Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity

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Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 2,147 ratings · 296 reviews

Where do ideas come from?

In Catching the Big Fish, internationally acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch provides a rare window into his methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.

Lynch describes the experience of "diving within" and "catching" ideas like fish - and then preparing them fo...more

Hardcover, 181 pages

Published December 28th 2006 by Tarcher (first published January 1st 2006)

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Apr 11, 2008 Nick rated it 1 of 5 stars

Waste of time. This Transcendental Meditation-proselytizing piece of horseshit provides no insight into Lynch; for all the time he spends meditating, you'd think he'd be more reflective. Instead, we get chapters like this:

"How does meditation get rid of negativity? Picture it this way: You are the Empire State Building. You've got hundreds of rooms. And in those rooms, there's a lot of junk. And you put all that junk there. Now you take this elevator, which is going to be the dive within. And y...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Don Roff rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any who wish to expand their creativity

David Lynch has always been an inspiration to me. His films, of course, but also his painting, his carpentry, and even his unfilmed scenarios like RONNIE ROCKET and ONE SALIVA BUBBLE are beautiful mysteries waiting to be uncovered. And now, a book.

Though Lynch doesn't consider himself much of a writer "I have trouble with words" he admits, this book went a bit deeper than much of the work he has previously displayed to the public. I say book, however, I listened to the audio book, read by Lynch...more

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Apr 29, 2013 TD rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Now, judging from his films, you’d be forgiven for not making a chat with David Lynch your first port of call on the way to spiritual salvation; backward speaking dwarfs from parallel dimensions, sperm-babies, disfigurement, split and re-spliced psychopathy, lip-stick, lots of whining and clunking, smoke, and domestic abuse, comprise just some of the goodies to be found in his filmography. But, Lynch has apparently been doing Transcendental Meditation for well over thirty years, and this coffee-...more

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Jun 29, 2009 hirtho rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to hirtho by: Rob had the audiobook on his ipod

Shelves: memoir-bio, spirituality

i'm a lynch fanboy and a proponent of meditation (not TM for myself, before this book it was a stress-relief breathing-type deal, and afterwards it was a couple different versions of mantra meditation til i found the one i do now), but this was still a mind-blower

most fascinating to me was his early days in the 70s and his different methodology: i knew about bob's big boy, i didnt know about the sugar; i knew about his tm but i didnt know about the bible - it was also interesting to learn about...more

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Jan 03, 2008 Alfred rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: soulful cineastes

I recommend listening to this in the Audiobooks version. I listened to it on my iPod and it put me in a great place. David Lynch has this great soothing monotone voice that radiates the sincerity and peacefulness of his message. It's sort of like the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix speak...it's like how can a man whose art contains such darkness and violence come off as so soft and loving and sensitive? But I guess that's why they call them artists.

This book reaffirmed my desire to meditate. If...more

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Aug 27, 2007 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

david lynch read this to me (on my ipod). does that count as reading it? it pretty much kills me. it has become regular car reading.

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Jan 27, 2012 Paul Greer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I recently finished reading this book "Catching the Big Fish", a very personal account of David Lynch's approach to creativity, and the role that meditation plays in it.

I have often felt that techniques like meditation may result in the bland art, due to lack of "pain", Mr Lynch is a very good example of how this is not the case.

In the book he writes:

"Anger and depression and sorrow are beautiful things in a a story, but they're like poison for the film maker or artist. They're like a vice grip...more

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Mar 01, 2008 Thalia rated it 5 of 5 stars

I bought this book randomly in an airport bookstore in Japan on my way back from a trip to Thailand. I've always been a fan of David Lynch's tv and film work and had heard that he is into TM and even had started a school about it. I was intrigued. I love this little book. The chapters are short - most just one or two pages. They are about art, movies, ideas, conciousness, enlightenment, meditation, Bob's Big Boy and more. They are funny and surreal and its kind of like having a conversation with...more

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Feb 13, 2008 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

David Lynch! Why are you so charasmatic and brilliant? Is it your hair which is a living masterpiece, or just your complete and brilliant belief in what you do! You are the North Pole to my magnet!
How can you not be sucked into David Lynch's Dyson like hoover?
This book should really get a star if it's lucky, but the way its written is so innocent you just want to believe! Its like i'm still hoping Steven Hawkings is going to suddenly build a new body and fly into the room strapped to a jetpack...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Kassy marked it as to-read

