--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > <snip> > > Riffing on Words: "steadfast" and "spaced out" > > > > Someone posted a link on FFL to some "Rashtra Gita" > > audio clip, and two things struck me as interesting > > about the short discussion that followed. The first > > was that one poster here said that she felt "spaced > > out" while listening to it. > > Hilarious. Yet *another* Judy-basher. Every single > one of Barry's rants posted since he got back has > been aimed at me.
So, why respond and comment on it? As if this is something new????? Com'n, admit it; you love it when he pays you attention. > > This person clearly > > seemed to feel that being spaced out is a good thing > > because she said that she was planning to listen to > > the clip again later just before sleeping. > > Yeah, 'cause, ya know, I don' wanna be spaced out > when I have things to do. That's why I said, ya > know, that I was gonna listen to it before going > to sleep, 'cause, ya know, I don't have to *do* > anything when I'm sleeping except sleep. > > And it's my experience that listening to Vedic > chanting before going to sleep makes my sleep > deeper and more restful, so I'm more alert in > the morning (that's "alert," as opposed to "spaced > out," you see; "spaced out" is *not* a good thing > to be in the morning when you have things to do, so > I wouldn't listen to it in the morning). > > She then > > went on to speculate that someone had "cognized" these > > Sanskrit verses > > Actually I didn't "speculate," I *asked*. And > Barry will never believe this, of course, but I > asked tongue-in-cheek. > > > that she liked so much, the ones that > > made her feel so "spaced out." > > No, I didn't "like the verses so much." My > experience was that they had a powerful effect. > > Then cardemeister came > > through by pointing out that the audio clip was really > > just a pastiche of verses from the Vedas, assembled in > > a somewhat random order. > > > > The second thing that struck me as odd about this mini- > > thread was the actual *meaning* of one of the verses > > chosen for this (as speculated by Brigante) "national > > anthem of the Global Country of World Peace." I'll deal > > with it first. > > Actually it's pretty pointless to "deal with" an > English translation of anything from the Rig Veda, > especially a "poetic" translation, as this one is. > It's not a work of literature or instruction, nor is > it subject to semantic analysis even in the original > Sanskrit. > > So the critique Barry goes on to provide is > ignorant and meaningless, and I've snipped it. > > <snip> > > Now to the term "spaced out." Why, I ask myself, would > > someone feel "spaced out" while listening to this > > chanting, even not knowing what it means? I don't know, > > but it could have something to do with "name and form." > > The form of this particular verse is *falsity*, a cling- > > ing to and praise for the illusion of permanence, and > > the idea that some people are so cool and so important > > that they can justly "reigning" over others. Hell, any- > > body might feel a little spaced out when exposed to that > > kinda thinking, even in Sanskrit. :-) > > Speaking of Missing the Point. > > > But more important, *whatever* caused it, why would > > someone consider being "spaced out" a GOOD thing? > > Possibly because it seems to result in becoming > more alert and having greater clarity, as I > suggested when I explained why I had planned to > listen to it before bed. > > > Let's examine that term "spaced out" a little more > > deeply. I'm sure that many here can identify with > > the phrase from their time spent on rounding courses. > > I would guess that many of those who do find the term > > and the experience familiar *also* believe that this > > spaced-out-edness is a good thing, something that > > happens when you have a "high" spiritual experience. > > Or when you're unstressing. Being spaced out *can* > be enjoyable for a little while, but I doubt many > TMers would really want to be spaced out after they > come home from a course and have to start in with > the daily grind. That's why on courses they cut > back on the number of rounds at the end. > > > Here, just as information for those who are open to > > it, is another take on being "spaced out." > > > > In the time since I left the TM movement, I have heard > > no fewer than a dozen spiritual teachers comment on the > > phenomenon of feeling "spaced out." Most of these > > teachers were Buddhist, but a couple were Taoists and > > a few were from a Hindu tradition. *All* of them, > > however, were consistent in what they said. > > > > In their view, a seeker who is feeling "spaced out" is > > experiencing a *lower* state of attention than their > > normal waking consciousness, not a higher one. > > Could well be, if one is unstressing. I've certainly > never thought of being spaced out as a "higher" state. > > (That's why I stopped listening to that chant, you > see, and postponed it until bedtime, because I still > had things to do and didn't want to be spaced out > while doing them.) > > > In my 40-year experience with many different forms of > > spiritual experience and meditation, only two practices > > caused me to feel "spaced out" -- TM and the TM-siddhi > > program. Without exception, the other forms of meditation > > I've experienced all led to feelings of increased clarity > > and an increased ability to focus and perform normal > > tasks, not a lessening of those things. > > And we've certainly seen the effects in Barry's > behavior here, haven't we? Especially his > obsessive focus on demonizing those he considers > TBs, me in particular. Not sure one would call > this a "normal" task, though. > > However, as I said, *my* experience is that *after* > feeling spaced out, I feel all the things Barry just > described. It's sort of like taking a nap, actually. > > (That's why you don't want to be spaced out when > you have things to do, you see, and why I decided > to listen to the chant later, before I went to bed, > when I didn't have anything I had to do.) > To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! 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