Author Archive for Heimdall

A September to Remember

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Heimdall
on October 9, 2006
in News
. 4 Comments

Last month has brought a variety of changes and developments, parts of which have long been overdue.

September started with an unpleasant bacterial pharyngitis - and pleasant progress in my understanding of Theravada. Halfway through the month I had my first oral exam for almost three years (Analytical Mechanics), and to my great surprise I not only got an A, but also lots of encouraging and inspiring feedback from Prof. Schnizer! I was so motivated that I immediately started cleaning my room (a difficult task!) upon returning home. :-)

From September 16th-24th I played the Graz Open (a chess tournament), group B. Due to the lack of training/preparation I not start very well, but thanks to a strong finish (3/3) I ended up getting 6/9 points. I learned and practiced a lot about concentration and focus.

In the end of September I went to the “Haus der Stille” for five days to practice meditation and to put my recent progress on a more solid foundation. Two days of Zazen, three days of Vipassana - filled with sitting and walking meditation, house and garden work, and mostly silence. I will write an extensive report of these incredible days here in the upcoming posts.

Immediately upon arrival my new semester at university started, and it truly has never been so much fun before! Not only are the lectures quite exciting (even those that I have already visited in the past years), but I am also looking forward to further exams and the deepening of my knowledge. Eventually an auspicious spirit returns, just as in my childhood days: the delight of knowledge and understanding of things, their nature, structure and relations.

My beloved girlfriend Natalie also returned in the beginning of October. Hooray! Even more challenges lie ahead, along with an unprecedented amount of confidence that the course of things will yield a surprisingly pleasant outcome. :-)

General Theravadics

Published
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Heimdall
on September 22, 2006
in Buddhism and Thoughts
. 4 Comments

In the course of my quest for the “proper path” to follow, two systems have emerged. They are very similar and very different at the very same time. Which two?

Theravada Buddhism and General Semantics.

Why exactly those two? Let me give you an explanation.

Theravada is the most ancient form of Buddhism that has survived until the present. It is (according to my opinion) a purely phenomenological teaching, verifiable through direct experience in the here-and-now, all-encompassing, well-balanced in its factors, grounded on ethics that nurture a cooperative dwelling for mankind and all living beings.

Unfortunately the source (Pali canon) which is more than 2,000 years old has been composed in an entirely different world: the cultural, social, scientific, linguistic and philosophical context can hardly be compared to that of our present time. This makes translations and their interpretations rather difficult.

GS is an educational discipline developed by Alfred Korzybski (author of “Science and Sanity“) in the first half of the 20th century. It is grounded on the observation that the internal (mental) and external (verbal) use of language, words, abstractions etc. gravely affects our sanity (see “semantic reactions”), and analyses these relations in detail. Knowledge about and training (exercises) in GS can improve the understanding of yourself, your mind, language, translations etc. as well as communication skills.

However, GS is largely independent of ethical considerations, and can thus be used for many purposes (e.g. politics) - not necessarily in a way that is “beneficial” for everyone.

Thus filling in the blanks, both systems support each other, making it easier to understand and to apply them in beneficial ways. Or so I believe. :-)

20 Minutes

Published
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Heimdall
on August 31, 2006
in Buddhism and Thoughts
. 3 Comments

Do you wish to relax?

In that case, maybe you will thoroughly appreciate this reading of the Maha-Rahulovada Sutta. :-)

Take 20 minutes, sit comfortably, close your eyes, breathe, and listen.

Afterwards we may share our experiences if you wish. I shall postpone my description until then, for I do not want to influence you already. :-)

Weaving the Tapestry of Quintessence

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Heimdall
on August 13, 2006
in Thoughts
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Ever since my childhood days I’ve been interested in the “quintessence”, structure and relation of things in this universe. This web spun by my consciousness was constantly transforming its shape, its threads widening here and narrowing there, as I directed my attention more and more in distinct directions with child-like curiosity.

Such a web obviously does not cover everything, it is not complete. Occasionally when something inspires you, suddenly you “discover” a new thread interweaving itself with the web.

Now let us go one step further. Let us visualise a multidimensional structure, consisting of a large (countably infinite?) set of units or “nodes”, with all nodes being directly connected to each other by the imaginary threads. The emerging loops and “patterns” with stronger interconnections are like super-nodes, representing larger memes or memeplexes, and you can freely combine all of these… and go beyond.

What is the point? Where does it end?

