Processing Info

[Moth]

This happens a lot in spiritual practice, where many people will claim that their method or practice is "the only way" to reach ______. Or, it's the best/most effective/most powerful method of practice. I know that there's some truly helpful and insightful information on this board when it comes to practice, but I have almost no point of reference for many of the experiences described on this board. I genuinely (afaik) want to reach some of these states of being, but sometimes it gets confusing, and therefore frustrating, when SO MANY people (not exclusively on this board) throw around such lofty, and many times contradictory, claims of exclusivity.

 

If you understand where I'm coming from, can ya throw me an advice bone? How do I distill the useful from the narrow minded?

[Marblehead]

Good question Moth.

 

I can speak fairly freely as I an not involved in any established practice.

 

Yes, there are many valid practices out there. And yes, one practice may work extremely well for one person but another person may not benefit at all from that same practice. Of course, that is because we all are different and we each need only what we are lacking of or weak at.

 

Therefore I suggest that the individual must do the research before committing to any single practice, especially if it going to involve a substantial monetary output.

 

Of course, we need to know ourself too. We need to know what it is we are lacking and we need to establish a goal before even committing to any single given practice.

 

Having a teacher is good. Contact with the teacher may help establish our needs and goals before committing oneself monetarily.

 

So, I understand that I didn't offer anything concrete but I hope my words inspire you to think about what you really need and want and help you in establishing a goal so that you can search for the practice that might guide you toward your goal.

 

Best Wishes.

[devoid]

If you understand where I'm coming from, can ya throw me an advice bone? How do I distill the useful from the narrow minded?

 

Good question.

 

My advice is to look in different directions and listen to your intuition. If you decide to learn something (say, some qigong, meditation, energy exercise or other) be careful to look for general terms rather than let yourself being sucked into one set system. It is fine to go with a set system - don't get me wrong - but it is nice to be able to compare to some reference point which will allow you to triangulate. Thus, if somebody offers you the The-one-and-only-system Qigong be sure to look for other types of Qigong, etc.

 

Also (and I know that I am probably going to get lamblasted for stating this) in my experience the more people with "the best system" tell you need a teacher remember that above all will you need your own sense of knowing what's good for you and you need to set your own goals and rework them along the way rather than have somebody do it for you.

 

Happy searching

[Thunder_Gooch]

I think some practices are better suited for some goals than others. I think we owe it two ourselves to define clearly what it is we want to achieve via our practice, then find people who have accomplished that goal and learn from them or at least learn their practices. To me that makes the most sense.

 

I have a lot of friends who are into reiki and wicca and are trying to accomplish things via those practices that simply are not possible, it's like trying to fit a large square peg in a small round hole.

[Otis]

These are great responses, everyone!

 

I must admit, it is precisely the claims of "the only way" which make me uneasy about a practitioner. The claim seems so un-enlightened, that it's hard to imagine that the person who makes it, is really going some place I want to go. How could any of us know what the "ultimate" or "only way" is? That's an impossibility. And what is emptiness, if not epistemological humility?

 

As for you, Moth, maybe you're someone who is attracted to a specific dharma tradition, with steps and a lineage and all that. If so, maybe that's the way to go for you.

 

But my own path feels too clear, too intimate, for me to put a tradition in between me and it, to translate what heretofore needed no translating. If my path leads me to a specific teacher, I will not hesitate to embrace him/her, but in the meantime, I have many teachers throughout my life, who help illustrate possibility and effortlessness in various realms, just by being themselves. There's plenty to learn from, without taking on a bunch of new beliefs, and/or an obligation to be "true" to a tradition.

[ShaktiMama]

This happens a lot in spiritual practice, where many people will claim that their method or practice is "the only way" to reach ______. Or, it's the best/most effective/most powerful method of practice. I know that there's some truly helpful and insightful information on this board when it comes to practice, but I have almost no point of reference for many of the experiences described on this board. I genuinely (afaik) want to reach some of these states of being, but sometimes it gets confusing, and therefore frustrating, when SO MANY people (not exclusively on this board) throw around such lofty, and many times contradictory, claims of exclusivity.

 

If you understand where I'm coming from, can ya throw me an advice bone? How do I distill the useful from the narrow minded?

 

 

In the olden days, saying "my way or the highway" was often just economic. If a teacher depended on their status for livelihood (which is often not the case for today), it is often to the teacher's best interest to make the process last for years and to admonish the students to never study with anyone else.

 

I had a student who was admonished by his shaolin teacher to never see anyone else. The student came to see me and spent a week learning. He went back home to his teacher who said, "what is this bad energy you have? Are you learning from somone else?" This was more serious than it sounds for the student since his teacher was telling people he was going to make the student his lineage heir.

 

A year later the elderly chinese shaolin teacher and I taught a few classes together. He remarked on how advanced my students were even though they were not chinese. He was never told that myself was the teacher who gave his student "bad energy."

 

He did depend on his students and patients for his income.

 

So keep in mind the economics of who you learn from. Find a good teacher and stick with them for awhile until you are really good with their basics and maybe the next level or so. Then go exploring because diversity is good for practice. It injects new blood (chi) into the practice.

 

I always tell my students to go out and learn from others.

 

s

[strawdog65]

I would like to ad this as my comment:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6evj0KTxY08&feature=related

[TheJourney]

Try whatever seems appealing and see what works for you.