--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jim_flanegin" <jflanegi@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jim_flanegin" <jflanegi@> > > wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > On Behalf Of TurquoiseB > > > > Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 2:29 AM > > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: How Thinking and Meditating Can > > > Change the > > > > Brain > > > > > > > > All in all, I can only *commend* Rick once again > > > > for having started this forum, in which a few of > > > > the more open-minded seekers can exchange information > > > > and learn from each other. It's just a pain in the > > > > ass sometimes when the fanatics -- on either side -- > > > > try to dominate it and turn it into a showcase > > > > for their rock-solid, immovable belief systems > > > > and the damage that's done to their psyches. > > > > > > Odd comment here, for barry seems to be saying that only if we are > > > uncertain of what we believe, and continually questioning > > > everything, our psyches are by default damaged. granted this is a > > > valid perspective for him, and he clearly enjoys it, but by trying > > > to impose it on others, he becomes the fanatic that he is railing > > > against. > > > > I meant that he is saying that only if we are > > uncertain of what we believe, and continually questioning > > everything, our psyches are by default UNdamaged... > > Just a few self-inquiry questions, when and > if they arrive on FFL:
Yep, no kidding- it has been real snail mail lately... > Who is this 'we' you speak of who are certain > of their beliefs? You're not implying that there > is a self present to believe these things, are you? It looks like there is a self certain of its beliefs from the outside, but the actual process, the subjective experience, is more like an instantaneous self-referral, then instantaneous release, with the self-referral result being reported. > If so, does that self change so slowly that it can > become convinced that the way it perceives reality > *is* reality? There is in reality no self experienced, and so no beliefs or convincing. I ask because my self (and I have no > problems admitting that I have one, even if it *does* > change more often than some of the folks here change > their underwear) recycles so fast that it doesn't > have *time* to become attached to anything long > enough to consider it "true" or to form a lasting > belief system around it. Its an interesting reality that you are talking about-- The self still exists, the ego reconstitutes itself after each change of 'underwear', though it enjoys its continuing change, and takes ownership for it. If the process continues, the ego eventually completely collapses- the self completely disappears as an entity that owns *anything*, even constant change. Then we become instruments of the Creation and live life as such. This is often referred to as Self-realization, the capitalized Self representing this state of non-localized existence. I wrote about it recently in terms of whether or not Self-realization is pleasurable: Is Self-Realization Pleasurable? That's a great question, since we all define pleasure differently. The way I hear that question is that some seekers chase after a 'the grass is greener on the other side of the fence' reality, thinking that once self-realization occurs, all their challenges will leave them. The only thing I can say about that is once self-realization occurs, I find I am the challenges, the pleasure, the green grass, both sides of the fence, the heavens, the abyss, and everything else. So it is an interesting result, that instead of getting away from anything, I have become everything. Is that pleasurable? In one way, yes, because my involvement, my integration with everything is far more total than when there was an ego-filter to traverse. In another way, sometimes not so pleasurable because I must honor and respect the dross along with the gold. The very interesting thing about it is I no longer have control over what it is I experience so very deeply, and that brings its own special reward as I live within God, who makes my life wholly what it is, with me absolutely powerless to resist it. So the pleasure I experience is the pleasure God grants me as He takes me here, there and everywhere, though by no longer traversing the ego, it turns out to be more Heaven than Hell. An innocent and magical result, of wich the only role I play is complete surrender.