David Lynch is the most creative figured out artist I know of in modern times. He perfectly captures the psychic darkness, and in watching his films in television, one finds oneself miraculously purified from all sorts of histories. Maybe on the watching, one is revolted, and reacts strongly to the violent, abusive, and twisted suggestiveness. But clearly there is a connection between the spirituality of David Lynch, and the creativity of David Lynch, the autism of David Lynch. Life is Art, and...more

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Nov 30, 2008 Stephen rated it 1 of 5 stars

I hoped to find out more about transcendental meditation, after all it inspired Stevie Wonder to create three of the best pop albums ever made. He even sings its glory in his song ‘Jesus Children of America’. The problem is that none of the books about transcendental meditation, for example HH Maharishi’s own ‘Science of Being and Art of Living,’ say anything about transcendental meditation, they all just sing the praises of TM in an almost glassy eyed fervor, this book being no exception. Tm is...more I hoped to find out more about transcendental meditation, after all it inspired Stevie Wonder to create three of the best pop albums ever made. He even sings its glory in his song ‘Jesus Children of America’. The problem is that none of the books about transcendental meditation, for example HH Maharishi’s own ‘Science of Being and Art of Living,’ say anything about transcendental meditation, they all just sing the praises of TM in an almost glassy eyed fervor, this book being no exception. Tm is good, TM is great, but what exactly is it? What does it try to achieve? Even an imprecise picture would be helpful for people like me whose experience of meditation is free classes issued through Zen and Zen based institutions. For me, a firm believer that ‘God said you must teach as I have taught, for free’, the $3,000 to learn TM leaves a bad taste, but that said I think that I would be able to get around it if anyone was willing to educate about what it is, after all the $3,000, while being a lot of money, is a one time fee. Even the people that I call on the phone, when I ask them what it is, all that they tell me is that I have to take the class to find out.

When going further into Maharishi’s practice and philosophies, it’s almost impossible to not get into the dozens of women who accused him of rape, which leaves one questioning the teachings of this religious leader. Not to mention his famous dealings with The Beatles, who accused him of a healthy sexual appetite for young women as well as a shrewed business side, which he must have had in order to leave behind two-billion dollars when he died. John Lennon penned a song about Maharishi, but then changed the lyrics of his song from ‘Maharishi’ to ‘Sexy Sadie’ in the end. There were also several confrontations between The Beatles and the Maharishi regarding the band feeling exploited by the guru, that he used the band for his own promotion.

In the end though, it’s the art, or the teachings, that people remember and not the man. John Coltrane had a shady figure, though tried to fix himself many time and again. In the end, he battled with addiction his whole life, but his music and musings on Christianity eventually inspired The Church of Coltrane, and I’m not sure that this many years after his death it can be argued that his battles with heroin have inspired teachings about opiates. So maybe this new technique of meditation, the teachings of Maharishi, can lead to a more fulfilling life. Certainly to hear David Lynch talk about his TM practice you would think so, as well as many of the people who have had the opportunity to learn TM. Lynch talks about he release of his anger, which he hadn’t even noticed until his wife pointed it out. He talks about going deep to find the big idea down there, which sounds great. I would love to go deep and find the ‘Big fish.’ Tell me more about it, I say.

But this is not a book to learn about the teachings of the Maharishi, that book may not exist. And if Lynch approached this book as an investigation into his spiritual practice or to educate the curious about what is wonderful about TM, then he failed utterly. Instead, like so many of the followers, Lynch speaks in metaphors that only cloud the understanding of this mysterious spirituality. The reader is certain about Lynch's devotion. Lynch has created TM centers for children and has lectured all over about the benefits of TM, and this book ends up being an open love note to his religion.

