Nice post, David.
quote:
The way of the skeptic is a hard and lonely path.
Only when you dive into the spiritual society without losing your brain power, I think. In my department which I will be leaving soon, over 80% are skeptics, most of the rest don't even bother to think about it, and very few are interested in spiritual paths.(all Christians)
But then I am in a humilating position: with the standard here (or any spiritual group), I am an unwelcomed skeptic that I simply prefer not to say too much; but in front of my collegues, I can hardly tell them anything about my esoteric yogic practices---I'll lose my credibility if I can't justify practices other than meditation, and I can't.
That's always in my mind, and triggered again by David's post: as spirituality is almost always accompanied by ignorance, "wrong" passion about "truth" (which is usually made up of lies.....); I wonder what spirituality really is, and whether it is something that should be encouraged. I have little doubt that the scope of the term is miscontrued, as we've disscused in
http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=647But I went further to doubt the whole concept of spirituality. What is it, really? One reason why I appreciate Yogani's teaching so much is that he explained it in a simple language: bliss, inner silence, etc. But it could mean more for different people, e.g. God, Jesus,...Unfortunately,
those "more" very often includes a large amount of ignorance that I think has outweight any possible benefits. Imagine someone who feels bliss all the time, and may be egoless, but can't properly interact with the others and cause much troubles. Is he enlightened? For many, that may
depend on whether he lives alone in a cave or downtown. A paradox for the yogis, but not for B. Russell.
I hope I've missed something, but I suspect that spiritual path will in general (just in general) bring people into an illusion of something called "truth", enlightenment, etc, whatever..something sound fancy, anyway. And the followers get some drug-like effects, like bliss, ecstasy from these believes. Many Christian are so proud to think that they are the chosen ones. Dangerous cults do this effectively, "safe" religions adapt and make themselves compatible with our common values.
quote:
doesn't it impress you in the least that a child meditated at least twelve hours daily for ten months straight?
My pet tarantula could sit still for up to 3 days(usually more than 12 hours daily) and for 5 years straight. She must be Buddha's secret teacher in her past life??
The child hardly impressed me. I feel bad and bored to learn the story.
The child may have autism and the ignorance of those who praise and promote such feats would ruin the child's future. It's as serious as that, and yet such stories are attractive for most here. See, our desire for the truth will lead us (or the others) to misery, and in the process we feel good! Still say it is
spiritual?
Alvin
