2014-04-28

Latest Book Published - MASTERY OF SELF-an Inquiry

I just published my 3rd eBook at Smashwords.com and Amazon Kindle.
It is a small book - 4,950 words - 24 pages in the PDF version and about 35 pages in the Amazon Kindle version.
      
                       


Here is the cover:             Click on Cover below to go to Amazon books.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZ5K56K





2014-04-07

=A Radical View Revisited=

03-23-2014
The term "Personal Development" has been around for a while. I suppose most people have a general idea of what it refers to. Very technical definitions turn most people off, since they do not really care what it means, but what it can do for them.
Often the term "Personal Development" is used quite loosely. Then there are various facets of PD such as building specific skills like:
- communicating via public speaking
- conveying ideas clearly through writing
- improving one's character traits to interact with more
appeal in the "business world"
- overcoming some personal inhibition - relating to
others with an open mind
- learning how to present ideas from an appealing
perspective
- etc.
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Material such as how to become rich or how do to things better do not really fall under basic personal development. These are more in the category of how to sell an idea.
It can be part of the activity one brings into one's personal development, but in themselves, the "how to"s do not actually develop a person, they merely 'add to' their knowledge base.
There might be some side effects in terms of developing character traits, or having more material to draw on in speeches etc.
Can you see anything more here?
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The radical view on personal development that came to mind goes something like this:
What if we were to understand personal development as an unveiling and enhancement of who we are?
Taking it from the other end.
Who are we?* -at the core-in depth*** -at the heart* -in essence? We have been conditioned by environment, by circumstances, by society, to believe and accept our life situation in a certain way. That conditioning is always at the root of how we function in our relationship with the world (people, ideas, everything).
Can we unveil, uncover, gain an understanding to see beyond those conditioned limitations that affect our activity and performance in daily life?
Instead of chasing "cure-all"s, methods, formulas and the 'X' steps to success (which may work for a time, for some), can we see the truth of what our potential actually is?
If there is a natural ability or talent within us, how will we find it or 'see' it?
And then, how could we develop or enhance it?
Personal Development
- The discovery and enhancement of who we are!
Are you waiting for someone else to define who you are?
Or, are you ready for the quest of discovering who you are?
Introspection, self-enquiry, relentless pursuit of the truth of oneself.
These are all key elements of the radical view of personal development.
And then what will you find?
Will there be a sweetness to life that escapes one in the pursuit and struggle for such things as
"success as the world defines it"?
or 'making your mark'?
or to become "a somebody"?
You already are a somebody!
What do you really know of the powerful depth of being that is you?
Who will define you?
Who will discover your true potential?
You can look to others for examples, but in the end, you must see your place in the task of personal development.
It will not happen without your insight, without giving yourself over totally to finding out what the truth of yourself is.
What is personal development?** Who are you?
Addendum
Is the answer out there, or, is it already available to you but you are not aware of it?
Why does one try to achieve something, anything, beyond the necessary things in life?
When is enough, enough?
Why do people feel that it is important to compare oneself to anything or anybody?
- one’s standing in life
- one’s abilities
- one’s income
- one’s wealth or lack of it
- one’s health or lack of it
- one’s good fortune or lack of it
Why should it even matter?
If Personal Development has any importance or meaning at all then it is in the direction of helping one to see your own misunderstandings, shortcomings, and how they relate to others, and life.
So it all boils down to “Who are you”?
Not the “defined”, conditioned you. That, you have to realize before you can proceed any further.
But, who are you beyond the obvious?
If Personal Development interests you at all,
then the above questions must not escape your careful attention.

03-25-2014, 12:19 AM
Who is "the Person"?
Personal Development as the name suggests is all about the development of the person.
What actually is " the Person "?
Is it something totally different from what or who you really are?
Is the Person the image that you THINK you are? (In essence a dream image).
An image that is carefully built up by societal conditioning, desires, habits and fears...
Have you seriously made this critical self-enquiry, as have many renowned sages over the ages and seekers of truth, even to this very day. Those that seek to find that ultimate truth are likely less than 1% of the world. They do not seek to display their discovery, they live it as an example for those who have "eyes to see" and "ears to hear".
Person-hood may merely be the entry point of the evolution of the human being.

03-26-2014, 12:47 PM
Individual or Integral ?
Personal Development could lead to more problems than solutions.
It depends on the focus of that "personal" development.
If the focus is separative and individualistic in nature then it can bring many problems with it.
If one pursues personal development from an integral point of view then it may be more than simply "personal" development.

03-27-2014, 02:34 AM
Re: Self discovery
Is there such a thing as a "Personal Problem" or is it really that the "Person" is the problem?
This has relevant meaning only in reference
to "self" discovery...

