--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Alex Stanley"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jim_flanegin" <jflanegi@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@>
> > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Was in a rush before; want to add a couple things:
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB
<no_reply@>
> > > wrote:
> > > > > <snip>
> > > > > > *Without a doubt*, these people's enlightenment was
> > > > > > self-evident to them. There was no question in their
> > > > > > minds that it existed. But did it?
> > > > >
> > > > > I have no idea. Do you?
> > > >
> > > > Not a clue.
> > > >
> > > > > > I'm just sayin' that there is a big "red flag"
> > > > > > raised for me when someone believes one of their
> > > > > > "stories" so completely
> > > > >
> > > > > And Jim was just sayin' that the nature of
> > > > > enlightenment is such that it falls outside the
> > > > > category of "stories," something of which you're
> > > > > apparently not aware.
> > > >
> > > > And I *understand* that some people believe this.
> > > > I do not. Neither do spiritual traditions such
> > > > as the Tibetan one Vaj mentioned.
> > > >
> > > > I am a strong believer in enlightenment, and I
> > > > believe that the experience of it should be under
> > > > exactly the same scrutiny and subject to the same
> > > > analysis as any other experience, if not more. It
> > > > isn't "exempt."
> > > >
> > > What basis do you have for believing that Rory and I see it
any
> > > other way? Is it because of what Vaj said? And why do you
believe
> > > Vaj more than you believe either of us?
> >
> > What's particularly interesting is that Vaj
> > claimed the test for enlightenment was whether
> > the person could do certain siddhis.
> >
> > Barry, of course, has always insisted that the
> > ability to do siddhis doesn't have anything to
> > do with enlightenment.
> >
> > So if he's going by what Vaj says in this case,
> > I guess it's just another one of those
> > contradictions that show how spiritually
> > advanced he is.
>
> How did Self-Realization come to be associated with the ability to
> perform spiritual parlor tricks and feats of esoteric duality?
>
Its one more way to keep that snakey string at bay.:-)
