>James: Thanks for the reminder that altruism comes at the end. I need to completely review ‘How to become af.’ (link)
Hi James,
The most significant suggestion is, of course, to enjoy and appreciate being alive. A way to allow naiveté is to allow yourself to be in a good mood, which can be brought about by not courting either ‘good’ or bad feelings. It doesn’t need to be sustained with mental energy or guardedness – the simple absence of ‘good’ or bad feelings is sufficient. The cleanness and freshness of simply enjoying being here allows layers of enjoyment and appreciation you weren’t aware of before. It’s delicious.
When you are in such a good mood, it is worthwhile contemplating what Richard explained about being here at this place now in this very moment. It’s the quickest way to experientially understand what an actual freedom is like.
Richard: With no ‘I’ to mess things up you will understand apperceptively that physically, and thus factually, this actual universe has no ‘inside’ as there is no ‘outside’. Therefore there is no centre (no middle) and thus, with infinity, somewhere as a place is no ‘where’ (nowhere) in particular. There is no measurement possible with infinite space, for there is no reference point (an edge) to compare against. Living on planet earth, humans measure space in comparison to the localised distance between here and there. It is this measurement that is relative, not the universe. ‘Here’ is, as a fact, anywhere in infinity.
So is it too with time. As there is no beginning and end to time, there is no middle. ‘Now’ as a fixed point has no ‘when’ (nowhen) in particular (it is whenever we humans agree to make it). There is no measurement possible in eternity, for there is no reference point (before a beginning) to compare against. Living on the planet earth in localised daylight and darkness, humans measure time in comparison to the period between now and then. It is this measurement that is relative, not time. Just as ‘here’ is anywhere in infinity, so too is ‘now’ anywhen in eternity.
Thus, just as we humans living on this planet are moving from nowhere to anywhere in infinite space, so too are we coming from nowhen and proceeding to anywhen in time. As it is any measurement that is relative, not the substance of space and time, consequently, when ‘I’, the psychological entity called the self, disappears as a measurer (a reference point), measurement ceases to be a reality and the actual becomes apparent. Then, and only then, is one being alive here as an actuality in space and living now as an actuality in time.
None of us are coming from somewhere or going anywhere for we are always here and it is already now. We are never not here and it is never not now. Where else could we be but here? When we move from ‘here’ to ‘there’, as we are moving we are always here … and when we arrive ‘there’, we are here. Similarly when else could it be but now? As we wait for ‘then’ to become ‘now’, while we are waiting it is always now … and when ‘then’ arrives, it is now.
Being alive is ambrosial, to say the least. (Richard, List A, No. 16, #No. 17).
Enjoy.
Cheers Vineeto