On Jan 1, 6:41 am, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > “…I think that this is possibly a positive effect of the self- > improvement racket. People who truly try, truly try to follow all > Seven Strategies, or the tenets of the Celestine Prophecy, or whatever > will eventually get their efforts worth. They will achieve their ideal > selves, and will still have themselves to contend with.” – Lonlaz > > As you say, there are exoteric and esoteric initiations. This is true > even for the over 2,500 year old schools of Buddhism. And, yes they > have their functions and results.
Yes, and the results of this and most religions has been to retard human scientific and social progress. I think it matters what the "7 magic steps" lead to, or what the "5 supreme pillars" uphold, or what the "23 theses" assert. It is not enough to follow and fulfil, the choice is all important. They seem to be of the same category - self improvement rackets. And, while often there is full focus > and sometimes it appears to be completed or what is being observed is > taken away with differing results, one of which is as you say, the > self disappears. When this state is known, that in itself is quite > something to have been revealed. > > As Neil would say, you have something there. And, even the notion of > self-improvement, racket or not, reveals a specific level of > subjectivity. > > This all said, what you call their ‘ideal selves’ puzzles me. Of > course you follow this with a dichotomy of ‘themselves…to contend > with’. Perhaps a reflection upon some level of disillusionment. > > It has been a while since I’ve discussed this stuff here, so will take > a small leap. > > The objects of attention can be as simple as the breath, a > visualization etc. to something as total as mind itself. Is there a > stage where mind itself dissolves? > > What is the state where mind knows itself fully? > > While appearing to be koan like, these are valid questions and not > just metaphysically. > > On Dec 31, 10:08 pm, Lonlaz <[email protected]> wrote: > > > When studying the occult, I was introduced to the idea of initiation. > > In the occult usage, it was a ritual, either short and intense, or > > long a grueling to produce koan-like effect. A person puts their full > > concentration into something, their whole self is engaged, and then > > the subject of focus is completed, or taken away.. and for a while the > > self disappears with the task, and something is revealed. > > > I think that this is possibly a positive effect of the self- > > improvement racket. People who truly try, truly try to follow all > > Seven Strategies, or the tenets of the Celestine Prophecy, or whatever > > will eventually get their efforts worth. They will achieve their > > ideal selves, and will still have themselves to contend with. > > > On Dec 31, 8:22 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > In theory, bumblebees should not be able to fly, but they do. Because > > > they have to. But people, no matter how smart or how skilled they > > > might be, do not always get off the ground. We are all born with > > > common sense, but we don't always, or often, use it. > > > > Must we drift without direction the rest of our lives? Are we doomed > > > if we seem incapable of using our common sense? No, says bestselling > > > author and professional speaker Barry Siskind. In Bumblebees Can't > > > Fly, he shows you how to develop and follow his Seven Strategies of > > > Common Sense. After mastering these simple yet shrewd strategies, you > > > will begin to make more confident decisions, improve your foresight, > > > listen to the wisdom already deep within you - and fly, like the > > > bumblebees! > > > > Yeah, right! Sadly for this dork and many other flat earth common > > > sensers, we do know how the bumblebee flies in theory and practice. > > > They make use of turbulence, like moths. The seven simple yet shrewd > > > strategies come to you from a berk daft enough not to do basic > > > research on the metaphor central to his pitch. This is the essence of > > > personal development - first find a market segment so stupid it will > > > swallow any old tosh and then write that old tosh!- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
