The mind of a child

[Master Vigil]

I think the best thing people can do with their beliefs is doubt them. It helps to really put them to the test, and that doesn't mean to just test the major beliefs, because like the exercise will point out... we have many conflicting beliefs. It is very important to study not only one's own beliefs, but all of the different beliefs out there. I think this exercise is wonderful in the effect that...

1. It breaks down a very complex thing into a minimalistic concept that is easy to scrutinize.

2. It allows you to see the flaws within your own beliefs, and thus allows you to humble yourself to learning.

Overall, I think this, or any excercise that brings one to sincerely, and seriously scrutinize one's beliefs is fantastic. But that's just my opinion.

 

[kreeden]

I agree Mister V . I just don't think that most people want to know theirselves that well .

 

[YmirGF]

I agree Mister V . I just don't think that most people want to know theirselves that well .

I think that is the whole ball of wax Kreeden. It is my experience that, in general, people are content with the words of others, without ever listening to that voice deep within them that is trying desperately to get their attention. As Lilithu stated in another thread, we have a tendency to disprove things that don't fit our preconceived notions about how reality should behave.

 

[kreeden]

Very much so . Which is why I think that being honest with yourself while doing such an excerise would likely be the hardest part ... we would naturally try to make everything fit in together .

 

[kreeden]

Very much so . Which is why I think that being honest with yourself while doing such an excerise would likely be the hardest part ... we would naturally try to make everything fit in together .

 

[YmirGF]

Very much so . Which is why I think that being honest with yourself while doing such an excerise would likely be the hardest part ... we would naturally try to make everything fit in together .

Agreed Kreeden, I told Druidus about being brutally honest yesterday. In all honesty, there is little point in doing such an endeavor if one is not prepared to be completely honest with themself. Bear in mind, that when I did this, I was rather young and naive. Now, I am old and still rather naive.

Beyond that, people should try to develope a sense of humour about themselves. I don't mean to imply that we should become gibbering fools, but rather, we should seriously learn to look at ourselves with affection and perhaps a grain of salt.

Our perception of the world will always mirror the way we think the world SHOULD be. I guess I am also saying that we need to demote, NOT DESTROY, the ego. It is a vital aspect of our physical identity, but it truly is not the only way to view physical reality. Maybe if people learned to feel more deeply, they would see their world through the eyes of compassion rather than perceive reality through the tyrant of their ego.

Forgive my fumbling words, it is a bit hard to describe.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Lovely idea, YmirGF.




My older brother does a version of this. He is constantly writing down his "Magnum Opus" of what he perceives as reality, and so he kind of rubbed off on me a little. I admit that I don't have the same passion as he does with his "spiritual journal," but I have at times written down a few pages to add to my "spiritual diary."




(He's a guy. I'm a chick. He keeps a journal. I keep a diary. I think it's a guy thing.)





Anyhoo, I don't think I had ever expected to find a certain consistency in my thinking. My writing, and my thinking, was nearly always free-form. I'd write down what I believed about all the religious prophets - who got it right, who didn't - and are there really differences between men and women, and is there a heaven and hell, and many many other philosophical ponderings: and just like you, I'd found my beliefs to be as fickle as the Mind truly is.




To have all of your pages in front of you..........what a brilliant exercise for those with tendencies to learn from visual cues! The changing beliefs would stare back at you so glaring and obvious that it would be very difficult to deny them. :bounce





I wonder if this exercise would be as effective if one were to use audio equipment, and to occasionally record his or her thoughts, and then later on to listen to the entirety as one long "sermon."




I also like the title of the thread - "The Mind of a Child." I know what I was like as a child. One day I wanted to be an astronaut. The next day I wanted to be an actress. The next day I wanted to be a veterinarian. Our kids are like that right now.




I agree with allowing humor to permeate your perception about yourself. I once was so hard on myself and rarely laughed at anything that I might have said or done that wasn't "norm." I remember wanting more than anything to be taken seriously.




Yeesh, now I'm the first to laugh if I trip over squirrels or run into walls that honestly weren't there before or let a Freudian slip go in the middle of an important presentation - and I continue to laugh at how it might have looked in the eyes of any onlookers. The squirrel story always grabs people's attention, BTW.



(Back to topic about humor and the spiritual journey)



During one group meditation, we were instructed to visualize the Buddha in front of us. The speaker gave us all kinds of specific visual cues on how the Buddha really looked (the elongated earlobes, the olive skin, the thousand-pedaled crown on his head, etc.)..........and all I could visualize was Mickey Mouse, staring back at me with his broad smile, and ready to embrace me as I walked toward him. I wanted to giggle so badly during the group meditation, but I luckily realized that chuckling would be disruptive to the rest of the group. So, I went with it, and visually constructed Mickey Mouse as the Buddha.



At first, I inwardly giggled because of the seeming absurdity of it all. Mickey Mouse? Crazy, crazy woman. But then, I eventually asked myself, "why not?" Doesn't everyone have buddha-nature within them? I answered myself affirmitavely. And, how has Mickey Mouse not been like the Buddha? I answered my question by stating confidently that Mickey Mouse certainly acts like a Buddha.



For a while afterwards in my visualization practices, I allowed images of Mickey Mouse to freely come and go as the Buddha. Very effective, and shocked me from my preconceived notions of who a Buddha should be or shouldn't be.




My thoughts are a little muddy right now on seeing any threads of belief that over time can be strung together. I'll think about that a little longer before returning. And if I forget, you can always remind me, Ymir.





Peace,
Mystic

 

[YmirGF]

I just wanted to add a small, but important, note here. If you do decided to do this exercise, be sure to do the followup in order, as given.

Do not attempt to unravel "foundation class" beliefs before you have successfully resolved the relatively innocuous "kind of; sort of" beliefs. The reason for this is that your belief structures are similar to a house of cards and so some care must be exercised.

Due to the strength of "foundation class" beliefs, or beliefs that affect your self image, you are playing with fire going at them headlong. Doing so, without preparation, could cause quite unexpected consequences and the results may be quite disconcerting. My best advice is to take it slowly. Learn how to crawl before attempting the ten thousand metre marathon.