Gumby, it looks like you have discovered your true nature!
Cog
cognizant dissident
JoinedPosts by cognizant dissident
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36
meditation: your thoughts? :)
by DeusMauzzim inthe wtbts always has meditation as a topic on conventions.
they always state that eastern meditation makes the mind "blank", so this is a no no.. of course we know that it is actually the convention that makes the mind blank :).
so what are your thoughts on meditation now?.
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36
meditation: your thoughts? :)
by DeusMauzzim inthe wtbts always has meditation as a topic on conventions.
they always state that eastern meditation makes the mind "blank", so this is a no no.. of course we know that it is actually the convention that makes the mind blank :).
so what are your thoughts on meditation now?.
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cognizant dissident
I want some of what ever White Dove's taking!
Cog
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
Wow, Twitch! Great song! I think the artist forgot to take his prozac the day he wrote that!
I say deliver me from Swedish furniture
Amen to that brother! That is my favorite line, cracked me up. (I really want to keep my double latte, though, it's my drug of choice to get me through the day! ) Deliver me from Starbucks! or is that deliver me TO Starbucks? Hmm. Another duality slide.
Cog
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
JT: I love it when you call me Coggy!
There is a very important and compelling ache behind your questions. Isn't what you are asking, simply : "What am I; really; really; really?" I suggest taking the agony of your earnest and sincere desire to want to know -- within. I have experienced that it is just this hunger that is the vehicle that carries us to undeniable realization of what we seek.
Well sort of. It's more that I don't like the answer I get when I ask the question and go within. This idea of "we are all compost" is not mine. Ram Das says the same thing in a lecture of his on the nature of who we are. My teacher also has said, we are compost. I observe the truth of this every day when I sit on my cushion and meditate, looking out the window observing the cycles of birth and eating and sleeping and sex and death that surround me. Still, I whined, "but I don't want to be compost when I die. I want to be bronzed!" Alas, I have done nothing bronzeworthy of late!
Coggy
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
Well poppers, on that we can agree. It is a mystery and none of us really "knows" with certainty the fullness of the mystery. We can but ask questions and speculate. Learning to live in the present moment, accepting of what is, not becoming attached to the outcome, these do make for a peaceful existence and free us from enslavement to meanings and worry about the future. "That", we can experience and "know" right now. "That" IS a wonderful experience of freedom "within" the parameters of being human and all that "is".
To steal nvrgnbk's handle, I am NEVER going back!
With love to you all,
Cog
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
Quietly leaving:
Most days, I love humanity and nature too, except for on the days when I hate it (often coinciding with PMS days, strangely enough!) This too is awareness of the cycles of life.
I agree, to be able to question and to ask the right kinds of questions is what keeps us growing in awareness. I am very leery of any claiming to have "found" the answers especially when they are apparent only to a select few, or those who make large donations. lol
Cog
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
LOL at nvrgnbk! Did you just suggest I score some mind altering substances off tetra and get stoned? I must be killing everyone's buzz with my posts! Hey, Josh is one interesting guy. I love the way his mind works. We pm each other sometimes. He lives a couple of hours away in Vancouver. I'm on Vancouver Island. I can't believe he hasn't commented on this post. Perhaps he is off "relaxing" somewhere?
While I have tried a few mind-altering substances in my day, I have to say that I think the belief that they are a short cut to enlightenment is a delusion I do not share. Maybe because of my background in healthcare, I think the evidence shows that the potential harm outweighs the potential for any enlightening effects. That being said, I'm not going to narc on anyone who lights up a doobie! lol
Cog
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
We call ourselves "human beings" - form is what we identify with, and indeed it is the form, the "human" part, we are referring to when we say "they are not themselves". Even if they could continue to think they may think that themselves. This is our lament, to regret the changing nature of our form, and when our identity is invested in the form we suffer. But the "being" part of the equation is completely overlooked and that never changes because it is no "thing" in itself, though it can be known. When we know that as our reality then the changing form no longer is a source of suffering.
What seems to be unique about the human form is its capactity to reach beyond itself and cognize the underlying consciousness. We are like an instrument for consciousness to recognize itself. When the instrument declines consciousness remains, though the capicity for self-awareness has dissolved. Where could consciousness possibly go? In that we find our salvation, our freedom, and our capacity to fully embrace manifestation without fear. At last we know what it is to be a "human being".I question the underlying assumption of some of these statements: for instance, does consciousness really underly the human form or is consciousness a product of the human form, specifically, the brain interpreting the signals from the nervous system? Could it be true that our forms are not an instrument for our consciousness to recognize itself but that our consciousness is but an instrument for our form to recognize itself/survive? What is the difference between consiousness and self-awareness that the former would remain when the latter has dissolved? I suggest that when our form changes, and is finally dissolved/composted that our "being", our "consciousness", our "awareness", also ceases to exist and is also dissolved. Yes, it is our lament to regret this inevitable changing of our form into non-existence along with the cosnciousness that was produced by the form. That is why so many delude ourselves that this conscious awareness takes another shape or form and continues to exist, that it is somehow apart from or greater than the form which produced it. Yet, there is no evidence for this. I submit it is also delusion.
