Eastern Philosophy Think. Don't Think. Term Paper

Total Length: 580 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 3

Page 1 of 2

I am doing this now as I type this sentence. I find that when I type I am not thinking where the letters are on the keyboard or how even my brain is sending the messages from the thoughts to my fingers then the keys and to eventually wind up on the monitor. In fact, when I do stop to think about it I find myself fumbling for the keys and the process is unable to flow smoothly with the act. This thinking about it is committing the error of overdoing that was quoted earlier.

What Western culture calls "second nature" such as typing, walking, driving a car, etc., are all high level orders of activity. These also represent times when the doer of the action is at one with the act and flowing with it, effortlessly, not thinking about it but simply doing it or being one with it. There is no separation between the actor and the act. This is non-dualism, which is another Eastern concept.
The person and the action are not two separate things, but the convention of our language makes them so, always a subject and a verb. This difference in language between Eastern and Western cultures also creates some stumbling blocks when attempting to understand Eastern Philosophy, as mentioned previously. Too direct a word for word translation can lead to error, but when someone with more poetry in their heart translates, there is more a connection with the original meaning.

This concept of non-dualism or oneness is perhaps one of the most inscrutable in Eastern philosophy. After all there is a difference between myself and what I am doing, isn't there? But what am I doing? Just walking down.....

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