Self-Inquiry with Vala Kondo-Legan, August 27, 2025

The group considered the quote:

 

To Be Alone.

“Meditation is the act of being alone. The act is entirely different from the activities of isolation. The very nature of the “me” is to isolate itself, through concentration, through various methods of meditation, and through the daily activities of separation. But to be alone is not a withdrawal from the world.”

The group considered the meaning of “meditation”, including the two meanings of “meditation “ to be found in this passage; “Meditation” as an in-the-world act of whole observation vs sitting meditation; as an “isolating”/ separating activity of the “me”. Comparison was made to Buddhist practices and discussion of methods, goals, and “becoming” that may accompany various forms of sitting meditation.

The group pivoted to notice the difference between the content and the process of thought within the dialogue itself. Thought’s tendency to organize into “good”& “bad”  was observed. Also observed was our tendency to focus on the object or person that is viewed as “good or bad” vs a mind process that is organizing these categories.

Dialogue was viewed as a living opportunity to watch thought’s usual processes of analysis, comparison and organization.

Observation of these normally unseen movements within dialogue was felt to be “stunning”. Observations of the word “stunning” included shock, pause, and a disturbance of thought’s usual momentum.

The process of inquiry was seen as a “deconstructing” of thought through via negativa,

Discussion focused on thought’s frequent “building” process that enhances the “me” through building opinion, building identity, and building “nirvana” .

Observations included the constant opinion building on social media.

Other focus included thought’s unquestioned assumption that it can build a loving world,-in spite of the non-love right in front of us.

K’s statement that “Seeing the false as false is truth” was observed to be a wholly different understanding of love/truth in the world; The love lies in the seeing of the world as it is.

The group  concluded by contemplating the use of words in relation to insight experiences.

 

—Vala Kondo-Legan