Re: They aren\'t just lights!
So, to continue, I flatly deny that a belief that matter is something more than "JUST" matter must be based on materialistic lust. We live in a world of matter as well as a world of spirit--the two interpenetrate one another--and thus there are many reasons why people value a material object, and many ways in which they value it.
An obsession is not cured by convincing the person that food, or wine, or flashlights, or pianos, etc. don't matter very much; that they are "just" flashlights, or "just" pianos. I believe that such obsession is a result of a lack of perspective, and a blindness to what is more important. Obsession is cured when it is put into proper relation and balance to everything else.
The true connoisseur--i.e. the true "knower"--knows that God is in all things, and speaks to us in many ways. And to those of us who are very luck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif He speaks to us through flashlights as well as through the other channels.
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What, where, how , why, is this 'spirit' that suddenly came into this? How did we even begin discussing the mundane/arcane nature of matter? Are you speaking of something like 'process'? That things interact, maybe? Or are you refering to aether? Or magical stuff that ebbs and flows through all nonmagical stuff? No offense but if we really want to say something it's important to limit what we talk about by agreeing on some level on what is real and what is not real. Belief in Ghosts and spirits and other metaphysical/magical stuff I've found to be a real hindrance to understanding and communication. They usurp the foundation of understanding. It's like if I suddenly decide to describe reality as the result of the ministrations of the handmaiden to a king in another universe called "Ordee". Sure , you, could respect my right to fill my head as I choose but really, anyone would have to recognize the futility of speaking with me on any commonly held belief because my chosen fantasies undermine all of these beliefs. Still, I could be 100% correct about "Ordee", we'll most likely never know.
I suspect, you are refering to a certain type of 'twilight' type mystical feeling that people get when they look out from high vistas or at rainbows or irridescence, or the rings of saturn, or stuff that glows in the dark, or clear skys at twilight when purple blue hues and brilliant points of starlight fill the eyes? I believe that you are romanceing the sensation of religious signifigance and tying it in to flashlights. I certainly agree that lasers and leds and hid's certainly do evoke these feelings in some people. They aren't any more signifigant than other feelings though. If you really want to experience some cosmic signifigance eat 4 grams of some types of psilocybe mushroom or take 200 mcg of acid, drink ayahuasca or smoke some dmt or smoke some bufo alvarius venom. Most of these have been included in ancient religious traditions in various forms. In fact dimethyltryptamine has even been isolated from human cerebrospinal fluid as a natural constituent. Or, if you prefer a more natural "God Buzz" go to a christian rock concert, hold your hands up and close your eyes and reflect on the glory of god and the supreme sacrifice made for us, you can't help but soon cry tears of joy that will bring you very close to the complete stranger to your right. This is naturally produced 'ecstacy'. Buddhists use this same kind of thing in the meditations on 'loving kindness' and when reflecting on the attributes of the Buddha. The purpose is to develope an internally pervasive positive feeling that stimulates and energizes a being to enable further meditation, altruistic behaviour towards others and a general sense of satisfaction and wellbeing that is independent of an external cause. This practice is of great benefit in the buddhist quest to be satisfied with as little as possible. It is my personal belief that this was what Christ meant when he spoke of the glory of god sustaining a person.
It doesn't matter how the pleasant sensation is classified, be it something 'spiritual' (this word gets bandied around way too much IMO) or charnal or adrenal or if it's the 'ah hah' sensation when you finally understand what you're trying to learn, when a pleasant sensation is evoked in a situation the mind latches onto that situation and wether we are aware of it or not it seeks to isolate the cause or causes for the pleasant sensation so that it can be repeated. It consciously or unconsciously evaluates the blend of discomfort vs pleasure and decides if it was worth the act. Many people quit meditating because they don't realize that much of it is intended to induce pleasure and it becomes work. Done properly meditation is very pleasurable at certain stages of "Jhana". Also, If people really want to understand drug addiction they need to stop studying the action of the drug and study the action of emotions that interrupt pleasureable sensations, like shame.
Deriving pleasure from an object(excluding substances that are much more direct in eliciting pleasure like food , drugs, etc) that is bought and sold is the root of materialism. Desiring this pleasure is a form of lust. Nothing unusual about this, it is part of human nature and we are all susceptible at one time or another. Even our most sacred emotions come down to this play of action motivated by acquiring pleasure and avoiding pain. Do you think that any mother and father would do what they do if a hugely complex dance of pleasure and pain didn't coax them into it? People really HATE to hear this though. To reduce the drama of human existence to the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain elicits the same type responses as telling people they evolved from an ancestor we shared with chimpanzees. Most of this evaluation of pleasure and pain is done automatically and without awareness, this is why the Buddha constantly recommended mindfullness and wisdom born of it. To see the reality of the situation we find ourselves in , is to see dukkah or suffering.
As far as curing 'obsessions' goes, 'hitting bottom' is a time tested cliche. That's the point when a person realizes that a previously pleasurable behaviour is now , quite painful. This is the point when a person all of a sudden realizes that his mind is lying to him. That the messages to "go get this pleasure" or "go get that pleasure" are delusions and wrong and listening to them is painful . As you said , this is perpective. Mindfullness.
They are just flashlights. You may carry around a massive set of pleasurable interactions and memories in context with the flashlight but it's just a thing. If god is talking to you from a flashlight that is schizophrenia. The sentiment "god is in everything" sounds nice but essentially means nothing especially when ,like the guy who tried to convert the lion, some parts of "everything" have sharp teeth and want to eat you. If you are enjoying 'twilight' sensations in reference to flashlights then more power to you. The guy whose "rolling" hard and just wanted me to know how wonderful I am just danced down the hall with a glow stick.
Thanks for reading my rant,
Ken
Just for the record...
One of the most basic concepts of buddhism is that the "self" is a delusion.
The Buddha also explained that the existence or nonexistence of god/s , the nature of the universe and just about all other unanswerable ontological questions were not relevent to relieving human suffering.
Although many people and some buddhist teachers prescribe very specific positions , hand positions(mudras, I think), and breathing rhythms , the initial purpose of all of it is to develope the ability to fix the attention on an object for a long period (to begin it is usually the breath). This is a mental exercise and has nothing to do with harmonizing the material with the spiritual. Practical factors such as staying awake and being able to sit comfortably/stable for long periods influenced meditation positions the most.Walking meditation is also very common and was prescribed by the Buddha. Once the ability to concentrate is sufficently developed the meditation is changed to mental activities that utilize an enhanced ability to concentrate.
