Ego death
Dear LJ,
I suppose I feel like processing a bit. Here goes:
I'm a little addicted to this video
Probably because it's cheerful yet soothing. That chanty monotone I suppose. And then there's the sutra whose meaning is the subject of some thought lately.
Here's a nice translation of the heart sutra: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/heartsutra.html
Basically, dude's meditating and realizes that these things (skandhas) that trick us into thinking we exist are... well tricks. And he explains it to his friend (and us).
Yeah... very ego-death zen stuff.
I think the first half mostly pushes the perspective that we are bits of universe interconnected and truly not separable from the rest of reality. --which sure can be useful when you are suffering personal anguish, because really, you're not you, but this bigger thing.
and this:
There is no ignorance,
and no end to ignorance.
There is no old age and death,
and no end to old age and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering,
no end to suffering, no path to follow.
There is no attainment of wisdom,
and no wisdom to attain.
Damn, that is some straight up zen wtf are you talking about.
Well, maybe not totally... Perhaps there's no ignorance because there's nothing to know, yet there is ignorance because we don't know anything. Maybe there's no old age and death because being an interconnected universe being, there isn't any death (unless there is, then I got nothing) and maybe there's always old age and death because... well there is from that single being perspective that keeps getting reborn with each person, even if everyone does end up enlightenedly ego-dead.
Those lines on suffering are fun. Especially since the Four Noble Truths basically say the opposite:
1. Suffering does exist
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the eightfold path.
But this is zen right? Everything that's true ain't true. That's kindof how it works. Probably pissing you off with confusion burns out your brain cells leading to profound ego-death. Mmmm, Nirvana.
Yeah... so where were we? Right, "suffering doesn't exist". How's that work? Is suffering an illusion, like seeing is an illusion?
Oh the Zen... it's losing me. It's clearly a coping mechanism. (In addition to its ability to expand perspective from individual to one of collective connection, which I count as a goal of Zen in its own right.)
"There is no attainment of wisdom,
and no wisdom to attain."
Well at least it's honest. Nothin' to see here folks. Nothin' to see...
Am I coping? Is that why I'm looking this stuff up? The video found me while looking at a meme tracking website. Course, I did look up more on it...
The topic may interest me as I've been engaged in quite a bit of ego-death lately. It's strange to see myself fairly abruptly release my controlling grip on my life and others in my life. I feel like I use to have this ridiculous, blind ego field exerting (too much) pressure around me and in me.
I think it grew until it collapsed in on itself. Boom.
Or maybe I just finally out grew my ADHD?
I suppose I feel like processing a bit. Here goes:
I'm a little addicted to this video
Click to viewProbably because it's cheerful yet soothing. That chanty monotone I suppose. And then there's the sutra whose meaning is the subject of some thought lately.
Here's a nice translation of the heart sutra: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/heartsutra.html
Basically, dude's meditating and realizes that these things (skandhas) that trick us into thinking we exist are... well tricks. And he explains it to his friend (and us).
Yeah... very ego-death zen stuff.
I think the first half mostly pushes the perspective that we are bits of universe interconnected and truly not separable from the rest of reality. --which sure can be useful when you are suffering personal anguish, because really, you're not you, but this bigger thing.
and this:
There is no ignorance,
and no end to ignorance.
There is no old age and death,
and no end to old age and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering,
no end to suffering, no path to follow.
There is no attainment of wisdom,
and no wisdom to attain.
Damn, that is some straight up zen wtf are you talking about.
Well, maybe not totally... Perhaps there's no ignorance because there's nothing to know, yet there is ignorance because we don't know anything. Maybe there's no old age and death because being an interconnected universe being, there isn't any death (unless there is, then I got nothing) and maybe there's always old age and death because... well there is from that single being perspective that keeps getting reborn with each person, even if everyone does end up enlightenedly ego-dead.
Those lines on suffering are fun. Especially since the Four Noble Truths basically say the opposite:
1. Suffering does exist
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the eightfold path.
But this is zen right? Everything that's true ain't true. That's kindof how it works. Probably pissing you off with confusion burns out your brain cells leading to profound ego-death. Mmmm, Nirvana.
Yeah... so where were we? Right, "suffering doesn't exist". How's that work? Is suffering an illusion, like seeing is an illusion?
Oh the Zen... it's losing me. It's clearly a coping mechanism. (In addition to its ability to expand perspective from individual to one of collective connection, which I count as a goal of Zen in its own right.)
"There is no attainment of wisdom,
and no wisdom to attain."
Well at least it's honest. Nothin' to see here folks. Nothin' to see...
Am I coping? Is that why I'm looking this stuff up? The video found me while looking at a meme tracking website. Course, I did look up more on it...
The topic may interest me as I've been engaged in quite a bit of ego-death lately. It's strange to see myself fairly abruptly release my controlling grip on my life and others in my life. I feel like I use to have this ridiculous, blind ego field exerting (too much) pressure around me and in me.
I think it grew until it collapsed in on itself. Boom.
Or maybe I just finally out grew my ADHD?