Ideas of ((God)) and Conceptual Imprisonment

Throughout the centuries, people have recognized that there is a fundamental Unifying Principle that is the Source of reality.  Accommodating infinite names, from God and Allah, to Dao and Brahman, this Source is understood to be infinite and self-sustaining.  However, are we conceptually imprisoned by our idea of this Source?  Are our rational abilities of thought powerful enough to conceive of what is First?  In this East-West comparative study, I examine thought’s limitations in conceiving the Absolute, and how we can transcend objectified notions of It.

I begin with an examination of thought, semiotic activity, and the problem of ego-mentalism.  Descartes’ ontological proofs of Infinite Being are then illustrated to understand why the Absolute is significant.  I then transition to authors in Zen to argue that Infinite Being must empty itself to be truly infinite.  This recognition can promote interconnectedness and the advancement of global dialogue.

Watch my lecture on YouTube:

Global Citizenship and Deep Dialogue in Education

© Jason Kunen 2014

In our global age, with the vast plurality of worldviews and cultures coming into contact with each other, is it not necessary for cross-cultural and inter-faith dialogue, coupled with a sensitivity that appreciates diversity, to be prevalent in society?  Such a skill would require learning the art and ethics of deep dialogue, that is, ways of inquiring into the framework and worldview of the Other without violating it in order to engender real appreciation and empathy.  We need to drastically evolve our current ways of being and living in the world if we are to face the crises of our time.  The presence of conflict, political upheaval, and the question of our sustainability requires new and innovative ways to educate the younger generations.

There is a need for a radical shift in the way in which we structure our learning institutions.  Philosophers addressing this matter, whether in the Western approach as in Plato’s Academy from the Greek tradition, or the Eastern mindset for example in Confucianism, have discerned that we must develop students’ capacities in all areas of life, and help them to connect on a deep level with themselves and others.  They should be well-versed not only intellectually, which is what our schools have emphasized, but should have also cultivated their physical, artistic, intuitive, spiritual, philosophical, and emotional sides as well.  Students need to be able to apply the knowledge they have learned, and also understand the how, why, and when behind this process.  Furthermore, is not the mark of a global citizen and student of wisdom realizing that all people can connect on a deep, genuine level when encountered from the ground of the human experience?  For all forms of life are deeply interconnected and mutually interdependent, and, as many of our wisdom teachers have shown, there is unity in diversity, and multiplicity in oneness.

The difficulty lies is giving people the tools and creating an environment where people can learn to cross worlds.  In other words, how can we dilate our minds in order to appreciate and understand a way of life different from our own?  People can begin to realize a deep interconnectedness by seeing that we are all sentient beings that face common problems both outwardly in society, and existentially, and that these problems can addressed more mindfully and reasonably if we learn how to unite in an authentic manner that does not eliminate difference, but celebrates it.  Uniting to face the dilemmas of the human condition, and seeing that cultures across the globe have been trying to address such issues, we mature to non-violent and more integral ways of dealing with the fragmentation of  inter-religious, cross-cultural, and philosophical conflicts and polar splits as we see in our current situation.

If one were to create an intellectually safe environment with the right teacher that allows students to engage in deep ontological self-reflection and dialogue with other worlds, he or she can reevaluate one’s own framework to develop the process of becoming a global citizen.  Learning to conduct our minds with a global vision allows us to promote harmony and compassion for all beings and the ecology, for we come to a deeper understand the vast relationships, on both a personal and worldwide level, that constitute our being.  This need to promote and facilitate an awakening of a holistic mind and to pave the way towards global unity can be accomplished through innovative pedagogies, awareness of how we are conducting our minds, mindfulness practices, and deep dialogue, among other practices that can be woven into the curriculum.

Related Articles and Videos:

On the Problems of our Age, Interconnectedness and Activism

Humanizing the Humanities: The Relevance of the Humanities in Education

Changing Education Paradigms, by Sir Ken Robinson

On Philosophy for Children, by Dr. Thomas Jackson

((Global Education)) by Dr. Ashok Gangadean

Thoughts on the Meaning of Life – Latest post

What is the Meaning of Life?

Hello Friends,

I apologize for not having written an article in some time.  However, I have recorded a lecture on the question, “what is the meaning of life?”

Leave a comment and let me know if you think I should continue making lectures, or if you prefer a written article, a video, etc.  I would appreciate your ((feedback))!  Many thanks!

What is the Meaning of Life?:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7v00OLJh3w

Related posts:

On Destiny, Meaning, Purpose and Fear Part 1:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/on-destiny-meaning-purpose-and-fear-part-1/

Part 2:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/on-destiny-meaning-purpose-and-fear-part-2/

Navigating the Mazeway: Fulfilling our Best Possibilities As Individuals and As a Society, by Tony Parrotto

The Mazeway Project

That Which Is, by Martha Randolph and Elizabeth Campbell

Wakeup Calls: Ordinary People – Extraordinary Events by Fred Cheyette

When Life Falls Apart

© Jason Kunen 2014

Why do we put up psychological resistance?  Is it not because of fear?  There is a change of some sort, and we resist this new situation.  We judge and evaluate this new circumstance.  But judgments are only out of comparison; you can only judge and evaluate a thing in relation to something else, and the measure against which we compare this new situation is the known, which is of the past.

