4/10 Dialogue with "Buddha Science" - Buddhism (Steve Daut)

 

Chapter 3, Buddhism

This is another Cc's Student's Workbook, of sorts, 

meaning a little repetition is to be expected, 

honing concepts and descriptions.

Is there anybody out there?

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Chapter 3a, Buddhism, Buddha Science

(edited July 28)

¶a1  “… (Buddhism’s) four noble truths can be stated as follows:

• Life is unsatisfying, and causes suffering and anxiety.
• We suffer because all things are impermanent, yet we crave pleasant things and push away unpleasant things.
• We can escape the suffering.
• Outlines a path that leads to escape from suffering.

I’m sharing these “Noble truths of Buddhism’ for a point of reference, with the single observation that reading it, I can’t help but notice that it reflects the same self-absorbed  human outlook, that is the hallmark of the “Abrahamic mindset” that I sometimes pick on.  

This exercise is all about me trying to convey an Earth Centrist, evolutionary bottom-up perspective on our human conundrums, which requires the ability to think outside of oneself.

In any event, I can only tell this story from my perspective, and though I’m rather ordinary, with 68 years I’ve come to appreciate I was blessed in circumstance, body, health, mind and heart - so mine was never a search for the solution to human pain, I was simply busy trying to make sense of the wonder of the creation I found myself embedded within.  

3/10 Dialogue with "Buddha Science" - Two fingers pointing at the moon (Steve Daut)

A conversation with Steve Daut’s Buddha Science, Chapter 2, Two Fingers 

This is another Cc's Student's Workbook, of sorts, 

meaning a little repetition is to be expected, 

honing concepts and descriptions.

Food for thought.

Is there anybody out there?

(edited July 28, 2023)

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Chapter 2a, Two Fingers, Pointing at the moon

¶a1  “… We (humans) suffer from the tendency to form concepts that may or may not have anything to do with the words, or intent of the speaker (or author). …  Perhaps this just gives us unlimited number of opportunities for subtle and complicated miscommunication. …”

No doubt.  It's a reason why I think the quest for “Truth” is a self deception.  

People tend to seek their own truth and everyone is the center of their own world. 

¶a6  “Are objects real, or are they just transient event that mark a convergence of smaller events that we call atoms?  Since every language is constrained by a particular viewpoint, is it even possible to describe reality with language? …”

Transient doesn’t mean illusion.  

Why the need to second guess the transient nature of everything?  What other option is there for nature?  

Existence flows down the river of time.  It is what it is.  

Enjoy your transient moment and appreciate being an aware participant in Earth’s pageant of evolution, while you can.

¶a7  “… The Buddha was concerned with the causes of suffering in the world, which he viewed as attachment to our mistaken view of reality. …”

Attachments ~ Expectations, seem like two sides of the same coin.

My particular journey has been a pursuit of clarity and minimizing my expectations of others and the world, because that's how it was.   Finding value within.  Striving to take nothing for granted and remaining supple enough to weather the changes as they come.

2/10 Dialogue with "Buddha Science" - The Elephant (Steve Daut)

Chapter 1, Buddha Science, The Elephant

(edited July 27)

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Chapter 1a, Desperately Seeking Reality

¶1  “What is Reality?” 

I would respond that our human reality can most succinctly be defined as Physical Reality.  That is atomic matter, biology, and the rules they abide by, including our biological body/brain.  Beyond that, all there is, is our Human Mind, which our physical body produces and through which we perceive our body and the world, and our gods for that matter.

“Can we ever cut through the haze . . .”

It would help to realize the haze is a product of our own imaginations. 

Tackling that challenge begins with finding an answer to the, “Who are you?”, question.

Only after coming to terms with the “me, myself & I” mystery does the “Reality” question start opening up.

¶3  “Why have we looked so hard in so many ways for so many years?”

Because we are curious mammals extraordinaire with a profoundly inquisitive introspective active mind driven by biological imperatives that trace back to the dawn of time.

¶4  “I’m convinced that it’s not where we look, but how we are looking.  In looking we cling to (our) certain(ties), to the idea that we can find ultimate answers.”

Not just how we are looking but also what are our expectations, as in searching for ultimate Truth.  This world is too big to take it all in and each creature can only observe from our unique center.

¶6  “… But the approach we take to answering the question, and even the language we use to talk about reality affects the answers so much that we can’t even see the insight provided through other approaches.”

