Philosophical Speculations

OK, so you are really talking about an individuated agency here (which I never denied), but you are associating it with your intuitive sense of self. What I'm trying to say here is that the agency is not a "subject" but rather it's an "action" (as much as we can describe it with...

I'm really enjoying the back-and-forth in this thread and learning much along the way I have not done the meditations (I'm a terrible meditator) but contemplating the dialogue I was moved to a commonplace thought. We've all had the experience of being in a tense or conflictual situation and being to...

Ashvin says: So which is it, Eugene, is the 'direct method' sufficient or not? Is it sufficient for developing the love and compassion to simply treat each other more kindly? Then what is the purpose of the intuitive and imaginative abilities of thinking? Let's remember, St. Francis of Assisi didn'...

No it's not a whole different discussion. This mindset reveals the core issue - and duality - from yet another angle. Preliminary philosophical speculation to "clear the (intellectual) way" is arbitrarily kept separate from the direct inner experience that should realize that same way. Th...

Ashvin says: So which is it, Eugene, is the 'direct method' sufficient or not? Is it sufficient for developing the love and compassion to simply treat each other more kindly? Then what is the purpose of the intuitive and imaginative abilities of thinking? Let's remember, St. Francis of Assisi didn't...

Naturally there's not much of a concrete, actual *way* in recommending to "experientially realize the reality of the spiritual activity of the egoless Aware-Thinking-Feeling (ATF) as the source behind the world of our thoughts, feelings and perceptions". So how do you go from this stateme...

Well, what you are describing is the span of attention, but not the presence-awareness in a sense that Rupert is referring to. Usually in our mundane state of consciousness, be it in children or adults, we completely disregard the presence-awareness. PS: Well, to be more precise, in our mundane mod...

I'm glad you are exploring "pictorial thinking." I love the art medium called "encaustics", which involves hot flowing wax. Mostly it's used in a conventionally painterly way. I used to use it to explore what I did not have words for and its evolving into forms I recognized. It'...

Do you really "understand my view", Lou? Nominally, Bernardo Kastrup also holds this view. All is mind. And any other so-called idealist nominally holds it as well! The whole problem is when this remains a “view”, entirely dissociated from the reality of it. One does not do A+B. On the on...

Is the desire to reach out, to connect, to share love with another, to harmonize, to attain and maintain peace also related to the same idea-feeling of "I" ? Is it similarly dysfunctional? If not, why not? Yes, while we are within the "personal" (separate self) layer, the good d...