Those rare people out there.

[de_paradise]

Its a fact that most of the conversations we have in society are encouraging the exact opposite of the behavior that will help us in cultivation. In Buddhist terms, we are always talking about increasing our afflictions and attachments to money and greed (talking about jobs, economy, investments, how to bend the rules, to maximize our situations, and make us always more money, assumption that more greed is always better), lust (getting pretty women in bed, lovers, seduction, porn, whores, viagra, ecstasy), food ( better, tasty food), pursuit of pleasures, ambition, and pursuit of prestige in the eyes of society, pride in accomplishment, degrees, acclaim, pride in material goods like cars,houses, also travel.

 

The basic assumptions of conversations, how people will engage you are so riddled with these afflictions, and in this topsy-turvy world assume that less is worse, more affliction is better.

 

Once in a while, very rarely, I meet someone who is on the path of deconstruction of the ego, and its such a refreshingly nice conversation. How they got over their need for peer esteem or self-pride, how they chose to live simply, how they work to benefit others, etc.

[Bearded Dragon]

Yeah it's good to find people on the same page.

 

I like a lot of the things you listed but I'm not attached to them all that much. I find it quite easy to let go which is the point of difference between a lot of people. If you indulge in non-attached pleasures then it is not a deviation from the path.

 

Same thing with the ego. Most people consider that if you are seen to skite about yourself then you are effected by ego. In fact if talking about yourself in an overly positive way does not bare any effect on yourself then it's hardly egotistical. I used to be in a trap where I would intentionally not talk myself up. That was actually having a greater effect on my ego as I was trying to impress myself rather than impress others. The reason I mentioned that was that the idea of not doing all those "pleasures" can negatively impact your progress if you don't understand your true motive that sits behind logical reasoning.

 

I'm not implying that you are impacted in this manner. It's just food for thought for anyone reading this thread.

[doc benway]

Two great posts... it's certainly a twisty, tricksy path we navigate.

One of the reasons I come here is to bump into the folks de_paradise refers to.

At the same time, there is a way of integrating our progress into our worldly lives for those of us who choose families over monastics.

Nice to have both of you here.

_/\_

[SriChi]

I think all this material awesomeness is well... awesome.

 

The "suffering" happens when you want it too badly. When you can trust that it is all coming to you, or that you already have it because um... you are it, all of it... it's playtime.

 

It really is all about Love. People who love themselves unconditionally can love everything and everyone in the same way and do not have to put up facades, and live in easy integrity resonating with all that Chi

[de_paradise]

What I listed were some textbook Buddhist afflictions, and getting less attached is a kind of path that not everyone here follows or applies equally. This is just a pretty basic and accessible part of a spiritual path.(I agree that some are just following dogma or insincerely being "holier than thou") Even less talked about is energy practices, siddhi, recent transformations, or comparative path notes.

 

My point was really about how the values are assumed in many of the conversations I get into, like the meta-frame of "pleasure seeking". One pleasure seeker talking to another about chasing pleasures is the frame of the conversation, and there is no way out except breaking rapport. Its just nice to meet someone on the street and recognizing that they are devoting their lives somehow to the spiritual path.