In this article I begin by examining Jesus' commandment against judging others, thus demonstrating the folly of condemning others due to an exception of one of the Commandments of God.
For it is our love for one another as Christians who help each other realize the value of being nonjudgmental and accepting of other faiths.
In Matthew 7:1-3, Matthew, one of the followers of Jesus, wrote:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"
These verses advise us to be nonjudgmental since we each see life from our own point of view, and rarely see it from another person's view point. Yet, through compassion and love for others, it is possible to see the whole picture by simply listening to their story about their lives.
In John 8:1-11 is the story of the adulteress. A woman is accused by scribes and Pharisees of adultery, but Jesus told them "he who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone." After realizing their consciences were not clear, all of the men left, until just Jesus and the woman remained. He asked if any of her accusers remained to condemn her, which she replied "No man, Lord." In response, he said "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more."
This quote tells us not to condemn others. With the verses in Matthew 7 and John 8, Jesus' commands are clear: judge no one, not even yourself and condemn no one of a sin.
By condemning that woman, the scribes and Pharisees will have committed the sin of murder despite their exception to God's commandment of it.
Only a person who is innocent of all sin may judge others, yet few of us are of such innocence. Yet, by repenting of a sin, we are ready to learn from the act of repentance to refrain from sinning again.
What Jesus commands is that a god-fearing man ought to refrain from judging others lest they condemn someone and commit a greater sin of false accusation (lying about another person's character or conduct).
In response to sin, Jesus commanded "that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that he love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34)
By loving one another, and remaining nonjudgmental, we as Christians refrain from condemning other people. In the process, the Christian becomes more accepting of others because of her love and respect for both herself and other people.
When it comes time to share your faith with others, it is wise to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:6:
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."
In other words, share what is sacred only with people of like mind. For they alone will respect your faith and how you worship.
Be not foolish and preach to anyone who has shown that they refuse to respect your faith, lest they point out the differences between their faith and yours disrespectfully until the both of you commit littles sins in defending your respective faiths.
Instead only share the truth of your faith, be it doctrine or otherwise, using scripture with fellow members of your faith.
Thus, it is wise to agree with your fellow Christians of other faiths on the basic principles of the Christ-centered life: love one another - even your enemies - and judge no one (Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 22:37-40).
Showing posts with label acceptance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acceptance. Show all posts
20141023
Let God Be My Master (poem)
No longer can I ask what I do
for myself; rather, I ask myself:
"What will God give to me?"
Freedom from life's woes is
sometimes as easy as coming
to believe God is everywhere.
Since God is everywhere,
what then do I have
to fear but fear itself?
By accepting God into my life,
all fear is replaced by faith
in His power to look after me.
Do I still fear? Yes, I fear
and thus respect God,
for He is truly my Master.
By placing my life in God's hands,
that respect and humility nurtures
a growing sense of fearlessness and courage.
It helps me to remember
the prayer of a sinner:
‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Suppose that all of Christendom
finds me to be unworthy to sup with them
in Heaven when that time comes.
Then the Absolute is my inspiration,
and no-self is the divine principle.
Still, God shall remain my Master.
For what is the Absolute but
Heaven itself? For God is absent there
as is the Buddha after death.
Let God be my Master, the Absolute
my inspiration and the Buddha,
the origin of the Golden Rule:
"Do unto others
what thou wishes
done until thineself."
Originally posted October 21, 2010 1:26 AM
Updated on December 25, 2013 at 6:54 AM
for myself; rather, I ask myself:
"What will God give to me?"
Freedom from life's woes is
sometimes as easy as coming
to believe God is everywhere.
Since God is everywhere,
what then do I have
to fear but fear itself?
By accepting God into my life,
all fear is replaced by faith
in His power to look after me.
Do I still fear? Yes, I fear
and thus respect God,
for He is truly my Master.
By placing my life in God's hands,
that respect and humility nurtures
a growing sense of fearlessness and courage.
It helps me to remember
the prayer of a sinner:
‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Suppose that all of Christendom
finds me to be unworthy to sup with them
in Heaven when that time comes.
Then the Absolute is my inspiration,
and no-self is the divine principle.
Still, God shall remain my Master.
For what is the Absolute but
Heaven itself? For God is absent there
as is the Buddha after death.
Let God be my Master, the Absolute
my inspiration and the Buddha,
the origin of the Golden Rule:
"Do unto others
what thou wishes
done until thineself."
Originally posted October 21, 2010 1:26 AM
Updated on December 25, 2013 at 6:54 AM
20140906
Acceptance (satire)
Sometimes society practices a covert form of sociopathy by shaming successful people, merely for being sociopaths, narcissists and empaths.
I find the vitriolic name-calling of such people to be objectionable. All it shows to me is a cold-heartedness inspired by fear that is totally unacknowledged and often denied, only to be projected onto other people who do not meet society's sometimes narrow definition of compassion and understanding.
Ultimately, society becomes monstrous when ill-will towards others people results in unwarranted hatred towards sociopaths, narcissists and empaths.
For we are all a part of society, whether we identify with "being normal", whatever that means, or being a sociopath, narcissist or empath. Society's tendency to project its own monstrous cold-heartedness onto people considered "not normal" results in such people as being monsters.
I affirm they are no such thing, and society is better off with successful sociopaths in business, successful narcissists in show business, and successful empaths in all endeavors, for which they all are a match.
This is not the time to be drawing a line between "them" and "us", but to work for the enlightened times of today where nobody is special and everyone is in it for the long haul towards progress for the Earth.
Instead of hate, let there be love for all people regardless of the labels that might divide us. For acceptance of our fellow sentient beings leads to a stronger society, for the good of us all.
Originally posted on July 13, 2014 at 8:55 PM PDT
I find the vitriolic name-calling of such people to be objectionable. All it shows to me is a cold-heartedness inspired by fear that is totally unacknowledged and often denied, only to be projected onto other people who do not meet society's sometimes narrow definition of compassion and understanding.
Ultimately, society becomes monstrous when ill-will towards others people results in unwarranted hatred towards sociopaths, narcissists and empaths.
For we are all a part of society, whether we identify with "being normal", whatever that means, or being a sociopath, narcissist or empath. Society's tendency to project its own monstrous cold-heartedness onto people considered "not normal" results in such people as being monsters.
I affirm they are no such thing, and society is better off with successful sociopaths in business, successful narcissists in show business, and successful empaths in all endeavors, for which they all are a match.
This is not the time to be drawing a line between "them" and "us", but to work for the enlightened times of today where nobody is special and everyone is in it for the long haul towards progress for the Earth.
Instead of hate, let there be love for all people regardless of the labels that might divide us. For acceptance of our fellow sentient beings leads to a stronger society, for the good of us all.
