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 2009-08-28
Below are extracts from the Lankavatara
Sutra that are related to naïve realism, information theoretic metaphysics and self-realisation.
All that is seen in the world is devoid of effort and action
because all things in the world are like a dream, or like an image
miraculously projected. This is not comprehended by philosophers and
the ignorant, but those who thus see things, see them truthfully.
Those who see things otherwise walk in discrimination, they cling to
dualism. The world as seen by discrimination is like seeing ones own
image reflected in a mirror, or ones shadow, or the moon reflected in
water, or an echo heard in a valley.
People grasping their own shadows of discrimination become
attached to this thing and that thing and failing to abandon dualism
they go on forever discriminating and thus never attain tranquillity.
By tranquillity is meant Oneness, and Oneness gives birth to the
highest Samadhi which is gained by entering into the realm of Noble
Wisdom that is realisable only within ones inmost consciousness... More >
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2009-04-25
The distilled essence of my input to a
conversation on the forum of the Society
for Scientific Exploration (SSE), which is still continuing so this will grow.
Within the latest SSE newsletter there is an article called
"Signs
of an Emerging Paradigm Shift", which is about naive
realism. The newsletter can be read at:
http://www.scientificexploration.org/explorer/explorer_22_3.pdf
The relevance of these issues for SSE is that naive realist
assumptions are the foundation of the wall of denial that is
maintained by established science. Thus by overcoming these
assumptions that wall is falling apart. This has profoundly
revolutionary consequences for the whole of civilisation, and SSE
is in a prime position to be at the vanguard of the paradigm
shift if it chooses to be.
Warning: This discussion explores an alternate paradigm
that is radically different from the established paradigm. For
many people the established paradigm is intrinsic to the familiar
world that they have known most of their lives and within which
their ego has found its comfortable and secure niche. So be
warned that this subject matter can elicit an unconscious
irrational ego defence mechanism within your mind. To keep an
open mind one must exercise self-awareness and from this much can
also be learnt.
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2009-04-12
The mind can be used as a tool to clarify the mind. By identifying
and overcoming its own illusions it can perceive and participate in
reality. Aside from the mind and its contents, is there anything else
that truly exists? If all that we have ever experienced is the
contents of the mind, interpreted as personality, body and
world, then a mind-shift can totally and radically change everything.
"The light of any lamp dispels in a moment the darkness of
long kalpas [aeons]; the strong light of the Mind in but a
flash will burn the veil of ignorance... Although the mind is void in
essence, all things it embraces and contains." (Tilopa's
Song of Mahamudra)
"To bring Peace to All, one must first discipline and
control one's own mind" (Buddha)
"Normal consciousness is a state of stupor, in which the
sensibility to the wholly real and responsiveness to the stimuli of
the spirit are reduced. The mystics... endeavour to awake from the
drowsiness and apathy and to regain the state of wakefulness for
their enchanted souls." (Abraham Heschel)
"And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors
the glory of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are
turned into the image that we reflect." (Bible, 2
Corinthians, 3:18)
"I salute the light within your eyes where the whole
universe dwells; for when you are at that center within you, and I am
at that place within me, we shall be One" (Crazy Horse,
Native American Lakota Tribe)
In regards to the issue of dialogue to clarify and liberate
consciousness, which is an exchange of words, the I Ching speaks of
the metaphor of "eating ancient virtue" (note: in
the context of the I Ching 'virtue' means "inner brightness
and connection to reality"). To just intellectualise things
is like chewing food then spitting it out. We need to chew, swallow,
digest and assimilate wisdom so that it nourishes and pervades the
whole mind and cultivates an inner brightness that is illuminated by
the Light of Reality.
Then "the strong light of the Mind in but a flash will
burn the veil of ignorance". To achieve this "one
must first discipline and control one's own mind". Then "the
sensibility to the wholly real and responsiveness to the stimuli of
the spirit" will re-emerge and "with our unveiled
faces reflecting" reality rather than illusion we "all
grow brighter and brighter as we" come to realise and
actualise the Truth that we are. When each mind-stream experiences
itself, the world and each other from this perspective we will all
"salute the light within... where the whole universe
dwells". When we are each "at that center within"
ourselves "we shall be One".
