Compassion=Context
Compassion—being defined as the ability, to not only understand another person's predicament, but to empathize with it—is dependent on the level of detail and surrounding context that is available. So lack of compassion results from a limited perspective and contextual understanding—or, put another way, not enough detail and a insufficient contextual gasp of a given situation. Gaining context and a wider perspective then will always result in increased compassion as long as the level of detail is not lost. If the level of detail is lost as you move to a broader and more inclusive perspective on a given situation, then you will only be substituting one scale for another scale. What this means is that cruelty is the result of not seeing broadly and clearly enough. There is no nasty or negative attitude that can hold in the face of more context, greater detail, deeper understanding.
The Two
All of a sudden Alistair Lyons was before them—one black and the other utterly white. They stood side-by-side, erect as ramrods, with globular heads and eyes that penetrated deep into him. Their eyes seemed to sink into an infinite vacuum of space below his consciousness and swap information about him. The black one examined him with what he could only describe as an intense disinterest, while the white one seemed almost on the verge of an emotional collapse at the sight of him.
“We will not harm you,” said the white one. After it spoke, he realized that its lips had not moved—that it had used telepathy.
“Be a tame point of consciousness,” advised the black one. This time he saw lips move, and the voice was not soft like that of the white one, but mechanical, obfuscated, it seemed, by some great difficulty of communication.
Alistair stood before them stunned. Only an instant earlier he had been preparing for bed. Now he was in a circular grey room, confronted by the strangest sight he had ever seen. His rational mind kept telling him to relax, to ride out the dream, while a deeper and more troubling voice inside him said that he was somewhere between dreams and reality, and that reality was actually relative—"yes," it said, "where you are at the moment is what is real." As he looked at them, he found his gaze returning most often to the face of the white one. Although bereft of any human-like features, it was a face that radiated complete caring…it was totally disarmed…and concerned…about everything. Looking at the face of the black one was more like looking into an abyss. It was not frightening so much as overwhelming, dizzying, requiring him to remind himself who he was for fear of forgetting everything.
“You are brave,” came the voice of the white one.
“He controls his fear with more fear,” said the black one.
“Would you like to learn what you are?” asked the white one.
There was something terrifying to Alistair about this gently worded question. He felt like a child being asked if he wanted to go up to the attic in a haunted house. His composure disappeared. He had long sensed an inhospitable landscape within him, something that shunned people but had been bent into a reticent and polite figure by socializing pressures. If not for those pressures, he wondered what he might have been capable of doing in this life just to have peace, to be left alone.
“He is not ready,” said the black one, metallically. “We have entered the continuum to soon.”
“He is ready,” came the voice of the white one.
“Let me go back,” said Alistair, feeling now like he had taken a terrible misstep that he could never retrace. Suddenly he realized that the white one was standing next to him, and with its presence cam a warm balm. All the tension in his muscles was drained and his mind rose higher on a windstorm of compassion. He felt as if he knew the being standing next to him, that he had known it for all eternity across the jagged pattern of a thousand lifetimes. Now he began to understand why he was being offered a glance as his inner self. He was being given a chance to take a giant leap forward…he was being shown mercy.
“Yes,” Alistair said, “show me.”
With that the black one appeared squarely in front of him. Alistair’s eyes were directly aligned with its eyes. Startled but buoyed by the energy of the white one, Alistair sank his gaze directly into the pitch-black orbs. He felt his awareness travel deep inside the eyes, into a blackness previously unknown to him. Despite the lack of concern he had felt from the black one, he now realized that the blackness was itself warm, populated with unlimited possibility—it was the birthing hole for existence. This was what lay at the heart of all experience—renewal, endless change, nothing was condemned, there was no need to forgive, all was completely as it should be…and still he went deeper….infinity stopped the mind in all directions, allowing only the awareness to continue like a naked child hurling through the dark….
Topics
Humility
"Humility is a prerequisite for advancement of spiritual understanding. Each surge forward in spiritual growth must be accompanied by a corresponding strengthening of humility. But it is important to understand that humility is not equivalent to a debasement of the self. Those who self-flagellate show a lack of understanding of their larger importance. That kind of self-debasement is the flipside of arrogance. Humility arises out of an egoless deepening of understanding. Humility exists only when a decision is made to remain open to new insights without an ulterior motive. When one does not seek knowledge to aggrandize the self, but only to be of greater use to the very forces that uplift all, then one can be humble. The purest form of humility, which can only be alluded to here, is the source of much beauty in the universe."
