My (applied) philosophy

Now lives at MAP.

The next generation of an earlier take. This updates contains some tweaks from studying Zen for a little bit. It seems to be shaping into a mix of metaphysics (what is real?) and epistemology (what is true?).

Note: even after many revisions, this still feels a bit muddy.

For me, a nondual practice seems to hit the spot. In particular: the unity of everything, including the illusion of free will; our true nature, including the illusion of self.

Summary of the practice

When meditating, I try to just sit, like Zen Shikantaza. There’s a relaxed, open, but watchful quality to it. A bit like alertness, but not tense. A sort of mix of single-tasking and one-pointedness and commitment and focus.

When out and about, I have a few little practices.

• To notice the nonduality of Reality, I look for the edges.
• To notice impermanence, I watch things change.
• When I feel stressed, I remind myself of the three uhds.
• To notice my true nature, I look for myself at zero distance.
• I remind myself that the path is goal.

Summary of the theory

Reality is one, complex, flow. Its causes and conditions create everything, including our bodies, actions, thoughts.

Our true nature is awareness; the context of consciousness, not the contents.

• Reality is one.
  • There are distinctions, but not divisions.
  • All forms are relational.
  • Things that are separate can’t influence and act on each other.
  • Subject and object aren’t required, only the verb.
  • The unity of Absolute and Relative, of emptiness and form.
  • 🧘 Try, and fail, to find the edges.
• Reality is complex.
  • Concepts make forms, draw lines, build fences.
  • The closer you look, the more there is to see. Boredom is a failure to pay enough attention.
• Reality is in constant flux.
  • Everything flows, and changes, is impermanent.
  • 🧘 Watch as things arise and pass away.
• The infinite causes and conditions of Reality create everything.
  • Things arise and pass away on their own.
  • Our thoughts, actions, bodies, are in and of Reality.
    • When we are experience, there is no suffering. When we believe we’re separate from it, there is suffering.
  • 🧘 Watch as things happen on their own.
• Our true nature, awareness, is the context of consciousness, not the contents.
  • Anything that can be named or located can’t be you: it must an object in awareness or you couldn’t be aware of it.
  • The context is always bright, clear, boundless, whatever the contents of consciousness.
  • Seen in the first instant.
    • Before thoughts like classification, measuring, labelling.
    • It’s close, not far away. It’s on the surface, not deep down.
  • Always and already here, but temporarily concealed.
• All matter is swirls of degrees of consciousness.
  • Like eddies in a river.
  • Life is consciousness that’s more concentrated.
• The path is the goal.
  • A gradual, never-ending, actualisation, embodiment, and integration.
  • Living more frequently, for longer periods, from Reality, direct experience, instead of concepts.
  • Practice is enlightenment.
  • Relaxing and resting, accepting what is.
    • Living with don’t-know mind.
    • 🧘 Let go of the shoulds.
    • 🧘 Let go of the coulds.
    • 🧘 Rest in the good(s).

I’m (sort of) using 🎯 to denote direct noticing and 🏹 to denote indirect noticing (noticing an absence).

Reality

• Reality is one, indivisible, whole.
  • Only the whole is required.
  • There’s distinction, but not division. And these exist on a spectrum.
  • 🎯 Notice the causes, conditions, and patterns.
  • 🏹 Look for the edges, the gaps between.
• Reality is complex, deep, rich.
  • 🎯 Notice the fractal nature of everything.
  • 🏹 Remember that the map is not the territory.
• Reality is flow, motion, change.
  • 🎯 Notice the motion, the changes. Watch it arise, watch it pass away.
  • 🏹 Look for what’s static, fixed.
• Reality is free of concepts, language, characteristics.
  • It’s empty of instrinsic, solid, stable, form(s), of boundaries.
  • Thinking, especially judging, creates separation, distance.

Interpretations and observations

• The cosmos is purposeful, patterned.
  • Value is intrinsic to Reality. Utility can’t explain beauty, truth, goodness.
  • But/and: only the verb is required. There’s no separation of subject and object. There’s no doer.
  • 🎯 Notice the directionality, purposefulness, of things.
• The cosmos is playful.
  • 🎯 Notice the playful nature of everything. There’s exploring and realising, playing hide and seek.

