Thank you dear Rabbi for reminding me that each experience is an opportunity for spiritual growth--even grief. Today I was heartbroken by someone whom I thought was a friend but turned out to be a deceitful liar. And yet, I stand with my values and spirit sad but very intact. And somehow I have to trust in G-d that the lesson of today will eventually be unfolded for my understanding.
Dr. Quinn did a superb job writing this essay. I found it very comforting and I hope she will see these comments touting her for what she wrong. I really needed what she said today.
You are most welcome. So many of us unaffiliated spiritual people do need to have some guidance and understanding at times and your essay did it for me. Helped me recover faster.
Speaking of “bashing your head against the wall,” I just the other day read of the legend that upon meeting his teacher, Shams Tabrizi, the entire load of scholarly books that Rumi was carrying burst into flames!
And speaking of a lifetime of wisdom in Rumi’s writings, here’s one that is worth more in terms of understanding the philosophy of science than any 50 living philosophers:
“In a sense, the entire Koran is teaching nothing, from beginning to end, but abandonment of belief in phenomenal causation.”
(Or to put it in much more simple, religious language, “All is done through the Will of Allah.”)
Or as Christ says in the opening of the 3rd chapter of “The Imitation of Christ,” “Behold all things as they are in Truth…. Flowing forth from my Being.”
For the neuroscientist in you and in all of us, the default mode of the brain, for the average non-meditator, might better be referred to as “mind wandering, out of control mode.”
And for many of us, another neuroscientific term, “Task positive mode,” might better be simply described as “tense, taut control mode.’
But when we take neuroscientist Amishi Jha’s advice to “drop the story and come to our senses,” we find the mind chatter dies down considerably, and we discover a new more intuitive way of guiding rather than controlling our mind and emotions and body.
Or, rather, we find we are guided by a most gentle intuitive sense, which may slowly open to a sense of all-pervading Presence, coming more and more to a recognition of the eternal Tao, That “in which we live and move and have our Being.”
Thank you dear Rabbi for reminding me that each experience is an opportunity for spiritual growth--even grief. Today I was heartbroken by someone whom I thought was a friend but turned out to be a deceitful liar. And yet, I stand with my values and spirit sad but very intact. And somehow I have to trust in G-d that the lesson of today will eventually be unfolded for my understanding.
TY Billie, this was misattributed to me but was actually written by Dr. Laleh Quinn.
Thank you for passing my comment on to Dr. Quinn.
Dr. Quinn did a superb job writing this essay. I found it very comforting and I hope she will see these comments touting her for what she wrong. I really needed what she said today.
Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m so happy the essay was helpful to you today!
You are most welcome. So many of us unaffiliated spiritual people do need to have some guidance and understanding at times and your essay did it for me. Helped me recover faster.
One of your absolute best!
Speaking of “bashing your head against the wall,” I just the other day read of the legend that upon meeting his teacher, Shams Tabrizi, the entire load of scholarly books that Rumi was carrying burst into flames!
And speaking of a lifetime of wisdom in Rumi’s writings, here’s one that is worth more in terms of understanding the philosophy of science than any 50 living philosophers:
“In a sense, the entire Koran is teaching nothing, from beginning to end, but abandonment of belief in phenomenal causation.”
(Or to put it in much more simple, religious language, “All is done through the Will of Allah.”)
Just to clarify this was written by Laleh Quinn. I agree a great piece!
Or as Christ says in the opening of the 3rd chapter of “The Imitation of Christ,” “Behold all things as they are in Truth…. Flowing forth from my Being.”
For the neuroscientist in you and in all of us, the default mode of the brain, for the average non-meditator, might better be referred to as “mind wandering, out of control mode.”
And for many of us, another neuroscientific term, “Task positive mode,” might better be simply described as “tense, taut control mode.’
But when we take neuroscientist Amishi Jha’s advice to “drop the story and come to our senses,” we find the mind chatter dies down considerably, and we discover a new more intuitive way of guiding rather than controlling our mind and emotions and body.
Or, rather, we find we are guided by a most gentle intuitive sense, which may slowly open to a sense of all-pervading Presence, coming more and more to a recognition of the eternal Tao, That “in which we live and move and have our Being.”