there may be less to you than you thought
Zen
"Your constant utilization of thought to give continuity to your
separate self is 'you'. There is nothing there inside you other than
that." - U.G. Krishnamurti
Aaron Lynch said:
Is that telling me, that our yearning to be different is what makes us "us"?
Or better yet...what does that mean?
:)
Or better yet...what does that mean?
:)
Aaron Longnion said:
oh cool. The first response to one of my zen posts. Thanks!
The way you put it is pretty close to my understanding of U.G. Krishnamurti probably means. Actually, there are two Krishnamurtis, who each have similar views on eastern philosophy/spirituality: U.G. Krishnamurti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U._G._Krishnamurti) and the more well known Jiddu Krishnamurti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti). I've read a lot of books by the latter, but nothing by the former. However, my father has talked about both and I'm aware of their disputes from this entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U._G._Krishnamurti#Meetings_with_J.Krishnamurti
So now to throw in my interpretation of this quote:
Thought comes from our minds. Our minds are ultimately only an extension of our physical bodies. The "me" is just a made-up belief that comes from thoughts, which comes from the mind. This "me" is essentially the same as our ego, which tries to create it's own self-importance by "thinking" that is more important than it really is. Our egos believe this "me" (which is self-created delusion) is real. But really the only thing that is real is the fact that we constantly utilize our thoughts to continue this separate self: the "me".
Realizing fully that fact will awaken us to the existence of the made-up "me", and therefore our understanding of how insignificant we are as individuals. This is the type of realizations that "zen thought" is geared towards, and I believe it is saying that understanding our *individual* insignificance helps us to more fully appreciate our connection to every other living being... which also reduces the egotistical insistence that our separate selves have any real meaning in the grand scheme of things. (sounds complicated and negative at times, but the more one looks at it, the more it makes sense and helps one to become more humble)
I have a long way to go. ;-)
The way you put it is pretty close to my understanding of U.G. Krishnamurti probably means. Actually, there are two Krishnamurtis, who each have similar views on eastern philosophy/spirituality: U.G. Krishnamurti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U._G._Krishnamurti) and the more well known Jiddu Krishnamurti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti). I've read a lot of books by the latter, but nothing by the former. However, my father has talked about both and I'm aware of their disputes from this entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U._G._Krishnamurti#Meetings_with_J.Krishnamurti
So now to throw in my interpretation of this quote:
Thought comes from our minds. Our minds are ultimately only an extension of our physical bodies. The "me" is just a made-up belief that comes from thoughts, which comes from the mind. This "me" is essentially the same as our ego, which tries to create it's own self-importance by "thinking" that is more important than it really is. Our egos believe this "me" (which is self-created delusion) is real. But really the only thing that is real is the fact that we constantly utilize our thoughts to continue this separate self: the "me".
Realizing fully that fact will awaken us to the existence of the made-up "me", and therefore our understanding of how insignificant we are as individuals. This is the type of realizations that "zen thought" is geared towards, and I believe it is saying that understanding our *individual* insignificance helps us to more fully appreciate our connection to every other living being... which also reduces the egotistical insistence that our separate selves have any real meaning in the grand scheme of things. (sounds complicated and negative at times, but the more one looks at it, the more it makes sense and helps one to become more humble)
I have a long way to go. ;-)
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