Comments on: seeing the faces and the vase at the same time http://www.syntheticzero.com/?p=1216 art, life, philosophy, architecture, literature, film, performance, and other stuff Thu, 11 Jun 2026 03:17:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: mitsu http://www.syntheticzero.com/?p=1216#comment-996 mitsu Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:51:46 +0000 http://www.syntheticzero.com/?p=1216#comment-996 That is to say, it's not about getting rid of desire or pain, it's about seeing heaven right now, without changing anything or getting rid of anything, in the midst of hell, and vice-versa. This means you can keep your desire and your pain and longing and disappointment and triumph, but see that there's more to it, even more, more vividness, more aliveness, more dimensionality, there's timelessness in time and time in timelessness. That is to say, it’s not about getting rid of desire or pain, it’s about seeing heaven right now, without changing anything or getting rid of anything, in the midst of hell, and vice-versa. This means you can keep your desire and your pain and longing and disappointment and triumph, but see that there’s more to it, even more, more vividness, more aliveness, more dimensionality, there’s timelessness in time and time in timelessness.

]]> By: mitsu http://www.syntheticzero.com/?p=1216#comment-995 mitsu Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:14:38 +0000 http://www.syntheticzero.com/?p=1216#comment-995 What this is about is something far more radical than that. It's about seeing heaven inside hell and hell inside heaven. It's hard to explain in words, but it's certainly not giving up or evacuating desires... What this is about is something far more radical than that. It’s about seeing heaven inside hell and hell inside heaven. It’s hard to explain in words, but it’s certainly not giving up or evacuating desires…

]]> By: Matthew http://www.syntheticzero.com/?p=1216#comment-994 Matthew Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:30:30 +0000 http://www.syntheticzero.com/?p=1216#comment-994 In the context of meditation and spiritual practice, this seems exactly right. But is this kind of of equanimity, of "seeing both sides" really desirable in everyday life? Or in pragmatic terms, does it equate to something like relinquishing the urgency and importance of your singular existence in favor of a more "liberated" perspective? Call me narrow-minded, but I like the immediacy of my desires, even though they can also be a source of pain. It seems like the consequence of evacuating our desires is stagnation, self-abnegation, indifference. In the context of meditation and spiritual practice, this seems exactly right. But is this kind of of equanimity, of “seeing both sides” really desirable in everyday life? Or in pragmatic terms, does it equate to something like relinquishing the urgency and importance of your singular existence in favor of a more “liberated” perspective?

Call me narrow-minded, but I like the immediacy of my desires, even though they can also be a source of pain. It seems like the consequence of evacuating our desires is stagnation, self-abnegation, indifference.

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