#Direct Experience

[eelhound]

"Laughing, singing, loving — are powerful Dyonisian acts, expressions of an authentic life. Gentleness involves the body, that is to say, the idea and the sensibility of a body that gentleness could have educated, elevated, ennobled. Its power distilled by the senses.

We cannot possess gentleness. We offer it hospitality. It is there, as discreet and necessary and vital as a heartbeat. Its carnal power goes from sensuousness to the lightest pressure of the hand; it is thought when it touches and touched when it is intelligence.

Gentleness has no fixed location in the body, it is there from birth, there where we breathe, it accompanies dreams and joins in their secret revolt, it only reveals itself after the fact, in the impression it leaves upon sleep.

No event in this world is foreign to it because it bears the responsibility of the living. Without gentleness, no existence in the human world. No possible translation except violence."

- Anne Dufourmantelle, from Power of Gentleness: Meditations on the Risk of Living, 2018.

[turiyatitta]

You Exist Because Nothing Does

In the profound stillness of existence, there lies a paradox that both mystifies and enlightens: the realization that you exist because Nothing does. This concept, which dances on the edge of comprehension, invites us to explore the depths of nonduality and the nature of our very being.At the heart of this exploration is the understanding that nothingness is not a void but a fertile ground from…

[quotes-by-dilanka]

If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself.

If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution.

All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.

—Mao Zedong, PRC

[thinkingandthonking]

Dealing with Cravings and Urges - Part 3: The Direct Experience Approach

[Part 1 here]

[Part 2 here]

Part 3: “Game of chicken”

The previous methods have been a bit evasive. In the end, most of us fear our cravings, we fear direct confrontation since we know the discomfort, defeat, shame and disappointment it can bring, sometimes after hundreds of attempts.

This method is for when you’re sick of playing games, want to use brute force, to go head on into the craving to unravel it from within… but it might not be as “macho” as it seems at first.

Consider cravings as a sort of seemingly impenetrable wall that we “bounce off of” in the direction they point us. As soon as the craving arises, we are redirected AWAY from it, towards what it claims will “fulfill us and free us of the discomfort” (that it itself brings and promises to continue bringing. Carrot and stick.)

What actually happens if we crash into that wall without bouncing? Is it really made of iron, or cardboard?

The next time a craving arises, intend to meet it DIRECTLY. Stop all other processes, shrink your perception down until NOTHING but the craving or urge matters. Until it’s the only experience worth feeling.

How is it expressed? What does the craving actually feel like, when it’s not just movement towards a future result, or thoughts ABOUT the craving, or interpretations of it, or stories and memories about it, or all the other secondary things arising as a response to it?

What is the most direct and immediate experience of the craving? What does it feel like in the body? Really examine it closely, almost microscopically. Where does it start, where does it end, how is it CHANGING moment to moment? Is it really just one thing, or an entire living process?

Are there parts of it that actually feel strangely good, or neutral? Are there parts of it that grow or shrink or pulse? It's not necessary to DESCRIBE every sensation it involves, but try not to let the first impression of it be the ONLY one. Keep looking, deeper and deeper.

The next part is the real tricky one… What happens if we don’t fight or run away from it? What happens if we don’t give in to its demands, but still DO try to support and fulfill it DIRECTLY?

It’s a sensation. The story in our heads, even the framing of this post, gives it so much identity and “motive force”, making it into its own entity. But in direct experience, it’s simply a sensation that we find uncomfortable.

It doesn’t KNOW (and neither does the mind that interprets and reacts to it) exactly what it needs, how it works, what will free IT and US. We just have a limitied, narrow idea, based on past experience, of what alleviates the suffering temporarily.

So try to get as absolutely close and intimate with that sensation, not intellectually through observation and thought but by FEELING it, embracing it, letting it in or diving deeper into it.

There may be that feeling of an “impenetrable wall” again, of resistance and discomfort, as if there's nothing else beyond this, "That's all this craving is". This time though it might be easier to get through it with softness rather than hardcore willpower.

Everyone has different words for these kind of approaches - Loving kindness, Metta, compassion, self-care, acceptance, etc. I write this as someone “overly analytical” who finds these “sappy, affectionate” methods difficult to approach or explain without it sounding too floaty…

But practically speaking, the effect is undeniable when it works. One of the most shockingly impactful, almost psychedelic, and can cause a deep change in how we live.

Many teachers even suggest a "mothering" approach, seeing the sensation as a fragile, scared and lashing out being - either a child or a frightened animal, something you care about but in this difficult situation it's hard to GIVE that care and it's hard for the being to receive it.

