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“Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.” Job 5:2, Old Testament
“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book XI, Verse 18
“One who holds no hatred toward any being, who is friendly and compassionate, free from possessiveness and ego, balanced in joy and sorrow, and forgiving; such a person is deeply aligned with spiritual wisdom.” Bhagavad Gita 12:13
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“Self-obedience is not repression; it is sovereignty. It means acting from chosen values rather than reactive urges.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Interpretive Commentary from On the Genealogy of Morals (1887), Where he introduces the Sovereign Individual in Section 2
“He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of all living creatures.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III, On Old and New Tablets, Section 29
“Discipline is liberation.” Martha Graham, legendary dancer and choreographer
“Without discipline, there can be no freedom.” Nadia Boulanger, 20th-century classical musician, teacher, conductor, and composer
“Discipline equals freedom” Jocko Willink, former Navy SEAL commander
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“The Lord, as an artful physician, subjects us to various trials, sorrows, illnesses, and misfortunes, in order to purify us like gold in the furnace. A soul that is hardened in various sins does not easily undergo cleansing and healing, but has to be forced to a great extent, and only through lengthy experience in patience and suffering does it become accustomed to virtue” St. John of Kronstadt (19th-century Russian Orthodox saint), My Life in Christ
“Suffering is the greatest treasure on earth; it purifies the soul. In suffering, we learn who our true friend is.” And “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.” St. Faustina Kowalska (20th-century Polish mystic), Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, entry 342 and 343
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10, Old Testament
“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12, John the Baptist, New Testament
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” Bynner, The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu
“Only when we are sick of our sickness shall we cease to be sick.” Inspired by Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 71
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“Nothing in the world is as soft or as yielding as water, yet nothing can better overcome what is hard and strong.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 78
“Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law” The Buddha, Dhammapada, Chapter on Pairs, Verse 5
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Jesus, Matthew 5:44
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“No man is free who is not master of himself.” Epictetus or maybe Pythagorus (?), Johannes Stobaeus, Florilegium 3.6.56
“For one who has conquered his mind, a mind is best of friends, but for one who has failed to do so, a mind is the greatest enemy.” Bhagavad Gita 6.5–6
“Self-conquest is far better than the conquest of others. Not even a god, an angel, Mara or Brahma can turn into defeat the victory of a person who is self-subdued and ever restrained in conduct.” Dhammapada, verses 104–105
“Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit.” Proverbs 25:28
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” Tao Te Ching, chapter 33
“The word ‘yoga’ is adapted from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means ‘to yoke or bind.’ In that context, yoga is often interpreted as a practice of yoking or controlling the mind and body to achieve union with the true Self. and the Supreme” Summary/Paraphrase from: Patanjali, Yoga Sutras, Yoga Sutra 1.2 and Swami Vivekananda, Raja Yoga
• Yogaḥ — Yoga (from the root yuj, meaning to yoke, to join, to harness, or to unite)
• Citta — Mind-stuff, consciousness, the field of awareness (includes intellect, ego, memory, and subconscious impressions)
• Vṛtti — Fluctuations, modifications, whirlpools, waves, or turnings of the mind (thought patterns, mental activities)
• Nirodhaḥ — Cessation, restraint, control, regulation, stilling, quieting, or mastery”
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“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
“Do you have the patience to wait till the mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 15
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‘As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’ probably gets interpreted as ‘control one’s thinking’ instead of clearing out the debris at the roots, blocking the heart. Change the roots, change the leaves. That’s the premise of James Allen’s message; not supress, bury or deny at the surface.
We don’t have to react to every rotton leaf, we can take note and let them blow away, the work is looking at the root causes, working towards a psychic change.
