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Shop: Original Sensible Seeds Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds, Bulk Cannabis Seeds   Unfolding Nature Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order

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Good ordering of the mind * 1
    #25162048 -

Quote:
Marcus Aurelius said:
Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself.

For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire into than his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquillity; and I affirm that tranquillity is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind.


I used to have this place of tranquil retreat inside myself once upon a time. I think I lost it when I re-entered the corporate world at the banking level (which is undoubtedly the most disgusting form of it there is) after spending almost a year travelling and living in the wilderness. I think I lost it through throwing myself into the habit of seeking extremely frequent escapism into states of externally induced high stimulus to escape the nightmare I live most of my waking week.

Problem is, I can't quite remember how I found it in the first place.

Anyone relate/got any tips?


--------------------
Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing... there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to the body, but it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you to bits. Let life take you apart. Let life destroy you. It will only destroy what you are not.
--Jac O'keeffe

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard] * 1
    #25162105 -

right;
the world insanely fails to respect people trying to work together, chasing them into lonely retreats, but demanding full attention.
this is a kind of modern catch22 for all you lucky people with jobs, jobs that don't have to suck but still suck because they are dehumanizing activities.
in addition, driving to work is dehumanizing for the most part.
We have to keep inventing ways to contribute and appreciate others' contributions in a framework that was erected by corporations who have almost no legal responsibilities while completely usurping the role of community.

the perfect product would be a communitizer that would help translate all the anonymous encounters we have in the day into understandable opportunities to relate to our intermingled communities.


--------------------
:brainfart: _ :finger:

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: redgreenvines] * 1
    #25162265 -

The brain operates with various chemical interactions and any seeking of happiness without effort offsets that chemical balance. For example, drugs and mcdonalds.

From what I can tell, working hard for what brings you pleasure is the secret to maintaining that balance.


--------------------
Bods Easy AF Link List

Most teks have too much bullshit. These methods by bod do not.

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Blue Wrench]
    #25162408 -

actually no.
apparently working hard to make other people happy and succeeding is what makes people happy.
amazingly it is not about the individual, when it comes to the solution of the individual's depression or anxiety, it's about repairing social disconnectedness.


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:brainfart: _ :finger:

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: redgreenvines] * 2
    #25162544 -

I think it's a bit of both actually. I think it's entirely possible to find the space I referenced in the quote in OP whilst being quite a solitary creature (which I am, most often, very definitely not).

Long term however, I agree with you RGV that it is very important to bring happiness to others for the fullest possible wellbeing.


--------------------
Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing... there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to the body, but it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you to bits. Let life take you apart. Let life destroy you. It will only destroy what you are not.
--Jac O'keeffe

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard] * 2
    #25162827 -

I think this is the essence of Stoicism. One must have an immaculate relationship with oneself in order to have a tranquil soul. Once an internal peace has been achieved through this right living, every positive action one could want manifests as a result, not as a cause.

Marcus Aurelius was an intensely solitary man, as he had no equal. You state that you are quite an extrovert, and that's great. Honestly, I am not familiar with avenues toward your goal through social activity, as such a thing -- in just about every esoteric tradition I know of -- is generally regarded as a hindrance to or distraction from a more pristine spiritual path.

In any case, I wish you the best of luck in making peace with your situation. :heart:


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Vi Veri Universum Vivus Vici

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard]
    #25163050 -

I have the fortress of solitude.

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Crazy_Horse]
    #25163559 -

Good ordering of the mind.. The release is crazy..similar to the feeling of Heroin.. IS like Nirvana.. to have everything in its proper place..BAM solve Atman, self as a spiritual pursuit.. the worker of the worker mind.. The metaphor is Stone masonry or Freemasonry! Like putting bricks into a wall.. its a metaphor for searching and placing objects in existence.. most people have a knot about living forever! Release into Crazeschaton.. Eschaton of the rites of the republic! I am called to save the world.. My place within the everything is perfect! One salvation, one will save all(lah). Continuing Carcinogen will smoke your life away.. or sitting on the couch with couch locke from smoking weed! Everyway will save you.. but its the better ones that will be a betterment for the most of all people.. The greater good! The reason to know is forbidden, but technically valid.. 23 x square root of 3pir2.. seventies in math.. riding a victory from one place to another.. but before that you declare yoyr intentions.. and the message is them in completion.. from Binah, to Gevurah, and then to Hod. Tiferet is the balance of everything.. justice has to be aligned.. with the right way of sorting.. Justice therefore run dum, thats both random, and freecom, wraped up into a gentle lotus, containing the seed of life! Zoe or bioethical exegesis.. on the cracked egg and mooking people, simply to maim them is an upset to the astral body, which dreams of a free avenue with everyone! Which is the reason for dreaming et precision. Responding to the need of the young.. which is indeed until all knowledge is bequested.. which is how things travel.. quantum local light, is made of neutron and positron.. one the anti, and the other anti-matter. Fire is of the refuse of time and is therefore responsible for all putrifaction. Sulpur is fire..which is why it makes such a stench! But it is of the soul.. which is why yoke and fire share the same color.. both are responsible for light as well.. light in matter! Cardinal chaos, just mentions a thing when its out of order or is beyond it! Cardinal creation..


