Gentleman,
Video 1 of 5 daily releases is up for paid subscribers.
I show you how and why a new Western re-thinking of mindfulness work is not only possible, but it is necessary. For anyone tired of spinning their wheels in the hopeless muck of ‘reading’, ‘culture’ and edumuhcashun. And seeing no real differences.
This re-thinking is particularly important for those types that are fed up with the culture, but find themselves crippled by baser emotions and novel distractions. There is no power in these modes of being except that given through pure accident and chance. No matter how much we like to think it otherwise. This is just unwillful reactivity, plain and simple.
Lots of here talk about ‘demons bro’ to an enraging degree - the only great demon that faces this sorry ape is reactivity.
Those who have truly understood the truth of our condition - not just ‘me thunk it through me books’ - know the large degree of futility in the usual approaches. Some may now be engaged in the bio-individual work as a result. Having understood the crippling limitations of language and it’s role in bamboozling the user. As I say, this can only really be seen, it’s a type of empirical realisation.
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. One way you can see it is through mindfulness work or daily sitting. It requires a peculiar type of mind, one that isn’t wrapped up in it’s symbol use daze so as to be rendered incapable. Those types; let them have their books and blabbering. We’ll take the active path.
We don’t accept being lived by biological and informational processes out of our control and understanding. And mark my words: that’s all that happens almost all of the time. most of what goes on, in fact almost all, is completely unconscious.
The truth is, with the work I present here, there is nowhere for us to hide our lies. And I outline from a psychological point of view, why all these ‘surface’ approaches are mostly futile, and at best useful adjuncts or a part of the complete process.
This is why man is being lived and not living - and the worst offenders are often the ones that think that through words and reading that they are somehow special and ‘more-so conscious’, and different to the ‘others’.
You will see why this is a deluded and intractable position. I believe a better point of view is to work out how it is possible to make these things your bitch. And not be their sick, faithful, anxiety-ridden gimp.
Much of this is inspired by my multiple decade Soto Zen practice and much else. It’s not all just that. There are important physiological, interpretative differences, as well a refined and Western-appropriate re-emphasis on various elements of Zazen or sitting. Into a different and useful framing for those not willing to live in a cave (although I believe this is an ignorant and chauvinistic misinterpretation of what the Buddha implies: the greatest psychologist and analyser of the human condition that ever existed.)
I explain the reasons why commenters on twitter and elsewhere are completely wrong on most of the things they level at such practices.
Much of this incorrect interpretation stems shortcomings in translation. I unravel that here and put it to you in western terms.
Another issue is that as the mendacious glorified hominid parrots that we are, rather than practice and go test it out, we’d prefer to nastily level our ignorance and anxieties through words at something as a way to coddle ourselves from whatever such transcendent knowledge implies about us, and what we think we are.
One of the stranger things to notice is how we cover up our nastiness, insecurities, commonness and lack of control over our narcissistic impulses with words and theories. Some do this with extremely elaborate thinking and abstraction, even as a full time vocation. I think almost all ‘philosophers’ have primarily done this.
These facilities mere tools that are now valued as being something more than what they are in reality. But this can only be seen.
This series ties in with the general overview I presented in ‘Western Zen for Faustian Man” and this series can be considered the practical part of one of the pillars of that document.