[MD] contemplation

[118]

Hi Marsha,
Yes, good quote.  I would have started with Parmenides, but that is trivial
to to the message of the quote.  We are of course impartial to that which
has been written down.  Tales spread by mouth often can be misinterpreted.
 The old testament was a compilation of such old tales, which we find
lacking in precise literalness.

We are all creating and trying to impart our intuitive grasp on this
reality.  We have gravitated to the notion of Quality.  We all seek to
rectify our understanding with that notion.  This requires further growth
and understanding.  There is no doubt that we are all aware of something,
expressing it is the hard part.  Through such expression we create, in a
collaborative way.  It seems that sometimes the conversations deteriorate
into personal attacks.  But such is the nature of man's insecurity.

It should not be the premise that the last man standing has the right
answer.  Often we seem to raise out interpretation by slashing another one's
down.  But, we are all together in this.  Creating the top of the mountain
on other's shoulders.  Any questioning on my part is to rectify my
understanding with another's.  Often the techniques I use seem destructive,
but it is a progressive destruction-creation.  As always in these endeavors,
camps form.  This has happened throughout the history of philosophy.
 Factions and debate, each claiming truth.  Here we claim quality.  That is
what is most meaningful.

This is no different from the world of science that I practice in.  We
develop theories and then scurry around interpreting data to fit the theory.
 We debase other's theories as incomplete, and a wrong approach.  We each
seek to provide the most lasting interpretation.  There is constant
conversion from on camp to the other.  In metaphysics we use words and
concepts.  We bring in concepts from other disciplines or philosophies to
strengthen the base.  We do not want to have just a house of cards, but one
of bricks that lasts a bit longer.  Of course nothing is permanent but
meaningfulness.

Cheers,
Mark

On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 12:39 AM, MarshaV <valkyr at att.net> wrote:

>
>    "Throughout this book I shall refer to theories and practices of
> contemplation stemming primarily from ancient Greek philosophy,
> Christianity, and Buddhism.  As we shall see, although each of these
> traditions has unique qualities, they have important similarities.  The
> English word "contemplation" derives from the Latin _contemplatio_, which
> corresponds to the Greek _theoria_.  Both terms refer to a total devotion to
> revealing, clarifying, and making manifest the nature of reality.  Nowadays,
> "contemplation" usually means thinking about something.  But the original
> meaning of "contemplation" and "theory" had to do with a direct perception
> of reality, not by the five physical senses or by thinking, but by mental
> perception.  For example, when you directly observe your own thoughts,
> mental images, and dreams, you are using mental perceptions, which can be
> refined and extended through the practice of contemplation.  How then does
> meditation relate to contemplation?  The Sans
>  krit word _bhavana_ corresponds to the English word "meditation," and it
> literally means "cultivation."  To mediate means to cultivate an
> understanding of reality, a sense of genuine well-being, an virtue.  So
> _meditation_ is a gradual process of training the mind, and it leads to the
> goal of _contemplation_, in which one gains insight into the nature of
> reality.
>
>    "Within the Greek tradition, the practice of meditation can be traced
> back at least as far as Pythagoras (c. 582-507 B.C.E.), who was influenced
> by the Orphic religion and mysteries, which were focused on freeing the mind
> from impurities and opening up its deeper resources.  Pythagoras was the
> first to call himself a _philosopher_, "one who loves wisdom," humbly
> rejecting the term _sophos_, or "wise man."  And in his wide travels through
> the Mediterranean region and beyond, he did indeed seek wisdom,
> understanding."
>
>     (Wallace, Alan B., 'Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science,
> Buddhism, and Christianity', pp.8-9)
>
>
>
> ___
>
>
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