My point exactly, I speak of the Abrahamic mindset, self absorbed, convinced the Earth and her resources are here for us to consume as fast as possible.  That attitude renders us blind to how our framing of the basic questions hobble our understanding and behavior.

“Is reality purely physical?”

1/10 Dialogue with "Buddha Science" - Introduction to this series

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Introduction to a dialogue with Steve Daut’s Buddha Science.

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I want to begin with a little personal background to offer some context for why I'm having this virtual dialogue with the words and ideas in a book.

On Abortion Rights, considering the fundamentals.

 

I want to start with the greatest truth humanity has achieved, we are born out of Earth’s processes.  It’s a truth born out of our increasing understanding of human history going back into the dimmest reaches of Earth’s deep time.  Beginning with geology, then biology joined in, then complex biology, then living sensing creatures that created environments and ecology in an ever changing world.  Folds within folds of cumulative harmonic complexity flowing down the cascade of time, rushing into a future inhabited by humans.  

Birth and death is our lot.  It has always been part and parcel of our human condition.  It can’t be moralized out of existence by idealistic extremists who believe “God” is personally speaking with them.

Pregnancy is never a guarantee.  A fetus is a seed, a being, a human potentiality.    Spontaneous natural abortions, miscarriages happen.  A fetus may be a human, but it doesn’t take on the mantle of personhood until those first breaths of life-giving air are infusing its lungs and pumping through its arteries and veins.

It should be significant that the fact of practicing abortions is older than civilizations, with Jewish scripture going into details on the topic, explaining why within particular circumstance abortion is a sad inevitability and that it is okay in the eyes of their God.  (God never promised us a rose garden!)

Beyond that, in a free society, legally speaking, why doesn’t a woman deserve the Right to Self-Defense along with Sovereignty Over Her Own Body?

Pregnancy is a difficult gauntlet, always will be, there will be deaths.  Those deaths aren’t confined to unborn beings, all too often the mother is also at mortal risk.

  

When push comes to shove, a just law would clearly acknowledge that a woman’s life is more precious to her existing family and society than an unborn potentiality.

Another factor all too often forgotten is that facing an abortion situation is nothing any woman (or young girl & her family) ever wants, life thrusts the situation upon her, and it is foremost she, herself, who must continue carrying the consequences of her choices, as others lose interest with the passage of time.

Another unspoken matter is that most often she’s also acting with the best interest of the unborn life within her at heart.  The fetus inside of her will always matter more to herself, than to any moralizing bystanders.  Women should be entrusted above all others, with the responsibility of making their own best informed choices about their own pregnancies.

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“Unless we are changing minds we are losing.”

 

Over at CenterForInquire discussion forum I've found myself using the line, “Unless we are changing minds we are losing,” often enough that it's received a little push back.  Since it's a nice summary of where I'm at currently I want to repost my thoughts over here. 

"Unless We Are Changing Minds We Are Losing"

What does that even mean?

Basically, it’s an observation of the obvious.

Unless we are enticing people to reevaluate their own assumptions, we are going to continue propagating the same escalating mistakes, leading to yet more of the destruction humans are so famous for.

For the most part people haven’t a clue what’s going on in the greater world around them, it simply doesn’t matter to them. That state of mind needs to change before any constructive changes are possible.

A desire for fact based understanding that’s rational enough to accept new data, recognize and own mistakes, and to learn from those mistakes.

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My personal litany would look something like this, of course others have their own perspective, and theoretically in the end we balance each other out, at least in a healthy pluralistic society it would look like that.

A deeper appreciation for the seasons and flow of Earth’s deep time and our evolutionary roots.

The need for a deep down profound appreciation for the Human Mindscape ~ Physical Reality divide, and its cascading implications.

A deeper appreciation of the fact that we are evolved biological animals, kin to all other creatures that ever lived upon this planet.

The fact that it’s Earth that created us,
and we who create our gods.

Challenge Jesus the “Savior” with the appreciation for Jesus the prophet (and life coach).

Enrich our imaginations with the appreciation that the Bible is a creation of our own human drama, processed through our own hearts, minds, & souls.

…

Enunciate a woman’s Right to Self Defense, and sovereignty over her own body.

Acknowledge that sad truth that, when push comes to shove, a woman’s life is more important than the unborn Potential Person forming within her.

A living fetus, that is a human potentiality, takes on the mantel of personhood during its first breaths of life.

Abortion and earlier infanticide are sad but unavoidable facts of human history.

…

Seriously confronting our climate & resources problems requires an internal appreciation that we must learn to accept doing with less.

