I tend to equate enlightenment with thoughtlessness. (Thoughtlessness as in devoid of thought, not rude behavior towards others, in case anyone wondered.) It might be that enlightenment and thoughtlessness are not the same things, that thoughtlessness arises from first being enlightened, or that enlightenment arises from first being thoughtless.
Our minds are obviously more advanced than the caveman's mind. No doubt we think more thoughts than he did. We have thoughts about love, careers, finances, family, friends, pets, health, entertainment, spirituality, property and myriad other things. The caveman? Well, if he thought thoughts and didn't just act out of instinct, probably thought many fewer thoughts. He probably thought about food, water, shelter, warmth, territory and safety. (As a side note, it would be interesting to know what language cavemen thought in. We think our thoughts in our head using our native language. Cavemen, I'm postulating, probably thought using a series of grunts. Or, maybe they thought using images.)
I can't imagine that the cavemen thought constantly, like we mostly do. I am speculating that they sat around with empty minds often. If enlightenment arises from thoughtlessness, might the caveman have been enlightened?
If enlightenment really does mean truth realization, I don't suppose the caveman would have been enlightened. Truth realization seems to take, at least for me, significant thinking time. For me, it seems to be an intellectual pursuit, and I've never heard anywhere that cavemen were intellectuals. (Although, the mental picture I've conjured up of cavemen playing chess is quite humorous.)
So, what do you think? Was the caveman enlightened, or not? Unlike Buddha or Jesus, we have no written account of caveman's enlightenment, so should we fail to hypothesize that the caveman might have been Awake?
Anyway, I hope this post doesn't seem too far off-the wall. I don't want to get weird on anyone, and I've already risked that by writing about aliens. If the caveman could have been enlightened based on the conjecture that they had empty mind more often than we do, it's also quite possible that the dog or cat could be enlightened, or even frogs and insects. However, if realizing truth is required of enlightenment, we can just scratch this idea.
29 comments:
Yeah, I know. This caveman post was very strange. Don't ask me where it came from. I was bored at work. When I'm sitting at a desk with nothing to do, all I can do is think and imagine. I wonder how enlightened people would respond to being bored nine hours a day for months. Tell me to find another job, and I'll tell you that the benefits are too rewarding and I'd be crazy to leave.
You say:
The caveman ... also quite possible that the dog or cat could be enlightened, or even frogs and insects.
LOL. I love this post. read it with my coffee this morning and burst out laughing almost spluttered coffee on my LCD screen. Nice way to start the day ..thanks Sophia!
To be enlightened one has to awaken to no mind (No thought) perception. I suspect cavemen and animals are not caught in endless thinking and are living in the present moment.
Lets face it if you are a caveman sitting on a rock daydreaming, thinking about that muscley cave girl you like, or about inventing the wheel. You may not notice the sabre tooth tiger thinking about making you lunch. Too much thinking when your life could be dinner at any moment is a real handicap.
Much better to be present, aware, all senses reaching out and alert to what is happening around you.
But this alone doesn't mean cavemen were enlightened. To be enlightened means you have awakened to the truth of what you are. You have discovered that you are not your thoughts, or even your body. You have realized you are consciousness itself.
I suspect a dog or cat is happy just to be a dog or cat (or a caveman) and is not identifying with thinking or with consciousness. It is just being what it is.
vinito
I liked it.
Vinito,
Hehee... glad you liked the post and that it could bring you a laugh early in the morning. I think we need laughter the most during mornings.
I guess now that we're on the top of the food chain, we can afford to spend so much time thinking.
Yeah, I don't suppose the caveman could be enlightened. I doubt, first of all, that he was aware that he was aware.
Mossy,
Thanks for your vote of confidence.
It's like being embarrassed that I said something stupid in conversation, and having someone tell me that what I said wasn't stupid at all.
