Quite lovely Vam - thank heavens I now have inadequate energy for such cosmic questing! Altruistic animals can logically survive as the advantage they give is to a group which thus is more likely to survive than groups without it. I read somewhere of women who become 'promiscuous' when pregnant - explained as 'wanting the fish for the baby brought by the lover' (altruism on behalf of the off-spring or them selfish genes acting from the womb?). I remember a good socialist friend who never quite realised it might just be altruistic to let others do something to please him because of the pleasure they would get. There are complex rules of the gift in 'primitive' societies - the giving giving an obligation. There can be pleasure in giving pleasure. I would have been a bad client for prostitutes, given my aversity to short time and forced labour. Slip points out that the good guys finish last, and I was never premature. Tit for tat is often the best strategy once the free-riders are spotted and ignored. No doubt we are transactional. Given we are deceivers, how do we tell much about much? Knowledge of likelihood of fair return in a world admitting to selfishness might lead to the trust to do something rather than just subsist. Fair return might well be linked to spiritual rules in a community, even law. We should do more in life to find our sweet spots and beware the ghastly feigning of sincerity of the Blairs and TV presenters - and the meritocracy of the selfish. This may lead us to the selfish pleasures of helping - a state entirely different from selfish ripping-off. The pursuit of the extirpation of metaphysics is, of course, metaphysical. Not all selfishness is the same. Origins are noble and ignoble.
Yup Molly - Rand isn't as 'straw' as she can be made out to be. The worst people I have met have had low self-esteem yet regarded themselves as superior to others. I shall exit stage left for a night of altruistic passion based on a woman daft enough to buy the drinks as part of her selfish plan to glean pleasure credits from me ... On 8 Sep, 17:42, Vam <[email protected]> wrote: > Another way describing the ' leela ' of ( Maya and ) Brahman, as it > appears : > > " Maithun - The bliss in union of Purush ( Self ) and Prakriti ( His > Nature ) is Maithun. These Purush and Prakriti tattwas ( potencies ) > are active in sadhaks ( seeker's ) own body. On one side of Abyakta > Peetha ( Unmanifest playground ... Mind ! ? ) is prakriti tattwa and > another side is purusha. The creation and destruction process of this > universe are but various bliss currents of this union. When sadhaka > crosses the barrier of the "Ahang Granthi" ( the self - ego - > consciousness, the idea of oneself ), the entire universe becomes his > playground and he can directly feel the unified bliss of purusha and > prakriti in the cosmos. This is maithun ( the act of interpenetration, > unification ). A fraction of this bliss is present in the > "Milan" ( intercourse ) of a man and a woman. Hence every Jiva > ( individuated being, one with the idea of oneself ) is so much > attracted and attached to." > > " ... The inclusion of actual sex in tantra may be due to buddhist > influence." > > The translations in ( ) are mine. > > On Sep 8, 9:02 pm, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > On 8 Sep., 16:54, Pat <[email protected]> wrote: > > Funny thing, though, altruism, in a monistic system, is the > > height > > > > of selfishness. But, of course, that's EVERY reason to perform > > > altruistic acts because it's how we treat others that is how we treat > > > ourselves. > > > Or you could describe monism as being supremely, divinely > > masturbatory ... God playing with him/her/itself :-) > > > Francis --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
