[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana, ParaNirvana and MahapParaNirvana.
Yifuxero, By any chance, have you followed my posts about Ramana Maharshi's POV about the difference between identification and attachment? Edg --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "yifuxero" wrote: > > --Let me understand this: by "merging" do people mean no further relative > bodies? Why would that be an asset? How does having (being, in the relative > sense) no body "increase" one's awareness of the Absolute? > Put another way, people spend millions of years evoloving from amoebas only > to have no further relative existence? and that's a good thing? > > - In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj wrote: > > > > > > On Jun 8, 2009, at 5:30 PM, BillyG. wrote: > > > > > Nirvana is Cosmic Consciousness or Self-Realization, ParaNirvana is > > > realization of Brahman or Unity and the MahaParaNirvana is the great > > > point of NO return where the Sadhaka (practitioner) drops the mortal > > > coil and merges into the omnipresence, (unless he takes the > > > Bodhisattva vow, another subject), correct me if I am wrong, but > > > this is my understanding to date. Thanks :-) > > > > > > It could just be that you're thinking too much Billy. > > >
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana, ParaNirvana and MahapParaNirvana.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "yifuxero" wrote: > > --Let me understand this: by "merging" do people mean no further relative > bodies? Why would that be an asset? How does having (being, in the relative > sense) no body "increase" one's awareness of the Absolute? > Put another way, people spend millions of years evoloving from amoebas only > to have no further relative existence? and that's a good thing? Actually, being localized in a physical body is a limitation. However MMY calls it "Punam adah, punam idam", inner AND outer fullness. Doesn't mean you can't resurrect one at any time, Jesus Christ did.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana, ParaNirvana and MahapParaNirvana.
--Let me understand this: by "merging" do people mean no further relative bodies? Why would that be an asset? How does having (being, in the relative sense) no body "increase" one's awareness of the Absolute? Put another way, people spend millions of years evoloving from amoebas only to have no further relative existence? and that's a good thing? - In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj wrote: > > > On Jun 8, 2009, at 5:30 PM, BillyG. wrote: > > > Nirvana is Cosmic Consciousness or Self-Realization, ParaNirvana is > > realization of Brahman or Unity and the MahaParaNirvana is the great > > point of NO return where the Sadhaka (practitioner) drops the mortal > > coil and merges into the omnipresence, (unless he takes the > > Bodhisattva vow, another subject), correct me if I am wrong, but > > this is my understanding to date. Thanks :-) > > > It could just be that you're thinking too much Billy. >
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana, ParaNirvana and MahapParaNirvana.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "BillyG." wgm4u@ wrote: > > > > Nirvana is Cosmic Consciousness or Self-Realization, ParaNirvana is realization of Brahman or Unity and the MahaParaNirvana is the great point of NO return where the Sadhaka (practitioner) drops the mortal coil and merges into the omnipresence, (unless he takes the Bodhisattva vow, another subject), correct me if I am wrong, but this is my understanding to date. Thanks :-) > > > > > > Nir means without, vana means craving; nirvana is a state where all desires have been fulfilled (by living unlimited bliss consciousness without any limitation by the mind), so there is no craving which would necessitate another birth. Whether anybody continues to have a body after this point doesn't matter, as there is no going back to mental limitation. > Thanks...after a little research I discovered the appellation of jiva-atman and para-atman used in Yoga differ a little from Buddhism, though very similar. Good link below: http://users.ez2.net/nick29/theosophy/lessons07.htm
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana, ParaNirvana and MahapParaNirvana.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "BillyG." wrote: > > Nirvana is Cosmic Consciousness or Self-Realization, ParaNirvana is > realization of Brahman or Unity and the MahaParaNirvana is the great point of > NO return where the Sadhaka (practitioner) drops the mortal coil and merges > into the omnipresence, (unless he takes the Bodhisattva vow, another > subject), correct me if I am wrong, but this is my understanding to date. > Thanks :-) > Nir means without, vana means craving; nirvana is a state where all desires have been fulfilled (by living unlimited bliss consciousness without any limitation by the mind), so there is no craving which would necessitate another birth. Whether anybody continues to have a body after this point doesn't matter, as there is no going back to mental limitation.