To be Oneself. Or not.

To be oneself. Or not.

To be oneself, one needn’t do anything. One is already being himself at all times; his every drive, desire and egotism emits from this being himself.

Yet, our spiritual overlords, those who wish to have reign over our spirituality and attempt to compromise our spirituality with their own, as if we were delicious enough hosts for these parasitic thoughts, wish to do away with aspects of our being in the hopes that we too will spiritually castrate ourselves by eliminating every drive, desire and egotism as they have, to limit ourselves, to bring us down to their level. Every God attempts to make us in his image.

I wonder what they see when they look at us vagabonds and miscreants of spirituality. We must offend their very core at the mere sight of us. “Look at him, this spiritually impoverished soul,” says their ego, “If only he were without desire,” says their desire.

“To be” is to accept oneself, to be honest with oneself and to value oneself as one already is, in the hopes of learning, mastering and overcoming oneself for the sake of everything that we are apart of. Yet, they sell us on “inner worlds”, “enlightenment”, “detachment”, “ego death”, “the after-life”, hatred of the sensual, the egotistical, and all the symptoms of our very being, as if they were symptoms of some disease, life and the world, so that we may be the opposite of what we are, “not to be”—or at bottom—them.

There is no spirituality found in running from or attempting to destroy what one is. That is death. That is self-betrayal. That is without spirit.

In matters of spirituality there is only one choice, to be oneself or not. To create oneself or destroy oneself.

reply to post by Aphorism


So, in a way... you are saying you should be YOURSELF, no matter what anyone else thinks? right?

reply to post by ValentinoG


Or not.

reply to post by Aphorism


So if we are in fact creatures of a composite consciousness,
formed of multiple competing pieces, with multiple
competing agendas.

What then?

Keep up the good work.

KPB

reply to post by ValentinoG

Your SELF is part of god - your self is not. OP may be over thinking because the intellect always tries to determine the problem and answer. Doesn't work that way. The answer doesn't come from the intellect/ego. You can't find your SELF anywhere "out there" no matter how smart you are. In fact, sometimes that makes it worse.

You have all the answers - but you need to look within to find them. Seems simple - but not all that easy. Keep trying though - they really are there.

reply to post by Aphorism


May I ask you Aphorism, how long did it take you to write this post?

Did you just sit down and punch it out off the top of your head or did you take a while, think it out and then write it down in the way that you did?

Maluhia
reply to post by ValentinoG

 

Your SELF is part of god - your self is not. OP may be over thinking because the intellect always tries to determine the problem and answer. Doesn't work that way. The answer doesn't come from the intellect/ego. You can't find your SELF anywhere "out there" no matter how smart you are. In fact, sometimes that makes it worse.

You have all the answers - but you need to look within to find them. Seems simple - but not all that easy. Keep trying though - they really are there.

You may have a point. However a time-honored and effective way to
find reality is through discrimination.. a process our friend is using
to some good effect.

However discrimination alone, or unbalanced discrimination goes
roundy roundy to no effect.

Finding oneself; integrating oneself; a very difficult thing to do
alone in the world at this time.. in the West at least, our culture
is not setup to provide the support people need who wish to
throw off all the conditioning.

When someone is really trying, it's good to encourage them,
don't you think? Even if in our minds they are doing it 'wrong'.

That's my perspective anyway.

KPB

Aphorism
In matters of spirituality there is only one choice, to be oneself or not. To create oneself or destroy oneself.

Does one need to create oneself?
Are you not already being?

To be or not to be? That is the question.

reply to post by KellyPrettyBear

When someone is really trying, it's good to encourage them, don't you think? Even if in our minds they are doing it 'wrong'.

I do agree that encouragement is needed when people are really trying and I apologize if my post came off as "not helpful".

My point was that we need to try to let go of our "intellectual grasp" of the process and truly surrender to the fact that we don't "get it" intellectually - and let a different part of our mind, which understands it perfectly, take over.

ETA - and I did find the OPs comment "or not" a bit flippant, when it seemed that the person asking was truly looking for guidance. Help others - there is your answer. Don't confound them.

