Commentaries on both Curtis' and Marek's posts: --- In [email protected], "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Marek, > Marek, > > This is the kind of post that makes posting here worth it for me.
Hear, hear. > It is an exploration of how we view our spiritual experiences from > different, but equally, personally valuable perspectives. > > I appreciate your trying to communicate with Judy. I think we both > share the frustrating feeling that we can make ourselves understood > by her this time, only to get thwarted in the end. Tell me about it. > I think that beneath her seething contempt for me is a person who > shares plenty of our perspectives on knowledge. But admitting that > would require her to put down the hater-aid, and that is too high > a price. (sorry Turq, I used the term first!) It's a great term. You invented it, you get to use it first. :-) > The weirdest thing for me is that I rarely understand her POV on > what I said that sets her off. This is so common that I find it > comical. All the drama about demanding an apology instead of just > giving a counter opinion is just a power play, I get that. But why > focus on an insignificant part of the content of the belief and > derail any discussion of the ideas? For a long time I've been of the belief that there are few people on earth who would benefit more from the practice of mindfulness than Judy Stein. Reading Vaj's post about the recent experiments in which mindfulness changed brain function reinforced that belief for me. Take the example used in that well-written article. When a person sees an angry face -- even if it's flashed at them subliminally, too fast for them to recognize con- sciously -- the brain reacts by going into fight or flight response. For some reason I do not understand, Judy has a tendency to see angry faces where I do not perceive them to be. And when she sees them, because she not only has never practiced mindfulness but has an utter disdain for it, she reacts. She doesn't seem to be able to *not* react. I find that sad, but as a former meditation teacher even more it makes me wonder if there *is* anything that can "get through" that reactivity. So far the answer is No, but I've only been trying for 12 years. Give it time. :-) <snip to> > --- In [email protected], "Marek Reavis" <reavismarek@> > wrote: > > > > Curtis, your analysis (below) is excellent; well discussed and > > nails my own longterm and evolving experiences and beliefs re > > Maharishi and TM. Maharishi's foibles or shortcomings, to > > whatever extent they may exist, don't concern me anymore (or at > > least not very much) and I still love meditation and puja (for > > the reasons that were given to me initially because the reasons > > that Maharishi gave then seem to comport with my experience now) > > but it seems as if the universe is a closed system and you can't > > really go wrong no matter what you do or don't do, at least in > > the long run. It's not even that all roads lead to Rome, but > > that there isn't anything except Rome. Or so it feels to me. Me, too. It makes it difficult for me to believe that my particular 'hood in Rome is any better than anybody else's 'hood. <snip to> > > And for what it's worth, you strike me as one of the most > > intellectually honest and open to discussion individuals > > that post here and I share your chagrin whenever anyone > > claims differently. What he said.
