Jack Peterson Yay... someone understands that Ego is not the enemy. Of course there is both positive and negative elements to ego, so... an educated and emotionally mature person can in fact control their ego (the rational, conscious mind) without having to engage in self-deprecating beliefs. And that's my humble and not-so-humble opinion.
Terry Orr Jack Peterson: Likewise, thank you for accepting my friendship! I look forward to learning from and sharing ideas with you.
Terry Orr Jeeni Zucchini: Thanks for clarifying ACIM - which is not Buddhist teaching, but which has a lot of wisdom for sure! Also for clarification, I go on record as not being a Buddhist per se.
While not a "Buddhist", I do my best to adhere to the Eightfold Path (the Fourth Noble Truth). Contrary to the "instant enlightenment" Guru's, it's a very long path with many thorns and deceptive side-roads along the way to confuse the unwary.
While not a "Buddhist", I do my best to adhere to the Eightfold Path (the Fourth Noble Truth). Contrary to the "instant enlightenment" Guru's, it's a very long path with many thorns and deceptive side-roads along the way to confuse the unwary.
Terry Orr: Jack Peterson: Best way in my experience to learn the essence of Buddhas' teaching is to attend a 10-day silent meditation course in the tradition of S.N. Goenka (www.dhamma.org). The courses are free, include food and logging and are conducted all over the world.
If you haven't heard of him, here is an article in the Huff Post "S.N. Goenka: The Man who Taught the World to Meditate": http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../sn-goenka-dead_b...
If you haven't heard of him, here is an article in the Huff Post "S.N. Goenka: The Man who Taught the World to Meditate": http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../sn-goenka-dead_b...
Ron Alexander I like to view the "ego" as a little child - needs close watching and boundaries with lots of comforting love too!
Terry Orr Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses! In summary, I recognize there is nothing that can be or even should be done to try to stem the tide of New Age psychobabble.
As Richard Kent Matthews pointed out, many people (myself included) have benefited from such writings as those of Eckhart Tolle; in spite of the fact that there is very little actual "substance" in them or any realistic tools beyond surface-level axioms and platitudes.
It may be true that the likes of Tolle are contributing to the dilution/fracturing of more substantive teachings, but they are merely catering to the growing appetite within our societies for spiritual nourishment in the desert of stale religion.
On the other hand, accompanying the proliferation of claptrap, there is also a growing demand for "real teaching" that offers real tools to help people grow beyond consumerist Guru's. The less than one percent (estimate) of serious seekers will always find and follow the string of truth and they will learn how to sort and separate the wheat from the chaff.
Thanks for helping me process this subject of concern.
As Richard Kent Matthews pointed out, many people (myself included) have benefited from such writings as those of Eckhart Tolle; in spite of the fact that there is very little actual "substance" in them or any realistic tools beyond surface-level axioms and platitudes.
It may be true that the likes of Tolle are contributing to the dilution/fracturing of more substantive teachings, but they are merely catering to the growing appetite within our societies for spiritual nourishment in the desert of stale religion.
On the other hand, accompanying the proliferation of claptrap, there is also a growing demand for "real teaching" that offers real tools to help people grow beyond consumerist Guru's. The less than one percent (estimate) of serious seekers will always find and follow the string of truth and they will learn how to sort and separate the wheat from the chaff.
Thanks for helping me process this subject of concern.
Ron Alexander You are welcome Terry, and thank you - definitely the deepest richest most far reaching teaching for me was the 23 days of sitting in silence in Vipassana helping me realize the toxicity of holdiing resentments. I am so much healthier by learning the importance of releasing these poisons by forgiveness and letting anger go by learning to live in the present more, since everything is temporary anyway, And this healing is down to a cellular level paying attention to my senses. Sensory awareness may be the most important tool after learning concentration of course. I continue to work on mindfulness - meditating without ceasing, thanks for you and Jeeni's inspiratiion!
Terry Orr Ron Alexander: True. As we know, there are many forms of meditation for different purposes. For example, there are visualization meditations which employ the imagination. There are concentration meditations which focus on some object like the breath or a candle flame. In the case of concentration meditations, the job is to prevent the mind from wandering away from the object. And, then there is Vipassana, which is about observation of sensations.
Vipassana, is based on the fact that every thought manifests in the body as sensation, and that by observing the sensations, we are able to process the deep-seated impurities (Kama/Sankara's) that arise within us from moment to moment in the form of sensations throughout the body. If we are unaware of the subtle sensations, we are missing the opportunity to see things as they are within us and to understand what is driving our thoughts, opinions, and Judgments about ourselves and the world around us.
Part of the problem with some of the New Age hucksters, is they will tell you a Truth, but they can't tell you how to engage that Truth in your life. For example, telling someone that they should not focus on the past or the future because neither one exists, does that person no good. It is just an intellectual game. It doesn't help the person overcome the tendency of the mind to drift between past and future while ignoring the present.
Vipassana, is based on the fact that every thought manifests in the body as sensation, and that by observing the sensations, we are able to process the deep-seated impurities (Kama/Sankara's) that arise within us from moment to moment in the form of sensations throughout the body. If we are unaware of the subtle sensations, we are missing the opportunity to see things as they are within us and to understand what is driving our thoughts, opinions, and Judgments about ourselves and the world around us.
Part of the problem with some of the New Age hucksters, is they will tell you a Truth, but they can't tell you how to engage that Truth in your life. For example, telling someone that they should not focus on the past or the future because neither one exists, does that person no good. It is just an intellectual game. It doesn't help the person overcome the tendency of the mind to drift between past and future while ignoring the present.
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