Guest guest Posted January 10, 2002 Report Share Posted January 10, 2002 Thanks Greg for using this great term. It describes what I've come to understand as one of the biggest impediments to jnana's dawning in our lives. By taking the *descriptions* of others' experience and confabulating them into the "truth" about realization, we effectively block our own recognition of the subtle presence of the Self by *displacing* it with our confabulated concepts. Spiritual culture is rife with confabulations and the opportunity to confabulate. Spiritual teachers project these confabulations on to their students, and the hagiographies of the lives of various saints generate mountains of confabulation as well. While there are no hard, fast rules of spirituality, there are a few helpful guidelines. One of these is that your own realization will be like *nothing* you expect. It will *always* defy any and all expectations. However, due to the subtle nature of the presence of the Self, it is rare for true realization to *replace* our expectations about it. Therefore it is wise to try and empty our minds of *any* concepts we might hold about realization. As difficult as this may be due to the mind's penchant to conceptualize, it does condition the mind to release the concepts as they are produced, rather than holding on to them. *All* concepts about realization are wrong, and so the quicker we can let them go, the less likely it will be that our confabulations get in the way of our coming to that fabulous yet utterly simple and ordinary recognition of the indwelling Self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2002 Report Share Posted January 11, 2002 , "jodyrrr" <jodyrrr@h...> wrote: > Thanks Greg for using this great term. It describes what I've > come to understand as one of the biggest impediments to jnana's > dawning in our lives. > > By taking the *descriptions* of others' experience and confabulating > them into the "truth" about realization, we effectively block our > own recognition of the subtle presence of the Self by *displacing* > it with our confabulated concepts. Perhaps the biggest example of this is postulating an external object (or internal subject, same thing) called "the Self" (those capitalizations grow tiresome), then go chasing after this empty conceptual notion. > While there are no hard, fast rules of spirituality, there are > a few helpful guidelines. One of these is that your own realization > will be like *nothing* you expect. It will *always* defy any and > all expectations. Absolutely. > However, due to the subtle nature of the presence of the Self, it > is rare for true realization to *replace* our expectations about > it. Understandable, since we think "the Self" is something present. The duality of "is - isn't" acts as a barrier to realization of what neither is nor is not. > Therefore it is wise to try and empty our minds of *any* concepts > we might hold about realization. As difficult as this may be due > to the mind's penchant to conceptualize, it does condition the mind > to release the concepts as they are produced, rather than holding > on to them. Seems here, anything that conditions the mind is merely adding to conditioning, and strengthening the concept "there is a mind." Namaste, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2002 Report Share Posted January 11, 2002 , "fewtch" <coresite@h...> wrote: > , "jodyrrr" <jodyrrr@h...> wrote: > > Thanks Greg for using this great term. It describes what I've > > come to understand as one of the biggest impediments to jnana's > > dawning in our lives. > > > > By taking the *descriptions* of others' experience and confabulating > > them into the "truth" about realization, we effectively block our > > own recognition of the subtle presence of the Self by *displacing* > > it with our confabulated concepts. > > Perhaps the biggest example of this is postulating an external object > (or internal subject, same thing) called "the Self" (those > capitalizations grow tiresome), then go chasing after this empty > conceptual notion. It cannot be chased, it always is, but apparent individuals do discover themselves as such. This discovery is denoted by the term the Self. Shankara was quite fond of it I think. > > While there are no hard, fast rules of spirituality, there are > > a few helpful guidelines. One of these is that your own realization > > will be like *nothing* you expect. It will *always* defy any and > > all expectations. > > Absolutely. > > > However, due to the subtle nature of the presence of the Self, it > > is rare for true realization to *replace* our expectations about > > it. > > Understandable, since we think "the Self" is something present. The > duality of "is - isn't" acts as a barrier to realization of what > neither is nor is not. The Self *is* presence, but for the apparent individual there is a discovery required to notice this presence. The presence *can* be noticed, and when it is it is sought no more. > > Therefore it is wise to try and empty our minds of *any* concepts > > we might hold about realization. As difficult as this may be due > > to the mind's penchant to conceptualize, it does condition the mind > > to release the concepts as they are produced, rather than holding > > on to them. > > Seems here, anything that conditions the mind is merely adding to > conditioning, and strengthening the concept "there is a mind." > > Namaste, > > Tim In the apparent sphere of things, only minds post to this list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2002 Report Share Posted January 11, 2002 That is very sharp... dan330033 [dan330033] Friday, January 11, 2002 12:46 PM Re: Confabulation > In the apparent sphere of things, only minds post to this list. Apparently. Or not. /join All paths go somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, sights, perceptions, and indeed all experiences arise from and exist in and subside back into the Space of Awareness. Like waves rising are not different than the ocean, all things arising from Awareness are of the nature of Awareness. Awareness does not come and go but is always Present. It is Home. Home is where the Heart Is. Jnanis know the Heart to be the Finality of Eternal Being. A true devotee relishes in the Truth of Self-Knowledge, spontaneously arising from within into It Self. Welcome all to a. Your use of is subject to --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.313 / Virus Database: 174 - Release 1/2/2002 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.313 / Virus Database: 174 - Release 1/2/2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2002 Report Share Posted January 11, 2002 > In the apparent sphere of things, only minds post to this list. Apparently. Or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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