Try this
Posted on Jul 1st, 2006
by 
Kari
Kari
"Beware of someone who wants to teach you something."
Those are the words of Gurdjieff. This is talking about a healthy skepticism. I pay attention to the body when contemplating beliefs. When I find myself attached or contracted then I know it is time to loosen up the beliefs/opinions/assumptions/judgments/ideas/what-we-too-often-take-to-be-True. My goal is to come to a place where I don't irrationally react to unnecessary concepts. I think it is possible....and yes this is a belief, but I feel it is a healthy one that will serve me for as long as it is useful.
Access: Public
Being
June 2008 
Hi Kari,
What has been said by Gurdjieff is only very partially true. If one is always skeptical, one will learn nothing. And since the beginning of a human life, he or she has to learning. One has to learn throughout his life. And how to learn? Either from persons who has something to teach, or through the hard and difficult and cruel lessons of life. I will rather say,” Beware of life’s vicissitudes, by learning things.”
And skepticism cannot give you any progress. Utilitarianism cannot give you adventure of life. And if one discards things or persons or relations, when it is no more useful, I smell ingratitude.
Barin
02-07-06
I didn't see this as a quote about eternal skepticism, Barin, as much as loosening one's attachment to “truth”. It's when we become attached to our ideas - no matter how useful they may be in the moment - that learning, openness and compassion go out the window.
Thank you both for the comments. Jay - you are interpreting my poorly presented point well! I do have to especially thank you, Barin, because I never would have dreamed that you would have come up with that based on what I wrote. What an opportunity! For learning?
I started to disagree with Barin that “If one is always skeptical, one will learn nothing,” by saying that I am talking about one's own experience and intuition instead of relying on what someone else says without trying it out. What does that serve? Then I thought, no, what is learning, really? Who is doing the learning? What are we trying to accomplish?
Then Jay came along and said what I was trying to say. So what he said! ;-)
Hi Kari!
Hi Jay !
Thank you for further comments.
However, I have never written about “eternal skepticism” and I do not understand what is attachment to Truth. Trurth is always Truth, whether we know it or not , or whether we are attached to Truth or not.
And “ideas” are not always Truth. I have never asked anyone to be attached to mere ideas. Ideas may be false, may be true.
And if we not attached to Truth, should we be attached to Falsehood? I think, never.
If we sincere to what is Truth, then learning, openness or compassion will never go out of the window.
Whatever comes to us “intuition” may also be appearances, contrary to Truth. If it is accepted as true, then there in no skepticism. In order to accept your intuition as true, you must give up skepticism.
Barin
03-07-06
Hey Barin,
I was with you up until that last statement. :) What do you mean by “accepting our intuition”?
How can intuition be “true” if it isn't aligned with Truth?
Hi Jay,
By refering to intuition, I was answering Kari.
Intuition comes from the the Plane named by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother [Mira Alfassa] the Higher Mind and from other higher levels of Mind. But many other intimations comes to us from different levels of the Vital Being deep within; however, those levels are not spiritual. And those intimations seem to be 'intutions'. Some may not know their real source and may accept them to be intutions. But they are misleading.
Anyhow, whatever comes to us may be intuitions or pseudo-intuitions. Unless one is grounded deeply in the inner Being, one may be misled.
For further details you may kindly search through my Blog, specially the entries in the months of March and April, and mainly Man .
Barin
Hey Barin,
I don't see that as discordant with Kari's statement, and think we're all on the same page. Absolute Truth is not a fixed thing; the moment you think you've “got it” is the moment delusion begins.
Hey Jay,
I have looked into your profile and found that you are intersted in Integral Transformation, Pilosophy, Divine Mother, that you love the Buddha and Sri Aurobindo among others, and that you regard Krishnamurty as a Teacher.
Absolute Truth is absolute and cannot be a thing, any ordinary thing. It is the Thing-in-itself. It cannot vary : if it varies, it is no more absolute. But we may not be able to apprehend it, understand it, or our ideas regarding it may vary. That depends upon our personal state of consciousness.
Delusion is a state of mind, that has not surpassed itself. Once the inner consciousness has surpassed the ordinary mind, once it has touched the Light, there is no more of delusion or illusion.
This earth has seen persons like the Buddha and Sri Aurobindo and the Mother [Mira Alfassa] and a few others. How can we say then that delusion will always accompany us, whenever we have touched the Light?
Anyhow, both you and me have the same goal, as you have said.
Kindly visit my Blog. I will be obliged.
Barin
04-07-06
Thanks for the conversation both of you! This is great! It is healthy for my perspective and tiny mind to be challenged…even if what I say is “misinterpreted” then there is still a path of communication and connection to be realized.
“the moment you think you've “got it” is the moment delusion begins. ”
Yeah and who knows perhaps one day everyone will wake up and 'get' what you're saying there :D
I agree to differ.
And I stand firmly with my views.
And I withdraw myself from this never-ending debate.
Thank you all, with the best wishes,
Barin