Quantum, Zen, and other things
I have encountered in various contexts, similar notions that tickled me. So far I have been unable to connect the dots for myself and struggled to talk about it in a coherent way, but here I go.
The first concept shared by both Zen (and Daoism) and quantum is the basis that everything is a vibration. Vibration is defined by a pattern made of two opposite aspects (on/off, up/down, front/back, 0/1, dead/alive). That principle extends to all things and suggests to consider this dichotomy. Nothing is just good or bad. If it is one way then there must be its opposite. It’s often obvious but rarely comes easily.
Zen, Hindu, Daoism, Quantum, and science, all have something to say about water to varying degrees. From important to essential. If everything is a vibration, then resonance is a major interaction. That particularly matters in the case of water which is omnipresent in nature and « carries « more than just H2O. Minerals and molecular structures have been observed in the natural state. If nature is the source of knowledge, water is a sort of bloodstream.
Language is very limited (a lot more than I thought. I thought I was not smart enough to pick the right words and make elaborate enough sentences but no…). Words and numbers are convenient to navigate the world but they are not the world. They are symbols. Meditation and contemplative experience can allow us to glance at what things really are, an experience happening only in the present.
Humans (certainly me) have a very hard time thinking of anything that involves more than 3 variables. Our technology is a reflection of our minds, scaled. Our minds are limited and inputs dramatically increasing, machines are helping us stay afloat but it’s a losing game. Maths have a hard time flexing to fit the quantum theory: Nonlinear subtle inputs.
I often came back to this fact that seems quite fundamental: Every system is defined by a higher system. Religious people see god as the highest system that has nothing above it. Eastern philosophies seem to have a cosmic entity often labeled - the universe - as the highest level. That seems like a simple difference of word choice but it is major. The diffuse nature of this higher entity allows a narrative grounded in something that feels non-dogmatic. This seems closer to a scientific observation process but for things of quality. Words get weird and should be considered as an invitation to sensory perception rather than a symbol-based description.
Understanding nature with a framework of complexity (linear input processing) is meaningless; if our physical bodies and nature are seen as unified, it makes perception easier. Quality of experience reveals itself and its importance only when we acknowledge that. A nap is « good » for you any many ways that can be explained with medical/scientific logic but the great feeling that you get when waking should be the real focus.
A lot of things happen without us knowing how. Pursuing an understanding of all things is not necessarily wise, and certainly not always useful. Although we know more and more about nature and our brains we still do not know why things actually happen or came to be. Bees should not fly according to aerodynamics. We don’t know how we originate our thoughts or motion commands like moving our fingers.
Also, a lot of things happen and are hard to perceive. Our bodies can help us understand that there is a lot going on at a very subtle internal level. A bit of this can be perceived by doing things much slower. Trying to pay attention often leads to nothing. Not trying to do something is the best way to experience the thing. Giving up is an art that often requires trying very hard to get to a cliff moment.
On matters of esoteric stuff it seems that unless someone is already interested in these kinds of matters, it is virtually guaranteed that they WON'T be receptive to what you may try to introduce them to. That's just the way it goes for some reason. It takes a truly open mind to appreciate spiritual material. Without that openness it's a cart-before-the-horse situation; it won't go anywhere.
The sharp intellect of BBL and my own, paired with my 2000s secular upbringing have shaped me into a dull and fairly insensitive creature. I just don’t feel much. Pain and anger seem to be vaguely constructed by observing those around me more than genuinely be personal expressions. My sense of self as an entity seems to be defined by sheer muscular tension. My sore feet from countless baby walks and shuffling on concrete or other hard surfaces have been a big source of pain and general tension. After 30min I can feel the weight, the impacts, and how it drags my energy down. I recently tuned in more subtle, but no obvious signals. My face and all the muscle in the jaws, eyes, temples... intentional release has been a way to acknowledge buildup. For my noon nap, I've been focusing on relaxing "what's between my eyes" which has been a great way to ease into a general relaxed state.
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