The topic of value rigidity Seems to rest on the concept Of "facts". Not opinion or hypothesis. Reflection and reasoning from facts. Ego keeps us from being empirical . Causes us to make assumptions like Facts are just opinions.
Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 5, 2013, at 2:37 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > > > To me, this is the type of suffering the Buddha addressed. > > > "I keep wanting to go back to that analogy of fishing for facts. I can just > see somebody asking with great frustration, ``Yes, but which facts do you > fish for? There's got to be more to it than that.'' > > "But the answer is that if you know which facts you're fishing for you're no > longer fishing. You've caught them. I'm trying to think of a specific > example. -- All kinds of examples from cycle maintenance could be given, but > the most striking example of value rigidity I can think of is the old South > Indian Monkey Trap, which depends on value rigidity for its effectiveness. > The trap consists of a hollowed-out coconut chained to a stake. The coconut > has some rice inside which can be grabbed through a small hole. The hole is > big enough so that the monkey's hand can go in, but too small for his fist > with rice in it to come out. The monkey reaches in and is suddenly > trapped...by nothing more than his own value rigidity. He can't revalue the > rice. He cannot see that freedom without rice is more valuable than capture > with it. The villagers are coming to get him and take him away. They're > coming closer -- closer! -- now! What general advice...not specific > advice...but what general a dv > ice would you give the poor monkey in circumstances like this? > > "Well, I think you might say exactly what I've been saying about value > rigidity, with perhaps a little extra urgency. There is a fact this monkey > should know: if he opens his hand he's free. But how is he going to discover > this fact? By removing the value rigidity that rates rice above freedom. How > is he going to do that? Well, he should somehow try to slow down deliberately > and go over ground that he has been over before and see if things he thought > were important really were important and, well, stop yanking and just stare > at the coconut for a while. Before long he should get a nibble from a little > fact wondering if he is interested in it. He should try to understand this > fact not so much in terms of his big problem as for its own sake. That > problem may not be as big as he thinks it is. That fact may not be as small > as he thinks it is either. That's about all the general information you can > give him. > > ... > > "On the road now and talking about traps again. The next one is important. > It's the internal gumption trap of ego. > > "Ego isn't entirely separate from value rigidity but one of the many causes > of it. If you have a high evaluation of yourself then your ability to > recognize new facts is weakened. Your ego isolates you from the Quality > reality. When the facts show that you've just goofed, you're not as likely to > admit it. When false information makes you look good, you're likely to > believe it. On any mechanical repair job ego comes in for rough treatment. > You're always being fooled, you're always making mistakes, and a mechanic who > has a big ego to defend is at a terrific disadvantage. If you know enough > mechanics to think of them as a group, and your observations coincide with > mine, I think you'll agree that mechanics tend to be rather modest and quiet. > There are exceptions, but generally if they're not quiet and modest at first, > the work seems to make them that way. And skeptical. Attentive, but > skeptical, But not egoistic. There's no way to bullshit your way into looking > good on a mechani ca > l repair job, except with someone who doesn't know what you're doing. > > "-- I was going to say that the machine doesn't respond to your personality, > but it does respond to your personality. It's just that the personality that > it responds to is your real personality, the one that genuinely feels and > reasons and acts, rather than any false, blown-up personality images your ego > may conjure up. These false images are deflated so rapidly and completely > you're bound to be very discouraged very soon if you've derived your gumption > from ego rather than Quality. > > "If modesty doesn't come easily or naturally to you, one way out of this trap > is to fake the attitude of modesty anyway. If you just deliberately assume > you're not much good, then your gumption gets a boost when the facts prove > this assumption is correct. This way you can keep going until the time comes > when the facts prove this assumption is incorrect." > > - ZAMM > > > 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
