Books of Faith: Timeless Antiquities

Written by Mathew Naismith

Firstly, keep in mind that I am not a scholar in books of faith, simply of an awareness of how eastern teachings are of timeless virtues and should in fact be read alike. Also, it is important to note that Christianity and Hinduism are both of eastern origin. In my own evaluation, the western mind is of time and the eastern mind is of timelessness. Often a book of eastern origin written in western languages is written in accordance with time in mind, not timelessness. The bible is a good example as the bible was never of one book to start with.

My wife and I gave a western version copy of the Bhagavad Gita to a person who is a teacher of Yoga. They have read the Bhagavad Gita and stated they have finally mastered the Bhagavad Gita. Well, you never master a book of timeless virtues as these writings are of timelessness, meaning, as each age goes by what is written changes to the age at the time. If you like, books and texts of timeless virtues adapt to each and every age, this can be very different to science or history books, noting that history is often written by the victor.

Once you decipher, and I did mean to use the word decipher here, books and texts into a western language, often the meaning of such books and texts are deciphered with the western mind in mind that is based primarily on time. The western mind is often of transient or transitory existence, the eastern mind is of eternal existence. The bible and Bhagavad Gita are of an eternal existence, the teachings and learning of an eternal existence, of the eastern mind. Yes, you will see this within quantum physics, a western orientation, an orientation due to a mind of eastern and western orientations. Often books and texts like this are of symbolism, therefore need deciphering in accordance with the age.

It is mind boggling how the western mind often refutes to orientate itself with the eastern mind as well, as if the western mind set is the be and end all. You often don't get this with the eastern mind set, this is unless of some kind of extremism. Eastern and western extremism both stagnate or hinder western and eastern mind set orientations.

If you look at the difference between western atheism to eastern atheism, you will note that western atheism is based on a transient or transitory existence, this is very different to eastern atheism, where existence is also based on an eternal existence. The orientation between eternal and transient or transitory existence is very important when reading books and texts written by an eternal mind set in mind.

I could have added various sources to support my conjectures here but I have to leave that up to the individual. Why? Because our mind sets are no doubt going to differ, considering the various orientations of western and eastern mind sets at hand. One must follow one's own path at hand. I am not here to force or teach my own mind set, simply to give a different perspective of orientated mind sets.

When you think about this, energy can't be destroyed, only transformed, being that energy is of the eternal existence!!

Western and Eastern Hemisphere Minds

 

 Written by Mathew Naismith

You have got to realise that we all have a slightly different path to follow as spirituality aware people, some people can sit within their own quietness and let the world go by, where other people are meant to become involved with the rest of the world.

“Putin got a lot right in his speech! We have been an empire of lies sad but true!”

With so many western people so eager the feed the war machine, while taking little to no action in regards to the prevention of war, I am embarrassed being of a western civilisation. This is while Taiwan is being intimidated and harassed and not just militarily. What is going to happen to the Taiwanese people? Live organ harvesting is but one and certain persecution as seen in Hong Kong and to the Fulan Gong people.

So why are people like you and I so different Miranda to the rest of western civilisation? I think it has a fair bit to do with being able to reason in both western and eastern hemispheres of the mind. Look at how individualistic western people are to eastern collectiveness. A lot of us, be it of western or eastern culture, work in accordance with both spheres of the human mind.

https://www.learning-mind.com/cultural-differences-east-west/

Extract: Individualism – favours the individual as an independent entity and encourages self-promotion and self-worth.

Collectivism – individuals are part of a group and the needs of the group come before the individual.

By and large, cultures in the West tend to be more individualistic whereas people from the East are more collectivist. These concepts are a running thread through many eastern and western cultural differences. g

You will also notice that the eastern hemisphere of the mind will predominantly see the background of everything physical and mental, while the western hemisphere of the mind will predominantly see the foreground. Look at how many people in the world are only seeing a Russian aggressor aimed at Ukraine and how inhumane Putin is, this is while the western coalition forces invaded and bombed how many countries!! What about in WWII, as I wrote recently where, “the allies bombed German cities to the point of deliberately causing a firestorm. Do you know what I mean about fire storms? Even if you were underground, the firestorms sucked the oxygen out from the underground havens unarmed civilians were hiding in. Is Russia doing this?”

The eastern or western mind is unable to put things into proper perspective unless relating the foreground to the background and visa-versa. Honestly, like with the pandemic and how it was handled, how many people are putting this war into proper perspective, a perspective that equally looks at the foreground as well as the background?

The foreground shows one aggressive power seemingly trying to dominate a non-aggressive power, an aggressive power of inhumanity. Now the background tells a different story, actually, more like elaborating on the story told by the foreground.

Firstly, in comparison to other invasions and bombing by western powers of other countries and their civilians, is the Russian army all that inhumane? Did as much energy by the western powers go into resolution than feeding the war even more. Far more energy is being put into the war machine than preventing the war starting in the first place. It is as if the western powers wanted war, seen as Putin, unlike the Ukrainian president, can't be bought and controlled by these western powers.

Working on Our Weaknesses

Written by Mathew Naismith

My own path is to avoid playing up to the ego, my own or others. I must tell it how it is, not how the ego would prefer it to be told, knowing that the western mind is easily offended and often takes this offence as being abusive. Even what I have written in this paragraph already will no doubt be taken offensively therefore unjustly critically judged as negative by the western mind in all of us. Yes, the spiritual path for the western mind is a very hard path to follow truthfully and honestly, especially of self-honesty as I will explain.   

