标题: The Turning Point 9 - 第三个问题-觉察 - 发现宁静之美译 [打印本页] 作者: Sue 时间: 2010-3-23 15:30 标题: The Turning Point 9 - 第三个问题-觉察 - 发现宁静之美译
3rd QUESTION: We know that asking how to maintain awareness is a wrong question, since awareness is moment to moment, but does the capacity of awareness develop, getting stronger and stronger in endurance? And is this what you mean by the awakening of intelligence? If so does this not imply process?
It's hot! First of all let's understand what we mean by awareness. Don't let's complicate it, for god's sake let's keep it simple. What does awareness mean: to be aware where you are at the moment where you are, sitting there, aware of the tent, the shape of the tent, the various divisions that hold the tent up, to see the proportions of the tent, and generally the environment that is around the tent - the mountains, the hills, the green pastures, the running waters and the blue sky, if there is a blue sky. To be aware of all that outwardly. And also to be aware of the person you are sitting next to, the dress, the colour, the look on his face and so on. All this can be observed at a glance - right? To be aware of all this. And the questioner says: awareness is from moment to moment. Is that so? The speaker is supposed to have said it. Is that so? Why should one be aware all the time? You understand - that is what is implied, endurance, to last. Why should it last? Is it because you feel that state of attention, which is part of awareness, is a state that brings you a certain quality of energy, a sense of joy, a sense of feeling without a border. You understand? Is that why you want to maintain, sustain, cultivate awareness?
Then if that is your motive, that is, you want to maintain your awareness, sustain it, enhance it, make it as long as possible, there is a motive behind that and therefore awareness becomes then a matter of choice. You understand? If I have a motive to be aware then I choose the right moments to be aware. Or I desire to have this awareness endure. But is that awareness? If I look at the tent because I like the shape of it, I don't like the shape of it, I wish it were cooler, I wish this or that, I am not then aware, observing the actual fact. So awareness is something that is not cultivable. Either you observe, or you don't observe.
Once the speaker was standing waiting for a bus in a long queue in London. A man with a bowler hat walked past the long queue, got in front. And the man next to him took his hat off his head and passed it down. (Laughter) And the man had to go back! But if the man was aware he wouldn't have done it. But most of us are so concerned with our own problems, with our own - you know, all the muck that we have collected for generations, with that we are concerned. And intelligence is something entirely different. It is a title of a book - The Awakening of Intelligence, but is intelligence to be slowly awakened? Is it a process? Now process implies time - right? I must sleep, I gradually wake up. It may be a waking up immediately which may have a split second interval, which is time, or it may take a long time. Process implies time. That is one thing.
What is intelligence? When you say he is an intelligent man, what do you mean by that? Intelligence according to a dictionary meaning is to have the capacity - please listen - to read between the lines, to read between the words and also it means gathering information by observing, by learning, by information around you and acting according to that information, reading between the lines - all that is implied by intelligence in the sense that thought is operating. That is, thought is reading between the lines, between the words, the hidden meaning. And also thought is gathering information by watching, seeing, hearing, optically reading and so on, it is gathering it. Out of that gathering, reading between the lines, acting, is so-called intelligence - right? That is to be very clever, to be sharp, to discuss opinions, holding on to your opinions because you etc. etc. All that is generally called intelligence - right? We, the speaker, is questioning that, whether that is intelligence. Or intelligence is something entirely different. Are we together in this? The speaker is not laying down anything. He is not being dogmatic but together we are enquiring. We have accepted intelligence as we have just now described. And also we say it is intelligence to go off to Asia and meditate from somebody or other. You follow? All these patterns have been repeated over and over again and we call that intelligence.
Now we are asking what is the depth of intelligence? The depth. That is very superficial - you understand? Gathering information, reading between the lines, watching, learning and cultivating that intelligence of thought, which is common to all mankind, we say that intelligence is really destroying humanity because it is competitive, because it has been reduced to individual intelligence, it has been reduced Einstein this or that. So that intelligence, which is the product of thought, that has become competitive, aggressive and so it is gradually destroying human beings. And we are saying that is not intelligence. There must be another quality of intelligence - right?
Now we are going to enquire together into that quality of intelligence. Not by listening, enquiring you are going to get that intelligence but if one has the capacity to patiently enquire into it, the very enquiry is that intelligence. You understand? Have you understood this? I see you haven't. Oh I am so tired of all this blasted explanation!
We say humanity has accepted that as intelligence. We are not discussing that. We are pointing out its dangerous nature. Now we are beginning to enquire into what is the very root of intelligence, the depth of it, the extraordinary vitality of it, the tremendous energy that is involved in that intelligence. And in that intelligence there is love, compassion. We are enquiring into that. Now to enquire the mind, the brain must be free from its tether, from its prejudices, from its conclusions, from its limited, narrow tradition - all tradition is narrow. So the brain that begins to enquire into what is the depth and the quality of a mind, a brain that is compassionate, love - to enquire, to penetrate that, penetrate rather than enquire, penetrate is to have a brain that is completely free otherwise it cannot penetrate. Obviously. If I am tethered to my belief, tied to my family, tied to a conclusion, the brain is limited, it functions in a very narrow, limited way. Whereas if the brain is free from its anchorage, from its attachment, then it can penetrate, because a mind that is free can only penetrate - right? Obviously. That brain that is free is already intelligent. That intelligence cannot be cultivated. You understand? The very truth of freedom is intelligence, because love is not jealousy, love has no hate, love doesn't belong to one group or one family - love and compassion is not individual compassion for somebody. It is love and compassion and intelligence go together. And from that comes right action.
