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1
Chasm / So nobody's making any poop comments?
« on: March 19, 2013, 06:44:55 AM »
Sorry, I meant to say "pope" comments. Typo.
I haven't been able to stand watching any media coverage about him, so I'm quite uninformed about it all. Needless to say I'm not a fan.
I recall my youth when I could drink hoards of liquor and other things and hardly have any hangover the next day. In fact, I still can. But the media hangovers these days are terrible...
I haven't been able to stand watching any media coverage about him, so I'm quite uninformed about it all. Needless to say I'm not a fan.
I recall my youth when I could drink hoards of liquor and other things and hardly have any hangover the next day. In fact, I still can. But the media hangovers these days are terrible...
2
Chasm / Unusual Y chromosome reveals new male lineage in human evolution
« on: March 07, 2013, 06:37:43 AM »
"Albert Perry carried a secret in his DNA: a Y chromosome so distinctive that it reveals new information about the origin of our species. It shows that the last common male ancestor down the paternal line of our species is over twice as old as we thought.
One possible explanation is that hundreds of thousands of years ago, modern and archaic humans in central Africa interbred, adding to known examples of interbreeding – with Neanderthals in the Middle East, and with the enigmatic Denisovans somewhere in southeast Asia."
The father of all men is 340,000 years old
One possible explanation is that hundreds of thousands of years ago, modern and archaic humans in central Africa interbred, adding to known examples of interbreeding – with Neanderthals in the Middle East, and with the enigmatic Denisovans somewhere in southeast Asia."
The father of all men is 340,000 years old
3
Chasm / Spiritual awareness in the thick of society
« on: January 30, 2013, 08:18:48 PM »
Below is a conversation excerpt between myself and the Buddha. What do you think?
Transcix: The vast majority of people alive today exist in states of awareness founded on combinations of shame, guilt, fear or hate. I, on, the other hand, harbor none of these deeper emotions, but do often exhibit smaller surface emotions such as anger and disgust due to the utterly insane state of modern society. I would argue that it’s not a sign of mental health to be well-adjusted to an insane society. I’m confident as these surface emotions arise in the course of a day or a week that I’m impeccable in periodically purging them out through catharsis (laughter, sex, music, etc). I’m curious, do you believe my way of being will permit me to realize liberation and continue on in the astral universe upon my physical demise rather than being forced into reincarnation by stray, unintegrated desire?
Buddha: How can you be certain that some combination of shame, guilt fear, or hate does not still reside at the root of your being?
Transcix: I have scrutinized every facet of my being via recapitulation and have had a series of experiences of heightened awareness and clarity to confirm that all facets are present and accounted for, that none hide any others. Unfortunately the specific details of my experiences which, through the coldness of the most ruthless logic truly do offer me proof positive, cannot possibly be condensed sufficiently to be elaborated in any very persuasive sense to you here at the moment. Admittedly, in my experience, the world is full of charlatans and most people saying what I say would indeed harbor some combination of shame, guilt, fear or hate at the root of their being.
Buddha: Indeed, on the path to enlightenment many people believe they have realized true enlightenment when in fact they have only attained lesser levels of self-realization. In my experience, over time one cannot maintain their state of awareness on these levels unless they always continue trying to improve themselves, otherwise they will gravitate backwards, often without even knowing. Do you believe you are truly satisfied at the level of your attainment, and that you will not regress over time?
Transcix: Although self-control and stillness of mind are surely cornerstone aspects of my path, in speaking of my journey I was not necessarily referring to the path of “enlightenment”. I believe I have sufficiently emptied myself of all misconceptions and sufficiently integrated all my desire into a single-pointed will that there is nothing else that I could cultivate in this life to bring over into the next, except knowledge. Therefore I seek to remain in the thick of society to cultivate this knowledge, and considering the world’s utter degeneracy, perversity and corruption I often find myself unhappy, however I am at least content, and I am confident that I will not regress over time and lose my ticket to astral immortality as an individual agent of consciousness, as Transcix.
Buddha: Hmmmm. In my experience, although once one is truly enlightened still errant thoughts and emotions arise, and are simply not clung to or identified with and are allowed to pass, still in my experience as time goes by the frequency of errant thoughts and emotions decreases and deeper shades of peacefulness and clarity are experienced. To this extent, I would find it a departure from my nature to purposely entrench myself in a context that diminishes my well-being, my clarity of vision and my ability to offer compassion and help to others.
Transcix: The vast majority of people alive today exist in states of awareness founded on combinations of shame, guilt, fear or hate. I, on, the other hand, harbor none of these deeper emotions, but do often exhibit smaller surface emotions such as anger and disgust due to the utterly insane state of modern society. I would argue that it’s not a sign of mental health to be well-adjusted to an insane society. I’m confident as these surface emotions arise in the course of a day or a week that I’m impeccable in periodically purging them out through catharsis (laughter, sex, music, etc). I’m curious, do you believe my way of being will permit me to realize liberation and continue on in the astral universe upon my physical demise rather than being forced into reincarnation by stray, unintegrated desire?
Buddha: How can you be certain that some combination of shame, guilt fear, or hate does not still reside at the root of your being?
Transcix: I have scrutinized every facet of my being via recapitulation and have had a series of experiences of heightened awareness and clarity to confirm that all facets are present and accounted for, that none hide any others. Unfortunately the specific details of my experiences which, through the coldness of the most ruthless logic truly do offer me proof positive, cannot possibly be condensed sufficiently to be elaborated in any very persuasive sense to you here at the moment. Admittedly, in my experience, the world is full of charlatans and most people saying what I say would indeed harbor some combination of shame, guilt, fear or hate at the root of their being.
Buddha: Indeed, on the path to enlightenment many people believe they have realized true enlightenment when in fact they have only attained lesser levels of self-realization. In my experience, over time one cannot maintain their state of awareness on these levels unless they always continue trying to improve themselves, otherwise they will gravitate backwards, often without even knowing. Do you believe you are truly satisfied at the level of your attainment, and that you will not regress over time?
