Musings

East meets West writes: Ever empire has had its day in the sun - and then inevitably falls. Every one. This country is no different. The Western mind with it's emphasis on power and control is slowly being replace by Eastern philosophy that is based on the premise of destroying the Ego and that there is no such thing as The Self. A basic crash-course in Zen Buddhism may be of assistance in understanding this. Today's Westerner can only see as far as the end of his nose and that is the primary cause of the downfall. So what?

" and New York will be part of an "Atlantic America" that may join the European Union"


W00t!!!! I have a European Union citizenship!! things are not so bad after all!
and yes,
you and Robin are welcome in my Greek house,
garden in the back yard and all!
I love you David

just across from the border of Turkey and Bulgaria David, the cable receives all the Belly dancing from Turkey and all the cooking channels from Burgaria! and since things seem to fall in place, should I mention that the chickens lay eggs twice a day in that village ??



darn it all these predictions will make me drink double this New Years Eve!

Going within writes: Most of us are vastly different from when we were Ravo. Especially more than half a century ago. In fact, every single cell in our bodies are completely replaced every 7 years. Perhaps the simplicity of Zen was just that - far too uncomplicated (The Western mind loves to do that sort of thing) 50+ years ago. They say a person doesn't find Buddhism - it finds them. The image we have of ourselves readily tends to be complacent. We look at ourselves with indulgence. When something unpleasant happens to us, we always have the tendency to cast the blame on others, or on fate, a demon, or a god. We shrink from descending into ourselves, as the Buddha recommended. To our naive, natural, Western mind, everything appears as if it has an independent, solid, objective entity of objective status. However, what is very clear is that when we begin to search, they disintegrate and disappear, and they are unfindable. If you did not understand that 50 years ago, you most likely would not understand it today. It all depends on how much a person spends on emptying their mind and allowing newness in. As the Zen Masters tell us: "If you don't get it in this lifetime - don't worry. You will get the opportunity again and again until you do."

The United States of America has a special place in my heart.
David I am a fan of your blog.
Russian academic you are an idiot.

When I heard the Russian academic I flexed the muscles in my hand to bring my fingers togather to make a fist.

The inward journey writes: Emptiness should be understood in the context of dependent arising and it should evoke a sense of fullness, of things created by causes and conditions. We shouldn't think that the self is something that is originally there and then eliminated in meditation; in fact, it is something that never existed in the first place. If this seems vague or incomprensible to you Ravo, don't worry. This is where we all find ourselves at one time or another in our lives. What this clearly shows us is that it is now time for a concentrated program of meditation. Examine the cause-and-effect principle to see the truth in this odd new way of thinking. It's quite freeing actually. Without this practice (meditation) one is destined to remain stuck in a self-absorbed and self-serving mode of existence leaving us with false sense of security full of attachment and self-deception. Some find solace in alcohol falsely believing they are gurus. Then they find themselves declaring this person is enlightened - this person is not. The masters call this "cheap grace." Don't go there. Too external. Meditation is the way.

Journey inward writes: So what is formal meditation all about Ravo? Enlighten me. And I caution you. I have been a student for over 30 years now.

A matter of focus writes: Certainly the paradigm of formal meditation has changed for YOU, Ravo since you "discarded it as a child would discard an old toy" 50 some years ago. Excuse me but by your scattered and unfocused gobbledygook of what YOU think formal meditation is, I must say you are clearly a candidate for the process that has been in existence and utilized for millions for thousands of years. Now, my dear Ravo, here is what meditation is REALLY about: Meditation is a spiritual discipline, and one that allows you to have some degree of control over your thoughts and emotions. Our normal state of mind is such that out thoughts and emotions are wild and unruly, and since we lack the mental discipline needed to tame them, are powerless to control them. As a result, they control us. And thoughts and emotions, in their turn, tend to be controlled by our negative impulses rather than our positive ones. We need to reverse this cycle, so that our thoughts and emotions are freed from their subservience to negative impulses, and so we ourselves, as individuals, gain control of our own minds. The idea of bringing about such a fundamental change in ourselves may at first sight seem impossible, yet it is actually possible to do this through a process of discipline such as meditation. We choose a particular object, and then train our minds by developing our ability to remain focused on the object. Normally, if we we just take a moment to reflect, we will see that our mind is not focused at all. We may be thinking about something and, all of a sudden, we find that we have been distracted because something else came into our head. Our thoughts are constantly chasing after this and that because we don't have the discipline of having a focus. So through meditation, what we can achieve is the ability to place our minds and to focus our attention at will on any given subject. Conduct this simple experiment, Ravo: Simply sit quietly on the floor and try your best to simply sit motionless with an empty mind. Try and think of nothing. Absolutely nothing. You will soon see that this is impossible to achieve and should tell your bigger self exactly why it is that you should begin the process immediately. That is if you are truly interested in freeing yourself from your pain and suffering on the way to that special place called Nirvana. Or do nothing and discard it once again as you did 50 odd years ago and talk yourself into the self-deceptive act of thinking your current level of focus is as good as it is going to get. Since you claim a desire to put things into focus on this blog, you will without a doubt improve or stay stuck where you are. It's all up to you. Good luck.

