--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, satvadude108 <no_re...@...> wrote: > > Interesting rap TurquoiseB and Bhairitu. Thanks. > > Years ago I lived and worked in Las Vegas for a year. > To this day I am still fascinated by the phenomenology of > experiencing those intense vibes day after day but > remaining mindfully aware and not becoming overshadowed. > I was never able to put into words in even a moderately > adequate way what it felt like. The Surfing metaphor you > touched on is one I always liked, but found the Razor's > Edge analogy from the Katha Upanishad and Maugham to be > better at evoking the immediate peril always present... > ......prolly comes from growing up landlocked in an era > before Trac II cartridge blades. :-) > > I'd enjoy reading that story that you wrote in Detroit > but did not include in RoadTrip. Is it available on the Net?
No, sorry...it is not. The master copy was on a laptop that died, and foolishly without a backup. I'd have to recreate it to allow any- one to read it, and I don't know if I could do that without being there in the room at the time. The "razor's edge" you speak of is NOT some- thing that appeals to all spiritual seekers. Many actually FEAR things that they have been told are "unholy." They avoid such things like the plague, and thus IMO avoid a good education in "the extremes of what humans can be." But there are some of us who took the "Unity" thing literally, and do not see any difference in the the "potential for enlightenment" between a celibate monk and a stripper in a Las Vegas club. Funnily enough, Buddha didn't see that difference, either. That's one of the reasons I like the dude and his "take" on spirituality. Forget the koan, "Does a dog have Buddha-nature?" If you want to see where a person lives, pose them the koan, "Does a hooker have Buddha- nature?" Their response indicates, IMO, whether or not THEY have the potential of realizing their own Buddha-nature in this incarnation. All I know is that I have had some of my highest experiences in this incarnation in settings and among people that many spiritual seekers would characterize as "low vibe." Being able to see in them their "higher side" has always enlivened that same "higher side" in me. Or so it seemed, anyway. I have very little tolerance for "holier than thou" types. Perhaps you can tell. I tend to find their definition of "holy" to be equivalent to "elitist." The spiritual teachers I revere ( and I really *do* still revere some of them ) were the ones who emphasized the debilitating effects of self importance. My experience on the spiritual path for over forty years now has indicated to me that self importance is the greatest trap that any seeker or any group of seekers could ever fall into. And when they not only fall into it but fall into it so far that they *look down* on those who are "less important"...? Forget the Christian concept of Hell. Anyone who lives in the state of attention that allows them to believe that they are important enough to look down on others because those others live a different lifestyle than they do don't have to wait for the fires of Hell and the tortures of the damned after death. They're already damned here and now. IMO, of course. :-) > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: > > > > > > I knew some young strippers who were at some jyotish > > > workshops. I also knew a lingerie model (who had also > > > worked with California Hardbodies) who was very > > > interested in spiritual things, astrology and ayurveda. > > > > > > OTOH, knowing the drink prices (and minimums) at strip > > > clubs I can't believe you actually hung out at one to > > > write. And the testosterone levels at those places are > > > enough to drive anyone out let alone try to write there. > > > > That was the whole point. I was surfing Tantric > > opposites. I used to do the same thing in Amsterdam, > > sit in clubs like Yab Yum (a brothel) and write about > > spiritual subjects. That's just who I am; I get off > > of the polarity of seemingly opposite energies. As > > usual :-), I have a Bruce Cockburn line that seems > > to capture the phenomenon: > > > > You see the extremes > > Of what humans can be > > In that distance some tension's born > > Energy surging like a storm > > You plunge your hand in > > And draw it back scorched > > Beneath it's shining like gold > > But better > > Rumours of glory > > > > It's the Tantric counterpart to the story of Ulysses > > and the sirens from the Odyssey. His ship had to sail > > past the island of the sirens, whose song was so > > enchanting that any sailor who heard it had to follow > > it and wound up dying as they steered their ships onto > > the rocks in an attempt to get to the sirens. So > > Ulysses had his crew's ears stuffed with wax so that > > they couldn't hear the siren song and then had them > > tie him to the mast, with ears unplugged, so that he > > *could* hear it. > > > > That's how I am with places like brothels and strip > > clubs, or was a decade ago, when I had occasion to > > write in them. I've never been really tempted to get > > a lap dance or to "go upstairs" with any of the women; > > I just enjoy being in an environment in which they > > are pushing out an energetic "siren song" to get men > > to do that, and seeing how it *feels*. Then, in the > > midst of that vibe, I write about spiritual topics > > and *other* energies. Go figure. > > > > > And #2 is actually an old tale that gurus often tell about > > > the prostitute and the yogi. The yogi practiced his > > > meditations across the street from a prostitute and looked > > > down with upon her while she across the street admired the > > > yogi's spiritual practices and devotion. (To cut things > > > short) when death came to both the yogi went to hell and > > > the prostitute went to heaven. :-D > > > > That's my theory. For whatever reasons, I really DON'T > > look down on "sex workers." I see in them *humanity*, > > often more than I see in those who walk by with their > > noses in the air considering themselves "superior" to > > the prostitutes or strippers. > > > > As a result, during the time I was consulting there in > > Detroit, I actually got to know a couple of the strippers. > > Some of them were burnout cases or druggies, but a few > > actually *were* "only in it for the money." I wound up > > helping one to edit her Masters thesis in Psychology; > > she was stripping to earn an advanced degree. She didn't > > do lap dances and the owners of the place were fine with > > that because she was a real dancer (having studied ballet), > > and was the best dancer in the joint. Stripping allowed > > her to work only 20 hours a week and earn more money than > > most people on this forum have ever made in a week. She > > was the one I wrote the story about. I gave her a copy > > and she liked it a lot, and cited it in her thesis. I > > taught her to meditate (not TM), as I did several of the > > prostitutes at Yab Yum. I don't know whether they still > > meditate or not. > > > > > TurquoiseB wrote: > > > > I won't comment on Edg's rant, except to say that > > > > 1) it's a re-run of his projected rant about me > > > > being a "predator," and 2) I sat in that strip > > > > club and managed to see one of those strippers > > > > as a deva, a dakini, while Edg saw similar wommen > > > > only as worthy of looking down upon with scorn, > > > > from his oh-so-much-higher-than-they-were position > > > > of moral righteousness. I leave it to those in > > > > the FFL audience who can still think to determine > > > > which reflects more of spirituality. > > > > > > > > There are days when a human being makes me feel > > > > ashamed of sharing a species with them. This is > > > > one of those days. > > >