When our primary mode of being is grounded in ego-mentalism, we cling to the past, to the known.  As we observed in the article On Conformity, Fear of the Known, and Discussing Matters of Life, there is never fear of the unknown, for how can we fear that which we do not know?  There is fear, however, of losing the known, more specifically, the psychological security that comes with attachment to the known.

When we resist, it is a clear sign that our ego, the projected image of an identity constructed from memories and conditionings, is afraid of something.  The ego identity naturally clings to the past and to the known because it lives and functions in that.  Facing that which it does not know means it will have to die to what it is now in order to change and adapt.  So it will resist against the unknown, against death, against anything which endangers the illusion of psychological comfort.

If we pay attention, and are sensitive to these mental habits, we will discover that we are not our ego.  We are so much more than this projected, constructed image, but its narrow lens objectifies and constricts even the reality of ourself.  By clinging to the past, we don’t fully meet the present, and the future is merely a projection based on the known in accordance with our disposition.  Of course, planning for the future has practical applications, but it must be remembered that it is only an image, an idea, and that everything is subject to change.  Therefore, it is an expenditure of energy to cling or attach to an idea, a projection.

It is as though the cocoon of the caterpillar is breaking apart because the butterfly fully evolved, but clinging to the past is like the butterfly desperately trying to save the cocoon, despite the cocoon’s imminent destruction.  It has the opportunity to break free and fly, but instead, chooses to focus on the danger, the fear, and what it knows.  When things fall apart, perhaps consider that they’re actually falling into place.

When you resist, be completely aware of it.  Don’t try to convince yourself intellectually, or dismiss the feeling.  There is something crucial happening, and forcing or suppressing is self-destructive.  Hold that moment of resistance with awareness, as you would hold a delicate flower in your palm.  Discover the underlying reasons of why this resistance is there.  Is your fear of not accomplishing something, getting a job, being successful, etc., because there is the fear of failure?  Do you fear failure because deep down, you fear being nothing, that you did not become something?  Society has drilled you to be single-minded on pursuing success, wealthy, famous, and all the rest of it, and if you fail, you feel you are worthless, because you did not become this or that person you were conditioned to idolize.  No one can become another!  To be your ((true Self)) is the greatest gift you can give to humanity.

If these posts are helpful and interesting, please subscribe, like, and comment on the Dia-blog, and share the articles with others.  There are links to share this on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, WordPress, and others below.  Many thanks!

Related Links:

Last week’s post: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary – The Desire to Become – Life as it is

Here is a great book by my good friends Martha Randolph and Elizabeth Campbell that discusses spiritual evolution in a clear and simple manner.  I highly recommend it, especially to young persons interested in spiritual topics.  It is called, That Which Is.

I also recommend reading the book Navigating the Mazeway: Fulfilling our Best Possibilities As Individuals and As a Society, by my good friend and colleague Tony Parrotto.  Here is a link to his website, The Mazeway Project.

Humanizing the Humanities – The Relevance of the Humanities in Education

© Jason Kunen 2013

There is much debate now on the topic of the Humanities, in the university and in the primary and secondary levels of education.  Policy makers, educators and administrators seem to be favoring the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, and are moving away from English, Philosophy, History, and related subjects.  It seems to me that there are fundamental problems not only with education in general, but with how the Humanities are generally taught.

The Humanities refers to studying aspects of human culture, including, though not limited to: philosophy, music, literature, history, art, and classical languages.  Fewer people recognize the significance of studying these subjects, and that is partially due to the sad reality that most educational institutions are factories that churn out students in order to work, and partially due to the fact that the Humanities are not made relevant to students’ lives or to the 21st century.  Perhaps a century or two ago, it was sufficient for one to assert he had read Shakespeare, or knows this or that artist, because it was a sign of status.  The educated person had knowledge with which to show off.  Nowadays, however, education is designed to help students find jobs, and the STEM fields are becoming increasingly popular, while the Humanities are beginning to fall by the wayside.  How are the Humanities, and people who teach them, to survive?

Firstly, we must understand the purpose for teaching these subjects.  I suggest that the Humanities, as the name implies, focuses on understanding the human condition.  What is it to be human?  History, art, philosophy, literature…these subjects should be presented as a wake up call to observe ourselves, our inner life, in order to become aware of how we are living and using our mind in the world.  What does an aspect of history, or a work of art, or a piece of music, or a literary composition, tell us about the human condition, and can we identify that within ourselves?  Can we creatively use these works as a tool to reflect on our own nature and clearly see our fears, insecurities, emotions, racism, prejudices, judgments, and the rest of it?  No authority, system, book, or guru can provide Self-knowledge, that is something that must be discovered for oneself, but we can use these subjects to wake us up and realize that we have the power to look at our mind and how we’re living.  If the humanities were taught in this way, I believe we would have a profoundly different kind of society.