Maybe one possible “goal” of this game is to rediscover all the connections, until a completely homogeneous structure emerges, leading to full transcendence. Greed, aversion and delusion should be abandoned on the way, lest they would automatically create inhomogenities. But then again, it’s just a visualisation of a path that has been described already in the past - in various different ways.

This is where structural matches, isomorphisms, linking and translating, dichotomies, triangles and lots of other funny things come into play. I will explain my views on these later when my thoughts are sorted. :-)

Mind your Body!

Published
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Heimdall
on August 12, 2006
in Thoughts
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The “body-mind-split” (also known as “mind-body problem”) has been investigated by philosophers for millennia. I am not so familiar with their distinct views, but I believe that the separation between body and mind only exists at a conceptual level. Postulating the separation, however, results in exactly that experience - along with some strange side effects like cursing your stomach just because it sends you signals which you perceive as “pain”. (I am talking from experience! :-))

How can the split be healed?

In the wonderful Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta, Gotama Siddhattha delivers an inspiring teaching to his seven-year-old son Rahula. Indeed the suggested reflection already points towards a possible remedy. In some other suttas Rahula is instructed on mindfulness techniques. Apart from these ancient words, I believe that (among others) the following developments are highly beneficial:

(1) communication on the non-verbal level. Listening to the body is a non-verbal experience. For “talking” (not in the classical sense) a small set of commands seems to exist.

(2) synaesthesia - the establishment of “structural matches” between different senses.

The body is a very intelligent entity, equipped with its own memory and loads of abilities. It keeps supporting and healing itself almost regardless of what your mind thinks about it! A patient and enduring entity indeed. However, in the long run it suffers from a “negative” or malevolent mental attitude.

Baz Luhrmann suggests in “Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen” that your body is “… the best instrument that you have”. I think he’s got a point! Benevolence towards your own body is essential. If only I had always been benevolent towards mine… healthy nutrition, regular sports, refreshing sleep, upright posture: you never believe your parents on those. My suggestion: let’s all start today. :-)

Metta-Morphosis

Published
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Heimdall
on July 10, 2006
in Thoughts
. 2 Comments

“We say farewell so that later we can greet one another again.”

My beloved girlfriend started her letter to me with these words. It’s a recurring theme in our relationship - simple and beautiful.

Even in her absence I can learn things from her. In the past I have tried explaining to her what I knew about the brahmaviharas, and I suppose I did not understand them myself back then, but I always knew (and felt) that she “radiates” a lot of metta (loving kindness).

Now it is always easy to perceive things in my environment, but a lot more difficult to apply that kind of perception to myself. I often sense a lack of metta in people around me when they converse, even though they clearly wish to “help” each other and firmly believe in their own good will. It’s a bit like jumping immediately to karuna (caring friendship) or mudita (sympathetic joy), but forgetting about metta. Experience shows that it doesn’t work, as the principle predicts.

Yeah, and it simply doesn’t work on myself either. I do “forget” about metta very often. Usually when I perceive something in others, there is at least one instance of the same principle active within me. I just have to get used to look into the mirror with open eyes. :-)

Separation from the Loved

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Heimdall
on July 2, 2006
in News and Thoughts
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It is said in the Saccavibhanga Sutta that “… separation from the loved is stressful (dukkha) …”.

Two days ago my beloved has eventually gone to India to work with her father for about three months. We have never been separated by any such distance or period before, and still I can feel her presence right here and now. I see her in the colours of the trees, I hear her in the laughter of a child, I feel her in the raindrops on my skin. And in doing so, I feel happiness rather than sadness.

Usually one would expect the experience of such a long-distance relationship as rather frightening, stressful, even painful. So it seems to me that we are living in unusual times! I am in love with her, I somehow feel “excited with her” about the things yet to come, I am happy that she is doing well … and I feel even more happiness when I remember the wonderful time that we have already shared together.

With so much reason for joy, why should I allow myself to suffer about separation in space and time? Love without clinging seems stronger. Not so much dukkha after all. :-)

Putting the pieces together

Published
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Heimdall
on June 22, 2006
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Some days ago in the park I played some chess games with a nice fellow called Alberto. While doing so I explained and demonstrated to him various tactical and strategical principles of the game. In the end he said he was delighted to learn from such a good player, to which I replied that it was not such a big deal: “If you want to improve further, just carry on - learn, practice and combine all the elements!”