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On May 5, 2007, at 5:22 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: > > > I was going to write tonight from Nirvana, but I've > > decided against it. I was there earlier and lemme > > tell you...no matter what you've heard in all of > > those spiritual books, Nirvana is *way* overrated. > > > > I had been looking forward to kicking back in the > > environment the ads proclaimed as "Sitges' Best > > Chillout Bar," surrounded by Buddhas and drinks > > with little floating lotuses in them, but Noo. > > It turned out to be a tightass bar, full of young > > upscale Spanish youth longing to "chillout," as > > the ads had invited them to do, but somehow > > lacking the knack. > > > > So I moved back to the Bar Pay-Pay. The Waitress > > With The Legs Designed In Brahmaloka is not here > > tonight, so I might just be able to write a little > > something about Nirvana, even if I'm not there. > > > > Nope. Not a damned thing. > > > > Wouldn't it be a kick if Nirvana the spiritual > > goal turned out to be a lot like Nirvana the bar? > > You struggle and struggle for lifetimes, performing > > weirdass sadhanas like bouncing on your butt on > > slabs of foam, and after eons of Class-A tapas like > > that you finally "reach" Nirvana...and it's like > > the bar of the same name in Sitges? Full of stuck-up > > people who came there looking to chill but who never > > quite mastered it? Bummer. > > That's what many have found. In visionary experiences of nirvana, if > one crosses the abyss, the first loka one enters is the city of the > pyramids, so-called because it looks like a city occupied by endless > pyramids. However on close inspection they aren't pyramids at all but > yogins who decided on eternal bliss with their purified nervous > systems. And their net result on the phenomenal world is nada. > Eternal bliss cadets, locked in lotus in their pyramidal cocoons, > addicted to soma. > I just *knew* that "Matrix" idea came from somewhere...
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante > wrote: > > > > > > the joy of drinking... > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html > > > > Many thanks for this, Bob. Such a funny, well- > > written review makes me want to order the book. > > > > The Bar is certainly a source of fascination. > Around about 1978 (+-) there was this rare Yogi who visited > Seelisberg. Almost every night Maharishi let him lecture in the Main > Assembly Hall. All he would talk about was unity in all it's facets. > Evening after evening. Unity, unity, unity and the need for seclusion > to reach that state. > Nothing wrong with that, the Yogi, who's name I no longer recall, was > obviously firmly established in that state. > One day Maharishi told his secretary to take the fellow on a trip to > Lucern. And he was rather surprized to suddenly find himself in a > well known bar in that city where the secretary insisted they should > spend quite some time. > When the Yogi's time in Seelisberg was up and he was going home to > India someone asked him how his stay had been. Marvelous he said, > then he declared that Maharishi is a generous and great Mahapurusha. > But, he said, Maharishis secretaries are rather strange ! > > The lesson ? Perhaps the Yogi needed to grow into Brahman, to > experience that he was in fact everything, including bars and their > inhabitants. > > Would Maharishi denounce brothels ? Me think not. > Enjoyed this rememberance from you, and illustrating the difference between UC and Brahman.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Alex Stanley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante wrote: > > > > the joy of drinking... > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html > > The reality of drinking... > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgiZp3LDRNg > ** As Turq B said in this thread: "In the absence of technologies such as meditation, bars are where humans go to shift their state of attention. Most of the humans on this planet are unaware of technologies such as meditation. There- fore, in my book, bars are interesting. That's where you would go if you were a seeker who had found no other way to shift your state of attention." * It's no good to "just say no" to alcohol and other drugs because people have needs that they will seek to meet. I quit alc after a few months of TM because that need to reduce anxiety was met by TM, and this is the usual response to consistent practice of TM, verified by studies of reduction of drug use by TMers (although I do know long- time TMers who are still into sauce or pot or whatever, but they are the rare exceptions). Bob
