((Philosophy)) is a ((Path of Happiness))

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I recently saw a play called Philosophy for Gangsters, where it was suggested that philosophy and happiness have nothing to do with each other.  After hearing this, I thought for some time about this topic.  Does philosophy lead to happiness?  Is there a connection?

Philosophy is the “love of Sophia,” meaning wisdom  Let us inquire into these two terms.  ((Wisdom)) may perhaps best be suggested as understanding the nature of ((Reality)), in other words, seeing the truth of ((what is)) in the moment.  Love, not /exclusive/ or /possessive love/, but ((real love)) seems to be a ((total absorption)) with something, such that no /divisions/ or /separateness/ exists between one and the other.

We may not necessarily even be speaking of romantic love, but ((love)) in general.  Imagine for example, the martial artist who becomes absorbed in his or her practice, or the athlete that loses his sense of self on the field such that there is just movement, or the musician who is lost in the music.  A sense of /self/ disappears, and there is only ((action)).  The kind of love which we speak is unconditional; there is no separation between /one/ and the /other/ on any level, but a complete and total ((union)).

((Philosophy)) therefore would mean a ((total absorption and understanding into what is)), i.e., ((the nature of reality)).

Through ((wisdom and love)), we break through the /illusion of separation/.  ((Seeing)) that there is no /separation/ is already the flowering of ((love)).  Thus, ((wisdom-and-love)), ((truth-and-compassion)), are interconnected and co-arise.

As we said in previous articles, an “I” appears to exist because of memories and sensations.  However, if we look closely with sensitivity and awareness, we can see that it is thought that creates a thinker.  The narrative we tell ourselves everyday is an illusion, perpetuated by thought in order to preserve a sense of continuity.  This separation between the thinker and the thought, the experiencer and the experienced, creates conflict and divisions within us.

Since thought operates only in the past and projects the future, there is a conflict between what should be (according to thought), and what is.  This /self/, the /ego/, projects all kinds of labels, categories, divisions, and judgments on reality and experience.  As we can never escape from the present, from what is, we lead a double life: experiencing what is, and what we think should be according to our desires, thoughts, conditionings, and memories.

In order to define itself, thought creates labels, judgments, and all kinds of divisions.  This causes us to objectify all experience, people, relationships, language, and reality, and view as /other/ anything which does not fit our own definition.  The /ego/ operates in an /I—It/ technology of mind.  ((Wisdom-and-love)), brought to Life through ((Living Philosophy)), creates a shift from /I—It/ to ((I==Thou)), whereby objectifying habits are dropped, and there is insight in the ((Sacredness)) and ((Interrelatedness)) of all things.

Without any /divisions/ or /separateness/, there is no inward conflict, for conflict can only exist between /one/ and an /other/.  Without conflict, there is not only ((clarity)), but ((order)).  In this sense, ((order)) is not forced, disciplined, or adherence to some moral law, but is a natural spontaneity that is in itself ((ethical, creative, and harmonious)).  For the one who embodies ((love-and-wisdom)), he or she would not even consider /violence/ or /actions/ that would harm others, for they are ((aware)) of the ((interconnectedness of all things)).  Order seemingly brings about virtue and goodness then, and these give rise also to harmony.  Of course, we must keep in mind that these ((qualities)) such as order, virtue, wisdom, love, etc., do not arise in a linear or cause-and-effect manner, but also ((co-arise)) together, and are ((interrelated)).

Therefore, if there is no /self/ in conflict or that is /divided/, but simply the ((manifestation)) and ((action)) of these ((qualities)), would this not be happiness?  For the very /pursuit/ of happiness obstructs its flowering, because there is a pursuer and the pursued.  But without that conflict, and just the ((total absorption and flowing into what is)), ((the present moment)), there is bliss.

Thus, ((Philosophy)), not intellectual jargon, debates, and complex theories, but real ((Living Wisdom)) is the key to ((Happiness)) and ((Human Flourishing)).  This ((meditative intelligence)), the ((understanding and awareness)) of ((what is)) is ((Living Philosophy)).  ((Philosophy)), therefore, is a ((Way of Liberation)).  It is not a path “towards” happiness, as that would create a division between the path and a goal, but rather, ((Philosophy)) is a ((Path of Happiness)).

