Author: Andrew Taggart
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Samskaras Will Persist Until The Pot Is Broken
The following is an amazing excerpt from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidadanda (1978/2012), pp. 88-9. What is in bold is a translation of a Patanjai sutra; what is unbolded after the bolded statement is Swami Satchidadanda’s illuminating commentary. * * * 11. Dhyanaheyastadvrttayah. In the active state, they…
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RIP Pete Sims (1981-2021), Cont’d
In later years, Pete liked to wear colorful socks. A Canadian living in Denmark and teaching at a quirky quasi-bohemian school, he was a tad eccentric. And a tad eccentric are just my style. You see Denmark, at least in my reckoning and as a rule, is pretty square. Think of geometric interiors (rectangles, squares,…
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RIP Pete Sims (1981-2021)
My dear friend Pete died on July 1st, 2021, of Stage 4 brain cancer. For the past 12 years, he’d lived in Denmark. A memorial service was held for him on July 8th. I first met Pete in 2012. He was just finishing up an “epic project” in Bogota, Colombia, as part of the program…
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Kant’s Phenomena/Noumena Distinction And Zen’s Reply
Phenomenon and Noumenon During our philosophical conversation, you suggested that you intuitively got that there is a “disconnection” between what the physical senses can deliver and what True Reality is. You can also come to the same realization, albeit not an intuitive one, via Kant’s argument in The Critique of Pure Reason (1781). Kant’s proposal is the following:…
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A Systematic Inquiry Into Samskaras For Adept Meditators
Overview In this post, I’d like to discuss a particular approach I’ve developed to identifying samskaras, or ego tendencies. I take my point of departure from Ramana Maharshi who would often tell some disciples, “All thoughts stem from the I-thought. First, hold on to the I-thought. Next, find the source of the I-thought.” This is…