Animals "Я" Us

Spider Man

L had noticed a lot of spiders webs recently, which had sparked a train of thought within him. What would happen if the spider were to become aware it was in a web of its own making. It would not necessarily help it to free itself. It was just the nature of the spider's existence. L wondered if we were like that spider. We were trying to break free from habitual behaviour. In so doing we might become aware of our own web. Regarding the exercise, it had been quite hard but he had managed to do it for the first 24 days, write down three things to do and then do them each day, but in the final week major projects meant he had missed some days.

RM had been away the previous month on a cruise, during which he ran morning workshops called "Mindfulness and the art of living". He said that the results had been absolutely stunning. He had been thinking about the difference between power and influence. The power to control people's lives was a negative power. People with massive influence did not necessarily have the power to affect people's lives directly but did have huge influence by the nature of their existence. Only by growing one's presence like a candle with its light does the world change, because it changes by its own choice.

EXERCISE “To note down three things to do every day, and to do them before the end of that day.”

The exercise had reminded N of time-prioritisation techniques he had learnt and used in the past, and while he was at work it happened anyway. It was hard at weekends or holidays when he did not have the same compulsion. There were one or two weekends when he didn't do the exercise, but once back at work continued with it as before. This raised questions for him about his approach to his leisure time and making things happen during it.

D had managed to do three things one day, but had forgotten about the exercise after that. He remembered there had been a visit from Q the previous month, who had raised questions about the way the Meetings were conducted. Q's words had led D to reflect on his own possible fickleness. In addition, the inconsideration and irresponsibility of a friend had been affecting him emotionally, and that was undermining meditation and mindfulness for him.

GC said that some years ago he had caught a bug in India and lost his sense of hunger while he was ill. This had linked to an experience during ten days in Cyprus. He had been taken to a taverna in the mountains where they had a meze. The food kept coming and coming, and he was trying everything. The next day he had lost his sense of hunger completely. But it was not like the time he was ill. He was above the hunger. He knew that he had to eat to live, but he was completely in control of it. He had hoped this development might be enduring, but unfortunately it had only lasted for about two days after he got back, but the feeling of being in control and above it all had been great. He had also experienced this in other aspects of his life at times.

HD said that it was his first visit to the Meetings. Coming from the Buddhist tradition, he was aware of mindfulness and the benefits it can bring.

Responding to N, L thought it was harder to do things at weekends because we as human beings are predisposed to follow kundabuffer, to follow instructions from a boss or a guru. At the weekend, without such instructions, it was harder to think of things to do. L was continuing to do the exercise, which seemed related to authentic conscience in that the selection of tasks might come from a deeper space.

Following HD's contribution on mindfulness, L wondered if it was a term overused at the moment by many groups of people. According to the popular press you could do a short course and learn it quickly. Maybe the Work was more about mind-less-ness, letting the ego go and letting something deeper in. D said that in contrast, will-power was a crucial part of the Work, and brought up the metaphor of ascending a musical scale. L said much was made of this in the literature, but in terms of music theory he thought the metaphor did not make sense. N said he found it a helpful metaphor for following through a project to the end. L said a similar thing had happened with colour, in that most people were convinced that there are seven colours in a rainbow, but this belief had only come about because of a statement by Newton who liked the number for mystical reasons. HD said there was no question but that there were seven, it  had been empirically tested. RM said it had been known long before Newton came on the scene, that seven was a fundamental number. L said it was preferred in the Meetings that all assertions be referenced and that things be explained in a rational way.

T followed up GC's contribution, saying that the difficulty in sustaining the feeling of saturation from eating was reminiscent of the difficulty in following through with the exercises with intention. RM said that his approach was trying to be present without intention. He said that to have three things to do at the start of the day would be counterproductive to him, as he would not know what they were until he got to them. "R" asked RM where the resistance was for him. RM said there was no resistance for him at all. "R" said that meant there were only two forces for him rather than the usual three in the Work. GC asked why there had to be three forces. Why not five?

At 9:45 the Meeting resumed the reading of Beelzebub’s Tales., continuing Chapter 19, Beelzebub’s Second Descent to Earth.

... you do not use this sacred property of yours for the purpose for which it was foreordained, but manifest it as "cunning” towards His other creations, as, for instance, towards your own-donkey.

... this donkey of yours is of the same value for the common-cosmic process and consequently for our COMMON CREATOR, as you yourself, since each of you is predestined for some definite purpose ...