As far as desire, it is a big word. I desire a psychic change, to let go, and be aligned with a power greater than myself, as a non-enlightened being I also desire earthly comforts, connection etc.. is not the same as I desire to manipulate someone to achieve selfish gains – it’s in the discernment, who is seeking (subconscious, ego, higher self) and how attached I am to the outcomes
Let go and let the heart shine ❤️
“Evil has no positive nature; but the loss of good has received the name ‘evil.’” St. Augustine, Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love, Chapter 3, Section 11
“Evil is not a substance but a corruption of good.” St. Augustine, Confessions (Book VII)
“Whatsoever misfortunes there are here in this world or in the next, they all have their root in Ignorance and in the accumulation of Longing and Desire.” Gautama Buddha, his teachings on the causes of suffering, specifically regarding the “Three Poisons” ignorance, attachment/desire, and aversion
Riddle for the day: How can an egoic mind pursue non-desire without desiring such a state? We can always find paradoxes in language and often the questions change before we get any answers on a spiritual path.
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“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” Mahatma Gandhi, Article: “General Knowledge About Health”, 1913
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“Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return. Each separate being in the universe returns to the common source. Returning to the source is serenity. If you don’t realize the source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 16
“If you let go a little you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if you let go completely you will have complete peace.” Thai Forest Master Ajahn Chah, Oral Teachings
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🐇 🤍 🕊️
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Corinthians 13:4-7
“Free from wrong views, greed, and sensual desires, living in beauty and realizing Perfect Understanding, those who practice boundless love will certainly transcend birth and death.” Metta Sutta, On the Fruits of this Practice, Translation – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 67, On Compassion and Harmony Without Contention
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32
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“Monks, a statement endowed with five factors is well-spoken. It is spoken at the right time. It is spoken in truth. It is spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is spoken with a mind of good-will.” Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.198
“A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4
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“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” The Dhammapada, Chapter 1: The Pairs, Verses 1-2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
“Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book V, Section 16
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“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires, that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still, can alone achieve peace.” Bhagavad Gita 2.70
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality” Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius found in Letters from a Stoic, Letter 13, Section 4 On Groundless Fear
“A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is rottenness to the bones” Proverbs 14:30
I’ve gone through periods where I was completely turned off by quotes. My defensive reactions would be “the person is just virtue signaling – ‘look at how wise I am’”, or “most people read them, agree, and never change their behavior anyway”, and “when a young person doesn’t have to ride their bike to the library anymore to find wisdom, just about every piece under the sun has been seen online a dozen times by the average teenager and society seems no better for it!”
I now do, as part of my ‘daily reflections’, reading quotes from various sources as a reminder, even entrainment. It is part of my prayers and meditations. I don’t align with them all, even the ones I will post here (James Allen’s time period could be a bit more puritan than ours, and like Keith said, the books on recovery that partly came out of these works hit an effective golden mean between temperance and practicality and serve the newcomer without scaring them off). However, I find some of the most valuable ones often turn out being the ones I initially get a defensive reaction to.
As Carolyn noted about the unconscious; if I allow my conscious ego to sit with it, in quiet, aka: to suspend ‘Narcissist’ from staring at his own reflection long enough to listen to what bubbles up from the waters below, I am able to recognize the part of myself the quote makes me uncomfortable with.
This gives me a chance to transmute it and turn it to good use (to use Jungian terminology) or hand it over to my higher power via a mini 7th step. When the bubbling slows down is when the waters become calm enough that the divinity above can be glimpsed in the waters reflection, beyond my own, and that is when synchronicities and positive life changes start to happen exponentially.
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“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 4, passage 3
“Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts, suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.” The Dhammapada, Chapter 1 “The Pairs”, Verses 1 and 2
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“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them” Matthew 7:20
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
“Like a beautiful flower full of color but without fragrance, even so, fruitless are the fair words of one who does not practice them.
