You mentioned earlier your own experience of both the infinite Self & background bliss and of the relative self, not seeing any contradictions. Why isn't it the "relative" self in the "background" going about it's usual business and the "infinite" Self that is the centre of gravity & identity, as one would expect this to override/ overwhelm everything else - like sunshine blotting out moon and star light in daytime..? Also how is it that the Self, once established in a permanent way, remains "associated" with a parrticular elative "self"? How come, in other words, you don't get "experiences" coming from other relative "selves" apart from your "own"? I'm thinikng of the analogy of an actor playing different roles - he can "be" this or other character AND himself as transcendental from such roles...
--- In [email protected], "Rick Archer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > My own experience, and my observation of those whom I consider to have most > successfully achieved the "goal" of meditation practice, does not > corroborate your theory. The realized people I know, on this forum and in my > personal life, tend to be dynamic, clear-thinking, decisive, even forceful > individuals who are above average in their ability to fulfill their desires. > They are not meek, submissive, subservient, or drained. They tend to respect > the guru or gurus from whom they have learned, but are quite independent of > them now, thinking their own thoughts and putting things in their own terms > based on their own experience. It is the goal of true gurus to produce such > individuals. Gurus are just people who are farther up the mountain, or > perhaps sitting on its summit. They can be useful in pointing out the best > route up, or in reminding you that you haven't reached the summit if you're > sitting on your butt thinking you have. To my understanding, you don't unite > with gods by using a bija mantra. You transcend the mantra and realize the > ground state of all existence, including the gods' existence. The realized > people I know don't see themselves as having united with a god. They see all > life from ants to gods as being particles or facets of their infinite > nature. > > > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.33/1034 - Release Date: 9/27/2007 > 5:00 PM >
