The debate has raged for centuries. Ancient religions have wrestled with the notion of the existence of a separate “individual self or soul,” which might actually be a mental illusion (Maya) blocking our efforts to eventually attain true enlightenment. According to the Eastern philosophical view, release from the relentless cycles of Samsara (Moksha) requires abandonment … Continue reading Taking Care of Your “Self?”
The Unplanned Journey In reviewing the events and experiences of the past few months, struggling as I have to make sense of it all, it seems that my natural instincts have been a great deal more useful than any deliberate mental process I attempted to employ along the way. Hindsight typically provides us with a … Continue reading An Unplanned Journey
Within the next few weeks, I will be traveling on the earthly plane to visit my daughter in Virginia in order to be present for the arrival of a new grandson, and to share in the joy of participating in the activities taking place surrounding the appearance of a brand-new life in our extended family. These … Continue reading A Threshold of Joy
This world has within it many different individual souls, personalities, beings, creatures, plants—living things—each with its own set of values, assets, and particular liabilities. None have a worth greater or lesser than the other in the broad scope of life. All living things have a disparate measure of worth. Humans sometimes feel that theirs is … Continue reading A Purposeful Universe
It’s fairly unusual in my experience to encounter individuals who embody the very essence of my writing work—the central theme of my writing and the publicizing of my thoughts on my blog, “John’s Consciousness.” Within a whole range of social interactions over decades, I have experienced a number of serendipitous connections which I immediately feel, … Continue reading Invisible Connections
Considering the wide range of my lifetime of experiences, both sensual and spiritual, my sincere conviction now is that what I feel, what I sense, and what I experience, not only internally and personally, but also as an observer of the world “outside of me,” especially in consideration of the responses of other individuals under … Continue reading Consciousness Video Series: Episode 10: Writing About the World Within
The Challenge of Comprehending Consciousness I know that there is a connection between my inner world and the world without. Subjectively, it is clear to me that this is the case, and I am confident that the statements I make, the theories I embrace and put forward, are a reflection of my genuine knowledge—the genuine … Continue reading The Challenge of Comprehending Consciousness
I came across this quote a while ago, and at first felt as though Epicurus was simply trying to encourage people of all ages to be open to acquiring wisdom, regardless of their age. Thinking about it at length, though, I wondered if his phrasing was sufficiently clear. The idea of “seeking wisdom,” while noble … Continue reading The Wisdom of Seeking
The title of the song in the background of the video below is “Beyond This Moment,” by Patrick O’Hearn. I’ve mentioned his work before and heard it on the radio on the way home one evening, and it stuck with me. The title started me to thinking about how we might discover what lies “beyond … Continue reading Consciousness Video Series: Episode 8: Beyond This Moment
Day six of covid infection... Finally beginning to feel human again after five horrendous days of illness this past week. My experience with this illness has been very educational and directly responsible for an environment where my basic brain functionality suffered a major impairment of unprecedented character in my nearly seven decades of life. In … Continue reading And on the seventh day…
John's Consciousness 