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Intellectual Narcissism
Ecstasy

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Intellectual Narcissism
david manz
Aspirant

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Apr 07, 2008
Total Topics: 3
Total Posts: 21
Posted 04/10/08 - 02:11 PM:
Subject: Intellectual Narcissism 		quote post
#1
A person that lives in an Ecstatic state of awareness, in which his whole life experience makes the consideration of the times experienced in normal' non-ecstatic experience 'not very important', finds that it is what is possessed intellectually that causes the intense expressions of self-love' expressed as feelings of Spiritual and philosophical completeness, Ecstasy! A state of near constant happiness. He can ask himself what he needs to be complete, or to complete his happiness, and has his own answer, Nothing!'

Since answers like world peace' and assured safety and health for my loved ones', have nothing to do with self-happiness, pure-selfishness in needing nothing excuses him, so he can relish his state of awareness, experiencing an Ecstatic intellectual contact that seems as though it is always the last moment approaching, and the mind is ready to detach itself from the body. It feels as though the intellect is receiving back a touch of the greater joy hoped for on the other side.

I learned from Epictetus an old Greek philosopher that lived twenty four hundred years ago, that if you take inventory of yourself concerning the things that are in, or on, your mind at any given moment, you will find, that unless you are in pain, the world is at peace with you. There is no guarantee that the next moment will be the same, but this one is! I will shortly explain what is included in the inventory', but my point is, that if you start doing it more often, you will soon come to find, that the world is indeed at peace with you, almost, if not all the time. What I gained was the ability to understand what he said, and stand with him; you can hang me in the morning but you can't make me cry tonight.'

Now, this is where the hard part comes in. Philosophy is not a group endeavor. It serves one person! So when you consider the questions on your inventory sheet' you must answer only as regards yourself. If you are not hungry, or sickly, or any other hurtful condition, your doing good, the evidence is, the world is at peace with you! Other than pain, you find that every negative thing you find, either comes from the past, or future. Maybe in the very close future or past - but its not in this particular moment you are concerned with. Now I said it was hard, here's why. Since your philosophy describes your personal self-interest, it can not concern itself with other peoples states of being; that includes all! To watch for example someone else's suffering, does not, in any way change your answer that says, the world is at peace with me.'

Now it is true that you can be suffering sorrow for a loved one, but the cold hard fact is, philosophic intent is to move a character above the normal concerns of life, even for death, first for himself, and at the strongest, for others; an acceptance of life's conditions! Therefore one cannot let feelings of sadness for others alter his own mental condition, giving in to weaknesses caused by his own lack of mental control. Philosophy concerns itself solely with the development of logical reactions to outside influences that can cause illogical responses.

Therefore when someone else is dying, even a loved one, the real truth is Personally, the world is still at peace with me.' The person suffering has the same question he can ask for himself, is the world at peace with me?' His answer is his alone! Your's is yours!
He may well answer the same as you, having in himself the acceptance of his suffering, or on the other hand he could say No, the world is not at peace with me! I hurt!' or 'I don't want to die!'

lets assume that you have achieved to that constant state of peace with the outside world. And, as was your practice, you maintained this peaceful awareness all last week. Every time you checked to see what your mind was dwelling on, you found that you were one hundred percent in the moment, not thinking of either the past or the future in a negative way; you found every moment perfect! Now you hear that a loved one died last week. Suddenly your present moment is going to be tried by something from the past. But, to the facts; when you tested' last week, you had evidence that the world was right with you. Now you find, that if you ask yourself the question', you must think back to the past, and bring something that has negative potential, dragging it yourself, for your consideration now'. Since the past can actually bring nothing into the moment, the truth is, this moment will remain as peaceful with you as your philosophy allows. This circumstance would exercise the highest of philosophical ideals, acceptance because of understanding.

Such acceptance allows the ecstasy to accompany the man as he Enters Boldly' through into the Vail of Death', it fortifies a man's spirit with a strength that he understands and experiences as confidence, before entering!

Since it would, if it really is so, the Spirit of a person that can transcend death, it is better for the soul that seeks to carry something of himself into the next life, to count only that which his mind holds, for death surely scrapes all else that remains of life from the clutching fingers.
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