"Through my own studies and life experiences Shilpa, the western mind in all of us looks upon negatives as a weakness. As it is well known, the western mind will often only work upon its strengths, the positives, while ignoring the weaknesses, the negatives.  The eastern mind works the opposite way around it would seem, working on its weaknesses (negatives) while retaining the strengths (positives), in the process keeping balance of mind and being.

“Eastern cultures and teachings actually help in keeping balance in a western minded controlled world. As it seems a lot of easterners seem to be doing, never forget your eastern teachings Shilpa. It would seem this would never occur in your case.

Now, how many western minded new age spiritually aware people only focus on the strengths (positives), while critically judging the negatives as simply negative or of toxic vibrations? Within this process, the weaknesses are never dealt with, just simply buried/forgotten. Truly, this is the western minds idea of being positive and enlightened!!

The western mind in all of us is also easily offended as well, at the same time the western mind is abusive to others but don’t dare be abusive to the western mind in a simular way!!    

My own western mind predominantly influenced by a western culture has had to be honest with itself. Not easy for the western mind to accomplish within a western minded controlled environment.” 

So is it seen as being wrong (negative) to people like me when other people play up to the western mind?

A lot of the times the only way the western mind will see the truth is through playing up to the ego. If the western ego feels good, it must be good therefore not seen as a weakness, a negative to ignore and shun. You could say it is wiser to change things from within, change the way the western mind thinks to a more balanced way of thinking from within. I basically practice what I preach; playing up to my own ego or anyone else’s ego is not within my own practices, however, if your own practices are to do with playing up to the ego, this is the way it is. There is a lot of wisdom in trying to change something from within, but not all of us are here to change anything, just to be just in case the western mind in all of us decides enough is enough.

I am fortunate through a lot of self-honesty by my western ego that my ego is not conditioned to being played up to. If your ego is used to being played up to, anything and everything outside of this condition can seem negative, this is probably why so much today is critically deemed negative. And this is supposed to be positive and of the new higher consciousness!!

It is funny, when the western mind takes offence to guidance like this, all I am doing is being negative and simply wrong. The reaction from the eastern mind, even when of a westerner, is usually completely different. Don’t’ get me wrong here, people from the east can take offence too, especially when of the western mind, for only the western mind can take offence so easily in all of us. Yes, what I have written here is highly offensive and negative to the western mind and even taken as being abusive, when in all honesty all I am not doing is not playing up to the western ego mind.

Now, the western mind will see that I am representing the eastern mind as the positive, the strength, while the western mind is the negative, the weakness in our minds. You can see how offensive this would seem to the western mind, it is the western mind that is weak, not the eastern mind!! Just suggesting such a thing to the western mind is outrageous and deplorable, as I should know.

As of the eastern or western mind, it is only weak when imbalanced, as of anything that is imbalanced. Yes, the western mind at present is our biggest weakness, at no time is this seen as simply a negative to be shunned and simply called negative by the eastern mind, for the eastern mind doesn’t work like this. Yes, as of any imbalance this is a sign of weakness, so it is for the western mind that is imbalanced, an imbalance, a weakness, that needs to be worked on. Now, imagine if the eastern mind was more like the western mind, this imbalance just wouldn’t be dealt with in anyway, simply ignored and shunned as being simply a negative.  

This gives you a very small idea of what the western mind has to go through to become balanced, for our egos to become conditioned to working on our weaknesses instead of our ego driven strengths. Try to remember, it is the ego that becomes enlightened or aware, nothing else. Yes, the ego is our weakness if imbalanced through the conditioning of materialism and playing up to the ego in any sense. This is the weakness that we should be focusing on, not like we are presently doing on mass, playing up to the ego and only working on our strengths, in my own mind anyway.                    

Journey of an Eastern Mind

Written by Mathew Naismith

A spiritual teacher is asked to do a presentation on what the teacher is about to a small group of people, they accept. When the time comes, they greet everyone who comes through the door and once this is done, they then place themselves in front of the people and immediately queries, "What are you all doing here?" There is no answer because the people are perplexed by the teachers query.

The spiritual teacher then states, "You are here because you did not listen to your eastern mind, a mind of non-materialism, thought, wisdom and non-controlling ways. You are here because of your western minds material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways."

To the spiritual teacher, there is no question of the eastern mind being positive, right, good, etc, and the western mind being negative, wrong, bad, etc. As of always, and quite naturally too to the western mind, there is an obvious positive and negative in relation to the western and eastern mind. Now, why were the people sitting in front of the spiritual teacher to start with, expecting guidance and answers to life?

A predominant western minded person goes into a jungle alive with carnivorous beasties (beasts). Fear will either save this person or cause the death of the person. Now, an enlightened person of the absence of material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways enters the jungle. The carnivorous beasties react in a totally different way. Instead of being ferocious towards the enlightened person, they react playfully and acceptingly. This is actually occurring with certain people at present, where there interactions with wild carnivorous animals are at the point of being playful. You don't have to be enlightened to experience this, just of the absence of material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways.

