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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 15 2010 : 12:13:00 PM
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Hi,
A question I'm interested to hear the views of all on. Yogani talks about cultivating a continual spiritual hunger and thirst. I'm an incredibly intense person, with a great propensity for this sort of thing, my desires are very powerful once they get going.
Mainly through Eckhart Tolle, Michael Brown (the presence process), and embracing the present moment in general, I've evolved into a much less intense state. I've freed myself from negative obsessions, I've let go of intense inner drama, and gradually freed myself up from many desires.
I'm a little frightened of spiritual desire, because I know if I allow it to grow, I can lose interest in everything, and just be in a state of incredible longing in which I can't work and lose interest in life, and want nothing else but spiritual realisation. In fact I've already experienced this state a few times, and it made it very hard to cope or engage with daily life.
From all your experiences, does conflict arise between "loving what is" and cultivating intense desire? How can you embrace the present moment when you're hugely desirous of something else? In my experience there is a fairly direct relationship: Desire = Suffering. |
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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2010 : 10:05:34 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
In my experience there is a fairly direct relationship: Desire = Suffering.
Hi Mr. Anderson,
It looks like you answered your own question.
Yogani offers some helpful commentary,
here ..... culminating with the statement:
"With a systematic approach involving daily yoga practices, it is all going to happen anyway, and the practitioner can finish it off in any way desired. That is the advantage of systematically putting in a solid foundation of abiding inner silence and cultivating it outward in ecstatic divine flow. Once that is taken care of, the rest is easy. Ripe fruit will fall off the tree sooner or later."
I would add that presence, aka releasing resistance to what is, allows all the energies working in our favor -- collectively called bhakti -- to flow with as little hindrance as possible.
Wholeheartedly,
Kirtanman
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 03:57:48 AM
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Hey Mr. Anderson 
In my experience, spiritual desire transforms with daily practice. In the beginning, it was intense and it took me away from "material" life for a while. Looking back, I see that it was actually ego desire, masquerading as "spiritual".
As daily practice progressed, the spiritual desire became less mental/egoic and the intensity also decreased. Right now, bhakti occurs as a solid commitment to practice, but there's no emotional charge behind it.
Personally, I feel that the most spiritually expedient path is one that balances daily practice with "outer" life and activities. There is room for both. This is where bhakti is leading me, so there's no fear of losing interest in life here.
quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
From all your experiences, does conflict arise between "loving what is" and cultivating intense desire?
Sorry, not sure I understand the question. But I find that I love what is and don't need to cultivate intense desire. No conflict then 
quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
How can you embrace the present moment when you're hugely desirous of something else?
Well if I'm fully embracing the present moment, then there is nothing else. If I desired something else, maybe realizing that it could only be gotten in the present moment would help.
Much Love to you
Namaste
cosmic |
Edited by - cosmic on Sep 16 2010 03:59:49 AM |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 07:53:00 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
From all your experiences, does conflict arise between "loving what is" and cultivating intense desire?
How can there be conflict if there is loving what is? Loving what is, includes loving the desire. Loving what is is loving this moment exactly as it is.. with desire, bhakti, and all.
quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
How can you embrace the present moment when you're hugely desirous of something else?
Embrace the desire of that something else, because the desire of being somewhere else is happening right now... so instead of pushing it away, being afraid of it, accept it and it will not be something to fear.
quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
In my experience there is a fairly direct relationship: Desire = Suffering.
Attachment to desire = suffering.
quote:
Yogani talks about cultivating a continual spiritual hunger and thirst.
Yogani also talks about self pacing bhakti.
Keep a balance in your life. The loss in interest in things is an unlearning phase, a phase of letting go attachments to things. It is a purification phase. Once that phase is gone, you will be more passionate about everything you do, without an attachment to the outcome. It is important to stay balanced till this happens organically. The balance is what self pacing is about.
You are doing great mr_anderson. Just keep up your practices. This phase too shall pass. |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 10:52:47 AM
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thank you all so much for the replies, each was extremely helpful in it's own way. It's great to have a sounding board sometimes, particularly when you get responses from people who are further down line.
thanks again. |
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Pheel
China
318 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 8:32:02 PM
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Hi Shanti,
Attachment to desire, instead of desires themselves equals suffering.
This equation is revelation to me. The more "I" want to fight, control, destroy desire, the more I'm encaged in the box of suffering.
Thank you Shanti, thank you all!
Phil |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2010 : 4:26:17 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Philaboston
Hi Shanti,
Attachment to desire, instead of desires themselves equals suffering.
This equation is revelation to me. The more "I" want to fight, control, destroy desire, the more I'm encaged in the box of suffering.
Thank you Shanti, thank you all!
Phil
Glad it helped Phil. |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 05:58:44 AM
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Yes thank you Shanti. I must say I too am often confused between the attachment to the desire and the desire itself; where desire ends and attachment begins.. or whether it's one and the same. I understand Mr. Anderson's question perfectly.
I try not to think too much about it all and just have faith that AYP practices will somehow clear it all up along the line. |
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conflict between bhakti and loving what is
