"That
everyone has different experiences and perspectives is not a problem; rather,
the problem is that when we interpret an experience outside its own paradigm,
context, and stated definitions, that experience becomes lost altogether. It
becomes lost because we have redefined the terms according to a totally
different paradigm or perspective and thereby made it over into an experience
it never was in the first place. When we force an experience into an alien
paradigm, that experience becomes subsumed, interpreted away, unrecognizable,
confused, or made totally indistinguishable. Thus when we impose alien
definitions on the original terms of an experience, that experience becomes
lost to the journey, and eventually it becomes lost to the literature as well.
To keep this from happening it is necessary to draw clear lines and to make
sharp, exacting distinctions. The purpose of doing so is not to criticize other
paradigms, but to allow a different paradigm or perspective to stand in its own
right, to have its own space in order to contribute what it can to our
knowledge of man and his journey to the divine.
Distinguishing what is true or false,
essential or superficial in our experience is not a matter to be taken lightly.
We cannot simply define our terms and then sit back and expect perfect
agreement across the board. Our spiritual-psychological journey does not work
this way. We are not uniform robots with the same experiences, same
definitions, same perspectives, or same anything." Bernadette Roberts.
That
seems pretty useful to me in the wake of all the endless discussions and
endless terminology of levels and personally percieved definitions of that
terminology which have spewed out recently (especially with reference to or in
reaction against Benthino's latest thing) ...
Ultimately,
on a pragamatic level it means that whatever our own experience is and whatever
our own interpretation of that experience is, is real for us personally. One
almost might say that whatever works for each individual is cool for them.
After that it is interesting to listen to the
other guy and see where he's at and if it looks interesting or better see if we
can find something similar in and through ourselves ..
However
to constantly be looking at the other guy and criticising him if it doesn't
'measure up' to our own concepts or experience is to deny the possibility of
further openings .. and the beauty of the reality that nobody can ever have the
full Truth or the Absolute picture .. that is for The Truth or The Absolute
itself .. always always beyond .. always always greater than .. and never never
communicable in words ..
No human can deny their humanity and the 'point of
view' that this implies while alive in a human body ..
Before I was a fan of LU forum, but I noticed more and more that people from LU forum are entering other forums and start to critise and in doing so they actually do the exactly same thing as of that which they are criticising others who are doing their thing. I found that a bit childish behaviour to be honest.
ReplyDeleteIs it about the pointers and how they can be discussed or expressed? Instead of stopping to phone with our thoughts, feelings, interpretations, our opinions as our reality. Thoughts about interpretations of the absolute, the void (of what then?:-), self, no self whatever, or history of dead sages who cannot reply anymore, or how it 'should be' clearly expressed. It’s feeding of attention and the imagination of separation continues.