#tao — Public Fediverse posts

The ten thousand things
Reflected in morning's dew
Then, vanishing

Only memories remain
Wayward thoughts returning
home

#tao
#zen
#tanka
#poetry
#buddhism

https://www.fogolf.com/1326116/kai-trump-reveals-what-shes-giving-her-grandfather-donald-trump-for-his-80th-birthday/ Kai Trump reveals what she’s giving her grandfather Donald Trump for his 80th birthday #Birthdays #CelebrityBirthdays #CentralPark #Donald #DonaldTrump #DonaldTrumpGolf #DonaldTrumpGolfing #DonaldTrumpJr #espn #espys #exclusive #Gifts #grandparents #KaiTrump #Manhattan #NewYorkCityLife #presents #Tao #TigerWoods #trump #TrumpGolf #TrumpGolfing #UsNews #VanessaTrump #WhiteHouse

Zen et physique quantique

Selon la découverte de Planck qui est le fondement de la physique quantique, l’énergie possède une structure discrète, discontinue. La base en est le quantum. Ceci correspond à une véritable révolution. Nous sommes habitués à un monde continu, fait de relations de causes à effets, d’interactions transmises d’un endroit à l’autre et d’un temps linéaire. Comment comprendre alors un monde fait d’entités discontinues, les quanta d’énergie ? Comment comprendre la vraie discontinuité, c’est-à-dire imaginer qu’entre deux points il n’y a rien, ni objets, ni atomes, ni particules, tout simplement rien ? Comment, bien que la physique n’ait pas abordé ce sujet réellement et que le temps soit toujours considéré comme une variable continue, comment comprendre la relation entre le temps qui s’écoule et l’instant ? Combien y-a-t-il de temps entre deux instants ? Le temps est-il une suite d’instants ? Comment embrasser à la fois le temps qui s’écoule et la discontinuité des instants ? En physique, une situation bancale s’est instaurée, on a gardé l’espace-temps de la physique classique et de la relativité générale, continu, et les lois de la physique quantique, discontinues. C’est vraiment une situation insatisfaisante créant beaucoup de problèmes de compréhension.

*

Souvent d’ailleurs les résultats des deux approches sont très similaires et conduisent à la même perception globale de notre univers. En ce sens les réunir, tout en connaissant leurs limites propres, l’une due à la vérification, l’autre due à l’approche fragmentaire, est en soi intéressant, chaque homme désirant au fond de lui-même intégrer les mondes scientifiques et disons, religieux.

Revenons encore une fois sur les deux enseignements procurés par le zen et la physique.

Dans le zen l’intuition de la vacuité, de l’impermanence de toutes choses ainsi que de leur interdépendance, alimentée par l’observation de la relation entre nos pensées conscientes et inconscientes, nous amène à concevoir plus facilement la non-existence de toute essence singulière des êtres et des choses. En place d’une réalité matérielle permanente, existentielle, d’un noumène, le zen met en avant le fait que la réalité n’est constituée que de formes, matérielles ou vivantes. Tout ne fait que prendre une forme particulière de la vacuité, du Tao, du Dharma qui constitue son origine première, sa source fondamentale. Aucun noumène, tout est vacuité.

A partir de cette connaissance du zen, il est alors plus aisé d’envisager un univers peuplé à 70% d’énergie invisible, de champs énergétiques, de particules virtuelles, duquel naissent et disparaissent les constituants de la matière. Selon Einstein et la physique quantique, la matière n’est qu’une forme particulière de l’énergie. La matière existe bien sûr mais comme une forme localisée d’énergie au repos : E = mc2, où E est l’énergie, m la masse et c la vitesse de la lumière.

L’observation du boson de Higgs vérifiant le mécanisme de Higgs a permis d’établir que l’origine de la masse et de la diversification des masses provient du couplage des quarks avec l’énergie contenue dans le champ de Higgs. Celui-ci n’est pas observable en lui-même, mais les formes qu’il prend, particules, bosons, matière, sont réelles. Elles naissent de ce fonds énergétique et y retournent. Ce mécanisme physique est semblable à celui décrit dans le Sutra du Coeur, l’Hannya Shingyo où les phénomènes (les particules) naissent de la vacuité (champ de Higgs) et retournent à la vacuité. Leur essence première est donc la vacuité elle-même, inobservable, inconcevable et hors du temps.

On peut en déduire que le paradigme du zen, sa vision du monde, de la vacuité, des formes et des phénomènes, paradigme intuitif, se retrouve dans les dernières découvertes de la physique. Comprenez bien que les paragraphes suivants de ce livre ne prétendent aucunement composer un article scientifique, mais sont destinés à des gens qui s’intéressent sans à priori à la fois aux conceptions du zen et à son enseignement, et à la fois à la vision nouvelle apportée à notre connaissance du monde par la physique quantique et les constituants élémentaires pour la plupart éphémères de ce que nous appelons la matière.

Vincent Keisen Vuillemin dans Zen et physique quantique

Une pièce musicale de Kitaro – The Light Of The Spirit 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TzqotvgbrY

Steps to Cultivate a Mindful, Intentional Life

The benefits of intentional living are numerous and can significantly improve one’s overall well-being. By slowing down and appreciating the present moment, we reduce stress, increase mindfulness, and improve our relationships with others. Additionally, slow living can lead to greater purpose and fulfillment as we learn to prioritize what truly matters and let go of society’s unnecessary distractions and pressures. Embracing slow living can lead to a happier, healthier, and more meaningful life.

Slowing Down My Mornings

I’ve been starting some of my mornings sitting in my backyard, gazing off into the woods

Listening to the birds, crickets, and other insects is a symphony of nature’s silence in its splendor

The gentle breeze stirs the leaves on the tree, as sunlight infuses them with a golden light, slowly shifting towards verdant green hues

I feel the soft breeze on my skin; a hint of coolness, subtleties of spring

My awareness rests upon delicate spiderwebs that shimmer as the sun catches and reflects minuscule worlds in each droplet of dew

I hear a hawk, more near now, searching for prey, as it glides silently above

There is so much promise in the morning light

Intentional Living

Living intentionally is a lifestyle that requires purposeful actions, thoughts, and feelings. It is a conscious effort to make choices that align with your values and goals. When you practice intentional or mindful living, you can significantly reduce stress, increase happiness, and improve relationships. To achieve this balance, you must set clear intentions, develop a holistic daily routine, practice mindfulness, and reflect on your actions and decisions. By doing so, you can create a more meaningful and satisfying life. Intentional living is a powerful tool that can help you attain balance and fulfillment in all aspects of your life.

Steps to Begin Living an Intentional Life

1. Define Your Values
   Identify what truly matters to you in life. Consider areas such as family, health, career, and personal growth.
2. Set Clear Intentions
   Establish specific, meaningful goals that align with your core values. Write them down to solidify your commitment.
3. Prioritize Your Time
   Focus on activities that support your intentions. Create a schedule that dedicates time to these priority tasks while eliminating distractions.
4. Practice Mindfulness
   Incorporate mindfulness techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or journaling into your daily routine to enhance self-awareness.
5. Reflect Regularly
   Take time each week to reflect on your actions and decisions. Assess whether they align with your intentions and values, and make necessary adjustments.
6. Cultivate Gratitude
   Maintain a gratitude journal where you acknowledge positive aspects of your life. This practice helps you stay motivated and engaged.
7. Embrace Flexibility
   Understand that living intentionally is a journey. Be open to adapting your goals and routines as needed to stay aligned with your evolving self.
8. Seek Support
   Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who inspire and encourage your intentional living journey. Engage in communities that share your values.

By following these steps, you can start to live a more purposeful and fulfilling life.

Personal Experience

I have been practicing intentional living on and off for decades; however, it is in the last 4.5 years that this practice has truly become an integral part of my daily life. The major shift that prompted this transformation occurred when I made the life-changing decision to stop drinking. Since then, I have embraced a way of being that is both deliberate yet yielding, allowing me to navigate life with a newfound sense of flexibility. There has been a softening in my approach to life that I’ve come to cherish deeply. I am more centered in my values, having gained a clearer understanding of the importance of setting healthy boundaries while also being open to new experiences. This has fostered a more lighthearted attitude, enabling me to fully live in the moment without the weight of past habits. I find renewed joy in the little things and an appreciation for the journey rather than just the destination.

Embracing Intentionality

I tend to reevaluate my values and intentions seasonally. The natural shift blends seamlessly with how I need to view life as an ever-changing flow of experiences and lessons. This past season, I carefully examined the time I spent on various tasks and habits throughout the day. How much time I was spending on my phone was disquieting, as it became a barrier to deeper interactions and meaningful activities.

A shift towards intentionality was required to regain focus on what truly matters. I decided to read more instead of scrolling or playing mindless games on the phone. To accomplish this, I installed the app Opal on my phone, which allows me to limit the time I spend on the phone or certain apps, transforming my relationship with technology. I went from an average of 7 hours a day on the phone down to 3.3 hours a day on average, gaining back years of my life. Now I have reclaimed time for hobbies, self-improvement, and spending quality moments with loved ones.

Naturalness

These small shifts can have a significant impact over time. When we practice intentional living, we align with our true nature. We begin to remember that we are a part of the Earth and her cycles, and we learn to flow with the pace of nature: patience.

What small steps can you take to move towards a more deliberate life, one open to experience, yet focused by healthy boundaries?

Meditation for Slowing Down

Try a delightful Morning Meditation. It cultivates a sense of calm and tranquility, helping you to gently ease into your day.

Additionally, if you wish to delve deeper into your meditation journey, you might find the Body Scan Meditation incredibly helpful for harmonizing your mind, body, and spirit. I hope this guides you toward peace and mindfulness throughout your day!

Most AI companies are building closed ecosystems. 🔒🤖

Bittensor is betting on open intelligence networks instead. 🌐🧠

That alone makes it worth paying attention to. ⚡

#TAO #Bittensor #DecentralizedAI #AI #OpenSource

Velká radost! Otevřeli jsme nový gym školy Plující oblaka v pražských Holešovicích

Po 3 týdny je teď možné se přijít podívat a zkusit si:
Taiji / Qi Gong - tradiční formy vnitřních bojových umění, pohyb & dech, uzemnění

Kungfu basics, vějíř, meč - dynamické, více fyzičky, více drillu

Meditace - koncentrace, prázdná mysl

Zkušený shifu Otakar Chochola a lektoři, kteří pravidleně jezdí do čínské wudangské školy. Yes! Wu-tang Clan 😊

#kungfu #taiji #meditace #tao #taoismus #praha #holesovice

#3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings
🥳 yesterday we worked on the new kungfu and taiji gym, which will open soon in Prague, Holesovice
🥳 it was overall a sunny day, real Spring vibes
🥳 people I met during the day seemed to be more friendly and hopeful

#plujicioblaka #kungfu #taiji #tao #prague

@RonaldTooTall

"Freedom isn't about some great escape or the pusuit of some grand purpose. It is about letting go of the need for both."

Profound reflections on The Way, thank you.

#Zhuangzhi and #Laozi: these texts have accompsnied me through many crises in my life. They helped me realise myself as part of a flow that crushes all self-set targets and mission statements, a flow that demands open-minded attention to the potentialities of the given moment: the "incipiencies" (chi) of the I-Ching.

You are right to contrast such attentiveness with the pressure in corporate social media to build one's self as a "brand".

May I draw a parallel to Fediverse culture? At its best, it supports quiet, non-viral exchanges of mutually resonating posts, where each participant picks up some small facets of the world that they previously had blocked out. The antithesis of "influencer" culture, where each participant pushes their own unchanged vain goals

#Tao #incipiencies #MastodonCulture

An obsession with success is also an obsession with failure.
— #LaoTzu, #TaoTeChing, Verse 13 (paraphrase) #Tao #Taoism #Taoist #Laozi #Daodejing #Dao #Daoism #Daoist

"Rather than pour into a cup that overflowed, It is better to stop it." - #Laozi #Daodejing ch 9 #Dao #Daoist #Daoism #Laotzu #Taoteching #Taoism #Tao #Taoist

Victory comes from lying perfectly still and waiting for power to come your way.
— #LaoTzu, #TaoTeChing, Verse 61 tr Ron Hogan #Laozi #Daodejing #Dao #Daoism #Daoist #Tao #Taoism #Taoist

You can't grasp something new until you let go of what you're holding.
— #LaoTzu #Laozi #Tao #Dao #Taoism #Daoism

#filosofia #vida #Budismo #pensar #maestro #buddhism #tao #taoismo #buda #paz #bluesky #kharma #dharma #frases #Mindfulness #shaolin #tibet #savethetibet

Knowing when you have enough avoids dishonor, and knowing when to stop will keep you from danger.
— #LaoTzu, #TaoTeChing, Vs 44 tr J. H. McDonald #Laozi #Daodejing #Tao #Taoism #Taoist #Dao #Daoism #Daoist

When you try too hard, you defeat your own purpose. Cling to stuff, and you will suffer loss. The Masters make no effort, so they never fail. They aren't attached to things, so they never feel loss.
— #LaoTzu #TaoTeChing Vs 64 tr. Ron Hogan #Laozi #Daodejing #Tao #Taoism #Taoist #Dao #Daoism #Daoist

The greater the attachment, the more acute the suffering. The greater the hoard, the more damaging the loss.
— #LaoTzu, #TaoTeChing, Verse 44 tr. Oliver Benjamin

#Laozi #Daodejing #Dao #Daoist #Daoism #Tao #Taoist #Taoism

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
— #LaoTzu

#Laozi #Daodejing #taoteching #daoism #taoism #tao #dao #taoist #daoist

Be content with what you have. Rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
— #LaoTzu #TaoTeChing, Verse 44 tr Mitchell #Laozi #Daodejing #Tao #Taoist #Taoism #Dao #Daoist #Daoism.

Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things. Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.
— Gia-Fu Feng, #TaoTeChing, Verse 13 #Daodejing #LaoTzu #Laozi #Tao #Dao #Taoist #Daoist #Taoism #Daoism

Accept being unimportant.
— Gia-Fu Feng, #TaoTeChing by #Laozi, Verse 13

#Daodejing #LaoTzu #Tao #Dao #Daoism #Taoism #Daoist #Taoist

Yield and overcome; Bend and be straight; Empty and be full; Wear out and be new; Have little and gain; Have much and be confused. Therefore the sage embraces the One, And becomes the model of the world.

#Daodejing, Ch. 22: Tr. by D.C. Lau #TaoTeChing #Dao #Tao #Daoism #Taoism #Laozi #LaoTzu

The Master gives himself up to whatever the moment brings.
— Stephen Mitchell, #TaoTeChing, Verse 50

#Dao #Tao #Daoism #Taoism #Daoist #Taoist #Daodejing #Laozi #LaoTzu

Great straightness seems twisted. Great intelligence seems stupid. Great eloquence seems awkward.
— Gia-Fu Feng, #daodejing, Verse 45

#dao #daoism #daoist #laozi #tao #taoism #taoist #laotzu #taoteching

Water is like the #Tao and flows without thinking about where it is going.
— #LaoTzu, #TaoTeChing, Verse 8

#Laozi #Daodejing #dao #daoist #daoism #taoist #taoism #wuwei

There is no greater illusion than fear.
— Stephen Mitchell, #TaoTeChing, Verse 46

#tao #dao #taoism #daoism #taoist #daoist #daodejing #laotzu #laozi

Today's readings from "The Daily Stoic" and "365 Tao".

They seem well-timed.

#DailyStoic #stoic #365Tao #tao #meditation #thought #inspiration #book #reading #selfimprovement #Monday #MondayMotivation #holdon

In the cloud?

Thomas Metzinger suggests that the global neural correlate of consciousness (the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for the occurrence of the mental states to which they are related (Wikipedia))

…is like an island emerging from the sea—as noted, it is a large set of neural properties underlying consciousness as a whole, underpinning your experiential model of the world in its totality at any given moment. The global NCC has many different levels of description: Dynamically, we can describe it as a coherent island, made of densely coupled relations of cause and effect, emerging from the waters of a much less coherent flow of neural activity. Or we could adopt a neurocomputational perspective and look at the global NCC as something that results from information-processing in the brain and hence functions as a carrier of information. At this point, it becomes something more abstract, which we might envision as an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate. The “border” of this information cloud is functional, not physical; the cloud is physically realized by widely distributed firing neurons in your head. Just like a real cloud, which is made of tiny water droplets suspended in the air, the neuronal activation pattern underlying the totality of your conscious experience is made of millions of tiny electrical discharges and chemical transitions at the synapses. In strict terms, it has no fixed location in the brain, though it is coherent.

Thomas Metzinger, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self

Now this is, as Metzinger would be the first to admit, highly abstract language to describe the warm, luminous immediacy that is the lived experience of phenomena. The scent of a lover’s hair, the golden light of sunset, damp air on the skin at dawn – an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate? And yet how else could one experience these things?

Oddly enough, for me at least, Metzinger’s technical language comes closer to expressing what might be thought of as one’s soul than any Cartesian plug-in ghost. The beautiful world that is our necessary home is as much the gift of who we are as it is a place “out there”; we are not, and never have been, visitors. Like everything else, we are just what causality does: “the self is but one of the countless manifestations of the Tao. It is an extension of the cosmos.” (David Y F Ho (PDF))

#awareness #consciousness #DavidYFHo #philosophy #RenéDescartes #Tao #ThomasMetzinger #Wikipedia

In the cloud?

Thomas Metzinger suggests that the global neural correlate of consciousness (the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for the occurrence of the mental states to which they are related (Wikipedia))

…is like an island emerging from the sea—as noted, it is a large set of neural properties underlying consciousness as a whole, underpinning your experiential model of the world in its totality at any given moment. The global NCC has many different levels of description: Dynamically, we can describe it as a coherent island, made of densely coupled relations of cause and effect, emerging from the waters of a much less coherent flow of neural activity. Or we could adopt a neurocomputational perspective and look at the global NCC as something that results from information-processing in the brain and hence functions as a carrier of information. At this point, it becomes something more abstract, which we might envision as an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate. The “border” of this information cloud is functional, not physical; the cloud is physically realized by widely distributed firing neurons in your head. Just like a real cloud, which is made of tiny water droplets suspended in the air, the neuronal activation pattern underlying the totality of your conscious experience is made of millions of tiny electrical discharges and chemical transitions at the synapses. In strict terms, it has no fixed location in the brain, though it is coherent.

Thomas Metzinger, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self

Now this is, as Metzinger would be the first to admit, highly abstract language to describe the warm, luminous immediacy that is the lived experience of phenomena. The scent of a lover’s hair, the golden light of sunset, damp air on the skin at dawn – an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate? And yet how else could one experience these things?

Oddly enough, for me at least, Metzinger’s technical language comes closer to expressing what might be thought of as one’s soul than any Cartesian plug-in ghost. The beautiful world that is our necessary home is as much the gift of who we are as it is a place “out there”; we are not, and never have been, visitors. Like everything else, we are just what causality does: “the self is but one of the countless manifestations of the Tao. It is an extension of the cosmos.” (David Y F Ho (PDF))

#awareness #consciousness #DavidYFHo #philosophy #RenéDescartes #Tao #ThomasMetzinger #Wikipedia

In the cloud?

Thomas Metzinger suggests that the global neural correlate of consciousness (the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for the occurrence of the mental states to which they are related (Wikipedia))

…is like an island emerging from the sea—as noted, it is a large set of neural properties underlying consciousness as a whole, underpinning your experiential model of the world in its totality at any given moment. The global NCC has many different levels of description: Dynamically, we can describe it as a coherent island, made of densely coupled relations of cause and effect, emerging from the waters of a much less coherent flow of neural activity. Or we could adopt a neurocomputational perspective and look at the global NCC as something that results from information-processing in the brain and hence functions as a carrier of information. At this point, it becomes something more abstract, which we might envision as an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate. The “border” of this information cloud is functional, not physical; the cloud is physically realized by widely distributed firing neurons in your head. Just like a real cloud, which is made of tiny water droplets suspended in the air, the neuronal activation pattern underlying the totality of your conscious experience is made of millions of tiny electrical discharges and chemical transitions at the synapses. In strict terms, it has no fixed location in the brain, though it is coherent.

Thomas Metzinger, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self

Now this is, as Metzinger would be the first to admit, highly abstract language to describe the warm, luminous immediacy that is the lived experience of phenomena. The scent of a lover’s hair, the golden light of sunset, damp air on the skin at dawn – an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate? And yet how else could one experience these things?

Oddly enough, for me at least, Metzinger’s technical language comes closer to expressing what might be thought of as one’s soul than any Cartesian plug-in ghost. The beautiful world that is our necessary home is as much the gift of who we are as it is a place “out there”; we are not, and never have been, visitors. Like everything else, we are just what causality does: “the self is but one of the countless manifestations of the Tao. It is an extension of the cosmos.” (David Y F Ho (PDF))

#awareness #consciousness #DavidYFHo #philosophy #RenéDescartes #Tao #ThomasMetzinger #Wikipedia

In the cloud?

