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I can show you the self is not an illusion - ask those people to give you all of their possessions to someone else, the poor or some charity. Suddenly, they'll care about their well being above others and their eternal connection to everyone else is shattered.
The original article's title is misleading.
In this case, though, it's a bit hard because the article is cobbled from multiple sources that aren't all about the same thing.
Edit: we changed the URL from https://qz.com/1196408/scientists-studying-psilocybin-accide.... Turned out that its two most substantive mainstream sources were about the same study. They threw in a Ted talk and some Alan Watts and made a vague mash. My self either found this annoying or imagined that it did, so it changed the URL to one of the articles about the ongoing study.
The original article's title is misleading.
Suggested Title: Study with small sample size suggests that brief drug-induced mystical experiences change people over time, leading them to report better moods, heightened altruism and forgiveness, more closeness with others, and a sense of connection six months later
I can show you the self is not an illusion - ask those people to give you all of their possessions to someone else, the poor or some charity. Suddenly, they'll care about their well being above others and their eternal connection to everyone else is shattered.
That doesn't show the self is not an illusion. It could be an illusion that is widely believed.
It's written Chögyam Trungpa. Trungpa was Vajrayana school Buddhist. "Tibetan Zen Buddhism" does not exist. I'm sure there are individual Tibetans who are Zen Buddhists, but there is no Zen tradition in Tibet. Trungpa was also alcoholic, womanizer, sexually abused his students, cocaine user, ... and was able to get away with it because it was all 'crazy wisdom'.
Zen and Buddhism in general is full of people like Alan Watts and Trungpa. Both were highly intelligent, inspiring writers, and alcoholics who presented themselves as masters.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That doesn't show the self is not an illusion. It could be an illusion that is widely believed.
If the self is an illusion who is being fooled? (Obviously I experience things - scientific research showing that the self is complicated and many-faceted don't really serve to get rid of the idea...)
I can show you the self is not an illusion - ask those people to give you all of their possessions to someone else, the poor or some charity. Suddenly, they'll care about their well being above others and their eternal connection to everyone else is shattered.
In every case, if the proponents dutifully performed their beliefs, that would merely indicate they hold the belief, not that it is true.
I can show you the self is not an illusion - ask those people to give you all of their possessions to someone else, the poor or some charity. Suddenly, they'll care about their well being above others and their eternal connection to everyone else is shattered.
The most exciting part of these type of studies is the ability to take depressive people and ‘kick’ them out of the cognitive ruts they are in.
Those cognitive ruts are often world-views, thought structures and learned behaviours from childhood or their parents which constantly reinforce that the sufferer is worthless or stupid or unwanted etc.
In those world views, other people are often seen in very negative light - they’re critical, or assholes, or dangerous, or perhaps you’re so needy for love and attention that you endlessly see other people as your savior (and constantly make bad relationships as a result).
The idea that we just need love and kindness and selflessness and we’re all connected maaaan - that’s a childish interpretation. As is the idea that interconnectednesa and empathy falls apart in a realistic adult world of possessions and basic needs.
In the context of mental illness, being able to experience connectedness and heightened empathy might mean seeing other people for who they really are, not who they appear to be in your distorted worldview. It might mean realizing that other people are similar to you and you’re not alone in your struggle, or realizing that you can give support to someone else instead of constantly needing support from them. Sometimes breakthroughs like that take years in therapy, but might be achieved much more quickly using mushrooms.
Hope that helps dissolve the cynicism.
I've been listening to a lot of Adyashanti's talks and interviews lately. He's not saying anything substantially different from any other non-dual teacher is saying, though I find that he is very clear when he does speak about this. One of the things that come up is that the experience of "no-self" is different from "unity consciousness" and "identification with witness" though those are each awakenings and realizations someone might go through.
I wanted to note that because "no-self" is often confused with "unity consciousness", but what's clear from Adyashanti and some of the others is that the experience of a unity consciousness will still have a very subtle landing space, whereas "no self" doesn't even have that subtle self-referencing either.
Also, these people are experiencing "no-self" and "unity consciousness" as an integral part of their daily, ordinary experience, usually while simultaneously experiencing an individuated and relative sense of self. These are not altered consciousness in the sense that many psychonauts might speak of, or a one-time mystical or peak experience, and the experience itself is a lot simpler, if impossible to put into words.
>The Tibetan Zen Buddhist monk Chogyam Trongpa It's written Chögyam Trungpa. Trungpa was Vajrayana school Buddhist. "Tibetan Zen Buddhism" does not exist. I'm sure there are individual Tibetans who are Zen Buddhists, but there is no Zen tradition in Tibet. Trungpa was also alcoholic, womanizer, sexually abused his students, cocaine user, ... and was able to get away with it because it was all 'crazy wisdom'. Zen and…
Another way to look at it is something I've heard Adyashanti (another teacher) spoke about in an interview on batgap.com -- someone's relationship with their teacher is often a reflection of of their relationship with the whole of the spiritual search, whether that be idealization or cynicism, both responses to that searching for perfection.