--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], > "tomandcindytraynoratfairfieldlis" > <tomandcindytraynoratfairfieldlist@> wrote: > > > > TorquiseB writes snipped: > > > Theoretical spiritual practice is just that, theory. > > > Applied spiritual practice is *applied*, one moment > > > at a time, all day, every day. Meditation without > > > mindfulness and the intention to bring the light of > > > that meditation into the world and share it with > > > others in every action is a waste of time. Better > > > to never meditate and spend the time of one's life > > > in "small gestures" of humanity than spend one's > > > life meditating regularly and never practicing any > > > such gestures. > > > > Tom T: > > According to Ramana Maharishi there are four ways to get > > enlightened. > > 1. The Guru says your are THAT and you are done if you are ready. > > 2. The Gurus tries you are THAT and you are not ready so you go home > > and do the WHO AM I inquiry for a few years and then come back for > > your mahavayka. > > 3. If you can not do self inquiry into WHO AM I the guru tells you > > to go home and meditate for a decade or two to get ready for the > > WHO AM I. > > 4. If you are unable to meditate then go do good deeds for a few > > decades so you can be ready to meditate. > > > > It would appear that a lot of the TMers started at step 3 and hadn't > > done enough or any of step 4 and are a few decades short of step 4. > > Ain't going to happen till you get your tank topped off at step 4. > > Not that I believe Ramana Maharshi had any more > clue than anyone else how to realize enlighenment, > but I certainly agree with your conclusion at the > end. > Tom's statement uses as a foundation RM's reasoning. To say you agree with Tom yet not RM means that you agree that good deeds are necessary to attain enlightenment. This, though, is also open to discussion.
Why do you think that? There is no reason this should be true. I am not taking one side or the other, just that you have made a judgement relative to TMer enlightenment based purely on your belief, nothing else. Who says that has to be true? What if you are wrong, and no good deeds must be performed to attain enlightenment, by TMers or anyone else? What if the whole concept of doing good deeds to attain enlightenment is false and wrong?
