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Well, that "ignorance is bliss" saying didn't come out of the blue, either. Those who think the least do appear to be a lot happier.
Pure, raw, unadulterated and instinctive thinking is harmless. It's when that thinking stirs unhealthy emotions and consequent actions that it becomes a burden.
"Not-thinking", as a Zen concept, is a bit misleading. We see it as literally not thinking of anything. The Chinese practice of building blind allegorical passages into their stories is legendary and is at least as confusing as their descriptions of mind/body disciplines.
"Not-thinking" is a way of living, a mindset, a perspective. You can't just sit down for 15 minutes and be thinking-free, then stand up and think those benefits will carry over into your insane everyday life. You need to embrace the core principles involved, the overviews and the mindsets; only then will you begin to understand what "Not-thinking" really means.
Pure, raw, unadulterated and instinctive thinking is harmless.
And how can you possibly achieve THAT?!
Quote:
You can't just sit down for 15 minutes and be thinking-free, then stand up and think those benefits will carry over into your insane everyday life. You need to embrace the core principles involved, the overviews and the mindsets; only then will you begin to understand what "Not-thinking" really means.
Well, even though we live in an instant-gratification society, I doubt anybody has such high expectations.
Well, even though we live in an instant-gratification society, I doubt anybody has such high expectations.
It's BECAUSE we live in such a society that they DO.
Trust me - a million and one stories from when I was in business. Just one - woman comes in, mid-40's, perfectly turned-out, very classy...until she opens her mouth.
HER: "How long will it take to learn T'ai-Chi?"
ME: "Some grasp it immediately; some pursue it for a lifetime".
HER: "Well, I have Thursdays at 7:30 and Mondays at 6:15 open for the next two weeks - how much T'ai-Chi can I learn?"
It's BECAUSE we live in such a society that they DO.
Trust me - a million and one stories from when I was in business. Just one - woman comes in, mid-40's, perfectly turned-out, very classy...until she opens her mouth.
HER: "How long will it take to learn T'ai-Chi?"
ME: "Some grasp it immediately; some pursue it for a lifetime".
HER: "Well, I have Thursdays at 7:30 and Mondays at 6:15 open for the next two weeks - how much T'ai-Chi can I learn?"
I would love to know how as well and does it involve any herbal therapy.
Well, that's why I'm not getting into it here. At risk of sounding like a broken record, you have to embrace ALL of the associated arts in order to make meaningful changes.
To change your life, you have to change yourself. To change yourself, you have to consider the balance between physical, mental and spiritual. Also, the interconnections therein.
The you start with the physical. Exercises, diet and sleep patterns get created and modified. Test, evaluate, change one variable and test again. Then you find some weaknesses in the physical shell, so you have to get into acupuncture, acupressure, herbal therapy, the dozens of massage styles and energy healing.
So the physical shell gets beefed up...then you encounter the mental. Meditation training. Self-assessment. Self-improvement. Learning new perspectives on life and their applications.
Then the spiritual. Advanced meditation training. More herbs. More qigong. Less reliance on what most of Western society considers important.
You'll work on several fronts at once in your training. 365+1/4 days a year. Year after year. Healthy or sick, busy or bored. You'll encounter doubts when your lessons don't pan out as expected - then you learn about lowering your expectations.
It's BECAUSE we live in such a society that they DO.
Trust me - a million and one stories from when I was in business. Just one - woman comes in, mid-40's, perfectly turned-out, very classy...until she opens her mouth.
HER: "How long will it take to learn T'ai-Chi?"
ME: "Some grasp it immediately; some pursue it for a lifetime".
HER: "Well, I have Thursdays at 7:30 and Mondays at 6:15 open for the next two weeks - how much T'ai-Chi can I learn?"
Seriously?!?
However, aren't those that offer their expertise at fault as well? They water down & market lessons to fit into western culture and don't teach the entire philosophy.
That's one lesson my mother was trying to teach me. I guess it is helpful...
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