Jung, Maslow & The Mechanics of Meaning - Gary Lachman

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Jung famously remarked that the majority of people who came to him were not suffering from any neurosis or other psychological disorder, but from a lack of meaning in their life. This, he said, was the central question in the second half of life, after one has already established oneself in the world. Material comfort and a high standard of living did not necessarily lead to happiness; indeed they often got in its way, and it was not unusual for seekers of meaning to put themselves in uncomfortable circumstances, because of an unconscious instinct that comfortable ones would kill them.
But the challenge of meaning concerns our inner life, and Jung believed he had hit upon the mechanism through which a “flat, stale and unprofitable” life could be transformed into one of purpose and growth. This required a new alignment of the polarity between our conscious and unconscious minds, which would make things “just right.” Jung called this the Transcendent Function and this talk will focus on its part in Jung’s search for meaning.
Gary Lachman is a founding member of the rock group Blondie, and now a full time writer with more than a dozen books to his name, on topics ranging from the evolution of consciousness and the western esoteric tradition, to literature and suicide, and the history of popular culture. Lachman writes frequently for many journals in the US and UK, and lectures on his work in the US, UK, and Europe.
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[@velvetclaw2316]

I don’t think Buddha was saying detach from life to avoid suffering - I think he was saying pain is inevitable in human life but suffering is a choice. The only thing I think Buddhism encourages us to detach from is delusional and self deceiving beliefs, not from life.

[@Atanu]

@Stephen OToole. I thought his dismissal of the Buddha's understanding of the world was wrong. Thank you for your brief clarification. The Buddha's point was that there is impermanence and change. Therefore our suffering arises from our futile attempts at grasping at things that are bound to be passing. His solution: don't cling. Have fun but don't think that you can cling to fun. Live your life but don't think that it's going to be permanent. This too shall pass.

[@xupac1379]

This guy don’t know shit about shit...the pinnacle of modern academia, a word prostitute machine. And yet he is hypnotizing a quarter of a million with eloquence. Oh well.

[@serahmunthali3063]

Thanks for the clarification.

[@Lucia-pd6fi]

Yep, my thoughts exactly. His knowledge of Buddhism is minimal based on what he has expressed.

[@fergarising1972]

He said to detach from our attachments. Our attachment to things that are impermanent, our necessity to keep things permanent in our minds when they change, was the primary cause of our suffering. Identity is one of those attachments, as is meaning, our identity and sense of meaning continuously changes and without allowing them to change we will be miserable.

[@kirasussane1556]

My whole life I have always sneer at people that are attracted to Jung or any mysticism/spiritually . I have always consider myself a rationalist and a thinker but after decades of struggling with anxiety and finally getting better now I find myself looking for meaning something that I never did while I was in the entrenches of my depression. So here I am.

[@edgeofthought]

hearing you. Sounds like the apparently own-crafting of your life story is being shifted. Best wishes, I don't know what will happen but hopefully you'll find better life.

[@kirasussane1556]

@@edgeofthought Yep it is changing and is a rather painful process . Hopefully it leads to something better.

[@lediableblanc9399]

Life is irrational, it makes sense that one might not enjoy it if they insist on it being rational. No one considers the fastest songs to always be the best, or the fastest dances to be the best, probably because the point of them is not getting to the end. The point is to appreciate them. “Beauty is truth and truth beauty, that is all ye know and all ye need to know.” It might be hard to appreciate the irrational with the belief that life is rational. It leaves you not appreciating life because you expect it to be something other than it is. That is, there is a utility to beauty. More than that, utility is not in absence of beauty. I note that nearly every person I’ve encountered doesn’t realize that reason has an emotional aspect. They think reason means intellect. The potential to do the work of calculation, but logic is illogical without reason. Why do this instead of that? The very foundation of logic goes away if there is no wh .

[@kirstinstrand6292]

@@kirasussane1556 yes, it definitely does; yet, it's a process requiring patience and persistence. Keep going.

[@christiansather8438]

@@lediableblanc9399 wish I could have said this to my dad in an argument about this topic

[@mitsuha4788]

I'm so excited to start my college classes on psychology and philosophy. I've taken 2 years to study it myself so I can get ahead a bit.

[@camildumitrescu3703]

As a romanian, i admit, my heart grows every single time i hear E.M. Cioran mentioned. Such a suited author, these times around...

[@minibuns5397]

What about the great Vlad the impaler

[@RJ-cs9gz]

Great talk but something that people always seem to get wrong about Buddhism (30 years of study, practice and a number of years as a monk here✋🏾) - Buddha said (as the first noble truth) that there is the truth of suffering, that suffering is unavoidable as part of life, he did not say 'life IS suffering', he also said (as the second noble truth) that the cause of suffering is attachment to self and phenomena as established, permanence. It is usually transmitted, expediently, as desire being the root of suffering but that is not the pith of it. In Tantric Buddhism, desire is embraced as part of one's practice so it definitely is NOT considered the cause of suffering in that system. Essentially, it is a misconception regarding the self and reality that is the cause of suffering - not that life is suffering

[@deborahdean8867]

It's still about escape from, or avoiding, suffering

[@jiohdi]

meaning arises from awareness that ones next action or inaction will have a consequence for that ones peace of mind.

