UnbornTao

@Someone here Answers are irrelevant. Again, looking for a piece of information to believe in is not the same as experiencing what's true first-hand. As a matter of fact, answers disrupt this process. It is useful to recognize that no notion can be true in itself -- since we're talking about ultimate matters here. The true nature of anything must be tackled on its own terms, which is to say, what's ultimately true can't be gleaned through relative means. What's comfortable and what's true are different goals. I know the mind struggles for certainty and it would rather have anything, even if untrue or dysfunctional, rather than have no place to stand. But one can learn to abide in this state without having to fill in the blanks. Your disposition could be summarize along these lines: "World, tell me what to believe in. I don't care what it is, just provide me with a set of answers so that I can get myself off the hook."

1) To the first one, yes, it is not necessary. Where does the notion of needing "existential comfort" come from? You can create grounded axioms for yourself based on accurate perceptions, and follow principles. You can even operate on empowering beliefs as long as you recognize them for what they are. 2) People as a whole tend to seek simplistic, comforting answers to explain reality, life, and their own existence while going about the business of living. This lends itself to fantasizing and does not require much effort at all. Religion plays a huge role in that, as does science, though to a lesser extent. Religion, being faith-based, discourages questioning which is a necessary requisite for making any kind of discovery. Even though certain wise individuals throughout human history might have shared profound insights under the umbrella of "religion", these must transcend any system or dogma and be personally and profoundly experienced as the case. Yet, rather than undertaking this work, people quickly turn these things into shared conjecture, diluting, misrepresenting, and so undermining the spirit of inquiry itself. The point is truly listening for an experience or consciousness, not in believing a set of propositions. These are totally different.

Achieving enlightenment, one whiskey at a time. No, and just in case, do not go down problematic roads.

Guys, focus: postmodernism.

It might not be a coincidence that philosophers, monks, and similar tend to be solitary types, even if they do end up socializing -- sometimes quite a lot. Solitude can help cut out the distractions of one's culture. This might be unrelated, but: When all is said and done, insights need to be generated in one's experience. The social domain is exclusively survival-oriented -- the truth isn't what that is about. This isn't to say that an individual can be entirely detached from the social realm, regardless of the environment. Even being alone is a function of "others." As an example, when one of Kant's students posed a question he couldn't answer, he chose to isolate himself for seven years to contemplate the matter. Why would he do that? I'd add that everyone feels alone, even when surrounded with people and distracted, but this may be beside the point.

Keep to the main thread guys.

@freddyteisen Well, it's settled then. From now on only listen to @Staples.

"Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living." - Einstein.

Depends on what you want to get out of it but generally, I'd say no -- too tedious and archaic. Reading a book such as Christ Sutras by Bart Marshall might be a better use of your time, even if just for fun.

Prehistory/dinosaurs thread?

@Breakingthewall That the world of being at the effect of suffering is simply not true.

@Breakingthewall - "But but but..." - "No butts."

Just an example.

Read this: https://hbr.org/1991/05/teaching-smart-people-how-to-learn

"Let me tell you, folks, I’m the best clown. Nobody clowns like me. Some people say, ‘Oh, Trump, you’re a businessman, you’re a president.’ No, no. I’m a world-class clown, okay? The best. I put on the big red nose, I do the honk-honk—nobody honks better than me. Some people try, sad people, very low-energy clowns, but they don’t have what I have. I’ve got the biggest shoes, the biggest. You wouldn’t believe it. People come up to me, tears in their eyes, and they say, ‘Sir, you’re the greatest clown of all time.’ And I am. It’s true. I juggle, I do the balloon animals, I even ran the whole circus for four years—greatest circus in history, by the way. Everybody loved it. The ratings? Through the roof. The people loved it, the media hated it—fake news! But they watched, believe me. They couldn’t look away. So yeah, I’m the best clown, and frankly, it’s not even close. Sad!" Courtesy of GPT.

@Jodistrict Just curious.

@Jodistrict I want to see the entire sequence -- better than a picture.

Half of the thread is about defending and justifying the "buts" that Peter's referring to.

@Candle Are you @Whitney Edwards playing coy?

OK thanks.

We lacked the vision for making this one. Who's the pioneering artist who will create such art using a watermelon?

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