First, my apologies for not being very active last week. I am on a tight deadline which ends tomorrow.<\/p>\n
At several points in the discussion and the reading, we have noted the difference between subject (which stands against object) and self (which stands against (but also within) world. It can be artificial to insist on this distinction, but we should try to be clear about it, because we often fail to acknowledge the self by confusing it with the subject.<\/p>\n
The short reading for this week suggests that the self is at home in time, while objects occupy space. Then what about the subject? Does it occupy space rather than time? The short and oversimplified answer is ‘yes’. But what is the significance of this point?<\/p>\n
The self is always busy constructing its world: assigning meanings and telling stories. But none of this works if the self is not somehow in charge of reality. It is like a potter who uses clay to make pots. Suppose that somehow the clay was his own flesh. Everything would change. This sounds like a nightmare, but this may be because we are so busy insisting that we (as selves) have our own independent position. If we let go of the strong subject-object distinction, the world might construct itself, or might just be there. Doesn’t that sound relaxing?<\/p>\n
I refer in the title of this post to desire because it seems to me a good focus for Ex. 30, even though it is not discussed there. The object with which we practice reversal is also a desired (or hated, or neutral) object, and some of the energy bound up in those emotions can fuel the reversal. At that point, is it the self that reverses its relation to the world? I don’t necessarily suggest trying to do the exercise that way, but you could have this possibility in mind.<\/p>\n
So I come back to the first point: It is possible and helpful to signal out the subject in relation to the object, but it is good to do this against the background of self and world.<\/p>\n
Chris speaks of openness in doing these exercises, and that seems to me a good direction to look. Peter writes of different forms of confusion. This would be a good ‘feeling’ on which to practice subject-object reversal. This would\u00c2\u00a0naturally bring self and subject together.<\/p>\n
Jack<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
First, my apologies for not being very active last week. I am on a tight deadline which ends tomorrow. At several points in the discussion and the reading, we have noted the difference between subject (which stands against object) and … Continue reading