tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post2147501462396583192..comments2024-03-28T18:48:41.469-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: Learning to Float & Drown in the Ocean of Being (5.17.10)Gagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-15886833029198390322008-06-02T16:10:00.000-07:002008-06-02T16:10:00.000-07:00Lance, One can distinguish between the various fai...Lance, <BR/>One can distinguish between the various faiths you list precisely by their adherents' answers to Pilate's question - "What is Truth?" Their answers will not be equivalent if they are 'orthodox' - any more than two people are equivalent.<BR/> <BR/>Bob, <BR/>On your current topic, let me recommend the insight of a scrupulous Lutheran: "In unconsciousness of being in despair a man is farthest from being conscious of himself as spirit. But precisely the thing of not being conscious of oneself as spirit is despair, which is spiritlessness -- whether the condition be that of complete deadness, a merely vegetative life, or a life of higher potency the secret of which is nevertheless despair. In the latter instance the man is like the sufferer from consumption: he feels well, considers himself in the best of health, seems perhaps to others to be in florid health, precisely when the sickness is most dangerous."<BR/>--------------------------------------------------------<BR/>~Source: The Sickness Unto Death, Kierkegaard <BR/><BR/>One can smile broadly, though not deeply, while in despair, as Chopra et al.jpelhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933595806027908264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-73258161523776905532008-05-30T21:36:00.000-07:002008-05-30T21:36:00.000-07:00Well aren't YOU just a breath of fresh air tongue ...Well aren't YOU just a breath of fresh air tongue in cheek delightful surprise of the day! Bravommmmmmmmm.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-39189942802651467102008-05-30T21:02:00.000-07:002008-05-30T21:02:00.000-07:00Yes nomo. It's my nature to look away when in doub...Yes nomo. It's my nature to look away when in doubt. But I think that the struggle is part of the divine unfolding, or at least I look at it that way.<BR/><BR/>When I was just a baby, I, for some reason ultimatly unknown, was plunged underneath water to the point of passing out; and that part me is still out of it, breathless, and basically useless--comatose. But there's a force that rebuilds the forsaken and distraught; and I do imagine it as the hand of the absolute being reaching down into manifestation and pulling me upward. Darkness and obscurity becomes light and clarity with time. And the broken vessel, the manifest container of light, eventually moseys it's way towards singularity and deiformity, instead of deformity.<BR/><BR/>It was part of peter's constitution to look away; and did the primodial sin that was behind the misdirection stop the Son from reaching downwards? Nope! There's always hope in the right company!<BR/><BR/>Anyway...<BR/><BR/>Onward and upward. With blessed time.<BR/><BR/>(BTW, I still read every day, and enjoy.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-31930164496571258652008-05-30T15:30:00.000-07:002008-05-30T15:30:00.000-07:00Nomo, re your reference, Peter was a major screw u...Nomo, re your reference, Peter was a major screw up(and look how he turned out), which gives hope to those of us who know all about that...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-25373230392682179512008-05-30T14:27:00.000-07:002008-05-30T14:27:00.000-07:00Bob,Another excellent post. Btw, at what time in t...Bob,<BR/><BR/>Another excellent post. Btw, at what time in the future did you get a boat? (Because you sound right on the verge.)<BR/><BR/>Sailed these once. A few saluted. The first has to do with a leaking boat will always be, and never stops a sailor. Why the bilge pump was designed as a result of accepting the fact and the other bigger pressure that draws so many to the see to begin with:<BR/><BR/>“The boat builder goes with the flood and just dries to keep up.”<BR/><BR/>and<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://listening-now.blogspot.com/2007/07/except-sea_29.html" REL="nofollow">"Except the Sea"</A>Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589423819039764711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-47991511032832207982008-05-30T13:57:00.000-07:002008-05-30T13:57:00.000-07:00If that doesn't bring a smile to your face, I don'...If that doesn't bring a smile to your face, I don't know what will.NoMohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01100042056270224683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-56055146446529636842008-05-30T13:56:00.000-07:002008-05-30T13:56:00.000-07:00Coonified - Even they who walked at His side strug...Coonified - Even they who walked at His side <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt%2014:25-33;&version=72" REL="nofollow">struggled</A>.NoMohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01100042056270224683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-40396038637238884982008-05-30T13:37:00.000-07:002008-05-30T13:37:00.000-07:00"Only then can you truly understand how this trans..."Only then can you truly understand how this transdimensional area rug secretly "pulls your room together," dude."