17 Oct

Posted at 15:16h in Observations

In college I took a philosophy course that was taught by an Indian (dot, not feather) professor. While not part of the curriculum, the professor was always encouraging us to take up Transcendental Meditation. He felt TM changed his life; a bit enlightened, he went from lethargic to energetic, from careless to responsible. One wintery Tuesday at 11 in the morning, the professor didn't show up for class. Funny, odd, as there was no notice on the door indicating the class was cancelled. In any event, after a while we realized he wasn't coming so each of us left to get on with the rest of our day. A couple of days later, the professor did make it to class and explained his earlier absence: "I woke up early enough to make the class Tuesday morning. However, before class I did an hour of TM. It was fabulous, a total awakening like never before; felt terrific; so good that I decided to go back to sleep and missed the class." I guess that sometimes, when we glimpse enlightenment, we choose to return to the sleep state in which we were previously, simply because it feels warm and comfortable. Maybe the professor should have just slept through the morning without the TM interruption....

16 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Images, Observations

Thousands of these presumably votive "Eye Idols" have been found in a building now called the Eye Temple in Tell Brak. They depict a deity who observes the world but lacking ears and a mouth does not hear or speak. The deity's view is pure, unadulterated by the words of others which could have the deity see the world as they would wish the deity to see it. Lacking a mouth, the deity knows but does not speak; implying that those who speak do not know and those who know do not speak. In the contemporary world, seeking enlightenment, some monks take a vow of silence. To view other eye idols, click here....

15 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"Rather than Communists and Marxists on the extreme 'Left' and Nazis and Fascists on the extreme 'Right,' I think the political spectrum should be 'Up' and 'Down' --Up towards individual freedom and Down towards control of the individual by the State. The extreme Up would be Anarchy, no government at all, while the extreme Down, at the bottom of the spectrum, would be all forms of totalitarianism; both Fascism and Communism, Nazism and Marxism, which together in common advocate the abolishment of individual freedom. On this spectrum, I place myself on the Up side, far from the extremism of anarchism, but as an advocate of individual liberty in accordance with a constitutional democracy and rule of law." (1) "Up" is close to heaven and "down" is hell. In a constitutional democracy, a republic, a nation is governed by clear laws, generally well-understood, that brave time as they are difficult to change.  A representative democracy often leads to a self-serving government, controlled by wealthy and voting bloc special interest groups; not unlike totalitarian regimes where people in a conference room decide what's best for all which is generally what's best for themselves. (1) Transcribed by Jack Wheeler, October, 1965 at a speech given by Ronald Reagan at UCLA...

12 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." In school we are taught by others and learn to repeat what's taught us when taking exams. This is the road to success in school. But our education in life comes from observing the universe about us and asking ourselves difficult questions about ourselves and our observations; to which there are many answers, each somewhat relevant or revealing of the truth and engendering further questions. "School is very limited. Learning is unending!" William Wisher "I always like to learn but I sometimes don't like to be taught." Winston Churchill...

11 Oct

Posted at 18:05h in Images, Observations

This shaman figure, made of bone, is depicted wearing a hat with seven heads, presumably representing ancestors, historically important clan members or wise men. The heads are the shaman's helper spirits or guides in the world underpinning the world of the living; the world before it's tangible to our senses. The spirit helpers provide the shaman with multiple perspectives which is the essence of wisdom, the stock-in-trade of shamans. The triangular shaped head, pointing down and perfectly balanced on the torso, implies an open mind with no predilections. The figure has a disproportionally large head (40% of its entire body while man naturally is 14%), implying that, unlike others who use their physical body when working, the head plays an outsized role in the shaman's work. Moreover, the figure is sexless as, unlike most work in tribal societies which is exclusively the domain of one sex or the other, a shaman can be male or female. As well, without sexual identity, the shaman's perspective is unbiased, nondual....

06 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"How do you dress, sir?" I was first asked this question when getting fitted for a handmade suit in the 1970s. At the time I didn't understand what the tailor was asking. Seeing me a bit befuddled, the tailor explained that he wanted to know whether my penis naturally lays to the right or the left so he could give me a bit more room in the trousers on the right or left. I hadn't theretofore focused on my penis's natural bend, so I told him to proceed as he thought best as my penis is like me politically; sometimes a bit left, something right. A bit more fabric on one side or another creates a bit of a bulge in the trousers which implies the presence of a somewhat larger than average penis. I guess those who need to present themselves wearing a handmade suit also need to make certain other statements about themselves....

04 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"I'm not going to tell the story the way it happened. I'm going to tell it the way I [want to] remember it." Our memories shape our attitude, how we experience the world as it unfolds. Those of us with happy memories have a happy time of it, swaddled in sunlight. For those of us with trauma-filled memories, life at times is a struggle, stressful. The traumas, karma, overshadow our lives. In the shadows it's cold and we use a lot of energy to keep warm. To replace the energy lost, we often engage others, to tap into their energy, with our dramas and other attention-getting techniques. At some point, it's exhausting for those we tap into and, if they have any sense to preserve their well-being, they walk away from us. Those with happy memories overflow with energy. Their lives are terrific, always good and getting better. They generously share their energy with others, hoping to bring them happiness. Those who are happy view the past as an entertaining illusion, like a movie. It is what it is whatever it is and whatever we want our memories to make of it. They know the most important free-will choice we have in life which in turn defines our attitude: how we choose to remember the past. For those who hold onto a traumatic past, best for them to remember the traumas are now passed; that there is nothing to forget. That is, the past is nothing but an illusion....

30 Sep

Posted at 01:15h in Observations

“When one realizes one is asleep, at that moment one is already half-awake." Self-consciousness precedes universal consciousness....

29 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"Unfortunately, most people don’t get it. They will, but they’ll have to die first before they understand that they don’t." We don't die, just transition from one form to another. That which is alive and that which is not are no different; only differentiated by our mind; all manifestations of God; all unique and all the same. Is the breathing of the ocean and its shattering sound at the shore not as alive as we are? Everything is like bubbles in a glass of sparkling water, appearing out of nowhere and seemingly disappearing when reaching the top of the glass. The bubbles don't disappear. They become one with everything as they have been from the very beginning. We recognize that the only constant in the universe is change; that no one or anything dies, just transitions. Those who realize (know) this truth don't take themselves too seriously....