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Alex Stanley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante wrote: > > > > the joy of drinking... > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html > > The reality of drinking... > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgiZp3LDRNg FWIW, from Hasselhof's statement about the video: "I am a recovering alcoholic. Despite [the fact] that I have been going through a painful divorce and...have recently been separated from my children due to my work, I have been successfully dealing with my issue," Hasselhoff had said Thursday after the tape showing him drunk was aired by Extra, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. "Unfortunately, I did have a brief relapse, but part of recovery is relapse. Because of my honest and positive relationship with my children, who were concerned for my well-being, there was a tape made when I had a relapse to show me what I was like. I have seen the tape. I have learned from it, and I am back on my game. I hope that someone else will learn from the tape, as I have. I thank God for the love and concern from my children." Long story on Yahoo News: http://tinyurl.com/ypcc64
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > the joy of drinking... > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html The reality of drinking... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgiZp3LDRNg
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Man, how prejudiced you are. > Around about 1978 (+-) there was this rare Yogi who visited > Seelisberg. Almost every night Maharishi let him lecture in the Main > Assembly Hall. All he would talk about was unity in all it's facets. > Evening after evening. Unity, unity, unity and the need for seclusion > to reach that state. > Nothing wrong with that, the Yogi, who's name I no longer recall, was > obviously firmly established in that state. > One day Maharishi told his secretary to take the fellow on a trip to > Lucern. And he was rather surprized to suddenly find himself in a > well known bar in that city where the secretary insisted they should > spend quite some time. > When the Yogi's time in Seelisberg was up and he was going home to > India someone asked him how his stay had been. Marvelous he said, > then he declared that Maharishi is a generous and great Mahapurusha. > But, he said, Maharishis secretaries are rather strange ! > > The lesson ? Perhaps the Yogi needed to grow into Brahman, to > experience that he was in fact everything, including bars and their > inhabitants. > > Would Maharishi denounce brothels ? Me think not. Did his name start with an M.? Msomethingananda? I think I remember him and remember hearing the story. He was a very nice guy. If its the same one Maharishi sent him to different places in the movement, on a tour through europe, like Skandinavia, also Rhineweiler where I was. He visited again, when Shantanand was in Seelisberg in 83. He had a lot of Ashrams in India. I remember seeing him and the Shankaracharya off with Maharishi at Zürich airport.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote: > > > > > > The best bar I've ever had the privilege of > > > sitting and writing in is no more. It was Windows > > > On The World, in the World Trade Center. *Magnif- > > > icent* ambiance. The next best bar I've ever been > > > in is the bar at Yab Yum in Amsterdam. This may > > > be a stretch for those still attached to the puri- > > > tanical ways of the TMO; Yab Yum is a brothel, > > > the highest-class brothel in Amsterdam, at the > > > time I was going there. But, it's also the kind > > > of brothel where you might run into the Stones > > > at the bar, or politicians from major countries > > > of the world. It's a real trip. > > > > Man, how prejudiced you are. > > Me? I used to *hang* at Yab Yum. Never sampled > the merchandise, other than the beverages, but > I really enjoyed my time there. Some fascinating > conversations, and some good writing that came > out of those conversations. Your prejudices pertain to the TMO > > Around about 1978 (+-) there was this rare Yogi who visited > > Seelisberg. Almost every night Maharishi let him lecture in > > the Main Assembly Hall. All he would talk about was unity > > in all it's facets. > > Evening after evening. Unity, unity, unity and the need for > > seclusion to reach that state. > > Nothing wrong with that, the Yogi, who's name I no longer > > recall, was obviously firmly established in that state. > > As (I think) you point out below, if he was so > "firmly established in that state," what was it > about Unity that he couldn't find in the bar? Please read above man ! He didn't need any knowledge of Unity but of Brahman. Geez... > > > One day Maharishi told his secretary to take the fellow on > > a trip to Lucern. And he was rather surprized to suddenly > > find himself in a well known bar in that city where the > > secretary insisted they should spend quite some time. > > When the Yogi's time in Seelisberg was up and he was going > > home to India someone asked him how his stay had been. > > Marvelous he said, then he declared that Maharishi is a > > generous and great Mahapurusha. > > But, he said, Maharishis secretaries are rather strange ! > > > > The lesson ? Perhaps the Yogi needed to grow into > > Brahman, to experience that he was in fact everything, > > including bars and their inhabitants. > > I would agree with you that that's the lesson of > the story. The "author" of the story (whether > Maharishi or his secretary) remains a matter of > speculation. Maharishi instructed the secretary, making that rather obvious. I'd like to see the secretary with the guts to bring International guests to bars...
