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Re: Gurdjieff’s stop exercise
A while back I was listening to a podcast. In it one of the people talked about being overwhelmed with frustration in her life and that a helpful strategy to deal with the mental suffering of it was to do something productive with her body. I think she talked about gardening, but it could be something like cleaning house or building a bookshelf. Something that tells the body's nervous system that accomplishing things is possible.
I guess basically the sorts of actions you take with your body influences your mental outlook.
person
Re: https://awakentheworld.com/
We are in a sense never quite sure what we are asking. Just as an answer may seem tangental. Dharma is a template or alignment that covers or rather uncovers what we need to understand.
… so for instance an answer on developing patience may be delayed, the longer the better.
related specifically to insight and equanimity is a whole range of potential helpful endeavours:
- Listening for qualities
- Feeling for intangible subtleties
- Regarding others as sources of insight and calm
lobster
Re: https://awakentheworld.com/
This topic brings up questions and concerns for me which have been building for some time but I struggle to form into coherent questions. I feel compelled to get it out so I will try to voice my opinion carefully. Maybe some here have witnessed similar or can help me see more clearly?
What happens when a culture develops Samatha without Vipassana? What happens when individuals discovering present moment awareness and concentration do not understand deeply what it is they experience and fail to turn that awareness on their human condition, et al? I see individuals becoming frightened something is wrong with them as a result of discovering Samatha without understanding. I think sometimes the budding Samatha-mind may be referred to as Bipolar and pharma-teachers may prescribe drugs at this stage.
I see individuals lacking the "why" behind the tools which leaves room for any charming external element to walk in and provide a why. Nihilism comes to mind as a missing or unbalanced "why" when present moment awareness/concentration out-weighs or is not balanced with understanding and insight.
Digital and A.I. is likely to continue to grow exponentially. More optimized/faster/accurate ways of embodying information will reveal to the public over time. We may see more Drive-Thru Samatha clinics.
I see a popular game like Elden Ring teaching Samatha. There is no way to beat that game without full investment of energy into present-minded calm concentrated awareness. I see a culture of young people learning this skill but with narrow-scope Vipassana. Focused on the "why" behind beating Elden Ring vs the "why" behind the human condition.
So many people are asking "why" right now. I am in the USA so my work experience may be different but when I was in retail, the boss always complained about "Millennials always needing a reason...always needing a why. "Back in my day, we just worked hard and made a living. We didn't ask why!" What if I let my business or boss determine my why? More a rhetorical question. Business is already working on sculpting work culture so they can claim to be your "why". An altruistic attempt if it wasn't so money and power based.
A teacher may struggle to pass on a message even beyond current difficulties if they do not adapt to the climate. Maybe they already have? Someone has. Maybe the company that made Elden Ring. I hope it isn't my boss. That guy just wants more power over me.
Re: https://awakentheworld.com/
@ShanJieshi2 said:
The person who has not, will fall hopelessly into the seduction of the images and the music and the text will be for him a mental jumble.
So you would say the text and the spoken words are not helpful for beginners? I would hope that beginners would get quite a lot from the movie, because it is a vaguely hypnotic set of high-impact teachings and pop-culture references.
Jeroen
Re: Wim Hof - Feel the Cold and do it Anyway
I've kept the cold showers and I like what you said Fede: merciless, ruthless... but not in a Harold Hadrada style, but more like a clear view, clearing a hoarse throat, or emptying a clogged nose. The "buzz" or "day-dreaming" / "worries" are done once the cold water hit the middle of your upper back. Phew!
Kotishka
Re: Buddhist quotes
Everybody is looking for something that isn’t available.
It’s worse than looking for a needle in a haystack;
At least the needle is there, even though it’s hard to find.
But satisfaction and self are both delusions, so how can they ever be found?
Ayya Khema
Bunks
Re: Imagination Redux
Let me tell you what is going on in another conversation I’m having on the internet.
This is in a place for Osho sannyasins. It seems Osho had given certain indications that his sannyasins could reach him after death, and some of them had taken this seriously. Someone suggested that I try to imagine for 24 hours that Osho’s presence was with me. I told them I wasn’t interested in experiments with imagination and projection, and that being receptive was of a totally different order. Further, working with the imagination in this way can lead to a lot of maya, illusion in the thinking, and could be very unbeneficial for certain kinds of people.
It seems the theme of imagination is following me at the moment.
Jeroen
Re: https://awakentheworld.com/
I think they have hit the nail on the head.
The person who has had the good fortune to have had adequate instruction and a good teacher with direct experience can find in these films references to things he has already seen and recognise them.
The person who has not, will fall hopelessly into the seduction of the images and the music and the text will be for him a mental jumble.
I preferred to listen to the mp3 first, rather than watch the films.
Re: https://awakentheworld.com/
Watched the third movie. Not as clear as the second, but it was ok. The thing is, the mingling of the various teachings mean there is very little prescriptive that can be said, because as soon as you say “do this” you are moving along the path of a specific teacher.
The first movie talked a little about the perennial philosophy, and that is a good starting point, but to find a unified way that the various paths would like you to proceed is not easy.
Jeroen
Re: https://awakentheworld.com/
The access to this kind of content can be a blessing and / or a curse. It can be very insightful, opening the path for someone, and at the same time very confusing.
Good dharma friends, enough research and a qualified teacher can cure it all, most of the times. There is also certain safety behind this. I recall that before, learning from centres or groups can sometimes be a bit restraining in the sense of getting scolded for "following the wrong teachings".
Kotishka