Consciousness & Nonduality: Saying Yes to Life - Francis Lucille

[@KC-lc8dx]

Great to see Francis! He's the real deal. ❤

[@innerlight617]

Thanks for uploading! Very interesting interview of Francis. I am glad he mentioned Physicist Bernard D'Espagnat who has said: " What quantum mechanics tells us, I believe, is surprising to say the least. It tells us that the basic components of objects - the particles, electrons, quarks etc. - cannot be thought of as "self-existent". The reality that they, and hence all objects, are components of is merely "empirical reality". This reality is something that, while not a purely mind-made construct as radical idealism would have it, can be but the picture our mind forces us to form of ... Of what ? The only answer I am able to provide is that, underlying this empirical reality is a mysterious, non-conceptualisable "ultimate reality", not embedded in space and (presumably) not in time either."

[@elogiud]

I needed this reminder this day; as I find myself in the appearing political upheaval in this country. I must acknowledge that all events are cosmic events, which I need to welcome as just waves passing through. The ocean doesn't mind the waves upon the surface, as the ocean remains in welcoming repose.

[@_creighton]

words are such tricky, fickle, and in the end, tiny things to me; particularly when trying to use them to encapsulate massive conceptual processes of awareness and emotion. I appreciate your usage and selection of words here. Of late, my wording has shifted from happiness to contentment as my ground state. Pure contentment that requires no upkeep, input, denial, projection, assumption or interpretation. My practice and process of cultivation has refined and may be summed up in these three words. rest as awareness...

[@sibanought]

@_creighton Good comment. Yes, and that's without even addressing the issue of translating from different languages accurately, and the fact that different languages can have words that seem to mean the same thing, but have subtle differences in meaning that are culture specific ("dukkha" often being translated as "suffering" for example). I gave up trying to study the Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tsu when I realised that, unless someone's a specialist scholar who can read the texts in the original archaic Chinese pictographs, they can only hope to get an approximate understanding of what they mean - and even then, they're still reading them through the lense of their own cultural and contemporary experience, and have no way of knowing how someone living in China two thousand plus years ago would have understood them. But having said that, words are the only tool we have to try to articulate the undefinable !! - as the Tao Te Ching says; "The Tao that can be told is not the true Tao" (or something like that). As for your second point - I've often noticed how, when I see photos of contemporary Western Dhamma teachers (or at least the ones selling it as a product) they always have beaming shiny toothed smiles, whereas traditional Asian teachers usually have just a faint half smile, or a face resting in calm repose. Again, I think it's a case of people understanding concepts through their own cultural specific lense - and the influence of the narrative of consumer capitalism that the optimal state of being is constant ecstatic happiness - which doesn't seem natural to me.

[@_creighton]

@@sibanought Very solid point. This is the main point behind why I consider many classical texts and all religious material to be little better than the oldest games of 'telephone' in human history. Written, rewritten... handed down from illiterate oral tradition, translated (greek, aramaic, latic, etc) rewritten ad nauseum. Humans each have a story that is based from how they experience reality from the center of their own awareness.

[@prabhakar8940]

Philosophy and Psychology are two very different things and thanks Francis for a wonderful explanation for " happiness and beauty". These can not defined by any intelligent words even though each of us has experienced on one or many occasions, though not knowing of it ..

[@tonyburton419]

Massive over-generalisation which is plain wrong.

[@awakenotwoke7949]

Happiness is a choice. Unhappiness is also a choice. Unearthing, and revealing one's delusional motives for choosing unhappiness is vital and possible.

[@Freebirdshearth]

It seems to me that he is pointing to the same thing as the Buddha. Inspiring.

[@prabhakar8940]

Also mentioned about a book by Krishnamurti and believe that book was .. Freedom from the Known .. thanks..

[@Freebirdshearth]

@ Thank you. I love Krishnamurti!