Tich Nhat Hanh said from his interpretation of Buddhist, The Heart Sutra; When we want to UNDERSTAND something, we cannot just stand outside and observe it. We have to enter deeply into it and BECOME ONE WITH IT in order to really UNDERSTAND. If we want to UNDERSTAND a person, we have to feel their feelings, suffer their suffering and rejoice in their joy.

The word COMPREHEND is made up of the Latin root com, which means TOGETHER, and the Latin root prehendere which means to grasp or pick up. So to COMPREHEND something means to pick it up and BE ONE WITH IT. There is no other way to understand something. If we can enter it and be everything that is in it, BECOME ONE WITH IT our understanding will be perfect. Tich Nhat Hanh calls this INTERBEING. Everything interpenetrates.

The Native Americans have a belief called THE LONG-BODY. The body transcends time and space. The experienced self is a larger self. This provides an extrasensory link between self and non-self. This was discussed in a previous post. The Native Americans believed that with THE LONG-BODY you BECOME ONE WITH what you are doing.

The LONG-BODY is perception of the present moment. It is the sum of everything. Through the senses your body extends beyond its immediate boundaries, (e.g. lacrosse stick, paint brush, violin, hammer, a SMELLING BLOTTER WITH FRAGRANCE). You are connected via the LONG BODY, when you want to COMPREHEND, to UNDERSTAND you must enter deeply into the situation.

The mind and body are connected as one with this process. Here we have two very ancient cultures far apart from each other in miles and very close to each other spiritually.  TO UNDERSTAND, TO COMPREHEND BECOME ONE WITH IT as in the LONG-BODY.

Categories: PERSPECTIVES Philosophical Perspective

ron winnegrad

Ron Winnegrad has been a Perfumer and teacher for 46 years. As a perfumer, Ron has been able to express the world he sees through a rainbow of olfactive and emotive visions. As a teacher, Ron has helped others to see fragrance through his own multi sensorial lens.