The other day I sat in a mediator's stance just like what Steve Jobs did. You see, I need a spiritual icon that leads my road. I dont even know if i was about to reach Nirvana...the only thing in the smog i can see is the shimmering light miles away....thats where nirvana is....I trudge forward wearing nothing...like what steve jobs said ---you're already naked.....with all my gears....the gears could refer to as the knowledge, experiences, and wishes i've got in the past decades..i wont say how long it was, lets just say im no more young.....feel like im not in the modern world..because there are no freeways, surface streets or whatsoever, not even one path im able to follow to get to where the light is shining....feel like im a lone soldier who went AWOL and had to find his own way in the dark even if its in the daytime...feel like im camping in the forked road...compass is of no use...its not about what direction i need to walk in...or getting around the bushes...its all about making the proper decisions at the right time....also feel like i have to be holed up in the pines..the helicopter flashing its lights to spot me all the time...i would climb up with a rope and be picked up...but i realised i was scared to go back to the past....and there's something i have to straighten out...the light down the line sometimes is dimming...suddenly flashing....the clock is still ticking....all of these reminds me of the Nirvana...its the place where i'll be set free.......im impressed with the three movies about how to reach their nirvana...not literally..not sure if they're loyal to the buddha....i was inspired by the pain...that andy, the lead in Shawnshanks Redemption went through...the untouchable shimmering light lit up his immense amount of patience in the process of escaping from the prison...it took him 20 yrs and then made him crawl through a river of shit thats as long as 600 feet to reach nirvana...i was amused to see the other lead, Forell in As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me crossing the Iranian border and the soviet commander who chased him all the way let him go....the third moive im talking about is Cast Away...the caption under the title is: at the edge of the world, the journey begins...and the story stays true to it....Both Tom Hanks(Cast Away) and Forell (As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me) set themselves free with right amount of willpower and motivation...i find they're somewhat different..Forell's known his destination from the very beginning.....with luck and help, all it takes are huge persistence and physical pain.....Tom suffers more...that is, mental pain..the pain in the brain....he is in the middle of nowhere without paths...all he can do is to be prepared and to wait.....and he's still at a crossroads at the end...the finale of Cast Away leaves me hanging...and thinking back of my forked road....i meant to put down my thoughts of Nirvana...all the other thoughts that popped into my mind made me fall into the human condition....still on my way to reaching nirvana....
I agree with you to some extent and when I am saying to some extent because I am not so sure if I get some part of your response right.
I think what you are saying is right, one can practice mindfullness for a long time and still be in misery. In my view, the problem starts when we want to focus only on one thing and ignore the rest. For example, some go to church or pray all the time that they forget their neighbours or their family members. They forget that their daily life is also a ritual.
In contrast, some concentrate only on their job that they forget to eat or take a rest. I don't like the attitude of this group too. I think it's good to have both of them, practicing mindfullness in addition to do our daily job.
My reason is my daily life fills my mind and therefore, to control my mind, I have to clean it up now and then in order to be more focused to do my job. If I only think about my job, in some point, my mind takes over me, then I can't be able to do my job. Mind will never be satisfy. When you reach success, it wants more and more. If I don't control it, it will control me. So, it's really important to manage it.
My job challenges me which help me to grow. So, I think we need a mixture of it practicing mindfullness in addition to taking actions which in your case is earning money.
The reason for writing here is not to disagree with your thoughts or push my idea on you. I am really enthusiastic to know what you think because what you think help me to organize my thought in a realistic way.
Hi,Nafis. glad that ur interested in this topic...what i mean is that i wouldnt take nirvana as a purely religious concept....even i want to reach nirvana, i dont want to practise mindfulness to get there......sometimes, i tried to practise it with a step-by-step book... and viewed myself as an independent entity ignoring everything chaotic around me....but as soon as i opened my eyes, i found all i achieved were just illusions that disappeared in a sudden......its just like all of us know heaven is a good place to stay.....the question is.... can u get there by transcendence?? the answer is no...
but nirvana reminds us that there's a place in the world where no one can touch you, cage you, limit you....its not your boss...nor is ur boss's boss....
and now i'd like to consider it more in a non-buddhism way when im thinking about Nirvana....and i always think mankind is living lives in extremely turbulent circumstances.....its like an animal in a jungle....others around you are preying on you and are out to get you.......i hope to get out of the jungle, let my guard down, and live in a completely peaceful mind, and place that's where Nirvana is....but the prerequisites of being free are that...i have to make loads of money....so i have to work hard now....cant just go packing and leave.......