The simplest and most direct is to simply be with it, give it your undivided attention without rejecting it, giving into it, running from it, fighting it, or holding it at a distance. Simply intimacy and compassionately waiting with it until it tires out and softens on its own. Like sitting with a friend who is crying and screaming in anguish, and just being there for them until they're ready for a hug. Not forcing it on them.

Whatever sort of “softness” resonates with you, whatever intention lets you be in touch with that sensation in the LEAST combative way possible, lets you befriend and support it - Try that for a while.

Then, when the sensation is TRULY accepted as it is (and not as the story of it that makes us bounce AWAY from it) - that internal wall of resistance can just dissolve, seemingly out of nowhere, and you sink deeper and deeper into that sensation while the outer layer of “discomfort” washes away.

The feeling at the core of the craving can be unlike anything you ever imagined it to be.

There’s a lot more to this approach and a lot of good teachers that explain it thoroughly, but if this kind of directness appeals to you or you’ve experienced it and you’d like to discuss it more feel free to message me. Any questions and thoughts here are welcome too!

Next method will be more broad and philosophical in nature, ramping up in complexity, but can also serve as an extension of this one.

[compassionmattersmost]

Experiencing the Present Moment: Beyond Conceptualization

Introduction In our fast-paced world, we often find ourselves caught up in thoughts, judgments, and conceptualizations, missing the richness of direct experience. Embracing the present moment can offer profound benefits, providing a clearer connection to reality and deeper personal insight. This post explores the value of immersing ourselves in the direct experience of now and how it transcends…

[sheilamurrey]

the Christian version of no self…

In the writings of Bernadette Roberts, a Christian contemplative and mystic, her exploration of “no self” takes a unique and profound turn. Roberts, …the Christian version of no self…

[valtsv]

an angle i enjoy in cosmic/eldritch horror is when, instead resorting to the old classic "the horrors being so incomprehensible that they break your brain and drive you mad" cliché, the premise is that in comprehending the horrors you are so changed by the experience that your new state is indistinguishable to an outside observer from madness. you comprehend the unknowable just fine, but actually communicating that to anyone else is impossible because they just don't have the mental framework required to understand it. the eldritch horrors don't drive you mad. what does is the ordinary everyday horror of finding yourself isolated, ridiculed and doubted at every turn, no matter how hard you try to make yourself heard and understood.

[m-m-m-myysurana]

To nobody's surprise, I am already deeply obsessed with the Crow...

[rice-enjoyer]

[sabertoothwalrus]

so I’ve been gaining a lot of insight into the animation industry recently, especially in regards to pitching & the creation of new shows. There’s a few ways to go about it.

First, there’s pitching to a studio. When you pitch, it has to be SHORT and CONCISE. You may write a lovingly detailed pitch bible that perfectly breaks down episodes and characterizations, and it might barely even get read. First impressions, first impressions, first impressions!

Most peoples’ first projects don’t get picked up. I’ve heard a few stories from directors that said they tried pitching a story they’d had for years, which got rejected, to then spend a week or even several hours in their car coming up with a new idea, only for that to get greenlit.

But that’s not the end of it. Just because a show gets greenlit, doesn’t mean it will ever get finished. There’s lots of things that can happen. Sometimes, unexpected major world events (like… a global pandemic) can cause projects to get chopped. Sometimes, a CEO change or studio merge means a single person can decide a project “no longer fits with the company’s brand.” Sometimes, the one producer that was rooting for your project gets laid off, and no one else cares enough, so it gets shelved. Sometimes, a streaming service decides to create an animation department, and then they decide they don’t want it anymore. Sometimes, the studio will be simultaneously be developing another project that was too similar to yours and they just didn’t think to tell you until they decide yours is the one with less potential.

On top of that, almost everyone in the industry is saying that “studios just don’t pick up original content anymore.” Studios want something they can franchise, something that will bring in money. New content is risky. Established fanbases are safer.

However! Studios can still be a very good thing. They can be unionized. They can provide better benefits and resources. They can have connections and infrastructure and a larger volume of workers. At a studio, you can divide the labor and produce more in less time. Longer episodes, longer seasons, more consistency in quality.

But this comes with all of the disadvantages of having more in the kitchen.

The alternative is indie animation.

With indie animation, you have total freedom. Full artistic control. It doesn’t even matter if your idea sucks ass, because there’s no one to tell you you can’t make it. You could make it anyway, and you can make it whatever you wanted.

