tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23686323.post3654304226322650323..comments2023-08-24T09:54:33.625-05:00Comments on Sojourner in the 21st Century: Mind Maps and Life PathsAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08862537791913076190noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23686323.post-47103470286029864392008-01-18T15:16:00.000-06:002008-01-18T15:16:00.000-06:00Ah. Thanks for reply to my questions.... I've been...Ah. Thanks for reply to my questions.... I've been thinking about not taking the wisdom words at face value, the meanings of felt experience- myself, I go to B'hai teachings: there's only ONE truth. Science & religion must agree. Wings of the same bird- can't flyright with only one wing. In that faith, as well as others I think, you can't be a member until you reach the age of consent- 15 in that instance- because without understanding, following the teachings is superstition... also reflects for me that movie (what IS the name of it.... quantum physics, the deaf actor) and the so-called "secret"- exploration of science (observable, measurable phenomena I mean here) leads me to exploration of Spirit- I, who never had a science or math class<BR/>until I went to nursing school 12 or so yrs ago; imagine my surprise!<BR/>our own expereince is the best teacher we've got, hm?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23686323.post-66290329824144711492008-01-15T14:56:00.000-06:002008-01-15T14:56:00.000-06:00The book image is one I found online. The edition ...The book image is one I found online. The edition I read had a different cover but I like this one a lot.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08862537791913076190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23686323.post-30622690225672960822008-01-14T13:17:00.000-06:002008-01-14T13:17:00.000-06:00YES, The Road! First CM book I've ever read- not o...YES, The Road! First CM book I've ever read- not only his extraordinary writing- the unfolded love story, the hope implicit in everything they do under the imaginably very worse circumstances.... a great teacher, that book. <BR/>Suicide: I have questions, as usual: is that visitor one who shows up without warning, a compelling force that says join me in death? Is the context getting AWAY from pain/suffering? Is it, rather, a positive wish to be dead? I love yr description by the way- meeting & soothing the visitor. <BR/>A frequently suicidal friend- you met him here- had an audience with Pema, arranged by a friend of his who's a shambala practitioner, in order to hopefully help him with the nagging wish to kill himself; he told me she said "maybe your life challenge is simply NOT to kill yrself, simply to live". He wasn't real happy with that- wanted her, or SOMEONE, to give him some meaning, some direction for his life outside the awful compulsion. <BR/>I also dig yr description of the detritus of wisdom teachings rattling around in yr mind- and detritus might be an important clue there- the teachings, the ancient ones as well as the newer versions of the old knowledge, like The Secret, or Andrew Cohen, all present a focussed practice for being there. And all, except the newer versions, tell us how really difficult the practices are, how knotty and rough our life paths; Buddha said simply that suffering is a condition of life. And none of them offer "fixes", dammit. Would that they did- or that I believed any of the newer versions that promise one... I, too, spend time imagining how I might "fix" my life... winning the lottery might help. Maybe I should start buying tickets.... <BR/>You know I do a lot of intellectualizing,theorizing, abstracting my experience through the lens of Mind. That realization is one thing that's led me to my own practice- personally learning to practice what I so fervently preach; kindness, respect, acceptance, walking the talk; much easier said than actually done. But I know that's the only meaningful starting place, going-on place, any of us really have- awfully magnaminous, arrogant, to think we alone are called on to Change the World when we can't very well change ourselves- Can "fate", or "meant to be" really be directing us away from the lives we've been given, or made for ourselves? I don't THINK so..... I htink that our own lives, part of the vast web of being, can't be that different than all "other" life; the same processes, beingness, follows the same routes all of life does- so our actions are like little seeds we plant, never knowing in the moment or maybe even within our our own conscious life spans what flowers, what fruits. So hurrah for yr New Yr's resolution- <BR/>And is it the chicken or the egg? Interesting question- and the answer's probly meaningless in terms of life experience- we have what we have, wherever it came from, and need to deal with that from our own felt experience- after all, that's all we really have to work with at the end of the day, isn't it? <BR/>I'm going to download yr new toy when Q's finished with morning computering; I'll let you know what happens- LOVE, my Friend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23686323.post-44292971773224942462008-01-14T09:46:00.000-06:002008-01-14T09:46:00.000-06:00Also, is that a special edition of The Road? I've...Also, is that a special edition of <I>The Road</I>? I've never seen that cover before.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23686323.post-55073276788026667232008-01-14T07:04:00.000-06:002008-01-14T07:04:00.000-06:00I recently read The Road and appreciated it, too. ...I recently read <I>The Road</I> and appreciated it, too. (Actually, I'm a long-time fan of McCarthy.)<BR/><BR/>I believe fate has put us living in one of the most signficant periods in human history. I wish it hadn't, but it has. But I believe it's our burden and our opportunity to make it right. How exactly one goes about doing that is another matter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com