Originally posted on July 13, 2014 at 8:55 PM PDT
20140820
Maybe - A Zen Story about Acceptance and Surrender
A farmer lived in the days when fighting was going on between small kingdoms in China. This farmer had a son.
His son, with the aid of the horse, was tilling a small field. One day the horse ran away. The neighbors came and said, 'It's a very bad thing. You have such bad luck." The farmer said, "Maybe."
So the next day the horse came back with half a dozen other wild horses. The neighbors came again and they said, "What tremendous luck." So he said, "Maybe."
On the third day the son, while trying to ride one of the wild horses, fell and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came and said what bad luck it was, and the farmer said, "Maybe."
The next day the king's people came to recruit strong healthy farmers into the army. When they found this farmer's son with a broken leg they left him alone. So, again, the neighbors came and said it wasn't such bad luck after all and that everything had turned out well. The farmer said, again, "Maybe."
By saying "Maybe", the farmer shows acceptance of the trials of life and surrender to the Absolute. He lets go of clinging to this life, and lets God work in his mysterious ways.
While the farmer could have reacted to the three misfortunes that happened to him, he didn't. Instead, he ignored his neighbours who attributed his misfortune to luck but held his peace. Therefore misfortune is not due to luck at all; nor is good fortune.
Circumstances will happen for a reason that we cannot fully understand, and only through maintaining this farmer's stoicness are we able to open our eyes to the truth.
By accepting the trials of life without lamentation, the wise are able to surrender to the Absolute. This is known as "letting go and letting God."
His son, with the aid of the horse, was tilling a small field. One day the horse ran away. The neighbors came and said, 'It's a very bad thing. You have such bad luck." The farmer said, "Maybe."
So the next day the horse came back with half a dozen other wild horses. The neighbors came again and they said, "What tremendous luck." So he said, "Maybe."
On the third day the son, while trying to ride one of the wild horses, fell and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came and said what bad luck it was, and the farmer said, "Maybe."
The next day the king's people came to recruit strong healthy farmers into the army. When they found this farmer's son with a broken leg they left him alone. So, again, the neighbors came and said it wasn't such bad luck after all and that everything had turned out well. The farmer said, again, "Maybe."
By saying "Maybe", the farmer shows acceptance of the trials of life and surrender to the Absolute. He lets go of clinging to this life, and lets God work in his mysterious ways.
While the farmer could have reacted to the three misfortunes that happened to him, he didn't. Instead, he ignored his neighbours who attributed his misfortune to luck but held his peace. Therefore misfortune is not due to luck at all; nor is good fortune.
Circumstances will happen for a reason that we cannot fully understand, and only through maintaining this farmer's stoicness are we able to open our eyes to the truth.
By accepting the trials of life without lamentation, the wise are able to surrender to the Absolute. This is known as "letting go and letting God."
20140807
A Meditation on the Weird and Wonderful (satire)
Sometimes, out of fear a person would deem me weird, rather than acknowledge their fear and grow from that knowledge.
Labelling me weird means you are afraid of someone else being different from you.
It also means you do not care to know me, but wish to remain ignorant of the fact that I am mostly harmless and am a very loyal friend to those people who are willing to abandon their fear of me and to love me just as I am.
Knowing this, I understand why I have few friends because truth telling like this is certain to scare away people unable to handle the truth.
They will deny it to be true, and accuse me of insulting them, telling me "You don't know me."
Of course, I do not know you but the truth is, my own fear of you do not end with me projecting it onto you, and labelling you "weird". That would be too easy to do.
Instead, I would meditate on why people label other people they barely know as "weird", and come to realize that such labelling is based on ignorance about the "weird" person and the unwillingness to get to know the other person and truly acknowledge them as a human being.
Perhaps we project our anxiety about "being different" onto other people, mainly because we want to fit in, and keeping out people who we think don't fit in is for the greater good.
Sadly though, creating a "them versus us" scenario violates the human rights of the person who is merely different from you, even if it may be higher intelligence, being more patient than Job, or having the biggest collection of plush toys.
For myself, I find that I grow from the knowledge about other people who are my closest friends. This comes through sharing our thoughts about our lives, and overcoming our fears about what concerns us, such as food, shelter and entertainment. Often it requires promises of commitment followed by honoring that commitment.
Perhaps it is possible to be weird and wonderful. Perhaps weird morphs into a new kind of difference which arises out of love and respect for each other. Maybe it's time to embrace the fear and transform our inner weirdness into something wonderful.
For love conquers the fear of being different.
Labelling me weird means you are afraid of someone else being different from you.
It also means you do not care to know me, but wish to remain ignorant of the fact that I am mostly harmless and am a very loyal friend to those people who are willing to abandon their fear of me and to love me just as I am.
Knowing this, I understand why I have few friends because truth telling like this is certain to scare away people unable to handle the truth.
They will deny it to be true, and accuse me of insulting them, telling me "You don't know me."
Of course, I do not know you but the truth is, my own fear of you do not end with me projecting it onto you, and labelling you "weird". That would be too easy to do.
Instead, I would meditate on why people label other people they barely know as "weird", and come to realize that such labelling is based on ignorance about the "weird" person and the unwillingness to get to know the other person and truly acknowledge them as a human being.
Perhaps we project our anxiety about "being different" onto other people, mainly because we want to fit in, and keeping out people who we think don't fit in is for the greater good.
Sadly though, creating a "them versus us" scenario violates the human rights of the person who is merely different from you, even if it may be higher intelligence, being more patient than Job, or having the biggest collection of plush toys.
For myself, I find that I grow from the knowledge about other people who are my closest friends. This comes through sharing our thoughts about our lives, and overcoming our fears about what concerns us, such as food, shelter and entertainment. Often it requires promises of commitment followed by honoring that commitment.
Perhaps it is possible to be weird and wonderful. Perhaps weird morphs into a new kind of difference which arises out of love and respect for each other. Maybe it's time to embrace the fear and transform our inner weirdness into something wonderful.
For love conquers the fear of being different.
20140803
Humble Acceptance and Authenticity (satire)
"To be beautiful
means to be yourself.
You don't need to be
accepted by others.
You need to accept yourself" — Thich Nhat Hanh
In striving for an authentic life, I realize that accepting myself as I am is the secret to humility. By being humble enough to be myself, I am empowered by unconditional love to accept myself.
By loving myself as I am, I realize that the key to self perfection is the ability to accept myself. No matter how imperfect I am, becoming perfect is a guide to a better life.
However, I do not seek to be perfect. Perhaps I am perfect by accepting myself, warts and all.
It is said that the pure mind is recovered after calming the mind until its pureness is revealed. After calming the mind through breath meditation (samatha), I am able to stay still, for there is no need to keep moving to prove that I am alive.
