What are the hidden benefits of meditation?

That’s exactly my point, though—look, we’re talking about a serious operation here, not some amateur hour hobby or a walk in the park, and honestly, anything can happen if you aren't careful. I think I might have tripped over my own words earlier because I focused entirely on explaining what *should* happen when things go according to plan, rather than diving into the "what ifs" of everything going sideways. I didn't really break down the mechanics of why a failure occurs, I just pointed out that it's a very real possibility, which is what I was trying to get at in the first place, right?

bluemason3 said:During my time at a pretty solid yoga institute, I rarely saw meditative practices recommended as standalone sessions. Usually, they were just tossed in at the beginning as part of the physical routine. Occasionally, there’d be some mantra work—mostly for those following Hindu traditions—but even then, it was almost always bundled with the physical exercises. We did practice them, sure, but instructors often emphasized that this stuff was more for personal use rather than something to use with clients.

On the flip side, when dealing with clients facing psychological issues, we’d regularly ramp up the physical aspect of the program and strip out the contemplative elements entirely (even though mindfulness is being pushed into physical workouts quite a bit lately).

Even though people talk endlessly about spiritual philosophies, most of us usually dive into practice because something in our lives isn't working right. It's driven by problems, not just a pure hunger for truth. Plus, our modern lifestyle is worlds apart from the environments where these contemplative practices actually originated. Trying to meditate in a high-speed society where your senses are constantly bombarded isn't the same thing.

People are different, too. Everyone processes things uniquely and has a different baseline constitution. One common cultural trend I notice is an overabundance of stimulation paired with a lack of core stability, and neither is particularly helpful for deep practice.

All in all, you can't say meditation is inherently dangerous, but you can't call it safe either. It all depends on the individual, their approach, the bigger picture of their lifestyle changes, and any prior preparation. It’s like anything else. It's hard to find a food that's perfectly healthy for everyone or an object that's guaranteed to never cause harm. We just need to stop treating these techniques like religions, elevating certain methods as "magic bullets" that solve everything instantly and suit everyone perfectly (unlike the "inferior" options offered by the competition, of course). A more grounded approach works fine. A technique is just a technique; it’s only as useful as it is to the person using it. It doesn't have inherent value just because someone marketed it well to make it sound cool. For some, it might be great; for others, picking mushrooms 😛 😁 might be more useful than any meditation.

True, if only everyone could be this level-headed, rational, and thoughtful. On one hand, you have people impulsively jumping into all sorts of movements in a desperate search for a panacea; on the other, you have these "soul healers," gurus, and teachers who act more like brand managers, pushing a standardized regimen onto everyone instead of actually considering the individual's unique persona and circumstances. It makes for a pretty dysfunctional and risky business model.

I agree—for some people, vigorous physical labor will be far more beneficial than any amount of contemplation or meditation.

The primary driver behind many spiritual pursuits isn't actually the quest for truth, but rather a subtle form of hedonism or escapism—the comfort found in faith and the illusion that we can exert total control over every facet of ourselves, providing a sense of personal empowerment. Truth is its own distinct category; it doesn't care whether you like it or not, and it certainly doesn't depend on anyone's opinion.

In the past, both the environmental conditions and the cultural landscape were structured in such a way that contemplative practice flowed much more naturally into various aspects of daily life.

Yeah, I feel like there used to be this kind of fluid coexistence between the body and the spirit, you know? A sort of middle ground where they could just exist together without constant friction. But nowadays, it feels like you’re forced to pick a side or make these rigid, strict choices about how much of each you want to lean into. It’s like you have to exert so much more willpower just to reach the same baseline we all used to have, and when you finally do decide to cut ties or make a change, the incision is way deeper and more radical than it ever was before. I suppose that’s just the tax you pay for gaining awareness, though. It seems pretty obvious that achieving a true symbiosis between those two worlds isn't really on the table in this modern era—not in any meaningful way, at least. Though, I can't decide if that's a tragedy or actually a stroke of luck...

