2014.03.09 13:00 - Circus acts and defining compassion

The Guardian for this meeting was Aphrodite Macbain. The comments are by Aphrodite Macbain.

Bruce Mowbray: I've just come from a session with Seth -- on "Meditation."
Bruce Mowbray: WOW!
Aphrodite Macbain: oh?
Aphrodite Macbain: wow?
Bruce Mowbray: Yes.
Aphrodite Macbain: was he helpful?
Bruce Mowbray: Indeed, there were several points that Seth made that will contribute MUCH to my Sunday school lesson on Gnosticism -- in May.
Aphrodite Macbain: What did he say that was new?
Bruce Mowbray: Hmmmm.
Bruce Mowbray: Definitions of things like "compassion" and "awareness."
Aphrodite Macbain: or old...?
Bruce Mowbray: But I'd need to go back and review what he said....l before quoting it here, if you get my meaning.
Aphrodite Macbain: what did he say about compassion? Can u remember?
Bruce Mowbray: I've only just come from there, right now.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, I think that I can.
Bruce Mowbray: Just a sec, please.
Aphrodite Macbain: kk. it needs time to settle :-)
Aphrodite Macbain: no rush, just curious
Bruce Mowbray: I don't know if this is allowed,
Bruce Mowbray: but here it a quote:
Bruce Mowbray: [11:12] Seth Haalan: compassion is having everything hold your interest [11:12] Bruce: ahhhh! [11:12] Seth Haalan: artists feel compasion for their art [11:12] Seth Haalan: describe their creative works as their children [11:12] Bruce: That is the best definition of compassion that i've ever heard.
Aphrodite Macbain: listens
Aphrodite Macbain: smiles
Bruce Mowbray: here is* a quote*
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Aphrodite Macbain: paying attention to your loves
Bruce Mowbray: (There were several others, but I'm not ready with them now, sry.
Aphrodite Macbain: np
Bruce Mowbray: Paying attention also to your hates.
Bruce Mowbray: Giving both your gestalt.
Aphrodite Macbain: I feel the challenge is having compassion for your enemies
Aphrodite Macbain: yes
Bruce Mowbray: Do you mean, as Jesus supposedly said, "Loving your enemies"?
Aphrodite Macbain: yes- unrestricted compassion
Bruce Mowbray: Well, there it is!
Aphrodite Macbain: not sure whether love is compassion
Bruce Mowbray: Equanimity: without preference or prejudice!
Aphrodite Macbain: but part of love is compassion
Bruce Mowbray: you're dern tootin' it is!
Aphrodite Macbain: yes exactly- to be equanamous, we need to treat things equally
Bruce Mowbray: but, as Seth pointed out today, it is a "gestalt" sort of thing.
Bruce Mowbray: it is not just a "thinking" thing.
Aphrodite Macbain: handy term "gestalt"
Bruce Mowbray: oh yes.
Bruce Mowbray: I love that term.
Aphrodite Macbain: :-)
Aphrodite Macbain: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Bruce Mowbray: Which sort of contradicts the "value" of the term itself...
Bruce Mowbray: which goes beyond thinking.
Bruce Mowbray: A full-being response to whatever the experience is.
Aphrodite Macbain: I think and feel therefore I am
Bruce Mowbray: oh my god.
Aphrodite Macbain: god?
Bruce Mowbray: How about, "I play as being, and therefore I am!"
Aphrodite Macbain: hmmm
Bruce Mowbray: ha ha!
Aphrodite Macbain: I can only play till 1:30 (3:30 yr time)
Bruce Mowbray: 4:30 my time, but that's fine!
Aphrodite Macbain: From now on I have to leave at 1:30
Bruce Mowbray: np.
Aphrodite Macbain: oh right-3:30
Aphrodite Macbain looks for Zen
Bruce Mowbray: (but daylight savings time has screwed everything up for a while0>
Aphrodite Macbain: nods
Aphrodite Macbain: I wasn't sure whetehr anyone would be here
Bruce Mowbray: Really?
Aphrodite Macbain: Did u get my notification about the talent show?
Bruce Mowbray: This is a "DON"T MISS IT" session for moi.
Aphrodite Macbain: aww
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, I did!
Bruce Mowbray: but I don't feel that I have any particular talents, unfortunately.
Aphrodite Macbain: I was thinking it would be fun to find some circus animations - juggling, cartwheels, unicycling, pratfalls, and dressing up as a clown
Bruce Mowbray: Wow! Cool!
Aphrodite Macbain: we could put on a circus act!
Bruce Mowbray: YES!
Aphrodite Macbain: :-)
Bruce Mowbray: We could play the fool!
Aphrodite Macbain: OK
Aphrodite Macbain: yes!!
Bruce Mowbray: (which is a noble profession, to be sure!)
Aphrodite Macbain: you could wear that great mask of yours
Bruce Mowbray: ha ha!
Aphrodite Macbain: with the hooked nose
Bruce Mowbray looks for his "great mask."
Aphrodite Macbain: all we would need is sound/music...
Aphrodite Macbain: but w/o Storm, I'm not sure if it's possible
Aphrodite Macbain: Maybe Bleu can help..
Bruce Mowbray nods.
Aphrodite Macbain: we can go shopping for clown animations
Aphrodite Macbain: at a circus store
Bruce Mowbray nods
Aphrodite Macbain: maybe u can train blub to jump through hoops
Aphrodite Macbain: lol
Bruce Mowbray: OH YES
Bruce Mowbray: Blub has been longing to jump through hoops!
Aphrodite Macbain: It may take a bit of training
Bruce Mowbray: for sure!
Aphrodite Macbain: I think this mask is too scary
 

