*image by Ben Harubin

 

Today's Question:
What exists without the mind?

The speaker for the day addressed the crowd thusly, "Those who undertake a study of their mind,
and pursuant to such attempt to bring same under their control, are like men who proclaim that they
will leap from the tops of their ankles and soar away into the heavens."

And a voice from the crowd called out, "That's ridiculous -- who in their right mind would attempt
such a thing?"

And the speaker feigned shock at the words, responding, "Who said anything about people in their
right minds?"

(At which point both he and the crowd had a good laugh over the obvious joke.
Well, that's how the station manager told me to conclude the story to take into
account the sensibilities of some of our viewers. [Though, I'm sure, not you.])

Long have men promoted the idea (accepted as meritorious and commendable)
Of "the perfectability of human existence," which in truth would be
"the realization of no flaws existent."

Or, as the chief of police said as one of his patrolmen drove a car across
his foot, "My cop runneth over."

A certain man so pondered, "Is it truly correct to say that we think too much,
when we have no choice? -- since the brain never ceases to think? "Is the intent
of the comment to actually say that we think too much to no profitable end?
Or perhaps that what we normally call thinking would be more accurately
identified by some other name or description? "Ummm...who knows?
(Certainly not thought!)"

Far ago and long away was once a school dedicated to the struggle to achieve enlightenment,
which called itself by the name Don't Waste Your Time.
(And, I might add, was the astounding success of its day.)

Have you yet to notice that you can get by telling the same setup to a joke,
over and over again, as long as you continually change the punch line?
And what is even more scrumptious is that the same is true vice versa.
One eternal, immutable punch line, repeating itself time and time again,
right before men's eyes. And they, forever oblivious to the fact, through
being constantly distracted by meaningless, apparent shifts in the setups.

One man privately designed this "Get Well (Or At Least Better)" card:
Without the mind, there are no problems;
without the mind, there are no questions;
without the mind, there are no fears;
without the mind, there are no regrets;
and without the mind, there is not 'me' to be asleep, or to awaken --
what else the hell d'ya need to know, dammit!
Have a nice (or at least tolerable) day.

Decision Time:
The actual difference between a mystic and ordinary people is this.
Ordinary people have one state of consciousness, while mystics have two:
the ordinary state, which everyone has; and another one, in which they find
grave fault with the ordinary one.

("So that's it for that bit of 'news' is it? So where's the notion of it
being decision time come in? Hmmm? Just tell me that!")