[@haydenjardine9178]

Anxiety

[@minusstage3]

@@haydenjardine9178so simple and to the point, my friend!

[@TRUGRAFFIX]

I just leveled up. I wish I could get in a room like this. I’m a highly intuitive that’s seen as another Kanye. I’ve solved the worlds problems in my head but nobody in the world wants to change it and I need a professional idea listener because explaining it is a massive blind spot for me thus far …. Thank u sir

[@fiberglass101]

Awareness is the objective of the thinking individual. To seek meaning is narcissistic

[@abcrane]

Purpose is surviving well. Meaning is when we help others to do the same. Progress is when purpose and meaning expand and persist.

[@lisagouldson8373]

just breathe there you are aware & there you observe & every else is coming from mind💯

[@thorcook]

@@lisagouldson8373 True, but MEANINGless.

[@thorcook]

BTQ: What is 'surviving well'? IOW, what is the "meaning"? 😉🤓

[@thorcook]

Some really good thoughts, but ultimately (just) kicks the can down the road with regards to (discovering) "meaning", IMO. Though as DA; id have to admit that when it comes to the meaning of meaning, there may be no end of the road.. OR maybe a cul de sac? Doesn't mean we can't still describe it (meaning), but that maybe we should EAT the Jello instead of trying to nail it to the wall.

[@thorcook]

@James Allen as far as meaning goes, feels to me like your just heading further in the opposite direction. Tasty ideas tho!

[@solinvictus2018]

Have been binging talks and interviews by Gary the past week. What an interesting man. I was also a Blondie fan back in the days and I have spent many hours listening to parallel lines. Glad to see he is not resting on his musical laurels!

[@jkb1O5]

What laurels are you not resting on?

[@solinvictus2018]

@@jkb1O5 ?

[@ivangoran4461]

@@jkb1O5 Van Gogh had not had laurels in his lifetime.

[@anthonyapples2956]

The whole wide world needs to hear this to stamp out meaninglessness and depression. A million thanks!

[@wizzardlately705]

(1.00) R. A. Johnson reports in his book Balancing Heaven and Earth, that during his training to become a Jungian Psychoanalyst in Zurich in 1948, he met with Jung who told him (I paraphrase) 'It's not what you know that heals, it's who you are!' That suggests to me that Jung knew the healing effect he was having upon his patients due to the personality/psyche that he had developed. Perhaps this is why if you wish to train as a Psychoanalyst you must experience a 4 year period of psychoanalysis yourself before you may become accredited.

[@JJ-wi2uw]

Excellent presentation ... Gary Lachman is fantastic. I have most of his books.

[@marileesteele1804]

Nailed Maslow's peak experience, never heard such a verisimilitude-enous description. It happens organically, it cannot be sought or made to occur. I would call it synchronicity, having enough knowledge to feel awe of the physics of the miracle of awareness of being alive and your being in the world. You are purposefully engaged, absorbed and unafraid. You could be making bread, yet you are content. Thank you for this lecture & post, in spite of the disgusting interruptions (cringe inducing, universal peak blockers). Regulate predatory ad placement, preserve quiet space!!

[@BedroomStudioWeddingsAus]

People are pretty critical of this free lecture

[@jozefpuaski9832]

What a beautiful, fascinating lecture. I'm so grateful for it. Many thanks and all the best to the Professor👍

[@infoCaron]

"The poets always know in advance" is so very Marshall Mcluhan to me. From his own method to his PhD thesis, which is partly on GK Chesterton. Still looking for the golden thread between him and Jung. So far, Gary is an important link in that chain :)

[@RSEFX]

States of mind are so dependent not only on the level of physical comfort in life, but ones general health, along with eating and sleeping habits, the extent to which one exercises (or doesn't), whether there is a close circle of friends and/or relatives, and sometimes just basic things like physical appearance. Like any sum in arithmetic, the number can be broken down to components. People aren't abstractions, they live as physical entities and ones mind is influenced by more than pure thought.

[@vijayvijay4123]

Well said! This is what most psychological and self help advice forgets

[@thomas0101]

It could actually be said that one's mind is influenced by nothing but pure thought or universal thought.

[@mmccrownus2406]

Not much meaning there. Nice things but devoid of transcendence or heroism or vision

[@staleruudeidsvoll4645]

why set train brakes on the more that follows after your writing? you seem no I will not!

[@angrymayonnaisenoises6524]

@21:10 exactly what is afflicting so many today-life failure leading to violence

[@Synergy1111]

Reading all your books, I find these topics fascinating, as I’m in the peak experience almost always now, since almost killing myself through addiction!

[@Len124]

On Nietzsche, he mentions how he came up with "eternal recurrence" because he "loved life so much." Actually he thought it was among the most horrifying ideas he ever came up with and hoped it wasn't true. In only takes a moment of thought to understand why he might've hated the notion. Even if you're lucky enough to have had a bearable life, imagine what it would mean for the universe, and our lives, to repeat in the exact same pre-determined way forever. Some children's entire lives are suffering - birth, hunger, starvation, death - so it would mean we live in a universe where death is not an escape from suffering and some sentient beings are arbitrarily fated to endure perpetual pain. Your own life could take a turn that results in a biography worthy of the most unsettling horror in which your only mercy is death; now rinse-and-repeat. Such a universe is a cruel joke compared to the relatively benign prospect of oblivion.

