advice for a young seeker

[eye_of_the_storm]

how do you manage to maintain the mundane and the divine?

 

i desire for the most to study things of an esoteric nature, find myself and so on.

 

another part of me says I have to contribute to humanity and at least try to alleviate some of the darkness... "save the world" < maybe its the way its suppose to be / doesnt need saving, just save yourself from the cycle / unconsciousness.

 

i am close to finishing my uni studies (architecture), though i feel whats the point?

 

i'll just be adding to the mess...

 

most of the modern world i find soulless, meaningless, degrading - humans < what fantastic potential... breaks my heart to see people working like robots

 

I feel the monastic life maybe just as much a trap...

 

perhaps a wandering sage? haha

 

i think the Tao is breaking me down

[Protector]

Open the window and look at the sky

[Jetsun]

At one point in time people used architecture to study and teach the divine

 

[joeblast]

affix your own oxygen mask before helping others oh wait, this isnt an airplane ride...is it? surely you cant be serious! I am, and dont call me shirley

[eye_of_the_storm]

@ rainbowvein

 

thanks, i agree completely... i am actually participating in one of these rural studio programs at present - helping write the brief for a "green school" ...

 

ive quite a cynical view of things at the moment though... cynicism in the classical sense

 

Cynicism (Greek: κυνισμός), in its original form, refers to the beliefs of an ancient school of Greek philosophers known as the Cynics (Greek: Κυνικοί, Latin: Cynici). Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health, and fame, and by living a simple life free from all possessions. As reasoning creatures, people could gain happiness by rigorous training and by living in a way which was natural for humans. They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society. Many of these thoughts were later absorbed into Stoicism.

 

^ sounds familiar

 

but in terms of seeing things as they are...

 

so one builds a nice "green" school...

 

still, by law have to follow government indoctrination... i mean education standards

 

= hive mind

 

Best to you. _/\_ too

Edited April 27, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air

[eye_of_the_storm]

@ Jetsun

 

yes! how wonderful... this is why i got into it in the first place

 

alas, today the spirit is of no concern for the most part

 

i have presented such things in the past... but its not architecture apparently

 

we need commercial and office zone $ is all that matters

 

man the ultimate temple? the mountains and the trees

Edited April 27, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air

[eye_of_the_storm]

@Sinfest - yes, thats why i am going to run away haha... to be with nature, rather than being stuck in a cubicle, glued to a computer for the rest of my life.

 

@joeblast I agree totally

[C T]

The world

with all its peculiar demands

can have my outer shell

for all i care

i resist not

paying my taxes

and a thousand other things

which is required --

yet if i can borrow

bits of my inner brilliance

each dawning day

gently allow it to permeate

and imbue my daily strifes

even if its simply to tie my shoelaces

with a little more mindful attention

or taking out my neighbor's rubbish

cos he's wheelchair-bound

of what need have i

for lofty spiritual goals?

 

---------------------------------

Not advice, but a friendly nudge:

 

Finish your studies.

 

Be the damn best architect you can be.

 

Be conscientious, give to world thru your calling.

 

That is fulfilling your spirit's potential to its highest.

 

Whats so special about spiritual quests, if not to benefit others with our gifts?

 

The rest is fluff.

[Thunder_Gooch]

My advise is to sit down and figure out what it is you want to do with your life, and give it some serious consideration.

 

If you say you want to pursue spiritual goals, what goals do you have specifically?

 

You need to research what systems apply most to your goals, and which are most effective.

 

You need a game plan on how to get from here to there, and you need to dedicate your life to your dreams.

 

Otherwise just enjoy the ride, have fun and be a good person, but don't expect to accomplish anything.

 

Just my $0.02

 

 

 

how do you manage to maintain the mundane and the divine?

 

i desire for the most to study things of an esoteric nature, find myself and so on.

 

another part of me says I have to contribute to humanity and at least try to alleviate some of the darkness... "save the world" < maybe its the way its suppose to be / doesnt need saving, just save yourself from the cycle / unconsciousness.