Transcix: Although self-control and stillness of mind are surely cornerstone aspects of my path, in speaking of my journey I was not necessarily referring to the path of “enlightenment”. I believe I have sufficiently emptied myself of all misconceptions and sufficiently integrated all my desire into a single-pointed will that there is nothing else that I could cultivate in this life to bring over into the next, except knowledge. Therefore I seek to remain in the thick of society to cultivate this knowledge, and considering the world’s utter degeneracy, perversity and corruption I often find myself unhappy, however I am at least content, and I am confident that I will not regress over time and lose my ticket to astral immortality as an individual agent of consciousness, as Transcix.
Buddha: Hmmmm. In my experience, although once one is truly enlightened still errant thoughts and emotions arise, and are simply not clung to or identified with and are allowed to pass, still in my experience as time goes by the frequency of errant thoughts and emotions decreases and deeper shades of peacefulness and clarity are experienced. To this extent, I would find it a departure from my nature to purposely entrench myself in a context that diminishes my well-being, my clarity of vision and my ability to offer compassion and help to others.
4
Chasm / Quebec student protests
« on: June 17, 2012, 09:12:31 PM »
As some of you may know, there have been lots of protests in Quebec lately. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter.
The government gives various benefits to older people, such as Old Age Pension. Instead, why not phase out these benefits and provide free education instead? The difference is between investing in people when they're old and investing in people when they're young. I'm not just talking about lower tuition fees as the students are protesting against, I'm also talking about building many more schools so that almost everyone gets a free, high-quality education (this idea seems to be rather absent from the protest discourse). This isn't really a socialist idea, because it shifts responsibility away from the government and into the hands of the people; if you don't plan for your retirement then too bad, no one will bail you out.
The merits of investing in people when they're young are obvious. Education allows people to become not only more aware of the world around them but also to become more self-aware, and their career choices will accordingly be wiser, more in-line with what they'd ultimately like to do. Also higher education obviously provides a wider spectrum of career opportunities. Furthermore, a well-educated workforce pays tremendous economic dividends and considering the current 15% tax rate the Quebec government will benefit accordingly... assuming the politicians are willing to invest in the long-term beyond their time in office. As well, lack of education is at the root of all social problems, so things like drug abuse and violence would decrease with more education and less money will be needed for social services.
Thoughts?
The government gives various benefits to older people, such as Old Age Pension. Instead, why not phase out these benefits and provide free education instead? The difference is between investing in people when they're old and investing in people when they're young. I'm not just talking about lower tuition fees as the students are protesting against, I'm also talking about building many more schools so that almost everyone gets a free, high-quality education (this idea seems to be rather absent from the protest discourse). This isn't really a socialist idea, because it shifts responsibility away from the government and into the hands of the people; if you don't plan for your retirement then too bad, no one will bail you out.
The merits of investing in people when they're young are obvious. Education allows people to become not only more aware of the world around them but also to become more self-aware, and their career choices will accordingly be wiser, more in-line with what they'd ultimately like to do. Also higher education obviously provides a wider spectrum of career opportunities. Furthermore, a well-educated workforce pays tremendous economic dividends and considering the current 15% tax rate the Quebec government will benefit accordingly... assuming the politicians are willing to invest in the long-term beyond their time in office. As well, lack of education is at the root of all social problems, so things like drug abuse and violence would decrease with more education and less money will be needed for social services.
Thoughts?
5
Chasm / Why do people put weird photos of themselves on Facebook?
« on: May 29, 2012, 06:38:28 AM »
This is an honest question that I'm curious about.
Why do people fill their Facebook albums with photos of themselves making funny faces, making exaggerated sexual faces / kissing a platonic friend, or being drunk / high? And why do some women (especially younger girls) post photos of themselves distorted with image editing software to make their faces / bodies look cooky?
Furthermore, I wonder what percentage of the population is curious about this as I am. I wonder what percentage of the people posting these photos of themselves actually realize others may think it strange of them to do so?
Oh and I guess I might as well ask, are you one of those people who post weird photos of yourself on Facebook?
Why do people fill their Facebook albums with photos of themselves making funny faces, making exaggerated sexual faces / kissing a platonic friend, or being drunk / high? And why do some women (especially younger girls) post photos of themselves distorted with image editing software to make their faces / bodies look cooky?
Furthermore, I wonder what percentage of the population is curious about this as I am. I wonder what percentage of the people posting these photos of themselves actually realize others may think it strange of them to do so?
Oh and I guess I might as well ask, are you one of those people who post weird photos of yourself on Facebook?
6
Chasm / The icy winds of black metal's logic
« on: May 27, 2012, 10:34:49 PM »
On the path to enlightenment, when negative thoughts or emotions arise one must acknowledge them, accept them and let them pass, without clinging to them, without associating one’s identity with them. Here often arises inner conflict. “Am I willing to let this go?” “Is this really what I want?” “Is it fair that I have to make this choice?” “Do I really need to surrender?” Etc. These excuses disgust me, because they presuppose that I must admit a weakness, confess a wrong or otherwise cut a part of myself off. I have fully recognized how I am in my mortal coil and I have fully calculated and planned how I will become hereafter.
Essentially, where the LHPer (left-hand path-er) guided by logic considers their being solely as that which allows negative thoughts and emotions to pass without clinging, the RHPer (right-hand pather-er) guided by faith considers their being as that which is constantly sublimated by and guided by that which allows negative thoughts and emotions to pass without clinging. In both cases the ‘furthest-back observer’ or ‘higher self’ is never completely one’s true identity in this world’s physical existence, as the act of identifying one’s being towards it, the act of labeling the labeler, whether by logic or by faith, exemplifies the ‘conscious control agency’ or ‘ego’.