Second, these subjects must be made relevant to today’s times.  Learning history has little significance if it does not help students see the issues in the present time and help them ask why the human race continues to perpetuate a cycle of violence, hatred, oppression, and prejudice.  History has been taught, whether in the modern day classroom or by oral tradition by a guru, for centuries, and yet people are still involved with wars, racism still exists, politicians are just as corrupt, and so on.  Reading a book on racism, memorizing some names and events, and taking a test has little effect on students lives.  That same book, when used as a mirror to illuminate the racism in ourselves, our culture, and our language, can send a powerful message, and help students to be aware of it in themselves.  Having been a philosophy student, I’ve seen for myself how philosophy has devolved from true inquiry to trivial intellectual debates on irrelevant topics using fancy vocabulary only a select few can understand.  Only a handful of people (that I have met anyhow) really know philosophy, because they are philosophers; they practice and live what they speak on and understand.

This identifies one of the problems with education: emphasis on the intellect.  Education has been so concerned with cultivating the intellect, the /mind/.  The mind, however, is fragmented, and objectifying; it compartmentalizes and divides.  Moreover, the /mind/ lives in the past; it is based on thought, which is memory, and is of the past, creating a further disconnect with time.  So few people practice what they understand or know because their “understanding” is merely intellectual.  An intellectual understanding does not flower into action.  True understanding is action; it is integrated and whole.  That kind of understanding is beyond the /ego-centric mind/.  Integrated action, inseparable from understanding, arrives when the /mind/ is silent, when the /mind/ is no longer trying to justify, condemn, judge, or escape from what is.  This is the foundation of intelligence.  When we can observe ourselves from moment-to-moment, without interfering and without forcing or desiring something, and the /mind/ becomes silent, then something beautiful happens.  The flower of Self-knowledge, of wisdom begins to open.

To be human is to be related.  We cannot understand ourselves based on any book, teacher, or system, or in isolation, but only through moment-to-moment observation of ourselves in relationships.  If we observe how we interact in our relationships, with people, ideas, fears, emotions, nature, objects in the world, ourselves, etc., we begin to deepen our awareness of how we are conducting our mind in the world.  Self-knowledge is an ever unfolding inquiry, not based on the thoughts and ideas of another, but through interest in understanding oneself as one is.  To live a life based on the beliefs, ideas, thoughts, ideals, patterns, and principles of another is to be a second-hand human being.  Each individual is responsible for engaging in this journey of discovery.  The Humanities, and teachers who are on this journey themselves, have the power to awaken that interest in students.  They can encourage and create a safe space for students to deepen their awareness of themselves, the world, and their relationships.  In understanding our own psychological process, our inner life, we have the foundation for entering into dialogue with others, and seeing our interconnectivity as a fact, not as an idea.

If future generations of students were trained solely in the STEM fields, we may have a very technologically advanced society full of intellectuals, but that does not equate to being awakened, creative, ethical, dialogical, and responsible human beings.  This is not to downplay the value or power of those fields, but to suggest that knowledge of the external world should not be privileged over understanding the inner world.  The work of the Humanities is to give students the opportunity to discover how they are living and conducting their mind in the world.  These fields call us to be aware of our inner life, our psychological process, so that we can rise to the responsibility of brining about a peaceful, joyful, creative, and moral society through Self-knowledge.  Such a society cannot come about through information or ideas, but only through integrated and creative action and understanding, which comes not from the intellect, but from wisdom and intelligence.

Related Links:

Home Page

Link to Last Week’s Post: On Free Will – Awareness and the Power of Choice

Changing the World Starts with Understanding Yourself

Here is a great book by my good friends Martha Randolph and Elizabeth Campbell that discusses spiritual evolution in a clear and simple manner.  I highly recommend it, especially to young persons interested in these topics.  It is called, That Which Is.

I also recommend reading the book Navigating the Mazeway: Fulfilling our Best Possibilities As Individuals and As a Society, by my good friend and colleague Tony Parrotto.  Here is a link to his website, The Mazeway Project.

Link to my book, Meditations on Zen and Martial Arts Philosophy

On Free Will – Awareness and the Power of Choice

For centuries, free will has been a widely debated subject.  However, for our purposes, abstractions are not helpful.  We can debate free will at length, and see how it is affected depending on one’s worldview and such, but we are not here to discuss philosophical theories.  Our purpose here is to discover if there is a way of living that is radically different from the self-centered, ego-oriented, fragmented, and objectified way of minding that is the cause of suffering, inwardly and outwardly, on a planetary scale.

So, putting aside all theories, abstractions, ideologies, belief systems, philosophies, etc., what is free will?  Clearly, it is not reaction is it?  A reaction is not free of the initial stimulus which caused it, so obviously, reactions cannot be free.  But that is how most of us are living is it not?  We are constantly reacting to all the challenges and experiences of life.  Your opinions, judgments, prejudices, comparisons, behaviors, emotions, inclinations, and thoughts…they are all reactions to your experience.  Because we are operating from our conditionings and memories, which are of the past, we encounter new challenges and experiences with the same old habits and patterns.  There is nothing new in those reactions; they are stuck in the past, in your memory, in your conditionings.  Your reactions are your ego, your self-image, trying to control, shape, label, and categorize experience based on certain dispositions and judgments, all of which are of the past.  Surely, this cannot be freedom or acting out of free will.

