Never a dull "Moment" ....
Shoshin
No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran
According to Ven. Piyasilo (A Malaysian Buddhist monk and taken from a booklet called "On Being Your True Self" )
WE ARE A "BUNDLE" OF SELVES
"In our every day lives, very often we are but a bundle of selves - of which only normally one is operative at any time. One self decides at night to get up early in the morning, but what happens ? When we get up in the morning we find that another self has taken over in the night. The new self has now taken over and he (or she) does not want to get up.
We all know that from time to time we are subjected to what are called 'moods'. For example, we may feel depressed, or angry, or restless. The moods take possession of us and we do no know why we are simply 'not ourselves'. And to the extent that they persist, we feel as through that we are someone else. If we analyse ourselves, we will discover that we are not so much a self as a succession of selves- a "bundle" of selves like a cable of wires- transmitting messages all at the same time.
NO UNCHANGING, PERMANENT SELF
There is no single unified, completely integrated self that is continually operative inside us. We can even say that we are each a collection of selves, each of which is fighting for supremacy,and this explains why we so often fail to do the things we have set out to do.
Another way of looking at this situation is that we are always going through an ever changing process without any unchanging, permanent self. We are but the totality of this "bundle" of selves, which are often in conflict with one another. It is as if we were a bundle of selves loosely tied together by the thin string of personality with' a label bearing our name and address.
GETTING "ON THE LEVEL" WITH OURSELVES
In order to harmonize our various conflicting "selves", we should learn to know ouRSELVES better. This is done through the practice of awareness, of which there are four aspects: the awareness of oneself, of others, of the environment, and of the truth. The awareness of oneself is best cultivated through the practice• of meditation. Such meditation methods, like the Mindfulness of Breathing, helps us become more calm and more aware of ourselves. When we reach a state of mental calm during such a practice, we are said to have reached "horizontal integration" - we are "on the level" with ourselves.
"VERTICAL -INTEGRATION"
As we become more and more of ourselves, we get a clearer understanding and experience of other people and our environment. We begin to see our untapped energies and enjoy our own higher potentiality. Our consciousness becomes more and more developed. This is called "vertical integration", that is, the integration of our conscious mind with the Unconscious (or the "higher mind").
As our consciousness becomes more and more developed, our experience of things begins to deepen and the horizon of our thoughts begins to widen. People and things around us no more delude us, but appear as they really are. No more do we see merely the surface of things, but we begin to "see through" them!"
With a big bundle of selves to occupy our mind how could we ever be lonely or for that matter bored..."Never a dull moment"
So how many people do you REALLY live with ?
Comments
I would say between five and seven others. The wheel of Life, governed by Yama, is pretty reflective....
Everyone.
Don't you find it awfully crowded @lobster ? How big's your pad ? Do you have a roster system in place ?
Thanks for that, @Shoshin -- it really jibes closely with what I'm going through right now.
On the inside, no matter the difference in perspectives we all know about DO and non-separation so we all know it's just more aspects of this process that most women like to call David and guys like to call Dave. Even that process is just a function of other processes.
But we and/or I like it for now.
You're welcome @silver
...I can't remember where i picked up the booklet, but I've had it for years, it was either given to me, by a Malaysian woman I meet, or from Blissful a Chinese vegetarian shop where I use to buy mock meats, the owner's Buddhist and would have books and booklets on a shelf free for the taking, ( however most were in Chinese/Mandarin)...
More I understand about myself more embarrassed I get... wat do?
@thug4lyfe - try meditating on no-self.
Just a suggestion.
Namaste
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel,
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well saved a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness, and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Shakespeare
I did an acting course years ago and it was quite liberating, realising that you could be all sorts of different people.
I did no acting course and it is quite liberating, realising that you could be all sorts of different people.
We already are, as the initial thread post points out...
The question is, no matter in what manner we might manifest any particular self, at any time of day, can we, within each self presented, no matter which the act, or scene, remain Present and Mindful?
"This above all:
To thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Though canst not then be false
To any man."
Polonius, 'Hamlet'.
No, I meant that it's possible to play other roles than the usual set we have grown attached to.
Isn't that a form of schizophrenia...?
No, Right Effort.
Mind training....
I think mindfulness and meditation does bring about a kind of integration, bringing more aspects into consciousness. There is also a freeing up of self-view, having the space to respond more creatively, outside the habitual channels.
Indeed. Well said @pegembara
Persona, personality, ego, arisings, attachments etc AND every last one of them covered in make up on Emptiness ...
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Willy Shakespeare
Willy was also an English gentleman and helped the Buddha write his sermons which is why they are jolly good.
"Alas, poor Brahmin, I knew him well"
"Now is the winter of our dukkha"
Shakespeare was a Buddhist, one can easily see why
he often spoke of the Dharma with a twinkle in his eye
I know this might sound far fetched, things are not quite what they seem
hence his very famous words "Life is but a dream!"
A while back on another "thread" a few members thought they would try to wish everyone they met and interacted with ( in wholesome and unwholesome ways) for them to be happy ( not out loud -just wishful thinking- so to speak)...
What normally seems to be the case, well for me anyway, is I might forget about my fresh new commitments(it's quickly swept aside by old habitual behaviour patterns) in other words it was a good idea at the time but was soon replaced with old habitual ways...
However what I've found is it's best not to be too overly ambitious and generous with the amount of time one is going to dedicate to the new venture and to start small and gradually work your way up..
"There is no single unified, completely integrated self that is continually operative inside us. We can even say that we are each a collection of selves, each of which is fighting for supremacy,and this explains why we so often fail to do the things we have set out to do."
Just out of interest, did anybody manage to stick with their commitment and see it through ?
If I say yes, I sound big headed.... but I've been more successful than I thought I would be....
The unfolding of a compassionate, serving, wise and Buddha Natured Selfie is a natural consequence of practice.
Guaranteed. No Question.
Limp and flaccid, Viagra free Dharma
is for the New Agers, terminally Hinayanist and Sectioned Sangha.
However within each of these stereotypes are advanced practitioners breaking the previous moulds of former selves.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join the IM Buddha Force. As always should you or your selves be caught or die, the dharma will refuge any knowledge of your inaction. This message will cease to exist ...
Yes, I am able to see it through but seeing it through is to keep going despite any perceived failure.
The only way to keep a clear glass absolutely speck free is to be continually cleaning the glass.
...or never use it......
and allow the "dust" to settle upon....
Uh, no. Not using the glass will not keep it speck free.
For as @Shoshin said, dust will settle upon.
The only way to keep the glass speck free is to be continually cleaning the glass.
You cannot get out of it.
Putting a cloth over the glass is only adding a huge speck... Just in case you thought you could weasel out that way, hehe.
Actually I was thinking of encasing it in a glass vacuum jar. But now I am just being silly....
I take the point as meant...