Some people think we’re just here to "play around," like there isn't some deeper purpose behind our existence. I guess they see it as an opportunity to discover who we really are when stripped down by all this materialism. That’s why I’m interested in meditation—it’s such a famous way to get to know yourself without the ego getting in the way. But honestly, meditation isn't for everyone. Some people probably find more clarity through reading or just hanging out in nature.
I was actually reading about monasteries recently. I really admire how they live—the renunciation, the structure, the hard work, and that intense discipline. Is giving everything up really the only goal in life? I don't think so, because, let's face it, we can't take anything with us anyway. I don't know much about monastic life since I haven't looked into it deeply, but they seem to radiate this sense of peace and order. Maybe they practice a form of meditation too. I don't know. If their version of meditation is just prayer, then I don't really count that as meditation; to me, that's more of an expression of respect, gratitude, or just voicing a wish, which is something I do quite often.
You've probably heard of sun gazing. Apparently, people do it for about nine months, only looking during the "golden hours"—that hour before sunrise or sunset. They meditate during the process, too. And apparently, you have to walk barefoot on the earth at least once a year. I read some articles claiming this can actually change your DNA, or even lead to things like levitation and telepathy.
What do you guys think? Is it actually worth the effort, or is it just a waste of time?

analogstag29 said:Meditation itself isn't inherently dangerous in the way people usually wrap their heads around danger.

The actual risk factor in meditation is the meditator—that is, the individual who begins stepping into certain states of their own soul, touching upon what they truly are without even realizing it. So, the danger lies within the person practicing, not in the practice itself. Meditation is just the tool; the practitioner is both the cause and the consequence.

It’s the same logic you’d apply to asceticism, fasting, renunciation, celibacy, or deep contemplation. These are all means to an end, and in themselves, they aren't dangerous; in fact, they are generally considered desirable. Of course, the outcome can occasionally be risky, though that’s rare, but it remains a possibility.

Furthermore, when we talk about the realms of the spirit, consciousness, purpose, struggle, and God, we are entering the territory of higher science. This isn't something you just stumble upon casually, like some magic trick where everything is suddenly revealed with a snap of the fingers, Harry Potter style. This is serious work. The ultimate goal is enlightenment—the total comprehension of the cosmic struggle in its entirety, the Absolute. We often say an enlightened person is someone who no longer carries questions; everything is clear to them, they understand who everyone is and what they are meant to do, and there are no more doubts left. All that remains is pure love and light, and such a soul is finally redeemed.

Fear vanishes, those illusory chains fall away, everything becomes crystal clear, and the person finds themselves in complete peace. It is a state of bliss and serenity, perhaps the most precious state of being available in this world. Such a soul has learned everything and is fully committed, standing ready to transcend the limitations of the human skin and all the passions of the flesh, ultimately leaving behind the sentence of that very body.

So, to put it simply, meditation is the vehicle, but the destination is something else entirely. You don't reach it easily; if it were simple and straightforward, everyone would be a saint, but we all know how rare a saint is, especially in today's world. And mind you, being a saint isn't a title you earn; it's a state of being, which I think is pretty obvious.

The whole point is to transcend the mind and the physical passions through these various methods to finally discover the most vital thing of all: why you are here, or rather, who you actually are.

It's about the neck, not the light😁
A gun or a car isn't dangerous on its own; it's the shooter or the driver. But you can't be a shooter or a driver without the gun or the car. It's all a matter of perspective. Honestly, I don't care how you phrase it philosophically; the point is that the issue exists.

Those "problems" or symptoms you're feeling? They’re really just signs that the vaccine is doing its job and being absorbed by your system.
no pain, no gain 🙂

Daniel Castillo11 said:@analogstag29

I’m not entirely sure if you’ve quite grasped what bluemason3 is getting at here... all this talk about philosophies, spiritual enlightenment, and those other lofty concepts are really just abstractions. What we are actually discussing is the concrete mechanics of the practice itself—specifically, whether one might encounter contraindications during sessions or suffer any lasting adverse effects. At the end of the day, everything we do exerts a tangible influence on both the brain and the body, so the intensity, the method, and the frequency of our actions are far from negligible.

