Guest guest Report post Posted December 17, 2004 anders_lindman wrote: > > Nisargadatta , Lewis Burgess <lbb10@c...> wrote: > > anders_lindman wrote: > > > > > > Nisargadatta , Lewis Burgess <lbb10@c...> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > anders_lindman wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Nisargadatta , Lewis Burgess > <lbb10@c...> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > ... > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > Adding two cents worth. > > > > > > > > > > > > Waiting is a self-willed expectation, a demand, an > anticipation for > > > > > some > > > > > > future outcome. > > > > > > > > > > > > When it is fulfilled, the bodily emotions of happiness and > > > elation and > > > > > > delight emerge. When it is denied by a contradictory outcome, > > > > > > disappointment, sadness, fear, anger and other transitory > > > emotions may > > > > > > emerge. Anxiety emerges when the expected outcome appears > not to be > > > > > > forthcoming. > > > > > > > > > > > > Lewis > > > > > > > > > > I have found that happiness comes from surprises and > unexpected events > > > > > in life more often than from anticipation or personal demand. > > > > > > > > > > /AL > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > > > Hi Anders, > > > > > > > > Do you experience happiness as a bodily emotion? What is your > > > experience > > > > of happiness? > > > > > > > > Lewis > > > > > > What I call happiness is something felt in both body and mind. But > > > this happiness can be a shallow thing and often is in my case. True > > > joy is the profound feeling of complete freedom, peace and clarity. > > > > > > /AL > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > Ditto. In experience, emotions appear naturally integrated with both > > mind and body with mind generating images and conceptualizations that > > naturally affect bodily systems producing various sensations that are > > interpreted by mind while affecting its operation and the continuation > > and further production of forms and sensations. All may witness the > rise > > and cycling of happiness or anger or disappointment or hatred....in the > > mind and body. > > > > Experience teaches that a feeling of calmness or peace or freedom or > > clarity is transitory if self-maintained through various disciplines, > > that is, through self-directed effort to eliminate or transform those > > forms which give rise to certain emotions that emerge above or below > > some self-set mind and body state/sensation or image of what is peace. > > > > For example, peace could equal an image of a placid surface of a pond > > with crystal clear water. Happiness could be having one's favorite fish > > or new exciting, unexpected fish happily swimming within its clear > > waters. Anger could equal a bunch of rocks thrown in from the outside > > disturbing the ponds' surface, frightening and hurting the fish and > > muddying the waters. > > > > Anders, is the profound feeling of complete freedom, peace and clarity > > mentioned transitory? Can a feeling (a mind/body product) be anything > > other than transitory, fleeting? (Transitory here does not mean shallow > > or any other valuation). > > > > Lewis > > The state of being aware is constant. In the state of awareness, which > in itself is clear, there should as I see it, at least theoretically, > be possible to experience freedom, clarity and peace as a normal state > of being. I have only seen fleeting glimpses of radical freedom and > peace, but I don't see why such states could not become the ordinary > way of experiencing life. > > /AL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you Anders. It is understood that the transitory self ( " i " " me " " you " etc.) is dissolved in the process of Self-realization. No attention is paid to it and in doing so it loses its unitary structure and dissipates. Along with the dissipation of the illusory self goes all other constructs, forms, and images generated by self-will. The world ceases to exist according to self. Beyond the construct of the illusory self and " I am " there is pure awareness. Such awareness is beyond description and so would be the condition or states of being experienced. One can imagine these states. For example, one may imagine that an enlightened person could experience hatred as love frustrated and embittered because of self-centered thinking about the beloved who somehow is seen to have committed a severe failure or betrayal of the lover's expectations. So hatred could be experienced by the enlightened person as distorted love in what has become a partially distorted relationship. Such hatred could not be taken personally (there is no one there to receive it) even though the object of the hatred (the physical appearance and mind) is subjected to abuse and violence. The enlightened person could easily forgive such hatred and behavior being fully aware that the hatred and behavior is self-inflicted and the behavior is a result of such self-delusion. He/she knows not what they do. A child like behavior and easily understood and forgivable. This is imagination at work. One can set about trying to take all the " evils " and " injustices " of the world and refashion them into something tolerable, into something that would keep one's peace of mind. Experience teaches this does not work. Self-realization is not the result of intellection. It in the end is effortless being. It arrives not knowing how. Anders, you are open and honest. Thanks for allowing this. Lewis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