[@Sheilawyer]

What if you keep coming back but each time as someone else until you’ve walked a mile in every shoe? Some experiences would be excruciatingly painful and some blissfully joyful🤷🏾‍♀️

[@Len124]

@@Sheilawyer That'd certainly be better I suppose. You'd experience every possible fate you've ever heard of, from the suffering of every single victim of the Nazi death machine, to the experience of being the architect of that very same machine that victimized you millions upon millions of times. There's an interesting short story, adapted by Kurzgesagt, called _"The Egg"_ that [SPOILER WARNING] depicts the sort of reincarnation you described (though it's non-temporal; as in you may live a modern life this time and the next you may live as a Chinese peasant 500 years ago), in which every person you interact with is a previous iteration of yourself and that the purpose of this long process - and life-itself - is as a gestation/maturation process on the way to something resembling godhood. It's a beautiful story. Is it likely, though? IMO: not any less or more than Nietzsche's "Eternal Recurrence;" neither of which I find particularly compelling. A flicker of consciousness in a sea of oblivion stretching toward perpetual horizons in either direction seems like the most parsimonious explanation for the nature of our existence to me; but I could, of course, be wrong. "Where I go, death does not; where death goes, I do not." It seems horrific to think of non-existence, but we didn't seem to mind it during the Napoleonic Wars or the building of the pyramids. What we are is the now and we have no more reason to fear what temporally beyond us than we do what's beyond the tip of our nose.

[@bigtux11]

@@Len124 what about the concept of an afterlife? Where do you stand with that?

[@Len124]

​@@bigtux11 I think the Epicurus line I butchered in my last comment sums it up pretty well: “Why should I fear death? If I am, then death is not. If Death is, then I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?" Except I'm a little less flippant about the fear of death. The survival instinct is deeply-ingrained, primordial, and rational in the context of passing on our genomes with the greatest fidelity. Directly through our own line preferably, hence our self-centredness, but two siblings or four cousins will get the job done as well, hence our altruism. At a deeper level, however, it's entirely irrational to care whether our specific strand of amino acids survives, and so the instinct toward placing our own persistence over that of others is, in a sense, an illusion. What makes my particular stream of consciousness more important than any other, aside from selfishness? Anyway, I think the experience of death is likely identical to the experience of never being born; i.e. not an experience at all. I suspect we create notions of afterlives as a cultural mechanism for suppressing our self-preservation instinct without sacrificing our ability to think ahead and understand our environment. Knowledge of our own mortality is the heavy price we pay for taming fire, Beethoven's 9th, and the Apollo missions. Experience has taught me, however, to never rule-out the possibility that I'm an idiot, so I could be wrong. Tl;DR: Zilch I'm afraid.

[@marileesteele1804]

@@Len124 Not possible for mortal to experience in one’s limited lifetime, your what if? Experience is experience & that’s it. Nothing is true but thinking makes it so. Feeble attempts to explain & create a narrative where vision itself is first responder, gatekeeper to emotion, upon which many human behaviors accordingly are dictated, denied or justified.

[@robertcox14]

Meaning is beyond words. Words are used (ineffectively) to describe meaning that lies somewhere between consciousness and Jung's "subconscious." I may know thousands of songs in my subconscious (there are hints that I know songs but don't "remember" them, even though they are "in the back of my mind" in my musical memory). Musical geniuses can remember huge amounts of music in detail. I have trouble "memorizing" my own songs.

[@halwarner3326]

This lecture is solid gold.

[@nealluczkiewicz6846]

Project Integ ( below my comment) - you are absolutely correct. As human beings - we all suffer. However, if we can use our suffering to teach, enlighten - or ease the suffering of others, we can then feel the JOY of MEANING.

[@Phorquieu]

It's a pity he was rushed to conclude his talk... Such important topics... He was delivering a valuable service!

[@loriculpepperdinsmore5384]

Thank you Gary! This was magic!

[@ramkrishnadas4230]

Excellent. I saw Gary first on Jeffery Mishlove's new thinking allowed, just first few minutes of listening him made me his great fan.

[@scotimages]

Profoundly satisfying because it was satisfyingly profound. A sentiment induced very directly by the speaker and one which I know he would appreciate. I need to listen to this several times because I only felt it this time around. I now need to internalise it.

[@AednaLynx]

I love his sense of humour! Great lecture.

[@Dani68ABminus]

Wonderful lecture...thank you, Gary Lachman!

[@floatingtao]

Love Gary Lachman! Great lecture.

[@MrGotmymojoworkin]

Gary Lachman: Buddhism does not 'detach itself from life' . Buddhist monks and priests have lives which are remote, it is true - but for its many millions of devotees - Buddhism is daily life.

[@genngeorge9909]

Excellent comment.