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2009-04-07
The general meaning of the term 'realism' is “A
tendency to face facts and be practical rather than imaginative or
visionary.” (ref)
however it is also the name of a particular philosophical
movement.
Realism is "in philosophy, the viewpoint which accords to
things which are known or perceived an existence or nature which is
independent of whether anyone is thinking about or perceiving them."
(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/493091/realism)
"The nature and plausibility of realism is one of the most
hotly debated issues in contemporary metaphysics, perhaps even the
most hotly debated issue in contemporary philosophy. The question of
the nature and plausibility of realism arises with respect to a large
number of subject matters, including ethics, aesthetics, causation,
modality, science, mathematics, semantics, and the everyday world of
macroscopic material objects and their properties."
(http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism/)
The aspect being discussed here is that of the "everyday
world of macroscopic material objects and their properties" and
the idea "that physical objects exist independently of their
being perceived." (http://www.answers.com/topic/realism)
In recent conversations and on several videos on the web I have
noticed that there is a tendency for minds to confuse the name of the
movement with the meaning of the word. This leads them to redefine
within their own minds the terms 'real' and 'reality', which leads to
enormous confusion in conversations about reality (that which
actually exists). For example, they say things such as “Reality
doesn't "actually exist"! All Realities are illusions. They
are only what we each perceive in our own minds. Realities only exist
in our own minds.” This is a common colloquial use of the
terms, which is directly contradictory to the standard dictionary and
philosophical meanings.
If we cannot coherently work towards an understanding of reality
(that which actually exists) so that we can effectively participate
in reality then we may soon no longer be a part of that which exists
(extinction). For this reason those who wish to converse coherently
about reality should clearly distinguish between the name
of a movement and the meaning
of the word, and should keep
to the commonly accepted definitions of 'real' and 'reality'.
Arbitrarily changing the meaning of such key words creates confusion
that is very harmful to coherent rational discourse.
To assist with this I include below a table with commonly accepted
meanings along one dimension and different usage patterns along the
other. Then I offer an explanation of why the confusion arises and
some alternative ways of communicating with naïve realists. Then I
also include a list of quotes from genuine realists (those who are
realistic) not nominal realists (those who ascribe to a particular
philosophical movement). More >
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2009-04-07
It can be difficult being an agent of change. Here is an anology to help
you understand what it means to be an agent of change and how to go about it
effectively. Below are some quotes about caterpillar / butterfly anatomy and
the vital role of imaginal cells. More >
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2009-04-05
An oracular consultation brings a message
from
Universal Consciousness.
Question:
Great Spirit, through the I Ching please give advice
to
all who seek to nurture the emerging
memeplex.
Summary of the Response:
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The old memeplex (paradigm) is dead so transform
it into an interface into the Ageless Wisdom through which
blessings will flow. No longer interpret it literally, but use
it as an analogy by which to comprehend the deeper reality. When
you serve the Ageless Wisdom you can become Great. Prepare for
the arrival of the new and approach of something powerful and
meaningful. Welcome it and draw near to it without expecting to
get what you want immediately. Let your desire for contact be
expressed through a willingness to work and serve. Invite it to
come nearer by bringing things together. Tolerate and protect
things and people outside your normal set of values without
setting limits on them. There is an undeveloped potential that
you rely on without knowing it. Continually correct yourself.
Rushing to completion will leave you open to danger and the
whole situation will dissolve. Meditate on Reality and spread
the teachings to inspire the lives of all. Gather the resources
for a great project.
Through self-knowledge and inner awareness
establish an enduring connection with reality in your innermost
selves. Through this you can participate harmoniously in the
unfolding stream of events. Love and Spirit return as an
entirely new space of possibility and field of activity opens up
and awareness expands into a joyous new state of existence.
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Full description of the response:
see Advice
on Nurturing the Emerging Memeplex.
For more on the I Ching in general see here.
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2009-04-04
There is an emerging paradigm (memeplex) in the collective
consciousness that will change the face of the planet and the
nature of humanity. For some information on its likely 'shape' and some
advice on how to nurture it in positive ways please see:
Shape
of the Emerging Memeplex and How to Nurture It.
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2009-03-23
An oracular consultation brings a message
from Universal Consciousness.
Question:
Great Spirit, through the I Ching please give wise
counsel
to all
workers of the Light, in this phase of the
journey.