L found it interesting that, just as last time, Gurdjieff is saying evolution has a conscious, premeditated direction and purpose, which is at odds with the scientific view.

GC queried the meaning of the donkey. T thought it represented the idea that the body is the vehicle for the mind. HD said there is a strong philosophical argument and scientific evidence for the proposition that the mind is a separate entity from the body but working closely with the brain from which it was separate. He thought this was hard for many scientists who were physicalist. GC said that there was hardly any matter in the universe which suggested to him that physical matter was not so important.

Planets are invisibly small compared to their orbits

Near Death Experience research
Daily Mail 7 October 2014

D said that each of us must find out our purpose and do it. Each person should know deep down what their purpose is. He himself was very interested in how he was going to die, and wanted to be aware at the moment he does. L said that the discussion kept returning to the issue of purpose, and people were more comfortable with belief in a purpose. RM said that there was no preordained purpose but there was such a thing as destiny which a person could change by becoming more conscious.

... I repeat, all beings, of all brain systems, without exception, large and small, arising and existing on the Earth or within the Earth, in the air or beneath the waters, are all equally necessary for our COMMON CREATOR, for the common harmony of the existence of Everything Existing.

And as all the enumerated forms of beings actualize all together the form of the process required by our CREATOR for the existence of Everything Existing, the essence of all beings are to Him equally valuable and dear.

L said that the final paragraph seemed to imply that vegetarianism is a good practice. RM said that it had nothing to do with vegetarianism. L said that nobody would destroy a life it held dear. RM said it was not destroying life, because one form of life gives itself up to another. L said that the animals do not give up their lives, their lives were taken by humans. RM said this was just an interpretation. L said that no animal voluntarily says "Here I am, cut my throat." RM stated that we were meat eaters just like every other animal. L said that he personally was not a meat-eater, and here RM was speaking for himself. RM said that he was speaking for himself and everybody else.

20% of 16-24 year olds in UK vegetarian
Daily Express 1 October 2014

RM said science proved we had been meat eaters ever since we came out of the sea. L said that he had raised this because a lot of people say Gurdjieff advocated eating meat, and here was an opportunity to read Gurdjieff's actual words. RM said Gurdjieff did advocate eating meat. T said that in this passage it was not Gurdjieff speaking, but a character in his book.

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
Research by Michael Bluejay 2002, updated 2014.

The Reading continued.

... One form of beings ... lord it over other forms and destroy their existence right and left ...

I am quite sure that if any one of them should become aware that in destroying another's existence he is not only committing an evil deed against the true GOD and every real Saint ... then certainly not one among them could with all his heart ever again destroy the existence of beings of other forms for Sacrificial- Offerings.

Goofy demonstrates argument by handwaving

Then perhaps on the Earth also would begin to exist the eighteenth personal commandment of our COMMON CREATOR which declared: "Love everything that breathes."

GC said that this passage did not say that you cannot eat meat, it just said that you cannot sacrifice animals. RM said it means it is wrong to sacrifice animals, but OK to eat them. GC said it was natural to eat them. L said he thought this was handwaving. "R" spoke of the Grace used by Mrs Staveley. L thought the provenance of that prayer and its connection with Gurdjieff was unclear.

HW said the direction of self-remembering was sattvic, and if you moved in that direction you would not want to eat meat. RM said that sattvic people eat meat. HW thought this was not the case. RM said that Ramana Maharshi advised eating meat and RM's own teacher did too, and said there was no spiritual reason not to eat meat.

Ramana Maharshi “Food affects the mind. For the practice of any kind of yoga, vegetarianism is absolutely necessary since it makes the mind more sattvic [pure and harmonious].”

T asked RM if there was any spiritual reason to kill an animal. She said that eating meat is eating a dead animal, which somebody has killed. RM said that he was prepared to kill an animal for food, though he would devolve the responsibility to someone else. He said it was spiritual because every life form gives itself up to a higher form of life. T quoted the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". HW said that was a mistranslation, and could not mean animals, and anyway there was a lot of violence in the bible. He thought it meant not murder.



Meat is Murder by Morrissey and The Smiths

GC said it was impossible to be vegetarian in a cold climate. L said it was a possibility people could make up their own minds based on their own considered values, rather than uncritically following the advice of a guru. RM said he just followed Buddhist and Sufi teachings and they were all OK with eating meat.

Following the reading, there was a discussion on what exercise to adopt for the ensuing month, and a suggestion by T was decided upon, to use a timer during one meal each day, to eat and pause eating for one minute intervals.