What might be redeemable about this book is for the fan of David Lynch, this book gives talks about his creative process in a way that no other book on Lynch does, not even the book, 'Lynch On Lynch' where David outlined and wrote about his early film career. Where that book reads like a memoir and the reader is treated to such things as Lynch's dismay over having the movie 'Dune' taken from his control and the reasons behind his decision to not direct 'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi', this book reads of short philosophic ramblings on Lynch's own creativity. The question that is always asked of authors, artists and filmmakers is 'Where do you get your ideas,' which always manages to stump the artist. After all, the muses are mysterious. And the answers of artists vary from serious to snarky. This book seems to be an honest attempt to give an answer to David's fans. And how are you doing Jo-jo.

(less)

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May 18, 2013 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2016-challenge

David Lynch is a famous American filmmaker who is known for his avant-garde type of movies that are basically really, really weird most of the time. I like the ones I've seen: Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and The Elephant Man. I like them because they are different and darker than most movies, and I'm just not much of a movie watcher. When I watch one, I like it to either be weird or be really stupid and funny. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective comes to mind. My wife does not like David Lynch's movie...more

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May 03, 2013 Diletta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dunque, è un libro davvero interessante non c'è dubbio. Non ho ancora visto nessun film di Lynch, benché siano nella mia lista dei film da vedere da un bel po', ma sono ormai pronta a iniziare Twin Peaks.
Interessante il suo "processo creativo", i collegamenti mentali, ciò che è dietro ai suoi film, le idee i pensieri. Anche se mi aspettavo molto di più sulla meditazione trascendentale. Ora, ovvio che il libro prenda una piega strettamente autobiografica, quindi non mi aspettavo certo un saggio...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Lindsay rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an intriguing quick read from maverick film director David Lynch. For fans who are not aware that he has been practicing transcendental meditation for decades, this book is an introduction to his thoughts about it. Lynch describes about what led him to this practice, how it has benefited his creativity, and why he has set up a foundation to share this practice with students, inmates, veterans, the homeless, Native Americans and others.

Fascinating to me were his thoughts on developing his...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Ivaska rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: David Lynch fans

David Lynch vo svojej knihe opisuje jeho vlastné zážitky s meditáciou a jej vplyvom na jeho prácu. Nestavia sa do roly lektora, skôr je akýmsi sprievodcom, ktorý odporúča práve túto konkrétnu cestu za odomknutím kreativy a porozumenia samého seba. Rozpovedá príbehy, stojace za zrodom kinematografických skvostov, poskytuje radu ašpirujúcim filmárom na príklade jeho vlastných postupov a rituálov. Žiaden beletristický zážitok nečakajte. Velká ryba však poskytuje príjemný výlet do Lynchovho sveta, k...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Tulio Perez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Would give it 3.5 stars... His thoughts on creativity and the generation of ideas are amazing (fitting of an amazing director). The meditation and consciousness stuff was good, but fairly repetitive and seeming like it could have come from anywhere. It didn't add too much for me, but also didn't take away from the stuff I liked in the book.

Selected Quotes:

"Someone might say, I don't understand music; but most people experience music emotionally and would agree music is an abstraction. You don't...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Dave rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: David Lynch fans

Nice quick little book that balances the practical and pragmatic with the abstract. Lynch discloses his view on a variety of subjects, including wood, light, consciousness, creativity, Transcendental Meditation and the many areas of film making.

He doesn't talk about the meditation in as much depth as I thought he would. He's primarily concerned with discussing the benefits of such a technique, but not so much showing you how to do it. I'd assume you'll have to find out about that on your own.

W...more

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Jun 02, 2009 Jan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Unlike some reviewers, I really think this gave a deep insight (even though the book is small) into how Lynch creates his art and the process he goes through. I've studied and understand the meditative process that he talks about although I'm not an avid meditator myself. Just as he talks about unity connecting everything, my own academic study of psychology has fed into what he discusses (in particular positive psychology, which also examines the empirical evidence to suggest the real and power...more

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Jul 26, 2012 David rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is not a how-to book. It may inspire and motivate, but it won't inform.

Lynch briefly describes the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. Not only will it greatly enhance your creativity, but it will also greatly enhance your life. And there the lesson ends. If you meditate, greatly enhanced creativity just happens.

