The Banality of Evil

[Tony]

Thought is Samsara and Nirvana
Thought is ignorance and emptiness.

When we, as empty essence, are snared by thought,
we ignore our true nature
and so create the illusory appearances of samsara.

When we, as empty essence, recognise thought,
we recognise our true nature (nirvana)
and so are liberated from the illusory appearances of samsara.

We oscillate between samsara and nirvana,
and fail to recognise
the stability of essence.

Thought is ignorance and Dharmakaya.
Like the words on this page,
emptiness and appearance cannot be separated.

Good, eh?!



Tony

[Agape]

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BQ4yd2W50No

In many people 'too much thinking' is an excuse for never doing the right thing,
never doing anything bigger in fact .
In focused mind 'too much thinking' does not happen . When mind is unfocused , it automatically gives birth to thousand fears and imaginations .

There's a glory of thought , like there's a feat of a dead and glow of morning Sun,
however , one does not automatically lead to another .

[Tony]

Transform Your Mind, Change the Brain.

Our mental environment can change,
by taming the mind.
The brain changes – neuroplasticity.
We can enhance compassion.
All down to meditation.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=7tRdDqXgsJ0

Presented by Richard J. Davidson

In this talk, Richard J. Davidson will explore recent scientific research on
the neuroscience of positive human qualities and how they can be cultivated
through contemplative practice. Distinctions among different forms of
contemplative practices will be introduced and they will be shown to have
different neural and behavioral consequences, as well as important consequences
for physical health in both long-term and novice practitioners.
New research also shows that meditation-based interventions delivered online can
produce behavioral and neural changes. Collectively, this body of research
indicates that we can cultivate adaptive neural changes and strengthen positive
human qualities through systematic mental practice.

[Tony]

Home  »  Research Blog   »   Meditation and Neuroplasticity: Five key articles
Meditation and Neuroplasticity: Five key articles

By Peter Malinowski | March 4, 2014
http://meditation-research.org.uk/20...-key-articles/

Meditation not only changes our mind but also our brain – this is what more and more neuroscientific research suggests.
Neuroplasticity – the change of brain structures as a result of experience – is considered to be one of the most important
discoveries of neuroscience. Over the last 10 years evidence has been growing that not only the acquisition of navigational
knowledge by London Taxi drivers (see video) or learning a new motor task like juggling (see article), but also meditation
practice can lead to significant changes to brain structures. Here I respond to a recent request and list five key articles on
that topic.

Article 1: Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness
To my knowledge this is the first study showing differences in brain structure between meditators and non-meditators.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed that experienced meditators had a thicker cortex than non-meditators.
This was particularly true for brain areas associated with attention, interoception and sensory processing.
Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Wasserman, R. H., Gray, J. R., Greve, D. N., Treadway, M. T., … & Fischl, B. (2005).
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport, 16(17), 1893-1897. [pdf]
doi: 10.1097/01.wnr.0000186598.66243.19
 
Article 2: Long-term meditation is associated with increased gray matter density in the brain stem
This study compared long-term meditators with age-matched controls with Magnetic Resonance Imaging and found structural
differences in regions of the brainstem that are known to be concerned with mechanisms of cardiorespiratory control.
Vestergaard-Poulsen, P., van Beek, M., Skewes, J., Bjarkam, C. R., Stubberup, M., Bertelsen, J., & Roepstorff, A. (2009).
Long-term meditation is associated with increased gray matter density in the brain stem. Neuroreport, 20(2), 170-174.    [pdf]
doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e328320012a
 
Article 3: The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter
Another study that compared long-term meditators with matched control participants. The main findings were that meditators
had larger gray matter volumes than non-meditators in brain areas that are associated with emotional regulation and response
control (the right orbito-frontal cortex and the right hippocampus).
Luders, E., Toga, A. W., Lepore, N., & Gaser, C. (2009). The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation:
larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter. Neuroimage, 45(3), 672-678. [pdf]
doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.12.061
 
While the studies listed so far merely compared existing differences between meditators and non-meditators and thus do not
provide information of causality (a possible explanation would be that these people were drawn to meditation because their
brains are different – rather than the difference being a result of meditation), below are two studies demonstrating actual
impact of meditation practice by means of longitudinal designs (comparing pre- and post-meditation brain scans).
 