Whether people buy into the mystical narratives or not, they can still run into significant issues with raw practice, and that has nothing to do with their level of belief. It comes down to pure physiology, neurology, and individual psychology. This means there isn't some magic, universal formula for how much to do, what techniques to use, or when to stop. Yet, you often see spiritual instructors doing the exact opposite—they push the same stories, the same formulas, and the same rigid regimens onto everyone without any sense of personalization. When things go wrong, they tend to dodge responsibility by claiming these psychotic deviations are merely a result of a "deeper misunderstanding" or a failure to embrace spiritual reality, along with all that other nonsense. Instead of acknowledging that everyone comes with their own unique medical history and that you can't treat every person with the same protocol—in other words, that meditation isn't always a one-size-fits-all cure-all.

Oh, so enlightenment is just a myth now? 🤣

Look, there are people out there who are lightyears ahead of you—way beyond me, too—and they aren't guessing; they're dead certain they know exactly what enlightenment feels like.

Angela Cox4 said:Oh, so enlightenment is just a myth now? 🤣

Look, there are people out there who are lightyears ahead of you—way beyond me, too—and they aren't guessing; they're dead certain they know exactly what enlightenment feels like.

Maybe it was this specific guy: 😁


One afternoon, while Mazu was sitting deep in meditation, Nanyue decided to point out his fundamental weakness with some pretty sharp insight. Nanyue asked him, "What are you doing?" Mazu replied, "I am meditating." Then Nanyue pressed him, "And why?" Mazu answered, "I'm doing it so I can achieve buddhahood." Nanyue didn't say a word—he just picked up a brick and started polishing it. When Mazu asked, "What on earth are you doing?", Nanyue told him, "I am making a mirror." Mazu sat there thinking about it and finally asked, "How is it even possible for a brick to become a mirror?" And Nanyue just looked at him and said, "If you can't even polish a brick until it becomes a mirror, how do you expect to become a buddha through nothing but meditation?"

Benjamin Taylor6 said:Maybe it was this specific guy: 😁


One afternoon, while Mazu was sitting deep in meditation, Nanyue decided to point out his fundamental weakness with some pretty sharp insight. Nanyue asked him, "What are you doing?" Mazu replied, "I am meditating." Then Nanyue pressed him, "And why?" Mazu answered, "I'm doing it so I can achieve buddhahood." Nanyue didn't say a word—he just picked up a brick and started polishing it. When Mazu asked, "What on earth are you doing?", Nanyue told him, "I am making a mirror." Mazu sat there thinking about it and finally asked, "How is it even possible for a brick to become a mirror?" And Nanyue just looked at him and said, "If you can't even polish a brick until it becomes a mirror, how do you expect to become a buddha through nothing but meditation?"

Seriously though, if that's the case, why did the Buddha spend years meditating before he actually reached enlightenment? Like, what was the point of all that sitting there?

Honestly, once this guy starts trying to buff out a brick, I’m pretty sure he’s just gonna end up hitting himself in the head—total brain melt, lol.

Angela Cox4 said:Seriously though, if that's the case, why did the Buddha spend years meditating before he actually reached enlightenment? Like, what was the point of all that sitting there?

Honestly, once this guy starts trying to buff out a brick, I’m pretty sure he’s just gonna end up hitting himself in the head—total brain melt, lol.

He clearly had no clue about Zen Koans.😁

Or even Saint Francis from Assisi.😲

Oh sure, let's just assume Buddha was totally clueless about half the spiritual stuff we've figured out by now... 🙄

Topics like this always trip me up.

I feel like the biggest trap in spirituality is getting bogged down by all these rigid dogmas, while we just totally ignore the stuff coming from inside—you know, the heart, the soul, intuition, actual lived experience...

We’ve all heard that way to fight stress is through meditation, but honestly? That feels like just another dogma to me.

Meditation isn't some tactical tool to beat stress, any more than living in a monastery is designed to kill stress.

The best way to handle stress is really just finding your own path, but those heavy-handed rules usually end up being the very thing blocking us from actually listening to ourselves.

Dogmas are basically just someone else's experiences being forced on you, whereas our own personal experiences should be the foundation of how we live and grow spiritually.

In my own life, I’ve seen how meditirati can spark a massive transformation, but let's be real—that change can be incredibly stressful if we aren't staying true to what we're actually feeling.