[@deborahdean8867]

It's a way of life, a philosophy. And now we know it IS a scientific practice. So the fact that many people follow it does not mean it's not what it is. However in practice there are superstitions and a daily philosophy to live by

[@thorcook]

LIFE is daily life. Buddhism is an abstracted worldview (inherited from Hinduism) transposed into a methodology; "Hinduism stripped for export" (A. Watts). A method for becoming aware that life is suffering, and for reducing that suffering. That certainly makes it a _kind_ of 'daily life', or 'way of life' (and describes it less crassly/clinically), but it BTQ?: What kind of life? IMO, it hasn't proved to be that successful at solving the problem of suffering, and doesn't even have the right (ultimate) solution (though not a bad goal). It doesn't seem to me (by analysis, and through years of experience) to result in a fulfilled life, nor could I find a plausible path to it within the Buddhist 'life'.

[@thorcook]

A fulfilled life does not appear to correlate [generally/well] with reduced, or low levels of suffering (paradoxically).

[@jazzianful]

And more importantly, it definitely does not teach to avoid suffering. Quite the opposite.

[@natureswhisper1397]

To teach Jung is always a good thing (if it is done right). Nice lecture.

[@TheCobratron]

Fantastic description of active imagination ! Thank you

[@jefflanahan8812]

Iain McGilcrist's work on the brain hemisphere's is extraordinarily relevant to this lecture.

[@geoffreynhill2833]

Also a good guide through related earlier, contemporary & later philosophers & poets.

[@IreneGrindell]

Thanks for sharing Neill

[@Thesoonia86]

Niall :)

[@sextonjoe]

Great content, but 7 commercials in the first 17 minutes prevent me from subscribing to the channel

[@tanbirulmahmud4364]

What about the sound of drinking water!

[@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan]

Great no-nonsense talk

[@chanson8508]

Very enlightening lecture 🙌🏾

[@helenbostock2350]

Hi love your work. Very informative. I heard in your voice existed its the sound in your words. its all vibration

[@kirstinstrand6292]

Now I know there are words for my experience last night. It takes forever, but there comes a time for celebration. Never give up the journey. Learn how to interpret your sleep dreams.

[@johnferraz6417]

"Journey as place...becoming as end." We...after persistant search...find that the need for "meaning' not only necessary...but essential. So... thru the journey...experience the joy of discovery and creative challenge...a plus...if it shared.

[@johnmitchell2741]

Excellent presentation

[@gustavomeza7386]

Well , I see there is many commentaries, you must be an intellectual or enlightened in some form , Im a busy man , or at least I try to stay busy doing productive things like reading ,working and exercising, I wish you prosperity, I wish that the stars line up in your favor, and that you align with positive frequencies so that you can continue to be a light to your peers and to your audience, may the force be with you..

[@clarepover4978]

Useful links - excellent study.

[@ivanaconjar3606]

Fantastic lecture

[@Belialith]

Hahaha. That was great. Haha, I love how he described what he thought of the 'big' 'bang' hahaha...that was brilliant. Thank you.

[@megmurf5376]

Terrific talk. Thank you for letting me know that the images, words, and music I receive when I look into the Hypnagogic darkness, is not a weird thing to do or have to happen to me. It is not as some have told me, that I must be mad or perhaps you have a tumour in your brain! I know in myself that these messages are very much signs coming from somewhere sent to help us, if we would only spend the time to learn to listen and see! People don't understand when they can't experience these things for themselves! Jung was right!

[@staleruudeidsvoll4645]

yeah, did that fact descarridge you? lets leave those travellers out of this.. you have more enough intellekt to find out more about this... you can only win, if DOING! search withinyourself..... it is a blast 2 wanna dead 4.. (frogs, chicken, bla bla)! thanks.

[@doctorcofrin851]

Thank you!! I’m getting YOUR Book!

[@doctorcofrin851]

I’m reading the Red Book and sans dubiety, Jung moved through multiple dimensions. The veil no longer is between the worlds and afterlife. It’s all happening NOW.

[@Cristina-bo6gp]

Very interesting content, thank you so much!

[@Radionictech]

Excellent lecture, lots of wisdom here to be noted. Gary at his best.. Bravo! Dr. Thor Templar, IGOS

[@DenianArcoleo]

Wonderful lecture.

[@sillyfoxer9927]

Boys... Freud was afraid Jung was going to use his psychic powers on him.

[@minhtranlmft]

Lol

[@nevaarneyok4448]

Sometimes i do think looking for meaning is like an illusion that keeps you stuck in your own den and makes you just watching the life passing while it is possible to enjoy it. But on the other hand for those who are looking for meaning is, it is not possible to enjoy anything because of the feeling of unclearness and lack of somesthing satisfying. There is baby crying inside me and whatever you put in front of her does not stop her crying, she just smiles for a vague moment and then keeps going crying again(at least up to now).

[@lediableblanc9399]

Is it possible to know a person while getting to know them? If you appreciate your kitchen knife, would you try to find appreciation for your kitchen knife?

[@nick0one]

Great presentation!!

[@mikef2813]

Except for his thoughts on Buddhism.