Article 4: Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density

Compared to a control group participation in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme resulted in
increased grey matter in the left hippocampus, a brain area strongly involved in learning and memory.
 
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011).
Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36-43. [pdf]
doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006
 
Article 5: Mechanisms of white matter changes induced by meditation
Here we have a very exciting study showing the impact of meditation practice on the connections between brain areas using
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). After only four weeks of meditation changes in white matter – which is strongly involved in
interconnecting brain areas [see myelin] – were present in those participants who meditated but not in the control participants
who engaged in relaxation exercises. Interestingly, these changes involved the anterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain that
contributes to self-regulation, an important aspect when people start engaging with meditation practice.


(read more about this article in a previous post )
Tang, Y. Y., Lu, Q., Fan, M., Yang, Y., & Posner, M. I. (2012). Mechanisms of white matter changes induced by meditation.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(26), 10570-10574. [pdf]

[Tony]

Information consumes attention.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=HTfYv3IEOqM

Psychologist Daniel Goleman shot to fame with his groundbreaking bestseller Emotional Intelligence.
The premise of the book, now widely accepted, is that raw intelligence alone is not a sure predictor
of success in life. A greater role is played by 'softer' skills such as self-control, self-motivation,
empathy and good interpersonal relationships.

Now Goleman comes to Intelligence Squared for an exclusive talk on the themes of his latest book,
Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. Attention, he will argue, is an underrated asset for high
achievers in any field. Incorporating findings from neuroscience, Goleman will show why we need
three kinds of focus: inner, for self-awareness; other, for the empathy that builds effective
relationships; and outer, for understanding the larger systems in which organisations operate.
Those who excel rely on Smart Practices such as mindfulness meditation, focused preparation
and positive emotions that help improve habits, add new skills, and sustain excellence.

[loungelizard]

It's fascinating to come back to this thread after a while, and se how it has evolved. I'd like to thank all the contributors to this discussion - it makes for a thought provoking and dynamic read.

Tony wrote:

"Thought is ignorance".

Interesting. Thought is ignorance. Ignore - ance. We are ignoring our essence by being distracted by thoughts.

Perhaps it would clarify to look at that seemingly outlandish statement from an understanding of the different levels of Buddhist sutras.

The Buddha's teachings can be seen as a framework known as the Three Turnings of the Wheel Of Dharma. In the first turning, the teachings deal with the causes of our suffering and the methods to attain freedom. They are concerned with positive actions leading to happiness and negative ones to suffering, and so there is a self. At this level, thoughts would be considered to be either neutral, beneficial or harmful, and it is at this level that most of us function in our everyday lives.

In the second turning of the wheel, the focus is on reversing the attachments that have arisen as a result of studying the first turning. An identification with an "I", a clinging to good and bad etc. Phenomena is analysed and found to be lacking in inherent existence - it is empty of any true reality. This includes thought.

In the third turning, the theories of non-existence are then analysed in order to be free of all conceptual fabrications. Pure awareness is beyond existence and non-existence - it is beyond any ideas that we may hold about what reality is. That is reality's absolute nature.

It is at this level that thoughts are seen as ignorance.


Shezbeth wrote:

"…the 'teaching' you are promoting is abject nonsense."

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but there are a few million Buddhists out there who would disagree

Thought is ignorance and emptiness.

When we, as empty essence, are snared by thought,
we ignore our true nature
and so create the illusory appearances of samsara.

When we, as empty essence, recognise thought,
we recognise our true nature (nirvana)
and so are liberated from the illusory appearances of samsara.

We oscillate between samsara and nirvana,
and fail to recognise
the stability of essence.

Thought is ignorance and Dharmakaya.
Like the words on this page,
emptiness and appearance cannot be separated.

(I thought this was definitely worth repeating!)

