--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Xenophaneros Anartaxius" <anartaxius@...> wrote: > > I suppose I ought respond to a few of these comments. Perhaps Xeno has taken > leave of his senses. > > > awoelflebater wrotes: > > > So Xeno writes the other day to Judy: > > > "I feel Barry is more spiritually advanced than Robin" > > > This alone made my head spin. But just, for example, take a look at Robin's > > commentary to Emily after she took his quiz yesterday (post 317866) and > > explain to me how you could possibly argue for this point Xeno. What > > exactly is your definition of spiritual? Maybe it is something I don't want > > to aspire to or can view as a positive thing if that is your assessment. If > > spirituality has anything whatsoever to the quality of heart, openness, > > willingness to understand, desire to be transformed by truth and life, > > sensitivity to other living creatures then, dear Xeno, I think you have > > miscalculated badly - your assertion has missed the mark. > > > Emily wrote: > > I found that an interesting statement, to say the least. > > > raunchydog wrote: > > I'd missed this one, Em. What a hoot! > > > Ravi wrote: > > > > ...I think Xeno, the frozen, immobile, sitting duck with his neo-advaita > > platitudes, the one who used to serve as a target practice for me to whup > > his ass any time, at my will, at my fancy, has finally stepped up the ante > > to fill the huge, gaping, void left by His Holiness... > > > ...This cold, heartless one has been brutally stung by my ambushes. And > > this ultimately is a victory for me!!! > > (Your ambushes, Ravi are particularly inept and unfocused and largely > self-congratulatory. But then that is Ravi!) > > > ...Glory to Xeno - the Maitreya of Morons !!! > > > salyavin808 wrote: > > I guess it boils down to that most curious trait that makes people in the > > TMO (and perhaps other groups) ascribe enlightenment to people simply > > because they like them. > > First of all, I said 'I thought', meaning that is my opinion; I did not > ascribe enlightenment either to Robin or Barry. I said 'more spiritually > advanced'. That implies some relative difference in what I consider a > person's understanding of spirituality, but it does not imply what that value > of advancement is, other than I thought there was a difference. It does not > imply how much the degree of separation is either. Emily was kind enough to > quote a few comments I made as reasons for the choice I made. > > It is based more on a feeling than anything else. If I had to trust someone > to watch my back, I would pick Barry over Robin. Fewer blades, and were one > to fly, Barry would be up front about it. I do not trust Robin. For whatever > problems, shortcomings, and curmudgeonly gripes Barry may have, he is far > more direct than Robin, Barry is calculating in many ways, to my mind, but > Robin is cunning, and that is danger. Further Robin has a history that is > less than savoury in his interactions with people. I do not know Barry's, but > based on the interactions here, my guess with normal people (that is, not > us), he is a regular guy, maybe a little crusty, but essentially normal. Here > on FFL, our IDs (the monsters of the ID) are not so restrained. Robin's does > not appear to have been much restrained. People who have the experience of > slipping into unity or Brahman, to use that term, seldom take and run with > it. They are taken aback by it. It stuns them. They sometimes think they have > gone nuts, and are unsure, especially if unprepared for the astonishing shift > in awareness. > > Robin, to my mind, and remember I am saying 'to my mind', I might be wrong in > this - is deeply attached to both himself as a person (ego), and to a > particular brand of theology, not sure exactly what, it seems kind of > Catholic, but with the Robin twist. Barry has basically flown the coop here > regarding ideology, but he is still practicing some form of meditation. > Barry's ability to make fun of all the holy holies of spiritual life has a > certain insight into spiritual puffery and ostentation. He has taken me on > for this. But what that means is a lot of spiritual baggage has fallen off > from him. This does not mean enlightenment. This does not mean he is a > shining example of spirituality. Nobody here even agrees what a shining > example of spirituality is. Robin is preloaded with plan, and eventually > attempts to move one along that planned path. Barry does not care, but if he > gets you right, as he does sometimes, you move, but not according to some > preplanned path, he tries to get you to see your inanities and peculiarities > of belief. This is the difference between being sucked into some kind of > theology and experiencing spiritual spiritual growth. Spiritual growth > destroys your crap; it is not ultimately a respecter of what you believe, > because what you believe is just an idea in the mind about what is real. > Beliefs have a tenuous relationship with reality. You cannot get rid of them > all, but pruning is always in order. Barry takes pot shots at you. Robin > tries to suffocate you in his grasp. What Robin does does not feel liberating > in any way. It has some semblance to what some teachers of 'reality' do, but > the end result is different. > > The reason I feel Barry is 'advanced' over Robin is I think there is less > obstruction in his mind as to what reality might really be, and thus, given > the right conditions, be more likely to slip into an enlightened realisation. > Robin of course says he already was, but it was a lie, and he destroyed it, > but now has another version of reality. If it had been real, there is nothing > he could have done to get rid of it, because it is not something you can > acquire in the first place. Robin has definitely had some profound mystical > experiences, and he is very into the metaphysical. But this is not to my mind > really related to spiritual growth. Enlightenment is not a special state of > holiness, it does not make you lord and master over others. It makes one > realise what a total idiot one has been in its pursuit. But the pursuit's > 'goal', if consummated finally settles one down, the mystery of life has a > curious resolution without the intrigue, or even the trials of life being > sapped away. So the pointless pursuit is felt to have been worthwhile. And > then one can be just an ordinary person. Robin does not want to be an > ordinary person, he wants to be in some highest state of personal ontology in > relation to a metaphysical super being, and make sure that you know that is > the case, and that for you that is not the case. > > Barry is pretty much a normal sort of person from what I can tell, in spite > of his pointed attacks on spiritual pomposity which can be perhaps a bit over > biting at times and his ongoing taunting of Judy and her supporters. But his > attack mode, if we characterise his writing style here, is also not the > mindless ad hominems of Ravi, or the fiendish snares of Robin's overtures. > > Now Judy does not really talk about spirituality as such, so there is not > much way to even attempt such an evaluation of her - she is our editor. > However I can say I think I have learned more from interacting with Judy than > with Robin. I do find her annoying sometimes, but the first question I think > I should ask myself in such a situation is why do I feel that way? Being > peeved at someone has two loci - one's self and the other person.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otJY2HvW3Bw
