| This
is probably the hardest part to explain about the castanedian system, or
actually, any system. As the title suggests, any description or explanation
of this subject tends to be a little abstract, and mine is no exeption.
The abstract is nothing which can be described, it is like when you first
learn about abstract things in school and the teacher says that 'clouds'
are abstract, or 'love' is abstract, or that abstract things are 'things
that you can't touch or hold'. The Abstract is even more 'abstract' than
this!
It is, however not a religious matter, or a matter of faith as 'faith' is commonly defined. The Abstract is a subject of practical use for the practitioner, both student and senior. Just like everything else in the castanedian system its use and place in the practitioners life is well-defined. The Abstract, also called the Spirit, the Intent, or the Nagual, is the underlying order, or structure, of things and happenings. As such it is a very important aspect of reality. The Abstract 'seems' to have a way of itself. When I write 'seems', I refer to a specific feeling, which is typical when one tries to percieve the Abstract. The thing some people call 'destiny' when they refer to something odd that has happened to them is nothing else but the workings of the Abstract. The only thing one really can say about the abstract is that it is essentially silent. It is not in the realm of the rationally understandable or the thinkable. Any true knowledge of the Abstract is silent knowledge. The Abstract is rather easily percieved if one tries to look for it, and it is more like a feeling than like a knowledge or something else. You just know it is there and you feel a kind of happyness, you catch a glimpse of its workings... You can use this to let the Spirit guide you or teach you. As a technique its easy, but the difficult thing is, as usual, to 'really learn', to accumulate and integrate the gained knowledge... -oo- The Taoist writings contains the perhaps finest stories and descriptions of the indescribable Abstract. The Tao, or the Way, is the very same as the Spirit. The same goes for Zen, of course. I personally love Taoist and Zen art and gardening and stuff. Much of Chineese and Japaneese art and culture have elements of Taoism/Zen in them. I'm sure you can find the trace of the Abstract in all good art, it is simply a matter of personal taste where and how one chooses to find inspiration. The castanedian practitioner lives and acts for the Spirit alone. By serving the Spirit, and dedicating ones actions to it, one releaves oneself from the pressure of the actions. See the Power of Silence [CC book 8] for descriptions and stories of the Abstract/the Spirit. You can easily find stories about the Abstract in any one of Castanedas books, though. Intent is what the Abstract is called when it is used in practice. |
-oo-