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Pheel
China
318 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 10 2010 : 2:39:18 PM
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Hi All,
I am currently sort of stuck in a situation. Actually I've been through similar barriers pretty often. So I'd like to lay out the question and seek for your wisdom on this issue.
Most of us would agree that given the current situation, it's no longer practical to head to enlightenment living off the world in a cave, that enlightenment lies in no other than this world we are in. Then there is the question of how to deal with it in the world. While inner silence is gathering inside and life becomes more and more peaceful despite the ups and downs, there are occasions in which beginners like me would stuck emotionally, feeling upset or even frustrated.
Sometimes the frustrations, emotional barriers are mostly a question of inner condition. I just went through one of these situations. My ex girlfriend is now living in the same buidling on the same floor and she came to my place to tell me how good her life is with her new project and new boyfriend, without asking anything about me. My ego really wanted to be angry with her for not being careful about me; it wants to be jealous and show I'm happier than her etc; it even wants her to be not so happy...I was at first trying to block these thoughts, and was just more and more stuck in it emotionally. Until I learned that I'm energizing these thoughts by resisting them and pass through this emotional barrier by surrendering to it.
There are other occasions when I am not sure if it's a problem of inner condition, what should I do to respond. I by chance moved into this dorm room very close to a night club. For most nights of the week, its loud music blared through my window and kept me up. At this point, I don't know if I should treat it totally as an inner condition and try to adjust to this noisy environment. Or shall I take action, to use earplug or even to move out, assuming it is an outer condition. While on the one side, according to some, one should make peace and at ease with whatever he/she happens to encounter in this world. Yet on the other side, it's part of living in this world to avoid unpleasant environment and favor a better living condition. At least when the inner silence is not mature enough to bear it, shall we retreat from it?
Or, are all these I said a big symptom of purification, that I am overloading in self-inquiry?
Please advice and enlighten me, thanks!
Phil |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 07:38:12 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Philaboston
Until I learned that I'm energizing these thoughts by resisting them and pass through this emotional barrier by surrendering to it.
 Yes, accept it. Doesn't mean you have to like it. You can change it.
This is sometimes where the confusion is. It is normal to react to situations. If you put your hand in a fire it's totally OK to pull it out. To keep your hand in the fire is foolish.
Surrendering to something which you cannot change is where we can be. If you have burnt your hand it is easy to blame others, the fire, yourself for the situation and get upset. At this point the hand is burnt, you cannot change the event, getting angry, upset, sad etc is pointless. It's important to realise that you will still receive physical pain, you won't like it, only accept that it is so.
Often it is difficult to understand 'swapping situations'. For instance 'I am going to leave my partner and find someone else'. Is that going to make things better ? You cannot know, however you can accept whatever comes up.
At some point you begin to move away from self initiiated actions. I cannot tell you when, DM is the key to it. You begin to see actions done for you. You give up believing you have control and find that you don't need control because everything just happens. Everyday another situation occurs, you are tested, you accept it and it gets easier, but always more challenges (accept those too).
At the beginning of this it is difficult to accept, like using training wheels on a bike you have to build gradually and get your balance. Sometimes you will fall off, accept that at some point you will suffer. This is not an easy path. Often you walk on broken glass.
Ultimately I think this is probably what is meant by the line 'though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil'. Walking through the valley isn't a stroll, it's beset by challenges. Accept you walk through the narrow door, the eye of the needle.
As to the night club thing, move out or don't move out, whichever is perfectly correct. |
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manigma
India
1065 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 08:50:54 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Philaboston
I by chance moved into this dorm room very close to a night club.
A few years ago when I was studying away, I had a night club close to my apartment.
I was unable to sleep when I left that apartment after finsihing my studies.
The silence in my room at home was unbearable. I needed some noise, and for that I had to turn on disco music at low volume so I could fall asleep.
Take care!
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Pheel
China
318 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 10:52:27 AM
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Hi Karl and manigama,
Thank you for your input! I was just realizing it's me who magnified this petty thing to a huge block emotionally. Then I came back to read Karl's comment, and it becomes as clear as this sunny autumn day. Namaste!
