the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

origami_itto wrote:How does one know when one passes from thinking to overthinking?

Difficulty in focusing on one simple thing for any length of time, often due to a continuous obsession with the minutiae of unnecessary and/or irrelevant details leading the mind on tangent lines of thought, is usually a good clue.

wayne hansen wrote:Easier to be balanced in a mad world than an isolated cave

That's undoubtedly why spiritual adepts of all traditions throughout the world have historically withdrawn, alone, to remote wilderness locations in mountains, forests, and deserts to pursue their respective practices away from the many distractions of secular society.

Also why people breakdown in solitary confinement

wayne hansen wrote:Also why people breakdown in solitary confinement

C'mon, man! Although that's undoubtedly true, it's a straw man analogy at best, since free will personal choice clearly isn't an option for inmates in any prison facility.

Additionally, the involuntary incarceration of convicted criminals in solitary confinement usually involves a far different type of person, with a much different mindset, than those who voluntarily withdraw from society at large in order to pursue eremitic spiritual practices. Go figure, eh?

Watch an episode of Alone

wayne hansen wrote:Watch an episode of Alone

Those contestants made a voluntary choice to subject themselves to that experience, just as the spiritual hermit or religious anchorite does, and can similarly choose to end the experience at any time. Again, prison inmates can't choose to end their solitary confinement incarceration whenever they want to.

In any case, this is a separate topic which has little if anything to do with Extrasensory Situational Awareness.

It would, however, be interesting to know if the silence of the solitary experience in any of these scenarios affects the individual's intuitive sensitivity and awareness.

Doc Stier wrote:It would, however, be interesting to know if the silence of the solitary experience in any of these scenarios affects the individual's intuitive sensitivity and awareness.

The five colors blind the eye, right?

Not quite isolation, but military basic training can be a bit monastic. At the end of my air force boot camp we went out to the San Antonio Riverwalk. I was sitting at a low table at Hooters when I felt intense heat on the back of my neck. It was the ass of a waitress in tiny shorts about 20 feet away...

origami_itto wrote:

Doc Stier wrote:It would, however, be interesting to know if the silence of the solitary experience in any of these scenarios affects the individual's intuitive sensitivity and awareness.

The five colors blind the eye, right?

Undisciplined mental activity is much more likely to blind the eye. Regardless of one's personal circumstances, whether alone or in a crowd, a mentally calm and quiet conscious mind is better able to intuitively receive and respond to subtle extrasensory phenomenon than a busy conscious mind, because it allows one to be more fully present in the moment.

Unfortunately, few individuals possess such personal presence. Instead, they are constantly thinking about their past experiences or their imagined future experiences, and are thereby often oblivious to whatever is actually happening around them in the present moment.

Be Here Now!

Doc Stier wrote:

origami_itto wrote:

Doc Stier wrote:It would, however, be interesting to know if the silence of the solitary experience in any of these scenarios affects the individual's intuitive sensitivity and awareness.

The five colors blind the eye, right?

Undisciplined mental activity is much more likely to blind the eye. Regardless of one's personal circumstances, whether alone or in a crowd, a mentally calm and quiet conscious mind is better able to intuitively receive and respond to subtle extrasensory phenomenon than a busy conscious mind, because it allows one to be more fully present in the moment.

Unfortunately, few individuals possess such personal presence. Instead, they are constantly thinking about their past experiences or their imagined future experiences, and are thereby often oblivious to whatever is actually happening around them in the present moment.

Be Here Now!

We poor undisciplined blind men sometimes touch a tiny bit of presence.

It's difficult. We have to shed the prejudice we place on what the world shows us and accept it for what it is rather than how our insecurities frame information to better protect our ego. Past, future, or present, if we're working with maya we need to acknowledge it and rigorously question what our teaching is serving.

I'm probably overthinking it though.

Still, the ability to analyze, break down, and communicate the details of complex systems in ways within which those of lesser knowledge can find value is a highly commodifiable skill. There is no phenomenon which can't be better understood through the process.

But the strength of a bicep doesn't depend on knowledge of stem cell functionality, so it's pointless for most, isn't it? Get your gains, don't sweet the details, King.

"...the ability to analyze, break down, and communicate the details of complex systems in ways within which those of lesser knowledge can find value is a highly commodifiable skill. There is no phenomenon which can't be better understood through the process."

ESP phenomenon are a manifestation of the deeper subconscious mind, which is by its essential nature simple, unthinking, unreasoning, non-analytical, and non-judgmental.

Thus, any attempts to better understand such phenomenon through the deliberate exercise of a focused intellect in the conscious mind is ultimately doomed to failure, in my experience, but please feel free to carry on as you are. ymmv.

I just returned from my forest shade,(finished micro sewage treatment plant), goin` pack some instruments and brushes, and sit there for more than 3 months.
It isn`t eremite`s cave , `cause I have nice bathroom and sometimes can hear barking dogs from nearest village (3km thru the forest duck), but you can be alone between woods if you wish.
There will be a lot of pulling, twisting and pushing a trees and hopefully time for standing

Why "old schools" advocate hermitage not a city main square?
It is quite obvious, in my opinion :
Opening for receiving extrasensory info is really overwhelming experience, it may happen on the main square too, sure
but
in the 2nd case - chance for you to learn how to translate/use them are close to 0.
Kinda of standard learning curve. Easier to learn how to deal with one punch 1st, not the "master`s combo" .

wiesiek wrote:I just returned from my forest shade,(finished micro sewage treatment plant), goin` pack some instruments and brushes, and sit there for more than 3 months.
It isn`t eremite`s cave , `cause I have nice bathroom and sometimes can hear barking dogs from nearest village (3km thru the forest duck), but you can be alone between woods if you wish.
There will be a lot of pulling, twisting and pushing a trees and hopefully time for standing

Why "old schools" advocate hermitage not a city main square?
It is quite obvious, in my opinion :
Opening for receiving extrasensory info is really overwhelming experience, it may happen on the main square too, sure
but
in the 2nd case - chance for you to learn how to translate/use them are close to 0.
Kinda of standard learning curve. Easier to learn how to deal with one punch 1st, not the "master`s combo" .

Your 'retreat' site sounds nice. Enjoy it while you can.

You make some good points. Those who live amongst many people usually find themselves living in the service of many people, in one way or another, and are constantly bombarded with the thoughts and demands of others.

The hermit chooses to eliminate such distractions by withdrawing to a solitary location in which they can devote their time and efforts to their own self-cultivation and Self-Realization. It's an effective method which has been validated in the cumulative experiences of countless generations of spiritual adepts throughout the world.

wayne hansen wrote:
Easier to be balanced in a mad world than an isolated cave

Not for those who are actively participating in the creation of that world