I love your closing point that when we ultimately resolve the mystery, we find we don't exist. That's one of the reasons I love Kashmir Shaivism so very much – it's very frank about that reality. It invites us directly into that felt experience, then takes us by the hand and leads us ultimately back to the world. Back to the fun.
Thanks Lauren! Yeah, I'm relatively new to Kashmir Shaivism, but am really loving the general feel. Rather than a Theravada style 'liberation from it all,' this idea of just participating in the divine play feels much more resonant to me.
This is a wonderful essay Oshun. I had been thinking, “golly, my mind feels like this all the time!” and arrived to the part where your partner says the same. Maybe we should be friends 😂
This was a great read. I wrote a post last week that linked consciousness and wonder, and more generally with uncertainty and appreciating the uncertainty of one's own beliefs and experiences, so it's great timing that I've just seen this. My post comes from a more mundane angle I think, so it's very cool seeing how well it aligns with these more extreme cases. The general point is that consciousness is about navigating uncertainty, because where things are truly predictable instinct/habit is more than sufficient. Consciousness is the opposite of taking things for granted.
Did your mother recall what she found unbelievable? Reading it, I imagined she was referring to her inability to use language, rather than experience without language.
You might enjoy the book "My stroke of insight". There are a lot of similarities in what she describes happening to her after a stroke to what you are writing about (less terror, more wonder).
> "But even if so, that tells us something about pure awareness. It’s no place to live."
I too have always thought this (though perhaps for a different reason). This state sounds truly blissful, but at some point, I'll still have to eat! Snap back to reality..
Ultimately in my opinion this comes down to intrinsic vs. instrumental living, and most of our lives, we live in the latter, though we admittedly often miss the whole point of what living is for (intrinsics).
Wow – this is wonderful. Thank you.
I love your closing point that when we ultimately resolve the mystery, we find we don't exist. That's one of the reasons I love Kashmir Shaivism so very much – it's very frank about that reality. It invites us directly into that felt experience, then takes us by the hand and leads us ultimately back to the world. Back to the fun.
Thanks Lauren! Yeah, I'm relatively new to Kashmir Shaivism, but am really loving the general feel. Rather than a Theravada style 'liberation from it all,' this idea of just participating in the divine play feels much more resonant to me.
This is a wonderful essay Oshun. I had been thinking, “golly, my mind feels like this all the time!” and arrived to the part where your partner says the same. Maybe we should be friends 😂
haha yeah probably — thank you!
This was a great read. I wrote a post last week that linked consciousness and wonder, and more generally with uncertainty and appreciating the uncertainty of one's own beliefs and experiences, so it's great timing that I've just seen this. My post comes from a more mundane angle I think, so it's very cool seeing how well it aligns with these more extreme cases. The general point is that consciousness is about navigating uncertainty, because where things are truly predictable instinct/habit is more than sufficient. Consciousness is the opposite of taking things for granted.
Did your mother recall what she found unbelievable? Reading it, I imagined she was referring to her inability to use language, rather than experience without language.
You might enjoy the book "My stroke of insight". There are a lot of similarities in what she describes happening to her after a stroke to what you are writing about (less terror, more wonder).
Very well written and an interesting thesis!
> "But even if so, that tells us something about pure awareness. It’s no place to live."
I too have always thought this (though perhaps for a different reason). This state sounds truly blissful, but at some point, I'll still have to eat! Snap back to reality..
Ultimately in my opinion this comes down to intrinsic vs. instrumental living, and most of our lives, we live in the latter, though we admittedly often miss the whole point of what living is for (intrinsics).