Lynch then spends the majority of the book on various anecdotes about how he came up with specific ideas for various film projects. Essentially, they just happened - because he...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Vanessa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: friend-loaned, non-fiction

I am a big fan of David Lynch and his films. My first experience of Lynchian style was a late night showing of his classic 'Blue Velvet', which I went to see at my favourite. We were flabbergasted by the end thinking 'what have we just seen?' And of course, his films and their specific style take some getting used to. All we knew was that we were mesmerised.

A fellow fan of Lynch loaned me this book to read, and I have to say that it was a really interesting read. It was nice to be able to get in...more

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Apr 10, 2013 shanties rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, anglo-america, autobiographies, aphorisms, movies, library, postmodernism

Con piglio molto informale (a volte fin troppo per riuscire a carpirgli qualche segreto) David Lynch si racconta nel corso di 84 capitoli di una brevità al limite dell’aforisma, spaziando dall’autobiografia alla vocazione artistica, dalla pittura al cinema, dalla confessione personale all’aneddotica, con un montaggio vagamente cronologico e tipicamente lynchiano.

Molto spazio è accordato alla meditazione trascendentale, di cui Lynch è praticante entusiasta per i suoi benefici sulla vita quotidia...more Con piglio molto informale (a volte fin troppo per riuscire a carpirgli qualche segreto) David Lynch si racconta nel corso di 84 capitoli di una brevità al limite dell’aforisma, spaziando dall’autobiografia alla vocazione artistica, dalla pittura al cinema, dalla confessione personale all’aneddotica, con un montaggio vagamente cronologico e tipicamente lynchiano.

Molto spazio è accordato alla meditazione trascendentale, di cui Lynch è praticante entusiasta per i suoi benefici sulla vita quotidiana, e in particolare sulla creatività. La meditazione “ti accompagna in un oceano di coscienza pura, di ricettività pura. È familiare, però: quest’oceano sei tu. Immediatamente affiora una sensazione di felicità: un capolavoro, un’intensa felicità”. Ritorna costantemente nelle sue parole l’immagine dell’immersione nella coscienza pura — da cui anche il titolo del libro; una pratica che allarga la conoscenza del Sé di cui parlano anche le Upanishad, eliminando “ansie e paure”.
Interessante, per contro, che l’autore confessi di aver abbandonato senza remore una seduta psicanalitica appena iniziata, nel timore che la terapia danneggiasse la sua creatività. Significativa anche questa osservazione: “Adoro la logica dei sogni; mi piace appunto il modo in cui si svolgono. Raramente, però, ho preso spunto da essi”.

A prescindere dall’insight nella forma mentis del regista, più interessanti per gli appassionati risulteranno forse i capitoli più prettamente cinematografici: dai criteri per la scelta della colonna sonora o degli attori (“Incontrai casualmente Laura Dern per strada, scoprendo che era la mia nuova vicina di casa. Disse: «David, dobbiamo rimetterci a lavorare insieme». Le risposi: «Certamente»”) alla caparbietà con cui Lynch persegue l’ispirazione di idee e intuizioni non sempre razionali. Il libro è del 2006, quindi ci sono aneddoti anche sugli ultimi film. E il regista di culto si svela anzitutto grande cinefilo: scopre da testimoni diretti che il film preferito di Kubrick è Eraserhead; incontra fortuitamente, grazie a conoscenze comuni, Fellini in ospedale: “Non penso di avergli fatto molte domande. Lo ascoltai tantissimo e basta. Mi parlò dei vecchi tempi, di come andassero le cose. […] Era venerdì sera, la domenica entrò in coma e non si risvegliò più”.

Non è mancato chi ha fatto notare una vaga discrepanza tra il contenuto tormentato dei suoi film e il benessere e la serenità espressi da Lynch, che scrive: “Nelle storie, nei mondi che possiamo visitare, c’è dolore, confusione, oscurità, tensione e rabbia. […] Per mostrare la sofferenza, però, il regista non deve per forza soffrire. […] Lascia che a soffrire siano i tuoi personaggi”.

