Hi Mark, I accept a house of cards. It's not this, not that; and not other. I, too, make an effort to communicate but at the end of the day it's none of the words I've used. I can only laugh at my attempts. I don't understand those who will not teach and will not learn. Are they afraid to say something wrong? I learned a great lesson when I boxed myself in a corner. Stuck. No exit. Trapped. I had to let go, and realize I was wrong. What is it that Mary says: The most important thing you will ever make is a realization.
Cheers to you, Marsha On Nov 10, 2010, at 1:07 PM, 118 wrote: > Hi Marsha, > Yes, good quote. I would have started with Parmenides, but that is trivial > to to the message of the quote. We are of course impartial to that which > has been written down. Tales spread by mouth often can be misinterpreted. > The old testament was a compilation of such old tales, which we find > lacking in precise literalness. > > We are all creating and trying to impart our intuitive grasp on this > reality. We have gravitated to the notion of Quality. We all seek to > rectify our understanding with that notion. This requires further growth > and understanding. There is no doubt that we are all aware of something, > expressing it is the hard part. Through such expression we create, in a > collaborative way. It seems that sometimes the conversations deteriorate > into personal attacks. But such is the nature of man's insecurity. > > It should not be the premise that the last man standing has the right > answer. Often we seem to raise out interpretation by slashing another one's > down. But, we are all together in this. Creating the top of the mountain > on other's shoulders. Any questioning on my part is to rectify my > understanding with another's. Often the techniques I use seem destructive, > but it is a progressive destruction-creation. As always in these endeavors, > camps form. This has happened throughout the history of philosophy. > Factions and debate, each claiming truth. Here we claim quality. That is > what is most meaningful. > > This is no different from the world of science that I practice in. We > develop theories and then scurry around interpreting data to fit the theory. > We debase other's theories as incomplete, and a wrong approach. We each > seek to provide the most lasting interpretation. There is constant > conversion from on camp to the other. In metaphysics we use words and > concepts. We bring in concepts from other disciplines or philosophies to > strengthen the base. We do not want to have just a house of cards, but one > of bricks that lasts a bit longer. Of course nothing is permanent but > meaningfulness. > > Cheers, > Mark > > On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 12:39 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> "Throughout this book I shall refer to theories and practices of >> contemplation stemming primarily from ancient Greek philosophy, >> Christianity, and Buddhism. As we shall see, although each of these >> traditions has unique qualities, they have important similarities. The >> English word "contemplation" derives from the Latin _contemplatio_, which >> corresponds to the Greek _theoria_. Both terms refer to a total devotion to >> revealing, clarifying, and making manifest the nature of reality. Nowadays, >> "contemplation" usually means thinking about something. But the original >> meaning of "contemplation" and "theory" had to do with a direct perception >> of reality, not by the five physical senses or by thinking, but by mental >> perception. For example, when you directly observe your own thoughts, >> mental images, and dreams, you are using mental perceptions, which can be >> refined and extended through the practice of contemplation. How then does >> meditation relate to contemplation? The Sanskrit word _bhavana_ >> corresponds to the English word "meditation," and it >> literally means "cultivation." To mediate means to cultivate an >> understanding of reality, a sense of genuine well-being, and virtue. So >> _meditation_ is a gradual process of training the mind, and it leads to the >> goal of _contemplation_, in which one gains insight into the nature of >> reality. >> >> "Within the Greek tradition, the practice of meditation can be traced >> back at least as far as Pythagoras (c. 582-507 B.C.E.), who was influenced >> by the Orphic religion and mysteries, which were focused on freeing the mind >> from impurities and opening up its deeper resources. Pythagoras was the >> first to call himself a _philosopher_, "one who loves wisdom," humbly >> rejecting the term _sophos_, or "wise man." And in his wide travels through >> the Mediterranean region and beyond, he did indeed seek wisdom, >> understanding." >> >> (Wallace, Alan B., 'Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, >> Buddhism, and Christianity', pp.8-9) >> >> >> >> ___ >> >> >> 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/md/archives.html >> > 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/md/archives.html ___ 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/md/archives.html
