Friday, June 17, 2016

June meeting

Watched a video one of Ted's all about designing an ear from an apple's structure, nothing to do with philosophy but interesting. Then a video on how to relax in 60 seconds good ideas but delivered too fast and by the wrong person.
Then David Ike's short videos on reality who I agree with apart from the lizards and the moon theory.



Understanding the Difference Between Non-Attachment and Detachment
By Elle - 11/06/2016 5 42
The teachings of non-attachment shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of love or compassion.
It’s often mistaken as detachment, which is something altogether different.
Non-attachment is essentially a practice of presence and mindfulness. It is not allowing your sense of wellbeing to rely upon anything other than your own presence of awareness. It means to be in the world, but not of the world.

Detachment however, means to distance oneself from the world out of total disinterest. It’s an aloofness that separates oneself from the rest of the world. Essentially, it is escapism—which is a form of suffering.
A practice of non-attachment however, doesn’t affect how you appreciate, love, admire and enjoy life. It simply means that your happiness is no longer defined by anything outside of you. In other words, you remain free.

The question is often asked, “How does the practice of non-attachment affect one’s personal relationships?” It improves them, greatly.

A non-attached relationship is healthy, strong and filled with effortless love, kindness and compassion. In other words, it is totally selfless because your sense of ‘self’ is no longer inserted into every situation. You are no longer self-centered or selfish, and you become single-pointed in your awareness of the other person. Love and intimacy isn’t diminished in the least, in fact, it becomes even more intensely focussed—but you no longer self-identity with it, as it, or through it.

Non-attached love is pure and present. If you allow your sense of self to be emotionally swayed by everything that appears to you—including all people, places, perceptions, thoughts, sensations, events, experiences, and all seeming things—then your emotions will forever be riding a roller-coaster of ups and downs.
You will be a pendulum that forever swings between joy and disaster.
It must be understood that your sense of wellbeing is always based upon whatever you allow yourself to become emotionally attached to.

When you become attached to something your happiness is based on a duality, and it will be relative (impermanent). You will define yourself by the outside world, rather than with your true inner nature. But if you remain un-attached to the things you experience, then your happiness will be absolute and undivided.
The solution to our rollercoaster of suffering is to simply get off the egoic ride altogether.
It’s a practice of being in the moment—unattached—but with total interest, love, acceptance, compassion and intense curiosity; all while abiding in your unshakeable sense of inner calm and your unbound presence of infinite awareness—at peace in your true Self.

Non-attachment is freedom from things. It is a self-realization of the truth of reality—that you, consciousness, can not be affected by anything. It is only the egoic mind that makes you believe otherwise.

I like to think of non-attachment as being similar to the teflon coating on a frying pan—it certainly doesn’t stop the pan from cooking the food, or from doing a good job, or even from enjoying its work. Once it’s finished, everything just slips off without leaving any trace.

No emotional scrubbing necessary.

The memories aren’t gone—but you’re not attached to, nor defined by them. All is well.

Experiencing Chi: An Experiment

Most people are understandably skeptical about this energy called chi until they actually experience it for themselves. After all, in the West we have been well trained to deny even the possibility of such phenomena. While some people will never be able to sense the chi, many others do -- some on their first encounter with it.
Try this experiment with a partner, such as your child, spouse, or friend, to see if you are able to feel the chi. Both of you should either sit or stand approximately two arms-length away from each other.
Ask your partner to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders and back muscles as completely as possible. Try to imagine an energy rising from the ground into your body.
When you think you can almost sense this imaginary force, ask your partner to extend an arm toward you until it is level with the floor. The palm of the hand should be facing downward.
Slowly raise your own arms and extend your fingers until they are within a few inches of your partner's outstretched hand. Using your mind, direct the imaginary energy -- what we call the chi. Move it further up through your body until it passes along your arms and out from your fingertips.
It's helpful to imagine a current of energy passing from your body into your partner's. Whether you think this is an imaginary force or not, some people feel the chi right away, even with their eyes closed.
The Tao Te Ching was written around 2,500 years ago by a man named Lao Tzu. It is one of the oldest texts in existence and certainly one of the wisest. Its wisdom is timeless and its message is as relevant and important now as it was back then - if not moreso. It is vital that we learn to come back into balance with the natural world, to live in a more harmonious and selfless way...and the Tao Te Ching beautifully instructs us in bringing ourselves and our lives into alignment with the 'Tao'. This belief in Taoist philosophy is known as the doctrine of doing-by-not-doing, and it lies at the heart of Taoist practice.
Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it?
I do not believe it can be done. The universe is sacred. You cannot improve it. If you try to change it, you will ruin it. If you try to hold it, you will lose it.

Nature is complete without us. We must recognize this fact and begin to participate with nature as a partner in the universal scheme.

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