The spiritual teacher then poses a question," Am I positive because I am the teacher and you are negative because you are the students fixated to material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways? I am not separate from you as I am not separate from creation as a whole. Whatever is of creation, we are of no matter what the western ego mind desires to only be of. The different being, no matter how much we are connected to all of creation, I am also the teacher as well as the student only because I have also learnt to listen to the eastern mind as well as the western mind."

You will notice that certain spiritual teachers will make note to taking control, especially of the mind. If the teacher mentions to the western mind to tame the mind instead of controlling the mind, what is going to occur, especially when the western mind is known to be all about taking control rather than releasing oneself of control?

It is wise when approaching the western mind, to be expressive of what the western mind comprehends to then understand. However, there are teachers who only approach a mind not dominated by the western mind. The mind approached doesn't have to be predominantly eastern but certainly not predominately controlled by the westernised mind. You will never sway a predominant western mind all about control rather than releasing control to comprehend taming the mind to start with, for only the eastern mind in all of us relates to taming the mind rather than controlling the mind. In saying this, at times while trying to influence the western mind to tame the mind, the eastern mind becomes more dominant, this is because the eastern mind, while not being of control but of releasing control, becomes more influential on the mind itself through recognition of taming the mind.

I actually approach the western mind by pointing out the difference between the eastern and western mind, one is of control, the other of taming. The problem with this to the western mind is, honesty is often not the best policy, this is why many teachers will mention taking control of the mind instead of taming the mind. I should point out here that I am not a spiritual teacher.

The spiritual teacher then goes on to express, "As you are different to all else, doesn't mean you are separate to all else. This also means all else not of your positive is negative, just a different expression of yourself. You can deny that the environment around you is not of you but all this proves is that your western mind is in control. Tame the western mind with eastern minded influences, within this, all that seemed to be negative to your own positive dissipates. The western mind loves perceptions of negatives and positives for this gives the western mind more power and control over our mind and our environment, or so is deceptively perceived by the western mind in control over our minds." 

Note: At no time did I read or listen to what is mentioned above in relation to a spiritual teachers presentation, this is wholly my own thoughts of a spiritual teachers starting presentation. 

https://medium.com/sustainability-gender-and-development-in-the/monoculture-of-the-mind-western-superiority-towards-eastern-religions-40093fae581c

Eastern Spiritual Mind

Written  Mathew Naismith

There were two people of different cultures discussing the starvation of people, one person was shocked and appalled by how people are allowed to starve like this, the other person not so shocked and appalled. 

To western thinking, allowing people to starve to death is unkind and certainly not of love or spirituality. To eastern thinking it is different because one existence is not separated from any other existence. So to the western mind it is appalling when humans starve to death but it’s not as appalling when animals, including insects, are starved to death!!

In very recent times, a western minded lady I know was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The eastern doctor sat on her bed, put his hand on her knee and said that she had terminal cancer, go home to die because we need the hospital bed.  The western minded lady was in shock, not just because of the diagnoses but of how she was treated, especially by an eastern minded doctor.

To the eastern spiritual mind, death doesn’t exist; in fact the perception of death is simply an indication of transition from one life to another. No matter what you experience in life, even if you have suffered from life experiences instead of learning from them, all kinds of life experience’s without exception are worthy to experience. One kind of life is not desired over another no matter what, so if your life experience is to starve to death like any living creation without exception, that is karma or simply the way life is or works. So what does the western mind desire to do, change the way existence is but in service to what? Self-gratification, ego.

You see the western mind took offence to the practicality of the eastern mind; your life’s journey is to starve to death, as your life’s path is to die at home from terminal cancer. Of course in the case of the person diagnosed with terminal cancer, the bed was needed for people that doctors can help, not for people who are beyond help!!

In all honesty, if I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I would want to go home to allow another person the bed that can be helped, and no, I wouldn’t have been offended by the eastern doctor’s very caring practical honest approach. Yes, shock horror to the western mind, the eastern doctor couldn’t have been more caring, practical and honest if he tried. In saying this, the doctor obviously needed to be aware in how the western individualised self-cantered mind works. Of course to the western mind, ensuing known pointless medical treatment is more caring!! This is like feeding an already starving people to bread more so the chances of them starving in the future are higher!! True, this is how western kindness, love and compassion works, in other words how the western mind works. If it feels good, it has to be good even when it obviously isn’t.

So to the western mind, being spiritual has everything to do with feeling good and being good within the views of the western mind, in other words, being positive instead of negative. You know what? The eastern spiritual mind doesn’t separate everything like this between what is negative and what is positive. In truth to me and people like me, the eastern spiritual mind is all about the collective’s wellbeing, not the individual’s wellbeing of; if it feels good to the individual, it has to be good to the collective. In truth, which the western mind in all cultures is not about, this is simply not the case, not everything that feels good to the ego individually is good for the collective.  

In all honesty, the eastern spiritual mind is of the balance of western and eastern thinking. Never expect or even demand that the western spiritual mind thinks like this, this is unless influenced by eastern thinking as well.

I am not of an eastern mind or primarily of an eastern mind but I often balance out the western mind with eastern thinking, as eastern spiritually aware people often do.  

Note; when an eastern spiritual mind feeds a starving person, this is different to when a western spiritual mind feeds a person. It is like the love of an eastern spiritual mind is different to a western spiritual mind; there is no attachment to love of an eastern spiritual mind, when the western mind often becomes highly attached to love. Attachments are likened to control, as the western mind is of taking controlling rather than not being of control. The eastern spiritual mind is actually of releasing oneself of control, also meaning to release oneself from attachments even of love.  How many western spiritually minded people of love can detach themselves from the feelings of what love gives them? In all honesty, this is all about taking control of retaining fixated attachments the western mind will never give up, unless balanced out by the eastern mind of releasing oneself of control and attachments.  

The eastern spiritual mind doesn't have to deal with releasing oneself of control and related attachments because this kind of mind doesn't seek to control but to release oneself of control. There are no attachments even to what the feelings of love can give oneself.

In regards to starving people, there is no difference to starving animals, also, this is there life's journey that we should refrain from taking control of. This is the same with the terminally ill person; refrain from taking control of someone else's life's journey is as loving and caring as a spiritual person can get, but of course the western spiritual mind will understandably always think otherwise through attachments created by being controlling.

Being Spiritual

Written by Mathew Naismith

There can be quite a big difference to what is perceived to be spiritual between the eastern and western mind. To the eastern mind, spirituality isn't primarily based on love, harmony and being positive where the western mind often bases New Age spirituality on love, harmony and being positive. Often in this case the perception of God doesn't figure for a lot of people, even though the perception of God is of a pure state of oneness. Love and harmony are simply a derivative of being spiritually connected. This love and harmony is also embraced by easterners but knowing that spirituality is not limited to just a few aspects as love and harmony.   

To the eastern spiritualist, spirituality isn't limited to certain aspects but is of all aspects, even of the aspects we don't desire to include in spirituality. Hinduism and Taoism are prime examples of this where the balance of negative and positive are apart of being spiritual, leading to a more aware and wiser state of being. It is not a separation of negative and positive, unlike in western spirituality, it is the culmination of negative and positive. To understand this, a truly connected spiritually aware person does not desire being positive over being negative for positive and negative work in unison as one. What does the western mind do instead? Separates the negatives from the positives and calls this spiritual!!    

I once came across a person who was crippled up, they were experiencing extreme discomfort and pain. I have never come across anyone so spiritually connected. Look at it this way, how many people experience their most enlightening moments in life while experience trauma, a so-called negative to the western mind? Trauma and pain can either be learnt from or suffered from, very much like humans learning from history rather than suffering from history. Of course this does take wisdom to do this which we have, in the modern age, replaced wisdom with what we desire.    

Try to remember, the western mind in all of us can be excessively critical, this includes critically judging what is and isn't spiritual to the western mind.

When you get to a state where you can ask any question and get an immediate correct answer, you know you are on your way to being spiritually connected. When you no longer need to ask questions to get an answer, you are spiritually connected. Only in this state do you then realise that the questions we asked were not formulating the answer to the questions, for the answers to what ever questions we asked always existed!!             

Improving Upon Our Weaknesses

Written by Mathew Naismith

I wrote the following to further explain where I was coming from in relation to my last post, Human Existence - A Balancing Act

"Indeed my friend, we are one despite our differences in culture and mind. Because I am not into what is good and bad, wrong and right, negative and positive, unlike the western mind in control, there are no negative or positive tags in relation to the western and eastern mind. As I will explain in my next post, both the western and eastern mind has a vital part to play in life for they are apart of life."

Also:

"Look at this way, the western mind most often desires to separate the physical/materiel world from the spiritual, only desiring to be of the spiritual or material world. The eastern mind doesn't do this as it is of oneness, a oneness that sees a connection between the material and spiritual world in the absence of separation and division.

The western spiritual mind often determines that the material world is unbecoming as the western mind is quite critical within its judgement. The eastern mind isn't critical within its judgement but simply observant of what can be improved. As it is stated, the western mind will build upon its strengths while the eastern mind improves upon its weaknesses. One creates balance, the other an imbalance!!"

In all honesty, how many western minded spiritual people do you know desire to separate the spiritual world from the material world? I really don't think being spiritual is to do with separating one from the other more, in truth quite the opposite. The sense of oneness to start with is the realisation that everything is connected and of one. Yes, it is difficult while becoming spiritually aware that the desire to feel more in harmony, secure and loving, is more desirable over and above anything else that doesn't fulfil these desires but we must avoid this occurring. The desire to dispel everything in some way that isn't of what we desire to feel is quite strong.

Let's be honest here, the western mind is going to have a far harder time of becoming spiritually aware than the eastern mind, this is why it is wise to get to know your eastern mind. The western mind is perfect for getting to know the material world as the tools created to do so by the western mind is unlimited, as the eastern mind is perfect for getting to know the spiritual world.

Yes, as of the eastern mind, the western mind has its place, problems only occur when the western mind takes over from the eastern mind in all of us. Considering that the western mind is of taking control, and the eastern mind is of releasing ourselves of control, it is by no mistake that a predominant western mind will take control of what the eastern mind controls. The funny thing is, the eastern mind never works by taking control but of releasing itself from control, within this action, the human self is released from its various limitations that control creates.

Control means to take power to direct or determine; to determine a result in accordance with the control expressed thus limiting all expressions to certain variables or values.

As the western mind will no doubt take offence to what I am stating here, the eastern mind won't, even when stating that the western mind is better at knowing about the material world than the eastern mind. The eastern mind simply sees this as something that needs to be worked on, not just something to express disdain towards unlike the western mind that is a lot easier to offend than the eastern mind. What is the western minds strength? Knowing about the material world. Where is the world at, at present in relation to the eastern and western mind? The world is obviously predominantly expressive of the western mind. What ability does the western mind focus on the most? Its strengths while even deliberately ignoring its weaknesses, at times at any cost!! A good example of this is the environment we are destroying, the very thing humans rely on for their existence. Yes, the Chinese are destroying their own environment as well, only because they are predominately expressive of  the western mind to compete in a western minded controlled world.

So what is a western dominated world focusing on the most? Its strengths, which is control, power, material wealth and global dominance, etc, also, anything and everything that doesn't pertain or is relevant to its strengths. This is why westernised spirituality, even when based on eastern spirituality, is often used to take more control and gain more power while in the material world. The western spiritual mind simply primarily focuses on the spiritual is in relation to taking more control, not what eastern spirituality is about, releasing ourselves from control.

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

 “As spiritual searchers we need to become freer and freer of the attachment to our own smallness in which we get occupied with me-me-me. Pondering on large ideas or standing in front of things which remind us of a vast scale can free us from acquisitiveness and competitiveness and from our likes and dislikes. If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body, and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean or to the myriad stars at night, or any other indicators of vastness, the mind gradually stills and the heart is filled with quiet joy. Also recalling our own experiences in which we acted generously or with compassion for the simple delight of it without expectation of any gain can give us more confidence in the existence of a deeper goodness from which we may deviate. (39)”  – Ravi Ravindra

“Life is a balance between holding on and letting go.” Rumi

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need." Tao Te Ching

Human Existence - A Balancing Act

Written by Mathew Naismith

I was recently invited to join a group of people, predominantly of Indian origin, on a social media network site who, to me, show a good deal of balance between the eastern and western mind. There caring loving gestures in interaction to each other seemed quite different to when the predominant western mind in people try to interact in the same way. I have interacted on a number of forums where the western minded people don't quite seem as genuine within their caring loving interactions. The difference for this I found quite interesting.

As the following link will illustrate, the western mind sees itself the dominant force of nature, where the eastern mind see itself in harmony between man and nature, of equal equality and value between man and nature. Why do, for example, Hindus express a sacredness to certain animals where the western mind only sees animals as something to use abuse. In saying this, how many pet owners of a western mind show a sacredness to their own beloved pets? Is this the eastern mind in all of us, the eastern harmonious mind seeing other creatures on Earth as no lesser value than themselves?

How many western minded spiritual people put the spiritual world above all other worlds? To the eastern mind, spiritual values are of no lesser value than material values and visa-versa, make no mistake though, a lot of easterners are becoming more western in mind than eastern thus an imbalance is created. As I have spoken to a number of people from India, the concern of their own people becoming more of the western mind is concerning, in that knowing how the western mind puts itself above nature and all else not of itself.

You might then look at the Hindus for example, in how they have so many spiritual festivals. To the western mind, and understandably so, the Hindus seem to be prominently of the spiritual world, there is no balance between the material world and the spiritual world!! The many God's and Goddesses are simply a representation of the many facets of life as a whole. Many deities represent man's own character and psychology. In actuality, Hindu deities represent the material world as well as the spiritual world. You will find this in most eastern spiritual teachings, only if you are not predominantly of the western mind that is.

If you are also of the eastern mind, you will find the following quite interesting. It is in relation to a book titled, "East and West: Understanding the Rise of China."

                                    

Source: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=FYpSY0560aUC&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=a+balance+of+western+and+eastern+mind&source=bl&ots=T6G4NmW6tE&sig=ACfU3U2PtvzNQRxgfZYO0Y8vlfuXwR58QA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjE9cubwNrgAhWFWX0KHUoDDGU4ChDoATACegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=a%20balance%20of%20western%20and%20eastern%20mind&f=false

A Touch of Guru 2

Written by Mathew Naismith

Imagine if somehow your positiveness was taken away from you. Most people couldn't mentally, spiritually and physically cope with this because they rely on being positive to live life. Now, what would happen if a spiritual Guru had their positiveness taken away from them? Absolutely nothing in their life would change, probably because a Guru doesn't rely or have any kind of attachment to what is and isn't positive and negative in their life. Imagine how harmonious this would be, were our lives are not determined by any factor pertaining to attachments and desires.

I need to now insert the following exchange I had with someone in relation to my last post, "A Touch of Guru." 

Reply

What I notice. while not taking any particular view to heart, is today's non spiritual person seems grounded in post modernist thought, while dismissing a natural view of spiritual people throughout history who were much more grounded with a natural reality...and all the questions that entails. 

For instance, Yeshua ben Yosef is not who is presented in today's belief. Furthermore, the Christian tradition itself was a natural movement, not a religious diatribe of dos and don'ts.

My Reply

You seem to be so true to yourself it is nearly unbelievable. To be true to yourself is to observe the world through as little bias as possible, all else is an untrue depiction of yourself and the world around you. A touch of Guru.....

As I am presently writing, take away positiveness from most people, they would crumble. Take away positiveness from a true Guru, nothing would change in there life. I have a funny feeling you comprehend this, not many people would or would want to. Take away positiveness from a false Guru or most western spiritually aware people, they would too crumble, if not more so than non-spiritual people.

Sadly, when ideologies, isms, concepts and beliefs become a fixation, something we have attached our psyche to for security and support, we lose the true nature of these ideologies and isms,

I am often impressed by your psyche because you explain yourself very well, especially on this topic. If you don't mind, I would like to use your reply here in my next post. I won't make any personal reference to you if this makes you feel more comfortable with this.

_____________________________

It is amazing. Ever since I have been mentioning the difference between Eastern and Western thinking, a certain cultural people have stopped interacting with me on quite a huge scale. This is while other cultural people, even other Western cultures, of the world have remained steady. Within their own actions, they have unknowingly proven the points made about the Western mind being easily offended. As it is said, the Western mind is easily offended, even to the point that if you are not praising the western mind, you are attacking it. This is like if you are not positive, you must be negative, the Eastern mind in all of us doesn't think like this.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/too-quick-to-take-offence/news-story/f13e942b9a55604018b55993e68f9df5

Extract: Those who make certain words offensive do so because there is something to be gained. For many, to feel offended is to feel important, validated.

It is quite interesting that a predominantly Westernised mind doesn't see itself also being of the Eastern mind. In the West, it is often thought if you are not positive, you are negative, offensive. In the East, you have obvious depictions of yin and yang or like in Hinduism, the importance of a harmonious interaction between the male and female within everything. Of course harmony is constructive while disharmony is destructive but even destruction has its place.

To live in harmony in an earthquake area, you either learn to build better buildings or you move away, thus you have learnt from a negative situation. We often become more enlightened through the negatives than we do the positives, the present state of the world is no different. Of course to learn from the negatives, one must not ignore what the negatives have to teach us while in favour of the positives!! In all honesty, what is the Western mind doing on a huge scale at present? The state of the world simply shows that the Western mind in all of us is simply not learning. The Western mind is even shrugging off thousands of years of life experience; this is like killing off all the old people because they no longer serve any purpose. No matter what the life experience has been, we can learn from it.

This is interesting. If you removed the Western or Eastern mind from the spiritual Guru, you would see a huge difference. Yes, even taking the Western mind away from a spiritual Guru would make a huge difference in their lives, for the Guru is not of one or the other but of all of what is without bias and desire. What makes a Guru a Guru is the harmonious integration of opposite polarities. Try to remember, just because it is an opposite, doesn't mean it is always in opposition. I have lost count how many Westernised minds/people see themselves in opposition to me, it is quite insurmountable, especially from when I started writing about the difference between the Western and Eastern mind. Could you imagine the reaction from the Western mind/people if an Eastern mind/person wrote about the difference between the Western and Eastern mind as I have done!! How offended would have the Western mind/people become then? 

I found the following research by psychologist Steven Heine quite interesting.              

https://brucegrierson.com/the-westerneastern-mind-divide/ 

Extract: UBC cultural psychologist Steven Heine discovered profound differences between Western and Eastern minds. A recipe for prejudice, or just the opposite?    

Eastern and Western Philosophy

Written by Mathew Naismith

Stoicism is of Western philosophy where Zen is of Eastern philosophy, both philosophies are of a simular teaching, an indifference to pleasure or pain. All this means is that there is no desire of pain or pleasure, especially of pleasure in counteraction to pain for there is no balance created in such reactions. Yes, from imbalances a reality based on imbalances can be created where pleasure is intensely desired and often vigorously sought. This reminds me of the Roman Empire and the present Westernised Empire, where pleasure is vigorously sought and desired over all else.  

Both the Western philosophies of Stoicism and the Eastern philosophies of Zen are not of faith, even though Zen is of intuitiveness rather than reasoning as of Stoicism. Of course in saying that these philosophies are not of faith, one has to have faith in philosophies for philosophies to have any value. No matter what the teachings are, faith is needed in the teachings themselves for the teachings to have value and substance to begin with.

How many of us have faith in reasoning, where our reasoning is limited to what we are aware of at the time. We can only reason to the extent of our awareness, of course this is where philosophies like Zen come into there own, where intuition takes over where reasoning has left off. The same is with Abrahamic religions, where reasoning is limited to what we are aware of to what Abrahamic religions are not limited to. Religions period give us a sense and even an awareness beyond of what reasoning is limited to. In a lot of cases, reasoning is limited to materialism or three dimensional aspects. 

Basically, philosophies of Stoicism are limited to a reasoning process; this at no time makes philosophies like stoicism irrelevant. As what is taught through the teachings of stoicism, it is a teaching of an indifference to pleasure or pain, where pain or pleasure is not sought but simply occurs. In truth, teachings like Zen and Stoicism condition us to lesson the influence of pain thus often giving us more pleasure in any circumstance. At no time is pain or pleasure sought within these teachings, but most often pleasure can be the outcome of these teachings. Simply, it is what it is, no more, no less.

https://medium.com/@AlextheYounger/stoic-zen-10-crucial-life-lessons-from-ancient-eastern-and-western-philosophy-401d4f2ac646

Extract: Alan Watts has an interesting take on an old, provoking thought-experiment: he asks you to imagine if you could ask God any question. You may ask, “what is the meaning of life?” God would simply reply, “the question makes no sense, you are asking what is the meaning of meaning. It is only you that can create meaning in this world.”

Disappointed in this answer, you may question further, “what is the question I should ask then?” Presumably, God would smile, and answer, “Ah, so you do want a problem?”

The simple fact of the matter is that nothing is out of place. It is simply human nature to create problems to solve.

Problems and dilemmas are pain creating, this is why we ask questions that are related to pain and don't ask questions that are not related to pain. Considering that human consciousness is conditioned to suffering pain, no wander we ask such questions when the answer is obvious to a person not conditioned to pain.

Don't get me wrong here, most often we will learn to deal with pain when in pain, pain is simply part of the process of not being in pain, but only if we learn to deal with pain instead of suffering or having a desire to escape from pain. To desire to escape from pain is a creation of pain for pain has created such desires, try to remember this. What human consciousness is conditioned to, is to suffer from pain instead of dealing with pain. However, imagine if the allied forces in World War two ran away from the pain of the axis forces instead of dealing with this pain, far more pain would have been inflicted or suffered. Of cause what created this pain to begin with was the conditioning to pain, otherwise Hitler would have stopped at the pleasure he gave to his fellow countrymen.  

In dealing with pain, at no time expect or desire not to be in pain, as the philosophy of Zen and Stoicism teach, an indifference to pleasure or pain, where desire has no place, even of the desire of pleasure over pain. You must be careful here though, that you don't seek or desire pain over pleasure, pain will naturally come when a lesson needs to be learnt as of our present reality. Yes, I have observed this myself, where people seek (desire) pain to learn from, avoid seeking pain for this reason as Buddha discovered.

Yes, we will suffer pain of a lost one or of being abused, what is the lesson to be learnt in this?

In the case of a lost one, to learn to live on after such a loss, even to a greater extent without feeling guilty of doing so; to learn that your life goes on and so does theirs. I often live for them as well which makes life more fulfilling for me.

As of abuse or neglect, don't try to escape this pain or desire or expect not to be in pain. The desire to feel pleasure again gives the pain more credence, more power and control over you. It is what it is and move on from this. I know of a person who was raped in their own house, every little noise in the house now utterly terrifies them. You must learn to have an indifference to pain as well as pleasure, anything else is an imbalance and of all imbalances, pain is created. Become aware that all imbalances create circumstances of the abuse of energy as a whole. To deny yourself the freedom from pain and pleasure is an abuse of energy caused by an imbalance.

In pain, I don't desire or expect pleasure but I also don't desire or expect to suffer from pain either. There is a neutral ground that can be created under any circumstance, where energy is influenced in harmony with. I could not think of anything more beautiful, accepting, of unconditional love and of oneness than this neutral ground.                               

Passion of the Eastern Mind

Written by Mathew Naismith

William Shakespeare's, "To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;"

A Western minds dramatisation of life; to go on suffering or to cease the suffering by death or to cause death onto what is causing the suffering, in actuality it's the same thing. To abandon life and human existence for a better existence is the death of suffering; of course it is well known to the Eastern mind we cause our own suffering. To commit suicide or to cause the death to what is causing the suffering is the same thing. So to desire to create a better existence than an existence of suffering is suicidal; for one has to cause death onto one's own dramatisation of suffering, we would in fact kill a part of ourselves off. Is this the answer?

The answer to the Western mind is to separate itself from what it no longer desires to be a part of, to separate itself from the undesired for the desired. The desired is to suffer no more, even though to stop suffering one has to commit suicide, to cause death to what is causing the suffering which is ourselves. In a reality of variable polarities, we have a choice to either suffer with these variables, thus focus on suffering, or to let these variables pass without attaching ourselves to the suffering they may or may not create. To be, or not to be!!

So how does this help the people who are really suffering, the victims of war and civilian depravation? As I have done myself, you stop focusing on the suffering of variables for the only part of us that is able to suffer is the ego. The more the ego is in control, the more suffering we will suffer with thus creating a world that is destructive onto itself and chaotic within  it's environment. Yes, our environment, in actuality the universe itself, can be destructive and chaotic but as of ourselves it can also be constructive and passive.

I came across something recently I found interesting, the first part is my reply to what I found so interesting. A heavenly state of being is simply a state where the ego has no control; even in an existence of opposing variables this state is accessible to us.   

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Very well articulated. It's not easy for the Western mind to comprehend what is written here sunday ivy. 

The reason for this is the lack of control as the Western mind in all of us desires control. To control takes the abuse of energy, be it physical and/or mental. What will be will be is not acceptable to the Western mind in any of us. 

Is it a wonderful life no matter what goes on? It is what it is as man is no more destructive or chaotic than the natural environment can be, however, we can also be as constructive and passive as the natural environment can be as well, the choice is ours. 

The Western mind in all of us needs more of this, in my mind anyway.

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Persistent Motivation Comes from the Longing and Pursuit of a Wonderful Life

Xuefeng
(Translated by Tongxin and Edited by Kaer)

What promotes everyone to live day by day?

It is the Tathaga (nature) which has been the designed program ever since LIFE was originally created during the beginning of creation. For each LIFE, whether they like it or not, must run around in circles to survive for several decades after being born, and this is not controllable by anyone. As people, we must run around solving the problems of eating, clothing, shelter, transportation, birth, aging, sickness, and death, although these are reluctant choices which lead to tragic lives.

These are reluctant and tragic lives within the realms of necessity. If people cannot escape from the bondages of the realms of necessity, then no matter how they may live, trouble, pain, worry, anxiety, and fear will follow them forever. Life will rise and fall, set in sorrow and joy, and bloom and fade like flowers, until one reincarnation of LIFE is finished and a new one begins anew.

Coming back to the original point, after several years, many decades, or even centuries, these are the reincarnations of the realm of necessity. If we do not escape from the bondage of the realm of necessity and enter into the realm of freedom, then whatever we do and however glorious a state we can reach, everything is as futile and transitory as passing clouds. Nothing is worthy of being pursued or owned.

Although the road leading forward is tortuous, it is only by targeting an eternal direction and goal and by walking firmly towards it, that we can ever hope to walk out of the realm of necessity, out of the rises and falls, and out of the reincarnations of life, that we might taste and enjoy the scenery and joys along the road.

Everything we pursue and own in the human world will eventually melt into emptiness or burst like bubbles. They are absolutely illusions and dreams. If everything in the human world eventually disappears, then what is worthy of being pursued? What is worthy of being owned? What is worthy of being strived for by consuming the energy of LIFE?

Either swim with the tide and do not care about truth or falsehood, sincerity or deception, beauty or ugliness, kindness or cruelty, good or evil, or what is yours or mine, because everything will disappear into silence when one eventually disappears from the world; or move forward, firmly toward the realm of freedom which exceeds this human world, and exceeds space and time.

Where is the realm of freedom? Where is the way leading to the realm of freedom?

The human world is not the realm of freedom because our bodies push us to run for survival. The realm of freedom is heaven, and the ultimate realm of freedom is the Celestial Islands Continent of the Elysium World.

The road leading to the realm of freedom is the longing and pursuit of a wonderful life, and this is the source of persistent motivation.

What are wonderful lives?

They are states of no death, no pain and sorrow, no worry and fear, no trouble and misfortune, and no fighting and deprivation, but there is always joy, happiness, sunny life like beautiful springs, eternally green mountains and clear rivers, and one has the freedom to do whatever they want to do forever. What is fortunate is that we have found the way that directs us forward to the realm of freedom in which a broad, beautiful world is already waiting for us. The question is how can we reach it? Can we keep going? Did we delay too much on the road, feel powerless like sighing before the sea, and get pulled back into the realm of necessity because of sluggishness?

So many people have fallen down because they lost, do you still have the motivation to move ahead?

As long as you strive for and pursue the good life continuously, you will have persistent motivation, and can overcome all difficulties and finally reach the destination. But if your pursuit and longing are reduced or stopped, then you will stay in the same place and miss your opportunity to enjoy a truly beautiful life.

What Have I Done!!

Written by Mathew Naismith

As I have found in today's society, if you tell the actual truth to telling a desired truth, most of what you will get back is a show of disdain. I of course have no problem with this; otherwise I would desist in what I am doing, which I am clearly not going to do. I also express myself through an Eastern mind as well as a Western mind; this is obviously way too confusing for the Western mind to comprehend thinking in this way.

People, I am not attacking Western culture in favour of Eastern culture, all I am doing is trying to influence an obvious imbalanced Western mind, in all of us and in all cultures, to become aware of it's own imbalances in the way the Western mind uses and abuses energy as a whole. In my mind, everything is energy, of course going by certain ideologies, this is the same as everything being of God. Of course mentioning God also offends certain Western minds, being that the Western mind is in all of us as of the Eastern mind. This simply gets back to yin and yang. Yang is prominently yang with a bit of yin and visa-versa. A Western culture is predominantly of the Western mind and visa-versa, however, the Western mind, in all cultures, seem to be presently predominant thus depicting an imbalance in the collective.  

My motives have been put to the question and fair enough too. The following are an example of the replies I gave to the questioning of my motives and views by some people.

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1: You seem to be defending Western cultures by demonising certain Eastern cultures when all I am doing is mentioning the Western mind in all cultures. I am not attacking Western culture or its people, the Easterners have shown in human history how they can be just as badly behaved and destructive. 

I am not joking; it would seem only the Eastern mind knows what I am talking about here.  It's not about Western and Eastern cultures but about the Eastern and Western mind, in all of us.

You're not the only one XXXXX who doesn't quite get where I am coming from. They do say that the Western mind is easily offended. I am not attacking Western cultures but their obvious imbalanced Western minds.

The Western mind is hard to bring back into balance because this kind of mind often separates itself from all else, especially the Eastern mind. This is at present occurring in Eastern countries as well.

2: True, however, just because one is from an Eastern culture, doesn't mean one is not of or influenced by a Western mind. Easterners have always expressed a Western mind; it's just that in an Eastern culture it's easier to balance out the Western mind it would seem.

Please don't take offence but it seems that only the Eastern mind knows what I am talking about here. It matters not of what culture or country you come from, we need to be aware of how the Western mind works, in all of us, especially at present.

Actually, the multinationals that are hurting us mostly through control and manipulation are not from China, Japan or South Korea. China, Japan and South Korea are but puppets, so is the US to some degree. I can't at present go into this, I am censored. :-)

_____________________

http://www.rcgd.isr.umich.edu/news/Nisbett&Oyserman.NewScientist_03.2009.pdf

Extract: It is becoming apparent that we are all capable of thinking both holistically and analytically - and we are starting to understand what makes individuals flip between the two modes of thought.

Just for fun: It was determined that I was more of a Western mind in the following test, however, if I could have, I would have chosen both examples. The culture we are mostly influenced by often influences how we will think, no matter where we live.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yWuQ063_-ts