| The Gare 2006-10-11, 9:30 pm |
| As I see it, it is not disovery, but RE-DISCOVERY. Think about it, readers,
when you were a child, all you had to do was meditate... in between diaper
changes, meals, and baths all you had to do was to meditate.
I don't think this process is discovery at all but re-discovering who you
were BEFORE all the false teachings that were given to you by parents,
siblings, teachers, preachers, posters in this NG...
I don't think it's cultivating a "new land" but rather cultivating a land
long left unattended.
Just my opinion and they are like anuses... everyone has one, I know.
The Gare
"Puma" <sesli.atbisey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1160599560.589132.211430@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> Keynes wrote:
>
>
> Yes,,, Gunaratana goes on....
>
> ''''' Meditation is a lot like cultivating a new land. To make a field
> out of a forest, fist you have to clear the trees and pull out the
> stumps. Then you till the soil and you fertilize it. Then you sow your
> seed and you harvest your crops. To cultivate your mind, first you have
> to clear out the various irritants that are in the way, pull them right
> out by the root so that they won't grow back. Then you fertilize. You
> pump energy and discipline in the mental soil. Then you sow the seed
> and you harvest your crops of faith, morality , mindfulness and wisdom.
>
> Faith and morality, by the way, have a special meaning in this context.
> Buddhism does not advocate faith in the sense of believing something
> because it is written in a book or attributed to a prophet or taught to
> you by some authority figure. The meaning here is closer to confidence.
> It is knowing that something is true because you have seen it work,
> because you have observed that very thing within yourself. In the same
> way, morality is not a ritualistic obedience to some exterior, imposed
> code of behavior.
>
> The purpose of meditation is personal transformation. The you that goes
> in one side of the meditation experience is not the same you that comes
> out the other side. It changes your character by a process of
> sensitization, by making you deeply aware of your own thoughts, word,
> and deeds. Your arrogance evaporated and your antagonism dries up. Your
> mind becomes still and calm. And your life smoothes out. Thus
> meditation properly performed prepares you to meet the ups and down of
> existence. It reduces your tension, your fear, and your worry.
> Restlessness recedes and passion moderates. Things begin to fall into
> place and your life becomes a glide instead of a struggle. All of this
> happens through understanding.
>
> Meditation sharpens your concentration and your thinking power. Then,
> piece by piece, your own subconscious motives and mechanics become
> clear to you. Your intuition sharpens. The precision of your thought
> increases and gradually you come to a direct knowledge of things as
> they really are, without prejudice and without illusion. So is this
> reason enough to bother? Scarcely. These are just promises on paper.
> There is only one way you will ever know if meditation is worth the
> effort. Learn to do it right, and do it. See for yourself. '''''
>
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