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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 22:04:25 GMT -5
"Miracles are nature unimpeded, which is a good way of saying that if you take your hand off the tiller, the boat will steer itself and do a vastly better job of it than you ever could."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 22:05:15 GMT -5
"They have abandoned the illusion of control. It doesn’t matter why you do it, just that you do. This is the point of distinction and the root teaching of all major religions."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 22:07:22 GMT -5
"I used to try to be smart and now I don’t and everything works a whole lot better. Stopping being smart was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 22:08:05 GMT -5
"This is it. Not some other time, not some other place. Right here. Right now. I am standing at the exact center of infinity and I see beauty and perfection and absolute delight everywhere and in every thing. The touch of the slightest breeze, the sight of a single star through cloud-swept skies, the howls of coyote pups in the distance and the sheer glory and beauty of it all is enough to tear me to shreds and all I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you.."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 22:11:08 GMT -5
“Our eyes are wide open and we see reality with perfect clarity. This is so obvious that it’s beyond any possible doubt. It’s also untrue. Our vision is so obscured by the mental and emotional flotsam and jetsam of selfhood that what we call stark reality is really just a soft glow seen through tightly shut eyelids; just enough light getting through to illuminate the internal dreamscape. It is owing entirely to our belief that our eyes are open that the spiritual quest is doomed from the start, and that so many who think they’re well along or finished have never really begun. No matter how unwavering we are in our commitment or how steadfast in our determination, no matter how much knowledge we amass or wisdom we attain, no matter what hardships we endure or what sacrifices we make, no matter what scriptures we adhere to or what deities we appease, it’s all just a desperate ploy to keep ourselves from doing the one thing that could make any difference: taking personal responsibility, thinking for ourselves. At the point where we begin our search, we have already overshot the objective, and every step takes us further away.”
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Post by conradg on Jan 28, 2017 17:54:04 GMT -5
“The misconception about enlightenment stems from, or is at least compounded by, the fact that most of the world’s recognized experts on the subject of enlightenment are not enlightened." I agree. Problem is, I think "Jed McKenna" is one of those deluded "experts". |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2017 18:00:26 GMT -5
“The misconception about enlightenment stems from, or is at least compounded by, the fact that most of the world’s recognized experts on the subject of enlightenment are not enlightened." I agree. Problem is, I think "Jed McKenna" is one of those deluded "experts". It doesn't really matter what you think of the character of Jed McKenna, it's whether what he's written connects or not. |
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Post by alertpeaceeternal on Jan 28, 2017 18:00:41 GMT -5
“The misconception about enlightenment stems from, or is at least compounded by, the fact that most of the world’s recognized experts on the subject of enlightenment are not enlightened." I agree. Problem is, I think "Jed McKenna" is one of those deluded "experts". And I think Jed McKenna is an author who writes about the topic of "enlightenment". It's a story-teller, telling a story. At least in the first three books, which I have read. More than once. "Krishna betrayed Arjuna." (Jed McKenna) |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2017 18:03:06 GMT -5
I agree. Problem is, I think "Jed McKenna" is one of those deluded "experts". And I think Jed McKenna is an author who writes about the topic of "enlightenment". It's a story-teller, telling a story. At least in the first three books, which I have read. More than once. "Krishna betrayed Arjuna." (Jed McKenna) Hmm it's a Bakk thread and look who the first to respond to a thread that has no response, your honor I rest my case! |
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Post by alertpeaceeternal on Jan 28, 2017 18:08:07 GMT -5
And I think Jed McKenna is an author who writes about the topic of "enlightenment". It's a story-teller, telling a story. At least in the first three books, which I have read. More than once. "Krishna betrayed Arjuna." (Jed McKenna) Hmm it's a Bakk thread and look who the first to respond to a thread that has no response, your honor I rest my case! Bakk and I we posted our comments at the same time. Look closely. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2017 18:14:26 GMT -5
Hmm it's a Bakk thread and look who the first to respond to a thread that has no response, your honor I rest my case! Bakk and I we posted our comments at the same time. Look closely. What? All that means is the person has 2 windows open , 1 for each account, it takes only seconds to post..ok nuff said bye |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2017 17:22:52 GMT -5
"Which two or three dozen?" Mary asks, and it takes me a moment to realize that she's jumping back to my statement about which books would remain if I were more discriminating about the library.