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Thank you for your Time...

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard]
    #25164219 -

.

Edited by larry.fisherman (04/26/18 10:39 AM)

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: larry.fisherman]
    #25164304 -

XLCaps said:
We only have one true desire


What's that man?


--------------------
Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing... there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to the body, but it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you to bits. Let life take you apart. Let life destroy you. It will only destroy what you are not.
--Jac O'keeffe

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard]
    #25164341 -

.

Edited by larry.fisherman (04/26/18 10:39 AM)

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: larry.fisherman]
    #25164666 -

I'm not sure that this is ever, or could ever be, a fixed thing. In any way, shape or sense. Unsure of the relevance here. Never seen Pirates of the Carribean.

I kinda see where you're going with the money thing, but not too clearly.


--------------------
Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing... there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to the body, but it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you to bits. Let life take you apart. Let life destroy you. It will only destroy what you are not.
--Jac O'keeffe

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard] * 1
    #25165127 -

The OP quote speaks a lot to what I've been thinking about lately, and trying to articulate to my wife. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was actually the first real philosophy I read.

I started abusing substances before I hit middle school, and never really gave myself a shot at inner tranquility. I got really good at chemical numbness, every sober second was spent seeking stimulation though. It wasn't until around age 24 that I started down the path of meditation and finding peace within myself. Far from a smooth path, though.

Can't say I'm really that close. I frequently have meditation sessions where I reach a temporary state of what I'm looking for, which is huge, but it's fleeting. I do see effects of it gradually spilling over into daily life though. I'm guessing it'll take many years to dig myself out of the hole I dug... it seems I'm heading in the right direction though. I'm now aiming to make choices that lead to lasting happiness, not temporary pleasures.

I see people looking for gratification in possessions and all sorts of external sources now and just think "how do they not GET it?", but things probably just have never been bad enough for them that they HAD to get it in order to keep on going. I look back on my situation now as a blessing in disguise, had I been 'normal' I can certainly see myself living the 9-5 big house new car every year empty fantasy. It's hard to change when you're comfortable.

And you know what... I think that's what it all boils down to. You gotta make yourself uncomfortable. Every damn day. My progress hasn't come from sitting on a meditation cushion, that's just where the blueprint has been created. The real change has come from situations where I felt like my heart was going to explode or every atom in my body was trying to flee due to fear or anxiety. It's come from brutal focus on dull research papers to synthesize information on topics that are important to me. It's come from being genuinely nice and patient with certain people even though it somewhat pains me to do so. It's come from psychedelic experiences where I've been forced to let go of my "self" and ride the wave into the multiverse without a life vest.

And yet 29 out of 30 days a month I still settle for boring and comfortable. I'm sure it's not the same for everyone, but I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how to reach that inner tranquility, it's just so hard to leave my comfortable environment to do it.

On a recent DMT/cannabis experience I was shown the world and how we spend 99% of our life on repeat mode. We get in the same car to drive the same way to work, often listening to the same radio stations and even changing lanes at the same spot, to park in the same parking spot, do the same job, have the same conversations with our partners, eat the same food, etc etc etc. We're in a reality with infinite possibilities, and we choose to do the same exact fucking thing for most of the seconds we're awake each day, until that one or two times a year we go "wild" and go stay in a hotel somewhere different(or the same as we've already been) for a week or two.

Make yourself uncomfortable, shake things up and make some new memories, make the most out of your potential, and take time each day to quiet your mind and then reflect on your actions. Every "big success" in life is nothing compared to the little things make up 90% of your day, every day. Focus on improving that stuff, giving it your attention and fixing whats wrong with it, and you won't need to look forward to external success, or even the "house in the country". You'll be happy wherever you are.

sorry for the rambling, I think this was more of an inner dialogue than a response

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard] * 6
    #25165247 -

Jokeshopbeard said:
Quote:
Marcus Aurelius said:
For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire into than his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquillity; and I affirm that tranquillity is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind.


I think I lost it through throwing myself into the habit of seeking extremely frequent escapism into states of externally induced high stimulus to escape the nightmare I live most of my waking week.

Problem is, I can't quite remember how I found it in the first place.

Anyone relate/got any tips?