Where devotion to logic insists that clinging to negative thoughts and emotions is utterly unhealthy and inefficient, devotion to faith implores that clinging to negative thoughts and emotions is wholly sinful and banished. The LHPer’s devotion to logic is not like a hot ray but rather like a cold wind, an ally not striking down that which is condemned but rather an ally purging that which is already purged. Where for the LHPer who has realized a self-sufficient internal integrity that which is already purged is already purged because the choice is already chosen, the logic already realized and unflinching, for the RHPer who has realized self-transcendent external surrender that which is condemned is struck down because they are willing to let that piece of their personality be cut off and reincarnated as impersonal divine consciousness.
For the LHPer affirmation towards the light is affirmation that one is not already the light in the first place and is a poor way to pursue spiritual growth. Move thus ever towards the darkness, seeking always opportunity to do that which is the natural way of light, to shine. The thing about logic is that it cuts through all the self-pity and self-doubt like a hot knife through butter, it can freeze even the most darkly burning hearts into catatonia. What defines the LHP master is not the poses they strike or the actions they take, but the over-arching personality and character of the actor and the knowledge that every act is but a tiny piece of their masterfully-laid plan.
The cold winds of black metal logic are personal, “egocentric” if you want, but impeccably calibrated to an enlightened vector as the LHP master retains their personality in the self-sufficient internal integrity of their reality paradigm. Ah but as with occult things this is not easy to achieve, and as a result the underachiever is far more pitiful on the LHP than on the RHP, which may explain the horrendous dichotomy between that black metal which expresses a sound of wisdom, exaltation and warrior spirit and that other black metal which expresses a sound of horror, wretchedness and despair.
It can be difficult to distinguish between the two types of black metal, however. The coldness of logic, subverting the blissful ignorance of innate sinfulness’ exaggerated humility, bears a brunt like no other, and its frostbitten stillness reaps havoc on the world of convention. Perhaps the only real difference, as the LHP is the razor’s edge, is that the lesser type of black metal only attempts to bear a brunt like no other and only attempts to reap havoc on the world of convention, and its failure to do so echoes louder than its effort. It is a good thing, then, that this text speaks in polarized, analogical extremes for the sake of making a point, and that in reality the middle way, along which LHPers and RHPers both essentially must walk, is somewhat forgiving towards failure after all.
Perhaps in its extremity this text will fail to connect with certain readers, but for others I hope it will be most insightful—it’s a necessary trade-off, indeed, not everybody can truly appreciate good black metal, either. The way of enlightenment on the LHP is not devoid of warmth, but the icy winds of logic are a potent and majestic treasure through which the fire of wisdom may be realized.
Essentially, where the LHPer (left-hand path-er) guided by logic considers their being solely as that which allows negative thoughts and emotions to pass without clinging, the RHPer (right-hand pather-er) guided by faith considers their being as that which is constantly sublimated by and guided by that which allows negative thoughts and emotions to pass without clinging. In both cases the ‘furthest-back observer’ or ‘higher self’ is never completely one’s true identity in this world’s physical existence, as the act of identifying one’s being towards it, the act of labeling the labeler, whether by logic or by faith, exemplifies the ‘conscious control agency’ or ‘ego’.
Where devotion to logic insists that clinging to negative thoughts and emotions is utterly unhealthy and inefficient, devotion to faith implores that clinging to negative thoughts and emotions is wholly sinful and banished. The LHPer’s devotion to logic is not like a hot ray but rather like a cold wind, an ally not striking down that which is condemned but rather an ally purging that which is already purged. Where for the LHPer who has realized a self-sufficient internal integrity that which is already purged is already purged because the choice is already chosen, the logic already realized and unflinching, for the RHPer who has realized self-transcendent external surrender that which is condemned is struck down because they are willing to let that piece of their personality be cut off and reincarnated as impersonal divine consciousness.
For the LHPer affirmation towards the light is affirmation that one is not already the light in the first place and is a poor way to pursue spiritual growth. Move thus ever towards the darkness, seeking always opportunity to do that which is the natural way of light, to shine. The thing about logic is that it cuts through all the self-pity and self-doubt like a hot knife through butter, it can freeze even the most darkly burning hearts into catatonia. What defines the LHP master is not the poses they strike or the actions they take, but the over-arching personality and character of the actor and the knowledge that every act is but a tiny piece of their masterfully-laid plan.
The cold winds of black metal logic are personal, “egocentric” if you want, but impeccably calibrated to an enlightened vector as the LHP master retains their personality in the self-sufficient internal integrity of their reality paradigm. Ah but as with occult things this is not easy to achieve, and as a result the underachiever is far more pitiful on the LHP than on the RHP, which may explain the horrendous dichotomy between that black metal which expresses a sound of wisdom, exaltation and warrior spirit and that other black metal which expresses a sound of horror, wretchedness and despair.
It can be difficult to distinguish between the two types of black metal, however. The coldness of logic, subverting the blissful ignorance of innate sinfulness’ exaggerated humility, bears a brunt like no other, and its frostbitten stillness reaps havoc on the world of convention. Perhaps the only real difference, as the LHP is the razor’s edge, is that the lesser type of black metal only attempts to bear a brunt like no other and only attempts to reap havoc on the world of convention, and its failure to do so echoes louder than its effort. It is a good thing, then, that this text speaks in polarized, analogical extremes for the sake of making a point, and that in reality the middle way, along which LHPers and RHPers both essentially must walk, is somewhat forgiving towards failure after all.
Perhaps in its extremity this text will fail to connect with certain readers, but for others I hope it will be most insightful—it’s a necessary trade-off, indeed, not everybody can truly appreciate good black metal, either. The way of enlightenment on the LHP is not devoid of warmth, but the icy winds of logic are a potent and majestic treasure through which the fire of wisdom may be realized.
7
Chasm / The unexpected capybara
« on: May 17, 2012, 04:07:38 AM »
The test of a heart darkened by cold black metal winds is that it can still be warm to such things as the largest rodent in the world, the capybara.
