Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-13 Thread danfriedman2002 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 From: "wayback71@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 
   It was delivered to my doorstep the other day and just a few pages I enjoy 
his writing style - he is clear and articulate and really nails things.  I will 
read it this weekend.
 

 And Barry, as you know, he says there is no self (ha, we have been thru this 
many times)!!

 
 
 





Indeed. He seems to be a very strong personality, with a very strong sense of 
self, uh, saying there is no self.  :-)

Unlike some here, I don't have to agree with everything a writer says to like 
that writer...  :-)
And unlike some Posters here, I don't have to disagree with everything a Poster 
posts to totally dismiss that Poster.



blush

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-13 Thread awoelfleba...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 From: "wayback71@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 
   It was delivered to my doorstep the other day and just a few pages I enjoy 
his writing style - he is clear and articulate and really nails things.  I will 
read it this weekend.
 

 And Barry, as you know, he says there is no self (ha, we have been thru this 
many times)!!

 
 
 





Indeed. He seems to be a very strong personality, with a very strong sense of 
self, uh, saying there is no self.  :-)

Unlike some here, I don't have to agree with everything a writer says to like 
that writer...  :-)
And unlike some Posters here, I don't have to disagree with everything a Poster 
posts to totally dismiss that Poster.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-13 Thread steve.sun...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
Funny, we get so many unsolicited reviews from Barry, and now we ask for one, 
and he says, "no. no I won't.  and I may never.  so there!"
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :
 Translation: "I read a few paragraphs standing at a book-stall in Amsterdam 
but I couldn't afford to buy a copy so I'll just fake reading it - nobody on 
FFL will know the difference and Judy is gone."





 >

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-13 Thread awoelfleba...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 
   I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the book, 
but the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has become FFL of 
late. Harris really has a gift for organising material. If you have gotten to 
the part in the 'self' section about using a transporter, I presented this 
argument to an initiator some years ago, and the response was, 'No I would not 
go into such a device'. Perhaps you could review the book here on FFL, not that 
the most of the current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.

 






"Most of the current crowd" doesn't have the attention span and intellect to 
read a comic book, much less something like this. I'll pass.  :-)

Besides, you know they'd never read it, because they'd be terrified of catching 
"atheist cooties"  and finding out how mindfulness really works.  :-)
 

 Plus, it is more bawee's speed to review the latest cartoon series on TV. 
Reviewing this book would be a wee bit of a stretch for our bawee and 
perhaps even he knows it. Blaming the audience's lack of brain power is his 
excuse - which is, obviously, typical of him. "Sure, I'd climb that skyscraper 
with one hand tied behind my back but none of you would appreciate it so I'll 
decline". (snort)

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-13 Thread 'Richard J. Williams' pundits...@gmail.com [FairfieldLife] 
On 9/13/2014 12:28 AM, TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
wrote:
*From:* "anartax...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" 



I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the 
book, but the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has 
become FFL of late. Harris really has a gift for organising material. 
If you have gotten to the part in the 'self' section about using a 
transporter, I presented this argument to an initiator some years ago, 
and the response was, 'No I would not go into such a device'. Perhaps 
you could review the book here on FFL, not that the most of the 
current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.


"Most of the current crowd" doesn't have the attention span and 
intellect to read a comic book, much less something like this. I'll 
pass.  :-)


Besides, you know they'd never read it, because they'd be terrified of 
catching "atheist cooties"  and finding out how mindfulness really 
works.  :-)

>
Translation: /"I read a few paragraphs standing at a book-stall in 
Amsterdam but I couldn't afford to buy a copy so I'll just fake reading 
it - nobody on FFL will know the difference and Judy is gone."/

>

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-13 Thread danfriedman2002 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 
   I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the book, 
but the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has become FFL of 
late. Harris really has a gift for organising material. If you have gotten to 
the part in the 'self' section about using a transporter, I presented this 
argument to an initiator some years ago, and the response was, 'No I would not 
go into such a device'. Perhaps you could review the book here on FFL, not that 
the most of the current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.

 






"Most of the current crowd" doesn't have the attention span and intellect to 
read a comic book, much less something like this. I'll pass.  :-)

Besides, you know they'd never read it, because they'd be terrified of catching 
"atheist cooties"  and finding out how mindfulness really works.  :-)

Can I get cooties from having read this Post? Doctor!!!

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-13 Thread danfriedman2002 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 From: "wayback71@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 
   It was delivered to my doorstep the other day and just a few pages I enjoy 
his writing style - he is clear and articulate and really nails things.  I will 
read it this weekend.
 

 And Barry, as you know, he says there is no self (ha, we have been thru this 
many times)!!

 
 
 





Indeed. He seems to be a very strong personality, with a very strong sense of 
self, uh, saying there is no self.  :-)

Unlike some here, I don't have to agree with everything a writer says to like 
that writer...  :-)
And unlike some Posters here, I don't have to disagree with everything a Poster 
posts to totally dismiss that Poster.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
From: "anartax...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" 



  
I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the book, but 
the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has become FFL of late. 
Harris really has a gift for organising material. If you have gotten to the 
part in the 'self' section about using a transporter, I presented this argument 
to an initiator some years ago, and the response was, 'No I would not go into 
such a device'. Perhaps you could review the book here on FFL, not that the 
most of the current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.

"Most of the current crowd" doesn't have the attention span and intellect to 
read a comic book, much less something like this. I'll pass.  :-)

Besides, you know they'd never read it, because they'd be terrified of catching 
"atheist cooties"  and finding out how mindfulness really works.  :-)

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
From: "waybac...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" 



  
It was delivered to my doorstep the other day and just a few pages I enjoy his 
writing style - he is clear and articulate and really nails things.  I will 
read it this weekend.

And Barry, as you know, he says there is no self (ha, we have been thru this 
many times)!!



 
Indeed. He seems to be a very strong personality, with a very strong sense of 
self, uh, saying there is no self.  :-)

Unlike some here, I don't have to agree with everything a writer says to like 
that writer...  :-)

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread danfriedman2002 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 why don't you post a bit that you found particularly interesting, or worthy. 

 I'd like to see what you mean.
 
He means: 
 I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. he "shoots from the hip" 
in his writing, a lot like I do. 
 Sam's surfing is working just fine for me. Now that's a book I'll never read. 
And I am prolific in the genre.

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book myself. 
I'm enjoying it a great deal. 

 

 Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online articles or 
interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing style. And not just the 
clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. I get the 
feeling that he "shoots from the hip" in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, 
he catches a wave of inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it 
will. Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, Sam's 
surfing is working just fine for me. 

 

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book
 
 
   Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion is now 
available as of Tuesday
 

 It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is cogent 
and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought it today.
 

 Chapter 1: Spirituality
 Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
 Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
 Chapter 4: Meditation
 Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
 Conclusion
 

 There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as TM: 
Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear awareness), 
and of course it's free, and is the most researched meditation technique. It is 
a brief guidebook for spirituality for atheists, or anyone who does not buy the 
spiritual mumbo jumbo of metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose 
religious people could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. 
Unlike TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism is 
mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self with the 
capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific research into the 
nature of self, which does not appear to exist. Consciousness he seems to 
regard as a mystery, and the examples he gives, give one pause as to the 
strangeness of what we call our awareness.
 

 * supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
 

 

 An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:
 

 'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path is the 
basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If there are 
important truths to be discovered through introspection, there must be better 
and worse ways to do this — and one should expect to meet a range of experts, 
novices, fools, and frauds along the way. Of course, charlatans haunt every 
walk of life. But on spiritual matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be 
especially difficult to detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of 
the subject matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can 
immediately establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in 
turn, evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. All 
the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently hit the little 
white ball where you want it to go, you have something to learn from anybody 
who can. The difference between an expert and a novice is no less stark when it 
comes to recognizing the illusion of the self. But the qualifications of a 
teacher and the progress of a student are more difficult to assess.'
 

 And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:
 

 
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
 
 
 http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one Sam Harris, neuroscientist and 
author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a 
Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape.


 
 View on www.samharris.org http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread steve.sun...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
why don't you post a bit that you found particularly interesting, or worthy. 

 I'd like to see what you mean.
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book myself. 
I'm enjoying it a great deal. 

 

 Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online articles or 
interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing style. And not just the 
clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. I get the 
feeling that he "shoots from the hip" in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, 
he catches a wave of inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it 
will. Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, Sam's 
surfing is working just fine for me. 

 

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book
 
 
   Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion is now 
available as of Tuesday
 

 It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is cogent 
and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought it today.
 

