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Why do 'spiritual seekers' appear a little Weird to non-seekers??
I repeat this ad from apple computers. Put a link to it above, but I'm sure no one saw because they would have had to give this a million "Awesomes"... right?
"Here's To The Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world - are the ones who DO !"
Weird ain't necessarily bad, and normal isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
I know what you mean OP.. My personal guess is, that people who "seek" also "find" the most weird answer and think it's the coolest. I think that could be why Tibetan is the most wide-known direction in my country - it has all the fluff. Your average, boring anapanasati, acceptance and the three marks of existence is primarily taught by psychologists calling it by other names (I've attended treatment as a bystander and seen this myself). This helps a lot of people and spreads buddhism but isn't loyal to the source.
That kind of boring help and control over life is not what seekers want - they want action!
So most people interested in Tibetan Buddhism only like it for the fact it is the "weird" branch? Therefore it somehow makes them stand out?
I only ask, because I'm interested in the Tibetan tradition and I find its mysticism and teachings quite lovely. I could really care less if it is "fluff" or the "middle of the road"; I quite like it.
Great question! Perhaps, it's because they experienced the "unknown" and they don't know how to handle this "reality." I know that for me, I have been there and all that jazz, but for me it was reaching way further than I needed too, thus it only confused me. Nowadays, I stick with the basics and I have gained more insight and understanding about myself and my surroundings compared to seeking something outside of me and my environment.
I think that it does because before I started with Buddhism I grew my hair out and into dreads and made a personal commitment to never cut then off. I never liked cutting my hair, for most of mY life I've had long hair. So I think being spiritual on the inside still counts. Can't wait till my hair is super long. Has like past my knees xD
Lol! I have long hair and a beard, but this feels more natural to me than having short hair and no beard. It all started coming together when I grew my hair out and got a beard. However, I did cut it a few times, I don't like my hair to be too long. To my shoulders...
Which people do you wish to be like? I have spent time with Sufis who are integrated with normality. If you have no need, desire or interest in spirituality, why bother with it. Get on with life. Become a humanist, humane or just human. Seems ideal to me.
"Normal" is a very strange word. Sociologists say that 97% of families are dysfunctional, so "normal" apparently also means dysfunctional. All "normal" really means is "majority".
Yet, people who seek out Buddhism often do so because they are hurting more than others, and are therefore seeking solutions for their unhappiness. Pema Chodron (a Buddhist nun) makes that point .. that those for whom life goes along easily are not usually the ones who seek out the dharma. And this seems to be true, in my own experience with myself and with dharma groups.
Because life "works" better for "normal" people, they do not seek to change the status quo of things.
I suppose we do become "weird" at some point. I stopped drinking alcohol, but still went out with my friends. But, being sober, I began to see that when they were laughing and drinking, they were trying too ... hard. There was an edge of desperation to their "merriment". It became very sad to see that they really were not all that happy. Their desperate was had to witness. So not only did I stop drinking, I eventually stopped hanging out with those who were drinking. Now, I don't kill a mosquito when it lands on my arm. That's pretty "weird", I guess. I don't dress weird, don't act weird, but my activities are not always "normal". But I don't care how others view me, because this is working for me .. Buddhism has given me what I needed, and now it gives me what I want.
Comments
"Here's To The Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world - are the ones who DO !"
Weird ain't necessarily bad, and normal isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
I only ask, because I'm interested in the Tibetan tradition and I find its mysticism and teachings quite lovely. I could really care less if it is "fluff" or the "middle of the road"; I quite like it.
Not ranting, just saying.
If you have no need, desire or interest in spirituality, why bother with it.
Get on with life. Become a humanist, humane or just human.
Seems ideal to me.
Sociologists say that 97% of families are dysfunctional, so "normal" apparently also means dysfunctional.
All "normal" really means is "majority".
Yet, people who seek out Buddhism often do so because they are hurting more than others, and are therefore seeking solutions for their unhappiness. Pema Chodron (a Buddhist nun) makes that point .. that those for whom life goes along easily are not usually the ones who seek out the dharma. And this seems to be true, in my own experience with myself and with dharma groups.
Because life "works" better for "normal" people, they do not seek to change the status quo of things.
I suppose we do become "weird" at some point. I stopped drinking alcohol, but still went out with my friends. But, being sober, I began to see that when they were laughing and drinking, they were trying too ... hard. There was an edge of desperation to their "merriment". It became very sad to see that they really were not all that happy. Their desperate was had to witness. So not only did I stop drinking, I eventually stopped hanging out with those who were drinking. Now, I don't kill a mosquito when it lands on my arm. That's pretty "weird", I guess. I don't dress weird, don't act weird, but my activities are not always "normal". But I don't care how others view me, because this is working for me .. Buddhism has given me what I needed, and now it gives me what I want.