Beginner Mind

I guess I'm just wondering why it creates such a strong reaction from you? Let Leo be Leo. You are free to believe what you want. Where's the problem?

Peaceful Warrior is another one I forgot to mention. But my main recommendation would be Groundhog Day. It's the best movie ever made in my opinion. Lots of humor and a powerful spiritual message.

Do you really have a problem with anything Leo has said, or are you really just calling out for love?

Ramesh Balsekar taught that everything is predetermined. It was my destiny to post this video right now. Agree? Disagree?

With all due respect, this is silly. I can assure you that I didn't end up a Philosophy major because I thought it would lead to riches.

@winterknight Ramesh Balsekar taught that realizing you're not the doer is all that's needed to become enlightened. I'm guessing you would disagree?

For sure. He was one of my first spiritual teachers. Unbelievable speaker.

Many of you have heard this story before, but for those of you who are going through a difficult time, it's good to remember that although things may seem shitty at the moment, you never know how your life is going to unfold in the end.

@AlldayLoop Eckhart Tolle cried when his parents died. I don't think you have to worry about losing your capacity to feel.

Yeah, I suppose it can be a dangerous teaching in some cases. Most people actually don't want to hear that they're not responsible. But for me there was an openness to that realization and it has brought some peace.

This is an interesting take on free will that many of you won't agree with, but for some it may resonate. According to Ramesh Balsekar, your free will is based on two factors: (1) Your genes, and (2) Your conditioning. You had no control over the parents you were born to, and hence no control over your genes. You had no control over the conditioning that you received while growing up -- conditioning from your parents, from school, from society, etc. So if your free will is based on these two factors, genes and conditioning, over neither of which you had any control, then is it truly your free will?

Yes. Sometimes when speaking to my mother the thought will arise, "You're ugly". Who would ever choose to think such a thought about their own mother? But this thought, like all other thoughts, is determined by my genes and conditioning. Not my doing. With that understanding comes tolerance and compassion.

Groundhog Day.

This may be true, but it's definitely not my experience. In my experience, I am a mere body-mind organism, programmed with certain genes and conditioning. For now, that's good enough.

In this particular teaching, it is said that one must always live as an ego. Even Ramana Maharshi responded to his name being called. I view this teaching as valuable for those of us who have not tasted enlightenment. A consolation prize, if you will. A teaching that suggests that the ego is not a problem, but rather a natural happening within the totality.

@Harikrishnan It's not possible to transcend your conditioning. Your conditioning is always being altered and updated, but never transcended. Any changes or growth that occur through self-actualization work is simply your conditioning being updated.

@SoonHei The genes + conditioning angle is a somewhat original approach to this topic, so I thought some people here might benefit from it, as I have. And yes, I agree, Gautam Sachdeva has some excellent videos available.

@AlldayLoop

There's a quote from David DeAngelo that has stuck with me over the years. He said, "Attraction isn't a choice." Whether someone feels sexually attracted to someone or not is not a conscious decision they are making. Attraction happens automatically beyond one's control. This got me thinking, is anything a choice? Have we ever truly made a choice in our lifetime?

@Nahm We all live and learn, most definitely. I don't usually write anything down but maybe it's time to change that. Thanks for the suggestion.

@Nahm Yes, much less conscious in the past. Immature and just plain disrespectful at times. But life humbled me. I had a psychosis experience which pretty much destroyed whatever confidence I had. Now I'm attempting to put myself back together again. Trying to regain some confidence but not at the expense of humility.

Nothing is stopping you from making your unique contribution. If you want to help others, you can do that. If everything is predetermined, then your desire to help others would also be predetermined. Just follow your natural inclinations.

@winterknight I know you're a fan of Ramana Maharshi so you might be able to answer this. Teachings on non-doership really resonate with me, so this is in no way a criticism of Ramana's approach. I'm just curious, why did he talk about there being no doer, rather than saying that there's no one here to either be a doer or not be a doer? Isn't it more true to say that there's no one here in the first place?

Would it be so bad if everything was predetermined?

@Nahm I'd be lying if I said I don't feel responsible for past choices. Recognizing choice to be an illusion is purely an intellectual understanding for me, not an experiential one. You've got a good heart, my friend. Thank you.