Related Articles:

The Game of Life – Don’t Take it Personally

On the Nature of Happiness

Making the Ordinary Extraordinary

When Life Falls Apart

On Uncertainty

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

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

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

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 Destiny, Meaning, Purpose, and Fear (Part 1)

What are we really asking when we talk about meaning and purpose and destiny?  If we really look deeply at these terms it would appear that we’re really asking about functionality, that is, the purpose of a thing.  For those of you who are familiar with Ludwig Wittgenstein, the German philosopher, this idea resonates with his idea that when we ask for the meaning of the term we’re really asking for it’s use.  Therefore, what we are really asking when we ask about our meaning or our purpose, is actually what is our use; what purpose do we serve?  Living beings, however, that are changing and learning, are not objects created for such specific instances, as objects to be used in this or that situation.  Beings are not the same as tools in a toolbox, where each item is an object that has a particular function.  Objects are static, beings are flowing.

Before we can seriously consider this question regarding the meaning of our lives, we must first understand why this question arises at all.  Having an answer with no real understanding is not intelligence.  But that is what has been happening worldwide for centuries.  We are given all sorts of answers, from the priests, teachers, politicians, parents, and society, that we begin to rely on their words.  Their so-called answers become the foundation of our life, and we live according to others’ words.  Our life becomes mechanical, because we go on repeating answers and beliefs we have been given but never thought about.  We are living according to a reality someone else has promised us.  If we see this, then we can really begin to understand why we feel so empty inside.  We realize the illusion of it all, and start asking questions like what is my purpose, why am I here, who am I?  This is vital, because it is when we feel groundless that we can see the situation without all this baggage we have been carrying.  If we ask these questions from a ego-mental standpoint (defined here as a standpoint of objectification wherein all experience and testimony is filtered through our own lens created by accumulated biases, prejudices, opinions, beliefs, memories, and conditionings thereby creating the illusion of a permanent self), our inquiry will be distorted.  So long as you carry all that baggage with you, you will only find a projection of what you hope to find, not actually what is.

Therefore, to deeply inquire into these questions without distorting your search requires one to move against the patterns of society, which takes tremendous courage and awareness.  The society since you were born has been saying who you should be, what you should do, what to believe in, and so on, and if you want to find the truth, you will have to reject any ready-made answers they give you.  Some of their answers might sound appealing or ideal, but if you don’t find an answer for yourself and always depend on another’s answer, you will never have psychological freedom.  So here is the problem: the answers and conditioning that society has imposed no longer satisfies us, and we seek to find some other way; but, there is fear because one must go against the whole movement of society.  Thus, we are stuck in a kind of purgatory.  We don’t wish to move back, because that would mean accepting beliefs and answers that are not coherent with our experience, and we don’t want to move forward because the fear of standing alone against this movement.  Therefore, we find ourselves in a groundless, nihilistic state and full of fear.  Nihilism is nothing but the rejection of society’s patterns and conditionings, and the fear to stand alone and inquire for oneself what is beyond that.  This is an important step to finding out what is beyond all the conditionings, because we must first realize that we are stuck within these ego-mental patterns before we can understand how to be free.  However, the fear which holds one back from exploring the depths of our being, our psychological process, stems from our conditionings, and so even when we reach this point, we are still falling back into these same mental patterns.

But let us return to this question regarding the purpose of life.  As we go through our lives, we encounter all kinds of experiences and emotions: boredom, anger, sadness, loneliness, happiness, fear, lust, and all the rest of it.  It would seem to me that people desire happiness and wish to avoid pain.

You can read my post “On the Nature of Happiness” here: https://jasonkunen.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/on-the-nature-of-happiness/

However, in wanting to pursue pleasure and avoid pain, fear arises doesn’t it?  It is our sense of self, the “I”, the ego, the sense of “me” which is really just a collection of memories and conditionings that just appears to persist through time, that has this fear.  It wants its own separate space because it believes itself to be self-sustaining, thereby cutting itself off from what is.  There is not only fear of that pain, but also fear of losing pleasure, fear of not reaching pleasure at all, and this fear, in turn, leads to anger and suffering when our hopes, desires, and dreams don’t come to fruition.  And isn’t it the case that certain experiences that cause fear and resistance in ourselves repeat, but when we open up to them and we eliminate that fear, that we no longer encounter those experiences?  It would seem then that whenever we encounter fear and resistance in our psyche, there is clearly a lesson that must be learned so that we can assimilate that experience into our psychological process and be free of that fear.  Wouldn’t that imply then that life is a journey of accepting, facing, and letting go of the fears and resistance, and understanding our psychological process?  This is, in essence, learning to lose fear of what is.

