Random Dharma

Femto, I don't think that link is appropriate for this forum and I've reported it to the moderator. I could be wrong, so I wanted to let you know that I was reporting it so that you would have the ability to explain why you think those graphic images are appropriate for posting here.

Really? I thought it was interesting, and appropriate to meditation in a way - removing extraneous processes of self in order to live a fuller life.

Maybe its a little grave, I didn't really think that. It was a successful operation & a pretty interesting, hardcore story I thought.

How about you edit your post to say that there are graphic images on the page? Please consider that not everyone wants to see images like that or they may be viewing this Awakenetwork at home/work/public and having those images appear may not be appropriate in those settings.

every3rdthought wrote: Uncovering The Secret History Of Myers-Briggs

"Of all the questionable assumptions that prop up the Myers-Briggs indicator, this one strikes me as the shakiest: that you are "born with a four letter preference," a reductive blueprint for how to move through life's infinite and varied challenges. [...] so too does the indicator imagine that each person will fall into their designated niche in a high-functioning and productive social order."

That's funny, I'm vaguely aware that this was developed or at least often deployed in a corporate setting, so that last line makes a lot of sense about how it may be (mis?)applied. I've always understood the type one tests as to reflect one's 'ego' in the Jungian sense of the term, the patterns we habitually cling to consciously. So other major sub-personalities like the shadow, anima etc. would actually test differently, and as we proceed along the process of individuation (becoming more integrated) we gradually test more and more neutral as we gain better (i.e., more consciously situational and flexible) access to the various functions.

I think most people are so used to trying to build and stabilize a solid-feeling self-image that they'll even use tools which were designed to soften and open the sense of self into a more inclusive mode to shut themselves down, to lock in to a pseudo-solid version of themselves.

Jake St. Onge wrote: other major sub-personalities like the shadow, anima etc. would actually test differently

Interesting!

I think most people are so used to trying to build and stabilize a solid-feeling self-image that they'll even use tools which were designed to soften and open the sense of self into a more inclusive mode to shut themselves down, to lock in to a pseudo-solid version of themselves.

Nicely said!

Yeah, if one is into the deeper aspects of the Jungian thing whether on its own or as a complement to awakening practices, I highly recommend using the typology in conjunction with understanding these various sub-systems of personality including taking the test from the 'POV" of one of these other facets of your personality. Very illuminating. Further complicating it, realize that you have various anima/shadow/Self etc. figures within, just as your conscious ego is actually a loosely interlocking set of modules. I've found it very useful when contacting subsystems through dreamwork for example to use the typology test as a way of fleshing out and bringing into consciousness the strengths, weaknesses and attitudes of that subsystem.

Here's a random thought on these psychological typologies: suppose that the archetypal paradigm of the 20th century is psychology? It is the default explanation for everything from politics, art, religion, to undefined medical maladies-- like Lyme for the first decade-plus before the tick vector was finally understood; or autism before anyone thought to look at neurology and toxins. We pretty much assume that it is individual psychology that drives behavior; some of us further assume that "mind (or psyche)" is pretty much synonymous with "brain (or nervous system)." I think it is interesting to wonder what other cultures have understood-- or could in future imagine-- in the place of psychology.

David Chapman has done a pretty good job at starting the conversation rolling about how Buddhism has been inflected by Western cultural outlook and expectations of what constitutes a religion or philosophy, but the primacy of psychology is under-explored, IMO.

One of the things about this is that psychology is generally very individualistic and tends to discount systemic factors (except the family in infancy and childhood). And so we often judge both ourselves and others on this basis, which gives an atomised view of the Self and its differences, as well as misattributing the behaviour of other people. To try to start to see this is another way to approach interconnectedness.,

Agreed.

Psychology never made sense to me divorced from sociology and cultural anthropology.

Even from a therapeutic angle (whether self therapizing or working with clients in community mental health) it is impossible to really help someone without zooming out to the socio-cultural stuff that they are interwoven in. Whether it's a question of past family dynamics being reproduced inappropriately or simply, straightforwardly current circumstances (poverty, food deserts, lack of employment opportunity, lack of understanding of developmental disabilities in a college). The latter seems more important in many cases than the former!

