--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, akasha_108 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: do you hold that sadhana have not effect on behavior? > > Decreased anger, guilt, embarassment, jealousy, envy, and > reactiveness, along with increased happiness, sparkle, crativity, > love, tolerance, flexibility and compassion seem not only to be > positive correlated with sadhanas but a causitive result of such. >
I agree with you that the regular practice of meditation can have the influences mention above. Over the past 35 years I have seen people who started TM, embraced the practice and philosophy, changed their diets, stopped smoking, went back to school, etc. all positive things. Years later many resumed old habits including hard core drug usage, smoking cigarettes, and other such behaviors. Is it the majority, I don't think so. However, could these behaviors change because of the idea that *now I'm a meditator, meditator's are known to be non-reactive, non-jealous, peaceloving, compassionate people, now that I meditate I am all those things* and then act as if that were true? I have seen scores of TM people revert back to previous behavior when, finally, they could not take the strain of being such a *good* person. Initially we were all told NOT to do anything other than practice TM twice per day for 20 minutes, no other beliefs required. Many people who learned TM, due to the era we started, were already in the Eastern get-enlightened mindset and the notion of being or emulating a Yogi was pretty well standardized and that was our model. So, even with the admonition to do nothing more than meditate for 40 minutes per day, we were pretty ready to take on saintly behavior. I know I can still get pretty angry after 30+ years of TMing, and all the rounding I've done. I never figured this would be what life was like after so many years and so many asanas, pranayam, and TM. I wish I had been more natural and true to myself in the early years and perhaps things could have turned out differently. Peter put it so well in another post in this strand when he made reference to people's projection of the God archetype. I think that is what very many have done. > If one were to postulate or articulate an ultimate state of growth and > evolution -- as some texts and "authorities" do -- something I don't > see much value in, but who knows -- then it seems reasonable, from > that angle, that improved behavior may also reach its pinnacle or its > trajectory: minimal (or perhaps even zero) anger, guilt, embarassment, > jealousy, and reactiveness, along with maximum happiness, sparkle, > love, tolerance, flexibility and compassion. Do you find such a > trajectory absurd? > > Just a small aside. Byron Katie (in her second book) states that > enlightenment is available through her teachings. That may simply be > an indication that the term has become more diluted, further losing > much of any usefulness with the current onslought of neo-advaitan and > new-age abuse of the word and concept. Regardless, without trying to > map her use of the word with others', for her, its at a minimum, some > state of inner light and freedom. And her techniques specifically > affect action / behaviors, inner and outer. Inner being thought > patterns and behaviors and outer being action in the world. Thus, at > least on current example comes to mind where behavior is said to be > "vastly" improved in "enlightenment" compared to non-enlightenment. > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