It seems to me that free will is the power to ((choose)) and ((change)) our way of minding, of how we process experience.  This is not an abstraction, as we can clearly see this for ourselves in everyday life.  We can choose to face a challenge or situation with our typical habits and reactions, or we can choose to see if the problem can be encountered in a different way.  If something does not go your way, you can get angry, or you can watch what happens when your mind’s inclinations are not satisfied, and discover if there is a different way you can approach the situation through your awareness.

Freedom doesn’t mean license, being able to do whatever you want.  Being free means being completely open and receptive to each and every challenge and experience of life and responding to it creatively and in the present, without the filter of the past.  Free will is our ability, our power, to choose how we wish to conduct our mind.  We can empower ourselves this way by being aware each and every moment.  Watch and observe your mind, reactions, judgments, opinions, behaviors, language, etc., and you will discover for yourself how much baggage we carry over into the present such that we never really experience it; we never truly experience life that way.  Living from the past, operating based on reactions, prejudices, and judgments, and never being creative, responsive, joyous…that does not seem like living in its highest sense.

It is important to understand that the ((power of choice)) of which I am speaking means being aware of our way of minding.  Through an awareness that is non-judgmental and choiceless (as Jiddu Krishnamurti would say), our mental habits begin to drop, thereby freeing us to be responsive and creative, but this is not something that we can choose to do.  ((Transformation)) takes place when the ground is fertile for it to come by itself, it cannot be invited or induced.  Any such action that tries to force such things is ego-centric action based on self-centeredness and the desire to escape from what is.  Furthermore, any kind of “transformation” or “realization” one believes to have experienced in trying to induce such a thing is self-projected, and therefore an illusion.

The greatest power we have is our awareness.  Mindfulness of our mental habits can cause a ((shift)), but this ((change)) is not something that can forced, induced, or controlled.  Trying to change in that way means one has difficulty facing what is; they do not want to look at themselves as they are, so they set up some ideal, some virtue, some belief that says “If I transform, meditate, do this or that, then I will be happy” or “then I will be enlightened” or some other wishful thinking leading to a feeling of accomplishment and gratification.  Action based on /ego-mentalism/ is self-centered, fragmented, and objectifies, and leads to further conflict, inwardly and outwardly.  /Ego-mentalism/ is not to be put down, judged, rebuked, or escaped from, for only by understanding it fully is change possible.  Be aware, see what is; inquire and be open to understanding yourself.  Once there is understanding, ((right action)) will follow.

Related Post: On Freedom (Reaction vs. Response)

If these posts are helpful and interesting, please share them with others.  There are links to share this on Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, and others below.  Also, if you have suggestions on topics or questions, feel free to leave comments below.  Many thanks!

Related Links:

Home Page

Link to Last Week’s Post: Changing the World Starts with Understanding Yourself

Here is a great book by my good friends Martha Randolph and Elizabeth Campbell that discusses spiritual evolution in a clear and simple manner.  I highly recommend it, especially to young persons interested in these topics.  It is called, That Which Is.

I also recommend reading the book Navigating the Mazeway: Fulfilling our Best Possibilities As Individuals and As a Society, by my good friend and colleague Tony Parrotto.  Here is a link to his website, The Mazeway Project.

Link to my book, Meditations on Zen and Martial Arts Philosophy

Jiddu Krishnamurti’s Book, The First and Last Freedom – On Amazon or Online

On Uncertainty

Uncertainty is a natural part of life and the human experience.  Yet it seems that so many of us cannot stand uncertainty.  Most things in our culture either try to guarantee certainty, or distract us from the fact of uncertainty with some form of entertainment.  Even religions, belief systems, philosophy, scientists all want to give you certainty about what the world is like, what happens after death, what to do with your life, so that you do not have to face uncertainty.  Why this dislike and discomfort of uncertainty?

If we look in ourselves, it would seem most of us are seeking certainty.  Certainty in the job market, financially, in relationships, what to do, in our judgments, how to think…we desire to find an established set answer that is permanent, static, and definitive.  Desire for certainty, however, is a side effect of our insecurity within and our desire to seek psychological security.  When we approach the world with an /ego-mental/ framework, that is, a way of conducting our mind that is polarized, fragmented, and objectifies, we are operating from our conditionings and the past.  An /ego-mental/ mind speaks, thinks, judges, reacts, and lives from the past; it projects the past into the present and the future.  It is attached and psychologically dependent on our thoughts and memories, and wants to replicate what it knows from the past into the present; it desires certainty in the future based on what it knows from the past.

Our /ego/ sees itself as a self-sustaining, independent entity that is separate from everything else.  We have a desire to control everything else according to our own nature and dispositions (based on thought and memory) because at some level, we feel we are inferior, insecure, afraid, and lonely.  We feel more comfortable replicating something we already know because of fear of the unknown.  So, we seek psychological comfort in trying to control others, experiences, and life itself to conform to our desires.  Thus, we become obsessed with control and certainty.  Certainty, therefore, is nothing other than our own inclinations that have come to fruition.