 Chapter 1: Spirituality
 Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
 Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
 Chapter 4: Meditation
 Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
 Conclusion
 

 There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as TM: 
Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear awareness), 
and of course it's free, and is the most researched meditation technique. It is 
a brief guidebook for spirituality for atheists, or anyone who does not buy the 
spiritual mumbo jumbo of metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose 
religious people could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. 
Unlike TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism is 
mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self with the 
capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific research into the 
nature of self, which does not appear to exist. Consciousness he seems to 
regard as a mystery, and the examples he gives, give one pause as to the 
strangeness of what we call our awareness.
 

 * supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
 

 

 An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:
 

 'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path is the 
basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If there are 
important truths to be discovered through introspection, there must be better 
and worse ways to do this — and one should expect to meet a range of experts, 
novices, fools, and frauds along the way. Of course, charlatans haunt every 
walk of life. But on spiritual matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be 
especially difficult to detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of 
the subject matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can 
immediately establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in 
turn, evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. All 
the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently hit the little 
white ball where you want it to go, you have something to learn from anybody 
who can. The difference between an expert and a novice is no less stark when it 
comes to recognizing the illusion of the self. But the qualifications of a 
teacher and the progress of a student are more difficult to assess.'
 

 And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:
 

 
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
 
 
 http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one Sam Harris, neuroscientist and 
author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a 
Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape.


 
 View on www.samharris.org http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread waybac...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
It was delivered to my doorstep the other day and just a few pages I enjoy his 
writing style - he is clear and articulate and really nails things.  I will 
read it this weekend. 

 And Barry, as you know, he says there is no self (ha, we have been thru this 
many times)!!

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread 'Richard J. Williams' pundits...@gmail.com [FairfieldLife] 

On 9/12/2014 3:09 PM, anartax...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] wrote:


I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the 
book, but the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has 
become FFL of late. Harris really has a gift for organising material. 
If you have gotten to the part in the 'self' section about using a 
transporter, I presented this argument to an initiator some years ago, 
and the response was, 'No I would not go into such a device'. Perhaps 
you could review the book here on FFL, not that the most of the 
current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.



>
We read parts of the book yesterday at the Public Library. Harris makes 
a case for the value of "spirituality" based on his experiences in 
meditation. According to Harris, there is nothing about a brain, studied 
at any scale (spatial or temporal), even suggests that it might harbor 
consciousness. However, Harris does not endorse levitation claims.

>



---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book 
myself. I'm enjoying it a great deal.


Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online 
articles or interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing 
style. And not just the clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of 
it, the *flow* of it. I get the feeling that he "shoots from the hip" 
in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, he catches a wave of 
inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it will. 
Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, 
Sam's surfing is working just fine for me.



*From:* "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
*To:* FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
*Sent:* Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
*Subject:* [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion 
is now available as of Tuesday


It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is 
cogent and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought 
it today.


Chapter 1: Spirituality
Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
Chapter 4: Meditation
Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
Conclusion

There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as 
TM: Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear 
awareness), and of course it's free, and is the most researched 
meditation technique. It is a brief guidebook for spirituality for 
atheists, or anyone who does not buy the spiritual mumbo jumbo of 
metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose religious people 
could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. Unlike 
TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism 
is mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self 
with the capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific 
research into the nature of self, which does not appear to exist. 
Consciousness he seems to regard as a mystery, and the examples he 
gives, give one pause as to the strangeness of what we call our awareness.


* supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.


An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:

'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path 
is the basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If 
there are important truths to be discovered through introspection, 
there must be better and worse ways to do this — and one should expect 
to meet a range of experts, novices, fools, and frauds along the way. 
Of course, charlatans haunt every walk of life. But on spiritual 
matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be especially difficult to 
detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of the subject 
matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can immediately 
establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in turn, 
evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. 
All the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently 
hit the little white ball where you want it to go, you have something 
to learn from anybody who can. The difference between an expert and a 
novice is no less stark when it comes to recognizing the illusion of 
the self. But the qualifications of a teacher and the progress of a 
student are more difficult to assess.'


And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:

WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 





image 


WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 

Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of the New York Times 
bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread 'Richard J. Williams' pundits...@gmail.com [FairfieldLife] 
On 9/12/2014 2:18 PM, TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
wrote:
I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book 
myself. I'm enjoying it a great deal.


Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online 
articles or interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing 
style. And not just the clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of 
it, the *flow* of it. I get the feeling that he "shoots from the hip" 
in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, he catches a wave of 
inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it will. 
Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, 
Sam's surfing is working just fine for me.

>
According to Sam Harris, consciousness is the ultimate "woo woo", the 
ultimate mystery. Consciousness is the ultimate reality - without it 
people would not be conscious - there would be no perception. This is a 
dirt simple fact of life requiring no further proof.


No rational person would claim that don't exist, unless they were insane 
or demented - it's just not rational. We are conscious of ourselves 
enough to know that we exist and are self-conscious. We are our self and 
hardly anyone denies that they are sometimes self conscious.


/"No doubt that a great many atheists are not going to like this one 
little bit. After all, atheists can sometimes be as narrow-minded as 
believers. For many, spirituality is seen as practically equivalent to 
religion."/ - Robert Middleton


http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/ 


>



*From:* "anartax...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" 


*To:* FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
*Sent:* Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
*Subject:* [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion 
is now available as of Tuesday


It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is 
cogent and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought 
it today.


Chapter 1: Spirituality
Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
Chapter 4: Meditation
Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
Conclusion

There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as 
TM: Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear 
awareness), and of course it's free, and is the most researched 
meditation technique. It is a brief guidebook for spirituality for 
atheists, or anyone who does not buy the spiritual mumbo jumbo of 
metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose religious people 
could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. Unlike 
TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism 
is mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self 
with the capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific 
research into the nature of self, which does not appear to exist. 
Consciousness he seems to regard as a mystery, and the examples he 
gives, give one pause as to the strangeness of what we call our awareness.


* supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.


An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:

'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path 
is the basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If 
there are important truths to be discovered through introspection, 
there must be better and worse ways to do this — and one should expect 
to meet a range of experts, novices, fools, and frauds along the way. 
Of course, charlatans haunt every walk of life. But on spiritual 
matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be especially difficult to 
detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of the subject 
matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can immediately 
establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in turn, 
evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. 
All the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently 
hit the little white ball where you want it to go, you have something 
to learn from anybody who can. The difference between an expert and a 
novice is no less stark when it comes to recognizing the illusion of 
the self. But the qualifications of a teacher and the progress of a 
student are more difficult to assess.'


And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:

WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 





image 


WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 

Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of the

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread danfriedman2002 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the book, 
but the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has become FFL of 
late. Harris really has a gift for organising material. If you have gotten to 
the part in the 'self' section about using a transporter, I presented this 
argument to an initiator some years ago, and the response was, 'No I would not 
go into such a device'. Perhaps you could review the book here on FFL, not that 
the most of the current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.
 
Let's not pre-judge OK. Better to keep an open mind.

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book myself. 
I'm enjoying it a great deal. 

 

 Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online articles or 
interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing style. And not just the 
clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. I get the 
feeling that he "shoots from the hip" in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, 
he catches a wave of inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it 
will. Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, Sam's 
surfing is working just fine for me. 

 

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book
 
 
   Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion is now 
available as of Tuesday
 

 It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is cogent 
and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought it today.
 

 Chapter 1: Spirituality
 Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
 Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
 Chapter 4: Meditation
 Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
 Conclusion
 

 There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as TM: 
Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear awareness), 
and of course it's free, and is the most researched meditation technique. It is 
a brief guidebook for spirituality for atheists, or anyone who does not buy the 
spiritual mumbo jumbo of metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose 
religious people could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. 
Unlike TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism is 
mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self with the 
capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific research into the 
nature of self, which does not appear to exist. Consciousness he seems to 
regard as a mystery, and the examples he gives, give one pause as to the 
strangeness of what we call our awareness.
 

 * supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
 

 

 An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:
 

 'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path is the 
basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If there are 
important truths to be discovered through introspection, there must be better 
and worse ways to do this — and one should expect to meet a range of experts, 
novices, fools, and frauds along the way. Of course, charlatans haunt every 
walk of life. But on spiritual matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be 
especially difficult to detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of 
the subject matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can 
immediately establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in 
turn, evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. All 
the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently hit the little 
white ball where you want it to go, you have something to learn from anybody 
who can. The difference between an expert and a novice is no less stark when it 
comes to recognizing the illusion of the self. But the qualifications of a 
teacher and the progress of a student are more difficult to assess.'
 

 And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:
 

 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
 http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one Sam Harris, neuroscientist and 
author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a 
Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape.


 View on www.samharris.org http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread fleetwood_macnche...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
It sounds like Dennis knocked over your birdbath, again, Mr. Wilson - Darned 
those pesky kids!
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the book, 
but the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has become FFL of 
late. Harris really has a gift for organising material. If you have gotten to 
the part in the 'self' section about using a transporter, I presented this 
argument to an initiator some years ago, and the response was, 'No I would not 
go into such a device'. Perhaps you could review the book here on FFL, not that 
the most of the current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book myself. 
I'm enjoying it a great deal. 

 

 Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online articles or 
interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing style. And not just the 
clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. I get the 
feeling that he "shoots from the hip" in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, 
he catches a wave of inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it 
will. Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, Sam's 
surfing is working just fine for me. 

 

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book
 
 
   Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion is now 
available as of Tuesday
 

 It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is cogent 
and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought it today.
 

 Chapter 1: Spirituality
 Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
 Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
 Chapter 4: Meditation
 Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
 Conclusion
 

 There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as TM: 
Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear awareness), 
and of course it's free, and is the most researched meditation technique. It is 
a brief guidebook for spirituality for atheists, or anyone who does not buy the 
spiritual mumbo jumbo of metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose 
religious people could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. 
Unlike TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism is 
mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self with the 
capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific research into the 
nature of self, which does not appear to exist. Consciousness he seems to 
regard as a mystery, and the examples he gives, give one pause as to the 
strangeness of what we call our awareness.
 

 * supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
 

 

 An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:
 

 'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path is the 
basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If there are 
important truths to be discovered through introspection, there must be better 
and worse ways to do this — and one should expect to meet a range of experts, 
novices, fools, and frauds along the way. Of course, charlatans haunt every 
walk of life. But on spiritual matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be 
especially difficult to detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of 
the subject matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can 
immediately establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in 
turn, evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. All 
the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently hit the little 
white ball where you want it to go, you have something to learn from anybody 
who can. The difference between an expert and a novice is no less stark when it 
comes to recognizing the illusion of the self. But the qualifications of a 
teacher and the progress of a student are more difficult to assess.'
 

 And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:
 

 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
 http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one Sam Harris, neuroscientist and 
author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a 
Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape.


 View on www.samharris.org http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread anartax...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
I've been working on taxes today and had to delay continuing with the book, but 
the clarity is welcome after the lax mental sprawl that has become FFL of late. 
Harris really has a gift for organising material. If you have gotten to the 
part in the 'self' section about using a transporter, I presented this argument 
to an initiator some years ago, and the response was, 'No I would not go into 
such a device'. Perhaps you could review the book here on FFL, not that the 
most of the current crowd has much capacity for grasping the arguments.
 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book myself. 
I'm enjoying it a great deal. 

 

 Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online articles or 
interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing style. And not just the 
clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. I get the 
feeling that he "shoots from the hip" in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, 
he catches a wave of inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it 
will. Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, Sam's 
surfing is working just fine for me. 

 

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book
 
 
   Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion is now 
available as of Tuesday
 

 It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is cogent 
and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought it today.
 

 Chapter 1: Spirituality
 Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
 Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
 Chapter 4: Meditation
 Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
 Conclusion
 

 There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as TM: 
Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear awareness), 
and of course it's free, and is the most researched meditation technique. It is 
a brief guidebook for spirituality for atheists, or anyone who does not buy the 
spiritual mumbo jumbo of metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose 
religious people could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. 
Unlike TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism is 
mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self with the 
capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific research into the 
nature of self, which does not appear to exist. Consciousness he seems to 
regard as a mystery, and the examples he gives, give one pause as to the 
strangeness of what we call our awareness.
 

 * supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
 

 

 An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:
 

 'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path is the 
basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If there are 
important truths to be discovered through introspection, there must be better 
and worse ways to do this — and one should expect to meet a range of experts, 
novices, fools, and frauds along the way. Of course, charlatans haunt every 
walk of life. But on spiritual matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be 
especially difficult to detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of 
the subject matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can 
immediately establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in 
turn, evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. All 
the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently hit the little 
white ball where you want it to go, you have something to learn from anybody 
who can. The difference between an expert and a novice is no less stark when it 
comes to recognizing the illusion of the self. But the qualifications of a 
teacher and the progress of a student are more difficult to assess.'
 

 And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:
 

 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
 http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one Sam Harris, neuroscientist and 
author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a 
Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape.


 View on www.samharris.org http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread danfriedman2002 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com,  wrote :

 I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book myself. 
[Another first. Good boy, keep it up.]
I'm enjoying it a great deal. 

 

 Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online articles or 
interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing style. And not just the 
clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. I get the 
feeling that he "shoots from the hip" in his writing, a lot like I do. [Didn't 
take long to get here. Didn't see that coning did we?]That is, he catches a 
wave of inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it will. 
Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, Sam's surfing 
is working just fine for me. [Keep on surfin'. Suits ya].

 
That's one helova review. Doing stuff for the New York Review of Books much 
these days?

 From: "anartaxius@... [FairfieldLife]" 
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book
 
 
   Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion is now 
available as of Tuesday
 

 It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is cogent 
and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought it today.
 

 Chapter 1: Spirituality
 Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
 Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
 Chapter 4: Meditation
 Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
 Conclusion
 

 There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as TM: 
Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear awareness), 
and of course it's free, and is the most researched meditation technique. It is 
a brief guidebook for spirituality for atheists, or anyone who does not buy the 
spiritual mumbo jumbo of metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose 
religious people could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. 
Unlike TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism is 
mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self with the 
capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific research into the 
nature of self, which does not appear to exist. Consciousness he seems to 
regard as a mystery, and the examples he gives, give one pause as to the 
strangeness of what we call our awareness.
 

 * supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
 

 

 An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:
 

 'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path is the 
basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If there are 
important truths to be discovered through introspection, there must be better 
and worse ways to do this — and one should expect to meet a range of experts, 
novices, fools, and frauds along the way. Of course, charlatans haunt every 
walk of life. But on spiritual matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be 
especially difficult to detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of 
the subject matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can 
immediately establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in 
turn, evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. All 
the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently hit the little 
white ball where you want it to go, you have something to learn from anybody 
who can. The difference between an expert and a novice is no less stark when it 
comes to recognizing the illusion of the self. But the qualifications of a 
teacher and the progress of a student are more difficult to assess.'
 

 And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:
 

 
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
 
 
 http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 
 WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one Sam Harris, neuroscientist and 
author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a 
Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape.


 
 View on www.samharris.org http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
 Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] 
I've been away in Amsterdam for a bit, but while there found this book myself. 
I'm enjoying it a great deal. 


Not having read Sam Harris' books before (only many of his online articles or 
interviews), I'm finding that I really like his writing style. And not just the 
clarity of it...I really like the *rhythm* of it, the *flow* of it. I get the 
feeling that he "shoots from the hip" in his writing, a lot like I do. That is, 
he catches a wave of inspiration and rides it, allowing it to take him where it 
will. Sometimes that kinda writing works, sometimes it doesn't. So far, Sam's 
surfing is working just fine for me. 




 From: "anartax...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" 
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 2:39 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book
 


  
Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion is now 
available as of Tuesday

It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is cogent 
and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought it today.

Chapter 1: Spirituality
Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness
Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self
Chapter 4: Meditation
Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
Conclusion

There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as TM: 
Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear awareness), 
and of course it's free, and is the most researched meditation technique. It is 
a brief guidebook for spirituality for atheists, or anyone who does not buy the 
spiritual mumbo jumbo of metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose 
religious people could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. 
Unlike TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism is 
mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self with the 
capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific research into the 
nature of self, which does not appear to exist. Consciousness he seems to 
regard as a mystery, and the examples he gives, give one pause as to the 
strangeness of what we call our awareness.

* supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.


An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:

'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path is the 
basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If there are 
important truths to be discovered through introspection, there must be better 
and worse ways to do this — and one should expect to meet a range of experts, 
novices, fools, and frauds along the way. Of course, charlatans haunt every 
walk of life. But on spiritual matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be 
especially difficult to detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of 
the subject matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can 
immediately establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in 
turn, evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. All 
the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently hit the little 
white ball where you want it to go, you have something to learn from anybody 
who can. The difference between an expert and a
 novice is no less stark when it comes to recognizing the illusion of the self. 
But the qualifications of a teacher and the progress of a student are more 
difficult to assess.'

