[MD] contemplation

[MarshaV]

Hi Mark,

I accept a house of cards.  It's not this, not that; and not other.  I, too, make 
an effort to communicate but at the end of the day it's none of the words I've 
used.  I can only laugh at my attempts.  I don't understand those who will not 
teach and will not learn.  Are they afraid to say something wrong?  I learned 
a great lesson when I boxed myself in a corner.  Stuck.  No exit.  Trapped.  
I had to let go, and realize I was wrong.  What is it that Mary says: The most 
important thing you will ever make is a realization.  

Cheers to you,  
Marsha 






On Nov 10, 2010, at 1:07 PM, 118 wrote:

> 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 Sanskrit 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, and 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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