tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post5671066687430520611..comments2009-04-02T21:21:44.265-04:00mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10978313265796058909noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post-35327635336759197472009-04-02T21:21:00.000-04:002009-04-02T21:21:00.000-04:00Hey Seeker!<BR/><BR/>Sorry, it took so long to respond to your question, but I work alot of hours.<BR/><BR/>Essentially, My current belief holds that the greatest joy one can experience is though depth of engagement with and though others. We experience this joy even in our mundane existence as 'self' interacting with other selves. <BR/><BR/>This is how we come to know our 'self' as 'others' and this is the vehicle to that elusive 'oneness' or non-dual experience. Tentatively, I belief that there is no work on 'self' that can be fulfilled through and by 'self' alone. All eastern practices have primarily one objective and that is to attain 'insight' unavailable through conditioned existence. I merely hold that such insight is available through the depths of intimate understanding of another, which is transferable upon an experience of 'world.'<BR/><BR/>Certainly there are many Buddhist practices and ideologies which adhere to this. However, my feeling is that the west has ignored these practices and ideologies, substituting only more 'self' oriented focus and individually enhanced and separation promoting specialties. <BR/><BR/>The austere and esoteric self practices have replaced non-dual unity that is authentic intimate engagement with others and the world.<BR/>This is a bit simplified, but i hope you get my point. The ego is hypnotized by the whiz-bangs of "awakening" that really may not provide any insight at all. It is in plumbing the depths of engagement with others that such insight is accessed.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comment and the question!<BR/>mikeSMikeShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10978313265796058909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post-86079875462159646632009-04-01T01:24:00.000-04:002009-04-01T01:24:00.000-04:00" Crawl down in the ditch and engage with your world, because without them you are merely a caricature of a self, mouthing the pithy quotes of the venerable. Awakening is intimate engagement of the many to discover One in the world. You can’t do it alone.<BR/><BR/>Get off your cushion. Enlightenment is engaged and anything less is more of the same blah, blah, blah. "<BR/><BR/>It's vitally important,however,to realize dat detachment(wordly pursuits all are ultimately transitory - therefore not worth chasing ;do we want true lasting happiness or just the shadow of it?),just like hard work,is another INDISPENSABLE quality needed for realization(frm state of ignorance 2 awakening)to take place. <BR/><BR/>Consider deeply,the attitude of 'eat,drink and be merry' is truly not a wise way of living.<BR/><BR/>What do u really mean Mike,by engagement?seekernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post-33743822538674416672009-03-31T12:42:00.000-04:002009-03-31T12:42:00.000-04:00hmm - interesting you haven't come across the "old soul" - it is very popular here in spiritual/new age circles. similar to indigo where the person is supposedly "highly evolved" in comparison to most of the schmuks on earth.<BR/>... many channelers (and the people that pay for their services) will call themselves old souls.arpitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03104673218514262727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post-65852183081164593142009-03-31T12:04:00.000-04:002009-03-31T12:04:00.000-04:00Arpita,<BR/><BR/>Interesting you bring this up, since I recently discussed my concerns about the "lightworkers" on my Gaia blog. I believe I may have pissed some folks off, but most did not let on that I had.<BR/><BR/>I think I'll repost that essay here and see what comes up.<BR/><BR/>"indigo" I had heard of but "old soul" is a new one to me. <BR/><BR/>Thanks,<BR/>mikeSMikeShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10978313265796058909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post-41882854584009961482009-03-31T11:40:00.000-04:002009-03-31T11:40:00.000-04:00"lightworker"<BR/>or "old soul"<BR/>or "indigo"<BR/><BR/>now there are three popular labels that ego just LOVES! (well - my ego finds those terms rather irritating) They are the terms of the new dogma... the continuation of "them" and "us".arpitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03104673218514262727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post-77294290455261728452009-03-30T20:57:00.000-04:002009-03-30T20:57:00.000-04:00Kaushik,<BR/><BR/>Yea! So many "lightworkers" out there spreading the light because darkness is scary. However, I note from your blog posts that you've been there and back.<BR/><BR/>Yes, no getting away from it until you're away from it. Which leads me to believe that there is little one can do to "awaken" authentically. If you do "awaken" then most likely you've had nothing to do with it. And if you "awaken" because you did something than most likely you're not "awakened." Ha! what a paradox!<BR/><BR/>Thanks!<BR/>mikeSMikeShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10978313265796058909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719024566754743654.post-90338299528925682452009-03-30T10:40:00.000-04:002009-03-30T10:40:00.000-04:00Spirituality is a trap. The ego loves 'beautiful' concepts such as Oneness and purpose of life. Ironically, aspirituality too has been repeated enough that it has become a distinguishing badge for the few of are in the know. The traditionalists may be neck deep in concepts, but then the non-dualists are proud of their tradition of non-tradition, neo-advaitists seem to completely miss the irony of putting those two words together, atheists are fervently religious about atheism. There is no getting away from it. Until there is.Kaushikhttp://www.beyond-karma.comnoreply@blogger.com