Awakening
"I am talking about an awakening process, more than one of information accumulation."
Hierarchy
"The structure of the so-called spiritual hierarchy is not in itself important. If you must think of the universe as hierarchical, then understand that the hierarchy bears no resemblance to the power-based and authoritative structures man has erected here. The weight of responsibly is felt more profoundly within the upper echelons, and that responsibility is also more welcomed there. Within the upper echelons is also a deeper understanding of the illusory nature of the hierarchy, as those who have attained higher levels of understanding have a correspondingly enhanced sense of humility and see themselves as a foundation that supports the less advanced levels as they strive for spiritual growth--they see themselves as servants. There is no order of importance."
The Goal
"The goal of the earth incarnation is to attain a state of complete selfless compassion that is both pre and post-thought, and which is felt to the very core. Pure selflessness is an absolute position that need not compromise, experiences no doubt, and will—in all instances and without calculation—act in the best interest of the whole. Action is the oft-ignored second half of compassion."
Action
"Pure action requires an exquisite sensitivity to the moment and to one’s intentions. All outcomes must be sensed within the present moment in order for useful action to arise. Our actions are like pebbles we toss into a lake: one must be able to anticipate the ripples the stone will cause before the stone even leaves the hand. It is not necessary to intellectually foresee all outcomes of a given action across time and space (these are illusory anyway), but only to sense the patterns of the ripples they will create in advance. This can be done because the energy pattern of an action’s outcome is always already contained within the energy used to execute it."
Undivided Energy
"The separation of energies is illusory. It makes no more sense to say that a single wave is separate from the ocean it moves on. Denser energies may seem separated from those that are less dense, but this is an illusion rooted entirely in perception and the mind-state. With this understanding comes a greater sense of one’s responsibility to the whole. "
The Lessons of the Body
"The body is sensitive to our intent and the energies that intent creates. If the organism can be “tuned into," and we become sensitive to its permutations, then we can receive guidance from the body. The effect that our intent has on our body is parallel to the effects—at the subtle energy level—that it has on the world and, ultimately, the greater universe. Physical symptoms can indicate the predominance of harmful energies, or a need for energy recalibration. With great sensitivity, the intent can be calibrated against these sensations, and thereby focussed away from negativity. It is not necessary to decide if the negative energy originates from within or without, but only to take responsibility for the energies that you are home to."
Seeking
"There is a trap hidden in the desire to seek spiritual wisdom. The seeking can itself become a pleasurable activity, a self-sustaining loop which seeks not fundamentally to attain spiritual insights, but is mainly concerned with perpetuating itself. Spiritual insight can be joyous, but it is also always sobering, drawing one inward and away from superficial pleasure. With true spiritual development must come an increased sense of responsibility, and the need to set down the various toys of the mind if they have become detriments. "
Atheism
"Atheism can be a stage in spiritual development, but like any stage, it is possible to become stuck there. If the mind closes down and comes to rest at the stage of atheism (which is only a negation and nothing more), the issue of one’s inner nature will have been consciously pushed aside. But atheism can also serve as a blank slate in the process of spiritual development. The accumulated doctrine of organized religion is swept aside by the truly atheistic point of view. If the atheist is then willing—at some later point—to re-examine his or her views, this blank slate can become a springboard for spiritual development—an uncluttered room in which the right furniture can be arranged. Atheism, then, is not in itself a negative stance, although, in time, it may become a breeding ground for the perpetuation of negative energies in some."
Dimensions
"Dimensions can be compared to building blocks. The more you have, the more energy forms will be possible (and the more complex they can be). It is important to realize, however, that the way that the bocks are assembled is tied to intent.
When moving from one dimension to a higher one, it will be observed that what were contradictions or paradoxes within the lower level can exist together without contradiction at the higher one, as more context will be available. So what are genuine paradoxes at one level will be liberated and freed into a fuller meaning at the higher level. Furthermore, the speed at which energy transmutes as a result of intent is seemingly quicker at higher dimensions. The increase in speed (which is relative) will itself increase as you move higher, until there is no division between intent and manifestation—this is the realm of pure love. "
Fear
"Fear is artificial. There is no substance to it. Fear is the product of time, and positioning the ego in relation to events in time."