Link to Part 2:

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

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

On Relationships (Encountering Others in the Moment)

© Jason Kunen 2014

When you meet someone, it is important to ask: who are you really meeting?  That is, when you an encounter another, your parents, your children, your friend, your partner, your neighbor, who is it that you are really meeting?  Are you meeting that person as they are, or are you meeting something else?  Please, do not answer according to your tradition which is someone else’s ideas, or some new age philosophy given to you about being the present which you have never experienced, but really observe this question and let us examine it together.

What is our first reaction when we meet another, whether someone close to us or a stranger?  It is typical that we bring forward thoughts that categorize and label this person.  We call to mind all of the knowledge we have of this person, or if they are strangers, we think of various prejudices and stereotypes to fit him into our mental framework.  In other words, we judge this person.  These judgments may even be unconscious; our conditioned habits may create these judgments.  These judgments are based on thoughts of the past, on memory.  Therefore, what has happened is that through memory, we have judgments of others, thereby creating an image of the person.  If we have such an image of the person, are we actually meeting the person as they are?  Are we even really meeting that person?  Please examine and observe this for yourself; the author cannot do it for you.

Clearly, the knowledge we have of the person, this image created from past experience, has a purpose.  Without it, the person would always be a stranger; it would be like having amnesia.  We can use this knowledge to interact with another in a deeper way.  However, rather than using the knowledge when it is needed, we become stuck in a pattern in which we encounter others solely through this image that acts as a filter.  Because we are psychologically insecure, we seek permanency in all things; this applies to these images of others as well.  In other words, we believe that image to be the actual person.  That image, since it is based on the past, is static and unchanging.  Nothing is permanent, and everything is always changing.  Think back to when someone you know did something unexpected.  Why did their actions surprise you?  Isn’t it because it went against the image you had of them?  Their action was perhaps contradictory to what you thought they could or would do based on past memories, and it becomes clear that the image you had of them is no longer accurate, so you now have to create a new image.

So, if we meet people with this image, which we said acts as a filter from seeing the person as they actually are, aren’t we encountering them with half-truth and half-lie?  Physically we might be present, our image of the person may correspond to the person in front of us (unless we easily confuse our acquaintances), but psychologically we are not totally there.  Instead of using the image to help us interact with the person, we are interacting with the image.

I find Miranda Fricker’s book, Epistemic Injustice: The Power of Ethics and Knowing to be a good book on some specific details of this subject.  I also talk about encountering other in the present in my book, Meditations on Zen and Martial Arts Philosophy, available at lulu.com and amazon.com as listed below:

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

Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/jason-kunen/meditations-on-zen-and-martial-arts-philosophy/paperback/product-20178964.html

Understanding that this is how we typically meet people, we can then ask, is there any way to interact with the person fully?  Can we encounter another without this image that distorts our experience and dialogue with them?  It is not enough to get rid of the image, because what is to stop a new image from being produced in our mind and falling into the same pattern?  These judgments are created from past memories, but judging itself in this way arises from our mental framework.  Our judgments that hold on to stereotypes, prejudices, labels, traditions, religious values, and all the rest are rooted in our conditioning.  We are brought up and conditioned in a certain way, to think, interact, categorize, label, judge, and believe, in a certain way.  This is where these judgments come about.

Therefore, if we can become aware of our conditioning, we can understand how we judge others and what framework we are using to do so.  In this way, we release our attachment to this framework, these judgments, and these images.  It is not that we are incapable of creating images of the person (again, it’s not some kind of amnesia we’re talking about), but the image no longer obstructs our ability to meet another in the present moment.  We see the person as they are, without a filter.  This allows us to understand them in a deeper way, and we realize they are not a static object, but a living, changing being.

Though I made it some time ago, I have a short youtube video speaking on this subject below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICPS6S9ieQo

Links to other posts, essays, youtube channel, and my book:

On Destiny, Meaning, Purpose, and Fear (Part 1):

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

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

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

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

On the Nature of Happiness

© Jason Kunen 2013

One aspect common to all human beings is that we are all searching for happiness.  Each person looks for it in their own way.  Many people take up mindless activities that think make them happy, but do they really?  Religions try to help their followers find happiness.  Parents want their children to be happy.  The U.S. Declaration of Independence states that we have the right to pursue happiness.  The question is, do we ever reach anything?  Does the search for happiness ever become anything more than a search?  That is, do we ever finally attain happiness; does the searching ever come to an end?