[Tony]

How we poison ourselves

If we think life is a battle to be won, we will find the world a lonely place. In suspecting everyone and
everything we practice the evil art of self preservation. We become nasty, bitey creatures, getting angry
at every opportunity. We do the d-evil's work!

The demon of destruction - Yama mara.
Yama mara; instead of destroying what needs to be destroyed – ego games - evil obliterates everything.
Trungpa Rinpoche wrote, “We begin to get inspired in the wrong way, and uproot the whole tree... and that
is the karmic quality of destruction gone wild, unnecessarily”.

We create situations for others to oppose us, so that we can strike back – it's a set up. In so doing,
we perpetuate poisonous activity. The internet has allowed this to escalate: a hurtful word here,
a nasty tone there, an old biased resentment brought up again and again, with the purpose of dividing.

However, not only do we poison others in this way, but we become poisonous, poisoning ourselves.
The negative energies amassed to hurt others create poisonous energies within us, causing that
long-lasting churning feeling in our gut and mind, long after the argument is over.

If there is are powers in this world who feed off destruction, which is the expression of evil,
all they want is for evil to be self-perpetuated by us doing their work for them.
Stupidly, they do not realise that this poisonous activity is poisoning them as well.

We become demons by feeding poison to others. This doesn't bode well for our next incarnation does it?!
Even if we don't believe in reincarnation, this still has a detrimental psychological effect on us now.

Whichever we choose, it is still a banal, sleeping state, when we could awaken to our true nature of unconditional compassion.

In this banal state, how can we expect to reach higher states of consciousness, allowing peace and wisdom to arise?


Tony

[Grizz Griswold]

Posted by Tony (here)

Whichever we choose, it is still a banal, sleeping state, when we could awaken to our true nature of unconditional compassion.

In this banal state, how can we expect to reach higher states of consciousness, allowing peace and wisdom to arise?


Tony

Hi Tony, I believe the world has become very weary of the way things are,
the drama, competition, conflict and call to war. These unconscious states
are not only on a global scale but are played out on a one on one basis as well.


Love , compassion and a joining with all that is has never been tried on a
large scale (only small groups) maybe it's time we try something different.
Give love a try.

Blessings to all....barry

PS. this may be a good place to start....http://globalmeditation.chopra.com/

[Delight]

I feel inspired recently by the work I have been doing with Joe Dispenza. the body is the feedback mechanism for the I AM consciousness. We IMO wanted the body experience for the very reason we have it....to experience consciousness and being a point of personal hu-manifestation.

More and more I am sure this was all for a grand purpose we requested. Personal experience leads to reality that transcends programing......

I am interested in what makes human beings tick, but I got run over by a truck in a triathlon back in 1986 and broke six bones in my back and the diagnosis was that I would probably never walk again. I had multiple compression fractures of my thoracic spine and I had bone fragments on my spinal cord.

So the recommendation at the time was radical surgery from four different surgeons in southern California. Anyway, I decided not to have the surgery and my belief at the time and still is, is that the power that made the body, heals the body.

I decided that if I could take some time and begin to connect or develop a relationship with that power, that intelligence, if I could begin to give it some instructions, give it some orders, to give it a template and then create an idea or a picture what I wanted and then surrender this condition to this mind and ask it to begin to do the healing for me that maybe it might work. So I decided to not let any thought go by unchecked, a thought that would be connected to the possibility of never walking again or any other fears or anxieties that people typically have.

Dr. Dispenza was determined to cure himself.

So every day, two hours a day, twice a day, I would reconstruct my spine. From start to finish, and if my mind wandered to an extraneous thought or I began to worry or get afraid, I would stop and start all over again. From the very beginning. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was developing a good amount of focus and a good amount of concentration. I wanted it to be the exact thing I wanted in the end.

Because I didn’t have a surgery they told me that it would take six months to a year to walk again and I’d have to wear this big body cast. I was back on my feet in nine and a half weeks and back to training in around 11 weeks and back in my office in 12 weeks so.

At what point did you realize that you were seeing results? And that must have given you more interest in continuing on with that program?

