--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote: > > This understanding is still just a work in progress.
As is mine. > I am fascinated that some like Barry maintain that other > forms of meditation do no exhibit some of what I see as > downsides of TM's passive bliss states style. And I do so maintain. I've been on "courses" with meditators practicing more focused forms of meditation (and some less focused, in the sense that when it comes to 'effortlessness' there isn't even a mantra or other object of focus to 'come back to') and never seen any of the spaced-outednessitude we came to take for granted on TM "rounding" courses. I am still a believer -- when it comes to meditation -- that a technique that is supposed to make you more focused and coherent and "here and now" in the moment should do that when you're doing a LOT of it. That has been my experience on some of the retreats I've been on. On one there was a legitimate emergency, a canyon fire (which travel at the speed of 60mph) was reported only a few miles from where we were meditating 8-12 hours a day. No asanas, no "round- ing," just meditating. No one had the least bit of problem with pulling it together and getting ready to leave if the winds had shifted and aimed the fire in our direction (they didn't). When it became obvious that we were not in the fire path, several of us volunteered to drive over to the rescue center and volunteer, going about helping those who were not so fortunate. Can you imagine TM meditators doing this if it had happened on a course near them?