The Journey Within writes: No Ravo. The only thing being "attacked" is you attacking yourself. Such is the way of the Western mind in its state of confusion and unwillingness to take that journey within. Your anger in not hearing what you might want to hear is clear-cut evidence of what Eastern sages have been preaching to their disciples for generations. They call it "the monkee-mind" and that is exactly where we all must start the process - from that realization. The calming of the mind with alcohol is commonplace in the West. However, all that is accomplished is a numbing. And that is completely the opposite of what meditation is all about and what you want to achieve. Tiger Woods' mother is Buddhist and has tought him the principles of meditation since a small child. Where you and I see a fairway when setting up a golf shot, Tiger, with his superior focus as well as physical attributes, sees a distinct plane that goes from the sky right down into the hole (I hope you're with me so far). He can do this due to his formal meditation techniques. Formal meditation and the positive results from it are sweeping the globe. It is truly miraculous. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin and other institutions have been amazed at the results of meditation with evidence of it curing cancer, heart disease, alcoholism, as well as the discovering our true nature of reality (most important). But sadly, some would rather get drunk and muddle their way through life this way fooling themselves into believing they are focused and happy when actually scattered and depressed. And all it requires is sitting quietly in a room and if visualizing an object is too difficult for you at first, watching your breathing is all that is required at first. But bad habits have been forming for one's lifetime so don't expect too much at first. It is a discipline - not a drunken binge. But discard it once again if this is your wish. This is something that is impossible to force upon anyone. Good Luck.

Journey within,please calm down,man,meditate.Stop your holier than thou East vs. West mentality.
It's just that you see meditation as a spiritual discipline that allows us to have control on our thoughts.David sees meditation through the scientific point of view and says it can improve brian functionality.He is not totaly discarding the benefits of meditation.There's no need to argue.

Inner Journed not easy writes: Suffering originates from various causes and conditions. But the root cause of our pain and suffering lies in our own ignorant and undisciplined state of mind. The happiness we seek can be attained only through the purification of our minds. Can the mind even see the mind? We have to answer yes and no. No, because the mind can't be a subject and object at the same time. The mind interferes wheter it wants to or not, whether it knows it or not, in all that it observes, and with all the more reason when it is a question of itself. But the mind cannot see itself completely. However, the principal tool for purifying the mind is the mind itself. The mind is its own creator, at ever instant. Hence its resposibility, which is essential. This is a far cry from any sort of "mysticism" or religious mumbo-jumbo that we in the West have been indocrinated into believing with the usual guilt and fear processes our society is so good at. As East meets West, it should be viewed as an opportunity of better things to come. And it all starts with a focus on the internal process rather than the external: God is out there someplace - Our salvation rests in space ... that sort of thing. The inner journey is not easy. But it is essential. If any of this makes sense - fine. If not - discard it. There is no right or wrong - only choices.

Hi David.

