Quote:
Originally Posted by Hail Eris
This is probably different for everyone. I don't find it easy to put it all down at all. In large part this is because I am interested in how mysticism relates to the brain and to cognitive science. Anyway, I appreciate both moments of silence and moments of intellectual curiosity. When I am in the latter mode, it is important to be confronted with the paradox, because it reminds me of the limitations of what I am doing.
I would appreciate your book recommendations.
I'm going to ramble a little, not an easy issue to bring across clearly, let's hope that I don't mess it up too much.
In a way it's not easy, it's automatic. What happens is that if you contemplate the issue you will have an insight that the question (for example 'brain vs consicousness') is imagined and the answer will refer to an imagined question, either way it's about imagination running in circles. So once you see that the parameters that the logical mind works with are posteriori to what you are, it becomes clear that it's not the correct tool to figure out what it is that you are. Mind's questions aren't your questions.
Obviously you still do have a question, but the words with which it is formulated are secondary, the philosphical problems are secondary. The primary issue is simply the sheer fact that you are and that you don't know wtf you are and whatfor and the question itself is, in zen terms, a red hot iron ball in your stomach that you can't vomit out, your head is in the tiger's mouth and he isn't letting you go: you become the question. So the question is there, this much is clear, and the question apparently refers to what you actually are right here and now, not to some imagined idea, concept or picture. So once you 'get it' that mind can't help you then the only place you can go to is right here and now. The reason you stay in the here and now isn't that some smart guy said that mind is bad and an illusion and whatnot, it's just that you clearly see for yourself that it can't contribute anything toward solving your existential dilemma. And so you abide in the only place where you possibly can get an answer and you sit there and pay attention to what is real.
Silent mind is you paying attention to what is real. Thoughts are still going to pop up simply out of habit (a 20+ year old habit isn't easy to break) but you're not fighting them with other thoughts, you're not interested in fighting anything, you just notice that they appear, say bye bye and go on paying attention. Along the way mind's resistance and chatter will get weaker and weaker, attention will strenghten, maybe a cool woo woo experience here and there, eventually you'll see through the question of all questions and you'll have a good laugh.
It's difficult when you resolve to meditate and thoughts pop up like crazy and you're trying to fight thoughts with more thoughts... drives you insane. What is easy is when you simply don't believe thoughts and you're not fighting them anymore, they just pass by. So the entry point to the effortless silence is basically the clarification of how mind relates to your existential dilemma and to what is actually there and has been there long before mind has begun spinning.
As for book recommendations, I don't really have any. You can get great stuff from youtube. There are many excellent contemporary american/european teachers who are accessible and speak a simple language. Off the top of my head and in no particular order: Adyashanti, Paul Hedderman, Rupert Spira, Jed McKenna, Karl Renz, Mooji, the TAT foundation people (Art Ticknor, Bart Marshall, Bob Fergeson), Jeff Foster, Tony Parsons and many more.