I was in extreme pain, a terrible pain and I had some neurological changes in my body and so when my body started to respond in ways and pain levels were going back, and feeling was coming back, and movement was coming back I was pretty excited That was a feedback I needed because the brain learns by feedback. In other words, when we see some observable change, we can correlate what we did inside to produce that effect. http://suprememastertv.com/ss/?wr_id=82

Our awareness and attention (the energizing of thought) causes material effect from "the field" of possibilities. This makes sense to me. Also the apparatus being physical, there is a lawful way of addressing the workings. Lining the "brain" and the "heart" up in coherence as a learned "meditative" practice makes sense. Information as coherent waves is felt as peace makes sense to me. The body expresses the consciousness and actually "the body" is all that we experience.

My teacher Joe Dispenza has made strides to place "spiritual" teachings in "common" language AND show through instrumentation and correlations that common people do the uncommon by learning what it "feels like" to be coming from the field of possibility and Not the effect of a single "body". From the context of knowing oneself as consciousness (not in abstract), one then may be aware outside the "thinking" context.

The odd thing about being "me" is that I needed an intellectual knowledge base from "thinking" to then trust that there is no need for this much. In Joe Dispenza's model, the brain is an interface that makes the neurochemistry that we use to matter what we "think". The problem has been that we have become addicted to the patterns we set up through life experience.

The practical effect of learning to let "thinking" become less important is visible in life evidence as "newness and magic".

It is a whole new way to approach USING the truth. The words of Buddhism may point to the science of Buddha but it is like such a foreign language that I cannot grasp it. One of the difficulties I have trying to understand the writings as in this thread is that the poetry sounds very fine but very distant from applicability. I personally want to learn for myself in a 'scientific' manner to be the god I AM in this hologram. Who is I AM?

It is not the body or the mind or the emotions and that I AM is where we are left when we can let go of the "sense" of the rest: the repetitive thoughts, the belief in a script fro life, the body state of a moment...... Old religious edicts may actually disconnect us from our inner being as it seems only lofty monks have "the right" to claim I AM. One must feel that inner being some way to depend on I AM.

If the truth is "true" I am appreciative of descriptions of various pathways. This one I reference is making sense to me and showing results of letting go of the addiction to "figuring IT all out". This twirling in "past" is what I believe Tony is saying is Ego. It is a brain state. We know that the NOW is the moment of power to create a new future but many of us have no connection to what it "feels" like to be outside the brain twirl.

My post reflects back on the thread title. IMO we are in a time that is wonderful!! As people know that the body can change, circumstances can change, that miracles are not for the special and that each of us has been "just an addict" to thinking from a repetitive pattern and can change, IMO EVIL will not be able to maintain itself apart from aLIVE.

Fear and loathing from the idea that all that we "see" is permanent leads to a feeling of nihilsim IMO. It is believed that we must battle with what "was" and overcome others in a "given". Instead of refreshing change we have deadly sameness we actually create. That is IMO Evil as opposite of Live. We have the means now to use our "brain" experience to alter "reality" experience.

KNOWING we are free to experience within ourselves the avenue of PRACTICAL liberation in the here and now will make choice for actions that look evil disappear IMO. People like Joe Dispenza are bridges for this time. He gives a 21st century scientific context (one where consciousness is the base) for "knowledge" becoming "know how".

[Tony]

How did evil start?

Everything has a cause.

We may be able to answer the question “What is evil”
if we start with what meditation is.
Meditation is simply correcting a mistaken view.
Instead of always looking outwards,
we turn our attention inwards,
to the source of pure awareness,
and rest there.

Looking inward is the source, and the solution.

How did evil start?

Evil could be said to have started
when pure awareness became unaware of itself.
It became attracted to some thing.
In this attraction, our essential nature was forgotten, and an 'I' was created, an ego.
So instead of unconditional awareness - non duality -
we created a duality. “I like this.” This duality then desires more.

Following this, there is a judgement of like and dislike: we lost unconditional love
for conditional love. We love what we want, and do not love what we do not want.
So instead of pure perception, we merely have perception, which draws on its memory bank
for a preconceived judgement, and a habitual pattern is set up.

