spiritual enlightenment | Being a Lotus in the Mud: The Art of Living with Awareness

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!

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.

2 Comments

January 22, 2014

Making the Ordinary Extraordinary – The Desire to Become – Life as it is

“A mind that is becoming can never know the full bliss of contentment; not the contentment of smug satisfaction; not the contentment of an achieved result, but the contentment that comes when the mind sees the truth in what is and the false in what is. The perception of that truth is from moment to moment; and that perception is delayed through verbalization of the moment.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti, The First and Last Freedom

What begins to happen as we grow out of childhood? Many of us become more and more controlling do we not? We are conditioned and led to believe that happiness exists outside of us, and that if we can control as many external factors as possible, then we shall be happy. There develops an incessant drive to shape life according to our own projections and desires. Society floods us with people who should be idolized and become our role models. Whether those people are celebrities, spiritual figures, politicians, businessmen, gurus, the rich, intellectuals, saints, and so on, it is conditioning us to seek something outside of ourselves and become someone else. This leads us to feel inadequate with ourselves, and that we should strive to become like another. We then go through life constantly seeking, trying to change ourselves, not seeing or understanding our own life. Life becomes a series of elaborate escapes from what is and who we are. And of course, when desire is obstructed, when we realize that we can never be another, we react with anger, or sadness, or jealously, and feel hurt in someway. This leads to deep suffering, because not only do we have difficulty looking or understanding ourself, but we realize that we have been wasting our time trying to be like another.

We are taught to believe that once we can control things, or fulfill our ambitions, or get this or that job or position, or have unparalleled wealth, or reach enlightenment, or find inner peace, or have this or that experience, or become virtuous, or transform our life, and so on, then we shall be happy. And how many times have we reached our goal and happiness has not yet come? Or conversely, we realize that we cannot achieve our goal, and we feel depressed because we could not live up to or become this image we had of ourselves or of another.

Whether inwardly or outwardly, the process of becoming, of searching for something greater, leads us further and further away from ourselves. We become interested in self-projected abstractions than in reality and how we are living. For one reason or another, we are afraid, or unsure of how to look and understand ourselves, and so constantly indulge in escapes instead of really facing life as it is. Thus, the challenges of everyday life are seen as boring and insignificant. Instead, we try to find comfort by projecting or imagining some greater reality that will entertain and gratify our desires.

One might argue, “why not strive to emulate figures like the Dalai Lama, the Pope, Mother Theresa, or some other religious figure? They embody very admirable virtues. Should we not follow their example?” However, if you try to live up to a virtue, is it not because you are the exact opposite of it, and are trying to escape from it? That is, if I am trying to be non-violent, isn’t it because I myself am violent? Or if I am trying to be generous, is it not because I am greedy? We create ideals, virtues, based on our own image of what we think it is, and use it as a way to escape from our own mental habits. This creates a conflict within ourselves, as we are now torn between what is, and this projected ideal we strive towards. In this division, fear (of failure), guilt, shame, regret, and various emotions take root.

This kind of becoming, the pursuit of virtues, is an elaborate form of escapism, and very self-deceptive. We deceive ourselves through such ideals because we convince ourselves and others that although we may be violent, greedy, jealous, angry, and the like, we strive to live up to this or that ideal or virtue. And a theme in our current education system, particularly the way history is taught (at least in America), is that of progress. We are continuously fed this idea that we are ever improving, developing, cultivating, progressing, etc., which thereby encourages us to become. And though we have advanced technologically, we are still psychologically immature. So, instead of really looking at ourselves with an interest in Self-knowledge, we try to seek and strive towards something else.

It is not a matter of being content or passively (or perhaps, apathetically) accepting these states. We must first be willing to understand ourselves, to look at the violence, anger, jealous, greed, and the rest of it in ourselves, and how it arises. Through observing our mental habits, through non-judgmental awareness, we can understand these reactions and this desire to become. As I said in Changing the World Starts with Understanding Yourself, this understanding naturally brings about action in accordance with that understanding. Therefore, a ((transformation)) does not come about through any effort of the /self/, or the /ego/, which desires some result or achievement, but naturally through Self-knowledge.

Certainly, we can learn from others, and let their actions be a wake up call to reflect on ourselves and our own mental life. However, to follow them is to give up one’s own responsibility for understanding oneself. In this way, we disempower ourselves to another. No one can give you Self-knowledge. Understanding comes from oneself, when the mind is quiet without force, and you are non-judgmentally aware from moment-to-moment without interfering. Dropping the desire to become does not mean laziness or apathy or submission. This too is a conditioned thought our society ingrains in us. If people understood themselves, and were comfortable with who they are, think about how many professions (from the celebrity magazines and cosmetic stores to the psychiatrist and plastic surgeon) would be out of business! Think about how many corporations make a profit by exploiting this desire to become.

Through awareness, we can see this desire to become within ourselves. And the desire to drop it is also a desire to become. Being, abiding, learning to be…this comes by itself when we understand this desire to become in our own inner life as a fact, not as a theory or a belief. But again, this is not does imply apathy or laziness. Out of ((Being)) comes integrated action and right thinking, because now, our actions are no longer according to some ideal, idea, or belief motivated out of becoming. Action based on becoming is conflict, because it creates a separation between the actor, the action, the reason for acting, and the ideal for which we are trying to achieve through our action. But action out of ((Being)) is ((integrated action)); it is whole, complete, and co-arises with understanding.

In ((Being)), we see life in a whole new way. The everyday activities that we once saw boring and insignificant, and the day-to-day challenges that may seem frustrating and monotonous are encountered in a new light. It is not that the ordinary becomes extraordinary, but rather, we see that our idea of the extraordinary was a self-projected illusion, and that the ordinary is extraordinary. Life is then a beautiful movement; a dance of a warrior who is free, joyous, creative, and not controlled by fear. That is the meaning of the Zen expression, “Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.”

It is because we lack Self-knowledge that we suffer. And it is because we are taught to follow and become like others that we are distracted from understanding ourselves. And it is because we don’t know how to live that we are taught to emulate others. And it is because we were not educated to observe and understand our fears and insecurities that we don’t know how to live.

There is much to say on the role of fear and the desire to become, but we shall discuss this topic at another time. The following posts cover some of the topics in this article: fear, boredom, happiness.

On Boredom

On the Nature of Happiness

On Free Will – Awareness and the Power of Choice

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

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

On Conformity, Fear of the Known, and Discussing Matters of Life

On Uncertainty

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

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

2 Comments

January 15, 2014

Humanizing the Humanities – The Relevance of the Humanities in Education

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

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

2 Comments

November 27, 2013

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

4 Comments

October 29, 2013

On Relationships (Encountering Others in the Moment)

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: