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Newguest Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
Endless associational ...manifested as the delight ...
Hi
In his essay “Meditation and the Consciousness of Time,” the philosopher Phillip Novak describes how our minds are normally filled with “endless associational chatter and spasmodic imaginative-emotive elaborations of experience.” Because of this, energy which could be “manifested as the delight of the open, receptive and present-centred awareness” (as it is with native peoples) is, in his words, “gobbled” away.
--- Can anyone try to paraphrase these two (or at least the first one) for me, so that I would understand them better?
In his essay “Meditation and the Consciousness of Time,” the philosopher Phillip Novak describes how our minds are normally filled with “endless associational chatter and spasmodic imaginative-emotive elaborations of experience.” Because of this, energy which could be “manifested as the delight of the open, receptive and present-centred awareness” (as it is with native peoples) is, in his words, “gobbled” away.
--- Can anyone try to paraphrase these two (or at least the first one) for me, so that I would understand them better?
Top answer
) The ideal situation would be for our minds to have a full tank of energy. This energy would be best used in processing new sensory data. The world is full of great stuff, and we should be experiencing and enjoying the present, "real, live" sensations.
- ) The ideal situation would be for our minds to have a full tank of energy.
- This energy would be best used in processing new sensory data.
- The world is full of great stuff, and we should be experiencing and enjoying the present, "real, live" sensations.
- However, our minds are so full of the garbage of the past, that most of our energy is drained away in processing what our imagination and our emotions are making out of past memories.
- )
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6 Answers
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(May I do it backward?)
The ideal situation would be for our minds to have a full tank of energy. This energy would be best used in processing new sensory data. The world is full of great stuff, and we should be experiencing and enjoying the present, "real, live" sensations.
However, our minds are so full of the garbage of the past, that most of our energy is
The ideal situation would be for our minds to have a full tank of energy. This energy would be best used in processing new sensory data. The world is full of great stuff, and we should be experiencing and enjoying the present, "real, live" sensations.
However, our minds are so full of the garbage of the past, that most of our energy is
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I think he is describing the opposite of what, if I understand the practice correctly, meditation is supposed to provide - a quiet, empty mind. Right now if I glance across my desk, I see my iPod - how long has it been since I charged it? a bottle of hand lotion - that's not supposed to be here. Why can't I be a tidier person? the clock that belonged to my grandmother, which doesn't work - it rem
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Del's point about the sensations of the present triggering past memories, raises an interesting issue. How does this differ from simple learning? If the child hasn't burned his hand on the hot stove, is it really something to be avoided?
Surely "native peoples" learn this way too.
I guess what's different is that we have so much leisure time, our emotions and imaginations get to assume t
Surely "native peoples" learn this way too.
I guess what's different is that we have so much leisure time, our emotions and imaginations get to assume t
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Hi guys. Thanks for the answers.
I'll present my paraphrasing now. I'll try to be as accurate as possible.
Our minds are filled with "never ending imaginative (I believe "associational" is similar to "imaginative", so it's connected with our memories) chatter and short periods (if this is what "spasmodic" means) of emotional-imaginative, intricate experiences". Because of this,
I'll present my paraphrasing now. I'll try to be as accurate as possible.
Our minds are filled with "never ending imaginative (I believe "associational" is similar to "imaginative", so it's connected with our memories) chatter and short periods (if this is what "spasmodic" means) of emotional-imaginative, intricate experiences". Because of this,
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Delmobilemaybe change "the beautiful" to "the beauty of."
Oh, yes. You're right.
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