"Spiritual" BS...

Oh boy

I LOVE THE BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS
Loooove them!
I'm not joking. I'm not idolizing pain. I used to be in love with pain. Now I'm in love with LOVE

All of LOVE
EVERYTHING
Sorrow, Joy, Bliss, Anguish, Boredom, Jealousy, Happiness, Regret
Lao Tzu, Jesus, God
YES, YES, YES,
Totally in hardcore love with God/Life/Consciousness!
Pure Freedom And Ultimate LOVE, LIFE, LIBERTY
YES to it ALL!

P.S. Is Landmark a Cult? Can I keep creating possibilities the way the man in the story created how he loved his room without ever feeling false? Can we invite individual consciouness creators free of interdepependent coaching structures  and yet still able to receive all the benefits such educations offer witih open arms?

Hey Cain,

Umm…I disagree…a little. The little story (chainletter email style! LOL) did not say 5 easy steps. It said 5 simple steps. Here they are again:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Now if we look closely at these 5 simple (not easy) steps, we will find that accomplishing even one of them is an awesome feat. Simple does not necessarily equate with easy. It just simple…as in straightforward. We, on the other hand, are often quite accomplished at being complicated, and thus, frequently trip ourselves up on the spiritual path.

I feel that these 5 simple steps are an excellent suggestion. Why? They are a total challenge. To accomplish all 5 is like looking at the triathalon of spiritual paths. Keeping things simple does not allow much room for the ego to trick us or allow room for us to over-intellectualize what is ultimately not an intellectual venture…enlightenment that is.

Now, my one criticism within the story is this. The author identifies these five steps as leading one to happiness. I disagree. I contend we are already happy, and that happiness is our natural state of being. The type of happiness I am describing btw is one of peaceful contentedness (not necessarily the joy of a person doing manic jumping-jacks). Yes, it is our ego-minds, our sense of separateness, our sense of accumulated disconnectedness, and our insistent attachment to unnecessary suffering that keeps us from our natural state: happiness. Therefore, these five simple (not easy) steps could potentially do a great job of daily clearing away the muck that accumulates allowing us to perceive ourselves in a more truthful way.

And it's okay that I feel this way about that little story. It's what is true for me.

After working all day long in a hospital with people who are sometimes close to dying, a lot of this story rings very authentic. Aging, death  and illness do appear to assist people with getting their priorities in line, no matter what they are. Therefore, I feel the greater point of the simple little story is this: In life, contemplate death early and get your priorities straight from the get go–this action alone will help you lose at least 500 lbs of excess ego. :)

Cain, I appreciate your passion for the subject. That is evident. :)

However, I don't feel that a formula, per se, is absolutely necessary for everyone. Not everyone is a beginner. Some people come into this life at the intermediate, or even, advanced levels. For these people, 5 simple steps are all they need. The recipes for success are already within them. Olympic gymnasts don't have to think about every little detail of doing 5 forward handsprings in a row. They just do them. It has become a part of who they are. They don't have to think so much. These intermediate/advanced souls do not require a cookbook, no matter how beautifully and precisely it is laid out.

And even for the beginner, a cookbook is not necessarily a requisite to spiritual progress. There's nothing like experimenting in the kitchen and creatively finding some cool dishes, or collaborating with friends who are more experienced, or taking some classes from a local chef.

Again, I feel that happiness/freedom/enlightenment are creative processes that do not necessarily require a cookbook that fits all.

The overarching theme I am communicating here: I don't feel any need for ANYONE to justify to me HOW they are going to accomplish attainment of the 5 simple steps. That's just not my business. It's theirs.

BTW, those 5 simple steps aren't necessarily a “To Do” list. It's a set of intentions that guide one's actions. The actions to move in the direction of those intentions are absolutely up to the individual. Therefore, if Integral Buddhism and it's action steps assist you in moving toward the attainment of the 5 simple steps–super! Yet, that cookbook does not necessarily apply to all.

Also, there is a difference between simple and easy. I define simple as direct and straightforward. Essentially, that which is clear. I define easy as being without much effort or thought or (perhaps) extended application of self (in many cases).

Thanks for hearing me out on this. I'm enjoying the discussion. :)

I read this (rather “cute,” I agree) chain letter, and then your commentary.

Indeed, pain and anger are often a gateway to growth.

The 5 “simple steps” have no “value” of their own, other than what I consciously assign to them. They are not “good,” nor “bad,” by themselves. They don't “work” (or not) by themselves… PEOPLE work.

I do wonder what you believe you will “have,” by dismissing the 5 steps as nonsense? What will you “have” if you can demonstrate that rage is a “better” path? Are you invested in anger?