"“Anyone can pop up and say they’re a mindfulness teacher, so there is a lot of anxiety within the mindfulness community,” said Madeleine Bunting, an adviser to the all-party parliamentary group on mindfulness"
#irony
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oc...arket-commodity-risk

thedaobums.com/topic/38892-tdbs-interview-with-daniel-ingram/

TDB's interview with Daniel Ingram

"Over the next 25 years, 27,000 of the country’s 77,000 temples are expected to close,
in one of the biggest existential crises facing Japanese Buddhism since it was introduced from Korea in the sixth century."

www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/06/ze...ons-as-temples-close

Ken McLeod Practice tip: how does practice affect relationships
myemail.constantcontact.com/practice-tip...n-relationships.html

What happens when one person in a relationship gets involved in a meditation practice and the other does not?

Meditation and mindfulness have now become somewhat fashionable, if not a bit chic. While meditation generally brings many benefits, it may change the dynamics in a relationship in a way that one person or the other has difficulty.

In particular, what is the experience of the person who does not take up a meditation practice? The closest analogy is, surprisingly, that their partner is having an affair. Why?

For simplicity, suppose A and B are in a relationship and A takes up a meditation practice.

A regularly spends a certain amount of time in another world. In that world, he or she does not communicate or relate with B. The time that A spends meditating often comes out of time that A and B would normally spend together. Even when B intellectually knows about the benefits of meditation practice, if he or she does not feel any calling or interest in meditation, B may feel abandoned, at a loss, or uncertain about why A needs to spend that time on his or her own.

Not infrequently, the meditation teacher becomes an important figure in A's life. A is learning a new ability, exploring new ways of relating to the world, and the meditation teacher often plays a significant role in shaping A's understanding and how A relates to his or her life. For B, it may feel as if the emotional center of their lives together has shifted and there is now a third person in the picture. B may feel a loss and may feel jealous or envious.

When A goes to his or her new world (the world of practice), B may not know much about it or understand why it's important to A. What is A doing? While A makes new connections and forms new friendships and feels enriched and enlivened by this new activity, B remains in the life they had together before, except that the life they had has gone and something different is replacing it.

A, full of enthusiasm, may encourage B to take up a meditation practice. A may bring books about meditation home and ask B to read them. But to B, the encouragement, the invitation to participate, the books and other paraphanelia may feel like an imposition or, worse, a condition, even a threat, to the continuance of the relationship.

Many couples negotiate these issues without difficulty, and many couples find that their relationship improves when A takes up a meditation practice. For instance, the wife of one of my students was initially convinced that her husband had joined a cult. Over time, however, she saw that he remained committed to their relationship, but with one tangible and much appreciated change: he was less volatile, less reactive. She summed this up one day by saying to me, "Ken, I'll never meditate. But I certainly have benefitted from it."

If you take up a meditation practice and your partner does not, consider that, for your partner, it is like you are having an affair and he or she may feel jealous, lonely and afraid. In such situations, words mean very little.

In emotional connection relationships, your partner generally pays more attention to actions, to body language and to what is actually happening between you than to what you say. Through how you live and how you relate, you demonstrate how committed you are to the relationship. For instance, for every minute you practice, spend an equal or longer time with your partner. Don't hide or conceal what you are doing from him or her. If you go to a meditation class, tell your partner where you are going and when you will be back, and be back at that time. In other words, remove ambiguity and uncertainty. If your partner asks about taking up a meditation practice, leave it up to him or her. If your partner expresses a definite interest in meditation, put him or her in touch with resources. It is generally better not to try to teach your partner yourself.

