We meet on alternate weekends, at varying times depending on participants' schedules, to strengthen the bonds of friendship and stimulate self-inquiry. We employ a variety of techniques including writing, meditation, and questioning each other regarding the previous Monday discussion and other topics. Other activities include viewing and discussing videotapes and going on outings. A meal and socializing often precede or follow the informally-structured session.
< Click on RSS icon to subscribe to our schedule
Discussion Meetings
The Philosophical Self-Inquiry Discussion Group meets on alternate Mondays at the Carnegie Library in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh (Schenley Drive at Forbes Avenue). Meetings begin at 6:00 pm and run until the library closes at 8. Meeting locations within the library may vary. The security personnel at the library entrance will know the location.
Those curious to learn more about themselves are invited to air their views
and hear what others have to say on the discussion topic in an atmosphere of
friendly investigation. Meeting guidelines.
Monday, Aug. 23, 2010: What and Where Are You Pre- and Post-Consciousness?
"The human brain begins to develop astonishingly quickly after conception.
"Just 16 days after a sperm has buried its head into an egg, the beginning of the brain emerges in the from of the neural plate. This single layer of cells, which develops from the outer layer of the embryo called the ectoderm, will give rise to the entire nervous system.
"About five days later, the neural plate buckles in the middle and the sheet of cells curves together to form a tube. Each end then closes so the neural tube resembles the cylindrical cardboard carrier used to mail posters.
"After the tube has closed - one of the critical points in brain development - the single layer of cells begins to rapidly divide. The neural tube expands and, between the fourth and seventh weeks after conception, a series of fine vesicles, or sacs, appear at the front end of the tube. These will become the major portion of the brain….
"Scientists who study the brain, even those who have been at it for decades, remain in awe of the astounding pace of development. It is incredible: a newborn's brain has 20 billion neurons and a trillion synaptic connections, and the fetal brain must create a profusion of brain cells during intrauterine life - about 250,000 each minute - to meet those demands….
"During this period of development, neurons are constantly being generated in the middle of the brain. The neurons then migrate outward toward the surface and self organize into different brain structures. Once the neurons reach their specific position, they extend axons, nerve fibres that send electrical signals away from a neuron, and dendrites, nerve fibres that carry signals back to a neuron, to join with other neurons. This forms the complex circuitry that allows communication between cells." ~ www.dana.org, Brain in the News [The Life of the Brain: Beginnings]
2010 Annual Fall Intensive Retreat "Another Way"
Sunday-Friday, Nov. 7-12
Objective: Find complete & permanent X (Truth, Love, Security, Satisfaction, Reality, Being, etc.)
Direction: Within
Objection: Yes, but ... how do I go, sink or dive within?
Follow a contemplative tradition such as offered by Catholic or Buddhist orders? If so, as a monk or layman?
Find an enlightened teacher and dedicate your life to his or her tutelage?
Pick meditation techniques from teachings that appeal to you and pursue them until they no longer seem to be working?
Or is there another way? Perhaps as demonstrated by the amazing true stories of dogs, cats, and an aborigine girl who found their ways home despite overwhelming odds? Does the mind have a homing device ... and if so, can the mind be trained to pay attention to it?
Breaking through to self-realization, to becoming conscious of what we are at the core of our being, may be like the salmons' trip back up the rivers where they were born. It's a swim against the current, and it may be necessary to have a reserve of energy for the final jump to arrive at their destination.
Developing power is a matter of conserving energy and focusing it on the objective, regardless of how long it takes. For the human it's a learning process complete with repeated trials and errors, and it builds on self-discipline. (See this recent discussion topic.)
The retreat will include daily silent periods for individuals to pursue their introspective practice, presentations by participants, discussions, and other group activities aimed at the breakthrough to what Buddha referred to as nirvana and Jesus referred to as the kingdom of heaven within.
for more information.
Tied Up In Knots?
Once an earnest beginner in the pursuit of Tao came to visit Lao Tzu. As soon
as Lao Tzu saw him, he asked, "Who are all those people whom you have
brought with you?" The disciple whirled around to look. Nothing there.
Panic! Lao Tzu said, "Don't you understand?" This only added
confusion to his panic. Lao Tzu then pressed him to tell him what was ailing
him. The disciple said (to use the version of Thomas Merton):
"When I don't know, people treat me like a fool. When I do know, the
knowledge gets me into trouble. When I fail to do good, I hurt others. When I do
good, I hurt myself. If I avoid my duty, I am remiss, but if I do it I am
ruined. How can I get out of these contradictions? That is what I came to ask
you."
Lao Tzu replied: "A moment ago I looked into your eyes. I saw you were
hemmed in by contradictions. Your words confirm this. You are scared to
death, like a child who has lost father and mother. You are trying to sound
the middle of the ocean with a six-foot pole. You have got lost, and are
trying to find your way back to your own true self. You find nothing but
illegible signposts pointing in all directions. I pity you."
The disciple asked for admittance, took a cell, and there meditated, trying
to cultivate qualities he thought desirable and get rid of others which he
disliked. Ten days of that! Despair!
"Miserable!" said Lao. "All blocked up! Tied in knots! Try to
get untied! If your obstructions are on the outside, do not attempt to grasp
them one by one and thrust them away. Impossible! Learn to ignore them. If
they are within yourself, you cannot destroy them piecemeal, but you can
refuse to let them take effect. If they are both inside and outside, do not
try to hold on to Tao – just hope that Tao will keep hold of you!"
John C.H. Wu,
The Golden Age of Zen
Meeting Guidelines
The meetings serve as forums for discussing issues related to
self-inquiry and self-definition. This is a tricky proposition – using the mind to understand the mind. To expedite the process, a facilitator directs the discussion.
Typical meeting formats are round-robin style, where participants have an
equal amount of time to air their views. The object of this airing is to help
each person clarify contradictions, tracing them back to prides and fears
that cloud our mental processes. One of the ways of doing this is a friendly
mode of challenging, or confrontation, not of the person but of his or
her assumptions, beliefs, values and ethics. The facilitator is not to be
confronted, as this disrupts the flow of the meeting.
A successful interchange relies on the cooperation of all participants and
their willingness to "play the game." No one should preach or be
subject to preaching. As much as is humanly possible we should try to:
Listen actively, without interrupting, maintaining a felt connection with
the speaker.
Keep the focus on each participant in turn, avoiding the temptation to
shift the attention to ourselves – either out of a desire to rescue the
person from tension or a desire to be the center of attention ourselves. When
such a shift occurs, the facilitator or other participant should point it
out.
Try to understand the speaker's point of view and challenge him to
question his own thinking, not argue with him or try to sell our views.
Monday, Aug. 23, 2010:
Objective: Find complete & permanent X (Truth, Love, Security, Satisfaction, Reality, Being, etc.)
Breaking through to self-realization, to becoming conscious of what we are at the core of our being, may be like the salmons' trip back up the rivers where they were born. It's a swim against the current, and it may be necessary to have a reserve of energy for the final jump to arrive at their destination.
Meeting Guidelines