Before we look directly at the nature of happiness, we must first look at why we need to search at all.  Everybody wants happiness, but have you taken the time to look at the nature of the search and what prevents happiness?  Have you ever thought why we are searching for it in the first place?  Don’t base your answer off the conclusion of anyone else: your textbooks, your religions, your philosophies.  Observe this question for yourself.  Let’s explore this together.

A search implies that what we’re looking for isn’t here, it is elsewhere.  Since we believe that goal is elsewhere, we go looking for it.  But is happiness elsewhere?  Can it be said to be found anywhere?  What makes us think happiness is not here already?  It is self-consciousness isn’t it?  We are self-conscious, always looking at the image of ourselves instead of really being ourselves.  We use a mental framework, a way of conducting our mind that objectifies and fragments.  This is how self-consciousness arises.  Instead of being immersed in experiencing the flow of everyday life, we construct an image of ourselves and watch that image move through life.  This causes a split between the image (created out of past experiences and conditioning), which is static, and our actual experience of life, which is flowing, changing, and moving.  We use this image to evaluate our mental states, and therefore we separate from them.  In other words, to be self-conscious is to evaluate the image one has of oneself (out of fear).  To do this, we must step back from what we are currently experiencing and judge it.  By doing this, we are no longer experiencing that mental state, we have separated from it.   We might be immersed in some activity and feel happy, but when we become self-conscious, we separate from that experience; from this standpoint, we are no longer immersed in happiness, but looking at a picture of it.

If we follow the logic, this would mean that happiness comes when our self-consciousness fades.  Self-consciousness is a result of using a mental framework that cuts itself off from everything else, and takes itself as the center.  We are self-conscious because of fear, but I shall take this up in another post.  This self-centered (literally and metaphysically) way of conducting our mind has been given all kinds of names from various religions and philosophies: sin, samsara, hell, ego-mentalism, evil, demons (in Descartes’ Meditations, Buddhism, et al.) and so on.  It is a technology of mind that believes itself to be the center, and is convinced that it can stand totally on its own; that it is independent of all things.  It believes itself to be a self-sustaining identity.  The more we are immersed in this kind of ego-mental thinking, the more we feel lonely and isolated.  We are interconnected with and through the entire ((Infinite Field of Existence)), or ((Reality)), and we try to cut ourselves off from that and everything else.

So, if using this kind of mental software so to speak gives rise to self-consciousness, which in turn leads to psychological suffering (in this case being separate from happiness), what then can be done?  Most people try to escape their thoughts of self-consciousness through mindless activities where one loses one’s sense of self.  Drugs, sex, television, and essentially anything else can become an escape from this.  Why?  Because one has the potential to lose this ego-self in any activity.  Performed at a level of high awareness, any activity can become beautiful, an art form.  But if an activity is used as an escape, it becomes ugly, corrupted.  One’s happiness now depends on something else; it is a crutch for your suffering.  The martial artist, for example, practices totally, and for the love, joy, and passion of the art.  But if he or she uses it as a form of psychological escape, it loses its beauty, and you cannot enjoy it with your whole being.

So, most people find an escape in which to lose their self-consciousness for a while, only to return back to their suffering later.  What is required is an inner transformation, at the level of the mental software or technology of mind we are using.  That is why Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths.  Many people misinterpret Buddhism to be about suffering and negativity.  But how can we understand happiness if we are ignorant about the nature of suffering and what prevents happiness?  Without going into detail about them here, the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism help others understand suffering, its causes and conditions, so that they can then also understand happiness and how to eliminate suffering (on a psychological level).  If we are to actually be happy then, we must look within and transform the way we are conducting our mind.

As we become less and less self-centered, more in touch with the other people and the world around us, and able to become aware of our conditionings, we find that happiness has been here all along.  That is why so many wisdom teachers have said that by helping others we also help ourselves.  We are not separate, independent entities, but are all connected.  The more you take care of others, the more you take care of yourself and become happy.  The more self-centered and ego-oriented you are, the more you create suffering for yourself, cut yourself off, and become lonely.