For I am beautiful enough to humbly accept myself as I walk on this journey called the authentic life.
Reference:
The pure mind mentioned in this article is the amala consciousness, the ninth consciousness of Yogacara Buddhism.
For details on the nine consciousnesses, see: http://operationmeditation.com/discover/levels-of-consciousness-a-buddhist-perspective/
means to be yourself.
You don't need to be
accepted by others.
You need to accept yourself" — Thich Nhat Hanh
In striving for an authentic life, I realize that accepting myself as I am is the secret to humility. By being humble enough to be myself, I am empowered by unconditional love to accept myself.
By loving myself as I am, I realize that the key to self perfection is the ability to accept myself. No matter how imperfect I am, becoming perfect is a guide to a better life.
However, I do not seek to be perfect. Perhaps I am perfect by accepting myself, warts and all.
It is said that the pure mind is recovered after calming the mind until its pureness is revealed. After calming the mind through breath meditation (samatha), I am able to stay still, for there is no need to keep moving to prove that I am alive.
For I am beautiful enough to humbly accept myself as I walk on this journey called the authentic life.
Reference:
The pure mind mentioned in this article is the amala consciousness, the ninth consciousness of Yogacara Buddhism.
For details on the nine consciousnesses, see: http://operationmeditation.com/discover/levels-of-consciousness-a-buddhist-perspective/
20131220
When Pain Killers Don't Cut It
Erowid user confesses to possible addiction to opioids for kidney stone pain. Commentary to follow quote.
http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=22485
Commentary: Acute pain caused by kidney stones is never remedied by opioids, except when the user is asleep. Had the Emergency doctor been on the ball, had she co-prescribed hydroxyzine or suggested an OTC antihistamine such as Benedryl (diphenhydramine), Chlor-tripolon (chlorpheniramine) or even cetirizine (which has not sedative properties but being a metabolite of hydroxyzine) does moderate opioid potentition, the user would have experienced pain relief earlier once the sedation of the antihistamine kicked in. This also implies less opioids can be taken to relieve the pain.
As shown in the above case, the person reporting his experience with opioids is under great pain, and under these circumstances, tries to dull the pain. Adding an antihistamine to lessen his dose of opioids would complicate matters i.e. scheduling when to take it and how to tell the difference between an antihistamine and an opioid. So the combination would only be useful in a hospital setting where dose scheduling could be better controlled.
This is why antihistamines, especially first-generation such as Benedryl, Chlor-tripolon and hydroxyzine, are usually not given to people with their pain medication due to the risk of overdose.
This is also why tobacco products are addictive, because of the synergy between the nicotine (an acetylcholine agonist) and harmaline, a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and a reversible inhibitor of MAO-A (RIMA), contained in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
A RIMA prevents the breakdown of neurotransmitters, especially acetylcholine, adrenalin, dopamine, GABA, noradrenalin, serotonin, and tyrosine.
As a RIMA, harmaline also prevents histamine (a monamine) from breaking down. In high doses, with susceptible people it might cause hallucinations because of this action by preventing the breakdown of endogenous dimethyltryptamine. This is not true in all cases.
Nicotine itself too is a CNS stimulant, though its metabolite cotinine is both an anti-psychotic and nootropic.
Original post: June 10, 2010 at 7:40 PM
http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=22485
I came online tonight searching for answers to my questions about the myriad of drugs I am currently taking, and thought my experience so far with these drugs could prove useful to someone in my position in the future. I have had been passing kidney stones for the past week - the most painful experience of my life - and in between my many trips to the ER, I have been given oxycodone, toradol and dilaudid to control the pain.
I am extremely afraid of developing an addiction to these drugs, as I have an 'addictive personality' and have had drug habit problems in the past. It's been a difficult situation because the onset of kidney pain sends me into such a fright that I pop the maximum amount of pills that I am supposed to take at once. I am afraid that slight pain I begin to feel will worsen until I am in the state I was in the first day I had the stones - a pain that I would not wish upon my worst enemy. The pain had me reduced to a blabbering, crying mess. When I got to the ER that day I had no control over my words and actions, and I was screaming and moaning for painkillers. When I finally got my shot of toradol and dilaudid I was in heaven...and I tried so hard to convince myself it was just from the pain relief, not from the drugs themselves.
I finally left the hospital that day and continued to have bouts of pain that would sometimes be relieved by the prescriptions, and sometimes not. By the fourth day, I noticed the meds were having no effect whatsoever. It scared me that I already was having such a tolerance to the meds, especially because of how strong I was told dilaudid was. Was it the strength of pain or my tolerance to the meds? I don't really know. I just got home from my third visit to the hospital in the past week, except I had to stay overnight with a morphine drip to control the pain. I was later switched to oral medication - oxycodone - and I was able to handle the pain that way so I got sent home with 30 more pills.
There is no real point to my story except that I question my actions...at the slightest possibility of my beginning to feel twinges of back/abdomen pain associated with kidney stones, I take the oxycodone, toradol, and/or dilaudid. I really don't know if it's more because I am afraid of having pain like I did, or because I am developing an addiction to these pain killers. I must admit that the pain killers make it so much easier to sleep, and as soon as I feel the 'coming down' effects like increased sensitivity (crying at the drop of a hat) and increased annoyedness (especially at loud noise), I feel compelled to take the drugs. At the same time, however, these drugs do not provide all bliss to me either; I experience intense itchiness, mild nausea, and an overwhelming grogginess that brings about a depressed mental state. I personally feel much better having written this, because I think I am being a lot more honest with myself, and have realized that I have caught myself giving in to an addiction...
Commentary: Acute pain caused by kidney stones is never remedied by opioids, except when the user is asleep. Had the Emergency doctor been on the ball, had she co-prescribed hydroxyzine or suggested an OTC antihistamine such as Benedryl (diphenhydramine), Chlor-tripolon (chlorpheniramine) or even cetirizine (which has not sedative properties but being a metabolite of hydroxyzine) does moderate opioid potentition, the user would have experienced pain relief earlier once the sedation of the antihistamine kicked in. This also implies less opioids can be taken to relieve the pain.
As shown in the above case, the person reporting his experience with opioids is under great pain, and under these circumstances, tries to dull the pain. Adding an antihistamine to lessen his dose of opioids would complicate matters i.e. scheduling when to take it and how to tell the difference between an antihistamine and an opioid. So the combination would only be useful in a hospital setting where dose scheduling could be better controlled.
This is why antihistamines, especially first-generation such as Benedryl, Chlor-tripolon and hydroxyzine, are usually not given to people with their pain medication due to the risk of overdose.