 

i am close to finishing my uni studies (architecture), though i feel whats the point?

 

i'll just be adding to the mess...

 

most of the modern world i find soulless, meaningless, degrading - humans < what fantastic potential... breaks my heart to see people working like robots

 

I feel the monastic life maybe just as much a trap...

 

perhaps a wandering sage? haha

 

i think the Tao is breaking me down

[eye_of_the_storm]

My advise is to sit down and figure out what it is you want to do with your life, and give it some serious consideration.

 

If you say you want to pursue spiritual goals, what goals do you have specifically?

 

You need to research what systems apply most to your goals, and which are most effective.

 

You need a game plan on how to get from here to there, and you need to dedicate your life to your dreams.

 

Otherwise just enjoy the ride, have fun and be a good person, but don't expect to accomplish anything.

 

Just my $0.02

 

Spiritual Goals:

 

Freedom

 

Transcend "death" (have continuous consciousness from life to life and be able to direct my own path)

 

Understanding of ones place in the Universe + Connection to Tao

 

Transcend time and space / teleport / fly / time travel

 

Mastery of the elements

 

Bring balance/ harmony

 

Help others reconnect

 

- just the basics

Edited April 27, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air

[resonant111]

@ Jetsun

 

yes! how wonderful... this is why i got into it in the first place

 

alas, today the spirit is of no concern for the most part

 

i have presented such things in the past... but its not architecture apparently

 

we need commercial and office zone $ is all that matters

 

 

i feel you on this man. it seems like every path one can go down (occupation wise) is marred by dollar signs and greed. people with liberal arts degrees are resigned to working for corporations, helping them sell more useless products while simultaneously polluting the earth and our collective unconsciousness.

 

C T has some good advice though...you gotta put everything you have into even the most seemingly mundane things. Put yourself into everything you must do in life, even if you don't fully "agree" with society or whatever.

Edited April 27, 2012 by resonant111

[eye_of_the_storm]

@ CT

 

Thanks for your reply

 

i suppose as you can see from my above post i wish to accomplish a little more than

tying shoes laces mindfully (though that's a start)

 

+ i prefer slip-ons

 

Civilizations greater than ours have come and gone

 

a few last things remain, of great intrigue - perhaps built by those in tune with earth, sky and spirit.

 

i think i need to build my spiritual foundations first

 

i don't know what worth it would be to be an architect - time destroys all things

 

I want to move on

 

what else but Tao would give me this desire?

 

Is it we who seek Tao? or is it by the grace of Tao that we are called "Home"?

 

perhaps an Architect of Consciousness?

Edited April 27, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air

[eye_of_the_storm]

i feel you on this man. it seems like every path one can go down (occupation wise) is marred by dollar signs and greed. people with liberal arts degrees are resigned to working for corporations, helping them sell more useless products while simultaneously polluting the earth and our collective unconsciousness.

 

i have an english degree, for example, but the majority of jobs in the field are in marketing, advertising and sales. (i read literature in college...why is my primary career option to help companies sell more garbage to an unwitting populous?) it's either that, or work in the public education system, which i've also become quite disillusioned with. it's tough to make any sort of living without "selling out" or compromising one's true principles...which to me, is quite sad.

 

C T has some good advice though...you gotta put everything you have into even the most seemingly mundane things. Put yourself into everything you must do in life, even if you don't fully "agree" with society or whatever.

 

 

I have struggled willfully against the system - unwilling to compromise and go against my own principles... peoples advise = just do what you are told, get by, give them what they want...

 

"selling out"

 

and look where we are today

 

what is left of me? if i sell out? who are you if your entire life is spent doing what you are told, getting by, giving them what they want... just to feed yourself and continue your miserable existence - one day you look back, what did I achieve? nothing - dead and buried, next.

 

humanity seems to be getting sucked into this void of superficiality / plasticity / image... I would say its like Maya inside of Maya and everyone is buying it < literally. Where is the balance? I am struggling to see any...

 

perhaps the river that is Tao has become just as polluted as this planet

 

or maybe because we have become so "Godless" ... the Tao/God being vacant in human hearts... it has become vacant on this small planet.

