--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard J. Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
What a bitch RJ, I spend half-an-hour answering every point here and the site crashes! I hate it when that happens. > Richard Hughes wrote: > > I always thought that there were two components > > to this, first is 'stress' that acts on the > > nervous system. This could be anything that > > makes you have to work harder either mentally > > or physically. Can be either good or bad, which > > is largely down to unconscious personal > > preference, some people thrive under pressure, > > others... not so much. > > > > Secondly you have 'strain' which occurs when the > > nervous system can't take anymore without raising > > the natural anxiety background level... > > > According to Selye stress has two components: one > he called the general adaptation syndrome, and > another type of stress, a pathological state > derived from ongoing, unrelieved stress. > > > ...in MMY lingo it leaves a permanent imprint on > > the nervous sytem that only the deep relaxation > > of > TM can release. interestingly, both good > > and bad > can have an effect here... > > > It's not just 'MMY lingo' - it's the yoga system of > South Asia. Samskaras are the imprints of all > previous actions in the past and in the present. > > Samskaras is a Sanskrit Buddhist word which refers > to all conditioned phenomena. But the idea here is > that there are structures within the unconscious > that are the basis for all worldly activities and > future REBIRTH. > > The purpose of stress relief in the yoga system is > aimed at freedom from the conditions that lead to > rebirth, not just practices that would help a > person relax or feel better. > > But the 'imprints' are not permanent - otherwise > there would be no relief. The samskaras can be > 'burnt' away through the practice of tapas, which > is a form of meditative stress release, what Selye > called 'eu-stress' - a stress that is curative or > pleasant. > > > I think people in the TMO got so obsessed with > > releasing stress that they forgot most of it wasn't > > negative in any way at all, like the people I meet > > who never do more exercise than asanas in case they > > "create stress" in themselves that they will only > > have to undo whilst meditating later. > > > Maybe so. > > > If the question is, does TM release strain? I would > > have to say sometimes, but it's in no way as good > > as it says on the tin and I doubt that just being > > stress/strain free is all it takes to get one > > enlightened, it's a nice thought and I fell for it > > too but you have to look at the mechanism involved > > here. > > > TM meditation is NOT the cause of enlightemnet. TM > meditation simply provides an *ideal* opportunity for > the transcending. It is NOT the practice that brings > the enlightenmnet - enlightenment is an already > present state. > > Enlightenment is the dispelling of the illusion of > the individual soul-monad. > > > MMY claims that all stress/strain is a deviation > > from normal functioning and that TM will release it, > > trouble is you could be suffering anxiety from > > childhood trauma and the stress is caused by memory, > > hard-wired in. > > > You may have confused the Marshy with L. Ron Hubbard, > because this is almost an exact description of > Scientology. But it is a fact that Scientology works: > some people just feel better when they have someone > to talk to. > > But, Marshy follows more closely the idea of > meditation being a curative 'eu-stress', rather than > a release of purely physical stress/strain. > > According to Selye, stress is the disruption of > homeostasis. This can be through physical or > psychological stimuli. This is where the yoga system > leaves the modern psychologists far behind. There is > so much more to the yoga system and its accepted > doctrines, that it makes western psychiatry look > like a Fisher-Price toy in comparison. > > > Is TM going to change that in any way? I think not, > > the anxiety from strain like this will stick around, > > TM may reduce the symptoms but you need to delve > > inside and change the way you react to memories. > > I can't see how any amount of meditation will change > > you that much. > > > Maybe so, but you wouldn't know it if you saw it, > since enlightenment is an interiorized enstasis. > But you would know it, just as surely as the Buddha > knew it. > > You should know that, according to the Buddha Shakya, > when he attained enlightenment he saw the entire > realm of his own becoming; he saw the suffering he > had experienced in so many previous births, and he > KNEW that he would be reborn no more. He SAW and > DISPELLED the illusion of the individual soul-monad. > He was at that moment FREE - he realized that > rebirth was no more. > > What he did NOT say was that he had obtained any > supernornal powers or insights. He did NOT say that > he could fly through the air or pass through walls. > > What he DID say was that he had seen the way out of > the endless births and deaths; the sorrow, lamentation > and grief. He DID say that there was a way. This > sounds logical - if there was no way out, individuals > would be forever possesed of an individual soul-monad, > locked in a cycle of materialistic dualistic illusion. > > > Which is another reason I think MMYs teaching can be > > dangerous, as they promise a cure for everything and > > may keep people away from help they need. > > > > "Eustress can be defined as a pleasant or curative > stress." > > Source: > > What is stress: > http://tinyurl.com/3wz98u > > 'Stress without Distress' > By Hans Selye > Signet, 1975 > http://tinyurl.com/55c4ll >