Transforming the mind writes: When you understand the meanings behind Eastern philosophy you will know the emphasis is to transform the mind, and transformation depends on meditation - not medication that is so popular in the West. Always external. In order to meditate correctly you must have knowledge, and communities, too, must be uplifted through knowledge. It is said that if you want to know what you were doing in the past, look at your body now; if you want to know what will happen to you in the future, look at what your mind is doing now. Our state of mind plays a major role in our day-to-day experiences as well as our physical and mental well being. If a person has a calm and stable mind, this influences his or her attitude and behavior in relation to others. In other words, if someone remains in a peaceful and tranquil state of mind, external surroundings (ie., suggestions to exit the modern format of communications that is supposed to foster civil exchanges of informations and points of view) can cause only a limited disturbance. Both bondage and true freedom depend on the varying states of the clear light mind. The state that meditators try to attain through the application of various meditative techniques is one in which this ultimate nature of mind fully manifests all it positive potential. But do nothing if this fits your temperament and level of understanding. The outcome will surely be the same until the desire to remove the mental contaminants manifests itself. If you don't GET IT this time around - don't worry. You will have the opportunity to do so again and again, lifetime after lifetime, until we do. With each opportunity being bigger and better each time.

Afflictive states of mind writes: According to tantra, the ultimate nature of mind is essentially pure. This pristine nature is technically called "clear light." When this clear light nature of mind is veiled or inhibited from expressing its true essence by the conditioning of afflictive emotions and thoughts (ie., " show me this ... give me proof ... you have issues ... prove me wrong" ... this sort of thing) the person is said to be caught in the cycle of existence, samsara. Nature will clearly show you just how cyclical things actually are. But when, by applying appropriate meditative techniques and practices, the individual is able to fully experience this clear light nature of mind, free from the influence of the afflictive states, he or she is on the way to true liberation and full enlightenment. If an individual has a sufficient spiritual or philosophical base, he won't let himself be overwhelmed by the lure of technology and by the madness of possession. He or she will know how to find the right balance, without asking for too much, and know how to say: I have a camera, I have a car that's enough. I don't want another. The constant danger is to open the door to greed, one of our most relentless enemies. It is here that the real work of the mind is put into practice. Or "put things into focus" as your blog is telling us. Which as admirable as it sounds this requires more to be utilized

Being open writes: Ravo, you really should try to apply your "putting things into focus" inwardly. One of the shortcomings of formats like these is that not much thought is put into responses and one might come to the logical conclusion that like the famous scene in the classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail comedy: "Bring me two shrubberys!" is becoming (and with sinceresy apologies) just that ... comical. When information is presented in earnest and with the motivation of service only to be met with a color of resistance with no substance this shows a problem in thinking exists. The mind, whose nature we realize in order to actualize omniscience, must be a very special type of mind, which, in terms of its continuity, is eternal. It cannot be any other type of mind. Because the various contaminated states of mind, such as delusions and afflictive emotional and cognitive states are adventitious, they are occasional: they arise in a certain moment but soon disappear and are not enduring. I understand the meaning of one being "open" as being like and open door; it can open very easily, without difficulty. "Free" is also the same. As a result of being free and open, the more you receive new ideas, it makes you want to give out more of your energy. That way, each helps the other. It is very useful, very necessary; especially these days where there entire groups of people with bizarre slogans such as "Right is right." These are most definitely candidates for the programs of formal meditation or studies of Eastern Philosophy.

Deeper thinking writes: Going within is obviously a foreign notion to YOU Ravo. This is not uncommon in today's world where scattered thinking abounds. If it was not EVERYBODY could see what Tiger Woods sees when he's sizing up a shot. It's no wonder we have perpetual warfare and mass-hatred for each other. There are too may scattered-thinking people running around loose today. Perhaps if you had not discarded Eastern philosophy so long ago ("as a child discards an old toy") you might understand the monumental interest in Buddhism, Hinduism and the other emerging methods and Eastern thought processes. It is sweeping the globe with the deeper thinkers embracing its simplistic beauty. I get a kick out of you, Ravo. Eastern philosophy is mere "mysticism", metaphors such as 'Pure', 'Clear Light', 'afflictive emotions', 'cycle of existence' and 'Samsara' for some bizarre reason only known to yourself are automatically rejected with no further thought whatsoever. Yet you claim to be open and say you welcome all ideas. Meditation and the inward journey is the only way out of this mess. "Don't criticize what you don't understand." - Bob Dylan

Dear inward journey,let me take you on the journey of India of the 6th century B.C.,and introduce you to Charvak,a son of India for whom I have great respect.,he was delebarately neglected by the priests.
Plz Read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cārvāka
http://www.kamat.com/jyotsna/blog/blog.php?BlogID=751
Thank you David.

