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Enlightenment

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2021 2:56 pm
by motherjuggs&speed
Here's something that's bothered me for a while: Every single guru/psychonaut/meditator spews the exact same thing. All of them, from Rogan to Sam Harris to fillintheblank, are simply regurgitating Ram Dass. I've read a lot of that stuff and I haven't found anyone who isn't. When anyone wonders about this, the answer is always that of course it's the same message, since human wisdom exactly coincides with what American West Coast liberals believed circa 1960, when the craze for All Things Eastern began. I can understand how everyone drinks the Kool-Ade for a while, but no one ever rocks this particular boat. Is it because everyone expects to come back with the same message, so they do?

I'm half tempted to take a heroic dose and see for myself. I may be so brainwashed that I'll come back as a hippie type pinko fag. Can't do the long hair bit because I'll look like Eraserhead.

Enlightenment

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:29 pm
by Bram
One of my favorite axioms is this:

“Only take advice from someone you’d trade places with.”

In terms of spiritual leaders, the only one I’ve witnessed who seemed to be on a high-level was the Dalai Lama: he was warm, funny, self-deprecating, admitted his weaknesses, and argued earnestly for dialogue, kindness, and compassion. “An enemy today can be a friend tomorrow.”

Lot of dubious figures out there — like Osho/Bagwan Rajneesh in “Wild Wild Country.”

Enlightenment

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:56 pm
by motherjuggs&speed
Disagree about the DL. I think the image he projects is just that, a shtick he puts on. I've read accounts of people who have been around him and if there's not a camera around he's indifferent. He also does nothing for the Tibetans. He has a platform to speak and he puts zero pressure on the PRC about it's occupation of Tibet.

As far as taking advice, I think that's probably right. I have, hate to admit it, but followed is the right word, a number of different people and I'm always disillusioned.

Enlightenment

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 2:16 am
by Bram
He gave a commencement speech I attended in San Diego, and I found it a very valuable experience. He did speak about the Tibetans and the injustice by China, and you could feel his anger on the issue.

That experience is the only real measurement I'm judging him on. I've read through parts of a few of his books and they didn't grab me, but in person I found him admirable :)

Enlightenment

Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 11:09 pm
by nafod
Famous AI story from back in the day...

In the days when Sussman was a novice, Minsky once came to him as he sat hacking at the PDP-6.

“What are you doing?”, asked Minsky.

“I am training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe” Sussman replied.

“Why is the net wired randomly?”, asked Minsky.

“I do not want it to have any preconceptions of how to play”, Sussman said.

Minsky then shut his eyes.

“Why do you close your eyes?”, Sussman asked his teacher.

“So that the room will be empty.”

At that moment, Sussman was enlightened.