Consciousness

• Our true nature, our first-person experience, is the context of consciousness, not the contents.
  • 🎯 Come back to the direct, embodied, experience.
  • 🏹 Look for yourself, at zero distance.
  • Subject and object arise as a pair in awareness.
• Our true nature, our first-person experience, is free of concepts, language, characteristics.
  • There’s no separate, solid, stable, self.
  • It’s empty of intrinsic, solid, stable, form, of boundaries.
• Reality is the source of all our thoughts and actions.
  • We are not doing in the world, the world is doing us.
  • 🏹 Look for thinker of thoughts and notice the absence.
  • 🏹 Look for source of an action, a decision, and notice the absence.
  • 🎯 Notice the causes and conditions that lead to your suffering.
  • 🎯 Notice the causes, conditions, patterns that make you who you are.
  • 🏹 Leave things as they are, without adding a story or a label.
• But/and: we create our own reality.
  • Perception is participation, and creates different forms, depending on the scale.
  • 🎯 Notice (the details of) the map you’re using.
  • 🏹 Negative Capability: remain in doubt and uncertainty.
  • 🏹 Take the more integrated picture, multiple viewpoints at once.

Interpretations and observations

• The cosmos is consciousness as a verb.
  • All matter is swirls of degrees of consciousness.
  • Life is consciousness that’s more concentrated.
  • Consciousness is the cosmos becoming more aware of itself.

The path

What we can do.

• The path is the goal.
  • 🏹 Don’t obsess over the destination.
• Liberation is seeing through the illusion of there being a problem.
  • 🎯 Remember the three uhds. Let go of the shoulds. Let go of the coulds. Rest in the good(s).
  • Our ideas of happiness can stop us being happy.
• What we are looking for is always and already here.
  • It’s close, not far away. It’s on the surface, not deep down.
  • 🎯 Do less, not do more.
  • 🏹 Just do what needs to be done. Free of goals or outcomes.
• Take everything as our main practice.
  • The mundane is sacred.
• Why can’t it be both?
  • The union of Absolute and Relative, of emptiness and form.

Things to may be remixed in

• Right speech: true, kind, helpful, contextually appropriate.
• Plain language: clear, concise and well organised
• Emotional intelligence.
• Continued recommitment to aligning your actions with your values.
• Everything is included.
• Both/and.
• Context and contents.
• Only the verb. No subject. No object.
• Self as process
• Continued recommitment to valued action.
  • ROCK
  • Clear, clean, crisp.
  • Continuous improvement.
    • Collaboration, review, remixing.
• Living a good enough, ordinary, life.
• Acceptance, embracing life as it is.
• The importance of friends.
• Imperfections as part of the path, not as an obstacle.
• Letting go of “this isn’t it.”
• Antifragile
• The Matter With Things
• Some Stoic and Cynic notes.
• RWS
  • Relaxed (Reading, Art, Music (listen, make))
  • Wise (Personal, Professional (see STWPC on naga, Practice)
  • Social
• Antifragile
• Redirects (Meditation, Philotation, Relax)
• Compass (etc) metaphor
• Valued Action more clearly.
• Support
  • a network of interdependence and mutual support
• Grip triangle
  • Buddhism
    • Begin Again
    • Pay more attention (LSD and friends?)
    • The ocean, not the waves
  • Stoicism
    • Reframe
    • Give Benefits
  • Psychology
    • Active Listening (link to LSD?)
• Spectrum, not binary
• Grips with triggers
• Tara and Pema things to grips?
• principles of japanese aesthetics
• Wave in avoidant-related things.
• Slowness (over stillness)
• Continuous improvement.
  • Keeping things alive and fresh by changing them.
• Balance, the middle way, “between” two poles / opposites
• Outwards- and other-focused.
• Bringing together Grips, Valued Action, Precepts
  • Library of grips, in buckets-ish.
• Fruitful, useful, helpful, supportive, constructive, valuable, beneficial
• Practical, pragmatic, feasible, workable.
• How would you advise a friend?

Added 2024-07-07, last updated 2024-12-14.