Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
The Limitations of Thought
Posted on November 12, 2013 by Jack Saunsea
Beliefs often act as walls which ultimately result in our disconnected feeling of the time we spend alive. We formulate a belief – a resounding absolution of acceptance – based on perhaps what we’ve been taught as a youth we ought to believe, because we want security in something, or because we wanted to be accepted by others and so we adopted their beliefs whether knowingly or because that was the environment of thought we surrounded ourselves with.
“Beliefs cling, but faith lets go…” – Alan Watts
If you’ve ever engaged in conversation with a person who stands on their beliefs concretely – whatever they may be – you’ve likely experienced the frustration of actually having a discussion with them. Take a person who believes the Bible to be the literal “Word of God” for example. For every topic of conversation they have a verse ready to tell you the non-debatable truth. Thus, it becomes impossible to really have a discussion of concepts and ideas as they are both the judge and the advocate.
The science of the past 200 years, with its many accomplishments, has also done a great disservice to the way we see.
Science has produced a general outlook that what reality is, is what can be seen or what can be observed, in the physical sense. I would like to say early on, that my philosophical viewpoint does not necessarily differentiate the spiritual and the physical, as though they are two aspects to be believed or not; rather, my philosophy is that the two go together. There is no separation (although there is perhaps a perceived separation), between the somethingness (physical) and the spacial nothingness (spiritual). Because without one you cannot have the other. And so we see that they go together.
We often form our thoughts about reality from the point of view of what our physical eyes see. However, we must recognize that this leads us to forming a highly limited and small-minded perception of what is truly here. The eyes take in an immense amount of light in every moment, but our attention or, conscious awareness excludes nearly all of it so that we can focus on something particular. Therefore, since we know we are excluding so much of what is really happening, we can also be assured that our perception of reality, based in thought, is incredibly limited and not to be fully trusted for the basis of our faith and vision of reality.
Liberation from our engrossed belief in our thoughts comes not in letting go of our beliefs, but in seeing there is nothing to hold onto. In this way, we see that there isn’t anything to let go of, because there is nothing for us to be tied to. As we might move our hands and observe that they are moving, so we think our thoughts and observe that we are thinking. This can transform the way we view reality as reality is a grand happening beyond thoughts. This reality is the deep down, unspeakable truth.
Thanks to: http://jacksaunsea.wordpress.com
Posted on November 12, 2013 by Jack Saunsea
Beliefs often act as walls which ultimately result in our disconnected feeling of the time we spend alive. We formulate a belief – a resounding absolution of acceptance – based on perhaps what we’ve been taught as a youth we ought to believe, because we want security in something, or because we wanted to be accepted by others and so we adopted their beliefs whether knowingly or because that was the environment of thought we surrounded ourselves with.
“Beliefs cling, but faith lets go…” – Alan Watts
If you’ve ever engaged in conversation with a person who stands on their beliefs concretely – whatever they may be – you’ve likely experienced the frustration of actually having a discussion with them. Take a person who believes the Bible to be the literal “Word of God” for example. For every topic of conversation they have a verse ready to tell you the non-debatable truth. Thus, it becomes impossible to really have a discussion of concepts and ideas as they are both the judge and the advocate.
The science of the past 200 years, with its many accomplishments, has also done a great disservice to the way we see.
Science has produced a general outlook that what reality is, is what can be seen or what can be observed, in the physical sense. I would like to say early on, that my philosophical viewpoint does not necessarily differentiate the spiritual and the physical, as though they are two aspects to be believed or not; rather, my philosophy is that the two go together. There is no separation (although there is perhaps a perceived separation), between the somethingness (physical) and the spacial nothingness (spiritual). Because without one you cannot have the other. And so we see that they go together.
We often form our thoughts about reality from the point of view of what our physical eyes see. However, we must recognize that this leads us to forming a highly limited and small-minded perception of what is truly here. The eyes take in an immense amount of light in every moment, but our attention or, conscious awareness excludes nearly all of it so that we can focus on something particular. Therefore, since we know we are excluding so much of what is really happening, we can also be assured that our perception of reality, based in thought, is incredibly limited and not to be fully trusted for the basis of our faith and vision of reality.
Liberation from our engrossed belief in our thoughts comes not in letting go of our beliefs, but in seeing there is nothing to hold onto. In this way, we see that there isn’t anything to let go of, because there is nothing for us to be tied to. As we might move our hands and observe that they are moving, so we think our thoughts and observe that we are thinking. This can transform the way we view reality as reality is a grand happening beyond thoughts. This reality is the deep down, unspeakable truth.
Thanks to: http://jacksaunsea.wordpress.com