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Chasm / Aggressive enlightenment on the left-hand path
« on: April 26, 2012, 02:52:25 AM »
[note: LHP = left-hand path; RHP = right-hand path]
I contest in the name of contestation what experience itself is (the will to proceed to the end of the possible). Experience, its authority, its method, do not distinguish themselves from the contestation.
—Georges Bataille
On the surface when one thinks of aggression one tends to think of hostility, and often aggression is regarded in a negative light as something oppositional to peacefulness. But if peacefulness is a cornerstone of the truly enlightened perspective—for both LHP and RHP evolutionary modalities—then could not LHPers express and exalt peacefulness, aggressively? Facetiousness and sarcasm can have rough edges while being wonderfully humorous, bluntness can be a healthy mechanism in communicating with others or with one's self, passion can be a tempest and it can also be as calm and majestic as the eye of a hurricane.
The tenderest type of anger is the 'realest' type of anger, like when a wolf gets cornered, when a lion attacks its prey, or when a mother crow protects her babies—it's a matter of survival. When these animals act are they spurred out of fear of what could be lost or love for what could be saved or gained? At that moment of heightened attention maybe it isn't much a matter of anything other than being fully present, aware. The scene is established, the decisions have already been made—your hand is your hand, the final bet has been placed, and now it's just a matter of showing your cards. There's no point in avoiding it. So how will you reveal your hand and lay your cards on the table, exactly? With shaky hands? With delicacy and subtlety? With a wry grin?
The LHP master exalts the fact that the way he reveals his hand doesn't change him, it's no great defining moment. The lion rips the gazelle's throat. He may be able to look back on it afterwards and learn a great deal retrospectively, but whatever he's going to do at that original moment of action it's, well, it's what he would do, it's his way—it's an expression of himself, and he's always the person behind the expression, not the expression itself. I am that I am that I am. A LHP master victorious in great battles properly retains these victories as a part of his being not in fond memory but by the fact that, carried over, he was the same person then as he is now—where victory arose out of competence then the LHP master possesses within him the capacity to duplicate the same feats countless more times (although one's physical body deteriorates with age the true scene of any battle is never a physical place).
Thought shattering itself against its own nothingness is the explosion of meditation.
—Jiddu Krishnamurti
The LHP master's greatness has already been dealt into his hand. The game is a game, yet he plays it with purposiveness and enthusiasm—the wisdom of the middle path is indeed present. Life truly is simple and calm, and every action is both hollow and infused with the greatest power—that which is maximally filled cannot be filled anymore. Where the RHPer seeks to infuse their being primarily with external divinity, the LHPer seeks to infuse their being primarily with their own divinity. In both cases the risk is the same, failure to recognize the subtlest stillness behind every individual agent of consciousness, every deity and every impersonal divine force.
The relationship between a LHP master's aggression and peacefulness has to do not with the trajectory of a sword and the blood it may spill but with the relationship between the sword and the person who wields it. If a LHP master's passion is like the eye of a hurricane, he isn't necessarily surrounded by furious winds, nor is his greatness measured by the damage he can cause. What's precisely so remarkable is that he's not the whole hurricane rather he's only the eye, he's reached the eye by braving the furious winds, and now finally he's neatly tucked the winds away in his pocket. Now the wind is always at his back, because he's light as a feather and rides it like a wave—to him it's not really windy, to him there's only the calmness of the ocean's depths.
The spirit of a warrior is not geared to indulging and complaining, nor is it geared to winning or losing. The spirit of a warrior is geared only to struggle, and every struggle is a warrior's last battle on earth. Thus the outcome matters very little to him. In his last battle on earth a warrior lets his spirit flow free and clear. And as he wages his battle, knowing that his intent is impeccable, a warrior laughs and laughs.
—Don Juan
The LHP master's aggression has something to do with how he travels the cosmos independently instead of symbiotically with the divine. The cosmos isn't without threats, but more importantly the mere weight of reality itself pulls on the consciousness—he must be strong just like humans need muscles to operate in Earth's gravity. Defying gravity truly isn't even a chore as he punches the air with fists noble and proud, not in reaction and fear against some invisible force of Maya but in affirmation of his being in self-arising love, joy and compassion.
The LHP master's aggression makes him intolerant of injustice and oppression, especially when it's directed at him, and he can be a formidable monkey wrench within machinations of ill will. He's well-suited to enjoy and flourish in warlike conditions, yet he never fights for the sake of fighting. Even if reality's natural state is one of eternal conflict—as some would contend it is—still of supreme importance is the peacefulness to be found within one's self, and the LHPer who would be unable to live in a world of peace and justice maintains an unsustainable evolutionary vector.
Love is the law, love under will.
—Aleister Crowley
The LHP master is ruthlessly impeccable in his ability to capitulate his conscious control agency to his overall being as well as to recapitulate his overall being via his conscious control agency. His impeccability isn't a matter of never erring—after all he's only human—rather it's a matter of always—ruthlessly—learning from his mistakes that his state of awareness never falls out out enlightenment. Self-affirming and self-sustaining, his purview of himself is total so the weight of the task falls to him, he must maintain his structural integrity unconditionally. His conscious control agency decides how to define, regulate and allocate the variables of his being within a highly-calculated equation of evolutionary modality.
The LHP master doesn't shun the personal divine but isn't necessarily friends with it either. Realizing the impersonal divine is of the same consistency as everything else—Emptiness—his conscious control agency is to his overall being the same as his overall being is to the impersonal divine. The aspect of aggression in LHP evolutionary modality doesn't so much cause him to break away and walk alone in the universe as much as it naturally results from his doing so. If one's personal temperament is inclined towards an aggressive posture then one would likely be attracted to the LHP.
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
—Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi
I contest in the name of contestation what experience itself is (the will to proceed to the end of the possible). Experience, its authority, its method, do not distinguish themselves from the contestation.
