One day in the early 1940s Douglas Harding, an English architect, was hiking in the Himalayas when he had a shocking realization…he had no head. He realized that we can’t see what he called the eight inch ball on the top of our body, except by looking at a photo or a reflection in a mirror. If we cannot see ourselves the way other people see us, how do we know who we are?
At the moment he realized this, all sense of time past and future fell away. He forgot his name, gender, even what type of animal he was. All the traditional markers of identity ceased to exist. In Buddhist terms, Harding is describing nondualism, a mature state of consciousness in which the self is transcended.
Harding says the eight inch “ball” on the top of his body doesn’t contain, but is all that is on offer. Chew on that, if you will. With us. As you listen to episode 28.
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Bowie, Ep. 29 - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark & What Makes One "The Crème de la Crème"
Bowie, Ep. 27 - Silence by John Cage & Why There Is Always Sound
Bowie, Ep. 26 - Strange People by Frank Edwards & Is "Freak" Really The Right Word?
Bowie, Ep. 25 - The Divided Self by R.D. Laing & Why This Book Seemed Personal
Bowie, Ep. 24 - All The Emperor's Horses by David Kidd, aka Peking Story
Bowie, Ep. 23 - Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse & Why Two Ways of Thinking Aren't Better Than One
Bowie, Ep. 22 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 2 & Why The Prince Is Really A Serval
Bowie, Ep. 21 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 1 & Why the Prince is Swoon-worthy
Bowie, Ep. 20 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 2 & Why Your Feelings About Sal and Dean Might Change Over Time
Bowie, Ep. 19 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 1 & Why Bowie Might Be A Dean
Bowie, Ep. 18 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 2 & Why We're Living in the 1950s
Bowie, Ep. 17 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 1 and Why We Are Johnny
Bowie, Ep. 16 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 2 & Why Our Way Isn't The Only Way
Bowie, Ep. 15 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 1 & Why We Should Talk To The Animals
Bowie, Ep. 14 - Room At The Top by John Braine, Part 2 & Why We Still Love Joe
Bowie, Ep. 13 - Room At The Top by John Braine, Part 1 & Why The Thin White Duke Is Everywhere
Bowie, Ep. 12 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 2 & Why We Think Bowie Was Not An Outsider
Bowie, Ep. 11 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 1 & Why This Book Is The Most Bowie Thus Far
Bowie, Ep. 10, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Part 2 & Why We Are No Longer Charmed
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