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote:
> >
> > The best bar I've ever had the privilege of
> > sitting and writing in is no more. It was Windows
> > On The World, in the World Trade Center. *Magnif-
> > icent* ambiance. The next best bar I've ever been
> > in is the bar at Yab Yum in Amsterdam. This may
> > be a stretch for those still attached to the puri-
> > tanical ways of the TMO; Yab Yum is a brothel,
> > the highest-class brothel in Amsterdam, at the
> > time I was going there. But, it's also the kind
> > of brothel where you might run into the Stones
> > at the bar, or politicians from major countries
> > of the world. It's a real trip.
>
> Man, how prejudiced you are.
Me? I used to *hang* at Yab Yum. Never sampled
the merchandise, other than the beverages, but
I really enjoyed my time there. Some fascinating
conversations, and some good writing that came
out of those conversations.
> Around about 1978 (+-) there was this rare Yogi who visited
> Seelisberg. Almost every night Maharishi let him lecture in
> the Main Assembly Hall. All he would talk about was unity
> in all it's facets.
> Evening after evening. Unity, unity, unity and the need for
> seclusion to reach that state.
> Nothing wrong with that, the Yogi, who's name I no longer
> recall, was obviously firmly established in that state.
As (I think) you point out below, if he was so
"firmly established in that state," what was it
about Unity that he couldn't find in the bar?
> One day Maharishi told his secretary to take the fellow on
> a trip to Lucern. And he was rather surprized to suddenly
> find himself in a well known bar in that city where the
> secretary insisted they should spend quite some time.
> When the Yogi's time in Seelisberg was up and he was going
> home to India someone asked him how his stay had been.
> Marvelous he said, then he declared that Maharishi is a
> generous and great Mahapurusha.
> But, he said, Maharishis secretaries are rather strange !
It's an open question as to whether going to the
bar was the secretary's idea or Maharishi's, but
the outcome was the same in either case -- the
"firmly established in Unity" yogi got to exper-
ience just how fragile and artificial his "estab-
lishment" was.
In some spiritual traditions, one of the first
things that the teachers suggest when a student
starts having strong enlightenment experiences
is that they "go out into the world" and see if
it "sticks." If it does, cool. And if it doesn't,
cool. Either way, you've learned something.
The test of enlightenment, as I see it, is how
well you "maintain" in *all* circumstances and
environments, not just the ones you prefer or
consider "refined" and "spiritual." I've met
"yogis" who could radiate samadhi consistently
in the meeting hall, but who turned into
frightened little mice when having to navigate
a busy city street. I don't know about you, but
that makes me wonder just how "established"
they really were.
> The lesson ? Perhaps the Yogi needed to grow into
> Brahman, to experience that he was in fact everything,
> including bars and their inhabitants.
I would agree with you that that's the lesson of
the story. The "author" of the story (whether
Maharishi or his secretary) remains a matter of
speculation.
> Would Maharishi denounce brothels ? Me think not.
I've never heard him make a comment on them one
way or another; I'd suspect, from his general
attitudes towards sex ("There is only the married
householder or the recluse; anything else is a
waste of life.") that his "take" on them wouldn't
be positive, but that's just a guess.