So, when we meditate, we're going to be the ones who truly understand what we need and what we don't. It’s probably best to just toss out all those dogmatic rules and instead pay really close attention to our own journey and whatever our heart is telling us.

Olivia Davis81 said:It might all be fine, except for the fact that there seem to be so many cases where people end up becoming mentally unstable...

HAHAHAHAHAHAH yes!
What’s the real distinction between a genius and a madman? It’s simple. A genius knows how to translate their wild ideas so the people around them actually get it. A madman doesn't. 😛

Angela Cox4 said:Look, meditation isn't some magic trick—it just shines a massive spotlight on all the junk we've been bottling up inside ourselves for years. I honestly don't get how people claim it can drive you crazy; the whole point, right? You're supposed to just be a neutral observer, sitting there watching it all go by without getting sucked in.

50,000.
People approach meditation with this desperate, forced intensity. It’s because the Western mindset is just too blunt—too aggressive. We’re obsessed with instant gratification and immediate results. Because of that, we end up overlooking all that "quiet wisdom," and that's exactly where the problems start. My advice? Slow down. Listen to everything. If a specific thought or feeling starts to bother you, don't fight it. Understand that your subconscious has simply flagged a glitch. It presents that thought or emotion as "negative" only so you’ll actually notice it. It’s giving you a signal to pay attention and work through it on your own terms. Honestly, sometimes the best form of meditation is just journaling—getting the stream of consciousness down on paper and having a real conversation with yourself.

silvermason2 said:Everything you do in this life—whether you’re grinding hard or just sitting still—leaves a mark on your psyche and your body. Meditation is no exception. People love to talk about "dangers," though I wouldn't call them that; they're really just human reactions to specific stimuli. It's like how one person might feel sick after a single Advil, while someone else can pop a maximum daily dose and feel like they could run a marathon.

You have to follow the instructions for pretty much everything. Just like you’d read the label on a prescription from your doctor, every meditation technique comes with a set of guidelines you need to stick to if you actually want positive results. If you go rogue and start doing stupid stuff without knowing what you're doing, you're going to pay for it later. Believe me, I learned that the hard way.

Any bad experience you have while meditating usually boils down to a few things:
- The specific technique just isn't a good fit for you.
- For beginners, overdoing it can throw your energy levels completely out of whack. You might end up with too much energy—leading to insomnia, loss of appetite, jitters, headaches, or even vomiting—or you might drain yourself too much, leaving you feeling exhausted, listless, depressed, or dealing with weird aches and pains even when your physical exams at the clinic come back perfect.
- You fell for some fake guru who pushed an inappropriate technique on you and charged you an arm and a leg for it.
- You lack basic knowledge about the technique and its effects. When you start feeling things happen, you have no idea where it's coming from, and you end up freaking yourself out.
- A massive pile of subconscious emotional baggage surfaces after just one session, and if you don't know how to handle it, there's a high chance you'll lose your mind.

If someone gets "sick from meditation," it’s not the meditation that caused the illness. The issue was already there; meditation just accelerated it. It’s like schizophrenia—in most cases, the person was already dealing with it long before the first symptoms showed up. Meditation just sped up a process that was already unfolding. As for physical ailments popping up after spiritual practice, those are often just manifestations of emotional blocks. At its core, spiritual practice is about finding internal balance and breaking through those blocks. For instance, if someone can't feel love, they likely have a blockage in their heart chakra, which could manifest as heart issues like arrhythmias. If someone feels helpless or invisible, that's a solar plexus blockage, which can lead to stomach issues, nausea, or diarrhea.

Regarding "going crazy"—like I said, the person was already headed that way, but they might have found out ten years from now instead of today. And honestly, what does "crazy" even mean anymore? Don't tell me that just because I see auras, I belong in a psych ward. Symptoms are one thing, but actual disease is something entirely different. A headache can be a symptom of a thousand things; it doesn't automatically mean you have a brain tumor. Besides, it's always easier to call someone "crazy" just because they're different than to admit to yourself that you're missing out on the incredible experiences they're having. If they see the world through a different lens, why should they be the "weird" one and me the "normal" one? Why can't it be the other way around?!

