AW: AW: AW: Bhagwat Thumping/Finding the Truth

[Guest guest]

Dear Steven,

 

I work on myself in a similar way to how you describe below.

It seems, I dont even need to place myself anywhere as the circumstances

seem to find me anyway.

 

Everytime I feel disturbed by people or circumstances around me, I use it as

a self referal excersize.

Its what I ment when I wrote earlier about my taking personal responsibility

& feeling free when having done so.

 

It was difficult at first, to point the finger at onself always but it has

become easier with time & now its almost automatic, in the sense that I dont

even have to think about it, I simply do it.

 

After years of watching me, my husband has begun to experiment with the

same. Life is getting ever simpler......

 

Hari Om.

 

Shabnam

 

 

 

 

 

Dear TejPal,

 

Good point--regarding being offended. In my earlier years on the path I

spent much time trying not to be 'offensive'. Eventually I figured out

that if I was going to be 'myself' and go forward on the spiritual

path, I was going to be offensive to someone (whether intentioned or

not), just about every day.

The way I look at this now is that if I'm offended by someone or

something, there is some 'thing' within me that is getting disturbed. I

try to look at this as an opportunity for growth (after the initial

seething reaction subsides :>))--if something disturbs me, I have work

to do on myself.

 

In fact, a technique I've learned to help speed up spiritual growth,

would be to place oneself continually in difficult circumstances on

purpose, and to invite criticism to oneself. This can be done until one

finds a 'center' within that is impervious to criticism.

 

 

It makes perfect sense to me that a true spiritual person, teacher, guru

etc, has nothing within themselves that is capable of registering a so

called 'offense' and thus could never be offended under any circumstances.

 

Best,

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Links

[Guest guest]

Bioacoustics wrote:

 

>Dear Steven,

>

>I work on myself in a similar way to how you describe below.

>It seems, I dont even need to place myself anywhere as the circumstances

>seem to find me anyway.

>

>

 

 

Dear Tejpal,

 

Yes, it does seem that we really don't have to go looking for

trouble.....it has a way of finding us.

I don't go out my way to incite more problems in my life because in due

course they come of their own accord.

 

 

>Everytime I feel disturbed by people or circumstances around me, I use it as

>a self referal excersize.

>Its what I ment when I wrote earlier about my taking personal responsibility

>& feeling free when having done so.

>

>It was difficult at first, to point the finger at onself always but it has

>become easier with time & now its almost automatic, in the sense that I dont

>even have to think about it, I simply do it.

>

>After years of watching me, my husband has begun to experiment with the

>same. Life is getting ever simpler......

>

>

 

 

This sounds like a perfect example of changing someone else by first

changing yourself....no preaching required, just walking your walk.....

 

 

Best,

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Steven,

 

That was Shabnam you were replying to, not me. You addressed the mail to me,

thought I'd point out the oversight.

 

Of course I agree with both of you. The reason behind getting offended is a

weakness on the part of the individual. Happens when there's something that

one can't defend, well with much success anyways. And the only option left

to the individual is to remove all traces of the weakness.

 

The thing however is that we're all human after all and can't rid ourselves

of our weaknesses totally. Even Achilles had his heel remember, and he's one

of the only 2 humans who was thought to be 'godlike' in the Iliad (obviously

I've been reading too much Greek mythology for my own good). They say that

the Gods are different from Men cause they're immortal and have nothing to

lose and hence are invulnerable, even from attack by other Gods. Very smug I

guess, trifle boring too.

 

Cheers,

Tejpal

 

>Steven Stuckey <steven

>valist

>valist

>Re: AW: AW: AW: Bhagwat Thumping/Finding the Truth

>Sat, 12 Mar 2005 21:03:15 -0800

>

>

>

>

>Bioacoustics wrote:

>

> >Dear Steven,

> >

> >I work on myself in a similar way to how you describe below.

> >It seems, I dont even need to place myself anywhere as the circumstances

> >seem to find me anyway.

> >

> >

>

>

>Dear Tejpal,

>

>Yes, it does seem that we really don't have to go looking for

>trouble.....it has a way of finding us.

>I don't go out my way to incite more problems in my life because in due

>course they come of their own accord.

>

>

> >Everytime I feel disturbed by people or circumstances around me, I use it

>as

> >a self referal excersize.

> >Its what I ment when I wrote earlier about my taking personal

>responsibility

> >& feeling free when having done so.

> >

> >It was difficult at first, to point the finger at onself always but it

>has

> >become easier with time & now its almost automatic, in the sense that I

>dont

> >even have to think about it, I simply do it.

> >

> >After years of watching me, my husband has begun to experiment with the

> >same. Life is getting ever simpler......

> >

> >

>

>

>This sounds like a perfect example of changing someone else by first

>changing yourself....no preaching required, just walking your walk.....

>

>

>Best,

>

>Steve

>

>

>

>

Links

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Tej Pal Chadha wrote:

 

>Dear Steven,

>

>That was Shabnam you were replying to, not me. You addressed the mail to me,

>thought I'd point out the oversight.

>

>

 

Dear Tej Pal,

 

Oops, sorry.. thanks for pointing that out--apologies to Shabnam

 

 

 

>Of course I agree with both of you. The reason behind getting offended is a

>weakness on the part of the individual. Happens when there's something that

>one can't defend, well with much success anyways. And the only option left

>to the individual is to remove all traces of the weakness.

>

>

 

 

Defending the 'weakness' seems to be a logical tactic to reinforce ones

confidence and is 'helpful' in bolstering the idea of who I think I

am. However this is one way to make sure that the weakness will

continue as it will need to be protected and defended in the future.

Refusing to defend ones flaws when under attack is quite another thing

and hard to do in actual practice...dying to the drama of human life is

a painful process.

 

 

 

 

>The thing however is that we're all human after all and can't rid ourselves

>of our weaknesses totally. Even Achilles had his heel remember, and he's one

>of the only 2 humans who was thought to be 'godlike' in the Iliad (obviously

>I've been reading too much Greek mythology for my own good). They say that

>the Gods are different from Men cause they're immortal and have nothing to

>lose and hence are invulnerable, even from attack by other Gods. Very smug I

>guess, trifle boring too.

>

 

 

If one is never offended under any circumstances then he is either dead

(while giving the appearance of being alive), or...... liberated. It's

been my experience that the process of becoming more conscious means

seeing that I am offended by something or the other with hardly any

break 24 hours a day. The successful 'dropping' of one defensive

mechanism, hurt or weakness, often means bringing into awareness dozens

of others.

 

"Having nothing to lose" and immortality are very close me

thinks.....boring? I'd like to be bored for a change....:>))

 

 

Steve

 

>

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hey Steve,

 

>Defending the 'weakness' seems to be a logical tactic to reinforce ones

>confidence and is 'helpful' in bolstering the idea of who I think I

>am. However this is one way to make sure that the weakness will

>continue as it will need to be protected and defended in the future.

>Refusing to defend ones flaws when under attack is quite another thing

>and hard to do in actual practice...dying to the drama of human life is

>a painful process.

 

Quite so, except often it isn't a weakness you're defending. You could be

defending a character trait, material possession, person you like. Of course

at a very lofty level one could call all these weaknesses too, and then

one's brought back to the debate about God and Men.

 

>"Having nothing to lose" and immortality are very close me

>thinks.....boring? I'd like to be bored for a change....:>))

 

Join the gang, mate

 

Cheers,

Tejpal