Ideas

Ideas are not just ideas. Ideas are extremely powerful. They can keep you stuck in the mud for decades but they can also change your life completely in a very short time. Look at the Islamic suicide bombers. Look at the people in dangerous religious cults or in extreme right wing movements. They often went through rapid personality changes. Look at the politicians. How come they can't see that they are stuck? Are they blind? And look at all those jerks who vote for them. Look at yourself. Aren’t all of us propelled or possessed by ideas?

Ideas can change your life. Ideas can turn you into a slacker or a workaholic. Ideas can make you unhappy, happy, grateful or idiotic.

The problem is that very few of our ideas are actually ours. We have picked them up from somewhere, from home, from school and from the society where we grew up. We have been indoctrinated. Most of our decisions are made in this conditioned and murky part of our brains.

It is impossible to live without ideas. A human being without ideas is like a bird without wings. It is ideas that make you go to work. It is ideas that make you drop out to sit on park benches instead, drinking beer. It is ideas that are ruining this planet with carelessness and greed. It would be so much better for humankind and life here on earth if the majority of us were possessed by environmentally friendly ideas and love for each other.

The conscious part of you, the ego, is just a tiny part of you. It is the tip of an iceberg. This tip is important, though. Here is where conscious decisions are made. Here is where conscious change originates. It is possible change your mind. It is possible to get a more optimistic outlook on life. “No! I no longer accept this nonsense. No! I don’t like racism. No! The meaning with life is not just to get rich.” Ideas like this are created in the conscious mind.

A human being without a conscious mind, without an ego, is a sleepwalker, a zombie, a programmed robot. Ego is not something bad as many of the “spiritual people” believe. The question is whose game you are playing, whose errands you are running. You can be clear and awake. You can stop drinking. You can leave your religious cult. You can replace your neo-liberal or social Darwinist views. You can make conscious decisions.

The Advaita-Vedanta concept of “No-self” is but a concept. Non-dualists believe that they do not exist, that the ego doesn’t exist. This is a silly idea. From a cosmic point of view is the ego of course not very important, I agree, but what is important from this point of view?

The allure

 

The title of this statue is "The Allure".

Turmoil

The brain constantly produces thoughts, judgments, excuses, questions, answers, ideas and explanations. I want this. I want that. How can I get it? Why did she say so to me? He's stupid. What the fuck is wrong with me?

The brain also produces images, reveries and fantasies, and at night, it is creating the most fantastic dream worlds.

The emotions are also created in the brain, sorrow, fear, love, happiness, anger, satisfaction, dissatisfaction... I believe that all this mind chatter and turmoil is part of being human. I believe that the idea that spiritual awakening is about being able to drop all the stupid and unnecessary thoughts is delusional. Stupid thoughts and ideas are there. You cannot get rid of them and keep only the clever and useful ones. Adyashanti is not quite right about this, I believe. I don’t think that Eckhart has it quite right either.

You don’t have less numerous thoughts in your head when you have awakened, I believe, but you are not so bothered by them because you don‘t buy in to them. You are able to see them for what they are, just thoughts. When you are able to see thoughts for what they are, just thoughts, they loose their power, like poisonous snakes without fangs.

Sometimes the weather is pleasant and clear but you cannot expect favorable winds and clear blue skies forever. Sometimes there are storms coming, sometimes you get stuck in the doldrums. Also, not all people have the same conditions and starting points. Some are sailing in calm lakes and some are rounding Cap Horn.

Jack Kornfield says that to learn how to meditate is like to learn how to surf. I believe that this isn‘t quite right either. We are not surfers. Meditation is not about training yourself as if you are training a dog or a horse or taking a class in surfing, as I see it. To wake up is not about getting rid of stupid thoughts or unpleasant emotions or surfing on them. To wake up is about not buying into all the stupid stuff, to be able to see that crazy ideas are just crazy ideas, not deep truths.

Do not worry about all the stupid thoughts in your head. However, do not trust them. Do not trust yourself. Be very careful when you are convinced that you are right about something. If you are convinced of something, you have probably got it all wrong.

