Martijn Janssen - The Mirror of Meditations

The Zeroth part, because context is useful.

Ein System von Gedanken mu allemal einen architektonischen Zusammenhang haben, d.h. einen solchen, in welchem immer ein Theil den andern trgt, nicht aber dieser auch jenen, der Grundstein endlich alle, ohne von ihnen getragen zu werden, der Gipfel getragen wird, ohne zu tragen. Hingegen ein einziger Gedanke mu, so umfassend er auch seyn mag, die vollkommenste Einheit bewahren.

The Master said, I am a transmitter, rather than an original thinker. I trust and enjoy the teachings of the ancients. In my heart I compare myself to old Peng.

This text is a summary of my system of thought. It contains thinking on the nature of mind, of existence, and of ethics. It attempts to discern the nature of the Mind, what this says about its existence within the world, and finally what ethics might be constructed from there. The body of this text has a tripartite structure.

The first part serves to elucidate the nature of things. That is, it clarifies my ideas of what existence is and where and what I am in it. It aims to answer questions like those on the nature of reality, the mind, emotion, and the senses. Essentially, this volume is about what I can know as fundamental knowledge.

The second part takes these points and investigates their bearing on everyday existence. As such, it aims to answer questions concerning the nature of morality, of balance, of liberty, of choice and of responsibility, as well as other aspects of existing. As such, it establishes general principles and conclusions. Finally, this section establishes some basic principles of morality. Essentially, this volume is about what I can infer from what I know and what else may be observed.

The third part is devoted to extrapolating the implications of the previously established principles and developing them further. This section attempts to construct various tools for moral conduct, developing further from the previously established basic principles.

Essentially, this volume is about what I should do with the things I have established in the previous volumes.

The purpose of this text is to translate thoughts into words. However, it thus also has the obvious limitation of being a product of one mind. Hence, it is thoroughly bound to and limited by my perspective. All the inferences, truths, and beliefs it contains are entirely subjective. That is, this text is a mirror through which I see my thoughts. By studying their reflection, I aim for clearer understanding. Thus, this text is my Mirror of Meditations.