Wayfarer64 Posted March 4, 2009 (edited) I guess I'm lucky in my age. I allow myself great lee-way in practice these last few years. I've not been striving for decades- some may call that slacking but for me it is just letting go and getting on with living....EDIT...being a part of this system while remaining aware of these many blessings from my spiritual self is enough for me... I still get caught in traps of foolish and wasteful practices -such as poor diet any given day or not doing my yoga stretches every morning - I feel the difference and go back to better habits quickly... But I am all for enjoying life to the fullest and refuse to ignore the posibility that hedonism may be the wisest philisophical choice... Edited March 4, 2009 by Wayfarer64 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freesun Posted March 4, 2009 At first I read "Raw vs Fried" Easy choice there Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seth Ananda Posted March 5, 2009 I guess I'm lucky in my age. I allow myself great lee-way in practice these last few years. I've not been striving for decades- some may call that slacking but for me it is just letting go and getting on with living....EDIT...being a part of this system while remaining aware of these many blessings from my spiritual self is enough for me... I still get caught in traps of foolish and wasteful practices -such as poor diet any given day or not doing my yoga stretches every morning - I feel the difference and go back to better habits quickly... But I am all for enjoying life to the fullest and refuse to ignore the posibility that hedonism may be the wisest philisophical choice... Nice. I used to strive in my practices as well and it was great, lots of 'fire works' and crazy experiences. It was a thoroughly engaging time. Now I am just doing what I love, because I love doing it and I am more dedicated than ever. Maintaining presence and mindfulness feels nothing like a chore any more. Nor does maintaining a continual awareness of God. It just feels beautiful and easy. I like the Tantric way of constantly refining at the same time as letting the Raw material move exactly as it likes without repression. Maybe a funny way of looking at it is: Raw without Consciousness = Bogan. Raw with Consciousness = Powerful and on the way to refined. Refined without Consciousness = Anally retentive British lord. Refined with Consciousness = Powerful Saint Lol, or all that may be rubbish! Seth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hagar Posted March 9, 2009 Truly I'm not ambivalent about it; I don't see why you are unless because you find the tension useful. This I really think is possible! When 'it' occurs it doesn't feel like a sucker-punch to me. Often a moment of 'enlightenment' has the connotation of, how stupid I am, I only act out of my own way, it is here all along, etc. But these are gifts! If I feel stupid, I laugh, and continue, if I feel tragic, I cry and continue... but I have achieved something, even if 'achievement' seems normally to mean something different. I agree with Vortex and he is saying in another way what I said about the NLP thing -- unconscious competence. You must know the formula? It is a question of laying down the habit of doing something correctly so that after a while 'it' does it correctly. Then all is simple... but there has been a change, you are closer in line with the immortal one. And so it continues. Sometimes we forget how far we have come. What I don't get is why you use the word 'futile'. I think that's your judgement! You aim to do something, eventually you do it. But that moment of doing it makes you see that there was in a way nothing to do. Still you did do it! So there is nothing futile there for me. You strive at the right time and you let go at the right time, and if not you are prompted. This is the process! But they are the same person. You don't see in an instant without immense prior effort, and the effort doesn't pay off if you don't see in an instant. Only very superficially. Human beings must learn, that is what they are here for! The sufis say, you can't find it by seeking it, but only seekers find it. There isn't any choice! Which is why you said: Exactly. Only that effort makes a human being, there is no other way! But then you suddenly add: ... which I don't get. I think you don't want to resolve the tension because you find it useful... in which case, no more to speak of! I leave alone the empathy and the ninja, it wasn't working. NW In relation to the futility of improving what does not need improvement, and in conclusion, the paradox of practice, which initially was my motivation for writing the post in the first place; Well, what more can one say... h Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeutralWire Posted March 9, 2009 Not my practice; can't comment. NW Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
