The Invitation - To Your Own Life

[SelfHealedMadman]

~
It's always interesting conversing with others. 
Per a couple of conversations in chat, I thought this may be a good topic.
When someone addresses you, take this as an invitation.
An invitation to participate in your own life; take responsibility for your own responses, re-actions and your life in general.
How someone addresses you, good or bad, take their comments as wonderful news. 
What a marvelous opportunity to work on the Self!
SHM

[Mornings Son]

The Invitation to be aware.

The Invitation to be aware of others energy and how it touches you.

The Invitation to be your best



Nice post SHM!

[SelfHealedMadman]

~
An all time favorite...
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.  

To do for yourself the best that you have it in you to do -- to grit your teeth and clench your fists in order to survive the world at its harshest and worst -- is, by that very act, to be unable to let something be done for you and in you that is more wonderful still. The trouble with steeling yourself against the harshness of reality is that the same steel that secures your life against being destroyed secures your life also against being opened up and transformed. 
Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. 'He that will lose his life, the same shall save it', is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. The paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage.... A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape.
He must seek his life in the spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water, and yet drink death like wine."


WILD AT HEART by John Eldredge

[Death Defier]

Maximus I knew a man once who
said, "Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back." 


Maximus Brothers, what we do in life... echoes in eternity.

[SelfHealedMadman]

~
I'm going to put this here...
Fear is a reactive mechanism that operates when our identity (including the identity of being a physical entity) is threatened. It works to erode or dissipate attention.  
As in Buddhism, we move into one of the six realms and react: destroy the threat or seek revenge (hell being), grasp at safety and security (hungry ghost), focus on survival (animal), pursue pleasure as compensation (human), vie for superiority (titan), or protect status and position (god).  
Because we are less present to what is actually taking place, our actions are correspondingly less appropriate and less effective. We go to sleep in our beliefs and ignore the consequences of maintaining them.  
How do we experience fear or terror without crumbling into reaction and the six realms?  
Sit with attention in the experience of fear, and you become aware of the feeling itself and how it resonates with other areas of life. You become aware of older, uncomfortable, buried feelings. You understand and know directly the structure that formed in you to keep you from being present in your life. The task is to take the structure apart, dismantle the projections, and know fear directly as it is, a movement of emotional energy. 
First, identify a reactive behavior and repeatedly ask, "Why am I doing this?" Cut through the layers of projection or suppression until you arrive at "I don't know." Right there you will be experiencing an emotion. Ordinarily, we do not experience feelings because we either act on them and the energy goes into the action, or we suppress them and the energy goes into the body.  
Stop doing the reactive activity. The feeling will be right there. Enter into it and be the feeling. Being the feeling is different from being with the feeling. A feeling is like a ball of multicolored yarn, with all kinds of secondary reactions that may conflict with each other. Open to the different shades and hues as fully as possible. What emerges is a distinct and identifiable feeling. Be the feeling as fully as possible, yet rest in attention.  
At least twice a day, sit and evoke the feeling you have identified. Bring it up and be it. It will release. When it does, evoke it again. Keep entering the feeling by evoking it until you can stay in it. Your relationship with the feeling will change.  
When you can evoke the feeling at will, begin to work in your daily life. Recognize the feeling when it arises during the day and be it. Remember the feeling or evoke it. Then engage your regular activities while you are the feeling. Look at the world while you live in the feeling. In this step, you see clearly that the way the feeling causes you to experience the world is purely projection.  
Finally, whenever you can, look at what is experiencing being the feeling. This step usually precipitates clarity and non-separation experiences. Work at this until you can be the feeling and look at what it is simultaneously. 
When you can be the feeling and know its nature simultaneously, the feeling no longer has any power over you. You are free from its projections and experience what arises just as it is. You no longer believe what the feeling says about the world, so the impulse to go to war, to fight, to grasp at security, or to protect status dissipates. Because you see clearly, you are more likely to notice what is out of balance. And you understand the connections between imbalances and suffering in the world.  
Buddhist practice is not an effort to confirm or validate a sense of what we are. It is about seeing and experiencing what is. We let go of fixed positions as we understand that all experience is ineffable. We let go of hope and aspirations as we understand that eternal bliss is not an option. We let go of trying to make the world or us into something solid as we understand that all experience arises and subsides. Instead of reacting to fear and terror with hatred, discrimination, or confusion, we live in awareness, not looking to the past or the future for meaning or motivation, but responding precisely and appropriately to imbalance and the needs of the present.  
From Ken over at Unfettered Mind  
Can you see how this works with recapitulation? 

SHM

[SelfHealedMadman]

~
Here’s another classic.  
I’m in a bit of revere as I’ve had another friend pass away.  Five in five weeks. 

These oldies keep me in check. 
An old, retired swordsman said, “There are levels in the course of mastery throughout your life. 

