In Rene Descartes Meditations on 1st Philosophy, what is the first meditation about?
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MEDITATION I.\n\nOF THE THINGS OF WHICH WE MAY DOUBT.\n\n\n1. SEVERAL years have now elapsed since I first became aware that I had accepted, even from my youth, many false opinions for true, and that consequently what I afterward based on such principles was highly doubtful; and from that time I was convinced of the necessity of undertaking once in my life to rid myself of all the opinions I had adopted, and of commencing anew the work of building from the foundation, if I desired to establish a firm and abiding superstructure in the sciences. But as this enterprise appeared to me to be one of great magnitude, I waited until I had attained an age so mature as to leave me no hope that at any stage of life more advanced I should be better able to execute my design. On this account, I have delayed so long that I should henceforth consider I was doing wrong were I still to consume in deliberation any of the time that now remains for action. To-day, then, since I have opportunely freed my mind from all cares [and am happily disturbed by no passions], and since I am in the secure possession of leisure in a peaceable retirement, I will at length apply myself earnestly and freely to the general overthrow of all my former opinions.[L][F]\n\n2. But, to this end, it will not be necessary for me to show that the wholeof these are false--a point, perhaps, which I shall never reach; but as even now my reason convinces me that I ought not the less carefully to withhold belief from what is not entirely certain and indubitable, than from what is manifestly false, it will be sufficient to justify the rejection of the whole if I shall find in each some ground for doubt. Nor for this purpose will it be necessary even to deal with each belief individually, which would be truly an endless labor; but, as the removal from below of the foundation necessarily involves the downfall of the whole edifice, I will at once approach the criticism of the principles on which all my former beliefs rested.[L][F]\n\n3. All that I have, up to this moment, accepted as possessed of the highest truth and certainty, I received either from or through the senses. I observed, however, that these sometimes misled us; and it is the part of prudence not to place absolute confidence in that by which we have even once been deceived.[L][F]\n\n4. But it may be said, perhaps, that, although the senses occasionally mislead us respecting minute objects, and such as are so far removed from us as to be beyond the reach of close observation, there are yet many other of their informations (presentations), of the truth of which it is manifestly impossible to doubt; as for example, that I am in this place, seated by the fire, clothed in a winter dressing gown, that I hold in my hands this piece of paper, with other intimations of the same nature. But how could I deny that I possess these hands and this body, and withal escape being classed with persons in a state of insanity, whose brains are so disordered and clouded by dark bilious vapors as to cause them pertinaciously to assert that they are monarchs when they are in the greatest poverty; or clothed [in gold] and purple when destitute of any covering; or that their head is made of clay, their body of glass, or that they are gourds? I should certainly be not less insane than they, were I to regulate my procedure according to examples so extravagant.[L][F]\n\n5. Though this be true, I must nevertheless here consider that I am a man, and that, consequently, I am in the habit of sleeping, and representing to myself in dreams those same things, or even sometimes others less probable, which the insane think are presented to them in their waking moments. How often have I dreamt that I was in these familiar circumstances, that I was dressed, and occupied this place by the fire, when I was lying undressed in bed? At the present moment, however, I certainly look upon this paper with eyes wide awake; the head which I now move is not asleep; I e
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to be the first one to change the ways of the world
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An interesting perspective and I would like to know what tradition that lesson is from? Is it from Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism? If from Buddhism, then from what school of thought? \n\nMy personal belief is that it's too much to worry about. I do the beat that I can and try not to harm other beings. I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sanghas and I follow the five precepts as best as I can while trying to better tomorrow. When bad things happen I accept them as a condition of life and I know that it will not last forever. I should not become discouraged and upset when things go wrong. I remember that there are those in the world that are currently experiencing good things in their lives and I am happy for them. I also remember that no matter how bad things are for me, there are those that have it worse and I feel compassion for them.  When good things happen I also accept them as a condition of life and I am equally aware that good things will not last forever. There are those that do not have as much as I do and for them I feel compassion and remember to share my good fortune. I should not become overly excited just because something good has happened. When it comes time to pay my karmic dept, then I will do so willingly knowing that nothing very, very good nor very, very bad last very, very long. In time, my dept will be paid. \n\nI can only do my best each day.  Worrying about what type of karma I am accumulating or if there are types does not help me free my unborn mind. My goal it to be the best that I can be while helping others to end their suffering and find the joy that is in every breath of life. \n\nAmituofo!