Cog
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
Poppers, I agree, there are definitely levels of consciousness and even people with severe brain damage may have some levels of responsiveness. Yet we often say of such ones, they are not the same, they are not the person they were, they are not themselves.
I guess what I am asking is this, how much of our true self, our true nature, is really just the conditioned physical process of neurons firing in response to stimulation, including the ability to ask this question? We want our lives, ours selves to have greater meaning, greater purpose, greater levels of consciousness, other planes of consciousness, but perhaps the truth of the matter is that we are just a big tube, with three openings and we put dead plants and animals in one end and expel compost from the other. Perhaps all our senses and awareness are only to aid in this purpose and survive. When our senses deteriorate, our ability to consume and expel deteriorates until we finally die. Perhaps all the artificial constructs/beliefs of our minds are just further machinations to aid in our organisms survival. Including the belief in life after death. Our organisms drive to survive is so great that it will even imagine non-existant planes of existence where its conscious awareness will survive death in some way and then spend inordiante amounts of time trying to bring that plane into existence at all costs (ie, religiously motivated wars that kill all who do not share the vision/goal for survival). Wouldn't it be the ultimate irony if our biological organisms drive to survive, is what eventually causes us all to become extinct?
LOL! I am depressing myself again with this line of reasoning!
Cog
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161
What if you're missing the purpose?
by journey-on infor those of you who espouse the philosophy that one needs to discard who we "think" we are and embrace the "reality" of who we really are, what if, there is a divine purpose to our miniscule existence in the here and now and that purpose is to experience the pull of opposite forces (duality), and you are missing it by not allowing yourself to experience the ego self?
what if you are missing the whole purpose of this pull of pain and joy by trying to suppress it or place yourself outside of it?
the below is a short story sent to me by a friend and it is an example of what i'm inferring.
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cognizant dissident
Poppers has given a beautiful and eloquent description of our "true self" as being that which is conscious awareness, without the constraints of ego-identity. There is seeing, there is tasting, there is feeling, there is hearing, there is smelling, our true experiential awareness is who we really are?
Although seductive and difficult to argue, I want to throw a monkey wrench into this but Narkissos has beat me to it somewhat with his post.
Now who/what is observing "that which observes everything" and comes back to tell about it within the constraints of language -- if not a separate, dualistic, language-based mind?
And by calling "It" "Con-sciousness" hasn't this mind sneakingly ascribed "It" its own complex co-gnitive structure, only reversing it as a mirror image (which in this case may imply the denial of complexity, otherness, separateness, antagonism)? If slightly more subtle, is this process, in depth, any less "anthropomorphic" than the old mythmaking by which man made deities after his own image (however equally denying what he disliked in it, i.e. finitude, weakness, transience and mortality) in order to construe himself as the image of a somehow better Other?
Having a background in nursing, I have seen many patients whose cognitive function and awareness has broken down and deteriorated to a very large degree. They may have lost sense of sight, sense of smell and taste, sense of hearing and even sense of touch due to the degeneration of their nervous system/brain. Perhaps they have severe dementia and have lost all conscious awareness of reality. Perhaps they had brain damage to the language centeres of the brain and can no longer understand or use language. This is due to the actual physical deterioration of the complex cognitive structure and its delicate processes. Yet, the are still alive. They still exist. I'm not talking about patients kept alive artifically on respirators or feeding tubes. I'm referring to those who still breathe on their own without a respirator. Their physical bodies function on some level. They may swallow mush to sustain themselves while half asleep and not even tasting. Some may even be in a coma, not aware on any conscious level. So who are we when our neural and cognitive processes have broken down to such a degree that we have lost conscious awareness? We have lost all our senses that feed our experiential awareness? We are still alive. A breathing, eating, expelling, living organism.
Seeing living examples of the breakdown of the brain's processes made me question if this "conscious awareness" of all, that we experience is the true self? Is this idea of our true nature just another artificial construct of our language based mind, as Narkissos has pointed out? When we are no longer consciously aware, when we can no longer understand or use language, when we can no longer sense the world around us, yet we still exist, who are we then? What is our purpose then?
Cog