Like a beautiful flower full of color and also fragrant, even so, fruitful are the fair words of one who practices them.” The Dhammapada Chapter 4: “Flowers” Verses: 51 and 52
“The sage is good to people who are good… He is good to people who are not good… The Tao is the way of Heaven… It is in harmony with the good.” Tao Te Ching, Ch. 49 & 54
“The gods have given us the power to become like them… by our conduct alone.” Epictetus, Discourses 1.12
“The only thing that matters is to live in accordance with your own nature and with the universal Nature… You have only to will it, and the transformation is complete.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.17, 4.4
“All men have a sense of compassion… This sense of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom… Men everywhere, in their inmost hearts, possess these sprouts of goodness; it is only a matter of cultivating them.” Mengzi, Mencius 2A:6
“The power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already… the instrument of knowledge can only be turned from darkness to light by the whole soul… and this is the whole duty of life.” Goodness is divine and innately knowable; ethical conduct reveals our true divine nature (participation in the Good). Plato, Republic 518c–d
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Congruent
Congruency is integral to authenticity. Duplicity, especially for those given a gift with a platform to influence, cannot be virtue and thus will always end in malady.
One cannot spread vulgarity, puffed up pride, and arrogance under the spotlight to project an image, and then claim to be genuine behind closed doors. In fact one’s integrity, what one represents, carries more power, and Karmic ripples while in the limelight.
The opposite is also hypocritical and leads to suffering; displaying virtue than living a debased life in secret.
Therefore, being congruent in oneself, both in the public eye and the private, is essential for the gift not to become a curse.
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“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23:7
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Women teach us to be the indifferent assholes they love to complain about and then wonder why we kill off the romantic child that some of us were born being.
That child didn’t need training; he needed respect, reverence and protecting. Instead he gets the opposite: disrespect, jealousy games, shit tests, bad bitch attitudes, when he sees the same women give sex, be pleasant, and sacrifice to assholes without making them go through any of these ordeals.
Most men will behave in the way that they see gets rewarded.
I’ve been on both sides and no longer see any benefit to giving my self respect, love, and soul away for cheap sex; nor do I care to sacrifice my character, principles, and dignity to manipulate women for my own selfish desires, so best not to play the game at all.
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I don’t want to be with someone who thinks words mean nothing
That sticks their head in the sand and lets nothing touch them
To me, that is the very definition of a shallow existence
The behavior of a person afraid to love
If words mean nothing, then nothing means anything
Words are how we share meaning
The music, writing, comments, exchanges all cary intent, power, and consequences
Be free, careless, ignorant, hot then cold, manic depressive (maybe seek help), a tease, a flake with someone else’s heart
I am not attracted to those who do not have the courage to reciprocate
To those that share unoriginal borish sentiments in songs like “I don’t chase, I attract” – *yawn* or songs by a singer that brags about getting a selfish ego boost from receiving messages she doesn’t reply to *gross*
Those that think so highly of themselves, they think they don’t need to meet someone in the middle but be endlessly pursued
I wanted REAL love, not these circular games that lead nowhere
Pure Arrogance
I am not attracted to those that have to announce that words mean nothing
Revealing how much they really do mean something, and showing the shell they are hiding behind
Otherwise, why say anything at all?
Training season is over (such an insulting song)
“I want you to take control but I’ll stick my fingers in my ear, still do what I want on my terms, and say words mean nothing”
Make it make sense
Wants the power without the accountability
Wants dominance without offering submission
I just wanted love without silly power games – a hand to hold
Two people reaching out for each other
Something real
Something simple
Something effortless
Something true
You showed me who you are
…and I am no longer interested
Plastic Flowers, Plastic Face, Plastic
Post your vulgar, insulting lyrics in songs by insecure, broken, selfish little girls, and degrading memes on Women’s Day
…making men look like foolish chumps
They no longer mean anything
Nothing
Unlike you, I have the courage to admit they once did
I once cared about you, which you made impossible
You are a puffed up shallow caricature, and I am sorry if it is fame and success that turned you into this because as I have said too many times, I saw the heart buried underneath – it is just too far gone to keep smashing myself up against its walls
I am going to continue to use this site to chronicle my cards, the heavens, my practice and journal through writings, songs and photographs
Just know, it is no longer for you
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Want to wear a quality watch – cool
Play music that brags about having one as what props up identity, gives the singer value and makes them special, teaching other women to hoe themselves out for ‘the bag’ and external ‘things’ at any cost – don’t be surprised if people start seeing you as a shallow loser and that’s who you start attracting in your life.
