the person / Scott Andersen

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Nisargadatta , " Scott Andersen "

<sga_email> wrote:

 

 

Nisargadatta , " Scott Andersen "

<sga_email> wrote:

 

 

 

Hi Scott,

 

 

> These reactions contribute also to the forming of emotional and

> mental habits and tendencies / susceptibilities.

 

 

 

Habits and tendencies only exist through memory/thought.

When you see somebody, or yourself doing something, how do you know

it's a habit?

Because you remember doing it yesterday, as well.

There is a thought of a habit. Outside of this thought – there is no

habit.

There is also no personality, outside of memory/thought.

 

 

 

> The reactions that this *initial* thought leads to varies and these

> reactions are greater or less depending on circumstances which are

> able to be controlled by the person.

 

 

 

" The person " is a thought. There is no person outside of memory: just

whatever is being perceived now, is there.

What you call " a person " is the content of your thoughts about some

human, and these thoughts are based on the memory of previous events

which you've witnessed.

" The person " only exists as a content of your memory about somebody.

It also exists as the content of the memory " in the head " of this

somebody, but – his memory about himself (his self-image) may be very

different from your image of him.

So we have already two imaginary personalities: one exists in your

head, and the other one exist in his head. Both exist only as a

content of some thoughts/memories.

" The person " you see in front of you, exists only in your memory:

Images of some things he did, and memories of your own reactions to

it, sensations, emotions, opinions, judgements.

" The person " you see in front of you, is you, is your imagination,

your reactions, your memory.

There is nobody to control anything, every attempt to control, is

just another thought and emotional reaction.

The need to control is caused by some thoughts saying that things

should be different from how they are now, and this thoughts are

saying this because some reactions arising in the body are labelled

as unpleasant or dangerous, so the thoughts are trying to change the

external situation in order to prevent the negatively labelled

emotions from arising. Then, the body starts acting in order to

change the external.

When the action has the intended results, there is no problem.

The problem starts, when in spite of all effort, the external cannot

be changed.

The undesirable emotional reactions keep arising, but are being

suppressed.

Thoughts keep trying to stay in " control " of the situation: if the

external cannot be controlled, the only way to stay in control is to

suppress the negatively labelled emotional reactions arising in the

body. This attempt to control creates a painful tension.

Yet, there is no controller, just a thought of a controller, some

thoughts/opinions about what's happening, some contradictory bodily

reactions: the feeling of hurt, for instance, and the bodily reaction

in order to suppress it.

 

Len