The thing is, making animation is hard. In my production class last semester, the average maximum animation one person could make in that timeframe was 30-60 seconds, and that’s not even counting background design, sound design, or cleanup/color. To make a 5 minute animated short, you should probably have at least 5 people.

And it is CRUCIAL you have a production manager. Ideally someone who’s not already doing art for the project. Most projects without a production manager will fall apart pretty quickly. Once the adrenaline and impulse-fueled motivation wears off, you need someone to hold you accountable and enforce deadlines and proper time management.

Speaking of time, that’s also hard to get. The more people you have, the more likely schedules won’t line up. Most people will have school, or other jobs.

And it costs MONEY!!!!!! You either have everyone work for free and volunteer their time & energy, or you establish a business as a proper indie studio, with people who may or may not have experience on how to handle paying someone else’s salary. And the money has to come from somewhere, so you have to rely on crowdfunding like patreon or kickstarter. (This, by the way, is why I could never fault an indie animation for releasing merch with their pilot.)

And like, maybe you wanna do a series, and all your friends agree to volunteer their labor and time to make the first episode, but it was unanimously not sustainable. Deciding not to produce a second episode until you can raise enough money is not being suddenly greedy, it’s attempting to compensate people rather than expecting them to be continuously taken advantage of.

You have to consider your output as well. There are some outliers like Worthikids, who afaik does all his animation himself, and afaik can work on it full-time thanks to his patreon subscribers. And he still has only produced a total of 30 minutes of animation (for Big Top Burger specifically) in the past 4 years. This is an IMPRESSIVE feat and this is with using a lot of 3D as part of his pipeline!!

Indie animation also has the complication of being more accessible for fandoms. When you’re posting your Official Canon Content on youtube, it doesn’t look a lot different than the fandom-created video essay in the sidebar next to it. What’s canon vs what’s fanon becomes less distinguishable. The boundaries are blurrier. When the creator is just some guy you follow on twitter, it’s easier to prod them for info regarding ships and theories and word-of-god confirmation. They don’t have a PR team or entire international tv networks to appeal to. And this is when creators get frustrated that their fans snowball and turn their creation into something they don’t recognize (and no longer enjoy) anymore.

So it’s tricky.

Thankfully, the threshold to learn animation is fairly low nowadays!! There are TONS of resources online to learn it on your own without forking over a couple hundred thousand to a private art college. There are conventions and discord servers and events where you can network, if you know where to look.

I know it can seem discouraging in the face of capitalism, but I think that’s all the more reason why it’s so important to BE DETERMINED about animation!! We’re already starting to see the beginning of an indie animation boom, and I think it’s a testament to humanity’s desire to tell stories and create art. Even if there’s no financial gain, we do whatever it takes to tell our stories anyway.

[eelhound]

"Only at the periphery of our lives, where we and our understanding of God alike are undone, can we understand bewilderment as occasioning another way of knowing."

- Belden C. Lane, from The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality, 2007.

[turiyatitta]

The Silence Beyond Words

The Inexpressible Nature of Ultimate TruthIn a world populated by nearly eight billion souls, each one of us carries within the potential to encounter the ultimate truth, the absolute essence of reality that lies beyond the reach of ordinary perception. Yet, even if every individual were to experience this profound truth firsthand and attempt to articulate it through words, symbols, or metaphors,…

[lilianade-comics]

Dani: 5203

Vlad: 0

[bacchuschucklefuck]

doing chibi is a good design exercise bc it forces u to think on shapes n essential details, essentially thumbnailing ur designs. its also a terrible design exercise bc it ends up looking cute no matter what

[sheilamurrey]

direct experience leads to knowledge of the sacred within

The wise of all ages have taught that it is knowledge of the divine Being that is life, and the only reality. Bowl of Saki, September 29, by Hazrat …direct experience leads to knowledge of the sacred within

[apilgrimsprogress]

But as I had forsaken the priests, so I left the separate preachers also, and those esteemed the most experienced people; for I saw there was none among them all that could speak to my condition. And when all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do, then, oh, then, I heard a voice which said, "There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition"; and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy. Then the Lord let me see why there was none upon the earth that could speak to my condition, namely, that I might give Him all the glory; for all are concluded under sin, and shut up in unbelief as I had been, that Jesus Christ might have the pre-eminence who enlightens, and gives grace, and faith, and power. Thus when God doth work, who shall let [hinder] it? and this I knew experimentally [through experience].

George Fox