[@christiansather8438]

Gary is a living, breathing cliffs notes for occult literature

[@wizzardlately705]

Peak experiences endow the perceiver with an added vibrancy, an enhanced energy to that which they see, hear, smell, taste etc., all the senses can be increased in that spectrum in which they operate. If this enhancing phenomena is too powerful then a state of insanity can occur (spiritual crisis?). An example could be the experiences of Vincent van Gogh. I am aware of someone who when looking at the clouds in the sky, static or otherwise, sees not simply clouds as we all perceive them, but a canvass whereupon rests a collage of fine art, dynamic and awe inspiring (and no psychedelic substances are used).

[@royzlatanestevez9843]

Terrific talk. One remark: to me, it seems "Jonah Complex" is contradicted by sociological research at least for contemporary society. Young people's think they are so special and will do above average. In addition, I believe stalemate between neurology and this has been reached, as they can both frame each other: neurology can also explain phenomenon of meaning coming from stressful situations. Probably it's a property of brain chemicals and electricity, not of meaning.

[@genngeorge9909]

I've definitely experienced those "Peak" moments. Usually shortly after my first sip of coffee in the morning. Or my first glass of wine at dinner.

[@kingfisher9553]

Peak Experience that lasted months, 40 years ago: I adopted 5 kittens at once from a lady who didn't think she could 'get rid of them.' I spontaneously said, "I'll take them all!" Months of kittens running through the house and across and over furniture, making more noise than soft paws could possibly make - as if each kitten weighed 50 pounds. Pure joy. They were beautiful, looked like a cross between Blue Russian and Siamese, and were very easy to rehome a few months later -- though I did so reluctantly. I wanted to keep them all. I remember them now, all these years later, and can't stop smiling.

[@laurencebrown3315]

First off I acknowledge I have only listen to the first 2 minutes and 53 seconds of this lecture so I can’t offer any “meaningful” or critical comments considering the lecture as a whole. Since most of the comments are positive, or should I say, almost all (I haven’t read through all of them), I look forward to continue listening to the video after this Post. I am trained to listen. One issue I run into time and again when engaged in dialogue is the phenomenon of one making a statement that “sounds” like the person making it has authority on the subject, that sounds as if the statement is an absolute truth. An absurd example. “We have to stop polluting the ocean. ALL the fish are dead.” Or “How come EVERYBODY likes Raymond.” Or “Yea well you know how the X are when it comes to consuming alcohol.” In each case I find it almost impossible to continue on in the conversation until the point of contention has been cleared up. This simple desire to attempt to keep accuracy as a part of the dialogue has led to more conversations coming to an abrupt end. In the first “absurd” example it is important, in my opinion, to clarify that we haven’t killed off ALL the fish. In the second example I can without a doubt say that “I” don’t like Raymond. Thus not EVERYBODY likes Raymond In the third example I find it absurd that people attribute the abuse of alcohol to any one nationality. I’ve been to over two thirds of the planet and as far as I can see, alcoholism knows no national boundaries. If it isn’t the Irish it’s the Swedes. Or the Italians. Or the French. Or the English. Or the Australians. Or the Russians. The title can be given to just about every nationality depending on who is doing the labeling. It’s either got to be true that one nationality has the highest propensity, or not. But you can’t have ten plus nationalities filling the number one spot. Again I find it impossible to move on in a conversation, especially if the inaccuracy is not mundane but a critical piece of the premiss of a discussion; argument (argument in the most positive of senses). So why this long drawn out diatribe? Two minutes and fifty three seconds into the lecture the lecturer has made a statement that is so inaccurate, so off the cuff, that it begs being pointed out. Buddhism does not ask persons avoid living, to detach and retreat from the world. Buddhism is about detaching from the habituated responses to life, reactions based on noncritical assessment of phenomenon, delusional interpretation due to unexamined assumptions influenced by past events (and I’m not using or inferring Karma). If anything Buddhism asks us to fully engage in living. It asks the practitioner to engage in a deep introspective way with life and all its phenomenon in a way the average human being hasn’t the capacity or tools with which to engage. Such a thoughtless 10 second statement concerning such a rich tradition of transformation leads me to believe this cerebral lecture is nothing more than that and can offer no real distinctions or openings for an ontological shift. And if that’s not a point when discussing Jung then what is?

[@Atanu]

@Laurance Brown Well, there's the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton#GellMannAmnesiaEffect 😃

[@helenbostock2350]

At the beginning I feel its was like no sound but of a feeling of being. It's started with a vibration of feeling. Then another vibrant that brought me into another concent field the star. I remember past life as well. I do understand one thing however other people treat me. I ok.

[@Mrtassan]

Omg Jonah Complex. My thing has a name! Tysm!!

[@judysmith1964]

Wonderful lecture. Offer more on active imagination please.

[@reglagirl5802]

Synchronicities! I just found out and can't get over that it was Mr. Lachman who wrote Touched By Your Presence. Long story, Honolulu, Blavatsky and more than is appropriate for a comment

[@mmccrownus2406]

Beauty Goodness Truth and finding Self in these, this is a good start

[@artoffugue333]

This lecture is like a rose in the desert.

