My girlfriend has said that believing in a soul is like believing in a flat Earth. It just doesn't jive with modern knowledge. For example, how would a soul experience sensory input without a nervous system? How would a soul have thoughts and memories without a brain?
Given my own experience with meditation, I would say that physical and mental processes are purely mechanical. Thus they do not represent the true Self. So what is the Self?
If it exists at all, I think the Self is not a soul, it's simply being. That's what spiritual emptiness means. It's not annihilation of the Self, it's the Self as distinct from thoughts and desires, distinct from all mechanical processes - an emptiness of everything that is not the Self.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Malias - Page 3
The third page of the Maliad. The poem is 61 lines long now, and I've reached the critical moment of the first scene.
Then rising to his feet, Kameus said to the men: The temples have vast riches from the gifts that they receive, those golden labryses and many herd animals. Why do they deny me a just portion as a tribute? For the sky and the wind have no need of such things. Therefore let her go and bring me my just due!
Some nodded in approval, for indeed his store rooms were full of the things they had brought, olive oil and wine, prized ivory from Libya and other kinds of goods; and the halls of the palace smelled of their cooked sacrifices. They had given generously, so why should the temples hold back?
But gray-haired Dionides came forward and said: Man cannot take that which was offered to the gods, nay, however much he may desire it, lest they become angry with him and punish him for his hubris.
And Teliassa said: Hear now, Kameus, the words of wise Dionides, and do not hunger for that which is above you, for you are but a king and dust before the gods.
Now Kameus was furious, his pride wounded, and he said: Behold now, brethren, if she does not give me wealth from the temple, then I will take what she did bring!
Then rising to his feet, Kameus said to the men: The temples have vast riches from the gifts that they receive, those golden labryses and many herd animals. Why do they deny me a just portion as a tribute? For the sky and the wind have no need of such things. Therefore let her go and bring me my just due!
Some nodded in approval, for indeed his store rooms were full of the things they had brought, olive oil and wine, prized ivory from Libya and other kinds of goods; and the halls of the palace smelled of their cooked sacrifices. They had given generously, so why should the temples hold back?
But gray-haired Dionides came forward and said: Man cannot take that which was offered to the gods, nay, however much he may desire it, lest they become angry with him and punish him for his hubris.
And Teliassa said: Hear now, Kameus, the words of wise Dionides, and do not hunger for that which is above you, for you are but a king and dust before the gods.
Now Kameus was furious, his pride wounded, and he said: Behold now, brethren, if she does not give me wealth from the temple, then I will take what she did bring!
Friday, May 10, 2019
Koan and Rosicrucianism
An addendum to my last post. One of the goals of Rosicrucian study is developing your intuition, and intuition is key to the Zen koan. These are questions that you can't answer through conscious reasoning. You have to meditate on them until an intuitive answer comes into your mind.
Working out the meaning of the answer (and thus, of the question itself) can lead to a satori (悟り) or moment of understanding, moment of awakening.
In short, this is why I think Zen practice and Rosicrucian study can complement each other.
I'm not learned enough to say that it would be a mistake to do Rosicrucian study without other tools to maximize the benefit, but I would strongly encourage Zen for that purpose, both to get the most out of Rosicrucian study and to help you remain critical of Rosicurcian materials as you progress. There's a particular ontological framework in the Rosicrucian tradition, but it shouldn't be blindly absorbed with religiosity. Instead, it should be examined critically and experimentally, and this is a benefit of the Zen approach.
Working out the meaning of the answer (and thus, of the question itself) can lead to a satori (悟り) or moment of understanding, moment of awakening.
In short, this is why I think Zen practice and Rosicrucian study can complement each other.
I'm not learned enough to say that it would be a mistake to do Rosicrucian study without other tools to maximize the benefit, but I would strongly encourage Zen for that purpose, both to get the most out of Rosicrucian study and to help you remain critical of Rosicurcian materials as you progress. There's a particular ontological framework in the Rosicrucian tradition, but it shouldn't be blindly absorbed with religiosity. Instead, it should be examined critically and experimentally, and this is a benefit of the Zen approach.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Koan practice
One of the most famous Zen koans is "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" It's so well known the people don't really take it seriously, but in fact I find it to be one of the more difficult koans to grapple with. It takes real effort, and is well deserving of its prominence within the 'effort school' of Zen.
An answer I came up with while meditating on it is: "A picture of my grandmother after my grandfather died."
That ended up being literally a vertigo-inducing answer. What the koan was really pointing me toward was the question of contingency, and the realization that my existence is not contingent on my grandparents. That's actually quite scary. It's a realization that pulls out from under you a foundational element of your concept of self. It begs the question: What is my existence if it's not contingent on them?