Thomas Metzinger suggests that the global neural correlate of consciousness (the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for the occurrence of the mental states to which they are related (Wikipedia))

…is like an island emerging from the sea—as noted, it is a large set of neural properties underlying consciousness as a whole, underpinning your experiential model of the world in its totality at any given moment. The global NCC has many different levels of description: Dynamically, we can describe it as a coherent island, made of densely coupled relations of cause and effect, emerging from the waters of a much less coherent flow of neural activity. Or we could adopt a neurocomputational perspective and look at the global NCC as something that results from information-processing in the brain and hence functions as a carrier of information. At this point, it becomes something more abstract, which we might envision as an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate. The “border” of this information cloud is functional, not physical; the cloud is physically realized by widely distributed firing neurons in your head. Just like a real cloud, which is made of tiny water droplets suspended in the air, the neuronal activation pattern underlying the totality of your conscious experience is made of millions of tiny electrical discharges and chemical transitions at the synapses. In strict terms, it has no fixed location in the brain, though it is coherent.

Thomas Metzinger, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self

Now this is, as Metzinger would be the first to admit, highly abstract language to describe the warm, luminous immediacy that is the lived experience of phenomena. The scent of a lover’s hair, the golden light of sunset, damp air on the skin at dawn – an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate? And yet how else could one experience these things?

Oddly enough, for me at least, Metzinger’s technical language comes closer to expressing what might be thought of as one’s soul than any Cartesian plug-in ghost. The beautiful world that is our necessary home is as much the gift of who we are as it is a place “out there”; we are not, and never have been, visitors. Like everything else, we are just what causality does: “the self is but one of the countless manifestations of the Tao. It is an extension of the cosmos.” (David Y F Ho (PDF))

#awareness #consciousness #DavidYFHo #philosophy #RenéDescartes #Tao #ThomasMetzinger #Wikipedia

In the cloud?

Thomas Metzinger suggests that the global neural correlate of consciousness (the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for the occurrence of the mental states to which they are related (Wikipedia))

…is like an island emerging from the sea—as noted, it is a large set of neural properties underlying consciousness as a whole, underpinning your experiential model of the world in its totality at any given moment. The global NCC has many different levels of description: Dynamically, we can describe it as a coherent island, made of densely coupled relations of cause and effect, emerging from the waters of a much less coherent flow of neural activity. Or we could adopt a neurocomputational perspective and look at the global NCC as something that results from information-processing in the brain and hence functions as a carrier of information. At this point, it becomes something more abstract, which we might envision as an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate. The “border” of this information cloud is functional, not physical; the cloud is physically realized by widely distributed firing neurons in your head. Just like a real cloud, which is made of tiny water droplets suspended in the air, the neuronal activation pattern underlying the totality of your conscious experience is made of millions of tiny electrical discharges and chemical transitions at the synapses. In strict terms, it has no fixed location in the brain, though it is coherent.

Thomas Metzinger, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self

Now this is, as Metzinger would be the first to admit, highly abstract language to describe the warm, luminous immediacy that is the lived experience of phenomena. The scent of a lover’s hair, the golden light of sunset, damp air on the skin at dawn – an information cloud hovering above a neurobiological substrate? And yet how else could one experience these things?

Oddly enough, for me at least, Metzinger’s technical language comes closer to expressing what might be thought of as one’s soul than any Cartesian plug-in ghost. The beautiful world that is our necessary home is as much the gift of who we are as it is a place “out there”; we are not, and never have been, visitors. Like everything else, we are just what causality does: “the self is but one of the countless manifestations of the Tao. It is an extension of the cosmos.” (David Y F Ho (PDF))

#awareness #consciousness #DavidYFHo #philosophy #RenéDescartes #Tao #ThomasMetzinger #Wikipedia

"The notes themselves—the sound waves, that is—are heard alike by musician and nonmusician and are universally acknowledged to be real in the purely physical sense. But what about the melody itself? Is it something real or does it exist only in the mind or imagination […] The musician does not need to have "faith" that there is a melody, nor does he have to accept the existence of the melody on some scriptural authority; he obviously has a direct experience of the melody itself. And once the melody is heard, it is impossible ever again to doubt it."
(Richard #Smullyan, The #Tao Is Silent) #perception #PhilosophyOfPerception #Music #MusicPerception #Psychophysics