Gradually, light turned to dark, and our reaction become more and more insane.
Evil is losing our sanity, empathy, and unconditional love.

How did evil start?
The answer is seen clearly in the stillness and clarity of meditation,
when we get distracted, from stillness and clarity.

In any action we could ask ourselves, “What is my intended purpose?”



Tony

[Shezbeth]

Posted by loungelizard (here)
Shezbeth wrote:

"…the 'teaching' you are promoting is abject nonsense."

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but there are a few million Buddhists out there who would disagree

Those you reference are certainly entitled to their opinion and to express their opinion of what is self-evident in the same manner that I am and do. I have only expressed what is self-evident to me in observance that it is diverse to what is expressed herein and in many ways incongruent; especially to the continued insinuation of 'we'.

I find the term 'one' to be far more acceptable, as it allows for inclusion or disclusion as the individual finds applicable.

Though, since my overall perception of the situation has recently been posted most effectively and artfully by Spiritwind as follows, I can conclusively state that I have finished 'contributing' to this thread, and will contest no more. Thank you Tony, et al. for the enjoyable exercise.

https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...tdated-Beliefs

[Tony]

Karma = Hypnosis
Hypnosis = Karma

We self hypnotise: we are hypnotised by an image of ourselves, which creates a programme to which we adhere.

A hypnotic state is believing something to be real when it's not. It permits a modification of behaviour which is based
on the illusory state of self interest. A self which has been conjured up, which we believe to be real and solid.

There are two aspects to this: one is our own hypnotic state and the other is that of those around us.
Both of these maintain the illusion. The result is karma, which is an imprint in the mind, which modifies our behaviour
(a programme). We react because of these karmic imprints, and so we live within a loop, a vicious cycle of existence.
In Sanskrit, this is called Samsara.

In the video, the illusionist Derren Brown explains how it is easier to hypnotise those who are quick to react,
defending and re-enacting their constant self-programming. It is more difficult to hypnotise those who can step back
– and meditation is about stepping back! At 1.15 talks about those who are more susceptible to being hypnotised…
...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=jXcCEv72oQ8

If we are obsessed in any way, we are trapped in an inner prison.

There are those who exploit this in order to to distract us from experiencing reality: they may be corporations or your
family and neighbours, and it may be done consciously or unconsciously. We can note how quickly some become angry
when we talk outside their programming, to the extent that they may even crucify or poison those whom they perceive
as not playing “the right game” (Christ, Socrates, Milarepa...).


Obsessed: preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually and to a troubling extent
be constantly talking or worrying about something.
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘haunt, possess’, referring to an evil spirit).


Hypnosis: the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action
and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction. Its use in therapy, typically to recover suppressed memories or
to allow modification of behaviour. A hypnotic state.
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from Greek hupnos ‘sleep’.


We put ourselves into a banal sleepy state, where evil can thrive because of our lack of compassion for others.

[Tony]

The real Dharma is breaking out of the programme completely.

“The closer you look, the less you see.”
This is the illusionists mantra.
Looking is not seeing.

When we see, we recognise.
Looking is merely distraction.

We talk about the mind control of MKUltra and the like
as if it is over there. Really? It's right here, now!
It is maintained by our past karma: when we re-act,
it is due to past experiences.
Reacting is merely maintaining our future programming.

Break out of the shell by realising you are inside.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UtKt8YF7dgQ

[Tony]

The Invisible Gorilla

Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons met at Harvard University in 1997, where they began to collaborate on research.
In 2004 they received the Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology, awarded for "achievements that first make people laugh,
and then make them think," for the experiment that inspired The Invisible Gorilla.
They continue to work together on new research projects and writing.






overview
Reading this book will make you less sure of yourself-and that's a good thing.
In The Invisible Gorilla, we use a wide assortment of stories and counterintuitive
scientific findings to reveal an important truth:

Our minds don't work the way we think they do.
We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we're actually missing a whole lot.