<BR/><BR/>Well, this reminded me of something that petey wrote in the nowhere: "Only the blissful wave of the of the immortal now, rising forth from the effulgent sea of existence. Inhere in here."<BR/><BR/>When I was trying with much effort to get my broken nous to spit out some understanding (damn thing's just foggy alot of times), I rendered the last part "cOhere, inhere in here?" Yep. I left it a question. There's always an uncertaintly when your third eye's have blind; but I think I get the drift. Lets hope my inner psychopomp is leading me in down the right current. Sometimes it's just not really a-musing...correctly.<BR/><BR/><BR/>"Note that Al Gore and the Clintons are also fans of "integral spirituality," which should be sufficient to indict it. "<BR/><BR/>Agreed. I'm glad your here, bob. I'm still going, growing, pursuing gnowing, and building my vessel. Just a little further...struggle...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-13089041487475293752008-05-30T12:32:00.000-07:002008-05-30T12:32:00.000-07:00the menbrain between the so-called "inner" and "ou...<I>the menbrain between the so-called "inner" and "outer" worlds begins to weaken, so that your life begins to reveal a dense network of synchronistic connections, both in time and space</I><BR/><BR/>Yep.<BR/><BR/><I>the Source of the waters; the infinite Ocean into which all waters eventually drain; or the bank on the other side. In turn, these would correspond to the ways of gnosis ("knowledge of the source"), of non-dual mysticism (diving into the ocean of being), and of bhakti, or loving devotion to God.</I><BR/><BR/>I wonder how the travelers break down personality-wise? I have always been a float-trip kind of person who enjoys seeing the river widen, content with letting it carry me on with just enough rudder to keep me in the current. <BR/><BR/>Crossing over is a big part of the Judeo-Christian revelation, from the crossing of the "Red Sea", to Joshua crossing Jordan, to the disciples of Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee in storms. <BR/><BR/>However, if you have a Bible handy, go check out Ezekiel 47:1-12 and the prophet's vision of a life-giving river flowing out from the temple. Every measurement takes the prophet into deeper water until it becomes "a river that cannot be crossed on foot". What had been the Dead Sea, the terminus of the Jordan, is renewed and given life by this Kingdom river. So, in the end you have all three "ways" united in one.mushroomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07651027035577798096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-4937968247132284812008-05-30T11:20:00.000-07:002008-05-30T11:20:00.000-07:00George Weigel, author and Catholic theologian, liv...George Weigel, author and Catholic theologian, live on CSPAN2 booktv<BR/>this Sunday: 12 PM-3 PM ET, <BR/>re-airs Sunday at midnight ET <BR/><BR/>from their site:<BR/><BR/>You can participate in the discussion by calling in during the program:<BR/><BR/>East/Central Time Zone, 202-737-0001,<BR/>Mountain/Pacific Time Zone, 202-737-0002,<BR/><BR/>or by e-mailing your questions to booktv@c-span.org.<BR/><BR/>Mr. Weigel is the author of over a dozen books, including <BR/>* Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II <BR/>* Freedom and Its Discontents: Catholicism Confronts Modernity<BR/>* The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God <BR/>* God's Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church. <BR/><BR/>Mr. Weigel is currently a distinguished Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a contributor to Newsweek magazine and Vatican analyst for NBC News.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-22324938902159559412008-05-30T11:13:00.000-07:002008-05-30T11:13:00.000-07:00"What makes it so difficult is that you must simul..."What makes it so difficult is that you must simultaneously build this ark while learning to swim."<BR/>Hence that <I>awkward feeling</I> that sometimes pertains? But in all seriousness, it is interesting how disparate activities get <I>integrated</I> by the attempted Return.<BR/><BR/>"...your life begins to reveal a dense network of synchronistic connections, both in time and space. It is as if you turn over the rug of your life, and can see the warp and weft underneath the outward pattern."<BR/>I think that as this proceeds, you develop an "aesthetic sense" that acts like a guide -- that <I>is</I> a guide. And it may only <I>be</I> imagination, in a rationalist scheme; that's fine. My opinion is that imagination <I>connects</I> higher and lower, at least at the start. <BR/><BR/>"Petey realized when he trancelighted these passages that very few readers would ever obtain any benefit from them."