The Language of the Present Moment
"With time the awareness can be trained to experience what is without the distortions of the mind getting in the way. If you are able to train your mind to sit still for an extended period of time, the present moment will open up to you by degrees. By quieting the mind and maintaining the focus on the entirety of phenomena arising in the present moment, we allow ourselves to hear the language of the present, of what is. If you can train the attention to take in the entirety of present sense phenomena—while keeping the mind and its thought stream in focus without grasping—you will begin to hear the language of reality spoken in full sentences, rather than the single letters that the mind is able to interpret. Of course, grasping at these full “sentences” with the mind will immediately pull you out of the present."
The Dark Self
"Do not seek safety from the darker regions of the self, for such safety is illusory. Dealing with these dark regions is what you are here to do. Own what you are, but show compassion towards the self. This is what it means to take responsibility for your authenticity and the blockages that hinder the flow of love outwards. Above all understand that fear of the darker regions of the self is avoidance of responsibility. Eventually these energies will need to be faced."
Observing Nature
"Spend time observing nature, being in nature. There is nothing that the awareness cannot remember about the fundamental nature of existence from simply being in nature. Natural objects reject their human-given names more easily than any man-made object. The natural world exudes—even in its most violent moments—an energy of complete union, fluid interchange. "
Lessons at Night
"Much important work in done in the time of sleep. When the personality and its karma operate in the fully self-generated universe of dreams, challenges and important lessons are highlighted. "
"Humility is a prerequisite for advancement of spiritual understanding. Each surge forward in spiritual growth must be accompanied by a corresponding strengthening of humility. But it is important to understand that humility is not equivalent to a debasement of the self. Those who self-flagellate show a lack of understanding of their larger importance. That kind of self-debasement is the flipside of arrogance. Humility arises out of an egoless deepening of understanding. Humility exists only when a decision is made to remain open to new insights without an ulterior motive. When one does not seek knowledge to aggrandize the self, but only to be of greater use to the very forces that uplift all, then one can be humble. The purest form of humility, which can only be alluded to here, is the source of much beauty in the universe."
Awakening
"I am talking about an awakening process, more than one of information accumulation."
Hierarchy
"The structure of the so-called spiritual hierarchy is not in itself important. If you must think of the universe as hierarchical, then understand that the hierarchy bears no resemblance to the power-based and authoritative structures man has erected here. The weight of responsibly is felt more profoundly within the upper echelons, and that responsibility is also more welcomed there. Within the upper echelons is also a deeper understanding of the illusory nature of the hierarchy, as those who have attained higher levels of understanding have a correspondingly enhanced sense of humility and see themselves as a foundation that supports the less advanced levels as they strive for spiritual growth--they see themselves as servants. There is no order of importance."
The Goal
"The goal of the earth incarnation is to attain a state of complete selfless compassion that is both pre and post-thought, and which is felt to the very core. Pure selflessness is an absolute position that need not compromise, experiences no doubt, and will—in all instances and without calculation—act in the best interest of the whole. Action is the oft-ignored second half of compassion."
Action
"Pure action requires an exquisite sensitivity to the moment and to one’s intentions. All outcomes must be sensed within the present moment in order for useful action to arise. Our actions are like pebbles we toss into a lake: one must be able to anticipate the ripples the stone will cause before the stone even leaves the hand. It is not necessary to intellectually foresee all outcomes of a given action across time and space (these are illusory anyway), but only to sense the patterns of the ripples they will create in advance. This can be done because the energy pattern of an action’s outcome is always already contained within the energy used to execute it."
Undivided Energy
"The separation of energies is illusory. It makes no more sense to say that a single wave is separate from the ocean it moves on. Denser energies may seem separated from those that are less dense, but this is an illusion rooted entirely in perception and the mind-state. With this understanding comes a greater sense of one’s responsibility to the whole. "
The Lessons of the Body
"The body is sensitive to our intent and the energies that intent creates. If the organism can be “tuned into," and we become sensitive to its permutations, then we can receive guidance from the body. The effect that our intent has on our body is parallel to the effects—at the subtle energy level—that it has on the world and, ultimately, the greater universe. Physical symptoms can indicate the predominance of harmful energies, or a need for energy recalibration. With great sensitivity, the intent can be calibrated against these sensations, and thereby focussed away from negativity. It is not necessary to decide if the negative energy originates from within or without, but only to take responsibility for the energies that you are home to."