March 26, 2014
The ROOT of Personal Development
You ARE – I AM – S/he IS – BEING ...
These are all different grammatical forms of the verb TO BE.The forms/words all look different, they sound different, but they all derive from and carry the meaning of TO BE.
You exist – You know this instinctively – You say “I AM”, “I exist”.
Your “BEING-ness” is thus self-evident. There is no other way to prove it but subjectively. Objective science cannot point to your knowing-ness that you exist, and that you thus declare “I AM” as do the 7 Billion-plus people on this planet.
I AM is the common name of every human being.
When asked who you are, usually, inevitably, you begin your answer with “I AM” followed by your name, or your title, or your position etc. : But the “I AM” is the common part with which everyone identifies themselves.
Is this “I AM” the 'person' or the “BEING”.
As we have noted above, following the grammatical logic “I AM” is equivalent to “BEING”, but it is usually confused with the 'little me', the person or personality, the mental construct, the conceptual or worldly identity.
Personal Development is for enhancing the “worldly” I am this, or that, or something, or somebody. I do this, I like that, I will become better, richer, kinder, etc...
That is phase one in the conscious awareness of Personal Development.
Phase two moves one a step beyond personal development.
The 'Person' is recognized for the role it plays, for what it is as a functional entity in the complex of human society. Then it is understood where the “Person's” place is in the scheme of what people usually call life. Addressing the factor of “BEING-ness”, the second part of HUMAN BEING comes next. This is part of the RADICAL (root) understanding of Personal Development.

Thurs., March 27, 2014
HUMAN BEING
- Phase III -
*** Being playing the Human role ***

Friday, March 28, 2014
Indubitable Certainty
Can anyone say with indubitable certainty that their experiencing of the so-called objective world is not a projection of their subjective state of consciousness?
How do you think this might relate to "personal" development?

March 29, 2014
Kindness
Kindness is the natural state of true being.
It is native to all Life which evolves in harmony.
As human beings, we define this state of cooperation, helpfulness and good feelings in terms that makes all of us feel happy and secure.
Basically, what everyone wants is to feel secure, happy, and loved.
When you demonstrate by your actions that there is no intent to harm or attack another, you are creating an atmosphere of security and good feelings in which both can "shine" and be "lifted up". This is kindness in action.
We are all of the human "kind" and of Life "kind". Thus in our experience of Life what can be very naturally expressed is "kind"-ness.

March 27, 2014
Develop Rapport
IF YOU ARE NEW to this field of Personal Development
then -
A GOOD WAY to begin your journey of personal development can be accomplished by reading Dale Carnegie's stimulating "Eye Opener" book "How To Win Friends And Influence People"

March 28, 2014
Step #1: Who Are You?
The FIRST step is to find out WHO YOU ARE!
Then it will become clearer whether it is PARTICULAR PERSONAL HABITS or "the world out there" that is creating your "personal" problems.

March 29, 2014
Mastery of Self
When you begin to understand who you really are then the next step is to pursue the Mastery of self.
The ancient Chinese Master Lao Tsu in his "Book of the Way"
"Tao Te Ching" (pronounced Dow Deh Jing) pointed to many 'secrets' of Mastery of self.
One of them is:
Quote:
Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.
The initial steps to Mastery involve watching thought.

March 30, 2014
Watching Thought
Have you ever watched thought?
Have you seen its character?
What is it in essence?
Is there freedom from the limitations of
thought?
Where is thinking most practical?
In what situations can thought interfere with, and complicate you life?
As you begin to observe without being attached to your observation ...
you start to become an impersonal WITNESS to the activity of thought ...
and a whole dimension of the phenomenal activity of thought energy unfolds to your newly focused awareness.
Now you are on the verge of true self-empowerment.
With vigilant alertness, attend to the activity of thought
without being caught up in the stories that it carries.
Every thought tries to lure you
by implying "This is important", or
"Pay attention", or "If you don't do this or that, what will they think of you?",
and so on, and so on, and so on.
These kind of interfering thoughts
have no power over you ...
UNLESS you give them the power
to rule your desires ...
What will you do?
Will you rise above all of this mundane conditioning?
Will you attend to the Mastery of self?
Do not delay to begin your journey of personal development ...
and BEYOND!

April 1, 2014
Beyond the person...
This ends the current series of posts on
"A RADICAL VIEW of Personal Development".
It is hoped that by delving into the several possibilities of the Mastery of self, one will come to know oneself in the context of one's relationship to one's thoughts and the world.
Mastery of self is the beginning of a journey that goes far beyond the current understanding of personal development.
... It is beyond the "person".