I wish, each and every seeker of truth, a Good New Year. May all experiences prove necessary for completion of your journey. As it is New Year’s Eve, I want to remind you that these blogs are not meant ‘to be easy to comprehend’ or … Continue reading Explaining Self: Psychoanalysis Modernized (1)

Before moving onward and upward to Paul Federn’s psychoanalytical innovations, I need to digress and discuss an extremely misleading and harmful concept introduced in the writings of post-Aryan India, the Mediterranean Neo-Platonists, the Occidental Hermeticists and Alchemists, the 19th century Spiritualism Movement in England and … Continue reading Explaining Self: The Most Dangerous Concept of Self

Today, we continue our emergent evolutionary physicalist analysis of how people came to possess the feeling of being an independent self–both physical and aphysical. We start from biology so to avoid foolish and unfounded speculation as to the nature of the personal self. For seekers … Continue reading Explaining Self: The Autobiographical Self

Previously, I introduced the meaning and importance of the word ‘self’ from a psychospiritual vista. If you return to these blogs you will see that I stressed a modern approach to the structure of ego states and personality–closely related to concepts stressed by the Buddha … Continue reading Explaining Self: The Cognitive Self

I would like you to take a few moments considering the methodologies utilized in the ministries of Jesus, the Christ and Gautama, the Buddha. Did either man indulge in pontificating theological and abstract nuances? Did either man discourse primarily with the learned scholars of his … Continue reading Reality Series: The Paths of Work and Study

Happy Boxing Day from Jolly Ole England. Look it up! As an aside to yesterday’s blog, I want to discuss a question asked frequently by seekers. Is it necessary to affiliate with an esoteric school for efficacious progress toward stream-entry or full illumination? This is … Continue reading Reality Series: Necessity of a School

Greetings and may we all remember what Tiny Tim prayed for at the end of the Christmas Carol, "A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!" On this Yuletide Day, we are going to discuss the importance of applying wisdom when you … Continue reading Reality Series: Be Wise in Your Questions

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone. This morning it crossed my mind that I need to clarify something for you. Often, readers presume that an author creates with a specific, concrete plan and distant goal. Such concrete plans and goals commonly underlie papers, theses, and books. But, … Continue reading Reality Series: Self and Not-Self v. Self or No Self

After reading the existing set of blogs, I feel it prudent to discuss our understanding of the Buddha’s teachings upon the contentious matter of ‘self’ and ‘not-self.’ To appreciate the original teachings of the Buddha, one must consult the earliest doctrinal texts of Theravadins, the … Continue reading Reality Series: The Virtual Self (4)

Yesterday, we introduced a rational neurophysiological explanation for the development of the ‘concept of self.’ Clearly, the development of our ‘individualized feelings of selfness’ is dependent upon psychoneurologic ontogeny; the Institute recognizes that psychobiological factors are insufficient to fully explain the ‘concept of self.’ The … Continue reading Reality Series: The Virtual Self (3)