Playing With Perspectives

[UnbornTao]

The only way to experience something is to become conscious of it. Not through intellect but consciousness.

No amount of philosophy, speculation, beliefs, conclusions and extrapolation is an experience of the truth.

Edited January 27, 2023 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

What's humor? How does it arise? Why does it exist? How come some people are considered funny while others aren't? What role does attitude have to do with it?

Edited October 9, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

When listening to a communication, it is essential to first of all ask: Where is it coming from? What "world" or experience is the communicator coming from? 

How the communication sounds and whether you like it or not are secondary, including the individual's social status, prestige and credentials -- usually the only factors that most people pay attention to.

Edited October 9, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Organized knowledge isn't an experience of what's true. It is in fact an impediment to genuine curiosity.

In other words, no matter how intricate your body of knowledge and worldview are, they are not and will never be what is.

[UnbornTao]

How can one confront the reality of death when self can't even fathom that? Why would you do that in the first place?

It's going to happen.

Presently your whole survival is predicated upon death not happening. Intellectually, death is held by the self as "later", happening in an indefinite future, which for many is "never." 

Of course we know it will happen eventually, and yet people hold it that way, like putting off the writing of a book indefinitely. "Someday", you say, without having the intent to confront it nor taking the possibility seriously.

[UnbornTao]

”If you don't write of things

Deep in your own heart,

What's the use

Of churning out so many words?"

— Ryokan.

[UnbornTao]

Why is it easier to destroy than to create? Contemplate that.

What forms of destruction do you continually engage in? Catch yourself doing that, specially in subtle ways (a hurtful remark, etc). Become aware of how you engage in this activity, if you in fact do.

What do you want to create? Focus on the substance. Form is the medium through which your creation manifests into the objective world.

[UnbornTao]

Any life and career are enjoyable! Huge insight!

It's a matter of YOU. You enjoy it.

Thinking that it, whatever it is, can somehow "make" you happy is a fallacy.

Get in touch with your ability to do so. Bring to mind when you were a child and massively enjoyed simple things.

It's about mind mastery -- abstaining from perceiving reality in such a way that it causes misery for you.

Instead, less is done. By not doing the negative emotion, an inherent, uncaused joy emerges.

Edited September 13, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Throwing yourself into your work, whatever it is, is the most effective way to master, be happy with, and love it.

Immersion is also the best method of study and practice. Do it.

Otherwise: Why would you take up a course of action?

Edited September 14, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Cringe seems to be used as an excuse or justification to pretend or withdraw according to what others hold as acceptable. It is a socially manipulative behavior pattern.

What you do and say and how you do it is based on others's expectations.

It's about avoiding being authentic and spontaneous because of what others might think of you. You fake your internal state in order to conform to the ~~socially acceptable~~ norm.

Personally I don't care. I have no problem doing stuff on my own, even silly and stupid things sometimes.

Additionally, there's some truth to the feeling. However, in my view, the word is overused.

Edited September 15, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Concern yourself not with IQ but with your curiosity quotient. What do you want to know? How much do you want to know it?

Develop your sense of wonder and curiosity. Following that passion always leads you down right tracks.

Learning is one of the highest joys in life.

Edited September 19, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

What makes a communication powerful?

Three formulations on an aspect of effective communication:

• Being behind your words; presence
• Putting yourself at the source of it
• grounded on one's experience

Keep looking into what principles create or allow for powerful communication to occur.

Edited February 15, 2023 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

I disagree with the definition of creativity given by Leo and some members of this forum.

Creativity is creating something from scratch that didn't existed before. That is how it shows up in your experience.

From that definition, we can see how creativity is more profound and rare than what passes as creativity in our culture, which fundamentally is combining existing things from an external source and then adding your own "unique" stuff onto it.

The place from which most people create is pretty weak. They create from a "self-centered" place or stance.

To the degree that the creation comes from you and not-you is the degree of mastery that the final result will exhibit.

That's the place where masterpieces and true creativity are born. That's what allowed Bach, Chopin, and Da Vinci to create timeless art.

Contemplate:

• Where does genuine creation come from?
• What allows for true creativity to arise?
• What makes a creation masterful and genuine as opposed to mediocre -- simply putting something together?

Edited September 21, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

"It is what we don't know that hurts us. There is no such thing as being in conscious pain, if you’re in pain it’s because you’re unconscious, that means you don’t see something, you don’t understand something.

So freedom from pain and suffering and confusion can only come by you knowing what you are all about and it can be done."

– Vernon Howard.

Edited September 21, 2022 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Two intriguing perspectives concerning maturity:

1. Being able to do something that lies outside of one's self-concern, something that doesn't exclusively serve your individuality but something beyond it
2. Being able to do something beneficial for another without her knowing about it

Edited February 2, 2023 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

We're born ignorant and with almost nothing. 

Based on that, my claim is that a genius makes himself one. There certainly are factors beyond one's control. Of course, a supporting environment and a healthy upbringing can assist you in becoming masterful but these things in themselves mean very little when it comes to being a genius.

If you think that geniuses had a luxurious upbringing, filled with comfort, excess, and ample free time, take a look at their biographies.

From my experience, geniuses are more likely to be made from really painful upbringings.

[UnbornTao]

Chatting is convenient. It is prevalent.

Contemplate instead.

Once you have an insight or breakthrough, share it.

Before that happens, want to know the truth. Avoid sharing, as best you can, preconceptions, assumptions, extrapolations, opinions, etc. Just be curious.

[Ulax]

1 hour ago, UnbornTao said:

Chatting is convenient. It is prevalent.

Contemplate instead.

Once you have an insight or breakthrough, share it.

Before that happens, want to know the truth. Avoid sharing, as best you can, preconceptions, assumptions, extrapolations, opinions, etc. Just be curious.

@UnbornTao Do you think its better to contemplate with a journal or just in your mind?

[UnbornTao]

On 9/25/2022 at 5:08 PM, Ulax said:

@UnbornTao Do you think its better to contemplate with a journal or just in your mind?

With a journal.

In your mind it's like a pingpong ball that gets stuck and goes nowhere.

Expression forces you to keep your contemplations clear and honest. How valid and real a thought is may become evident just by writing it down, making it easier to move on and process it.

Ideally, talking out loud is probably the most effective, even if just to yourself.

Edited January 24, 2023 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

What allows you to "stand on your own feet"? What's the experience like? How can it be generated?

What's the opposite?

• Being unwilling to be held accountable by your actions?
• Avoiding the inherent loneliness that that would imply?
• Needing something or someone other than you to feel validated in thinking or acting a certain way?

Edited September 26, 2022 by UnbornTao