--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung <no_re...@...> wrote: > > Turq, > > My notes below: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > Just to humor Edg, and because as a believer > > in the value of Beginner's Mind I hope always > > to be a "newbie," and just for the fun of it, > > I'll answer. > > That's a snipe. To humor someone is to plainly indicate > that you feel the person is whacked.
And? > > > 1. In which religion were you raised? > > > > None. I was thrown out of Presbyterian > > Sunday School after my third Sunday and > > have been thankful for that ever since. > > > > > 2. In which other religious movements have you been a > > > true believer? List them in chronological order. > > > > Badly phrased question, Edg. I have > > *never* been a "True Believer" in any > > movement that I considered "religious." > > A newbie could see from this that you're sniping without > helping with a re-wording. Typical of you. Why should I help you feel superior to Newbies? Make up your own bad questions. > > I have participated in movements that > > I considered "spiritual" on the "True > > Believer" level only twice -- with TM > > and with the Rama trip. > > > > > 3. Do you believe in reincarnation? > > > > Yes. > > > > > 4. Do you believe in an omniscient, omnipotent, God Who is > > > running the universe down to the least aspect? > > > > No. > > > > > 5. How do you define soul? > > > > I don't. Meaningless term. > > Obviously it is not a meaningless term if you thought it > had enough meaning to deny soul. I did not "deny soul." I said that it was a meaningless term. It is, to me. If you have a meaning for the term, fine. I think the whole issue of whether one has a "soul" and what it's like is meaningless ego-tripe. > Instead, the word "meaningless" is more easily > interpreted as your way of putting me down for even asking > the question....a meaningless question is what a dolt asks, > right? And? > > > 6. How do you define enlightenment? > > > > I don't. Meaningless term. > > For a person who has spent thousands of hours on sites that > pertain to enlightenment, you come off, again, as intent on > putting me down rather than answer the question. And? I don't CARE about the question. You do. To me it's a meaningless term. As with "soul," you are asking people to "pin down" and try to define something that is IMO ever-changing and non-defineable. That *does* kinda make you a dolt. > You have a deep and clear set of concepts that have helped > you arrive at your POV about enlightenment, yet you offer > no explanation of your dismissal that would show you see the > complexities. And? > You've waxed long about this concept for a decade, so > your curt answer here is a personal attack. And? > > > 7. Nature or nurture? > > > > Both, of course. The "of course" again is an attack on my > > cogency. And? > > > 8. List the gurus in who's physical presence you've been. > > > > Too many to list. > Rather than name the "biggies," you seem to assert some sort > of soft concept like "everyone and everything is my teacher," > and so, you ignore the intent of the question. Not really. I just didn't think you were worth sitting down and trying to remember all their names. Still don't. > > > 9. What country do you live in now? > > > > Spain. > > > > > 10. How many children have you parented? > > > > None, to my knowledge. > > > > > 11. How many times married? > > > > Once. > > > > > 12. Years spent in the TMO? > > > > 14. > > > > > 13. Years spent living in Fairfield, Iowa? > > > > 0 (zero). > > > > > 14. Vegetarian? > > > > No. > > > > > What rules? > > > > None. Oh, you meant about eating. :-) None. > > > > > 15. Do you watch entertainment that portrays raw and graphic > > > violence? > > > > Absolutely. > > > > > 16. Can drugs be spiritually useful to the ordinary person on > > > the street such that regular use could be supported? > > > > Too many variables to give a straight > > answer to. What is "spiritually useful?" > > What is "regular use?" For that matter, > > what is an "ordinary person?" > > Of course these are good questions, but everyone here could > answer the question-in-general easily. You are used to dealing with people who are willing to answer badly-phrased questions, then. > You chose to avoid answering by shotgunning back a ton of > nuance questions just to side track the issue. No, I just blew off a stupid question. And? > > > 17. In which places of the world have you lived a year or more? > > > > Too many to list. Well over 50 at this point. > > Hmmm, so just about every year of your life you've moved? Yes. > Interesting. > Have you ever had a sense of "roots" in a geographic area? No. Don't want one. You've only lived three places and look how you turned out. :-) > > > 18. On a 1 - 10 scale, rate how much of your spiritual > > > journey you've accomplished so far. > > > > All of it. My journey, "spiritual" or > > otherwise, extends only as far as this > > moment. Tomorrow -- if I live to see > > tomorrow -- I will give the same answer, > > but the journey will have been one day > > longer. > Again a slippery answer... Again a true answer. You don't seem to be able to handle the truth. > ...that is poetry instead of direct communication. And? What makes you think you're worth communicating with? > At least there's no sniping done, so I can try to > interpret the poetry without having to deal with a snipe too. You can interpret things any way you want. *How* you interpret them means as little to me as you do. > > > 19. How much time do you spend per day in formal spiritual > > > practices that are not common-everyday human activities? > > > > A half an hour to an hour in sitting > > meditation. But I can practice mindful- > > ness at any time, and often do -- while > > working, eating, walking, sleeping, or > > having sex. > > > > > 20. List the recreational activities, hobbies, passions that > > > get more than 10 hours per week of your time. > > > > Walking. Reading. Watching movies. Being > > a predator. ( Hey...you didn't think I was > > going to give you ALL straight answers, > > did you? :-) I notice you didn't jump on this one. Could it possibly be because you don't want to bring up YOUR counterpart to Judy's "death threat" meltdown? :-) > > > 21. What do you expect to get out of posting here at > > > FairfieldLife? > > > > I *hope* to win that big kewpie doll on the > > shelf behind the carnival barker. But I've > > been around the carnival circuit enough > > times to *expect* nothing. You didn't jump on this one, either. Too bad. It's the best answer of the lot. Edg, you're reacting as if you're HURT that I didn't take your little ego-questionaire seriously, and that it implies that I don't tke YOU seriously. Well, it's true. Get used to it.
