I am not disparaging raja or kundalini or any of the other more exotic trappings of the yogi's path. They are like beautiful flowers and attract many to what otherwise might appear dry or fruitless. But eventually the flower withers and dies, or worse, entrances the body-mind into worshiping itself. A true path, says WWW, has these characteristics or effects:
"...to turn people away from their ceaseless objectivising, from their conditioned conceptualising, and, above all, from the illusory volition by means of which they imagine that they live and act, so that, by turning their backs on what they are not, they may suddenly become aware of the immensity of what they are."
The yogas of meditation are helpful in delineating and raising the profile of the incessant mind-stuff we tend to overlook or passively accept as status quo. But too often we attach goals to our meditation or physical asanas, for example, "raising kundalini," which take volition to a feverish new level that in the end is simply obsession with self.
Well, I have a St. Bernard/collie pup at my feet and a Siamese/something kitten on my lap--went to a vegetarian festival downtown and got sweet-talked by my knowing wife into checking out the animal shelter booths. She knew what would happen, as did I. The only questions now are how big "Thor" will grow and whether "Karma" is good or bad. So far she's better than good--purrs like a slant six. As for Thor, he seems to be expanding before our eyes. I'd say the raccoon's and armadillo's around this house are in for a real shock in about six months.
"...to turn people away from their ceaseless objectivising, from their conditioned conceptualising, and, above all, from the illusory volition by means of which they imagine that they live and act, so that, by turning their backs on what they are not, they may suddenly become aware of the immensity of what they are."
The yogas of meditation are helpful in delineating and raising the profile of the incessant mind-stuff we tend to overlook or passively accept as status quo. But too often we attach goals to our meditation or physical asanas, for example, "raising kundalini," which take volition to a feverish new level that in the end is simply obsession with self.
Well, I have a St. Bernard/collie pup at my feet and a Siamese/something kitten on my lap--went to a vegetarian festival downtown and got sweet-talked by my knowing wife into checking out the animal shelter booths. She knew what would happen, as did I. The only questions now are how big "Thor" will grow and whether "Karma" is good or bad. So far she's better than good--purrs like a slant six. As for Thor, he seems to be expanding before our eyes. I'd say the raccoon's and armadillo's around this house are in for a real shock in about six months.
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