With all the beauty, pain and experiences life offers to sing about, it must really take a sub-par vulgar intelligence to create un-original trash about one’s material possessions and their own puffed up broken egos.
Mindless pawns to the marketing machine of consumption – the opposite of strong and independent!
—
Poverty shows you the character of those around you. Wealth shows those around you your character.
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When I was 5 or 6 years old my mom slapped me in the face for something stupid I had said while we were driving in the car and I laughed. My dad would come home, and if having a bad day, would be wearing a scowl that would make everyone sit up straight, even the dog, without him saying a word.
This is primal, biological and even if my mom could have physically overpowered me at 5, she couldn’t intimidate me. No woman ever has physically. I learned this without cultural conditioning. That men and women are completely different when it comes to power.
Some women in this ‘era’ do not comprehend this. With all the tools they have inherited through evolution to exert their wills they try and mimic men with this style of intimidation. It is comical and they come off like jesters – it is clownish.
The irony, I, like a lot of men, have spent a lifetime trying to reign in using brutish force as a means of persuasion. To soften our demeanors and develop skills when dealing with people that are more tactful, and longer lasting, than being a bully.
Yet, in this ‘era’ we entertain nonsense. Behind every puffed up caricature there is usually fear.
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Maybe it is just an idealistic childish dream to believe in real love in a transactional world where people hide behind masks as shields and spend an enormous amount of energy to protect their egos and fill their sense of lack – got to have a heavy watch to be ‘important’, right? To hell with those kids in the diamond mines, it’s all about me.
I see the culture and media as lame fools that think this is what will make them ‘happy’ and truly don’t understand their perspectives but for the grace of God, we can only let others play out what they think they “like it like” and learn if that path will bring them joy or a shallow existence.
A true Machiavellian would mask such desires. Instead, it is like the revealing cries of those that announce “I don’t care what people think” – which if true, there would be no need to say. Judge not lest I be judged – I certainly have had and do have my flawed assumptions, desires and ways to cope – looking at myself. Life isn’t easy for anyone, especially those that come into success. Power and money reveal the character in a person.
— — —
There may be some people that desire power and control for the sake of it. Yet others that truly have a purpose and wield it only as leverage to accomplish an outcome. I believe most seek it to avoid feeling powerless, losing control, their sense of autonomy.
This is the source of rebelliousness. And of Earthly masters it can make good sense. Even if God is a delusion, which the synchronicity and order I’ve experienced says otherwise – pointing at some unfathomable magic behind existence, I do not believe a man and woman can have a long term healthy love without.
Most get trapped in trying to fill a sense of lack with 6-9 month chemical romances. When one day they wake up, after the thrill is gone, and see how inadequate their partner really is at fulfilling them. This is not love but a cocktail of hormones and an attempt to numb unresolved internal trauma.
Without this surrender to a ‘higher power’ by each person in the relationship, the opposite polarities, the weight of the world, the tragedies and desires, there is no chance.
With it, any test, hardship, devastation, love can withstand. Then upon looking back, all the other passionate flings will be seen for what they were, a bad addiction, when compared to the true nourishment and fulfillment of real, lasting love. Something they both revere and cherish as sacred.
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I took this picture at a birthday party in Negril Jamaica when I was 17 backpacking across the country. I felt like an adult and years away from these shining young souls. Sometimes I wonder what became of their lives. They would be in their forties today.
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You never know how life is going to play out. One can go years following a routine, a lifestyle, and one fall, one instance, everything changes with a foot facing sideways, eight breaks and a decade of surgeries.
When one’s identity and career is centered on kinetic living, athleticism, physicality, “Seizing the Day”, it takes a toll and major growth to adjust to a year with a fixator attached into the bones and limited daily activities.
