Douglas Brown4 said:The issue is that you seem to be taking this far too personally. Just relax. It's only a discussion.
the issue is you're assuming you know exactly what I mean...
and if you want to believe I'm getting worked up, fine—keep thinking that... you're just projecting your own biases at this point, and honestly, I don't even feel like explaining myself anymore... 😉
Douglas Brown4 said:Don't get worked up. You haven't said anything we don't already know. Unfortunately, your line of thinking is exactly what the New York City herd tries to push on us.
"We" again? 🤣 If you think you actually know what "my" teachings are, then you're still just as lost as before... 😵
btw I'm not getting worked up, you're just being tedious 😉
Look, I said "I," not "we"—not everyone’s living life with their cup running over, you know? My post wasn't even directed at you... you clearly already have all the answers you need. The point is honestly too simple and blunt for me to sit here and explain—you completely missed the mark. I’ll just let the people who think they know better than me keep thinking that way... anyway, that's most people for you. You're just part of the herd. 😉
You totally missed my point—and honestly, I’m not even going to waste my breath trying to explain it again... whoever gets it, gets it, and the rest of you can just deal with it
We really need to focus more on the actual work itself rather than obsessing over the end goal. Every single action naturally leads to a result—so if we just do things the right way from the start, our attention should stay on the task at hand instead of worrying about what happens next. Honestly, people spend way too much time dwelling on the past or chasing things they haven't achieved yet—and that’s how you lose the only thing that actually matters: the present moment. Just do the work, give it everything you've got, and try not to get hung up on the outcome. That’s basically the whole point of karma yoga 🙂
otherwise, frustration is pretty much inevitable...
It’s way better to find joy in the process itself than to live in this fantasy where happiness is some prize waiting for you at the finish line... because that finish line never actually arrives—it's a total trap 😉
You're projecting a whole picture on me—look, I've got nothing against you personally 😉 ...I'm just cutting things short... don't take me too seriously 😉
btw I'm not denying anything... you're projecting again 🙂 just let that go 😵
A goose in a bottle... Rika, a high-ranking official from the Tang Dynasty, once asked Zen master Nansen: "Long ago, there was a man who kept a goose in a bottle. It grew larger and larger until it couldn't get out anymore—but he didn't want to break the bottle, nor did he want to hurt the goose. How would you get it out?" The master shouted: "Officer!" To which Rika immediately replied: "Yes!" "There—it's out!" said Nansen.
This describes a paradoxical situation where two opposing states exist in our consciousness at the exact same time.
Is there a similar dialectical system in Western philosophy? The philosopher Hegel set up his dialectical system by pitting a thesis against an antithesis, which together create a synthesis. His system applies to everything—from the micro-world of tiny particles to the macrocosm of planets and galaxies.
The artist Escher captured this state perfectly in his paintings.
How could this system be applied to the world of spirituality?
Self psychology provides the answer. It’s a modern form of psychoanalysis that focuses on the conflict between the Self and the Ne-j. Self psychology is actually the first scientifically proven theory that links our sense of identity (the Self) to the state of non-duality—that oneness between the Self and the other. Even though the Self and the other seem to create a conflict, they actually form a meaningful whole where both sides define, complement, and create one another. According to Zen Buddhism, reaching a state of unity (satori) means resolving that paradox—basically solving a situation where it looks like there's only one possible solution. Modern physics also doesn't separate the observer from the observed anymore; they function as one complete system. To accept this kind of paradox, you have to let go of the illusion that there's only one way to solve a problem. It means moving beyond the "Self" and stepping toward the "other." C. G. Jung put it this way: "A man must surrender his Ego to find his true Self." That’s really the only way we can move past narcissism and actually feel our spirit...
