Things I still do that I did as a True Believer: (in no particular order)
1. I still honor sleep as a spiritual technique. I am very hesitant to wake someone up, and thus, by my figuring, artificially end their "healing." Maharishi told us at TTC to stay in bed "until driven from it." 2. Next to my bed, I have a book of Ramana that has his photo on the cover. If anything lands on top of the photo, it must be removed lest I be dishonoring (weakening the value of) this symbol of the knowledge set he taught me. I treat the photo as if he's alive, ya see? Sigh.... 3. I say, "Jai Guru Dev" whenever I kill a bug. I care about their "souls." I still think of animals as having humans trapped inside of them. 4. I think all religious rites are or were once truly spiritual activities in that they deal with the emotions of worship -- which are subtle, and thereby, one practices living life at that level. 5. I still do not honor the psychological professions, and I see them as mostly bullshit in that the world has never been served by them teaching us how to raise kids that are not chauvenists, war mongers, bullies, etc. Where's their united voice decrying today's cruel and abusive educational practices? If they can't stand up for child rearing standards and be in the face of educational leaders about their disconnects, forgeddaboutdit. 6. I still have fond memories of Maharishi. I still love the fucker's giggle. 7. I still long for a one-method-cures-all panacea for the ills of the world. 8. I still haven't stopped talking about enlightenment and still think it is a possibility for many folks. (But now, not for me in this life.) 9. I still think ALL CHRISTIANS are dim-witted twerps who'd willingly ruin a life of another -- natch, for Christ, donchaknow. 10. I still think it's worthwhile for some folks (mostly the young and/or the nearly enlightened) to do a spiritual practice. 11. I believe a life that doesn't consider the impact of diet, rest, and morals is a life heading over a cliff. 12. I still believe in the Absolute as the only reality. Silence is golden. 13. I think the tender feeling level must be in the foreground of any lifestyle. The golden rule is truly the goldiest of the rules. 14. I still close my eyes to do my deepest thinking. 15. I'm still comfortable using Hindu concepts to grasp human psychology. The pantheon of gods are metaphors for our psyche's dynamics. 16. I still believe that our leaders can only fuck up as much as we individuals are fucked up, and that the world will not change if we do not change. 17. I still believe that being a true believer is not necessarily a blinkered life, and if I meet a true believer, I honor that commitment in them even if they are otherwise wrong headed. I'm kind to Mormons and LDSers when they knock. I love to pick their brains to see if they are on top of their minds and have clarity about the normal human foibles of denial, spin, rationalization, glittering generalities, etc. Love to see what they think is a fair way to debate about spiritual notions. I bow slightly when I make eye contact with priests, nuns, etc. 18. I still think 2012 might possibly be a significant milestone of history. 19. I still distrust media to "get it" about anything spiritual. (In the Merv era, Newsweek wrote about meditators shouting their mantras aloud to quell the stresses of the world.) 20. I still think atheists are folks who dismiss religious issues way too off-handedly. I think atheists are as spiritual as anyone in that they're heading towards a clarity about silence by their "disbelieving ways" as much as any religious person is doing so via prayer, hymns, etc. And so much more . . . Edg
