TED Community » louis sommeling

More About Me

I'm passionate about

the dimensions of real life. I am discovering intimacy with others but also with my inner life. Writing and finding words for it.

An idea worth spreading

the encounter of western boeddhism and christian civilization will be thé event of this 21e age. During ages the church has neglected our most inner selfs. After the secularisation we have the chance to discover our experiences, our thoughts, the difference between grumbling and thinking, what is real seeing, what contact with our inner bodies, what means soulexperience, what is real presence, etc.etc.,

Talk to me about

consciousness, presence, spirituality

People don't know that I'm good at

psychotherapy (especially bodybased, see PBSP), spirituality, talks, writing and moving people

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.30 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Talk: Sue Austin: Deep sea diving … in a wheelchair

  Jan 12 2013: HOI ANYSE,
  very good formultated!
  
  LOUIS

• A comment on Talk: Antonio Damasio: The quest to understand consciousness

  Dec 23 2011: Damasio's title is bad. It is impossible to understand consciousness:
  
  1. Measuring electricity in a cable, only learns us: i detect electricity, but not what it is. You can measure on it (niveau of 'problem'), you cann't understand it (mystery-niveau).
  
  2. Buddhisme is more a strategy then a science. The strategy how to deal which reality, how to soften pain, how to be at ease which mortality, how to be aware of reality and be present an not asleep on the automatic pilot
  
  3. Be happy with science and Damasio. It is a gift of nature and evolution. 'Spirituality' is an erroneous word: its suggest duality. How do you think consciousness can be there without brains, things, materials. (There is a new hypothesis that consciousness in this universe is searching materia for expression herself).
  
  4. Don't worry about Damasio. Buddhism don't promise absolute stability points where you can hold on. Be in peace with the processing mysterious living reality .
  
  Louis.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: I am wondering how much of stage magic and mental magic is successful because people want to believe in it and want to participate?

  Aug 18 2011: It is nice to be manipulated in magical things for a moment. But for our daily life we are in danger for be manipulated when we are psychological speaking 'in sleep'. We need to activate our mind. We have to be present and be aware. That is hard working, because our life in society is tending us to life on the automatic pilot and not to be creative and original and fresh.

• A comment on Conversation: How are we going to get Conscious Listening into schools?

  Aug 7 2011: I sympathize with you.
  In Holland on TV we now have the programm 'over the line'. In one day boys and girls tell each other about their wounds and anxiety. (Go over the line when you.......e.g. have lost a person; be bullyed...etc. ) .The sphere on school changed totally Wonderfull.
  Last year i have seen such a programm in the Oprah Winfrey show.
  I have write a book for teachers to see problems of children.
  I have worked 25 years on a university for students in trouble with their development (disconcentration blocks intelligence) and I have described the main psychological themes they encounter. (Unfortunately only in Dutch). Very fruitfull!
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: If you could teach the world 1 valuable thing you learned, what would it be and why?

  Aug 6 2011: Some years ago I have talked with my kids on this question. My son (25) has said: people should listen to what their body tells about their emotions. My daughter (22): wondering about existence .
  For myself: be present . This because this world drives us to rational thinking all the time. We are not the master of our thinking, but it drives us. We need to find the stopbutton. Then we find openess, happiness and attention to other people and to the intimate connection in ourselves.
  Louis

• A reply on Talk: Kevin Slavin: How algorithms shape our world

  Jul 27 2011: soul is not a concept, not a substance (as the greek thought), it is an experience. Other name: true self. Modern philosophers take experience as a starting point (e.g. Ditlhey, Heidegger, Gerard Visser). Soulexperience is like a resonance room, the ground of a flow, river. The 'gotheit'(term of Eckhart, 13e age, discriminating from 'got' as an projection) needs that room for 'sending' messages of love. 'Sending' is a metaphore for our conceptless contact with the sources of reality. (This is my own experience)
  louis

• A comment on Conversation: Where do you think consciousness comes from?

  Jul 10 2011: consciousness is a wonderfull potential of our human mind. You can explore it deeper and with more detail. It is for working on, it is not a concept only. It gives you real presence, it is not a dream.Not all the things in life we can graps totally, that's an illusion, It is not possible to known it in the mode of neopositivistic approach, that's an illusion.