This is also why tobacco products are addictive, because of the synergy between the nicotine (an acetylcholine agonist) and harmaline, a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and a reversible inhibitor of MAO-A (RIMA), contained in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
A RIMA prevents the breakdown of neurotransmitters, especially acetylcholine, adrenalin, dopamine, GABA, noradrenalin, serotonin, and tyrosine.
As a RIMA, harmaline also prevents histamine (a monamine) from breaking down. In high doses, with susceptible people it might cause hallucinations because of this action by preventing the breakdown of endogenous dimethyltryptamine. This is not true in all cases.
Nicotine itself too is a CNS stimulant, though its metabolite cotinine is both an anti-psychotic and nootropic.
Original post: June 10, 2010 at 7:40 PM
20101007
Possible Solutions to Cognitive Distortions
Usually when a person is negative about what another person has said or written, it says more about his unconscious negativity in his life.
In some rare cases, it may be indication of any number of cognitive distortions.
If so, here's what I managed to come up with as possible solutions to key cognitive distortions.
1) Things do not fit black and white categories. This is the fallacy of all or nothing thinking. Things might be both grey and colourful. The proof of this is the metaphor of a digital photograph, which is saturated with colours and tinged with shades of grey. Likewise, being human, I am not perfect and live within the limits of my imperfection. The solution here is found in pausing to reflect on the greyness of living in post-modern times.
2) A single negative event does not fit into any sort of pattern of defeat. This is a fallacy of over-generalization. For each event has both positive and negative qualities. Therefore, I need to focus on accepting the event as happening as it is.
3) The fallacy of the mental filter is that it distorts reality into being just the focus of one negative detail which is dwelt on until all of reality is darkened. What positive details I may have noticed are forgotten, but not for long. I may think of the positive details as they come into focus. Thus, reality is not dark nor is it just that one negative detail.
The truth is, reality is composed of neutral events and things to which each of us ascribes positive or negative qualities based on criteria according to a multitude of factors including our experiences, education, vocation, and so on.
4) Positive experiences are more important to my well-being than negative experiences. The fallacy of disqualifying the positive is that it rejects those positive experiences based on the flimsy criteria that "it does not count" or some other baseless claim. Everyday experience consistently demonstrates that positive experiences occur more often than negative ones, because that is the way the human mind works. It is how the universe works.
5) The fallacy of jumping to conclusions consists of the negative interpretation of events despite there being no definite facts which convincingly support the conclusion. One variety of jumping to conclusions is mind reading, where I may conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don't bother to check this out. The solution to this is to either check it out or to pro-actively drop all thought of the matter using meditation. The other variety of this fallacy is the fortune teller error, where I may anticipate that things will turn out badly, and feel that my prediction is an already-established fact. The solution to the fortune teller error is to not anticipate any kind of outcome at all, but to go with the flow i.e. life will bring to me great rewards when I go out into the world.
6) The fallacy of magnification (catastrophizing i.e. making a catastrophe of a thing) or minimization is the exaggeration of the importance of things (my mistakes or someone else's achievements) or "the binocular trick", the inappropriate shrinking of things (events, details) until they appear tiny (my own desirable qualities or the other person's imperfections). The solution to exaggeration of importance requires a lot more work i.e. everything is of equal importance, neither greater or lesser. My own desirable qualities is as important as the next person's. Other people's imperfections are usually of no consequence. Indeed, the fallacy of magnification requires meditation consisting of careful reflection on the matter in order to cut through the delusion of magnification, catastrophizing and minimization.
7) The fallacy of emotional reasoning is that I may assume my negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things are i.e. "I feel it, therefore it must be true." The solution here is to see that the way things are are equally devoid of my emotions, positive or negative. If I feel that the way things are as "bad", then that is not true. If I feel that the way things are "good", then that is not true either. My feelings do not make the way things are true or false. The fallacy of emotional reasoning is the fallacy of the false dilemma.
8) The fallacy of should statements consists of the use of "should" and "shouldn't", as if one had to be whipped and punished before being expected to do anything. "Must" and "ought" are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When I direct should statements towards others, I feel anger, frustration, and resentment. The solution to this fallacy is to mindfully let go of guilt, and have no expectations of self and others.
9) The fallacy of labelling and mislabelling is the extreme form of over-generalization. Rather than describing my error, I attach a negative label to myself. Rather than admitting I didn't visit my mother , I call myself a "bad son". When someone else's behaviour rubs me the wrong way, I attach a negative label to him: "He's weird". Mislabelling involves describing an event with language that is highly coloured and emotionally loaded. These labels may have context in the real world, but only within the dysfunctional context.
Such over-generalizations are inappropriate judgement calls which are not helpful in any situation since they tend to create more stress and suffering for each of us.
Thus the solution to labelling and mislabelling is to let go of any tendency to label and mislabel behaviour and people. In order to do so, I will cultivate, maintain and perpetuate a nonjudgmental attitude towards life.
In some rare cases, it may be indication of any number of cognitive distortions.
If so, here's what I managed to come up with as possible solutions to key cognitive distortions.
1) Things do not fit black and white categories. This is the fallacy of all or nothing thinking. Things might be both grey and colourful. The proof of this is the metaphor of a digital photograph, which is saturated with colours and tinged with shades of grey. Likewise, being human, I am not perfect and live within the limits of my imperfection. The solution here is found in pausing to reflect on the greyness of living in post-modern times.
2) A single negative event does not fit into any sort of pattern of defeat. This is a fallacy of over-generalization. For each event has both positive and negative qualities. Therefore, I need to focus on accepting the event as happening as it is.
3) The fallacy of the mental filter is that it distorts reality into being just the focus of one negative detail which is dwelt on until all of reality is darkened. What positive details I may have noticed are forgotten, but not for long. I may think of the positive details as they come into focus. Thus, reality is not dark nor is it just that one negative detail.
The truth is, reality is composed of neutral events and things to which each of us ascribes positive or negative qualities based on criteria according to a multitude of factors including our experiences, education, vocation, and so on.
4) Positive experiences are more important to my well-being than negative experiences. The fallacy of disqualifying the positive is that it rejects those positive experiences based on the flimsy criteria that "it does not count" or some other baseless claim. Everyday experience consistently demonstrates that positive experiences occur more often than negative ones, because that is the way the human mind works. It is how the universe works.
5) The fallacy of jumping to conclusions consists of the negative interpretation of events despite there being no definite facts which convincingly support the conclusion. One variety of jumping to conclusions is mind reading, where I may conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don't bother to check this out. The solution to this is to either check it out or to pro-actively drop all thought of the matter using meditation. The other variety of this fallacy is the fortune teller error, where I may anticipate that things will turn out badly, and feel that my prediction is an already-established fact. The solution to the fortune teller error is to not anticipate any kind of outcome at all, but to go with the flow i.e. life will bring to me great rewards when I go out into the world.