Summary of the Response:
Workers of the light, you are collectively like a
foetus in a womb, bearing
a gift from the spirit. The many obstacles serve as
protection whilst you
nurture your inner energy. Eliminate outmoded ideas
and ways of thinking
through mutual effort and support. Prepare yourselves
to undertake a great
paradigm shift. Overcome fear and denial, liberate
your confined energies
and connect with what is real. Through this
transition you will collectively
emerge into the full light of day and be honoured at
the centre of power,
thus initiating a time of abundant, creative growth.
Through self-knowledge
and inner awareness establish an enduring connection
with reality in your
innermost selves. Through this you can participate
harmoniously in the
unfolding stream of events. Love and Spirit return as
an entirely new space
of possibility and field of activity opens up and
awareness expands into a
joyous new state of existence.
Full description of the response:
see Wisdom
for this Phase of the Journey.
For more on the I Ching in general see here.
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2009-03-18
Before I start I will mention that this explanation has been
simplified into common sense (naïve realist) language hence it
doesn't accurately convey what I think but it is adequate. The points
are not random but develop in sequence. More >
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2009-01-09
Following is a collection of quotes from leading
thinkers that variously point towards an emerging paradigm that
challenges many of our deepest assumptions about what is real and
what is reality. More >
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2008-08-13
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Before joining the conversation, please read and accept this Invitation to a Conversation.
Seven Steps To Unified Metaphysical Awareness
On the night of the 12th / 13th of August
2008 whilst living in Mcleod Ganj in the Himalayas, I received an
intuitive 'download'. This is now in the process of being studied, analysed, tested, re-expressed, refined and applied.
Hence this document will evolve.
The essence of the download was a sequence of seven steps toward unified metaphysical awareness.
Summary of the Seven Steps
Step 1 (Rosetta Stone): Use a carefully designed table of
correspondences as a conceptual Rosetta stone, i.e. study the parallels
to discern the underlying pattern and be able to translate between conceptual
frameworks (paradigms). The table gives
parallel descriptions of the same fundamental aspects of reality. Subtly interpolate between the
concepts to develop a non-conceptual grasp of each fundamental
aspect of reality (conceptual annealing).
Step 2 (Structural Model): Given this non-conceptual grasp
of each of the fundamental aspects of reality, arrange the aspects
into an interconnected network of interrelations. Then apply another
process of conceptual annealing to allow the non-conceptual grasp of
each fundamental aspect to dissolve and flow through the network and
reform into a structural model of the unified context.
Step 3 (Non-Conceptual Model): Keep up this process of
conceptual annealing. This subtly deepens the non-conceptual grasp of
the fundamental aspects and we also come to know the topology of the
interplay between them. Thus we get a feel for which aspects resonate
with which in order to manifest the higher-level aspects. This
results in a complete non-conceptual model of the unified context.
Step 4 (Dynamic Model): Then study a detailed model of the
inner dynamic of the existential process (e.g. SMN) so that we can
clearly see how each aspect arises from the interplay of the
lower-level aspects. Starting from the most fundamental we can trace
the whole process of emanation from the lowest-level to the
highest-level. At each level we can define exactly what is happening,
how that level was created by the interplay of the lower-levels and
how it results in the creation of the next higher-level.
Note that the lower levels (of complexity) are at the top of the table, and vice-versa.
Step 5 (Dynamic Understanding): Through visualisation or
imagination this complete dynamic model can be set running as a
cognitive process. We then have a microcosmic simulation running
within the mind and we can create cognitive realities into which we
have an omniscient perspective. This then evolves into a dynamic
understanding.
Step 6 (Penetrative Insight): This dynamic understanding
can be compared with observed experiences to refine it, and used as a
cognitive lens with which to look deeper into our experiences. These
two processes resonating together (experiential annealing) result in penetrative insight
into the world presented by our experiences.
Step 7 (Unified Awareness): This penetrative insight
deepens and clarifies, thereby evolving into a constant state of
penetrative insight, which becomes a permanent state of awareness of
the unified context.
Example of the Seven Steps
Rather than purely discuss these steps in the abstract, this article gives a particular example of the process, to illustrate how it works. The non-conceptual understanding / awareness that these example steps lead to is known to me from previous intuitive downloads and related work. More >
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2008-08-11
Before joining the conversation, please read and accept this Invitation to a Conversation.