<BR/>Well, those that <I>have</I> sez "Thanks!"walthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388218390016612051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-77738689611150558132008-05-30T10:46:00.001-07:002008-05-30T10:46:00.001-07:00Ray - Faith may be a little like what it takes to ...Ray - Faith may be a little like what it takes to see the rest of the stereogram.<BR/><BR/>Robin - SPLASH!NoMohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01100042056270224683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-14522422709302596442008-05-30T10:46:00.000-07:002008-05-30T10:46:00.000-07:00I predict Ray will leave another uncomprehending c...I predict Ray will leave another uncomprehending comment today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-17042271159253717672008-05-30T10:29:00.000-07:002008-05-30T10:29:00.000-07:00Seeing connections in the past is easy. You know y...Seeing connections in the past is easy. You know you're actually onto something (as opposed to on something) if you can extend those connections into predictions of the future. You can find all sort of interesting connections in stock prices or lottery numbers. But they turn out to be illusions when you try to extend them to the future.<BR/><BR/>(Actually, that's what people claim 'global warming' is - extrapolating historical data beyond what it can justify. Dismiss the one, without dismissing the other?)<BR/><BR/>People are good at finding patterns in random data. Sometimes the patterns are really there - like if you saw half a stereogram, you could make good guesses about what the other half would look like. But it's the predictions that let you know you've found a real connection.Ray Ingleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16290483120987779339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-6895437073814474332008-05-30T10:25:00.000-07:002008-05-30T10:25:00.000-07:00How did Cohen do it? By shooting at blanks. Very...How did Cohen do it? By shooting at blanks. Very intently.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-30569245095571303332008-05-30T10:19:00.000-07:002008-05-30T10:19:00.000-07:00How did Leonard Cohen do it?? It's uncanny. But I ...How did Leonard Cohen do it?? It's uncanny. <BR/><BR/>But I can tell you this much for sure...whatever I wrote then was more like a child scribbling at the shore of that ocean. <BR/><BR/>Maybe I've learned to drown a bit more since then. I hope.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-47985110495939885182008-05-30T10:14:00.000-07:002008-05-30T10:14:00.000-07:00That's a high water mark on today's post. Bookmark...That's a high water mark on today's post. Bookmarked to point out the powerful runoff available for the days I find myself standing in a dry riverbed wondering where all the water went.<BR/><BR/>boat leaves tomorrow<BR/>returns to port yesterday<BR/>seashells on both shores<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/><BR/>Aside to NoMo - since I sent you an invitation to float the Payette moments before reading Bob's post, you can't refuse, dude! ;-)robinstarfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15665546554663005609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-92082024974295246332008-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:002008-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00qp--Yes, I took the passages from both of those se...qp--<BR/><BR/>Yes, I took the passages from both of those sections. <BR/><BR/>Anon:<BR/><BR/>Also reminds me of Leonard Cohen:<BR/><BR/>And Jesus was a sailor <BR/>When he walked upon the water <BR/>And he spent a long time watching <BR/>From his lonely wooden tower <BR/>And when he knew for certain <BR/>Only drowning men could see him <BR/>He said "All men will be sailors then <BR/>Until the sea shall free them" <BR/>But he himself was broken <BR/>Long before the sky would open <BR/>Forsaken, almost human <BR/>He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone <BR/>And you want to travel with him <BR/>And you want to travel blind <BR/>And you think maybe you'll trust him <BR/>For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-23731231218928710472008-05-30T09:57:00.000-07:002008-05-30T09:57:00.000-07:00Long ago, when I foolish enough to do such things,...Long ago, when I foolish enough to do such things, I wrote a song entitled "Learning to Drown"--long since forgotten save the title-- and I never really was sure what I meant by that exactly.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for helping me figure that out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-64746897746125791972008-05-30T09:55:00.000-07:002008-05-30T09:55:00.000-07:00Bob,Being frugal, I bought Perry's A Treasury of T...Bob,<BR/>Being frugal, I bought Perry's <I>A Treasury of Traditional Wisdom</I>, hearing it and <I>Spiritual Ascent</I> were one and the same. I'm not finding a chapter on "Spiritual Drowning", (is that your designation?), but I found the quotes you present here from Kwannon Sutra and Samyutta-nikaya on page 655; chapter title "The Surface of the Waters". Curious to know if the books are indeed one and the same, perhaps with subtle variations. Can you confirm?QPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15827536245376441948noreply@blogger.com