Me, I don't mind them because I've managed to have
some Class-A spiritual conversations in brothels.
With the women, with the patrons, and with the
owners. I've sat in the bars of brothels and had
long, deep conversations on karma and dharma, on
reincarnation, on meditation and its value, on
sexuality and how it works on an occult level, and
on other fascinating topics. I even taught meditation
once in a brothel, to one of the women. I paid the
fee for her services myself, went to the room she
usually took people to have sex with them, and
taught her how to meditate. Because it was at Yab
Yum and the time in the rooms cost 200 Euros an hour,
that little experience of teaching meditation cost
*me* something like 500 Euros, but it was worth
every centime...one of the highest experiences of
my life. She is now retired, but still meditates.
I really don't know why I like these places. Maybe
there is something about the basic honesty of why
everyone is there that "bleeds over" into the conver-
sations they have in such places. I don't know. All
I know is that sometimes I prefer the honesty and
openness of the conversations I find in bars and
brothels to the dogmatism and reject-the-joys-of-
the-world-ness I often find in temples and ashrams
and medi
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante wrote: > > > > the joy of drinking... > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html > > Many thanks for this, Bob. Such a funny, well- > written review makes me want to order the book. > > The Bar is certainly a source of fascination. > Honestly, I really don't drink that much -- too > fuckin' old to get away with it -- but I really > do appreciate a good bar. I'm a fan of the Bars > With Ambiance Of Their Own. It doesn't have to > be a classy, upscale, designer-Buddhist ambiance, > like the Buddhabars in Paris and in Barcelona. > Obviously. I blew out of the Nirvana bar in Sitges > within minutes. By comparison, the Bar Pay Pay > down the block is tacky to the max. But it's got > soul, man. One feels good sitting here and watching > the passersby. One has cool conversations here, and > has them consistently. What more can one ask of a > bar? > > The "social lubricants" of human society such as > aloohol have been around as long as there have > been humans, and thus are an important part of > the sociology of the human race. I mean, *cave > men* found ways to distill plants and get high. > Ponder that. Even though they were only one rung > up the evolutionary ladder from chimpanzees, the > earliest humans carried with them the chimps' > inherent desire to "get high," to shift their > state of attention. > > In the absence of technologies such as meditation, > bars are where humans go to shift their state of > attention. Most of the humans on this planet are > unaware of technologies such as meditation. There- > fore, in my book, bars are interesting. That's > where you would go if you were a seeker who had > found no other way to shift your state of attention. > > The best bar I've ever had the privilege of > sitting and writing in is no more. It was Windows > On The World, in the World Trade Center. *Magnif- > icent* ambiance. The next best bar I've ever been > in is the bar at Yab Yum in Amsterdam. This may > be a stretch for those still attached to the puri- > tanical ways of the TMO; Yab Yum is a brothel, > the highest-class brothel in Amsterdam, at the > time I was going there. But, it's also the kind > of brothel where you might run into the Stones > at the bar, or politicians from major countries > of the world. It's a real trip. Man, how prejudiced you are. Around about 1978 (+-) there was this rare Yogi who visited Seelisberg. Almost every night Maharishi let him lecture in the Main Assembly Hall. All he would talk about was unity in all it's facets. Evening after evening. Unity, unity, unity and the need for seclusion to reach that state. Nothing wrong with that, the Yogi, who's name I no longer recall, was obviously firmly established in that state. One day Maharishi told his secretary to take the fellow on a trip to Lucern. And he was rather surprized to suddenly find himself in a well known bar in that city where the secretary insisted they should spend quite some time. When the Yogi's time in Seelisberg was up and he was going home to India someone asked him how his stay had been. Marvelous he said, then he declared that Maharishi is a generous and great Mahapurusha. But, he said, Maharishis secretaries are rather strange ! The lesson ? Perhaps the Yogi needed to grow into Brahman, to experience that he was in fact everything, including bars and their inhabitants. Would Maharishi denounce brothels ? Me think not.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante wrote: > > > > the joy of drinking... > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html > > Many thanks for this, Bob. Such a funny, well- > written review makes me want to order the book. > > The Bar is certainly a source of fascination. Nice. One of the coolest, hottest places I remember though I was only there a handful of times was the Hong Kong cafe in Paramaribo, Surinam. A town on the equator carved out of the Amazon jungle, blazing hot. The bar was on the second floor of a building, with a big shaded veranda for sitting and watching the mostly indoors town during the hot afternoon. Used to sit there while drinking ice cold liters of dutch beer, watching the few people on the street braving the sun. Walking in the heat after that was pretty trippy, with heat radiating up off the street and the ground-- palm trees, scrub grass, and the jungle canopy always on any horizon. The colors of everything intensified by the equatorial light, and always feeling submerged in the thickness of the heat.