Look, I’m self-taught, and honestly? I haven't run into any real issues. Sure, there were moments that might look negative at first glance, but once you start to meditirati, you realize that "positive" and "negative" are illusions. They don't actually exist. There is only our perception. Every single thing—an event, an object, even a person—is inherently neutral. Once you wrap your head around that, you gain a certain power. You can choose to find the positive in everything we experience. You get to hand-pick the experiences that actually shape who you are.

silvermason2 said:Everything you do in this life—whether you’re grinding hard or just sitting still—leaves a mark on your psyche and your body. Meditation is no exception. People love to talk about "dangers," though I wouldn't call them that; they're really just human reactions to specific stimuli. It's like how one person might feel sick after a single Advil, while someone else can pop a maximum daily dose and feel like they could run a marathon.

You have to follow the instructions for pretty much everything. Just like you’d read the label on a prescription from your doctor, every meditation technique comes with a set of guidelines you need to stick to if you actually want positive results. If you go rogue and start doing stupid stuff without knowing what you're doing, you're going to pay for it later. Believe me, I learned that the hard way.

Any bad experience you have while meditating usually boils down to a few things:
- The specific technique just isn't a good fit for you.
- For beginners, overdoing it can throw your energy levels completely out of whack. You might end up with too much energy—leading to insomnia, loss of appetite, jitters, headaches, or even vomiting—or you might drain yourself too much, leaving you feeling exhausted, listless, depressed, or dealing with weird aches and pains even when your physical exams at the clinic come back perfect.
- You fell for some fake guru who pushed an inappropriate technique on you and charged you an arm and a leg for it.
- You lack basic knowledge about the technique and its effects. When you start feeling things happen, you have no idea where it's coming from, and you end up freaking yourself out.
- A massive pile of subconscious emotional baggage surfaces after just one session, and if you don't know how to handle it, there's a high chance you'll lose your mind.

If someone gets "sick from meditation," it’s not the meditation that caused the illness. The issue was already there; meditation just accelerated it. It’s like schizophrenia—in most cases, the person was already dealing with it long before the first symptoms showed up. Meditation just sped up a process that was already unfolding. As for physical ailments popping up after spiritual practice, those are often just manifestations of emotional blocks. At its core, spiritual practice is about finding internal balance and breaking through those blocks. For instance, if someone can't feel love, they likely have a blockage in their heart chakra, which could manifest as heart issues like arrhythmias. If someone feels helpless or invisible, that's a solar plexus blockage, which can lead to stomach issues, nausea, or diarrhea.

Regarding "going crazy"—like I said, the person was already headed that way, but they might have found out ten years from now instead of today. And honestly, what does "crazy" even mean anymore? Don't tell me that just because I see auras, I belong in a psych ward. Symptoms are one thing, but actual disease is something entirely different. A headache can be a symptom of a thousand things; it doesn't automatically mean you have a brain tumor. Besides, it's always easier to call someone "crazy" just because they're different than to admit to yourself that you're missing out on the incredible experiences they're having. If they see the world through a different lens, why should they be the "weird" one and me the "normal" one? Why can't it be the other way around?!

I'll ask again: Who sets the standard for madness, and who gets to decide? Is being "crazy" actually a bad thing?
(Sure, there are people whose neurological systems are completely compromised, but they are already at the extreme end of the spectrum and shouldn't be used as a benchmark.)

The GOAL OF MEDITATION isn't raising consciousness or training the spirit or any of that fluff. The goal of meditation is to meditate. That's it. That's all there is to it. Just do it.

For me, meditation is all about tapping into the good stuff—but more importantly, it’s about stripping everything back to the truth, even if what you uncover is something pretty dark or negative. At the end of the day, all of it—the light, the shadow, the mess—is just part of who we are and how our minds work...

Angela Cox4 said:Oh, so enlightenment is just a myth now? 🤣

Look, there are people out there who are lightyears ahead of you—way beyond me, too—and they aren't guessing; they're dead certain they know exactly what enlightenment feels like.

That’s true enough, I suppose. But tell me, can you actually verify someone else's lived experience? Do you have some sort of direct window into another person's cognitive processes?

