I just read a very thought provoking article The Truth by Eric Gross, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In response to it something came to mind, certainly not as a criticism but simply as an extra dimension to consider...  More >

Some quotes from Advaita Vedanta:

“Truth must be discovered, but there is no formula for its discovery. You must set out on the uncharted sea, and the uncharted sea is yourself. You must set out to discover yourself…” (J Krishnamurti)

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"No person from outside can make you free... No one holds the Key to the Kingdom of Happiness. No one has the authority to hold that key. That key is your own self, and in the development and the purification and in the incorruptibility of that self alone is the Kingdom of Eternity..." (J. Krishnamurti)

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“That which is the subtle essence, in it is the self of all that exists. It is the True. It is the Self, and thou ... art it.” (Chandogya Upanishad 4:10:1-3)

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Hello again everyone :)

I hope you have all been well!

I have been away for a while, maintaining abstinence from all in-depth discussions in order to still the mind and focus it. I'm not about to dive back into the fray of online discussions but I have re-opened my facebook profile for now and will generally hover on the periphery of cyberspace for a while. For those of you who are interested, I'll share a little of what has transpired for me over the past couple of months.

I've journeyed far and wide in a metaphorical sense, stilling the mind to explore deeply into certain issues, as well as going beyond the realm of ideas and emotions (the symbolic content of awareness) to penetrate deep within consciousness itself (the stream of awareness). Delving down through the layers, from the conscious mind, down through the unconscious and into the psychosomatic interface between body and mind. From this vantage point some very interesting work has been done and will continue. However this is getting ahead of myself, I'll back track and tell a little story, which also sheds light on information wars, propaganda, oppression, authoritarianism, effective resistance and other issues relevant to our times.  More >

I empathise with the difficulty that people have in grasping the mystic perspective. For those with an empiricist perspective these issues are usually perplexing and seemingly inside-out and back-to-front. I will briefly describe an approach to the mystic perspective that some have found useful.

Consider an AI mind within a VR simulation. If this mind had an empirical perspective it would seem to it that it had inner cognitive phenomena and that it lived within an external physical universe. However in a deeper sense these are just perceptual illusions and the actual reality is a single unified information process that is imperceptible, universal, non-local, timeless, all-pervading, etc. Realising this fact leads to a mystic perspective.  More >

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 >

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 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.

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.

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.

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 >

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 >