A Dialogue on Imagination....
Question: When you say "imagination," you mean imagining something to be true, as opposed to drawing pictures?
Answer: Imagination has many aspects; it may be just ordinary day-dreams or, for instance, imagining non-existent powers in oneself. It is the same thing, it works without control, it runs by itself.
Question: Each one is self-deception?
Answer: One does not take it as self-deception; one imagines something, then believes it and forgets that it was imagination.
Question: I was interested in the question of imagination. I suppose it means that in the ordinary application of the word one was using the wrong meaning?
Answer: In the ordinary meaning of imagination the most important factor is missed. The most important factor in every function is: Is it under our control or not? So, when imagination is under our control we do not even call it imagination; we call it by various names --- visualization, creative thinking, inventive thinking --- you can find a name for each special case. But when it comes by itself and controls us so that we are in its power, then we call it imagination.
Again, there is another side of imagination which we miss in ordinary understanding. This is that we imagine non-existent things, no-existent capacities, for instance. We ascribe to ourselves powers which we do not have; we imagine ourselves to be self-conscious although we are not. We have imaginary powers and imaginary self-consciousness and we imagine many such things that we imagine about ourselves and other people.
For instance, we imagine that we can "do", that we have choice; we have no choice, we cannot "do", things just happen to us. So we imagine ourselves, really. We are not what we imagine ourselves to be. So, again ... begin to observe and verify these "ideas" for yourself and bring your observations and questions to the meetings ... for this is one of the ways we grow individually and collectively.
May you have many moments of Self-Remembering.