Letting go of fear and self-consciousness, we can relax in the moment; we can be happiness.  Or more accurately, happiness is us.  Therefore, real happiness arises when we make peace with others, with nature and the world, and also make peace with ourselves.  Self-consciousness can be used as a tool and can have some uses, but it has become stronger and has taken over our minds.  We certainly have a right to pursue happiness, but it is our nature to be happy, and that is our birthright.

Don’t believe any of this just after reading it, but really observe, inquire, become aware.  Find the answer for yourself.  I’m not looking for agreement or disagreement.  The author could be all wrong, but most important is not to accept any given answer and to find an answer for oneself through observation, awareness, and critical insight.

On Boredom

© Jason Kunen 2013

Boredom is a profound feeling.  If we have awareness, if we really pay attention, boredom can be a transformative experience that can lead to tremendous insight.  But most of us cannot handle boredom.  We try to avoid it as much as possible, and it has such a negative connotation.

We can all relate with the feeling of boredom.  Perhaps you’re a teenager that lives in an area with few peers and few attractions and have nowhere to go (I’m thinking of the song Subdivisions by Rush).  Or maybe you’re an adult who has time off and you’re stuck at home with nothing to do.  Or perhaps we see the workaholic who finds himself on vacation or without work and becomes stir-crazy, and deliberately attempts to find any possible work to do.

I’m sure we can all think of examples when we have felt this way, but what to do?  Usually, we take up some mindless activity that keeps this feeling at bay.  We might go obsessively cleaning, surf the internet for hours, watch TV, and all kinds of escapes; anything we can do to get away from boredom.

Why do we do this?  It is fear is it not?  We are afraid and unwilling to face our mind and our thoughts.  We cannot stand to have this built-up energy and no external outlet to direct it to.  In the midst of an activity, only part of our attention can be directed towards our thoughts, we don’t have to face them in full force.  But when we are bored, we have to face our thoughts, our fears, our insecurities, and we have no external activity that can take our attention away from it.  Don’t take my word for it, but see if you can observe it for yourself.  I am not here to give you some other escape in the guise of some meditative or philosophical practice.  Let us try to see what boredom actually is.

First, we must understand boredom.  Solving any problem requires understanding and patience.  No issue can be resolved by running away from it or trying to eliminate it.  We have tried that numerous times and yet we still find ourselves bored; so clearly, trying to escape from boredom has not worked.  Observe boredom; try to really see what is happening in your body and your mind when you feel bored.

It seems to me that boredom occurs when we are fed up with the activities we direct our attention to.  Our mind is always looking in this and that direction, and finally, it gets tired of such activities.  The mind no longer feels satisfied, and we become restless.  We seek something that can catch and hold our attention.  It is at this point when fantasizing and thoughts of lust grow strong, for example, because they have the power to keep our mind occupied and hold its attention.  But let us stick with the issue of boredom for now.

So, boredom is when our mind no longer finds satisfaction in our activities, and our energy and attention have no place to go.  If we can observe this in a non-judgmental way, and we avoid escaping from it, we can begin to understand boredom.  In doing so, we begin to direct our attention inwards; we start to observe our mind.

Certainly, one can take up the practice of meditation, but even this too can become an escape if one is not aware.  What I am suggesting can be called a meditation, but this is not a formal practice or method.  Any method, any system can be turned into another form of escape and conditioning.  I am offering no method here, but saying that we must be aware.  Be mindful of your body and mind; what are their reactions to events?  How do you react to boredom?

What comes of this non-judgmental observation you might ask?  In becoming aware of boredom and seeing what it is and how we react to it, we no longer feel uncomfortable about being bored.  We no longer try to escape through mindless activities, and we begin to relax with what is, the present moment.  Instead of pacing throughout the house, we can sit and enjoy the breeze, or the light entering the window, or eating our food.  We start to discover simplicity, and a great happiness arises, because we can enjoy every breath, every moment.  We are no longer seeking something other than what is.  We are content with that very moment.

Once we understand this, then we can take up any activity we choose, because we go into with awareness, with mindfulness.  We are not afraid to stop this activity because we not afraid of the feeling of boredom.  The fear of boredom no longer has a hold on us, and therefore, the fear of being present, of presencing, of letting ourself go with what is, also fades.

