Jim Carey experiences no - self

[Johnny Dangerous]

https://www.avclub.com/jim-carrey-expla ... 1817066418

This got brought up at a teaching I went to, I hadn't heard about it because I don't read stuff like this.

Yeah, he says some funny stuff about tetrahedrons and other new age sounding stuff, but it seems that through acting, Jim Carey had an initial experience of Anatta. Amusingly, to most commentators, he appears to be "crazy", and almost every article I read just dismisses him as such.

For myself at least, it was just such an experience that solidified my interest in Dharma, mine came from working at weddings all the time, one day I just couldn't get over the "this is not real", "this is like a play" feeling when I was watching people dance, hobnob, put on airs, etc.

Anyway, despite being kind of disjointed, I felt like his words actually had some wisdom, and he says some things that are -exactly- what these people need to hear.. and the reaction to them says a lot about our society. Their reaction to his words really makes clear the vapidity of celebrity culture.

Later on someone asks him about the interview and he says:

‘Who’s Jim Carrey? Oh, he doesn’t exist actually.’ There’s just a relative manifestation of consciousness appearing, and someone gave him a name, a religion, a nationality, and he clustered those together into something that’s supposed to be a personality, and it doesn’t actually exist. None of that stuff, if you drill down, is real.”

[KristenM]

here's my admittedly ad hominem attack on the guy, but given his recent scandals and lawsuit I think it's pretty psychologically convenient for him to be disassociating himself from himself. it looks like he's done some pretty terrible things to a now deceased ex. other than that,I'd agree with you.

[aflatun]

here's my admittedly ad hominem attack on the guy, but given his recent scandals and lawsuit I think it's pretty psychologically convenient for him to be disassociating himself from himself. it looks like he's done some pretty terrible things to a now deceased ex. other than that,I'd agree with you.

I generally stay away from the media, so I wouldn't know much about that, but I also don't find it terribly convincing. In my opinion, people who get a genuine and stable insight into anatta, the correct way, i.e. through an understanding of dependent origination, generally don't say things like that, or with that kind of delivery. But then again I suppose its possible.

[Wayfarer]

The vibe I got from watching the various media snippets is, definitely some insight happened, but integration is another matter. After all Hollywood is alive with Eastern cultural memes - Paramahansa Yogananda set up shop there in 1920-something. Goldie Hawn is a full-on New Age diva. So such ideas are hardly novel, in the context. But when Jim Carrey repeats them, I get the sense that he hasn't realised what he's actually saying. I mean, he's still a celebrity! It might sound a little more authentic if Hollywood News had to trek to some remote outpost to find him and have him say that.

[Johnny Dangerous]

here's my admittedly ad hominem attack on the guy, but given his recent scandals and lawsuit I think it's pretty psychologically convenient for him to be disassociating himself from himself. it looks like he's done some pretty terrible things to a now deceased ex. other than that,I'd agree with you.

No idea, Hollywood is so full of weird games, accusations, and seemingly dysfunctional people that it certainly wouldn't surprise me, it also wouldn't preclude him having this experience...in fact, in some cosmic joke sort of way one might even proceed from the other.

The vibe I got from watching the various media snippets is, definitely some insight happened, but integration is another matter. After all Hollywood is alive with Eastern cultural memes - Paramahansa Yogananda set up shop there in 1920-something. Goldie Hawn is a full-on New Age diva. So such ideas are hardly novel, in the context. But when Jim Carrey repeats them, I get the sense that he hasn't realised what he's actually saying. I mean, he's still a celebrity! It might sound a little more authentic if Hollywood News had to trek to some remote outpost to find him and have him say that.

The vibe I got is that he had an authentic experience, not that he will know what to do with it, etc. Of course it's not original thought, i'm more interested in whether he had an authentic experience...I think he did, nothing to go on but intuition of course.

I thought it was interesting mainly in the context of him pointing out the meaninglessness of what they are doing - this is a contemplation of and within itself, and I mentioned my own previous experience as a comparison - often very "fake" environments have a way of bringing this out.