At the lowest level of skill and ability, one thinks of himself and others as poor.  He thinks this because he has mastered only a little.  Needless to say, a person at this level is not at all useful.  
At the middle level, one is still useless, but he can at least understand that he and others have mastered only a little.  
At a high level, since a person has made something his own, he is proud of his accomplishments.  And he is also glad at the praise of others.  He grieves over the shortcoming of others.  This kind of a person is at least useful.  
At a higher level, one pretends to know nothing, yet others understand that he holds an upper hand.  The majority of people cannot get beyond this level.  
Beyond this higher level, there is one further step; THE LEVEL OF THE TRACKLESS ROAD. 

If you travel deeper into the trackless road, infinite secrets will finally appear.  Then you can never see the end of your mastery.  Then you truly realize how lacking you are.  You have only to go ahead with your intention of mastery in mind.  You go forward without pride and without humility.  
Yagyu Munemori Tajima no Kami (the Shogun’s fencing instructor) once said, “I know nothing about how to win over others.  I only know the way to win over myself.”  
Your life is something you build every day.  You must convince yourself that you have surpassed yesterday, and tomorrow you must feel that you have surpassed today.  In this way there is no end to your mastery.  
Tsunemoto Yamamoto 
1710

[Death Defier]

Summer Dawne wrote:
Bla bla bla...
As vain as usual, I see. No wonder you don't get your books published. The Spirit doesn't want your vanity in the mainstream arena. That would give out the wrong message.


Gurdjieff, who knew less than you in many areas, was more into awakening others than having others kissing his ass.

[SelfHealedMadman]

~



Gonzo Buddhist Style?



Do I dare ask??

[Eilias123]

My own Life is in a chatroom? I don't think so. I am alive right here. I am alive wherever I go. Wherever i go: There I am, Living my life.

[Summer Dawne]

.

[Mornings Son]

SHM quoted
Tsunemoto Yamamoto :
If you travel deeper into the trackless road, infinite secrets will
finally appear.  I like this, it makes me think of the state of mind/AP that Rosy and Summer Dawn post from.
and then
Then you can never see the end of
your mastery.  Then you truly realize how lacking
you are.  You have only to go ahead with your
intention of mastery in mind.  You go forward
without pride and without humility.  This I will do ))
Summer Dawn wrote:
The gig's up, no
one here is learning anything or will ever learn anything.
Yeah in away you are right, about me at least. I could learn much more here (and Im learning a little at the moment)
What would speed up my (your?) learning?
The knowing of my Death, get me in gear! This moment might be my/your/our last one. We don't live forever (in our bodies) - what will you do?
What Will you do?
Make a program that give me access to be both in the mainframe (tonal - the Matrix) and also function and surf ;-) in the Web of Light (Eagles emancipations)
Guess I need to reboot to make the program work (Die and be reborn)
Then continue to make new pathes that make my Heart full of Joy.

[Gonzo]

SD -



Deepak Chopra likes to use an analogy of the crucible, a device whose purpose is purification. He also likes the notion of Alchemy, but rather than turning lead into gold, his analogies have to do with the purification of the being. In both cases an expenditure of energy is required.



In most processes popular these days, the "nice" ways are promoted, encouraging others to meditate, to share their dreams, to love one another. Alchemy, as it gets practiced often here is not a "nice" process. If anything is dying, it is the beliefs that have not been examined, aspects of self that have not been examined, and above all, expressions of self-importance.



Perhaps you'd like to engage, and put your beliefs and self to the test.



G

[Eilias123]

I follow a path with heart. For the first time in my life, I am truly alive.

[Summer Dawne]

.

[SelfHealedMadman]

~



Summer, why concern for any of us? (As I'm unsure of who you're referring to in your last post).



As some old lyrics once read...



"Don't go away mad, just go away..."



Do you understand this?

[Lunoor]

[Death Defier]

