Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Dark night of the soul described

[Vaj]

On Dec 6, 2005, at 11:16 AM, ultrarishi wrote: True enough.  Powerlessness over (fill in the blank) is one helluva  foundation to start from.  But, I always liked the clarification  that the Serenity (Senility?) Prayer gave:  God, Grant me the  serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change  the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  In  the "yoga" of the 12 steps the Serenity Prayer is really a prayer  about developing the mind's/spirit's discriminating abilities.  One  maybe powerless over the behavior of another (an alcoholic parent,  spouse, etc.), but one CAN choose to not spend time, etc. with the  person, breaking the cycle of endless suffering because the  codependent is playing God thinking they can affect the other's  behavior. Also, the alcoholic or drug addict etc. may not be able to give up  their addiction forever, but they can give it up for 1 hour or 1 day  at a time. I think TB's are expecting too much from just Transcending and not  putting enough energy into the activity phase.  12 steps kind of  balances out my meditation practice by getting me off my ass to work  at doing service, cleaning up my messes, finding ways to know myself  better so that I know others better.  It's part of my sadhana as  much as TM and aerobics are.  And I hate 12 step and fitness TB'ers  as much as I hate TM TB'ers. It would be interesting to see what kind of results you would get from recovering 12-step people undergoing intense purification practice like is undergone by tantric yogis. For fellow practitioners I've known for years who did this practice, they seem like different people, the difference is that palpable. They seem kinder, gentler, like the rough edges are gone. And they just put out a different vibe than they did before. At the same time it would be helpful, IMO, to engage in a spiritual practice which conveyed through direct experience that the personality is not a real thing. It's just an illusion. Once the grasping to that false image stops, the person inevitably and just naturally softens and changes. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' SPONSORED LINKS Maharishi university of management Maharishi mahesh yogi Ramana maharshi YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "FairfieldLife" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.