or even despised.

Also, on the other hand, not deciding, done deliberately, is a form of clarity. In some cases it is also an intelligent strategy.

You may feel forced by external factors to make a choice. But you don't need to cater to others' demands. You can postpone a decision until more information about a situation is revealed, for instance.

Why do many people fall into the path of least resistance? Because they aren't clear on what to commit their lives to and don't create the intention to make it happen. They lack vision, strategic thinking, long-term planning. Death takes them by surprise.

Edited July 13, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Pleasure and pain are two sides of the same coin. Take a look behind pleasure. Beyond the momentary distraction, there's pain behind it.

Stop clinging to pleasure in order to become free of pain.

Wanting pleasure is motivated by (and creates) a presently painful experience.

Edited July 15, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Desire implies a separation between you and the thing desired. This experience creates suffering.

When the object of desire is achieved, you look for the next one.

Desire is continuous. Its content changes but the activity is constant.

Edited November 10, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Do you tacitly assume that your experience and worldview are true, real, even shared by everyone?

Our current perspective, paradigm and worldview are automatically assumed to be correct. Not only correct, but that others share them with you.

They are yours, and that seems to be what we care about most, not whether they're factual and accurate.

Have you ever assumed that how you experience life is the way others do? Dig it.

For example, you hold a negative outlook towards life in general, and have been stuck in that perspective for years. Then, you see a group of monks being happy chopping wood. That picture startles you. Not everyone shares your outlook.

Edited April 19 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

1. Boredom: arrogance. Assuming that the way you think reality works is reality.
2. Boredom: frustration without hostility.

Edited April 19 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

One's personality isn't fixed. You can transform as a person and still exist.

What comes to mind when considering your own personality? Why do you assume it is static? 

Granted, radical personal change isn't common.

What prevents you from behaving differently, from adopting different behavior patterns? Have some aspect of your personality been changed over the years?

Change your preferences, opinions, perspectives and self make up. You aren't any of them. Therefore, changing them is possible.

[UnbornTao]

What is mind?

Find mind in your experience.

Where is it?

Mind is an invention! The Greeks invented it -- in the western world. The Chinese use another distinction.

How do we know? Observing historical references is one way. At some point, that word started being used. The earliest references to it are from ancient Greece.

What else could it possibly be but a distinction within experience?

Mind is this huge domain or field where thoughts take place. Where there are thoughts, there is internal dialogue, emotions, "inner" world, the subconscious, psychology, personality, and self.

[UnbornTao]

Perception is inherently indirect. It is "about" an object, not the thing itself. It is a process done through biological inventions. In this case, our human senses. Seeing, hearing, tasting something (assumed to be) physically separated from you.

Direct consciousness would be knowing the thing itself for what it is, existentially.

Most of our knowledge being perception-based, how can we then be so certain of it?

This perspective opens up our minds relative to our whole worldview and knowledge, a positive result in this work.

Edited November 6, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Self, survival and life are the same principle.

Survival is much deeper and broader than how it is used in the conventional sense.

Choosing what to wear as well as the constant need and impulse to breathe are survival.

Edited July 15, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

We unconsciously make up and adopt conceptual worlds to inhabit and then believe them to be "real."

Cognizing this activity frees you from worldviews and belief systems.

It is prevalent and easier to discern in the social domain:

Bring to mind a tradition or routine that is collectively followed in your culture:

• New year's eve
• Christmas
• Coffee drinking (the particular picture or scene that you hold in your mind)
• What someone who goes to the opera should be like

These are all conceptual worlds we're sucked into. Each one determines what is appropriate in a given situation.

They have no substance nor do they exist "out there". Without humans to interpret and make sense, they can't arise.

Its existence depends on the mind conjuring up the world in such a way as to make that particular thing take place.

Its nature is recognized once you stop doing it -- it is an invention, an act. It may be popular but it is a construction nonetheless.

Lastly, the fact that something is constructed doesn't undermine its potential value or contribution.

Edited July 14, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:37 PM, UnbornTao said:

Cognizing this activity frees you from any worldview.

How can that be done?

First, become aware of what the activity is about. What am I doing? What is its purpose? Why am I doing it?

Recognize whether your participation in it is socially validated. The more socially validated, the more likely it is to be unconscious. This might indicate groupthink.

Remove distinctions. In other words, adopt a meta, or big picture, perspective. Step back. Observe the situation from an unbiased, impartial, third-person standpoint. How would an alien perceive that event?

Edited November 8, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Being smart is different from being intelligent.

The former is easier and mechanic. Machines can learn it much more easily than actual intelligence. Prevalent in academic circles. Rote memorization can be considered a form of smartness.

The latter requires holism, awareness, detachment, and creativity. It is harder to become intelligent and come across an intelligent person.