"Enlightenment" is a perfect business model. Just look at how Jiddu Krishnamurti approached it. Nowadays, everyone talks about it as if they’re all discussing the exact same thing, when in reality, everyone just projects whatever personal meaning they want onto the word.

My focus isn't on those narratives; I'm talking about the tangible, measurable impact that meditating has on the physical body and the psyche. I’m not interested in the tales, the religions, the spirituality, or the metaphysical fluff.

The only thing we can really bank on is that meditation produces a specific effect on the brain and the way it processes thoughts and emotions. Scientific studies consistently show positive results regarding anxiety and depressive disorders, and according to Daniel Goleman, it also influences emotional intelligence and the level of awareness regarding our daily stream of consciousness...

I am not talking about magicians, levitation, bearded gurus, or spiritual awakenings. Those are merely the ideological layers wrapped around the actual practice of meditation.

Benjamin Taylor6 said:He clearly had no clue about Zen Koans.😁

Or even Saint Francis from Assisi.😲

What's the context here?

casualtiger2 said:What's the context here?

If Buddha had known you could reach God through sex, he wouldn't have gone off to live as an ascetic. He would have just married a few more beauties—and practiced tantra with them! Instead of sitting under a tree for hours and hours trying to meditirati.

Maybe this path is actually better—even more elevated—than being a tapas. Honestly, the teacher who introduced me to TM actually turned his back on that bearded Maharishi guy to pursue nirvana through sex. And get this: he actually charges people for it while teaching others. Though, not too much: http://www.nytimes.com/article/lifestyle/tantra-classes-prices-for-ecstasy

'Tantra isn't meant for those who think they can just "bang" a few women every day; it's a technique for achieving bliss through hours of sexual ecstasy.'

p.s.

I was looking at the page about Komaja, and I couldn't find any detailed instructions on how to actually empty out the tantra! ?

Daniel Castillo11 said:That’s true enough, I suppose. But tell me, can you actually verify someone else's lived experience? Do you have some sort of direct window into another person's cognitive processes?

"Enlightenment" is a perfect business model. Just look at how Jiddu Krishnamurti approached it. Nowadays, everyone talks about it as if they’re all discussing the exact same thing, when in reality, everyone just projects whatever personal meaning they want onto the word.

My focus isn't on those narratives; I'm talking about the tangible, measurable impact that meditating has on the physical body and the psyche. I’m not interested in the tales, the religions, the spirituality, or the metaphysical fluff.

The only thing we can really bank on is that meditation produces a specific effect on the brain and the way it processes thoughts and emotions. Scientific studies consistently show positive results regarding anxiety and depressive disorders, and according to Daniel Goleman, it also influences emotional intelligence and the level of awareness regarding our daily stream of consciousness...

I am not talking about magicians, levitation, bearded gurus, or spiritual awakenings. Those are merely the ideological layers wrapped around the actual practice of meditation.

We can’t be certain about much of anything. Really. The whole point of spirituality is the practice itself—taking those lofty metaphysical concepts and actually testing them against the grind of daily life. It’s simple, really. You just have to be brutally honest with yourself. Recognize when you're merely observing and when you're just getting carried away with wild extrapolations. Think critically. That’s the whole game.

Benjamin Taylor6 said:If Buddha had known you could reach God through sex, he wouldn't have gone off to live as an ascetic. He would have just married a few more beauties—and practiced tantra with them! Instead of sitting under a tree for hours and hours trying to meditirati.

Maybe this path is actually better—even more elevated—than being a tapas. Honestly, the teacher who introduced me to TM actually turned his back on that bearded Maharishi guy to pursue nirvana through sex. And get this: he actually charges people for it while teaching others. Though, not too much: http://www.nytimes.com/article/lifestyle/tantra-classes-prices-for-ecstasy

'Tantra isn't meant for those who think they can just "bang" a few women every day; it's a technique for achieving bliss through hours of sexual ecstasy.'

p.s.

I was looking at the page about Komaja, and I couldn't find any detailed instructions on how to actually empty out the tantra! ?