Una lettura veloce ed episodica, fruibile anche come un manuale da parte di praticanti o curiosi della meditazione, artisti alla ricerca della propria strada, cineasti… Gli altri potrebbero trovare fuori luogo il proselitismo, o piuttosto l'insistenza con cui è propinato; per quanto il sottotitolo del testo potrebbe essere “Meditazione trascendentale applicata al vissuto di David Lynch, da lui raccontato”.
Chi si aspettava segreti sul significato dei film dimostra di non aver capito nulla del “suo regista preferito”: un tipetto che ammette che il senso di Eraserhead gli è stato svelato casualmente da una frase della Bibbia che lui non ha alcuna intenzione di rivelare (so much for hypertextuality, per inciso, e per chi ritiene questo libro troppo semplicistico). (less)

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Feb 26, 2013 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to the audiobook version of this, which was cool because there's nothing like hearing it directly from the horse's mouth; Lynch's words in his own voice - that's pretty awesome. But I don't usually listen to audiobooks because I don't absorb them as well as when I'm actually reading. For that reason, I feel like I need to listen to this again.

As the title implies, Lynch talks a little about a lot of things in this book. It reads sort of like a very involved journal entry, with interes...more I listened to the audiobook version of this, which was cool because there's nothing like hearing it directly from the horse's mouth; Lynch's words in his own voice - that's pretty awesome. But I don't usually listen to audiobooks because I don't absorb them as well as when I'm actually reading. For that reason, I feel like I need to listen to this again.

As the title implies, Lynch talks a little about a lot of things in this book. It reads sort of like a very involved journal entry, with interesting asides and anecdotes, and somewhat poetic prose when he starts talking about the things that really move him, like Transcendental Meditation. He seems to me to have a pretty clear and concise vocabulary - he doesn't want to make his words sound flowery so much as he wants you to understand the point he's trying to get across. The way he talks is pretty simplistic, but the ideas aren't really, which sometimes makes you want him to dig deeper and explain things in more detail, but he usually doesn't. Then again, this is just how Lynch talks - it's pretty clear if you've ever seen him do an in-depth interview. And it makes sense, because if Lynch could describe his ideas perfectly in words, he probably would never have become an artist.

I'm someone who thinks if I can just crack the code of Lynch The Person, maybe I can figure out where he gets his ideas from and steal some new ones for myself. Coming from that place, as a huge fan of Lynch's films and Lynch as a human being, I think this book is pretty damn awesome. It's not very focused - if you wanted to read it because you were simply interested in filmmaking, or Transcendental Meditation, and not much else, I don't think I'd recommend it to you. If you think Transcendental Meditation is stupid and you don't want to hear about it, I would definitely say to skip this book, because he gushes and waxes poetic about TM and bliss and consciousness throughout the book (as the title implies). Likewise, if you're a hard skeptic/militant atheist and don't want to hear quotes from the Bhagavad Gita or anything similar at the start of each new chapter, DEFINITELY skip this book.

But if you're interested in the sort of things that come up in Lynch's work, and you know that work well, and you're a fan of his specific kind of cinema and of art in general (and the process of creativity), and if you're interested in him as a person and where he's coming from and how his mind works... Then this is a pretty damn good look into the kind of things David Lynch sometimes thinks about. Which is pretty much exactly what I wanted from it, so for that reason it was worth reading.

Pretty much my only complaint about the book is that it isn't very long or in depth. I'd love to hear all about Lynch's childhood and his feelings about life and how he saw the world back before he was creating art (teen years or earlier), or what he really was like before he started doing Transcendental Meditation in the 70s, etc. But I get the impression that if the dark things in Mr. Lynch's films and art also actually exist inside his head all the time, he would really rather use them to fuel his art and show them to us, rather than tell us about them.

Anyway, as I said, if you're a Lynch fan and you're ambivalent to or interested in meditation, definitely check this out. If you're not really a Lynch fan or if you're only interested in Transcendental Meditation and not really in Lynch himself, skip this.(less)

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Feb 18, 2013 Volkan Unsal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: creativity

Jumble of ideas and anecdotes about creativity, movies and meditation. Some sparks of brilliance in here, and some classic Lynchianisms, but it is like a pastiche of musings, drawn from real life, and not a systematic program for increasing your creative output...

