Attempts To See The Mind
Video – none
Summary = None
Condensed Transcript = See below
News = See below (originally posted to Jan’s website prior to the meeting)
News Gallery = TBD, may not exist
Condensed Transcript
Jan Cox Talk 2570 – August 28, 2000
Copyright Jan Cox, Jan’s Legacy 2015
Notes by Cfish September 2015
Suggested Title: Attempts To See The Mind
[Reads]
“Until he discovers for himself that what ordinary men call their “Mind” simply isn’t there, and the only time it can apparently “find itself” is at the exact moment it is looking for itself, (which with ordinary men is a relative, non-event.) “ JDN 082800)
Begin: What I keep saying, in different/same ways is, when you try to study the mind, you can’t find the mind. After years of looking, having been in states of waking up, I made up the view, that waking up was “the mind” being able to turn and look fast enough, “the mind” sees “the mind” in toto for what it is.
Turning the mind on itself and the mind being able to see itself is what’s behind the experience of waking up. (being enlightened, etc.) Which I say (for reasons I’m unsure) few people who experience “big time awakening” ever get to the bottom of. Simply, the mind sees/understands itself.
And this experience (the mind sees itself) is in spite of the fact, I say, that when the mind looks for itself – it’s not there. Because (even if I made it up) you don’t have but one mind. So how can one mind, walk away from itself, turn around, and look for itself.
05:00 It is breathtaking, it will save you twenty-five years, if you (the mind) realize the thought that wants to wakeup, the thought that feels the other thoughts are asleep/unworthy, (and I agree when I am that thought) it’s only the mind “attempting” to wake up.
Here is the other side/view, “The mind does not exist until it looks for itself.” Speaking on behalf of the reasonable, that is certainly not true. The mind does not exist. until it looks for itself, is almost the opposite, of the mind can’t find itself, because it is itself.
If you don’t see it, prove it to yourself, not me. (It may take awhile) I want you to be uncertain whether this is literal or metaphor. The mind does not exist until it “attempts” to look for itself, until it “attempts” to self remember, until it “attempts” to wake up.
10:00 Even more astounding is considering that everything humans do that does not require things tangible in nature is all in the mind. (including attempts to see the mind) Look how little of life is taken up with food, (growing/eating) defending the household, and physical actions to get one through the day.
All the rest is imagination and would not be there without men’s mind. Last time I brought up the flowering of consciousness, the talking part of the brain, the mind’s ability to talk and hear itself talk, was the origin of gods. Why did the mind do that?
15:00 Maybe the mind looked around, seeing how humanity had created the wheel, thinking then, maybe something created humanity/physical world. Then the mind thinking, maybe the mind/talking part of the brain is God, but since it was the only voice in the head, it had to know what it was doing.
Why didn’t the talking part of the brain/flowering of consciousness say (instead of making up God) this is your brain talking. I am useful. I can be fun in your free time, and I don’t cost any money?
20:00 Because of my relentless efforts to see “what’s going on” a whole new view of these efforts “to wake up, to see the mind, etc. – I don’t see them as being, not ridiculous, not humorous, but how about jolly good. (It’s a British term meaning Jolly Good)
The biggest part of one’s life is spent in secondary reality/non-physical world. Sex, eating, and what you do for a living is excluded. And this whole secondary reality is taking place in an area, literally, smaller than a soccer ball.
Ordinary people may see this view as a metaphor. For example, reality is colored/weighted by what one thinks about it. The ordinary may say they see reality with their mind’s version of it. But ordinarily they could not see secondary reality taking place in an area smaller than a soccer ball.
25:00 Looking around at life I see a fascinating picture where 95% of what everyone is doing at any moment (their sense of reality/civilization) is taking place in an area, that will fit into the size, of a man’s brain. This thing (civilization) that covers the entire world, being anything not natural to the planet.
It should make you smile, maybe eventually wake up.
27:29
The News
Monday August 28, 2000 Dateline: Lagos, Nigeria, a passionate port city from which a report on todays main story seems appropriate. Truth is, the news from all over the world this morning is hot and quick-blooded — same as you should be if youll still insisting that you want to realize for yourself whats really going on with life. So heres whats pertinent to those with that certain interest: Comin straight at cha without commercial interruption.
———
An idea commonly heard and universally accepted is that while emotions have their “place” they should not be the determining factor in our decision making — as though any preference a man ever expresses comes from any place other than his emotions. (I herein will be using the word, “emotions” synonymously with, “feelings and passions”, and intended it to represent all of the non-conscious, instinctive drives that sustain our physical existence).
So even though no decision is ever made by a man, no matter how logical it may be proclaimed, on any basis other than an emotional preference, what is behind ordinary mens incessant exhortations that emotions are to be kept out of the decision making processes?
From one view, men are herein attempting to shore up the shakily-held assertion that they exercise control over their lives; a protestation more easily supported without the overt presence of, “always-liable-to-get-out-of-control” emotions.
But outside of mathematics, wherein, (to the delight of some), two and two is always four no matter how you “feel” about it, a man never makes a decision, selecting one available choice over another, unless he has a personal interest in whatever the affair happens to be. And if he has a “personal interest” it comes from his emotions, (the passions-of-his-instincts), and not from that specialized part of his brain that deals with mathematics. (You might care to note that a man can be inherently wired to be more governed by the cortical area concerned with such things as math and logic, or by non-conscious, more primitive interests, which [crudely put] accounts for some men becoming scientists, while others become bricklayers, athletes and artists.)
But neither the mentally-oriented, nor the physically-so trust emotions, but only the former say so in advance. It is they who publicly say that emotions must be kept out of our decision making, and the latter who in private agree — AFTER having suffered an unprofitable appearance BY their emotions, (ask anyone in prison about this.)