Reflections on Dialogue and Education

© Jason Kunen 2013

In this global and technological world, our children are being exposed to cultures, worldviews, and perspectives from around the globe, and have the opportunity to transform the way they experience reality.  However, despite the advantages of globalization, we must also face its obstacles.  Multiplicity, while potentially enriching our view of reality, can also breed conflict and disunity when not soundly integrated into one’s own conceptual framework or viewed from the common ground of human experience.

From the standpoint of the ego, one feels knowledgeable having learned about different conceptions of life, but it is crucial to consider how these forms of living are integrated in a coherent manner into one’s own way of being in the world.  Philosophers and religious traditions from around the globe have been advocating that to truly change our world and progress on the path towards peace and unity, we will have to change the way in which we are conducting our minds and shift towards a different kind of consciousness, one driven by compassion and wisdom.

Through awakening our meditative intelligence and becoming critically reflective, we can move to a new stage of human development that is characterized by wisdom and compassion.  After studying various traditions and with many teachers, in addition to my own insight and experience, this means realizing that the plurality of mental frameworks and worldviews, in fact, share a fundamental common ground.  Developing our awareness to understand that vastly different forms of life are deeply interwoven will allow us to unite as a powerful force to tackle the problems of our age.  This unity is not to be misconstrued in an anthropocentric sense, but rather in the sense that we have a responsibility to ourselves, others, and the world, regardless of ego-based discriminations like race, religion, gender, nationality, age, and other such distinctions.

With the vast plurality of worldviews and cultures in nearly all areas of life, it is necessary for cross-cultural and inter-faith dialogue, coupled with a sensitivity that appreciates diversity, to be prevalent in society.  Education, therefore, must now address the philosophical issues relevant to our time, and return to the ground of concrete reality and real-life experience, rather than merely fixating on theory and textbook knowledge.  It is quite common that many school curriculums emphasize intellectual cultivation and abstract ideas far removed from students’ lives and psychological development.  Education has become nothing but tools for examinations and preparing students for the next stage of schooling, rather than cultivating their abilities and providing them with skills they can apply in their lives.  Intellectual cultivation is merely one side of education, but most others tend to be overlooked or neglected.

Growing as a student is not only about acquiring knowledge, but learning how to interact with people and how to consider how others make sense of the world.  Such a skill requires learning the art and ethics of dialogue, but not in the sense of typical conversation, but a way of inquiring into the framework of the other without violating it in order to engender real appreciation and empathy.

Reflections on Education (10/14/2013)

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 train the students 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, but should have cultivated their physical, artistic, intuitive, spiritual, philosophical, and emotional sides as well.  The foundation of intelligence and wisdom is having a holistic, meditative, and critically reflective mind, whereby one can not only apply knowledge, but can simultaneously understand the how, why, and when behind this process.  Furthermore, the mark of a global citizen and student of wisdom is realizing that all people can connect on a deep, genuine level when encountered from the ground of ontology, for all forms of life are deeply interconnected as our wisdom teachers have shown.

The real key 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 and face common problems both in society and existentially, and that these problems can be overcome 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, inter-religious, cross-cultural, and philosophical dialogue would no longer be fragmented and filled with polar splits as we see in our current situation.

If one were to create an environment that allows students to engage in deep ontological self-reflection and dialogue with other worlds, he or she can reevaluate one’s own framework of mind to become a global citizen.  Learning to conduct our minds in this manner allows us to promote harmony and compassion for all beings, for we come to understand the vast relationships, on both a personal and cosmic level, that constitute our being.

Introduction

Hello Friends!  Welcome to this ((Dia-blog))!

This website is designed to give readers insight into Global Philosophy and Ethics, the work of great thinkers, and encouragement to understand oneself and the world around us.

This is not a typical blog where I write my opinions and you read them.  We are having a Dialogue together on the great issues of our time.  We are inquiring whether there is a profoundly different approach to encountering and living life that is not violent, judgmental, or filled with all kinds of suffering.  I hope that as you read these posts, you inquire into yourself and have a Dialogue with the text.

Philosophy, martial arts, ethics, spiritual guidance in the modern age, and meditation, are just a few of the topics we shall look at together.  The most important thing I ask is not to agree or disagree, nor like or dislike anything said here, but to read it mindfully and consider for oneself if it has any merit.  Do not take anything on my authority or anyone else’s, but examine it for yourself to determine if these ideas cohere with your own experience.  This is a journey we are taking together.

Posts may include excerpts from essays, day-to-day thoughts, and quotations from authors.