Seeking
"There is a trap hidden in the desire to seek spiritual wisdom. The seeking can itself become a pleasurable activity, a self-sustaining loop which seeks not fundamentally to attain spiritual insights, but is mainly concerned with perpetuating itself. Spiritual insight can be joyous, but it is also always sobering, drawing one inward and away from superficial pleasure. With true spiritual development must come an increased sense of responsibility, and the need to set down the various toys of the mind if they have become detriments. "
Atheism
"Atheism can be a stage in spiritual development, but like any stage, it is possible to become stuck there. If the mind closes down and comes to rest at the stage of atheism (which is only a negation and nothing more), the issue of one’s inner nature will have been consciously pushed aside. But atheism can also serve as a blank slate in the process of spiritual development. The accumulated doctrine of organized religion is swept aside by the truly atheistic point of view. If the atheist is then willing—at some later point—to re-examine his or her views, this blank slate can become a springboard for spiritual development—an uncluttered room in which the right furniture can be arranged. Atheism, then, is not in itself a negative stance, although, in time, it may become a breeding ground for the perpetuation of negative energies in some."
Dimensions
"Dimensions can be compared to building blocks. The more you have, the more energy forms will be possible (and the more complex they can be). It is important to realize, however, that the way that the bocks are assembled is tied to intent.
When moving from one dimension to a higher one, it will be observed that what were contradictions or paradoxes within the lower level can exist together without contradiction at the higher one, as more context will be available. So what are genuine paradoxes at one level will be liberated and freed into a fuller meaning at the higher level. Furthermore, the speed at which energy transmutes as a result of intent is seemingly quicker at higher dimensions. The increase in speed (which is relative) will itself increase as you move higher, until there is no division between intent and manifestation—this is the realm of pure love. "
Fear
"Fear is artificial. There is no substance to it. Fear is the product of time, and positioning the ego in relation to events in time."
The Language of the Present Moment
"With time the awareness can be trained to experience what is without the distortions of the mind getting in the way. If you are able to train your mind to sit still for an extended period of time, the present moment will open up to you by degrees. By quieting the mind and maintaining the focus on the entirety of phenomena arising in the present moment, we allow ourselves to hear the language of the present, of what is. If you can train the attention to take in the entirety of present sense phenomena—while keeping the mind and its thought stream in focus without grasping—you will begin to hear the language of reality spoken in full sentences, rather than the single letters that the mind is able to interpret. Of course, grasping at these full “sentences” with the mind will immediately pull you out of the present."
The Dark Self
"Do not seek safety from the darker regions of the self, for such safety is illusory. Dealing with these dark regions is what you are here to do. Own what you are, but show compassion towards the self. This is what it means to take responsibility for your authenticity and the blockages that hinder the flow of love outwards. Above all understand that fear of the darker regions of the self is avoidance of responsibility. Eventually these energies will need to be faced."
Observing Nature
"Spend time observing nature, being in nature. There is nothing that the awareness cannot remember about the fundamental nature of existence from simply being in nature. Natural objects reject their human-given names more easily than any man-made object. The natural world exudes—even in its most violent moments—an energy of complete union, fluid interchange. "
Lessons at Night
"Much important work in done in the time of sleep. When the personality and its karma operate in the fully self-generated universe of dreams, challenges and important lessons are highlighted. "
Guru Dialogues -- Responsibility and Mind
s-Recently you were talking about responsibility, and how that relates to spirituality. You seemed to be saying that, in a way, they are the same thing. Can you explain that a bit more?
g-Sure. What I have tried to explain is that responsibility—and I am talking about a self-sustained and unshakable sense of responsibility—is an important aspect of mature spirituality. When someone feels truly responsible there is no division between the self and the world, because that deep sense of responsibility resides at the very heart of one’s perception and action. True responsibility means not mentally delimiting the scope of your involvement with the world or with the self. You accept all of it as falling within your domain and put up no barriers. You feel very deeply that you—the essence of you—are fundamentally connected to everything that is. You understand that there is no loving or nasty deed that is utterly foreign to you. You also take responsibility internally for anything you feel or think. Every greedy thought, every ounce of nastiness, fear, as well as every kind or loving thought you have. You accept responsibility for all of it and then you engage it constructively. You become active. Imagine how the world would be transformed if everyone were responsible in that way.
s-That sounds to me like assuming a lot of guilt for things that you haven’t done.
g-Guilt is a choice, a position, and that is another subject altogether, but, yes, there is a heaviness that is a natural part of accepting such a great load. But understand that the heaviness is more than counterbalanced by the awareness that you are also—at a fundamental level—tied to the great, loving deeds of mankind. So all you are doing is expanding, without limit, the scope of what you are taking responsibility for. Instead of just the standard personal triumphs and shames, you are taking on all triumphs and shames.
s-So you’re saying that I shouldn’t feel guilty for any single act in my past?
