Meaning and Names

A friend told me about this interesting study that has to do with this topic:

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22360/89983-full-disclosure–names-reveal/print

I’ve recently realized that abstaining from naming things is much more beneficial to learning. In being okay with not labeling or placing things into categories, we stay open to possibilities. When I say “naming” I mean it more in the sense of judging, or slapping adjectives on persons or situations… such as, “this day sucks”, or “Jane is a bitch”. In adopting mindsets like that you are affecting the quality of your day because you are dooming yourself to seeing everything in the light you are casting.

yes i have read/thought about this numerous times. recently i was reading a book on zen buddhism that was talking about old school masters. the thing that they kept asking the monks in training was “what is it?!” and when a monk would say something obvious, like “its a shoe” the master would smack the shit out of them…….i thought that was so great. because NOTHING is as simple as a label/name that is put on it.

i had this realization a few weeks ago while eating a banana. while eating the banana i looked at it and said “what are you?” and then i had these images in my mind of a banana tree in some tropical place, absorbing the earth, sunshine, and water, and growing bananas. and then i realized that a banana is not just a banana, but a beautiful miracle. that may sound corny but its true. and the funny thing is, i have never been a huge fan of banana, but since the time i realized that, bananas have tasted so amazing to me! now when i bite into a banana it tastes like some sort of ultra-amazing ice cream or something. not just a banana. not just a piece of fruit. but life.

I have wondered the same thing about the names which people give to their children. im sure i am not the only one to notice that certain names seem to either be coincidence, or cause some of the choices we make in life. for example, i have known many people named scott that were in supervisor positions. could definitely be coincidence, but i still wonder. i thought about getting into some more names but didnt want to offend anybody if that was their name. but i think you get the point…..

My first name Emil means “friendly man,” my middle name Elion means “God’s highest,” my last name Jädersten means “stone of Jäder.” Emil is also commonly used to refer to male students of Chalmers university of technology.

I don’t know, but I think it might have influenced me. I rarely use that name though, and I rarely ask people for their name, it’s better that way. You don’t get stuck with labels that way.

As for the whole zen and banana story, that’s powerful stuff, use it often. It’s one of the methods I teach most, the “this is not a…” game. For a WHOLE day, for everything you see you say to yourself “this is not an x, it’s a –” Example:
“This is not a floor, it’s a bunch of square pieces of wood which are glued together to make a nicer surface to walk on”
“This is not a house, it’s a big box of wood and concrete, it’s a man made cave, somewhere to sleep and eat without having to worry about animals or bad weather”
“This is not a friend, it’s a fleshy thing that walks upright and talks”

names are for communication

^brilliant! lol :)

I’m just Matt.. i do get a little fursterated when ppl forget to put the second t and spell my name Mat.. that is what ppl wipe there feet on when the come in the door.. i bare with it tho.. for the record all Matt have 2 t’s .. unless their parents can’t spell

Haha..good one General Tits.Ur name(not to forget ur comments) add the aesthetic value to the discussions:D
Abhishek,a Hindu name of Sanskrit origin means “offering of music”, though some dialects refer it as “installed as a king”(i like the former one better).I know it sounds a bit complex for most here but it happens to be one of the more popular(=common) male names here in India.
Jep, I absolutely love the whole central point raised in this discussion! Names,just like words are superfluous and convey only the limited meaning the society has assigned to it over the years.They dont convey the actual essence.
“If sex between three people is called Threesome, and sex between two people is called Twosome, then how is Handsome still a compliment?”,makes u think! haha
On a serious note,in order to achieve better clarity and sanity,its important we break the shackles of predefined ideas associated with names/terms as they are..just what Jep and Manimal say..
“He is not an ORPHAN..he is a child who has been deprived of parental care and has not been adopted..still smiling at the harshness of it all!”
“He is not BLIND..he just can see how beautiful a day it is!”
“That 15 year old is not a PROSTITUTE..she is a victim of child trafficking and the vicious poverty cycle!”
Helps brings u closer to ur conscience and consciousness.This is exactly what got me involved in social work!

Makes u see things as they ought to be seen