"I", "The Mind".

[Myrddin]

In life, no matter who you are or where you go, you live your entire existence within the confines of your own mind. This presents certain problems. The mind; though mapped, investigated and explored vigorously since the beginning of time…is an unknown quantity – an unknown entity. Indeed, the only thing with meaning that one can be certain of, is that one has a mind – and even this can be misinterpreted.
‘I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am’ – is sound logic – generated by some form of intelligence. And yet it fails to, in any certain terms, form any boundary of the psudo-categorized label of the ‘mind’. For what is the ‘mind’? What is I? Well, by definition….here the investigation breaks down. The mind is a label for an unknown quantity of existence that ‘we’ can no more hope to understand, as we can hope to explore because of these restrictions. The moment we employ these pre-existing labels that are required to function in what has become our everyday lives – corruption transferred via memory, thought, communication - we lose the potential of all unbiased and original perception. Perception is the most revealing word in the English language – But only for what it represents. Ironically, words are the enemy of perception, and yet also its creator – for it is only by the corruption of words, and our need for these restrictions, placed on the very essence of existence – only by all labels and words, that the remnants of the nature of ‘perception’ arises. If trapped In a room for all eternity with but one word, perception would be the word I choose. It is the only word that, when examined, reveals splinters of the doors behind the very true nature of existence. We enter this stage of our ‘existence’ with a biased perception. Wisps of memories from our past cloud the looking glass of our present; and therefore write the pages of our future. No one can ever know what existence is, because no one has ever truly experienced it; not in its purest form. The use of psychedelics breaks down this barrier – these shackles of words and pre-existing markers – numbing the effects of culture, conditioning, memory and ego – to take us back to what we used to be – maybe what we should be. Layer upon layer is lifted with the aid of mind altering substances - the reset button of our generation. When one reaches the state of ‘ego death’, and not just ego death, but the death of awareness – the death of all knowledge – to truly become unaware of existence, and yet one with it, and be completely oblivious to everything within it, and yet a part of it all…only then will the dusty doors of perception be unlocked, and the concept of 'existence', revealed.

 

[Iersuko]

Our reality is the barrier between us and the next universe. When we travel faster than the light of our conscious universe our bodies become energy effectively killing us and in turn transporting us to the next universe and life. The afterlife is the next life. Our nextlives are our afterlives...

Our consciousness is perpetually being transferred from a current universe to the next every time our physical bodies fail. Our consciousness is the only part of us that survives the journey outside of whatever reality you live. Our consciousness is our soul. Our soul is immortal regardless of our religion, faith or lack thereof.

 

[Schwanke668]

Chases Iersuko around with a sloppy wet noodle and squooshes them over the head with it tickling their ear.

I see you!!! Poke!

 

[BrainEater]

i believe the mind can be transcended and bypassed with enough practice. so that one can use the tools of the mind which are amongst others the senses of perception. however it may possibly also be evolved to a point where it doesn't cloud the perception, but rather amplifies or purifies it, as one also perceives through the mind. i see it, too, as a layer between perception and the perceiver, yet maybe it also can elevate above the perceiver or elevate the perceiver itself (and hence the perceivers' perception?), by having developed/acquired precise understanding and knowledge through perception and reflection + learning.
having said that, which is pure speculation, it seems the mind itself is a tool as well, like the senses of perception. basically, the underlying principle of existence is still a mystery though, which we may also say about the tool to perceive it. :lol:
it gets down to separating illusion from reality and since the mind itself may be one big illusion or the former of such, the subject seems rather tricky like you already suggested apart from the illusion of separation that the mind faces. i think to some degree time or rather psychological time is what creates the clouds in the looking glass of the present. it has to be transcended by the realization that all time is now. the mind in general is probably embedded in a bigger mind, which is obviously beyond comprehension. while thinking seems to be a primary function of the mind, feeling seems unrecognized and underrated.
so as a remedy for biased and unoriginal perception maybe feeling has to be gained back over the machinelike behaviour of many mind-systems, like disallowing (certain) thoughts when needing to really be in the present and to really perceive.

i also think, too, that words and other concepts like language often present an obstacle to original perception or even thought. but they can also be of help, as they are like tools, as well. remember when you were a child. how was your perception?? it was just pure experiencing, not clouded by endless judgement, need to order, bias, etc, right? thats what we have to get back to, i guess, to realize the nature of existence, which is in my opinion bliss. i mean integrity and integration in the mind is also important, but it should flow naturally. the error how i see it, that is like almost programmed into people, and actually being made a lot, is that we are not our thoughts and not really our emotions, neither. we make them, experience them, etc etc but what we are is that which is behind these processes. we can experience that without identifying or attaching to it, if we recognize our true nature and being. being in nature can help one to get back to the originality or at least remember it, because nature IS. what i want is that people and also myself :?
really experience (again) and not only dwell on the level of thought, feeling, mind, etc.. not saying you should not think or feel lol that would be insane, but if it becomes an obstacle to experience and living itself etc, then maybe there's a need for switching a gear, taking a step back or transcending something.. (about yourself?) it's like with the mind we just create so many artificial and rather unreal concepts, perspectives and layers about ourselves, that we should maybe watch out and separate a bit the bad weeds from the good weeds so to say, cut the bad stuff out and throw it away, that the garden of our mind and therefore our thoughts can (again) flourish and remember beauty, freedom, clarity and many more things.

anyway i found this little story by zhuangzi, a chinese philosopher which i liked.. hope you like it too!

Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things. (2, tr. Burton Watson 1968:49)

hopefully any of this makes some sense!! :mrgreen:

peace :weedman: