--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jim_flanegin" <jflanegi@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> > > wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > > > > > From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > On Behalf Of TurquoiseB > > > > Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 5:09 AM > > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Latest from Sam Harris, 2-8-07 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm suggesting that your mirror is as abnormal as > > > > > any other, and that its reflections of the universe > > > > > are as distorted as anyone else's. Can you accept > > > > > that, in...dare I use the term...humility, or do you > > > > > hold that your perceptions reflect some kind of > > > > > "truth?" Just curious... > > > > > > > > Is everyone's mirror equally abnormal? > > > > > > In my opinion, yes. > > > > > > > If so, what's normal? > > > > > > A guy named Abby Normal...unfortunately deceased. > > > They used his brain to make the creature in > > > "Young Frankenstein." :-) > > > > > > > Why couldn't Jim's mirror be clearer than > > > > most, though still not perfect? > > > > > > He certainly believes that it is. He's unwilling > > > to consider any other possibility. > > > > > > That unwillingness is what I'm commenting on. > > > > > > > I think clarity of human perception is a > > > > spectrum ranging from extremely distorted to > > > > almost crystal clear. > > > > > > Very possibly, but who do you trust to judge > > > the clarity or the distortion? > > > > And why do you think it is your job to do so? You say I > > am unwilling to consider the possibility that my perception > > is not clear. So what? I am not trying to convince you of it. > > What do you know of my perception except that which has been > > shared here? For example, I have seen angels countless times, > > and see them whenever I choose to. To the point that it is > > no longer interesting for me to comment on such a thing. Am > > I trying to convince anyone here of the validity of that > > perception... > > Desperately, as far as I can tell. > > > ...or that it is accurate for them too? > > Almost never, to your credit. > > > The answer is not at all. > > That, as far as I can tell, is only the answer > to the second question. > > > So what is the issue with me stating these things that > > yes are unequivocally true for the moment? What is your > > problem with it? > > No problem at all. I'm just curious as to whether > you can admit the *possibility* that your perceptions > might be illusory or flawed. > > I've had some pretty interesting perceptions as well. > As far as I can tell, I'm the only person here who > has seen someone levitate. We're talkin' seeing some- > one rise up off his chair and just hang ten on thin > air for minutes at a time, or in the desert, step up > off the sand and dance in mid-air. > > I saw it. I was there, completely sober and under the > influence of neither suggestion nor drugs. But at the > same time, I am open to the possibility that what I > saw would not have been captured by video cameras, had > they been running (which makes what I saw as levitation > a very subjective experience), or that I was somehow > mistaken, and no levitation was going on at all. I have > NO PROBLEM saying this. > > I similarly have NO PROBLEM with the possibility that > any of my other perceptions of extraordinary siddhis > or other paranormal events might have been the after- > effects of a bad pepperoni pizza. Anything is possible. > > For now, barring any evidence to the contrary, I have > to go with my perceptions being accurate, even though in > some cases the person performing the siddhis was, in many > ways, a low-vibe slime. In others, he was the most extra- > ordinary teacher it has been my good fortune to meet in > this lifetime. But it could all be illusion. I would > never claim it as "truth." > > So far in these discussions, I have never heard you make > such a statement. Whenever I have asked whether there > might be another interpretation for the things that you > consider "truth" (and which, when challenged, you tend to > refer to as absolute truth), you 1) bristle, 2) tell me > to get lost and not to bother you with such inanities > again (and then, within a day or so, are writing to me > again expecting me to reply), and 3) keep claiming that > your perceptions basically EQUAL truth. > > I've just become curious, that's all. Can you possibly > admit the possibility that your perceptions just *might* > be inaccurate? > Thanks for answering. First, I am not desperate to convince anyone of my perceptions- where you find evidence of this I don't know. As for the perceptions themselves, they are true for me, until they are not. And I'll give you an example-- for most of my life I have seen myself as a separate human being from my fellow human beings. Entirely separate. This is a conventional model as well. Lately I've begun to see that this is no longer an absolute model, based on my perceptions. Which one is the "truth"? The best answer I can give is, it depends. Or my statement that Maharishi is enlightened. There is no question in my mind regarding this. However, other people have different experiences, different perceptions, that leads them to a different conclusion. I have challenged that at times, but at the end of the day, I am OK with others holding a different point of view, as long as they accept mine as well.
So this question about "what is the truth?" is entirely relative. But not to me, right now. Do I insist on this particular truth with others here? Absolutely. Are they free to disagree with me? Yes, of course. Will the challenge change my perception? Not purely on the basis of the challenge. So the issue you are bringing up just leads into a paradox, that can't be validated by either your perception, or mine. Nonetheless, in order to continue my soul journey, my spiritual evolution, there are certain competencies I have achieved with regard to that spiritual evolution that are true for me, right now, and will remain true for me until I sustain a more comprehensive level of understanding that will modify such truths for me. Such has been a consistent dynamic for my life, and a model that has worked well for me. The other piece of these perceptions for me is that they are based on direct perception, the recognition of which and acknowledgment of which leads to further learning and progress along my path of apiritual evolution. So the acknowledgement, even insistence, of my current truth is not incompatible with a changing, a broadening of my perceptions later on, and has really nothing to do with me questioning my beliefs deliberately or seeking humility, because I recognize these perceptions for what they are in the first place, and that is phenomena of a transitory nature that enable my spiritual progress in the moment. I hope this satisfactorily answers your questions.
