Eastern philosophy says the self is an illusion

Doc Dutch said:
So you saying I'm like the pedophile Gaugin is a hallucination, Perry?
That's a very specific reference, Perry.
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Doc, this is clearly becoming an obsession for you. Personally I'm getting bored of your little hissy fit here. Wish you the best of luck with everything. You might want to move on.
 
Telocollinite said:
Doc, this is clearly becoming an obsession for you. Personally I'm getting bored of your little hissy fit here. Wish you the best of luck with everything. You might want to move on.
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What do you think I'm obsessed about, Perry? Your deliberate effort to equate a notorious pedophile to me? No, Perry, I'm not. I'm enjoying watching you backpedal like a circus chimp on a unicycle.

If you are bored, why do you keep posting to me? Is it because you are mentally incapable of taking your own advice?
 
NiftyNiblick said:
What kind of life involves no concern about money, material possessions, desire, etc?
What constitutes the rewards in such a life?
Would that many people, regardless of their other differences, be mentally configured to find value in life without these things?
I'd personally find none, but I've never presumed to speak for others.
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you need sufficient money and some sufficient amount of material possessions to live.

For me, it comes down to recognizing money, consumer desire, physical desire, desire for material possessions for what they are ... and are not. And treating them accordingly.


Years later, I still remember this sentiment from Solzhenitsyn's Gulag archipelago, because it was so striking to me.

What about the main thing in life, all its riddles? If you want, I'll spell it out for you right now. Do not pursue what is illusionary - property and position: all that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade after decade, and is confiscated in one fell night. Live with a steady superiority over life -don't be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn for happiness; it is, after all, all the same: the bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don't freeze in the cold and if thirst and hunger don't claw at your insides. If your back isn't broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms can bend, if both eyes can see, if both ears hear, then whom should you envy? And why? Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purify your heart -and prize above all else in the world those who love you and who wish you well. Do not hurt them or scold them, and never part from any of them in anger; after all, you simply do not know: it may be your last act before your arrest, and that will be how you are imprinted on their memory.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago
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Telocollinite said:
In the field of Mindfulness you can observe your thoughts and treat them with some degree of "distance". But the goal is NOT to eliminate thoughts. The goal is to be able to control the power one gives those thoughts.

In some anxiety disorders the portion of the brain responsible for "threat assessment" runs incorrectly.

Our brains are the same brains that helped our early ancestors survive but the circuitry is no longer needed for those kinds of threats. Our brain still gives precedence to threats, real or imaginary. One cannot really CONTROL those thoughts, but what is taught to these people is how to ASSESS, OBSERVE the thoughts and figure out how to rationally respond to the thought. They are taught that just because a thought has been had does not mean it has "importance".

This is where mindfulness comes into play. This is the discipline of accepting that thoughts happen, but to be able to observe them dispassionately and not give them the power that the brain wishes to grant them.
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I don't pay any attention to that mindfulness crap, because it strikes me as a cottage industry new age hippies established to plagiarize and co-opt ancient wisdom, and sell it as their own brand.

Self aware meditation practices been around since the Upanishads, Jainism, and Buddhism.
 
Cypress said:
I don't pay any attention to that mindfulness crap, because it strikes me as a cottage industry new age hippies established to plagiarize and co-opt ancient wisdom, and sell it as their own brand.

Self aware meditation practices been around since the Upanishads, Jainism, and Buddhism.
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Perry’s description of “mindfulness” is “off”. It’s not distance, it’s being present. Having an “inner dialogue” is the opposite of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a good thing, but the New Agey crap distorts it like some martial arts dojos which are belt factories to make money for the owners.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mindfulness
Buddhism includes a journey toward enlightenment, and the concept of “sati,”—which encompasses attention, awareness, and being present—is considered the first step toward enlightenment.
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Doc Dutch said:
Perry’s description of “mindfulness” is “off”. It’s not distance, it’s being present. Having an “inner dialogue” is the opposite of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a good thing, but the New Agey crap distorts it like some martial arts dojos which are belt factories to make money for the owners.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mindfulness
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If I get a whiff of New Age grifters trying to sell crap, I walk the other way!

I know, just plagiarizing the ancient wisdom and slapping a new label and price tag on it. Doesn't cut the mustard for me!


Having an inner dialogue sounds like schizophrenia to me.
 
Cypress said:
If I get a whiff of New Age grifters trying to sell crap, I walk the other way!

I know, just plagiarizing the ancient wisdom and slapping a new label and price tag on it. Doesn't cut the mustard for me!


Having an inner dialogue sounds like schizophrenia to me.
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As long as they are sincere, I'm good with it. People trying to sell other people crap for their personal profit are short sighted at best.
 
Cypress said:
If I get a whiff of New Age grifters trying to sell crap, I walk the other way!
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You are confusing the misapplication from the actual original conception. The stuff used by psychologists isn't new age shit. I agree many of these things get misapplied and everyone tries to cash in on it. But in its real application in psychology it can and does have benefits.

I know, just plagiarizing the ancient wisdom and slapping a new label and price tag on it. Doesn't cut the mustard for me!
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Thank heavens Mindfulness ISN'T that.

Having an inner dialogue sounds like schizophrenia to me.
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Huh? I don't know what part of Mindfulness you are referencing here. Are you talking about the metacognitive stuff? Isn't that what the "examined life" is all about?
 
Telocollinite said:
What I have described is actually mindfulness. Not sure what you are on about.
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Just like you didn't know Gaugin was a pedophile. Your inability to be honest is well known, Perry. IMO, it's the main reason you keep changing your username and accounts; you're running from your reputation as a liar, a troll and a wacko.
 
Doc Dutch said:
As long as they are sincere, I'm good with it. People trying to sell other people crap for their personal profit are short sighted at best.
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I suspect the term "mindfulness" is a marketing strategy, the same way New Age grifters used Yoga in the 1970s, and healing crystals in the 1990s to sell their books and services. Over the coming years the term mindfulness will probably fade is useage and popularity the same way yoga and healing crystals did.
 
Cypress said:
I suspect the term "mindfulness" is a marketing strategy, the same way New Age grifters used Yoga in the 1970s, and healing crystals in the 1990s to sell their books and services. Over the coming years the term mindfulness will probably fade is useage and popularity the same way yoga and healing crystals did.
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It is quickly becoming that, but the original and core concept can be and is used in legitimate psychology.

Think of it the way the New Agers have misappropriated "Quantum Mechanics" whenever they run up against a mystery and they want to sound super "deeeeeep" so they leverage legitimate techniques for silly things.

Or think about people who reference Jesus as a "moral teacher" but then treat his teachings as a pile of shit.
 
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