Author name: Christopher

Christopher Titmuss, a former Buddhist monk in Thailand and India, teaches Awakening and Insight Meditation around the world. He is the founder and director of the Dharma Facilitators Programme and the Living Dharma programme, an online mentor programme for Dharma practitioners. He gives retreats, participates in pilgrimages (yatras) and leads Dharma gatherings. Christopher has been teaching annual retreats in Bodh Gaya, India since 1975 and leads an annual Dharma Gathering in Sarnath since 1999. A senior Dharma teacher in the West, he is the author of numerous books including Light on Enlightenment, An Awakened Life and Transforming Our Terror. A campaigner for peace and other global issues, Christopher is a member of the international advisory council of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. . Poet and writer, he is the co-founder of Gaia House, an international retreat centre in Devon, England. He lives in Totnes, Devon, England.

Twenty Tips for Beginners to Bring the Best out of You

Attention to details matter.

1.       The Mouth. What do you put in your mouth? Focus on what you can eat and drink more of to develop a healthy body-mind. What can you reduce or stop,  which you put on your fork, spoon, in a cup, glass or hand to put into your mouth?

Twenty Tips for Beginners to Bring the Best out of You Read More »

Two Upcoming Insight Meditation Retreats in Germany. 31 July to 4 August. 4-9 August 2023. Do join. A single sentence can change a life

Held at the Waldhaus Zentrum, near Andernach. See flyer with text

I am off to Germany next week to give two insight meditation retreats near Andernach in Germany starting in late July 2023.

Time for Silence. Time for Teachings. Time for our Interior Life. Time for Nature.

Why go to a silent retreat? See info and flyer in text. Why Go to a Silent Retreat?

You are very welcome to join.

We develop mindfulness/meditation in four postures. Why? Because we spend most of our life in of the four postures – sit, walk, stand and recline.

We reflect. Why? We have experiences in relationship to past, present and future to squeeze the honey out of these experiences – to quote the Buddha. This means uncover the insights to change habitual ways of thinking or develop fresh ways of living.

We go deep. Why? To expand consciousness, to listen to the depth and live with a liberating wisdom.

Wake up at 6 am. End of day 21.30. Nutritious food. Glorious nature. Beautiful people.

Suitable for beginners and experienced meditators.

You can also email me about the retreat itself. christopher@insightmeditation.org

Please email the centre for administrative details. See flyers.

Thank you.

See you soon,

Love

Christopher

Two Upcoming Insight Meditation Retreats in Germany. 31 July to 4 August. 4-9 August 2023. Do join. A single sentence can change a life Read More »

You attend a 12-month online Mindfulness Teacher Training Course. But then…..

You attend a 12-month online Mindfulness Teacher Training Course. You don’t teach mindfulness after the course. Yet every minute of training was worth worthwhile. …

You attend a 12-month online Mindfulness Teacher Training Course. But then….. Read More »

I Put a Personal Question to the latest AI called Bing Chat GPT. Intelligent? Impressive?

I made a small personal test following the recent integration of AI (Artificial Intelligence) called Bing Chat Bot into in the Microsoft Search Engine.

Incidentally, there is no intelligence in data. Intelligence emerges from consciousness and clarity, not from data. It could be argued far too many influential human beings also lack intelligence given the crisis of economics and its damage to disempowered global citizens and the global ecology.

AI (Artificial Information) connects users with relevant search results from the web in a matter of seconds. The tool sucks up information from websites and collates it in response to a question or statement.

Difference between Bing and Google

Unlike Google, Chat GPT provides a large search box and the bold claim Ask My Anything.

I could type in a long, complicated question up to 1000 characters and Bing would provide a response. There is space for a single question or statement in Google.

Bing features a button in the upper-right corner that lists a selection of writing tools. There are five options, including professional, casual, and enthusiastic. You can also specify the length and format of the text to be generated.

Google dominates 93% of searches but Bing has the potential to cut into Google’s domination of the market.

I placed this question in the Bing Search box.

Can you give me 500 words on Freedom in the style of Christopher Titmuss?

 You will see below the response of Bing in seconds. I have followed up with a comment.

Christopher Titmuss is a British Dharma teacher who offers retreats on ethics, insight meditation (vipassana) and wisdom. He is the author of 20 books on such themes as mindfulness, spirituality, teachings of the Buddha and global issues1.

I can’t find any specific writing style that Christopher Titmuss uses for his works. However, I can provide you with 500 words on freedom in the writing style of Christopher Titmuss.

Freedom is a state of mind that is not bound by external circumstances. It is a state of being that is free from the constraints of the ego and the limitations of the conditioned mind. Freedom is not something that can be given or taken away; it is something that arises from within.

Freedom is not just about being free from external constraints; it is also about being free from internal constraints. It is about being free from the limitations of our own minds and the beliefs and conditioning that we have accumulated over time.

Freedom is not just about being able to do what we want; it is also about being able to be who we truly are. It is about being able to express ourselves authentically and to live our lives in accordance with our deepest values and aspirations.

Freedom is not just about individual liberation; it is also about collective liberation. It is about working together to create a world that is free from oppression, injustice and inequality.

Freedom is not just a political or social issue; it is also a spiritual issue. It is about awakening to our true nature and realizing our interconnectedness with all beings.

In order to experience true freedom, we must be willing to let go of our attachments and our identification with the ego. We must be willing to face our fears and our limitations and to embrace the unknown.

We must be willing to take risks and to step outside of our comfort zones in order to discover who we truly are and what we are capable of.

We must be willing to cultivate mindfulness and awareness in order to see things as they truly are and to respond skilfully to whatever arises.

We must be willing to cultivate compassion and loving-kindness in order to connect with others in a deep and meaningful way.

Ultimately, freedom is not something that can be achieved through external means; it is something that arises from within. It is a state of being that can only be realized through direct experience.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Response

The answer to my question fails to respond accurately in all of the above sentences to the question.

Bing provided 433 words. The text proved accurate in some places but also fell far short of what I have written on Freedom.

Bing extract in italics. My response in roman typeface.

Freedom is a state of mind that is not bound by external circumstances.

Freedom is not a state of mind. If freedom was a state of mind, it would depend on the state of mind and disappear when the state of mind dissolved.

…it (freedom) is something that arises from within.

Where from within can freedom arise? What can it arise from? Freedom does not arise from within or externally.

Freedom is not just about being able to do what we want…

Freedom has no relationship to being able to do what we want.  Desires, ego, impulsive reactions and more feed the tendency, the behaviour to do what we want. There is no freedom in such behaviour.

Ultimately, freedom is not something that can be achieved through external means; it is something that arises from within.

To repeat. If freedom arose, it would stay for a while and pass – just as everything else arises, stays for a while and passes – whether momentarily or a long period. Freedom is not tied to change.

Final Word

Clarity and attention to detail belong to intelligence. Those who think AI shows intelligence reveal a lack of intelligence.

Verdict on AI/Chat GPT 5/10. I regard the AI as at kindergarten level. Be very mindful  with Bing and Google.

Within five years Chat GPT might be worth marks of  of 8/10.

Freedom liberates us from all forms of dependency from the production of  thoughts in our mind to Chat GPT words of production on the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Put a Personal Question to the latest AI called Bing Chat GPT. Intelligent? Impressive? Read More »

Mindfulness Teaching. A Circle of 16 men convicted for Murder. What do you say?

Mindfulness Teaching. A Circle of 16 men convicted for Murder. What do you say? Read More »

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