[silence] Being

[MITCHELL RENNER]

> From: Glenn Freeman <glenn@ogreogress.com>

> in what sense is truth power? ... and what of non-mortals and the  
> infinite?

If you are traveling on a train, and you know the track ahead is broken, you can circumvent derailment by stopping the train.  In that sense, truth is power.  And it is why the saying "ignorance is bliss" is exactly wrong, except perhaps in the circumstance of faith and panacea, which has its own type of default power despite untruthfulness.  (William James the American pragmatist philosopher said it - if one believes in God, God exists.)  However, truth is known through experience, and by route of failure.  We should start to know much more about failure and truth with the current wake of economic failure, but human memory tends to fail after generations pass, I'm noticing.  Perhaps we will evolve to evoke a longer historical memory; as a corollary, I believe that is one reason why I am attracted to Cage's work - it invites calm sobrietry, which lends itself to the state of "interconnectedness" of one with all things past, present, future, close, and distant.  I had a Buddhist lama that was told something was boring once, and from the story I heard, he reflected and said something like "Disneyland, for example, is something that is actually boring."  Which recalls what Cage said about if you find something boring, then keep doing it long enough, and it ceases to be boring.  I'm finding that out with horticulture, myself - nature is unceasingly non-boring (and vital)!

Thank you to John Saylor who reminded me of Satyagraha.  Truth is power, but one has to keep in mind the laws of karma; if that truth is used for selfish means, still, what is reaped is what is sowed [thus, Bernie Madoff = Darth Vader].  I serendipitously mentioned William James above now that I think about it, addressing Saylor's comment "just because something lives only in our imaginations, does that make it any less influential?"  Perhaps belief in one thing is the power that is inherit in faith, our human ability to overcome physicality through mindfulness, no matter what name or object is given to it.  I have had several non-local mind experiences which convince me, at least, that communication is possible beyond what is considered normal physical means, between human beings.

Everything is mortal (Buddhist dictum that all things are impermanent), but some things are more mortal than others...there are probably other levels of existence that are less fragile and less physical (Buddhist pleasure realms, realms without body).  I have very little understanding of enlightenment, or whatever that stage of being could be like (and also have a hard time meditating with my health condition).

> Mitchell Renner wrote:
> 
> >> In my studies of Cage, I realized two main stated purposes - one,  
> >> of non-intentionality
> >> or lack of purpose, as you mention; and two, "to sober and quiet  
> >> the mind, thus making it
> >> susceptible to divine influences." (from Coomaraswamy) Notice one  
> >> is a negative and one a positive.
> 
> > On one hand, no purpose, on the other, a purpose. Negative and  
> > positive in that sense. Yin and yang. Opposites that exist in synergy.
> 
> nice duality ... being with and without a purpose simultaneously ...  
> simply being.
> 
> > Truth is power, and power can corrupt. The competition of finite  
> > resources is what is mostly responsible for our mortal quibbles, if  
> > one thinks about it.
> 
> in what sense is truth power? ... and what of non-mortals and the  
> infinite?
> 
> Glenn Freeman
> OgreOgress productions
> http://ogreogress.com
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:15:38 -0500
> From: john saylor <js0000@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [silence] Being
> To: Glenn Freeman <glenn@ogreogress.com>
> Cc: silence@list.mail.virginia.edu
> Message-ID:
> 	<eb84d37a0902220715n2bd8b784y4a1d14794eff2983@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> namaste
> 
> On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 5:43 PM, Glenn Freeman <glenn@ogreogress.com> wrote:
> > in what sense is truth power?
> 
> here's one view:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyagraha
> 
> this is an evocative issue for me. i found my mind to be very engaged:
> - i guess 'truth power' can corrupt too, certainly this happens in our
> imaginations all the time [darth vader]:
> - and relatedly, just because something lives only in our
> imaginations, does that make it any less influential?
> 
> -- 
> \js  [ http://or8.net/~johns/ ]
> 
> 
> End of silence Digest, Vol 81, Issue 22
> ***************************************

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