I think I replied to quickly to the same post. You pretty much stated the same thing I did regarding how materialistic incompetence is somehow looked at as a virtue.
seekliberation --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: > > > > "A lot of hippies and babyboomers are learning that painfully now." > > > > Or perhaps materialism is better and spiritualism for existing > > on this planet? Those who worship wealth may fare better than > > those who follow a spiritual path? > > More likely it's that the so-called "spiritual" paths > ignored the value of Living In The Material World for > so long, and passed this down as a virtue. > > This was never the case, for example, in the shamanic > teachings popularized by Carlos Castaneda. His fictional > don Juan (synthesized from a number of real Yaqui shamans) > was clear that success in the spiritual realms was > *dependent on* having mastered the material world, or > the First Attention. > > If you can't get by in that world, they taught, and with > some modicum of style and class, you *don't stand a chance* > of getting anywhere in the more refined spiritual worlds. > The latter is *dependent on* having mastered the former. > > My experiences in the worlds of spiritual development tend > to make me believe the wisdom of this. To make a long story > short, those who cannot cope with the material world, and > who wander around in a spaced-out state of mind that they > call "spiritual" don't last very long, and aren't missed > when the material world runs over them and leaves them as > roadkill. Being able to handle the material world, and to > turn it to your advantage, has a distinct advantage when > one ventures into realms in which one plays with more > subtle energies. Those who could not even master gross > energies don't stand a chance in that world. > > One finds the same mindset in many other spiritual teach- > ings, such as the Christian monks who refuse to beg for > a living, and are required to develop skills with which > to pay the bills of the monastery they live in, and pay > for their own lives. There are similar teachings in some > Buddhist traditions, and in many other spiritual traditions. > > It seems to be only the New Age and some Hindu-based > traditions in which being spaced out and unable to find > one's mouth with a fork, let alone earn a living, are > looked upon as "spiritual," and a Good Thing. >
