After our hopefully interesting side trip to behold a cameo appearance here by one of my most beloved souls and purveyors of the real truth, J. Krishnamurti, we return to the text of TEI. I've gotten behind in my blog posts, relative to our "creative conversations" phone conference, so I am playing catch up. Our meeting takes place on Thursday evenings, 5:30 PM PDT. Please join us, won't you? Okay, back to TEI...
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[14] (1) This, then, is the end for which I strive, to attain to
such a character myself, and to endeavor that many should attain to
it with me. (2) In other words, it is part of my happiness to lend
a helping hand, that many others may understand even as I do, so
that their understanding and desire may entirely agree with my own.
(3) In order to bring this about, it is necessary to understand as much of nature as will enable us to attain to the aforesaid character,
and also to form a social order such as is most conducive to the
attainment of this character by the greatest number with the least
difficulty and danger.
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The first two sentences above can't be argued with to the extent that
Spinoza is offering a recap and development of his personal aims.
These aims are being fulfilled still, since some among us have more than
a sense that Spinoza's ideas are vitally important, and we wish to
understand just as he does. Clearly, this is different from merely
being able to assimilate his philosophy logically/ intellectually.
It includes study of our own nature, and the nature of our relationship
with Cosmic Consciousness and with each other. Observation
through what Krishnamurti called "choiceless awareness," as
distinguished from analysis, is the most vital activity in living what
Spinoza is trying to impart. I'm most thankful for having a small
but persevering group of friends (including my wife, Jeneth) who are
meeting by phone to see what we can do to understand as Spinoza does.
Already, some of us are noticing distinct changes in our experience of life
as our minds become sensitized to the qualities of the ideas which comprise
the content of our consciousness.
With regard to the first two sentences (expressing sentiments not
generally found in Western philosophy): in order to discern the value
of Spinoza as distinguished from your run-of-the-mill televangelist
or perhaps very skilled and charismatic purveyor/orator of this or
that "road to salvation," (perhaps on "educational" TV, LOL...) we
must discriminate accurately between the properties of the truly
pious and those of the merely ambitious. Real piety is a rarity in the
sense that Spinoza uses the word. It is operative as the expression of
desires which Spinoza is here expressing. Piety cannot be expressed by
someone without true knowledge. And, when someone is blessed with such
knowledge, it comes with a high-minded compassion that renders it necessary
that those so blessed will reach out a hand to help pull us up. It strikes me that this reaching out was painted by the remarkable Michelangelo on the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel. Jesus said, "My cup runneth over..." Fortunate are those
who can strip away all the superstition and theology in order to pay attention
solely to the sayings attributed to Jesus. The ideas contained in these sayings may be judged on their merits by the discriminative intelligence, which can become highly developed in people with a strong sense of their own essence, and once developed, can recognize the essence of what all the great spiritual masters have placed into "vessels" of one sort or another to be transmitted to the spiritually thirsty down through the ages. In the Bhagavad Gita it is said that Yoga has existed since the origination of the universe. In Silence, let us ponder the meaning of this...
With ambition, we have daily experience. "People pleasing" is part of it. What Spinoza means by "ambition" needs to be studied and understood, then compared with the content of our consciousness as we continue in life. Everyone likes to feel that they are the cause of someone else's happiness (or misery in the case of an enemy). It is explained in Spinoza's Ethics that ambition and piety are both outcomes of the same appetite. However,in the case of true piety, the high-minded person has true ideas which are shared for the well-being of the other. Ambition, on the other hand, involves inadequate ideas, which the purveyor feels empowered by when others seem to affirm them, producing an egoistic illusion of leadership and superiority.I think it is especially important to understand the definition of ambition (E3P30, and others in that part of the Ethics, inc. P37) because it is such a pervasive influence in our moment to moment imaginings with regard to other people. I don't think it is easy to observe this comprehensively in our thoughts/images/ feelings, because the mind has a desire to keep this power, not realizing that the machinations of ambition are stifling to the perception of the Real.
When Spinoza says "it is part of my happiness to lend a helping
hand," we may feel that we can relate; it sounds so perfectly natural
as a statement. But that isn't true, unless someone out there may be
truly pious. Instead, I maintain that we have perhaps only the
faintest glimmer of where he is coming from, and perhaps project our
own inadequate experience of "compassion" by way of trying to explain
Spinoza's motives. This is the kind of compassion that
compels one who is overcome by it to attempt to rescue a drowning
person, even though the individual is not a strong swimmer themselves
and has no training. Often as not, they become the second fatality -
but our tendency to regard this as more heroic than foolish is what
I'm talking about as "compassion." (Little to do with the Buddhist
meaning of the term, BTW.) Forgive me if to an extent I use hyperbole
rhetorically in an endeavor to illustrate a point, however, I do not
think I exaggerate. Please see Spinoza's def. of "compassion" in the
Ethics.
As an aside, I want to explain how practical it is to study Spinoza.
For example, if one realizes that we are all ambitious, it is
possible to go far from home and make friends easily, and learn a
great deal into the bargain. If we recognize that an individual
really wants to hear what we have to say, we tend to enjoy sharing
with them things they seem to likewise enjoy hearing about. Hence,
ask a stranger a few sincere questions, then do a great deal of
listening, and friendly people will regard you as a nice new friend
even though you may have said but little through which they might
have become acquainted with you.
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[15] (1) We must seek the assistance of Moral Philosophy [d] and
the Theory of Education; further, as health is no insignificant means
for attaining our end, we must also include the whole science of
Medicine, and, as many difficult things are by contrivance rendered
easy, and we can in this way gain much time and convenience, the
science of Mechanics must in no way be despised.
[16] (1) But before all things, a means must be devised for
improving the understanding and purifying it, as far as may be at
the outset, so that it may apprehend things without error, and in
the best possible way. (2) Thus it is apparent to everyone that I
wish to direct all science to one end [e] and aim, so that we may
attain to the supreme human perfection which we have named; and,
therefore, whatsoever in the sciences does not serve to promote
our object will have to be rejected as useless. (3) To sum up the
matter in a word, all our actions and thoughts must be directed to
this one end.
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I made comments about p15 and 16 at the outset, especially because
Spinoza says, "we must...etc." I forgot to include the footnotes.
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[d] N.B. I do no more here than enumerate the sciences necessary
for our purpose; I lay no stress on their order.
