Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Robert Wright on Science, Meditation, and Nirvana

Song: the hilarious "Record Lady" by Lyle Lovett. 

Bonus: More fantastic magic (via my Dad, whose birthday is soon). 

Somewhat related: In Defense of Being Alone.  


More from Why Buddhism Is True 
I have found this to be true (when my antidepressant is working well):

There’s something ironic about the zone I was in. Science, in its displacement of traditionally religious worldviews, is sometimes said to have brought on the ‘disenchantment’ of the world, draining it of magic. And you would think that a meditative discipline devoted, in some sense, to tamping down the influence of feelings on perception, to fostering a view of sober clarity, would only abet that tendency. But [another author] says meditative practice can lead to the ‘re-enchantment’ of the world, and I know what he means. After that first retreat, I felt like I was living in a zone of enchantment, a place of wonder and preternatural beauty.

No, that’s not the same as entering a zone that is magically impervious to causation. I was still reacting at least somewhat reflexively to the causes impinging on me. Still, one source of the enchantment, I think, was that I was spending less time reacting, less time having my buttons pushed, and more time observing – which, as a bonus, allowed for more thoughtful responses to things. I assume that living in the unconditioned would be great, but living in the less conditioned can be pretty great, too.

This picture is in the color paperback of Losing.

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