We Love This Guy! (But Not In A Gay Way)
File under: Gurubusting
While making the rounds today we came upon Skeptico and immediately decided then and there that we were in love. [Ed.note: Don't worry ladies, it's not that kind of love.] He brash, bold and just the right amount of snotty as he gets to work on the nonsense that endlessly propagates in spiritual culture. Watch as he goes off on an NLPer who is attempting to defend his mentor's psychobabble:
The world no longer needs credulous “new-age bozos” who are holding up our progress as a species. Especially as we are now in so much trouble. It’s time for you to let go of your need to be right, and start being effective.We suppose the Skeptico would find some problems with our own presentation of nondual philosophy, but that doesn't stop us from wanting to take the dust of his feet in respect, admiration and encouragement to keep fighting the good fight. In the war against mind-numbing and clarity-clogging mythology and superstition, we're glad there are soldiers like Skeptico to battle alongside with.
posted by guruphiliac @ 7:53 PM
2 Comments:
I'm not sure that skeptico wants you on his "team"...
The real issue with the majority of the so-called "spiritual" paths are an inability to clearly define their terms. This allows "paths" to exist that are little more than empty philosophical debates since they long ago abandoned the actual practice. I believe it is important to separate the practice (and its effects) from the words.
As Sekida wrote in "Zen Training",
"Zen is not, in my view, philosophy or mysticism. It is simply a practice of readjustment of nervous activity. That is, it restores the distorted nervous system to its normal functioning."
"Students are asked to accept nothing as the truth that they cannot demonstrate for themselves, with their own mind and body."
Within my own practice, Taoist qigong, there is no such term as "enlightenment". There are, however, stages of practice. For example,
first stage: Meditative state maintained only with great effort and for only short duration
second stage: Meditative state easily maintained
third stage: New state of consciousness that has complete cessation of thoughts.
However, the difficulty is describing mental states and changes to one's state of consciousness due to a meditative practice.
Even the term "meditation" is not clearly defined. So we need to wait, while "gurus" appear out of every closet after a 3 day course, for the few who try to objectively study these phenomena to quantitatively describe them.
I'm not sure that skeptico wants you on his "team"...
I don't think so either. But too bad. We're at the same goal, which is to counter myth and superstition taken for fact. I just know that there is a "reality" to nondual realization, although it's one that will never be measured in any way, shape or form, making it pretty much an unreality from his regard.
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