Joseph Maynor

1 year.

Got it. I keep making the mistake that life will change with enlightenment, but it doesn't really. It's the same old life. There's a little bit of a salvation wish in there I think. I gotta root that out.

And paradoxically we are almost trained here in the West that loving yourself is somehow wrong, selfish, or overly luxuriant behavior. Before Leo released his video on Self Acceptance I don't think I even knew that loving myself love was possible. Love was something to be expected externally. I still don't really have a Self Love practice nailed down.

Got it.

Another epiphany folks, I think. The ego, or concept of being a separate self, is concept and therefore not part of reality. And consciousness work is basically working on stopping to cling to the concept of ego in all of its manifestations. Is this right? Releasing the concept of being a separate thing in all of the manifestations. Stripping that nugget of idealism from reality! We can cling to the concept of ego or release it. And this has no effect on reality whatsoever either way. Am I on track here?

Got it. Maybe questioning too much is the ego's way of clinging to life. I'll take your advice. Inside I go.

What are common shadow triggers.

Life is a comedy of errors, is it not? Why do we choose to be so serious about life. Maybe that's a bad paradigm. Just a random thought that flashed though my head. I picture Chuang Tsu fishing in his little boat smiling.

Not really. Just being honest.

Got it! Thanks.

It seems to me that everybody has their own opinions about spirituality. There is more disagreement on this issue than perhaps in ethics or even aesthetics. All I can do is wade open mindedly through all the opinions and come to my own resolution on the matter. That's what I've discovered. If I took everything as gospel, my mind would burst. So, I take everything with the appropriate grain of salt. I go into the dressing room with an idea, try it on, and see how it fits me. That's how I deal with spirituality.

Don't forget about Western Philosophy and Chinese Philosophy too.

I notice about 3/4 of all my negative emotions are gone now. I think bad theories were causing these emotions. Namely the labels I was applying to myself. Also practicing accepting what is has worked wonders with this. Now doing positive thinking seems moot.

I agree with this. Sectarianism is a stupid thing really. We should think of philosophies and scriptures more like a buffet, take what you need. Nobody is asking you to opine and categorize the buffet items into some kind of system. Just shut up and eat. And then go back for seconds of course!

Not necessarily. People have different interests. That doesn't make them stupid. If they lack book smarts we might argue they are stupid, but really only in one sense of many ways one might be stupid. I bet they are very wise about people. An area where a lot of nerdy people may be very stupid. So, by doing something you forgo something else. Whatever you have forgone, that's where you're stupid. And each person has their own brand of stupidity as a result.

Does the concept of self-transcendence predate Buddhism in the sense that the Hindus were practicing this before the Buddha lived? Or is Enlightenment a concept and practice that properly starts with the Buddha?

This is happening to me now. Openness and acceptance cures all. Ego transcendence.

Have you guys studied the history of Buddhism in China? That's like the sequel of your dreams to this saga. And then Zen grew out of Chinese Buddhism.

There appears to be a paradox that must be accepted with emotions. On the one hand we want to reduce negative emotions from our lives, and within reason to stoke positive emotions. But on the other hand this labeling of good or bad might become ego identification because emotions have no existential value as good or bad in themselves. Emotions just are. How do you reconcile this paradox regarding emotions in practice? Is chasing feelings always egoic?

Radical acceptance and openness. This seems like a key value. And not attaching thoughts to the negative emotions.

The trick is to maintain full awareness as you do nothing. That is a kind of act.

Thank you for posting this. Well worth a read through. Atman = Brahman. I think this thesis goes back to the Upanishads. I read in multiple places that Hinduism is a western term. The Western mind needed a way to grasp Indian thought so it coined the term Hinduism. The problem is this is like trying to catch water with a net. Buddhism seems more like a rejection of the priestly class than a new school entirely, Like Protestantism was in the West. Although later on Buddhism would explore new territory with the intricate look at Phenomenology, but this was way after the Buddha's time. But I'm sure there were analogues to this looking-inward activity in Hinduism as well. We gotta be careful not to superimpose our Western values and habits of mind on Indian thought too rigidly. This is like trying to logically analyze a Monet painting. Same goes for Chinese thought. Another beautiful nexus of ideas and practices differing dramatically from Western tastes and values.

They may have more experiences than we know. I keep and maintain several plants. They project a vibe too. A very calming vibe.

The body-mind is the intelligence and operation of the body. The consciousness of the body. Something analogous to the consciousness of awareness. I guess we can widen mind to include body-mind accordingly since we are simply dealing with categories here. Is that the intent of the term? A widening of the notion of mind or consciousness? A widening of the notion of intelligence? I can dig it. Let's take that and run with it. What are the practical uses of the concept of body-mind?

The human body basically. My body.