Theos-Talk Archives (January 2004 Message tt00294)

Bill wrote: <<Is it possible that the 
above statements represent your personal 
"model" for r/Reality?>>

I suspect that we all tend to have 
models or worldviews because we all tend 
to see such things as "relevant," or 
"karmic," or ... Those might be seen as 
"our coping mechanisms," eg ... So 
whatever I'm writing down here might be 
seen in terms of "my way of coping, 
because of so and so, and so and so, and 
so and so, and so and so, and so and so, 
etc." Does that kind of speculative 
coping make a "worldview"? Maybe, in 
some sense---and not that coping and 
reality-making and modeling and 
Theosophizing can't be seen as helpful 
in some ways (obviously enough?) ... 
^:-/ ... So what're you asking, there, 
Bill, more specifically (if I didn't 
answer your question, misunderstood your 
question, got sidetracked, or ...)?

<<I appreciate your ability to sense 
the abyss,>>

You do? In that case you might be 
interested in buying some nice swampy 
property in Florida, as well, maybe ...? :-)

<<but don't we risk everything when 
we label it the "Abyss" and speak of 
transcending or crossing over it?>>

Who is "we," one might ask, among other 
things ... As far as I can figure, or 
speculate, I don't seem to have any 
particularly current preference for 
thinking in terms of <<risk everything 
when we label it the "Abyss" and speak 
of transcending or crossing over it?>> 
in that my "just being" doesn't seem to 
leave much room for such things. Are you 
saying, Bill, that your "just being" 
leaves room for such things? Of course, 
on the other hand, if I were standing 
right at the very edge of the Grand 
Canyon ... (not that I have any 
particular interest in standing at the 
edge of the Grand Canyon, either, before 
or after it might get filled in with 
whatever). But, "seriously," I think I 
might see some of your "intended" point, 
maybe, in some sense: that seemed like 
a "good" question, basically, in a 
sense. I don't really know, but I think 
I might have sort of answered your 
question in terms of what my current 
views might tend to be. Sorry about the 
vagueness, though. Not being much of a 
k/Knower ... ^:-/ ...

<<How certain are we that we have 
actually experienced that Reality that 
is nondualistic? If we have 
experienced It then how could such an 
experience be nondualistic since right 
away we are faced with "us" the 
experiencer and "It" the experienced?>>

I'm tending to guess that we might not 
"remember" some of, or some aspects of, 
such experiences, (or the causal plane, 
eg?), other than "interpretively," or 
by way of a karmic emphasis or 
influence, for the most part, or ...

<<If we have not experienced It in the 
same sense that one might experience 
the flavor of a rainbow, then how can we 
be expected to relate to It other than 
through the intellectual faculty of 
thought which uses words, definitions, 
and models to express itself?>>

That's the kind of thing I meant to get 
across, I think ...

<<I admire your ability to constantly 
remind us that we don't Really know 
anything about Real Reality.>>

You seem to have just displayed that 
ability with that sentence, as well, 
don't you think?

<< Perhaps we each should be on guard in 
our own way not to let ourselves slip 
into a mode of thinking whereby we might 
become convinced through some skillful 
use of words like esoteric and 
dualistic that we somehow know something 
about Real Reality.>>

Another goodish point, there, I think, 
Bill, which reminds me about my profound 
experience a few years back when I 
realized, all of a sudden, that I don't 
know anything. Seems that that 
experience was so profound that I've 
been speculating ever since. Can't seem 
to stop speculating, for some reason; 
well, except sort of partly stopping 
some of my speculations, apparently, 
when I'm sort of "just being," sort of 
... ^:-/ ...

<<Of course in writing this I am 
defining what could be viewed as my own 
personal "model" of r/Reality as well.>>

Yeah, well ...

Speculatively,
Mauri