Lately, I feel like a mix of Hank Hill and Dale Gribble, with increasing amounts of Bill and declining amounts of Boomhauer. So, yeah, sometimes I'd like to be someone else.

I suppose you should just try to be a better you, but I think I've given up trying to be a better me, and just try to be a happier me.

Maluhia
reply to post by KellyPrettyBear

 

When someone is really trying, it's good to encourage them, don't you think? Even if in our minds they are doing it 'wrong'.

I do agree that encouragement is needed when people are really trying and I apologize if my post came off as "not helpful".

My point was that we need to try to let go of our "intellectual grasp" of the process and truly surrender to the fact that we don't "get it" intellectually - and let a different part of our mind, which understands it perfectly, take over.

Well, to use a certain language, most of my success in life has been
due to 'bhakti'. An undeniable desire.. a formless yearning.. that
would not be denied. THIS can take a person from a pauper to
a prince in nothing flat. But THIS can also drive a person mad
if done incorrectly.

I certainly see your point.

That's why various systems have various limbs or noble paths
that when followed help safeguard a person.

I'm sure you know this.

It just so happens that the advice you are giving is probably
the lesson that is most meaningful to YOU at this point;

and the same for me.. love everyone.. be balanced in an
unbalanced world.. these things loom large for me.

Everyone advises others for the advice that means something
to them.. it's a real artform, to give the advice that's needed
by the other, and not just reflect yourself!

Keep up the good work! (yes, you too!)

KPB

reply to post by Aphorism


Rejoice in the unique identity and difference of one. Acknowledge the unity of all.


Emptiness of attachment, desire, and ego are on one pole,... while Egocentric-Selfishness is on the opposing pole. Ego-Death is just as disastrous to one's psyche as extreme indulgence of egocentricity.

As with all dualities, wisdom is found in reconciling the two into one. Both poles are varying degrees of the same thing. Celebrate diversity and differences,... acknowledge and be mindful of the unity of all. Your unique identity brings vitality into existence, while remembering the unity of all brings true compassion and love. Be the drop of water in the ocean,... be the tree in the forest.


Peace.

To be oneself you must fuse chaos with order, with the ego and psyche laid randomly - at first glance. Closer introspection gradually reveals that a set of rules governs the placement of the self and the not self Thus, the challenges to the primary process; to explore the rules encoded in the subconscious that shape our reality principle and to consider why we find emotional solace in the juxtaposition of chaos and order.

Rather than any implied meaning or message, the peripheral nature of these kinesthetics, encourages the experiencer to consider the reflected appraisal qualities of the rational mind - In simplicity, the primary process becomes more direct and incisive in its dissection of the human emotions, a more lucent mirror of our collective mental set modes.

reply to post by olaru12


I still think that Aphorism just wanted a hug. Did Lao Tzu,
Buddha and Sankaracharya all have to run up spouting first
principles?




KPB

reply to post by TerryMcGuire


15 minutes. I felt a frenzy and unleashed in a sense.

KellyPrettyBear
reply to post by olaru12

 

I still think that Aphorism just wanted a hug. Did Lao Tzu,
Buddha and Sankaracharya all have to run up spouting first
principles?

KPB

ah so...Lao Tzu...genius of the absurd.

reply to post by Maluhia

The answer doesn't come from the intellect/ego.

Where does this answer come from?

olaru12

KellyPrettyBear
reply to post by olaru12

 

I still think that Aphorism just wanted a hug. Did Lao Tzu,
Buddha and Sankaracharya all have to run up spouting first
principles?

KPB

ah so...Lao Tzu...genius of the absurd.

All of religion and philosophy is designed to lead to
despair. I'm not even joking.

There are ways to self knowledge however..

FYI, I picked 3 random 'luminaries'.

KPB

KellyPrettyBear




All of religion and philosophy is designed to lead to
despair. I'm not even joking.

Sounds like you need a hug as well!

olaru12

KellyPrettyBear




All of religion and philosophy is designed to lead to
despair. I'm not even joking.

Sounds like you need a hug as well!

LOL. I get hugged on my birthday some years,
but not all years.

Seriously.

Not one single 'system' in the world 'works'.

If one did, would there be 7 billion insane
monkey's throwing poop at each other
on planet Earth?

KPB