An older mentor of mine remarked: “It was God’s way of slowing you down”. He had a point but I didn’t want to hear that at the time.
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Basit yaşamak zorlaştı
Plastic Flowers (English Translation)
“When did the hydrangeas give up
On making tin cans their home?
In the chaos of those distant cities,
Is there no room left for the joy of life
That buds anew against everything?
Can wild flowers not lift their heads
In the shadow of skyscrapers?
Was the scent of narcissus abandoned
In the rush of those cities?
Living simply has become difficult.
People have surrendered to the city.
Pressed masses of people,
PVC windows, rubber shoes,
Plastic remote controls, nylon relationships.
Plastic lives that want to hold onto beauty
Without making any effort…”
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https://www.patreon.com/posts/25-what-happens-149863161
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DISCIPLINE
Every man addicted to something
Some smoke, some drink, some chase girls, some waste time
But real man, he addicted to discipline
To early wakes, to pray, to training, silence
Discipline does not need motivation
Discipline move without feeling
Discipline say I go anyway
Even when tired, even when lonely
Discipline is best addiction
You want strong life, discipline builds
You want peace, discipline protects
You want respect, discipline earns
No shortcut, only work
Be men with control
Not men with excuse, no cry, no blame
You want better life, start with better habits
Discipline everyday until discipline becomes you
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In The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche explores the paradox that our conventional pursuit of “freedom” is actually what keeps us imprisoned. He argues that what we usually call freedom is just the ego’s attempt to manipulate the world to get what it wants.
Here is a summary of the core themes:
1. The Trap of “Freedom”
Trungpa asserts that most people live in a state of psychological imprisonment created by the ego.
- The Illusion: We think freedom means the ability to satisfy our desires and escape discomfort.
- The Reality: This “freedom” is actually a cycle of reaction. We are slaves to our attractions and aversions, constantly running toward pleasure and away from pain.
2. The Mechanics of Ego
The book breaks down how the ego maintains its territory through “The Six Realms” of existence (states of mind like pride, jealousy, and anger).
- Defense Mechanisms: The ego uses emotions as “security guards” to protect its perceived boundaries.
- Neurosis: Trungpa views our daily anxieties and neuroses not as bugs in the system, but as the very walls of our self-built prison.
* Example of a Realm – The Second One:
The Hungry Ghost Realm (Preoccupation)
In the Preta realm, you are possessed by unquenchable thirst. It is the realm of addiction and “not enough-ness.”
- The Obsession: The feeling of a “huge stomach and a tiny throat.” You see something you want, you get it, but it provides no nourishment, so you immediately look for the next thing.
- The Experience: A perpetual sense of poverty, regardless of how much wealth or affection you actually possess.
3. Meditation as the “Way”
Meditation is presented not as a relaxation technique or a way to get “high,” but as a ruthless tool for honesty.
- Objectivity: It allows us to see our thoughts and emotions without trying to fix or change them.
- Boredom: Trungpa famously highlights the value of boredom in meditation. When we stop trying to entertain ourselves, we begin to see the “cool” and spacious quality of reality.
4. True Freedom (Fearlessness)
True freedom isn’t the absence of constraints; it is the freedom from the hope of something better and the fear of something worse.
- Surrender: It involves giving up the struggle to be “perfect” or “enlightened.”
- The Present: By fully experiencing the “hotness of the fire and the coldness of the ice” in the present moment, we step out of the ego’s narrative and into a state of basic sanity.
Summary Table
| Concept | The Mythical View | The Buddhist View |
| Freedom | Doing whatever I want. | Freedom from the wanting itself. |
| Meditation | Escaping to a peaceful place. | Facing the chaos of the mind directly. |
| Ego | A solid “self” to be protected. | A collection of habits and defenses. |
| Happiness | Accumulating positive experiences. | Relaxing into things as they are. |
“The path is the goal. There is no point in waiting for a future realization.” — Chögyam Trungpa
DISCERNMENT
Another spiritual paradox that is adjacent to victory through surrender is the myth of freedom. What is not free once one is able to grasp that we are all the river, the creator and the creation? Once we grasp more than intellectually the transitory nature, illusion, of self; just a water molecule caught in the flux, the very definition of freedom collapses – free from what? ourselves?