Edited April 27, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air

[Friend]

how do you manage to maintain the mundane and the divine?

 

To see the divine in the mundane.

 

 

i desire for the most to study things of an esoteric nature, find myself and so on.

 

First you find out who you are in the society as this it to find what you can

as a hint of yourself. Second you go to work as it will cause you much stress

and reveal your shadow.Third you know what you can and what is hindering you can

work on yourself.

 

another part of me says I have to contribute to humanity and at least try to alleviate some of the darkness... "save the world" < maybe its the way its suppose to be / doesnt need saving, just save yourself from the cycle / unconsciousness.

Remember free will that some choose the darkness. When they really want it they come to you and ask. Save the world with contribute mundane things that lead to the divine

while your inner state is stay divine.

 

i am close to finishing my uni studies (architecture), though i feel whats the point?

Finishing is gained a chance for something. Now you can reflect on yourself what you like and not liked when you studied. This will lift your selfawareness to find the motivation and direction to search.

 

i'll just be adding to the mess...

Do what you feel and think is right else do wait and observe.

 

most of the modern world i find soulless, meaningless, degrading - humans < what fantastic potential... breaks my heart to see people working like robots

Then bring soul, meaning and upgrading to the humans. Problems are easily seen,

salvation and problemsolution are difficult. People work like robots to gain a little comfort, dreams are what we call mundane, health, enough to eat, a place to sleep to stay warm if cold, to stay cool if warm, some time to rest, a spouse, some friends,

maybe sometimes a party, good contact and friendly relationship with others, to not disturb others and having some security from being harmed.

 

A seeker has it difficult as he will search for people, places, theories, he will compare, complain, anaylse, expirement and do exercises. It is a time of spiritual materialism, unsatiesfied with being a robot, seeking for more and better and faster way to attain spiritual attainment.

 

In the end one find back to the robot time, do the same but aware of doing and a different setting. Someone who never study complain about other who had study and do

same "lowly labour work". Well the difference is one can do this "lowly work" sincere with a calm heart as one experienced the hardship and the more talented people

and on know ones place when one failed.

 

I feel the monastic life maybe just as much a trap...

 

perhaps a wandering sage? haha

Urban Sage

 

 

i think the Tao is breaking me down

 

Dont think then and you get whole.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Friend

[tulku]

 

 

Then bring soul, meaning and upgrading to the humans. Problems are easily seen,

salvation and problemsolution are difficult. People work like robots to gain a little comfort, dreams are what we call mundane, health, enough to eat, a place to sleep to stay warm if cold, to stay cool if warm, some time to rest, a spouse, some friends,

maybe sometimes a party, good contact and friendly relationship with others, to not disturb others and having some security from being harmed.

 

A seeker has it difficult as he will search for people, places, theories, he will compare, complain, anaylse, expirement and do exercises. It is a time of spiritual materialism, unsatiesfied with being a robot, seeking for more and better and faster way to attain spiritual attainment.

 

In the end one find back to the robot time, do the same but aware of doing and a different setting. Someone who never study complain about other who had study and do

same "lowly labour work". Well the difference is one can do this "lowly work" sincere with a calm heart as one experienced the hardship and the more talented people

and on know ones place when one failed.

 

 

 

This is Total BS.

 

The Taoist Sages in the past reject every fabric of the mundane society because they develop the powers to interact with beings from other dimensions and the divine.

 

To call these taoist sages "spiritual materialists" because they choose to reject the mundane reality in favour of the divine is pretty immature and smacks of mainstream brainwashed materialism.

Edited April 27, 2012 by tulku

[tulku]

how do you manage to maintain the mundane and the divine?

 

i desire for the most to study things of an esoteric nature, find myself and so on.

 

another part of me says I have to contribute to humanity and at least try to alleviate some of the darkness... "save the world" < maybe its the way its suppose to be / doesnt need saving, just save yourself from the cycle / unconsciousness.

 

i am close to finishing my uni studies (architecture), though i feel whats the point?

