Saturday, December 13, 2014

People who distrust their own minds (Pt.2)

People who don’t meditate or study spiritual teachings rarely know much about their own minds.  This may contribute to the lack of trust some people place in it.  I don’t think it’s the primary input into our consciousness (through the senses) that causes the problems but rather our interpretation of it.  Having had no experience of hallucinations or mental illness myself I cannot speak for those that have.  But in my own case, I have found no reason to distrust the data that enters my consciousness through the senses nor have I found any reason to doubt the ability of my mind to interpret this data accurately according to my beliefs and intentions.

If one's intentions are not good or one's beliefs are limited or destructive then the way one interprets their experiences will be negatively affected by this.  But this is a matter on one's intentions and beliefs being out of kilter not of anything being fundamentally wrong with one's senses or mental functioning.  The senses and mental apparatus are pure and fully functional when the body and spirit are in good shape but when they are out of alignment then problems can arise.  This may result in poorly interpreted sensory input which may result in a person being unable to function in a healthy and productive way.

Sharka Todd

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