You could spend your life chopping wood, making grits, strolling along the boardwalk, or even just disciplining your kid—everyone chooses what they love most. That phrase "If Buddha had known..." is such a clumsy way to put it. He knew. He knew plenty, but he chose what he chose. History is full of enlightened people; some lived like ascetics, others were materialists, but neither lifestyle adds to or subtracts from their spirituality. Before enlightenment, you chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, you still chop wood and carry water.

Jacob Sanchez7 said:We can’t be certain about much of anything. Really. The whole point of spirituality is the practice itself—taking those lofty metaphysical concepts and actually testing them against the grind of daily life. It’s simple, really. You just have to be brutally honest with yourself. Recognize when you're merely observing and when you're just getting carried away with wild extrapolations. Think critically. That’s the whole game.

You could spend your life chopping wood, making grits, strolling along the boardwalk, or even just disciplining your kid—everyone chooses what they love most. That phrase "If Buddha had known..." is such a clumsy way to put it. He knew. He knew plenty, but he chose what he chose. History is full of enlightened people; some lived like ascetics, others were materialists, but neither lifestyle adds to or subtracts from their spirituality. Before enlightenment, you chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, you still chop wood and carry water.

To be honest, I’ve always had a bit of a distaste for the word "spirituality" because it carries such a heavy load of ideological baggage and clichés. Rather than calling myself spiritual, I tend to describe myself as contemplative or introspective, mostly because those terms point directly toward the practice itself rather than some specific dogma. People have this habit of taking a term, stuffing it full of their own assumptions, and then forcing everyone else to carry that weight. Once a label becomes loaded like that, people start projecting all sorts of prejudices onto it, judging a person based on the tag they wear before even getting to know them.

Absolutely, critical thinking should come first, and it needs to be a continuous process as you move through life. 🙂

One could spend their life hammering nails, cooking grits, strolling along a boardwalk, or even just playing with their kids... everyone chooses the path that resonates most deeply with them. That phrase "If Buddha had known..." feels so clumsily constructed to me. Buddha knew plenty, but he simply preferred what he preferred. History is filled with enlightened individuals; some lived lives of extreme asceticism while others were quite materialistic, yet neither lifestyle diminishes or amplifies the depth of their enlightenment. Before enlightenment, you chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, you still chop wood and carry water.

Hehe, you might just become a Zen master yet. 🙂

That last part is a classic Zen koan. I find Zen relatively digestible because of its pragmatic nature. It’s just that the word "enlightenment" still makes my skin crawl a little bit whenever I encounter it.🙂

Benjamin Taylor6 said:If Buddha had known you could reach God through sex, he wouldn't have gone off to live as an ascetic. He would have just married a few more beauties—and practiced tantra with them! Instead of sitting under a tree for hours and hours trying to meditirati.

Maybe this path is actually better—even more elevated—than being a tapas. Honestly, the teacher who introduced me to TM actually turned his back on that bearded Maharishi guy to pursue nirvana through sex. And get this: he actually charges people for it while teaching others. Though, not too much: http://www.nytimes.com/article/lifestyle/tantra-classes-prices-for-ecstasy

'Tantra isn't meant for those who think they can just "bang" a few women every day; it's a technique for achieving bliss through hours of sexual ecstasy.'

p.s.

I was looking at the page about Komaja, and I couldn't find any detailed instructions on how to actually empty out the tantra! ?

Just as I thought. Benjamin Taylor6—your little stories can be entertaining, sure, but even though you act all well-informed and worldly, judging by what you're saying about Komai and MacKenzie, you tend to twist things so they have absolutely nothing to do with the actual subject.
Right here is the manual for the basic Komai meditation technique, and the very first line under "General Instructions" reads: "Komai meditation is performed for 30-40 minutes in the morning and for the same amount in the evening."
MacKenzie meditated for hours every single day—and even now (technically) meditates while leading his courses (though my gut tells me he's basically meditating non-stop).
So, your little jabs about "tantra, beauties, and easy living"—they don't hold water.

I've already pointed out once how superficial your approach is (and apparently, you're too lazy to actually look things up), so now I'm starting to wonder if your "life stories" are even real, or if you've just "interpreted" those, too.
And really, how much have you actually grasped regarding your T-Mobile teachers, Zen Buddhism, Buddha, tantra, or anything else spiritual? 🤷