—Georges Bataille
On the surface when one thinks of aggression one tends to think of hostility, and often aggression is regarded in a negative light as something oppositional to peacefulness. But if peacefulness is a cornerstone of the truly enlightened perspective—for both LHP and RHP evolutionary modalities—then could not LHPers express and exalt peacefulness, aggressively? Facetiousness and sarcasm can have rough edges while being wonderfully humorous, bluntness can be a healthy mechanism in communicating with others or with one's self, passion can be a tempest and it can also be as calm and majestic as the eye of a hurricane.
The tenderest type of anger is the 'realest' type of anger, like when a wolf gets cornered, when a lion attacks its prey, or when a mother crow protects her babies—it's a matter of survival. When these animals act are they spurred out of fear of what could be lost or love for what could be saved or gained? At that moment of heightened attention maybe it isn't much a matter of anything other than being fully present, aware. The scene is established, the decisions have already been made—your hand is your hand, the final bet has been placed, and now it's just a matter of showing your cards. There's no point in avoiding it. So how will you reveal your hand and lay your cards on the table, exactly? With shaky hands? With delicacy and subtlety? With a wry grin?
The LHP master exalts the fact that the way he reveals his hand doesn't change him, it's no great defining moment. The lion rips the gazelle's throat. He may be able to look back on it afterwards and learn a great deal retrospectively, but whatever he's going to do at that original moment of action it's, well, it's what he would do, it's his way—it's an expression of himself, and he's always the person behind the expression, not the expression itself. I am that I am that I am. A LHP master victorious in great battles properly retains these victories as a part of his being not in fond memory but by the fact that, carried over, he was the same person then as he is now—where victory arose out of competence then the LHP master possesses within him the capacity to duplicate the same feats countless more times (although one's physical body deteriorates with age the true scene of any battle is never a physical place).
Thought shattering itself against its own nothingness is the explosion of meditation.
—Jiddu Krishnamurti
The LHP master's greatness has already been dealt into his hand. The game is a game, yet he plays it with purposiveness and enthusiasm—the wisdom of the middle path is indeed present. Life truly is simple and calm, and every action is both hollow and infused with the greatest power—that which is maximally filled cannot be filled anymore. Where the RHPer seeks to infuse their being primarily with external divinity, the LHPer seeks to infuse their being primarily with their own divinity. In both cases the risk is the same, failure to recognize the subtlest stillness behind every individual agent of consciousness, every deity and every impersonal divine force.
The relationship between a LHP master's aggression and peacefulness has to do not with the trajectory of a sword and the blood it may spill but with the relationship between the sword and the person who wields it. If a LHP master's passion is like the eye of a hurricane, he isn't necessarily surrounded by furious winds, nor is his greatness measured by the damage he can cause. What's precisely so remarkable is that he's not the whole hurricane rather he's only the eye, he's reached the eye by braving the furious winds, and now finally he's neatly tucked the winds away in his pocket. Now the wind is always at his back, because he's light as a feather and rides it like a wave—to him it's not really windy, to him there's only the calmness of the ocean's depths.
The spirit of a warrior is not geared to indulging and complaining, nor is it geared to winning or losing. The spirit of a warrior is geared only to struggle, and every struggle is a warrior's last battle on earth. Thus the outcome matters very little to him. In his last battle on earth a warrior lets his spirit flow free and clear. And as he wages his battle, knowing that his intent is impeccable, a warrior laughs and laughs.
—Don Juan
The LHP master's aggression has something to do with how he travels the cosmos independently instead of symbiotically with the divine. The cosmos isn't without threats, but more importantly the mere weight of reality itself pulls on the consciousness—he must be strong just like humans need muscles to operate in Earth's gravity. Defying gravity truly isn't even a chore as he punches the air with fists noble and proud, not in reaction and fear against some invisible force of Maya but in affirmation of his being in self-arising love, joy and compassion.
The LHP master's aggression makes him intolerant of injustice and oppression, especially when it's directed at him, and he can be a formidable monkey wrench within machinations of ill will. He's well-suited to enjoy and flourish in warlike conditions, yet he never fights for the sake of fighting. Even if reality's natural state is one of eternal conflict—as some would contend it is—still of supreme importance is the peacefulness to be found within one's self, and the LHPer who would be unable to live in a world of peace and justice maintains an unsustainable evolutionary vector.
Love is the law, love under will.
—Aleister Crowley
The LHP master is ruthlessly impeccable in his ability to capitulate his conscious control agency to his overall being as well as to recapitulate his overall being via his conscious control agency. His impeccability isn't a matter of never erring—after all he's only human—rather it's a matter of always—ruthlessly—learning from his mistakes that his state of awareness never falls out out enlightenment. Self-affirming and self-sustaining, his purview of himself is total so the weight of the task falls to him, he must maintain his structural integrity unconditionally. His conscious control agency decides how to define, regulate and allocate the variables of his being within a highly-calculated equation of evolutionary modality.
The LHP master doesn't shun the personal divine but isn't necessarily friends with it either. Realizing the impersonal divine is of the same consistency as everything else—Emptiness—his conscious control agency is to his overall being the same as his overall being is to the impersonal divine. The aspect of aggression in LHP evolutionary modality doesn't so much cause him to break away and walk alone in the universe as much as it naturally results from his doing so. If one's personal temperament is inclined towards an aggressive posture then one would likely be attracted to the LHP.
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
—Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi
9
Chasm / Under 120s gone: logistics
« on: April 23, 2012, 04:01:47 AM »
Killing everyone with an IQ under 120 would create an extreme shortage of cheap labor, so to agree with this course of action in addition to being a nihilist or a death metal fan you would also have to want a much simpler, less technologically-driven existence. Personally I'm all for a much simpler existence, but I believe it's technology that will eventually be able to provide such an existence for humanity at large. If I were in a selfish mood, then, I might be in favor of killing 'em, but I'd also need assurances that we won't just repeat the cycle of building up technology only to repopulate and be faced with the same question all over again. There are many variables to consider.