Are you following this?  Perhaps an example would help.  Say I am a recent graduate and want a job, and my peers have found one before me.  Now for whatever reason, either pressures from family, my own conditionings, society’s expectations, or something else, I feel inferior to them because I have not yet found something.  This makes me insecure about my situation because I too want to find something; I want psychological comfort, a feeling of security through finding employment so that I no longer feel lesser.  This leads to frustration, anger, depression, perhaps even to jealously and hatred, because we have no control over our situation.  Thus, psychological insecurity leads to my want for certainty and thereby a habit of controlling and shaping our relationships, other people, experiences, and life according to our own disposition; this inevitably breeds frustration, because such a thing is impossible.  This example does not reflect my own situation, but I’m sure there are many out there, especially young people, who feel this way.  I am trying to demonstrate that if you are open, interested in inquiring into yourself, and giving attention to understanding your own psychological process, that perhaps there is another way to conduct your mind that does not lead down a path of suffering and frustration, despite the situation.

Will learning to watch our fears and reactions, and breaking the mental habits that reinforce the fear of uncertainty give us psychological comfort?  So long as we try to find psychological security in something outside of us, whether it’s some form of pleasure or entertainment, meditation, religion, reading, some activity, drugs, alcohol, whatever it is, we remain attached and dependent on something else.  This psychological dependency leads to suffering.  Once you are certain, you are stuck, static, and have reached a standstill.  Meditation, prayer, ritual…all these practices are not about eliminating uncertainty and finding psychological comfort in them, but about learning to be comfortable and live with uncertainty, with what is.  We can move into the unknown with openness, acceptance, and a willingness to learn from life’s experiences.  We learn to watch and flow with what is, and not escape from it or try to control it.  Learning to abide in uncertainty allows us to enjoy each moment, each breath.  This doesn’t mean we become lazy, apathetic, or don’t try to change our situation.  Rather, we are not attached to any expectation or result, and we focus on the process.  We become flexible and fluid, and become aware of how to work with our situation, inwardly and outwardly.

I am not condemning our desire for certainty.  We must experience it so that we can observe this mental habit and understand it.  The caterpillar must experience being the caterpillar; it must go through the process of making a cocoon and wanting to feel safe and secure.  But when it evolves, the very cocoon which has kept it safe for so long must be broken to be free.  Our evolution as human beings is similar.  We must experience being the /ego-pillar/ so that we can transform into a ((Buddhafly)).  That is the journey of our existence.

Related links:

On Psychological Freedom:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/on-freedom-reaction-vs-response/

On the Problems of our Age, Interconnectedness and Activism:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/a-call-to-action-on-the-problems-of-our-age-we-are-as-we-mind-interconnectedness/

Pema Chödron’s Book, Comfortable with Uncertainty:

http://www.amazon.com/Comfortable-Uncertainty-Cultivating-Fearlessness-Compassion/dp/1590300785

Global Philosophy, talk by Ashok Gangadean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODCfj0rV6DY

I also recommend reading the book Navigating the Mazeway: Fulfilling our Best Possibilities As Individuals and As a Society, by my good friend and colleague Tony Parrotto.  A link to the book and the his website, The Mazeway Project are below:

The Mazeway Project website: http://mazeway.org

Link to the book, Navigating the Mazeway:

http://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Mazeway-Fulfilling-Possibilities-Individuals/dp/0874260701

Link to my book, Meditations on Zen and Martial Arts Philosophy:

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Zen-Martial-Arts-Philosophy/dp/1105797317

A Call to ((Action)): On The Problems of our Age – We are as we mind – Interconnectedness

Everywhere we turn nowadays it seems there is another crisis on the horizon, a crumbling of an outdated system, or some other major predicament that we are unsure of how to address.  We have incompetent leaders fueled by lust for power, greed, and promoting their own agendas, the gap between the rich and poor continues to increase, the environment continues to be subject to our negligence, more and more families are struggling financially, the majority of companies and entrepreneurs have no coherent or moral vision of ways to use their money to help others, we have a failing economy, an antiquated educational system, a breakdown in meaningful dialogue and communication, an unstable job market, and more conflicts and wars on both a local and a global scale.  These are just a few examples of the issues we face today.

These are the great issues of our time, the crises of our era, the problems of our world.  But what do we mean when we say phrases like that?  Don’t they imply that the problems are somehow “out there”?  It suggests, doesn’t it, that we the people are subject to these unfortunate circumstances, and have to learn to survive and cope with such a world, as if we are victims of others’ actions?  But are these issues really separate from us?  It would be an odd thing, wouldn’t it, to say that these are society’s problems or the world’s problems, yet somehow the world or society does not include myself?  Now if everyone were to have this mentality, then what is left?  Isn’t society is constituted by the vast network of relationships between you and me, the environment, and our neighbors across the street and across the globe?  Therefore, if we wish to solve these issues, the first thing we must address is our own psychological process, for each and every one of us played a role in creating these dilemmas.

I am not blaming or trying to make anyone feel guilty, but we must understand that we are not separate from the world, from these issues.  Think, if we are living a life of competition, greed, anger, violence, objectification, apathy, ignorance, envy, hatred, and self-centeredness, could the world be any different?  The world is a projection of ourselves; we are as we mind.  The way in which we conduct our mind, that is, our way of minding in the world, is the world.  So, if we want any hope of creating a coherent and moral vision of how we can creatively respond to these issues, we will have to pay very close attention to the way we are conducting our minds.

