Yeah, as my wife says, "Everyone thinks they are a better driver than they are."
--- In [email protected], "Rick Archer" <rick@...> wrote: > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of whynotnow7 > Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 2:08 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hey Ravi > > > > > > Could be, though that again raises the point -- Are we reacting to Ravi's > behavior, regardless, or trying to set this up as "a teachable moment" in > which we align Ravi's behavior with an assumption about his consciousness, > or his mental health? > > In my case, the latter. I'm interested in the correlation between various > stages of awakening and behavior, and also in the common tendency for people > to assume they are more (or less) enlightened than they actually are. > > > > --- In [email protected] > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> , "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > From: [email protected] > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> > [mailto:[email protected] > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> ] > > On Behalf Of whynotnow7 > > Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 12:42 PM > > To: [email protected] <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hey Ravi > > > > > > > > > > > > Its really pretty easy to just disregard the whole enlightenment issue > here. > > If anyone, in any state of awareness goes over the line and is perceived > by > > the group here as annoying or insulting, what does their awareness have to > > do with it? Its apples and oranges. No one is more or less responsible > > because of their state of awareness. An asshole is an asshole and a nice > > person is just that. > > > > Trying to tie any behavior to someone's state of consciousness is like > tying > > it to their skin color, or sexual preference. Now perhaps Ravi, having set > > himself up as some sort of yogic teacher or expressed that desire anyway > is > > more vulnerable to the claims here that if a person is enlightened, > > self-realized, awakened, AND a teacher, they can't just get up in anyone's > > face with the excuse that the universe made me do it. > > > > But really it boils down to group dynamics, exclusive of someone's > > perceived, expressed, or imagined state of consciousness. If someone is > > being a jerk, it gets back to them, and I personally don't think the > > Universe much cares how enlightened they are. > > > > I think that a partial awakening prior to significant diminishing of ego > and > > working out of its quirks can intoxicate and aggrandize the ego, > magnifying > > its faults. One may feel exempted from personal responsibility, since from > > their perspective, personhood seems to no longer be running the show. Or > as > > Alex put it, "it is tempting to disregard the story as unimportant and let > > it act out messily. Also, for people with serious mental health issues, > > nondual awakening can make matters worse." > > > > > > > > --- In [email protected] > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> > > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> , "Alex Stanley" > > <j_alexander_stanley@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In [email protected] > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> > > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> , "raunchydog" <raunchydog@> > wrote: > > > > > > > > I don't like it either, Curtis. I don't generally engage in such > > > > rank personal attacks. I agree it stinks up the place. Maybe if I > > > > were enlightened, I wouldn't have a hint of conscience about it. I > > > > would simply disown responsibility for my actions and claim, as > > > > Ravi does, "the existence made me do it." > > > > > > It looks to me like crazy wisdom has shifted from spiritually realized > > people behaving eccentrically to assholes acting out and justifying it as > > somehow being spiritual. Which is not to say that complete assholes can't > > have amazing realization. Adi Franklin Bubba Free Da John Jones Samraj > could > > very well have been highly realized, but as a human being, he was very > > dysfunctional and acted out in ways that were highly inappropriate. > > > > > > I can see why many traditions of awakening get the samskara/vasana inner > > work out of the way before awakening, because once sole identity with the > > I/me story is broken, it is tempting to disregard the story as unimportant > > and let it act out messily. Also, for people with serious mental health > > issues, nondual awakening can make matters worse. > > > > > > > > > > > No virus found in this message. > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > Version: 2012.0.1873 / Virus Database: 2102/4660 - Release Date: 12/06/11 > > > > > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1873 / Virus Database: 2102/4660 - Release Date: 12/06/11 >