[KristenM]

here's my admittedly ad hominem attack on the guy, but given his recent scandals and lawsuit I think it's pretty psychologically convenient for him to be disassociating himself from himself. it looks like he's done some pretty terrible things to a now deceased ex. other than that,I'd agree with you.

No idea, Hollywood is so full of weird games, accusations, and seemingly dysfunctional people that it certainly wouldn't surprise me, it also wouldn't preclude him having this experience...in fact, in some cosmic joke sort of way one might even proceed from the other.

The vibe I got is that he had an authentic experience, not that he will know what to do with it, etc. Of course it's not original thought, i'm more interested in whether he had an authentic experience...I think he did, nothing to go on but intuition of course.

I thought it was interesting mainly in the context of him pointing out the meaninglessness of what they are doing - this is a contemplation of and within itself, and I mentioned my own previous experience as a comparison - often very "fake" environments have a way of bringing this out.

It could be an authentic experience, look at Milerepa, anyone is capable. I'd just say he's more culpable in the weird games and as fake as the Hollywood circus he lives in. Giving your gf STD's, breaking up with her and demanding via your attorneys that she sign legal papers to silence her before she commits suicide is not exactly enlightened behavior.

[KristenM]

Now having a better look at the video, I see a broken man. I'd say he is very sick and lost, showing up for galas trying to be the popular star he once was, but now. a total pariah. Maybe he is just realizing that samsara is endless.

[Johnny Dangerous]

here's my admittedly ad hominem attack on the guy, but given his recent scandals and lawsuit I think it's pretty psychologically convenient for him to be disassociating himself from himself. it looks like he's done some pretty terrible things to a now deceased ex. other than that,I'd agree with you.

No idea, Hollywood is so full of weird games, accusations, and seemingly dysfunctional people that it certainly wouldn't surprise me, it also wouldn't preclude him having this experience...in fact, in some cosmic joke sort of way one might even proceed from the other.

The vibe I got is that he had an authentic experience, not that he will know what to do with it, etc. Of course it's not original thought, i'm more interested in whether he had an authentic experience...I think he did, nothing to go on but intuition of course.

I thought it was interesting mainly in the context of him pointing out the meaninglessness of what they are doing - this is a contemplation of and within itself, and I mentioned my own previous experience as a comparison - often very "fake" environments have a way of bringing this out.

It could be an authentic experience, look at Milerepa, anyone is capable. I'd just say he's more culpable in the weird games and as fake as the Hollywood circus he lives in. Giving your gf STD's, breaking up with her and demanding via your attorneys that she sign legal papers to silence her before she commits suicide is not exactly enlightened behavior.

One doesn't need to be enlightened to have a glimpse, I'm not even sure one needs to be a great person. If pure conduct were required for merest initial glimpse of things as they are, many of us would be up shit creek without a paddle.

[Johnny Dangerous]

Now having a better look at the video, I see a broken man. I'd say he is very sick and lost, showing up for galas trying to be the popular star he once was, but now. a total pariah. Maybe he is just realizing that samsara is endless.

Let's hope so, that is no small thing.

[KristenM]

Now having a better look at the video, I see a broken man. I'd say he is very sick and lost, showing up for galas trying to be the popular star he once was, but now. a total pariah. Maybe he is just realizing that samsara is endless.

Let's hope so, that is no small thing.

yeah, I'd be a lousy Buddhist if I has no compassion or hope for the guy, I really wish him the best. He's obviously very intelligent and he's got the capacity for realization. I hope he uses it.

[Queequeg]

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viewtopic.php?f=63&t=26532

[Johnny Dangerous]

Now having a better look at the video, I see a broken man. I'd say he is very sick and lost, showing up for galas trying to be the popular star he once was, but now. a total pariah. Maybe he is just realizing that samsara is endless.

Let's hope so, that is no small thing.

yeah, I'd be a lousy Buddhist if I has no compassion or hope for the guy, I really wish him the best. He's obviously very intelligent and he's got the capacity for realization. I hope he uses it.

