--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jim_flanegin" <jflanegi@> > wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> > > wrote: > > > > > This common usage of the term "tradition" has the added > > > side benefit of enabling the TB who wields it of putting > > > down those who *have* had spiritual experiences. Because > > > those experiences don't necessarily jibe with what the > > > "tradition" told the TB to expect, the TB can use the > > > word "tradition" to attempt to discredit the person who > > > has actually had a few experiences, and discredit the > > > experiences themselves. It's a nice "perk" of clinging > > > to a "tradition" that hasn't really ever delivered on > > > its own promises. > > > > Could be. Don't know. The ego is masterful at distracting the > > heart and mind from their suffering. > > Or the enlightenment that is always already present. :-) > > > What your response reminded me of though is that I don't know, > > nor have I ever heard of, anyone actually stabilized in the TM > > definitions of CC, GC, and UC. > > Neither have I, but I haven't really been around for > decades. > > > I experienced the hallmarks of all of > > those states at different times, and at that time really wanted a > > permanent experience. > > > > It almost seemed like those experiences of higher states of > > consciousness, though not full 24/7 enlightenment (i.e. absence of > > suffering), were a spur or a goad to keep going, because after > > experiencing such states and then having to 'return' to suffering, > > my suffering by contrast seemed greater and more intense than ever. > > Interestingly enough, after my first round of CC > experiences (on TTC), I felt some of this. The exper- > iences seemed to fade after a few weeks and I felt > bad about that. It wasn't as if there was any "return > to suffering," for a couple of reasons. > > First was that there was no suffering before. I've > always been fortunate to have a pretty neat life. > Second was that however hard I tried to feel bad > about the 24/7 realization not being as present as > it had been before, after a while I figured out that > it really was me *trying to feel bad* about it not > being present all the time. I didn't *really* feel > bad; quite the opposite. But because by that time > I'd had a decade of TM indoctrination about CC > being permanent once experienced, I felt that I was > supposed to feel bad because it hadn't seemed to > turn out that way. > > By the time the second and third and successive bouts > of enlightenment experiences rolled around, I'd learned > to get over it and just relax. Sometimes it's there, > sometimes it's not (or perhaps sometimes you notice it's > there, sometimes you don't). Either way, it doesn't > really matter. Once you've realized your own essential > nature, and had that first-hand experience of it *not* > being "new" or something "added" to your life, then > what's to miss if it's slipped into background? > > > So, perhaps associating those higher states of consciousness with > > some sort of stair-step progression, much as we progress through > > school-- I am in CC, there, now I am in GC, OK, now I am in UC...-- > > perhaps this is a mistaken understanding. > > I think it is, and in the long run probably does more > harm than good. > > > So, I would now say that these states are an indication that the > > nervous system can support a significant symptom of enlightenment, > > leading to Brahman. > > I never think about "Brahman" and all the so-called > "steps" to "full" enlightenment. I mean, big deal... > who cares. If the realization is there and life is > groovy, who needs a label to put on it to say *how* > groovy it is, or where it stands in some mythical > hierarchy of grooviness. :-) > > > It is not at all as cut and dried, nor as 'safe' > > as the TMO led us to believe all of these years. > > Nope. They were just "selling futures," passing along > myths to keep people meditating. And contributing, of > course. :-) > Thanks for your thought provoking and enjoyable response! You are truly a fortunate one!
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