g-If you decide to feel guilty for any one act and direct your attention there, then you are making a decision to fixate on the memory of one past deed, and so you have shrunk your realm of responsibility again. Then you are ignoring the good, the love, and the compassion that is also in evidence everywhere you look, inside or outside yourself. There is a difference between learning from our actions and suffocating ourselves with them. It is the same if you are continually comforting yourself with past actions that you feel were commendable, and writing yourself blank cheques in the present with them. In both cases you have taken your eye off the ball. The past is the past and the future is the future. What you have done or think you will do are of no consequence to the decisions you can make NOW.
g-Sure. What I have tried to explain is that responsibility—and I am talking about a self-sustained and unshakable sense of responsibility—is an important aspect of mature spirituality. When someone feels truly responsible there is no division between the self and the world, because that deep sense of responsibility resides at the very heart of one’s perception and action. True responsibility means not mentally delimiting the scope of your involvement with the world or with the self. You accept all of it as falling within your domain and put up no barriers. You feel very deeply that you—the essence of you—are fundamentally connected to everything that is. You understand that there is no loving or nasty deed that is utterly foreign to you. You also take responsibility internally for anything you feel or think. Every greedy thought, every ounce of nastiness, fear, as well as every kind or loving thought you have. You accept responsibility for all of it and then you engage it constructively. You become active. Imagine how the world would be transformed if everyone were responsible in that way.
s-That sounds to me like assuming a lot of guilt for things that you haven’t done.
g-Guilt is a choice, a position, and that is another subject altogether, but, yes, there is a heaviness that is a natural part of accepting such a great load. But understand that the heaviness is more than counterbalanced by the awareness that you are also—at a fundamental level—tied to the great, loving deeds of mankind. So all you are doing is expanding, without limit, the scope of what you are taking responsibility for. Instead of just the standard personal triumphs and shames, you are taking on all triumphs and shames.
s-So you’re saying that I shouldn’t feel guilty for any single act in my past?
g-If you decide to feel guilty for any one act and direct your attention there, then you are making a decision to fixate on the memory of one past deed, and so you have shrunk your realm of responsibility again. Then you are ignoring the good, the love, and the compassion that is also in evidence everywhere you look, inside or outside yourself. There is a difference between learning from our actions and suffocating ourselves with them. It is the same if you are continually comforting yourself with past actions that you feel were commendable, and writing yourself blank cheques in the present with them. In both cases you have taken your eye off the ball. The past is the past and the future is the future. What you have done or think you will do are of no consequence to the decisions you can make NOW.
s-To take responsibility for everything, don’t you have to know everything?
g-To know everything consciously, in the mind, with thoughts, with memory? No, that is neither possible, nor would it be useful. Instead you are sensing and fundamentally grasping the state of the world and the self as it is. You can do this because there is actually no division between yourself and the world. The division lies only in perspective.
s-There it is again. You often put down the mind and thoughts. I don’t understand why you think that thoughts are useless.
g-Useless is not a word I would use. Thinking can be useful, but understand that much of the dysfunction that you see in the world today has come out of an excessive fixation on thought, logic, on the rational, the material, that which can be measured. This is powered by a fear of the unknown, loss of control, which is itself a quirk of the mind. So what has happened, then? We have rationalized ourselves en mass away from the truth that sits patiently inside each of us, which is not knowable in the way that the circumference of a circle is knowable. This truth requires us to wake up and out of the constant thought stream of the mind. Unless we can do that, we remain unconscious to the inner reality, which—paradoxically it will seem—is also the outer reality. We’ll talk more about that another time.
s-Thanks.
g-Thank you.
The Shambolic Mind - Entry 1
Maybe it’s the information that’s getting to me. Certainly there’s way too much of it. The information is even coming at me from everyday appliances—my overused toaster is telling me things I’d rather not know about my eating habits, my vacuous fridge is a constant rebuke to bachelor life. Its creaking door and cavernous echo is like a one-two punch joke told over and over by an aging comedian. When I walk outside, the city air brings yet more information. It carries the fallout of science right to my nose, the bouquets of pollutants generated by chemical reactions in nearby industrial valleys. What is a man supposed to do when he wants to just turn off? The modern citizen is either defeated by the information, or must learn to surf it. He must bob on the tide of bulletins, news briefs, memos, mission statements, apocalyptic warnings, dictator declarations, friendly advice, constructive and deconstructive criticism, late night sports scores, market analyses, spurious spam, monsoon warnings, the telltale headaches and abdominal pains, the little voice in his head cheering for his ruin, and the other more fulsome voice, telling him anything is possible, telling him to haul his little load of misery to the trash like a grownup.