Quite often, spiritual practice doesn't bring you peace, but exactly the opposite. It deprives you of concepts which seem stable, and leaves you with nothing in their place except the hard task of making peace with a non-conceptual answer.
An answer I came up with while meditating on it is: "A picture of my grandmother after my grandfather died."
That ended up being literally a vertigo-inducing answer. What the koan was really pointing me toward was the question of contingency, and the realization that my existence is not contingent on my grandparents. That's actually quite scary. It's a realization that pulls out from under you a foundational element of your concept of self. It begs the question: What is my existence if it's not contingent on them?
Quite often, spiritual practice doesn't bring you peace, but exactly the opposite. It deprives you of concepts which seem stable, and leaves you with nothing in their place except the hard task of making peace with a non-conceptual answer.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Malias - Page 2
Here is the second page of the Malias. If you read the first page, you should note that I made a change to it - I changed the somewhat anachronistic name Alexius to the older Adamaos, a name attested in Linear B script.
Now fiery-haired Teliassa, priestess of the temple on the mountain where Zeus was born, entered the palace dressed in a gown with sparkling purple trim. She wore an iron armlet in the form of a serpent, and sandals stitched with cloth of silver. All eyes were upon her; women, envious of her great beauty, chatted in the corners, and men watched her with ravenous looks. She approached the alabaster throne with a regal gait, her gaze fixed on Kameus, and said: I offer you honors from those who serve the gods, Zeus and Hera, and Poseidon and Posideia, Hermes and well-girdled Aphrodite.
Nearby, Adamaos was staring at Teliassa as if struck by the arrow, for indeed he was, standing mute on the spot where love had overcome him.
The king too was struck by desire, but desire of another kind. He wrung his bear-like hands and said: I see you have the richest clothes, and an armlet more valuable than gold¹; yet in spite of your wealth, you bring me only words.
¹ In the bronze age, iron was extremely difficult to produce and was therefore more valuable than gold
Now fiery-haired Teliassa, priestess of the temple on the mountain where Zeus was born, entered the palace dressed in a gown with sparkling purple trim. She wore an iron armlet in the form of a serpent, and sandals stitched with cloth of silver. All eyes were upon her; women, envious of her great beauty, chatted in the corners, and men watched her with ravenous looks. She approached the alabaster throne with a regal gait, her gaze fixed on Kameus, and said: I offer you honors from those who serve the gods, Zeus and Hera, and Poseidon and Posideia, Hermes and well-girdled Aphrodite.
Nearby, Adamaos was staring at Teliassa as if struck by the arrow, for indeed he was, standing mute on the spot where love had overcome him.
The king too was struck by desire, but desire of another kind. He wrung his bear-like hands and said: I see you have the richest clothes, and an armlet more valuable than gold¹; yet in spite of your wealth, you bring me only words.
¹ In the bronze age, iron was extremely difficult to produce and was therefore more valuable than gold
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Malias - Page 1
So here is the completed first page of the Malias Papyrus.
Sing, O Heaven, the heart of fiery-haired Teliassa, who brought about the downfall of the tyrant Kameus. What frightful, divine force could wreak such damage as befell the unfortunate Cretans? Indeed, only the most powerful of any that are known - love.
The goddess of seduction stirs the soul like wind upon the water, and changes the shape of our world forever. Thus it was for Malia on the night when King Kameus assumed the crown, carousing with men of renown and nobles from the surrounding lands.
Gray-haired Dionides was there, who had offered the hecatomb to all the gods, praying for their blessing and for a long and peaceful reign, alas but in vain; and bronze-skinned Alexius, who leaped over bulls with the aerial grace of a soaring kite; and great captains of ships which swiftly sailed the mercurial sea, laden with riches, and others whose names are now forgotten, feasting on the roasted meat by the light of the braziers.
Sing, O Heaven, the heart of fiery-haired Teliassa, who brought about the downfall of the tyrant Kameus. What frightful, divine force could wreak such damage as befell the unfortunate Cretans? Indeed, only the most powerful of any that are known - love.
The goddess of seduction stirs the soul like wind upon the water, and changes the shape of our world forever. Thus it was for Malia on the night when King Kameus assumed the crown, carousing with men of renown and nobles from the surrounding lands.
Gray-haired Dionides was there, who had offered the hecatomb to all the gods, praying for their blessing and for a long and peaceful reign, alas but in vain; and bronze-skinned Alexius, who leaped over bulls with the aerial grace of a soaring kite; and great captains of ships which swiftly sailed the mercurial sea, laden with riches, and others whose names are now forgotten, feasting on the roasted meat by the light of the braziers.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Front page news - from 1650 BC
In case you were wondering whether I'd given up my ancient language fanfic, the answer is no. I've been plugging away at it from time to time, and I think I've finally (!) got an opening I'm happy with.
