seeking_brilliance

@WaveInTheOcean along with the contemplation of what could have been different ?

@Dryas do you get it now? What you believe to be yourself is a coat of many colors. It's pretty, but what is underneath?

@Red-White-Light the post is not really about clothing

@Dryas spiritually, sure! physically , hell no!

@Vitamine Water Yeah, I figured this would be the only way I would finally read this book...... anyway, welcome and feel free to chime in when something speaks to you ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ((Reading music, or you can listen to it before reading to settle the mind)) Empty Your Cup Chapter Two: 29- 33 2:29 When performing an inquiry, it's important not to grasp too quickly for answers from the edge of our understanding. 2:30 In spiritual pursuits, the sage is one who willingly operates from a curious state of not-knowing. They may possess deep understanding, the actual truth of their understanding is based on "the 'nothing' that not-knowing provides". This is impossible to understand from a state of 'knowing' so such wisdom will always come across as some mysterious juju that only the sages possess. 2:31 Experiential investigation is important in this work. The point is to investigate what is true in your own self and life. Doing so will lead to a direct personal experience. ( I think my biggest issue with this is my direct experience is great I guess, but what does that amount to? My direct experience WOULD give a flat earth, but that doesn't make it correct. Yes, it would open creativity channels but its hard to let go and accept that direct experience is king.) 2:32-33 As we progress, we will start to make more distinction between what is true and what he hold as a belief. By advice of the author, "If you haven't had a firsthand encounter with whatever you say is true, then call it a belief."

@zeroISinfinity

@Zigzag Idiot Glad you are enjoying... you're welcome to chime in with any thoughts even if you don't have the book ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ((Reading music, or you can listen to it before reading to settle the mind)) 2:22 looking back in history, there was a time when (assumably) everyone thought the earth is flat. Now that we know better, we consider them to be pretty ignorant. But we are too comfortable in our 'knowing', when actually none of us are astronauts and have seen it firsthand 2:23 Putting myself in one of the ancient's shoes, it is pretty understandable why they believed the world is flat. Even from the highest earthbound distance, you do not see the curve of the earth. 2:24-25 Even though we've come to know the earth is not flat, and that the sun does not rise and set but the Earth revolves around it, we tend to even ignore that and live from the viewpoint that our ancestors held. We still say the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, instead of saying what we 'know better': that the earth has made one rotation on its axis in the course of what we call a "day". The sun doesn't move, relative to Earth (although we also now 'know' that the Earth is spinning at 25,000 mph, and that both bodies are hurtling through space at a speed relative to the rest of the galaxy) We take pride in our cultural arrogance of "the rising and setting of the sun" 2:26-27 The author implores us to imagine we are one of these ancient 'flat-earthers.' We are to imagine that we know the earth is flat, and everyone around us agrees, but we begin to question this. (Ok well, like I know the Earth is flat but I don't even know how big it is. Only the gods could really know the shape of the earth, and they aren't telling. It could be square for all I know!) 2:28 We are to practice this inquiry in modern times, knowing from firsthand experience and not what nasa and others tell or show us. This might bring a shift in awareness. (ok well I'm off to work so maybe I'll contemplate this and post my findings)

@Zigzag Idiot the ultimate paradox lol

((Reading music, or you can listen to it before reading to settle the mind)) Relating Differently to Beliefs Chapter two: 16-21 2:16-17 Trading unwanted beliefs for more positive ones can of course help navigate society and self confidence, but it does not go the distance of getting to our true authentic self. To do that, we must investigate what beliefs actually are. 2:18 (Interesting car analogy) 2:19 (I did spend many years blindly following beliefs, though like the author I have also always been a bit inquisitive and self analyzing. Regardless, I remained a victim of beliefs and the ripples they create in reality. ) 2:20 The author truly wants us to let go and open up. To drop beliefs and expectations. (I know firsthand how hard it is to drop expectations. Though everything seems to go better when I do.) 2:21 According to the author, giving up 'knowing things' can truly be life altering and feel much more authentic. The irony is that at some point I also need to give up knowing what the author said.

@Husseinisdoingfine are you naked yet?

@Nahm yep that's what I meant by 'waking' up and 'becoming conscious'. Never realized how ironic those terms are that we apply towards infants developing personality. When me mean the exact opposite. Creates veils and shadowy cloaks. But clothing is meant to come off.