Now, if you believe this is our human nature and we cannot change but through another, or you believe we cannot change how we conduct our mind, or you have any answer to this question without truly seeing any of this for yourself, then there is no communication between us.  If you wish to live a life of competition, misery, violence, suffering and the rest of it…it is your life, not mine.  But for those of us truly interested to see if there is a different way we can conduct our mind, who are open to the possibility that perhaps we can understand our psychological process and thereby change ourselves, then let us inquire together regarding this connection between ourselves and the world.

Firstly, we should recognize the fact that when we attribute the problems of our world to some external factor, we are deferring our responsibility to another.  When we do that, we separate ourselves from the problem.  This leads to apathy and inaction, because now you believe that someone else is tasked with the mission of solving such problems.  We turn to our leaders to solve wars, end poverty, change education, and the like, yet we ourselves in our own lives continue to be violent, greedy, and surrender the responsibility of educating our children to another.  First and foremost, we must recognize that we ourselves are responsible for these problems, but instead of feeling guilty and powerless, we must also see that we also have the power to become aware of this way of minding and change it.  While this realization may be distressing at first, it is also very empowering.

By ((transforming)) our /ego-centric and self-centered/ mindset and ((evolving)) to a way of ((minding)) that is guided by compassion, love, wisdom, intelligence, understanding, dialogue, and free of fear, we affect the network of relationships around us.  This doesn’t mean one goes out to convert others or impose one’s ideas on another, that is still violence.  Do you see why it is violent?  You cannot accept the way I am living, my views or religion or whatever else, and you believe you are right, that you have the “truth”; so you impose your ideas in an attempt to make me a copier of your beliefs, a second-hand, mechanical human being living on your words.  No, the change that happens to others when you are free of fear and transform your way of minding is different.  Others feel your presence is safe and loving.  If they are at all open and aware, they will begin to feel as though you are different, and it may spark something in them.

If we care at all about these issues, and are serious about being open and changing ourselves to make the world a more peaceful, compassionate place for ourselves and future generations, then we must start with becoming aware of ourselves, our psychological process.  For more on this, I recommend reading my previous posts:

On Relationships:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/on-relationships-encountering-others-in-the-moment/

and On Psychological Freedom:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/on-freedom-reaction-vs-response/

This awareness of ourselves and our reactions must extend to our relationships with others, not be confined to a cave in the mountains.  Society is the vast network of relationships, and how we conduct our mind affects our relationships thereby affecting the society.  Therefore, solving the problems in our world means addressing them within ourselves.  If we know how to look at the violence, anger, loneliness, suffering, pain, and the rest of it within ourselves, without judging or condemning it, but observing to understand it, then we can begin to understand others and work to solve these great issues.  Once we realize that we have a responsibility to humankind, to the planet, and to ourselves, we take the first step towards ((transformation)) through ((Self-knowledge)).

I also recommend reading the book Navigating the Mazeway: Fulfilling our Best Possibilities As Individuals and As a Society, by my good friend and colleague Tony Parrotto.  His valuable work and accessible terminology has influenced my own ideas and language.  A link to the book and the his website, The Mazeway Project are below:

Link to the Mazeway Project website: http://mazeway.org

Link to the book, Navigating the Mazeway:

http://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Mazeway-Fulfilling-Possibilities-Individuals/dp/0874260701

My teacher, Ashok Gangadean, has also been instrumental in shaping my ideas, and I have included a video of him speaking below.  His website is: http://awakeningmind.org

Related links:

Global Philosophy, talk by Ashok Gangadean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODCfj0rV6DY

Changing Education Paradigms, by Sir Ken Robinson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

On Philosophy for Children, by Thomas Jackson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNX_SvkrzjA

Listen to yourself and find answers, by Jiddu Krishnamurti:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VWnf9OBpQA

On Destiny, Meaning, Purpose and Fear Part 1:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/on-destiny-meaning-purpose-and-fear-part-1/

Part 2: https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/on-destiny-meaning-purpose-and-fear-part-2/

On Education: https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/reflection-on-education-10142013/

On Dialogue and Education:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/reflections-on-dialogue-and-education-10162013/

Link to my book, Meditations on Zen and Martial Arts Philosophy:

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Zen-Martial-Arts-Philosophy/dp/1105797317

On Freedom (Reaction vs. Response)

Freedom can be discussed at many different levels, but in this inquiry, we shall be discussing the nature of psychological freedom.  Now, most people say they want freedom, but what they really want is license, that is, the “freedom” to do whatever they want.  Is that really freedom?  Let us inquire and see if there is such a thing as psychological freedom.

In my previous posts, we have taken up the fact of conditionings.  That is, since our birth we have been conditioned by our parents, schools, religions, politicians, and other influences of society.  These conditionings set up parameters for how to think, act, behave, what to like and not like, and how to process experience in our life in order to conform to the same mental patterns of the culture.  Now, can such a mind that is operating based on conditioned patterns that one is unaware of be free?  For example, if someone hurts your ego, insults you, slashes your pride, what do you do?  Many of us would react with some negative remark about the other person perhaps, and some of us would restrain ourselves maybe because we’ve been told to have self-control.  We’re not discussing here what is the right or wrong answer, we are simply using this scenario to look at psychological freedom; I’m sure you can think of many other examples.  In either of these cases, if one is reacting to the person, based on our patterns of mind we have been conditioned into, is one engaging in this scenario with psychological freedom?  Perhaps this is not a very good example, but the point is: if we react, aren’t we being controlled by some initial action?  That is the definition of reaction isn’t it?  An action that comes about as a result of some initial stimulus.

