| Dave K 2006-07-30, 9:24 pm |
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Stu wrote:
> On 2006-07-30 04:46:32 -0700, "Dave K" <dkotschess@yahoo.com> said:
>
>
> On the other hand, classic yoga suggests intellectual pursuits as a
> perfectly acceptable practice on the road to enlightenment. Buddhism
> puts a premium on the intuitive mind. It may be that we see this
> emphasis because westerners put a premium on the rational mind. For
> the Buddhist teachers they emphasize development for us in that
> direction.
>
> Seekers such as the Dalai Lama are intensely intellectual.
>
> The trick here (as always) is not getting attached to the intellect.
> But you know that. It is evident from your posts.
>
>
> Agreed. Also an intellectual in the same way as Plato or Aristotle.
>
> Ram Dass was not saying that Spiritual practice makes one emotionaless.
> He was saying that it does not develop all possible of human
> potentials. In the case of the Monk he was clearly did not have a good
> sense of his personal/sexual self. 30 years later Buddhism will more
> fully integrate with western psychology into transpersonal, cognitive
> and integral psych. Forms that approach deeper levels of human
> consciousness along many more lines of development.
I see where you are coming from. To clarify, I don't think it was Ram
who was classifying buddhist spiritual practice as emotionless. I
think the monk was probably going about his whole practice the wrong
way - it happens - trying to separate or stamp out his emotional "self"
rather than using his practice to become more aware of who he was as a
human being. Vulcan Dharma. Buddhist practice SHOULD actually help
with that sort of thing by the simple practice of observing the mind.
But that's not to say that integration with other practices is
inappropriate. Probably a cultural thing. Freud is a household word
in America. Compared to Asian cultures, everybody in the U.S. is
practically a psychoanalyst, so we look to Eastern practices as a
supplement (and sometimes perhaps an antitode) to that mode of
observation
> May want to check out WIE.org
Will check it out. Looks familiar.
> --
> ~Stu
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