As children, some of us wanted to break ALL of the chains. Railing against the universe for having to abide by its constraints. Rebuking how we evolved, who we were born as, the very gender and other roles we inherited.
It’s like getting angry for the labor of breathing, instead of accepting it for what is, and even finding beauty in it. It’s link to our autonomous natures, having the choice of it being voluntary or automatic. A body function we can consciously override, teaching us that we can access and resist other compulsory behavior – is a gift. Yet it is still a required chore – it is all about the perception.
There are many social, culturally acceptable, behaviors I do not accept. Maybe this is an indication that I have room to expand in my spiritual practice. If enlightenment means accepting all, I certainly am not ready for it.
Sitting in the gym locker room, hearing a celebrated musician bragging about having, through their fame and money, acquired a hundred money grubbing whores and how this gets him blowjobs on private planes repulses me. *Reference: Bad Bunny’s song “Monaco”
How others, that claim to advocate for women, promote and share this ‘rot’ bewilders me. Would anyone want their child to be one of those whores? If not, why propagate it onto the ears of the children of others, teaching them it is socially acceptable?
It puzzles me that the masses will accept this, but rebel against real wisdom. It seems they are more concerned with the source than the content. As a society we are slow to update our scripts, not seeing that often what we think is the rebellious stance has already been mainstream for a time and the real rebellion would be being in defiance to that.
This discernment of what to rebel against, rather than blindly countering everything, is where I choose to be. I listen to my inner voice and try not to get holier-than-thou, but still resist what I see as degrading to society. Maybe my next lifetime I will learn to accept it all, beyond being in deep altered states or contemplative abstraction, but as the everyday ‘living molecule’ – ego.
It’s a mad world.
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CONFORMISTS
A man is looking for a woman that aligns with him
and rebels against the madness of the world.
Not a woman that aligns with the madness of the world
and rebels against him.
Unfortunately, the later is easier to find.
So much so that many weak men have surrendered their inner voice, conscience, in favor of fitting in with them.
When enough of them succumb is usually when civilizations start to collapse. The collective rot from the inside invites bands of stronger men from the outside to overrun what the civilization once had built.
Nothing new. The wheel keeps turning.
As Above So Below
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Women will consciously and subconsciously sabotage each others relationships. Even best friends, that in all other respects are out for each other’s best interests. It is some deep primal instinct. That, and ignorance of men, is why they give each other such awful relationship advice. I’ve seen it too many times to consider it a bug and not a feature.
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I am fortunate to have learned these lessons young. Although not globally famous, within the military and my communication systems career I was well known, had a reputation, received consistent accolades and financial rewards.
I was smart enough not to outwardly act too arrogant. I used the power I had gained to get away with subtle egoic behaviors that hurt myself and others, but at the time felt like I deserved, had earned. Forget it when I was drinking, with no brakes, my demons often revealed themselves.
Looking back, giving it all up in my younger thirties, quitting partying, quitting using woman in relationships to fill what I was lacking, getting honest with myself, and working on myself was a blessing and saved me years of living more blindly.
I had to learn to listen and acknowledge, despite being well read and having lived by thirty more than a lot of people do their entire lives, I didn’t always have the answers. There was room to grow. Having kids helped me see what was real, what wasn’t that stole energy and what kind of example I wanted to be. I grew up, a second, third… time – and still am growing. I try to maintain a zen mind, beginner’s mind about it all.
But for the grace of God go I
Actors I admire because they seem to have avoided these traps themselves, with much more fame and money than I had to contend with.
