Comments on: Growth And Openness http://www.abarefootman.co.uk/archives/2007/05/04/growth-and-openness/ treading lightly on this earth Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:34:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Lewis http://www.abarefootman.co.uk/archives/2007/05/04/growth-and-openness/#comment-4155 Lewis Tue, 08 May 2007 17:49:25 +0000 http://www.abarefootman.co.uk/archives/2007/05/04/growth-and-openness/#comment-4155 Hahah.. Right on, Richard! The way to survive the apparent insanity that such a way of living might induce in someone is to recognize the various levels of interpretation and existence. For example, On one level, we must keep on polishing the mirror, cleaning it of dust, until we can see ourselves for what we truly are, clearly. On another level, there is no mirror, no dust, and no-one to polish anything. How very Zen. Hahah.. Right on, Richard!

The way to survive the apparent insanity that such a way of living might induce in someone is to recognize the various levels of interpretation and existence. For example,

On one level, we must keep on polishing the mirror, cleaning it of dust, until we can see ourselves for what we truly are, clearly.

On another level, there is no mirror, no dust, and no-one to polish anything.

How very Zen.

]]> By: Richard http://www.abarefootman.co.uk/archives/2007/05/04/growth-and-openness/#comment-4144 Richard Tue, 08 May 2007 12:29:55 +0000 http://www.abarefootman.co.uk/archives/2007/05/04/growth-and-openness/#comment-4144 I was thinking about your words "To be open to new information, it is of no use if we already think we know the answer." in light of some Zen Buddhist reading I've been doing. My body and mind are temporary, they will change and this makes it impossible for me to exist as a frozen "entity". But this is also true of knowledge, the knowledge in my mind is filtered firstly by my own leanings, but then is stored and recalled with even less accuracy, to be possibly reinterpreted in light of more, newer, leanings. And this knowledge is supposed to be a truth? How can we claim to truly know something when the only truth is change? You're right, the only intellectually honest place to be is in a constant state of not knowing. Though of course, I can't truly know that..... ;-) I was thinking about your words “To be open to new information, it is of no use if we already think we know the answer.” in light of some Zen Buddhist reading I’ve been doing.

My body and mind are temporary, they will change and this makes it impossible for me to exist as a frozen “entity”. But this is also true of knowledge, the knowledge in my mind is filtered firstly by my own leanings, but then is stored and recalled with even less accuracy, to be possibly reinterpreted in light of more, newer, leanings. And this knowledge is supposed to be a truth?

How can we claim to truly know something when the only truth is change? You’re right, the only intellectually honest place to be is in a constant state of not knowing. Though of course, I can’t truly know that….. ;-)

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