Therefore, as Jiddu Krishnamurti once said, “there is no freedom in reaction.”  And that is how the vast majority of us go through life, just reacting to stimuli, reacting to experiences that come across our path.  If one is all the time just reacting to things, we are merely passive victims of our experience.  Can such a life really be the extent of living?  Is that living?  Our conditionings, which define and shape how we function in the world, give us established patterns as to how one ought to judge and react to experiences.  But if we’re unconsciously operating from these mental patterns, there is no freedom in our action.  In fact, there is no creative action or appropriate response at all, for creative response requires a mind that is not limited or blinded by any conceptual imprisonment.  Such a mind encounters experience in the present moment, it sees what is, and does not process experience through the filter of conditionings.

Is this making sense?  Let me summarize: Our mental habits, which have been instilled in us since birth, lay out the so-called “appropriate” or “right” way to think about and experience events in our life, whether major or minor.  We are inquiring whether there is any psychological freedom in this or if there is such a thing.  If we look at examples in our own life, it becomes clear that we are reacting to stimuli happening to us based on these mental habits.  And reaction, as we have said, is not free; firstly because it depends on an initial action, and secondly, because it stems from thought, memory, and conditionings, which are based in the past.

In previous posts, I have discussed that we can rehabilitate our mind through non-judgmental awareness and observation of our reactions and fears in order to understand and dissipate our conditionings.  Now, many of us will be tempted to ask how; how does one do this?  How does it work?  The moment you ask the how question, you are no longer interested in understanding or inquiry, you want a method, a system, a practice, something you can depend on to help you so you don’t have to go through the work of finding out or understanding the process yourself; you just want an answer, you’re no longer interested in the question.  Either that, or you doubt such a thing is possible without giving it any thought for yourself, so you want someone else to provide you with an answer that you can argue with; in that case, you are no longer interested in inquiry, and communication between us has broken down.  This is not a mono-centric debate (or an egologue) between your position and my position and one trying to convince the other of being right.  This is an inquiry, a dialogue, which requires openness, attentiveness, curiosity, and interest in understanding.

Jiddu Krishnamurti also said, “there is no such thing as freedom of thought.”  Wherefore?  Because not only is thought of the past and based on memory, but it is limited to whatever conditioning/framework one is using to process experience.  Therefore, our conditionings are a conceptual imprisonment aren’t they?  Those patterns of thought came from others, not from ourselves, and if we’re just repeating those words, those actions, those patterns, without any critical inquiry, awareness, or experience of our own, aren’t we just secondhand, mechanical human beings?  So what we are discovering here is that if we wish to have psychological freedom, it requires stepping out of our conceptual imprisonment.

Now, if we can in fact become aware of our reactions and conditionings and rehabilitate our mind, would this not lead to psychological freedom?  If we can encounter our experiences in the moment, and see what is, without processing it through the filter of our conditioned patterns of mind, we can respond.  Response is not reaction.  Response is in the moment; it is pure action coherent with what is, and not dependent on an initial stimulus.  The event and the action are interconnected, are coterminous.  We can encounter the event as it is, rather than the image constructed in our mind based on the past.  For more on this, please refer to the post:

On Relationships:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/on-relationships-encountering-others-in-the-moment/

and you may also be interested in watching my youtube video on Meeting Each Other in the Moment (which was made quite some time ago and by no means professionally done, but it gets the point across – I was still discovering how to use Youtube and speaking to a camera instead of an audience, so be easy on me):

http://youtu.be/ICPS6S9ieQo

Thus, response is creative, as it is not confined by conceptual boundaries.  It is like a Zen kōan.  Think of the martial artist.  If she reacts to an attack, she must think about what to do, and then take action, but it is too late.  But if she responds to the opponent, it is like a dance; she flows and takes the appropriate and necessary action to stop the attacker.  Therefore, if we are at all interested in psychological freedom, we must become aware of our conditioned habits of mind and our reactions.  This awareness will allow us to rehabilitate our mind so that we can live and respond in a creative, attentive, open, presencing manner to everything we experience.  We no longer are victims of life’s experiences or sufferings, but become ((R-evolutionary co-creators)) of a new humanity guided by compassion, wisdom, awareness, and understanding.

If you find this or other posts/links here to be helpful, I ask you to please share with others whom you think would be interested.  I would very much appreciate your support.  Thank you!