6) The fallacy of magnification (catastrophizing i.e. making a catastrophe of a thing) or minimization is the exaggeration of the importance of things (my mistakes or someone else's achievements) or "the binocular trick", the inappropriate shrinking of things (events, details) until they appear tiny (my own desirable qualities or the other person's imperfections). The solution to exaggeration of importance requires a lot more work i.e. everything is of equal importance, neither greater or lesser. My own desirable qualities is as important as the next person's. Other people's imperfections are usually of no consequence. Indeed, the fallacy of magnification requires meditation consisting of careful reflection on the matter in order to cut through the delusion of magnification, catastrophizing and minimization.
7) The fallacy of emotional reasoning is that I may assume my negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things are i.e. "I feel it, therefore it must be true." The solution here is to see that the way things are are equally devoid of my emotions, positive or negative. If I feel that the way things are as "bad", then that is not true. If I feel that the way things are "good", then that is not true either. My feelings do not make the way things are true or false. The fallacy of emotional reasoning is the fallacy of the false dilemma.
8) The fallacy of should statements consists of the use of "should" and "shouldn't", as if one had to be whipped and punished before being expected to do anything. "Must" and "ought" are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When I direct should statements towards others, I feel anger, frustration, and resentment. The solution to this fallacy is to mindfully let go of guilt, and have no expectations of self and others.
9) The fallacy of labelling and mislabelling is the extreme form of over-generalization. Rather than describing my error, I attach a negative label to myself. Rather than admitting I didn't visit my mother , I call myself a "bad son". When someone else's behaviour rubs me the wrong way, I attach a negative label to him: "He's weird". Mislabelling involves describing an event with language that is highly coloured and emotionally loaded. These labels may have context in the real world, but only within the dysfunctional context.
Such over-generalizations are inappropriate judgement calls which are not helpful in any situation since they tend to create more stress and suffering for each of us.
Thus the solution to labelling and mislabelling is to let go of any tendency to label and mislabel behaviour and people. In order to do so, I will cultivate, maintain and perpetuate a nonjudgmental attitude towards life.
20101006
Are We Naturally Crazy? The Three Functional Psychoses
Are we born crazy?
The three functional psychoses are mood disorders, delusional disorders, and schizophrenia.
Depending on the level of functional behavior, people with these disorders are able to contribute to society, sometimes in a greater capacity when the rest of society treats them with the respect they do deserve.
And they deserve a lot, especially given the prejudice given a good psychotic.
For not all psychoses have a violent etiology (host of "symptoms" and behavior related to the psychosis).
Indeed, not all psychoses are bad, or disabling.
I suffer from borderline personality disorder, which is related to delayed development of the brain.
Under the age of one, I suffered anoxia for a brief period of time, so there is post-natal brain damage.
As well, I have had about 6 head trauma before I was 13.
So I have probably suffered post-concussive trauma and the etiology which arose consists of rebelliousness, insomnia, rages, and risky behavior.
One example of risky behavior: obsession about holding my breath until I passed out.
As a child, I remember learning to masturbate by age 6.
I remember several incidents when my mother used to punish me, but forgive her for it because my misbehaviour was real and did occur.
So naturally when I entered adulthood, the insomnia led to marked changes caused by neurological damage suffered as a child.
In adulthood, the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder was made circa 1990.
At first, my doctor decided to leave it untreated out of respect for my decision to muse non-pharmacological methods of controlling it using alternative health.
15 years later, I've "awakened" to discover that I am missing out on a family and a career due to borderline personality disorder.
Hence the delayed development issue.
As for schizophrenia, I know that that term describes etiology arising from a real chemical imbalance in the brain.
It has been controlled best by orthomolecular medicine, but seroquel is being used more and more to control schizophrenics.
For seroquel causes health problems in the doses needed to control violent forms of psychoses, and is an expensive sleeping aid in lower doses.
However, a combination of essential fatty acids and herbal anti-depressants are an alternative to the pharmacological medication.
EFAs help to stabilize mood, and take up to 3 weeks to work. I've experienced overnight relief, which lead to the healthy, happy mental state I now sustain.
Herbs such as valerian helps with sleep; St Johns wort helps with the depression; and gingko helps my brain get oxygenated.
As for kava, I'd recommend it as an alternative to recreational drinking. YMMV
IMHO we are all naturally crazy. Anyone can suffer a functional psychoses. Indeed, I would consider alcoholism as a functional psychoses with subclinical etiology.
So the ignorant can perpetuate their ignorance.
Madness is inherent to post-modern society in the 21st Century.
For the most sane of us all are on medication, be it pharmaceuticals or herbal supplements (health foods, herbs, vitamins and minerals).
Anybody would be crazy to subsist on only the average Canadian diet, since it has been implicated in the etiology of a host of functional psychoses due to subclinical malnutrition.
A host of homeless people may find relief in optimal nutrition, but won't find it at the meal lineup to the soup kitchens.
In today's society, the harmless psychotics are being manufactured and controlled by the neurotics in power.
It's time to realize this, and to get off Big Pharma's drive to cash in on the host of broken lives ruined by crappy food pushed by the food industry.
Indeed, health food is more nutritious and better for us than cheap food.
Sanity is found by supporting your local organic grocer.
Originally posted: March 3, 2005 at 2:45 PM
Edited and redacted: October 6, 2010 at 5:32 PM
Edited: November 24, 2012 at 1:48 PM
The three functional psychoses are mood disorders, delusional disorders, and schizophrenia.
Depending on the level of functional behavior, people with these disorders are able to contribute to society, sometimes in a greater capacity when the rest of society treats them with the respect they do deserve.
And they deserve a lot, especially given the prejudice given a good psychotic.
For not all psychoses have a violent etiology (host of "symptoms" and behavior related to the psychosis).
Indeed, not all psychoses are bad, or disabling.
I suffer from borderline personality disorder, which is related to delayed development of the brain.
Under the age of one, I suffered anoxia for a brief period of time, so there is post-natal brain damage.
As well, I have had about 6 head trauma before I was 13.
So I have probably suffered post-concussive trauma and the etiology which arose consists of rebelliousness, insomnia, rages, and risky behavior.
One example of risky behavior: obsession about holding my breath until I passed out.
As a child, I remember learning to masturbate by age 6.
I remember several incidents when my mother used to punish me, but forgive her for it because my misbehaviour was real and did occur.
So naturally when I entered adulthood, the insomnia led to marked changes caused by neurological damage suffered as a child.
In adulthood, the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder was made circa 1990.
At first, my doctor decided to leave it untreated out of respect for my decision to muse non-pharmacological methods of controlling it using alternative health.
