Guest guest Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Questioner: What about the identify of the dying man? What happens to it when he is dead? Do you agree that it continues in another body. Nisargadatta Maharaj: It continues and yet it does not. All depends how you look at it. What is identity, after all? Continuity in memory? Can you talk of identity without memory? Questioner: Yes, I can. The child may not know its parents, yet the hereditary characteristics will be there. Nisargadatta: Who identifies them? Somebody with a memory to register and compare. Don't you see that memory is the warp of your mental life. And identity is merely a pattern of events in time and space. Change the pattern and you have changed the man. Questioner: The pattern is significant and important. It has its own value. By saying that a woven design is merely coloured threads you miss the most important -- the beauty of it. Or by describing a book as paper with ink stains on it, you miss the meaning. Identity is valuable because it is the basis of individuality; that which makes us unique and irreplaceable. 'I am', is the intuition of uniqueness. Nisargadatta: Yes and no. Identity, individuality, uniqueness -- they are the most valuable aspects of the mind, yet of the mind only. 'I am all there is' too is an experience equally valid. The particular and the universal are inseparable. They are the two aspects of the nameless, as seen from without and from within. Unfortunately, words only mention, but don't convey. Try to go beyond the words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Nisargadatta , " Tim G. " <fewtch wrote: > > Questioner: What about the identify of the dying man? What happens to it when he is dead? Do you agree that it continues in another body. > > Nisargadatta Maharaj: It continues and yet it does not. All depends how you look at it. What is identity, after all? Continuity in memory? Can you talk of identity without memory?(doug: NO) > > Questioner: Yes, I can. The child may not know its parents, yet the hereditary characteristics will be there. > > Nisargadatta: Who identifies them? Somebody with a memory to register and compare. (doug: let's not forget genetics as a form of memory). Don't you see that memory is the warp of your mental life. And identity is merely a pattern of events in time and space. Change the pattern and you have changed the man. (doug: change is the nature of things). > > Questioner: The pattern is significant and important. It has its own value. By saying that a woven design is merely coloured threads you miss the most important -- the beauty of it (doug: beauty lies in the mind of the beholder as does the idea of a beholder) Or by describing a book as paper with ink stains on it, you miss the meaning (doug: meaning is given by mind only). Identity is valuable because it is the basis of individuality; that which makes us unique and irreplaceable. 'I am', is the intuition of uniqueness. (doug: from a limited perspective only). > > Nisargadatta: Yes and no. Identity, individuality, uniqueness -- they are the most valuable aspects of the mind, yet of the mind only ( doug: YES!). 'I am all there is' too is an experience equally valid. The particular and the universal are inseparable. They are the two aspects of the nameless, as seen from without and from within. (doug: duality is the experience of existence). Unfortunately, words only mention, but don't convey. Try to go beyond the words (doug: ie. this is all conceptual). > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 It is cool to be reading this, right after I posted something about memory. Synchronicity abounds! Lord bless us all, each and every one. :-) - Dan - (nothing new below) Nisargadatta , " Tim G. " <fewtch wrote: > > Questioner: What about the identify of the dying man? What happens to it when he is dead? Do you agree that it continues in another body. > > Nisargadatta Maharaj: It continues and yet it does not. All depends how you look at it. What is identity, after all? Continuity in memory? Can you talk of identity without memory? > > Questioner: Yes, I can. The child may not know its parents, yet the hereditary characteristics will be there. > > Nisargadatta: Who identifies them? Somebody with a memory to register and compare. Don't you see that memory is the warp of your mental life. And identity is merely a pattern of events in time and space. Change the pattern and you have changed the man. > > Questioner: The pattern is significant and important. It has its own value. By saying that a woven design is merely coloured threads you miss the most important -- the beauty of it. Or by describing a book as paper with ink stains on it, you miss the meaning. Identity is valuable because it is the basis of individuality; that which makes us unique and irreplaceable. 'I am', is the intuition of uniqueness. > > Nisargadatta: Yes and no. Identity, individuality, uniqueness -- they are the most valuable aspects of the mind, yet of the mind only. 'I am all there is' too is an experience equally valid. The particular and the universal are inseparable. They are the two aspects of the nameless, as seen from without and from within. Unfortunately, words only mention, but don't convey. Try to go beyond the words. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Nisargadatta , " dan330033 " <dan330033 wrote: > > It is cool to be reading this, right after I posted something about memory. > > Synchronicity abounds! > > Lord bless us all, each and every one. > > > :-) > > > - Dan - > > (nothing new below) > > > Nisargadatta , " Tim G. " <fewtch@> wrote: > > > > Questioner: What about the identify of the dying man? What happens to it when he is dead? Do you agree that it continues in another body. > > > > Nisargadatta Maharaj: It continues and yet it does not. All depends how you look at it. What is identity, after all? Continuity in memory? Can you talk of identity without memory? > > > > Questioner: Yes, I can. The child may not know its parents, yet the hereditary characteristics will be there. > > > > Nisargadatta: Who identifies them? Somebody with a memory to register and compare. Don't you see that memory is the warp of your mental life. And identity is merely a pattern of events in time and space. Change the pattern and you have changed the man. > > > > Questioner: The pattern is significant and important. It has its own value. By saying that a woven design is merely coloured threads you miss the most important -- the beauty of it. Or by describing a book as paper with ink stains on it, you miss the meaning. Identity is valuable because it is the basis of individuality; that which makes us unique and irreplaceable. 'I am', is the intuition of uniqueness. > > > > Nisargadatta: Yes and no. Identity, individuality, uniqueness -- they are the most valuable aspects of the mind, yet of the mind only. 'I am all there is' too is an experience equally valid. The particular and the universal are inseparable. They are the two aspects of the nameless, as seen from without and from within. Unfortunately, words only mention, but don't convey. Try to go beyond the words. > > > And let us know how that's workin out for ya. toombaru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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