In your line of work (I'm just embarking on a similar one) I'm sure it's easy to get sick of such behavior too, people do some dumb, ugly things. I wasn't posting as if I thought the guy had some spiritual juice, just that he seems to have had an experience, and that it's interesting how sometimes these sorts of experiences can come at the weirdest places. I also confess that however bad Jim Carey is, I liked the critique of the meaninglessness of Hollywood culture. Him being an idiot or a douchebag doesn't take away from any of it for me, personally. Sometimes the sickest people give the most honest diagnoses.

I had this family member once that was, by most people's accounts, the shittiest person. He did awful stuff to most of my family...however, I am pretty sure there are times where he saved me from suicide...or nearly.

It's impossible to take the full ethical measure of a person from our perspective, IMO the best we can do is point out wrong behavior, what we see is just the tip of the iceberg at any rate.

[KristenM]

Related
viewtopic.php?f=63&t=26532

I thought I was having deja vu. Norwegian said what I said so well already.

[Queequeg]

I would guess he's been tripping on this for a while... Look at some of the movies he's done:

Bruce Almighty - he sits in for God for a while and realizes interconnectivity of the world
Truman Show - guy realizes that his entire life is fake.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - plays with questions of identity, memory, experience...

[Wayfarer]

actually, that's obvious now you mention it. I hate Jim Carrey's comedies (then again, never was a Jerry Lewis fan), but his 'serious' roles are quite interesting, the last of those was a fascinating take on 'neuro-reductionism'.

[Johnny Dangerous]

Related
viewtopic.php?f=63&t=26532

I thought I was having deja vu. Norwegian said what I said so well already.

I think it's really limiting to just moralize like that, but ymmv. I hope JCs experience can lead him away from such behavior..but we know how rare real Dharma connection is...turtle in the ocean and all that.

[KristenM]

Let's hope so, that is no small thing.

yeah, I'd be a lousy Buddhist if I has no compassion or hope for the guy, I really wish him the best. He's obviously very intelligent and he's got the capacity for realization. I hope he uses it.

In your line of work (I'm just embarking on a similar one) I'm sure it's easy to get sick of such behavior too, people do some dumb, ugly things. I wasn't posting as if I thought the guy had some spiritual juice, just that he seems to have had an experience, and that it's interesting how sometimes these sorts of experiences can come at the weirdest places. I also confess that however bad Jim Carey is, I liked the critique of the meaninglessness of Hollywood culture. Him being an idiot or a douchebag doesn't take away from any of it for me, personally. Sometimes the sickest people give the most honest diagnoses.

I had this family member once that was, by most people's accounts, the shittiest person. He did awful stuff to most of my family...however, I am pretty sure there are times where he saved me from suicide...or nearly.

It's impossible to take the full ethical measure of a person from our perspective, IMO the best we can do is point out wrong behavior, what we see is just the tip of the iceberg at any rate.

Getting sidetracked, but...

In our line of work, we have to appreciate all the nuances of humanity. Yet we still have to be a force of judgement, which is very difficult, truthfully.

Carey is a talented and brilliant comedian. I have no doubt his experience will lead him to a deeper understanding of things, or else he'll just have to keep playing "the Mask." how ironic. Look forward to hearing about what you're up to.

[dzogchungpa]

Well, at least he makes a good Aunt Sally.

[Ayu]

Whoever you are, I can't imagine anybody could survive Jim Carey's latest experiences without big scars. (His girlfriend commited suicide.)
I think, he's in great grief still and this excursions into philosophy and painting help him survive.
He's just a human being. Look at his face.

[CapNCrunch]

IIRC, Jimbo has been interested in the "non-duality/neo-adviata-esque" scene for awhile now. C'mon, give the guy a break. He's just a canadian gen-x kid who got lucky and parlayed his gift for physical comedy into achieving all of his worldly desires - Maybe he's at the point where he's genuinely realized the sheer absurdity of it all and is ready for more. I for one really hope he's able to find a realized teacher if he hasn't already. I'm sure when/if he gets within ear-shot of Richard Gere, he'll at least hear about Tibetan Buddhism & Dzogchen

Even if he doesn't, there are so many much worse things he could be doing with his time, and talking about in the media.

I shudder to think of what I might have been up to, given the kind of ability to feed my appetites and desires that he has enjoyed (or not so much) since he was just a kid.