The analogy of creativity to fishing is interesting, but Lynch's process, as he tells it, is informed by Transcendental Meditation, and would be hard to replicate by each and every reader. The underlying idea Lynch is trying to convey...more

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Jul 18, 2007 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

"if you have a golf ball-sized consciousness, when you read a book, you'll have a golf ball-sized understanding; when you look out a window, a golf ball-sized awareness; when you wake up in the morning, a golf ball-sized wakefulness; and as you go about your day, a golf ball-sized inner happiness."

quirky, thoughtful meditations on consciousness, meditation, and the creative process. surprisingly inspiring.

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Jul 30, 2008 Eli rated it 2 of 5 stars

Pleasant to dip in and out of. It really only skims the surface of the subject it claims to be discussing though, namely creativity. Some of the ideas are sweet and inspiring, but I felt at a loss after reading it... Actually, I felt profoundly lost and sad. I suppose it's like staring from afar at a big lake on a hot day. Not now though, love, there are bills to be paid.

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Mar 25, 2013 Laura Cowan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Decent book on creativity, especially for filmmakers (somewhat for writers), but Lynch mentions quite a bit about his love for transcendental meditation without really giving the reader access to how it works. It's just a heavily repeated recommendation with an articulate description of what it does for him and what it isn't (a religion) without giving too many insights beyond that, except for a picture of how it is similar to the state we find ourselves in when waking from a dream. Even so, the...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Got this one from the library. I'd recommend library loan over purchase unless you're a massive fan of David Lynch or are a proponent of TM.

I'm not sure if I wouldn't have liked this light read, which skims both Lynch's creative and meditative practices, if I had not been a hardcore Lynch fan girl when I was a teenager. Truth: a six foot hight Blue Velvet poster was the only decoration in my 15 year old bedroom. So I'm not sure if I'm that objective.

The text of the book seems more like things t...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Ru rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a big Lynch fan, it was pure bliss to read this. The insight into some of his films & mindset was like finding treasure; I remember telling someone years ago that "Twin Peaks" was like looking at a gorgeous, yet horrific, painting, & discovering something new upon each viewing. So, when Lynch says something along the lines that, as a painter first & a filmmaker second, his movies represent his paintings in moving form, it gave me chills. This book is also quite funny in a quirky w...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Tyler rated it 1 of 5 stars

About as reflective and insightful as RZA's "Tao of Wu"... which is not very!

"Common Sense - Most of filmmaking is common sense. If you stay on your toes and think about how to do a thing, it's right there." That was an actual chapter. In it's entirety! Are inspiring filmmakers so stupid that they need to be given that kind of advice? "Use common sense. Stay on your toes. Think about how to do stuff." Yeah thanks David.

If you're lucky enough to be so unenlightened as to think those were some pr...more

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Oct 02, 2007 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok, transcendental meditation is cool, and I do want to get into it, but I haven't quite been so convinced as when I got the audiobook and heard this in David's own voice. He connected tm to creativity and the healing effects on your work, and that pushed me into practice (however inconsistent so far).

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About David Lynch

Born in precisely the kind of small-town American setting so familiar from his films, David Lynch spent his childhood being shunted from one state to another as his research scientist father kept getting relocated. He attended various art schools, married, and fathered future director Jennifer Chambers Lynch shortly after he turned 21. That experience, plus attending art school in a particularly v...more

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Quotes from Catching the Big Fish:...

“Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure.They’re huge and abstract. And they’re very beautiful.” — 34 people liked it

“We all want expanded consciousness and bliss. It's a natural, human desire. And a lot of people look for it in drugs. But the problem is that the body, the physiology, takes a hard hit on drugs. Drugs injure the nervous system, so they just make it harder to get those experiences on your own.
I have smoked marijuana, but I no longer do. I went to art school in the 1960s, so you an imagine what was going on. Yet my friends were the ones who said, "No, no, no, David, don't you take those drugs." I was pretty lucky.
Besides, far more profound experiences are available naturally. When your consciousness stars expanding, those experiences are there. All those things can be seen. It's just a matter of expanding that ball of consciousness. And the ball of consciousness can expand to be infinite and unbounded. It's totality. You can have totality. So all those experiences are there for you, without the side effects of drugs.” — 5 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58169.Catching_the_Big_Fish?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348342862l/58169.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58169.Catching_the_Big_Fish?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch[/url]

Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity

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