On Jan 3, 2007, at 9:58 AM, Alex Stanley wrote:
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jim_flanegin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
Unlike your Clear Light meditation, in which it takes decades
of practice to accomplish anything approaching effortlessness.
I don't understand why the effortless thing is such a big deal. For
me, the glaringly obvious elephant in the corner is people who have
allegedly moved on to better paths than TM who spend significant
amounts of time online, lashing out at TM. If their current path is so
superior and advanced, why spend so much time wallowing in that kind
of spiritual insecurity and ego drama?
Simply because, within the traditions themselves (including Hindu
traditions), the question of what effortlessness is, is well defined,
known and understood.
When it is lied about or used falsely to promote a certain item it
therefore raises eyebrows. For a long time--largely due to
overwhelming naivete or fear of questioning authorities--this glaring
error went unquestioned and the lie came to be believed by large
numbers of people. The fact still remains that so many people
*believed what they were told*. And so therefore it should not be
real surprise that when you don't Question Authority that it will be
hard for some people to grok the principle if they accepted an
untruth for a long, long time. So there's a certain amount of inertia
that needs to be overcome when this denial is institutionally
engrained. Such mass-indoctrinated untruths can even take on their
own egregore--a folie à plusieurs (this is what seems to have
happened in the TMO IMO).
Why is it important? It is important because the distinction between
truly effortless meditation and meditative paths which use subtle
effort are very basic distinctions between two contrasting types of
meditative praxis. It's basic. This experiential distinction becomes
more important as one progresses on the path--but it's also important
for having the ability to speak to other styles of meditation
practitioners in an authentic way. If the person you are talking to
doesn't know any better, you wouldn't notice any overt difference
(other than the fact that you have propagated your own unknowing
error on to others). If they do know the difference, of course they
will stop taking you seriously.
.02 USD
