Great...
And you are still posting things in FFL because...?
And you still attack Judy because?
etc.
It seems to me that you haven't really gotten over much of anything.
You're still carrying the woman we left back in the village a few miles back...
So to speak.
L.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote:
>
> Walking my dogs this morning, I caught a glimpse of
> myself in a shop window, and couldn't help but notice
> the enormous smile on my face. The day is beautiful --
> warm, sunny, and almost what summer is supposed to
> be like in places other than the Netherlands :-),
> and I noticed the smile and it made me realize
> that I *really* look forward to the rest of my day.
>
> Life on a 46-year spiritual path hasn't always been
> like that for me. I can remember back to many mornings
> in which I *wasn't* looking forward to the events of
> the day, and to enjoying them, and to spreading that
> joy among the people I love. Instead, a large part of
> me was thinking how much "better" my day would be and
> my life would be if I were just enlightened.
>
> I got over it.
>
> Now I'm content with the moment, and trying to live it
> fully. I look upon this "goal shift" as having made
> spiritual progress.
>
> I've known so many seekers over the decades who have
> been sold lofty spiritual goals, which, once they
> bought into them, became the entire focus of their
> lives. These seekers may have *started* meditating
> just to enjoy their lives a little more, but that
> was before their teachers ran an "upsell" routine
> on them, and convinced them that these goals weren't
> lofty or meaningful enough.
>
> What was "really" important was to become enlightened.
> Or to actually levitate. Or to get thousands or millions
> of people to meditate and believe the same things they
> did. Or to achieve world peace.
>
> The "lofty goals" vary from spiritual trip to spiritual
> trip, but the purpose of them -- in my opinion -- never
> does. The lofty, probably unachievable goals are served
> up by the teachers to *distract* the students and keep
> them focused on the carrot-on-a-stick that keeps getting
> moved further and further away every year. The lofty
> goals are designed to keep them from noticing that they
> still haven't realized the "lesser goals" that were the
> reasons they started to meditate or pursue a spiritual
> path in the first place -- being able to live a happier,
> more fulfilling life, both for themselves and those
> they love, every day.
>
> How many people do you know who honestly believe that
> they won't be truly happy until they're enlightened?
> Be honest, now. Where do you think they *got* that
> belief? It was almost always given to them as part of
> an "upsell" campaign, from one or more of their spir-
> itual teachers. Now think about these people as
> individuals. How many of them would you characterize
> as being consistently happy in the Here And Now?
>
> My point is that many of them have *forgotten* about
> that "lesser goal." They've been told that it's "better"
> to focus on the lofty goals, and they've been told this
> for so long that they have forgotten the reasons that
> they actually started meditating in the first place.
>
> I think it's more intelligent to backtrack a little,
> and try to remember those original "lesser goals."
> Who CARES if you become enlightened, if you spend all
> of the days leading up to flashing out being not happy,
> and not fulfilled, always feeling that something is
> missing or lacking from your life?
>
> The last day of each of our lives is going to start
> exactly like today did. Chances are we're going to live
> it pretty much the same way we live today. I'm pretty
> sure, looking forward to my day -- I'm taking a bunch
> of kids to the beach -- that if it turns out to be my
> last day, I'll dive into the Bardo content and with
> the same smile on my face I caught a reflection of
> this morning in a window. And along the Way, I'll
> have probably shared that smile with a few others.
>
> Who needs more than that? I'll leave the lofty goals
> to those who feel that they're important. Call me a
> spiritual slacker, but I've come "full circle" to the
> goals I had when I first started meditating -- to become
> more able to live each day a little happier and a little
> more content, and thus more able to do nice and produc-
> tive things for the people I meet.
>