Mind, Ego, Time, Space....Division
This, I think, is the essence of Krishnamurti's teachings:
The mind operates through division, which is the same thing as quantification. This is its fundamental activity. Every other activity of the mind--such as measurement or analysis--flows from division and is dependant upon division. Everything that the mind generates/perceives is as a result of that basic isolating, dividing or quantifying action. Anything that the mind cannot determine the limits of—anything that it calls "infinite"—also cannot be held in the mind and manipulated. That which cannot be quantified is essentially outside the capabilities of the mind and therefore useless to the mind.
The mind uses division to create the concepts of space and time, as well as its own ego or sense of separateness. So we see that space, as a concept, is not possible unless the mind can distinguish and separate visual phenomena, and then create a conceptual stage for those phenomena which it separates from all other concepts and calls "space." Likewise, time as a concept is not possible unless the mind can further subdivide appearances of phenomena in space along an imaginary continuum, and then take that conceptual continuum itself, separate it from other concepts and call it "time." The ego also cannot exist without the mind’s ability to separate one quantity from another--in this case that involves isolating/opposing the self and its attributes and desires in relation to others and their attributes and desires.
This whole discussion becomes more interesting if we then see that the mind is in fact also artificial because division itself creates it. Just like that which the mind creates, the mind as a concept is itself a creation of division and cannot exist without it. I think this is essential for Krishnamurti. If someone wants to deal with his or her ego and overactive, negative mind, it is a mistake to position the mind or ego as separate, something to be opposed and dominated. The awareness is falling into a trap if it itself isolates mind into a separate entity. If it does this then it is itself employing division (and is therefore more appropriately called mind). Instead the awareness should locate the urge to create division itself, and eliminate that from its fundamental worldview. From this point compassion and engagement can flow naturally. Other people, the earth, animals, all of it can be recognized as no more than appearences of one unified energy (or whatever you want to call it...being, god, etc), and cared for accordingly. It is important to note that this way of seeing the world is not conceptual, but is actually a mode or way of being--operating from pure awareness, and understanding that division is a practical tool for manifesting its essential nature (call it universal love) and nothing more.
The mind operates through division, which is the same thing as quantification. This is its fundamental activity. Every other activity of the mind--such as measurement or analysis--flows from division and is dependant upon division. Everything that the mind generates/perceives is as a result of that basic isolating, dividing or quantifying action. Anything that the mind cannot determine the limits of—anything that it calls "infinite"—also cannot be held in the mind and manipulated. That which cannot be quantified is essentially outside the capabilities of the mind and therefore useless to the mind.
The mind uses division to create the concepts of space and time, as well as its own ego or sense of separateness. So we see that space, as a concept, is not possible unless the mind can distinguish and separate visual phenomena, and then create a conceptual stage for those phenomena which it separates from all other concepts and calls "space." Likewise, time as a concept is not possible unless the mind can further subdivide appearances of phenomena in space along an imaginary continuum, and then take that conceptual continuum itself, separate it from other concepts and call it "time." The ego also cannot exist without the mind’s ability to separate one quantity from another--in this case that involves isolating/opposing the self and its attributes and desires in relation to others and their attributes and desires.
This whole discussion becomes more interesting if we then see that the mind is in fact also artificial because division itself creates it. Just like that which the mind creates, the mind as a concept is itself a creation of division and cannot exist without it. I think this is essential for Krishnamurti. If someone wants to deal with his or her ego and overactive, negative mind, it is a mistake to position the mind or ego as separate, something to be opposed and dominated. The awareness is falling into a trap if it itself isolates mind into a separate entity. If it does this then it is itself employing division (and is therefore more appropriately called mind). Instead the awareness should locate the urge to create division itself, and eliminate that from its fundamental worldview. From this point compassion and engagement can flow naturally. Other people, the earth, animals, all of it can be recognized as no more than appearences of one unified energy (or whatever you want to call it...being, god, etc), and cared for accordingly. It is important to note that this way of seeing the world is not conceptual, but is actually a mode or way of being--operating from pure awareness, and understanding that division is a practical tool for manifesting its essential nature (call it universal love) and nothing more.
