Josef: But I do have the intent that I don’t ever want to feel miserable again. That I want to be in a good mood each and every moment again. I’ve seen how beneficial it is for myself and others when I am feeling good. But should I not start on this path unless I meet the strict definition of having pure intent? (…)
Claudiu: I don’t see why you couldn’t start to use the actualism method before having that clear connection. Feel good. When feeling good dips, use the tools, trace it back to when it happened, see why, etc. And this ensures more of a feeling good. And on it goes from there.
This will at some point result in having a PCE or finding pure intent/ pure intent becoming apparent. And that’s when it can really take off from there.
Josef seems to be mixing up two aspects of the actualism method – feeling good, i.e. enjoying and appreciating, and dismantling the social identity, especially its moral (good and bad) and ethical (right and wrong) principles designed to curb the instinctual passions.
However, particularly given that he had a PCE in October 2022 (Josef: “ … sensuous appreciation. But the key aspect for me was time. Past and future were completely gone and it felt like I could stay in this moment forever”) it should not be a problem recognizing/ rememorating pure intent, and then tying a golden clew to the distinct flavour of this “new way of experiencing”.
Claudiu: I’m having difficulty putting it into words exactly what I mean. When you are guided by pure intent, you do end up unilaterally dismantling all the socializing and conditioning etc, via giving yourself permission to have it happen.
As you would know from experience, “dismantling all the socializing and conditioning” doesn’t happen on its own just because ‘you’ give yourself permission. It happens when you look for whichever belief, strategy, principle, social control, etc. triggered a diminishment in feeling excellent and investigate it, understand it, apperceptively see it, and thus cause it to fall away.
Claudiu: And it is a happy and harmless dismantling (both together). I just don’t see how you can successfully do it without pure intent, though. Maybe I’d put it that you can start, and make good headway, but you will always be limited until you do find pure intent, get a flavor of it, learn how to allow it, etc. But the point isn’t that it’s a limitation per se, like you have to wait until it happens, but rather something you can actively gear yourself towards, find that connection sooner rather than later!
What you think, Vineeto ? (link)
Yes, this is a good way to put it. Feeling being ‘Vineeto’ didn’t wait until she fully and in detail understood what the “actually occurring stream of benevolence and benignity” was – ‘she’ rememorated ‘her’ major PCE and read Richard’s writing with this basic experiential understanding in mind. ‘She’ also made a point to write in this rememorative flavour of the PCE.
In fact, as you pointed out last year (link), I had to correct the term pure intent in many cases to ‘sincere intent’ to be more accurate in ‘her’ reporting. However, with the memory of the PCE in the background the “wayward self” had less and less chance to inadvertently create harm for myself or others when dismantling the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ rules of society yet sensibly following the legal requirements of the country I live in. It is very easy when one becomes more and more anonymous.
Here is how Devika described it in Richard’s Journal –
“These days I feel anonymous. Psychologically speaking, I no longer belong, I no longer believe, I no longer obey, I no longer conform and I no longer know my place. I have no sense of social identity. Without a sense of social identity, the emotions and passions needed to guard it are no longer necessary. Neither applying a palliative nor attempting to escape, I have instead eliminated the ‘Human Constitution’ in myself.” (Richard’s Journal, 2004, Page 206).
A bit further down in the Journal Devika, temporarily reappearing from having fallen in love, has a conversation with Richard how she experiences intimacy with her fellow human beings. It is a fascinating conversation, so I published it on the website here for everyone’s enjoyment and information. (Richard, Selected Writings, Intimacy).
Cheers Vineeto