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eratosthenes of cyrene (in what is now libya) was an ancient philosopher in the 3rd century BC.  he was able to measure the circumference of the earth and published his details in a treatise called 'on the measurement of the earth'.  the measurement was based on a geometrical argument and a measurement of shadows cast in different places, that assumed a round earth.\n\ni don't know if he was the -first-, but it's the earliest that i'm aware of and is often cited as the 'first'.  it is possible some other scientist had done the measurement earlier, and the results are simply lost in the dusts of time.
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I'd start with Will Durant's book "The Story of Philosophy", it is fantastic.  He goes through history describing all the major philosophers\n\nAristotle, Plato, for the classic philosophers, are a good start
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1. the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.\n2. any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study.\n3. a system of philosophical doctrine: the philosophy of Spinoza.\n4. the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, esp. with a view to improving or reconstituting them: the philosophy of science.\n5. a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.\n6. a philosophical attitude, as one of composure and calm in the presence of troubles or annoyances.
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There is a philosophy section if you wish to find a non-religious answer.  Philosophy is not religious.  You can go to a library or bookstore and find philosophy books.  They are usually found in non-fiction #100 to #199.  They include Aristotle and Plato and many others.  I do recommmend a book on philosophy for beginners:  "The COmplete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy".  I have it on my bookshelf and it is like "Cliff's Notes" of philosophy.  Check it out if you want.\n\nIf I may share something?  There is no "exact answer" or "perfect answer".  We can only find the answers that will fit us, that will "do it" for us individually and privately.  I understood this years ago after Wicca did not help me spiritually anymore.  What works for one will not work for another. :-)
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"I think, therefore I am". Rene Descartes (who was a french philosopher) said this back in the 1500's. What he meant was that the fact that he can think, proves his exisance, because he could not trust his eyes to really show him reality, or his ears to really hear. But thinking is the one thing that proves he really is real. \nSomething like that. Look him up. It's real interesting.
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it goes against those who say we don't exist, life is meaningless, or that we cannot know, the skeptic i believe. knowing something implies that we must have life. or is dependent on the fact that we must be alive to know. Similar to the cartesian (descartes) who said I think therefore i am. \n\nDescarte is absolutely certain that he exists because he thinks and experiences things. This absolute certainty is then used to prove we can know something. but this is descartes not nietzsche. I don't know who came first but they sound similar. He's not reacting against descarte he's just rephrasing what he said. I pretty sure he is reacting against the skeptic who's all spaced out hippie and is like maybe my blue is your purple and we're just beamed down manifestations of one being. \n\nI never read nietsche so don't know exactly what he was trying to say. have to read the whole section of the book to know exactly but that's what it sounds like. \n\nalso if we try to say that we know we can't know we destroy any value of knowing we can't know. obviously if we can't know anything then we can't know we don't know. You can just say maybe we don't know. which is kind of weak. \n\nsorry so confusing; hope that helped :^)
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1st stage:\nthere are many many kinds of meditation. i'm doing pure concentration meditation, designed to quieten and clear the mind so that i can use it to look deeply, to see what's going on in my mind, and develop mindfulness & insight. its a difficult form of meditation @ the beginning, but it's well worth becoming competent in. it forms an ideal foundation for further practice in the future, and it's also very conducive to a happy, stable life in the present.\nchoose a suitable place in your home where you can practice meditation uninterrupted. it needs to be quiet, not too bright, and out of sight of other people.\nonce you found the spot, find a good firm cushion, so that you can sit cross-legged, having something to cushion your ankle.\nto start, sit down on your cushion, sitting towards the front of it so that your body is sloped very slightly forward. experience will show you the optimum position. fold your legs so that your knees & ankles are touching the floor. the important thing is to have a good straight back & reasonably comfortable legs, so that your pgysicaly energy isn't blocked. place your 2 hands in your lap, palms up, one on top of the other.\nonce sitting there, wriggle a little bit to find an effortlessly comfortable position for your back & arms. you don't want to feel tension anywhere. then you can begin.\ntake a breath, hold it for a moment, then let it out gently. pause for a moment, then take the next breath. again hold it for a moment, and let it out again. do this for 10 breaths. once you've got the rhythmn, start to count your breaths. a breath is a complete cycle-- in, hold, out, hold- and most meditators find it better to count towards the end of a cycle rather than @ the beginning. in other words, you are counting complete breaths. simply count 1 to 10 in this way. when you've reached 10, start again. if your mind wanders and you lost the count, start again from one.\ndo this for 10mins @ a time for a week or so. when you are ready, increase your sitting time to 20mins. you can do it anytime, but most people do it regularly @ the beginning of the day & @ the end of the day.