Why does it get harder to cultivate as you progress?

[Kara_mia]

i believe it gets harder to cultivate as you progress because you are continuing to get changed thanks to cultivation. And inner changes bring outer changes. However, the process is never straight forward. In the process of personal development and self-improvement there always would be a transitional stage, where you have to overcome the oppression of the world. This is true to any personal change on the ascend. To the contrary, change towards deterioration and decay is always easy. Thus, every time you change the world or Samsara tries to drag you back for you to be caught in the bog of Samsara. And this process is continuous.

[thelerner]

Falling into dogmatism and lack of humility can trip up long time cultivators. 

[Wu Ming Jen]

We outgrow our shoes. One minute to the next our foot is not the same as the last time we put our shoes on.

 

If we keep forcing our ever changing electromagnetic fields to get back into old shoes it may slow our progress.

 

Moving forward as in the direction of creation leaving the old patterns makes room for the new patterns that attract endless good energy into our lives. This makes it feel like we are not even wearing shoes at all.

 

I have a pair of shoes that are very old but not worn everyday but once and awhile...... I use these shoes.

 

I am glad to see a topic about shoes, very exciting!!!

[AussieTrees]

Are you saying that if you don't want to tie your shoes than wear sandals, flip flops, clogs, or slip ons? Than how is it that you can not express yourself directly. I tried for a while being vague and cryptic. I thought it made me look wise and above others. It only confused people. I am sure I came off like a "poser."

Maybe a course in concrete thinking may be helpful.

[Spotless]

Edited February 27, 2017 by Spotless

[Miffymog]

Lots of great stuff on this thread.

 

On to the original question. For me, my progress seems to be getting easier and easier. Although I'm coming at this from a different place than when I tried out a spiritual path a number of years ago. Right now, my only aim is to get myself back on my feet, and in that regards, the closer I get the easier things get.

 

Once I feel I'm 'back to normal', then I may well find further progress more difficult. But, I don't see why. At the moment I'm having to over come inner anxieties and insecurities, which I am working out how to do. My future spiritual path, what ever that may be, will merely be me continuing this, so hopefully I'll continue to find it easier and easier (although I'm not entirely sure just how this can actually be the case).

[thelerner]

As a great man once said:

 

Every time I walk a mile

in someone else's shoes,

they get angry at me.

 

For stealing their shoes. 

[dwai]

I notice that certain tendencies that rise, for whatever reason, do due to memories (past) or projections based on memories (future). As soon as it happens, a realization rises too - I am observing these tendencies/patterns emerging. If these patterns are emerging (in my mind), then those can't be me.

 

So, just by staying aware of my Self as the observer of these patterns, these patterns which  were very powerful triggers for certain behaviors in the past, seem to just whither away and die. Behaviors and tendencies that have managed to control "me" in the past just seem to drop away as soon as I go back to being present. I mean some patterns that have been my companions for 25 years or even longer (some from childhood even), seem to be "dying on the vine" so to speak...

 

I find that practice/cultivation too seems to be affected by these patterns/habits. First I wanted to cultivate to develop martial prowess. Then I wanted to cultivate for spiritual prowess. Then I forgot why I practice (or so I thought). There still exist subtle "desires" which are based on past and future. But slowly, they seem to be also withering away by staying present. The pace is slow, but I think staying present helps as it is timeless and patience is a lot easier this way. sure, the mind vacillates from being present to not being present, but seems like the pendulum, even though it (mind) swings left or right, always touches the center (which is the present). 

I do experience morbid depression (which I have before too) from time to time. Periods where nothing seems to be happening -- no growth, no experiences, etc. Now slowly I'm realizing that experiences do not directly indicate growth. Sometimes in the midst of my most morbidly dark moments (in the past), the growth still happened, something was working, quietly and silently, dissolving the bonds....