We combine the work of other researchers with our own findings on attention, perception, memory,
and reasoning to reveal how faulty intuitions often get us into trouble. In the process, we explain:

Why a company would spend billions to launch a product that its own analysts know will fail
How a police officer could run right past a brutal assault without seeing it
Why award-winning movies are full of editing mistakes
What criminals have in common with chess masters
Why measles and other childhood diseases are making a comeback
Why money managers could learn a lot from weather forecasters

Again and again, we think we experience and understand the world as it is, but our thoughts are beset by everyday illusions.
We write traffic laws and build criminal cases on the assumption that people will notice when something unusual happens
right in front of them. We're sure we know where we were on 9/11, falsely believing that vivid memories are seared into
our mind with perfect fidelity. And as a society, we spend billions on devices to train our brains because we're continually
tempted by the lure of quick fixes and effortless self-improvement.

The Invisible Gorilla reveals the numerous ways that our intuitions can deceive us, but it's more than a catalog of human failings.
In the book, we also explain why people succumb to these everyday illusions and what we can do to inoculate ourselves against
their effects. In short, we try to give you a sort of "x-ray vision" into your own minds, with the ultimate goal of helping you
notice the invisible gorillas in your own life.




(We can be made to believe anything as our perception can be misinformed!)

[Tony]

The “Invisible Gorilla” experiment shows how, when we are obsessed,
we can miss what is actually in front of us – the obvious.
This is the 'outer Gorilla'.

When we are distracted and obsessed, we miss seeing the reality within.
This is the 'inner Gorilla'.

We are the 'Invisible Gorilla'.

Our karma is our programming: we believe in the 'incredible', in a fabricated reality.

Breaking out of this programming is not replacing it with another!
That is what the illusionist wants – to keep the illusion going.
In the final analysis, “I am” the illusionist.

As it says in ancient text:

To everything one sees, one says,
“Not this, not this. Thou art that”.
To that, one also says
“Not this, not this”.

As the illusionist poisons the mind drop by drop,
so luminous awareness can transform this poison into wisdom.
Therein lies the fault in the illusionist's logic.



Tony

[joeecho]

Posted by Tony (here)
The “Invisible Gorilla” experiment shows how, when we are obsessed,
we can miss what is actually in front of us – the obvious.
This is the 'outer Gorilla'.

When we are distracted and obsessed, we miss seeing the reality within.
This is the 'inner Gorilla'.

We are the 'Invisible Gorilla'.

Our karma is our programming: we believe in the 'incredible', in a fabricated reality.

Breaking out of this programming is not replacing it with another!
That is what the illusionist wants – to keep the illusion going.
In the final analysis, “I am” the illusionist.

As it says in ancient text:

To everything one sees, one says,
“Not this, not this. Thou art that”.
To that, one also says
“Not this, not this”.

As the illusionist poisons the mind drop by drop,
so luminous awareness can transform this poison into wisdom.
Therein lies the fault in the illusionist's logic.



Tony

.

Obsession (and all it's variants) is the scourge of humanity.

You could purge yourself of all obsessions but that only opens the door to obsessing again....if not to obsess over making sure your not obsessing any more!

.....and hence the banality of evil.

Are you better then that?

Good.

Now just don't go obsessing about it.

[Tony]

"Personal Dignity"

The danger of conforming to subtle bullying,
is the pack mentality.

Bullying is power, evil is power!
"Evil starts at 15 volts".

There is a danger in anonymity allowing us
to be as evil as we like. The internet clearly reveals this.

This happens day in and day out on social media and forums.
"Passive tolerance of evil through inaction or indifference."

Doing good or evil is a personal decision.
At 19.19 mins Zimbardo mentions …"THE BANALITY OF EVIL"
He also mentions …"THE BANALITY OF HEROISM'
We have both potentials.

Start discussing and stop trying to take lumps out of one another.

Philip Zimbardo is a wonderful man.
"Personal Dignity".

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NyDDyT1lDhA

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OsFEV35tWsg

[Tony]

The Danger of Conformity

This is a delicate subject, as we all think that we're on the side of good...think again!

We merely have both potentials of good or evil.
When we get caught up in group dynamics, something happens to us!