Phil |
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delta33
Canada
100 Posts |
Posted - Sep 12 2010 : 12:08:17 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Philaboston
Most of us would agree that given the current situation, it's no longer practical to head to enlightenment living off the world in a cave...
today i roamed in the forest far from civilization until i realized just how bad i was feeling, and worked on releasing all that. when it came time to return to my car, i cried. as i drove into the city again, i just shook my head at all the pointless drama.
the city actually hurts me, just to be in it.. why should i continue to live in it?
that cave in the mountains is preferable |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Sep 12 2010 : 12:21:30 AM
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I know exactly how you feel as I often feel the same way. The city aggravates all the things inside that we don't like about ourselves. We can escape from all that in the forest and take a rest, but very few people have what it takes to battle all those things in solitude for very long.
It's easier to stay in the life that is given us, and use meditation to calm down the aggravations in the city.
After consistent meditation you can learn to become more calm than that trip to the forest. Then trips to the forest are even more meaningful. |
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wakeupneo
USA
171 Posts |
Posted - Sep 12 2010 : 10:53:10 AM
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The world exists only in your mind.
The world is a direct projection of your mind.
Think of your exsitence as a film projector projecting onto a movie screen. A light (consciouseness, Atma, Self, God) passes through a film(mind, ego, "me") and projects onto a screen (the world which you see).
In this example the vast majority of us are only focused on the film and the screen. Pull your attention back find the source. Know that when you change the film you change the world in which it is projected on. Enlightenment is then shifting one's identy, one's attention onto the light (Self) and the film drops away. This is the non-dual state, the state of "isness".
Deal with your mind and you deal with the world you see. There can be NO other way.
The mind is such a trap. Remember the mind that was experiencing jealously and the desire to want to be happier than your girlfriend, is now the SAME mind that is feeling guilty and wishes you could stop it.
Same mind different guise. Just let it go. The ONLY thing that is real is that YOU ARE, NOW. Everything else is your imagination. The part that you want, the part you don't want---all your imagination all the same mind.
j |
Edited by - wakeupneo on Sep 12 2010 11:32:40 AM |
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JDas
USA
74 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2010 : 9:31:06 PM
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quote:
At some point you begin to move away from self initiiated actions. I cannot tell you when, DM is the key to it. You begin to see actions done for you. You give up believing you have control and find that you don't need control because everything just happens. Everyday another situation occurs, you are tested, you accept it and it gets easier, but always more challenges (accept those too).
At the beginning of this it is difficult to accept, like using training wheels on a bike you have to build gradually and get your balance. Sometimes you will fall off, accept that at some point you will suffer. This is not an easy path. Often you walk on broken glass.
Great words. Tks. |
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nearoanoke
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2010 : 11:23:26 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by wakeupneo
Think of your exsitence as a film projector projecting onto a movie screen. A light (consciouseness, Atma, Self, God) passes through a film(mind, ego, "me") and projects onto a screen (the world which you see).
Wonderfully put! |
Edited by - nearoanoke on Sep 13 2010 11:23:58 PM |
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nearoanoke
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2010 : 11:31:12 PM
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Hello Phil,
Regarding the noise & other external disturbances the suggestion from AYP is to treat them just like inner disturbances (thoughts). Just ignore them and go back to the mantra. Contrary to the popular belief, external noise doesnt really reduce the effectiveness of meditation.
The other frustrations & mental barriers you are talking about will remain for quite some time till you make real progress. Things wont change all of a sudden. The pain will be there and "practice without expectation of results" is what is needed. If you can make it like a daily habit, Just like brushing your teeth things will change some day. Good luck
- Near |
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tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 6:56:38 PM
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Hey Philaboston, im sorry to hear about the current difficulties.
Keep in mind that Life is meant to be lived. We are obligated to pursue communion, true. But Life is a game, and in that game there are traps, pitfalls and bizarre rolls of the dice. So just do your best. It won't always be good enough though.
The key here is to overcome. overcome the difficulties and become stronger for it. Grow. Life is not fair, but would it really be all that interesting if it was? |
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How to deal with it in the world