The piece is tentatively called Malias i.e. the Song of Malia, even though the place wouldn't have been called that in the Bronze Age. (No one knows that the Minoans called it.)
Here are the opening verses:
It reads:
Sing, O Heaven, the heart of fiery-haired Teliassa, who brought about the downfall of the tyrant Kameus.
What frightful, divine force could wreak such damage as befell the unfortunate Cretans? Indeed, only the most powerful of any that are known - love.
The goddess of seduction stirs the soul like wind upon the water, and changes the shape of our world forever. Thus it was for Malia on the night when King Kameus assumed the crown, carousing with men of renown and nobles from the surrounding lands....
(What should follow is a roll call of people present at the coronation feast, because every epic needs a roll call. And after that comes the incident that dooms the city.)
The piece is tentatively called Malias i.e. the Song of Malia, even though the place wouldn't have been called that in the Bronze Age. (No one knows that the Minoans called it.)
Here are the opening verses:
It reads:
Sing, O Heaven, the heart of fiery-haired Teliassa, who brought about the downfall of the tyrant Kameus.
What frightful, divine force could wreak such damage as befell the unfortunate Cretans? Indeed, only the most powerful of any that are known - love.
The goddess of seduction stirs the soul like wind upon the water, and changes the shape of our world forever. Thus it was for Malia on the night when King Kameus assumed the crown, carousing with men of renown and nobles from the surrounding lands....
(What should follow is a roll call of people present at the coronation feast, because every epic needs a roll call. And after that comes the incident that dooms the city.)
Friday, April 26, 2019
The unquiet mind
I've been crap at meditating recently. Unable to concentrate, unable to quiet the mind.
I did experience some minor success when I tried meditating with an arm raised. At the point the arm becomes tired, the mind has to fight against it. But with some persistence, the mind can become indifferent to the strain. Still, not much to show for it.
I feel blocked and chaotic, but I continue to meditate daily because when all else fails, keep practicing.
I'm also trying to finish up the first degree of my CR+C studies which lagged behind over the winter. There's quite a lot of material, but few practical experiments, and those have been mostly fruitless for me. On the other hand, I do appreciate the structure, which is something I don't naturally create for myself.
I'd have to say I'm about 3/10 in terms of my practice at the moment, and not from lack of trying. Overcoming obstacles is not something I'm good at. If I can't just go around them, I get stuck. If I can't be superlative, I just spin my wheels. So I'm trying to think of showing some discipline as success in its own right.
I did experience some minor success when I tried meditating with an arm raised. At the point the arm becomes tired, the mind has to fight against it. But with some persistence, the mind can become indifferent to the strain. Still, not much to show for it.
I feel blocked and chaotic, but I continue to meditate daily because when all else fails, keep practicing.
I'm also trying to finish up the first degree of my CR+C studies which lagged behind over the winter. There's quite a lot of material, but few practical experiments, and those have been mostly fruitless for me. On the other hand, I do appreciate the structure, which is something I don't naturally create for myself.
I'd have to say I'm about 3/10 in terms of my practice at the moment, and not from lack of trying. Overcoming obstacles is not something I'm good at. If I can't just go around them, I get stuck. If I can't be superlative, I just spin my wheels. So I'm trying to think of showing some discipline as success in its own right.
Friday, March 15, 2019
Detachment and Compassion
The other day I was meditating and an image of a flower came to mind, complete with its lovely fragrance. Once I inhaled deeply to savor the aroma, the flower suddenly changed to a dead animal, complete with the odor of decomposition.
I realized that in fact neither state should necessarily be preferred over the other. Everything changes. Nothing permanently remains as it is.
But I also realized something else. That awareness of detaching oneself, of being indifferent to the changes, brought up a sense of great compassion.
It seems paradoxical to talk about indifference and compassion as being intimately linked, but I think they are. When you experience indifference to the inevitable cycle of change, you also experience compassion for the system as a whole, a kind of universal compassion that's inaccessible while you're holding onto an egoistic desire to hold onto things as you want them to be.
I realized that in fact neither state should necessarily be preferred over the other. Everything changes. Nothing permanently remains as it is.
But I also realized something else. That awareness of detaching oneself, of being indifferent to the changes, brought up a sense of great compassion.
It seems paradoxical to talk about indifference and compassion as being intimately linked, but I think they are. When you experience indifference to the inevitable cycle of change, you also experience compassion for the system as a whole, a kind of universal compassion that's inaccessible while you're holding onto an egoistic desire to hold onto things as you want them to be.
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