Deflection Vs. Diffusion
Here’s an idea. The human awareness can be imagined as a directional flow of intent or interest. When I am reading a book, my awareness is—if I am able to concentrate—located somewhere within the content of the book. If I am taking a walk and observing my surroundings with interest, my attention will be focused on whatever comes into the field of my senses. I think, however, that there is an important distinction to be made between 
environments (and individual objects within them) that deflect the attention and those that absorb or diffuse it. In a city with advertisements on every wall and a million things trying to snag your focus, it is not abnormal to feel like your attention is caught in a pinball machine. Advertisements, snazzy dressers, fancy sports cars, are all calling out for your attention and are shrewdly designed to deflect it towards a specific target. In a natural environment, however, we 
are presented with a totally different kind of phenomenon. In nature our attention is gently absorbed, and diffused along the multiple lines of a beauty that cannot be measured or quantified. IN nature the observed presents us with no ulterior motive. There is nothing for the mind to do. In this sense, nature functions as a kind of ground zero for the mind, a beautiful black hole for its ambitions and motives.
environments (and individual objects within them) that deflect the attention and those that absorb or diffuse it. In a city with advertisements on every wall and a million things trying to snag your focus, it is not abnormal to feel like your attention is caught in a pinball machine. Advertisements, snazzy dressers, fancy sports cars, are all calling out for your attention and are shrewdly designed to deflect it towards a specific target. In a natural environment, however, we 
are presented with a totally different kind of phenomenon. In nature our attention is gently absorbed, and diffused along the multiple lines of a beauty that cannot be measured or quantified. IN nature the observed presents us with no ulterior motive. There is nothing for the mind to do. In this sense, nature functions as a kind of ground zero for the mind, a beautiful black hole for its ambitions and motives.
Schizophrenia and “Enlightenment”--two sides of the same coin?
Does schizophrenia—in certain cases—provide an opportunity for the individual to effectively “pop” out of their mind and disassociate with it (a la Buddha). We might think of it as a sailor on a ship who jumps into the water before his boat crashes into a rocky shore. Could schizophrenia, then, be a kind of evolutionary pressure from the standpoint of consciousness? In that case, what opportunity is being missed for humanity if we are just labeling them, medicating them and locking them up?
Higher Dimensional Thought?
Higher dimensional thought might be something like being able to hold a great number of apparently contradictory or (superficially unconnected) concepts relating to one “zone” of thought in the consiousness at once. The quantum physicist needs to do this to get a sense of the underlying reality that the particle-wave duality points to. This is also apparently the mode of thought in eastern mysticism.
Capra makes a connection between the eastern mystic's thought style and that of the modern quantum physicist when he quotes Ashvaghosha in The Tao of Physics:
“The Eastern way of thinking consists in circling around the object of contemplation…forming a many-sided, multidimensional impression from the superimposition of single impressions from different points of view.” (p. 159 Tao of Physics).
Here “single impressions” would be what is seen and understood in standard 4-d thought. Combining multiple 4-d perspectives in relation to one idea will reveal that that single idea is itself actually a zone of thought that is better contemplated, as Ashvaghosha says, in a circular, synchronous way. Jiddu Krishnamurti seems to be pointing, without explicitly saying so, towards such a way of thinking. Attention, a word used frequently by Krishnamurti, is a state in which judgment is held in suspension, and curiosity is maintained. In this state one never says a categorical “yes” or a categorical “no” to anything, and therefore does not let the awareness close itself off to avenues of possibility.
Notes on Schizophrenia - The Moment of Truth
The essential element in the schizophrenic’s delusional reality is, I think, the dominance of the ego. It seems that the schizophrenic clasps the ego like a buoy in stormy seas as his mind is pulled deeper into an ocean of synchronicity. As the safe and ordered cause-and-effect reality fails (which is in fact in some ways as artificial as the world which the schizophrenic builds for themselves), and they get a glimpse of the synchronous universe, they recoil in fear (which is very understandable). Just what happens at this point is perhaps beyond description—it may be that the ego fights for its existence, or it may be that the schizophrenic clings to the ego--probably both--but the end result is the same. As the ability to adhere to socially condoned cause-and-effect strings falls away, and the open universe yawns before them, the ego becomes the last vestige of the old consensual reality for the schizophrenic. Their connection with the “real” therefore now funnels into them entirely through the ego—a bit like a grossly distorted lens. The awareness now stands “behind” the ego in the synchronous universe, clutching it in desperation.