Kissing Hank's Ass



This morning there was a knock at my door. When I answered the door I found a well groomed, nicely dressed couple. The man spoke first:
John: "Hi! I'm John, and this is Mary."
Mary: "Hi! We're here to invite you to come kiss Hank's ass with us."
Me:   "Pardon me?! What are you talking about? Who's Hank, and why would I want to kiss His ass?"
John: "If you kiss Hank's ass, He'll give you a million dollars; and if you don't, He'll kick the **** out of you."
Me:   "What? Is this some sort of bizarre mob shake-down?"
John: "Hank is a billionaire philanthropist. Hank built this town. Hank owns this town. He can do whatever He wants, and what He wants is to give you a million dollars, but He can't until you kiss His ass."
Me:   "That doesn't make any sense. Why..."
Mary: "Who are you to question Hank's gift? Don't you want a million dollars? Isn't it worth a little kiss on the ass?"
Me:   "Well maybe, if it's legit, but..."
John: "Then come kiss Hank's ass with us."
Me:   "Do you kiss Hank's ass often?"
Mary: "Oh yes, all the time..."
Me:   "And has He given you a million dollars?"
John: "Well no. You don't actually get the money until you leave town."
Me:   "So why don't you just leave town now?"
Mary: "You can't leave until Hank tells you to, or you don't get the money, and He kicks the **** out of you."
Me:   "Do you know anyone who kissed Hank's ass, left town, and got the million dollars?"
John: "My mother kissed Hank's ass for years. She left town last year, and I'm sure she got the money."
Me:   "Haven't you talked to her since then?"
John: "Of course not, Hank doesn't allow it."
Me:   "So what makes you think He'll actually give you the money if you've never talked to anyone who got the money?"
Mary: "Well, He gives you a little bit before you leave. Maybe you'll get a raise, maybe you'll win a small lotto, maybe you'll just find a twenty-dollar bill on the street."
Me:   "What's that got to do with Hank?"
John: "Hank has certain 'connections.'"
Me:   "I'm sorry, but this sounds like some sort of bizarre con game."
John: "But it's a million dollars, can you really take the chance? And remember, if you don't kiss Hank's ass He'll kick the **** out of you."
Me:   "Maybe if I could see Hank, talk to Him, get the details straight from Him..."
Mary: "No one sees Hank, no one talks to Hank."
Me:   "Then how do you kiss His ass?"
John: "Sometimes we just blow Him a kiss, and think of His ass. Other times we kiss Karl's ass, and he passes it on."
Me:   "Who's Karl?"
Mary: "A friend of ours. He's the one who taught us all about kissing Hank's ass. All we had to do was take him out to dinner a few times."
Me:   "And you just took his word for it when he said there was a Hank, that Hank wanted you to kiss His ass, and that Hank would reward you?"
John: "Oh no! Karl has a letter he got from Hank years ago explaining the whole thing. Here's a copy; see for yourself."
From the Desk of KarlKiss Hank's ass and He'll give you a million dollars when you leave town.Use alcohol in moderation.Kick the **** out of people who aren't like you.Eat right.Hank dictated this list Himself.The moon is made of green cheese.Everything Hank says is right.Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.Don't use alcohol.Eat your wieners on buns, no condiments.Kiss Hank's ass or He'll kick the **** out of you.
Me:   "This appears to be written on Karl's letterhead."
Mary: "Hank didn't have any paper."
Me:   "I have a hunch that if we checked we'd find this is Karl's handwriting."
John: "Of course, Hank dictated it."
Me:   "I thought you said no one gets to see Hank?"
Mary: "Not now, but years ago He would talk to some people."
Me:   "I thought you said He was a philanthropist. What sort of philanthropist kicks the **** out of people just because they're different?"
Mary: "It's what Hank wants, and Hank's always right."
Me:   "How do you figure that?"
Mary: "Item 7 says 'Everything Hank says is right.' That's good enough for me!"
Me:   "Maybe your friend Karl just made the whole thing up."
John: "No way! Item 5 says 'Hank dictated this list himself.' Besides, item 2 says 'Use alcohol in moderation,' Item 4 says 'Eat right,' and item 8 says 'Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.' Everyone knows those things are right, so the rest must be true, too."
Me:   "But 9 says 'Don't use alcohol.' which doesn't quite go with item 2, and 6 says 'The moon is made of green cheese,' which is just plain wrong."
John: "There's no contradiction between 9 and 2, 9 just clarifies 2. As far as 6 goes, you've never been to the moon, so you can't say for sure."
Me:   "Scientists have pretty firmly established that the moon is made of rock..."
Mary: "But they don't know if the rock came from the Earth, or from out of space, so it could just as easily be green cheese."
Me:   "I'm not really an expert, but I think the theory that the Moon was somehow 'captured' by the Earth has been discounted. Besides, not knowing where the rock came from doesn't make it cheese."
John: "Ha! You just admitted that scientists make mistakes, but we know Hank is always right!"
Me:   "We do?"
Mary: "Of course we do, Item 7 says so."
Me:   "You're saying Hank's always right because the list says so, the list is right because Hank dictated it, and we know that Hank dictated it because the list says so. That's circular logic, no different than saying 'Hank's right because He says He's right.'"
John: "Now you're getting it! It's so rewarding to see someone come around to Hank's way of thinking."
Me:   "But...oh, never mind. What's the deal with wieners?"
Mary: She blushes.
John: "Wieners, in buns, no condiments. It's Hank's way. Anything else is wrong."
Me:   "What if I don't have a bun?"
John: "No bun, no wiener. A wiener without a bun is wrong."
Me:   "No relish? No Mustard?"
Mary: She looks positively stricken.
John: He's shouting. "There's no need for such language! Condiments of any kind are wrong!"
Me:   "So a big pile of sauerkraut with some wieners chopped up in it would be out of the question?"
Mary: Sticks her fingers in her ears."I am not listening to this. La la la, la la, la la la."
John: "That's disgusting. Only some sort of evil deviant would eat that..."
Me:   "It's good! I eat it all the time."
Mary: She faints.
John: He catches Mary. "Well, if I'd known you were one of those I wouldn't have wasted my time. When Hank kicks the **** out of you I'll be there, counting my money and laughing. I'll kiss Hank's ass for you, you bunless cut-wienered kraut-eater."
With this, John dragged Mary to their waiting car, and sped off.

[Guest]