 

i'll just be adding to the mess...

 

most of the modern world i find soulless, meaningless, degrading - humans < what fantastic potential... breaks my heart to see people working like robots

 

I feel the monastic life maybe just as much a trap...

 

perhaps a wandering sage? haha

 

i think the Tao is breaking me down

 

You have no bloody duties to the modern world.

 

Just join a bloody monastery, become a monk and go deep into delta stage meditations everyday for as much as possible.

 

Sooner or later, the defenses of your ego will break down and you will get in touch with the divine.

 

You wanna change the world? Change yourself first.

[Protector]

Poor ol' tulku

[eye_of_the_storm]

[eye_of_the_storm]

You have no bloody duties to the modern world.

 

Just join a bloody monastery, become a monk and go deep into delta stage meditations everyday for as much as possible.

 

Sooner or later, the defenses of your ego will break down and you will get in touch with the divine.

 

You wanna change the world? Change yourself first.

 

 

Hello Tulku,

 

Thanks for your responses - I may join a monastery... perhaps skip the bloody ones though or maybe my own hermitage somewhere in the mountains

 

It would be nice to join a "spiritual" community or at least people so inclined

 

i understand and like your serious straight forward attitude... perhaps there is too much middle path? and getting nowhere / day dreaming and fence sitting

 

all this non action action stuff ahah < though I do understand this concept - being "in the zone"? kinda thing

Edited April 28, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air

[Small Fur]

how do you manage to maintain the mundane and the divine?

 

i desire for the most to study things of an esoteric nature, find myself and so on.

 

another part of me says I have to contribute to humanity and at least try to alleviate some of the darkness... "save the world" < maybe its the way its suppose to be / doesnt need saving, just save yourself from the cycle / unconsciousness.

 

i am close to finishing my uni studies (architecture), though i feel whats the point?

 

i'll just be adding to the mess...

 

most of the modern world i find soulless, meaningless, degrading - humans < what fantastic potential... breaks my heart to see people working like robots

 

I feel the monastic life maybe just as much a trap...

 

perhaps a wandering sage? haha

 

i think the Tao is breaking me down

 

 

Your first question, about mundanity and the divine, can only exist when viewing life from a divided state. Because there is ultimately no separation between these conditions; this also answers your other question about 'good and bad' action- again, the judgement of these conditions comes from a division or- to be Daoist- a separation of yin and yang. One way to overcome this division is to sense the 'divine' in the 'unsavory', and to see values not as moral prescriptions but view them in terms of what is conducive to health. To note, health is rich in its movement of both 'pain' and 'pleasure' as it comes into balance.

 

The journey to a unified state of experience can be found in all paths of life. It is not what you choose to do (though I am not suggesting it is exclusive either), so much as the level of awareness from which you approach it. Meaning, you can sit in a monastery or a cave and still have no greater understanding of your existence than if you were to run blinded through the given scripts of society. On the other hand, you could delve deeply through scripts and discover the divine -and vice versa. This is after all, One life with a refraction bearing many disguises… or one could say, a single ocean, with a diversity of ripples.

 

Don't stare at one dull or crazy ripple and forget that it is the mirror and part of an entire ocean.

Edited April 28, 2012 by Small Fur

[tulku]

http://www.librarising.com/health/fasting.html

 

It has been proven that a pure diet and clean environment inhibits lust and encourages love. Coital sex is a mental abberation caused by a toxic bloodstream. Toxins lowers the mental and spiritual vibration and subject one to lustful thought and behaviour. As the blood is purified, the vibrations heighten and the sexual nature subsides as the male and female hormones balance out. The sexes are the result of this hormonal imbalance. Humanity's ideal state is a bisexual one where magnetic or self-reproduction (parthogenesis) becomes possible. Sex as we presently know it is a weakness, and so long as we continue in our present unnatural diet we will always be "horny" and spill our seed. Semen or sexual fluid is food for your brain or nervous system. Too much loss can bring nervous disorders. It is said that one drop of semen is worth 60 drops of blood.