"Oh, I'd want to be a little careful answering that," I say. "The reason for the books I'd choose wouldn't be that they are particularly enlightened or enlightening books, or even specifically on the subject of enlightenment. My choices would be based on what I feel is useful knowledge on the path to enlightenment, which is very different from enlightenment itself. In this light, I'd have a bunch of books and maybe some movies, too, because they're often a common experience we share and can provide interesting framework for highlighting certain issues..."
"Like what?" she asks.
I think about some of the movies I've seen in the last few years that most everybody would be familiar with.
"Well, The Matrix would be a good example of a movie I could get a lot of use out of. Total Recall, The 13th Floor, Blade Runner -- those are all good looks at the flimsy and even arbitrary nature of what we call reality. Joe vs. the Volcano is another one I'd use because of the parable-like view it takes of the death-rebirth process. There are probably a few dozen more if I thought about it. The Peter Brook version of The Mahabharata certainly. All the Mornings of the World would be a nice look at the teacher-student relationship. What Dreams May Come to demonstrate the relationship between thoughts and reality. Plenty of others, for different reasons. Harvey, just because."
I pause to consider and decide I'd better stick with general recommendations not too open to misrepresentation. I don't want to mention any books that would require me to include a lengthy disqualifier.
"As for books, besides the ones that you would all guess -- various versions and translations of the Bhagavad Gita and the Tao Te Ching -- there'd be a version of the Mahabharata accessible to Westerners. The Three Pillars of Zen by Roshi Phillip Kapleau, Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein, The Razor's Edge by Maugham, Walden, Leaves of Grass, Emerson's essays, anything by Stan Grof, Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot, and so forth -- all good for different reasons. There would also be a small collection of channeled material, some spiritual novels with a theme of rebirth..."
Almost everyone reacts at the same time to the mention of channeled material. The general response seems to be a mixture of suprise and disbelief.
"I find channeled material very useful and interesting, not just for teaching, but for my own understanding of the phenomenal world in which, as you can see, I exist just like anyone else. If you want me to be specific, I'd say I like Michael for understanding ego and personality structure. When it comes to personal reality, I like Seth. If I have questions about flow and manifestation and desire, then I read Abraham. I might be forgetting something, but those are the main ones I like. A Course In Miracles certainly has its moments."
"So those channeled entities were instrumental in your own...?"
"Oh, no, no, not really," I wave a hand dismissively. "It's more like, combined, they make up my user's manual for being a human on earth -- Being Human 101. This is why I want to be careful about this discussion. I like the books I mentioned, but I don't really look at them that often. Usually just when I have a specific question."
"So what do you read for amusement?" asks Mary.
"Besides Harlequin romances? I like Osho -- the enlightened guy formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh." Some surprise registers through the group about this, which is quite understandable. If one equates enlighenment with sainthood, then Osho might come off as more of an anti-saint, especially if one has only heard the stories of murder plots and free love and power grabs and tax evasion and the ninety Rolls Royces. I like his teaching style. I like his take on Zen. I am in awe of his mind.
"And novels. I read a lot of fiction." I can see from their reaction that I need to say more. "All right, you got me. I spend a lot of time just killing time. I play video games, read books, watch movies. I'd say I probably blow several hours a day that way, but I don't see it as a waste because I don't have anything better to spend my time on. I couldn't put it to better use because I'm not trying to become something or accomplish anything. I have no dissatisfaction to drive me, no ambition to draw me. I've done what I came to do. I'm just killing time 'til time kills me."
This seems to have a quieting effect on the group. I suppose they hadn't considered the possibility that enlightenment was the end of a lot of things we don't normally think of as having ends. Finally, Mary breaks the spell by returning us to the discussion of books.
"What if you were stranded on a desert island," she asks, "and could only have one book?"
"Easy," I reply, "Calvin and Hobbes."
Everyone laughs. I close my eyes and lean my head back and everyone takes that as a signal to give me some peace. They talk among themselves but I am not listening to them. I'm listening to everything and nothing and feeling the light rain on my face and breathing the fresh night air, bringing it all the way down so it cleanses me and carries away the heaviness that builds up after long periods in character. I'm not tired or ending the evening, I just want to not hear my own voice for awhile. I want to pay attention to the rain and the breeze. I want to let one topic fade out so that a new and fresher one might come along.
~ Spiritual Enlightenment, The Dam_nedest Thing.
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