Dear Bullseye, would you please elaborate more on this sentence: "to redefine the concept of Nirvana by mixing personal satisfaction that could be achieved by working hard and earning enough money? I would appreciate it.
Nafis, you make some good points....Nirvana in Buddhism is described as the state free of individual existence and could be attained through enlightenment.....many people are practising mindfulness to achieve it, to dump all the fears in their lives....yes! in the daily life, people just can't cut themselves off from the outside world consciously or sociologically....because they have to interact with others and to struggle for food to live on.....thats why you think they do the opposites....and thats why i always seek to redefine the concept of nirvana by mixing personal satisfaction that could be achieved by working hard..and earning enough money...and finally get my ass out of the prison and set myself free....
This is a really vast and complex topic. I think one thing to get Nirvana is to free the mind. However, people do the opposite. They do many things during a day so that they can freed their mind. A peaceful mind can be blissful too.
Comments
My friend! Your thoughts are a condition of great happiness and a feeling of peace.
All of our wise decisions and actions are sensible and based on good judgment.
Take care of you.
I agree with you to some extent and when I am saying to some extent because I am not so sure if I get some part of your response right.
I think what you are saying is right, one can practice mindfullness for a long time and still be in misery. In my view, the problem starts when we want to focus only on one thing and ignore the rest. For example, some go to church or pray all the time that they forget their neighbours or their family members. They forget that their daily life is also a ritual.
In contrast, some concentrate only on their job that they forget to eat or take a rest. I don't like the attitude of this group too. I think it's good to have both of them, practicing mindfullness in addition to do our daily job.
My reason is my daily life fills my mind and therefore, to control my mind, I have to clean it up now and then in order to be more focused to do my job. If I only think about my job, in some point, my mind takes over me, then I can't be able to do my job. Mind will never be satisfy. When you reach success, it wants more and more. If I don't control it, it will control me. So, it's really important to manage it.
My job challenges me which help me to grow. So, I think we need a mixture of it practicing mindfullness in addition to taking actions which in your case is earning money.
The reason for writing here is not to disagree with your thoughts or push my idea on you. I am really enthusiastic to know what you think because what you think help me to organize my thought in a realistic way.
Thanks for reading and responding,
Good time,
Hi,Nafis. glad that ur interested in this topic...what i mean is that i wouldnt take nirvana as a purely religious concept....even i want to reach nirvana, i dont want to practise mindfulness to get there......sometimes, i tried to practise it with a step-by-step book... and viewed myself as an independent entity ignoring everything chaotic around me....but as soon as i opened my eyes, i found all i achieved were just illusions that disappeared in a sudden......its just like all of us know heaven is a good place to stay.....the question is.... can u get there by transcendence?? the answer is no...
but nirvana reminds us that there's a place in the world where no one can touch you, cage you, limit you....its not your boss...nor is ur boss's boss....
and now i'd like to consider it more in a non-buddhism way when im thinking about Nirvana....and i always think mankind is living lives in extremely turbulent circumstances.....its like an animal in a jungle....others around you are preying on you and are out to get you.......i hope to get out of the jungle, let my guard down, and live in a completely peaceful mind, and place that's where Nirvana is....but the prerequisites of being free are that...i have to make loads of money....so i have to work hard now....cant just go packing and leave.......
no problem....
Dear Bullseye, would you please elaborate more on this sentence: "to redefine the concept of Nirvana by mixing personal satisfaction that could be achieved by working hard and earning enough money? I would appreciate it.
This is a really vast and complex topic. I think one thing to get Nirvana is to free the mind. However, people do the opposite. They do many things during a day so that they can freed their mind. A peaceful mind can be blissful too.
what do you mean by Nirvana? Do you mean enlightment or bliss?