We can’t fool mother nature.  

But that’s me, what about others? Here’s where my suggestion for a
Democratic Party Online Discussion Forum. comes into play.  

Unfortunately seems like less and less people are into discussing ideas, so there’s that.

I did notice today that some poll finally showed trump’s 35% diehards has cracked, and slipped to 25% - that’s big & promising, if true, that’s why it’s double important for Democrats to try doubly hard to engage with right wing citizens who’ve been fed way too much KoolAid.

Their state of mind literally is the product of strategic brainwashing and we ought to try confronting that with a certain degree of compassion. Even as some of their ideas are absolutely reprehensible and objectionable and destructive.

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Democratic Party Online Discussion Forum

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Comment to the above

L.:

I think the lists of beliefs are out there.

It’s not about the lists, it’s about people actually discussing them.

L.:

I don’t like political platforms for the reason that it can appear I support the whole platform because I voted for one person. That’s why I emphasize getting to know people who think differently, and growing some mutual respect, then listening can begin, and change can happen.

We can’t ignore that the political system rules our lives on many levels, because it isn’t perfect or neat enough for polite company is a poor excuse to abandon and ignore it.

I’m all for all the nice discussion groups you can form, nothing wrong with that, except that it simply isn’t enough.

Heck the formula is as simple and straight forward as making compost*, nothing has changed in ages: A healthy democracy demands an informed and engaged electorate.

The Democratic Party needs to grow cohesion within the Democratic Party, every bit as much as it needs to figure out how to reach out and better explain themselves.  That's why I think a Democratic Party Discussion Forum would be a great place to inform, network, build ideas, reengage the grassroots roots and so on.  

Democratic Party Discussion Forum - think about it.

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(~40%green, ~40%brown, ~20%food stuff - keep moist, aerate)

Says the proud owner of a beautiful compost harvest.

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Earth Centrism - A Student's Bibliographic Resource - (2/2)

Appreciating Earth’s Evolutionary Pageant and Our Animal Nature

The previous post is my summary of an “Earth Centrist” outlook on life and our human condition, a perspective that acknowledges Earth as our fundamental touchstone with reality.  

This Earth Centrist's perspective can’t be attained by reading a description of it - unless it already resonates within you thanks to your own previous inquiry and inclination.  That's because each of us must engage in our own learning effort.  

That is, living your moment and doing the homework and drawing your own conclusions from the evidence you’ve been able to gather.  Your deeper understanding emerges out of your own efforts. 

Since I’m no scholar, I’ve done my learning by way of some wonderful science communicators, mostly real scientists giving lectures via YouTube along with writing articles and books, with a few talented writers and science documentarians in the mix.   

I’ve put together a bibliographic list of my favorites, and of course, it's geared to the intelligent high schooler or early college student, and for other informed enthusiasts such as myself.  It follows a natural progression from matter forming followed by mineral evolution & our planet evolving a "global heat and moisture distribution engine," to geology and biology combining forces, on to the mysteries of complex dynamic living creatures.  Then on to the greatest show on Earth with life's collective consciousness spectrum.  

Since my bandwidth is limited by my crowded day to days filled with other obligations, I'm sure I’m missing many awesome gems.  So please do share should you believe you know of some presentations worth adding to this collection.

Featuring:  Sean Carrol, NOVA/NASA, Robert Hazen, Robert Rohde, Richard Alley, Nick Lane, David Qualmen, Carl Woese, Lynn Margulis, Tsutomu Wantanabe, Angela Hessler, Svante Pääbo, Mark Solms, Antonio Damasio, Susan Greenfield, Jim Al-Khalili.  Finishing with introductions to David Attenborough’s incomparable tour of the evolution of Earth’s living creatures: "Life on Earth", and James L. Sadd’s wonderful introduction to the fundamentals of geology: "Earth Revealed."

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I've found my first addition to this list in an amazing lecture by Mike Levin: "Non-neural, developmental bio-electricity as a precursor for cognition" it adds a new dimension of insights into the evolution of consciousness and mind, that fits right into my overall theme of Earth's pageant of evolution. 

Another must addition to this list, was written by professor and historian of science and technology James Poskett: "Horizons: The Origins of Modern Science.  In it Poskett "recasts the history of science, uncovering the vital contributions of scientists the world over to what is truly a global story."  The first couple chapters are down right thrilling, with the book then settling into an enthralling exposition of facts and enlightening surprises.  A must read, if the history of human curiosity and development of science is your thing.