One Scoop Past Full (trip report)

Yea, that reminds me of a satsang I saw once.
The seeker was asking the guru about peace, and how to keep peace.
He kept saying, "I usually have peace, but sometimes I cannot hold onto it, and it slips away, and I despair, because my peace is gone and I don't know when to get it back or how."
And the guru simply said, "True peace is when you are at peace even when the peace goes."
That always really stuck with me.

 

that is a really good way to phrase it.

 

hmmm... i kind have been wondering lately what kind of implications this has on morality.

basically i am starting to think that it means that all morality goes out the window. but if that is the case, then wouldn't that also mean that the betterment of humanity is also pointless? how can this be the case?

 

whatchu mean?

 

like, the differentiation between right and wrong is pretty much a moot point. because in the end there is only unity. in terms that i have used in this thread: right and wrong are foces of chaos. love does not see chaos. it needs no reaffirmation, and any attemps to reaffirm it are destitute.

so because it is impossible to reaffirm, and the essential goal of morality is just that, then what is the point? what is the point of trying to make the world a better place in order to reaffirm love if it is an impossible goal?

what are those silly buddhists talking about when they are trying to end suffering? it seems to me like suffering is a quintessential part of enlightenment.

 

To me, it seems to be another paradox. Maybe right and wrong are ultimately illusions, but only once they are realized as illusions.
What a distinction between right and wrong serves as, in my mind, is to create a situations most congruent towards acheiving enlightenment.
We are all on the path to enlightenment, and each of our individual beings will be enlightened one day. For the time being, we can either simply sit down on our path and enjoy the illusions and veils of maya, or we can trudge forward on the razor's edge, crying and straining until we reach the goal, (that is, the realization that you have been enlightened all along).
Some actions shorten this path, some make it longer.

Enlightenment is the cessation of all suffering.

 

indeed. that is exactly what i am saying. except what i have come to learn is that all situations are most congruent towards acheiving enlightenment. which is why i am really not even sure what kind of implications this has on morality.

 

you know, now that i think about it... i think that enlightenment is strangely connected to compassion and empathy. but at the same time it is entirely seperate. ugh.. i don't know.

 

I think morality is a human developed condition and is not a naturally occurring practice among animals.

 

man, it's funny how fragile the insights that i have learned from this trip are.

let me start by defining morality. i would say that morality is basically a means by which humans understand what is beneficial and what is not beneficial. now i would say something that is beneficial is essentially something that is not harmful and helps others. so morality is the medium by which humans better their society. when i said that all situations are most congruent towards achieving enlightenment, i was essentially right. but what i did not realise is that even though that is the case, that does not mean that morality goes out the window. enlightenment needs no reaffirmation, but it still shines as a bright light through the storms of chaos (i'll keep using the same terms ive been using in this thread, lol ). it rests on a delicate structure, atop a stairway, of confidence, compassion, empathy, and all virtues. while at the same time empowering them. one cannot reach enlightenment without this stairway, or even maintain enlightenment. this 'stairway' however has no real grounding in reality. it can be fabricated. but just because it can be fabricated it does not mean that it is not an essential part of the whole. i hope someone understands what i am saying, and that i didn't confuse anyone.

well i kind of feel like i am just ranting on in this thread. i think that a trip report is not complete without the aftermath of the trip in there as well. after all, what good is incomplete wisdom? besides, i needed a place to write down all my thoughts. so i might as well share them. i am sure someone is still interesed.

 

always!

 

My understanding of it is that enlightenement is perfect compassion and empathy, because perfect empathy and compassion can be 100% realized with the realization that we are all one.

That being said, that is why I disagree with you when you said that "all situations are most congruent towards acheiving enlightenment." Situations in which we respond with compassion, understanding, and love, are surely more illuminating upon ourselves and others than if we were to simply lash out in a dark reactive manner.

 

True...but when I lash out in dark reactive manner I later realize that I was wrong and could have handled it more compassionately so I achieve some level of enlightenment.

20/20 hindsight.

 

oh i agree. but what i was saying is that it doesn't matter what situation we are in because we can always respond with compassion, understanding, and love. i just got a little confused there because if it doesn't matter what the situation is then what is the point of compassion and understanding? i guess that it is fundamental, and i got a little ahead of myself. :biggrinjester:

it feels like i am atop a house of cards. the structure itself is very fragile, but with god watching over it then it is sure to stand. so for the integrity of the structure, one must not disregard god.

 

To quote Tool, "Finding Beauty in the Dissonance"

 

There was a time that the pieces fit, but I watched them fall away
Mildewed and smoldering, strangled by our coveting
I've done the math enough to know the dangers of our second guessing
Doomed to crumble unless we grow, and strengthen our communication

 

What is that from?

 

tool - schism. the same song that containts "finding beauty in the dissonance".

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiilAUMrqrk

a gift from alan watts to me to you

 

There has been times I want to be alone for a wake up trip. Sometimes I'm afraid to dose in a low state of mind. But it's a time to confront yourself. I have helped myself many times this way. There is medical value to doseing. Sometimes we don.t want to Know the truth to our problems. Drinking and dosing are better at party's. Going through lifes problems and drinking does'nt always have a good out come. Hope your doing better for yourself. Happy thoughts all!