RE: [FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of TurquoiseB Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 5:39 PM To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> , bob_brigante <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > the joy of drinking... > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html The "social lubricants" of human society such as aloohol have been around as long as there have been humans, and thus are an important part of the sociology of the human race. I mean, *cave men* found ways to distill plants and get high. Ponder that. Even though they were only one rung up the evolutionary ladder from chimpanzees, the earliest humans carried with them the chimps' inherent desire to "get high," to shift their state of attention. See http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/51357/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > the joy of drinking... > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html Many thanks for this, Bob. Such a funny, well- written review makes me want to order the book. The Bar is certainly a source of fascination. Honestly, I really don't drink that much -- too fuckin' old to get away with it -- but I really do appreciate a good bar. I'm a fan of the Bars With Ambiance Of Their Own. It doesn't have to be a classy, upscale, designer-Buddhist ambiance, like the Buddhabars in Paris and in Barcelona. Obviously. I blew out of the Nirvana bar in Sitges within minutes. By comparison, the Bar Pay Pay down the block is tacky to the max. But it's got soul, man. One feels good sitting here and watching the passersby. One has cool conversations here, and has them consistently. What more can one ask of a bar? The "social lubricants" of human society such as aloohol have been around as long as there have been humans, and thus are an important part of the sociology of the human race. I mean, *cave men* found ways to distill plants and get high. Ponder that. Even though they were only one rung up the evolutionary ladder from chimpanzees, the earliest humans carried with them the chimps' inherent desire to "get high," to shift their state of attention. In the absence of technologies such as meditation, bars are where humans go to shift their state of attention. Most of the humans on this planet are unaware of technologies such as meditation. There- fore, in my book, bars are interesting. That's where you would go if you were a seeker who had found no other way to shift your state of attention. The best bar I've ever had the privilege of sitting and writing in is no more. It was Windows On The World, in the World Trade Center. *Magnif- icent* ambiance. The next best bar I've ever been in is the bar at Yab Yum in Amsterdam. This may be a stretch for those still attached to the puri- tanical ways of the TMO; Yab Yum is a brothel, the highest-class brothel in Amsterdam, at the time I was going there. But, it's also the kind of brothel where you might run into the Stones at the bar, or politicians from major countries of the world. It's a real trip. It's also a visual treat. The bar was decorated, rather well, with authentic Asian art. I'm some- what of a collector of Asian Art, and can only drool over some of the pieces they have on display there. In a brothel. Go figure. And in that bar/brothel I have had some of the highest conversations I have had on planet Earth. Again, go figure. And then there was the Nirvana bar, tonight. All flash, no substance. There is an actual silence that underlies Yab Yum, and that underlies the Bar Pay-Pay as I write this that is sorely missing from Nirvana. Go figure. > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote: > > > > I was going to write tonight from Nirvana, but I've > > decided against it. I was there earlier and lemme > > tell you...no matter what you've heard in all of > > those spiritual books, Nirvana is *way* overrated. > > > > I had been looking forward to kicking back in the > > environment the ads proclaimed as "Sitges' Best > > Chillout Bar," surrounded by Buddhas and drinks > > with little floating lotuses in them, but Noo. > > It turned out to be a tightass bar, full of young > > upscale Spanish youth longing to "chillout," as > > the ads had invited them to do, but somehow > > lacking the knack. > > > > So I moved back to the Bar Pay-Pay. The Waitress > > With The Legs Designed In Brahmaloka is not here > > tonight, so I might just be able to write a little > > something about Nirvana, even if I'm not there. > > > > Nope. Not a damned thing. > > > > Wouldn't it be a kick if Nirvana the spiritual > > goal turned out to be a lot like Nirvana the bar? > > You struggle and struggle for lifetimes, performing > > weirdass sadhanas like bouncing on your butt on > > slabs of foam, and after eons of Class-A tapas like > > that you finally "reach" Nirvana...and it's like > > the bar of the same name in Sitges? Full of stuck-up > > people who came there looking to chill but who never > > quite mastered it? Bummer. > > >
