[MD] Is Quality a monism?

[MarshaV]

On Jul 23, 2012, at 7:36 PM, 118 <ununoctiums at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Marsha,
> 
> On 7/23/12, MarshaV <valkyr at att.net> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Buddhism is spreading throughout the West; emptiness can be explained in
>> degrees.  I found its implications painful before freeing.
> 
> I am not sure what you mean.  As far as I understand it, Emptiness can
> not be explained.  That is why it is called emptiness, at least that
> is my interpretation (probably wrong).  

I've read some very heady books on the topic.  Hasn't it been mentioned that the words are not the experience?  Hmmm.  It's also been stated that the best way to approach the Ultimate Truth is by discovering what is false.  Click!  And I think I've mentioned reading that Emptiness is empty.  


> Like I said previously, I am not sure if emptiness is the best word.  
> How about, "without ground on which to stand"?

What you value as best is what you value as best.  Or is it?  You did mention the 'West'; perhaps what you consider best are things that are Western?   But does that explanation have any ground to stand on?  
 
 
> Once there is no place to stand, one is free.  When I suddenly became
> in tune with Quality, I found it to be very dizzying.  Once I combined
> it with the one thing that I know absolutely to be true, it felt like
> it must feel when an astronaught is weighless.  It was kind of a
> wonderous floating sensation.

When I started to realize there wasn't ground on which to stand, I cried for a while.

I'm going to let the rest of this post stand without my comments.  We all have different perspectives.  It's good to understand that.  Thanks for sharing.


Marsha 


>> I learned my meditation through Raja yoga techniques, and as I understand it
>> Zen Buddhism offers but one technique: zazen.  I think of meditation as a
>> sitting technique, and it might include concentration.  Mindfulness, for me,
>> is more awareness in action without any verbal narration.  Washing dishes or
>> weeding garden or driving without words - without a narrative running
>> through our minds; being fully present in place and activity.  But "objects"
>> - dishes & dish towel & garden tools & weeds & steering wheel & road - are
>> recognized.  It is not an undifferentiated experience.  I also think it
>> possible to have fully aware, unpatterened, undifferentiated experiences. -
>> But my mediation practices have not been systematic with the guidance of a
>> qualified meditation instructor.  There are many traditions offering
>> meditation techniques and I am not talking with any authority or precision.
>> 
> 
> I consider meditation to be the same as contemplation.  There are
> techniques which teach how to contemplate the mind and view it as an
> instrument.  In such a way, one is no longer one's thoughts, but
> simply observing them.  This is termed "thinking without thinking".
> Or another way to see this is to "let your brain do the thinking, and
> pay attention to it like you are reading a book".  The ego is heavily
> dependent on the notion that we are our thoughts, it is a form of
> bewitchment.  Meditation is used to show this happening from an
> observation point, which then releases one from its spell.  There is
> nothing wrong with thinking by the way.  It's what the brain does.
> Just like there is nothing wrong with a fire feeling hot, for that is
> what our sensory nerves do.  However, one does not always have to be
> in the fire.
> 
> It is impossible to control one's thoughts since this would require a
> controller.  And such controler is just another thought.  It's like
> "who watches the watchmen?"  There is no central command that controls
> our thoughts.  They just appear.  What we can control is our attitude
> towards those thoughts.  Such "attitude" is not a thought, but a
> manner of being.  A single thought can go in different directions
> depending on one's attitude.  For example if one is fearful, then
> "thinking one heard a noise" can lead to paranoia.  However is one is
> expecting someone, then "thinking one heard a noise" has a different
> outcome.  It all depends on what one's intentions are.  Intentions are
> not thoughts, but thoughts can progress through them.
> 
> It is hard to explain.
> 
> I believe that there is a lot of teaching that goes on in Zen
> Buddhism.  Certainly meditation can be part of Zen Buddhism, but does
> not need to be.  Just like when I go out to my lawn, I can lay on my
> hammock, but I do not need to do that.  So, if the Zen Buddhist wants
> to meditate, that is fine, but not necessary to be a Zen Buddhist.
>> 
>> 
> 
>> Some of us introverts have a more private and reserved relationship with
>> words.  I think that needs to be respected too.  It's not just that we are
>> holding back.
>> 
> Yes, words can also be insidious viruses (See books by William
> Burroughs).  The best thing is to not let them control you.  Each of
> us can control what words mean to us.  Sticks and stones...
> 
> Unfortunately with the advent of the internet, words dominate.  This
> is really a shame since words are so insufficient.  When I have a cup
> of coffee with somebody, words are only part of the interaction.  You
> are probably a good person to spend some Quality quiet time with.
> 
> Cheers,
> Mark