[@user-lu9hq6jv4v]

Excellent !!

[@ivangoran4461]

"The Meaning Of Meaning" - Ogden & Richards, "The Tyranny Of Words" - Stuart Chase, "Manhood Of Humanity" - Alfred Korzybski

[@lediableblanc9399]

I’ll say the meaning of meaning is self evident, but I should be able to just say, meaning is self evident. ….so I’ll instead say, the meaning of meaning of meaning of meaning of meaning is self evident, out of spite. The meaning of appreciation is The appreciation of meaning

[@ivangoran4461]

@@lediableblanc9399 Just keep thinking.

[@ivangoran4461]

@@lediableblanc9399 I`m not sure I understand you, I`m even less sure that you understand anything above mentioned. What I`m sure about is that you haven`t read any of these books.

[@Zen0NoMind1]

First off, excellent lecture...kudos!🤗 Now for some thoughts- I'm not a fan of the... "life is meaningless...nothing truly matters...it all goes away in the end...life always leads to suffering...etc." This is simply pessimistic rhetoric used to cope with unsettling aspects of reality. Or in the worst case used to sway some sort of malicious (or even passive aggressive) control over others. Sure, there maybe be some truth to that line of thinking within the context or point of view of the big picture or the long haul of time that we all know will eventually wipe the slate clean of everything that has or will ever exist. But, personally & in all actuality of being practical....life does have meaning & purpose for as long as it is going on & even after life has passed...there is always a residual impact on the lives that remain. Some people have more of an impact on history than others...but we all have an impact none the less...however insignificant it may seem at the time. (And I dont think even the most isolated life is insignificant either) With that said... No one can ever truly know exactly how much impact any one life has overall in general....due to the trickle down effect & (ofcourse) the eventual obscurity of time- amongst other reasons as well. Some influences simply may be impossible to trace, but never the less...they still take place. Sometimes merely influencing a tiny thought or impression in the backs of our minds & sometimes being a huge focus in the front of our minds that may be just the right catalyst that spearheads some sort of revolution or even just a personal epiphany of some sort. Life is emensely dynamic, complex and is in constant flux. Let's please not forget to consider these things from time to time. Thank you.💗 Ps- just my 2 cents😁

[@AbdennourBenatallah]

so your meaning in life is to influence or to leave a mark/something behind ... in other words indirect immortality, some people might tells you that even that is meaningless and it stems from your fear of death, fear of leaving nothing behind or the fear of the unknown, others might tell you that its your biology /nature leading you to leave something behind, in other words reproduction to ensure the survival of the species

[@adamgorelick3714]

Meaning can only be accessed in present moment awareness. In the absence of presence we become Wilson's "robot". Most of us experience the world through a parallax view; a pathology of diminishment and disconnection resulting from materialistic abstraction. The resulting alienation from ourselves and the environment that sustains us accounts for most of the great miseries that afflict the planet. What could be seen as a mystical experience is our natural state that has been drummed out of us; a sense of wholeness and the sacred unobscured by the noise of "a monkey in heat that has been stung by a bee" - the overactive mind. If the Buddha spoke of enlightenment as merely an absence of suffering, it was because any more would amount to a finger pointing at the moon - so often perceived as only a finger.

[@kallianpublico7517]

Stoicism is the avoidance of too much suffering and pleasure. Buddhism is the state of being where you can "see" that desire brings happiness or sadness. If you want to avoid sadness or suffering then you must avoid voluntary desire. Not involuntary needs such as food, shelter, rest, bathing- cleanliness.

[@romanticandperky]

I plan on reading your book on Jung, Mr. Lachman. I've been having an incredible experience with synchronicity since even before I walked into that recording studio on the eighth flr. of Radio City Music Hall, where you were recording with Blondie (your first album with her). You were sharing a studio, a producer, a recording engineer, and a record label, with my brother's band at the time: The Dirty Angels. The name of their album was 'Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye'. My brother died on cancer in March of '19, and something really synchronistically amazing happened in the events leading up to his death. I spent the day before he died reading to him from The Bible and singing to him. I also hope to get a copy of your book on Swedenborg. As far as your researches into Aleister Crowley and Madame Blavatsky and their kind go, I hope you will be careful. I don't want you be sent to Richard Hell in the afterlife and spend all eternity as a 'Voidoid'; G-d forbid!

[@topherming6565]

I would ask Gary to do a book on Wilhelm Reich, but he already does such an enormous load of work that he can never get to all the interesting people and ideas out there.

[@ivangoran4461]

"Tyranny Of Words" - Stuart Chase "Meaning Of Meaning" - Ogden & Richard "Science & Sanity" - Alfred Korzybski

[@michaelwoodsmccausland5633]

I/ We live in a Universe of Thoughts!

[@mckonal]

a rockstar turned into a philosopher? a rare breed. tho he said he will mention several people he mentioned almost everyone.

[@kallianpublico7517]

Meaning is construed. Not abstracted. It is impressed upon us gradually, so gradually that even the notion of opposites is not evident. It is only when the realization of opposites is first cognized that "meaning" becomes memorizable. When rain puts out fire. It becomes a precursor to causal connections and, ultimately, prediction. In between causal recognition and prediction examination is adopted - comparison and contrast. Instead of the world being one it is now divided into many.