Defining compassion

Bruce Mowbray: I've been thinking that Zen's concept of compassion ( and I REALLY don't wish to speak for him on this) ---- is total acceptance of what our perceptions offer us.
Aphrodite Macbain: acceptance=compassion?
Bruce Mowbray: That would be MY concept of compassion, actually.
Bruce Mowbray: (sorry, Zen!)
Bruce Mowbray: Yes.
Bruce Mowbray: You have it.
Bruce Mowbray: but there is some gestalt also going with this.
Bruce Mowbray: I have not yet narrowed it down.
Bruce Mowbray: but it is a full-bodied, full-being-ed acceptance.
Aphrodite Macbain: I always go back to the word itself: compassion is "feeling with"
Bruce Mowbray: (Not sure that I am ready for that.... but I can conceive of it.)
Aphrodite Macbain: I feel with you
Bruce Mowbray: "feeling with.,"
Aphrodite Macbain: yes
Bruce Mowbray: (a literal translation of "compassion"?)
Aphrodite Macbain: so it is more active than accepting
Bruce Mowbray: Hmmm
Aphrodite Macbain: yes - that's what I was trying to say
Bruce Mowbray ponders "more active."
Aphrodite Macbain: feeling with requires some attention, some imagination
Aphrodite Macbain: don't you think?
Aphrodite Macbain: as opposed to sitting back and accepting
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, but my "problem" is that attention and imagination usually involve some adulteration (pollution) of the original experience.
Bruce Mowbray: (and perhaps that is allowed),
Aphrodite Macbain: god? I always go back to the meaning of the word: "feeling with"  -Being compassionate, for me, requires some energy
Bruce Mowbray: but for original experience, I go for compassion itself.
Aphrodite Macbain: it is an effort, sometimes, to feel what the other person is going through
Bruce Mowbray ponders bringing energy to experience.
Aphrodite Macbain: imagination takes energy
Bruce Mowbray: What if we just allowed ourselves to be there/
Bruce Mowbray: to feel it?
Aphrodite Macbain: hmmm
Aphrodite Macbain: sometimes it's easy, sometimes not
Bruce Mowbray: to receive the vibration without judgment or preference?
Bruce Mowbray: So, it would become a "gestalt".
Aphrodite Macbain: "receiving" requires opening up, paying attention
Bruce Mowbray: and we could become habituated to going for the gestalt.
Aphrodite Macbain: :-)
Bruce Mowbray: Of course, yes.
Aphrodite Macbain: I have to go now sorry....
Bruce Mowbray: Paying attention -- but without preferences...
Bruce Mowbray: OK.
Bruce Mowbray: BYE FOR NOW, dear APH!
Aphrodite Macbain: byeee
Bruce Mowbray: Bye!
Aphrodite Macbain: (((Bruce)))
Bruce Mowbray: (((Aph)))