Enslavement and exploitation on the other hand would simplify the equation drastically.
Enslavement and exploitation on the other hand would simplify the equation drastically.
11
Chasm / The spiritual quest
« on: April 09, 2012, 01:17:08 AM »
This is my view regarding the spiritual quest of the human condition.
Stillness of mind is characterized by mindfulness rather than aloofness. How is it achieved? First, one's inner correlations--one's beliefs, attitudes, intentions and desires--must be in harmony, they must be coherent and cohesive. When they are in conflict, they produce thought haphazardly, because there is friction, unrest, like a loop or chain reaction. In order for one's inner correlations to be in harmony, one's beliefs, attitudes, intentions and desires must be scrutinized and deliberate. One must have a sufficient base of philosophical understanding to serve as a point of reference whereby priorities and order may evolve; in other words, one must understand the process of how one's inner correlations influence and interact with one another and with external reality. And this is all perfectly practical and logical too, as indecision and lack of clarity confuses desires and hampers intentions, efforts and results--therefore this is a main starting point, perhaps the superior one, to the spiritual quest of the human condition for all people (lots of people of faith circumvent it totally but they are not right-hand path they are simply in ignorance).
As one progresses down this path, unanswered philosophical or spiritual questions create disharmony in one's inner correlations, as one is undecided in what orientation to align themselves. For the person living an examined life, these unanswered questions directly influence their daily attitudes, desires, thoughts and actions, because they live a purposive life that is ordered, as well as possible, according to priorities. Meaning, truth, emotion, logic, these all serve to form priorities by acting as foundational points of reference, depending on how one approaches and answers the over-arching philosophical or spiritual questions of their paradigm; some people may orient themselves around logic and truth exclusively, for example. Eventually, as the questions remain unanswered and grow increasingly daunting, some turn to faith, some settle for compromise, some fall into ignorance, and some fall into the grips of existential crisis (or a combination thereof).
Confronting these questions in existential crisis through logic is the left-hand path, whereas turning to faith is the right-hand path. Some seek out the confrontation, for others the confrontation seeks them out, and many turn to faith in the trial of it; this is understandable, as the marketplace of ideas today is a poor source of help as one seeks to find answers to the questions, and society's influences distractingly and obfuscatingly affect one's life and state of awareness. Those who succeed in overcoming their existential crisis through logic generally do so by making assumptions or leaps of faith and by trusting in experiential learning, finding some inner source of spiritual power / identity and / or developing some hodge-podge philosophical or spiritual paradigm... it really isn't too pretty. Many turn to faith, some maintain makeshift left-hand path paradigms, some become Buddhists, some become nihilists, some become atheists or agnostics, etc.
In today's marketplace of ideas I particularly appreciate Buddhism, as it hinges on logic and experiential experimentation and only makes assumptions insofar that the human condition which is experienced is indeed the human condition. Or if it does not assume, if it does not make a leap of faith per se, then it accepts that there exists no other real foundational points of reference beyond logic and experience, therefore it accepts those two as sufficient because they are all there is. It is at this point where I may be tempted to disagree with nihilism: what is, is, can we not say that is sufficient, must we poke further holes into its emptiness?
However I do not disagree with nihilism this way, because my left-hand path paradigm takes the Buddhist logic and experiential understanding of the human condition and expands on it by pursuing the logic end further. If the nihilist accusation is that logic cannot unequivocally confirm the solidity of experience, then the sought after defense is a logical framework establishing the nature of the human condition and how it arises, so that the human condition becomes in effect a priori. It is along this vein of thinking that my path travels, and I believe I have succeeded in establishing said framework. I believe this marks the true and proper course of continued left-hand path evolution.
I explain the beginning of this new logic in the first chapter of a text I'm working on:
Following this (and which I have yet to formally put into writing), I believe the only possible explanation as to the initial arising of eternity / reality is that first there was emptiness, and then emptiness realized its own emptiness more fully, manifesting in convention. This is a very complex point, not merely a clever use of terminologies, and requires a certain level of stillness of mind and considerable contemplation to fully grasp. It can be explained in words, but experience of stillness and emptiness is necessary in order to fully comprehend the meaning of the words--not in the sense that one must make a leap of faith in the validity of experience, but in the sense that to some extent language is too limited to fully explain it, at least insofar as I am able to wield the paintbrush of language (but one can grasp things logically in their mind in a way beyond words and language, still without relying on experience).
Furthermore, and specifically to address a nihilist accusation surely to be made, I identify the source of initial arising of eternity / existence to be emptiness because it is the only possible option not in the sense that it is the only option my limited human mind can presently conceive of, but in the sense that arriving to the solution through the process of elimination transcends the limits of the human mind behind the equation if part of the equation itself, part of the process of elimination, involves a systematic, logical, a priori theory of deconstruction down to indeed the first instance that any possibility were even ever possible in the first place. It is crucial to grasp the a priori thread leading from causal continuity to the beginning of eternity.
I do not expect these last two paragraphs to be very persuasive, but it is the best I can do at this time, and I write them more in order to tell my story as part of this thread than to necessarily persuade. Having realized this basest common denominator in Emptiness within an infallible logical framework, I can then deduce various truths about the human condition, in terms of Emptiness being that which sprouts the individual agent of consciousness and underlies the human condition. I write this in order to more fully illustrate where I'm coming from in my forum exchanges with you. (And I use the term "you"... liberally.)