15 years later, I've "awakened" to discover that I am missing out on a family and a career due to borderline personality disorder.
Hence the delayed development issue.
As for schizophrenia, I know that that term describes etiology arising from a real chemical imbalance in the brain.
It has been controlled best by orthomolecular medicine, but seroquel is being used more and more to control schizophrenics.
For seroquel causes health problems in the doses needed to control violent forms of psychoses, and is an expensive sleeping aid in lower doses.
However, a combination of essential fatty acids and herbal anti-depressants are an alternative to the pharmacological medication.
EFAs help to stabilize mood, and take up to 3 weeks to work. I've experienced overnight relief, which lead to the healthy, happy mental state I now sustain.
Herbs such as valerian helps with sleep; St Johns wort helps with the depression; and gingko helps my brain get oxygenated.
As for kava, I'd recommend it as an alternative to recreational drinking. YMMV
IMHO we are all naturally crazy. Anyone can suffer a functional psychoses. Indeed, I would consider alcoholism as a functional psychoses with subclinical etiology.
So the ignorant can perpetuate their ignorance.
Madness is inherent to post-modern society in the 21st Century.
For the most sane of us all are on medication, be it pharmaceuticals or herbal supplements (health foods, herbs, vitamins and minerals).
Anybody would be crazy to subsist on only the average Canadian diet, since it has been implicated in the etiology of a host of functional psychoses due to subclinical malnutrition.
A host of homeless people may find relief in optimal nutrition, but won't find it at the meal lineup to the soup kitchens.
In today's society, the harmless psychotics are being manufactured and controlled by the neurotics in power.
It's time to realize this, and to get off Big Pharma's drive to cash in on the host of broken lives ruined by crappy food pushed by the food industry.
Indeed, health food is more nutritious and better for us than cheap food.
Sanity is found by supporting your local organic grocer.
Originally posted: March 3, 2005 at 2:45 PM
Edited and redacted: October 6, 2010 at 5:32 PM
Edited: November 24, 2012 at 1:48 PM
20100731
Mindfulness
Aware of my own fragile mortality, sensitive to the suffering of all sentient beings, I make this offering out of gratefulness and the deep respect for all sentient beings.
At first, since most people find it difficult to practice patience, accepting life as-is takes great effort when they expect life to benefit them. Yet this effort becomes easy with practice.
Often people are ungrateful about what happens to them because they prefer what good happens to them over what evil befalls them.
Once we are honestly thankful for living, suffering becomes less painful with happiness nearby.
Tempering forgiveness prudently while not condoning what another person does out of ignorance, the happiest people tend to forgive what other people do to them.
Yet, out of concern for the well-being of others, even the happiest of people may condemn willful ignorance and malice.
Suffering is relieved when we act out of loving-kindness to help relieve the suffering of others. Just relieving our own suffering is the first step in preparation for the end of all suffering.
Though there is evil and good in life, one should not crave good out of fear of evil, nor should one turn to evil out of disrespect for good.
Thus, through mindful practice, one should strive to develop a deep abiding love that does not enslave but instead frees self and others.
If a simple person worships various passions in the form of projections of his mind, then harm is done when in the midst of his worship he sacrifices the happiness of other sentient beings needlessly.
In order to free oneself of projecting onto others, one clears the mind of these passions by training the mind through mindful practice and thoughtful meditation.
Sitting still often requires great sacrifices for people who are often in motion. A deeply wise person who thinks nothing of sitting still should strive to abandon clinging to or grasping after bliss, lest all mindful awareness is diverted from truth as-is and all concentration is blind to reality as-is.
When meditating, any thought of "I am meditating" indicates the difficulty in applying one-pointed concentration.
Just be as you are (thusness), thinking of nothing but things as they are (suchness). Once you realize your own thusness, it merges with the suchness of life.
In rarely mentioning the Buddha, bodhisattvas or even gods, the intent is to focus on the mind, rather than on symbols representing various activities of the mind; this is known as mindful awareness.
Mindful awareness is what the Buddha showed through his example that each and every one of us could achieve through mindful practice.
Mindful practice is meditation which consists of rightful action, deed and thought found through acceptance, forgiveness and thanksgiving.
When considering acceptance, forgiveness and thanksgiving, this is what the bodhisattvas contemplate before finding the joy which can be shared with other people out of compassion and the deepest yearning to help others attain a higher state of mind naturally.
When one attains a higher state of mind, it is necessary to be of service to ordinary people.
Hence the terms "gods" and "jealous gods" refer to holiness and piety yet inspire us to being morally upright yet have an abiding sense of humility.
May all people who meditate on these words be inspired by mindful awareness surpassing both limited intellect and self-powered mind.
May all people realize that mindful awareness embraces the ordinary mind, transforming it into the true and real mind which appreciates truth as-is, fully seeing reality as-is.
May all people fully seeing reality as-is come to realize the true, real and sincere mind that attains the psychic state of true and real happiness, Nirvana itself.
May all people upon attaining Nirvana in this way quickly return to help other sentient beings realize the true Buddha, enlightenment, Nirvana, and the Pure Land through proper cultivation of mindful awareness of the Buddha by the practice of Buddha Remembrance.
May this offering be an aid to achieve happiness through mindful awareness realized by cultivation of deep hearing.
Homage to the boundless compassion and wisdom of Amida Buddha!
At first, since most people find it difficult to practice patience, accepting life as-is takes great effort when they expect life to benefit them. Yet this effort becomes easy with practice.
Often people are ungrateful about what happens to them because they prefer what good happens to them over what evil befalls them.
Once we are honestly thankful for living, suffering becomes less painful with happiness nearby.
Tempering forgiveness prudently while not condoning what another person does out of ignorance, the happiest people tend to forgive what other people do to them.
Yet, out of concern for the well-being of others, even the happiest of people may condemn willful ignorance and malice.
Suffering is relieved when we act out of loving-kindness to help relieve the suffering of others. Just relieving our own suffering is the first step in preparation for the end of all suffering.
Though there is evil and good in life, one should not crave good out of fear of evil, nor should one turn to evil out of disrespect for good.
Thus, through mindful practice, one should strive to develop a deep abiding love that does not enslave but instead frees self and others.
If a simple person worships various passions in the form of projections of his mind, then harm is done when in the midst of his worship he sacrifices the happiness of other sentient beings needlessly.
In order to free oneself of projecting onto others, one clears the mind of these passions by training the mind through mindful practice and thoughtful meditation.
Sitting still often requires great sacrifices for people who are often in motion. A deeply wise person who thinks nothing of sitting still should strive to abandon clinging to or grasping after bliss, lest all mindful awareness is diverted from truth as-is and all concentration is blind to reality as-is.
When meditating, any thought of "I am meditating" indicates the difficulty in applying one-pointed concentration.
