The four categories of people in the world and spiritual life

[dwai]

52 minutes ago, Jadespear said:

.....providence may have provided those things but----

.... zero effort?

 

..... don't think so.... why else do people cultivate themselves for years?

 

....more like tremendous effort, to make oneself more aware of their internal nature by tuning out the entire external world.

An age-old dilemma. The effort is required to drop the conditioning of the mind  

18 minutes ago, neti neti said:

I am, before effort. No external, no internal, before words.

 

I exist as one with providence.

 

Awareness, my true nature, naturally, 

 

How much effort would you suggest I muster in order to be? 

But no effort is necessary once we can drop the conditioning of the mind  

 

The crazy thing is, when we realize what we truly are,  even the issue of conditioned or unconditioned, mind or no mind disappears...

Edited September 3, 2020 by dwai

[ralis]

On 6/16/2020 at 10:37 AM, dwai said:

In our experience we will find four categories of individuals in this world --

1. pāmara -- The spiritually blind
2. vishayi -- The spiritually inept
3. jigñāsu -- The spiritual seeker
4. mukta -- The (spiritually) liberated

 

Isn't it strange to encounter some people who seem to be completely oblivious to spirituality in their lives, and live day-to-day in the quest of sense pleasures, wealth and the acquisition of more and more of the same? There is no scope for spirituality in these people, rather they move from sense reaction to sense reaction. Such people operate from the lower three chakras, but mainly the second and third chakras --- sensual desires and power/wealth/control/ego. Such people are called "pāmara" in the Vedantic traditions. 

 

Then we find many others, who are caught up in their lives and livelihood, though with a tinge of spirituality. These people have some spiritual inclination, even it is a token lighting of a lamp or candle at a place of worship or a daily prayer. These are called "vishayi". 

 

Then we find the rarer few who are genuinely driven by a thirst for spiritual knowledge, albeit with varying degrees of intensity. Such people undertake spiritual practices and maintain a regular practice etc. This category is called "jgñāsu" (the seekers). 

 

Finally, far and few are the muktas, the liberated ones. They shine their light and show us the way to move from darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge and Self-realization. 

 

Would love to read some thoughts on this subject  

 

 

You wonder why some here want to argue and challenge suppositions such as what you just posited? Spiritual classifications for what purpose? 

[dwai]

7 hours ago, ralis said:

 

You wonder why some here want to argue and challenge suppositions such as what you just posited? Spiritual classifications for what purpose? 

For me it was to get an understanding of human nature (a perspective which rings true imho). 

 

If you know and understand things differently feel free to post about it. The OP is neither my personal position, not something I need to defend  

That’s just it about discussions, it doesn’t always have to be a combat or confrontational. 

 

[manitou]

On 8/29/2020 at 3:40 AM, Master Logray said:

Blind - 40%

Inept - 40%

Seeker - 18%

Liberated - 2%

 

 

i wonder how in the world these figures were adopted?  No one asked me.  Did anyone else get asked?

[ralis]

3 hours ago, dwai said:

For me it was to get an understanding of human nature (a perspective which rings true imho). 

 

If you know and understand things differently feel free to post about it. The OP is neither my personal position, not something I need to defend  

That’s just it about discussions, it doesn’t always have to be a combat or confrontational. 

 

Human nature is defined by evolutionary processes which spiritual ideology doesn’t have a clue about. 

[ralis]

59 minutes ago, manitou said:

 

 

i wonder how in the world these figures were adopted?  No one asked me.  Did anyone else get asked?

I wasn’t asked to vote on this either. It goes back to the authoritarian higher cause guru trip. Stratify students in rigid categories which gives said guru almost absolute control. Cult worship. 

Edited September 3, 2020 by ralis

[thelerner]

On 9/3/2020 at 10:55 AM, ralis said:

I wasn’t asked to vote on this either. It goes back to the authoritarian higher cause guru trip. Stratify students in rigid categories which gives said guru almost absolute control. Cult worship. 

maybe.. but I can admire a system, learn from it, while acknowledging it's flaws and that its not for me.  Being outside the system its easier to admire the gems as well as the crap.  Though I suspect waist deep in the crap are the highest gems but we all choose our path and poisons.