Quote:
Originally Posted by Dent
(Post 439286)
tat tvam asi? (open individualism)
Can we discuss identity somewhere? my guess is that you're in the majority with closed individualism, see the picture linked.
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"Philosophy, without the drugs, sucks" - Joe Rogan.
It seems to me that those of us (humanity) who intentionally keep their distance between psychedelic drugs or things like yoga and meditation are, somehow, unable to experientially comprehend what you are talking about.
Quote:
It is said that when Bodhidharma arrived in China he met with the emperor, who, having sponsored the construction of a great many Buddhist monasteries and temples and patronized the teachers of the various Buddhist sects, assumed that he would gain much merit in the form of a happy and prosperous reign and an auspicious rebirth. But according to legend their dialog went as follows:
Emperor Wu: "I have built many temples, copied innumerable Sutras and ordained many monks since becoming Emperor. Therefore, I ask you what is my merit?"
Bodhidharma: "None whatsoever!"
Emperor Wu: "What then is the most important principle of Buddhism?"
Bodhidharma: "Vast emptiness. Nothing sacred."
Emperor: "Who is this that stands before me?"
Bodhidharma: "I don't know."
When the emperor did not understand, Bodhidharma crossed the river to Shaolin, where he meditated in a cave for nine years.
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"...the nature of this one Reality is such that it cannot be directly or immediately apprehended except by those who have chosen to fulfill certain conditions, making themselves loving, pure in heart, and poor in spirit." - Huxley
On a purely physical basis it could be some kind of buildup or structure in the brain that psychedelics or meditation help to dissolve so we can see things in a more open and nonjudgmental way -- I think this is the idea behind the whole "pineal gland calcification" thing. Another way to look at it is: everything I sense must come through the filter of my physical body and brain before it reaches me as "reality", and like any filter, the output would be either reduced or distorted in some way.
I've been wanting to make a thread about identity for a while but I figured it would mostly fall on deaf ears. I may be wrong but I think you and I are the only ones willing or able to talk about the fact that "you" aren't really "you", you were "something" when you were born then given a name, a personality, etc. etc. "What was your original face before you were born?" The idea of "world as drama" (namely Hinduism) has really helped me to deal with it.
person (n.)
early 13c., from Old French persone "human being, anyone, person" (12c., Modern French personne) and directly from Latin persona "human being, person, personage; a part in a drama, assumed character," originally "mask, false face," such as those of wood or clay worn by the actors in later Roman theater...
The fact is, consciousness is inherent in nature, I would say that, as mystical as it sounds, it is not only a fundamental property of nature (i.e. reality outside of human creations such as buildings, society, social structures etc), but the PURPOSE of nature. Consciousness is the means by which nature experiences itself.
I actually find it very difficult to eat meat or kill insects anymore because I am so aware of the base consciousness of that being (or as I like to say, "is-ing"). It can be intensely trippy/weird at times, and is one of the things that has made me extremely aware of death (it's everywhere all the time)
Realizing "open individualism" is the primary goal of most religions I think, but I also think there are different stages of
realization.
Eight-Circuit Model of Consciousness