So what is the practical relevance of this to a person wanting-to-get- to-the-bottom-of-things? — primarily this: no matter the type of thoughts that automatically pass through your mind you should hold the constant awareness that they have originated at some site down in the needs and passions of your survival instincts, and that their presence in the conscious area of your brain has no relevance to “decision-making” than water has to a fishs gills.
Those with that certain hunger tend to feel their sense-of-themselves as residing in their mind more than do ordinary men. Those historically referred to as, “Seeking Enlightenment” are doing so in their own mind — EVEN THOUGH — few, few, few ever come to realize it.
Everything a seeker-of-enlightenment is searching for is in his own mind, but the, (shall we say, “problemo”), is that, (how shall I put this?! well), the problem is that there IS no such thing as the mind — except when thoughts are in it — and no thoughts are ever in it that were not put there by the emotions and they have no knowledge-of, or interest-in this thing called, “Waking Up and Being Enlightened.”
A mans instinctive self is not asleep, nor un-enlightened — only a certain thought that appears in a few mens minds hold such a notion. Only the mind has the thought: “I want to be Enlightened.”, and only the mind has the thought: “I am NOT Enlightened.” — and on top of all this: the mind has no thoughts of its only — only reflections, echoes and unanalyzed interpretations of passions.
Youre not a confused, pitiful, sleeping dumb ass because of anything that ever occurs in your mind — ALTHOUGH — that IS the only place this belief can show up. A well intentioned, intelligent man can run around in internal circles for a life time and never have the slightest clue as to whats really going on. But now you do — cause I just told you again.
So then — what have we learned today?, (mainly this): You hear the idea that while man believes that he is awake and conscious, he is in fact living in a state of semi-sleep, and is not as conscious as he could be. If you are one of the few with the wired-in attraction to this notion, and find your mind in fevered-possession of same, take note: it is an idea that is in direct conflict with every other idea you have, and in fact at odds with all of the ideas other men commonly hold.
You are not right, and other men wrong — you are simply running out your own string. (Hey, whats life without a hobby?!). I am not in any way making light of this matter, for it is to me personally, the reason for existence. But it can only be of ultimate profit to a person if they gain a clear comprehension of what it is really isand what it is NOT is something spooky, otherworldly, or metaphysical, but is in fact something quite, normal, simple and indeed, physical — which is what all of life is any way — regardless of how the mind can so persuasively dream otherwise.
There is obviously nothing to compare with the human mind in our known universe, but the mind is NOT what the thoughts in it say that it is. The mind does not make pristine, “mental decisions”: every decision your mind expresses is based on some non-mental instinctive preference you were born with. Relatively speaking: Your liver IS awake; your colon IS enlightened, but your mind will NEVER be — AND it will never understand why!
You live by emotions — you speak by mind. You thrive through feelings — you wither in the mind. All joy is passion — all complaints, mental.
The human mind is an invisible playing field, infinite in scope, and upon life has caused man to construct a whole other world — another reality wherein you find; religion, politics, music, literature, movies, sports, fame, status, self-pity, self-condemnation, and all of the other interests that make human existence the singularity that it is, and which give mens ordinary lives their special flavor.
It is likewise only on this this field that a few men have presented to their mind a thought that says that all of the other thoughts they have are not inferior, unenlightened and acceptable. Cherishing this one thought is what gives the individual spice to the lives of that certain few men, but merely being content with your fascination with the idea, without investigating — to the end — the question of what is at the bottom of the notion is like being satisfied with a seed when you could have a whole clove grove.
Once you begin to understand the nature of your interest in this thing you do not need the assistance of a teacher, a leader, a guru, a system, a discipline, a school, a book or ten thousand books. A man who knows what hes doing needs nothing but the determination to turn what seems to be his mind — on itself. Such a person undertakes a private, relentless, un-self-pitying investigation of the thing he has for so long, and so casually refereed to as his, “mind” — and he will prosecute this inquiry until he finally discovers for himself, (I hate to give the ending away, but), , until he discovers for himself that what ordinary men call their “Mind” simply isnt there, and the only time it can apparently “find itself” is at the exact moment it is looking for itself, (which with ordinary men is a relative, non-event.) Only the few sincerely seeking the so-called, “Awakening” willfully attempt to make their own thoughts take note of the only medium by which they exist — the mind, and only
those seeking, “Enlightenment” engage in this internal blood sport of turning the mind on itself, and take close note; with them also, the only time the mind exists is when it is looking-for, and apparently finding itself. (Wonder why the word, “apparently” is italicized?!, hummm.)
I leave you today with this statement-of-fact, (one which I am always astounded does not instantly WAKE UP any of those interested in this matter who who hear it!)
No one is “Asleep” until they HEAR that they are.
The through consideration of this one, 12 word comment would ultimately reveal to a person everything they need to know, and everything there IS to know about why some men hold a thought that says they are asleep, and why the thought saying that believes itself not to be.
Friends, do not let yourselves to fall victim to this delusion. You must be strong, and not allow the emotions of “wanting to wake up” to effect your, “decision making”.
Why should you give in to those feelings of wanting to know for yourself the answer to the simple question: “Whats with this “Me-being-alive” thing? No, no — dont let your passion for wanting to become un-idiotcized overcome your rational, better judgement.
Tis good you consulted with me in time to save yourself from all of this. It has been my pleasure to have been of assistance in this matter, (plus I can beat out that dent in you rear fender for an additional twenty bucks.)
Well, its really starting to get hot here; my keyboards beginning to steam, and I wanna run by Felas grave before heading on for Barbados.
Jan