This is what you can read on a sciento site: don't tell me that you are so gullible ? "How is it that this potentially powerful spiritual being became but a puppet dancing on the end of unseen strings? How is it that he has become so burdened with the care and liability of a body, he has forgotten his own identity and believes he is a body? And that he now goes blindly from life to life, lacking memory, his self-awareness growing ever dimmer? How is it that we cannot gain control of our lives, much less our destiny? The answer is found in the nature of man's mind. Just as you are not a body, neither are you a mind. While the nature of the mind has been argued endlessly in fields from philosophy to science, in Scientology it has been discovered that the mind is simply an accumulation of what are called mental image pictures. These mental image pictures are what we often think of as memory. They are three-dimensional color pictures with sound and smell and all other perceptions, plus the conclusions or speculations of the individual. These pictures are actually composed of energy. They have mass, they exist in space and they follow some very, very definite routines of behavior, the most interesting of which is the fact that they appear when somebody thinks of something. For example, if you think of a cat, you will get a mental picture of a cat. This is what is called the analytical mind. This is the rational, conscious and aware mind which thinks, observes data, remembers it and resolves problems. But there is more to the mind than this. The accumulated record of all one's mental image pictures is called the time track, and it stretches very, very far back into the past. Although these experiences -- good and bad -- were long ago and long forgotten, the past trauma of painful moments is all too real in the here-and-now. In fact, that trauma is the source of much of what seems to trouble us today, including our problems, upsets, frustrations and the deeply rooted feeling that life is not what it should be. Specifically, it is the mental energy within those pictures that impinges upon the individual. The energy and force in pictures of experiences painful or upsetting to a person can have a harmful effect upon him. This harmful energy or force is called charge. The sum total of pictures that contain charge makes up another division of the mind, and this is called the reactive mind. All told, this reactive mind exacts a terrible toll. Although we are not conscious of it and it is not under our volitional control, this mind exerts force and the power of command over our awareness, purposes, thoughts, bodies and actions. Until Mr. Hubbard's discovery of it, the reactive mind remained hidden, as did the key to unlock it. Nor was there any way to regain what it had taken from us, including the awareness, the goodness and remarkable abilities inherent in all spiritual beings. The Solution The primary means by which Scientology's basic truths are applied to the rehabilitation of the human spirit is called auditing. It is the central practice of Scientology, and it is delivered by an auditor, from the latin audire, "to listen." An auditor is "one who listens." Auditing is not some vague form of mental exploration, and the auditor does not offer solutions, advice or evaluation. One of its essential principles rests upon the fact that only by allowing an individual to find his own answers to life's problems can improvements be made. This is accomplished by gradiently helping one examine his own existence and improve his ability to face what he is and where he is -- peeling away the layers of experience that have weighed so heavily upon him. Thus, auditing is not something that is done to a person. Its benefits can only be achieved through active participation and good communication. "
No more scientology please. Andrew Cohen seems close to what I'm thinking of. I'm looking for Karen Horney now. edit: Karen Horney understood this, but I don't think she ever figured out how to get there. Any more? Someone must be interested in NLP along these lines.
As a trained philosopher, I cannot stress enough to people that reading and doing workshops in what is commonly "magazine" philosophy is often not that productive. And often counter productive Bottom line is that one MUST think for themselves. (Not implying that you are not here, btw). One might start by taking two college level courses: metaphysics and epistemology. Once one has the basics and understands them well, then one is in a position to evaluate this type of stuff. Critical thinking is essential as one studies. So much of this stuff sounds convincing but is 90% chaff and 10% wheat. As far as the role of language in epistemology. Keep in mind that extreme views are often the most wrong. As for a suggested reading for a lay person, "winning the mental game on wall street" is a good place to start. "Man is the measure of all things" Meaning, think for yourself and take the middle path. Cheers
...Go to www.centerpointe.com and www.superwisdom.com and if it feels right to you sign up for what they offer. Let me know how it works out for you or contact me if I can be of help in your quest for clarity.
Kicking, I learned self-hypnosis using this kit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-6218570-2635205?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 I tried various ways to make me honor my stops. I think this is the one that helped me the most.
I don't have your understanding of philosophy, but I do have more than a couple classes. Imagine your own psychology. You intuitively understand that at least some of your behaviors and emotional responses are rooted in environmental conditions. For an extreme example, let's say you were abused. One might imagine your behaviors and beliefs would be affected. So your behaviors and beliefs are not "you". The self that you appear to be, is not your true "self". Who are you without the external beliefs and structures placed upon you? We aren't our beliefs, we aren't our thoughts, so what are we? I believe we are something beyond this. The "self" and the ego are simply representational mechanisms created to function in this world.
absolutely, very well said. ALL of these promoters are simply rehashing and recombining age old concepts. there is nothing new under the sun. best, surfer