:)
The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind by Julian James discusses this very issue. It is quite a scholarly read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicameralism_(psychology)
what is the substance of Mind that has these thoughts or no-thoughts?
the heron meditates all day but does not achieve self-realization...why?
the heron meditates on fish
likewise the human meditates on thoughts
Hi Joe,
Wow, that was quite an interesting article. Definitely thought-provoking. I was starting to wonder if the people who heard God talking to them might still have remnants of the bicameral mind, when the article mentioned schizophrenics. One likes to believe that maybe God really was talking to them, but then, we have to look into every possibility. The article also mentioned several opposing views, and the mention of visual hallucinations requires some thought. Unless it is possible that they have overlooked a possible fact that bicameralism included the visual as well as the auditory.
Anonymous,
Your questions make me wonder.... is the substance that creates thoughts the same substance that creates no-thoughts? Are they just polar opposites of the same globe?
I don't know about you, but when I meditate, I try to meditate on no-thought, as difficult as it can be. But if no-thought is from the same substance as thought, I wonder what the point is? Makes me think....
where do my thoughts come from? is a more useful question. then i need only look to find out.
Anonymous,
I am not entirely sure where my thoughts come from. When I think, it feels as though they are coming from somewhere inside my head. I mean, as opposed to coming from my feet or hands or elsewhere. So, I would be tempted to say that my thoughts come from my brain?
Am I right or wrong?
haha quite right but where are you?
your thoughts are in front of you
what is behind??
Anonymous,
Right now I am right here.
I have memories, but I think there is nothing behind me?
if i was a caveman i would look for meat something good to eat
if i was a yogi i would look behind at my own mind
thoughts and emotions will bear the brunt if you live in front
if one lives in their forehead there is no scope
if one says nope! then there is hope....
a caveman lives a cave, he is a slave to the hungers of his small mind
if he likes it THATS GOOD
if not THATS BAD
the voice in his head tells him to go, to run to what he want to what he has had
his logic is flawed
horizons are VAST
to little time to live in the past
so put down your meat!
and pick up a broom, pick at those notions until it goes boom
fin
Hi Anonymous (or Fin?),
How does one look behind at their own mind? I must have misunderstood you. When you said "in front of" and "behind", I thought you were refering to future and past.
I don't really know much about the brain's anatomy, but are you saying that thoughts and emotions take place in the front of the brain?
Or am I being too analytical?
maybe i can ftp you a talk of a teacher who can further elaborate...
I'd like that.
If it's text I can d/l it now, but if it's audio, I'll have to wait until I get home. I'm on eastern standard time. The time on my blog is not correct. It is currently 1:00pm my time. I get home at about 5:00pm.
k whenever
do u know how to setup a ftp or should i set one up
I've never set one up, before.
If it's less than 100MB, you can use YouSendIt. Have you ever used that?
OK, I just tried to figure out how to set-up an ftp site by searching Google. It's way over my head! Looks like I'd have to set-up a server? Or have Windows 2003? I have XP at home.
I like challenges, but this one has me scratching my head....
Something like this, maybe:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1491
its less than 100
usendit sounds good
lemmi know who im sending it to
That would be me, Sophia.
light.of.sophia@gmail.com
*uploading* 15 min to go :)
erm 40 mins
Forty minutes? You must be on dial-up! You must have some patience. :)
It's d/ling on my end, only a minute to go.
Wow, just under 100MB. Was that close or what?
Got it. Thank you.
I like this guy's voice, will make it pleasant to listen to.
Going to put it on the iPod.
Hey - I stumbled on this post when I was searching for info on this author I'm reading right now - Chris Wilson.
You should check out his site...
www.enlightenedcaveman.com
There's some supercool stuff there (in the blog) that is right in line with what you're pondering. There's a link to the archives on the right. Lots and lots.
I'm halfway thru with the book and I definitely never thought about thinking before - at least not like that.
Good post to stumble on.
Charles,
Thank you. I took a look at the site yesterday after receiving your comment.
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