... seriously, what kind of moron tries to shove a goose into a bottle? 😬 😂 We need to file a lawsuit with the Animal Rights Foundation—get that guy held accountable for this nonsense 😠
"...the goose is out there—it was never actually stuck inside the bottle...🙂..just like us. We’re outside, too; we were never trapped in some glass container to begin with. That feeling of being stuck or limited? It’s just a glitch caused by a wrong idea. There isn't even a "problem" of how to escape your head (the bottle) in the first place... when you realize you're the observer, you see you were never "inside"—you've always been out here, we just aren't paying attention most of the time..🙂"
"The whole point of Zen is walking that razor-thin edge of the present moment— you have to be so incredibly, absolutely present that there’s simply no room left for any problems, or suffering, or anything else you aren't really being in your core essence. In the present moment—where time just doesn't exist—all those problems of yours just melt away. Suffering needs time to exist, and it just can't survive in the present. To pull their students' focus away from the concept of time, the great Rinzai Zen master would often just raise a finger and quietly ask: 'What is missing right now?' It’s such a powerful question—it doesn't even need an answer from your logical mind. It’s designed to pull your attention deeper into the present moment. There's a similar question in the Zen tradition: 'If not now, when?'..."
bluemason3 said:man, it’s crazy how they missed the point—they didn't mention that a mystical yogin could step into a river in one spot and pop out anywhere else in the world😳 🙏 😎 😍 😬
Like, you step into a toilet in Chicago and suddenly you're floating in the Black Sea😬
PURIFYING WITH SALT WATER ( This is one of those basic individual meditations you really should do regularly. When you’re dealing with heavy anxiety, depression, or just a massive amount of responsibility—it’s great to do this every single day. ) Fill a glass or a chalice with water. ( Use a ritual chalice if you have one handy. ) Using an athame (or whatever you use instead ), add three pinches of salt and stir it counter-clockwise. Sit down with the glass in your lap. Let all your worries, fears, doubts, hatred, and disappointments just pour out of your mind. Picture them as a murky stream leaving your body through your breath—the salt water in the glass dissolves them. Keep going until you feel completely cleansed. Now, lift the glass. Take a deep breath and feel yourself drawing power up from the earth. Let that power flow into the salt water, until you can actually see the water glowing with light. Drink it. Once you taste it on your tongue, know that you've taken in that cleansing and healing energy. Fear and misfortune have been transformed into the power to change. Pour the rest of the water out into a stream. ( Sadly, in our modern era, the closest thing to a stream is usually just the kitchen sink drain. )
GROUNDING YOUR POWER Get down on the ground and relax. Place your palms against the earth or just lie down. Let your power flow right through you and into the ground. ( Even if you’re hanging out in a high-rise apartment on the 15th floor, just visualize the energy traveling down to the actual soil. ) "Relax and let the force flow through you... let it flow deep into the earth... where it will be purified and renewed. Just relax and stay still."
At the end of the day, just try to walk through everything that happened—retrace your steps from morning until now—but do it as a neutral observer. It helps prevent all those awkward moments from sinking into your subconscious—you know, instead of just sweeping them under the rug 😉
And one more thing—get out into nature, find some alone time, and just recharge your batteries... 🙂
It doesn't matter if you're talking about some big-shot guru, a close friend, or just anyone else in my life... don't you dare disrespect my mother like that!!!
Eating some cucumber and melon before you meditate really helps clear out that mental fog—you know, that sluggishness—and gives you way more clarity and alertness during the session... 😉Sometimes it feels nice to just drift in that hazy space between being awake and asleep, but honestly, that’s just lethargy taking over—real meditation is about that sharp, clean insight...
Look, I basically know what my issue was—but honestly, it feels stupid to harp on it when we all know what I gained from that Yogi Berra guy... it’s probably just my own dumb biases at work... especially since even that inspiration likely came from him... anyway, now that I know, I’m adding this to my practice... 😉, I can't wait to get home...
Sophia Jones61 said:It’s fine—if you need it, just grab some 😉
Neither too early nor too late.
As for mysticism? 🙂
Just listen to that meditation tape—honestly, I think it's the best one out there, it covers everything 😎
Seriously, just listen to all of them.😁
But man, I really do need this... I've been having these visions since I was seven years old, and I've just been waiting to move past it—it's driving me crazy... that's actually why I joined the FBI...