Other Links:

About: https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/about/

Other Posts/Home Page: https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com

Link to my book, Meditations on Zen and Martial Arts Philosophy: http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Zen-Martial-Arts-Philosophy/dp/1105797317

Link to my (old) youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1WvSC3gztbbKOEkyztw3jw

Link to other essays: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1837756

On Destiny, Meaning, Purpose, and Fear (Part 2)

Click here to read part 1: https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/on-destiny-meaning-purpose-and-fear-part-1/

Let us continue our discussion of destiny, meaning, purpose, and fear.  We left off saying that when we ask what the purpose of our lives are, we are actually asking for its use.  Living beings, however, are changing, flowing, learning, and are not static; they are not objects.  The problem is, isn’t it, that we are using a technology of mind (ego-mentalism) that objectifies all experience, including ourselves?  In coming to think of ourselves as objects, we therefore try to find out what our function is.  But, as we said, something that is alive cannot have a static function or use, but its purpose must also be flowing, a movement that is changing.  We then said that if we wish to find out the meaning of our lives we must let go of all the answers we have been given so that we have the clarity and psychological freedom to see for ourselves the reality of what is.  So long as we cling to conditionings and the baggage handed down by others, all past memory and knowledge, we remain secondhand mechanical human beings.  It therefore takes great awareness and energy to pay attention to our reactions so that we can clearly see our conditionings, fears, desires, and the rest of it.  Does this make sense?  I hope I haven’t lost you.

We then said that if we observe the experiences of our life, we find that there are certain encounters that seem to repeat themselves in various forms until we have been able to understand our fears and resistance to them, and that when we have true understanding, they no longer repeat.  We finished by saying that it seems as though life is a journey of encountering, facing, understanding, and letting go of our fears and becoming aware of our psychological process.

Why is it so important that we encounter and let go of our fear?  We’re not talking about running away or escaping from it, pushing it away, pretending its not there, or fighting it.  Fear will dissipate with understanding, not through any force your ego uses to face it.  Really look, and see.  Isn’t our fear interfering in our relationships, not just those we are close to, but with everyone, and with the planet?  Do you see all of the distrust and suspicion around you, and even within you?  And it’s reflected in our language isn’t it, with sayings like: trust no one, no good deed goes unpunished, better safe than sorry, etc?  Fear leads to mistrust, which inevitably leads to closing ourselves off from people.  Don’t rely on my words, see it for yourself.  How can we be open, caring, and attentive to someone we don’t trust?  In fact, we’re not even open or trusting of ourselves!  We’re constantly running away from having to face who we really are.  That is why so many of us cannot stand being alone; we have to face ourselves as we are, but since we’re so full of judgment and guilt and cannot accept who we are, we run away from it.  The experience of being alone has many negative connotations nowadays, unfortunately.  So, if we cannot be open, trusting, understanding, and attentive to ourselves, how could we possibly be any of that with another?  In this case, it is clear that our relationships, and communication among us, breaks down.

In understanding ourselves, we naturally become more compassionate towards others.  If we are full of fear, we spend our time and energy seeking our own psychological comfort and making up for our insecurities; this leads to a self-centered attitude.  Don’t judge yourself for it, or say that I shouldn’t be this or that.  All these religions, philosophies, self-help books, gurus keep saying don’t be self-centered, help others.  But how can we help others in any significant way if we are full of fear?

Become aware of your conditionings, understand your fears.  Observe your relationships.  Letting go of our fears allows us to be open and trusting.  In coming to understand our psychological process through encountering fear, our self-centered orientation begins to dissolve.  We begin to see that we are profoundly interconnected with all things, not as a theory, but as a fact.  We become more and more open and trusting to others, and to what is.  We become less and less steeped in objectifying others, and become more compassionate and attentive.  Why?  It is the recognition that others are full of fear, envy, sadness, loneliness, mistrust, longing, violence, anger, and the rest of it.  This, in turn, is projected into the world.  Having understood our own psychological process, we see that we are the world.  We are as we mind.  What goes on in the world is a projection of what we are and what we do.  We are what is.  Seeing this for yourself, not intellectually or as a theory, but experiencing it for oneself…that is the journey.

Now, some of you who are reading this might say, “He didn’t mention anything about purpose, or meaning, or destiny.”  And others might say, “why didn’t you just say the answer from the beginning?  Why this roundabout method?”  So what if I or somebody else told you your meaning or your destiny?  How would those words, that knowledge, help you?  You would take it and go on your way, once again believing and repeating somebody else’s ideas.  You can read all kinds of books.  And how many of them tell you purpose is to return to wholeness, to God, to Allah, to Emptiness, to be in union with the Dao, or whichever name you like to use?  But how long have those answers been around, and have they really changed people?  Has humanity psychologically matured with those answers?  It is important to see this, to experience and understand it for yourself.  If you are psychologically mature, then you can see the immense power behind the words and wisdom of these books.  Otherwise, we just go on repeating answers, memorizing words, which doesn’t help us understand ourselves.  So first and foremost, see for yourself what is.

Links to previous posts, essays, and my book:

On Relationships:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/on-relationships-encountering-others-in-the-moment/

On Happiness:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/on-the-nature-of-happiness/

On Boredom:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/on-boredom-102213/

On Dialogue and Education:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/reflections-on-dialogue-and-education-10162013/

On Education:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/reflection-on-education-10142013/

Link to my book, Meditations on Zen and Martial Arts Philosophy:

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Zen-Martial-Arts-Philosophy/dp/1105797317

Link to my youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1WvSC3gztbbKOEkyztw3jw

Link to other essays:

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1837756

About:

https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/about/