Richard Kover has asked about the observation as it is of the world today, I agree with him that there can be no awareness without taking things as they are and examining them.As we observe centripetally at the world there is also the centrifugal force of the "me" and "I" colouring the observations.just now I saw on CNNTv how Obama is affected by the past holocaust killings and his remarkable speech there on "EVIL" I am reminded of Hannah Arendts philosophical insights and exploratopns on evil .evil persists as minor cruelty and major cruelty. Violence or evil begets more violence and evil.It is like fungus spreading unnoticed in the world we must be aware of it all the time watching it like a dangerous snake.

Life is like the tamarind fruit bound in its shell

"Obama is affected by the past holocaust killings..." So many people are affected by killings of others in the past and yet they go on approving of the ongoing killings of today. Yes, evil and violence beget more of the same. Why do you think that is the case? Why have humans not learned that simple reality and so allow the "dangerous snake" to reincarnate in the mind each time the politicians lie the world into war?

Dangerous snake is inside us and it can sneak out outside and assume proportions unimagined or unpredictable.Pol-Pot,Hitler,Prabhakaran,Stalin, you cane name a few indidividuals from whom the snake of violence slipped out and took monstrous forms."I" may grow within myself a small snake but as Jk would say, i am not jumping into the bandwagon of non-violence which again becomes organized form of violence or resistance.all i am keen on is to watch( within) this small snake I am ,and watch the snakes of others all the time. that calls for awareness, is it not?

Life is like the tamarind fruit bound in its shell

Krishnan Srinivasan wrote:
all i am keen on is to watch( within) this small snake I am ,and watch the snakes of others all the time. that calls for awareness, is it not?

There are several interesting aspects to this "snake" as you call it. Can we say that one aspect is that the danger and harm are not the presence of the "I" per se, but rather result from allowing its interference to govern behavior?

Richard Kover wrote:
There are several interesting aspects to this "snake" as you call it. Can we say that one aspect is that the danger and harm are not the presence of the "I" per se, but rather result from allowing its interference to govern behavior?

Life is like the tamarind fruit bound in its shell

Thought based on centre"I" has selfish interests and so would any behaviour that springs forth from these thoughts/the centre"I"

Life is like the tamarind fruit bound in its shell

Krishnan Srinivasan wrote:

Thought based on centre"I" has selfish interests and so would any behaviour that springs forth from these thoughts/the centre"I"

Is there thinking that is not the I?

Life is relationship

The self is the I, the Ego. Does silence 'think'?

Life is relationship

Eve Goodmon wrote:
The self is the I, the Ego. Does silence 'think'?

Life is like the tamarind fruit bound in its shell

Even in Silence there is this "SILENT-SPEECH" even though verbally not articulated, that is conditioned behaviour.... One has to lose totally but then we humans get lost in alternatives all the time( totally absorbed).As eveyone experiences a sunset,or, sun-rise,
or a full moon, (as JK often pointed out) awareness occurs momentarily. this absorption or engrossment just like a child with a new toy, indicates emptiness, restlessness, neurotic uncertainity, "angst" or whatever operates on human beings continuously.Now computers, TVs, Ipods, what not absorbs us & create a real/virtual LIFE. We shall not seek awareness but we shall seek the source of our BEING/"I" and awareness automatically will dawn upon us.

Life is like the tamarind fruit bound in its shell