Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
Deciding Spontaneously
zenff
Veteran
When we decide spontaneously there is no me involved. The thing simply happens.
But when we contemplate alternatives and add concepts and preferences to those scenarios in our heads we block the flow of energy; and our self-delusion grows like a lake behind a dam. Suddenly it all appears to be about us; about what we decide and what our reasons are and how we integrate this decision with the narrative in our heads about our perceived identity. Blah blah!
I wouldn’t want people to make all their decisions without thinking about it. I want technicians to calculate the weight the construction they are building can carry.
There probably is a category of decisions – which I don’t know how to define precisely – we can safely make spontaneously. And in doing so we will lessen our self-delusion and avoid a lot of “problems”.
“The ultimate Path is without difficulty; just avoid picking and choosing”. (Sengcan)
I think precepts can be handy here. The precepts (boiled down to some simple guidelines like not harming others, not harming ourselves, being friendly and helpful) can give us a simple decision diagram.
Simple decision diagrams are like a beginners guide for acting spontaneously.
One such simple decision diagram is that when I start thinking about the question “When will I do this?” The answer is to do it right away. If that doesn’t work there’s a still very simple diagram which is named “time-management” in which activities are arranged in order of urgency and importance.
When we follow such simple rules we don’t have to pick and choose and block our flow of energy either.
Our phenomenal world is ungraspable; we ourselves are ungraspable and everything we pursue or fear is so too. When we grasp anyways - by adding concepts and preferences and by creating the narrative of who we are and how we relate – we create our dream state. When we don’t grasp and when we act spontaneously, we are free and awake.
But when we contemplate alternatives and add concepts and preferences to those scenarios in our heads we block the flow of energy; and our self-delusion grows like a lake behind a dam. Suddenly it all appears to be about us; about what we decide and what our reasons are and how we integrate this decision with the narrative in our heads about our perceived identity. Blah blah!
I wouldn’t want people to make all their decisions without thinking about it. I want technicians to calculate the weight the construction they are building can carry.
There probably is a category of decisions – which I don’t know how to define precisely – we can safely make spontaneously. And in doing so we will lessen our self-delusion and avoid a lot of “problems”.
“The ultimate Path is without difficulty; just avoid picking and choosing”. (Sengcan)
I think precepts can be handy here. The precepts (boiled down to some simple guidelines like not harming others, not harming ourselves, being friendly and helpful) can give us a simple decision diagram.
Simple decision diagrams are like a beginners guide for acting spontaneously.
One such simple decision diagram is that when I start thinking about the question “When will I do this?” The answer is to do it right away. If that doesn’t work there’s a still very simple diagram which is named “time-management” in which activities are arranged in order of urgency and importance.
When we follow such simple rules we don’t have to pick and choose and block our flow of energy either.
Our phenomenal world is ungraspable; we ourselves are ungraspable and everything we pursue or fear is so too. When we grasp anyways - by adding concepts and preferences and by creating the narrative of who we are and how we relate – we create our dream state. When we don’t grasp and when we act spontaneously, we are free and awake.
1
Comments
Another thing: can we force ourselves to be spontaneous? Can we just get rid of our preferences by our choice? I think that we can reach a state where there are no preferences, but I imagine that it is a natural consequence of our practice, rather than a voluntary act. What do you think about it?
The experiments showed that people who did that, more often displayed racist tendencies, sexist behaviour, and were generally more at the mercy of their instinctual "animal" natures, or whatever the proper name for that side of us is.
I seem to recall it was a smallish study with 100 people or so being tested. They were shown different scenarios and had to choose the their answer within a few seconds
Whereas the people who were given time to ponder their choices made much more neutral decisions, discriminating less on skin colour or gender, etc.
So maybe when we act spontaneously, we are slaves to instinct and deep-seated cave-man bigotries?
The idea of bad animal instincts as opposite to civilized rational ideas is fake. I suppose it originates in Christian ideas of us having sinful natures or on ideas about the inherent goodness of Reason.
The planned and premeditated violence in our society however is by far the biggest part of it.
I think what helps is that our brain works hard without us being consciously aware of it. We can learn to trust this process. And like I said it helps to have some basic guidelines in the back of our minds like simple precepts so we don’t kill the mother in law immediately.
One example is eating. Sometimes it isn’t a good idea to follow the impulses. Only after we got used to a healthy diet we can trust our habitual actions. Our brain is not well equipped to handle abundance of sugar and fat.
Or an alcoholic had better not follow his impulses. His brain is hooked on the alcohol and he can’t trust it.
So I guess there are shades of grey. But my point remains; we need to develop a way of acting “naturally” or “spontaneously”.
That will solve most of our ego-inflated problems.
@JamestheGiant
There appears to be some idea of “good” reason above ”bad” instincts in the outcome of that study. I have my doubts.
Most harm we do is premeditated and “reasonable” I think. But you’re right to look for the flaws in spontaneous choices. I don’t think it is a black and white thing.
It is about balance. Being in the Id is not the Middle Way, though some dzogchen 'masters' seem to operate predominantly from this mind characteristic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego
In a more Bodhi centric approach, we might say the well being of the people and situation supercede the me component. :wave:
In other words, I see a real difference between spontaneity and impulsivity. The first can be done unhurriedly and with great grace, whereas the latter seems always to be rushed ("upon impulse"). Therefore, @zenff and @JamestheGiant, I thank you both, for you have given me something to mull over with my morning coffee.
Let's compare the dictionary definitions of spontaneous in the sense that it is being used above and other related adjectives:
spon•ta•neous {LL spontaneus < L sponte, of free will < IE base *(s)pen(d)-. to pull > spin} "1. acting in accordance with or resulting from a natural feeling, impulse, or tendency, without any constraint, effort, or premeditation..." (I think without any constraint of time would naturally be included here.)
SYN. spontaneous applies to that which is done so naturally that it seems to come without prompting or premeditation [a spontaneous demonstration]; impulsive applies to that which is prompted by some external incitement or sudden inner inclination rather than by conscious rational volition [an impulsive retort]; instinctive suggests an instantaneous, unwilled response to a stimulus, as if prompted by some natural, inborn tendency [he took an instinctive liking to her]; involuntary refers to that which is done without thought or volition, as in a reflex action [an involuntary flicker of the eyelid]; automatic suggests an unvarying, machinelike reaction to a given stimulus or situation [an automatic response].
Without thoughts, desires and judgments getting involved the wise man simply lets the Dao take care.
I suppose it takes some preparation. I think somewhere is the example of a butcher cutting up a cow. He doesn’t “do” it. His skill is such that he can work fast and accurately using sharp knifes without conscious effort.
Another example I think is what someone explained to me as athletes-samadhi; they perform better than ever and it felt like they weren’t actually doing it anymore. Maybe it’s the same as flow. The concentration is such that the doer drops out of the doing.
For me the point is the relief there is in not over-thinking things.
“Just do it”. Without adding judgment, simply getting up, making breakfast going to work etc.