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Duncan Fleming
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Beauty Lost
Beauty never dies
…but the individual can lose it
Look at Madonna
Claiming self actualization
Without attainment
…the oldest diversion in the book
Able to talk the spiritual talk
Hire teachers from my own tradition
That she could be a guide to anyone
Delusion
…blinded by her arrogance and fame
Years of promoting promiscuity to the youth
Sold to women as freedom and liberation
Entangled her soul
Fed the demons pulling her strings well
Evidenced in her own self mutilation
We cannot hide our behaviors
Defiance to men, Saturn and the Sun
…as if men do not also carry the moon and understand the dark
…as if the Sun is not the source of its illumination
…as if their wisdom denied – yields any virtue
It only leaves calamity for the rebellious
For the spoiled child
The tragic irony
The beauty she clutched has slipped away
Painted on her contorted, defiled face for all to witness
Redemption?
I am not the final judge
My earnest sacrifices gaining a view
From my lowly accent and perch
Clearly looking down at her poor choices
It seems unlikely while she is in this form
Beauty Lost
The life well lived is plain for all to see
The natural beauty radiates eternal
And no amount of wear and tear
No amount of years and weather
Can hide what is REAL
He loves you
Again, who am I to judge
So I will not say but ask:
You, clearly have work on yourself to do
Are you using him as a placeholder?
Are you just infatuated with his infatuation for you?
Are you using him, knowing his heart is on the line, as a safe shelter from facing yourself?
Just another human, drug, behavior to fill the hole?
If my questions are off – my apologies
If your intentions are true friendship, I wish nothing but blessings for you and him
He is a good man
It is clear for all to see, he wants more
If he accepts and is aware of the situation, it is his choice to hang on
Forgive my trespasse for thinking both of you are fooling yourselves
I truly am not privy to direct communication on the matter
My intuition and assumptions are all I have to go by
Choices and taking the easy route have consequences
Playing with another’s soul to satiate one’s own is evidence of a child that has not attained much at all
That is still ruled by demons and addictions
With all love and compassion
Stop trying to prematurely inspire others
When you do not possess the next level of a gift to give
You have had lessons of the past
Attainments of youth
Your charity and journey are not in vain
Coming on 34, you can and should aspire for a higher foothold
To progress you have to, in your heart, let past accomplishments go
Face character defects and past trauma you have not yet undone
Gain the humility to understand your ego cannot get you to the next level
…and accept and adopt a posture that
You know nothing
Surrender
Every gift you were given, your beauty
Is on the line
Stop feeding off of premature accolades
Stop absorbing media that is base and corrosive
That props up and feeds your ego and subconscious desires
…be willing to suffer and do the work
Take these words seriously
I’ve had visions of the older wiser you
…living in grace and propagating inner beauty
Do not throw it away like Madonna
It matters
…and I care
REAL beauty is eternal and can be held on to
As long as you are willing to sacrifice and grow
Let go of yesterday’s wisdom
…and guard and protect your inner light
From your own demons
I do not possess your answers
Earnestly ask your higher self and God
…and the path will be revealed
I have faith and belief you will be victorious
That you will pass on your gift, once cultivated, to many others
You will inspire and light the way for those that need it
I look forward to witnessing that and it would bring me immense joy
Patience and determination will be your strength and chariot
You are loved ❤️
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The Mockery of True Beauty
Want to break real boundaries, limits? Blow past real barriers? Show real courage?
Stop selling and perpetuating the conditioning and conformity to other women (and some men) that they have to buy products to smear on their faces to look good and that REAL beauty comes from inside. That they don’ t have to be another court jester following the herd.
Definitely stop teaching them and normalizing injecting nasty foreign substances into their faces and cutting themselves up with procedures in order to be of value. A healthy person would go crazy walking around with crap stuffed under their skin. Like puss from a pimple they would want to get it out! It seems a sign of mental illness. So unnatural. So obvious. So disgusting. Max Vanity!
It’s always these people with such low self worth projecting to others about confidence. Over preaching about how much they are winners, trend setters, and framing others as in their shadow wanting to be like them. The aware can easily see the mockery. REAL lions do not need to roar. I truly do have compassion and feel sorry for such lost souls. They have been sold a bag of lies.
