tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post3912689922049851495..comments2023-06-22T08:49:02.798-07:00Comments on Yogic Muse: Reflective BeautyBrooks Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05789430862542763946noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-44991075944741639062009-12-26T22:07:30.405-08:002009-12-26T22:07:30.405-08:00Decades ago, when I'd read a couple books on Z...Decades ago, when I'd read a couple books on Zen and was getting interested for the first time in Eastern philosophy, I had a girlfriend who shared that interest, as well as other interests, so we sat around listening crankin' up the tunes, smoking pot, dropping acid and talking about Buddhism. Then, as time went by, I pretty much got off that path (temporarily, as it turned out) and went off to be an intellectual, while she got very seriously into studying and practicing Buddhism. Now, however, I get the impression that, despite giving years of her life to it, she's pretty much dropped it, and seems to be mostly interested in pot, booze, and any other diversions she can find without the distraction of following any particular discipline. I sometimes feel discouraged thinking of her, but, then, I remember the endless arguments we used to have about what all that Zen stuff added up to--where I tended to be interested in the compassion aspect, and generally held a view far closer to Thich Nhat Hanh's idea of socially engaged Buddhism, to her the ideal always seemed to be to get to a point where she could "nonattach" in the sense of saying goodbye to having to deal with other people (her idols all appeared to be the kinds of Zen masters who disappeared forever into the mountains). And, though she certainly studied lots of stuff that contradicted it, I don't think she ever lost that ideal of escape; nor, for that matter, did she ever stop doing drugs or drinking for any significant amount of time (even managing to find pot growing wild near the Himalayan hut where she lived for a time). Thus, I think she followed the Buddhist path until she realized that, when it came to escaping reality, it really wasn't any more effective than booze and drugs...and, ultimately, not-escaping wasn't what she was interested in at all. <br /><br />Certainly, I can't say I've been immune to the siren call of escape, myself. In fact, she might say that I've been at least as bad in that respect as she, and she might be right. Still, I am trying to differentiate the "spiritual highs" which can leave me somewhat deflated and confused once I've come down, with a real sense of peace...not that they're bad, necessarily, but they shouldn't be confused for what they're not (particularly since then I simply end up judging the rest of my life against them, creating a whole new destructive dualism, and all the more discontent).Mr Soulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-65738145457343601002009-12-26T17:26:49.551-08:002009-12-26T17:26:49.551-08:00I also like connecting that quote with the idea of...I also like connecting that quote with the idea of the world as your playground...it's not that the disturbances aren't there...but instead of waves they are ripples, and we just watch them, and live them.<br /><br />Even in the chaos of New York, I find that if I take a meditative attitude, ie "Aren't these people pushing each other interesting," or just observing my own (even aggravated!) responses, I feel better.<br /><br />It's the "you are not your thoughts" idea.RBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11229168317354334361noreply@blogger.com