One of my Teachers once told a story about a man who attended one of his weekend workshops. This man launched into a 20 minute speech about all the spiritual teachers he'd seen, and how, each one had eventually “disappointed” him by not “getting it,” and now he was delighted to finally find someone whose teachings matched his beliefs. This man truly believed he would become “enlightened” in the presence of a Teacher who supported his perception of the world.

Eli asked the man why he was even at the retreat, if he'd already made up his mind about what was True and what was Not True. To me, it sounds like your mind is already very “made up?”

It reminded me of one of Gerardus Kros' “cosmic cookies” (another “platitude?”) which goes something like this:

As long as you are affected by the Thoughts of Others
you suffer from too much Self Importance.

Self Importance means that you have a biased Mind.
A Biased Mind is an Immature Mind.
The World is a Cosmic School for Human Consciousness.
There is nothing wrong with this School.

We come to Earth again and again
in order to attain the Mental Maturity and Balance
of the Christ or Buddha Consciousness.

The School of Earth is the School of Hard Knocks.

Nevermind the PASSION my friend feels towards the RIGHT way of doing this, or what is SUPPOSED to be accomplished beforehand, groundwork-wise.

Biblethumpers are passionate too
And they often have valid points too
But you can expect someone to get a bit defesnive when they feel their views that they believe strongly in are being confronted,

Although I have to say this attitude seems striking for a Buddhist, and even more so especially if he is right.

There is something about speaking to someone's listening that seems to be missing when forcefully injecting direct enlightenment onto the masses with this sort of “passion” in the face of disagreement, (which if there were genuine compassion would be understood with an open heart, and there'd be no need for this frustrated emotion in the space of clear communication).

“A real master never tries to change anybody directly. He is like a flower, a certain fragrance, he surrounds you…It is nobody's business to awaken you…And always remember  those people who are absolutely indirect can be of any help. Direct help is from the polician, indirect help is from the sage…” - Osho

Nevertheless, we are all still drawn to the appeal of magic bullet enlightenment (little work as possible) schemes such as above e-mails like this. You have to admit that warm fuzzy feelings are intensely attractive if not addicting. However, I don't think anyone was arguing that this sort of advice (or were they?) is like three Hail Mary's, you're forgiven, crime absolved type of solution to life's hardships and all you have to do is just read this e-mail the next time your faced with a difficulty - like having a shot of tequila whenever you're stressed.

I imagine if you wrote an e-mail about living life fully in gratitude, reality is what you make it sort of thing, blah de blah, and in it you told people the blunt honest direct truth like you did in your blog comments (it takes blood and gore to really truly get there), you'd be likely to get more hate mail than love. Or is this shock value response part of your selling tactic?

*Sigh* I suppose this is why Jesus got sacrificed so early on in his life…

Love you, constant warrior, bij baj.

“However, what I am saying IS a “transmission” from “the overmind” or “i am” or “the source” or “the one”; however you'd like to define it… You CAN have your opinion about it… but you're opinion IS wrong..”

LOL! (<– for real) :D

I get it now…I had no idea you had channeling of omniscience siddhis, Cain!
Ha, ha! I'm sorry…I get it now… (*huge smile*)

YOU are absolutely RIGHT. Anyone who opens up alternative points of view for fun discussion and friendly conversation (especially if they vary one degree to the left or right of your “overmind” perspective) is dead wrong and egoic. Yes…only your channeled “the source” perspectives are free of EGO…again, thanks for the awesome clarification. :D

hee, hee…you're funny, Cain… ;)

(btw, i really had hoped you would have perceived even a little bit of the good humor and honest joy in my  earlier comments on this post. i am a bit disappointed that you might have thought they were “arrows” in your back, as i was  truly enjoying the topic and the possibility of expanding it for open healthy discussion…not a boring flat discourse in don't-kill-the-messenger-martyrdom (puhleeze) of who's right and who's wrong…very droll indeedy. still, i respect your preference for provocation, Cain…not really my thing…still, i respect that you dig it…and thas cool. ahh, well…no worries, mah friend…) :)

cheers,
d

Greetings from my EGO to yours….

I am reminded a bit of Gurdjieff. He would poke at his students with sharp words, again and again…. and when they responded with outrage at his increasingly far-fetched taunts he'd say “SEE! You're filled with anger!” Or, if they didn't respond, he'd call them “sleeping sheep.” Whereas he was no doubt brilliant at “stirring the pot,” he was hardly more enlightened than any other Guru in a diaper….

Of course, I didn't realize you were the direct messenger of All That Is.

Yes, anger and pain are often the triggers for “real” change, as opposed to just “words” about change. But not everyone benefits from being tossed into the deep end of the pool.

As is often said, here in PT: “We're all here, because we're not all there.”