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Taoist Writings: What is the incentive to give up somebodiness (the body-mind) for nobodiness (Consciousness)?

Taoist Writings: What is the incentive to give up somebodiness (the body-mind) for nobodiness (Consciousness)?


And I was just thinking about cake and suddenly this question appeared. I didn’t know that my evening was going to turn from a gentle meandering dream of a finely made Victoria Sponge cake and a cup of green tea with jasmine, whoever she might be, to this whopper of a question.


I don’t even understand some of it, but the parts that I do understand are the white bits between the words. I have a lot of white bits between my thinking.


Let me see…



What is the incentive to give up somebodiness (the body-mind)?


That hurts my head.


I’m sure my brain is getting bigger just wrapping itself around that question.


I got rid of quite a lot of my brain some years ago because it turned out to be quite noisy, especially while eating cake. “Mmmm, this is delicious!” - Yes, I know already, who do you think you are talking to? “And that raspberry jam is to die for”. - Yes, hello! I’m the one eating it - shut up!


I turned off the lights in some of its cells and can’t locate the switches anymore.


So, let’s break this down into more space - I can handle a bit more space and fewer letters…



incentive body-mind giving up


Okay.


Hey body, what is the incentive in giving you up?


Despite my mind’s supreme intellect and driven consciousness, I discovered that my body's intelligence easily ignores it. You see I got up to put the heater on yet saw that I wasn’t going to the heater at all but was reaching up to a high cupboard, and unwrapping a piece of dark chocolate to stick in my mouth.


Are you sure that the mind can give up this something-bodyness-mind-body-what’s-it? It couldn’t be the other way around, could it? Because you know, it just seemed that my mind was certain it was about to switch on the heating (which it still hasn’t done) and then it suddenly discovered it had a mouthful of chocolate, and it got confused.


And you know, quite often the mind seems confused but the body is happily pootling along.

And I must say, the body feels much better for having chocolate in its mouth, to the degree that I find myself eating a second piece.


And that made me think. Or rather, this mind-thing that pops up fairly regularly, usually uninvited and not having much of anything useful to say… had to question what the heck just happened. Seems like the body hit that big red button with the word “Override” next to it and took control.


So, part two of this question…


nobodiness consciousness


If I cut away a slice of noise and distraction from the whole thing I get this…


somebodiness (the body-mind) VS nobodiness (Consciousness)?


And if I cut away the whole thing from the Whole, what do I get then?


Can somebody be against nobody? What is 10 x 0?


One of course.



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