Living in a Body

[samijiben]

How does one reckon with the seeming control we have over our bodies?

 

I mean, how does one reckon that reality with the oneness and nondualistic nature of all things?

 

How does one contend with the True Self, which by no means is limited to the physical body, when we clearly have control over this physical body and not others?

 

I mean, doesn't it mean SOMETHING that we can move our hands, but not the hands of our neighbor?  I guess you could respond and say that I am "imagining that they are my hands," and I guess I could get behind that, but when it comes down to it, let's not kid around here:

 

We can move our hands. We cannot move our neighbors hands. The meaning of this? I don't know. That's why I'm making this post. But I intuit that there is one. 

 

It just can't be the case that it's absolutely insignificant to the nature of reality, epistemologically speaking...

 

I was watching a bird today on my kayak. The way it moved was beautiful. I laughed. 

But then this entire conundrum arose. How is it that I can't control the bird's wings? If I am everything, why not?

 

Anyways, I don't want to ramble too much, I hope the question I'm asking is clear. 

 

Thank you for answering my questions, kind people of Actualized.org!

[cetus]

1 hour ago, samijiben said:

I was watching a bird today on my kayak. The way it moved was beautiful. I laughed. 

 

1 hour ago, samijiben said:

How is it that I can't control the bird's wings? If I am everything, why not?

Which of these statements is closer to being everything?

[Yimpa]

3 hours ago, samijiben said:

But then this entire conundrum arose. How is it that I can't control the bird's wings? If I am everything, why not?

Notice how when you try to control others it tends to go to shit.

Realizing you are everything on the other hand… that’s possible with more consciousness. It will make sense why needing to control anything is not necessary… lol.

[Sugarcoat]

What does it even mean to control something, if you observe it very closely? What is the mechanism of it? Can you even say for sure that you have control over this body?

Also if this seeming control bothers you. There are many ways to relate to your own body. This sense of control can be experienced in different ways, more or less. The body it is quite good at taking care of itself so one can relinquish some of this seeming control and let it do it’s thing.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Sugarcoat

[Yimpa]

5 minutes ago, Sugarcoat said:

What does it even mean to control something, if you observe it very closely?

Ah, it can be different interpretations or definitions. The way I interpreted “control” was when you need something to match your rules or ideals. For example, if you have a strict rule that your child should always finish the food on their plate, then you control them by  watching them eat, then punish them if they don’t clean their plate.

[Sugarcoat]

9 minutes ago, Yimpa said:

Ah, it can be different interpretations or definitions. The way I interpreted “control” was when you need something to match your rules or ideals. For example, if you have a strict rule that your child should always finish the food on their plate, then you control them by  watching them eat, then punish them if they don’t clean their plate.

I was specifically questioning this control over one’s own body. And what you said could be applied to it actually now that I’m reading.
Totally forgot about other things tho perhaps because I myself have no desire to control anything outside myself so the thought didn’t even cross my mind???but yes absolutely there are many ways of interpreting it!!

Edited July 31, 2023 by Sugarcoat

[Sugarcoat]

@Yimpa  

 

one time you said “using contraction as fuel” somewhere if I remember correctly and it has stuck with me ever since, perfect description, because it’s truly how I used to experience this sense of trying to control the body/myself . “Self discipline” it’s called I guess . Don’t know if that’s what you meant tho haha but still

Edited July 31, 2023 by Sugarcoat

[Yimpa]

1 hour ago, Sugarcoat said:

one time you said “using contraction as fuel” somewhere if I remember correctly and it has stuck with me ever since, perfect description, because it’s truly how I used to experience this sense of trying to control the body/myself . “Self discipline” it’s called I guess . Don’t know if that’s what you meant tho haha but still

If i may be honest, I don’t remember ever saying that 

[Sugarcoat]

24 minutes ago, Yimpa said:

If i may be honest, I don’t remember ever saying that 

That’s because you make like 100 responses per day #exposed

[Yimpa]

4 minutes ago, Sugarcoat said:

That’s because you make like 100 responses per day #exposed

I shall reduce it to 30 responses per day 

 

[Sugarcoat]

@Yimpa i will never forget that legendary video ??

[caspex]

The "control" is an illusion. It seems concrete because you have firmly established you awareness within your ego which is the one doing any controlling. But when you transcend that, you transcend your experience in a way that you paradoxically become your experience. There you realize that this control is an illusion like everything else. It will be apparent to you that there is no difference between the 'not controlling of your neighbor's hands' and 'controlling of your own hands'. Yourself will become akin to a lying a rock, and a lying rock will become akin to you. The duality of alive and dead collapses and so does of the controlled and non-controlled. It's a very literal experience, you don't have to imagine anything.

[gettoefl]

i choose one thing, to think i'm this or to be all that

[samijiben]

Again, who are we kidding here:

 

On a very rudimentary and basic level, we have control over our bodies. I'm not taking about an abstract concept of control. Look at your hand. Move your fingers. 

 

You can do that. That's unequivocal. 

 

But can you move your neighbor's hand? No. 

 

Again, this duality does not seem to be a mental construction. I'm having such a hard time collapsing this duality even though I recognize it as such because for me it's too apparent and experientially true to be conceptual. 

[Hojo]

@samijiben its fake commentary you don't have to think about anything

Edited July 31, 2023 by Hojo