Stillness of mind is characterized by mindfulness rather than aloofness. How is it achieved? First, one's inner correlations--one's beliefs, attitudes, intentions and desires--must be in harmony, they must be coherent and cohesive. When they are in conflict, they produce thought haphazardly, because there is friction, unrest, like a loop or chain reaction. In order for one's inner correlations to be in harmony, one's beliefs, attitudes, intentions and desires must be scrutinized and deliberate. One must have a sufficient base of philosophical understanding to serve as a point of reference whereby priorities and order may evolve; in other words, one must understand the process of how one's inner correlations influence and interact with one another and with external reality. And this is all perfectly practical and logical too, as indecision and lack of clarity confuses desires and hampers intentions, efforts and results--therefore this is a main starting point, perhaps the superior one, to the spiritual quest of the human condition for all people (lots of people of faith circumvent it totally but they are not right-hand path they are simply in ignorance).
As one progresses down this path, unanswered philosophical or spiritual questions create disharmony in one's inner correlations, as one is undecided in what orientation to align themselves. For the person living an examined life, these unanswered questions directly influence their daily attitudes, desires, thoughts and actions, because they live a purposive life that is ordered, as well as possible, according to priorities. Meaning, truth, emotion, logic, these all serve to form priorities by acting as foundational points of reference, depending on how one approaches and answers the over-arching philosophical or spiritual questions of their paradigm; some people may orient themselves around logic and truth exclusively, for example. Eventually, as the questions remain unanswered and grow increasingly daunting, some turn to faith, some settle for compromise, some fall into ignorance, and some fall into the grips of existential crisis (or a combination thereof).
Confronting these questions in existential crisis through logic is the left-hand path, whereas turning to faith is the right-hand path. Some seek out the confrontation, for others the confrontation seeks them out, and many turn to faith in the trial of it; this is understandable, as the marketplace of ideas today is a poor source of help as one seeks to find answers to the questions, and society's influences distractingly and obfuscatingly affect one's life and state of awareness. Those who succeed in overcoming their existential crisis through logic generally do so by making assumptions or leaps of faith and by trusting in experiential learning, finding some inner source of spiritual power / identity and / or developing some hodge-podge philosophical or spiritual paradigm... it really isn't too pretty. Many turn to faith, some maintain makeshift left-hand path paradigms, some become Buddhists, some become nihilists, some become atheists or agnostics, etc.
In today's marketplace of ideas I particularly appreciate Buddhism, as it hinges on logic and experiential experimentation and only makes assumptions insofar that the human condition which is experienced is indeed the human condition. Or if it does not assume, if it does not make a leap of faith per se, then it accepts that there exists no other real foundational points of reference beyond logic and experience, therefore it accepts those two as sufficient because they are all there is. It is at this point where I may be tempted to disagree with nihilism: what is, is, can we not say that is sufficient, must we poke further holes into its emptiness?
However I do not disagree with nihilism this way, because my left-hand path paradigm takes the Buddhist logic and experiential understanding of the human condition and expands on it by pursuing the logic end further. If the nihilist accusation is that logic cannot unequivocally confirm the solidity of experience, then the sought after defense is a logical framework establishing the nature of the human condition and how it arises, so that the human condition becomes in effect a priori. It is along this vein of thinking that my path travels, and I believe I have succeeded in establishing said framework. I believe this marks the true and proper course of continued left-hand path evolution.
I explain the beginning of this new logic in the first chapter of a text I'm working on:
Quote
Much confusion in the marketplace of ideas revolves around what initially seems like a paradox regarding the nature of eternity, or more specifically regarding the question of whether eternity begun at one point or whether it has just always existed. Considering the old analogy of eternity being in causal terms a function of dominoes toppling over in sequence, the preceding domino always causing the proceeding domino to topple, on one hand it seems eternity must possess a beginning point whereby the first domino topples over and triggers a chain reaction, yet on the other hand it seems eternity cannot possess a beginning point for any such chain reaction cannot ‘just happen’ but rather itself requires a preceding trigger / domino. Or, to employ a classic phrase, if God created everything then who or what created God?
First, let us be sure to consider eternity in causal terms. It can be and often is argued that, in many ways, eternity is not like a flow, sequence or chain reaction, that it is in fact non-linear, and that it is flawed to apply to it the concept of a beginning point. Perhaps the perceived linear quality of causal continuity is only derived by our minds by a manner of geometric analogy and in real experiential terms there is nothing linear about it. For our present purposes, however, eternity is taken to constitute a continuum strictly and exclusively in the sense that the principle of causality is real, that reaction is necessarily always contingent with action. For our present purposes, the point is only that eternity possess a flow, a direction, insofar as reality is causal in nature, insofar as an action ripples through time affecting that which has yet to occur (the 'future') rather than that which has already occurred (the 'past').
Some would in fact dispute even this, citing scientific hypotheses and studies (in quantum mechanics, etc) suggesting the relationship between cause and effect could, however bizarre it may sound, actually be relative in nature in that effects may somehow influence their own causes before they happen. It must be still further clarified, then, that for our present purposes what is important is not how the potential outcome of burnt toast could perhaps affect the possibility or probability of one ever inserting the bread into the toaster in the first place, rather what is important is that the heating coils of the toaster are only capable of burning the bread, not of 'unburning' the bread. Even if the sequence of animation were somehow played out or unfolded in reverse order, still only the animation's perceived order would be reversed, while the actual interactions to which the animation's rendering pertains—the underlying causal correspondences—would retain their continuity: the heating coils of a toaster could never unburnt toast.
This basic but important fact that there is a continuity to eternity’s unfoldment insofar as reality is causal in nature is shown in figure A, where this continuity is represented by a line and directional arrows and where each instance of causal sequence, each proverbial domino, is represented by a black dot. To be perfectly clear, figure B shows that the continuity does not have to be straight or linear, it amounts to the same thing, as the directional arrows remain all in the same direction. Figure C shows an impossible scenario, where the arrows are reversed as if the heating coils could actually render toast unburnt. Furthermore, let us pretend that in fact figure C were actually possible, if eternity’s continuity were to unfold both ‘forwards’ and ‘backwards’ in time simultaneously, as shown in figure D. Normally, as shown in figure E, a given domino X impacts on a given domino Y. However, as shown in figure F, if eternity were to unfold both ‘forwards’ and ‘backwards’ in time simultaneously, then every domino would simultaneously impact on both ‘future’ and the 'past' dominoes as well as be impacted by both 'future' and the 'past' dominoes equally—an absurdly impossible scenario as everything would be 100% relative without any points of reference or foundation.