Contexts of Understanding
In relation to any 'reality' there are always two apparent
contexts. A few examples are that one cannot have a story without a
book being read, or a movie without a movie reel in a projector, or a
virtual reality without a computational process. In each of these
examples the first is an empirical context (objects, places and
events) and the second is a transcendent context (that which creates
and sustains the empirical context).
There is also a unified context, which is the context that
contains both apparent contexts. For example, a room containing both
a book and a reader with an imagination is the context in which the
reading of the book operates (transcendent) and the imaginative
experience of the story manifests (empirical). These are all just
simple worldly examples to illustrate some aspects of the situation.
In the case of our own reality and world-experience things are more
subtle but still manifesting an apparent empirical and transcendent
as well as a unified context. The two apparent contexts are just
different perspectives on the one unified context, hence they are not
actually separate contexts, but only appear to be separate.
Although there is one unified context and two apparent contexts,
when contemplating the nature of our reality most people are unaware
of the unified context and fixate on only one of the apparent
contexts and assume that it is the only context. Some are grounded in
one apparent context and deny the other, thereby only understanding
half of the situation, and some attempt to mix both apparent contexts
into one and thereby get very confused.
Below is a simplified map of the contexts and a brief commentary
using the VR
analogy. More >
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 2008-07-28
Before joining the conversation, please read and accept this
Invitation
to a Conversation.
Simplified Anatomy of the
Global
Systemic Crisis and
How to Heal Civilisation
The crisis can be briefly described as systemic,
self-perpetuating, persistent illusion, suffering & destruction.
This analysis describes some salient features of the anatomy of
the global systemic crisis, introducing the anatomy stage by stage
then discussing how best to initiate a process of holistic healing
that can result in lasting peace and creative flourishing.
Brief Summary
Just as life arises from self-perpetuating creative feedback loops
(autocatalytic sets) so too does the global systemic crisis arise
from self-perpetuating destructive feedback loops. Fundamental
illusions give rise to entrenched delusions, which result in
suffering and destruction, which are interpreted and responded to in
delusional ways, thus reinforcing a destructive feedback loop of
delusion, suffering and destruction. The illusions arise from a
single source but give rise to many stages of interlocking feedback
loops that form a feedback network.
In theory it is possible that if any single stage can be totally
healed and kept healthy then this will feed-through the entire
feedback network but in practice this is extremely difficult because
all other stages will seek to undermine the healthy stage or will
compensate to exclude the healthy stage from the network therefore
maintaining the overall destructive feedback network.
To heal the whole feedback network the most effective approach is
to identify many stages where positive influence can effectively be
applied and heal these as much as possible thereby diminishing the
destructive feedback and augmenting the creative feedback. This will
begin a healing process and the situation will change slightly,
whereon we must iterate this again by identifying many stages where
positive influence can be applied and healing these as much as
possible. As this process is applied again and again the whole system
will go through many phases of a healing process that will diminish
the overall destructive feedback and augment to overall creative
feedback. More >
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2008-07-10
Before joining the
conversation, please read and accept this Invitation
to a Conversation.
Clarifying Contexts to Avoid
Confusion
and Develop Mutual Understanding
This article is intended to hopefully help minimise the likelihood
of unnecessary confusion and conflict. When we communicate we use
words and therefore ideas. This leads to many misunderstandings even
amongst people who fundamentally agree, let alone between people who
are coming from entirely different perspectives.
The aim of my work isn't to just bring together people with a
particular perspective, but to bring together many different
perspectives and to work together towards mutual understanding. In
light of this please contemplate these issues... More >
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2008-06-24
Before joining the conversation, please read and accept this Invitation to a Conversation.
For those interested in a deeper understanding of the I Ching,
I.e. how does it work? What is it really? And what effect does it
have in the world? I will here endeavour to provide some assistance.
First I give information on in depth scientific research, which has
been ongoing over the past three decades, into the interplay between
consciousness and 'physical' processes. Then I quote extracts from
recent studies, by Ervin Laszlo, into what some call the Akashic
Field or the Unified Quantum Vacuum. Then finally I quote from an
introductory text into the I Ching and invite you to contemplate all
of these ideas in light of each other. This may help you come to a
deeper understanding, not only of the I Ching, but of consciousness,
the physical universe, the process of change and transformation and
the journey of life... More >
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