Becoming involved in any group, we can lose our way. We relinquish our brains,
our empathy and our humanity and become a type, a caricature, for good or evil
(just to reiterate: 'evil' is a lack of active empathy, which can be under the guise of 'good').

Heroes do not conform. Heroism is quite ordinary.
Heroes do not stand around being one of the group, feeling safe.
Heroes are confident and clear about what they have to do in that moment.
We can all be heroes.

'Not conforming' doesn't mean acting oddly. Neither does it mean projecting a heroic image
while claiming to be someone who does not conform.

It is necessary to have a constant awareness of both our heroic potential and our demonic
potential (lack of empathy). There may be something we do not want to do,
but are compelled because the needs of another outweigh our own fears.

THE REAL DANGER

Not only is there a danger of losing our morality and empathy to group mentality,
but there is also a danger in this very knowledge being used to bring about situations
where we lose our morality and empathy to group mentality.

The danger inherent in groups is being caught up in a group fantasy.

Knowledge can be used as a blueprint for good or for evil - consciously or unconsciously.


Tony

[loungelizard]

Thanks for putting Zimbardo on this thread , Tony. I agree with you - he is a truly amazing man, and anyone who hasn't come across him already would find much of value in his (extensive) writings and research.

He is a "situationalist" - he has shown that situations exert more power over human actions than does personality or societal/cultural conditions. If there's anyone here who hasn't see the Stanford Prison experiment, it is essential viewing for every human being http://www.prisonexp.org/psychology/

Since that experiment, he has been examining how ordinary people can be capable of monstrous acts - the Banality of Evil - and how situations can poison even the kindest person. He calls this coming together of causes "The Perfect Storm".

But Zimbardo has gone on to devote his life to promoting what he terms civic virtue and heroism through, among other things, the Heroic Imagination Project http://heroicimagination.org/welcome/

One of his definitions of heroism is "taking action on the behalf of others for a moral cause, aware of possible risks and costs and without expectation of gain. My idea is sowing the earth with millions of everyday heroes trained to act wisely and well when the opportunity presents itself," he says. "The fact is that most heroes are ordinary people. It’s the heroic act that is extraordinary." The Banality of Heroism!

Very, very briefly, his Heroic Imagination Project tackles the challenge of encouraging people to take on the training to become a hero through a programme that includes issues such as:

• 1 having an awareness that there are people and forces who seduce good people to doing bad things - through the diffusion of responsibility, the power of the group, obedience to authority, bystander inaction etc.
• 2 discovering the many examples of perfectly ordinary people just like us who have performed heroic acts. It's a matter of starting with small steps to effect a change.
• 3 understanding that heroes are socio-centric - they make others central to their view and have a habit of caring, of focusing on the needs of others. Starting on that training may entail just challenging oneself to make one person feel special each day.
• 4 developing the confidence to stand out. Heroes are deviants. In most situations, groups uphold the status quo and do nothing and so heroes have to learn the confidence to pull away from the group and be different.

Zimbardo is my hero

[Tony]

The Banality of Self

To become enlightened, we must first identify
the obstacle to enlightenment.
This obstacle is the created image of ourself.
Clever me

This image can be very subtle, so subtle that we
can achieve an enlightened ego, and become a master of
conventional reality – the great illusion.
This is not enlightenment, but merely a puffed-up idea.
The claim “I am” clearly reveals this.
That is the banality of self. The source of evil.
Because of this, we feel we have to defend ourself
and attack others.

When practising, one of the problems is being caught up
in “idiot meditation”. Being trapped in a vacant state.
In this vacant state, there is no insight, no knowing,
no emotion, no virtue, no clarity. Just a vacant state of perception -
but this is not pure perception, which is pure essence.
The trap is “I experience”, “I rest in stillness”, “I am aware”,
“I am”…these are still at the conventional level of reality.
This “I” mentality gives rise to sentimentality.

Holding on to an mental image of ourselves is the reason
we repeat everything, with the same attitude.

Through proper instruction, we can break through this barrier,
to pure awareness – essence – higher self.
Then, there is just stillness, just awareness, just is-ness.



Tony