And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:

WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
 
   WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris  
Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of the New York Times bestsellers, The 
End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape.  
View on www.samharris.org Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2014-09-12 Thread 'Richard J. Williams' pundits...@gmail.com [FairfieldLife] 

On 9/11/2014 7:39 PM, anartax...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] wrote:


Sam Harris' book Waking Up, a Guide to Spirituality without Religion 
is now available as of Tuesday



>
/"No doubt that a great many atheists are not going to like this one 
little bit. After all, atheists can sometimes be as narrow-minded as 
believers. For many, spirituality is seen as practically equivalent to 
religion."/ - Robert Middleton


http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/review/ 


>


It is rather short with just five chapters and a conclusion, but it is 
cogent and to the point. I am about halfway through it, having bought 
it today.



Chapter 1: Spirituality

Chapter 2: The Mystery of Consciousness

Chapter 3: The Riddle of the Self

Chapter 4: Meditation

Chapter 5: Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles

Conclusion


There are simple instructions for meditation that look as simple as 
TM: Vipassana (or mindfulness, or perhaps a better translation — clear 
awareness), and of course it's free, and is the most researched 
meditation technique. It is a brief guidebook for spirituality for 
atheists, or anyone who does not buy the spiritual mumbo jumbo of 
metaphysicians and those into the occult*. I suppose religious people 
could read it too, religion is not really discussed that much. Unlike 
TM, which proclaims itself not religious, this is what Maharishi could 
have made of TM if he really wanted it to be non religious. Buddhism 
is mentioned because its theory of self (they are not talking of Self 
with the capital 'S' in Buddhism) has many parallels to scientific 
research into the nature of self, which does not appear to exist. 
Consciousness he seems to regard as a mystery, and the examples he 
gives, give one pause as to the strangeness of what we call our awareness.



* supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.



An example from the beginning of Chapter 5:


'One of the first obstacles encountered along any contemplative path 
is the basic uncertainty about the nature of spiritual authority. If 
there are important truths to be discovered through introspection, 
there must be better and worse ways to do this — and one should expect 
to meet a range of experts, novices, fools, and frauds along the way. 
Of course, charlatans haunt every walk of life. But on spiritual 
matters, foolishness and fraudulence can be especially difficult to 
detect. Unfortunately, this is a natural consequence of the subject 
matter. When learning to play a sport like golf, you can immediately 
establish the abilities of the teacher, and the teacher can, in turn, 
evaluate your progress without leaving anything to the imagination. 
All the relevant facts are in plain view. If you can't consistently 
hit the little white ball where you want it to go, you have something 
to learn from anybody who can. The difference between an expert and a 
novice is no less stark when it comes to recognizing the illusion of 
the self. But the qualifications of a teacher and the progress of a 
student are more difficult to assess.'



And Chapter 1 is on Harris' web site:


WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 






image 


WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris 

Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of the New York Times 
bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The 
Moral Landscape.


View on www.samharris.org 



Preview by Yahoo

Re: [FairfieldLife] Sam Harris Book

2012-06-27 Thread Vaj 


On Jun 27, 2012, at 12:19 AM, Xenophaneros Anartaxius wrote:

Sam Harris is writing a book, with the working title 'Waking Up: A  
Scientist Looks at Spirituality' due to be finished sometime near  
the end of the year. This one should be interesting.


http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/look-into-my-eyes



It should be very interesting, thanks for the heads up.

Harris and numerous others, along with HHDL, are helping to forge a  
neuro-scientifically based dharma: no gods necessary, all gods  
welcome. And the first longitudinal studies to follow someone from  
the beginning of practice thru to buddhahood are already well under way.


This was an interesting slant, it shows the depth of his inquiry and  
skepticism:


One behavior that you can readily notice in many gurus, as well as in  
their students, is an unusual commitment to maintaining eye contact.  
In the best case, this behavior emerges from a genuine comfort in the  
presence of other people and deep interest in their well-being. Given  
this frame of mind, there may not be a reason to look elsewhere. But  
maintaining eye contact can also become a way of “acting spiritual”— 
and an intrusive affectation. Needless to say, there are people who  
maintain rigid eye lock, not from an attitude of openness and interest 
—or from a desire to appear open and interested—but as an aggressive  
and narcissistic show of dominance. (Psychopaths tend to make  
exceptionally good eye contact.) Whatever the motive behind it, there  
can be tremendous power in an unwavering gaze.