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Understanding the concept of the self
The importance of living in the present moment
The illusion of control
Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way
174
1.76K reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
The self or ego that we create and identify as a separate being does not really exist. A mind-altering experience on every page, the illusion of separateness we attach to is identified as the problem, and a solution to our ego trip is offered. Since forcibly ignoring the self only strengthens its...
137
2.03K reads
The universe is at root a magical illusion and a fabulous game… there is never anything to be gained —through the zest of the game is to pretend that there is.
Everything is a big wiggle. They wiggle so much and in so many different ways that one can really make out where o...
109
1.13K reads
Attention is an intentional, unapologetic discriminator. Attention is a narrowed perception. Like a scanning mechanism, it is a flashlight in the darkroom that narrows our perception. While a narrowed perception is great for being sharp, it can only focus on one area at a time.
107
899 reads
By accepting our condition—craving for categorization—we can begin to monitor how we create these imitation realities and modify our conscious experience to embrace our relationship with the universe.
Our normal sensation of self is a hoax, or, at best, a temporary role that we are playing,...
118
1.32K reads
The prevalent sensation of oneself as a separate ego enclosed in a bag of skin is a hallucination which accords neither with Western science nor with the experimental philosophy-religions of the East.
To define is to limit. The words we use in language are limits to the mag...
115
983 reads
130
943 reads
Other people teach us who we are. Their attitudes to us are the mirror in which we learn to see ourselves, but the mirror is distorted. We are, perhaps, rather dimly aware of the immense power of our social environment.
143
1.11K reads
Life is a system of geological and biological cooperation. But man continues to separate himself, as though he is the only subject among a world of objects—such dualist thinking is a neurosis.
Two Factors are ignored:
120
888 reads
Real travel requires a maximum of unscheduled wandering, for there is no other way of discovering surprises and marvels, which, as I see it, is the only good reason for not staying at home.
150
994 reads
How is it possible that a being with such sensitive jewels as the eyes, such enchanted musical instruments as the ears, and such fabulous arabesque of nerves as the brain can experience itself anything less than a god.
166
1.8K reads
The individual is separate from his universal environment only in name. When this is not recognized, you have been fooled by your name. Confusing names with nature, you come to believe that having a separate name makes you a separate being. This is — rather literally — to be spellbound.
Mem...
107
798 reads
Just as nothing or organism exists on its own, it does not act on its own. The total interrelationship between all things.
The more things changes, the more they are the same. Change is in some ways an illusion, for we are always at a point of uncertainty where any future can occur.
109
1.05K reads
CURATED FROM
IDEAS CURATED BY
Alan Watts condenses eastern philosophy and spiritual teachings, providing insights in the language that the west understands.
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Self-explaining can give voice to impulses of curiosity that may otherwise remain unexplored. It’s about asking ourselves the question, “Why?” Now, if we really know a topic, “why” questions are not that hard.
If I asked you a why question about the town that you grew up in, the answer woul...
We now have a strong example of how arbitrary the choices that leaders make can be.
People have already died because a certain leader took the wrong approach at the wrong time. So we should demand that more than success at the polls or holding an office be treated as sufficient authority in qu...
Trusting your remote coworkers is the only way for it to succeed. Trust the employees and use empathy. Do not assume the worst.
To avoid any communication breakdown, always overcommunicate and ensure questions are asked and answered.
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