The Ecosystem And Greater Development

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I’ve been reading “McMindfulness,” a book on how a kind of stripped-down Buddhism became a big fad by promoting “mindfulness.” Basically you learn to be aware of stress and decisions, while of course doing crap-all to make the world a less stressful place. It’s a few techniques used as a kind of though-stopping cliche. Also it’s written rather angrily by a Buddhist, and angry Buddhist writing is an experience.

One thing the author notes, repeatedly is that such “Mindfulness” techniques are bereft of things like ethical teachings, the importance of community, etc. The famous “Eightfold Path” which is sort of integral to leading an effective lifestyle for a Buddhist is missing. Its just awareness exercises otherwise, and you’re not that aware without them.

This struck my own experiences in what I call “the ecosystem.” My meditative work, Taoist-derived, is far far more effective, insightful, and useful combined with a “big picture” set of efforts. Ethical and social considerations, reading the Tao Te Ching, use of symbolic systems like the I Ching to interpret states, and so on. Meditation without a larger structure is just different ways to sit there but not “sit there” if you know what I mean.

It dawned on me that having an ecosystem is necessary to spiritual practice and without it you’ll develop little if at all. In fact you might just be self-centered and more withdrawn, being really aware of how you’re not doing anything with your spiritual awareness.

The ecosystem provides a way to support your growth – and often that involves supporting others. To deal with ethical considerations, choices, and operate among people is vital for spiritual development. You often need people for that development anyway, even if some of us really wonder about being hermits now and then. To exist in society and pursue spiritual growth requires a framework.

The ecosystem also primes you for real growth. To ask about moral considerations, one’s role in society, and so on is to prepare you to use those insights. Your spiritual growth is not trapped inside a bubble of self- it helps you become a much larger person.

Finally, the ecosystem is a form of meditation. What does the Eightfold Path really mean to a Buddhist? What do Taoists mean when they say that sounds can “deafen the ear?” To have an ecosystem of ethics and social practices is to ask why they exist and give you more to contemplate.

Meditative practices, mindfulness practices, do not end at just being a bit more aware. That’s the beginning, and to remove the larger ecosystem of ethics, social principles, etc. is to strip down meditative practices to nearly nothing. Certainly enough nothing to be marketed in endless seminars where people are taught to put up with all the crap in the world.

I’m not yet done with this book, but I’m getting why the Buddhist writer is pissed off.

–Xenofact

Maintenance Mode Meditation

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Life’s been busy as of late, ranging from dental work to work-work, to people needing rides, along with insufferable temperatures and Full Metal Assault Pollen. It’s been quite a few weeks of eventfulness.

So sometimes, I find I don’t take the time to meditate as much as I’d like. I have a good routine, but when life was anything but routine, I tried to set up a maintenance mode. What’s the “basic” meditation routine I can keep to stay in the groove.

So I found the very basics I could do in the case of utter disruption, and did them. No matter what else, from airline flights to having to turn my salads into smoothies, I did them. The key thing was to do something, no matter my other limits, if only for a few minutes, every day.

At first I did this out of a kind of diffuse guilt mixed with the idea that I should at least have some kind of continuity. Eventually I realized this made a lot of sense – and actually helped my meditation.

Committing to “at least maintenance” takes pressure off of me. And by pressure off of me, I mean I stop pressuring myself. Not only am I pushing myself less, I’m realizing how much I pushed myself to meditate. I “get into it” more.

Doing “maintenance meditation” keeps up the sense of practice and awareness of what I’m doing. I might not be doing as much as I’d like but I’m keeping the right mindset and any learning or improved techniques stick with me. I also think without the self-pressure, the experiences “settle in” more.

I also found I tried to meditate “better” with these limits, trying to do it right, and asking what mattered. Sure, there was a little pressure on myself, but in times I “got” what mattered in my meditation.

Finally, and this surprised me, the above meant that my meditations were, I guess you could say, more fulfilling. Because the pressure is off, because I have that consistent awareness, it seems they go better when do them in full or in part. It shocked me, but because I wasn’t thinking about meditation, I was doing the best I could, a whole catalog of pathological behaviors became reduced.

So now, I found meditating less I means I meditated better. Go figure.

I’m enjoying being back in my routine more or less. Because it’s something I’m more intimate with, more happy with, and understand on a deeper level. I suppose routine is good, but dealing with life is sometimes the best meditation.

–Xenofact

The Messiah Is The Method

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I suppose I should put this subtly, but I won’t. How many people can claim to follow some religious figure and get it so terribly wrong. OK, I’m talking Christianity in America, but you get the idea. How do you point at someone as your role model, your savior, and then be so completely different from them.

And yes, there’s the usual stuff about scams, grifters, bullshit, opportunists, and assorted motivations people have. There’s the desire to use religion to justify your biases, etc. There’s plenty of utterly evil motivations to say one thing and do so completely the opposite.

But a-holes gonna a-hole.

However I think for sincere seekers these attempts to emulate a teacher miss something – they miss that sometimes you can think too much about the person you’re emulating. The mind you use to contemplate your teacher isn’t the teacher’s mind. In many cases, it’s better to just give it a shot at being like them and seeing how it works out.

If you’ve ever done breath meditation, there’s a strange thing about it – thinking about it really doesn’t help you get better. Instead you have to do it, moment by moment, bit by bit. Somehow the doing of the action – as imperfect as it may seem – helps you get into meditative breath than thinking about it. The you that meditates and the you thinking about it are not the same- and the you thinking about it is probably kinda distractible.

In emulating teachers, it’s all well and good to contemplate and analyze, but you have to get off your butt and actually be like them as best you can. You may not “get it.” You may not get it right. You should think and analyze, yes, but the key thing is to start being a better person and see how it goes. It’s no different than a meditation in this regard.

In America I think there’s this endless amount of books, analysis, discussion, and so on that misses that if you’ve got some great teacher (OK, look I AM talking Jesus mostly) then go be like him as best you can. If you’re not sure read about him, read your Bible (or whatever), read some unincluded scripture, but give it a shot.

You’ll learn as you go.

If you’re all stuck in your head then you’ll argue endlessly – or worse, find ways to convince yourself you’re already fine. If you spend all your time thinking about what to do right, then there’s a chance you’ll delude yourself into thinking you’re right. Sometimes you take your best shot, and sometimes it’s pretty uncomfortable to realize how unlike your role model you were.

The person that’s our great example (yeah, look, again I am talking Jesus) is the one you’re following. That is personal, that following and emulating is a meditation. Just go do it.

–Xenofact