On Aug 20, 2009, at 10:50:31 PM, "Ham Priday" <[email protected]> wrote:
I have a problem with "understanding" that is not intellectual. Like your friend, I am fond of Wagner's music and can be moved to tears by the strains of Tristan and Isolde. But this esthetic experience isn't "understanding", nor is an altered state of consciousness induced by chemicals or meditation. I can understand a mathematical equation, a logical syllogism, a cause-and-effect process, or a set of ideas that relate to my experience. I don't know about you, but I'm unable to gain understanding by reciting a mystic mantra or contemplating my navel. Hi Ham, Understanding that is not intellectual is most of your being. You can understand intellectually Wagner, and you can listen to it with understanding. You can intellectualize a sunset and you can watch it. You can understand basketball, and you can play it. You can understand reality, and you can practice it. Which provides more understanding? I feel that intellectualizing it provides less than living it. It is one step removed, and fractioned into words. Your estrangement from the source, is what is called Samsara. Forget Wikipedia, what I mean is the experience of dualism. I think you might agree with me there. This condition was recognized many, many years ago, when man had more time to think. It is possible to experience the world in a non-dual manner. You may claim that such an experience is simply a condition of the brain, but you don't know until you have experienced it, otherwise it is simply intellectualizing. There are 4 ways of viewing the world when we are separated from the source. Of things have existence, non-existence, having both existence and non-existence, and having neither existence or non-existence. All of these are dualistic. When I say it is not terminal to believe this way, I mean that there is a different way to think. You may claim that you do live your life according to your ontology. If that is true, you are contemplating your navel in a most meaningful way. You are meditating, there is nothing magical about it. Peace, Willblake2 Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