Notes of Schizophrenia - Always On
The schizophrenic’s mind is always on. There are exceptions, but many schizophrenics report feeling like they are unable to stop thinking. The nightmares that schizophrenics often experience are sleeping mirrors of the paranoid schizophrenic state that they deal with during the day. The mind of the schizophrenic simply cannot be turned off, making wild connections and grandiose calculations or circling through the worlds they have created when the delusion-making has settled for a while. Much of the thinking is of course repetitive, since much of the calculating, connecting activity is rooted in obsessively thinking about objects of fear, and how those objects of fear may manage to inflict harm on the schizophrenic. The object(s) of fear will often become the central fixture in the schizophrenic’s thinking, the mirror(s)/shadow(s) of their ego.
Notes on Schizophrenia - Mixing of Properties
Mixing of Properties: Objects and concepts are mixed and matched, mostly as a means of attempting to hold together the world-view.
The schizophrenic's world-view cannot hold together without the creation of chimera or hybrid concepts. First the ego is aggrandized, and then the world-view is made to fall into place around the central axiom of: everything relates to me directly, and everything I do has an effect on some important aspect of the world. The connections will often have to be far flung (and this is not difficult for the schizophrenic), since placing one’s ego at the centre of the world is an untenable position logically and ethically. Once, for example, you have come to believe that aliens are transmitting messages to you through the sequences of your DNA, you will be forced to open a complimentary Pandora’s box of concepts and beliefs that will need to be equally fanciful and equally implausible (faulty logic requires faulty logic to sustain itself). At this point, regular intrusions from the real world (contact with loved ones and friends, etc) may become disturbing as these contacts will dispute or contradict the distorted world view the schizophrenic is fashioning. These "real-life" intrusions will need to be interpreted, warped, contorted in order for the schizophrenic to keep themselves from descending into a full blown psychosis due to untenable contradictions in the reality that they firmly believe, and the events of the “real’ world.
The schizophrenic's world-view cannot hold together without the creation of chimera or hybrid concepts. First the ego is aggrandized, and then the world-view is made to fall into place around the central axiom of: everything relates to me directly, and everything I do has an effect on some important aspect of the world. The connections will often have to be far flung (and this is not difficult for the schizophrenic), since placing one’s ego at the centre of the world is an untenable position logically and ethically. Once, for example, you have come to believe that aliens are transmitting messages to you through the sequences of your DNA, you will be forced to open a complimentary Pandora’s box of concepts and beliefs that will need to be equally fanciful and equally implausible (faulty logic requires faulty logic to sustain itself). At this point, regular intrusions from the real world (contact with loved ones and friends, etc) may become disturbing as these contacts will dispute or contradict the distorted world view the schizophrenic is fashioning. These "real-life" intrusions will need to be interpreted, warped, contorted in order for the schizophrenic to keep themselves from descending into a full blown psychosis due to untenable contradictions in the reality that they firmly believe, and the events of the “real’ world.
Notes on Schizophrenia - Ego Amplification
The schizophrenic’s mind makes connections that would strike most as inappropriate. The glue that holds them together, once the grip on consensual, everyday reality is lost, seems to be a general ego fixation with redirects all happenings in the world back onto the schizophrenic. The ego fixation replaces what is commonly understood as logical or sequential thinking in the average person, and now acts as directional scaffolding for the schizophrenic’s thoughts. In other words, the ego looks out, and sees the world—all of it—heading straight for it. This ego-centred perception becomes the basis upon which the world now seems to function.
Without the ego, the schizophrenic feels they would be lost in an unfathomable, synchronous world, so the ego amplification provides a last shred of conventional or everyday world meaning in an increasingly confusing reality. Fear forces the mind to cling to the ego for fear of going “around the bend.” Fear is also what often results from an intensification of the ego, since the external is seen as always wanting/trying to give or take something away from the schizophrenic (to harm or to benefit him).
The disinterested world, the neutral world, simply cannot exist for the schizophrenic.
Without the ego, the schizophrenic feels they would be lost in an unfathomable, synchronous world, so the ego amplification provides a last shred of conventional or everyday world meaning in an increasingly confusing reality. Fear forces the mind to cling to the ego for fear of going “around the bend.” Fear is also what often results from an intensification of the ego, since the external is seen as always wanting/trying to give or take something away from the schizophrenic (to harm or to benefit him).
The disinterested world, the neutral world, simply cannot exist for the schizophrenic.
The Paradox and the Synchronous Event
It might be worthwhile comparing the paradox to the highly coincidental or synchronous event, as there are some interesting conceptual points of correspondence. We can see that they are both pairings of events/concepts/ideas that hang together in a solid and compelling way, and yet which seem to have their point of connection outside the scope of the rational mind.
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