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
the joy of drinking... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Harris.t.html --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I was going to write tonight from Nirvana, but I've > decided against it. I was there earlier and lemme > tell you...no matter what you've heard in all of > those spiritual books, Nirvana is *way* overrated. > > I had been looking forward to kicking back in the > environment the ads proclaimed as "Sitges' Best > Chillout Bar," surrounded by Buddhas and drinks > with little floating lotuses in them, but Noo. > It turned out to be a tightass bar, full of young > upscale Spanish youth longing to "chillout," as > the ads had invited them to do, but somehow > lacking the knack. > > So I moved back to the Bar Pay-Pay. The Waitress > With The Legs Designed In Brahmaloka is not here > tonight, so I might just be able to write a little > something about Nirvana, even if I'm not there. > > Nope. Not a damned thing. > > Wouldn't it be a kick if Nirvana the spiritual > goal turned out to be a lot like Nirvana the bar? > You struggle and struggle for lifetimes, performing > weirdass sadhanas like bouncing on your butt on > slabs of foam, and after eons of Class-A tapas like > that you finally "reach" Nirvana...and it's like > the bar of the same name in Sitges? Full of stuck-up > people who came there looking to chill but who never > quite mastered it? Bummer. >
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > One time in a meeting with SSRS someone asked him if a > > dip in the Ganges during Kumbha Mela would bring > > enlightenment. He gave the person a bemused look and > > said,"How?" Then he laughed and said that we needed to > > use our common sense. > > Nice. I've posed the same three-letter question > to those who believe that a heavy hit of darshan > can do the same thing. So far, no one has come > up with a theory that is consistent with the > workings of karma, in which they all claim to > believe. > Yep- good point to bring up a karmic connection. This connection will always be in evidence for those who experience 'instantaneous' enlightenment, as the supposed result of a fortuitous occurence (e.g. darshan, a dip in the Ganges). If we were to research the previous actions of such individuals, we would find a propensity for spiritual practice, building in momentum to such a breakthrough. This breakthrough may be dramatic and ascribed to a particular action, when in fact all that is happening is the result of past karma ripening. To our minds karma can never be exactly, mathematically determined. Nonetheless, our good actions will result in more good, and bad actions will result in more bad, generally speaking. Even miracles, those dramatic answers to our prayers, occur in just the same way. 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/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > One time in a meeting with SSRS someone asked him if a > dip in the Ganges during Kumbha Mela would bring > enlightenment. He gave the person a bemused look and > said,"How?" Then he laughed and said that we needed to > use our common sense. How is hyperventilating a more common sense approach to enlightenment than taking a dip in the Ganges? Alex 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/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Nirvana
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > One time in a meeting with SSRS someone asked him if a > dip in the Ganges during Kumbha Mela would bring > enlightenment. He gave the person a bemused look and > said,"How?" Then he laughed and said that we needed to > use our common sense. Nice. I've posed the same three-letter question to those who believe that a heavy hit of darshan can do the same thing. So far, no one has come up with a theory that is consistent with the workings of karma, in which they all claim to believe. 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/