[@douglasmackinnon7026]

Good stuff, the algo found me.

[@onetruecalling]

Purpose and meaning arise from being of service in some way, anyway. It can be minor or of great significance but we all have a call to do something for others, to bring that thing we are called to out into the world.

[@kallianpublico7517]

Who is the servant and who is the master? In Isaac Asimov's Robot series of books, robots are our servants. But because they have been programmed not to harm humans, they come to "guide" humans away from "predictable" harms. As Jesus said he who is your greatest servant let him be your master, paraphrased.

[@marshalkrieg2664]

The fainting incident with Freud in Jung's study was a bit misrepresented here. There was a loud explosion in the bookcase just as Jung and Freud were engaged in a heated dispute. This was no trick. This was an inexplicable event.

[@thenowchurch6419]

Lachman seems to arrogantly put his own spin on things regardless of the actual evidence.

[@christopherhamilton3621]

A loud cracking noise in the wooden beams: NOT an explosion, FFS! 🙄

[@michaelwoodsmccausland5633]

The Artist wrestles with this on the path to a master

[@michaelwoodsmccausland5633]

The Sage has walked the Hills and valleys of life & Desth

[@raphaelmoraczewski1106]

Just FYI on the hunter gather occupation about 4 hours a day for subsistence, so if you put in eight one day you don't have to work the next day, kind of thing

[@GaryAskwith1in5]

Perhaps, like size, being an ‘Outsider’ is relative too. As above is as outside below as below is outside above.

[@detodounpoco37]

Great talk, but I disagree with a particular point. Ecclesiastes talks about "nothing new under the Sun" not as there is not meaning or originality, but all is created by The Divine Sun.

[@topherming6565]

The indifference or apathy can be overcome with meditation. Mantra meditation works for me. Also affirmations work to show me new possibilities.

[@lediableblanc9399]

Why does Apathy need dealt with? I’m not sure that word means what you think it means. An apathetic person would have no need to convince people there is no meaning… that sounds more like someone who believes life is rational all while life goes on around them being irrational. As such, the person needs to go about convincing people that they are supposed to be rational. That’s not the same as not caring if it is rational or irrational. …it’s more or less the opposite actually

[@topherming6565]

@@lediableblanc9399 " I’m not sure that word means what you think it means." //ap·a·thet·ic (apÅÃ thetÆik), adj. 1. having or showing little or no emotion: apathetic behavior. 2. not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive: an apathetic audience.// It seems to mean that an apathetic person is not involved with his life. That doesn't seem healthy. To maintain a state of health don't you have to be involved? Don't you have to respond to the problems you're confronted with?

[@cheri238]

Gary Lachman is the founding member of Blondie. (I loved that group) Now he writes books. I am looking forward now to listening to this, for my interests are in these subjects. I love philosophy, this is great. H. G. Wells did write many books other than "1984." I love his books.

[@Auriflamme]

1984 was writen by George Orwell, not Wells.

[@earthling7183]

This is one of those times when you let the speaker keep going as long as he wants + time for questions. Tsk tsk.

[@jeremyhennessee6604]

Well said Sarah. I grew weary of his repetitive, and circular prattling by 5 mins. Into the video and have waited till now (6 mins in) to abandon it because I'm purely a masochist. He literally brings nothing new to the table and basically just strings together a rapid fire succession of quotes from pop cultural icons. How very ironic..to be giving a lecture which addresses meaning..yet do it so.. meaninglessly. If irony were his intent. His poisoned arrow hit it's mark.

[@shylock5477]

@@jeremyhennessee6604 😂😂😂 lol

[@Jaymsie.]

I always get a kick out of these academics who read a book about Buddhism and feel they instantly know what it’s all about. He’s right about one thing, Buddhism is not a religion. It’s more of a program of psychotherapy created at a time when people could not possibly completely divorce their understanding of the world from the aura of religion, in the case of Buddhism, that religion being Hinduism, the Vedics, Yoga. The point I want to make is that, as a Buddhist practitioner of more than a decade, I can attest that the essence of Buddhist wisdom cannot be understood with the intellectual mind. It is entirely an experience based program. Of course we read and listen to the written word. But we do so under the pretence that words are but a vehicle in which we travel to experiential understanding, we discard the words entirely upon arrival. And why don’t we rely on words like every other religion or philosophy? Because when we use words to describe an aspect of personal experience, the listener leaves with a gross misunderstanding of that personal experience. A logical or intellectual comprehension of some description of experience does not constitute a 1:1 transmission of said experience. Without a subsequent practice which leads to the transmission of experience, a logical comprehension can only ever be an abominable and corrupted understanding of the real essence of experience. And worse than that is we have folks like our speaker here who gains intellectual understanding regarding this particular saying known to have come from the very lips of the Buddha, yet he does so absent any true experiential understanding. Which is bad enough on its own. But when you add the fact that he is now repeating what he thinks he knows about it to others, and the game of telephone commences and ends who knows where, accept to say that the more times these things are repeated by people who have not the experience initially described themselves, even their intellectual understanding becomes ever more corrupted. And there is a fear that the further one goes in the wrong direction, a question arises: at what point does misunderstanding preclude one from accessing the true experience in this life time? I’ll end with an attempt to make one point clear. There are few things if any in this great wide world who’s truest understanding comes in the form of observing inner changes which emanate from undergoing a particular daily practice, initially described using words. Yet the practice of Buddhism is such a thing. If you’re reading this with a curious mind, I urge you to understand simply that Buddhism stands out like a sore thumb in this regard. All you read about Buddhism will not avail you an ounce of truth if there is not a corresponding practice being informed by the words. At the very least know that the only way to truly understand Buddhism, is through its practice. So if ya don’t practice, then just know that you don’t understand, despite your ability to comprehend the intellectual meaning of words.