 

Before I struggled more with these seemingly inert periods of gloom. Now it seems I struggle less...especially with the realization that, I am just witnessing all these happenings. I am not the doer of these things.

 

Like my master told me - "keep doing your work and be patient. You'll get there eventually..."

[Jadespear]

Something I've noticed for quite awhile is that the more I cultivate the more balanced I become. It's like fine tuning over and over again until the balance is so precise that you can transfer a very high voltage of energy.

 

When I think of how difficult it is to reach a high degree of mastery of any energy based cultivation it's obvious that it is necessary to dedicate your life to seeking the ultimate nirvana.

 

Your mental orientation is just as important as your bodily. What I mean by that is to develop or cultivate you must also refine your thoughts, beliefs and behaviors. I can't imagine that the thought of nirvana is selfish.

 

I am about 2 years into my cultivation practice. I've noticed that progress and breakthroughs are often tied to events that occur in your life. I bet this is why that often masters isolate themselves.

 

The idea that as you cultivate you are refining an energy balance or perfecting circuitry for energy transfers seems like a valid idea to me. I'm interested on every ones thoughts on this.

 

 

 

I believe that there are definite things that cannot be changed that determine everything in the universe.  For your question specifically - the law at work is the law of karma, or cause and effect.  The law of karma affects everything.  One's cultivation is tied to this law, therefore the more causes you put into your energy work the more effects you will see...  the truer and actually more tuned you become will of course bring about mental and physical changes within you but also within your life itself, or by the external world...  that is being affected by you and responsive to the karmas ( actions ) you place upon it. 

 

...everyone's practice can be quite different...  some schools of thought believe in seeking the ultimate nirvana, while others devote themselves to healing arts for others, etc..         ...in the end, eventually even the ultimate nirvana will be boring to you...  hence the beauty of reincarnation.  To get a glimpse upon this fact, check out Robert Monroe's books.... he was an astral traveler , who saw a lot of the astral realm and encountered a place within it that was unchanging, superlatively blissful, and all pervading love.   He enjoyed it, but then his mind arose... and he saw fit to find other truths throughout his travels.  He eventually encountered The Creator on his "Ultimate Journey" which he describes in his book, " The Ultimate Journey ".

 

...simply put - the whole idea of looking for nirvana as the ultimate aim for oneself, may provide temporary happiness from an eternal truth, much like drinking wine.... wine is always good, it will always be good, it will never fail to provide you with it's good effects... but eventually the wine gets boring, and one's consciousness will gravitate toward the almighty and everlasting... simply because it is meant to do so by evolutionary ordained by divine providence. 

 

This is of course not to say that being engrossed in heavenly bliss ( stream entry, from the buddhist perspective ) or ( the tao ) is not awesome on every level...  just that it is one aspect of subjective consciousness experience... which eventually is to be understood for what it is, a truth that is there.... waiting on us all, and then moving to push forward once again.... until we dissolve our ego-consciousness into divine providence, to serve each other upon the path of life and to evolve further and further...

[silent thunder]

I find it is beneficial to cultivate living in the questions

and not attach to any answers.

[thelerner]

I find it is beneficial to cultivate living in the questions

and not attach to any answers.

and sometimes,

its good to give up on answers and questions. 

No books, no videos, no projects, no philosophy,

spend some time, listening to the silence. 

[dawei]

listening to the silence. 

 

[taoteching99]

i believe it gets harder to cultivate as you progress because you are continuing to get changed thanks to cultivation. And inner changes bring outer changes.

 

However, the process is never straight forward. In the process of personal development and self-improvement there always would be a transitional stage, where you have to overcome the oppression of the world. This is true to any personal change on the ascend. To the contrary, change towards deterioration and decay is always easy. Thus, every time you change the world or Samsara tries to drag you back for you to be caught in the bog of Samsara. And this process is continuous.

Edited March 15, 2017 by taoteching99

[Jadespear]

...what is the goal though?

 

...what is the point of all this "cultivation" ?