 

Regeneration or purification begins with fasting and prayer or meditation. We're not supposed to be eating, or drinking or having sex, but we do so because we live in a deficient atmosphere and environment void of love and truth. This love force or current is naturally abundant on all worlds except those that have been tampered with, such as our Earth. The evil forces in control have diverted this force from reaching our outer surface through technological and occult means, and in so doing have stimulated the lower animal nature in us which seeks to kill and eat. Once this obstruction is removed, the natural life force of the planet will increase dramatically and fully envelop the outer earth surface so that it too may become a paradise just like its inner surface presently is(our earth is hollow with an interior sun). Even our Moon, which is linked to our pituitary or "third eye" gland is artificially kept from rotating. This explains why we are psychically crippled and cannot readily link to our higher solar(pineal) selves. We are truly cut off from our divinity in the most devious ways.

 

Regeneration to one's divinity is a simple and natural process, but because of the artificial control mechanisms set into place, it becomes a chore and discipline. Still one can benefit greatly from fasting. There are four basic kinds of fasting; physical fasting from food and water, mental fasting or meditation, emotional fasting or rebirthing, and spiritual fasting or prayer.

 

Physical fasting is going without food and often without water as well. For beginners, short fasts of one to three days on water or juice or fruit are recommended. The water should be clean and the juice or fruit as natural and chemical free as possible. If you are weak, infirmed, or on medication, the fast should be supervised. If you are relatively healthy you can go about doing what you normally do. Slight dizziness, sweating, foul odor, and loss of weight are are all cleansing signs. Your intuition will warn you when it is time to break the fast and start eating again. Not everyone is ready to fast, while for others it will be a natural thing. If you feel ready, you can then go on to longer fasts of a week or more and do them more than once. The results will be startling; clear skin, shining eyes, a feeling of lightness, emotional calmness, clarity of mind, sharpened senses, more confidence, increased strength, less sleep, less preoccupation with sex, and a greater ability to overcome habits like smoking and drinking. Best of all, you will have slowed, stopped, or even reversed the aging process! Note: physical fasting is best done in a clean and quiet environment.

 

What is happening here is that you are taking your first step towards reclaiming your natural divinity. We must break the chains that bind us and that includes our addiction to food! No one should have to be a slave to their stomach! It is possible to train yourself to subsist on very little and there are some who have even managed to give up food alltogether. Air is our greatest and most important food, containing both moistiure and solar energy, unfortunately we are diminishing the quality of this life-giving element. People who fasted before 1950 did so much more successfully than today, as there were less chemicals and radioactivity released into the environment then. Emaciation is a side effect of our poisoned bodies and environment. Pesticides and mercury fillings are poisons. So are salt, sugar, and the thousands of modifiers in our food. Our houses and offices are cesspools of dangerous chemicals and products. Read Hulda Clark's The Cure for all Diseases and weep.

 

Despite all these obstacles, there is hope. Clean technology exists(and has always existed) which can correct many of our present energy and environmental problems and do it very quickly, unfortunately, it is being largely held back by the powers that be. Electric, solar, and even hydrogen(water) fueled cars and vehicules were always available but never really implemented because of selfish interests. Wind and magnetism are other clean but downplayed sources of power. Your body is the greatest power generator of all, unfortunately we are soiling it with food and chemicals which cause it to break down, and we call this sickness, aging and death.

 

Fasting is a way for your body to release the toxins and wastes in your body. Digestion takes a lot of energy, and by refraining to eat you are liberating that energy so it can catch up on the work of expelling excess toxins and repairing damaged bone or tissue. There is only so much energy to go around, and we often surpass our quota.

 

Emotional fasting is the release of long buried or pent up negative emotions which continue to eat away at you, often in a subconcious manner. This can be a hurt, jealousy, failed relationship, loss of a loved one, crime, birth trauma, or even past life event that has yet to be resolved. Emotional fasting can follow physical fasting, or can come spontaneously, or be aided by such techniques as hypnosis, rebirthing, or water therapies. A successful release will not only make you feel better but can actually heal some longstanding disease or infirmity which you could not get rid of. It is very possible humanity as a whole is suffering some kind of collective trauma that keeps it locked in certain negative habits and patterns. Such an event could be the Great Flood which almost wiped out the human race thousands of years ago.

