I would like to remind everyone before I begin that : this is not gospel, this is not the definitive definition…this is a koan (and not necessarily a good one).
Apply. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Take What You Need & Leave The Rest.
Quite a number of people know that I like to take basic etymology & double entendres based on a simple turn of phrase to show that mind-blowing secrets are often hidden in plain sight (or, sometimes, plane sight).
This may or may not be one of those occasions – but, at the very least, we can use this as an interesting thought experiment / meditation aid / koan / thing.
For those who have been keeping score – over the past couple of weeks, I’ve attempted to show (with greater or lesser degrees of success – depending on the breaks) that Dr. Morris’ famous tagline/salutation “Keep Going. Keep Playing. Study On This” can be used as a self-enclosed loop. A koan/uploaded program akin to a binary loop that constantly circles back and through itself again (much like the Ouroboros and, if it gains speed/traction within the consciousness – a recursive spiral like the Fibonacci sequence).
And, if that opening paragraph has you cocking your head, squinting your eyes, and thinking “What-chu talkin’ ’bout, Densmore?” (RIP Gary Coleman) – let’s go into the final line of code (that, like software/programming, gets uploaded into our hardware/Mind).
Study On This.
We’ve already covered the “why we study” part within my first post (Motivation – Weekly Post # 1).
Now, let’s talk about the “What” and the “How”.
The “Keep Going. Keep Playing. Study On This.” tagline is often added at the end of a lecture or lesson.
So, the mind tends to automatically jump & link “Study On This” to whatever lesson was given.
But, what if the target of study was a bit more obvious than we realize?
Let’s go back two weeks ago (Keep Going / Weekly Post # 2).
We set forth the proposition that :
To Keep Going = To Endure = To Love, Honor & Accept Oneself.
To paraphrase Prof. Valentine (my beloved Philosophy 101 teacher) on why we should care about studying philosophy/ourselves : ‘Whether they realize it or not, the baker has to have some sort of basic philosophy to roll out of bed at the @$$-crack of dawn and bake bread.’
To borrow somewhat from that : Each of us, whether we realize it or not, has to have some inkling or our own Inherent Nature & Self-Worth to endure/keep going/keep trucking.
Cool beans.
Flash forward another week (Keep Playing / Weekly Post # 3)…
We proposed :
To Keep Playing = To Enjoy The Moments of Our Lives = To Express the Love Within Our Inherent Natures Outwardly (which then reflects back Inwardly, which then reflects back Outwardly, which then…on & on & on…and before you know it – it’s Turtles All The Way Down).
So, what if to “Study On This” isn’t asking us to go back over the lesson & wrestle some deep philosophical code into mental submission?
What if Dr. Morris was simply asking us to study two things :
- Ourselves.
- That Which We Enjoy/Love.
And, what if he was encouraging us / warning us / gently chiding us that this process never ends?
We Keep Going Deeper Into Ourselves & Our True Natures.
Finding Love & Our Inherent Worth along the way.
We Keep Playing with Our World in a Relaxed & Playful Manner.
Allowing our Self-Love to Radiate Out into “Consensus Reality” & which is then Gifted Back to Our Selves.
Part of the Etymology of Keep (late 1500’s & onward) is to “Keep On”. To Endure/Persist/Continue. In other words : Keep = Keep Going. It defines a never-ending process, or a constantly refined process. Or, to quote Star-Lord from The Guardians of the Galaxy once again, “Bit of both”.
To draw from almost every etymological source for the word Play, we find : amuse oneself/frolic/dance/occupy oneself with/rejoice/be glad/tend to/cultivate. In other words : to let go & engage in the Cosmic Dance & be grateful for it…is to cultivate & attend to one’s Self.
The common etymology of Study reduces to : strive toward, show zeal for, apply oneself/show eagerness. Basically, as we come to the end of the phrase “Keep Going. Keep Playing. Study On This.” – the “Study On This” sends us back to the beginning. We should strive to keep going deeper into ourselves. We should constantly & consistently show zeal for Life. On and on and on.
And, this is why : Dr. Morris gifted us an entire spiritual practice in 7 words. And he kept telling it to us over & over again (probably with a very Secret, Inner Smile). A koan that, virus-like (as all language/memetic systems are) uploads itself into our Minds & runs the program on a continual loop, until it becomes commonplace to the conscious mind. But, underneath…it never stops transforming.
Or, at the very least : I’ve just provided you with an interesting thought experiment / introduction to Crazy Wisdom (“A teacher of crazy wisdom challenges the stereotypical image of holiness through contradictory behavior. This contradiction removes the garb of spiritual pride that is sometimes the result of holiness.” – Vaidehi Amair / “Chögyam Trungpa describes “crazy wisdom” as an innocent state of mind that has the quality of early morning—fresh, sparkling, and completely awake.” – Shambhala Publications).
Look at it all with Fresh Eyes.
Find the Love.
Be the Love.
And then, lovingly, do what you will with it.
Keep Going. Keep Playing. Study On This.
UNTIL NEXT WEEK.
“Same KAP Time. Same KAP Channel.”
Paul
Paul is offering all of his pop-up classes (Kuji-In Reality Hacking, The Lazy Jedi’s Guide To The Galaxy, Back To The Present, The Lazy Force Ghost’s Guide To The Multiverse, Cosmic Physical Culture, Surfing The Circuits, The Abundance Sessions, 3 Realm Monte & the upcoming A Walk In The Shade : Practical Shadow Work For The Rest Of Us) ala carte & at a donation-based tuition (take it anytime & pay what you think is acceptable). Email : therevdr23(at)gmail(dot)com for more information & to register.