And whoooooosh, there was the answer. Putting the pieces together in practice. The time is now, and this is how it works, as simple as in a game of chess. Create a beneficial environment and start investigating the beneficial factors. Explore the realms of mind and body, and as the split diminishes, keep working towards the goal. It’s amazing! :-)

On matches, loops and loop(w)holes

Published
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Heimdall
on June 12, 2006
in Thoughts
. 1 Comment

Upon further reflection I would consider parts of my last posting slightly inconsistent. I suppose the “quintessence” is the emergence of a cooperative system for mankind - a thought that comes to me quite often in recent times.

In the last few days I have had some interesting and challenging conversations with Thomas. He told me a few things about NLP Trinergy and we spun a few other ideas as well. For a moment I felt like understanding the “cycle of rebirth” and kamma for the first time. I also wondered whether there could be a structural match between the Buddhist triad “greed, aversion, delusion” and some Trinergy triads (e.g. mentor/saviour, muse/victim, doer/culprit).

Discovering such matches can be great fun. It’s a bit like highly abstract pattern recognition. I probably like it too much, but who knows? Someday it might be good for something.

Today I re-discovered (I tend to “forget” a lot of things!) the significant role of internal and external justifications. This could be one of the key inhibition factors for my progress, as I can easily observe how they create and nurture loops and “vicious circles”. Yes, there is a loophole for this loop! It encompasses mindfulness and constant practice.

I also realized - thanks to the conversations with Thomas - how the “Systematic Approach” (a structured collection of mind-maps which I have created some weeks ago) is far more problem-oriented, rather than solution-oriented, than what I thought. Indeed it was supposed to facilitate a transition from the former to the latter orientation: status quo - disadvantages - analysis - solution ideas - experiences - progress - advantages - destination. But guess what, I have mainly been focusing on the former (problem/past-oriented) part. I still think it could be useful to some extent, but only when properly used! D’oh. :-)

These are interesting days. And still there is so much to learn. Oh, by the way, I learned my first Polish words today! :-)

Thoughts as (un)usual

Published
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Heimdall
on May 31, 2006
in Thoughts
. 2 Comments

This morning I’ve had a stunning non-verbal thought experience. Clear like water, very simple, and intense like a blast. Unfortunately my verbal description appears to me like a terribly flawed approximation, but I will give it a shot. Let’s start with the rather simple part:

The game of life that we (humans) are currently playing can be seen as a game of - and “played” by - atoms, quarks and beyond. Viewed as such, our experience is therefore obviously
(1) not-self (anatta),
(2) impermanent (anicca) in the sense of ever-changing, and
(3) stressful (dukkha) in the way as we currently play it.

Buddhist principles derived from game theory? Unfortunately I know very little about the latter. Maybe the related terms should be paraphrased differently, but I will keep using them for now.

I suppose that the third conclusion is least obvious, as it probably requires a glimpse of knowledge about dukkha, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. I have also included the assumption that consciousness is part of the universe and its laws. Our universe along with its laws could be regarded as “higher-level” player.

So far, so simple. Now it becomes complicated. :-)

After this initial thought I reflected upon the benefits of Gotama Siddhattha’s teachings, which somehow involve centering yourself in the here-and-now (”easily” observable through direct experience). Then I wondered whether such a path is ultimately leading your consciousness one level (like a “dynamic” or an abstraction level) upwards? Maybe, if enough human beings perform this task, they will “pull” the rest with them as the critical mass is reached? (this seems difficult to explain, as it was more like a “structural vision”)

I suppose we cannot yet speculate about similar tasks for other species and whether they will accomplish them as well (or have already done so, probably with a different set of rules?!), since we (humans as a “unified player” with “unified consciousness”) have not yet been able to “stand there on top and look around in all directions”. Nor can we speculate about what comes next (structurally something similar on higher levels, I suppose). But with this “pulling effect” arising from those “enlightened” ones who have reached the top, cooperation (involving active and passive teaching) would be a property of the game. The goal of any individual player might thus coincide with the goal of the unified player! And maybe this vast “journey upwards” is what the game of life is all about. :-)

I would not be surprised if these speculations contain numerous flaws. But I have no doubts about the intense non-verbal insight itself that gave rise to them. Maybe with growing experience I can create more fruitful and compatible conclusions.

I have no idea whether all of this makes any sense to anyone of you, but obviously I could not resist sharing my thoughts. As usual. :-)