For me tranquility is neither chasing pleasure nor suppressing the desire for pleasure, and tranquility, or peace, or being at ease, or acceptance, or openness, or letting go, or spaciousness, (these words pointing to something that may be tragically rare in our lives), is qualitatively different from pleasure. This tranquility creates the opportunity for wonder, appreciation, subtle joy, and a sense of being satisfied so that no lack is perceived, and craving for stimulus ends.

It seems to be a catch 22 situation, paradox at first. End craving to produce tranquility, but you need tranquility to end craving. I don't think it really is a paradox though, because craving doesn't cause distress, it is distress.

Anyhow there are thoughts that lead me to tranquility. One is remembering that every moment is ending, right now. This moment - gone. Now this moment - gone. This breath, gone. Everything, our whole life is slipping through our fingers. Suddenly this moment, this chance becomes precious and this leads me into letting go. Its something to meditate on though, not just think about. Something to experience deeply and more deeply and more deeply, letting go more and more and more. Opening up more and more and more to this moment.

Another way is to think about myself. Who is this Freedom guy? I get an image of him, then I quickly scan through all my senses searching for that image, searching every nook and cranny for that dude and I can never find him. The trick with this is you really got to look, its like waking up in the middle of the night to a loud noise thinking a robber is in your house. If you just glance around the room your in you won't really be satisfied. You've got to grab the baseball bat and search intently through the whole house.

Something else is to look for the place where everything is happening. I know we've got this intellectual construct that we are sitting at a computer or phone or whatever in a house or something in a town on a continent on planet in a solar system in a universe, but put that aside for a minute and pretend you don't know that and pretend that all you know is what you see feel hear smell taste and then ask where is all this happening? Look for the place where all this is happening. Meditate on it.

These kinds practices lead me to a tranquility and a different way of experiencing my life, a beautiful way but I'm also really addicted being in distress.

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Freedom] * 1
    #25165270 -

Wow. Just wow. Fucking epic post man. Thank you.


--------------------
Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing... there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to the body, but it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you to bits. Let life take you apart. Let life destroy you. It will only destroy what you are not.
--Jac O'keeffe

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Freedom]
    #25165329 -

Freedom said:
These kinds practices lead me to a tranquility and a different way of experiencing my life, a beautiful way but I'm also really addicted being in distress.


Nice post.

To what extent can you bring it into your daily life?

I don't have too much of a problem achieving moments of tranquility, it's applying that to how I live that seems to be the tough part these days.

It's almost similar to integrating a powerful trip. One minute you're one with the universe and all questions of life are answered, the next you're pulling into the Wendy's drive through before heading home to waste the night away on youtube.

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Jokeshopbeard]
    #25165343 -

Reconcile yourself with the absurdity of life and the inevitability of death.

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: Revok]
    #25165475 -

For me, part of an ordered mind is to be without rank and agenda.

It's not an easy feat, but the value and intention brings me peace.

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: RJ Tubs 202] * 1
    #25166378 -

I don't think you achieve tranquility though you may strive towards it, but you get it as a side effect in meditation.
Thus when working with anapanasati you experience:
  • mindfulness (sati) - you start with initial application.
  • investigation-of-dhammas (dhammavicaya) - seeing the senses and mental contents together - as the same thing.
  • energy (viriya) - you get energy  because it is exciting to observe the moment on all channels at once.
  • joy (piti) - you get joy because you are happy to have this perspective.
  • tranquillity (passaddhi) - tranquility sets in as the struggle with hindrances subsides
  • concentration (samidhi) - sustained concentration builds on tranquility
  • equanimity ("pekkhÃ¥) - equanimity shines from concentration.


--------------------
:brainfart: _ :finger:

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Re: Good ordering of the mind [Re: feevers] * 1
    #25167128 -

feevers said:
Freedom said:
These kinds practices lead me to a tranquility and a different way of experiencing my life, a beautiful way but I'm also really addicted being in distress.


Nice post.

To what extent can you bring it into your daily life?

I don't have too much of a problem achieving moments of tranquility, it's applying that to how I live that seems to be the tough part these days.

It's almost similar to integrating a powerful trip. One minute you're one with the universe and all questions of life are answered, the next you're pulling into the Wendy's drive through before heading home to waste the night away on youtube.



It comes and it goes, it opens and it closes.

Something that seems to be happening is that although the ineffable can't be remembered by thought, it seems to change the heart the more it is known, and it seems to wear away at the underlying unconconcious belief structures that get in the way. And then the moments minutes hours days or weeks of opening become more frequent.

But also there is something that is always here, always available, the great depths of silence and stillness, its always there and when I look at it my being seems to harmonize with it

anyhow i don't really know the only thing I know is that I need to keep practicing.

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