What all this demonstrates, beyond a doubt, is that if the ‘past’ is not constantly being writ as much as the ‘future’ is, if the distant tail end at the beginning of eternity is not in movement constantly regressing further backwards into time, then that end of eternity must be static, a fixed point, a point of original creation! The paradox as to whether or not eternity possesses an initial beginning point has been solved, we now know that it must possess one, however the question still remains as to how just exactly this original domino could have ever come about in the first place.
Following this (and which I have yet to formally put into writing), I believe the only possible explanation as to the initial arising of eternity / reality is that first there was emptiness, and then emptiness realized its own emptiness more fully, manifesting in convention. This is a very complex point, not merely a clever use of terminologies, and requires a certain level of stillness of mind and considerable contemplation to fully grasp. It can be explained in words, but experience of stillness and emptiness is necessary in order to fully comprehend the meaning of the words--not in the sense that one must make a leap of faith in the validity of experience, but in the sense that to some extent language is too limited to fully explain it, at least insofar as I am able to wield the paintbrush of language (but one can grasp things logically in their mind in a way beyond words and language, still without relying on experience).
Furthermore, and specifically to address a nihilist accusation surely to be made, I identify the source of initial arising of eternity / existence to be emptiness because it is the only possible option not in the sense that it is the only option my limited human mind can presently conceive of, but in the sense that arriving to the solution through the process of elimination transcends the limits of the human mind behind the equation if part of the equation itself, part of the process of elimination, involves a systematic, logical, a priori theory of deconstruction down to indeed the first instance that any possibility were even ever possible in the first place. It is crucial to grasp the a priori thread leading from causal continuity to the beginning of eternity.
I do not expect these last two paragraphs to be very persuasive, but it is the best I can do at this time, and I write them more in order to tell my story as part of this thread than to necessarily persuade. Having realized this basest common denominator in Emptiness within an infallible logical framework, I can then deduce various truths about the human condition, in terms of Emptiness being that which sprouts the individual agent of consciousness and underlies the human condition. I write this in order to more fully illustrate where I'm coming from in my forum exchanges with you. (And I use the term "you"... liberally.)
12
Chasm / Sugar substitutes
« on: April 03, 2012, 03:02:09 PM »
What are some good sugar substitutes?
I've been using a stevia brand by President's Choice, but it's being discontinued due to low sales. It's about 50% stevia and 50% corn maltodextrine and it tastes great. I tried a couple other stevia brands but they were practically tasteless and I had to use many packages at once.
I noticed these other brands didn't have any corn maltodextrine in them, so I'm thinking it might be the corn maltodextrine that had given the President's Choice brand the good taste.
Aspartame is less healthy than sugar, sucralose too I believe from what I've read--and in both bases my stomach confirms it--but I'm considering corn maltodextrine or dextrose, any advice? Or does anyone know a good stevia brand?
I've been using a stevia brand by President's Choice, but it's being discontinued due to low sales. It's about 50% stevia and 50% corn maltodextrine and it tastes great. I tried a couple other stevia brands but they were practically tasteless and I had to use many packages at once.
I noticed these other brands didn't have any corn maltodextrine in them, so I'm thinking it might be the corn maltodextrine that had given the President's Choice brand the good taste.
Aspartame is less healthy than sugar, sucralose too I believe from what I've read--and in both bases my stomach confirms it--but I'm considering corn maltodextrine or dextrose, any advice? Or does anyone know a good stevia brand?
13
Commerce / black metal throat singing
« on: April 02, 2012, 08:29:03 PM »
EDIT: Behold! Transcix's black metal throat singing on Youtube:
1 - Surfacing
2 - Cosmos
3 - Ancient
4 - Coven
5 - Nothing
6 - Phoenix
7 - Black Mettle
I wanted to share my 'black metal throat singing' (for lack of a better term) with y'all. I think you might like it. I'm especially interested in Crow's response!
(I apologize if this is not appropriate to post, I think it fits.)
1 - Surfacing
2 - Cosmos
3 - Ancient
4 - Coven
5 - Nothing
6 - Phoenix
7 - Black Mettle
I wanted to share my 'black metal throat singing' (for lack of a better term) with y'all. I think you might like it. I'm especially interested in Crow's response!
(I apologize if this is not appropriate to post, I think it fits.)
14
Chasm / SOPA panic
« on: January 16, 2012, 07:28:55 PM »
That means they're going to be blacked out, offline. Various metal websites have weighed in on the SOPA issue. What are you going to do?
Strike Against SOPA
If passed, do the new online piracy laws risk affecting the DLA?
Strike Against SOPA
If passed, do the new online piracy laws risk affecting the DLA?
15
Chasm / Personalised domain suffixes up for grabs
« on: January 12, 2012, 07:51:46 PM »
Personalised domain suffixes up for grabs
So you could have addresses like http://www.DarkLegionsArchive.anus, http://www.StudiesCenter.hessian, etc. I hope a precious metals mining company doesn't buy .metal before I do.
Quote
New domain name suffixes are being auctioned off this week in an attempt to widen the spectrum of website domains available to be hosted across the web
. . . These new domain names will be restricted to a high-income market, as it will cost roughly $US185,000 ($NZ232,000) to apply and at least $25,000 a year to keep the domain maintained.
In addition to these high costs, a ten-year commitment is required, raising the total maintenance bill to around $US250,000 for a decade of hosting one of these domains.
So you could have addresses like http://www.DarkLegionsArchive.anus, http://www.StudiesCenter.hessian, etc. I hope a precious metals mining company doesn't buy .metal before I do.
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