Although doing so may run counter to Buddhist doctrine, analytically dissecting the “path to enlightenment,” presented in numerous ways by many different schools, we realize that it can, indeed, deliver much of the results it promises. The basis of Buddhist Tantric practices consists in educating the mind through a self-suggestive process that establishes a new understanding of the self and the environment. Through a collusion between habits and mental reprogramming, plus a retreat that makes distractions or disturbances difficult, the being is effectively transformed. Meditating for hours, days, months in emptiness, seeing oneself and reality devoid of autonomy and self-grounding, believing oneself to be part of a whole, mixed in the same emptiness in which one meditates, although hostage to the illusions of sensible experience, it is predictable that one reaches a rupture—or overcoming—of earthly ties, and consequently reaches a state of soul that oscillates between peace and beatitude. Repeatedly denying the body, the mind, the reality of observable phenomena, the sensations, then visualizing oneself as a shapeless superior entity, strictly controlling any deviation from focus: someone who steadfastly pursues this path will certainly become something different. And to think that all this is just the laying of the ground…
Category: Notes
The “Delirious Morbidity of a Fakir”
It is amusing to think that I was probably the first to use “delirious morbidity of a fakir”—that is what I wrote!—referring to Nagarjuna’s greatest work. Nagarjuna, a saint, always rated with superlatives and very precious adjectives. What can I do? Blame my indomitable mind? I try hard to imagine a reality far, far away, the silence of meditation for years, but still I cannot admit the contradiction of much of the argumentation in the work. I want to convince myself that I have not risen high enough, that Nagarjuna reasons from heights unreachable to my spirit. I want to think that the lapse in time, the discrepant reality, and the translation have made the work incomprehensible to me. But I remember some of the syllogisms, and… well, let the future come, and I sincerely hope to be taken by a new impression.
Mulamadhyamakakarika, by Nagarjuna
Forgive me the Buddhists,—for whom I have great respect,—but I cannot deny the feeling I experienced while going through the Mulamadhyamakakarika, by the renowned Nagarjuna. What can I say? Could the problem be in my translation? I don’t think so… But I confess, reading these lines, that I felt, not before the enlightenment of an eminent sage, but the delirious morbidity of a fakir. Yes, yes, stones, please! Even though Nagarjuna, in words, is averse to the conduct of fakirs, I am unable to imagine him in a superior state of mind, when arguing as employing logic to break the bounds of absurdity. Did I say logic? I seem to lack words already… In any case, it is possible that the problem is in me; but there is no reason to hide this very strange sensation.
Someone Like Nietzsche Can Only Be Appreciated…
Someone like Nietzsche can only be appreciated by independent spirits; spirits, if not fond of original thought, free enough to detach themselves from the psychological and moral chains of their time. These are rare, very rare, and for this reason the irruption of a Nietzsche is like the explosion of a bomb, generating mass scandal and repulsion. The prevailing thought is always dictated by captive minds of the fifth category, minds that are horrified by the original. And the curious thing is to note that time, which overcomes everything and transforms everything, seems powerless to alter this distinctive feature of every civilization.