Warrior of Perky, Adi Da, 7 laws

2007-10-30-0552
been on Internet since 5am?? maybe not that long.

REVIEW OF DAY
Posted, then was on net looking at gr8pumpkin.com, longnow.org, nytimes, slashdot (really timekilling, self-escaping by then). Then paper? Then to ARC on campus. Spent till 2pm going through _7 spiritual laws of yoga_ by the rock wall and then doing weights (.5hr). Climbers came, went, came, went. Definite tension, attention draw, for me at least,--I know some of them, Babs, Ryan--and there was one woman, dancer, capoerista(?), amazing to watch her playing and skipping with a guy who energized her, made her joyful (maybe it wasn't him, just her). I said, (did my best to feel) she's in me, her energy is in me too. Self-focused, I thought she was drawn to what I was doing, the kind of energy I was sharing, as I was to hers. But what more can we do than that? No more.

It was odd and transformative to be doing those exercises and meditating there, and following a book. I couldn't find a more isolated spot--they were locked, and that one would work--I'd used it before.

Then, to the library, to get _Autobiography of a Yogi_ which I did, and also much by Sri Aurobindo (_The future Evolution of Man_ seems good to start with--a lot of the rest are massive tomes. _Integral Yoga_ was not there.), Adi Da (Da Free John/Bubba Free John), _Urantia_, _Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warror_.

First, went through _The Sacred Path_ . . . very nice. I may return to this one.

Then Adi Da's _The Knee of Listening_. Every other page, almost, a picture of him. Mind-blowing. He, in my interpretation, is telling everyone he is god and so are they (and how to realize that), but, so many find G-d through him. It is unreal, some of the pictures. You could not make this up better. White, middle-aged, north-american women, men, hailing, bowing down, to a happy, large-bellied, big Yoda.

Then _Autobiography of a Yogi_, but after Adi Da, couldn't really get excited about that. . . what could compare?

Then _Urantia_. Another tome.

Then the Sri Aurobindo books.

_Shambhala_ was a bit slow, at first, and somewhat repetitive--it is a compilation of lectures--, but then the depth, detail of the vision the author (Chögyam Trungpa) is presenting comes through. I was only skimming. But became aware that, as someone wrote of Adi Da, it is clear Trungpa has a good idea of what "it" is about.

He's sort of teaching a warrior personality, where "warrior" means brave person / bodhisattva, but secular, free from attachment to a particular religious heritage.

"Personality" should not be quite right (should be beyond personality), but I'll give it that distancing label for now. I've read the author was an alcoholic, and other things, and at any event,

we should not take this enlightenment stuff / "sacred warrior" business too seriously.

"Warrior of Perky" comes from there.

Then, the bells were ringing in the body (_7 Spiritual Laws of Yoga_ is done in order to be able to listen to the body (all layers, levels)) to go outside, to stop looking at books.

So, walked home, visited friend, fresh from Adi Da madness, (mostly the effect of looking at his pictures), could not help loving her (with some Trungpa "eyes so full of tears that when you blink they overflow"), so I listened, tried not to speak.

Then home to cook meal.

The routine has been going well-- it is basically a cup of brown rice, a cup of pinto beans (which have been soaked 8+ hours, sometimes sprouted), plus other ingredients. The brown rice takes a while. Yesterday evening, I was not wanting to wait--and cooked a squash + toasted the seeds (microwave), chewed on flax seeds.

In the evenings, past two days, I've been wanting to eat peanuts.

IN the past that has been a problem--only large bags are available near home--for more reasonable amounts must walk across highway and back.

So far, I've avoided the peanut binge.


I can also put things in the top of the pot that cook faster-- in this case, some of the lima beans--incredibly good, nourishing--that have been growing out back.

All earlier renunciations have been off except for sleeping outside, which continues to be a very good thing--partly because the howling man in the apartments is no longer there/doing his thing. Neither is anyone playing music loud, for the time being.


So I was out back.

Never got to reading.

Just contemplating.

In this case, _Shambhala_ and Adi Da--

A message I got from the day was that when you realize the peace--

There is nothing left to do but share it.

There are no other jobs left.

Now, Sri (Ghose) Aurobindo, and others, (The Mother, Auroville founder, is another one for me to look into), focus on the continuing evolution of humanness.

So when you realize the peace--as, to some extent, I did today--

I cannot really focus on the "private goodness" (Trungpa) of reading _Cien Años_.

Well, I wasn't then.

Doing so seems an escape from a more pressing, more personal question.

MINDFULNESS & MINDLESSNESS

?

INSIGHTS

See above.

ATTACHMENTS
Food, friend-- friend is the only one I get to test out my "enlightenement" on. Can I stay there with her? Does staying there affect our interaction? Partly I stayed there, partly I left.


PLAN
I'm on the Internet-connected computer. I already spent time on email, nytimes, facebook (Tuesday is the day I've been checking that)--perhaps 45 min to an hour. When I woke--450am-- got pot going asap, so it is done now, cooling.

0635

will eat that. Look at paper.

Now when I woke there was a question: to go to Kroc and swim (pool finally open probably) @ 530, weights, then return here?

But decided to stick with what I'd been doing.

So, will go to campus. Will go through Yoga routine I'm learning. And do weights. I can swim in campus pool in afternoon if I want.

Then to library-- maybe more Adi Da or Cho:gyam Trungpa.

But that seems a bit. . . not there.

Maybe I'll just contemplate sharing peace.

I think the future sharing I do will have to do with the body. Sort of yoga-teacher like. A vision I got was me in park helping people learn routines that go with books: ITP Kata, 7 Spiritual Laws. I don't want people to be dependent on me as a yoga teacher. I could help them get established, and then send them on their way.

But, as I have no need financially to do anything like that, or, no need to do that for money--

I'm not sure what, if anything, will get me to do more than I am doing now-- with a focus on personal peace and writing about it.

My control of food is still tentative--and were I to stay at this house all day--I'm not sure what I'd do.

Having that control solid, and having the body (oral health & trim & flex & strength) that reflect that accomplishment are / would be an important thing I would have to share.

Once that body--then the garden maybe, or the focus on Subtle, Causal, Psychic --the bodies along those lines, though I'm not to sure what they are, and if ignorance of them doesn't hurt peace. . . then ok.

So those other leaders--Aurbindo, Adi Da, the Urantia guy, Wilber, seem to leak tomes.


Their message though, is listen-- don't read me--

"We have what we seek. It is there all the time, and if we give it time it will make itself known to us." Thomas Merton qtd. on p 175 of _the seven spiritual laws of yoga_


The Buddha has the more accurate complete message--Sila, Pranja, Samadhi (frome Goenka)--Morality, Wisdom, Purity of Mind-- (something like that).

It is in "US" if we give it time--and part of that is learning from others.

The challenge is the balance.

I/WE tend to go overboard in looking to others--reading endlessly.

So I'll be watching for that.

Reading the book--_7 laws_ and practicing it-- that was good balance, a good metaphor.

I really felt in school. Studying a book, immediately applying it.

So, I can study Trungpa, Adi Da,

I could apply them too, perhaps.

While maintaining, growing in Sila--the non-body harming way of life.

Peace.
Colin

0655

Before I got up, I want to note, my dreams--the past two or three?--incorporated eating and eating.

0724
Searching for Yoda and Adi Da brought me here: http://www.thetaobums.com/