Just be as you are (thusness), thinking of nothing but things as they are (suchness). Once you realize your own thusness, it merges with the suchness of life.
In rarely mentioning the Buddha, bodhisattvas or even gods, the intent is to focus on the mind, rather than on symbols representing various activities of the mind; this is known as mindful awareness.
Mindful awareness is what the Buddha showed through his example that each and every one of us could achieve through mindful practice.
Mindful practice is meditation which consists of rightful action, deed and thought found through acceptance, forgiveness and thanksgiving.
When considering acceptance, forgiveness and thanksgiving, this is what the bodhisattvas contemplate before finding the joy which can be shared with other people out of compassion and the deepest yearning to help others attain a higher state of mind naturally.
When one attains a higher state of mind, it is necessary to be of service to ordinary people.
Hence the terms "gods" and "jealous gods" refer to holiness and piety yet inspire us to being morally upright yet have an abiding sense of humility.
May all people who meditate on these words be inspired by mindful awareness surpassing both limited intellect and self-powered mind.
May all people realize that mindful awareness embraces the ordinary mind, transforming it into the true and real mind which appreciates truth as-is, fully seeing reality as-is.
May all people fully seeing reality as-is come to realize the true, real and sincere mind that attains the psychic state of true and real happiness, Nirvana itself.
May all people upon attaining Nirvana in this way quickly return to help other sentient beings realize the true Buddha, enlightenment, Nirvana, and the Pure Land through proper cultivation of mindful awareness of the Buddha by the practice of Buddha Remembrance.
May this offering be an aid to achieve happiness through mindful awareness realized by cultivation of deep hearing.
Homage to the boundless compassion and wisdom of Amida Buddha!
20100517
Reflection on Beyond the Human Condition
"The human condition is our predicament of having to live with a sense of guilt. Understanding dissolves the guilt: the origin of all human upset was our instinctive self's unjust criticism of our conscious mind's necessary efforts to find understanding." -- http://www.worldtransformation.com/Beyond/StoryOfHomo.html
Although I am Buddhist, this book Beyond the Human Condition, echoes both in Buddhism and in most religions.
The purpose of Buddhist practice is to moderate instinct so that intellect may better integrate itself with that which is moderated. Indeed, what is ego but the cause and condition of human existence. Though the mind itself is the means by which one controls the ego, that which is blown out is the consciousness of ego as permanent.
How does one control the ego? First, through breath meditation, to develop calm insight; and second, through meditation on loving-kindness, to develop compassion for others. Through meditation, ego is appeased, and made tame by mindful practice.
Eventually, as a result of meditation, one lets go of being conscious of a mind which exists after death. In its place arises the spiritual mind, which consists ego and mind as one. As well, the mind develops a compassionate aspect to complement its rational aspect that appeases the ego.
None of this accomplished by meditation alone; it has to be done by practising what one learns, in addition to meditation i.e. through work and play.
Thus, I use Buddhism to understand myself. In understanding myself comes acceptance of the human condition. It is acceptance that represents the mind's ability to live peaceably with a sense of guilt.
IMHO sharing this understanding with others is done to relieve that sense of guilt.
Although I am Buddhist, this book Beyond the Human Condition, echoes both in Buddhism and in most religions.
The purpose of Buddhist practice is to moderate instinct so that intellect may better integrate itself with that which is moderated. Indeed, what is ego but the cause and condition of human existence. Though the mind itself is the means by which one controls the ego, that which is blown out is the consciousness of ego as permanent.
How does one control the ego? First, through breath meditation, to develop calm insight; and second, through meditation on loving-kindness, to develop compassion for others. Through meditation, ego is appeased, and made tame by mindful practice.
Eventually, as a result of meditation, one lets go of being conscious of a mind which exists after death. In its place arises the spiritual mind, which consists ego and mind as one. As well, the mind develops a compassionate aspect to complement its rational aspect that appeases the ego.
None of this accomplished by meditation alone; it has to be done by practising what one learns, in addition to meditation i.e. through work and play.
Thus, I use Buddhism to understand myself. In understanding myself comes acceptance of the human condition. It is acceptance that represents the mind's ability to live peaceably with a sense of guilt.
IMHO sharing this understanding with others is done to relieve that sense of guilt.
20100504
Meditation on Spiritual Mind Control
Introduction
This note is about Buddhist meditation as the path towards control of one's mind to effectively function in society as an individual. I do not endorse any speculation on religious cults as mind control, for most people willingly choose to follow their spiritual path as they see fit. First I will introduce my philosophy about mind control, use consumerism as a way of explaining how cultural lenses work, and then focus on Buddhist meditation which liberates the mind and the individual.
The Post-Modern Conspiracy Theory of Mind Control
In my personal philosophy, I find the post-modern conspiracy theory of mind control as antithetical to the spiritual form of mind control called meditation.
For mind control in the media arises from mental and behavioral negativities of people in authority which distract from the positive benefits of meditation. Indeed, the popular forms of mind control instill fear in people. This fear is rooted in loss of freedom, individual will, and control over one's own life.
Yet as a cultural meme popularized by the media, one only need to think of movies with mind control as the theme, and the numerous newspaper articles sensationalizing the horrible aftereffects of religious cults (Jonestown).
At the root of mind control is abuse of power by people in authority who are trusted by their followers. For there actually is an element of choice involved in the popular conception of mind control. The individual chooses to give up control over his life to serve the needs of the group.
In serving the needs of the group, the group chooses a leader who has authority over them. If the leader is able to control his desire for more power, then the group prospers. If, because of corruption, the leader abuses his power, the group may still prosper but at the cost of ruining group harmony. Using the ideology which all of the group believes in, the leader justifies his abuse of power. The group may split up into factions over such an abuse.
In the media, mind control supposedly occurs when people in authority "brainwash" the individual against his will. Actually, the individual still has the will to choose to follow the dictates of people with control over his life or to continue to resist efforts (torture) to break his will.
However, I am skeptical of the concept of "total mind control" since most people who "submit" to mind control choose to become willing participants rather than continue to resist the torture, both mentally and physically.
Seeing Through the Cultural Lens of Consumerism
To test this truth, I submit that most people are willing participants in what may be loosely called consumerism.
In consumerism, one is educated from cradle to grave. Through education, one is inculcated in the belief that acceptance in the consumerist society is determined by compliance to the rules of that society. For each person's goal is to be a consumer. To attain that goal in that society, each person must be a productive member of that society. Through the consumer's eyes almost everything is product to be consumed. Indeed, in the ideal consumer society, everything is product.
If one's only purpose in life is to consume product, then one is almost like an automaton. Yet most people who are consumers are willing participants.