((Reading music, or you can listen to it before reading to settle the mind)) 2:1-6 Susan drew better when she was forced to see the object as is, instead of her assumptions and biases. Her instructor wisely guided her to draw from not-knowing. 2:7-8 Not-knowing is not only necessary for creativity, but for contemplation as well. 2:9-10 As a kid, the author contemplated time and imagining the now. The realization he had is still only one I can intuit, but I kind of get it. When its always now, there can be no separation such as 'before' and 'after'. Things appear to happen in sequence, but all at now. Before is an imaginative thought that shapes what I will imagine for after. But all is in now. 2:11 The author applied his contemplative nature to get better at things, just as martial arts. I myself do the same to get better at my business trade, and how to reduce stress/suffering in the workplace. Zen Influence Chapter Two: 12-14 2:12-14 The author took up Zen and learned that it was a more formalized practice of his natural contemplation/investigation. He learned to let go of mind and knowing for the real big insights. 2:15 Beliefs are powerful and shape reality, but we mostly just trade one set of beliefs for another. Its like shuffling cards, and maybe you'll get a better hand. The author wants us to shed beliefs completely and perhaps there will be no hand at all.

@wwhy I think this is very interesting. I wonder when this starts to go away, probably with the more beliefs and assumptions that arise as the baby 'wakes up' and 'becomes conscious'. Wow those terms are so silly.

@nahtanoj hey ho! Mount dora here... (north of Orlando).

Well... If you don't want to use psychedelics or marijuana, then you can learn to channel your creativity. Do a search on Google, but here's a start : https://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-channel-creativity-at-any-time/

((Reading music, or you can listen to it before reading to settle the mind)) 1:30 A distinction is made between being and self. Being is a natural existence, and self is like a cloak we put on through beliefs and 'knowledge' 1:31 To remove this cloak, we must not take on more threads with spiritual chanting or more knowledge; but do the opposite and literally take the thing off. 1:32-35 We have what we need to get a glimpse of being. There can be resistance, much of which is cultural drama. The pull to find ourselves does lead to spiritual work, but still may not lead to the self-state of not-knowing/being. 1:36-39 From time to time we might have a flash of a more authentic self, but this passes. We fall right back into the matrix of beliefs and assumptions, perhaps because its just easier (which is ironic because it takes a lot more energy and processing power to be someone…) 1:40-41 Clearly the matrix of beliefs is veiling something purer and simpler.

((Reading music, or you can listen to it before reading to settle the mind)) Knowing and Not-knowing Chapter One: 16-39 1:16 The famous geniuses of human history had one thing in common: they achieved the state of not-knowing. (This is the eureka state?) 1:17 Likely for survival, we are raised to compare knowing with not-knowing, whereas knowing is something good and not-knowing is bad or undesirable. 1:18 Even the term "think outside the box" implies thinking or knowing harder, not stepping outside the box in not-knowing 1:19 We all have insights, but without knowing how to tap into the insightful realm of not-knowing, we are subject to receiving insights at random if and when we get them. 1:20-22 we are culturally indoctrinated to believe that knowledge is power and not-knowing is weak. (like the famous NBC meme "The more you know" ) 1:23-24 We use the word "unique" to describe our individual personalities, when in truth there is nothing unique, just a cog in the cultural matrix. Roles have been developed over millenia, and we fall into them. In our biased reality, we cannot see that there's actually nothing unique about any of these roles--what's normal to us also feels unique, and everyone else is just different. 1:25-26 Believing is easier than not-knowing. But our beliefs quell our need for serious inquiry. 1:27-29 Many geniuses and artists enter this state of not-knowing before creation, any may be unaware, or have a method of achieving this that is not considered any kind of spiritual practice. (I'm supposing this book intends to teach me to reach this on demand, or to become my nature.)

Hahaha no I'm a huge hypocrites.

After a series of false awakenings, what is that 'knowing' that we are truly awake? Compared to when we 'knew' we were awake several times before? Interpret how you wish, but I am referring to waking up to a new dawn.

@Red-White-Light well regardless, in a false awakening I can still fly, and when I truly wake up for the day I no longer fly...

From Wikipedia : Axiom of Maria is a precept in alchemy: "One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth."[1] It is attributed to 3rd century alchemist Maria Prophetissa, also called Mary the Jewess[2], sister of Moses, or the Copt.[3] A more detailed quote was provided by the seventh-century alchemistic author called Christianos, who cited that what Maria uttered was "One becomes two, two becomes three, and by means of the third and fourth achieves unity; thus two are but one"[4]. Marie-Louise von Franz also gave an alternative version, which states: "Out of the One comes Two, out of Two comes Three, and from the Third comes the One as the Fourth."[5] The axiom served as a recurring theme associated with alchemy for over seventeen centuries.[6]

I realise the vibrations can be scary. Next time they arise, blast out of body and go explore. You're welcome

@ivankiss you've never had false awakenings? I really am talking about nightly-dream false awakenings where you think you woke up for the day to find out you really haven't yet?

That sounds painful actually. One orgasm per second should suffice.