The Genius of Being: Contemplating the Profound Intelligence of Existence

by Peter Ralston

Overview

Peter Ralston’s exceptionally lucid trilogy on the nature of human consciousness culminates here in The Genius of Being, a book of deep contemplations on the unseen elements that create our world. The first volume, The Book of Not Knowing, garnered much praise as a comprehensive exploration of the depths of self and consciousness. The second volume, Pursuing Consciousness, clarifies the difference between enlightenment and self-transformation, and then pairs these two goals in a strikingly effective way. This third book is both shorter and more complex, taking us straight to the heart of the origins of our experience.
 
In a progression of illuminating assertions, Ralston shows us how human consciousness carves out distinctions from whatever is absolutely true. This dynamic not only generates both self and reality from nothing, it imbues them with the quality of objective truth. From the time we first distinguish between self and not-self as infants, we begin making a sequence of existential assumptions that result in the illusion that a self is some ethereal “object” within. This universally accepted assumption persists despite the failure of exhaustive investigations to locate this inner self.

This book is not for the faint of heart or the casual seeker, but contemplating the assertions here empowers you to personally and experientially grasp what is rarely even glimpsed: a profound consciousness of the genesis of human experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623171131
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	02/28/2017
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	686 KB

About the Author

Much in demand as a teacher of consciousness workshops since 1979, Peter Ralston has done over forty years of intense contemplation and personal experiential investigation into the nature of self and reality. Ralston's consciousness work is acclaimed by people from a diverse range of disciplines, from spiritual teachers and psychiatrists to cognitive scientists, physicists, and artists. He is the founder of Empowerment, as well as the founder of Cheng Hsin, his school of internal arts and ontological research. Ralston trained with Stewart Emery and Actualizations, and has served as facilitator for other personal growth organizations such as: Lifesprings, Tony Robbins, Institute for Self Actualizations, Esalen, and others.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 Grasping the Genius of Being 1

Bound by Brilliance 1

Fact and Truth, Belief and Assumption 6

Chapter 2 Getting from Here to There 13

Grasping the Communication-Developing Existential Listening 13

The Truth Principle 17

Not Knowing: An Essential Tool for Contemplation 18

A Path to Experiential Learning 20

Chapter 3 The Consummate Dominion of Mind and Perception 23

Self-Orientation and "The Bull" Contemplation 25

Social Management and Self-image 29

Cultural and Personal Beliefs 33

The Creative Aspect of Mind 37

What Is a Distinction? 44

Chapter 4 The Creative World of Language 53

What Is Language? 55

Inventions Made Possible By Language 60

Language vs. Presence 61

Language and Objective Reality 63

The Nature of Language and Mind 64

Self and Other 66

Language vs. Concept 69

Creating an Internal Person 71

Forming a Social Self 74

Internal Dialogue: Whom Are You Talking To? 76

Chapter 5 A Complex Matrix of Mind 81

A Framework for Reality 82

Human and Cultural Assumptions 86

Culture and Self 88

An Assumed Reality 90

Infinite Learning 91

Space and Time 92

Objects 95

The Consequences of Being an Object 96

The Consequences of Being "Inside" 99

The Assumption of Life and Sentience 101

Chapter 6 The Impressive Dynamics of Instinct 105

Instinct vs. Learning 106

Primal Emotions 109

Gender 110

Sex 112

Life 116

Your Role in Life 117

Death 121

Chapter 7 Leaping Beyond Illusion 127

Social Life 129

Self-Concept and Identity 134

Being Alive 141

Reality: Dust to Dust 144

Transcending the Life-Reality Illusion 147

The Separation Conundrum 149

Chapter 8 The Inscrutable Origin of Our Experience 157

The Nature of Context 158

Language 161

Mind 162

Value 164

Space 166

Grasping Context 170

Chapter 9 Changing the Context of Our Experience 175

Changing Context 175

Our Current Context for Experience 175

A New Context 178

More Accessible Changes 182

Watch What You "Say" 184

The Contextual Contributions of Existential Assumptions 186

The Role of Enlightenment 188

A New Contextual Distinction 190

Chapter 10 Creating New Possibilities 199

Grounding Change 199

Mind vs. Consciousness 203

The Flower Child Principle 205

The Consequences of Self-Contraction 206

Reversing Self-Contraction 209

The Importance of Purpose 212

A Quick Practice: Breathe! 212

Proof of God 213

Keep in Mind 216

About the Author 219