All cylinders firing together..

[thelerner]

Do you think there's a rule, that all of a person's 'cylinders' can't fire together?

 

I mean you can do well in a few areas, but not all of them. You can get your physical, emotional, even financial aspect of your life together, but then the spiritual goes lacking?  Though I guess 3 out of 4 ain't bad.. probably better then usual.

 

Maybe it's about chasing too many rabbits.. somethings always have to give. 

 

Or maybe the problem is keeping score.  That it's all good and life moves with its own rhythms and timings.   There is no All to have, just stuff.. happening.  Good and bad, and we go with it, the best we can. 

[doc benway]

If all cylinders fired together, the crankshaft would freeze🙀

The firing is staggered to spread out the energy expenditure temporally. Perhaps that may even extend across lifetimes...

[natural]

8 hours ago, steve said:

If all cylinders fired together, the crankshaft would freeze🙀

The firing is staggered to spread out the energy expenditure temporally. Perhaps that may even extend across lifetimes...

 

the frozen crankshaft would result in a explosion

the energy must dissipate some how

[forestofclarity]

I think there is a Western fascination with "having it all." Material wealth, great sex and relationships, and total enlightenment. But really, I think this is a fantasy. There are some historical examples for nobility taking on spiritual practices and becoming great practitioners, but this tends to be the exception rather than the rule. Personally, I have found that the more I focus on spirituality, the less the other stuff seems to matter and the more it sorts itself out. 

[zerostao]

If you're made out of star stuff & powered by the stars; every now and then, the stars all line up, for better or worse.

If you're made out of earth stuff, everything has its season.

Being made out of light is the way to go, may you trip the light fantastic. 

 

[thelerner]

28 minutes ago, forestofemptiness said:

 Personally, I have found that the more I focus on spirituality, the less the other stuff seems to matter and the more it sorts itself out. 

Unexpectedly, I've found easing up focus on spirituality has left me feeling happier. 

 

Course 'feelings' are fragile temporary things; one of cultivations most important lessons.  Build foundations on rock not sand. 

[forestofclarity]

Well, one must distinguish between spirituality and spiritual materialism. Spiritual materialism would be, in my mind, attempting to use spiritual practices in order to achieve specific results or effects. In my mind, this is the common mode of practice for many of us. Indeed, how it could be otherwise, with a lifetime or even countless lifetimes of established habit? In this light, the method of disciplined practice at a specific goal can be stressful. That was my mode of practice for a long time.

 

As I practice more, I find that my practice is more softening and mellowing. I would call spirituality (for now anyway) is about opening, loosening, and letting go. In addition, it is also about awareness and seeing things as they are as they appear. The two aspects reinforce on another. 

 

It is interesting how this has affected by contemplation of death, something I typically do several times a day. Previously, contemplating death was kind of a downer. It was about ending, and the limitations of the things in life. Life seemed less important. But now, I see death as a special opportunity. In this way, what I do know in establishing habits of mind is a preparation for death, and to use the special opportunity for the benefit of all. Now life seems much more meaningful. 

 

33 minutes ago, thelerner said:

Unexpectedly, I've found easing up focus on spirituality has left me feeling happier. 

 

Course 'feelings' are fragile temporary things; one of cultivations most important lessons.  Build foundations on rock not sand. 

 

[dwai]

In the Hindu tradition we have what are known as the four purusharthas or human objectives. They are dharma, artha, kama and moksha. 
 

Dharma is the “way” of harmonizing individual with The universal. There are guidelines provided by sages who’ve gone before us on how to avoid going against dharma. 

Artha is the domain of material well being — when pursued in accordance with dharma, it is helps maintain the right conditions to continue following the dharmic way and facilitate the eventual attainment of moksha.

 

Kama is the domain of sensual (all kinds of senses) fulfillment. Again when done according to dharma will lead to a healthy being, in mind, body, and spirit. 
 

Moksha is the highest pursuit and all of the above when done right will naturally put the individual in the right trajectory for attaining liberation (from the world of suffering). 
 

So yes, we can fire on all cylinders, but they need to be guided by dharma. 

[RiverSnake]

There is a reason why "traditionally" seekers/monks renounce all possessions when they decide to walk the path of spiritual attainment.

 

 

[doc benway]

On 8/5/2020 at 12:07 PM, thelerner said:

Build foundations on rock not sand. 

 

In dzogchen the foundations are built on space. Nothing as indestructible as space!

[CloudHands]

On 05/08/2020 at 4:26 AM, thelerner said:

Do you think there's a rule, that all of a person's 'cylinders' can't fire together?

 

I mean you can do well in a few areas, but not all of them. You can get your physical, emotional, even financial aspect of your life together, but then the spiritual goes lacking?  Though I guess 3 out of 4 ain't bad.. probably better then usual.

 

Maybe it's about chasing too many rabbits.. somethings always have to give. 

 

Or maybe the problem is keeping score.  That it's all good and life moves with its own rhythms and timings.   There is no All to have, just stuff.. happening.  Good and bad, and we go with it, the best we can. 

 

I don't know if you can put physical / emotional / financial / spirituals aspects of life on the same level. But you could have added some more dimensions like parenting, knowledge, sociability or creativity.

 

I definitely think it's highly possible to be healthy and wealthy enough, emotionally balanced and have still one foot in spirituality.
But I think it doesn't have as much to do with free will as you seem to think since the cards are dealt by a one handed man.

• Physical : mostly a genetic capital
• Emotional : mostly an educational variable
• Financial : I really don't know... I never took wealth as a personal aim but looking at the world distribution... not for everyone.
• Spiritual : I think spirituality and philosophy emerge when someone is sensible and unsatisfied enough. I mean you need to wonder and wander for that. It's very possible that materialistic and spiritual aims go sideways.

There are plenty other qualities one can develop and sure you can't be everything. I remember a music teacher who taught us that you can't play every musical style at its higher level. At some point you have to specialize.

 

I think any discipline we learn we learn automatisms. We learn to discharge ourselves from all the basic tasks in order to concentrate on what is important. Not how to walk but where do I go.

Strangely taiji chuan is exactly the opposite. We need automatisms and we need to deconstruct them too : Do and Undo.

Edited August 7, 2020 by CloudHands