--- In [email protected], Peter Sutphen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- drjmercay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > one thing that is often forgotten is that susan > > segal had a brain > > tumor. brain tumors often give a person fantastic > > experiences that may be > > construed as "enlightenment" (remember the John > > Travolta movie?). I am not > > really sure that her experiences as related in her > > book can be considered > > reliable expositions of enlightenment given the fact > > that she had a brain > > tumor. just something to think about... > > This point comes up from time to time usually used to > discredit Ms. Segal's experience because they fail to > fit somebody's conceptual, waking state understanding > of CC. While allowances should be made for this "tumor > problem" it should also be noted that Susan did not, > at least in her writings, report any other > phenomena/symptoms that can accompany a brain tumor.
It's a fact she had a brain tumor, she died from it. Whether she reported symptoms would be a factor in determining if she did or did not have a tumor, but we know now that she did, so it was influencing her brain functioning whether she wrote about certain symptoms or not. > Her experiences of pure consciousness were not unusual > within the context of MMY's teachings if you have a > thorough intellectual grounding in those teachings. > She, however, did not see her experiences explained in > his teachings which is too bad, because they are. > Others have had identical experiences to Susan both > within the TMO and outside of it. The fact that an active initiator did not recognize what was going on or know anyone else in the mov't who did shows it's somewhat unusual. OF course, as you've pointed out here before, the intellect, no matter how grounded in the theory, can still be stupified at the actual experience. Plus I think MMY purposefully skewed his teachings about enlightenment to emphasize a glorification of the self, when it has nothing to do with that. In "my" not-so-humble nor humble, pristine consciousness, > Susan's experiences are absolutely valid. > -Peter My take is that in certain circumstances a brain tumor can stimulate the subjective experience of awakening. Her experience was just as valid as some guy who spent 30yrs in a cave, or in a prison cell, or whatever. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