\nthis is all there is to it, and @ first you'll wonder why on earth you are doing it. your mind will wander, you'll probably feel twitchy, and you'll be bored. but persevere. ther's absolutely nothing better than this for calming the mins & opening mental doors that you never knew were there.\nwhat comes after this? once you've got to a stage where you can follow your breaths effortlessly, so that you can say, 10-20mins, and not lose count even once, you'll be ready for the next stage. in this, you start to observe the contents of your mind. you'll still be using the method of following your breaths, but now, beacause of the concentration you've already developed, you'll be able to add in a new activity. it's not possible to do this until you've gained control of your mind. \n2nd stage:\nIt's a practice where you develop mindfulness of your own mind. This is the most popular form of meditation among Westerners because it's very practical and really, really helpful. The main way in which it helps you is to show you what's arising in your mind almost before it arises. That way you become master of mental states like anger and attachment and so on instead of them becoming master of you, because you never saw them creeping up until they were right there, completely occupying your mind. Mental states can occupying your mind in the same way an occupying army of soldiers becomes firmly entrenched in the country they've been sent to occupy. By the time the local people realize what's happened they can't do anything about the occupying force -- they just have to live with the misery. When a meditator becomes adept at Vipassana meditation, mental states can't occupy their minds in that way.\n\nTo do this kind of meditation you sta
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"All men by nature desire to know." \n  --  Aristotle
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Meditation... Towards a Stress Free Life \n \n\nMeditation: What it is !!!  \nAn ordinary person may consider meditation as a worship or prayer. But it is not so. Meditation means awareness. Whatever you do with awareness is meditation. "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation.\n\nMeditation is not a technique but a way of life. Meditation means 'to join together or to yoke' . It describes a state of consciousness, when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns . The observer (one who is doing meditation) realizes that all the activity of the mind is reduced to one.\n\nA Tibetan Lama was being monitored on a brain scan machine by a scientist wishing to test physiological functions during deep meditation. The scientist said - "Very good Sir. The machine shows that you are able to go very deep in brain relaxation, and that validates your meditation". "No", said the Lama, "This (pointing to his brain) validates the machine!".\n\nThese days it is commonly understood to mean some form of spiritual practice where one sits down with eyes closed and empties the mind to attain inner peace, relaxation or even an experience of God. Some people use the term as "my gardening is my meditation" or for jogging or art or music, hence creating confusion or misunderstanding.\n\nThe word meditation, is derived from two Latin words : meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.\n\nMany years ago meditation was considered something just not meant for modern people, but now it has become very popular with all types of people. Published scientific and medical evidence has proved its benefits, but it still needs to be much understood.\n\nTraditionally, the classical yoga texts, describe that to attain true states of meditation one must go through several stages. After the necessary preparation of personal and social code, physical position, breath control, and relaxation come the more advanced stages of concentration, contemplation, and then ultimately absorption. But that does not mean that one must perfect any one stage before moving onto the next. The Integral yoga approach is simultaneous application of a little of all stages together.\n\nCommonly today, people can mean any one of these stages when they refer to the term meditation. Some schools only teach concentration techniques, some relaxation, and others teach free form contemplative activities like just sitting and awaiting absorption. Some call it meditation without giving credence to yoga for fear of being branded 'eastern'. But yoga is not something eastern or western as it is universal in its approach and application.\n\nWith regular practice of a balanced series of techniques, the energy of the body and mind can be liberated and the quality of consciousness can be expanded. This is not a subjective claim but is now being investigated by the scientists and being shown by an empirical fact.
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You gotta start\nWith Descartes.\n\nI think, therefore I am. . . . I think.\n\nWhich takes me to the Moody Blues.\n\nOr in the alternative, take a basic philosophy course at a nearby college.
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"I think therefore I am." Descarte was trying to start from what was indesputable, & procede to the less certain aspects of knowledge.\n\nThe ability to think was to Descarte proof that we actually existed. Descarte was deeply confused. Thinking is one of many things we DO, as well as breath, act, sense, emote, remember, imagine, or meditate. If we stop thinking, what happens? Nothing except our mind grows quiet & somewhat more peaceful for a while. We still are, thinking or not at all. If we stop breathing, we die. Wikijo would have said " I breath, therefore I am." It would have made more sense.\n\nI hope this helps.\n\n;-)
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Depends on what you mean.  Philosophical in what sense?  The human condition?  Theology?  Analyzation of an epiphany?  So much source material, so little time.\n\nHeck, I could give you a 5-hour philosophical discussion on the joys of sex and chocolate, but somehow I don't think that's what your philosophy class is looking for.
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Dhammakaya meditation\n\nwww.meditationthai.org
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....try spirituality, where you begin to see\nevery moment is the first moment of creation\nwhat is making us stuck is too much thinkin,,,the mind believes it knows everything\nwhen actually its more like the manager of a warehouse