However, that's the vision of an ideal world in which consumerism is the ideology. In reality, various aspects of consumerism are internalized by us without most of us realizing it.
Through the lens of consumerism, it's possible to view medicine and religion as product, for both are derived from abstract concepts about the mind and spirituality. If you want to be happy, take a pill. If you need a religion, you can go to church on Sunday or worship in a temple on another day. Yet both the mind and the spirit are intangible objects.
So, a pill does not address the reality of the individual's mental development, nor does a religion address the individual's spiritual development with respect to the mind. All medicine can do is improve a person's health by relieving illness and sometimes preventing death, while religion serves our spiritual needs by giving spiritual purpose to life, relieving anxiety about the afterlife, adding a social dimension to one's spiritual life.
Both the development of the mind and one's spirituality is the responsibility of each of us, not as consumers but as people with free will.
The Effects of Buddhist Meditation
Since Buddhist meditation teaches one to be mindful of one's mind, one's view of life changes.
Rather than see the world through the lens of consumerism, I see the world and myself clearly because of mindful practice.
Careful study of Buddhism helps to see the relationship between all beings as interconnected. Thus the mindful Buddhist knows full too well the folly of controlling others. Instead, he chooses to teach the willing about Buddhist meditation, and lets them decide what they are willing to accept.
Buddhism helps me to see that my choices affect both myself and the world through thorough understanding of Buddhist teachings about the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and dependent origination, both through careful study of the Buddha's teachings and by direct experience to validate what he said.
As a result, Buddhist meditation helps to see the mind as a process in each being.
At the root of Buddhist meditation is liberation of the mind from the ego. For meditation helps to understand the nature of the mind through direct experience and reflection on the Buddha's Teachings specific to each person's practice. Once liberated, one is able to control his mind effectively.
As the Buddhist sage Takuan Soho once wrote, "Of the mind, do not be mindless" which echoes the Buddha's last words, "Strive to seek your own salvation with diligence."
This note is about Buddhist meditation as the path towards control of one's mind to effectively function in society as an individual. I do not endorse any speculation on religious cults as mind control, for most people willingly choose to follow their spiritual path as they see fit. First I will introduce my philosophy about mind control, use consumerism as a way of explaining how cultural lenses work, and then focus on Buddhist meditation which liberates the mind and the individual.
The Post-Modern Conspiracy Theory of Mind Control
In my personal philosophy, I find the post-modern conspiracy theory of mind control as antithetical to the spiritual form of mind control called meditation.
For mind control in the media arises from mental and behavioral negativities of people in authority which distract from the positive benefits of meditation. Indeed, the popular forms of mind control instill fear in people. This fear is rooted in loss of freedom, individual will, and control over one's own life.
Yet as a cultural meme popularized by the media, one only need to think of movies with mind control as the theme, and the numerous newspaper articles sensationalizing the horrible aftereffects of religious cults (Jonestown).
At the root of mind control is abuse of power by people in authority who are trusted by their followers. For there actually is an element of choice involved in the popular conception of mind control. The individual chooses to give up control over his life to serve the needs of the group.
In serving the needs of the group, the group chooses a leader who has authority over them. If the leader is able to control his desire for more power, then the group prospers. If, because of corruption, the leader abuses his power, the group may still prosper but at the cost of ruining group harmony. Using the ideology which all of the group believes in, the leader justifies his abuse of power. The group may split up into factions over such an abuse.
In the media, mind control supposedly occurs when people in authority "brainwash" the individual against his will. Actually, the individual still has the will to choose to follow the dictates of people with control over his life or to continue to resist efforts (torture) to break his will.
However, I am skeptical of the concept of "total mind control" since most people who "submit" to mind control choose to become willing participants rather than continue to resist the torture, both mentally and physically.
Seeing Through the Cultural Lens of Consumerism
To test this truth, I submit that most people are willing participants in what may be loosely called consumerism.
In consumerism, one is educated from cradle to grave. Through education, one is inculcated in the belief that acceptance in the consumerist society is determined by compliance to the rules of that society. For each person's goal is to be a consumer. To attain that goal in that society, each person must be a productive member of that society. Through the consumer's eyes almost everything is product to be consumed. Indeed, in the ideal consumer society, everything is product.
If one's only purpose in life is to consume product, then one is almost like an automaton. Yet most people who are consumers are willing participants.
However, that's the vision of an ideal world in which consumerism is the ideology. In reality, various aspects of consumerism are internalized by us without most of us realizing it.
Through the lens of consumerism, it's possible to view medicine and religion as product, for both are derived from abstract concepts about the mind and spirituality. If you want to be happy, take a pill. If you need a religion, you can go to church on Sunday or worship in a temple on another day. Yet both the mind and the spirit are intangible objects.
So, a pill does not address the reality of the individual's mental development, nor does a religion address the individual's spiritual development with respect to the mind. All medicine can do is improve a person's health by relieving illness and sometimes preventing death, while religion serves our spiritual needs by giving spiritual purpose to life, relieving anxiety about the afterlife, adding a social dimension to one's spiritual life.
Both the development of the mind and one's spirituality is the responsibility of each of us, not as consumers but as people with free will.
The Effects of Buddhist Meditation
Since Buddhist meditation teaches one to be mindful of one's mind, one's view of life changes.
Rather than see the world through the lens of consumerism, I see the world and myself clearly because of mindful practice.
Careful study of Buddhism helps to see the relationship between all beings as interconnected. Thus the mindful Buddhist knows full too well the folly of controlling others. Instead, he chooses to teach the willing about Buddhist meditation, and lets them decide what they are willing to accept.
Buddhism helps me to see that my choices affect both myself and the world through thorough understanding of Buddhist teachings about the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and dependent origination, both through careful study of the Buddha's teachings and by direct experience to validate what he said.
As a result, Buddhist meditation helps to see the mind as a process in each being.
At the root of Buddhist meditation is liberation of the mind from the ego. For meditation helps to understand the nature of the mind through direct experience and reflection on the Buddha's Teachings specific to each person's practice. Once liberated, one is able to control his mind effectively.
As the Buddhist sage Takuan Soho once wrote, "Of the mind, do not be mindless" which echoes the Buddha's last words, "Strive to seek your own salvation with diligence."
20060214
Peace of Mind (poem)
Peace of mind is found
in only a single word,
and that word is Truth.
For truth frees the seeker to
walk the Middle Way
without a doubt, accepting
things as they are, with
gratitude to the Buddha.
Thus Truth takes but faith,
acceptance and gratitude
to make peace of mind.
in only a single word,
and that word is Truth.
For truth frees the seeker to
walk the Middle Way
without a doubt, accepting
things as they are, with
gratitude to the Buddha.
Thus Truth takes but faith,
acceptance and gratitude
to make peace of mind.
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