Personality

In general a personality can be described as an integrated set of modes of behaviour through which a system interacts with an environment. Each system has a range of potential behaviours and a set of stimuli / response associations. A stream of particular behaviours arises in response to a stream of events, which are part of an experiential interaction with some environment. Within this stream of behaviours and associations there are patterns and this set of patterns can collectively be called the generalised personality of the system. Different 'modes' of behaviour correspond to different sub-personalities.

Ego

The ego is a point of identification. It is a simulacrum of the system symbolically represented within a complex system's stream of consciousness. It functions as a point of self-reference and self-control.

Ego + Personality

Notes from a brainstorm about symbolism and its place in the broader context.

Firstly a mind-map that gives a high-level overview of the context in which these thoughts take place (full size pdf), and then some brief notes.

 More >

First a few words about the work and then some links.

In brief, in 2000 I intuitively received a vision of the nature of reality that re-oriented my world-view. Other than a knew way of understanding, it mainly expressed itself in my mind as a form of mathematics, which I came to understand through the framework of information and system theory, mystic metaphysics, quantum mechanics and virtual reality simulation.

This evolved over time into a project that could be described as "laying down the mathematical foundations of a unified holistic science" and "using this foundation to shed light on and unify both ancient and modern wisdom". The work also involves self-enquiry; observation of, and participation in, the evolution of collective consciousness; and the navigation of a paradigm shift in our collective world-view.

To give some insight... Imagine that this physical universe could be thought of as a virtual reality simulation, within which we are evolved sentient virtual beings. It would all seem to us to be physical and in no way different from how it currently does. In this analogical context what I address is not the objects, people, places, events, sights, sounds, shapes, qualities, etc within the VR universe.

What I try to describe and model is the computational process, the logic of the simulator, the simulation process in action, the structure of the model that is animated, the low-level virtual processes and forms that arise within the VR, how these integrate and evolve into complex systems, how the behaviour of these gives rise to the principles of physics, how some of these complex systems may attain sentience and enquire into the nature of their situation, how they can most effectively achieve this, what they will find when they do and how does this whole situation relate to mystic wisdom and what it describes about reality.

What these virtual beings eventually realise is that ultimately they are not physical beings in a physical universe with individual identities, they are motions of a cosmic whole that is non-dual, non-physical, non-local, non-temporal, imperceivable, all pervading and the animating essence of all things.

Furthermore, there is a persistent cognitive habit that causes them to perceive and experience things from a dualist perspective. When this is recognised and its dominance over the mind is overcome, then reality can be apprehended clearly. Although it is not perceptible to their senses, it can be intuitively apprehended in no uncertain terms because it is the inner most essence of their being.

This underlying reality, beneath the film of appearances can be modelled mathematically and understood scientifically, thus providing a solid foundation for a unified holistic science/spirituality.

First see this memetic map of areas of interest.

Here is a general introduction, it's a bit dated but it paints an overall picture of my line of research. Here is a CV or rough chronological list of primary influences.

Here are various overview articles.

The main results so far and the main essay describing the world view implied by the results.

Here are a few brief articles...  More >

Did you know that last month:

Mexico decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamine and other drugs.

Whilst Argentina's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish an adult for private use of marijuana as long as it doesn't harm anyone else. Supreme Court Justice Carlos Fayt told the state-run Telam news agency that "reality" changed his mind.

Also earlier this year, a Brazilian appeals court ruled that possession of drugs for personal use is not illegal.

According to Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue policy institute in Washington, a trend is at work, "It's all part of a harm-reduction approach," Hakim said, noting that policymakers are shifting away from getting rid of drugs and toward figuring out how to reduce harm to users and society.  More >

Extracts from two different Satsangs...

We are nothing. You have no reason to exist. As a matter of fact, you do not exist. (Laughter) You have never really existed. It is all a cosmic joke. There is no reason for you to be alive and to be here. This may sound like an insult – it is! (More laughter) But it is the truth and the truth hurts.

You may think you are important, that you have come to earth to accomplish great deeds, or to get enlightened. That is not true. The enlightenment is already here and it doesn't need you. You are not wanted by anything or by anybody. (Laughter) You are a complete failure. (Loud laughter)

In truth you do not exist. The illusion of your existence makes you think that you are important, that you are somebody. That is why we talk about being nobody so much; there is no body.

(It's All a Cosmic Joke, Robert Adams)

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 >

My good friend Glisten was recently asked to describe the vision arising from my work in one sentence; I too gave this some thought.

The work is broad so here are five sentences that address different aspects:

• The allegedly physical universe is a construct of observable phenomena arising from a cosmic quantum computational process, and the stream of awareness that witnesses phenomena is a 'thread' of the cosmic process.

• All objects, places and events arise due to the unified cosmic process experiencing itself as it unfolds according to its nature; within that broadest context there is no separation and nothing is by chance.

• We are like virtual beings in a virtual reality simulation, where the world and the self that appear to exist are objects of perception reflected in memory, whilst the true Self of all manifest forms is the One Self, which is the unified animating process.

• Virtual reality provides a scientific / mathematical / computational analogy by which to understand the nature of reality; the cutting edge of modern science is beginning to realise this and will eventually be able to comprehend the ageless wisdom.

• The only obstacle to realising the true nature of ones Self and the cosmic Whole is naïve realism, which is a habit that operates at the root of the mind and distorts each moment of awareness; once this habit is overcome (by whatever means) awareness of reality shines through.

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.

Enter the discussion...

The individual ego is a self perpetuating thought process within the mind that identifies with the activity of the mind and the contents of the mind and assumes that “I did that”. The collective ego is a ruling regime within a culture that identifies with the activity of the culture and the contents of the culture and assumes that “it is responsible and in control”.

In the same way that an individual ego believes that the organism is “its body” so too does a collective ego identify with the population. Thus the term 'ego' refers to the general phenomenon, which may be an individual ego in an organism or a collective ego in a civilisation.

Ego Defence Mechanisms are psychological strategies brought into play by individuals, groups and nations to cope with reality and to maintain self-image. An ego defence mechanism becomes pathological when its persistent use leads to maladaptive behaviour such that physical and/or mental health is adversely affected. The purpose of the Ego Defence Mechanisms is to protect the ego from anxiety, social sanctions or to provide a refuge from a situation that it cannot currently cope with.

Ego Defence Mechanism are pathological when they prevent the individual or collective from being able to cope with a real threat and it obscures their ability to perceive reality. Ego defence mechanisms are basically immature and are commonly used during the formation of the ego but usually persist throughout the life of the entity. Use of defence mechanisms prevents optimal coping with reality and leads to inappropriate behaviour. They are neurotic and common in almost everyone, and are not optimal for healthy reality coping and lead to problems with participation in the world thus they generally result in suffering.

Defence mechanisms are used by the ego to consolidate and maintain itself. Mental illness is a dysfunctional demonstration of a pathological maladaptive response to life events. An ego defence mechanism becomes pathological when:  More >

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".

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 >

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 >

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:
 

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.

Full description of the response:

see Advice on Nurturing the Emerging Memeplex.

For more on the I Ching in general see here.