Cognitive biases, blind spots, a sticky point and a “remedy”

center-of-the-universe-2011We are all born seeing ourselves as the center of the world. We don’t know we are the center of our world… we just don’t know there is any other vantage point to look from.

Most of us never learn it.

Like one of my students: every time I recommend anything, she answers: “I agree…”

She hasn’t crossed that threshold, that divide between infant and even toddler… absolutely and completely ignorant to the fact that using the personal vantage point is ineffective, because it is delusional.

This is also true if and when you can see that other people see things differently from how you see them, but your view is accurate and theirs is inaccurate.

Same delusional,

Updated: Albert Einstein said: No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. Could this be applied to consciousness training?

I am very lucky: the questions my students send me have caused me to have a deeper understanding for my own work.

These students are often seeking new insights in their pressing circumstances from me. Lately it is all about making a decision to go or leave, to let go or to fight.

It is a huge responsibility to talk to people who are looking for answers.

If they use the insights I give them and don’t make them their own, they run the risk of making a decision “because” I said so.

One of my students asked “is it a matter of meditating over this decision now?”

This particular student has been a meditator for five years. The particular form of meditation he is doing with some master is to open up his ability to gain insight from All-of-it.

And this seemingly intelligent move, to meditate to gain insight is what I want to talk about today.
If you are a “normal” human being, brought up by parents or caregivers, if you went to school, if

Meditation: How To Use It?

meditation : a very philosophical article. You’ll probably hate it! What is meditation and what is the role of meditation ? I will examine this question as a non-meditator who has tried to meditate (TM) and failed.