[@thenowchurch6419]

That is a lot of words but a solid point. Without practice and experience there can be no understanding.

[@OneManInaTree]

You cannot explain the taste of sugar to someone, that is obsurd, but you can taste it yourself, experience it yourself. I agree the same is true of bhuddism. Not in terms of the bhuddism itself, but what bhuddist practices lead you towards.

[@nanashi2146]

Sounds like lots and lots of confusion. There's a reason why buddhism couldn't survive in China and other areas without supporting ideologies like legalism

[@OneManInaTree]

@@nanashi2146 life is confusing unfortunately my friend. You'd have to be willing to engage in practice so it is not as confusing.

[@nanashi2146]

@@OneManInaTree I don't see how Buddhism follows from what you're saying

[@wizzardlately705]

Finding 'meaning', then 'a meaningful experience'? (43.00) So, can we say that finding a meaning in life is via having meaningful experiences and therefor the meaning in life becomes living in that experience. Question is, is the meaningful experience a common denominator open to all or just the outsider? If just to the outsider, then are the remainder simply the 'good enough' groups who find themselves outside the store on a Black Friday waiting to break in to satisfy that hedonistic need?

[@satyricusm]

"The Mechanics of Meaning". That says it all. Feeds straight into the rise of Technocracy.

[@yeahyeah410]

Brilliant

[@JorgeGiro]

Buddha did say much more than "life is not a picnic". He did basically say that most of the uneasiness of life results from the illusion of separateness. When we realize that everything is one and live accordingly, most of the self-inflicted pain dissolves in thin air. This is only a short comment to your simplistic presentation.

[@GaryLachman]

Dukkha = suffering. First Noble Truth.

[@renehenriksen1735]

Meaning of life is something mankind has searched for since the earliest times. If mankind or some clearsighted individuals have found something really meaningful is a good question. If people have found meaning for themselves and their own personal life is something they rarely talk about. Perhaps it is something personal and userdefineable that changes from time to time. The newly tendencies in intellectual scientific circles that the meaning of life is "42" or to create entropy is something most people probably will look at in astonishment and wonder what meaning there is in that. To create entropy looks like the same as to say to people: " - Just keep repeating the mess you´ve always made out of life!" and that probably conflicts with even the most ignorant persons views on the definition and thoughts on meaning.

[@tomorrow9310]

My philosophy is live to learn until you learn how to live

[@bebeezra]

Why do attendees believe others want to hear there asinine questions or cringey pontifications right in the middle of a lecture? Respect the venue & shut up.

[@RJ-cs9gz]

The Buddha didn't say that, he said that suffering and existence are inseparable, ie it's impossible to avoid suffering. There would be no tantra or mahayana paths if it was simply about 'detaching from life', it's impossible to fulfill one's bodhisattva vow if one simply detaches. Many Buddhist teachers tell their students to 'go out, get a job and start a family' because their particular obstacle maybe that they are retracting. The problem with people commenting on Buddhism is, most often, that they haven't studied it at all.

[@GaryLachman]

Dukkha = suffering. First Noble Truth.

[@DJSTOEK]

Thanks

[@whathowtalanttruehelpfulki3819]

@1:24:32 I understood "They were too beautiful to watch". :))))

[@terencedavid3146]

Meaning V Purpose ?? It's crucially important to distinguish between these two for a better understanding. Let's see... Firstly, words are immaterial things, they are neccessarily sounds that have agreed upon meaning/s. In the Chomskian linguistic model, words are individual sounds with individual meaning or multiple meanings and sentences are meaning with sounds. In terms of purpose, physical objects in the material world serve some purpose, things such as a knife, a pen, a car & a house etc etc they serve a purpose. Also, words in a sense serve a purpose, their purpose is to convey meaning. Q: Do u have a purpose or meaning ?? 🤔hmmm. Let's hope it's a good n noble purpose. ✌ Finally, if u came across a new word, let's use the word "thallurocracy", would you look for the purpose of the word or the meaning ??..

[@juliaturner6658]

🖤💯🎰

[@user-xb6fl9ri6g]

it's not pointless, mechanical or meaningless, these are all fallacies of materialism

[@theemptyatom]

"the very term 'outsider' should mean a few, not the majority"

[@michaelwoodsmccausland5633]

Life creates reality