To wake up is to realize that belief systems, ideologies, creeds and doctrines are nothing but thoughts. To think that having sex with the receptionist would be nice is not the same as actually trying to rip off her dress.

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” I found this quote by Scot Adams on the web.

It is possible that my exposition here is a complete misunderstanding. I have misinterpreted and misunderstood many things before in my life. Maybe Eckhart, Jack Kornfield and Adyashanti are right. Maybe it is possible to drop all stupid thoughts and unnecessary emotions. Maybe it is a matter of practice or a matter of spontaneous awakening. I don’t know. I have never experienced a spontaneous spiritual awakening were most of the thoughts suddenly disappear and I have not practiced meditation systematically long enough to say that Jack Kornfield is wrong.

The truth shall set you free?

I lie a lot. Well, sometimes I tell the truth but often I don’t. Therefore you can never trust me.

Most people are lying, not only politicians, businessmen and criminals. Both men and women cheat on each other. Some people are mostly trustworthy, some people are pathological liars, and the majority is something in between.
I am, I suppose, an average liar.

Thousands of Catholic priests in the US proved to be child molesters. Also, many priests in Ireland and Germany have been caught with their pants down. Were these guys average liars or were they real fucking liars? What did they teach in their sermons? What do you think?

How often do you catch yourself lying?
Do you feel strange when you catch yourself lying?
If all people are liars, more or less, does this not mean that lies should be fully accepted?

There are of course many different kinds of lies, white lies, noble lies, big lies, lying by omission and many more. There are good lies and bad lies.

To lie is also culturally conditioned. I saw a documentary a few years ago from Kamchatka. People up there don’t lie at all. They can’t understand how people can lie to each other. “How can you trust each other”, one of them asked, “if you lie to each other.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sex_abuse_cases

Spiritual materialism

I can understand what you mean when you talk about dreams or thoughts, because I experience them also. However, when you talk about God or spirituality I have no idea of what you mean. Actually, I don’t even I know what I mean when I use those words. They can mean different things different days. Is spirit something different from matter? Is God an old man with a beard on a cloud? Discussing spirituality is indeed very difficult.

The word materialism, (the belief that reality is essentially matter) is also pretty useless nowadays. Not even the cutting edge scientists know what matter is. What is matter really? Is matter a form of energy? What is energy? What does matter look like if no one is there and look at it? Is it just waves in empty space? If no one knows what matter is how can one be a materialist?

So, the words spirituality and materialism have had their day. Nevertheless, I think of myself as a spiritual materialist. Matter is something mysterious, something spiritual. Are you able to understand what I mean with spiritual materialism? If you are, how could that be? Isn’t language wonderful?

(Chögiam Trungpa meant something else with spiritual materialism. To him a spiritual materialist was someone who is strengthening his or her ego with spiritual ideas and experiences, someone who thinks of himself or herself as spiritual and more evolved than others because he or she has met so many great gurus and has such impressive credentials.)

Defense mechanisms and awakening

Defense mechanisms are, as you know, mental strategies we use in order to protect ourselves from an unpleasant insights and awakening. There are many different defense mechanisms, intellectualization, rationalization, projection, repression and many more. Well, here are a few other examples:

1. Denial.

a. I’m not an alcoholic. I don’t have a problem with alcohol, you have. Stop that damn complaining. Yack-yack-yack. Relax for fucks sake. Eat drink and be merry.

b. There is no global warming due to CO2 emissions. This is bullshit. Look at the cold weather we have. Fuck all that hippie environmentalist wacky communist shit.



2. Regression.

a. Regression is a reversion to an earlier stage of development. Religion, royalties and nationalism, for example, are becoming popular again here in Europe.

b. Adults play with their iPhones like kids plays with toys and they talk with childish voices. They have regressed.



3. Reaction Formation

I’m not cynical. I hate losers but I’m always kind to them. I’m, in fact, too kind. I try to be positive and loving. What’s wrong being kind, positive and loving?


4. Escapism

a. I have created a wonderful castle in the air. I can live my life here, all set, safe and warm, until the bitter end.

b. I work like a slave to find a room at the top. Success is everything.