Monkee-mind writes: You complicate things, Ravo. A sure sign of what the sages call "the monkee-mind." Western thought: The main values are success and happiness, that can be achieved in different ways, but rarely through developing ones inner strength. The majority of the criteria for success and happiness have outer nature (money, faith, popularity, etc.). The way ahead – is through active outside intervention. Eastern thought: The true key is inside. What is valuable – is the inner world of the human being and his natural ability to control and develop it. The way ahead – is through self-development (inside intervention). "The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell." – Confucius "By chasing desires you will meet only the outer surface." – Lao Tzu

The links are for you as well,David.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charvak

Different strokes writes: Western philosophy: A human being has an individualistic nature, is an independent part of the universe and the society. Individualism is stronger. Eastern philosophy: A human being is an integral part of the universe and the society. People are fundamentally connected and duty towards all others is a very serious matter. Collectivism is stronger. We are all part of one thing. You are God.

Smoke and Mirrors writes: "Words were invented to confuse people." - Voltaire. By reading some of your unilateral posts Ravo, you know this better than most. :>

Btw,inward journey,those links are for you to introduce you properly with the Eastern philosophy.

collaboration writes: Scientific research and development should work together with meditative research and development since both are concerned with similar objects. The one proceeds through experiment by instruments and the other through inner experience and meditation. A clear distinction should be made between what is not found by science and what is found to be nonexistent by science. What science finds to be nonexistent, we must accept as nonexistent; but what science merely does not find is a completely different matter ... It is quite clear there are many, many mysterious things. No scientific explanation can be made as to what matter is. More and more of our scientists are saying: "we really know nothing."

Absolutely yes,David.Indian philosophy is multifaceted.It's just that it's not introduced properly to the world.

Anonymous writes: Western philosophy: 1. Feeling oneself as an element of the Divine 2.Life is service (to the God, money, business, etc.) 3.Linear view of the universe and life, based on the Christian philosophy where everything has its beginning and the end. 4.Outer-world dependant 5.Self-dedication to the goal (success, happiness, etc.) Eastern philosophy: 1.Cosmological unity 2. Life is a journey towards eternal realities that are beyond the realities that surround us 3. Circular view of the universe, based on the perception of eternal recurrence 4.Inner-world dependant 5.Self-liberation from the false "Me" and finding the true "Me" 6. Behavioral ethics

Anonymous writes: Eastern philosophy embraces the idea of rebirth and karma (cause and effect). We see this in both Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. Standard Western thought based on the Christian way of viewing things rejects both of these principals and even demonizes them. A quick glance at nature shows the cyclical nature of things yet the West insists on a beginning and an end to everything. Come on West - you can do much better than that. :> I'm not a big fan of social engineering or social Darwinism, Ravo. Sounds logical at first (survival of the fittest, ubermensch and all, but look what happened when the 3rd Reich hijacked the idea and ran with it. I will assume your intentions are for the benefit of next year's new and improved (we hope) model of Man and ALL sentient beings for that matter. "As long as space endures, as long as sentient beings remain, may I too remain to help dispel the miseries of the world." - Buddhist prayer

Inward journey,it seems you have not read Charvaka(a branch of eastern philosophy),have you?
Being an Indian I would say,you don't have full knowledge of the eastern philosophy.Your holier than thou,east vs west attitude shows that meditation has had no effect on you.

different strokes writes: "You don't know _________" and "holier that thou____" Ouch! But whatever floats yer boat KYren. This may be a part of Indian philosophy I am not familiar with. Sort of like the caste system or something?

Anonymous writes: WESTERN Future is unknown, ones destiny has been predetermined by God and depends very little on ones own deeds. "You can never plan the future by the past." – Edmund Burke EASTERN Future is predetermined by ones own deeds today. "Study the past if you would like to divine the future." – Confucius

Yes.While thinking about the eastern philosophy,please take all branches of it into consideration.You have limited view of the eastern philosophy.
I like some aspects of the Indian philosophy at the same time I can't forget that since the Renaissance the west has given the world,railway,aeroplane,radio and so many great inventions.Charvak,an Indian philosopher,in the 6th century BC had a sort of "western" world view of today.That's why I question East vs. West mentality.