 

Mental fasting or meditation is the daily clearing of your mind from all of its distracting thoughts so that new, original, and important thoughts can come through from which you can benefit. It is akin to prayer, and requires a certain amount of purity to effect successfully, otherwise one can open oneself to negative influences and entities. Like sleep, it is possible to work out some problem during the meditative state so that one has the solution during the waking state. In short, mental fasting is the elimination of negative or error thoughts with positive and constructive ones.

 

Spiritual fasting or prayer is an awareness or knowing of what's really important in your life and discarding the rest. Unlike mental fasting, spiritual fasting is something you feel deep inside of you rather than something you deduce logically. It is connecting with your higher or spiritual self and adopting the right attitudes to life. "Let Go and Let God" is an apt way of describing spiritual fasting.

 

Fasting, in all its forms, is the key to our regeneration from human to divine. It is an eastern tradition which the western world would do well to embrace. Unfortunately it is looked down upon by much our modern society, especially here in America, and this is a great tradgedy. Instead of disciplining ourselves, we are encouraged by our consumer society and the money moguls to indulge in the very things that are destroying us. It is not natural to become sick or diseased, or even to grow old and die! Yet we have pathetically resigned ourselves to such a fate. It is time to wake up and regain control of our lives. Life is a fight that CAN and MUST be won. Everyone who has died has failed and must be reborn to try again. When you have conquered death you have succeeded in this game of life.

 

All the prophets are pointing to 2012AD as the date when humanity and the planet will be transformed into something new and better, and that we will finally be free and begin a new age of prosperity. I hope this is true, but the truth is you can begin that transformation individually, right here and now. Yes, it will be harder and more challenging to do so now, rather than in the Millennium, but the rewards will be greater. It is up to you.

Edited April 28, 2012 by tulku

[tulku]

 

Hello Tulku,

 

Thanks for your responses - I may join a monastery... perhaps skip the bloody ones though or maybe my own hermitage somewhere in the mountains

 

It would be nice to join a "spiritual" community or at least people so inclined

 

i understand and like your serious straight forward attitude... perhaps there is too much middle path? and getting nowhere / day dreaming and fence sitting

 

all this non action action stuff ahah < though I do understand this concept - being "in the zone"? kinda thing

 

You wanna reach the Divine?

 

Read my previous post regarding fasting..

 

All other reasons are bs excuses.

[RiverSnake]

Step 1: Contemplate and discover precisely what it is you want to do with your life?

 

Step 2: Find a path that you resonate with and you know will take you in that direction.

 

Step 3: Put your whole heart and life into that direction.

 

 

"To practice Zen or the Martial Arts, you must live intensely, wholeheartedly, without reserve - as if you might die in the next instant" - Taisen Des

 

 

-My 2 cents, Peace

[thelerner]

Travel broadens the mind. It can teach what is necessary and what isn't. It also forces real responsibilities onto you, so fuzzy head strong philosophies take back seat to life's realities.

 

I agree the people who say finish your studies and do well at them, such knowledge will give you an edge in life. If you can travel, get some books on it, pick a direction and life will show you .. be open to its lessons, if it says.. you'll wash dishes 10 hours a day.. do it. If it gets you to an Ashram, go there. Be open, hopeful and a bit careful.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Much great advice already.

 

I think, with the right attitude everything becomes a part of growth. Success, striving, and challenges are some of the most outspoken teachers. Going after what you want with the right attitude changes everything. Setbacks become just another thing to step over. This is like a diamond body of another sort.

 

You can strive and become successful, yet still live the Tao by knowing when to stop, what is necessary, and what you might as well give away. Knowing this and cultivating this is ongoing whether you`re cultivating martial arts, meditation, etc., since there is a point when the cup is almost at the brim and you should stop pouring and take a sip.