Piet to Heloisa and Rod

Heloisa and Rod,

Reading again the nine reports that we have generated over the last couple weeks, I am struck both by the diversity of our responses, and by the fact that the various strands of our observations seem to be quite interwoven, as Rod also noticed in his last email. And I am especially impressed by the fact that we do not hesitate to write about times at which not much seems to happen. Taking everything in strides, not being tense about short-time gains, is an essential aspect of both scientific research and contemplative investigations. And in both cases, the real `pay-off' often seems to come in very short bursts, as Heloisa wrote so vividly in her last contribution.

Specifically, I agree with Rod that we are all looking for something altogether different than the normal way of being that we grow up with. And when we question it, often under a religious flag, insurmountable tensions quickly arise: how can we acknowledge both scientific and religious insights?

The problem here, as I see it, stems from the fact that we want to use the same old stage that we habitually and unquestionably posit, and then we want to enact a new drama on the old stage. And I am the first to admit that I tend to make that same mistake, every day, almost every minute! If I didn't, I probably would be counted as fully enlightened ;>).

Given this preamble, I would like to rephrase Rod's observation, that ``all three of us seem to have an unspoken assumption that what we are seeking by these exercises is an alternative state of consciousness that clearly sets it apart from our conventional daily life.'' As long as there is a `we' or `I' involved, as long as there is `seeking', as long as we are thinking in terms of a `state of consciousness', alternative or not, we are falling into the trap of using the old stage to try to enact a new drama. That will never work.

Again, I don't want to sound like a zen master, and I don't claim any special insight; I'm just trying to summarize what I have learned while grappling with this, and what I'm still learning -- I feel I have to keep reminding myself of this insight each and every moment. But I do think that it is exactly here that the answer lies to all the questions that Rod asks so succinctly, concerning the tension between looking away for a different state and getting deeper into everyday life right right where we are. The key lies in a different state of being, an altogether different stage -- which then turns out to be the real stage on which our ordinary drama is enacted as a little side show.

I'm eager to hear from both of you whether this makes any sense. And please, let's not be polite here, but really get to the bottom of it all!

Piet