As you continue meditation practice, your behavior may start to shift. Your partner may experience the shift during arguments or decision times. He or she feels that you are changing, that you don't react the way that you used and that the way you interact is different, unfamiliar. Your priorities may have changed. These changes in dynamics can spill into every area of your relationship, including how you raise your children, your sex life or your attitude to work, money or politics. There may be a change in what you prioritize in your life. Your partner may welcome some or all of these changes, but equally, he or she may fear you are changing and that you may move away from the relationship. This is fear of the unknown: neither of you really knows how your relationship will evolve. If your partner says, "You are changing," or "You don't react the same way," bite your tongue. It's usually not a good idea to say, "I'm being mindful." Don't give explanations for your behavior that are based on practice principles or teachings you value. To do so simply confirms your partner's worst fears: you are putting practice before relationship. Better to inquire about your partner's experience and make clear what he or she means to you.

At a workshop on basic meditation in Portland, Oregon, I asked everyone why they had come. One woman replied, "My husband has practiced Zen for 25 years. He has never said anything about it, never suggested that I should practice. But when I left to come here today, he had a little smile." I was very impressed with the maturity of this couple. Both had the confidence to let each other grow in their own way and at their own pace. Meditation practice, ideally, helps you to have that confidence. And that confidence is the key to a solid relationship.

This Most Precious Thing

When I was doing my research in Calcutta, Dipa Ma brought her neighbor to me, a sixty-five year old woman whose name was Madhuri Lata. She had raised her family, her children were gone, and, unlike most Indian families, she was alone with her husband, with no extended family living in the same household. Her husband had said to her, "You have nothing to do now. This 'aunt' of yours, Dipa Ma, teaches this meditation practice. Why don't you talk with her? It'll give you something to do."

Madhuri, who had mild developmental delays, went to Dipa Ma, and Dipa a gave her the basic instructions-- to note "rising, falling, rising, falling." Madhuri said, "Okay," and started to go home, down four flights of stairs and across the alley to her apartment. She didn't get halfway down the stairs before she forgot the instructions. So, back she came.

"What was I supposed to do?" she asked.

"Rising, falling, rising, falling," said Dipa Ma.

"Oh, yes, that's right."

Four times, Madhuri forgot the instructions and had to come back. Dipa Ma was very patient with her. It took Madhuri almost a year to understand the basic instructions, but once she got them, she was like a tiger. Before she began to practice, Madhuri was bent over at a ninety-degree angle with arthritis, rheumatism, and intestinal problems. When I met her, after her enlightenment experience, she walked with a straight back. No more intestinal problems. She was the simplest, sweetest, gentlest woman.

After she told me her enlightenment story, she said, "All this time, I've wanted to tell someone about this wonderful thing that happened to me, and I've never been able to share this before, this most precious thing in my life."

Jack Engler

a tweet:

老虎 ‏@Shibumizo Nov 6
In my teaching, the term "Emptiness" is replaced by the more astute term, "Instantaneousness." Thus various theory problems are dissolved.

I Found Nirvana Several Times (It Wasn’t What I Was Looking For), by Scott Kiloby

naturalrestforaddiction.com/i-found-nirv...t-i-was-looking-for/

Of course, with Adya, none of this dharma is 'random' by any stretch-- but it did appear randomly on my FaceBook feed:

"Spiritual people can be some of the most violent people you will ever meet. Mostly, they are violent to themselves. They violently try to control their minds, their emotions, and their bodies. They become upset with themselves and beat themselves up for not rising up to the conditioned mind's idea of what it believes enlightenment to be. No one ever became free through such violence. Why is it that so few people are truly free? Because they try to conform to ideas, concepts, and beliefs in their heads. They try to concentrate their way to heaven. But freedom is about the natural state, the spontaneous and un-self-conscious expression of beingness. If you want to find it, see that the very idea of "a someone who is in control" is a concept created by the mind. Take one step backward into the unknown."

~Adyashanti

Let water and oil come to clarity by themselves.
No self takes up or lets go of what arises and passes away.
Yes! This is awareness-itself.
And so, it can’t be taught in any substantial way.
So, don’t be mistaken.

(edit: it's a quote from a mahamudra book)

Absolutely love this song. There's some good dharma in the lyrics

Seeing any substance as it really is
is seeing all substance as it really is.

Nagarjuna