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WHO CARES?
I wouldn’t wish fame on anyone. The inflated ego seems to be part of the territory. No gratitude, no humility; just “look what I ‘manifested’ all by myself”. Then the virtue signaling as if everyone else would want the same, but just don’t believe in themselves enough and need their guidance!
Using the fruits of this country while shitting on brave heroes, doing real work, that are risking their lives to remove dangerous criminals that disrespected our laws and came in illegally!
Sucking energy from countless automatons spell bound from illusions. Drunk on themselves and their mindless followers. The ego cannot manifest anything, but sure likes to take the credit. Just like low IQ people parrot what you teach them as their own.
You would think they built something, invented something, or cured cancer. Not that I would worship someone who did, but at least it would be more than mere entertainment. Limits? what limits? It’s a well beaten path. Selling what’s ‘in style’. Insufferable.
Just another rich pawn. A ‘shiny’ to sell sell sell.
“Dare to love” says the coward that couldn’t even reply to a single message, much less match the amount of direct love and gestures given to her for a year and a half! None of that was needed or required, just the respect of a reciprocated ‘hello’ and I would of taken it from there. It would be comical if it wasn’t so sad.
…there was real magic, a divine gift.
If it is hard for a rich person to get to heaven, fame must make it doubly so.
There is no envy here, only compassion. Maybe a little grudge. For I see it for what it is. I see it for what it could of been.
…and it is sad.
The only option is to Let it Go!
…feel blessed ‘Carrying her essence in my heart 𓇼’
…the REAL that I also see in her
…and trust everything has its rhyme and reason.
I have plenty of unopened messages. The difference is I don’t tease them and keep them on the hook like a flake. This was real. Why I hung on waiting. Still, I own that, but carry a grudge for her cowardice and hypocrisy – because I am human, not even a saint.
- signed – my ego that fell in love with her
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What if heaven is a small garden that one could tend to with their own hands. Instead of chasing the stars one would only have to look within their own backyard. The path less travelled for sure.
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The planner, The schemer, The manipulator, The presenter, The image crafter, The discontent, The controller, The satisfied, The achiever, The director
The actor
Sometimes I am engrossed in the scenes
Other times detached, observing, aware of the dynamic nature of the show
Never in my meditation has ‘The Play’ ceased
No spiritual teacher I respect ever promised it would, could, or should while in this living body
Therefore my practice is not to escape living, but to accept it
To witness the transitory nature of the ego
Understand why it does what it does
…and not be ruled by it
Through that there is mastery in surrender
…and I learn to Let Go
…and serve that which is higher than my animal desires
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“Fiction is the nature of reality” Lyam Thomas Christopher
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When I critique her, my feelings and intentions are of love
…as flawed as they can be
For her ego is my ego, her pride is my pride 🪞
When others’ do so, I want to stab them in the throat 🔪 🩸
Her crumbs are more filling
…than the best baked breads from the finest bakeries
Willingly stepping into Heaven’s oven
– again and again
The fire purifies the soul 🔥
Leaving only what is REAL
I am more content alone
Working on myself, walking this world
Serving that which is higher than my animal desires
Carrying her essence in my heart 𓇼
Than dining on another’s platter
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If a woman truly desires a man, she will directly reciprocate from the start, follow his lead on how to initiate the relationship, and not risk turning him away by her behaviors.
It is men that she feels she is settling for and are beneath her that she will play games with. Some women will seek out such a dynamic when they are ready to settle down, start a family, out of a desire to be in control. When a man rejects being treated as such, it has nothing to do with fear or him not being able to handle her, and everything to do with self respect.
I’ve been in this game a long time and I have seen the same patterns play out again and again. Requiring a woman respect herself and you in a relationship is not insecurity, it is leadership.
Never settle for a woman that thinks she is settling for you.
jamesnines.com 